Coca-Cola Nightshirt Pillow

Finished Coca-Cola nightshirt pillow

     I had a Coca-Cola nightshirt that my daughter had gotten me from Atlanta.  I wore it for many years but found I prefer pajamas to nightshirts.  I didn't want to just trash it, so I decided to make it into a pillow.  Our basement is red, black & white with a Coca-Cola theme so it will be perfect down there.

Nightshirt cut apart

Interfaced back piece

     First I cut the shirt apart.  I interfaced the back and cut out the back piece.  I then interfaced and cut out a piece to put behind the neck opening.

Piece for the neck opening pinned in place

     Since I wanted to maintain the look of the nightshirt I placed an interfaced piece behind the neck opening and pinned it in place,  I tried as much as possible to pattern match.

Sewing along the bottom row of stitches

Sewing the top row of stitches

     I then stitched it in place along the bottom row of stitches on the neck band.  I did a second row of stitching along the top of the neck band.  

Placket sewn closed

     Next I sewed down the placket opening so it would not open up.  I then interfaced the entire front piece and cut out the front.

Interfaced front piece

     I then serged a napped lining to the front and back pieces to give them some more body.  I made black covered cord from some fabric in my stash and applied that to the front piece and then sewed everything together.  I did not put in a zipper, I just hand stitched the opening closed.  

Pillow back

     It should be a fun pillow for my basement.  Another sample pillow for work.  I plan  on doing 6 of them this year.  Only four left to go.

Laundry Room Cushion

 

     A friend was remodeling her laundry room.  She had new colors in there and the old cushion wasn't going to work.  She came over to look at fabric samples but wound up using one that her designer had chosen.  Her husband cut and covered the foam so they could save some money.

     The fabric was a heavier weight upholstery fabric so pins wouldn't work.  I used the Jumbo Wonder Clips to hold the pieces together.  We talked about the idea of running the stripe around the boxing strip and also having contrast fabric for the covered cord.  In the end she chose to have just one fabric and have the stripes align with the cushion top.  It will be an elegant looking cushion for the laundry room.

Birthday T-shirts 2023

 

Me and the grandkids

     For the grandkids' birthdays, I make them a t-shirt and then put money in their college fund.  Because we were doing a family vacation this summer, otherwise known as Breencation, I decided to make matching t-shirts.  I had a large piece of red knit in my stash.  I used it first to make myself a top.  

 

     The first t-shirt was for the oldest grandson.  He loves video games so I used this design from Designs by JuJu.  I had gray ribbing in my stash so I used a grey sweatshirt fleece fabric for the controller.

     The next birthday was my granddaughter.  I used a couple of designs from a Girl Power design pack I bought many years ago.  I had yellow ribbing in my stash so I made sure that one of the colors in the design was yellow.

     Next up was MTB, number 2 grandson.  He is a typical boy that likes trucks, dinosaurs and video games.  I chose a dump truck design for him from Designs by JuJu but I didn't put on the face in the window because at 7 he is a little too old for that.  I had blue ribbing in my stash so the cab of the dump truck is the same blue.

     Next up is grandson number 3.  Dinosaurs and trucks for the win.  This dinosaur cement mixer is also from Designs by JuJu.  I had the orange ribbing in my stash so his truck had orange in it.

     Grandson number four's birthday isn't until September but I made his t-shirt early so he could have it for Breencation.  He is just fascinated by construction and trucks so I chose a bulldozer for him.  For his I did keep the little face as he is only almost 2.  Grey again for the ribbing to match the treads on the truck.  I do like the appliqué designs from Designs by JuJu.  They come in multiple sizes and always turn out great.  I like appliqué designs on knits especially as there is much less thread and it doesn't distort the fabric.

       The patterns I used were all from my stash, just basic t-shirts that don't really change over the years.  It is kind of fun that the birthdays of the grandkids are all in order with the oldest in January and the youngest in September.  

Breencation Sewing

 

Napkins for grandma and grandpa

     This year for Breencation, I decided to make napkins for everyone.  When we take these family vacations, we stay at Wyndham Resorts and the units have full kitchens.  This allows us to eat most of our meals in and save a ton of money.  We were always using lots of paper towels as napkins and I just didn't like wasting them.

