Tie Dye Time

Last week several friends met at my house to tie-dye white t-shirts and bandanas for the Operation Christmas Child boxes.  These are just a few of the bright results. It was lots of fun and was a great way to spend a few hours. 

Blue Ridge Beautiful

It sometimes seems that a quilt will never be finished.  I started this quilt in 2010 when I attended a class from Bonnie Hunter at the local quilt guild.  All of the fabrics were collected and stuffed away.  This year I decided that several plastic cartons needed to be emptied and this was one of them.  The quilt is from Adventures with Leaders & Enders and called Blue Ridge Beauty. There is only one block in the quilt. When I started to make the blocks again--four of the first six blocks were incorrectly sewn.  So I had to check the picture in the book each time to make sure the colors were in the right position. This was my March Covid quilt--just stay home and sew. Finally finished the top in April.  So glad to have it quilted and ready for gifting.

Making Progress

Several years ago when my granddaughter enrolled again in college I decided to make her a bookcase quilt for graduation.  Later, on one of my Paducah adventures I found a pattern by Crimson Tate titled Personal Library Quilt.  I purchased the kit with a great pattern.  When I started it a few weeks ago, the fabric did not tickle my fancy and I started to dig out bits and pieces of my accumulation.  Most of the "books" are made with left-over binding and small pieces of fat quarters that I have. I asked my GD for book titles and so she gave me two pages of possibilities.  I added "titles" of places she has been and other important events with my embroidery machine.  It is not yet finished because I want to ask her about other items and events she wants added to the quilt.  I love looking at it and I think she will love it too.

P.S.  My grand came over today to help me with the top row.  She loves her quilt and helped me with some Russian titles to put on "her" row. She especially loved all of the different fabrics and then chose the border fabric.  I should have it finished soon and then take it to the quilter on Tuesday.  

Tiny Backpack

It is impossible to tell a granddaughter that you can't make what she wants!!?? So after thinking for a couple of weeks about making a backpack for a teddy bear without knowing the size or any other bits of information and finally using Google to learn more, I had a plan. Stephanie at ManySmallFriends.com had a free online pattern that looked much like I wanted to make. I made the backpack from lightweight patterned denim.She used unique hardware and leather or homemade fabric straps.  My straps are two layers of black marine vinyl with velcro closures. The finished size is about 4" x 5.5". It was very easy to make but I was glad to have Stephanie's photo-packed instructions.  I know some little one will love this backpack.

Dog Softie #1

I am very happy with my first stuffed dog softie.  The design is from Designs by Juju. 
He is only a day old and already has his eyes open! What a super dog...
The design has been waiting for a couple of weeks as I finished a long project.  The dog is made entirely in the embroidery hoop.  The five hoopings include one for the arms, the legs, the ears, the bandana, and the main body.  After the embroidery machine stitches the dog together, the dog is trimmed, turned right side out, stuffed, and the opening closed by hand stitching. Juju includes very detailed instructions with photos so each step is explained fully.  My dog is made with fleece and cotton fabric. It is always fun to complete one of her designs.

Blue Ridge Beauty is 10 years old!

This Blue Ridge Beauty quilt has been under construction since May 2010 when Bonnie Hunter was the instructor for the Kaw Valley Quilter's Guild in Lawrence, Kansas. I gathered all the fabics and started the quilt in the workshop but never worked on it again until March.  Then came the coronavirus and the need for many face masks and I was interrupted.  So a couple of weeks ago I began the quilt in earnest and with the goal of completing the quilt top. It really isn't quite finished as I still need to stitch the borders.  But the hard part is finished.  The quilt is made with 168 blocks.  The surprising thing is that it is the exact same block made 168 times with lights and darks. It was so simple and so complex because the blocks had exact placement of the lights and darks.  Making the first six blocks seemed like a snap until I looked closely to see that four of them were not correct. This really was a test of perseverance.  More to come after the quilter does her magic.

April Output

These are a few of the 150+ face masks that I have stitched since April 2, 2020. I have made several patterns and several sizes. Most of the masks have been made from a pattern of a fellow quilter. I have not purchased any fabric or thread. The only purchases I have made are for black elastic and white elastic.  I started using 1/4" bias tape for the ties until I exhausted that supply and found it too time intensive to make my own.  I read that some were using t-shirt ties.  I tried that and found that t-shirt ties are soft and strong.  I cut 3/4 inch strips across a t-shirt and then pulled them until they stopped stretching.  The fabric rolled together from both sides and it great to stitch through. The masks have gone to a local nurse, local store employees, family and friends, and a small company. Hopefully this crisis will be over soon.  Thanks to all of the people who continue to work and are put in harm's way.  Please stay safe and use your mask.  

A Favorite Reading Pillow

One of my friends asked me to make a reading pillow for her grandson.  She wanted a super-hero.  I have had the wording for some time from Designs by Juju (Reading Word Art #1) and the boy design was found at Sew Fun Fonts.  Together they make a perfect design. I think I will have to make another one.

John Deer Ditigitizing Webinar

I have had the opportunity to be part of John Deer's Digitizing Made Easy Webinar.  John Deer is known as the guru of digitizing and I have always wanted to take a class from him.  I read about his initial effort to develop an on-line class and signed up a couple of months ago.  The class has three active webinars through facebook or Zoom.  Then there are online step-by-step lessons that teach  running stitches, satin stitches, and fill stitches.  Each lesson builds on the previous one.  I would watch the lesson to get the overall view and then complete the lesson in the software while repeating the lesson again and stop it step-by-step. It has taken hours to complete each lesson to my personal satisfaction and then to complete it again without referring to the lesson. Hatch has graciously made their software available for 30 days to complete the lessons.  My lessons have been a bit easier because I have a large monitor that my grandson suggested a couple of years ago.  It is much easier for my old eyes. My photos are two of the projects that I completed for the class. John gives many tips, digitizing theory, encouragement, and responses to questions. If you have the desire to learn more about digitizing, this is the class for you.

A Bernina Garden Flag

Mea Bernina issued a challenge using their red canvas. The store provided you with 1/2 yard of the fabric and asked you to use it to create whatever you wanted.  I had been stitching Christmas garden flags for friends and family for gifts.  So I immediately knew what I would make for the challenge. Using the red canvas was a bit of a challenge because it is so flimsy and does not hold it shape well.  So several applications of Terial Magic made the material more stable and stiff but the color does bleed. It was a good thing to have it laying on an old towel. Burlap is easy to stitch and easy to embroider if it is very stable.  I am very pleased with the results!