Showing posts with label sewing projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sewing projects. Show all posts
Monday, August 25, 2008
It's done!
Don't tell mom, but I finished her quilt. Actually in record time. I started the quilt at the class I took the other weekend. I was able to finish the quilt top rather quickly since the body was made from pre cut strips of fabric. The hard part was quilting it all together. A twin sized blanket takes a long time. I took photos of it before it went into the wash, just in case it all came apart lol. I am impressed with how the quilt looks after washing. I like the raised areas between the freehand stitching. There are areas of the quilt where I could have stitched it better, but all and all I'm really happy with it. I wouldn't mind doing another one. Especially after this next one I'm still working on.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Wow this is a big project
I went to a quilt class Saturday, and started a new project. It's a strip quilt called Jelly Roll Junction. It's colors are yellows, creams, golds, and light browns. The main strips were taken from two of Moda's collections, Summer Bouquet, and Portugal. This is to be a quilt for my mom. What I didn't realize was how big the finished quilt was to be. 71 3/4 x 88 1/4. A little bit more than a twin blanket. I was able to get most of the blocks done at the class, and I finished the quilt top the next day. I decided to use cotton/polyester batting, instead of all polyester. This does make the quilt sandwich easier to work with. But my problem is that I decided instead of straight stitch in ditch method, I would free hand stipple the quilt. Wow, that's a lot of work. I used my work tables and made an L shape to support the quilt as I worked, but I am finding that my wrists and hands can only do so many minutes of quilting before they hurt. An hour at a time. I am also using Fons & Porter quilting gloves. What are these things? Well they are cotton gloves with some type of gripper dots on the fingers and palms. Think of gardening or work gloves with the grip texture on the palm side. These help me move the quilt sandwich while sewing. I started quilting on Monday, and I'm about 2/3 done. I'm quilting the body right now, and I will also stipple the borders. One of the problems I am dealing with right now, is block placement. Because this quilt was so big, I really couldn't lay the blocks on the carpet and see it without something in the way. I should have worked on the layout in the living room. I used the quilt tags I picked up last month to help me mark which block went where, and not get the rows goofed up. Anyways after I had sewn the blocks and the borders on, I realized I could have placed the blocks better. What I mean by that is that a couple of the blocks have matching prints, I wanted to place the blocks so none of the prints were right next to each other. I then decided I would have to check out Home Depot for a large piece of cork, a 5x5 piece and I would mount it on the wall, and I could just pin the blocks up and be able to stand back and see the placement better. I told Neville's mom my problem. She actually suggested using adhesive Velcro on the wall, and a flannel sheet. This is a great idea. I got some yesterday, and I will try it on the Raggy Flowers quilt next when I'm done with those blocks. Right now that quilt has me beat. I haven't even finished cutting out the flower pieces yet. Let alone traced the leaf and stem pattern on the fusible web yet. B and I went to Joann's on Sunday and she bought me all the thread I needed for the quilts. I hope it's enough thread. I've gone through one spool of invisible thread already for mom's quilt, and started on a second spool. I may have to go back and get more of that. Freehand quilting is hard. You can't go too fast, or too slow, and I realize that the back of the quilt is not going to be as pretty as the front because of my beginner skills.
Oh, on a funny note. I got lost Tuesday. I took the cart to the library, and decided, I want to go to Walmart by cart. I had the map with me, and I sort of remembered the directions Neville's mom gave me. Somehow I ended up in the wrong direction. I was heading north east instead of south west. I told her about it, and she had a good laugh. I went over to her house yesterday, and we took her cart out to lunch. She showed me how to get to Walmart, and when someone else is driving the cart, I am able to notice landmarks much easier. No need to worry about looking for landmarks and avoiding trees when you aren't driving. It would be great if there were more path signs. I had a lot of fun with Neville's mom, and lunch was very good. A nice change for the both of us. I am definitely a cart believer. She really pushed the benefits of using a cart versus car, and I now understand. Asshole says I use the cart more than he does, and it's true. I use it now to go to the grocery store, library, and post office. If I could I would take it in the mornings going to school. The other day, I took it to the dry cleaners. I also happened to take a turn too quickly and Asshole's shirts took a tumble out of the cart. Heh heh. A woman came up on me, and asked if I was alright. Oh sure, just took a turn too quick and hubby's shirts fell out.
Oh speaking of the hubby, his name for now will be Asshole. He's constantly acting like a jerk. I believe his PMS is really bad right now. It's not worth it to get into, but he's really being ridiculous. That's my opinion and he's got his. I will validate his, but he hasn't validated mine, and I think that's wrong, so he can go to hell until otherwise.
