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Beautiful, Jo!!! That looks fantastic. Love it.

I just got 3 books out of the library on making clothes. I am tired of spending lots of money to get a halfway decent fit. I want to start with a skirt. There are several "easy" or "very easy" patterns out there that look promising.

That looks great, Jo!

I have a bag in progress. It's BEEN in progress for a couple of years, actually. Of all my crafts, I spend the least time on my sewing. I'm usually happy with the results, though.

I also have an OLD cross-stitch project that my mom started decades ago. She never finished it, so I think I will. Sadly, the white background is stained, and I'm not sure how to clean it as it's very vintage. I'll finish the cross stitch first and then worry about that.

I DO like to sew, but I do things in waves/phases. I have several more bags planned. It goes slowly for me, because I don't like sewing machines. I do my sewing by hand.

Jen M.

Nice work, Jo! You have really taken to sewing like gangbusters!!!

I'm still trying to set up the new house -- but I did buy a book with new jelly roll patterns!!!

I've been sewing ever since I can remember. I even remember using my grandmother's TREADLE sewing machine!!

Since I got the good Bernina it's hard to stop. It sews like butter. I gardened all summer but that stool needed covering, so I'm back at it. LOL

In grade ten home ec (called Family Studies here), we had to make a garment, and everyone made an A-line skirt and I made a fitted bodice gown with boning, puff sleeves, pleats and lace cuffs. It came out PERFECT but the bitchy teacher looked over my shoulder when I was notching the armhole and saw I was being sloppy about it and nearly nicked the thread and docked me a mark. I got 99% in sewing that year. I think I flunked cooking, but I had mono and missed a ton of school. Let me see if I can dredge up a picture of that dress I made. It's the black one.

Yes, here it is. I was 15 years old. I also made the other dress (for grade 9 prom when I was 14) which was a lace-up bodice with boning as well. I remember that eyelet collar, not that you can tell from the blurry Disc pictures. LOL My friend April and I had the exact same sized body, so we wore them to the movie theatre that day. LOL Painfully 80s.

I am at the quilt show at my husband's park. Nice quilts to look at, and VENDORS! I bought one honey bun and FOUR jelly rolls, plus another set of strips of batiks. Have I mentioned how much I LUUUUUV batiks?

I'm enjoying the wireless at the park's gift shop. But I think I'll go back over to the vendor area, and spend more money. God, this is going to ache! But everything is so gosh darned gorgeous!!!

The Best In Show quilt this year was made by a man, and it was a half-square sawtooth pattern he called "The Battle of Antietam". It was really gorgeous! I should have brought my camera.

Oooh, you should have, PG!

Glad you're having a good time!

Jen M.

I still have yet to go to a quilt show. I'm jealous!!!

BEHOLD! My generic sewing skills.
2 pink cupcake print aprons.

[attachment=446][attachment=445]

Jo, if I ever made it to one, I think my head would explode. I REALLY want to take up hand quilting, so I think it would be a blast!

Cuzin, those are cute!

My own sewing isn't that fancy. I do it all by hand, and I rely on fabrics and elements to create the designs. I tend to favor simple designs.

Jen M.

Okay, here are a few shots of my favorites from the quilt show.

First up, the Best of Show winner, "The Battle of Antietam". This one was made by the only man who entered the show!



Detail:


"Cotton Boll" -- first place large applique


"Bell Spring" -- second place large applique


Detail:



"Road 9, Crandall Pasture" -- 2nd place, Innovative Quilts



"Sunrise Early Bird" -- non winner, Innovative Quilts



"Hidden Lake" -- nonwinner, small applique


Detail of Hidden Lake



More detail:

---

"Labor Day Madness" -- 3rd place large pieced quilt, by the same man who won Best of Show



Unnamed large pieced non-winner


Detail:



Stack-n-Whack -- 2nd place large pieced



"Lone Star" honorable mention, large pieced


"Sunflower Sunset" -- winner, medium pieced


"Gold star" -- winner, miniature quilt



"Sunbonnet Sue Through the Season" -- non winner. I usually find Sunbonnet Sue patterns detestably insipid, but this one was rather clever.



Detail



"Tradewinds" -- non winner

Wow. Those are all pretty amazing, IMO. Gorgeous!

Thanks for sharing them.

Jen M.

Oh, and I bought a new sewing machine at the show. They had one that had been used for a class, and they were selling it at $250 off retail. I got a Janoma 3160. YAY!!!

OMG congrats on the new machine! Smokin' deal! IIRC your old machine was a Walmart Singer, or something like that? That was my last machine too. I went from a Pinto to a Cadillac overnight and I will NEVER go back. LOLOL

Thanks, also, for posting those amazing pics. Just gorgeous.

That IS huge news! Enjoy the new machine!

Jen

Jo -- yep, that's the machine I had! They practically "piffle"'d me when said that's what I had. The lady at the booth where I bought about eight jelly rolls and honey buns dragged me to the Janome -- literally, took me by the hand and pushed me into the chair in front of the machine!

Yeah, I had the snooty set "pfft" me when I said I had a Singer too. Big deal. It did the trick. I learned how to quilt on it, so I will forever be grateful that I even had a machine. And the price is right when you are on a budget.

I will say that with the volume and thickness of stuff I was sewing last summer, it was nice to have something with a bit more horsepower. Never mind that automatic needle-down feature. I'm hooked on that now. I will say about machines what I say about tents... buy the best one you can afford. But if all you can afford is a cheap one, you can still do amazing things with it. You just have to be a bit gentler.

My husband will be home in twenty minutes with the sewing machine. I'm so excited!

Yeah, I learned with the Singer, too, but last Christmas when it couldn't handle what I wanted it to do, I cussed it out ferociously.

OH!! Dh brought the machine home, and the lady threw in a ten-dollar spool of variegated red/pink thread, and five yards of pink fabrics in a variety of patterns. Like, $40 worth of stuff!

YAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you lovelovelove it? I was singing the praises of Bernina for months after I got mine. I had no idea a needle could cut through cloth like butter before I got her.

Just tried it out, and yes I do LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!! So smooth, so fun, so ..... automatic!!! AUtomatic stitch lock, automatic thread cutter. TOO COOL!