Pillowcases for days

Remember this assload of fabric waiting to be sewn into pillowcases? It sat on the dining room chair for months while I felt guilty because I'm the idiot that volunteered for the project but meanwhile doing everything but getting them sewn. Enough guilt already, the fabric needed to go away. I serged at least 70 pillowcases. Why the hell was I procrastinating? This is fast and easy, if not a little noisy.

Next, I turned under the open edge twice to sew border. As you know, ironing is key for crisp edges and consistent borders so the assembly line speed realllllly slowed down at this point.

Thinking a contrasting thread would be interesting; straight stitched.

The gingham fabric is a lower quality blend so it slips and slides, thus, straight stitch shows every inaccuracy. Zigzag is better and kinda cute.

After doing 10 or so, I realized I might need help. A couple chicks in my volunteer group offered to help months ago so I sucked up my pride and asked if their offer still stood. Of course! Yay, new sewing friends!!

Miss Sanford (remember her fabulous refinished bar?) took 25 pillowcases and then taunted me with phone photos of her fun stitches! She was having a blast with her fancy schmancy sewing machine's decorative stitches. Miss Sanford had never taken the time to try all the stitches and enjoyed seeing them stitched out on the pillowcases! It's a win, win. Take a look at just a few of her good time with gingham samples.

Duh! With 25 remaining instead of 70, I took Miss Sanford's lead and tried some decorative stitches myself.

I've said it before, I'll say it again:
Necessity is the mother(fucker) of invention.
One of my stitches totally chewed through the fabric, forcing me to cut it out from the presser foot. I trimmed the hole including the three layers of fabric but there wasn't enough fabric to refold the edge again. Bias tape to the rescue! Dang, wouldn't you know it? It was the very last pillowcase! AND the cutest of my batch!

Unable to stop, I experimented with tone-on-tone accent stitching on a white flannel sheet. Next time I'll try a wing needle. Have fun with your decorative stitches!

Easiest scarf ever

Saw a cute gingham scarf tutorial on the I Heart Linen blog and the very next day, Mom called me from Hobby Lobby to ask if I needed anything while she was there. Gingham, please! I wanna make some scarves!
That day was cold and rainy so suppose the gingham happy spring colors didn't grab her. Instead she grabbed 2 yards each of 2 tan and black print fabrics. One check, the other plaid. Love plaid and tartan, don't ya know.
Cut 8 scarves 2 yards in length and about 8 to 10 inches in width. In little time, all scarves were fringed and I had a large ball of thread on my lap. My fringe tips:

• use a straight pin


• stick pin in the middle of fringe edge


• separate 1 or 2 threads


• drag pin away from fabric until threads are free


• repeat repeat repeat


• match fringe length on opposite side

Instead of following the directions and folding over the long edges twice, I simply ran a straight stitch. It kinda disappears when the edges roll over while wearing.

Super fast, super cheap and super easy.
(Just like your ma!)
:-)

I talk a good game but

in the end, I am a wuss.
Back when I didn't know how to sew anything but straight lines, folks were wanting to bring over their pants for hemming. (I still don't hem my own pants because I don't want to "learn" on my stuff and ruin them!) It was easy to tell folks I didn't know how to sew their stuff but meanwhile, I was plying all my friends with my latest sewing projects. Plastic bag dispensers, tote bags, pillows, tissue cozies - you name it.
It finally became clear what that Victorian lady meant when she said ladies shouldn't reveal if they can sew. I get it now. I made the rule that if you want me to sew for you, then be prepared to sit right alongside of me and keep me company. That rule has not been followed and it is all my fault because I have no concept of how long a sewing task will take.
Elizabeth's valances, Kay's curtains and RikkiTikkiTavi's red tulle tutu - my big mouth volunteered to help and then later, sitting all by myself in the Skitzo Leezra Studio, I wonder why I get myself into these messes.
Take a big old gander at the latest mess I landed in. I offered to sew pillowcases for my volunteer organization's committee that provides items to foster children. Easy, right? Fold over one long side, sew 2 seams, fold under and top stitch the open edge.
Prototype delivered. Committee approved. Materials purchased.
Look what I found on my front porch last week.

I love my serger

When I was new to sewing and only making pillows and pillowcases, I didn't know anything about seam finishing. This weekend, while doing laundry, I spied some nasty unfinished seams on my gingham pillowcases and immediately serged the ragged edges. All better now.

Reverse applique tutorial

on a baby onesie.

This is my first attempt!

Draw or trace desired image with water soluble pen.

Cut a piece of fabric larger than your image and

pin it to the underside of your drawn image.

Sew along your drawn lines.

I used a modified zig-zag stitch.

Trim fabric from back of image.

Trim fabric from top. Use small scissor,

cut carefully and SLOWLY!

Spritz the pen markings to remove blue lines.

It will look even better after laundering

because the knit edges will roll back.
T-shirt knit fabric would give more stretch

than the appliqued gingham.

Curtains, valances and skirts - oh my!

My friend Elizabeth just moved, wanted new window treatments and totally played me for being the better sewing girl of us two. Anywho, I fell for the bait and made a few simple window treatments and am impressed. While Elizabeth and I have never-to-be-doubted fabulous taste, we cannot seem to measure for shit so every fabric had to be pieced and lined with other fabric because we purchased too little yardage. How much fabric did I have left over? NONE! Please to enjoy, photos of curtains below.

Waverly "Pretty Paisley" and gingham

Burlap and black gingham