Oh, on a funny note. I got lost Tuesday. I took the cart to the library, and decided, I want to go to Walmart by cart. I had the map with me, and I sort of remembered the directions Neville's mom gave me. Somehow I ended up in the wrong direction. I was heading north east instead of south west. I told her about it, and she had a good laugh. I went over to her house yesterday, and we took her cart out to lunch. She showed me how to get to Walmart, and when someone else is driving the cart, I am able to notice landmarks much easier. No need to worry about looking for landmarks and avoiding trees when you aren't driving. It would be great if there were more path signs. I had a lot of fun with Neville's mom, and lunch was very good. A nice change for the both of us. I am definitely a cart believer. She really pushed the benefits of using a cart versus car, and I now understand. Asshole says I use the cart more than he does, and it's true. I use it now to go to the grocery store, library, and post office. If I could I would take it in the mornings going to school. The other day, I took it to the dry cleaners. I also happened to take a turn too quickly and Asshole's shirts took a tumble out of the cart. Heh heh. A woman came up on me, and asked if I was alright. Oh sure, just took a turn too quick and hubby's shirts fell out.
Oh speaking of the hubby, his name for now will be Asshole. He's constantly acting like a jerk. I believe his PMS is really bad right now. It's not worth it to get into, but he's really being ridiculous. That's my opinion and he's got his. I will validate his, but he hasn't validated mine, and I think that's wrong, so he can go to hell until otherwise.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
prep stuff
I've been cutting, ironing, sewing and ironing fabric for the background blocks of this quilt I'm making. It's not so bad, but I'm making of three of them. One for me, B and her mother in law. So, I'm a little short on patience and of course money. While I enjoy making them, I get irritated as I am the one fronting most of the costs, and it's my time and equipment at use. So, when B mentions things she likes or not, after I've spent 3 days cutting and sewing, I'm not so patient or willing to listen. Obviously we don't live far away, and she needs to come to my house as the materials and equipment are here. It just gets inconvenient at times. Oh come on over, but let me tell my husband to put pants on. Just trivial things like that. Anyways, I've got another two or three days worth of cutting and ironing, possibly sewing, and then I go to a class and learn how to make another quilt. So I'm gonna be juggling 2 patterns, but four quilts.
Oh it rained most of the night. Not bad, we needed it. I was so tired though. For whatever reason my dippy dog decided to bark all night. Nothing was wrong, he just didn't want to be in his room. Of course Lulu didn't make a noise, she didn't need to, he did it for her. I swear I look at the two and it's like that Nickelodeon cartoon Pinky and the Brain. Lulu is the Brain, and Mingy is Pinky. You look into his eyes, and you know you are dealing with a two celled brain. He's not mean, and very fearful. He's just very dumb and loving. He woke me up, well he woke goof up at 2am. Goof yelled at me to do something about it, I went down and checked on them, put the radio on, and went back to bed, and yelled at Goof. Then I woke up before 5am. Mingy was barking again. So I'm exhausted and grouchy. Goof had the audacity to wish me a good day, because I was grouchy last night. Huh? Who yelled at who and woke them up?
Back to the rain, I think the ground really needed the moisture. I looked out the front windows and saw a sight. Babymama and her brood were standing outside looking dumbfounded at their overturned tree. They have a tree that stands in between their side yard and hillbillies yard. This tree was dead when we first moved here, and they've never done anything about it. Well the roots must have decayed enough that there was nothing live to hold into the ground. Lucky for them, there was no damage to any of the houses or property. So I told Goof and he laughed, then we guessed how long the tree would stay there. Now I forgot to mention something that happened last month. There was a very strong T storm and it knocked a lot of debris around. They have a 6ft+ length of tree limb about 4 or 5 inches in diameter with small branches and leaves that fell by the side of their house. They haven't touched it. I have not done anything as I don't know if it came from the tree that divides our lots(also the tree is on their side) Also the limb does not encroach upon my yard, so I haven't bothered with it. So Goof thinks it will remain there until it rots or someone else takes care of it. I think in about 2 months time, she will get her brother to move it. Only because it would hinder her brood playing. It's definitely not because they want to make their property look good.
Oh it rained most of the night. Not bad, we needed it. I was so tired though. For whatever reason my dippy dog decided to bark all night. Nothing was wrong, he just didn't want to be in his room. Of course Lulu didn't make a noise, she didn't need to, he did it for her. I swear I look at the two and it's like that Nickelodeon cartoon Pinky and the Brain. Lulu is the Brain, and Mingy is Pinky. You look into his eyes, and you know you are dealing with a two celled brain. He's not mean, and very fearful. He's just very dumb and loving. He woke me up, well he woke goof up at 2am. Goof yelled at me to do something about it, I went down and checked on them, put the radio on, and went back to bed, and yelled at Goof. Then I woke up before 5am. Mingy was barking again. So I'm exhausted and grouchy. Goof had the audacity to wish me a good day, because I was grouchy last night. Huh? Who yelled at who and woke them up?
