A Pretty Pillow

Fabric In:  I'm on a roll.  No fabric in again this week!

Fabric Out:  I had an impromptu sewing project with one of my students that you can read about HERE.  We made a super cute pillow.  0.57 yards out plus a pillow form !!

Fabric In This Week: 0 yards

Fabric In YTD: 14.5 yards

Fabric Out This Week: 0.57 yards

Fabric Out YTD: 9.99 yards

Stash Movement: 4.51 yards in

Slowly headed in the right direction.

As far as time spent sewing ....... 

I sewed through a boring ZOOM meeting on mute Monday evening!  I thought I had worked through too much of my prepped project to keep me for the rest of the week, but with making the pillow it all balanced out.

Days of at least 15 minutes of sewing this week: 7/7

Days of at least 15 minutes of sewing in April: 15/16

Days of at least 15 minutes of sewing in 2022:  95/106

Percentage: 90%

Linking up to Kate's Life in Pieces to share progress and stay accountable.

Crafternoon With My Student

Monday:  One of my students told me that her younger stepsister was having a birthday party on Saturday and likes cheetahs and could I make her something!  Ummmm.  This is a child who helped make and then won the Spring Carnival Auction Quilt, so she is well aware that I sew.  She has also had a really rough year, so I thought about it for 2 seconds and said that yes we could come up with something, but it might not be an actual cheetah toy.  It's a 4-day week for us, so whatever it was had to be quick and with supplies on hand.  I told her we could make a pillow.

Tuesday:  I took a 12" square of muslin and the fabric markers so she could design her pillow front.  I was thinking of some animal print fabric I had saved (for 15 years!) for a special project, but if it would work for her backing that would be good.  Imagine my surprise when she starts drawing a rainbow colored heart with cheetah spots!  Looks like the animal print fabric is safe for a few more years.  She didn't know how to correctly spell the sister's name, so that part got put on hold until we had verification.

We had a good time after school with her drawing and chatting and me grading papers.  When I got home I had to figure out how to finish it.  I wanted to make it "girly" but in the absence of appropriate lace I made a long strip of rainbow colors and made a ruffle.  Considering I just cut whatever made the most sense from the scrap of fabric I pulled, it came out surprisingly uniform, which was not my intention at all.   

I had a small pillow form on hand, which guided my measurements.  One thousand pins later, the front had a ruffle.  Then I found the perfect backing and sewed that on. 

Wednesday: She had also thought of how to package this gift, and asked "if I happened to have an extra gift bag at home" so I choose a cute one from my stash.  As soon as she got to school, she was beside herself waiting to see what I had done for my part.   It was the biggest smile I have seen from her all year.  After school she added the name and more hearts and together we inserted the pillow form and stitched it shut.  She did the packaging herself.

She was so pleased with herself.  If she doesn't learn anything else this year, I hope these afternoons will hold meaning for her.  I know they were good for me.

Chevron Pillows

Back when I recovered the little stool I also cut the fabric to recover a pair of  pillows.  I finally got them sewn.  I had to think on it a bit because I wanted a flange edge.  Is that the right name for it?  

I figured it out and it worked on the first try.  Love it when that happens.  Then I was kicking myself for having put if off for so long.

They came out great.  I love the look with the new couch.

Now to move on to getting things on the walls.  I am trying to work all/some/any of the things we collected when living and traveling overseas into our decor instead of just storing it in boxes.

Cloth Napkins, Pillows, Brown and More

A mixed review this week.  But for the sake of keeping it honest here it is.  This has been an unusual year for my fabric acquisition and usage and I am very curious how it will all play out in the end.

Fabric In:
bolt of brown - 8.75 yds  $5

That's a lot of brown!!

peach 2.7 yds $0.50  (missed a photo, but you can imagine solid peach)

baby panel 0.69  $0.75
lt brown w/ feathers 0.7 yds  $1
lt moss green with + signs  1.19 yds $0.50

Fabric Out:
5 tissue covers for August library class: 0.27 yds

2 decorative pillows for Studio class - 0.58 yds + trim

gave away - fabric that was not cotton - 0.49 yds

chevron pillows  (hoping for a post about them this week) 1.11

feather napkins  0.58

I love this fabric.

