Bags are my true sewing love and this year I got to sew two of them! The first, a vastly simplified #sidekicktote from @noodlehead531, sewn in May. This is the second time Iâve made this pattern, and also the second time I used this group of fabrics (itâs actually the fifth bag Iâve made for myself with these fabrics!) The pattern has all kinds of cool features, which were a big part of why I purchased the pattern in the first place. But I ended up not really taking advantage of them with my first bag (which I wore out from constant use) and so, for ease and quickness, I just left them out of this bag. I added a bit of English paper piecing to the front for fun. đ
I also sewed a whole bunch of masks, a few of those I did manage to share pictures of back in April. at some point, I lost track of the precise number that I made but I think it was around 175. I did one final push to make around 110 and after I finish those, I decided I didnât like feeling like a factory. đI donated the majority of them and was glad to be able to use up a whole bunch of fabric that I didnât want anymore in pursuit of providing a way to help keep people safe. I also finished up mending a rag rug which my kids made for me (with my MILâs help) from their toddler clothes. And finally, I sewed eight flannel baby blankets because pandemic or not, people just keep on having babies! â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸
âHey kids! Let me tell you a story about the time that your grandma (who sometimes lost all track of reason when it came to sewing and Christmas) finally managed to sew stockings for her children, even though they werenât even close to babies anymore. And then, after they were sewn, she loved the way they looked but she realized they were so small she couldnât even fit a baby orange in the toe. (What was she thinking when she designed them?!?!) And meanwhile, she had only sewn your grandpa the worldâs most pitiful barely-a-stocking stocking. So a couple years later, she decided that now that her oldest child was in double digits, she should really be sure that everybody had as big and nice of stockings as she did, thanks to her grandma (who, by the way is your great-great-grandma!). But, she was sad to lose the original beautiful tiny stockings she had made. So she ripped them apart, made big stockings (patterned off of the one her grandma had sewn for her) and then sewed the little stockings on top of them! Plus she managed to sew her husband a real stocking too! And thatâs the story of how I have perhaps the worldâs weirdest stocking. But isnât it great, just the same?! Merry Christmas!âđđđ
As has been my practice for the past four years, I made a Christmas pillow for my mother-in-lawâs early December birthday. This year, I decided to make two blocks, paper pieced and from the original #splendidsampler. My original plan was to make two complimentary pillows but I only got one of them done in time for her birthday (was literally hiding in the bedroom finishing up hand sewing the binding, five minutes before we gave it to her! đ) so we are giving her the other one for Christmas. The pillows are approx. 13âx17â, A totally cute size. All this fabric came from my stash and itâs a good thing that my mother-in-lawâs living room is now full to the brim with Christmas pillows because I have pretty much used up this particular set of fabrics. đ it wasnât until I had almost finished quilting the first pillow, that I realized I had inadvertently chosen one pattern that made an X and the other pattern that make an O. So I managed to make two âhugs and kissesâ pillows for a wonderful woman. â¤ď¸
In non-mask making news, we have continued our #quarantinebaking adventures and I just remembered I forgot to post pictures! On Easter weekend, we made homemade pizza and pita on Good Friday and then I made sourdough cinnamon rolls for Easter brunch. I used the sourdough pizza dough recipe and sourdough cinnamon rolls recipe from @maurizio. His instructions are impeccable; I am a rebel and donât follow all of them; and the final product is still great. đ We made several different kinds of pizza but the one pictured is a fancy hot dog pizza that Nik had at a gourmet pizza restaurant once. Itâs a Dijon mustard sauce with hot dogs, pickles, cheddar cheese, and raw onion as toppings. It might sound weird but it is surprisingly super delicious! #salmonandsouvlakibakes #sourdoughcinnamonrolls #homemadepizza #sourdoughpizza #hotdogpizza #theperfectloaf
it was so good to talk to you for a wee bit today…thanks for calling đ