Doggie Scrap Quilt Completed...Happy New Year All...

 

Perhaps the final scrappy quilt for awhile....this is my granddoggie's new quilt. He will now use his quilt whenever he wants it!!  I had a lot of fun with these scrappy quilts and used a lot of scraps...I had to get this post in before the end of the year. This has been a different and busy year, and I wish the best for everyone in 2022.

Little Kitty Quilts

 

 

So - instead of a large quilt I decided to do six small cat quilts in my effort to use up scraps and remnants. Large quilts are not fun to quilt because my space is more confined than it once was in the sewing area.  So I did the cat quilties and now three were sent off to one place, one to another and two to a third location. My cat though, she wanted them all, and she popped on them right away when finished. But no. she already has several. :) I might have to make another one or two or a throw for the couch because I still have scraps and remnants left. Some were from garments, some from mask making, some from quilts and backing. I even pieced binding with whatever came to hand. 

Dare to just toss your scraps into something useful....not only useful but the scraps bring memories of the projects made with the fabrics, and that can be a nice way to pass some time without stress. 

Impetus to Improv...

 

I bought this book for inspiration because it seems to resonate with the way I like to do scrappy quilting. Having done one improv large quilt from the 15 Minutes of Play ideas and book, and then the one strip-block quilt I called Summer Quilt, and then all the little kitty quilties, I really wanted to use a lot of scraps and do another larger improv quilt, mainly with strips this time, although I cannot resist rectangles either. Rayna Gillman really has an approach that appeals. Frees the mind.  So I have been cutting up scraps and remnants of cottons I want to use but get rid of! Some are not so pretty, but I have learned that fabrics in wild combinations usually take on a new personality as the patterns emerge. Let's hope that happens this time! :) 

And another view....

I whipped up a possible pattern the other day, along with a new triangle quilt pattern which will be from Asian fabrics...I now have so many projects in the brain that it might take years to complete, if indeed I complete them....garments, doll clothes, quilts....but the good part is, I am not bored! :) Here is a taste of the pattern I hope to use as more or less a dropping off point...

You see the back of Rayna's book here...on purpose because that sentence needs to be solidified in our heads if we are to truly improvise.  I think that doing your own thing is so much more appealing than using a pattern someone else designed. Fabric art...that's what I call it...our foremothers used what they had, and they make patterns to use up scraps and make something useful and decorative.  I hope that is my outcome in these projects also.

 

AcuFeed Feet...First Edition...

So - this is the first - the 6-7mm type Janome-Elna dual feed AcuFeed feet for my Elna eXcellence 720. After this beginning came several other iterations of this sort of foot.  It get complex because then some had one holder and changeable soles. The original had NO interchangeable soles. This is how they come. I have the four available feet for my machine. These are Janome-Elna feet for the Janome 6600 machine and the Elna eXcellence 720. There are newer machines now with different sorts of dual feed from Janome-Elna. When you order feet, be sure to order the feet for your machine. In fact, if you aren't at a local dealer and you order online - call a reputable dealer such as Kens or SewVacDirect and talk. Get the right feet!  On my machine is the Open Toe AcuFeed foot, and these are from L to R, regular ZZ AcuFeed, Stitch-in-the-ditch, and Quarter-Inch AcuFeed feet. 

All in all the AcuFeed is much wider and more cumbersome that the IDT on my Pfaff 1222E of course, but I love it. You get used to it very quickly and I seldom take the open toe foot off at all. If I have to for another attachment I do, but in general, that's the go-to on my machine. :)  I am lucky to have the Pfaff as well and I use it for smaller things where a 5mm width and narrow IDT is a real asset, such as sewing all the elastic together in the masks last year, or some very small doll clothes. :) 

Heritage Doll Clothes - My Preliminary Observations...

