Sewing update

This week I've sewn all types of things.

I made myself a top out of some lovely Victoria Findley Wolfe fabric.

I didn't exactly follow the directions in the pattern.

I changed the sleeve length and sewed out of order on the sleeves.

Finally got a photo of Ava's penguin in the PJ's we made a few weeks ago.

Penguin was too round for the pants, but the top is great as a nightgown.

A dress for Ava from Violet Field Thread's Aspen pattern.

I made it sleeveless and fully lined the top.

Queen of Hearts Stay at Home Round Robin is quilted, bound, and labeled.

More pictures in the previous post.

I love the stamp fabric for the backing.

No telling how old this fabric is.

I found it at a stash sell-off this past fall.

Another dress for Ava.

This is a cotton knit made from VFT's Teagan pattern.

A friend asked me to make sleep masks for her mom.

Our daffodils are blooming!

This week I hope to finish this embroidery project.

Check back next week end.

Happy sewing.

 

Queen of Hearts SAHRR Finished

Lots of photos of my finished wall hanging - Queen of Hearts

I finished the Stay at Home Round Robin today when I sewed the label and binding.

The quilting was done on my Pfaff 1473 using the walking foot/even feed feature.

I echo quilted around the center heart.

The rest of the quilt is done with stitch in the ditch vertical lines and other vertical quilting.

The only fabric bought for this quilt was the binding fabric.

Everything else was in my stash.

I used a permanent gel roller to write the label.

Ironed to set the ink.

I have a stack of 5" white squares that I use for labels.

Most of the time I make a triangle label but this time I had too much to write for a triangle.

The backing fabric came from a charity fabric sale last fall.

I didn't have a project for it but really liked the stamps.

I sewed the binding on the back first then ironed the binding and clipped it to the front.

Overload of pics but I want to document this fun quilt along.

Thanks all of the online quilt bloggers who contributed to this project.

 

SAHRR Flimsy is finished!

The final round is pinwheel block.

I have used fat quarters for all of the rounds.

That means as the rounds got larger I have had to be very careful cutting fabric.

I used Bonnie Hunter's Essential Triangle Tool to make the half squares for the pinwheels.

It took 1.5 inch strips with very little waste.

My original idea for the final round was to make piano keys with all the leftover fabric.

Instead I used some of each fabric in the pinwheels with a new black print in the mix.

I decided to make 24 pinwheels to stretch that black print fat quarter.

First the squares were chain pieced in groups of four.

That way the squares that went together were sewn together in a line.

After I chain sewed the squares in pairs, clipping between pairs, they were ready to sew as pinwheels.

Mini clips were very handy in keeping blocks together.

Chain piecing was quick and easy.

I thought it would take 12 pinwheels per side.

Oops! I only needed eleven per side.

The extra pinwheels went to the top and bottom.

The square in a square teacups from the 5th round went in the corners.

The flimsy is a little wavy.

Hope it will quilt out.

Next up-

Quilt sandwich, quilting, and binding.

The red check is the binding.

The postage stamp print is the backing.

Finished size is about 34" X 35".

Look for the final finish soon.

 

Violet Field Threads Dresses for Miss Ava

For the past 10 years I have enjoyed sewing things like blankets, stuffed animals, toys, and quilts for our grandchildren.

The online pattern company Violet Field Threads has been my go-to for dress patterns.

The first one I made was the free download - London - seen below.

The most often made pattern is Abigail, seen in the sleeveless version below.

Abigail and small Wren bag below.

Harriett jumper or sleeveless dress below.

Piper (below) was quick to make but not a fan favorite. 

The one below is similar to Abigail but I think it was a Butterick or McCalls.

The thing I like about VFT patterns is the size range from 2T to girls size 10.

Most recent Abigail below.

It was made to be a jumper. 

I lengthened the top and the gathered skirt.

Below is another Abigail, probably the first one I made Ava.

The bonnet was made from a vintage pattern.

The sundress below is Lola.

Another Abigail with ruffles on the armholes and a plain skirt with an added border.

Abigail again with two coordinating hats.

Little brother had a matching short overall.

Abigail with puff sleeves and plain top and skirt.

Made for her first trip to Disneyworld.

Yesterday I made Teagan out of a knit fabric that has been in my stash for several years.

I will add photos to this post as I make other VFT dresses for Ava.

 

Tell Me a Story Quilt is finished!

Well, this was a fun block swap.

The quilt finished at 68 X 80 inches.

I used 36 Tell me a story blocks from 18 other sewists plus 17 of my own.

There are 49 X blocks that I designed.

I quilted vertically in the ditch between each column.

The borders have a middle line of quilting and the corner blocks are quilted around the center.

It all started when I read about the swap online.

I bought the book below and started my blocks in December 2022.

The backing uses up a little over 4 yards of long stashed fabric.

Binding is the same fabric used in the X blocks.

I had some in my stash and ordered more online.

Not finished until the label is filled out.

I am going to love telling stories to the grandkids using these blocks as inspiration.

Thanks to all who swapped with me.

Here it is on a double bed.

It should fit a twin better.

Another view.

I'm also working on the 30 day wool stitching challenge with Beth Colletti.

I'm hoping to transfer my stitching skills to my Tinsel Trees wool appliqué project.

One more clue left on the Stay at home round robin.

I am combining #5 and #6 in the final border to keep the size small.

Happy sewing!

 

SAHRR Square in a square blocks

This week's SAHRR block is square in a square.

I made a test block with a fussy cut teacup to see how small I could make the block.

The finished four I'm going to use are 3 inches and will finish at 2.5 inches.

They will be the corner blocks on the final round.

Lots of others have made combination rows with blocks from more than one week.

I intend my finished SAHRR quilt to be a small wall hanging.

So, come back next week for the finish.

Yesterday Miss Ava came over to sew.

She wanted to make PJ's for her penguin stuffed animal.

She was so excited to run the sewing machine by herself.

Penguin has short legs so the pants are small.

Decorations by a budding kindergarten reader.

She asked how to spell 'penguin' then sounded out 'super'.

Literacy milestones.