Bordered Nine Patch Quilt

I should call this quilt trouble. Only because it gave me trouble from beginning to end. At first I couldn't find a good background fabric to use to make this then I struggled with accurate seam allowances that I had to correct. That followed by me losing one of the blocks that I never found so I had to re-make it from scraps. Once I got the top together the trouble didn't stop.

I used a nice large piece of fabric for the backing but it wasn't large enough. I had fun taking all the leftover pieces that were pretty small and making a long strip to use on the back. I used the same fabric that I used as the background fabric for the front on the back to separate the patchwork strip from the print. I think it looks great. However, I measured wrong when I pieced it all together. The back wasn't wide enough. So I went back to the quilt shop to purchase more fabric to add the fabric on the opposite side of the back. That made it look like I planned on framing the print with the grunge fabric. I did not plan that at all! It's just that it looked better to add more fabric to the back on the left side that more grunge on the right.

So much trouble!

Client Quilts

These are the quilts I longarmed for other people during the month of March. I don't like to show the entire quilt since I did not make them. But I did quilt them on my longarmer and that is so very fun.

This is Catherine's charity quilt. She used leftover jelly roll strips from another project to make the charity quilt. How smart!

This is Sue's toddler quilt. She used scraps to make string blocks and it was a nice colorful quilt. It feels like a nice I Spy quilt.

This is Sue's quilt she made for her aunt. Her aunt is in a nursing home and Sue embroidered her name on the quilt so it would't get lost. I should have photographed the name but I didn't think of that when I took the photo.

These 3 quilts are sample quilts that will hang at Sew N' Save quilt shop in Racine, Wisconsin. The quilt shop has full lines of the fabrics found in these quilts.

Moroccan Mosaic Quilt

I actually made a lap quilt that complements the colors in my living room. That's unusual for me to do. Usually if I want to make a quilt, it has more to do with colors I like or fabric prints I like. Doesn't matter if there's a plan for use of a quilt.

My living room rug is a pretty mix of browns, blues and burgundy/red. It is the centerpiece of the room. The furniture and the walls are shades of dark brown and everything in the room complements the colors.

I fell in love with a Tim Holtz print that just happened to match my living room colors. Once I found a pattern that highlighted the print, I added fabrics that would work well with it.

In these difficult time of this pandemic, there's not a lot of things to do outside of sew. I love to sew but it sure doesn't feel so comfortable to enjoy so much time in my sewing room. I finished this quilt top over 3 days time.

Craft Fair Cancelled

I was wondering how long it would take the organizers of the March 28th craft fair to cancel the event. Well, yesterday was the day. Since the covid-19 virus reared its ugly head with an announcement of a positive patient here in Oak Creek, it took the fair organizers 24 hours to cancel the craft fair. I think that took too long; they should have canceled it a while ago. But that's ok. I was still working on projects as if it was actually going to happen even though it seemed ill-fated.

Today I completed these stay-put ruffled kitchen towels. I had a 10-pack of tea towels and I used all 10 of them. They are pretty cute. I think I'm going to take the beige one off the display rack and use it in my kitchen now that I won't be trying to sell it this month.

On another note regarding the craft fair, my friend and I were planning on making fabric masks to sell. I thought it would be a fun way to relieve some of the stress of the situation we are in. They might not be terribly effective for medical staff, but if I felt a cold coming on, I would feel better about being around other people at the grocery store by wearing one of these.

With no place to go, I wanted to do some yard work today. Unfortunately it's raining today so I got out my latest fabric purchase to start a new quilt project. The pattern for this quilt calls for fat quarters of 12 different fabrics for the blocks and I chose to use 4 fabrics which means I needed 3 fat quarters - or 3/4 yard of each of the 4 colors. The pattern is a little complicated because by changing how you put the colors together, you can change the look of each block. I wasn't sure exactly how I want the blocks to look so I will cut all the pieces first. It's going to be fun to make a quilt and stop making crafts again.

Art and a Bag

I had no idea when I took this photo that it would be my granddaughters' last week of school - most likely for the entire school year. I took the photo last Wednesday. This week is supposed to be the week before spring break starts.  Instead school is planning for virtual learning for the rest of the year. The pandemic stopped everything normal. I am so proud of Avery especially since her sister is considered the artist of the family.

