Decisions, Decisions

We are having a silent auction fundraiser at school for athletics. We used to do silent auctions and dinners years ago and they were great fun. I always made and donated something to be auctioned off. We have a young staff who are reproducing at a healthy rate, so I always made something baby appropriate because I knew it would sell.

I bought this fabric on my last quilt shop hop with C and L. This is the basic layout - I think

version 1

version 2

The fabric is folded in half so it would stick to the design wall. I will put random circles in the center white section that are made up of the other fabrics. I'm not in love with the dark fabric on the end(s). The binding was going to be the 2nd from right fabric - it might become the dark. I'll have to see. As soon as I get some time this week I'll update you on my progress.

Back at the needle

I've been away from the sewing machine for a bit - my paying job was making some serious demands on my time. I had a bit of a respite this weekend, so jumped at the chance to do some sewing.

On Friday, C and I had a sewing retreat at her house. I got two Dear Jane blocks finished there:

L5

BR 5

It was a productive day.

Saturday I did a little shopping with my sister - hit a quilt shop but didn't take any photos. I also did another Dear Jane triangle. Here is BR 6:

BR 6

I got back to my sewing machine tonight and fixed up this block:

K5

I had the bottom right hand corner mixed up - it wasn't mirroring the top left corner and it was bugging me.

Here's what my design wall looked like when my Dear Jane homework was finished:

I'm linking up to Patchworktimes Design Wall Monday.

Before and After

When I started renovations on my main floor last summer, I took down the 1980s peach vertical blinds and put up this beauty:

It's a blue gingham sheet I bought in the late 90s. It served it's purpose to cover the window but isn't very nice to look at.

I finished sewing my new drapes yesterday - they were only 11 months in the making. I bought the fabric last May and then couldn't start them until the renovations were finished, then I was afraid to start in case I made a major error - at $20/m it could be costly. I finally got started in March break a few weeks ago, then my machine broke - when trying to go through multiple layers of drapes.

My parents came over today and helped hang the new drapes:

I am very pleased with how they turned out - I wish I would have started earlier.

It's ironic that I was so worried about measuring correctly - I made a measurement error when purchasing the fabric - I calculated the repeat wrong - so I have a ton left over. I'll make some into cushion covers for this room and I have a room upstairs that needs something on the window.

The drapes are finished

I decided to spend today finishing off my drapes. I'm having some friends and family over next weekend and I want them hung - I am getting sick of my blue gingham sheet that's been there since last summer.

I've never made actual pleated drapes before. All my previous window covering projects were tab curtains, which really take little math to figure out. It took two youtube videos and a bunch of math to figure out the pleats. I found an online pleat calculator which made it so much easier.

a page of math

Measurements and pins to divide off pleats

finished pleats

Maybe the best thing - my sewing machine didn't break this time!
I'll have some help to hang them tomorrow and will post them hanging as well.