Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
I dragged out this old New Year’s fabric and made some pillowcases for my college student nephews.
It’s really fun fabric and I haven’t seen any like it in a long time. I still have two, approximately FQs, pieces left and will make some napkins. I think that may have been my original intention, but I don’t need 2.5 yards worth of napkins.
Once the Halloween pillowcases were done, I knew I needed to start thinking about Thanksgiving.
I finally (that must be my word of the month!) bought some fabrics for the Thanksgiving pillowcases. I was inspired to get turkey fabric by some photos one of my students sent me. The photo showed a flock of turkeys she sees in her yard. They looked like the turkeys on this fabric.
I need to choose some cuff fabric and wash these pieces, then I can make them. I have about two weeks before I need to send them off.
I totally forgot to show you the Halloween Pillowcases I made for the nephews and the YM. The black cat pillowcases are for my YM and his partner in honor of their black cat, Marie. I hadn’t intended to make him more pillowcases, but I couldn’t pass up the fabric.
The pumpkin pillowcases are for my two nephews who are in their first semesters of college. They are not twins; they are cousins, but are only two months apart. My intention is to send them a themed pillowcase every month, but we will see what happens.
I just want to let them know I am thinking about them and pillowcases are useful.
I actually finished 3 pillowcases over the weekend. These were the ones I had planned to make for a long time. They go with the Red Scribbles quilt. My SIL asked especially for pillowcases made from this bones fabric. I don’t usually make things to order, but felt like doing it. She may be surprised at the dots. I hope she likes them! I’ll give them to her as an early anniversary gift.
I am trying to make a few gifts for Christmas and upcoming birthdays. Here is a pillowcase I made over the weekend for a friend of the Y.M.’s.
The fabric is Robert Kaufman print that actually got reprinted. I asked a shop to email me if they ever got it again and they did! I bought three yards and have used almost all of it on Pillowcases.
The YMG has a collection of rubber duckies. When I saw the flannel rubber ducky fabric, I decided to make her a pillowcase.
I made it last weekend and will save it for Christmas or her birthday.
Tim commented that she isn’t five, but I decided that she could use a snuggly pillowcase in winter. I also bought a yard of the same print in regular quilting cotton. I’ll put it on the inside of some bags I plan to make for her.
I went on a binge of pillowcase making over the weekend. I had several pieces of fabric I had purchased for pillowcases. Somehow they had never risen high enough on the list, but this past weekend was the time.
I needed some quick finishes. I have been working hard on Flying Around, but it slow going and I just needed to finish something. I know I finished the Jelly Roll Rug recently, but that didn’t really feel like a finish somehow.
The YM gets a new pair (tacos). His new roommates each get one (taco, Mexican food cuff). A niece and nephew each get a pair and I will keep the turquoise dotted one for myself. I love that chocolate fabric.
On Wednesday the YM and I went to Stockton to spend the day making pillowcases with the Tuleberg Quilt Guild. My mom is a member. She told me about it and since we haven’t had a chance to get together alone this month, I decided to go. When I found out the YM would be home, I convinced him to tag along. He wants to learn to sew, so this was a good opportunity to start.
It is a far drive for us, so we go there a little late and, after setting up, he went off with my mom to get something to eat. Is tarted cutting up fabric to make the first pillowcase and quickly realized that he wouldn’t be able to make a whole pillowcase on his own. I decided to do the cutting and have him sew.
It has been a long time since he sat in front of a machine, so this was a good decision. He carefully guided the fabric through the machine, encountering the stop and start problems of the feed dogs not grabbing the fabric, thread bunnies and backstitching. We used the pillowcase tutorial I have cobbled together from experience and a variety of sources. He chain pieced the cuff/body burrito together. I also had him turn the burritos inside out and do a little pressing when I got behind. By the end, the three of us were all working together to finish the pillowcases.
I brought some yard sized pieces of fabric I didn’t think I would use, but cutting bits out for other projects does help with this. Fortunately, I have realized this and started cutting up the side of yardage, so I have a chance of having enough for a body (yard sized length) and cuff (half yard sized length). Newer fabric is easier to use, but so far I still like it enough to not want to use it for community quilts/projects. I suppose that is something I have to work on.
As a team, we made 5 pillowcases in about 3 hours. This is probably a bit slow, but I do French seams so everything is enclosed and that takes longer. I don’t have a serger, so this is the best way for me to achieve my goal.
They also had an ice cream social, which was make it yourself sundaes and banana splits. I love banana splits and made myself a small one. They brought real glass sundae holders, which was really classy.
The guild ended up with 121 pillowcases for the day, which I thought was a good effort.
I also made my friend some pillowcases in addition to the journal and tote.
She enjoys Dia de los Muertos motifs. I hope these are not too ghoulish for her.
As usual, I didn’t have enough of one pink to use for the cuffs so these cuffs are different. Perhaps my friend will enjoy one over the other?
I started out making these for the YM. Then I decided that I would give them to my cousin (he is a few years older than the YM and more like a nephew) instead. I don’t usually get an acknowledgement of gifts I send, so I have no idea whether or not he liked them. *I* like them and that is what is important to me.
I put the cuff on the wrong way on one of the pillowcases. I had no idea there was a right way and a wrong way on that shark fabric, so he probably won’t notice.
The Friday Creativity posts will return soon.
I made some Le Cafe pillowcases for my sister awhile ago. In October, I was rummaging through the fabric on my ironing board and I found some more Le Cafe fabric. I didn’t remember why I didn’t use these the first time around, but I decided to make her one more pillowcase for Christmas this year. I made it really fast and it looks good.
There isn’t as much contrast with this one as with the others, but it is still nice looking.
Sometime in September, I found some Le Cafe fabric by Danhui Nai for Wilmington. I was in the mood to make pillowcases at the time and bought a whole bunch of the fabric to make pillowcases for my sister for Christmas.
My idea was to use the toss prints for the main body of the cases and the border print for the cuff. I quickly screwed up the cuff idea by not buying the right amount for cuffs and screwing up the cutting. I found an old Verna Mosquera dot print and used that for the cuffs. It was like the fabric was made for the pillowcases, because I had plenty for four pillowcases. I think the dot provided a good contrast for the pillowcases.
I cut the pieces out during some evenings when I had 10-15 minutes while dinner finished cooking. I did most of the sewing over the Thanksgiving Weekend. I used the pillowcases as additional leaders and enders as I pieced En Provence. They are not ideal leaders and enders as the seams are long. I beat myself into submission as using the leaders and enders technique gets projects done.
We are wrapping gifts for today’s party in pillowcases, which will be donated to Wine Country Fire victims. Mine is the opposite of the one I made for Maria, the YM’s roommate.
I whipped up another pillowcase to send along with the Walker Bag to Friend Julie. I forgot to take a photo before I sent it off, but she was kind enough to oblige.
The fabric is some that I bought at PIQF on a whim. While I intended to think of something fabulous and special to make with it, it seemed right to use it for this particular pillowcase. I definitely made it for a fabulous and special person.
I am pleased with how it came out and I have little piece left for the FOTY 2017.
I can’t always stop when I start and pillowcases are like candy. I had promised the YM a couple of pillowcases for his housemates. The pillowcases are popular among YM and his pals, because of the high quality fabric.
My promise and the call for pillowcases for Sonoma and Napa fire victims got me in gear. In addition to Bento Box and Chocolate Box pillowcases, I made two more. I also made the requested case, a skeleton pillowcase and a Little Green Men pillowcase just because I love the Little Green Men.
I made the LGM pillowcase for the YM, but told him he could give it to his new housemate if he wanted. I didn’t want the new guy to feel left out.