I appear to be settling into a every-other-week reporting groove! 🙂

I managed to cross two more things off my list!  First, I sewed a tablecloth for our table, which was ordered and delivered during Mark’s pregnancy. It’s pretty big so I decided to just sew a tablecloth rather than try to buy one.  I bought the fabric when Mark was four months old and so it’s about time I actually sewed it!

I had to piece together three lengths of the fabric in order to get the width I needed.  I finished all the inner edges with a narrow hem and I love how cleanly that finished it.

The majority of the sewing for this project was B O R I N G but I did learn one new skill: mitered corners! I followed this tutorial (with modified hem widths) and look how gorgeous corners turn out when you do them this way!

before mitering

after – a miracle!

I’m also crazy and decided to do five lines of top-stitching on the hem for a bit of subtle visual interest – that’s 1,720 inches of top-stitching.  It took me almost an hour to do it.  Did I mention I’m crazy?

what pushing almost six yards of fabric through for hemming looks like (boring)…

…but ooo, I love those corners!

The inner-tablecloth seams show up a little more than I want them too so I may just cover the table in quilt batting before I use it for the full effect.  All in all, it turned out just how I wanted it to and I’m glad to have it done! I also have enough fabric left to make napkins so I will do that soon (as in, I’m determined to make them in 2016!).

I also managed to finish two potholders for our kitchen.  They deserve their own blog post but here’s a sneak peak to whet your appetite!

Check out my Instagram feed if you want more pictures of these…

I’m putting this list on hold now because Easter will be here in just a month and I have some fun garment sewing plans for the whole family that I must get to work on! 🙂  I’ll take up the bathroom curtain and shades in April.

Items to sew after Easter

1. Actually get the dining room shades installed – clearly I should not have allowed myself to cross that one off the list.
2. Design and sew a new bathroom curtain and fix the bathroom bath mats too.

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I read First Impressions (an Amish, Christian, modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice) almost two weeks ago.  It was a surprisingly entertaining and fun easy read for my Sunday afternoon (and then I stayed up way to late to finish it).  It’s already even been returned to its owner! I’m currently reading Creed or Chaos? (for Classics Club) but haven’t finished it yet.  I also decided to take Road Song off the list and return it to my friend.

Books still to read:

Books borrowed from friends and family (looking better):

1. The Wisdom of Stability by Wilson Hargrove
2. That Distant Land by Wendell Berry
3. Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry (currently reading)
4. Creed or Chaos? by Dorothy Sayers (currently reading – for Classics Club)

Books we own:

1. The Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris (I’ve been almost done with this for probably two years and it’s SO good but somehow, I haven’t read that last quarter or so of it.)
2. Gender and Grace by Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen (I read this in college but I’d like to read it again.)
3. Intimate Allies by Dan Allender and Tremper Longman

I’m linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts and Finish It Up Friday.