Surprise Sewing

I am meeting my friend from work on the 10th of December for lunch. We both work from home and we are both off on Mondays. So I am going to be a bit of sewing for her. I have located my nightgown pattern after some digging. I bought the fabric last year but time got away from me. And I have hoarded some purple and yellow fabrics to make a tote bag. I also have been asked by another friend to finish the sewing she started last year. Flannel nightgowns for herself, her twin sister, her daughter and her niece. The little girls will  have matching gowns and the big girls will have matching gowns that will co ordinate with the little girl's gowns. I am still waiting on the measurements for Elly's Christmas dress.

Elly wrapped in the afgan I crocheted for her daddy some 30 years ago!!

In stitches,
Judy

Wednesday

My Christmas sewing this year is meager. I am making Elly's Christmas dress. She is being baptized on December 23rd, and I am making a bonnet for her to wear to the church. She will be wearing the family gown. My mom wore it, all of her 6 kids, and most of her grand kids, and now her great granddaughter. I have a few ornaments I want to make for the tree in Brooklyn. Most years the kids are here and do not put up a tree. This year we will be in Brooklyn and they have very few ornaments. I have been haunting Pinterest for ornament ideas. I have have found a few that I am going to try and a few I want to do once I get there. I have a little shopping to do. And then I am done. I will put my tree up but it is small and I carry up and down from the basement. It is decorated and lighted. Just plug her it.

This is a picture of my son and his wife Tania. You can see my meager tree in the background. But it works for me and gifts end up on the floor around the tree!

In stitches,
Judy

Sunday

In stitches,
Judy

Welcome Home

Today I stopped and picked up my sewing machine. I am so glad to have it back. I have two other machines and I could have used either one of them to sew with, but the Bernina is my favorite.
I also took back the fabric for my grand daughter's Christmas dress. I had purchased red crushed panne and I exchanged it for cream crushed panne. I still need to get the measurements from my daughter in law and some kind of embellishment for the waist.

I also stopped in a quilt shop in my area. I had never been there and it was little hard to find. I found the back entrance and a sign on the front of the building. It was have been nice if either the sign or the gal I spoke to one the phone had mentioned they were on the lower level. My knees bother me and I went up and down the stairs twice first to the upper level and then to the lower level. I got this pattern. Looks like something I will start in 2013.

   I did get to do a little bit of sewing this afternoon. I made 6 dog scarves. Three of each color. My neighbor has three rescue dogs and they grace her Christmas card every year and need a new scarf every year. It is a quick and easy project to make.

In stitches,

Judy

Slow days

I worked on Thanksgiving and we were so slow. I marked a bunch of fabric for hand piecing, make homemade pizza sauce and homemade crust for my dinner, changed a light bulb on my front porch and I was tethered to my phone in case I got a phone. I ended up taking 10 calls in an eight period and four of them were hang up calls. Today was almost as bad, the bosses were sending people home right and left. I was one of the lucky ones that got to stay until the end of my shift. Finished marking my squares for my 3-D bow tie blocks and then started a stack of squares in case I decide I need more bow tie blocks. Saturday looks to be slow again, but my sewing machine is coming home from it's spa treatment tomorrow so I suppose I will be sewing. I have an order to make 6 dog scarves for my neighbor so I will work on them tomorrow afternoon and keep at it on the marking of my squares.

I am going to get the measurements of my grand baby, Elly, so I can start her Christmas dress. As a good quilter I rarely throw things out. I have the Christmas dress pattern I made for my god child many years ago and I am going to be using that pattern. I want to get it into the mail so they can get her Christmas pictures done.

In stitches,
Judy

Happy Thanksgiving

 

Judy

Busy work

Today is busy work Wednesday. I have done my dishes from last night, done a load of laundry, hung it on the lines in the basement. I have a dryer but rarely use it. The door does not stay shut and I have to jerry rig the door. I use the dryer for towels and that is about it. I also made my own fabric softemer . I have done this before but instead an expensive conditioner I use Suave Coconut Conditioner. It smells good and it is cheap. This weekend I am going to make Laundry Soap and Hand Creme. The pioneer spirit is alive and well in southern Ohio.

We have done our Thanksgiving celebration this past Sunday so there is no rushing around and cooking being done here tomorrow. I am working a different shift than normal so I will need to get to bed shortly after I get done this evening. But I am pretty sure that we won't be busy, so I am going to spend time making Christmas ornaments for my kids and marking the take along Christmas project. And I will take customer calls.

