In the Sewing Saddle Again

       I'm back!! It's been some time since I fired up my computer and shared my latest sewing adventures. In the past year, I left hospital nursing and began a new career in academia, and I must admit, the transition has been interesting. Each and every day was a new experience for me. When I finally thought I got the first semester activities down, the semester ended. When we went back after the Christmas break, I started the second semester. I found myself starting all over again in unfamiliar territory. Praise God, I got through it, learned a lot from it, and found my newest passion--I LOVE helping develop the next generation of nurses. With only two weeks left before the next semester starts, I'm getting busy sewing again, and so I want to share what I'm up to in hopes that I motivate new sewing enthusiasts to step out of their comfort zone and stitch, stitch, stitch.
   
       Working with a new group of people allows me to work on new projects, and one of my favorites is the Penelope Purse from Michelle Dorsey and www.sewmichelle.com. Twice a year, the faculty meet as a whole for Learning Day. I volunteered to donate a purse for a door prize, having no idea what a furor I would create. Apparently, other women like the purse as much as I do--and I love it!!! Here's a picture of my donated one:

       Then I made one for my youngest daughter's mother-in-law, Nancy:

When I first started making purses, I designed a purse organizer to hold my checkbook, wallet, pens, lipstick, etc. Since God knows I can NEVER waste a single scrap of fabric, I took the leftover pieces and made a matching purse organizer:

So that was my month of July. I'm bag at the machine again, playing around with potential Christmas presents for work and friends. I finished the first rough draft, but it turned out so nice I will be giving it as a gift next week. Since I don't want to spoil anyone's surprise, I'll post pictures only AFTER it has gotten to it's new home.

Until then, enjoy sewing and don't be afraid to venture into new territory.

2015 A Goal to Sew

 

 Though I keep trying to sew clothing, I still have not mastered fitting. You would think after 40 years of sewing I would get it, but I haven't. So, I am venturing on into machine embroidery. A couple of years ago, I purchased a Janome 9500 from Craigslist. It's one of the best purchases I ever made!! I LOVE machine embroidery. For Christmas, I made the grandsons Thing 1 and Thing 2 t-shirts. Who would have thought such a great look could be had on a Walmart t-shirt?

 I, again, made the wine bags, but this year added machine embroidery. I thought I was writing "Enjoy" in French, but I wasn't--I was conveying the idea of appreciating and savoring a wine but not just enjoying the wine. The cute little chef is from Designs by JuJu.

According to Jess, S'amuses is enjoy in French. So, I re-did the bag correctly. *Sigh*

This is an upcycle project using legs of old jeans and scrap material for the lining. These were not quilted and I did not stuff them with batting. I did, however, add interfacing to the handles to make them more sturdy.

So there is 2014, and here's to 2015. I'm busy (aren't we all) with work and grad school, but I hope to continue my sewing throughout the year. I'll try to post more diligently, hoping to inspire other sewers to keep trying new things and to not be discouraged by failure. Also, I encourage everyone to look for the TNT (tried and true) designs and patterns that work for you. Keep in mind I made the same quilt 3 times and each one looked different.



I'm going to keep trying to sew clothes, however, I will limit myself to tops only. I can make a top fit--pants just make me say bad words. 

Until our next visit,

Marvel

2015: My New Beginning

 

2014 was a good year for me, though there were many ups and downs--twists and turns. By the time the year ended, I looked back with fondness and overall good feelings. I did not even scratch the surface with my sewing goals. Like every other year, I have these delusions of grandeur of all the gifts I will make for family, friends, and co-workers. Though that didn't happen, I did make some really cute items.

I began with my youngest daughter's wall hanging quilt. The pattern, Hello Handsome, came from a Quilty magazine. I fell in love with it the minute I saw the photo and hoped Jess would like it, too. At the time, she worked in an office; I thought it would make an interesting geometric wall hanging. Unfortunately, she didn't get to hang the quilt, and I failed to take a finished photo before mailing it. Oh, well, here's an idea of what it looked like while I completed it. BTW, the quilt top was machine sewn but the quilting was hand done. It took me around 6 months to finish the handwork.

Then, I started purse organizers. The pattern is from Studio Kat Designs and comes in two sizes. I made the large one first, but it's too big for my liking. This is the small one that I made to coordinate with a coral, leather purse that I gave my eldest daughter for Christmas. Since I haven't seen her use it, I assume this was a bust, too.

The idea is a good one, but the design is just too busy for my purse. The elastic pockets don't serve a purpose for me since my cell phone has a clip and there's nothing else in my purse that size.  I won't spend time making another one, though I have made one as a gift that was well received (and, hopefully, used).

My next project was coasters. I love this modern flower. Done on the sewing machine, it's fast, cute, and uses up scraps. I overstuffed these, though, so drinking glasses and soda cans don't sit flat. However, the denim is scrap left from a recycle jeans project (another bust). I think this would make an excellent mug rug if made bigger and the stuffing limited to just an extra layer of fabric sandwiched between the front and back fabrics.

