Friendship Signature Quilt WIP

When I saw the tutorial by MSQC, I absolutely knew I ::had:: to do this quilt project!  I've asked my friends, both online and offline, to help me create a Friendship Signature Quilt.  Through the use of technology, signatures have been coming in from all over the USA and the world.  How cool is that?!

Here are some of the blocks I've made so far:

 

This quilt will have a scrappy floral vibe using two fabric collections:
Serene Spring fabric collection by RJR Fabrics
Meadow Bloom by Wilmington Prints 

I've got about six or seven signatures waiting for me to make blocks with, and four enroute via mail.  I'm looking forward to seeing how this project turns out! 

Until next time...

County Fair Fun!

It's been over twenty years since I entered competition in my county's fair.  This year, I scoured my mind as to what I could enter into the fair.  Since no fair was held in 2020, items made in 2020 and 2021 were eligible for entry. Much to my surprise, I won ribbons for all four items I entered!

Class: Full Size Quilt
Stars Squared Quilt
1st Place

It took me 18 months to piece, quilt, and bind this quilt on my domestic sewing machine (Janome 9450). I used Home for the Holidays II fabric collection by Borderless which is absolutely beautiful! Because I wanted to add borders to the quilt, I didn't have enough of the Grey Mist fabric and had to go on the hunt to find more... It was then I found out the fabric collection had been discontinued. Luckily, I located a company in California (Google is friend!) that had a 3yd bundle on clearance. ::whew:: I finished this quilt in 2020.

Class: Cross Stitch Pillow
Tie On October by Pine Mountain Designs
1st Place 
This took me about three hours to stitch this up on 10ct Heatherfield fabric with DMC threads.  Pine Mountain has a pillow form to go with these Tie Ons.  At the last hour (literally, the day before I was supposed to drop off my entries), I decided I didn't like the pillow form and I made a new one out of purple fabric.  I shoved the original form inside my purple one.  So much better!

Class: Small Cross Stitch Sampler
Suffrage Act by Little House Needleworks
2nd Place

I finished this August 18, 2020, excactly 100 years after the women's right to vote was ratified (See my previous post). It's Stitched on 28ct Silkweaver Lugana "Days Gone By" with GAST, DMC, and Classic Colorworks threads.  I changed the design by adding bricks at the top.

Class: Small Holiday Craft (No Christmas)
Camille Renee Mug Mat
4th Place 

This is the first wool applique project I'd ever done. It was a lot of fun to make.  I love the embroidered skirt and the cute button tags.

So how about you?  Have you entered anything in the county fair? I'd love to hear about it.

Until next time...

Suffrage Act

 One Hundred years ago today, Congress ratified the Suffrage Act.  The 19th amendment granted women the right to vote in the United States.  Here's a good article on the suffrage movement:  Women's Suffrage - Fight For The Vote.

To commemorate, the hard won victory, I've completed stitching Suffrage Act.

Designer: Little House Needleworks

Started: January 17, 2020.

Finished August 18, 2020

Fabric: 28ct Silkweaver Lugana "Days Gone By"

Fibers:GAST, DMC, and Classic Colorworks threads

This was fun to stitch up.  I changed quite a few of the colors to suit my taste.

Ladies - Exercise your right and vote!

Sore Ears? Headband Tutorial for Homemade Masks

Several sewists have asked me for the pattern I used to make the headband I showed in my last post.  Below is the tutorial I came up with for making a headband to go with the homemade masks with elastic bands that go around the ears.  Please give credit and link to tutorial if you are posting your creations online.  Or, better yet send me photos and I'll do a feature post showing all the headbands made!

HEADBAND FOR FACE MASK

Materials Needed 
14” x 6 ½” Fabric                                                   
14” x 1 ½” Fabric                          
8” elastic**                                 
2 Large Buttons**      
Thread 
Small Safety Pin Sewing Needle   
Straight Pins

**I used 3/8" elastic and 7/8" buttons.

Instructions
Step 1:
Fold fabric pieces in half lengthwise, right sides together.

Step 2:
Sew ¼” seam on lengthwise edge of each piece of fabric.

Step 3:
Turn both pieces right side out.  Use the safety pin to turn the smaller tube inside out.

Place the seam in the center and press the tubes flat.

Step 4:
Using safety pin, pull elastic through smaller tube.

Secure ends of elastic with pins.

Step 5:
Secure elastic by sewing ends closed using 1/4" seam. 

Step 6:
Place smaller tube on top of larger one, centering it.  Seams should be facing out.

Step 7:
On one end, take corner of larger fabric and fold toward opposite side meeting the edge of the smaller piece of fabric.

Step 8:
Repeat with opposite corner and secure with straight pin.

Step 9:
Repeat steps 7 and 8 for the opposite end.

Step 10:
Sew 1/4" seam over ends to secure all layers together.  This is a pretty thick piece to sew through so you may need to use a hump jumper (aka button shank plate).

Step 11:
Turn ends right side out.

Step 12:

Sew buttons on about 1/2" above seam allowance.

Headband is finished!

 

To use, put headband on.

Place mask on face and hook elastic bands around buttons.

Until next time... Stay safe and healthy!

My Covid-19 Reality

On March 20th, Illinois Governor Pritzker issued "Shelter in Place" order until April 7th.  This means citizens of Illinois are to stay at home as much as possible.  We can still go get groceries, go to the doctor, get gas -- essential things.

For a couple weeks prior to the Shelter in Place order, my employer began proactive steps to keep the employees healthy -- extra cleaning of frequently touched surfaces, limiting people other than employees into our office buildings as well as having employees going between buildings, and encouraging those who could work from home to do so.

Once Shelter in Place took effect, I was set up to work from home. 

So far, it's working pretty well.  The CEO of our company holds video conferences twice a week to keep all of us informed as to what's going on with Covid-19 as well as the company.

Today was the first day I left the house in a week.  No one is allowed in my house except for me and the pup.

Today, the governor extended Shelter in Place until April 30th.  Since April 7th, there have been 937 new cases of Covid-19 in Illinois bringing total cases to almost 6,000.  There have been 26 more deaths bringing it to 99 statewide.  In my county there are 6 cases and thankfully no deaths.  Testing is limited to those over the age of 55 who show symptoms.

By day, I am working my job.  By night, I've been busy making masks.  My niece is a nurse and she's been told they are to reuse their masks until they can't be used anymore.  My cousin works in an essential retail business in TN.  The grandmother of a five year old girl with asthma asked me to make a mask for her to wear to the doctor's office.  I've made 33 masks in four days.  Elastic is on short supply because a lot of people are making masks so I've started making some with ribbon ties.  HERE is a good article about sewists making masks across America.

Adult Masks

Child Masks

I've seen a few people online say that after a while the elastic bands make their ears hurt.  I came up with a headband solution where the elastic can be attached to large buttons.

Another cool thing going on right now are Windows of Hope.  Since most of us are stuck inside, people are decorating their windows sending out messages of love and hope.  You can read about it HERE.

Despite all the gloom and doom, fear, news of Covid-19 sickness and death not only in the U.S. but all over the world, there's some humor coming out as well.

And for the kiddos:

If neither of those leave a smile on your face, here's a pig eating ice cream...

Until next time....  Stay safe and well!