~ Lessons Learned ~

This is a picture of my mom and her sister.
My mom is on the left.

This is a picture of me and my sister.
I am on the left.
I still need to learn to stand up straight.

My mom sewed those charming dresses for my sister and me.
She took great pride in the fact that she had "never had a sewing lesson."

I learned to sew because she taught me how.
Those were great lessons.

I have a picture of her that sits to the left of me as I sit at my sewing machine.

Everyday I look at her ... and thank her.
And miss her.

Who taught you to sew?

~ Go Ahead and Judge ~

A week or so ago ... I made this bookcover.

The outer fabric was from a scrap a friend had given me a couple of years ago. I purposely centered those lovely roses on the back.

I lined it with flannel because the front of my "book" is actually a screen and I wanted to protect it.

Then, in the process of designing my latest quilt, I got out my handy-dandy design notebook. I had forgotten that the same friend who gave me the fabric had helped me make this book cover, from a pattern she designed at Liberty Star.

She helped me with the construction and then I added the monogram on the front and the inside pockets. When I opened it up and saw the inside pocket I realized ...

... oh yeah, I had used that fabric before. Also to cover a book.

The back flap has a double-duty pocket.

Handstitched with some bright pink running stitches.

I love that the notebook is a graph book. I used it to design the appliques on my June Bug quilt.

Reading is a lot more fun than it used to be.

 Linking to:
Country Momma Cooks
Potpourri Friday

~ In a Bind ~

Yesterday I had big plans to put the binding on my sail boat quilt so I could (finally!) move on to other projects. I cut the binding strips when I realized ... quite suddenly ... that I was pretty sick with the flu and had a 102 temperature.

Next ... I layed around (moaning may or may not have been involved) for the next 24 hours.

Sometime after noon today I decided to shower and go ahead and resume life. The fever is gone, but the achiness still hangs in there.

I attached said binding to the quilt using a little wider than usual binding to accomodate the rick-rack on the edges.

I got out my handy-dandy sewing kit so I would be ready for the next step ... the hand sewing part ... a part I really love.

I put some binder clips on and I am ready to go to work.

Once I sit down again.

And finish regretting that I may or may not have pushed myself too hard today.

It's totally worth it though. Especially since the next step involves a lot of sitting.

I plan to name her "Permanent Wave." You like??

Linking to:
Wow Us Wednesdays
Feathered Nest Fridays
Inspiration Fridays
Home Sweet Home
Potpouri Fridays
Common Ground

~ Random Joy ~

Here are a few random joyful tidbits from my weekend. Let's just say that I am easy to please.

First up: I got my machine back and she hums like a kitten.

Next: I finished the bedskirt. Do the math ... 3/3's is way better than 2/3's.

I love how full and flouncy it is.

While trudging around in the rain with two of my grandkids on Saturday morning, we made a stop at Target. (Duh.) I could not resist this exquisite turquoise slicker with a polka-dot lining. I paid full price for it (and that almost never happens) and wore it out of the store. Of course by then ... it had stopped raining ... but I did not care.

I think she's the perfect compliment to my polka-dot umbrella. Don't you??

Then I spent Saturday afternoon quilting this little watery wonder. I should have her completed by the end of the week.

And how was your weekend?

Were polka-dots involved?

Linking to:
Sew Happy Geek
Coastal Charm
Made by you Mondays

~ Bedskirt Tutorial ~

I have lived in my home still less than one year, and yet my bed ... and it's dressing ... have been a revolving door of change. Part of the problem is that I made the decisions (and bought new bed linens) before I had actually moved into my house. In fact it was in the summer of 2010 that I purchased the above bed skirt (which was plain white and relatively cheap) and painstakingly sewed the stripes on it (with a "satin" stitch) to match the nautical striped sheets I had previously purchased.

Over the course of the last year I have felt the need for frou frou ... or at least something more feminine in my room. Out with the nautical and in with the pastels. Oh yes, and I also found that the cheap bedskirt was cheap for a reason ... it's about 3 inches too short. One day I was musing on what would make a perfect bedskirt and I decided that a pale blue and white stripe was the ticket. Then I remembered that I had hauled my old (king sized) pale blue and white striped sheets across state lines ... and I was good to go.

I won't go into the details about the measurement and the cutting. What is important here is how the heck do you create a ruffle in something over 150 inches long without breaking a few basting stitches in the process? The answer is ... string. Thin string. You apply it to the (wrong side of the) fabric with a zig-zag stitch (hint: make that zig-zag stitch fairly long and wide to make your life easier), making sure to leave 3 or 4 inches of string on either end to give you something to pull on. You can see that I put a hem at the top of the skirt (I am making the 3 sides of the skirt separately) and that I did not attempt to pull the ruffle through the 3 layers of the hem, placing the string right below that. I used my Bernina #23 foot, but any zig-zag foot will do.

Just for fun I will tell you that several years ago, I picked up this lovely bird tin at an antique's store. It came with that little hole in the top which I figured out was just perfect for my string. I use this string-ruffle technique often on home dec items. I used it in spades when I chose to put ruffles on my white, denim slipcovers.

Back to the bedskirt. I have made bedskirts in the past which I have sewn to a piece of fabric (usually ... the old bedskirt) which lays under the mattress and requires removing the mattress to lay out the skirt and is a rather large pain. The anticipation of dealing with that pain sometimes prevents me from washing said bedskirt as often as I should. (Oh ... you know what I'm talking about.) So this time I chose to attach each side of the skirt separately (hence, the hem at the top) and I chose to do so with good, old-fashioned safety pins. I just moved the mattress to the side a few inches, and when I was done pinning (I used 5 or 6 pins which I attached each piece to the old skirt and not to the box-springs) ...

I moved the mattress back in place ...

... and then attached the other side. At that point I picked up my sewing machine and took it to be repaired/cleaned/oiled ... something that had been on my agenda for weeks.

Unfortunately, I had not yet completed the bottom skirt before I had to do that ... but I will. I promise. I am so in love with my bed and all of it's frills and ruffly feminity. I had everything on hand except the large safety pins so ...

My new bedskirt cost me a grand total of $1.44.

Linking to:

The Girl Creative

Made by You Monday

Sew Happy Geek

Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
White Wednesday

~ It's Beginning ... ~

It turned cold here in the Southland this weekend.  The heat is on as well as a sweatshirt. The leaves are falling from the trees and I'm being very ... very ... tempted to turn on some Christmas music.  Just for myself.  In the privacy of my car ... or my studio. 

Don't judge me.

 Part of the reason for that is that I am already working on Christmas sewing projects, specifically a new stocking for Grandchild #5 and getting caught up on the personalized ornaments for GCs #'s 3, 4 & 5.

And ... I'm just saying ... that when you run your fingers over these red and green beauties, it wouldn't hurt to have a little Bing in the background.

I love Bing.

This probably isn't the first time you will hear me mention that.

Linking @ Sew Happy Geek
               Creative Me Monday