Baby Shoes

My friend C found this, or one just like it, a while ago. It seems rather fitting right now:

You can buy one here.  It's a stressful time in my regular job right now and so I'm really busy and not getting much sewing time in. So I feel not very nice. Today I took a little time to do some sewing so that I'm nicer to people.

I finished these off

These are for a friend at work who shares the same first name as me. She just had a baby girl this past week - her little boy is only 13 months old. She'll be busy.

These are for the grandson of my alternative health practioner. I've been seeing her for 8 years and my health is so much better because of her. These are size 3-6 months. The baby hasn't been born yet.

These are also for the grandson. Size 0-3 months and organic cotton.

all lined up

all wrapped up

I also had a long nap this afternoon, which helped my mood. I'm going to bed at a decent hour tonight, getting up fairly early, going out for breakfast, then going to a coffee shop to get some marking finished (since I can't seem to mark at home or work these days).

How was your Saturday?

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.

This is really bugging me

I thought it would go away - that feeling - when something is just not right.

See this

It's a Dear Jane block. I made it last weekend - took about 45 minutes and I did paper piecing. When I was finished and pressing it, I noticed it - the problem that's bugging me. See the upper left and bottom right corners - notice anything?

They are supposed to match - they don't. Immediately I thought - just leave it, there's no Dear Jane police. It'll be fine.

It's been on the design wall all week and every time I walk by it I cringe a little.

I'll have to do some un-sewing. Sigh.

Dear Jane...

...sometimes I wonder what you really did. Did you have a house servant to do all the work around the house so all you could do was sit and sew all day? How many people, if any, helped you with this quilt? Did you ever swear in frustration? Miscalculate measurements? Wonder what the heck you were thinking to start this project?

J7

K3