I am sure you have heard it. There have been numerous studies to prove it. Sewing reduces stress.Just what I need right now.I found the apple core pieces right by the sewing machine. The perfect project for some quick no prep sewing. They were all cut and stacked there just waiting.P looked through them and matched some pairs up for me to sew. This is to be a scrap charm quilt so I don't really care which ones go next to each other. I was happy to sew her choices together.
The thing with these pieces is that the outer curve has to be sewn to the inner curve.
Curved piecing.
I have my doubts that this particular kind of sewing reduces stress.I need to find another project to work on for now.
I do enjoy hand quilting.
I still don't have a complete plan for the quilting. I am currently working on outlining the baskets. I can decide about the background quilting as I go along.Slow progress is better than no progress especially when it is enjoyable.
It is not a large quilt so we could pin it quickly. I still have not come up with the quilting design but at least the quilt will be ready when the inspiration strikes.This is a not so great photo that I took after retreat in 2007.
Last week I made four new 
My original plan involved doing a little tutorial to post with them. I tried taking pictures as I was making these but the pictures didn't really show what I was doing very well.I can share my pattern and a description of how it goes together.These are really fun to make as you can use almost any fabric. You can make them short like a capelet or long and flowing to the ground. I like that they can be used for many kinds of play.This is the pattern and how it should be placed on the fabric. If the selvedge edge of the fabric looks nice, place the front of the hood on the selvedge edge of the fabric and there is no need to hem.The length of the cape is determined by the height of the child or thelength of the fabric on hand. The fold edge of the pattern goes from the neckdown the back of the cape.
1. Cut out as shown above.2. Sew the two hood pieces together on the curved edge. I use a flat felled seam for better looks and longer wear.3. Hem and add any desired trim to the outside edge of the cape (all except the neck edge.)4. Gather the neck edge of the cape and sew to the bottom of the hood. I either stitch the seam allowance to the hood or cover the seam with bias tape for longer wear.5. Sew velcro tabs to the edge at the neck seam and embellish with a fancy button.Here is a cape I made for P last year.
She even did a few stitches on it herself. 
Mine is embroidered in a deep red. The close photos do not show the true color very well.
I am thinking of starting some sewing classes again. I need to be able to quickly set up my sewing machines, which I dug out from DEEP in the back of the closet.
Now that my swap partner has received them, I can share my finished triptych inspired by Piet Mondrian. I think they were about 7 inches square.
In order for the design to run off the edge like Mondrian's paintings, I had to finish them without a binding. I sewed the back to the front right sides together and then turned it right side out. They are quilted without batting.
I am pleased with how they turned out.It is fitting that I share these artist inspired quilts today as in P's preschool class they are starting a unit on famous artists. Today they painted like Jackson Pollack - great fun for preschoolers. Also, they had fluffy paint on palettes to paint on paper that was taped to the underside of the art table a la Michelangelo. When I left P had fluffy blobs of paint in her hair. Ah, being an artist is messy work. They will be hosting their own art show in March.
Look at all those 120 degree mitered corners.
This quilt has been on my bed since early December when I pulled the top quilt (we sleep under 2 quilts) off our bed and used it as the table cover in my booth at an art show. I set up my table the night before the show so I needed another quilt for the bed. I got this one from the closet and it has been on the bed since. I have enjoyed the change. I think that I would like to have enough quilts to rotate on my bed at least seasonally. I'll put that on the to do list. A "summer spread" or quilt with no batting would be nice for the summer months.
I like that the color value in the fabrics changes in the blocks - that some of the ties are light and some are dark creating movement in the design.And again, this quilt has many set in seams.
This little quilt, started more than twelve years ago, recently resurfaced. I have it on my cutting table now and I am not allowing myself to put it away again unfinished. If I want to use the cutting table I must finish this quilt first.
I tried to teach her the proper way to guide fabric through the machine.
It seems she learned the first step. She also learned to draw her own guidelines with a ruler when I was in the kitchen. I am sure she will practice straight line sewing a lot. Now we can sew together as her desk is conveniently positioned next to my sewing table.One day P will be able to sew on one of the featherweights and perhaps even have a couple of friends over to sew too. Oh, what fun that will be!
I have some fabrics ready to go and hope I can work on these tomorrow. I plan to make three little quilts of the same size - about 6 inches.
I never did find the article I was looking for in the Threads magazines. However, I think I am happier now than I would have been if I had found it.It is good to recognize when this happens. Perhaps it will make life's unexpected journeys easier to enjoy. When we are not on the path we think we want to be on, we can still be happy with where we are going.
It took me a long time to decide about the quilting. I ended up doing some liberated lines that follow the shape of the scraps. Once the decision was made I jumped to work.
Things were looking good. It was Christmas Eve and I had the binding halfway sewn on - then, I realized that the edge of the quilt did not lie flat. Because the edge of the quilt is all bias it had gotten stretched. I took the binding off, steamed the quilt edge flat, and started again with the binding. I washed the finished quilt for that soft crumply old quilt look and feel.
She was very excited when she opened the quilt on Christmas and even asked to be sewn into it for her nap!That is what I call a successful gift.
This was another fun one that has the continuity of a common color like the 
This one makes a "spider web" pattern when the blocks are all set together. Each block is made from four triangle sections.
This next one uses up odd bits and pieces of fabric. Just built squares and set them together however you want. Four patches are always good. With sashing or without sashing. Anything goes.
Gwen's approach to quilting helped things sort of "click" for me. I came home and purged pattern books from my quilting library and now focus on books with photos of old and antique quilts. I would rather follow a "recipe" to made a quilt than follow a pattern.
2. There is now space in my scrap bin. Seems there is soon to be a little more room. P likes that piece with the bunny on it!
3. There was little waste. This little pile is what I am throwing away.
Here is the finished top.
And if it looks like the quilt has dandruff it is because it was snowing when I took the photo on the porch this afternoon.
Now, I am left thinking of how to quilt it. It will be machine quilted because of the large number of seams.How would YOU quilt it? What design plan would you use?
I machine quilted it so that it could be laundered. The colors make me think it would be great for a baby to sleep under.
I like the contrast of the bright stars and the varied blue background. I like the backing fabric as much as the front. It reminds me of the aurora borealis which we have seen several times.
The quilt is 35 x 35 inches.
Happy sewing.
I like the way the scrap buster quilt is coming along.It is gray and rainy so the picture isn't the best.
Years ago, while earning an Engineering degree at Virginia Tech, (yeah, what was I thinking?), I also took some child development classes and the ever popular "Kiddy Lit" class. I enjoyed that class even though my sister had to give my oral report because my mouth was wired closed at the time. I still believe that she sabotaged me as she got an A and I received a B!Becoming a mother brought it full circle for me. I started reading aloud and sharing old favorites with my own children. When D was in first grade we read 
I am using a lot of "string" scraps and even some triangles on the corners of the blocks.
The blocks will be about 6 inches square. Each one starts with a center strip of red fabric. It is not as RED as I would have liked, but it is a fabric that I already had.
I hope the red stripe grid will show up in the finished quilt and not be lost in all of the other fabrics.P has really had fun helping me with the scraps. I am waiting to see if she is as eager when it is time to put the fabrics back in the bin. At least there will be fewer to put away!
