January and February Projects

Hello again everyone! 

With all of the cold weather we have had around the Texas Gulf Coast in January, I did not need to feel guilty about staying inside and sewing for hours. I was able to sew and be productive. Projects for fun, some for friends, some for the Etsy shop, and some custom orders.

A new little guy arrived in January named Thomas.  His Dad is a sports guy.

Not sure if I really appreciate the mustache craze, but I did like this fabric and especially when I added the black dot trim to the burp cloth.

I have held on to this cat quilt pattern from a bee of which I was a member back in the 1990's. I made two quilts, one pastel and one dark plaid. I call them Plaid Cats. I have been building a stash of plaids and these cats seemed like a good place to use them.  

This darker Plaid Cats quilt turned out rather long so I had to hang it sideways on my fence. 

 I have been collecting several of these cute puppy print fabrics since last year.  I made pillow cases for the grandsons out of some for last year's Valentine's gifts.  In January, I made these two quilts using two color ways. The first one is red, black and tan.  Each block has a different border.  I really like the black and tan stripe and checks.  

And this red and gray puppy print quilt.  I cannot pick a favorite because I like them both.

I made a few more pouches to restock my Etsy store.  I had two custom requests in January and my first International order.  This request was for an all orange pouch.  I did get to make the pocket linings in three different tiny orange prints.  I really like how it turned out in a solid color.  Orange is one of my favorite colors too.   

These Texas A & M pouches have been popular with my crowd.

               

  

   I picked up some flannels on sale and made a couple of raggedy edge quilts.  They are quick and fun to make.  Pink Hello Kitty and the Green Aqua with a little sweet pea print that I thought appropriate for a new baby.  

 

I wanted to try my hand at making seasonal cards.  I sold some and gave some as gifts.

We have a wonderful library system where I live. I have always been a reader. And a multitasker. I want to SEW and LISTEN to stories.  I tend to get more done when I have a good book to keep me in my sewing room.  Here are some of my picks for January sewing.

These two titles fascinated me.  The Twentieth Wife and The Splendor of Silence.  The Mughal Indian culture of the 1500's was splendid, brutal and the women were strong and courageous.  

 I have been to Edinburgh, Scotland and seen the castle where poor Mary lived out her life.  She, too, was a strong woman.  Anything historical and British, I like.  And I was so moved by this book, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.  You cheer, you cry, you are amazed at how life unfolds for Harold.   

Everything was not all fun and sew.  I spent several hours rip, rip, ripping out all this thread because the tension was off.  It was fine on top but hanging loose on the back.  I don't like it when that happens. Machine tension is one of my biggest irritations on my mid arm machine. I always use the same brand of thread and thread weight. After seven or so years, I have learned to manage my machine so much more than in the beginning when it seemed to manage me. Sometimes I just have to have a conversation with my machine and tell her how she needs to behave.

Thanks for stopping by.  Enjoy your day!