 

I purchased Heritage Doll Clothes by Joan Hinds, and I am so glad I did! It arrived a few days ago, and it is a lovely book. If you never sew anything out of it, it will be worth the price as eye candy alone! Printed on quality heavier stock with a nice finish, the illustrations are clear and the color is excellent. The patterns are all on the enclosed CD. I wouldn't try buying this used, as the CD is likely to be missing, as is the case in so many books with additional media. 

 Here are a few of the inside pages...the directions for the garments are excellent, and the line drawings are so well done. I do love line drawings. 

And here is an example of the format of the patterns inside. A lovely picture, the era noted and there is always a history note as well.  I do love this book. Highly recommend it.

Bibliographic Entry at WorldCat - find it at a library near you! And why not another lovely picture!

Purple Top With White Shorts...Wonderful Wellies Pattern...

 Well finally. Those purple print pants stood there on Patty just annoying me every day. SO, finally today I whipped up a pair of white shorts for her from a Wonderful Wellies pattern I bought on Etsy - really nice pattern. One piece shorts and they turned out well.  I do think this is the best look yet for the purple print outfit! Very Summery too. 

Brother Blue Sewing Machine Mat...

 So, I wanted the mat for my machine. Yes, because I had not bought enough things for my Brother PS500. HAHA. Well, this is the "small" version, and it just made it under the machine plus extension table so that I could still have the table on. VERY happy with this. And of course I bought a foot as well. The clear 1/4" foot. It is actually a Babylock foot but of course fits beautifully. Looks just like the generic one except it *IS* thicker. I have to say that. Probably harder to crack and break it. I might find out because forgetting to set a straight stitch is all that takes.  The mat is 17"x23".  The PS500 is rather a long machine at about 19" with its own white extension table, and I have the extra extension table on instead of the machines extension-table/bed, as you can see.  I recommend Pocono Sew and Vac!

 

 

The little blue box on the extension table is my 32 piece generic foot set. The box is from a little first aid kit sold at the Dollar Store nearest me. I saw the potential in these little compartmentalized boxes a few years ago!

Patty's Summer Set Do-Over...

 

Here is the do-over on the little outfit! I wanted slimmer pants and either a dress or a short top and the short top won out!

 

 

The cat approves too.  Little Patty is glad for having clothes again. she was wrapped in a piece of fabric that made not so good a wrap. 

Bloomer Buddies in Purple Print...

I just love this Oh Sew Kat Bloomer Buddies pattern for 14" dolls!  I made this outfit, and I have to say I do not love this outfit as much as my last little dress I made from this pattern. It will probably get shorn of the little capris and I will add something to the top to make it just long enough to be a dress. I think it might be the fabric. Not my favorite. But I do love making up the pattern! Also, on the dolls with the cloth bodies...that cloth at the neck just shows too much for me. The all vinyl or vinyl upper torso dolls look so much nicer. :)  Must make something for the Kindred Hearts dolls I have that has lace standing at the neck or something! HAHAHAH...or clothes that match the body color!

 

 

 

Making a Summer Comfy Shorts Pattern...

 

 

 

So, here the thing was that I had wanted to make a pants pattern from my jeans shorts for a long time. I had cut off my elastic waist Jeans (with a bit of spandex) to make these shorts a long time ago and even though they are venerable and loved, and I will still wear them, they really cannot be worn out in public at this point. I need to make some Summer Shorts. I downloaded the So Sew Easy pattern and wanted to compare it to a pattern drafted out by me from my trusty shorts. Today was the day. Here is the comparison of each piece with the inner seam laid over the So Sew Easy pattern. I can see the So Sew Easy wouldn't be large enough for me, so I am going to use my own pattern. The differences are interesting as well.  I do know that the pair I used to copy fits me and so do lots of other RTW jeans from the same company at the same time.  Here is the back! My tissue is over the So Sew Easy.

 

 

Here is the front piece again my tissue over the So Sew Easy.  

