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I had the great fun of being in @brendagaelsmithâs Strip Ease workshop last night, through my guild, @baltimoremqg. Iâve been wanting to explore sewing improv gentle curves for a long time and Brenda was a phenomenal teacher. Through the wonder of the Internet, Brenda was in Australia, we were in the US, we had a 16-hour time difference and we all had fun sewing together! I am making blocks to go with my HST blocks that I started five years ago as part of a sew-along from @blossomheartquilts. Iâm using quilterâs flannel that I impulsively bought way too much of many years ago. Iâm determined to finish this year! đBags 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. đI 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¸The end of 2020 is nigh and I managed to share barely any of what I sewed this year. The pandemic drove me outside for solace rather than to my sewing room so I didnât sew as much as I might have otherwise. (And, to be clear, this is not something that Iâm sad about. Being outside really fed my soul this year.) But, I did manage to finish three more baby quilts to donate through the @baltimoremqg, thanks to @sewsobrightâs coordination.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!âđđđAs 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¸Today, I am adding my voice to the much more eloquent chorus of many others to say that Black lives matter. It feels incredibly inadequate to say only that but itâs a start. .My front porch flowers are bringing me so much joy. Perhaps theyâll bring some into your day too? đItâs my first 2020 garden harvest! A good sized bunch of radishes, one carrot that overwintered (I doubt itâs going to be edible), and a really delicious assortment of baby greens for salad - it all makes me happy! My peas are taking forever to grow this year so I donât know that weâre going to get many out of them, but thatâs OK. My yard and garden have been my solace and my sanity the past two months. #salmonandsouvlakigardens #organicgardening #growwhatyoueat #baltimoregardenItâs asparagus season!! Woo hoo! We havenât had a functional oven during asparagus season since 2016 and so we celebrated by making our very most favorite way to eat asparagus! (Recipe from @smittenkitchen.) Itâs been four years since weâve eaten asparagus pizza and it was just as good as we remembered. đ We also enjoyed an all-local salad as well as another mustard-y hot dog pizza. Swipe to the last picture for the golden beet fritters that rounded out our meal. .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 #theperfectloafDonated this set of 34 masks to @fablabbaltimore for their work with Housing Our Neighbors, helping those who are experiencing homelessness. Many thanks to @createdomesticity for stocking twill tape, and also for the front porch delivery! â¤ď¸ Thanks also to @makergonnamake for her work on this project! (And please contact her if youâre able to help make masks or donate supplies or money!) #salmonandsouvlakisews #domesticitymasketeers #charmcitysewcial #bmqgsewcialdistancing #ilovebaltimoreCategories
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Tag Archives: Finish It Up Friday
Finish It Up Friday 2016: Update #5: A Beautiful Table and A Beautiful Kitchen!
I appear to be settling into a every-other-week reporting groove! đ 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 … Continue reading
Finish It Up Friday 2016: Update #4: Will Those Birds Eat the Corn?
I am obliterating my to-sew list! Here’s what I accomplished over the past couple weeks. I made eight corn sacks (portable heating pads) – three on commission and five as presents for people who have been really kind to our … Continue reading
Finish It Up Friday 2016: Update #3: All Construction, All The Time
Thanks to all our at-home time due to Jonas, I got a good bit of sewing done. Here’s what I crossed off my list: I sewed all three of these baby blankets on Saturday as the snow came down. đ … Continue reading
Finish It Up Friday 2016: Update #2: Does Moving My Sewing Room Count as a Finish?
Over the past two weeks, we’ve had to completely empty out our upstairs (other than one closet, which I was able to pack totally full) in preparation for some home renovations. We’re hoping that the work won’t take much longer … Continue reading
Finish It Up Friday 2016: Update #1: Making Progress and Keeping Secrets
If you haven’t done so already, Ellie would love your vote for your favorite farm animal! đ I made a lot of progress this week! (See the second half of the post for my book progress.) Here’s what I accomplished: … Continue reading
Finish It Up Friday 2016: You Know What They Say About the Shoemaker’s Children, Right?
Updated 1/9/16 – I split the sewing list into two sections plus added more things to the “currently in progress” section. I’ve decided to embrace the fact that I need some public accountability to help me get certain sewing projects … Continue reading
Finish It Up Friday – Final Update of 2015 (don’t fall over in shock)
I know, I know, you thought this would never happen, but it has. I finished sewing our dining room Roman shades! Please don’t fall over in shock after reading read this. I know, I know, I have been writing about … Continue reading
May 2014/April-May 2015 Sewing: A [really imperfect] Table Runner
Last May, I decided that our table runner needed some help. I had brought it home as a souvenir of our amazing trip to Greece in 2008. I loved the ribbon embroidery on it and using it brought back all … Continue reading
2014/2015 Sewing: Mark’s Doll is Finished (AT LAST!!)
I started the doll head in July, creepy alien eyes, part way through needle felting the wool ball that is the head’s base. (See this post about Ellie’s doll for more about making the head.) sewed the clothes in July, … Continue reading
Posted in Mark, sewing
Tagged braided doll hair, Finish It Up Friday, Growing Up Sew Liberated, Little Amigo doll, waldorf doll
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Finish Up Friday: 2015 Edition, Update #2 – FIVE Shades of Grey (gray?)!
In an effort to redeem a lovely color from the exploitation and awfulness being perpetuated under its banner, this week, I present to you, “Five Shades of Grey.” (As, always, my debate is “gray” or “grey”?) What I accomplished this … Continue reading
