The Sewing Mom

I did it! I finished the baby quilt! I am so thrilled and I had to put to use some new skills to complete this quilt all by myself, but I did it and am very proud of myself!

There are a few things I did for the very first time in making this quilt. After piecing the top together, I had to figure out how to quilt it. I’ve quilted smaller projects, but nothing of this size.

I began by machine stitching in the ditch around all the small squares and then outlined the larger center squares. I did some free motion machine quilting around the characters and words. When it came to the borders though, I felt they needed something more than straight lines. So, while at the fabric store, I found a heart template and decided to go for it. I marked the borders with a water soluble marker and then began stitching.

I completed the bottom border first, but not without doing some major damage to my hand. I do not have a quilting machine, and trying to get all that fabric and batting through the machine everytime I had to turn the quilt to go another direction left my hands bleeding from catching on all the pins that were holding the quilt layers together.

After discussing it with my sister Grace, and then my mom, I pulled out my sewing machine manual and finally figured out a way to drop the feed dogs on the machine and, using my embroidery foot (I don’t have a quilting foot), I was able to glide the layers through, changing direction without having to turn the fabric. It was amazing! I can’t believe I did it!

Finally, after quilting the remaining borders, I seamed my binding together and machine stitched it to the front of the quilt. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I despise hand stitching. So, needless to say, I procrastinated for several days before working up the courage to sit down with needle and thread and hand stitch the binding to the back of the quilt.

It took me 2 days just to complete the binding, but I finally did it. The binding is on and the quilt is complete! I am so very happy with the results and am truly considering purchasing more of the same fabric to make a second one. I need to for gifts and I really do like the way it turned out. What do you think?

I have actually finished some sewing in recent weeks, in between all the chaos that seems to be our current schedule! I saw this fabric when I was in Paducah, KY in April and knew I just had to make a purse from it.

I cut 52 2 1/2″ squares of 100% quilt quality cotton fabric and machine pieced them all together to form the front, back and sides of this purse. The bottom is crafted from the same fabric as the lining and straps, while the pockets coordinate with the top band of fabric. I machine quilted the bag with a layer of soft cotton batting which provides excellent support for the bag. There are multiple interior pockets, including one with a flap to keep thing extra secure.  For even more security, I added a coordinating button and closure.

This fabric purse measure approximately 10″ tall x 10″ wide (at the bottom) and 4″ deep. I am selling this bag for $45, plus $5 shipping anywhere in the US.

SALE!! $20 plus FREE SHIPPING (to U.S. and Canada only)

Thinking of Valentine’s Day? That’s exactly what this fun fabric makes me think of every time I see it! This small sized tote measuring, approximately 9 1/2″h x 10″w x 5″, is perfect for carrying a lunch or a few items to the gym. I’ve even used this type of tote as a gift bag filled with tissue paper and items for a special someone.

The bag is made from %100 cotton quilt quality fabric inside and out. The inner lining is a polyester batting and the entire bag has been machine quilted. The straps have also been inner lined with batting for added support and comfort. It is machine washable on a gentle cycle.

Because we are getting close to Valentine’s Day, I am offering this bag for only $20 with FREE shipping to anywhere in the U.S. or Canada. If you are outside of the U.S. and Canada, we can discuss a reduced fee.

I showed you the completed quilted Christmas tabletopper that my mom made and then gave to me so I thought I’d show you my sisters and mom with their creations. A few months ago they were all together and created table toppers. This picture shows (left to right) my mom Myrna and my sisters Karen and Grace, all with the toppers they each made before the backs and bindings were attached and before they were quilted.

We all live in different states, although my my summers in the same town as Karen, so it’s difficult for us to always get together. When we do though, we tend to bring our sewing machines and try to work on some project together. We all love fabric and pretty quilts, so it’s only natural that this is how we spend our time together. I only wish we could do it more often!