Hitting the road!

Last sunday C, Quilting DD and I, set the alarms and we headed off to a quiltshow/market. It has been a while since the three of us went on a trip, so we were looking forward to it! The show was in DD 's vicinity so C and I picked her up on the way.
First thing we did was check out the coffee and applepie stall and then we went for the quilts.
Let them speak for themselves!

 We really liked the next one. In particular how this quilter used a light patterned fabric for the setting triangles so it kind of flowed to the busy border. The fabrics were all French Provence.Very nice!

On the way back to the car, I saw pavement spools :) DD said it was hobby deformation.

 

Did we have a nice day? Sure we had!!

Singer featherweight sleeve tutorial

A few days off and not that great weather makes one productive. I wanted to sew a protective sleeve for the sewingbed of the featherweight. Searched the internet for a tutorial, measurments etc. but found zip. So I had to tackle that myself and while doing so, i thought other featherweight owners might want to sew a similar item...tadaa a tutorial by yours truly!
Here's how I did it :First I wrapped the Feather in dressmaking paper, top and bottom

Then I pulled out a piece of really ugly fabric to make a prototype

I came up with this pattern eventually. I can't make pdf files, so you have to draw your own, with the measurements written on the pattern.

Cut three: one outer fabric, one inner and add 1/4 " seam allowance and one fusible fleece without the seam allowance . The pattern is without seams!!

 Iron the fleece on the outer fabric.

Flip one side up and sew this side

 Box the corner a tiny bit, 1/4 " is quite enough

 Repeat to the other side and sew the inner fabric the same way. You'll get two sleeves. Slide them inside eachother, right sides together and sew all around, leaving a gap on the upper side for turning.

 align the seams!

Turn, topstitch and you're done!

 

 

 My sleeve has one longer flap and that's not just for protection

 You can slide it under your machine to use it as a threadcatcher, or to put your gear in, while sewing.
 I added some velcro so I can use it with my machine mat . The mat can be used with Sven too and since Sven is a lot heavier and bigger, I can't put the threadcather underneath him, hence the velcro...

 Questions? Something not explained clear enough? Feel free to ask :)
Meanwhile I'm very pleased with my sleeve (and with myself i might add haha)

Another job done!

I like making small quilts and usually there are 3 on the wall in my sewingroom.
The "designs" change according to seasons although the christmasquilts lasted 'till june last year :)
I pulled out "spring" the other day and once again I was annoyed by the way everything was stored

All rolled up together in an old bedsheet I pinned together.
Time to re-arrange and tackle another chore.
In no time I had something looking like this:

Flipped picture, but you'll get the idea. A bag per season/theme and on the back of the label I wrote down what quilts are inside. I even made a bag for all the rods I use.
I basicly sewed tubes and tight the ends with a hair elastic. I do need to buy new elastics to tie my hair, since I used all I had.

This little project was an excellent occasion to try a big threadcone. My Husq can be very picky about thread, so before ordering a very expensive big Precensia cone, Í'd better testdrive.

Sven, the Husq didn't even know it was there and didn't skip a stitch. Yeey!
Fabric: ONE euro p/mtr, cheap test drive thread cone 1.80. Yeey again!
Points for organising my stuff: 10.
Note to self: should/could have done this ages ago.

Small stuff....

 After months of quilting non stop on the weddingquilt, I was done fiddling with fabric and thread. But now I needed to sew something again. Nothing big, no thank you very much, but some small things like a sewingmachine mat e.g.!

 One with a long pincushion, attatched with velcro. When you sort out your mess, you find things you forgot about, like stamps...

 

I put some no-slip stuff underneath in "yuk" green. I found my supply of red when all was done :(

I made it for the Husq....(and sewed a mouse pincushion too, while i was at it. Pattern is from www.figtreequilts.com)

 but the Featherweight fits too

More stamping.....and one has never enough pincushions

 The birdie can be found at rileyblake.com. I think I feel the need to make more of these. Fun to sew, easy and very cute!

 

 

Last but not least: it's Biker Son's birthday today!!!Looking sharp at his big sis' wedding

 

The couple, the wedding and the quilt

I know, I really neglected my blog, but I had other, more important, things to do!

Quilting DD got married last friday!!

She's my oldest and the first child getting married.

 

Little did i know how emotional such a day is

 especially when the groom tells his bride how much he loves her. Thanks for waterproof mascara!! Here we all are: me, DH, Biker son and Baking DD...hanky's nearby :)
(pictures by www.bruiloftsgasten.nl)
Quilting DD made lots of comments/jokes that I should make a double weddingring quilt, even before travelling to NY where SoninLaw proposed. I kept saying: no way.
When she was in NY she texted that she bought a batting. I thought it was for a quilt she was working on and told her the batting was too small. She replied: "oh no Mum, I already got a batting for that one, it will be 2.50x2.50 mtr. It has to be, otherwise it won't be big enough for our bed ".
When we layered her quilt a few weeks later, it turned out to be 2.00x2.00 and we kept teasing her with her "big"quilt....

Ofcourse I made her a quilt.... and ofcourse i had to make mine 2.50x2.50 mtr!!

Machine sewn and handquilted, all Kona cottons

I sewed and quilted every day, with an occasional break while waiting for fabric to arrive from the Fabric Shack.

Every day from 3 to 5 I quilted, and from 7 to 11 every evening.

I wore three iron ring thimbles out. I managed to put holes in them. When I bought new ones, the quiltshop owner asked if I perhaps was quilting night and day (jokingly)?? I could only tell her :uhh, yes..

 But I finished in time!

 It took some effort to fold it small enough for the wirebasket

 DD was very surprised and happy with my gift. She didn't expect a big quilt at all because "it's just not possible to do in just a few months"
It can, just keep calm and quilt like mad..
After I finished, I haven't touched a needle. Done with quilting.
I cleaned my sewingroom yesterday. Perhaps I'm ready to enter the quilter's world again in a few weeks.

for this "happily ever after quilt" I used the metro-ring pattern and ruler. I will show and review this in a later post!