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December craft thread

Melissa in Australia

By Melissa in Australia,
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Melissa in Australia

Melissa in Australia

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I made a baby sleeping bag thingy for my youngest   sister's baby. She is due next month. It is the standard thing I make and give to relatives having a baby. I used the same pattern for all my children as well. It is reversable.. As the baby will be born in summer I made it fleacy inside and cotton out. Usually I do fleacy inside and corduroy out. 

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Faith-manor

Faith-manor

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15 hours ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I made a baby sleeping bag thingy for my youngest   sister's baby. She is due next month. It is the standard thing I make and give to relatives having a baby. I used the same pattern for all my children as well. It is reversable.. As the baby will be born in summer I made it fleacy inside and cotton out. Usually I do fleacy inside and corduroy out. 

IMG20221206191220.jpg

This is absolutely, perfectly cute!

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mlktwins

mlktwins

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I wish I could sew - or enjoyed sewing really.

I am still cross-stitching as it is easy to pick up here and there to work on and I can take it with me in the car when I’m waiting for boys. 
 

In the next few months, I hope to try my hand at framing a finished stitch or two.

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ikslo

ikslo

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1 hour ago, StillStanding said:

These are done (one for each of my two daughters). Now I am working on one for me.

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Sweaters knitted by my grandma and my mom were among my favorite Christmas gifts. I still have both sweaters. The one my grandma made needs to be mended at the elbows. Not something I can do myself. Oh, and it’s reversible. Love that thing. I still wear it around the house. It’s close to 30 years old. 

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Melissa in Australia

Melissa in Australia

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Inspired by you guys I have Cut out 2 patchwork quilt tops. One to be machine sewn, trying a pattern that is quilt each square on machine as you go then join the whole thing together with bias tape.  I have only ever tried machine quilting once before on a baby quilt. It was a huge disaster. Broke 3 needles and managed to pucker the whole thing. 

The other is  hand aplique and will be a long term project. 

 

Spent a lot of time unpicking a shirt that I am sewing. Sewed the front facing on wrong on both sides and stpidly did the hem before the collar and noticing the mistake. 

Edited by Melissa in Australia
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Faith-manor

Faith-manor

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Another one done. I am NOT happy with my work. I don't have stretcher bars or even clamps that truly work for holding the fabric taut while it is pinned. None of the quilts I have made this past month have turned out as I would like them to. I am just hoping they pass muster because they are only lap/couch quilts, never meant to be heirloom quality, and supposed to be machine washed for easy care. At least the themes meet the personalities and preferences of the people for whom they are intended. Mark is holding it up for the photo. It does look better laying down.

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Annie G

Annie G

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I’ve been working on this, from a kit I bought a couple of years ago.  The blocks form a storm at sea design, which mimics curves even though there are no curves. Still need to sew these rows together and add a black border, and quilt it on dd’s longarm.  It’ll be put into my pile destined for donation. Finished size is 60 by 69. Good nap size. 
It was a good learning experience!

I’m in awe of those of you who can sew garments. My grandfather was a tailor and my mom and sisters were excellent garment sewers. I just never really figured it out. 

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Melissa in Australia

Melissa in Australia

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3 hours ago, Annie G said:

I’ve been working on this, from a kit I bought a couple of years ago.  The blocks form a storm at sea design, which mimics curves even though there are no curves. Still need to sew these rows together and add a black border, and quilt it on dd’s longarm.  It’ll be put into my pile destined for donation. Finished size is 60 by 69. Good nap size. 
It was a good learning experience!

I’m in awe of those of you who can sew garments. My grandfather was a tailor and my mom and sisters were excellent garment sewers. I just never really figured it out. 

5130555C-61F4-45DC-AFC6-C1BDB1B127B2.jpeg

Stunning

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Faith-manor

Faith-manor

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10 hours ago, Annie G said:

I’ve been working on this, from a kit I bought a couple of years ago.  The blocks form a storm at sea design, which mimics curves even though there are no curves. Still need to sew these rows together and add a black border, and quilt it on dd’s longarm.  It’ll be put into my pile destined for donation. Finished size is 60 by 69. Good nap size. 
It was a good learning experience!

I’m in awe of those of you who can sew garments. My grandfather was a tailor and my mom and sisters were excellent garment sewers. I just never really figured it out. 

5130555C-61F4-45DC-AFC6-C1BDB1B127B2.jpeg

This is great!

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Emba

Emba

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Yesterday I found some sequin ornament supplies someone had given me when they were decluttering. I had forgotten I had them. I bought some styrofoam balls and youngest ds and I started making sequin ball ornaments. He is more detail oriented than the other two kids and so I’m not surprised that he’s the one jumping in. The older kids may or may not.  I also have a bunch of felt scraps that I will offer to DD and her cousin to make sewn  ornaments when the cousins come next week.

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Emba

Emba

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33 minutes ago, happi duck said:

@Emba I have such fond memories of making sequin ornaments!  It's just sequins and short pins, correct?

I might give this a go if I find the right supplies to buy

We’re using sequins, pins and small glass beads, and wire in the middle for hanging, but I think that the beads might not be necessary.

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Emba

Emba

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41 minutes ago, happi duck said:

@Emba I have such fond memories of making sequin ornaments!  It's just sequins and short pins, correct?

I might give this a go if I find the right supplies to buy

The tutorial I used to get the general  idea is here:

https://mybeautifulmess.net/2018/12/08/retro-sequin-ball-ornaments/amp/

There are others, maybe better. I didn’t even use the whole thing, just refreshed my memory.

