Quilting and How To Make a Pinwheel Square

Inspiration...This mag inspired me...first my Sister Ginger bought this magazine....I wanted it...She refused to relinquish it...so I had to go buy my own. I love the quilt on the front.  It's not so perfect, and  I love that!

I'm not a fan of those matchy matchy quilts that are all even and perfect. They make me feel...well...uncomfortable. Like being in a living room where everything matches...and you know...where no one ever goes.

Well there isn't a room like that in my house. Never will there be.  We use every inch in our house.  I like quilts like that.  Not a hang on the wall quilt...A snuggle under quilt is better.

So I'm attempting to make a similar quilt using scraps from some sewing projects.

You make the whole square from 2 inch strips of fabric.  Starting with 2" X 2" squares and going out from there until you form a roughly 12 1/2" X 12 1/2" Square.  I iron each seam after sewing.  Hopefully that will help make it look nice.  I don't know,  somewhere I heard ironing is the key to good sewing.  Sooo....I've been ironing ever since.  At least my seams.  As anyone who knows me... knows I hate to iron.  My husband just forced me to buy a full sized ironing board.  I've been using a little traveling one forever.  I'm kinda glad he did....don't tell him!

Looka how sweet!

I do like this look.  The colors are fun and unpredictable.  Makes you wanna stare.

Started the next one!  Here you can see the layout of a square before it's sewn.

This is a not so good pin wheel square.  I like this one too.  It's really easy.  I'll show you how.

Cut out four squares.  These are about 4".  I just stack the fabric up and use a template and rotary cutter.  Just discovered these rotary cutters and I like them a lot.  You can cut out four squares lickity split.

Yep...there they are.  Four lovely squares.  I like using unexpected fabrics and colors together.

Put two squares top side facing one another and draw a line diagonally down the center.

Sew a seam on each side (not on the line) of the line.

Then cut along the line to divide the squares in half and into triangles.

Iron them flat this way.....

Then iron them open.  It will form four squares of two fabrics each.  Assemble in the pattern you want...

 Sew two squares facing each other together...iron flat.  Sew the other two squares facing each other together...iron flat....(Is this confusing?)  Then sew the two pieces together facing each other...iron flat.  It's really easy once ya get it....and fast (Which I like).

The second one turned out much better I must say.  Not content to start one quilt...I started two.  Not smart.  Now I'll have to finish them......smiles and smiles!

Sewing Lately & Zucchini Muffins

My husband spied a 1958 electric Singer sewing machine in the back of a flea market in Columbia Mississippi.   He thought it was amazingly cool....I thought it would just be a hunk of cool junk to take up precious space in my home.
Byron cleaned it up and oiled it....and unbelievably it works charmingly!  No actually wonderfully!  I'm in love with it now.  I broke two machines previously trying to hem Byron's jeans....this machine went straight through three layers of jean material without even hesitating!  I am so impressed....It looks really cool as well.  This machine is 54 years old and has been stored Lord knows where and it still works....I'm working on my third modern machine in the past 10 years!

Here's my most recent plastic machine purchase...and this is the heavy duty one.  It is a little fancier and does some stitches the other doesn't, so for light work I still use this one.  I'm more familiar with it as well.  Lately I've been on an apron sewing kick.  I made one for my friend Christy for her college graduation and five other ones to sell for my daughters to make money to go Peak.  It's a youth meeting for our church affiliation.  I've sold them all.  I'm thinking about making more.  I sold them for $22.00.  I think that's a pretty cool price.  I may post future ones on my site to see if anyone is interested.  You may remember me posting about this 1920's apron pattern from Amy Barickman's book "Vintage Notions".

This is by far my favorite way to store thread.  It is so convenient  to look in and easily see what thread you need.  I use a little tape to secure the thread to the top of the spool if it doesn't have one of those cool tops that pop up a little to wrap and secure the thread under.

Here are five of the aprons I did.  I tried to choose really cool or vintagy fabrics.  The roses seemed to be everyones favorite.

I love these things!

I've also been crocheting edging onto cool flannels for baby blankies.  They're on the large side so I guess they could be used as lap blankies as well.  Thinking of selling these as well.  I crochet or knit in the car when my husband is driving.  That way I don't feel so useless or keep annoying my husband by shrieking and gasping at what I consider dangerous driving!  New Orleans during rush hour can be pretty bad.

Made zucchini date muffins with all the extra zucchini.  They were yum!  I'll post the recipe soon.