Fabric Purchased since last report: 14.09 yards
Fabric Purchased YTD: 95.01 yards

Fabric Acquired since last report: 0 yards

Fabric Acquired YTD: 22.65 yards

Fabric Used since last report: 3.03 yards
Fabric Used YTD: 129.5 yards

Total: 1.12 yards destashed

Hmm.  That was a week in the wrong direction.  But at those prices it would be unwise to not buy it.  Also, looking forward with the new job I know I will not be able to get to the thrift store as often, so my future reports should be better on acquisition.  How the job affects usage remains to be seen.  My hours are not going to be much different that the previous job, but I don't know about taking work home and energy level yet.

Kate over at Life In Pieces has challenged us to try to stitch 15 minutes each day.  This was an odd week with getting things done for the pre-employment process and then getting a miserable cold.  Some days was only 15 minutes, but that's okay.

Days stitched since last report: 6/7
Days stitched this year: 230/251
Success Rate: 92%

Linking up to QuiltPaintCreate and Life in Pieces to keep accountable.

Friday Finish- College Prep

Hard to believe but we are down to less than a week. Middle E will always be Middle E, but next Thursday she will officially become College E.  She was just a cute little baby not so long ago.  How did this happen?

Pillow

I mentioned in a previous post that I worked on college quilts this summer, but I still haven't gotten them written up.  Today I will show you my most recent finish - personalized towels and a pillow.

It is nice when things turn out like you imagine!

When we first moved to the States a woman in the quilt guild I joined gave me an old embroidery machine with all the attachments that she had accumulated.  She herself did amazing embroidery work and had upgraded long ago to a monster of a machine that did everything.

Coral & peach under the needle

This little machine doesn't do much but that works for me.  I am not good with lots of bells and whistles anyways.  I have 7 fonts, 3 sizes - small, smaller, and smallest!, and a single monogram.

I really like this color combination

After choosing thread colors and fonts I got to work.  I don't have to operate the machine, but I do have to be attentive.  The thread bunched up on the pillow front when I was distracted and turned into a huge mess that forever to unsew the previous evening.

Moving along nicely

I set it aside to think on and when I got back to it I went together very nicely.  I added ruffled trim and an extension to the ends of the pillow body.  Then made a casing in the ends of the extensions.  Ran ribbon through the casings and VOILA!  A tube covering that is pretty darn cute.  It is simple but matches the bedding set she chose and if she changes bedding it has a chance of still matching something.

 Turquoise & sea foam green set is all finished

The towels were done relatively easily.  The only mistake was when I spelled her name wrong and didn't catch it til it was sewing the wrong letter.  This machine does not have a very large working area so for longer name I have to move the hoop and do the name in sections trying my best to get it all lined up correctly.  The toweling was pretty forgiving about that and I don't think the "break" is too noticeable.

Gifted microfiber beach towel

Next up  - towels for nieces and a friend's kids.  Hoping to get them all done this weekend.  I guess we are in the stage where everyone is off to college.

Check back on Monday to see Middle E's College Quilt.

Linking up to  Confessions of a Fabric Addict to show off finishes.

I Fell Off the Wagon Already

I had to go to Joanns to get twill tape for Señor G to fix his stationary bike.  Of course I also had to check the remnant bin.  I was looking for solid white since I just used up almost all my good stuff on the carnival auction quilt squares.  I was pleased to find a smallish piece.  I got an extra 20% off my total purchase for being a teacher so it was a good deal.

I forgot to report a pillowcase that I made right before Christmas.  The hedgehog main fabric was purchased specifically for this project and used up completely for the pillowcase so I did not count it in or out in any year.  The accent fabrics were from the stash. 

Fabric Purchased This Week: 0.65 yards

Fabric Acquired This Week: 0 yards

Fabric Used This Week: 0.30 yards 

Fabric Stashed in 2017: 0.35 yards

Staying accountable with Judy over at Patchwork Times.

Last Stash Report of 2016

To be completely honest with myself I am getting in my last numbers of 2016.  I had time this past week to get 2 bags of donated fabric added up and put away and had one last trip to the thrift store.

2 bags of donated fabric (not pictured):  19.25 yards

The fishy fabric (lower right) is destined for a school auction quilt this Spring.

4 pieces from Thrift Store.  5.56 yards.  $1.75

I also had time for a few small finishes.

Lucy seems to have settled in to her pillow just fine.

Lucy's Pillowcase:  2.29 yards

Made from someone's leftovers.  Love the brights!

