Holiday Sewing! Quick Scarves & Cozy Tied Throws for Starters

Soft and cozy royal blue ribbed knit is outstanding!  So I made two!

A few weeks ago I took a quick inventory of winter knits that might be lovely as scarves.  I wanted some bulky, some silky knit, and all pretty.  My first dive into the first tote netted enough for six cowl or circle or infinity scarves.  I was looking for in the neighborhood of 2 yards by 11 or 22 inches.  Not all the same but in the neighborhood!

Love this soft and silky but with medium heft.

Red, black, and white cable is quite striking as well as so soft!

I REALLY like this very soft and a little bulky number and I made two of this too.

Six scarves lined up and done.

 

Next I went through the three quilting totes and found three pieces suitable for tied comforter style throws.  I am not sure if I will give them all as gifts or who I might gift them with but I am enjoying getting back to my treasures!

Two velvet and one cotton patchwork topper for a throw.

I plan another fabric dive as soon as I get finished with these pieces!  I also hear throw pillows calling my name. Listen.......do you hear it too?  Ops I had to do it!  Thinking Christmas or New Years Eve sparkling glittering scarves!  Lots to do!

GLITZ GALORE! May go for something festive!

If you want to make one of these scarves (or more).  For each scarf cut fabric 2 yards (72")  by 22 inches.  Fold with right sides facing longways.  Machine stitch 1/2" from the edge the long seam.  Turn right side out.

Fold scarf in half.  Match the raw ends.  Pin right sides facing of the ends and machine stitch leaving a 4" to 6" opening.  Turn the scarf right sides and fold the raw edges of the opening together to close then hand stitch the opening closed.  You are all done!

NOTE:  For complete instructions with photos go to my link as follows..... thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2013/01/infinity-scarf-circle-large-double-loop.html
Of course you can plat around with the dimensions too!

Yesterday was Egg Day So Today I make Thanksgiving Noodles! (Got Eggs from Harry the Egg Man Down the Road.)

Holiday's are not holidays in our family without the home made noodles.

There were plans made to get eggs Monday but after all the snow and cold set in I phoned Harry Brown and asked if Tues. or Wed. would work just as well.  He was just as happy as could be to oblige me.  Dear man that he is!

Tomatoes in my kitchen window.

So yesterday off I trekked and what to my delight did I see?  A big table of tomatoes just waiting for me!

Green and partially green tomatoes ripening in one dinning room window.

God bless you Harry!  He gave me a big sack and told me to help myself!

The third window of ripening tomatoes!

I returned home with not only 6 dozen eggs but I have three window sills of tomatoes ripening.  With any luck we may still have fresh home grown tomatoes at Christmas!

You do need a sharp knife to slice them!

Today I will pan to make a few batches of noodles to freeze for Thanksgiving then drop them into hot turkey stock for Thanksgiving Dinner.      thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2011/11/make-egg-noodles-for-now-or-store-in.html     This is the link if you would like step by step directions to make them too.

The vintage doilies add to the "character" of the patchwork coverlet.

There is mending and sewing to do and I will strip the beds, launder the sheets, and remake them for the company that will be here!  There is a vintage patchwork coverlet my Mother made that needs a bit of additional repair today. Many times I am able to make repairs using the vintage doilies I have collected to cover the worn spots.     thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2013/08/second-vintage-patchwork-coverlet.html    Here is another link if you would like to see just how I repair them.     thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2013/07/repairing-patchwork-coverlet-with.html

Doilies come in various sizes and colors I have found!

 

I am so happy when all of my Children and Grandchildren are here. It makes these tasks fun!

Mending and Repairing Grandma Ruby's Vintage Quilt

All of the binding has come loose and I am carefully making repairs.

It has been quite a while since my brother-in-law Bart and sister-in-law Pam gave us this quilt that Grandma Ruby had made.  The binding was in need of repairs even then.  At that time I was still working and in my head it went on my now infamous "list".  While many of you have traveled with me as I have knocked things one right after another off that list I am remiss I haven't gotten to this before now!

I love these bright colors and the yellow she bound it with!

My last trip to Hobby Lobby netted the yellow quilting thread needed and today is the day I have started!  At noon when I ait to start this I am half way around in sewing the binding.  The stitching was gone most of the way around only attached at all on one side and frayed.  There are also spots in the quilt top in need of a few loving stitches!  But by far the greatest repair is in the binding!

The happy quilt!

 

I have always loved this quilt as green is about my favorite color and I find this very bright and quite cheerful!

Assembly of the 3 layers, trimming, and basting the next quilt to be done.

I pin and trim and as I go I turn the quilt on the table to get to the next section.

