Sewing Posts
Piecing the "Yellow Bird Nest" Quilt
Earlier this month, as I was sitting in the by the flickering flames of gas logs in the Yellow Bird Nest at Chapman Knoll, sipping tea and completely enjoying my surroundings of peace, quiet, and the comfortable presence of the companionship of my husband as he read across the room, the pattern of the rug on the floor caught my eye…
Lavender Eye Pillow Made with Upcycled Silk Tie
When I first received the gift of a couple of bags of silk ties to use for sewing, several projects came to mind. One of these was the crazy quilt wall hanging, which I wrote about earlier in a four-part series, and you can find the final result at this post. Another idea was using the silk fabric to make eye pillows.
Making a Crazy Quilt Square - Part 1
Because I received several questions about how my Grandmother made her crazy quilt squares that I posted about last week, I decided to share with you the process. I was planning to use cotton fabric scraps; however, this week a cousin gave me two bags of men’s ties, and I decided to use them for this project. As I am posting in real time, I have no idea what the outcome will be, but you can follow along with me to see how it turns out!…
Making a Crazy Quilt Square - Part 2
After I finished disassembling the ties, I attempted to press the creases out before cutting the ties. Because I was planning to use the wider part of the ties for this project, I cut the ties in half (at the point where the ties are knotted) to make it easier to work with them. I set aside the other ends of the ties to use in other projects….
Making a Crazy Quilt Square - Part 3
As I shared on Monday, I had finished sewing the ties to the underlying piece of fabric. I decided to provide more stability to the front of the pillow cover by stitching it to a batting known as ByAnnie’s Soft and Stable. This is my favorite product to use to make totes, and I have many more projects that I plan to make with it…
Making a Crazy Quilt - Part 4 (Final)
As I hand-stitched the binding on this mini-wall-quilt by lamplight in the dark morning hours, I reflected on how much I enjoy the sound of the needle pulling the thread through the fabric. My mind wandered…I dreamed of future projects; I thought of ideas and plans for my business. The experience of hand-sewing is soothing, comforting, and relaxing to me. The only sound missing this morning was the ticking of an old-fashioned clock. Even though I occasionally heard the chiming of our clocks, both of them are battery operated, which does not give the same feel to the room as the sound of the ticking of a hand-wound clock. Yes, I am an old soul. I thoroughly enjoy stories and items from the past. I long to return to the days when the pace was slower—when items were built to last a lifetime and be passed to future generations…And when I sew I hope that the things I make will be of that quality—beauty and comfort to be appreciated by this and future generations….
A Simple Towel Solution (DIY)
The other morning, I walked into the bathroom that my toddler and preschooler use most often. Yet again, the hand towel was on the floor…I sighed and resolved to take action…
A Tale of Drawstring Bags: the Beginning
A few months ago, a friend was in town to visit her family. As her parents live very close to the house that we were renting this summer while we were selling and buying a house, we had the wonderful opportunity to join Ginna and her mother for afternoon tea and have her to our home for a visit during that time. While she was here, she inquired whether I still had any of those drawstring bags available…
Remembering Sharla…and Why I Started Making Tote Bags
…It was about three months after she passed away before I made my first tote bag, using the technique that I learned from Sharla. And it was prompted by need. I had gone to the library with an 11-month old and 3-year old and came home determined that I needed something to make getting books to the car easier and to double as a storage location at home so that the library books wouldn’t get mixed up with our own collection. So, I designed a pattern and made the tote bag/basket pictured below, mostly using fabric and supplies that I had on hand…
Making Scarves—A Quick Overview
A little over a year ago, a friend was interested in having me make handmade gifts for her to give as Christmas gifts. Considering the time that I had to meet the deadline and the number of gifts that she needed, we decided to keep it simple, and I made infinity scarves out of a delightfully soft fabric.
Quilts for A Friend
Today, I will share a bit with you why I began my sewing business. As you already know if you have read previous posts, I have always been inspired by my Grandmother’s creativity and wanted to learn how to quilt…