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Melissa in Australia

Melissa in Australia

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5 hours ago, Starr said:

It looks complete. Where would those pieces go? 🙂

cuffs on sleeve and I completely messed up the front. I had it right - the button strip-  then thought I had it wrong and unpicked the whole strip off both sides and used it as facing. then at the finish, when everything is complete the facing pieces were sitting there !!! sigh. it fits, I am not unpicking again.

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Faith-manor

Faith-manor

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Here it is, and my phone did a HORRIBLE job with the photo. It is ridiculously blurry and making it look wrinkled and has nasty. Sigh. It is absolutely gorgeous.

The fabrics were chosen for our youngest son who graduated from college this past April 30. He went to university in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and for those who do not know about this area, it is one of the most beautiful places you can visit in the Great Lakes region/Midwest/practically in the 48 continental states. Lake Superior is positively breath taking, and the elevation is high enough for mountains, mountain lakes, you name it. The mineral make up of the region means that the cliffs are multi-colored like rainbows. If you want to see photos, google Presque Isle Park, Marquette, Tahquamenon Falls, Sugar Loaf Mountain, Copper Harbor, and Lake of the Clouds/Porcupine Mountain. These are all places that in his time at school he hiked, camped, kayaked, etc. Lake Superior is DA BOMB!

He loves his down state job, but misses his "heart home" as he puts it so I tried to give him a quilt that will remind him of it. Drat my very bad phone camera!

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Faith-manor

Faith-manor

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26 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

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This is just sooooo cute!!

Our honorary daughter and son in law are having their first baby in May. She really does not like girls' clothing because she does not like pink, lavender, ruffles, and frufru. She likes classic, simple, and in coral, peach, mint green, pale yellow, toasty beige, and aqua. So I am going to sew for baby. I have found some wonderful quilt fabrics and a vintage pattern that produces simple baby layette items. You have inspired me!

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Melissa in Australia

Melissa in Australia

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50 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

This is just sooooo cute!!

Our honorary daughter and son in law are having their first baby in May. She really does not like girls' clothing because she does not like pink, lavender, ruffles, and frufru. She likes classic, simple, and in coral, peach, mint green, pale yellow, toasty beige, and aqua. So I am going to sew for baby. I have found some wonderful quilt fabrics and a vintage pattern that produces simple baby layette items. You have inspired me!

 Making baby clothes is so much fun. There are some really cute baby patterns on etsy. 

You have inspired me to start making patchwork quilts again. 

 

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Faith-manor

Faith-manor

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3 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

 Making baby clothes is so much fun. There are some really cute baby patterns on etsy. 

You have inspired me to start making patchwork quilts again. 

 

Oh yay! I love that we have inspired each other.

Sin e we had to postpone Christmas celebrations to New Year's due to the blizzard, I took a 3 day break from sewing. I needed it. I resumed today since I have two quilts to complete by Saturday night. Both are quilt tops waiting to be quilted. I would be hand sewing the binding on one by now were it not for the fact that at 4 pm, I broke the needle on my sewing machine, and then realized I do not have anymore. I can't do anything until I go to the store first thing tomorrow morning to buy some.

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Faith-manor

Faith-manor

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59 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

What size needle do you use for machine quilting? 

I don't have a quilting machine per se, just a 22 year old Elna which is my workhorse. Elna 6003 when I can get them. Hard to find. I will settle for Schemtz 70/10 or 80/12. I can get those as Joann store which is closer than the sewing center/machine dealer.

I am just doing stitch in the ditch.

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Melissa in Australia

Melissa in Australia

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50 minutes ago, Faith-manor said:

I don't have a quilting machine per se, just a 22 year old Elna which is my workhorse. Elna 6003 when I can get them. Hard to find. I will settle for Schemtz 70/10 or 80/12. I can get those as Joann store which is closer than the sewing center/machine dealer.

I am just doing stitch in the ditch.

I have only really Hand quilted before. When you machine quilt do you start in the centre and work out like hand quilting or do you start at one end?

Another question, if you start at one end do you need to start at the same  side for every row?  How do you stop it puckering between quilting rows? 

Do you use quilting thread like hand quilting or regular good quality cotton thread? 

 

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Faith-manor

Faith-manor

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24 minutes ago, Melissa in Australia said:

I have only really Hand quilted before. When you machine quilt do you start in the centre and work out like hand quilting or do you start at one end?

Another question, if you start at one end do you need to start at the same  side for every row?  How do you stop it puckering between quilting rows? 

Do you use quilting thread like hand quilting or regular good quality cotton thread? 

 

I do start in the center, and I work in opposite directions, so I flip the quilt the other way after every seam which puts tension in different directions. I was told by a quilter friend to do that though I am not sure if it is necessary. I do have some hand quilting on this one. There is a 14" border top and bottom that is a beautiful scene with Viking boats, but no seams as it is not pieced. In order to make sure it lays and wears well, I need to hand quilt it in places. I think I am going to go around the clouds in the sky, and the waves at the bottom, maybe a sail here or there.

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Melissa in Australia

Melissa in Australia

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How far apart do you do the quilting rows? 

I only have very old machines. Mostly I sew on My 1930s treadle. I have a walking foot for my 1980 bernina 

And dh just gave me an beaut old singer that he found at the tip shop. Of course I have them all set up and am working on different projects on each one. 😁

I am slowly turning Dd bedroom into a sewing room, it still has a lot of her stuff in it though

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