The #DeclutterChallenge Day 1

Posted on June 4, 2023 by ginny

I’m a fan of quilter and YouTuber Karen Brown of #JustGetItDoneQuilts.

After months of remodeling chaos, my sewing room is a mess. Time to take out the garbage according to her Day 1 declutter challenge.

youtube.com/watch

Today was the day we had friends and family over to the house to celebrate my husband David’s big birthday. Preparations started early; my in-laws offered to come over at noon to help clear the decks and set up for a pizza party for about 25 adults and a few children. My brother-in-law Mitch came from Phoenix yesterday, and we had a wonderful dinner at Seasons52 as a pre-event warmup. Could we do this socializing thing after months of being holed up in the Pillow Fort of Solitude during the remodeling phase?

Yep. It was fun! But the best part of the party is still when everybody leaves.

The guest room is being converted to a sewing room/computer room; all the sewing stuff was wheeled in there yesterday, and the existing furniture has been repositioned, but my sewing machines are buried, my long-delayed table runner project is under a pile of stuff, and my gaming computer is yet to be set up. Meanwhile, extra furniture comes out tomorrow before work.

But after Mitch gave me an opening with a joke about procrastination, I handed off the Christmas present/housewarming gift that I made last fall, then lost my confidence in actually mailing the box. Their neighbor is a quilter, and my nerve failed at the thought of her seeing my modest efforts.

But Mitch said “Oooh, she’ll love the blues,” so I’m much more certain of the thing, and it’s out of my hands. So now I need to continue with the editing down/culling of my household stuff that this crazy remodel project forced me to face.

Today, I placed some broken, beloved glass things in the recycling bin that my Aunt Veda gave my mom, that I inherited and promptly broke soon after receiving it (actually the cleaning service ladies broke it, but it was in a dangerous spot).

I’ve got more stuff like that of Mom’s that need to be properly placed and used, or let go. That’s in the weeks to come.

For tomorrow, just taking out garbage in the sewing room will be a start.

What A To Do

Posted on December 14, 2022 by ginny

A quilted table runner

On my to-do list tomorrow:

Pack up the gift for Gloria and Mitch and get it in the mail
Ditto Jen
Work on other gifts
Walk outside if not too wet
Add decorations to tree (Christmas is very low key
Sort some laundry

On my not-to-do list:

Lie around all day playing the damn game

UPDATE:

It’s still not in the mail, because of course I started a second, longer one. Also didn’t get Jen’s in the mai. Did sort some laundry. Did not work on other gifts. Damn game.

Easy Fat Quarter Friendly Gift Bags

Posted on December 4, 2022 by ginny

Make reusable gift bags instead of buying gift paper bags on the way to the event and frantically performing Carigami while your spousal/partneric unit drives. More sustainable, but you do need to plan a bit further ahead than “do we have time to stop at Da Jool for a card?”

I made these for my adult nephew for his son, and my adult niece for her daughter. Successfully handed the first one off, then got into Procrastination Mode for the second one, as in “Oh, I want to put more stuff in it before I pack it up and mail it to her down there in WTF Jesusland, IL.”

So it’s still here, and I still don’t have it packed with more stuff. And I’m wondering if she’s in town this weekend, or if I’ll just have to send it priority mail because of course, it’s an 8-day holiday.

But definitely feeling this now, as there are candles in the bag:

Cut 2 outer, 2 inner, 2 Craft Fuse or light fusible 10H X 13W. Fuse outer first, then sew. Notch 2” bottom corners.

I used plain white flannel that I had kicking around for the lining to make a nice soft feel, The outer fabric is stiffer due to the fusible interfacing. Sew 3/8” side seams on outer, 1/2” side seams on inner, can choose to do 1/2” or 1/4” on the very bottom seam for both.

Based on a deconstructed paper bag for the proportions and scratch measurements and this tutorial from Handmadiya.com.

I thought about adding some sew-in hook-and-loop fastenings or a button/elastic closure, but in the end I liked how they looked like Southwestern luminaria with a Judaica twist. A friend gave me the fabric, which was by Riley Blake according to the selvage label.

I may dabble in mask making again… singing without a mask is too damn risky

Posted on May 1, 2022 by ginny

Masks for singers: design specializations for breathability, filtration, fit and acoustics based on the science of singing, particles & COVID.
— Read on makermask.org/constructing-masks-for-singers/amp/

Someone at church contracted Covid during Holy Week; we’ve relaxed mask requirements, but now that seems risky. Especially for those of us in the choir, and though we have “singers’ masks,” they’re not very good. Meanwhile, infection rates are trending upward, a young family member tested positive, and an older family member has an upper respiratory infection (not Covid).

It seems to me that we’ll see a summer spike as people attend large events – we’re traveling, too – and I expect that masks will be needed intermittently.

This pattern looks… hefty but I’ll make some this week and see if it’s more comfortable/less foggy than my current KN95s. I have some 3M N95 masks (“3D style”) arriving tomorrow. I will test one for “singability” and whether my glasses fog up with every sustained note and exhalation.

But I have the right kind of materials to work with:

Tightly woven cotton, especially batik, for the inner layer
Nonwoven polypropylene like Filti or interfacing
A different cotton for the outer layer

Not to mention all the elastic, cord stoppers, and other notions. I took a look at the “burrito method” of construction, which minimizes center seams while adding a channel to insert boning to hold the fabric away from the lips and nostrils. My previous box pleated design kept fabric too close to my lips, my curved design has a vertical central seam.

Here’s a YouTube playlist with the original singer’s mask design, and the updated construction method.

The designer has a Spoonflower account, where I like to browse for quilting fabric for making small projects, so I have to look her up. Her construction method of the original open source pattern actually makes sense.

Quilting Inspiration: Ruler Roll Project by Angela Attwood | Sew Steady

Posted on April 28, 2022 by ginny

Quilting Inspiration: I’m not ready to invest in quilting rulers to make these elaborate stitching designs. But this pattern just gave me a brainstorm about my next project: a table runner and set of placemats, with a self-binding and mitred corners – the top is patterned and folds over to the back, and they would be reversible.

This project will give you creative practice with your Westalee Design Ruler Foot Starter and Sampler Template Sets.
— Read on www.sewsteady.com/product/ruler-roll/

How to Sew Easy Mitered Quilt Binding

Posted on April 26, 2022 by ginny

I’ve spent the last 2 years re-learning how to sew. First as a necessity, to make masks for family and friends, then as a creative outlet while furloughed from my travel job. After returning to work last year, I started getting interested in quilting.

The Spruce Crafts site was extremely comprehensive – every time I looked for info on how to do something, their clear, written tutorials showed up. I looked at this one for a recent project, and although I went with a different method from a video by Jordan Fabrics, this is an excellent starting point and reference.

Bind a quilt with easy mitered corners with step-by-step instructions and illustrations to sew a perfect binding every time.
— Read on www.thesprucecrafts.com/sew-easy-mitered-quilt-binding-2821069

Blogula Rasa

Reality-based in spite of my best efforts

Category Archives: Sewing And Quilting