Wednesday, May 10, 2006

My baby grew up and flew away...

Ah, breaking up with a project is hard to do. Do you find that to be true? I make tee shirt quilts and sometimes other items for folks on commission or just for fun. I've been working on a tee shirt quilt since February and yesterday, it took off for Texas, to its new home. The process is a long one, from birth to flight, but worth every minute. I start with plain muslin, tee shirts, and an accent fabric to tie it all together, and lots of thread and batting. I make them all in a quilt-as-you go manner. I've never mastered the art of traditional quilting with a frame, so this makes it easier for me to complete a project rather than making a quilt top and going "What now?"
The birth of a project, be it tee shirt quilt or item of clothing takes place in my mind - with an idea. My newest ideas involve making clothing for little girls. I loved sewing for my daughter. I've been picking up patterns from days gone by and using fabrics I have on hand to make outfits. I finished an outfit today that I'm not 100% happy with, but I need to look at it a while and decide what I'm going to do with it. It's made from a feedsack fabric quilt top in odd colors. The quilt was hand sewn, so I reinforced all the seams with zig-zag stitching, then fully lined the skirt and vest with a blend. Both the vest and the skirt have pom-pom trim on them to keep with the retro look. I also made a small "purse" to go with the outfit, and for the button on the purse, I used one of the pom-poms. My plan is to make a similar outfit for an 18" doll to go with it and then sell the whole set. I haven't cut out the doll outfit yet. That's for tomorrow or the next day or the next day.
Regardless of what project I undertake, I know that some day it will be done. Whether I keep it or it goes elsewhere, there's always that odd feeling of complete. It's done. What do I do now? What should I do next? What idea is bouncing around up there in the brain that needs to be unleashed on my stash and Berninas? I'm sure one of them will come bouncing out of my head soon. In fact, I'm meeting with someone Friday who wants a memory quilt made out of her grandparents' clothing. I'm thinking Dresden Plate, but then..... who knows!

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