I think I’m reading to make a tshirt quilt. I have no idea how to start, but I have lots of tshirts to use. I’m finally ready to seriously give up wearing only old concert/college shirts and figure I better put them to good use. I have several Kenny Chesney shirts (no laughing, he’s a cutie!), a favorite college shirt and one from a Sugar Ray concert.  I used to love them, and Mark McGrath is a cutie too - plus we went to the concert when I was about seven months pregnant with Alice!

I’m thinking various blocks surrounding the logos/whatever piece of the shirt I use, plus some other blocks. For some reason I’ve really been loving sparrows lately (did you know Mark has sparrows tattoo’d on his shoulders? Very cool!) and was thinking maybe an embroidered or appliquéd sparrow block? I think I’ll have my Mom help cut the shirts so I will stop wearing them, plus she can help me figure other blocks out.

I’m excited! I’ve been wanting to make a shirt quilt or a quilt made out of clothes for ages now! I have a few things of the kids saved and wanted to make them each a quilt from their clothes too but never did. I’m not sure if I’m ready for that yet, one quilt at a time I think.

Another post from my wonderful Mom! She cross stitched/embroidered pillow cases for Alice to go with her quilt. The edge was raw and we found matching ribbon in my ribbon stash. I’m not sure if you can tell on the picture but the ribbon background is brown and the flowers are pink and orange - perfect match! I finished one of the edges last week and then the second one over the weekend. It wasn’t too hard once I managed to coax my sewing machine into sewing longer stitches.

When my Mom came to visit she brought the kids quilts she made for them. I’m not sure when she started collecting the fabric for them but she collected various flower fabrics for Alice’s quilt and ocean fabrics for Jake’s. She got them done and quilted and they are now here and the kids have been using them every day.

Alice’s Flower Quilt

Jake’s Ocean Quilt

I kind of went crazy with the watermarks, but that’s okay! Aren’t they beautiful? My Mom is so talented!

Mom has only visited a couple of times but whenever she does I end up with projects to finish or start. Way back when I was pregnant with Alice I discovered ebay and their craft/sewing section. Before I realized what I was doing (hahaha) I bought a bunch of already cut material. All these years later, I’ve only ever used a few of them a few years ago for pillows for my Dad. This visit Mom encouraged me to get them out and make something with them and I found four packets of 2inch squares. They were a rainbow of colors and I thought a spiral pattern would look cool.

Here is the squares laid out and then one square already done. I have a large piece of white felt hung up on the wall to layout material - I’m not sure where I read about that tip but it is a great one. The only reason there are pins in the top left row is because I hadn’t ironed down the seams and the fan was on so it kept falling off, otherwise material stays on there so well.
Can you see the spiral? Start at the top left corner and then go! I have extra squares that I took out of the layout and will probably use them as a border of sorts. I’m not sure what I am going to make but I felt so good getting back into sewing. It didn’t take too long to make these two squares and I am hoping to get the other two done today. Mom is coming back next week and I am going to have her help me figure out border material and how to put it together. Since they are 2 inch squares the end result is 1 1/2 inches and then all together that is what, 7 1/2 inches square? That’s not too big. I probably won’t make a blanket but maybe a wall hanging for the craft room? I haven’t decided.
I have these same squares in 1 1/2 inch size but I’m really not sure what to do with them. Maybe I can use them as a border as well?

I feel very spoiled.

Because of the layout of the house we turned one of the bedrooms into an office (which really is just a desk since we got the laptop a few months ago) and my sewing/craft/homeschool room. Which is more to say it is a very pretty, nicely organized storage area. I have all of this space available to me and I am not using it the best that I can!

I decided to change that today. I started cleaning off the sewing desk so I could sew a few things. I need to work on a rag quilt that I’ve had the material for, for YEARS…like three or four. I also want to make Alice a few easy dresses for the fall. And I have so many other projects in mind!

So I took all of the baskets and stuff piled on the desk and sorted it out. It was good timing as the electricity picked that moment to go out for about a half hour or so. The kids played checkers and cards while I sorted screws, beads, finished projects and Chris’ uniform items. Once that was done, I had three empty baskets! I’m sure they’ll be used very soon though.

Tomorrow I am going to move my pictures and prints (they are stacked up next to the sewing area) and get the two huge boxes of material out and see what I have. I’m sure I have plenty and could make more then a few dresses. I’m excited! I have a designated area for my stamping and card making and really need to use our space better. We are lucky to have a house this big and I doubt it’ll happen again for a very long time, might as well take advantage while we can!

Of course this helps get the home school stuff situated - it’s just about that time you know.

My Mom sent us a sock puppet kit for Christmas last year and we made one and then never got around to making the other. It wasn’t too hard to figure out though I remember it taking a little while. So here is Fluffy! You can’t see but he also has a belly button because, duh, everyone has a belly button! He has mismatched eyes too but they are the same size, which I guess was more important to Alice then them matching colors! You were supposed to cut a tie and put that coming out of the top of his head but the only ties we have are ones that Chris just bought and there was no way we were cutting them up - so it is a ribbon. The ribbon kind of hangs in Fluffy’s face, but he doesn’t mind. It distracts from him not smiling I think.

Most of the time Alice or Jake sleeps with him, or he has a special place on Alice’s bookcase. Now there is a gift that she still loves too, Fluffy. She wants to make more but we just haven’t. Maybe we’ll do that this weekend, Fluffy does need a friend.

After driving by a sewing store every single time I go into town, I finally stopped this afternoon. I grabbed their newsletters which has the class schedule and ignored the prices for the time being. It stinks that I can’t bring kids to the classes with me, I let Alice ‘help’ when I have my machine out and she loves it. She even has her own kid sewing machine plus just a mini sewing machine, both of which are still in their box!

I’m debating trying to find someone to take a class with me. It would have to be someone who already sews because I think they expect that if you sign up for other then the beginning classes - but I don’t know anyone who does! I’d love to find someone to go with so I could have them to visit with during the class. And yes, seeing all of the older women in the shop does lean that debate to the ‘yes find someone’ side. Don’t get me wrong, I love going to a class or store with my own Mom, but being the youngest in that shop yesterday was a big odd. I know that while sewing is cool, hip and fun in other areas - now if I could just move to one of those areas!

The shop did have a lot of cute projects hung up - lap quilts and a LOT of baby clothes. I’ve told Chris I want to use cloth diapers with this baby and they had cute diaper covers. I have a lot of patterns of kids clothes that I always meant to make - but I never did any of them. I should, Alice could definitely use cute dresses.

Have you ever taken a sewing class? Have you done it alone? I’m not afraid to go by myself, but it would be nice to have a friend with me!