Place Mats Are Fun...

Another set of place mats. This one took a long time to finally get done. Other projects interjected themselves into my schedule and other interests got in the way, but finally the Italian/French set is done. I enjoyed the fabrics in this, both of which were designer cottons gotten at the now defunct local fabric shop. I really liked doing the free motion on these. I used Coats & Clarke cotton thread, and used that on both top and bottom on my Pfaff. The Pfaff lets me use heavier threads in the bobbin as well, whereas the Janome and the Viking do not like heavier threads in the bobbin. I see that the picture looks like the chili patterned mat has double binding or something, but there are three placemats in a pile there on top of the French wines fabric side on the fourth one! I made four. I find that four is fine for our family, and if there are more folks than that I put on a table cloth instead!

Shapely Shirt Finished Finally...

I finally finished the Petite Plus shirt I started when I purchased the fabric in 2008. I didn't cut it out until 2011 though, after I made a muslin. I reviewed it today on PatternReview, and you can see the link to that review and more on the right side of the page here. I love the fabric, and I like the lace hemming. I put a zipper in instead of a bunch of buttons and button holes too.  It isn't as closely fitted as they want you to think, and that is fine with me. This would make a nice addition to the TNT (Tried and True) pattern staple.  I haven't any more garment projects planned, although with Summer coming, there just might be inspiration in the air. I do have a slight stash, so it is possible to sew a few more shirts for Summer. 

Online Quilt Magazine...

It's rare for me to post about a website in a short link-it-up sort of way, but just yesterday I say a reference to this Online Quilt Magazine,  on the Leah Day site, and I signed up right away. I am very impressed with this little webzine. As an admirer of the quilting people, I want to give it a recommendation here. The current issue has an article by Leah Day, as well as other interesting articles, and I got the current issue very shortly after my online signup. Did I mention this is a free publication and all they ask for is your first name and email address. Take a look!

By the way, the little graphic here on this post is part of a tea cozy I made before really taking up free motion quilting. It is made with the leftovers from the large quilt I hope to finish this year - the one quilt which will be my only large quilt as far as I can forecast, as I am interested in smaller projects. 

Viking in the Arrow and those Place mats...

After finally finishing the place mats I have been working on for months now,  I want to bind them. For the sewing I use the Viking. Heretofore I have thought that the Viking wouldn't fit into my Arrow table (Arrow 601)I bought for it, but I tried again last week, and I was able to not only fit it in the well on the table, but raise it to a perfect height with my large art book on Impressionism. That book was a gift from the program I graduated from college in back in the misty dawn of time. Actually not that misty - it will be 21 years ago this year. The book was sitting on the shelf getting dusty and wanting to be donated to a library, and then - suddenly - magically - a use. Perfect. now again I removed legs from a Sew Steady table (thanks again Leah Day) and found it really works on the table well.  Now the sewing surface will be at the right height on the Viking as well as the Pfaff. And the Janome can fit down in the table as well. Now to get going on that binding.