Another reason my sewing closet fills up so quickly with half-finished projects is because I can come up with a list of projects I would like to do with no trouble at all. In fact,… More
Book Cover Progress
My 21-month old is the source of many creative ideas for finding ways to work on projects while he is awake. This morning I cleared space on the kitchen counter after breakfast and put my folded up ironing board on the counter. I ironed the pre-washed fabric for the book covers I am making.
After ironing the fabric I had time to cut the pieces for two of the three book covers. I did spend more than 20 minutes working on this project today, and I am very happy with the progress I made.
To finish this project I need to cut the fabric for the third book cover, measure and cut the elastic straps that will hold the cover closed, measure and cut the ribbon bookmark for each one, pin everything in place, and sew them together.
They are reversible so I am using fun colors on each side of the cover. I will try to grab my camera when I have the project out next and take some photos of the fabric I am using for these.
My plans for tomorrow are not set yet so I don’t know if I will be working on sewing projects in the morning or afternoon. I will either work on cutting the rest of the material for the book covers, or sew the last tier onto the denim skirt for my daughter.
I want to continue making progress on both of those projects during the rest of this week and writing a blog update each day has been a fun way to motivate myself to work a little each day on these projects instead of waiting for big blocks of time to sew like I used to do.
Progress made!
I pieced the squares together for the third tier of the denim skirt I am making for my daughter today. A couple more 20-minute sewing sessions over the next few days should complete that project and move it out of my sewing room and into my daughter’s dresser. Win, win!
I am only able to sew at the sewing machine while my older kids have quiet time in their rooms and my youngest naps because my youngest will grab everything within reach while he is awake. Tomorrow I have a book club in the afternoon so we don’t do our usual rest time. Because of that I need to choose a different project that I can work on at the kitchen counter for a little while in the morning.
I am making three fabric book covers for my aunt and I would like to make progress on those this week in addition to trying to finish the denim skirt. I am making the pattern myself as there are specific elements my aunt wants included, but they will be similar to this book cover style.
Tomorrow morning I will press the pre-washed fabric, start cutting the fabric, and see how much I can get done on this project. My 21-month old will be the big variable in how much time I can spend cutting fabric, but I will give it my best shot!
Mending my daughter’s dress
As I predicted yesterday, mending the tear in one of my daughter’s play dresses took about 20 minutes.
The tear was quite jagged and the flannel was a loose weave so it was tricky to make sure the stitches weren’t just going to pull right out after another wear or wash of the dress.
Mending the tear with a basic whip stitch worked pretty well. It is not perfect, but I don’t think there would have been a perfect way to mend that particular tear.
Finishing the mending on the dress feels great! Not only will my daughter now be able to wear it again before she outgrows it, but this is a quick win for my sewing closet. The dress will now be hung in my daughter’s closet and will no longer take up space in my small sewing closet.
The denim skirt for my daughter will be the next project I focus on. It will be a simple three-tiered skirt with an elastic waistband, so no tricky sewing involved.
I am piecing squares cut from a pair of jeans that no longer fits me into the three rows. Each row is longer than the row above it so there will be a small amount of gathering at the top of each row. I am basing the design off another skirt my daughter has and taking approximate measurements from that skirt.
I have cut all the squares already. I pieced the squares for the first two rows together, and sewed those rows together as well. If I have about 20 minutes to sew tomorrow, I should be able to piece the squares for the third row.
If I have some extra time I will stich the third row onto the skirt. That will leave just the hem and waistband before the project is complete!
I found the crochet hook!
My youngest fell asleep for a nap during his rest time today so the house was extra quiet after lunch. I took the opportunity to search in my sewing closet for the largest crochet hook I have that I am using to make a chunky blanket. I partially finished the blanket a few months ago and haven’t touched it since.
The hook should be in a jar on the top of the shelves I have hanging on the wall in the closet, but it wasn’t there. Since it also wasn’t stuck in the partially finished blanket I suspected it was in a tote of miscellaneous items that has accumulated on the floor. I looked, and yes, there the crochet hook was!
I spent about 20 minutes reworking part of the blanket and crocheting a couple more rows. As I progress I will post some pictures of the project.
Another reason for finding the crochet hook today – besides making progress on the blanket project – is that my mom asked if she could borrow it for a couple of days. Since I would see her for Easter dinner today, I wanted to make my best effort to find it and get it to her. Mission successful!
I won’t have the crochet hook for a few days now so I need to work on a different project tomorrow. Two options come to mind based on what I saw in the first pile of items on the sewing table. There is a dress of my daughters with a rip that needs to be mended. Or I am making a jean skirt for my daughter with denim from a pair of jeans that doesn’t fit me anymore. I need to sew one more tier of fabric onto it, hem it, and make an elastic waistband.
I think I will mend the dress tomorrow as that should be about a 20 minute project that I will likely do by hand. I suspect the jean skirt will take 2 or 3 more sewing sessions to complete.
Completing projects
I have a few reasons for writing this post, and hopefully blogging here more often again.
I wanted this year to be the year of finishing the many started-but-not-completed projects that have accumulated in my tiny sewing room (aka the closet under the stairs in our townhouse), but the first three months of the year filled up with other obligations and a couple rounds of sicknesses in our home and here we are with very few of those projects touched so far.
A decluttering tip I heard recently for clearing clutter in project spaces was to just finish the project – duh! So I am going to jot down updates about my progress decluttering my sewing closet that way.
Also, we are house shopping. While I hope that our new house has a larger space for me to sew, I can’t count on it, and the reality is that if a half-finished project that is currently in my sewing closet isn’t finished by the time we have to pack up this house, it isn’t going to be worked on for many more months. So that is another reason to work on these projects.
