The Sewing Mom

I have been attending a beginning piecing class at a local quilt shop and this is some of my work so far. The top row is called piano keys, the middle is 4 square and the bottom is 9 patch (I think). I have another strip (bow ties) and another to finish (flying geese) before my final class this Sunday. On Sunday we will be putting all the strips together, along with our primary fabric and I can’t wait to see the final product, my first quilt top!

This is almost wordless, but not quite. I pieced together this twin size quilt top using The Hungry Caterpillar fabric based on the book from Eric Carle. I received the backing fabric in the mail yesterday and I believe that my mom has agreed to hand quilt this for me. When finished, it will be a gift to my granddaughter.

My tackle is much less sophisticated than Jen’s who is the guest tackler this week at 5 Minutes For Mom this week. Please do go check out her incredible pie crust making with step by step instructions that make me feel that even I could make a pie crust from scratch!As for my tackle, I have a to do list that I really need to get done today, so here it is.

1. Load sewing machine with cotton thread and wind a couple of spare bobbins.  Install a new sewing needle.
2. Pack sewing machine and all necessary fabrics and supplies and load into car.
3. Attend Beginning Piecing class #2.
4. Email Band Director
5. Call telephone company
6. pay a few bills
7. order checks

Now, I’m sure there are a few other items that should be on the list, but I seem to be having memory issues lately!  In case you didn’t see my fabrics in my earlier post, these are the fabrics I’m working with to make my quilt.  Last week, we spent the class cutting all the pieces, so we will begin sewing today.

I purchased this fabric last week for a quilt I am going to be making in a class I signed up for. The class is a beginning piecing class. While I have pieced together fabrics for tote bags and purses, I’ve not done anything larger than that. I also haven’t worked much with triangles or smaller pieces, so I thought I could learn a lot from the class.

Today was the first of four sessions. I will go once a week. Today we simply cut all the pieces and it took almost 3 hours to do that. This was a good process for me because I’m not good at laying the fabric out and cutting. I feel like I’ve all ready learned some helpful techniques that I can use.

I really enjoy this little bag. It’s called a lunch bag because of it’s size, 11″h x 10″w x 4″d. It’s great for carrying smaller amounts, such as a lunch or snack. I made this by cutting strips of fabric and sewing them together to create the front. The back and lining are each made from one piece of fabric. All of it is layered together and then quilted. I use a polyester batting in the bag and handles for added support and comfort. The bag is washable on gentle cycle.

I am selling this bag for $18 plus shipping.