Back to the rain, I think the ground really needed the moisture. I looked out the front windows and saw a sight. Babymama and her brood were standing outside looking dumbfounded at their overturned tree. They have a tree that stands in between their side yard and hillbillies yard. This tree was dead when we first moved here, and they've never done anything about it. Well the roots must have decayed enough that there was nothing live to hold into the ground. Lucky for them, there was no damage to any of the houses or property. So I told Goof and he laughed, then we guessed how long the tree would stay there. Now I forgot to mention something that happened last month. There was a very strong T storm and it knocked a lot of debris around. They have a 6ft+ length of tree limb about 4 or 5 inches in diameter with small branches and leaves that fell by the side of their house. They haven't touched it. I have not done anything as I don't know if it came from the tree that divides our lots(also the tree is on their side) Also the limb does not encroach upon my yard, so I haven't bothered with it. So Goof thinks it will remain there until it rots or someone else takes care of it. I think in about 2 months time, she will get her brother to move it. Only because it would hinder her brood playing. It's definitely not because they want to make their property look good.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Hmm where the time go?
Wow, over a month since I last vented. Many good and bad things have happened.
Golf cart- still enjoying the lifestyle, I think we've saved two refueling trips. That's over $160! Seriously, in the month of July I only filled the tank once, we did quite a bit of traveling by cart. The only reason why I had to fill the tank, was to take Stinky to the airport, and I went fabric shopping. We went to the cart drive in movie, didn't go the second one, as Goof didn't want to see a kiddie movie without Stinky. Stinky has been working on his driving skills, he's getting really good, he hasn't figured out how to drive in reverse yet. We got a speed chip for the cart, and now it really flies. I thought 13mph was pretty good, now we go 18mph, and downhill is a scary thing, no regen to slow us down, it's definitely free falling, and it can be scary on some of the paths. I've taken it farther around town than Goof has. I've been having a ball with it.
Sewing projects- still having fun with that. I finished two quilts, Shoe fly is one pattern
Then I worked farmers flowers
I really like how farmers flowers came out, I love the bright, cheerful colors. Plus Stinky claimed Shoe fly for himself. I finished my quilts, but almost lost my patience with my friend and her indecision with color and block placement on Shoe fly. Luckily that was finally done, but the bad news, she's not happy with the yellow colors available right now, and we have her farmers flowers in squares, and partial blocks in a gallon ziplock bag on my fabric shelf. We readdress it in the winter/spring when there will be more yellows she likes. I don't blame her, but dang it, there is not much I can do, and sometimes I feel really frustrated because I'm the one doing the sewing, and most of the money spent in materials is mine. I'm feeling this because the newest project is a tough one for me. She had found a quilt book with some wonderful flower appliques. I looked at the book, and said okay let's jump in, of course we have a new technique to learn. Fabric shopping went along with this project, we made a day of fabric shopping. I programmed the Garmin, took it in her car, as Goof had mine, and I wanted to just go home. No wonder she preferred me to drive. She's got driving issues, fear of expressways, windy small country roads, busy intersections, fear of not knowing where she's going. It didn't help that 3 of the locations I found through Yahoo directory, were not what we wanted, and finally the last location directed us to a quilt shop in the historic downtown area of Newnan. Of course she didn't like that either. We found the shop, she oooohhhed and awwed. I was impressed, but not that impressed. I looked at the quilt books trying to see if anything called my attention, picked up a set of block placement tags, and some fabric. Not a big purchase. She was disappointed because I did not go hog wild in there. Well I don't know what you are thinking lady, perhaps we need to discuss the amount of fabric we are planning to buy, and who pays. I was just feeling like I'm footing the bill for the quilts, and getting token amounts back. Obviously if I feel like this I should be open and honest. 'Hey, I feel like I'm paying for 75% or more of the quilts and I'm doing all the work, and you are just here to pick fabric colors and placements, and argue with me about my choices because they aren't yours!' I know that's not the best way to say it. But I get frustrated at times. Don't talk to me about techniques, you don't sew and I'm the one going to classes, ordering sewing feet, and stuff. So anyways much money has been spent in the last two weeks, and this is what I have so far. I was pissed off, because she gave the impression of dissatisfaction with the look of the block. It was my first one, and obviously I had to figure out what the hell I was doing.
I am going to try it again, with straight stitching instead of satin stitching around the flowers. Also don't give me fucking bullshit about how circular or even the pieced flowers are not. What do you not understand, it was the first fucking try. No kidding the colors aren't placed right, I grabbed a few pieces and threw them together to get an idea of what I was facing. Well anyways when this is to be done, there will be three quilts. One for me, she gets one and her mother in law. Yes, I'm making three of the same quilt. I know I will most likely need a couple of drinks after each session where she has to chose which colors she wants in each flower and what neutral background colors she wants. I may tell her to shove it, and say too bad, make it yourself, or here's a check for your money spent, but if you want one, you take what I give you or nothing at all. I have a hard time waiting for someone to decide the tiny details. If I am sewing, give me a bone, and hurry up with at least one grouping so I can get started, it's awful boring watching someone mutter to themselves about what colors they like, and whether it is complementary or not. I admit, I never took a class about color in college. There were times when I fell asleep in Art History appreciation. It was a requisite! Alright then, enough of my rant for today. More tomorrow!
