The Sewing Bee

[3catslady]

I have 6 dishcloths and one winter scarf done.  I am starting on my next set of dishcloths.  Since each skein makes 2 cloths, I should have about 30 or more when I am done.

[Blonde Granny]

I think I may introduce myself to my sewing machine this afternoon. The sun will be shining in the sun room and with a space heater on, it should be cozy and comfortable in there. I need to be doing more than sitting in a Lazy Boy watching episodes of Bones.

[Apple]

No photo, but I finished a fleece bathrobe for DS.  He'll get it for Christmas.  It is so soft!  He picked out the fabric.

I've made some quilt blocks for a quilt I'm working on (with sister and SIL) for my parents.  I've pieced together a cow block and a dog block, and made several four-patches and disappearing four-patches.  

Next up, for my project this week, is a Grinch quilt.  I got Grinch fleece for the backing, not sure if I'll use a batting or not.  One one had, fleece on the bottom with cotton on the top should be good enough, but on the other hand, I want it really warm.  I plan on using it on the couch, since I keep my house pretty chilly.  I'll probably machine sew it and "stitch in the ditch" to quilt it (also on machine).  If I decide it needs more quilting, I can do that by hand.

I was able to get a 45" x 40 yard roll of batting (Warm and White) for about $20, so I'll have lots of batting to make the baby quilts for the NICU soon!

[Sharon]

One of my quilting friends for her couch or car blankets would use old electric blankets as the batting.  She would remove the wires etc and then use flannel on the top and bottom.  Instead of quilting them she would tie them.  They were nice and warm and cuddly.

[Apple]

Nov 27, 2016 17:14:31 GMT -5 Sharon said:

One of my quilting friends for her couch or car blankets would use old electric blankets as the batting.  She would remove the wires etc and then use flannel on the top and bottom.  Instead of quilting them she would tie them.  They were nice and warm and cuddly.

That's not a bad idea!

I have a nice warm blanket that uses flannel for batting.  The edges came undone and I was able to see what they used--it was so heavy!  The outside material was thick, but one of those that is cold to the touch until you warm it up (so like regular cotton).  Once you warm it up it's one of the warmest blankets I have, I should pull it out!

For my Grinch one I might use some of the 45" wide batting and just use two pieces.  It comes out to about 50 cents a yard so really cheap, and I can save my queen sized batting for "better" projects.  I almost wish I'd bought more when I found it at that price ($20.22 for a 40 yard roll, now it's $129/roll).  I think whoever put in the price made a typo, since the price went back up later the same day.  If that was the case, at least they are honoring it!

[Apple]

I decided to skip the batting and just do the Grinch quilt top on the fleece backing.  I have it all made except for the binding!  I'd have got that on tonight, but I need material for it (decided to see if there was something else I want before I cut up all my tree fabric).  It's a fun quilt, about 5' x 7', so when I lounge on the couch I know it will cover my feet  I like that it's warm but not bulky.

I might use the leftover Grinch fabric to make new stockings for DS and me this year.  I probably should have worked on that tonight, I had the time...

[Apple]

I don't have a good photo of the quilt yet, but I had extra fabric from the top, so I made two Grinch stockings  All I have left on the quilt is to had sew the front of the binding.

[Apple]

I finished the binding on the quilt this morning!  Using the sewing machine is so much faster...  I started it Sunday night (pressing and cutting) and finished this morning.  

No batting, just a grinch fleece fabric for the backing (you can kind of see it in the stocking photo above).

[countrygirl]

I'm going down to work on upholstering another part of a kitchen

chair for the motorhome today.

[countrygirl]

DD is working hard on removing staples from the bottom of a chair, I showed her how

to loosen them up, she has gotten quite a few out, she needs to feel successful.

Of course we are watching a music video of Snoop Dogg which SHE likes, not so

much me. But that's ok if it gets her doing something. She has used the exercycle

and the weight pull down bar which should help her arm.

[3catslady]

With the holidays and everything else that could go wrong,  I only have 4 more dishcloths done since November 25.  That is bad.  I am not going to get my cotton yarn used up by the first of the year.  I love it when nothing goes as planned  .  I guess I'll just keep using it and when I get it done, I'll start my needlepoint.  But then, the Church wants to know if and when I am going to make more Prayer Shawls.  They have given out all the ones I made last year.  Maybe I'll just switch back and forth between the three projects and not get much of anything done.

[Sharon]

Dec 26, 2016 10:19:52 GMT -5 3catslady said:

With the holidays and everything else that could go wrong,  I only have 4 more dishcloths done since November 25.  That is bad.  I am not going to get my cotton yarn used up by the first of the year.  I love it when nothing goes as planned  .  I guess I'll just keep using it and when I get it done, I'll start my needlepoint.  But then, the Church wants to know if and when I am going to make more Prayer Shawls.  They have given out all the ones I made last year.  Maybe I'll just switch back and forth between the three projects and not get much of anything done.

The bolded part is so me.   I dug out my big stained glass Christmas wall hanging that I have been working on again off again since 2001.  This year I actually made a great deal of progress on it.  Instead of putting it away to clean up for our big family dinner I hung it on the wall with the batting hanging out the sides etc.  I told everyone that way I would hopefully continue working on it after Christmas and actually get the thing done.

[taz157]

One of my friends sent me a text yesterday with a picture of his youngest DD next to a toy house.  One made of the plastic type of fabric premade.  Now my DD wants one.  I've only made her a cape and a pillow before.  I've never tried a fabric house.  