This pattern came from the Internet. At the moment, I cannot locate the original, but I do not take any credit for the design. I will provide an appropriate link when I can find it.

 July began my Christmas sewing. I started with Christmas ornaments. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph copied an idea I saw on Pinterest. I made a freehand pattern, and cut the pieces out of polyester felt from Michael's, then sewed them together with a blanket stitch on my sewing machine. Somehow, they were cuter on Pinterest. In fact, this Christmas, I started a new tradition:  Whomever makes snide comments about my crafts or crafting abilities wins an ugly ornament by default. This year, everyone got one.  What's that say about my family and friends?

Then, I made gift card holders--another idea from Pinterest. I made my own patterns and cut out the nose, coal, holly leaves, etc free hand.

I got lots of compliments, so I stopped my pity party about Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. These are sewn on the machine using a blanket stitch around the edges, and the designs are tacked in place by hand. These took about an hour or less each to make and dress up a simple gift card.

I purchased gift certificates from the bakery at work and gave them to co-workers for Christmas.





My next endeavor is another Studio Kat Design:  the Quattro Bag. I LOVE this purse. This was my first venture into purse making, and I made it for a fun, summer bag. I have had such fun with it--and receive compliments everywhere I go.

 I made another for my friend and neighbor, Joy. She teaches small kids, so the bright colors and butterfly just made the bag for her. I did add a heavy interfacing to the bottom to make it more sturdy.

After the two purses were finished. Babies decided to pop onto the scene, and my sewing changed back to quilt making. I began with a gift for my eldest daughter's sister-in-law. She had difficulties with her first pregnancy, so I wanted to send happy thoughts and a smile to her from Texas. I found this fabulous bird print at Joann's and built a quilt around it. At first, the yellow-green seemed too much. However, as a framing color for the quilt blocks, the color is perfect.


The baseball quilt is the same pattern just in different fabrics. I made this one for a friend at work who's daughter was expecting the first grandbaby--a boy. They planned the nursery in a baseball
theme using the father's old mitts and bats for decoration.
I think it's gorgeous--but there are a lot of baseballs in the design.

Sticking with the design,

I copied the pattern again

for my daughter's nursery.

That's Jess, with her Americana version.

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

I'm Back!!

I cannot believe it's been 7 months since my last post. Man, the time have flown!!! So much has gone on, I hardly know where to begin.


First, I continue to sew, but my sewing has taken a different route. Most of my sewing time in the past has been spent sewing for others--mostly my two daughters. They are grown, married, and out of the nest. I've tried sewing for myself, but it's not the same. I can't seem to master fitting issues and don't stick with a sewing plan that allows me to perfect a core set of patterns that would make a functional wardrobe. So, as a result, I have ventured into a different realm:  quilting.

Quilting began for me as a labor of love when my oldest daughter was pregnant with the first grandson. She wanted to decorate the nursery in a woodlands theme with the focus animal being owls. I hand appliqued and quilted an owl quilt to hang on the wall. Somewhere between the first and millioneth stitch, I became hooked. Since then, I've made half a dozen baby quilts and am still going strong.

Also, I am coming to terms with being a middle aged woman. Boy, this transition time is not what I expected. I guess I thought aging was a process that occurred slowly and methodically. Don't ask me where I got that crazy notion--it's anything but true (at least for me). I really feel like Rip Van Winkle who woke up from a nap only to find himself 20 years into the future.  That's me! I woke up one day only to find myself 50+. It's not the wrinkles or shifting sand that distresses me; it's the "feeling old" that slaps me right across the face. I think, act, and move differently than I did 10 or 20 years ago. Life isn't so rushed and the formerly important things that took so much of my time and energy isn't so important any more. I enjoy my quiet time where I contemplate my world and my small little sphere of influence. I think more, pray more, and relish the small little pleasures that are important only to me.

I spend more time in the Bible, listening to God's messages to my heart. I am so blessed to have a peaceful soul. All the fuss and chaos going on around me doesn't impact me like it used to, because I really do know and believe God is in control and has the details covered. I worry and fret very little these days--replacing that negative use of the precious time I have with prayer to a Heavenly Father who not only listens but has the power to change situations and circumstances.

Enough contemplation. Time to get back to my quilt. I'll post pictures later.

Enjoy the day,

M

2 Weeks of Busy

Today is the last day of my vacation. For the past two weeks, I have indulged myself senseless; tomorrow, I return to reality. Though I do look forward to going back to work, I am ever so thankful for the respite, because I Had A Ball!! I spent 3 days in Clovis, NM visiting my youngest daughter and her husband, then drove to Oklahoma to visit the oldest daughter and her family. My bottom half was not used to so much sitting, but the visit was sooooo worth the horrendous drive. Got home the day before the major ice fest that hit the Dallas Metroplex, which forced me to stay home, stay inside, enjoy the fire in the fireplace, and sew. I have been a busy bee these past 10 days, and I want to take a minute to share my creations.