Finally, I love – and I mean LOVE – to start new projects, but I simply can’t until I finish ones I have already started. So if I want to have the fun of getting new fabric, and choosing patterns, and having the thrill of starting something new, I have got to move some of the current projects out of my sewing closet by finishing them.
Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, but I will have some time between church and dinner without obligations so I need to hunt out the large crochet hook I am using for a blanket and work on a row or two of that project.
Red, White and Blue
Summer is just around the corner, and this client’s quilt is perfect for the 4th of July!
My client left it up to me to decide which long-arm machine quilting design to finish this quilt with. Because the quilt top has lots of triangle and chevron shapes, I chose a pattern with curves to compliment the straight lines. Swirls fit that description and they also make me think of sparklers on the 4th of July.
In addition to the red, white, and blue top of this quilt, my client also pieced the quilt back. A pieced back is a great way to use up the scrap fabric from piecing your quilt top, and gives your quilt a unique look on both sides. If you choose to make a pieced back for your next quilt, be sure to make the backing 4 to 6 inches bigger than your quilt top on all sides so it can be mounted properly on the long-arm machine for quilting.
Warmer weather this week, and working on this 4th of July inspired quilt have me in a summer mood!
Do you display seasonal quilts in your home, or quilts that fit your home décor year round?
{Quilt for Joy} The Story Behind The Name
The name of the custom long-arm quilting portion of my business, Quilt for Joy, finds its inspiration in Proverbs 17:22 which reads, “A joyful heart is good medicine…” I have found great joy in custom long-arm machine quilting ever since I started as a high school sophomore in 2011.
I wanted the name of my business to reflect that joy I experience when long-arm machine quilting as I work with my own quilts, and quilts for customers.
There’s a deeper meaning to the name, though.
When I started long-arm machine quilting I was dealing with a two-year-old wrist injury that was un-diagnosed at the time. Using the machine didn’t worsen the pain, so I continued learning all that I could about long-arm quilting. Unfortunately, another injury to the same wrist in the summer of 2012 increased my pain.
I continued to quilt during this time, finding as Proverbs 17 says, that a joyful heart is indeed good medicine. Machine quilting was one little thing helping me have a joyful heart in the midst of intense pain.
I ended up having surgery on my wrist in April of 2013, and another surgery in November of the same year. I was unable to quilt during that time and during the surgery recovery process. At this time, I also discovered that I suffer from chronic Lyme disease which causes achy muscles and joint pain in various parts of my body. Initial treatment attempts for my Lyme proved ineffective and the wrist pain returned a few months after my second surgery leaving me with few options for treatment, and a whole lot of pain.
I returned to quilting following my post-surgery recovery mainly because of the creative outlet it provides me,. I still struggled with pain from my chronic Lyme disease, but I was able to quilt well, and kept expanding my skills and understanding of the long-arm machine.
I long-arm quilted several quilts throughout my time in college, but my health situation was worsening. I stopped long-arm quilting near the end of 2017; with a new Lyme treatment on the horizon, I needed to remove as many outside obligations as possible.
The health treatment is working as expected (a rarity when dealing with chronic Lyme disease), and as of August 2018 my Lyme disease is in remission. It will take several months to return to my full strength, and in the meantime I need to scout out an ideal place to resume long-arm quilting at since I recently moved.
~ Kathryn
A Classic Pattern – Sunbonnet Sue
This quilt top from a new client was a joy to work with! The Sunbonnet Sue block is a classic pattern and makes for a lovely quilt. Everything about this quilt from the fabrics to the design to the impeccable applique work was perfection!
My client wanted a softer look with the custom long-arm quilting and chose an over-all loops pattern like the one on this baby quilt. It compliments the block piecing pattern very well!
I am so grateful for the opportunity to add custom quilting to wonderful quilts like this one that my clients have put so much time and effort into. One of my favorite parts is seeing how the long-arm quilting makes a pieced quilt top look and feel like a quilt. The more I custom long-arm quilt for myself and others, the more I love quilts of all patterns and sizes!
Thanks for visiting the blog today – I hope to see you here again soon for photos and stories of more fun quilts that come across the quilting machine in the upcoming weeks!
~ Kathryn
Embroidered Frogs
I smiled so much while working with this fun quilt! I absolutely love these little embroidered frogs!
This unique quilt crossed my path several months ago when one of my neighbors from back home reached out to my mom and I to see if we could help make a quilt from the embroidered blocks that she had found when helping her mother sort belongings.
My neighbor asked me piece a simple lattice in a darker fabric color to allow the light yellow blocks to pop out. A green boarder finished the design.
When I mounted this quilt on the long-arm machine I decided to custom machine quilt a pattern of echoed swirls intended to mimic water. I am happy with the motion the quilting adds to this quilt, and the way it works with the frog emphasis.
I love quilts because they tell stories. This quilt has so many stories, some known and some unknown, sewn up in these adorable embroidered frog blocks. They are the stories of the women who gathered to share life together. I am privileged to have played a small part in preserving these embroidered blocks in a completed quilt.
~ By Kathryn
Squares and Swirls!
One of my favorite parts about doing custom long-arm machine quilting is the opportunity to see what so many different people do with their fabrics and piecing patterns for their quilts. This quilt that I worked with over my Thanksgiving break last November is one that really caught my eye. The design is so unique, and I love the color combination!
My client left it up to me to decide what design to stitch onto this quilt. Because of all the straight lines in the piecing thanks to the square pattern, I chose a swirl pattern to add some texture and motion with the curved stitching. The piecing was very straightforward, so I wanted to keep the custom machine quilting simple to avoid having too much going on.
I hope you enjoyed these squares and swirls as much as I did! Thanks for stopping by the blog today, and I hope you come again soon!
~ By Kathryn
Quilt for Joy by Kathryn 