sewing machine dust cover - tweaked

 

Last year I made a dust cover for my new sewing machine (link). I'd originally attached the 2 thread spool stand to the machine, which meant the dust cover needed to be really big. It was so big our cats liked to sleep on top of it, which crushed it in a bit so needed to be reinforced which made it heavy. I didn't use those spool stands all year and am not sure I will, so recently detached them which meant I needed to adjust the size of the dust cover. It's much lighter now and I doubt the cats will use it for a bed since the top is half the size it had been. This means less cat hair - LOL. 

Believe,

Di

therapy in session

Ordered this fun panel online from Block Party Studios, added some color with fabric markers, framed in fabric and hung on my sewing/craft room door. Didn't realize until just now that the business is located in the small town I grew up in. How cool is that?! 

Believe,

Di

sewing machine dust cover

After finishing my last quilt, I took my 50+ year old Pfaff in for regular cleaning and service. It was a work horse for my mom for many years, then sat idle for several years before I started using it. It's so old though that parts are hard, if not impossible to find, and the throttle had gotten sticky. It was time for a new machine. After countless hours of research, I landed on the Janome Horizon Memory Craft 8200QCP Special Edition. I absolutely love it - happy birthday to me! 

The first project I did was a cover to keep dust off the machine. Rather than use a pattern, I designed the cover myself (nod to Full Bobbin Designs for inspiring how I shaped the machine applique). I wanted a dust cover that would hold its shape, and since my new sewing table was packaged with several foam sheets, I cut and used the foam rather than cardboard. 

I'm quite happy with the results. 

Believe,

Di

fabric art tree

 

Today I finished my fabric art tree - YAY! The center panel, which was the bulk of the work, was done in 2023. The borders were added last year and today I attached the finished piece to sturdy foam board for hanging. It feels good to have a project finished, and I'm pleased with the results. It measures 17.5" x 20".   

Believe,

Di

 

This month's projects were a 12" x 16" throw pillow and a summer nightgown. The pillow was the first time I've ever done piping. The nightgown was my own design after realizing the pattern I'd purchased was going to be far more complicated and time consuming than expected. I've got to say I'm pleasantly surprised and pleased with the results of both projects.

Believe,

Di

my first quilt

 

 

The end of January I started my first quilt, intentionally starting small and simple.  My research lead me to try a jelly roll style quilt-as-you-go approach. This is a 3' x 4' lap quilt of my own design, using scraps, clearance pieces and some fat quarters I couldn't resist. The entire process (well, except the iron burn on my finger the last 15 minutes before I finished - lol!) was so much fun! I can't wait to make another one!  

Believe,

Di

new bedding

I'm mesmerized by the cosmos and hubby is a fan too, so when I came across this colorful sheet set I instantly ordered it. When we switched from a queen bed to a king I looked for a bed cover I liked, but didn't find anything. That's when I decided to convert the queen sheet set to a king bed cover with pillow shams. I found a navy king quilt, cut the flat sheet so the quilt border was the same size all around and attached it to the quilt. Next up were the pillow shams. The project took most of January, fitting in a few hours each weekend, but it's done and we're both pleased with the results. Oh! And here's a 'before' photo of the sheets piled on the new folding sewing table hubby built for me. Love it and him! ♥ 

Believe,
Di

rain means craft time!

It's been over a month since I posted, but that's to be expected this time of year. Spring means yard work and gardening, which means less time for crafting. Today it's been raining off and on so I finally made it into the craft room. It was tough getting started (I'm out of practice), but ultimately I had fun making these simple cards. 

Oh, and a couple weekends ago, upon request, I made a couple face masks with ties. I didn't feel like making the ties out of fabric, so instead used shoe laces - a quick and easy route to go. 

 

improvisational quilting, face masks and a pendant

These are the improvisational quilt squares I made the end of March. Lots of room for improvement, but all in all not bad for my very first attempts. I like the randomness of the gray one. I'll probably make pillows out of these. Then again, who knows? 

Next up are a few of the face masks I've been making the past couple weekends for friends and family. I exhausted my elastic supply and it's nearly impossible to score online, let alone locally. Luckily a friend had extra and dropped off a few yards for me today, so I can make a few more. I've heard hair ties work too, so I might have to try using them when this elastic is gone. 

