Tags
cats, Frankie the Frenchie, Pooh, quilting, sewing, WIP Wednesday
WIP = Work in Progress
Happy Wednesday!
I am a little tired and low on words tonight, but I do have a few pretty pictures for you, so let’s take a look.
I finally finished up the mini quilt for my sister’s birthday, only a little bit late. I don’t know why I sometimes lose steam in the middle of projects, but I sure did on this one, so it took longer than it should have.
This is about 13″ square. Frankie is a bit smaller than he should be, simply because I had to print the pattern at 95% size to get it all on regular printer paper. Other than that, this project went pretty smoothly. I used Steam-a-Seam 2 again on this, and I think I may be moving along the learning curve on it–gets easier every time I use it.
I hand sewed the smallest pieces on there–just easier than trying to get the machine to navigate those little curves, though buttonhole stitch worked through three or four layers of fabric and fusible can also be hard work. Rain was in the forecast when I did it, and my hands were not very happy about those layers.
I didn’t really plan on such dense quilting–it just sort of happened. I did the outline and added a few swirls, but then it looked strange to have the area outside of that be unquilted, so I had to fill it in.
An important note on doing spiral quilting (which I definitely need to remember for next time): for reasons that aren’t very clear to me, spiralling counter-clockwise, as I’ve done here, is significantly more difficult than going clockwise! It’s harder to see what you’re doing when you’re going counter-clockwise, but I don’t think the difference is down to just that. I can’t really explain it, but it just seems much easier, and looks much better, when done clockwise.
This past week I also did some work cleaning up and organizing my knit stash with the help of some new-to-me plastic drawers from Goodwill. I also donated a plastic tote full of bags I sewed years ago for a craft show. It made me a little sad to see them go–they represent a dream that I had that fell by the wayside–but it also felt like a step forward. I’m trying very hard to work toward new dreams, and it’s time to let some old ones go.
I’m liking my new spacious sewing room, but I’ve run into a pretty big obstacle:
Yes, it’s the Mending Pile of Doom. Or maybe Return of the Mending Pile of Doom?
Anyway, it actually toppled over the other day, so maybe that’s a sign that I should deal with it. There’s some darning in there, another pair of pants that needs pockets, and a couple of the dreaded zipper replacements in ready-to-wear garments, everybody’s favorite mending job.
So this coming week should probably be designated as Mending Week, and I should probably try to be a responsible adult who tackles difficult challenges head-on and forgoes immediate gratification.
Well, I’ll take a stab at it, but no promises. If I get halfway through the pile and decide to take a mental health break and sew something fun, I’m totally gonna call Mending Week a success. It’s spring and I’ve got that fun knit with the bees and flowers on it, so don’t count on me being a responsible adult for too long.
Here’s another picture of my bestest buddy, just because.
Have a great week, and I hope you’re not being so responsible that you don’t have time for a little spring fun.
STH