I begin with a fun and colorful crib quilt:

I found the fabric on the markdown table at Joann's and thought this would be a stunning, eye-popping baby quilt or lap quilt. The blocks are 5" in a 9 Patch Pattern with black sashing to picture frame the colors and make them "pop".
Here's another shot from further away:

The backing will be a medium shade of purple solid. I bought some quilting fabric online with the last Hancock's sale that may work for the border. It's a black and purple batik done in wavy stripes. I plan to wait until the quilt is quilted to make my final selection since the wavy may be too much and detract from the simplicity of the quilt pattern and the fun of the colors. We shall see. Anyway, this was project number 1--my completed quilt top.


 Next, I wanted to try a tutorial for wine bottle gift bags. I found a super easy tutorial online (darn it, I can't find it right this second but promise to post when I do). I have tons of scraps that need to become something--anything. This pattern doesn't take much time or fabric, but the results are good. Here, I used some old cotton scraps with a knit for the contrast at the handle. I think it turned out pretty cute:

 As always, I shared with my neighbor across the street who immediately loved the style. She had a baby shower coming up and wanted to put French wine in a Paris themed wine bag. So she chose this fabric:

And here are the results:

I think they are great, though on hindsight, I wish I had quilted the one on the right like I did the one on the left. The trimmed handles are a black cotton out of my stash. It takes about an hour and a half per wine bag (including the cutting). Not bad for a personalized gift. I think the addition of a monogram or machine embroidery design would be super-fun, functional, and highly appreciated. The neighbor loved the set, which is always the most important aspect for me.

Last, I began the dimension quilt that will be a surprise gift for my youngest daughter. She HATES homemade, homespun, and anything that even vaguely smells of country chic. Enter:  Hello Handsome; a quilt I found in Quilty magazine back in the spring:

I love the dimensional appearance of the quilt and decided it would be a fabulous wall hanging for her office. So off to Joann's I trotted to buy fabric. I got 1 yard each of cream (very light and almost white), light gray, dark gray, and 1 1/2 yards of black, Kona cotton.

This is a picture I took of the magazine photo:

And here are my strips stretched across the couch cushions:

Isn't the contrast absolutely stunning. And LOOK:  my corners are lined up pretty well. I am so proud since this is my second pieced quilt and only the 6th quilt I've ever done. I think she will like it.










Well, time to get back to work. I plan to finish the Hello Handsome top before the end of the day today.

I'll keep you posted,

Marvel

Can I be a quilter? Let's find out.

Most of my life I have been a garment sewer. I sewed primarily for my daughters until they were grown and gone. I never had any interest in quilting. Instead, I knitted, crocheted, and tried my hand at counted cross stitch. Then I hit middle age. Somehow, sewing for myself isn't very much fun. I have trouble fitting patterns by myself and recently, I find myself not overly pleased with my final projects. So, I started looking at other options.

I went back to knitting for awhile, but that didn't seem to give me the creative joy that sewing does. So I began looking at quilting. I have written before about the owl quilt for my daughter and ballet quilt for the neighbor. Now, I've decided to play with quilting and see what shakes out.

Earlier this week, I started my first pieced quilt. I began with a simple 9 Patch. I am really intrigued with the Hidden 9 Patch, but I settled on a simple 9 patch as a beginner quilt. Here are my fabrics:

I found these 18x22" bundles 1/2 price at Joanne's Fabrics. There are 2 packs of batiks and 3 of bright solids. I coordinated a black, pantweight fabric to make the strips between the blocks.

I cut 5" squares from the fabrics, then arranged them to my liking:

I had so much fun moving the squares around!!


Then, I added the black border from the pantweight. I wanted to use a super-dark navy that had been scraps in my closet for months, but wouldn't you know, I couldn't find them when I needed them. I think I tossed them last week when we were emptying closets and moving stuff around in preparation for the new carpet installation. I was really angry at myself, but that doesn't fix anything and certainly doesn't bring the fabric back. So back to J's I went. Fortunately, the pantweight was on sale, so I didn't feel too bad about having to make an unexpected purchase. Here are my squares with the strips attached:

Let me get back to sewing the strips together. Will post more when I'm done.

 Happy Sewing!!

Marvel

Ballerina Quilt - Final Step

Once the hand quilting was finished, I found myself in a dilemma:  how to I secure the layers? More hand quilting? Free motion machine quilting? Tied with ribbons or embroidery floss? There are pro's and con's with each choice. To decide, I "tested" each option by making an impression in the quilt top with my finger. Machine quilting seemed like the best idea, but I wanted to keep the design simple. I measured 2 1/2 inches from the edge and placed pins. The more I pinned, the better I liked it. Once the pinning was complete on all four sides, I machine sewed following the pins.

I liked the look so well, I did a second line 2 1/2 inches from the first:















And here's the final project. First, the quilt top:

And here's the back:

The hand quilting came out so pretty on the back, though you can't really see it in the photo. The baby girls have arrived and their quilt is waiting for them when they come home. Though this one took me several days to complete because I made up the pattern as I went, I think this would be a weekend project at best.