Small Quilt top from Scrap Box Scraps: 1 yard

Last Stash Report of 2016

Fabric Used/Out This Week: 3.29 yards
Fabric Used/Out in 2016: 74.01 yards

Fabric In This Week:  24.81  yards

Fabric In 2016: 121 yards
 
Net Used 2016: 46.99 yards stashed

Out of curiosity I went back to look at my stash reports throughout the year.   Even though the yardage coming in was high, my actual expenses were not.  

69.50 yards purchased at a cost of $50.00

51.50 yards acquired at a cost of $00.00

121 yards in for $50

Bottom Line:   $0.41/yard 

So I am calling 2016 a good year for the stash.  But I really need to stay away from that thrift store and stick closer to the sewing machine in 2017! 

A Finish for Lucy

Grown Up R adopted a cat a few weeks ago.  Lucy is older and had probably been given away when her owner was no longer able to care for her. She had been in the shelter for a year. Poor thing.  She is calm and friendly and doesn't cause any trouble for R which is the important thing.

Lucy, such a pretty cat.

I had a few odd cat fabrics and thought I'd make Lucy her own little quilt to protect where she sleeps.  I didn't get it done before Christmas so I gave R a promise I'd do it.   She thought about it and then requested a pillowcase instead of a quilt. 

I thought of the Puss in the Corner block but wasn't sure how it would look with the odd fabrics I had.  No problem.  I forged ahead a few blocks at a time and that gave me guidance for what other colors I needed to work in for balance.  My center block was dictated by the smallest piece of cat fabric I had on hand - 4" cut.  The side rectangles were 4" x 2.5" and the corners were 2.5" squares.  Some fabrics I used up completely and that was good!

Sorry for the blur. And this was my only shot before it was sewn up.

Despite the lack of a plan it turned out to be just the right size.  I picked a lining from my mother's stash which sight unseen was also just the right size.  I did not add batting.  I just sewed in the ditch on all the horizontal rows to securely attach the front to the lining.  

Top of the quilted panel.

Then I followed pillowcase instructions - kind of.  I knew a French seam would be too thick so I bound the seam with the same lining.  It worked perfectly.  Then I bound the opening with left over binding from another project.  

Lower part of the pane.  I like the lion square.  It can be her "dare to dream" block.

My goal was for it to be easily washable, but it actually turned out to be completely reversible.  The lining can even be folded back over the front to form a duff.   This has great potential for future pillowcases.   

She seems to like it!

Linking up with Confessions of a Fabric Addict and Crazy Mom Quilts to show off finishes.

Busy Busy Busy

We were out of town last week so I didn't get a Friday Finish post written.  So now I have a lot to report.  The 7 hour one way trip enables me to get a lot of hand-sewing done.

1) Commissioned pillows.  These are the first 2 of a 6 pillow project. My client had 2 burlap bags with printing. The printing read correctly when the bags were in the vertical position. She wanted the pillows to be horizontal. There was just enough burlap to cut and piece it.  She had a rustic fringe to cover the seams on the front. Had to have zippers and be lined. Not the easiest things I have done but not the hardest either.  I am getting better at zippers in pillows. The client was very pleased with the results which makes me happy. 

Captain America for me.

2) Super Hero Aprons. We are finishing the year with a BANG! and a super hero/outer space theme.  The kids will come in their super hero shirts and I made aprons for my co-teacher and I.  We usually wear work aprons, but I don't think I will be wiping my glue-y, paint-y, sticky fingers on this one!  After looking at lots of ideas we went with the bib aprons.  Once I got in my mind how to do it it went together easily.  Have to say this is near the top of my lifetime list of clever projects. 

This project kind of confirmed for me that I am a "make it up as I go along" worker. I pretty much already knew that but I couldn't put a name to it. Now I know. It doesn't work for everyone. But it works for me. I know that I used to be a perfectionist. Then I moved overseas. So I think it comes from living overseas for so long where I did not have access to much to work with. So I "hoarded" what I had and made it work. 

Batman for Miss Kathy.  She has only seen this side.

Jimmy Johnson #48 is her real super hero and is a surprise on the back!

Flannel flowers on the back.

3) The baby is a girl.  I will take the pink quilt to Guatemala with us this summer.  And just because I was in the mood to do something different I made some pink and purple burp clothes.  Already had everything, so it was easy.  I went ahead and embroidered her name on it since I can and that seems to be all the rage now.

I looks blue,but it's really purple.

Hooking up with Crazy Mom Quilts 
and Confessions of a Fabric Addict
and Richard and Tanya Quilts