I love to collect everything Singer.  I found this “Singer Sewing Skills” project material stuffed inside a sewing machine drawer in an old barn.  It was available to “class members only” for a whopping $2.95.  It has a picture of the beloved 301 Singer on it. The envelope was dated 1954.  It came with a reference book dated 1955 for 95 cents.  There are 6 lessons in the package and the person this belonged to only finished two lessons.

The six little wax paper packages contain the fabric for the lessons.  The first lesson even included paper to practice following stitching lines without thread.  That seems pretty basic to us who have years of experience.  But I can just imagine how much excitement it was for a first time seamstress.  She probably bought herself or was gifted a Singer machine.  During those days, most young girls took Home Economics in school and learned how to sew.  In my thinking most women that took the classes  at the Singer Centers were probably housewives wanting to sew for their family.

Here is another project I can’t take total credit for, but I did make it.  If you have ever been to the International Quilt Festival in Houston, TX, you know there are hundreds of vendors there with the most awesome products for sale.  In recent years, they don’t allow any type of roller cart on the showroom floor.  It gets so crowded and I’m sure people have tripped over the carts in the past.  Therefore, you are packing all your purchases in some type of bag.  You can check your purchases in for a fee, which is a good idea.  However, I am so busy shopping  and there is such a huge of amount of ground to cover, I don’t want to leave my path.  A lot of vendors give away large bags for your purchases.  One company gave away a cross-body bag made of the type of fabric most grocery store shopping bags you purchase are made from.  It was a back saver, much better than a back pack.  My clever friend Jeanne took hers apart and made a pattern so we could make one from fabric and wonderful Soft and Stable.

I bought this Singer fabric at the quilt show with no idea what I would use it for until Jeanne came up with the bag idea.

As with other quilted projects, I pre-washed my fabrics and cut my fabric larger than I needed.  I sandwiched the outside fabric, Soft and Stable and lining fabric which is also a Singer fabric.  I quilted diagonally following the design of the fabric.  I used the “Jeanne” (my friend) method of quilting using a Serpentine stitch rather than a straight line.  It takes the stress out of quilting.  No worries about whether or not your lines are perfectly straight.  I then cut out all the components of the bag and sewed it all together.  All the inside seams around covered with binding.  I like to sew the first side (outside) on the machine and then hand sew the inside.  This is the same as when you bind a quilt.

Features:

Magnetic fastener for the top of the bag

Large inside zipper pocket

Large outer pocket on one side

Small pockets on each end of the bag

Adjustable strap – soft but firm strap purchased from strapworks.com

Cushy comfy shoulder pad

Firm bottom of fabric covered corrugated plastic

Super spacious on the inside

Due to the Soft and Stable from byannie.com it has body and stands up nicely

With the leftover scraps I made a little zipper bags for the small bits I buy at the quilt show.  I am already for the next show.  If you have never been, it is well worth the time and effort to go.  You see products there you will see nowhere else.  The quilts are always over the top gorgeous.  Plan on staying a few days.  There is way too much to see in one day.  Three days are perfect.

I just finished this dog bed for my son’s 4-5 lb. little fur baby, Chico.  He is a mix and was supposed to be mostly Chihuahua, but as he got older, he looks like a little old Scottish man.  I am thinking mostly some type of terrier.  I don’t have him here to “model” his new bed.  But there is plenty of room for him to root around and stay warm.  I have seen these for sale.  However, it was a must that Chico’s bed was made from camouflage.  I drafted the pattern and here is what I hope Chico will love.

1/11/19 Update. Chico loves his new bed!  My son texted me this picture:

I found a large stash of strips of fabric at an estate sale.  I have always wanted to make a string quilt – this stash is perfect.  Most of the strips are 2-1/2” wide.  Others are 3”, which I cut into two 1-1/2” strips so all my pieces wouldn’t be the same.  This is so much fun and relaxing .  The fabrics aren’t all beautiful.  The idea is to use up scraps so it doesn’t matter.  I am using 10-1/2” squares of tissue paper as the foundation.  I used a shorter stitch so the paper will be easy to remove after each block is completed.

The person these strips belonged to is probably deceased due to the fact they were found at her estate sale.  She had begun making nine-patch squares with the strips.  One square is finished, one other just started.  I am going to make something out of those 2 squares in her honor.  She would probably be happy someone is loving her fabric and making it into a quilt.

I have 14 blocks made so far.  I don’t know how many I will get out of this.  It is the perfect Saturday night watching a movie and stress-free sewing.  Tonight I am watching “Call The Midwife” on Netflix.  It is pretty good!