Golf cart- still enjoying the lifestyle, I think we've saved two refueling trips. That's over $160! Seriously, in the month of July I only filled the tank once, we did quite a bit of traveling by cart. The only reason why I had to fill the tank, was to take Stinky to the airport, and I went fabric shopping. We went to the cart drive in movie, didn't go the second one, as Goof didn't want to see a kiddie movie without Stinky. Stinky has been working on his driving skills, he's getting really good, he hasn't figured out how to drive in reverse yet. We got a speed chip for the cart, and now it really flies. I thought 13mph was pretty good, now we go 18mph, and downhill is a scary thing, no regen to slow us down, it's definitely free falling, and it can be scary on some of the paths. I've taken it farther around town than Goof has. I've been having a ball with it.
Sewing projects- still having fun with that. I finished two quilts, Shoe fly is one pattern
Then I worked farmers flowers
I really like how farmers flowers came out, I love the bright, cheerful colors. Plus Stinky claimed Shoe fly for himself. I finished my quilts, but almost lost my patience with my friend and her indecision with color and block placement on Shoe fly. Luckily that was finally done, but the bad news, she's not happy with the yellow colors available right now, and we have her farmers flowers in squares, and partial blocks in a gallon ziplock bag on my fabric shelf. We readdress it in the winter/spring when there will be more yellows she likes. I don't blame her, but dang it, there is not much I can do, and sometimes I feel really frustrated because I'm the one doing the sewing, and most of the money spent in materials is mine. I'm feeling this because the newest project is a tough one for me. She had found a quilt book with some wonderful flower appliques. I looked at the book, and said okay let's jump in, of course we have a new technique to learn. Fabric shopping went along with this project, we made a day of fabric shopping. I programmed the Garmin, took it in her car, as Goof had mine, and I wanted to just go home. No wonder she preferred me to drive. She's got driving issues, fear of expressways, windy small country roads, busy intersections, fear of not knowing where she's going. It didn't help that 3 of the locations I found through Yahoo directory, were not what we wanted, and finally the last location directed us to a quilt shop in the historic downtown area of Newnan. Of course she didn't like that either. We found the shop, she oooohhhed and awwed. I was impressed, but not that impressed. I looked at the quilt books trying to see if anything called my attention, picked up a set of block placement tags, and some fabric. Not a big purchase. She was disappointed because I did not go hog wild in there. Well I don't know what you are thinking lady, perhaps we need to discuss the amount of fabric we are planning to buy, and who pays. I was just feeling like I'm footing the bill for the quilts, and getting token amounts back. Obviously if I feel like this I should be open and honest. 'Hey, I feel like I'm paying for 75% or more of the quilts and I'm doing all the work, and you are just here to pick fabric colors and placements, and argue with me about my choices because they aren't yours!' I know that's not the best way to say it. But I get frustrated at times. Don't talk to me about techniques, you don't sew and I'm the one going to classes, ordering sewing feet, and stuff. So anyways much money has been spent in the last two weeks, and this is what I have so far. I was pissed off, because she gave the impression of dissatisfaction with the look of the block. It was my first one, and obviously I had to figure out what the hell I was doing.
I am going to try it again, with straight stitching instead of satin stitching around the flowers. Also don't give me fucking bullshit about how circular or even the pieced flowers are not. What do you not understand, it was the first fucking try. No kidding the colors aren't placed right, I grabbed a few pieces and threw them together to get an idea of what I was facing. Well anyways when this is to be done, there will be three quilts. One for me, she gets one and her mother in law. Yes, I'm making three of the same quilt. I know I will most likely need a couple of drinks after each session where she has to chose which colors she wants in each flower and what neutral background colors she wants. I may tell her to shove it, and say too bad, make it yourself, or here's a check for your money spent, but if you want one, you take what I give you or nothing at all. I have a hard time waiting for someone to decide the tiny details. If I am sewing, give me a bone, and hurry up with at least one grouping so I can get started, it's awful boring watching someone mutter to themselves about what colors they like, and whether it is complementary or not. I admit, I never took a class about color in college. There were times when I fell asleep in Art History appreciation. It was a requisite! Alright then, enough of my rant for today. More tomorrow!
