Tag: fabric

Oma’s Treasure finished for my One Monthly Goal

I actually really like this piece.  I had lots of advice from people on what to do and I thank all of you for your help.  I so very often finish pieces and am unimpressed.  This is already hanging in my dining room by all the other beautiful thinks that once belonged to Oma, Mom and now me.

Despite the fact that my Oma could not speak English, she always knew what to send me that would make me happy.  Something to make or do.  I believe the center embroidered piece is around 40 years old.  Surprisingly, I did not do such a bad job as a kid.

The embroidered piece is made from linen, so I did add some interfacing to the back to20170806_131034_resized add a bit of stability.  I also sewed glass beads in the centers of some flowers to keep the batting from shifting.  I went totally outside my box and did quilting outside my comfort zone and I am totally happy with it.  How crazy is that?  So, now, when I sit down to dinner, I can imagine Oma smiling down at me.  Getting sentimental, I should stop now.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Join One Monthly Goal, great way to get things done

Quilt Storage Bags???

I started investigating quilt storage, becsaue I have several quilts that I plan on keeping for my daughter.  Then, I have a couple laying around that have not yet told me their purpose.

I am also the crazy dog lady, so there are also three dogs running around at all times, so finding a way to store them seemed like a good idea and less work than cleaning dog hair from them several times.  I found someone selling muslin drawstring bags for about $25.00 each.  Hmmmm.  So, I dug up some muslin in one of my many boxes of fabric and went to work.  I decided to take a scrap from one of my projects and use it so I would easily know which quilt was in the bag without opening it.  I am pretty sure these bags will stop my quilts from constantly getting “Dogged Up” as I tell my dogs, as if they know what it means when I tell them to stop dogging up my quilts (crazy dog lady for 5215737111 (1)many reasons).  I have one of my little dogs, Snibble, that wants to test them before I am done binding.  If I sit down with a quilt on my lap to do binding, she is immedialty underneath it making sure it is adequately warm.  So, my quilts are totally dog approved before I do anything with them.  When I am done, there is a lot of de-dogging that goes on.  I am hoping this stops me from having to do it multiple times.

Pretty simple to make.  Could also be dual purpose, ecspecially with the baby quilt.  The20170820_202746_resized bag could be stuffed into the diaper bag to hold dirty clothes or anything.   I would like to get my sizing a little better.  I actually did better on the first one (baby quilt) that the bigger one.  I have a couple of others to do and will hopefully get the hang of the sizing.  It is really not exaclty one size fits all.  They still work, even though the one for the black quilt is a bit large.

I put a pocket on the front.  I did this mostly, becasue I wante to write my daughter notes about the quilts I made for her, but that would certainly work for all of my quilts.  Once I have it down, I will write some simple intructions.

Hapy Sewing

Hapy Quilting

Well it’s a bit better, still not sure though…

I started this project a few weeks ago.  I didn’t like it much.  But, I had already cut the fabric, so , I made a few adjustments.  I was limited in the that Ihe things I could do since everything was already cut.  I also did not have much extra fabric, which was odd for me.  I usually buy way more than I need.  Not quite finished, still have border of the solid green on the bottom and the top and an outer border.  The outer border will have to be a different solid color since I have no more of the green.

My daughter does not like it.  She hates the yellow. It does stand out a lot and the green print just disappears.  It is still oddly intersting.  I will have to see once I get it totally done.  Not much left to do.

Also got my safari quilt pin basted and ready for the actual quilting.  I need to figure out 20170813_185057_resized (1)the exact pattern and practice a bit befiore I begin.  I am also contempating making a storage bag for this quilt since I plan on saving it for my “someday” grandchild.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Yes, The Fabric Gnome visited me…

So, at my house when socks and things go missing, we say that the Underpants Gnome took them.  This was my late husband Derrick’s version of comedy that stuck.   Gosh I miss him.  He was hilarious.  So, we don’t have the Sock Fairy stealing socks, but the Underpants Gnome. Let me tell you, he is hungry because I have an enormous bag of un-mated socks and underwear with holes (They couldn’t be because they are 10 years old).

So, when I felt slightly guilty about the Fabric package in the mail, I decided that I would blame the Fabric Gnome.  I like him way better than the underpants Gnome.  He left me this fabulous pile of batiks from Hancock’s of Paducah.

So, the folded pile is a sample pack.  There are 40 pieces at least 14×18 (most nearly fat quarters).  It was $19.99.  Holy Cow.  They are very lovely and luxurious.  There a few duplicates, but I won’t complain.  Such a steal.  I am having a difficult time not going and buying more, especially since they sent me a 15% off coupon after that order.  The other pieces are one yards that were $3.99.

Odd thing, I love batiks, but have only made a couple of small baby quilts.  I got these with the plan of making myself a quilt.  How weird is that?  I already have a jelly Roll and was looking for a few others.  This will be perfect.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Beware of the Underpants Gnome

Invite the Fabric Gnome in

I got Busted…

So I Started making my daughter Haley a library quilt.  She is a total bookworm.  I have been secretly trying to keep it from her.  I even contacted the school librarian to get me a list of books she has checked out.  I have been secretly going in her room and taking pictures of her book shelves so I knew all the titles.  I wanted to make it not just a library quilt, but her library quilt with all her books on it.

