Catching up

I have been sewing a lot, just not posting a lot.

I decided the light this morning was good enough to attempt some pictures. We'll just pretend they're good pictures, shall we? Yes, let's!
First up we have an apron and place mat set I finished about a week ago. I bought some fat quarters of this Anna Griffin fabric a while ago and in typical Jenn fashion let it sit there because I didn't want to cut into it. I'm a hoarder, I can admit it. I buy beautiful fabrics and hang on to them waiting for the perfect project. I'm rather proud of myself this time. I think the apron and place mats turned out well, even though the fusible interfacing I used for the place mats is giving the tops a strange texture. I used a 'linen-look' fabric because in addition to being a hoarder, I'm cheap. And I don't really like actual linen because of the wrinkle issues. I have issues. I know this. And I'm moving on.

My sister, Mandi has a hard time finding scrubs that fit (she's an RN) because she's only five feet tall and wears a size nothing. I tried making her a scrub top from an XS pattern but it was too big. I was able to make a pattern from the one shirt she had that actually fit - without having to rip apart the shirt, woo hoo! I make her a couple shirts a year for her birthday and the like. This one is made from a $2/yard print I found at Wal-mart. It only takes about 1-1/4 yards to make her a shirt, so it's a lot cheaper than her trying to buy ones that don't fit. I made my own binding for the sleeves and neckline on this shirt. The pattern is pretty busy and a solid binding might have just been too much. I just need to put a snap or button at the neckline where the panels cross in the front so it lays right when she has it on. If anyone is interested in buying a shirt like this, let me know. I can whip out my tape measure and tell you what the measurements are. And I'll try to get Mandi to model one for me so you can see what it looks like on.

I have one more project I'm going to get started before we move next month. I took my shopping buddy, Jack to JoAnn's last week and he found a four-pack of Spiderman fat quarters. Luckily they were on sale because he REALLY wanted them! I'm going to attempt a quilt - an actual pieced, sewn not tied quilt. I made a pattern in Quark and just need to buy some black cotton. I've never made a pieced quilt before. And my pattern is not traditional looking. I'll keep you posted on my progress. Then we can either celebrate together if it turns out well, or we can laugh together. At me. Sounds fun.