Sewing
Welcome to the sewing page :) I've been stitching for several years, and count sewing, quilting, cross-stitch, knitting and crocheting among my needlecrafts. I first learned to sew when my paternal grandmother helped me to make a sleeping bag cover for a 4-h project. Nowadays my projects are all over the board...anywhere from home dec to garment sewing to machine embroidery to quilting! I started quilting in 2000, and it's been pretty addictive for me! Here are some projects I've recently finished:
The advent calendar. I picked this up at Jackman's in Fairview Heights in 2005. It was pretty simple, I outline quilted the Santa, and then repeated the form over and over, freehand. The effect is that you can tell that it's a Santa from the backside, too. Ended up giving this one away in a Secret Santa exchange. The recipient cried. :) I do aim to please!
The American quilt. This one is for Carl's mom, in celebration of her being in America for so many years (we won't say how many). I had planned for it to hang in the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library during the month of July, but I couldn't find the binding for it until the deadline was past. However, I think it will get to hang there in 2007. It's nicely quilted, done with variegated red, white and blue thread.
The Chicken quilt. This was a kit I picked up at a quilt shop in Rochester. There wasn't enough of several of the fabrics, so I supplemented from my stash. I think it turned out pretty well, and now I'm waiting for some divine inspiration on the quilting. I think it's going to have little roosters quilted into it.
Quilt for the cure. I hated this project. It was my first time dealing with Thangles, and I hated them, and I hated the fabric. (I know, hate seems like such a strong word, doesn't it? Trust me...it's applicable here.) I was never so glad to be done with a quilt top as this one. If it gets quilted, someone else will do it. It was originally meant to be a gift for a cousin, but I'm too embarrassed to give it to her.
Current projects include 2 blocks of the month from my local quilt shop, Calico Hearts Quilt Shop. They both incorporate the use of (you guessed it) Thangles, but I'm getting through. One is done in blues and yellows, the other is red and black with Asian influences. My mom has spoken for the blue/yellow quilt, and I think I'm going to give the Asian one to a friend of the Russian's mom for giving me the Ironrite. Still loving the D1. That's one purchase I don't think I could ever regret. I found out when I took it to be serviced that it was brand new when I bought it. Unreal.
THE STASH
Yes, well, maybe we shouldn't talk about the stash too loudly... I have boxes and boxes of fabric stashed all over the house. Yes, I know, so do all serious sewers, but I'm going to give you all some tips on how to get away with keeping your stash hidden well. See, I keep most of it in boxes downstairs. So when Carl says to me: honey, what's in those boxes downstairs?, depending on the season these are the answers I give: (winter) oh, those are summer clothes! (summer) oh, those are winter clothes! And then there is the fabric that's in the boxes under the beds. This I have to be more creative with, because he'll stub his toe on a box every now and then and ask what's in it. I always say it's shoes, because truth be told, at least I can WEAR shoes, and it's hard to wear fabric if you haven't made it into anything yet. It's a practicality thing. Works for me!
The Machines
Since I have a new addition to the family, it seemed like an appropriate time to include info on all of my machines. I just picked up a Pennywinkle 10' frame, and ended up buying a new Juki 98Q to go with it. This machine is an absolute dream! It sews so smoothly and is very, very fast (1500 spm). I ended up buying some handi-handles for the set, and got a speed regulator in the deal so I don't sew through my hand.
I gave the Riccar back to Carl's mom when I got the Juki, and the Brother Snoopy machine went away via Ebay in January. That leaves me with the Designer 1, the Juki and the Janome, plus a Babylock Imagine serger. I gave the White serger to my Mom last year. I'm digging the new Viking machine (the Diamond) pretty well, but I'm not sure I want to fork out the dough for one.
Anyway, I put together a little page that shows my sewing studio in all its glory. It's changed a little bit since the photos were taken.
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