More pillows

Why not Dale Earnhardt? Surely a ham bag pillow with a NASCAR king's name on it is worth a little something, right?

If not, a Smokehouse Brand ham bag will do the trick.

Always sewing something!

Christmas Projects

I've been a little obsessed with fabric folding lately. I've been here before - Styrofoam, pins, fabric squares, and Elmer's to put on the tip of the pins when I place the fabric on the form. I started with two egg shapes this year. I covered them with two Christmas fabrics, cut off the bottoms so they sit flat, and added cording to the bottom to tie together all the colors. 

 

Then came the wreath. Oh my, the wreath. I had a lot of 1-1/2" strips of Christmas fabric a friend had given me, so I cut them into 1-1/2" squares and decided to do fabric folding on a wreath form. This took a lot longer than I thought it would, but I finished it and it is indeed on my door! (I want to redo the ribbon at a later date, though.) There are approximately 1600 applique pins and 800 squares of fabric, along with the red ribbon and a small wreath that my sister had, which I hung in the center to give the wreath a more completed look. 

I will fold more fabric, I'm sure, but my second obsession has been making ham bag pillows. I've made 6. Now what do I do with them? Here are two:

The second on is actually a vintage sugar bag, but it's the same concept.  

I'm sure there will be more sewing and fabric obsessions in the year ahead. I'll be decking out a new sewing area and that means organizing fabrics again, and again! Which ones will spark my creativity? 

Oh yeah, I did make a pair of slacks in between projects. 

There's always more to sew.

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's hoping Santa brings you lots of fun sewing stuff!

Last year's Christmas pillow made from a Christmas skirt I had made for an ugly sweater party the year before. See what I mean? One thing leads to another! 

Just a few sewing quotes to which we all can relate

"A good use for me is to let me go away with my sewing machine and come back with some really new stuff."

Betsey Johnson

"I preferred sewing to bossing little children."

Mother Jones

"I remember an old Singer sewing machine at home that belonged to my grandmother. It had a pedal. My mom taught me how to use it when I was 12 years old. I used to find it so intriguing, how a flat piece of material could be made into an object that had so many uses."

Bibhu Mohapatra

"When I moved out of my mom's house at 18 I was almost as sad to leave her sewing machine behind as anything else."

Beth Ditto

"My mother had a sewing machine. I was never allowed to use it, but I was so fascinated by this little needle going up and down joining fabric together that I'd use it when my mother went out to feed the chickens."

Philip Treacy

You can find these and more at BrainyQuote.com 

100 Bags for Child Development Resources - Done

Pink Sponge Bob x4, Care Bears, teddy bears, Blue Sponge Bob, Bullwinkle x3

Green Sponge Bob x2, Lion King, Hawaiian x2, Golf x2, wacky colors x2, Butterflies

I hope the kids served by Child Development Resources enjoy their library bags. The note enclosed also suggests they can use the bag for toys, clothes, or whatever.

As for the de-stashing that comes along with making 100 tote bags, I used approximately 44 yards long x 20" wide fabric, including pockets and lining. As well, 3600" of webbing for the handles was used, some of it donated. I went through several spools of thread that have been hanging out, and that's a good feeling too.

I highly recommend taking on a civic project. Set a goal and just get it done. Why not?

Next up? Who knows. I think it's time to focus on sewing for me again.

CDR Bags 61-80

Dang - only 20 to go!

Snakes x2, dog bones, stars x4, rainbow Pooh x2, and rabbits.

Puppies and kittens x2, Raggedy Ann and Andy x4, sky and clouds, and lizards x3.

Hard to believe I'm almost done. My next post should be just before I donate them to the organization!

CDR Bags 51-60

On the back side of 50!

Rodeo, doll panels x3, sundaes and doughnuts x2, deer, puppies x2, and an upholstery remnant bag with doily attached to each side. 

The project continues as does the stash busting.

40 to go, most of which I've already cut out. 

CDR Bags 41-50

Been sewing, I have. Here are the fruits of my labor:

Soccer x2, cows x3, school x2, fire department x2, and a Charlie Brown bag. 

Halfway done!

50 to go.