A Little Bit of Sewing Planned

Well, where is Wilma on Wednesday? This is a sewing blog after all, so tonight... some sewing previews. No cooking. I'm not quite organized enough to have a "fall sewing plan", but I do have a few things lined up. At least in my mind.


The first show and tell is a UFO that I started 2 years ago. It's 99.9% finished. Just some thread clipping and some minor fixing on the binding.

I think I'll be listing it the Jenna Belle shop, unless I decide I want to keep it for myself. Oh, and get this. It was apparently about 95% finished when I put it away 2 years ago. It needed about an hour's worth of quilting (maybe less), and then the binding. Do you do that? Get almost finished with a project?


Is anyone interested in learning how to make a continuous bias strip? I think I'll do a quick tutorial (not today though).


Now, back to some sewing for me. Self stitched September is kind of right around the corner, and I don't just want to wear all the June stuff again. First up, a knit dress. Still sleeveless, but it will still work here in the south. It's been cut out. Hmmm, can't really read the number. It's Vogue 8553.

Then, I'm using one of my vintage pattern finds. It has some pieces missing... the back facing and the armhole facing, and the Peter Pan collar. I drafted a new back facing, I'm using bias tape for the armholes, and no collar. Oh, and I'll be grading it up just a few sizes. It might end up just being a top, too. Creative license and the fact that I might not have quite enough fabric. Almost positive there won't be any ruffles!

The fabric is a vintage madras that I've had in my stash forever. And that's it. Even more patterns are lined up, and including 4 or 5 I just bought in the last Big 4 sale that are winging their way to me.


Fall sewing... here I come!

In a Quilting State of Mind

Are you as relieved as I am that June is over with? I've been sewing lately, but have I ever mentioned quilts? I've made quilts on and off since, oh, 1982. But I like to actually finish things, and quilts originally, for me, took FOR.EVER. The first 2 I made were queen-sized, and hand quilted. But starting around 2008 or so, I discovered that now people machine quilted (please don't tell me it became popular before that... it's just that quilts were not on my radar). Besides, my kids had outgrown my sewing, and I hadn't rediscovered sewing for myself, so quilting it was.


But Patty, the Snug Bug re-piqued my interest with her gorgeous wedding gift quilt and she mentioned the Modern Quilting movement. Huh? Again, I was out of the quilting loop, and did some investigating. According to the Modern Quilt Guild, modern quilting is a new twist on traditional quilting. You can see their full definition here.


I bought 2 books:

and after looking at some gorgeous pictures, realized that I've been "modern quilting" for a couple of years now, and just didn't call it that. Here are a couple of quilts I made for my Down the Street etsy shop that have sold. I made them in 2009.


A table runner from a jelly roll (2-1/2" wide pre-cut strips for you non-quilters)...

And a string pieced wall-hanging:

Kinda wish this one hadn't sold.


Yes. Modern quilting before it was called that. Specifically.


Why am I rambling on about quilting? I have a good bit of quilting cotton, including fat quarters and strips and general scraps that is crying out to be turned into quilts. I have 2 bags of t-shirts from Laura that she wants turned into hip and happening t-shirt quilts. Hmmm, modern t-shirt quilts. That's what she wants. Definitely a challenge.


And an awesome UFO that needs, yes, really needs, to be finished. It's almost done, and why did I stop? It's complicated.


Oh, and yeah. Almost forgot. I just made a little dog quilt. For those spoiled rescue dogs we have. Here's a look at how we torture the poor creatures.

"Look at poor little us, forced to lay on the hot concrete. We've been out here for hours, a couple minutes, and we must come back in."

The reality is that these poor creatures pretty much lounge about on virtually every couch, chair and bed in the house. At this very moment, they are at opposite ends of the sectional, "watching" House Hunters with me. During the day, they like the chairs in the great room with its big window (so they can keep tabs on the evil squirrels). The chairs are actually kinda nice though, so they have little quilts on them.

This one was originally for sale in my shop, but nobody bought it, and now it's mine. It "goes" with the plaid, don't you think?

This is the new one. About 25" x 25". Look at the cute little doggie prints. And it really goes with the yellow chair I made it for.

The arm of the chair is a perfect support to be able to peer out at squirrels.

Wow, this whole post may have really been TMI about me and my quiltmaking journey. Be thankful I didn't take pictures of the first quilt I ever made.


Edit: I added the link to Patty's blog and the post about her gorgeous quilt!

Feeling Spring-y

This may sound counter-intuitive, as you might think you would want to make quilts when it's cold outside, but I really like to make quilted "things", so the seasons aren't as important. Plus, I love bright, springy quilting fabrics. The colors are just so cheery. I decided to pull out a jelly roll, and 2 charm packs that I bought maybe 18 months ago. They were still in the shopping bag, she says *blushing*. It's not quite the first day of spring, but these future placemats might just brighten your day (they aren't finished, and up next are the red and yellow ones).

A Few More Quilt Blocks

...and now I'm done. I let myself get carried away making these 12-1/2" blocks for the Rainbow Around the Block project, with a grand total of 31 blocks made. I found it really is easier to make at least 2 of one design if possible, and it doesn't really take that much longer than making one. But I'm not telling quilters anything they don't already know.

I did manage to scrounge up some orange bits to make two blocks in honor of any University of Tennessee fans living in Nashville. These 2 blocks took up the majority of my orange fabric that isn't specifically a fall or Halloween design.

This blue one is more youthful, and I love the brightness of it:

But I think out of all of them, this is my favorite:

For pictures of more of my blocks, and the blocks of other quilters, take a look at the Group Pool of photos on flickr.com.

If you feel the urge to use up some scraps, and make some of your own 12-1/2" blocks for the project, the deadline for submitting them is September 1. You can mail them to:
Anna Maria Horner
attn: RAINBOW
1730 Old Hickory Blvd
Brentwood, Tn. 37027
And now, I'll be back to making muslins.

Rainbow Around the Block

It's official. I'm obsessed with making quilt blocks today. Forget that darn shirtdress. On the latest round of "voting" most of you admitted to not liking the stripe. The blue is a lightweight linen, and I don't have enough to make the whole dress out of it, so it's back to the drawing board. For the record, I was pretty ambivalent about the stripe, so no hard feelings. I'm thinking a simple solid now.

But the quilt blocks! I can't remember which blog I discovered this project on, but it's a quilting project for the flood victims in Middle Tennessee spearheaded by Anna Maria Horner, an author, and fabric and pattern designer who lives in Nashville. Clicking on her name will take you to more information about this project. It's been going on all summer, but didn't really hit my radar screen until this weekend, and now I can't stop making these blocks!

I'm really having fun going through my scrap drawers, and trying to stick to the rainbow theme. I've got red, yellow, green and blue, and those pastel blocks so far. I'd love to make some orange blocks just for the Tennessee folks, but this Georgia girl's stash is woefully short on that particular color. I might be able to scrounge up enough for one block. This is my favorite so far:

Nashville has a particular place in our hearts now since Kyle has been attending Vanderbilt, and Laura and Thomas moved there after their wedding. Kyle was, in fact, in Nashville during the flooding, and true to 19 year old college boy style, when I called him to see if he was ok, and see if Vanderbilt had had any flooding, he was only barely aware that it had been raining! In fairness, it was the first weekend of finals, so he was probably studying. A mom can dream anyway! =)

Time is running out, as the final deadline for sending your blocks is September 1. Be sure to visit the Rainbow Around the Block flickr group for more inspiration!