Settling In

I am now somewhat back to a normal routine. If you consider replacing zippers, patching jeans, altering formal gowns and other such sewing a routine. When I last posted I talked about all the things I had plans to do. Out of all those things I have started two of them. The 4-H project and one of the t-shirt quilts.

On the t-shirt quilt I am considering backing it with polar fleece which would eliminate the need for separate batting and backing. It would certainly make it easier to quilt on my sewing machine. I don't yet have a fancy quilting machine. That's a way down the road someday thing. Even if I had one, I don't have a place to put it anyway, unless Barry finishes off the garage into a workshop for me. Which, by the way, he claims he would like to do for me someday. . . when we are rich and famous.

On this quilt I only have 6 t-shirt blocks to work with so I have to beef it up a bit. I've cut them into 12-1/2" squares and plan on adding strips around the edges in log cabin fashion to make them into 18" squares. Then I'll sew all those together in a two by three grid and the borders around that will make up the difference into a twin size quilt. I plan on continuing the log cabin routine with borders too. Tonights project is to get the strips cut for the log cabin around the t-shirt blocks.

The 4-H project is my daughter's project. She is making a display for all of her Tae Kwon Do belts. We have found an old narrow bulletin board which was green. She painted it all white. Then she is going to cover it in white fabric similar to the weight of fabric in her uniform. She may decide to use her uniform since she is about to out grow it. Anyway, she is then going to tie the belts around the board as if the board is wearing the belts. Her first rank will be at the bottom and her last completed highest rank will be at the top. I am anxious for her to finish it. It should be very cute and unique. Don't worry I will be posting pictures of both projects.

Ta Ta for now and have a great day.

"Falling" Into Place

Well September was a LOOOOONG month. Why? Because I moved my sewing business into my home. I never new I had so much "stuff". It took me all month because I wanted to put stuff away as I brought it home and before I brought home another load. It worked for the most part until I got down to the very end. I am now set back up and organized in my basement. The front entry, used to be a porch is now my office/fitting room/scrapbooking room/cash register area. Needless to say I have had to get fairly creative. I'll have to take photos later and post them. Right now I have bazillion projects I have to do and then there are the ones I want to do. My daughter (10 years old) is standing behind me right now pestering me to go work on a project, she wants to help. She is also telling me I have gray hair which I generally give credit for that to my boys including my husband.

SEW . . . what are my next projects. For starters I have to make three t-shirt quilts,  a denim quilt, along with four fleece blankets, and the usual alterations, repairs and mending. The projects I want to do include a rainbow quilt found at http://www.hookedonneedles.com/2011/09/rainbow-quilt-picture-tutorial.html. I love a good stash buster especially when it involves chain sewing. Oh yeah! I have a need for speed. Let's see, I am also going to make myself my own Christmas presents. Yes, you read that right. I am going make three gifts for me, wrap them up, and one is going to be from me, the other from myself and the last from I. It'll be fun to see how my family reacts to that one.  Finally, my daughter and I are also going to work on a couple of 4-H projects. Don't worry I will share them all with you as we make progress.

'Til next time keep your creative fingers working.

Nancy