Also this is the best red beans and rice I have ever eaten (this is the beginning stages of cooking it...would you like that recipe too?)  Thanks to my neighbors.  They planted plain old Camellia red beans.  This is what came up.  Amazing yummy beans....much much better than the dried ones....So amazingly better.

Recent harvest!  I've had to pick the tomatoes green to keep the bugs from hauling them off!

How To Crochet A Rug

This rug is easy to make and so cottage cozy comfy! I made rugs for both of my girls' rooms. Sessie and Talia share a room and Tera gets one all to herself. Lucky girl...privileges of the first born. The rooms are the same size but Talia and Sessie's room has two separate closets, bunk beds and they each have their very own armoire.  

The rugs I bought them a while back....welllll...were a little threadbare so I moved them to the garden.  Yep I use worn out cotton rugs in the garden underneath the mulch.  They suppress weeds great!  Beats just throwing them away!

Any ol' way....This rug is made up of old sheets, blankets, material and anything else, cut into 1 1/2 inch strips.  I've seen descriptions how to make this on the Internet, and they required carefully cutting the strips evenly then sewing the ends together on the bias....my eyes go cross with that kind of stuff.  I love Mary Jane Butters and her book "MaryJane's Stitching Room".  She does away with all that perfection stuff and gets right to making really awesome fun rugs.

This is basically how you make them:

First Cut up a bunch of sheets, blankets, fabric, etc...into 1 1/2 inch strips.  (Don't try to make them perfect.  Just as even as you can.  Even fabric that frays a little adds character to the rug.)
Hint From Kristi:  Fold the large piece of fabric, sheet, blanket etc.. in half and stitch one side closed to form a tube.  Then begin cutting from the top and go in a spiral pattern cutting the fabric into one giant 1 1/2 inch strip.  Otherwise you must cut a slit on each end of each strip and pull one strip through the end of another and then through slit on the other end to join them.  That's confusing...I know.  Or you must sew each end of a strip to the end of another to join them.  Sewing one big seam makes much more sense.  Sigh...are you confused yet?

Anyways...Next...you get a large crochet hook.  Or whittle one from a piece of wood yourself.  That's what I did!  I whittled it from a piece of cypress my honey gave me.  It's not too pretty, but I love it!

Then you crochet about 10 single chains..or more if you want the oval longer.  Next double back and chain two stitches into the end and then go down the side stitching single chains back into the rug.

Start circling around the edges adding extra stitches at the rounded ends as needed to expand and make the rug lie flat.

So easy and fun...but warning...it takes muscles to man handle the heavy rug around.  Another hint is to keep your stitches on the loose side.  This makes it easier to handle.

Anyone who is better at expressing crochet terms and knows what I'm talking about...Feel free to comment and add to this or correct me!

The rug in the beginning.  See the big ball of fabric strips ready to go!

Close up of my awesome personally whittled cypress crochet hook!

Hey hey...this rug is progressing!

Here's the one I made to go beside Tera's bed.  Ummm...I know it's uneven.  I wasn't that great then.  But Hey!  I'm better now!  and Tera still likes it.

Flossie likes this rug.

Flossie REALLY likes this rug.

So Do's I!

How To Make A Strawberry Pincushion...and Todays Bento

School has started and I'm just starting to get back into the routine...not quite there yet.  There is a huge marsh fire burning in New Orleans East and the wind is sending the gigantic smoke cloud in our direction...gaaackk...it's hard to breath at times.  I'll just have to stay inside and keep the doors and windows shut tight.  So much for working in the garden today.....but...there's plenty...more than enough...to do inside.

I did make this cool little strawberry pincushion I saw directions for in a magazine.  A small bowl of these would be adorable and usefull sitting on my sewing shelf.

First cut out a fabric circle about the size of a CD.  Also cut out an additional circle the same size of fusible interfacing (to stiffen up and reinforce the fabric circle).  Iron the fusible interfacing to the back side of the fabric circle...

...then cut in half.  This will make two strawberries...

...fold in half with wrong side facing out and sew a seam forming a cone.  Trim the tip a little bit and then turn the cone so that the right side of the fabric is on the outside....this is just a random pic of my thread and scrap yarn balls I now store beautifully in jars (I love the way it looks and I get to enjoy the color!).

...back to the pincushion...(see the fabric sewn cones in the back?)....put the cone in a small cup fill the cone with sand about 1/2 way.  I put too much at first and had to dump some out....Next poke a little stuffing on top of the sand...