After a six day trip to Indianapolis and a week to get things back into order at home I started back on Quilt #3 this afternoon.  Previously I had completed the embroidery of the four women's names who will have "had a hand" in the completion of this quilt* and purchased and laundered the backing material.  I chose unbleached perma pressed muslin. I had on hand 100% cotton batting and hand quilting thread in several colors.  I chose to hand baste in contrasting black.

The quilt top measures 6 1/2' by 7 1/2' so it is nice and big but it will be awkward to work on because of the size.  I start by lining up the backing on the corner of my dinning room table with all of the leaves in.  With Brian's help we laid the batting on top lining up the starting corner and sides.  It was much easier with a little help!  Next we placed the pieced top on the batting forming the three layers of the quilt.

The new long straight pins did make this go with more ease.

Last week I broke down and spent $7.00 on a new package of long straight pins with red beads on the end.  This made the pinning easier and more visible.  I pinned it all of the way around the perimeter smoothing the three layers as I went. Then trimmed the three layers all to about 3/8"from the raw edge of the top. (I can't tell you why I do it this way, I just do?)

Honking big gaudy basting stitches!

My hand basting is big and easy to see as well as easy to remove when I am finished! It has only one purpose and that is to keep the layers smoothly in place as I work. It was evening by the time I finished the basting and I had to turn on the dinning room light which is why the photos are so differently lit!

The basting is done at about a 6" interval in a rectangular spiral pattern from the outside in.

My next step will be to try to figure out how to put together one of my two quilting frames and how then to get this quilt onto it!  Hopefully my son Mike and his wife Julie can lend a hand tomorrow night after supper.  Both frames were her late Grandmother's.  If that doesn't work out I will call my neighbor Cindy who quilts with a frame and perhaps she will help me.  Will go from there!  Plan "C" is to just use a lap hoop and just get at it!  *  Here is the link explaining the 4 generations who have put these together.    thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2014/10/quilt-number-three-starts-today-weekend.html

Quilt Number Three Starts Today, A Weekend Guest and a Cherry Pie in the Oven.

Starting inherited pieced quilt #3 .

Guess with the cooler weather and the leaves turning I have the "bug" to sew.  No sooner than I had the second quilt finished and on the bed to admire than the tape measure was in hand measuring number three for backing, 6 1/2' by 7 1/2'.   Again, this was pieced by three generations of my late first husband's family and recently given to me. 

This morning I caught up all of the mending as Brian was off on errands, rolled out pie pastry for a cherry pie, and mixed up the filling from the cherries the Saltzman's shared with us.  (I sure wish I had thought of making the cherry pie filling and freezing it in foil and plastic lined pie plates as I have done with the peaches and apples!)

Cherries frozen in the spring make a great pie filling now.

I love making the French Pie Pastry in the food processor.  It is the best ever, fast, and the dough handles beautifully.  I keep 2 sticks of butter dices up in the freezer just to make it up anytime!  Here are the links to my new favorite pastry and for making a fresh cherry pie.  I hope you are fortunate enough to make one real soon!    thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2014/09/french-pie-pastry-in-food-processor.html       thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2012/05/fresh-cherry-pie.html

Four names with dates of birth are embroidered in one corner of this hand pieced quilt top.

At any rate I traced the names and have started embroidering them onto a corner of the "new" quilt top this morning.  This is fun too!  It will keep my occupied until I get to town to purchase fabric for the backing and a spool of yellow quilting thread I need to repair a quilt Brian's Grandma Ruby made.

It is good I am so easily entertained!

Monday Morning:  It was a lovely weekend and I managed to finish the embroidery as well as have a family dinner and a lot of fun.  I expect it may take me months to do this particular quilt as I plan to hand quilt it.  There are several other projects I plan to sprinkle in as I go to keep things interesting.

Finishing Tied Rustic Vintage Quilt with Antwerp Edging Stitch or Knotted Blanket Stitch

Antwerp Edging Stitch

Monday I cleaned off the dinning room table and spread the rustic hand pieced vintage quilt I have been working on across the top.  It has been a couple of weeks since I have had it out and this would be a good week to try and finish it.  Rain and storms all week and rest my strained left leg a bit.

Trimmed, turned, and pinned.

I trimmed it cutting the batting back about a quarter inch inside the rough edge of the top.  Then I trimmed the muslin underside equal to the pieced top.  Next with straight pins in hand folded both the top and the bottom pieces under equally about 3/8" and at the folded edge pinned all of the way around the quilt.

Slip stitched edges.

My plan is to use quilting thread and hand slip stitch the two folded edges together.  This is my way of basting it together before the decorative finish is applied.  I am crazy about alpaca yarn.  I have no explanation for it.  Just one of the little mysteries of life!  At any rate I want to then do a fancy Antwerp blanket stitch using alpaca yarn matching the ties holding the quilt together all the way around to embellish the finished edge.

Yes, I know this is different, but I like different and so this is the direction I am headed with it!  We shall see how it works out!

