And The Stitch Goes On

It has been a delicious relief to have the humidity drop ahead of a thunderstorm. One that didn't quite make it to us, unfortunately, but it is bearable outside now. I was really hoping for a drenching rain to water the grass, flowers and shrubs, and generally wash away the grime that has accumulated on everything since the last rain we had. But I'll take the cooler temps even without the rain.

I Love You To The Moon And Back detail.

I decided to free motion stitch the letters down before I layer and quilt this piece. I figured that if I did that now, and stitched the blue background after I sandwich it all together, they will pop a little more. The edges of the letters are meant to fray a little after washing to give it a used and loved look, but with all the stitches, they won't be going anywhere.

This quilt was one out of my imagination. I did google the name of it, with 'baby quilt', and got some hits, but nothing like this at all. I get myself into these situations of sewing but mostly they turn out okay. I do fine, unless I am sewing for someone with a deadline attached. For some reason, that takes all the fun out of it for me. 

After and before cushion covers.

My step daughter asked me to make new covers for her cushions. It was something I had never tried before, but how could I say no? Old on the right, new on the left. I even picked out the 12 zippers and reused them in the new covers. They were in great shape, and it seemed a shame to toss them, aside from the fact that new ones weren't nearly as well made, but yet, they were still expensive. It would have cost about $60 for upholstery-grade new ones.

The plaids match on these cushions, even to the gussets on the sides of the back cushions. Thanks for forcing me to understand the finer points of that, Grandma. I learned to sew from her when I was in the 5th grade. I stayed over night with her on a Friday, and Saturday morning we got up and make a jumper for me, in an uneven plaid, and it matched, everywhere. She made it impossible for me to buy plaid off the rack, because it never matches. So, 6 back cushions, 6 seat cushions, and 12 zippers later, my machine was all ready to go/sew after 4 months of sitting in the box from our move. I LOVE my Babylock.

More photos will be added as this quilt goes together. In between stitching the letters, I have rotary cut strips for a miniature wall quilt. I have missed sewing time, and am fortunate to have the equipment and supplies to sew as much as I want...so get busy, Peg.
PHOTOS©pegyates/2012

...And I Begin Again...

Epic failure at this blog, but I am going to give it another go.
Most important, the husband was able to resume his travel after the medical adventures, and the first trip was to Japan in January. Quite a big step across the ocean for a first go, but it was uneventful.
I was a little twitchy, with him on another continent, meds, and a list of the meds packed in his carry-on bag. I tried to get the list for him from the pharmacy, and they told me they couldn't give it to me, that he would have to come pick it up. "Really?" I said. "You will let me pick up his drugs and call in refills, but you won't give me a list of his drugs?"
"It's a privacy matter." they said.
"Well, it's a convenience matter for us, because his hours are long and I do as much as possible to clean up the fringe for him by doing things like this."
"Sorry Mrs. Yates, but he will have to come in himself."
And they didn't even ask him for his ID, to be sure they weren't giving it to the wrong person.
Add two more trips to Pearl Harbor in May and June, and you have a ballistic missile man who is back on the horse. The last two trips were successful test missions, so, Yay! Oh, and I also had a hysterectomy in August of 2011, so with that, and moving from the river in October of that year explains a lot of why I didn't keep up my rambling....uh...I mean blogging.

On to more things:
Another baby quilt is in the works. AJ & Lea are expecting their first baby, a son, named Lyric, in September. She has such a way about her, and tells her husband on Facebook that she 'loves him to the moon and back'

Well, this quilt was a no-brainer, given that way of sharing love, so Lyric's quilt will reflect those words, surrounded by blue patchwork. I am going to put a hanging sleeve on it, in case she wants to hang it on the wall, but it will be easily removed if she wants to cover him up with it.

This is the center panel, and I am stitching the letters down before layering and quilting it. The strips of fabric under it, to the right are being sliced for a wall hanging. I need to make up for lost time, and so at least two projects are up for prep work, along with the quilt which I hope to have done it a week.