In stitches,
Judy

Stuff

The last few nights, I have had trouble sleeping and so I have been reading blogs and playing with mine. Not a good thing. The blog reading is fun and is giving me  bunches of ideas. Messing with my blog and it's layout is a very bad thing. I have this lovely new design and I hate it. I wanted a cute, pretty design and I cannot figure out how to get that one back. I cannot play anymore as it is almost time for me to fire up the work computer and take care of callers.

My take along Christmas project needs some work. Pieces were pinned together but not marked. There was not a good hard surface for marking. I can see that I have a bunch to do before I am able to make this the take along project. There was a bonus in the bag, yet another start of a project. With no direction or idea of what my intention was. Another "guess what I am" project. 

The car is fixed and back in my garage. The car has new front brakes, 4 new tires and an oil change. It took a good chunk of my savings, but it is only money and I cannot take it with me. Now I am waiting on my sewing machine and then all will be right with the world. 

 Had to share the picture of my son, Elly and Frankie {short for Francine} my grand dog and the "big sister". I heard that she had a bow on ear, but made quick work of it!!

In stitches,
Judy

Another project

I am spending my morning at the mechanics where my car will  be getting 4 new tires and an oil change. I will be waiting for my car and I need a project to work on.

 I found a project from several moves ago. I vaguely remember cutting a bunch of 2.5" squares from various Christmas prints. And I remember finding them in a bag but I cannot remember what I had planned for them. At least two years ago I thought about a wall hanging using 3-D bow ties and of course hand pieced. I a small amount finished and bunch marked and pinned for stitching. And a bunch of squares. So I have found my next take along project. I am excited about this one and I intend to finish for Christmas. It may not be this Christmas. And it may be a wall hanging or a throw for the couch. I just have to get busy and see where my needle takes me.

In stitches,
Judy

Vicious Circle

My sewing machine is in the shop for a much needed tune up and I miss it. So to pass the time in the evenings, I have been browsing quilt blogs. Checking out my favorites and reading new ones. Of course, I find new projects I want to start and then I remember my machine is in the shop! The vicious circle syndrome. So today I will start putting my dining room back together. Make it less of a sewing room and more of a dining room. I only have a couple of projects that need to be done for Christmas or before.

I am already looking towards 2013 and projects I would like to finish or start. I am thinking of doing one wall hanging a month. I have three places in my house right now where I hang quilts. A new wall hanging a month will give a chance to try out new techniques without tying me down to a larger quilt. I would like to quilt up some my tops.

It seems like an ambitious list for 2013 but seeing it in writing makes it more real. I think my sister, Karen, in Georgia will be joining me in making something every month in 2013. Hers probably won't be quilted but either drawn or painted as that is where her talent lies. We will be able to encourage each other. And hopefully we will do better on this challenge than we did on our last joint challenge. Or maybe we will finish our first challenge. Only time will tell.

In stitches,
Judy

That Project

We all have "that project", you know what I mean. That project that you find reasons not to finish. I have one of those projects. I should tell you that I love hand piecing and hand quilting. I have a hanger in my living room that needed a new wall hanging. I had found some bland scraps in the sewing room and I added some yellow fabric to it and made some unequal nine patch blocks. Four blocks across and five rows down, very simple. It has been over a year since I have started this simple project and I have to force myself to work on it. So yesterday I pulled it out yet again and worked on it. Saturdays are slow at work and I thought this would be the perfect project. All the blocks are sewn into rows and two rows were sewn to each other. And a third row was partially sewn to the two rows. I finished that row and partially sewed the fourth row. I was on a roll!! I have picked out the border fabric and I had dreams of starting the hand quilting. But today I took my little project with me to our Thanksgiving celebration at my sister's. And because I am trying to find reasons not to finish this project, my quilt project in tucked safely in drawer in my sister's house. I will see her in a couple of weeks and I will get my project back.

In stitches,
Judy

Friday

This is a picture of the quilt that I mailed to Brooklyn for Elly. It matches the bedding I have made for her co sleeper. I do not have pictures of the bedding for the co sleeper, I am waiting for pictures of it once it is on the co sleeper. The bumper pads are still on the back burner. They may or may not get made. The sewing machine is in the shop and should be home in about a week. Yeah!! I miss it already. Time to start cleaning.

Here is Elly sleeping peacefully under her new quilt. Right now she is hanging out on the guest bed while the co sleeper bedding is being put on the co sleeper. Pictures to follow I am sure.