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Enjoying the lifestyle
This weekend was fun filled. Stinky's been practicing his driving skills on the cart, and he's getting really good. We did the bbq thing with hot dogs and hamburgers on the 4th. Took a spin around the lake, and wondered where everyone was. Then went home and set off a few fireworks. We headed back to the lake and then we saw all the people! Carts and people everywhere. What I wasn't pleased was seeing dogs out. Fireworks people! Dogs don't watch fireworks like humans do. They don't necessarily understand what all the noise is about. We parked the cart off the path and headed up to meet Neville and his parents. They had marked a spot on the lake shore Thursday morning! Holy smokes! And to top it off, someone had moved their tarp! Seriously, next year I'm gonna have to stake out a spot too. So the fireworks show was lots of fun. I tried to film some of it, but it didn't come out as well as I hoped. What got us giggling and I tried to film that also was the traffic jam after the show. A sea of humanity and golf carts! I'm not used to seeing all those carts jammed up trying to get around. Goof, said it was like that when he took a quick drive to see the parade that morning. We decided not to get up early to see the parade, and I'm glad we didn't. Saturday was another fun filled night. Well it was for Stinky. We went to a drive in movie at the conference hotel above the lake. It was filled with golf carts and people in chairs. We thought it would rain, and we missed it. Unfortunately for Goof it was the movie Transformers. Very boring for him. Stinky was hoping to hang out with girls, but no go. We didn't do too much today, just hung around the house and did chores. I wanted to go to the library this weekend, but Sat, a T storm came in right after I left the house, so I just returned a book and jammed back home, missing the rain by 3 minutes. Today, I wanted to go, and just as I got ready... BOOM! Thunder started. Tomorrow I'm heading off to the library that's for certain.
I'm still working on my quilt, it's rather time consuming cutting the sewn squares into smaller squares. Hard to explain unless you saw what I was doing. Now comes the sewing again. When I'm done, I should have 80 blocks. Enough for two quilts, and then some. Then the placement of the blocks, and finally the quilting of the batting and back fabric. I have some smaller projects I need to get done this next two days. Have a friend that needs belly bands for her mom's dog, ASAP, and a pair of manly jammies for another dog person. I just can't seem to find many manly prints right now. Or we have different tastes. How manly is a male IG in jammies? You can only go cute, hilarious, and some what tough, but come on, the dog is wearing jammies! Moo, loves his jammies, but he's a sweet clown. He's not tough, nor does he want to act tough. This breed has silly, very loving males. The tough ones are the females with their outgoing personalities.
I'm still working on my quilt, it's rather time consuming cutting the sewn squares into smaller squares. Hard to explain unless you saw what I was doing. Now comes the sewing again. When I'm done, I should have 80 blocks. Enough for two quilts, and then some. Then the placement of the blocks, and finally the quilting of the batting and back fabric. I have some smaller projects I need to get done this next two days. Have a friend that needs belly bands for her mom's dog, ASAP, and a pair of manly jammies for another dog person. I just can't seem to find many manly prints right now. Or we have different tastes. How manly is a male IG in jammies? You can only go cute, hilarious, and some what tough, but come on, the dog is wearing jammies! Moo, loves his jammies, but he's a sweet clown. He's not tough, nor does he want to act tough. This breed has silly, very loving males. The tough ones are the females with their outgoing personalities.
Friday, June 27, 2008
I think I got enough sleep
Last night I fell asleep before the 11'oclock news ended. I woke up about 6am. What happened? I took a 25mg Benedryl, and I thought I would wake up at 7:30 or even as late at 8:30am. What did I get? Maybe 7 hours of sleep. Ugh. I need 8 to feel really good. I'm still working on my quilt. It's rather time consuming getting these squares and triangles cut and sewn properly. Then the tedious chore of ironing them flat. Seems crazy that I have the AC on and I'm using a hot steam iron at the same time. My friend has been helping me with colors and patterns of fabric for the quilts. She's willing to help out as much as she can, but she's definitely not sewing. I'm glad she's helping me with paying for a few of the fabrics as this is not a cheap project. The amount of fabric I'm using and putting together is quite large. Total materials needed isn't so much, not for a lap quilt, but it's the number of different fabrics we are using that adds up. I need about 34 different fabrics, some in yards, some in little squares. So the prices can be as little as a quarter yard for 99 cents up to $12 for 5 yards of solid sashing and border material. Granted most of the fabrics were purchased on sale. Lord knows if I had to pay full price I would not be so willing to try this quilt pattern. After this one, I will need different color fabrics for another quilt, then it will be a hodge podge of colors and prints for the third project. It's funny the quilt book I got is called Quilts from the Heart- Quick projects for generous giving. So what is quick? A simple 4 square block quilt? Well that takes me up to a week. This one, will be a two or three week quilt at least and that's if I devote my time solely to quilting. Forget the rest of the family and house chores. It's a good thing I had made a smoked pork loin for dinner early in the week. It was a nice sized tenderloin and we ate almost half of it in two days. We still have some left. I think the next time I make a tender loin I will cut it in half. It's just too much for the family, and everyone gets bored with it after 2 nights in a row. I'm hoping next week I can make a coconut shrimp recipe. Looked really yummy in the photos and well no one is gonna turn down shrimp. Especially if it's already peeled and deveined. Goof has a thing about the legs and head. That's what happens when you grow up with a suburban grocery store mentality. All things must be cleaned and packaged in Styrofoam. We've teased his mother about this. She likes to tell us she can cook pancakes over a camp fire. Yea, but if she wants meat, she will have to hike to a grocery store to buy hamburger packaged. I know how to clean a fish. I may have trouble getting the fire to the right temp, but I think I can handle dressing a fresh killed chicken. Definitely any seafood. I think I would need some help with wild game. If given the opportunity, I'm willing to try.
