Recently in Sewing Projects Category

• Size: Each panel is about 46 inches x 61 inches (excluding tabs)
• Fabric: 100% cotton; variety of brands and colors
• Pattern: 12 blocks are from one of these books: Quilter's Mix and Match Blocks: A Comprehensive Handbook 2004 and 365 Quilt Blocks a Year (Pertetual Calendar) 1999
• Backing: Cut from a set of sheets we replaced recently
• Date: start July 13; finish December 20

Here they are! My Quilt Block Curtains for the craft room! Today I bought a thicker and better quality curtain rod. The rod in the photos is slightly bent from the weight of the curtains and moves when the curtains are opened or closed!

The stained glass look was a pleasant surprise!

The curtains have a backing cut from the set of sheets we replaced recently when I bought new sheets.

Size: XL
Fabric: Cats flannel (colors: white, browns, greys, golds, pink)
Pattern: Simplicity 9330 - Size A - Top C
Date: start August 13; finish August 27

I finished my first wearable sewing project! A sleep shirt in a soft kitty print. I wore it yesterday afternoon and evening and slept in it - it's very comfortable!

Fabric: Atlantis Fabric Shower Curtain by At Home with Meijer

The curtains for the bathroom window were started June 3 and finished June 4. Easy, peasy. I made the valance from the top of the shower curtain and the bottom panels from the bottom of the shower curtain.

I'm not entirely pleased with them: The valance is too long, the bottom too short. The hem on the valance is too long (about 3 inches), the hem on the bottom is the one that the shower curtain came with (about 3/4 inch). If I was more industrious, I could make the valance shorter and that may help the bottom panels not look as short.

Many moons ago on eBay (at least over a year!), I bought a green-toned shower curtain with patchwork turtles (and dolphins, crabs, and sea horses) (Atlantis Fabric Shower Curtain by At Home with Meijer) that I fell in love with! Shortly afterward, I decided to buy a second one in the same pattern that I could use to make curtains for the bathroom window. I think I'm ready to begin that project - maybe even this weekend! Rectangles with a pocket for the curtain rod are easy!

[June 16, 2006] View the finished bathroom window curtains.

I'm still deciding what the next step should be for the Keepsake Kitty Wall Hanging. The top is pieced, the backing is cut.

Do I want to use batting and practice quilting (which I'm still trying to figure out how exactly to do - and need a darning foot first)? Or do I just want to finish the project by adding a border on the edges of the front and back and calling my first pieced project "done"? I'm leaning toward getting it done since I'm itching to start something else and don't like unfinished projects hanging around!

But first, I need to figure out how to applique the kitty's tail! Hand sewing it did not turn out well since I didn't allow for a finished edge. I want to machine sew it on but don't know if it can be done without a darning foot. I've tried the darning plate that came with the sewing machine, but I cannot move the fabric with the general purpose foot down and the fabric is way too free with the foot up. (Again, a basic sewing or quilting class would probably be helpful!)

My piecing skills definitely need practice as evidenced by not-so-pointed corners for the corner squares! It would be helpful to know exactly where the 1/4 inch mark is on my sewing machine...

Size: about 34 inches x 58 inches (fits board 24 x 48)
Pattern: My own
Date: May 2006

I love the fabric of the cover I made for the fabric cutting board Bill made for me! I finished the cover last weekend after a few struggles with the casing for the elastic. My first attempt was too narrow, then I needed more fabric, then I made it too narrow again (!) but made it work by using a finished edge on only one side of the casing. The idea was to make a cover that tucks under the cutting board like an ironing board cover fits on an ironing board. It works!

The top fabric is the lovely dark purple / dark green / dark blue / maroon / red tropical print, the bottom is a dark purple, and the center is polyester quilt batting. I did very simple quilting of the "sandwich" by running 2 parallel lines in one of the decorative stitches on my sewing machine lengthwise down the 2 dark purple sections you see on the tropical fabric. Then, I ran a few diagonal wavy lines from side to side.

I feel like an addict. A sewing addict. The grey thread I'm using for the Keepsake Kitty quilted wall hanging ran out last night. I stopped at Longs on the way home to pickup a Mother's Day card and grey thread - but there was no grey to be found! Only black, white, navy, and an ugly greenish gold. So I stopped at the corner store...no thread at all. Because we're leaving tomorrow, I don't want to run to a larger store. Bah!

I finally started my first quilting project Sunday afternoon! I bought this Keepsake Kitty Wall Hanging quilting starter kit a few years ago when I first wanted to learn to quilt. It came with a few basics (9x12-inch cutting mat, 4x12-inch acrylic ruler, 45mm rotary cutter, etc.) and a pattern for a small cat wall hanging (available free on the Dritz website). The last photo was taken last night after all pieces were cut and laid out, before I started assembling the pieces.

Size: about 88 inches x 72 inches
Pattern: My own
Date: April 2006

My closet curtains are done! The final 3 panels (2 greens, 1 reds) were finished last Sunday. Here are all 8 panels hanging across the closet opening. I will probably buy a thicker spring-loaded curtain rod since the current one easily pops out if the fabric is pulled even a little. The 8 panels can be arranged in a variety of ways. Purple is my favorite color, so I put the 2 purple panels together for now!

On Saturday morning, I finished the top pocket and bottom hem on the first purples panel. Between Saturday and Sunday, I started and finished the second purples and second yellows panels. 1 reds and 2 greens panels to go then the colorful closet curtains are done!