Commentary about works in progress, design & creativity
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.
I bought this fabric awhile ago in order to make a pillowcase for the YM’s new housemate. It has been languishing until BAM lit a fire under me to make some pillowcases. I bought more fabric at PIQF and from the Fabric Depot. I got inspired.
The first thing I did, after finding the fabric again, was find some coordinating fabric to go with it. Red with an interesting texture. Hope she likes it. I know nothing about this woman as she has never been around when I have visited the YM.
I had enough extra to use some of this fabric as a cuff, so I made another red pillowcase and will use that to donate to the Sonoma and Santa Rosa fire victims.
I am on a binge of pillowcase making. I bought a number of pieces of fabric in the past few weeks to make pillowcases and I started right before I didn’t have time to sew.
First, I washed all the new fabric, then ironed it while I was on the phone (great activity for talking on the phone). After searching out my file of directions, I made a couple for the YM with the Bento Box fabric I bought for that purpose.
I wanted to highlight the green in the print. Since there is a lot of pink in the print (raw fish, after all), I didn’t want that to be the focus. Not very manly in this day and age, thus the green. YM isn’t particularly fond of green, but he doesn’t dislike it either. My pillowcases have a reputation of being awesome among his friends, so I know he will use them. I think they like the high thread count.
I don’t put trim on, though my pillowcase guide says to do so, because it adds an extra crease to the cheeks.
I dug up some pillowcase fabric I bought some time ago and will work on that one plus others over the weekend.
I bought some flannel cupcake fabric to make a pillowcase.
Then I saw some great flannel cupcake fabric at another shop and bought it to make a pillowcase. It turns out the two pieces were the same. If someone had bought it for me, I would have said “great minds think alike.” Since I just bought both pieces, apparently forgetting I bought it the first time, I have to wonder. I guess I really liked that fabric.
I have been on a near-frenzy lately washing fabric. The pieces of flannel got caught in the madness. Since I am trying to stay in the black in terms of fabric usage, I decided to make some pillowcases. They are a quick and easy yard of usage.
I thought I would give these to a niece who has recently become engaged. I am not sure she would like the colors, though, so I may give them to someone else.
While plowing through fabric a week or so ago, I found a leftover piece of skeleton fabric with a note on it that said “pillowcase cuff”. Since I was preparing to send the YM a care package I sewed up a new pillowcase for him. I haven’t been making him one a month like I was last year. If I get inspired, I make one.
I used some stripes as the body since I also found them while I was plowing through that same pile of fabric. I figured I had enough stripes for binding and one more black and white length of yardage wouldn’t be missed.
DH asked me why I was sending the YM a Halloween pillowcase in February. Sigh.
Some time ago (last fall??) Mom and I did a circuit of her local quilt shops. I bought some huge dots with the intention of making pillowcases. Finally, last week, I had got some inspiration.
My niece will be getting married in April and her shower was this past weekend. In concert with two of her other aunts, we hosted a shower for our niece. I bought her a gift off her list, but had no suitable gift bags that were large enough in which to wrap it. DH tried out all the non-Christmas gift bags we have and none were large enough. He suggested a pillowcase. What a brilliant man!
Later, while plowing through some fabric, I found the pillowcase fabric I bought with mom. As happens with inspiration, I realized I could use this fabric to make two pillowcases and wrap the gift.
As I have said, the cuff is the pain for me, because I hack into fabrics as soon as they are washed for all the hunting and gathering pieces I need. I found some perfect green for my niece – Lizzy House Pearl Bracelets. It isn’t a perfect match to the green in the dot fabric, but I think it works.
My niece liked them, especially the dots and that makes me happy.