So it seems my own pattern will be the better fit for sure. It was a fun exercise in comparing the inner seaming though...:)  I may add a little fare to the sides because I want comfy roomy longish shorts for comfort and to ease the burden when bending over in the yard and garden. :)  might even want to make a bucket hat to match...hhhmmm.....

May in her new Cheongsam...

 

 

The pattern is from Doll Tag and available at Pixie Faire.  It is the Ming Lin pattern. My May was Zoe - an Adora Amazing Girl doll bought from AMAZON. She is so well made - just a lovely doll. Her torso is stuffed except for the top which is vinyl, thus making summer clothing look good! The fabric is Robert Kaufman fat quarters of Asian prints. I made the binding because I just love making binding and applying it! :) Really I do. That is a butterfly print - both the fabrics have golden highlights. This took me awhile, although that was due to a huge gap when I didn't sew for two weeks or so. Oh - I see my cute little panda pin cushion - he has the Clover thin pins. And my Kai 5" scissors - I do love those babies. :) 

I might remake this in a satin at some point, but now it's on to another project! I did sew this up on my Pfaff, and now it will be my Brother's turn for the next project!

 

Planning for the Spring and Maybe Summer Sewing...

 

 

So - this is the plan for the next foreseeable future. Three have no fabric picked out yet, Two are already cut out and the rest have the fabric in the plastic bag with the patterns ready to cut out.  Four are for 14" dolls, six are for 18" dolls and one is for my little 8" Betsy McCall.  I just found my Betsy where she has been since someone gave her to me in the early 2000s. She was owned by a good friend of mine years ago in the late 1950s when Betsy first came out. The doll is pristine and the box needed me to glue it with Aleene's Tacky Glue. 

 

Meanwhile I have to sew the rest of the doll dress I am working on! I have no adult clothing planned. It is such fun to sew for the dolls and make pincushions. In fact, I need to make another pin cushion! I bought a book called Make Pincushions and I intend to make the one on the cover - so cute! Plus there is a Lady Bug one inside that is jut too cute that I want to make. :) 

SO - or is it SEW - I have lots to plan, cut out and actually sew. Is the planning the most fun of all? Why, I am glad you asked that because YES it is.

Another Peasant Top...Ruffly

 

HappyBankky Peasant Top again, only this time I put elastic around the sleeves and the back and front! I wanted to get a small bit of visual interest in the top this time! The little shorts are a plain version of the Happybankky shorts! No pockets or embellishment.  Now my little Bumbleberry Girls are all dressed in something I made, as well as my Glitter Girl.  I am finding the 14" doll things so fun to make! My next project is the 18" Asian pattern, Ming Lin from Doll Tag Clothing.  Sunny days here right now - glad the dolls have something comfy! Spring is on the way! 

Rosie's Overalls and HappyBankky Peasant Blouse...

 

Dani is all set for Summer. We had warmer weather there for a few days but now it's very cold again. Nonetheless, she is looking toward Summer! This is HappyBankky Peasant blouse for 14" dolls, and the overalls are Rosie's Doll Patterns reduced to 71% from an 18" doll pattern. Next time I do 72% because they are just the teeniest bit too short in the body length. Worked out though, I didn't actually use the directions on Rosie's site though I should have! So my sewing order was a bit different. They look good back and front, so I am very happy! Knowing we can reduce 18" patterns for our 14" dolls is fun. I really enjoy sewing for the little 14" dolls. Very fiddly but relaxing. I have been using my Brother PS500, and it doesn't eat fabrics and works so well on these little pieces! Here she is in the overalls before the blouse was finished.
 

 And the Overalls detail...

Dani is the Danica doll from the AMAZON Bumbleberry Girls dolls. I have three of these dolls now from that series, and one Glitter Girl in my little 14" doll family.  The prices have come down so much that I think AMAZON may be closing them out.

Sewing Machine Lighting...LEDs in the Harp...Flight Line Illumination!