There, Peg. That wasn't so hard, was it. A little bit, every few days, and you will be an official blogger.
PHOTOS©pegyates/2012

A New Twist On Cathedral Window

Cathedral Windows as a quilt pattern has always fascinated me. I tried to make one a long time ago, but in my impatience, I didn't follow the directions, and had raw edges on the blocks, and that didn't work. Enter a book on the assembly, lots of sewing experience, and the understanding of how it goes together,  and I have decided that I like it very much. The book is full of  lots of ideas that take this pattern way beyond the muslin background which was the style back in the 50s. This has a fresh and artsy twist of color, which I like. So my sensible goal was to make a 3x3 block wall quilt so I could complete something with it before I decided that I didn't like it. But that wasn't the case. There are so many beautiful fabrics and the combinations of prints for the blocks and the windows make it difficult to see where one ends and the other begins. I like that. The only down side is that the blocks take a lot of fabric, and so much of it remains unseen. That seems wasteful to me. I would love to know who invented this design. Quilts in the old days were utilitarian, and this pattern uses so much fabric, that I can't imagine it being very practical for ordinary quilters who used old clothing and scraps with which to sew. Well, hat's off to whomever came up with the idea, because its my new favorite, and this 12"x12" experiment will look nice hanging on my wall.  

PHOTOS ©pegyates/2011

Baby Slippers

The center square in these pieced blocks is 1/4". My vision may never be the same.

Last pair of shoes done, and I would probably make another pair, but I am tired of sewing for a while. I get muscle aches from sitting so tensely and I keep making myself relax, but it doesn't last. I wish I could sew lying down, that would make things sew! much easier. I am glad, however, that I decided to make these gifts. I know how I felt when I got handmade things, and handmade baby gifts are extra special. I think I need a nap.
PHOTO ©pegyates/2011

The Handwork Has Begun

Binding on the back side of the quilt is getting hand-stitched attention. I never did master the technique for doing both sides on the machine. I always ended up with a little flap of fabric that annoyed me. I like this detail better anyway. Now today's work includes finishing up two pair of shoes to go with the quilt, and I will be done with one day to spare. Who knew I was so efficient?
PHOTO ©pegyates/2011

Putting It All Together

Oh Baby Girl. Not born yet, but almost. Fluffy girl stuff has always intimidated me. I raised two sons, have a nephew and a step-grandson. I wouldn't know what to do with a girl. Their little outfits, dozens of pairs of shoes, hair adornments, ruffles, fluff, pink and girly.

So when I decided to sew for this soon-to-be-here granddaughter of a good friend, my translation of pink took a huge detour, way off course. I knew batiks would be my choice, all from my stash. Some of them I've had for over 5 years, so it was time to sew out of my fabric bounty.

I actually had some pale ones, but the brighter colors said, "Choose me!" And knowing that pastel was too boring, I decided to let this quilt speak of a bright, happy and colorful world. I imagined this wee girl lying on it when she is able to hold up her head, and scratching at the colors like my boys used to do when something colorful was in front of them.

The quilting is done, and now I have to trim the edges and make bias binding. I found instructions so I will have one continuous piece of bias tape to bind it. Plus I have that handy little contraption that takes the strip of fabric in one end, and spits out a folded strip out the other that goes directly under the iron to be pressed into a crisp-edged piece of bias tape to bind the edges of the quilt. Of course there will be photos of that process. And the baby shower isn't until the 11th, so I have dispelled the rumor that I wait until the eleventh hour to complete a project. This time.
PHOTOS ©pegyates/2011

Tiny Sewing

The daughter of a friend is expecting a girl in September. I have never had the pleasure of spoiling a daughter or niece, so this has given me the chance to make girly-girl things, beginning with a pair of baby shoes. A princess should always have lots of slippers. My other goal is to make a very bright baby quilt. I have the top pieced, so I have to add borders, baste it, do some machine quilting and bind it. The difficult part is done. Plus she will have another pair of shoes with a paper pieced top that will replicate the block in the quilt. It's probably better that I didn't have girls to dress...it would have been expensive.
PHOTOS ©pegyates/2011