Summer Sewing 2021

 

Beginning Sewing Camp

     My summer sewing schedule is all set.  First up is beginning sewing camp.  I am offering it three times this summer, the week of June 7, the week of June 28 or the week of July 19.  It meets from Monday thru Thursday from 9AM until noon. Want to learn the basics of sewing?  Earn your sewing machine "driver's license" with this beginning sewing class.  After learning the basics of operating a sewing machine, you will make a Patchwork Pillow, a Drawstring Bag and a Book Bag using the Avery Lane Designs program.   Come learn from a Trained Sewing Educator in a small size class that allows for personal attention.  All supplies are included.

Clothing Camp

     I am also offering five different intermediate camps.  These are for those that have prior sewing experience.  They also meet Monday thru Thursday from 9AM until noon except for Pizza Party which is only one day from 9AM until 2PM.  The first one is Peace-Kids Clothing the week of June 14. Ready to make some clothes for yourself?  These 3 projects each need less than 2 yards of fabric.  We will make a flower petal skirt, a romper shorts set and a halter wrap dress.  Get ready to be the best dressed girl this summer.

Organize Your Sewing Stuff camp

     Next up is Organize Your Sewing Stuff the week of June 21. Are your sewing supplies taking over everywhere?  Come join us and make some projects that will help you corral all your 'stuff'.  We will make a multi-pocketed fabric slipcover that will turn an ordinary paint can into a wonderful caddy for your sewing tools.  We will make a fabric memo board that will hold all those ideas you cut out of magazines.  We will also make an organizer to hang in your closet that will hold all your 'projects in process'.  Soon your sewing area will be 'neat as a pin'. 

Pizza Party camp

     On July 7 I have Pizza Party Camp.  Who doesn’t like pizza?   Let’s have some fun making pizza and an apron.  We will start by mixing the dough and while it rises we will make ourselves an apron to wear.  Then we will finish the pizza and enjoy it for a late lunch.

Earth Day, Every Day camp

     The week of July 12 is Earth Day, Every Day camp.  Help save Mother Earth.  The Earth Day, Every Day sewing camp includes five fun, trendy, and ecologically friendly projects including a hot beverage sleeve, a reusable snack bag, a grocery bag storage sack, a water bottle tote and a strawberry reusable shopper. 

Purse-onality Fun 7 camp

     The final camp of the summer is Purse-onality Fun 7 camp.  This meets the week of August 9.  In this class you will make a purse, tissue holder, coin purse and a matching billfold.  Just a yard of double faced pre-quilted fabric plus a few other supplies will be all you need. 

     I hope to see you some time this summer.  Call 847-543-7907 or email celeste@sewmuchfun.biz for more info.

My Hearts a'Flutter Top

 

Finished top

     Spring is here so that means summer weather will be here soon.  I bought this linen from Italy from Cutting Line Designs back in June of 2019.  I didn't get a chance to sew it right away, but I put the project on my list for 2021.

Pattern

     I had made myself a sleeveless top previously from this pattern (which appears to be out of print) and I really like the fit.  The directions are very detailed and I just take my time and it turns out great.  I pre-washed the fabric in cold water as I knew I was going to wash it afterwards.  

Fabric

     When I was cutting the bottom piece, I was thinking about how I would have to match all the stripes, not fun in my opinion.  I had enough fabric to cut them horizontally which I think also highlights the piecing better.  I did have to match the stripes on the sides, but much fewer of them to do.

Topstitching detail

     I can't wait for some warm weather to finally wear it.

Bendy Bag for Garmin Stuff

 

     I don't know about you, but we have lots of different things that use charging cords and have other accessories that go with them.  I was tired of always sorting through the tangled cords to find what I needed.  When we went to Spain a couple of years ago, I made several Sweetpea Pods that I embroidered with the name of the item, such as iPhone, Fitbit, etc.  That helped us keep the cords untangled and easy to find while traveling.

     I still though was finding loose items in a drawer so I decided to make a few more.  This time I needed something a little bigger as there were more things that belonged together.  For this I chose Lazy Girl Designs Bendy Bag pattern.  I found the directions easy to follow and it went together well after I figured out where I needed to place the embroidery.  There is a bit of waste with the pattern and maybe you could find a way to use those cut off triangles, but I just chose to toss them.  It is fun to use the end of the zipper for the handle.  

     I still need to probably make one or two more organizers and then I need to make a container for the kitchen counter to keep them all in one place and easily accessible.

First Communion Mask

 

First Communion mask

     My grandson is going to make his First Communion in May.  Masks will still be required in church at that time so my daughter asked me to make him a special mask for his special day.  She wanted it to have some special meaning so she asked if I still had fabric left from my mother-in-law's wedding dress.

     Several years ago I became the keeper of the dress and at the time I made pillows for her two daughters embroidered with the names of their parents and their wedding date.  I did still have the rest of the dress.  I used the dress for the outer layer of the mask but a cotton fabric for the inner layer.  I found a cross design in my stash of designs, this one was in a Christening set that I had bought.  I used a gold metallic thread and set the machine to its slowest speed to avoid breakage.

Embroidered cross

     My grandson will have his grandparents, one great grandma and other relatives to help him celebrate his special day plus a part of another great grandma as well.  

Twin T-shirt Quilts

 

Final test layout

     I had a client reach out to me to make a couple of t-shirt quilts for her two youngest boys.  She had previously had some done for her older two boys when she lived elsewhere.  She brought along the other quilts to show me what she wanted.  Along with the quilts to show me, she also brought two large boxes of t-shirts.  They were all labeled with whether she wanted front, back or both the front and back.

Ready for the borders

     I then started by cutting the t-shirts apart and laying them on the floor to get an approximate layout.  I determined the width of each column and made the first one, cutting each t-shirt to the approximate size, added the iron-on interfacing and then to the exact size.  For each subsequent column I had to figure out the correct size so the columns would be the same length.  Then I added a border.  Next step was to take them to a quilter as I could not do that.

Finished quilt #1

     I had bought black flannel for the backing that I pre-washed so it wouldn't shrink.  The quilter, Second Street Stitch, did a large meandering stitch with dark grey thread.  These were large quilts, 62" x 105" and 64" x 107".   After picking them up I added the binding.

Finished quilt #2

     I sewed the binding to the back of the quilt and then brought it to the front and topstitched it, no hand sewing on these.  I think they came out pretty good and the client did like them.

Detail of binding