March Round 2

  I mentioned fabric browsing and giving in and buying.  I really liked this paisley print I saw online at the J store site.  I envisioned it as rich pillowcases!  Not my usual but I thought a nice set would update the bedroom look.  We have queen size pillows and those regular cases are just enough too small that I usually remake pillow cases that come with a set of sheets.  And a good cotton fabric gets so soft for snoozing.  

   I got the fabric cut and set to sew last week.  Then spent the weekend pinning my quilt tops.  I had plans to machine quilt a couple of hours each day and work my way thru both tops.  I went ahead and cut up binding even.  Monday morning was still sunny and warm.



  I also started on a set of place mats.  I liked the fabric, it was on big time sale, and would be good for the sun room.  I got 2 sewn, and 2 ready to go.  I will do simple straight line quilting to finish them off.

   On the way to the store for groceries, I noticed how many trees were showing leaves!  And then a couple of hours later, I noticed a headache.  Right over my eye, then behind my eye, I figured it was a sinus headache as the pollen count was rising.


   Tuesday was not very productive as the sinus headache hung on. By that night my face was swelling, and  I could not sleep lying down as the pressure was so bad.  To the doctor asap, and by then my face was showing bruising under the eye.  Major infection, steroids and antibiotics, and on day five I am seeing improvement finally.   The scariest thing was how quickly this infection developed with absolutely no cold or virus before.    My stamina has taken a major hit, and so I am back to working in shorter spurts.  You would think I would quit trying to overdo when I feel good.  Lol.



   But I did manage a bit of sewing therapy yesterday.   I know some people hate string sewing, but it is mindless and relaxing for me.    The bin for floral strings is quite full.  And they are quite small---only 4'' square.  I had a stack of shorter pieces and strips of the foundation shirting I use for string foundations......the largest size I could get out of most of them was 4''.  So that was why the odd/small size is being used.  It is pretty random right now with no design plan.  I figure they can be turned into a small table runner, or wall hanging, or even the base for a tote bag.  For now they are a stop gap for me. 
Happy stitching.   

Pillow cases

   A new set of sheets, and  a pair of pillow cases arrived here recently.  Only problem the pillow cases are for standard pillows and we have queen pillows.   The cases need about 4 '' more to cover the pillow.  Since I have a shelf full of unused standard cases, I took a cue from the Pillowcase Challenge and re-made a few.

   For this set, I removed the band.  I cut a 4'' strip of favorite fabric.  Sewed the short ends together to form a continuous length.    Stitched it first to the body of the cases and then reattached the band.  I added top stitching, and was done.

Usable cases that I did not have to pay huge $$$ for!


Happy stitching.

Last minute sewing

   One last minute item to make after a quick trip to the J store.......a pillow case of Star Wars fabric for the newest fan!   I heard it was an exciting day for Remy when he saw the movie, so now he can dream of light sabers.  







  And a few circles for the week for Quilty 365......I think I missed a day or two.  But who is counting?   I am aiming for 300 to make a nice size throw.  While going through fabrics, I kept finding small pieces that were not wide enough for a circle.   What to do when I wanted to include it?  A light bulb went off when I played around with a layout.

  A staggered layout  means I need a half circle at the top and bottom of those rows.  Or a plain strip......so half circle is perfect to use for the smaller pieces I want to include.  Or I may stagger them across the rows.....that remains to be seen.

Anyway, this week I made:

   a red etched flower, chocolate for those critical days, scissors and thread for my passion, a luscious paisley, serene lavender and purple,  a bit of old world lace print,  and a memory of my Dad.

  Dad was a fisherman.....so the shirt print of fish is for him.  Family vacations were often to a fishing camp with the beach nearby.  I remember hunting for seashells on Sanibel Island, and another time waking up one morning to find a small shark in the kitchen floor!   I also remember how mad Mother was about that one!  I don't know what happened to the shark.....I grabbed my flip flops and went to the beach where it was safe.

   And now it is time to pick up the sewing room and wrap the last gift before I can enter the kitchen tomorrow and begin the prepping.  Sir Old Man will be the house boy for the clean up.......it's too dangerous to allow him to stir or cook!  That's okay, I get to be boss and make a mess.  
Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and happy stitching.

Oops...more fabric!

I thought I was de-stashing with the bow tie blocks.....I came home yesterday with 10 more yards of fabric!  Not purchased by me, but rather "donated" by a beautiful friend who is moving.  Thank you, Lynn, for your generosity and thinking of me and all my projects. 
It is very soft flannel and I rolled it onto  mini-bolts.  I have 2 projects in mind for it.  The first is to back the bow tie quilt, and second is for pillowcases for the Shriner's Children Hospital.  (The photo also shows one I made for Remy with the Clemson orange border.)
An added bonus:  Emily will get to practice her seams on the machine Lynn gave her and learn how to finish them off when she sews some of the pillowcases, too, next week.   Lynn's gifts get multiplied and spread to many other people.  That's what I call passing it on.

Basic recipe for the pillowcase:
Body is cut across the width of fabric at 25 inches.
Border is cut across the width of fabric at 11 inches.
Inset band is optional:  cut width of fabric at 1 inch, or 1 1/2 inches.  Or add ribbon or rick rack trim at the top stitching stage below. 

Border is folded in half and pressed to form 5 1/2 inch wide band.  Do the same for the inset band.
Lay body face up and match the raw edges of the inset band and the border piece to the top raw edge of the body piece. 
Stitch edge to edge using 1/2 inch seam.  Finish raw edges with a wide zig-zag stitch (or serge off the edge).
Press the inset strip and border away from the body.  Top stitch if desired along the seam.
Fold right sides together, matching the seam.  Stitch the side seam using 1/2 inch seam.  Then stitch  across the bottom.  Finish off the raw edges with a zig-zag stitch. 
Turn right side out and press. 

Quilt take-in day is tomorrow for the quilt show.  It is always fun to see all the entries ahead of time....but it is also a lot of work.   Thank goodness that Russ likes to help!
 I probably won't get back to the colorwash design for a couple of days :(    I need to de-stash a few more strips in different values anyway.  And the suggestion  from Cheryl to use some more red/rust in the lower corner is a good one, so I need to find some more of those colors.  Thanks for the suggestions. 
Fall into Fall Quilter Blog Giveaway starts October 1.  Click on the scarecrow pic to find out the details.
Happy stitching.

Pillowcases for a cause

I needed some easy sewing today, so I spent the morning searching thru the stash closet for fabrics to use for a few pillowcases.  Shelia put out a call for help in making pillowcases for Christmas for the Shriner's Children's Hospital here.  I found motorcycles, space nebula, whimsical flowers, and  Snoopy fabrics....but the fun part was finding the accent band and hem piece.  What a great way to use up some small pieces quickly.  I think Remy needs a cool motorcycle pillow case too, so I will cut one more.

Happy stitching.