Monday, June 23, 2008
well a step forgotten
I sent off the baby quilt for my cousin this morning. I forgot to take a photo. Well sheesh there goes that. I hope she likes it. I'm looking at the fabrics I'm cutting right now for the next quilt and I'm quite excited about it. Also I talked with Stinky and he says he's interested in a quilt for his bed. I think when I get his started I will send it out to a quilt shop and they can finish it off for me. Very hard to get a nice even quilt when you don't have the skills yet. Especially if it's a big quilt because your beds are bigger than twin size.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
A new sewing project
A couple of months ago I decided I wanted to make a quilt for my cousin's soon to be born child. Since that time, I've made 4 quilts. These were my practice quilts. All about crib sized. The first one was a mess, but made with love for Lucy. [IMG]http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s7/lucylena/sewing%20prjects/DSC02872.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s7/lucylena/sewing%20prjects/DSC02873.jpg[/IMG]
She quite likes curling up in it. Then I made a few more and gave one to a friend who was quite happy with it. Now I'm finishing up on my cousin's quilt. I hope it's not too amateurish for her tastes. Had trouble finding the right colors and patterns for the quilt. I did send an more simpler quilt made of a panel of fabric for a friend two weeks ago.
Now the fun begins. So my nearby friend B was quite happy with her quilt. Hey, it was actually for her dog. Yea, I know, I don't have little kids, the dogs cover that aspect. We've been looking at quilt books and fabric and decided we want to make some more quilts. This time, we are making lap sized quilts. They are usually about 42"x60". Big enough to throw on the sofa, and cover your legs as you watch tv. So we've picked up a few fabrics. We still need a bit more, for the backing, borders and bindings. We've got big dreams. After this one, then we want to tackle another one with more fabrics. Then hopefully we will have found enough fabrics in the right colors and designs for the boy dog quilts. Eventually I will have amassed the right amount of fabric needed to make the ultimate quilt project... A coverlet for the beds.
All this blanket making reminds me of my aunt. She has forgotten how many she's made, but my paternal aunt made thick cotton batting comforter-like blankets for her girls and me. I used that blanket until I was 30. Yikes huh? It was given to me when I was 3, and until it's unfortunate demise it was on my bed always. This blanket could not be washed. It was too thick and not hand or machine quilted. The batting shifted around. It had to be hung on a line outside in the sun for a day or two to air it out. The duvets were washed until they became see thru and disintegrated. I still need some weight on me when I sleep even in the heat because of that blanket. It drove Goof nuts. It was a twin sized blanket. He always went for it when he was feeling ill though.
[IMG]http://i148.photobucket.com/albums/s7/lucylena/sewing%20prjects/DSC02873.jpg[/IMG]
She quite likes curling up in it. Then I made a few more and gave one to a friend who was quite happy with it. Now I'm finishing up on my cousin's quilt. I hope it's not too amateurish for her tastes. Had trouble finding the right colors and patterns for the quilt. I did send an more simpler quilt made of a panel of fabric for a friend two weeks ago.
Now the fun begins. So my nearby friend B was quite happy with her quilt. Hey, it was actually for her dog. Yea, I know, I don't have little kids, the dogs cover that aspect. We've been looking at quilt books and fabric and decided we want to make some more quilts. This time, we are making lap sized quilts. They are usually about 42"x60". Big enough to throw on the sofa, and cover your legs as you watch tv. So we've picked up a few fabrics. We still need a bit more, for the backing, borders and bindings. We've got big dreams. After this one, then we want to tackle another one with more fabrics. Then hopefully we will have found enough fabrics in the right colors and designs for the boy dog quilts. Eventually I will have amassed the right amount of fabric needed to make the ultimate quilt project... A coverlet for the beds.
All this blanket making reminds me of my aunt. She has forgotten how many she's made, but my paternal aunt made thick cotton batting comforter-like blankets for her girls and me. I used that blanket until I was 30. Yikes huh? It was given to me when I was 3, and until it's unfortunate demise it was on my bed always. This blanket could not be washed. It was too thick and not hand or machine quilted. The batting shifted around. It had to be hung on a line outside in the sun for a day or two to air it out. The duvets were washed until they became see thru and disintegrated. I still need some weight on me when I sleep even in the heat because of that blanket. It drove Goof nuts. It was a twin sized blanket. He always went for it when he was feeling ill though.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Perhaps this can be a side job
I've been bored at home learning how to sew and making Lulu and Mingy suffer. I have I think finally gotten the hang of making 4 legged jammies. Now this has been a fun venture for me torturing the dogs. Well I take that back. They don't mind the jammies, and Mingy does have a preference for his duckie jammies. During my usual wasting of time. during the Superbowl, I was sewing and chatting online. I mentioned to the group in chat that I was making jammies for my dogs. I sent photos to those interested in seeing my final product. At the end of the Superbowl, I had two separate orders for jammies. I sent them out today, and if they are met with approval I may have Goof's friend set up a site for me to sell them. This is all in the air of course. For now I have several different prints I'm working on, as my friend has started shopping for fun prints for her dogs. Hey if she wants to buy the fabric, what can I say? One of my problems now, is that I need one of those photo/brag book to keep swatches of material when I go out shopping. I have been looking for a certain shade of purple and it's really hard to find. It's a good thing Goof just got me a big shelving unit. It was to be for the basement, but with the amount of fabric I've got in the sewing room, organization is a must. Now I must do something with all the scraps of material I have left. I think I'm going to use them along with stuffing for dog beds.