My view in the dinning room!

Alpaca yarn is terribly soft and non allergenic.  It makes a soft and not a bit scratchy contrasting
 edge.  I have always loved anything finished with a blanket stitch so I love the idea of trying a variation of it on this piece.

My favorite stitchery book!

Also worth mentioning here is an amazing woman who has more than mastered the hand stitching of the world as far as I can see! Sarah Whittle has published a wonderful book I purchased about a year or so ago and she is a Contemporary Embroidery Artist I am quite in awe of!  Her book details more stitches than I would have guessed exist.  It is called "The Needlecraft Style Directory" and gives beautiful instruction, history, and illustrations of stitches from around the world.  I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in hand work or it's history.

Making Pot Holders to Add to Jenn's Gift This Morning

This first attempt to sew a couple of pot holders took an hour to complete.  I think I'll make me some!

Right after Brian left this morning while still in my PJ's I headed straight to my sewing!  Over the weekend I made these pot holders in my head for two days.  Although I have never actually sewn a pot holder before how hard can this be?  Sooo.....I laid out the left over red ticking right side down, smoothed it with my hands, laid atop two layers of cotton batting, and lastly a final layer of the contrasting red leaf print, right side up.  After smoothing out again I pined where I was certain the four layers ended at each corner and put down my grungy faded potholder as a guide. Using my rotary cutter and my big clear plastic cutting guide I cut two squares of fabric a bit larger than my pot holder. 

I have always loved any color pillow ticking stripes.

And red is such a happy fun color!

Rounded corners?  OK!  I will just use a round metal box I store bobbins in as a guide and mark with a sewing pen, then snip away.  I am ready to sew.  Seems like a good idea to sew a few lines of quilting just to hold everything in place so away we go.  Two lines of stitching across each corner will do it. 

Stitching the loop.

Next to my can of seam tape for a package of extra wide 1" red seam tape.  After pressing it in half with a hot steam iron I cut two 3" lengths for the loop all pot holders seem to have.  I sew the 3" lengths closed and pin them hanging down to the inside with the raw edge even with the raw edge of the soon to be pot holders and stitch them in place.

I could do these all day!

The final step is to stitch the folded seam tape all of the way around the pot holder covering the raw edge by placing the tape so the fold is at the raw edge and the folded edge falls down an equal distance on both sides of the potholder.  Press the loop to the outside now and repeat the row of stitching next to the first.  Done, and they are cut as can be.  Yield 2 reversible pot holders.

Jenny's Bag: Red and White Pillow Ticking Stripe with Contrasting Lining,Two Inside Pockets, Square Corners, Plus an Antique Button Closure

Finished bag!

My best friend asked me to make a tote bag for her daughter Jennifer.  She was recently married so today I sat down and made one for her and plan to fill it with some of my favorite kitchen and household items.  Seems like everyone always needs another bag for something and since they live near the ocean it could be handy for day trips to the beach. 

Red ticking, red cotton mini print, and light weight batting.

The most important things to me when I set out to make one as a gift is that I like the color scheme,  and that I make it to hold up.  Actually the first one I ever made was over 35 years ago and the owner is still using it.  It has held up just fine!  I just start.  They can be any size you like. 

I stitched the batting and ticking every 4th stripe to form channels.

The stitches are easier to see on the back side.

After selecting the two fabrics I decided to quilt the ticking so it would have more body.  I channel quilted running a lengthwise line of stitching down every fourth red stripe using just the batting beneath and the ticking on top. So this is one long piece of quilted fabric.  I trimmed it to the size I wanted planning to fold it in half at the bottom and close the sides eventually.  Then I sat it aside and started the lining.

The pressed underside of the lining and the right sides of the two pockets.

Next I cut the lining exactly the same size as the trimmed batting and pressed with a hot iron.  Since I want two pockets inside this bag I next cut them to the size I wanted plus 1/4" seam allowances.  One tall and narrow and the other wider and deeper one for either side of the bag.

After pressing 1/4" all the way around turn the top of each pocket down 1" at the top and press again.

When forming the pockets I first press 1/4" on all four sides then turn the top of each pocket down another inch and press.  Sew near the folded edge the three sides but not the top. Next pin the pockets into the desired places on the right side of the fabric being sure the top of each pocket is going to be with the opening up towards the top of the bag.  I drop the pockets down about 3-4" from where the opening will be.

Top stitch the pocket on the three sides to the right side of the lining positioning the tops of the pockets so they will open up towards what will be the top of the bag.  Now you should have a flat piece of fabric that will be the inside lining of the bag with the two pockets top stitched on each side of what will be the inside of the bag.  Fold the fabric in half to form a fold for the bottom of the bag with the right sides of the fabric facing each other and sew the side seams together.  Press and set aside for now.