I volunteer at the grade school regularly. I expected to be back this week to make the popcorn for popcorn day. It's really hard to get a grip on all that's going on. I feel stressed all the time. And worried. Avery is a type 1 diabetic. She is especially vulnerable at this time.

My sewing finish for the week is Chloe's backpack. I made it using a hand-painted fabric panel and some matching modern fabric. I didn't use a pattern, just some common sense measurements. I took her laptop and measured it. The fabric panel was a little small so I bordered it. The bag is cushioned with lots of layers of fleece to protect her electronics. There's a zippered pocket inside and two large pockets on the back for the rest of her things.

Foot Pain and Potholders

I've been struggling with this weird foot pain for about 4 months now so today I saw an orthopedic doctor who specializes with feet. And after some poking around and an x-ray, it turns out the bones that connect to three of my toes are too close together pinching off the nerves.

Apparently this is the kind of thing that happens after a lifetime of being a long-distance runner and years of wearing high heels. So I got a cortisone injection between my toes that is supposed to bring relief. So far all I can feel is pain and discomfort. The doctor says it should feel much better by Monday. I think it's going to make for a long weekend.

Over the past few days I've finished a few pot holders for a craft show. They are very pretty and basically in two different sizes. I say basically because I started with batting scraps then did scrappy quilt-as-you go sewing until I covered the entire piece of batting. I added Insul-Bright and a piece for backing along with twill loop before sewing.

The batting scraps I used were in at least 4 different widths when I cut them into squares. So I just sorted them into smaller and larger once I completed them. That will make it easy to just use two price points instead of worrying about pricing by exact size.

Bowl Cozies

It goes without saying that my favorite hobby is quilting. All year I make as many quilts as I can with a few small projects thrown in here and there. While making quilts, I keep in the back of my mind craft projects that I can do with my quilt scraps as well as new ideas of things that would sell at a craft fair. I'm spending the month of March making those things with the quilt leftovers for a craft show at the end of the month. Today I finished a bunch of bowl cozies. It's one of the ways I use up batting scraps.

While sewing I've been binge-watching The Crown and I love it. I started watching it last week and I am already on Season 2. I like to try out shows that are mentioned at the Golden Globes, Emmys, Oscars, etc. That's how I found Breaking Bad, Ozark, Marriage Story....I could go on an on. 

It helps get through the sometimes tedious work of mass producing craft items. It's fun sewing them up but sometimes when I get to the ninth and tenth bowl cozy (for example) I am ready to move on to the next project. I guess I shouldn't have lined up 3 new quilt projects for after the craft fair. Maybe then I could settle down and concentrate - ha!

Over the weekend we went on a Vintage Shop Hop. It was a two-day event where over 400 antique shops held special sales for the event. The shops are located all over northern Illinois and southern/western Wisconsin. We spent a day trekking across Wisconsin where I picked up a few cute things. The berry basket will become part of my craft fair display. I think burp cloths might look cute in there. It was great fun and a nice opportunity for my husband and me to have a little getaway.

Baby Blankets and Burp Cloths

I've been pretty lax when it comes to finishing sewing projects these days. I have plenty of projects started but none of them worth posting about.

I did complete some baby blankets though. I make these simple blankets just by sewing two squares of flannel together and after flipping them right-side out, I just stitch a little design around the edge and that's it. I also make matching burp cloths out of flannel with a nice soft minky on the back. These are pretty popular at craft fairs and I have one coming up at the end of the month so hopefully they will sell there. At least it will look like I have something sell - ha ha!

And speaking of the craft fair, I've been experimenting on some new ideas. Now that my baby items are complete I can't wait to get those new things going. Craft fairs used to stress me out but not any more. I get done what I get done and that's that. I have display racks that my husband built and totes just to haul my craft items. I also have one tote that I call the 'office' bin. It contains my business cards, bags for making sales, stickers with my business name for the bags, a cash box, spare price tags, my square reader for credit card sales and my signage. It sure makes for a stress-free day knowing those things are all packed up and ready. Now if only I could predict what people will buy.