Now poor Lulu is gonna be cringing as I want to start next month working on dresses. Yes, the flower will be back! Lulu doesn't like dresses. We have too much fun watching her walk away, all those ruffles, her rear looks like a flower! I want to use knit as the body piece and then straight cotton or flannel as the ruffled skirts. Hmm how many layers of ruffles will Lulu let me get away with, before she gives me dirty looks and sends Mingy out to pee on the sewing machine?
Now poor Lulu is gonna be cringing as I want to start next month working on dresses. Yes, the flower will be back! Lulu doesn't like dresses. We have too much fun watching her walk away, all those ruffles, her rear looks like a flower! I want to use knit as the body piece and then straight cotton or flannel as the ruffled skirts. Hmm how many layers of ruffles will Lulu let me get away with, before she gives me dirty looks and sends Mingy out to pee on the sewing machine?
Sunday, July 15, 2007
ho hum
I haven't been sleeping well lately. Also staying up late when I really should try and toss and turn instead. I've been trying to keep busy during the day. I've made Stinky another pair of pj bottoms and he's happy. I started on a pair of shorts for me, but the zipper instructions have got me confused as all get out. So I started on another project. I am making Lucy a dress. Poor little tomboy. She likes running around nekkid. I had bought this cute little dress at Target, and trying to make one based on it. I found amongst my dog clothes patterns a ruffled skirt. WTF? Only the skirt? So, it's gonna look crappy because I really didn't have enough thread of the right color, and I didn't want to go out and look for matching thread,(Some days, I just don't feel like leaving the house) This altered pattern so far has two full ruffles, then two rows of half ruffles sewn onto a bib front. The waist was to be elastic with velcro to attach. I'm going to sew another rectangle of fabric to the elastic band, and at the top edge sew a casing and slip in ties. The back or top of the dress will extend up her back like a bib, and ties sewn to the corners. The finished project will have shoulder ties with 4 layers of ruffles, and a velcro secured waistband. It's just morphed as I go on. The dress I base it on, was a Disney ruffled dress with Minnie Mouse embroidered on a ruffle. I'm not happy with the purchased dress, as the ruffles aren't even. I had to search through all the dresses to find one with the least obvious mistakes. As Goof says, "You can make some money off the dog people. Call up the breeder and tell her you got dresses for her dogs and how many did she ask for 7?" He thinks it's time we make money off the dog fancy, since I have given so much.
Goof was also asking me if I wanted another child, or perhaps missed out on the opportunity to have a girl. Nah, I'm done with all that stress. I just like dressing up Lucy. It's fun to dress up girl dogs. Not so much fun with boy dogs. Mingy just doesn't care. He's also right along the top of the breed height, and it's harder to shove him in a carrier and head out. Lucy is just that small. Poor Mingy. I used to take Billy with me all kinds of places, but it was hard also, because the boys aren't so heavy, just that much taller than Lucy. Those long legs get cramped in a Sherpa.
Goof was also asking me if I wanted another child, or perhaps missed out on the opportunity to have a girl. Nah, I'm done with all that stress. I just like dressing up Lucy. It's fun to dress up girl dogs. Not so much fun with boy dogs. Mingy just doesn't care. He's also right along the top of the breed height, and it's harder to shove him in a carrier and head out. Lucy is just that small. Poor Mingy. I used to take Billy with me all kinds of places, but it was hard also, because the boys aren't so heavy, just that much taller than Lucy. Those long legs get cramped in a Sherpa.
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Insomnia
I would just like to thank the sewing world. I have stayed up way too late these past few nights. So far I have made a badly seamed top, a pair of kid's pj bottoms, another top with better seams, and starting on another pair of pjs for Stinky. He seems to like them so much that he didn't want to take them off. So I now need to measure his waist again, and then, a clean kid can wear his new pants. After that, I'm gonna pull out the khaki material and start on a pair of shorts for me.
Last night Whinis bold faced asked if he could come over for dinner. Now this was conveyed through his mother to me. I was put on the spot. He came over for dinner and didn't eat much, and was basically a nuisance 8 year old. Now I don't mind little kids, but I must admit mine isn't that age anymore. I don't put up with that crap. One don't invite yourself to dinner, and two don't make your mom ask me. Also don't ask to come with us when we run errands. If I don't invite you, then leave it. I don't like to run my house like that, and neither does Goof. I need to grow a set and tell him in polite terms that is rude and unacceptable. I don't need his parents to be friends either. Somewhere along the line, he's come over every day. Always when I'm about to clean house, or in the process of dinner. Stinky doesn't really want to play with him that much. It just bores him. I can understand that. Eight year olds really don't have the same thing going as eleven year olds. Also I don't understand why 8 year olds come over ask to play with your kid, then ask to come inside. Why? I don't know. Well then I can say no. If you wanna play with my kid, then fine, but I don't want you wandering in my house. Kids are seriously getting on my nerves.