In stitches,
Judy

Vacation

I know it must seem strange to talk vacation in November, but my vacation for 2013 has been approved and I will be visiting warm and sunny Georgia in February. I will be escaping the cold, dreary Ohio weather to spend some time with my sister, Karen. We tried to do this in September but it did not work out but it is set now and I cannot wait. She and her husband will not be joining us for Thanksgiving on this Sunday and she is not coming north for Christmas. I am going north for Christmas, spending it with my granddaughter, Elly and her family.

I am doing a little bit of sewing today before I pack up my machine for a trip to the shop for a tune up. I have decided that I will be cleaning the house while the machine is in the shop. And I will get my flannel quilt in the floor frame in the basement and start quilting on that. I have so many other projects to keep me busy while the machine is gone. Don't we all?!!

In stitches,
Judy

Time

Time has a way of catching us off guard. I thought I would have to work on Thanksgiving this year, so I moved our family celebration to the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Do you realize that is less than a week away. I am cooking at my sister's and that is a good thing. But there are so many details that go into that. And it turns out that we are not working on Thanksgiving, but they were looking for volunteers to work Thanksgiving. So my hand went up and that is fine. I work at home and I will not have to fight traffic to get to the office. And I imagine we will not be that busy. The extra $$'s will be nice for Christmas.

I am going to be doing a little bit of sewing this afternoon. I was going to take the sewing machine into the shop today, but it is raining and I don't want to be on the road with all the crazy rain drivers. I will be making some blocks for Hurricane Sandy relief. This seems to be an easy block and I am going to whip up a few today and take them with me when I mail out the package to Elly and the sewing machine to the shop tomorrow.

In stitches,
Judy

Stuff

 

I am so proud of myself. I have finished the cover for the co sleeper and the little extra thing for the baby. I cannot say any more about that in case Elly's mommy is reading my blog. I am taking my sewing machine to the shop on Monday. It is in dire need of a tune up. I still have a bunch of sewing to do for Christmas and I need the sewing machine to be in tip top shape.

I have spent part of my evening looking for the quilt top mentioned in the previous post. I looked in all the obvious places and it was not there. I looked in the space bags where a portion of my stash is hiding and it was not there. But my gut told me it has to be in the basement sewing room. After several more minutes of searching I have found the top, the batting, and the backing. I already know where the perle cotton that I am using for quilting is and I know where the floor frame is. I am trying to decide where to put the frame. Either in the living room or here in the basement. Decisions, decisions!!

In stitches,
Judy

Sewing

I have been busily sewing these last few days! I am working on the cover for the co sleeper. I think it will be finished tomorrow. Then on to bumper pads. And then one more surprise for the baby. Then it will be curtain and Christmas dress time.

I have decided that my quilting will be taking a backseat to baby sewing. I am thinking about putting up the floor frame in the living room and put this quilt on it.

  It is flannel on the top and the backing and cotton batting in between. I am going to use a running stitch using black perle cotton. I need to start finishing some of my UFO's so I make new UFO's!!! I was hoping to make a new Fall wall hanging for my basement landing but that looks more and more like a new UFO for 2013. I do not want to run out of things to do!!

In stitches,
Judy

Sewing without patterns

I am back home from New York and Hurricane Sandy. I had to stay an extra day waiting for the airport to open. I was happy to have an extra day with my granddaughter, Elly!! I have found my camera for Skype, just need to download it to my computer.

I have gladly accepted my new sewing assignment. Sewing for Elly. We have decided on  the pattern for the Christmas dress and I have decided on the fabric. Red crushed panne. Looks like velvet, but it is polyester and easy to launder in case of spit up!!

Next is the sleep cover for the co sleeper. It is a handy thing to have but it is kind of ugly. But I have the whole thing figured out in my head and now I need to make that along with bumper pads. Got all the stuff for that project and I hope to work on it this weekend. I do have to work tomorrow, but I can get started on it. As soon as I have finished the sewing and get it mailed to New York, I will post pictures!!

In stitches,
Judy

An extra day

I  get to spend an extra day in Brooklyn! Extra hugs and cuddling! We are having such a good visit. Will spend part of my day taking measurements for curtains and clothing. A trip to Joann Fabrics is in my future. Elly needs her Christmas dress and a pretty cover for the co~sleeper. Such a busy time. The Fall wall hanging is fading fast. I may be working on it after Christmas. But it will be done for next year!



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