...use heavy duty thread to gather up the edges of the cone and bring it snugly together...you have to keep poking the stuffing back in!  Tie off.

Make a cute little topping of your choice.  I used a piece of leftover bias tape.  You can use rick rack, fabric scraps,  you can even sew a ring on the top to hold on your finger...sew cute!

Todays bento.  Back to school and making fun bentos again.  This method of packing lunches actually motivates me to make sure my girls have healthy lunches from home instead of the yuck they feed them at school...Today their lunches included...Organic chicken (I saved part of the breast from the chicken I boiled to make gumbo for last nights dinner.) on everything bagel with Tony's (Tony Chacheries a cajun spice), a white cheddar baby bel cheese, green greek pickled pepper, carrot sticks, banana bread and dried cranberries....

....and a happy litle animal to say" hi" and " mommy can't wait to see you this afternoon...do good in school!"

School's Starting!

School's starting Wednesday so I've been sewing the girls new school skirts.  It's difficult to find modest uniform skirts that go below the knee...so my girls love to tell me what type of skirt they like and let me design it.  I have this wonderful book "Sew What! Skirts" by Francesca Denhartog & Carole Anne Camp.  It gives good and simple directions on how to create your own patterns for skirts using your specific measurements.  I use some old Christmas wrapping paper to make the patterns.  Then I write the girls name and date on their pattern and save it.

Here's a close up of my notes for Seleste.

We're both happy with the way it turned out!  One more to go for Seleste and two for Talia.  Talia's is going to be quite different....I'll post a pic.

Don't be afraid to try sewing if you want to learn!  I had no one to really teach me so....I just started reading and looking at how to videos on line.  I'll post some video links that really helped me soon.  Dive in girl!

How to make a serviceable but old book bag fun and new for the new year....Seleste's plan is to add a cute patch and wrap the back straps in zebra print duct tape...you go Seleste!

Caftan

Sewing project!  I know it doesn't look that difficult...but the panel in the front and the neck facing   ..@*#$%()*(not really)...I learned new skills anyway!  And it actually fits right.  I want to sew several light cotton slip over caftans for working in the garden when it is so hot.  This one is from knit material (actually not recommended for the pattern), but I like the way it turned out.  I dressed it up with a little crocheted embellishment I made myself.

Not so good close up of the embellishment.

1920's Apron

My Sister bought me the book "Vintage Notions" by Amy Barickman.  It's a tribute to Mary Brooks Picken and "The Women's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences" which she helped found.

It's a wonderful collection of articles, recipes, advice and patterns dating from around 1918 to the 1930's.  The books is such a fun read.  Lot's of this and that making it really easy to hop here to there in the book.

When I found this 1920's apron pattern I couldn't wait to try it.  So I bought some inexpensive bright feminine fabric and a happy contrasting bias tape....and hopped right in.  It's made from a yard of fabric folded on the bias and cut out paper doll fashion.  All edges are bound with the bias tape.  Then ties are sewn and attached...then voila!!!...cute little slip over apron!

Seleste agreed to model for me....umm...it's a little...no a lot large...but you get the idea!

...a little overlapping bow....

...scalloped bottom edge....

...I want to do this again!!!

Sewing a Modest Uniform Skirt & Crocheted Rug

Finding Tera modest uniform skirts has become a problem since she started high school. None of the local uniform stores carry long enough skirts. Our local store doesn't even carry skirts except for primary. What?!!! All of the middle and high school girls wear skin tight unflattering horrible capri thingys. After surfing the net the only skirts I could find were unattractive or too expensive in my opinion.

I decided the time had come to attempt to make something my daughter would be proud to wear to school. Like anything else you never learn unless you dive in....so I did.

I found a cute pattern, then pinned and cut, and cut, and cut...then read, read, and read, looked, looked, and read, read, ...then...

sewed, and sewed, and of course....ripped and ripped.....and sewed and sewed again....mastered the invisible zipper....then there appeared...
...a not exactly perfect...but, beautiful skirt my daughter loves to wear. Tera has since received many compliments on her new skirt. It's not always easy to be the only one....but, I bet some more girls may get brave enough to buck the status quo and step out with modest and fashionable uniforms all their own!

I used gabardine fabric. It wears really well and is stretchier than cotton. This skirt also sits low on the hips. Tera finds it is more comfortable at school that way.

A picture of my daughter's room. The rug is crocheted from old sheets, curtains, and clothes. You can get an idea of how to make them from the following video.