One of the reasons I blog is to keep track of the progress on projects I start. Most are home and yard DIY, but it’s nice to look back and see what I’ve made with my sewing machine. I got a late start on sewing projects in 2018 because of our move to Idaho. The first project was getting my new sewing room setup. It seems like there was one setback after another getting the room done. When we pulled up the old carpet, the floor was uneven and the wood stove had been installed over the carpet so we had to dismantle the stove to put the flooring under it. Once I got my sewing center setup, the cable broke on the lift for my sewing machine so I ordered a new cable but the order got lost. That was another month of waiting. Finally in mid-August, I was ready to unpack.
The first thing I made was a starburst quilt top in oranges and whites. I had participated in a quilt swap where you send in any number of 10″ squares of orange fabric and you get that number back in different fabrics. I saw this starburst pattern on Pinterest and knew it was perfect for my pile of orange squares.
My next project was a quilt-along sponsored by Bernina. For their 125th anniversary, they designed a quilt with embroidered motifs. I thought it would be a good way to learn how to use the embroidery features on my Bernina 765. Unfortunately, the first time I took the embroidery module out of the box and tried using it, it made a hideous noise. It went in for repairs in October and they are still waiting for parts. I hope to finish this quilt in 2019.
Most participants are using the gold Bernina fabrics designed for the challenge, but I decided to go with blues and white. I’ve been on a blue and white kick lately.
Years ago, I learned how to make a reversible hooded flannel jacket for kids. I even taught a class on how to make it a few times. So when my grandkids came to visit, I made them these jackets. In the past, I used a Simplicity pattern but I couldn’t find it again. I ventured into the online world of downloadable PDF patterns and found this cute jacket pattern from Stitch Upon a Time. I definitely want to try more garment sewing in the future, and these downloadable patterns seem to be the way to go.
Time for some Christmas sewing. I made these Kate Spain advent stockings for my granddaughter. The point turner was my best friend while making these 24 little stockings!
One of the quilters I follow on Instagram posted this Noodlehead Range backpack she had made, and I thought it would be fun to make for my girls for Christmas. I ended up making four and keeping one for myself. Since I used quilting
I finished out the year with a little utility sewing. I made flannel sheets for our RV since we would be traveling in December. RV mattresses are odd sizes and finding sheets is difficult. I order the 108″ wide flannel usually used for quilt backs to make a flat sheet, a fitted sheet, and two pillow cases. No pictures of these.
I also made rice filled hand-warmers from some scraps of sock monkey flannel. Just stitch up a little pouch, fill with rice, stitch closed, and then microwave. They really work!
So that wraps up my 2018 quilting and sewing projects. In 2019, I’m making some sample quilts for a new class I will be teaching in June. I also need to finish up a few quilts I started in 2017. I would also like to try my hand at garment sewing.