I'll see what can be done when I have time to do it.  Maybe DD will lose interest by then too...      Knowing DD, she won't.  She's the kid that remembered Santa didn't get her the toy boats last year.  Santa got her toy boats this year and she even remarked that Santa remembered this year!  

[Apple]

I made a quilt for DS. I hadn't intended on giving it as a Christmas present, but it went so much faster than I expected, that I became determined to finish it. I ran out of time to finish the binding (it was halfway done), so I wrapped it and told him I'd finish it after we did presents. He got off work at 7, ate, did presents, and I was able to finish the quilt at 11 before going to bed.

Machine pieced/quilted with a hand stitched binding and fleece backing (no batting). Colors are most "true" toward the bottom half of the photo.

[Apple]

Dec 26, 2016 10:19:52 GMT -5 3catslady said:

With the holidays and everything else that could go wrong,  I only have 4 more dishcloths done since November 25.  That is bad.  I am not going to get my cotton yarn used up by the first of the year.  I love it when nothing goes as planned  .  I guess I'll just keep using it and when I get it done, I'll start my needlepoint.  But then, the Church wants to know if and when I am going to make more Prayer Shawls.  They have given out all the ones I made last year.  Maybe I'll just switch back and forth between the three projects and not get much of anything done.

So much to do, so little time!

My mom usually has a bunch of projects going.  She keeps her bag of knitting stuff next to the couch.  

[3catslady]

I have a bag of crocheting in the car to do when I do laundry.  I have a bag of knitting at the door when I go over and watch my grandson.  I have a bag of crocheting next to my bed when I wake up and can't get back to sleep.  I also have a bag of knitting next to the bed.  The tub with the cotton yarn is next to my rocker and the box with the needlepoint is at the foot of my bed.  I have 2 tubs of regular yarn out in the other room and a tub of fabric for quilting.  I have 15 plastic shoe boxes filled with squares to quilt.  I am 70 years old and if I get this all done before I go, I will have been great.

[3catslady]

I finished 2 more dishcloths while doing laundry at the laundromat.  That's one more skein done.  I also started another skein which will be 2 more dishcloths.  Maybe Sunday when I have off, I do more laundry to get it out of the tubs and into the donation boxes.

[3catslady]

Out of the 45 skeins of yarn I have left, I just finished 2 dishcloths and 1 skein.  I started on another skein while at the laundromat and finished 1 more dishcloth so I am down to 43 skeins.

[Apple]

My favorite block I've made so far (for the parent's quilt).  They both love hummingbirds and do a lot to make sure they keep them fed all winter (several feet of snow, with a lamp over the stand for heat, dad is still rotating the feeder every half hour so it doesn't freeze up).

Block is about 6"...

[Blonde Granny]

I love that one!!!!

[Apple]

Jan 13, 2017 16:38:52 GMT -5 Blonde Granny said:

I love that one!!!!

Thank you!  I found a book at the second hand store and bought it just for this block

[gracendignity]

Apple, you have certainly caught on to this quilting thing very well! I love the hummingbird block. Did you paper piece it?

[Apple]

Jan 13, 2017 16:47:50 GMT -5 gracendignity said:

Apple, you have certainly caught on to this quilting thing very well! I love the hummingbird block. Did you paper piece it?

No, just followed the directions in the book, but was thinking I might try to figure out if it's something that could be paper pieced (would just need to figure out an order).

I'm going to try my first paper pieced block on Monday, it's a piece of cake on a plate (the cake will be chocolate, I have a brown swirly fabric that will look like frosting).

I really am loving the whole process

[gracendignity]

There are some patterns that I think lend themselves well to paper piecing and I use it sometimes.  It is an excellent way to get fussy shapes to behave properly.  I don't post very often on any thread really, but I do follow this one closely.  I always say I'm going to post something and then I don't.  But I do enjoy seeing what everyone is up to.

    

[3catslady]

I am down to 40 skeins to do yet.  I finished 3 dishcloths at the laundromat tonight.  I started another skein and have one almost finished.  I'm not making as much headway as I thought I should but I guess life gets in the way.  Oh well, at least I'm still working on the yarn so all is not lost.

[Apple]

Any progress is good progress!

[Sharon]

I have gone back to working on the sheep quilt.  This afternoon I cut 132 1" squares for that quilt and 66 1" x 1 1/2" squares.  I am really pleased with how it is turning out but it has so many little pieces.  This list of projects is growing.  Some of you may have missed the fact that I will be Grandma towards the end of August.  The sheep quilt will be probably be on the wall of the nursery.  DD has asked me to also knit a "frienny" for the new baby and I will need to make a haul around, throw on the floor quilt.

When I was pregnant with DD I knit a good size baby blanket with worsted weight yarn which turned into her absolute favorite.  That was her go to comfort blankie.  She slept with it every night up until college.  When things got tough at college she took it down to school with her.  One night we got home late, we were both tired and hungry, DD was 2 or 3 years old.  She ran and got her blankie and was laying on the kitchen floor sucking her thumb while I was trying to get some dinner.  I said to her "Oh you found your friend" and from that day forward her blanket was known as "frienny"

So I have two quilts and a baby blanket to knit and possibly some other nursery stuff.  DD was talking about curtains or a roman shade for the room and who knows what else. 

[3catslady]

I am down to 36 skeins of yarn and I also finished a lap afghan for the church.  I use my left over yarn to make the lap afghans so nothing is wasted.

[sealy]

Inmade a quilt to use for a drawing. its not really getting any money.

[Apple]

Hopefully the drawing picks up.  I know selling raffle tickets can be rough.