 
My Brother Innovis Pacesetter PS500 doesn't really need me to add harp lights because it has an LED harp light already. However, the machine is very broad front to back and there is a lot of room for installation, so I thought: ""Why NOT?!" Above you see the finished product all lit up and this is daytime in here.  Here is the machine off and only the LED lights...

I have two brackets used on the back of the machine and the little switch is also loosely hanging there so that I can put on the machine cover. Since I have used this sort of lighting so much over the past several years on other machines, I pretty much know how I like them installed. I put them way back into the edge almost of the harp insides. This brand seems more flexible and I was able to run them down the head as well. I like that. Here is the product I bought on AMAZON.

Pincushion Two with Scrappy Fabrics...

 

Here is the second pincushion from my new patterns. This one is modified from the pattern in the book Scrap Happy Sewing.  Some cute stuff in there. I went on a buying binge and bought a few books featuring patterns for smaller items. There is much fun to be gotten from those little projects. The pieces in this one were so tiny! Fun putting it together. I left off a pleated linen "cummerbund" sort of thing the pattern has though.  I already mentioned the Pincushion book I bought from Annie's (earlier blog) so I went back and bought two other books there.  One is Weekend Sewing and the other is More Weekend Sewing.  I think I have enough small projects books now - as I already have one called Wonderful 1 Block Quilting and that should be enough!  I do have other projects cut out, so onward with those! I have to add that my Brother Innovis PS500 does not eat fabric and handles even these tiny pieces without any hassle. VERY nice touch.

Pincushion from Simplicity 8532...Fun Smaller Project...

 

 

I did this little project yesterday. A bit of a break from a longer project. Took a couple of hours because there is some hand sewing here, and I am not adept at that. Since I have scraps left over from quilting and also batting left over from quilting that I can use for stuffing, I have decided to make pincushions and add to my pin collection! HAHA.  I have already put in pictures here of the cushions I already have, but this is something relaxing and fun. For the cording I used one strand each of Sulky 12 weight green cotton thread, Wonderfil 12 wt. Spagetti in Copper-orange, and good old C&C Gold Jeans Top-stitching thread. All three in an embroidery needle to do those cords by hand. Pattern called for embroidery floss but I have none. Pattern is Simplicity 8532, although the basic pattern is just circle templates - I left off the top ruffly part. Liked a button better, and I have a lot of buttons!

Scrubs with Sophia Form and Embellishments...

 

 

Scrubs have been in my to do pile awhile, and I really wanted to see those cute little garments done. In two days I whipped up this pattern from Too Cute   on Etsy. It really goes together well, and the only modification I made was in the pants - I turned the pattern into a no side seams pant. Easier to run that up. I use the method on the Nancy Zieman 18" doll videos to do the pants - where you sew the front seam, then do a casing and elastic, then sew the back seam, then fold the inseams together and sew up the whole inseam down one leg and up the middle and down the other! Works so well!  Next time, I think I will do a one piece faux wrap though - I can do that with this pattern I am pretty sure! I made my own binding as well and applies to back, flipped over and applied to font. I really like self-made binding finishes. 

 

 

 

Jada looks so happy with her new scrubs and her stethoscope! In order to get a stethoscope I had to buy a little medical kit from AMAZON. It is much much nicer than the description on AMAZON too and so cute! The whole little kit is a sweet present for a little girl for her 18" doll.  Meanwhile, I bought a Sophia's Doll Dress Form which is really nice! Again, another great product from Sophia's. Here is the form with my sweet Zoe doll I renamed May. 

 

 

 

I have an outfit cut out for May that may rest on that dress form soon!  Here is the form in use.

 

 

And then I got the two little 14" dresses back off the dolls and added an embellishment to each dress. They had been looking at me over the weeks and looked so plain. Eyelet added to the little green and yellow one, and a rick-rack trim at the waist to the pink print dress. I love how they look now! Just a touch. I am not one for the over-the-top embellishments, but a small touch adds interest.