Lastly, when I initially ran out of elastic, I took a sewing break and created this pendant. I'd made the front a while back, but didn't add the back and bail until this weekend. 
 
 

all stitched up

I'm pleased to say my first beaded fabric landscape collage (boy, is that a mouthful) is complete. Is it perfect? Ha! Far from it. Am I happy with it? You bet I am. I dove in and saw this project through to completion, even though there were times when I questioned my sanity. The point is I tried something new, experimented, watched videos for tips (especially helpful for the binding, which I ripped out and started over more than once) and didn't overthink things like I have a tendency to do. I learned a lot on this project but more importantly, had fun and am eager to try my hand at another one. 

decisions

I finished beading the sun this week and debated whether to stop there, making the sun the one focal point, or continue beading other parts of the collage (and if so, which other parts). Knowing when to stop and when to keep going has always been a challenge when I create. As I pondered what to do, I realized if I stopped, I'd never know if adding more would've improved it. If I add more and don't like it, I can undo it or toss it. At least I'll have tried and in the process, practiced the skills I'm seeking to improve. My theme this year is practice, so the decision was then easy. I kept beading. I don't yet know if I like it, but I'm not done. 😉

beaded fabric landscape collage

This is my current WIP - beading a landscape fabric collage. It's my first venture into sewing (other than mending) for many, many years. A friend who quilts gifted the fabric scraps to me, I watched a couple instructional videos and got started. Once the fabric was all sewn, I decided it needed more oomph so out came the seed beads! I haven't applied seed beads to fabric for over 30 years. 

My mom was an excellent seamstress and I now have her machine alongside mine. I feel her with me as I venture back into sewing, and I remember the younger, more carefree me as I bead. The project is not just fun, but therapeutic.

old jeans are meant for gardening

It will soon be time to start gardening. YAY! I love spending time outside in the garden and doing yard work. This past weekend was nice enough I could get out there and start cleaning things up. That's when I noticed the condition of my gardening attire. When my jeans are no longer nice enough to wear out and about, they become gardening attire. As you can see by the photo above, I don't give up on them easily. Rather, I mend as many times as I can to get the most wear of out them. Do you do this too? 

Tonight as I sat down to mend four pairs, I was thankful that I'd set up a little sewing station in my craft room. While I don't sew things often, when I do, it's so much easy to just pull up a chair and get started without having to lug everything out like I used to do. The jeans were mended (good enough, anyway) in just a short amount of time which left plenty of time for me to enjoy a leisurely supper with my hubby. Ahh... life is good! 

Hope you're enjoying your life too! 

Believe, 

Di

let's table it

A couple months ago I found this folding sewing machine table at a local thrift store (one that supports animals in need, something near and dear to me). I mulled it over and decided it would improve the odds I'd sew more since my current setup is impractical (click here to see where I had been using the machine -- it's covered with navy fabric behind the pasta maker [for clay] and bench vice at the far right of the photo). 

To my joy, the table was still for sale when I returned a couple weeks ago, and this time, 50% off. It wasn't until I got it home that I realized it's a Pfaff table (which is why it's exactly like the one my Mom used with her Pfaff machine when I was growing up in the 60s and 70s). I have a Kenmore machine - an oldie from the 80s but it still works fine. Lucky for me my hubby is handy since my Kenmore didn't fit on the table. Hubby modified the table and I'm in business! Well, I will be once I rearrange the studio to accommodate this purchase. Woo-Hoo! I love to reorganize my craft room -- it gets me all stoked to create. This weekend can't come fast enough (grinning with eager anticipation). 

In the meantime, I want to wish you all a safe, healthy and freakin' fantastic 2014! 

Believe, 

Di

repurposed table cloth

What do you do with your table cloths when you replace your old round kitchen table with a rectangular one? Make napkins from the ones you love best and donate the rest! This project couldn't have been simpler and I just love the results. Oh, and a shout out to my old Kenmore sewing machine. It was purchased in the late '80s and still works like a charm. 

What was your latest 'repurposing' project? 

Believe, 
Di