You can see where I started, over lapped, and ended the strap midway on the right of the photo.

Now spread the fabric for the outside of the bag flat.  Measure top to bottom, multiply by two and add the length you want for the straps times two then add these totals for the total inches you need for the straps.  EXAMPLE;  top to bottom 36" x 2=72"  then 24" per handle x 2=48.  72+48=120" add an additional 2" for wiggle room to overlap and trim, thus 122" total. I use one length of cotton strapping material I have pre-washed. (I PRE-WASH EVERYTHING BEFORE I EVER START A PROJECT.)  I start 4 or 5 " from the outside edge of the side of the bag and start pinning the straps.  When I am 2 1/2" from the top I mark as this is where the sewing will cross the strap to the other side of the strap and sew down the opposite side.  I start the strap, end the strap, and overlap the strap towards the bottom of the bag.  This makes for a very strong bag.

Sew down both sides of the straps.

Next sew the straps down sewing at the edge on both sides of the strap and reinforcing the stitching at the overlap and at the top 2 1/2" down from the top of the bag.  I usually sew a second line of stitching a half inch below the first.

Box corners.

Now you can fold the ticking in half at what will be the bottom of the bag with the right sides facing each other and sew the side seams closed.  I want box corners at the bottom so with the bag inside out I fold the corners the opposite of the way I stitched them to forma triangle.  Sew 1 1/2" across the triangle and when you turn the bag you will have a box corner.  Repeat with the lining.

Since I am using a big antique button as a closure I centered it and sewed it between the straps on one side.  Next I used red ribbon and fitted it around the button to see how much I would need.  After determining I measured and cut the ribbon to size. 

This is looking down inside the pinned lining into the bag.  The ribbon is fitted to the button for closure and pressed down for when not in use. You can also see one of the pockets down inside the bag.

Time to give everything a final pressing.  Turn the BAG RIGHT SIDE OUT.  Turn the lining so YOU ARE LOOKING DOWN INTO IT AND THE RIGHT SIDE IS INSIDE.  Press the raw edge at the top of the ticking stripe bag to the INSIDE and down 1/2".   Press the top raw edge of the inside out lining to the OUTSIDE and under 1/2".  Ease the lining down inside the bag,  fit the side seams together and pin.  Pin the lining 1/16" below the top edge of the bag all the way around easing any fullness.  Fit the ribbon around the button and position it on the opposite side of the bag centered.  Undo the button and pin the ribbon in place extending the desired amount for closure and placing the two ends down between the lining edge and the bag edge.  It will be caught and sewn in place when you stitch the top of the bag closed.

Top stitch 1/4" all the way around the bag back stitching to start and to stop to secure.  Press again ironing the ribbon closure down flat so it will lay down inside the bag when not in use.

I like to attach a label to gifts I make just inside the finished bag. 

I have already purchased several items to place inside this gift bag but I will do a bit more shopping tomorrow to finish up.  Who knows maybe I will make a few more items too?

Basting Together the Second Antique Pieced Quilt Top.

There is no organized pattern of these squares.

Last eventing (Thursday) I finished the embroidery of my children's Great and Great-Great Grandmother's names as well as mine on three quilt blocks since I am finishing these quilts.

1869 was the birth date of the first hands to work this fabric, then 1889, very humbling for me to touch this.

I am having second thoughts though that maybe I should go back and include the grandmother who gave me these even she said she did none of the work on them???  There are later ones she did do and I will put her name on them.  I don't know, anybody want to comment?  I am all ears!

Hand basting helps a lot when working with big pieces of textiles.

You can tell these again are very old fabric patterns.

Anyway this afternoon I cleaned off the dining room table and put the backing, batting, and quilt top all together and got it pinned and then hand basted together.  Lastly I trimmed it.   I still am unsure what to do next.  The fabric is old, old, old as you can see.  There is no planned pattern, more of a made for warmth and necessity quilt by country folk of generations ago.  Which is what I love about these! 

Since it is not just old but all hand stitched I think it might be fragile and be better less worked.  Also since it is dark it might be nice tufted with red yarn?  There is a red tiny tiny candy cane pattern in some of the squares which makes me want to take it to a more holiday feel?  I don't know though!

I love the blanket stitched edges on this heavy old comforter.

Normally I am very decisive but this one has me in a quandary.  I loved the way the blanket stitched edges turned out on the first one (The Crazy quilt.) and am thinking I may repeat that again here.  I think the dark colors will carry it....well maybe?   Here is the link to the first pieced top I worked if you would like to see what I am speaking about.      thehiddenpantry.blogspot.com/2013/09/today-crazy-quilt-ida-bell-and-ellen.html

One thing is for sure,  it is 3:30 PM on Friday and I am pooped!  So I will sleep on it.  Tomorrow is another day.