Last night Whinis bold faced asked if he could come over for dinner. Now this was conveyed through his mother to me. I was put on the spot. He came over for dinner and didn't eat much, and was basically a nuisance 8 year old. Now I don't mind little kids, but I must admit mine isn't that age anymore. I don't put up with that crap. One don't invite yourself to dinner, and two don't make your mom ask me. Also don't ask to come with us when we run errands. If I don't invite you, then leave it. I don't like to run my house like that, and neither does Goof. I need to grow a set and tell him in polite terms that is rude and unacceptable. I don't need his parents to be friends either. Somewhere along the line, he's come over every day. Always when I'm about to clean house, or in the process of dinner. Stinky doesn't really want to play with him that much. It just bores him. I can understand that. Eight year olds really don't have the same thing going as eleven year olds. Also I don't understand why 8 year olds come over ask to play with your kid, then ask to come inside. Why? I don't know. Well then I can say no. If you wanna play with my kid, then fine, but I don't want you wandering in my house. Kids are seriously getting on my nerves.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
4th of July
The parades are over for now, and the fireworks don't start for several hours. We are lazy today. The weather is lovely, not too hot, nor humid. Today a barbeque is going on at mom's house. Of course we are missing it. I'm not going to dwell on that.
Stinky had a friend over on Monday. This boy was in his class and will be going to the other middle school in August. Shame, he's a nice enough boy. The mother and I had a lovely chat while they played. We learned a bit about each other. I find it interesting that we have run across so many children here that are from fragmented families. Parents divorced, remarried, or deceased. So far the majority of these children have issues. I'm not saying all kids who come from blended families are troubled, but so far the majority we have met or heard about seem to cause trouble for Stinky. This kid has troubles, but his parents are still together. They also seem very devoted to their child. I'm not the only one that feels this way. Goof's question to me when the mother and child left was about the family situation. The main thing for me was that Stinky's teacher did not like her son either. We felt it was because Stinky was a transfer from Ca. This boy has progressed through the same school and had difficulties also. It was a bad year for him too. I was just feeling that it was just us, but glad to know this teacher just didn't like boys in her old age. As Goof says, "She just wants to have a tea party with all her favorite little girls, and the others are ruining her party" She should not have been teaching the older grades. She's on empty and if she can afford it, retire immediately.
I am trying to sew a top for myself. I need to get the enthusiasm and sew the darned top now. I've measured, cut and pinned the material. Now the hard part sewing it up. Sewing terms are confusing to me. Also I think I may have gotten too difficult a pattern or material. Stretch knits curl up at the ends. I'm totally confused about the hemming and finishing of said top. Goof, wanted to know if I was making an apron when he saw the print. He felt it was rather fussy and not my style. Well he hasn't seen the finished design yet. Also, this is my starter project so the material was rather inexpensive. If it works out, then the next fabric will be easier and look more to my style. Wish me luck.
Stinky had a friend over on Monday. This boy was in his class and will be going to the other middle school in August. Shame, he's a nice enough boy. The mother and I had a lovely chat while they played. We learned a bit about each other. I find it interesting that we have run across so many children here that are from fragmented families. Parents divorced, remarried, or deceased. So far the majority of these children have issues. I'm not saying all kids who come from blended families are troubled, but so far the majority we have met or heard about seem to cause trouble for Stinky. This kid has troubles, but his parents are still together. They also seem very devoted to their child. I'm not the only one that feels this way. Goof's question to me when the mother and child left was about the family situation. The main thing for me was that Stinky's teacher did not like her son either. We felt it was because Stinky was a transfer from Ca. This boy has progressed through the same school and had difficulties also. It was a bad year for him too. I was just feeling that it was just us, but glad to know this teacher just didn't like boys in her old age. As Goof says, "She just wants to have a tea party with all her favorite little girls, and the others are ruining her party" She should not have been teaching the older grades. She's on empty and if she can afford it, retire immediately.
I am trying to sew a top for myself. I need to get the enthusiasm and sew the darned top now. I've measured, cut and pinned the material. Now the hard part sewing it up. Sewing terms are confusing to me. Also I think I may have gotten too difficult a pattern or material. Stretch knits curl up at the ends. I'm totally confused about the hemming and finishing of said top. Goof, wanted to know if I was making an apron when he saw the print. He felt it was rather fussy and not my style. Well he hasn't seen the finished design yet. Also, this is my starter project so the material was rather inexpensive. If it works out, then the next fabric will be easier and look more to my style. Wish me luck.
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