Quilt Top

Quilt Top Piecing Complete

I have worked steadily. Too much rain for me to do much other than stay inside and sew.

I did have to go back to the fabric store last Saturday to get some extra fabric to complete the sashing.

Since I did not really have a pattern and was designing as I went....what could I expect.

You can see on the bottom left hand corner where I was testing options for sashing the quilt.  Also,  it looks funny because I had not completed the  bottom row of squares.

The small strip of the tan fabric had not been in the original plans and also I had mis-cut a strip of the orange causing me to be short.  Thus the trip on Friday.

But I am pleased with the results.

Next comes the quilting. 
I have never tackled machine quilting anything larger than a placemat.
But, there is always a first.

My dining room table is large and I put a mat over it to get busy putting together the 'batting sandwich."

 

I have the sandwich spread and pinned.  Now, What next.

Need some time to THINK!





Prepare for Quilitng

One of the first quilting projects in my retirement is for grandson, Thomas.

I will be using many of the same fabrics that were used in his older sisters' quilts.  This is a children's animal print with vibrant colors of green, turquoise, and terracotta.

But before starting the quilting project, I got hubby to assist in building the long desired Design Wall and a pressing board.

We used the foam insulation board, purchased from the local Lowes.  Hubby cut 5'x6' and hung with some mirror screws.

I made a fabric bag for the board to go into.  I am always concerned with cleaning and thought that the bag could be removed, washed, and rehung easily.  I was looking for something that would somewhat blend with the wall color so luck was with me on our Spring trip to Texas and I found the gray felt.  I was not wanting white because the fear that continuous hands on would get dirty very quick. 

The pressing board is just that.....small piece of plywood, covered with only 1 layer of batting and fabric.

I have it set up in arm's reach of the machine with the Oliso iron. Love this iron because you do not have to stand it up on end.  The way you see it sitting here is the way it stays.

I have a large cutting mat, on the sewing table behind the sewing machine and a small one in front of the presser foot for trimming of small pieces as I sew and press.

I am now set up to get the quilting underway. 

Oh, and you can see that I have a mess on the table with several projects going at once.

Quilt will continue first.

The Perfect Jean

I have been trying to get myself focused on making my own clothing since I joined the NO RTW. I have stayed true to the challenge, but I have not been sewing either.

I have made the attempt at fitting pants----Using McCall's pattern M5142 from 2006, Palmer/Pletsch,The Perfect Jean.  The pattern gives several options for fitting much like you find in the current ready wear environment.  Classic fit, Skinny fit, Curvy fit; sits @ waist, or slighty below waist.

I cut the size 10, curvy fit.  I have a waist line that usually is very hard to fit in RTW.  Using 2 old shirts that my son-in-law had discarded as my sample fabric, the adventure began.

The pattern identifies adjustment areas and also 1" seam allowances.  Luckily very little adjustment was needed. 

 I had to use the yokes from the shirt piecing the leg for a length that I would use.  You can also see a shading near the inner leg, that was the starched crease on the pleat  in the back of the shirt.

 

I used the shirt pockets for the hip pockets.  There is a little puckering @ the top of the hip in the yoke area.  I really think that due to the way that I had to cut pieces from the shirt to get this completed, that there was too much bias and the stretch occurred. 

 

My seams followed the recommended 1" except for a small area just @ the top of hip on side seams.  Approximately 3" below waist for about 4".  I let the seam out 1/4" to try and reduce the pull along the opening of the front pocket.

 

 

Overall I think I got a good fit. I will be wearing these around the house and my next pair will be a capri in stretch white denim.

Gardening and Quilting

Monday was a beautiful day.

We had built and worked with these first 2 planters last year.  We put the planter's mix in them and was not successful with getting much to harvest.  I have added fertilizer this year and it is looking much better.  I have Sweet Peas, radishes, beets, cabbage, onions, mustard greens, broccoli.

Spent all afternoon working on the two new planter boxes ready.  Changed our soil content.  We first placed topsoil and then added the planter's mix.  Lot's of work to get this mixed but ready to plant.  Planted 2 varieties of tomatoes and 4-5 pepper varieties planted.

In the late evening, I began a new quilting project for Thomas. 

In the past several years, I had assisted Mom in getting quilts together for 2 of my grandchildren Nora Ruth and Allie.  These were done in the same predominate fabric, using different quilt patterns and different accompanying fabrics. 