Spacing of the letters is off

     I bought red fingertip towels to embroider.  I chose red to match the red t-shirts I made the grandkids for their birthdays.  In my software, I typed out 'Breencation' and arranged it vertically.  After I stitched the first one, I saw that the T and the I were too close. In the software, I adjusted the spacing.  I did all the Breencation stitching first and then I added the names.

Hooped for the name embroidery

     I again did all the names in the software, I did have to narrow 'grandma' to fit in the 4 x 4 hoop but otherwise no adjustments were needed.  I centered the name on the bottom of the towel between the center fold of the towel and the word Breencation.  I used sticky paper to hoop the towels as I was embroidering close to the edges. This also made placement super easy.

Close-up of the hooped towel

       The pin I used to mark the center spot was placed at the little arrow on the hoop and the bottom edge I placed at a line.  This line was found by placing the hoop on my cutting table and lining up the arrows with the lines on the table.  Then the edge of the towel was placed on the line I could see through the sticky paper.  Then on the embroidery machine I moved the design up from center slightly, the same amount each name.  This kept the names straight and all in the same place.

Hoop after stitching the names

     Each time I hooped a napkin, I only had to cut a small piece of sticky paper to patch the hole.  I also placed a dissolvable film on top to keep the loops of the towel down while stitching.  The napkins were a hit and we will use them again next Breencation.

ASG Conference 2023

 

     I just got back from NYC.  The American Sewing Guild Conference was held there this year.  My husband and I flew out last week Wednesday.  We had never been to NYC so we wanted a few days to explore.  On Thursday I went and picked up my conference materials while my husband worked.  Then I went out exploring Central Park.  It was about a mile and a quarter from our hotel.  It was a very hot and humid day so I didn't walk all around Central Park but did spend quite a bit of time walking around.

     Friday was the first day of classes.  My first class was Wool Beaded Earrings with Vickie Clonz.  I did make a fun pair of purple earrings.  She had a really neat tool that formed the loop at the top of the wire.

     Next up was How to Fit a Dress Form to Your Body Shape.  He talked about precise measurements and adding layers of batting to create the shape.  After lunch I had Be a Pattern MD (Modifying Designer).  She showed us how to look at photos of clothing and interpret the design details to change up your pattern.  She also showed us how to modify your basic sloper pattern and make it into a princess seam top.

     The next day I had Picking Your Perfect Prints with Nancy Nix-Rice.  She talked about analyzing your features and coloring to get a good print for yourself.  She had lots of scarves that we could look at and asses how they worked on us and others.  Next up was How Many Presser Feet Do You Need.  The concept was good, like choosing the right foot will make the job easier, but it was heavy on Bernina feet and I don't own a Bernina.  After lunch and the fashion show, I had Perfection in Ponte Knit with Nancy Nix-Rice.  Even though I have sewn quite a few items from Ponte, I did learn a few new tricks.

     The last day of the conference was Sunday, I had Handsome Hems by Machine with Katrina Walker.  She made up a great workbook for us that we could put all samples in with step by step instructions.  Some were basic but a few were new to me and so inspiring.     After lunch we had a session about sustainable fashion and fabric choices.  I stayed for most of it.  

     I was very disappointed in the vendor floor, very few vendors and not much affordable fabric.  I did buy three patterns and a couple of pieces of fabric plus some sewing supplies that I can't get at JoAnn Fabrics

     After the conference, my husband and I went to the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.  It was hard to handle all the emotions.  From there we walked down to get the ferry to see the Statue of Liberty and then Ellis Island.  Since we didn't get started until mid-afternoon we didn't get to explore as much of Ellis Island as we had wanted to.  The next day we wandered about the garment district but I didn't buy anything.  I didn't want to buy fabric just to buy it, I wanted a plan in mind.  I just didn't find anything that I wanted to spend the money on.  I did see a pretty fabric that had both edges embroidered in an eyelet design that I thought would make a great summer top but it was $130/yard.  NO WAY!!!

     We also spent time wandering around Times Square, went to a Broadway show (Shucked) and took a bus tour plus walked around by the UN and down by the East River.  It was fun and I would like to go back but I certainly couldn't live there.