Reminiscing and Making

    One day about five or six years ago when I was just getting into quilting, I started to recall my very first real sewing project in my seventh grade home economics class.  I never had any formal sewing instruction before and I had never used a real electric sewing machine, I had only sewn little doll projects with a needle and thread by hand and they were not pretty.  I was a very eager student, and even though my projects were not perfect, I was always happy with my makes and I would wear them.  I took sewing in place of cooking whenever I could.  I only took cooking one semester and it was because the school made me take it.

    The teacher was starting from scratch with most of us and she had a genius half apron pattern that was made with gingham fabric that she taught us.  I can't recall what size gingham it was, I want to say it was 1/4".   We were told to buy a certain amount of fabric in whatever color 1/4" gingham we wanted.  I remember I picked out a lovely lavender color. 

    To make the pieces for the apron we measured by counting squares of the gingham.  It was a one size fits all pattern.  It was super simple and all the students had a finished apron at the end.  It was a easy way to learn how to cut pieces for a pattern. then the teacher could concentrate on teaching us how to use a sewing machine to sew our pieces together.  I have looked on the Internet for an apron pattern like it but I can't find anything.  Darn it.

     I was so nostalgic for that project, that I decided to create my own half apron loosely based on that gingham pattern.  I cut a large rectangle of fabric for the skirt, large enough to gather it up to give it some flow and make it feminine.  Then I cut three long narrow rectangles about 6 inches wide for the waistband and ties.  I even put a patch pocket on it.  I ended up using every inch of the piece of this fabric I had.

     I thought this dachshund fabric was the cutest.  It was designed by M'Liss Rae Hawley.  It was about this time that I learned a very valuable lesson about designer fabrics and that is once a design of fabric runs out, it will probably never be available again.  That was a sad realization, because sometimes I find fabric that I want to make into everything so now when I find a fabric that I love I try to buy enough to make bags/potholders/towel toppers or whatever else and also have enough to add into scrap quilts so I don't feel deprived.

An Ohio Star Block Decoration And More

     I made this Ohio Star Block to hang somewhere.  This block was a lot of fun to make and I enjoyed stash diving to find the fabrics for it.  I used the instructions in a video by Amanda of 3and3quarters blog.  The link to her video is right here.

    This is a nice big block.  It finishes at 14" x 14".  Later I'll be making a door decoration using three of these blocks and some stash fabrics.  I would love to make a quilt using this block, but I have several quilt projects on my list already, so that will have to wait.

   I have a pile of fabrics on my cutting table waiting to be cut for fabric trees, two will be made with cute Arctic Antics fabric I made my rag quilt from.  See a picture at this post here.   Another tree will be pink for my bedroom made with fat quarters from the Far, Far Away fabric line (see picture below), and one will be made with some miscellaneous blue fat quarters I found (picture below) to make a sewing table decoration.

    Today I picked up some bar mop kitchen towels to make some new hanging dishtowels for DD's kitchen.  I will be using some of my precious Time With Friends by Lynette Anderson fabric (see below) to make the fabric section to create the button holes.  DD asked for gray, maroon, and white fabrics and this is the perfect combination plus she loves dogs and cats.

 

     There are tons of tutorials on line and the last time I made some I used a tutorial that had me make bias binding for ties.  I want to make one with a buttonhole this time, because I just learned how to make buttonholes on my Janome machine and I'd like to get some more experience used that cool foot, plus you don't need all that extra fabric for buttonholes.  Let's face it when I make bias binding, I waste some fabric and I'm not going to waste any of the only yard of this lovely Time With Friends fabric.  Here is the hanging dishtowel tutorial that I will be using for this project.

       

 

Time Spent with My Embroidery Machine

      Wow, I just spent 6 hours with my embroidery machine learning, learning, and learning some more.  In that time I made two items that I deem good enough to give away.  I made this super cute dish towel for someone I love.  I can't say who, but they will adore it.  My family loves St. Patrick's Day.  My mother was 100% Irish and St. Patrick's Day was very special to her.  By the way, I ruined two other dish towels getting this one done.  The other two dish towels each have one good stitched out design on them and I will cut them up and sew them together for me.

     I learned a lot about my embroidery machine today.  I learned how to change the needle (I broke two), I learned how not to break the needle, and I learned how to insert the bobbin correctly.  I also learned how to go back and restitch when the thread breaks and I learned how to change colors on a design in my design software on my computer.  So all that time was not wasted.

Here's another design I stitched out today.  It was almost too easy except for the one time the 

thread broke (I have no idea why).  This beautiful Napoleanic bee in a laurel wreath will be going on tote bag I'm making for a birthday present for one of my bosses.