Well, the last quilt I finished, she decided needed to be hers.  I kept telling her no.  She

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One of my favorite pictures of her.  She usually hides from the camera.

kept giving me that sideways look where she knows I am not telling something.  Then the light bulb went off and she said “OMG you are making me a quilt”.  Then she ran downstairs to look for it.  I ended up telling her it was the LQ (library quilt) box so she did not destroy everything in her path.

Needless to say she is very excited and immediately began writing down other books for me to add.  Now she will continually bug me to get it done.  Wanted me to use it as my one Monthly Goal, which I may do for September, but I needed a couple of other things to do it for this month.  She will have to learn patience.  Sometimes these things take me a really long time.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

I guess I just don’t like anything this week.

Ever have one of those weeks when nothing looks right to you?  I feel like that is where I am right now.  I really loved this mum print fabrics in fall colors.  However, once I crated something with it, I find I don’t like it as much as I did when I was just ogling over the fabric.  I look at them and wonder If I should have used a dark blue solid instead of the green?  But, I like green.  I don’t know.  Maybe it will look better when it is all put together.  I just don’t know.

Maybe I should of just walked away last night when I sewed something completely backwards.  Usually a clear sign to stop what you are doing for a bit.  Unfortunately, I never take my own advice.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Happy Friday

Oma’s Treasures –Well, it certainly is bright.

Trying to decide if it is too obnoxious or loud.  My goal was not to take away from the embroidery.  I am not sure that I did that here.  I don’t mind the happy colors, but when you look at it’s like a slap in the face of color. I still have a couple things in mind to do.  One more one inch green around the outside, I think.  I plan to quilt the outside, but I am not sure how yet.  For where the embroidery is, since it is a such a long piece, I think I will sew tiny glass beads in the centers of some of the flowers to ensure the batting does not shift.  Of course, my binding is a bit crazy.  I have a striped piece of fabric (green/orange/pick/yellow) to add to the craziness of this piece.  Feel free to give me your opinion on my color choices and any suggestions on quilting (kinda stumped with that).  You will not offend me if you think it is awful.  I asked for it. LOL.

On a positive note, some good news, my older daughter, who was in a horrific head on collision nearly a year ago, has moved out.  I would say she is 90% of her old self, which is pretty good considering what I saw the first night in the ICU.  While it was a challenging six months after the accident. The outcome was far better than I anticipated.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Holy Cow, I can’t believe I made it -One Monthly Goal

I did not think I could get it done.  My QADD (quilting Attention deficit disorder) took over, as expected.

Funny thing, I found this task less daunting if I just did 20 minutes here and there, which is what I did.  It worked, got it done.

Weird colors (leftovers) and super simple design.  These were leftovers from the second quilt I ever made.  I obliviously had no idea how much fabric it took to make a quilt because I actually bought enough to make 2.  Pretty sure it qualifies as a UFO.

I will show some up close evidence of my quilting once I get it trimmed and bound.

My daughter is holding it sideways though, it was to long for her.  So next quilting job I will have to use some of my new skills , from last weekends workshop.  Now it is just trimming and binding.  Not sure I will make that my next goal. I will have to see.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Treasure your Family

 

 

Ever heard of this one????

So, I wrote about this UFO before.  The black fabric was sort of falling apart.  It was very fragile.  I got lots of good advice on what to do.

So, I got the blocks and pieces out and decided that I would make a couple more blocks and I would try to gently quilt it.

Well, I could not sew the blocks together.  The black fabric was too fragile.  SO, I started to throw away all the black.  Right about the time I was getting ready to throw the blocks in the trash, I decided to see how fragile a whole block was.

Crazy thing….they are fine.  Strong as can be.

So, what is the difference?  I stored the pieces in Ziploc bags (actual Ziploc Brand).  It seems that the Ziploc bag affected the black fabric.  Anyone else ever heard of that?  The Batik fabric I had in the Ziplocs was fine.  Only seemed to affect the black fabric.

Please let me know your thoughts or if anything crazy like that has ever happened to you.

I have a lot of stuff stored in Ziploc bags.  Now I am scared.

Happy Sewing

Happy Quilting

Treasure Your Family

Sewing for Charity with help from the kids

So, since joining a Quilting guild, that does lots of charity work, On Friday night, I decided to work on a few of those items.

Since my 13 year old was in trouble, I decided that she was going to be my assistant.  At first she made a face at me and then I told her potentially wat the alternative could be (something crappy), so she quickly changed her mind.

I explained to her that we would be making these hearts for the local Hospice.  Once someone is hospice passes, they write a message on one side of the heart and then all the nurses that cared for that person sign the back.  A very sweet gesture at a difficult time.

So, I let Haley pick fabric out of the scrap basket.  Then I gave her a pattern and had her cut out the batting for the hearts.  Of course she informed me that she was not good at that and I told her that she would have to practice until she got it right.  Then, Miranda felt left out and joined the party.  She became the chief ironer.

They did not do too badly, there were a few rejects, but overall a success.

Since I am finally feeling a bit better, I also go to work on my one monthly goal project.  I totally need to get it off my design board so I can put something else up there.

My projects have expanded out of my sewing room and are not taking over other parts of the family room.  I have stolen the pool table and placed a board on top of it so I could use it as a work area.  I also put my design board in the pool room.  My shape cutter is sitting next to the bar with several plastic tubs of important stuff and then of course I store a couple of things in the corner of the kid’s family room.  Then there is the long table on the other side of the bar where I usually do my quilting.

I should probably real it in a bit before I have a full scale family revolt on my hands.

Happy sewing

Happy quilting

Treasure your Family