Sew Happy, Volume 2

Part two of my ongoing sewing series and a glimpse of more completed projects since

Volume 1.

1. My stack n' whack quilt is finally done. I've had the top done for a while, but I took a while getting it to Felicia to quilt it.

I took this class way back when Mom had the quilt shop, and she picked out this fabric:

Wild, huh? Something I wouldn't have chosen, but now that it's put together, I love it! Stack n' whack quilts look better with more bold and pronounced patterns and a large pattern repeat. In the end, it creates a kaleidoscope look.

Here's the back...

...and a close-up of the quilting - all swirls and banana leaves.

2. Another venture was a t-shirt quilt.

In the past, for some reason I thought these were kind of tacky. But I had a whole space bag under my bed of full of t-shirts that I didn't wear anymore but that had enough sentimental value that I didn't want to get rid of them. Yes, I actually used to run, so most of the shirts are from races, and there are some other random ones mixed in. I didn't use a pattern but just decided to iron on a thick interfacing to stabilize each one and then cut them each in a 13" square so that with 1/2" seam, the finished size was 12" square. I found a fun black and white print for the sashing and a tomato red for the corner blocks.

The back is a quarter-turned pieced red flannel with stripes.

I didn't want to quilt the whole thing, but I also didn't want the traditional yarn ties that get balled up after you wash it. So I (with the help of Mom, Gerilyn and LaRinda) used extra long doll-making needles to tie it every 3" with a crow's foot knot...no loose ends as the yarn is fished through the layers of fabric and batting. It's so soft and great for picnics, as well as a walk down memory lane for me. :-)

3. For Christmas I made Matt's sister a table runner. The pattern is called Odd Fellow's Star and the finished size is only 12" x 36" so the pieces are pretty small. Foundation piecing is one of my favorite ways to piece, mainly because there's no cutting out patterns or tracing templates. It's like paint-by-number but with fabric.

4. Finally, here is the latest addition to Lydia's wardrobe.

I used some of my stash to make this dress using the pattern from this book:

So I didn't even have to buy any fabric (Matt was happy about that!). I love this book, and I can't wait to make more things. As a recommendation, if you're considering getting this book, make sure you have experience sewing and are familiar with sewing techniques. I had to make a couple of adjustments so that it made sense to me.


That's all for now...until the next Sew Happy installment!