Nora Ruth and Allie have a 2 year old brother Thomas.  At the present the three of them are sharing a room.  Their Dad is a medical student and they are living very conservatively.  Their Mom, is using their quilts as coverlets for the beds so I pulled out the scraps from the first 2 quilts to see what I can put together.  Think I have enough!!!!  No pictures yet.

As I mentioned the progress earlier on the UFO box.  Here are a couple of examples.
this was a corduroy jumper, cut by size 3,  now finished.....will find it  a good home this fall.

 

The below had been given to my Mom for her to make, a project to keep her occupied after her stroke.  We are going to contribute it to the Appalachian project this fall.  She had puckered the band around the top and I had to go back and straighten this and get the button holes and buttons complete.





 

 

The two below were originally cut out for Nora Ruth and Allie.  They are way past this size now.  Will find someone who needs them.  

 

 

Will be leaving in the morning go to Nashville to run the Rock N Roll Half Marathon.  I am very excited.....finally going to see if the old woman can complete the race.  One of the bucket list items.

This race supports St. Jude's Hospital for Children.

 

I have already signed up again for the St. Jude's Half Marathon in December(It was cancelled last year due to weather).  I feel that St. Jude's is a wonderful facility and I have worked with a children's camp where campers were patients. Wonderful foundation.

 

Hopefully next week will be more productive at the sewing machine.



Busy Year

I have been very busy this first few months of 2014.

I tackled a box of UFO's.  Some for myself and others that were started over time for the grandchildren and did not get finished.  Pictures to come later.

I did decide to retire.  Last day on payroll was April 1.  Loving retirement.

April 9, traveled to Austin, TX for the birth of our 7th and 8th Grandchildren.  Our son, Greg and his wife Julie became the proud parents of twins on April 11.

Everett Davis Scott, 5 lb 15 Oz


Elcey Mae Scott, 5 lb 5 OZ
 

Returned home on in time for Easter.

I have been training for the Nashville Rock and Roll Half Marathon.  It is coming up next weekend.  April 26.

Life is good.

 



 

 

 

Easter

Hope that your day was as blessed as ours.

These are the oldest of my 8 Grandchildren.  True blessings.

I cooked dinner tonight and had a house full of family.  The Lord has truly blessed us in ways that are too numerous to list.  All we have now and the promise of Everlasting Life.

Happy Easter

Happy New Year

December 26 we traveled to Austin to visit with our Son and family for a few days.  Had a great visit!  We got to go with them to Julie's Dr. appointment on Friday and we all got a great surprise.  The Doctor had previously told them that the twins were both boys but during the viewing of the sonogram, it was discovered that there is a girl and a boy.  They already have 1 son, Nathan(3) so the girl will complete all wishes.

The first week of 2014 has past.  I did not make any resolutions....though

I have lots of thoughts running around in my head on projects to sew.  More than I will reasonably complete. I am hoping to retire sometime this year.  Hopefully before June.  So, this begins to build an unbelievable race in my head on things I think I can get accomplished.

1st --- on my list is to complete several clothing projects that I have had cut out for myself for years.
...a denim jacket
...a brown tapestry vest

2nd----
smocking project for the upcoming twins

3rd---
join the local quilt guild,
they do small quilts for children that the local law enforcement takes in emergency situations,  and I want to complete one for this project

4th---
I have purchased fabrics for window treatments in 3 rooms of my house....this has been in the closet for a year.....need to get this completed

And to add to this, I accepted the 
---2014 RTW Fast invitation from Goodbye Valentino to stop shopping for "ready to wear"
I am not a big shopper....but I have lost a large amount of weight and have few clothes.....will be a challenge and a great chance for me to learn to fit myself....something that I have been wanting to do for quite awhile.

 

 

Last challenge....
---I invited my sister to join me in the challenge to do a 1/2 marathon.  She accepted and we trained all the fall to run the St. Jude's in Memphis in December.  The weather was unbelievably cold that weekend and the race was cancelled.  Since we had felt the health benefits of this training, and we were very disappointed in not getting to complete the race.....we have now signed up for the Nashville Rock & Roll.  We begin training again this week for the race April 26.

Full year planned....Ready to get started

Hope that I can keep focused to complete the list.

Happy New Year to All