Aprons for the Bookstore Women

A friend at my congregation asked if I would make aprons for the women that sell books at our bookstore. I used their bookmark as the inspiration for the colors. I also thought that by making 4 different colors then the women would have some variety to choose from, depending on what they were wearing on a given day.
Each apron has 2 D rings at the neck strap, so that it can be adjusted for fit.
I stenciled the words on the apron bib, thanks to coaching from my friend Betsy. One of the aprons has a patch with the word stencil. I stenciled the blue one with Betsty's help and it turned out fine. When I did the second one on my own I used way too much paint, making the letters very blurry. So I redid it on a piece of fabric and covered the first version.

I delivered the aprons yesterday, they were thrilled with the results. It will be fun to be able to visit the aprons while I shop for books.

Dress for a woman in Zambia

I made a dress to contribute to an AIDS hospital in Zambia. I met a woman at a convention who's church is supporting the Ranchod Hospital. One of the ways of supporting the hospital is to make dresses for the women at the hospital. Here's the link to explain the nightgown work. The project uses Simplicity pattern 4048, view C. They recommend that you make the nightgown about 4 inches shorter than the pattern and that you add pockets for the women to use. I added two pockets, and made them a pretty good size.
I loved doing this and thinking about the woman that will be wearing this. What she and I may have in common, what her life is like, hoping that she will get comfort and rest while she wears this. I plan to write a note to her and put it in the pocket of the dress.

A little bit of sewing

It's been a long time since posting, I have almost given up on this, but couldn't resist sharing this. I purchased the book Pretty Little Pincushions with a gift certificate that my son Nathan gave me for Mother's Day. (Yes, he is very sweet)

Last weekend, while traveling on a long car ride, I made this little bottle cap pin cushion. Isn't it just too cute?

Not much time to sew, but this has been on my mind

I have not had much time to sew lately, due to other time commitments. In between and around the edges of other things that demand my time, I have had quilting on my mind. Specifically improvisational. I did have a few minutes to spend in the studio and produced this purple one. Pretty symmetrical, I want to make another with the same fabrics off center and askew.

Not sure when I will get the time, but here's the symmetrical one for now.

Peace Dove bags

Here are the three peace dove grocery / tote bags all done and ready to go to the fund raiser at my church. The auction was last evening. They are now in the hands of their new owners, hopefully to provide helpful service and a gentle reminder of peace.

My first online fabric purchase

I saw some fabric with numbers on it while up north in February at the Ice House quilt shop. Despite encouragement to do so by my husband, I did not purchase any. The more I thought about it the more I realized that I should have. After all, my daughter in law is a math professor. What was I thinking? I did not have any luck locating this fabric at my local quilt shops or at the ones in Columbus, while we were visiting. So, I ordered 3 yards from fabric.com. I am not sure exactly what I will do with this, but it certainly has potential. Sarah suggested perhaps place mats, that's a start...

In order to get free shipping I found a couple of cute clown prints, and added a yard of each of those.

Included in the package was a sucker, with the words, "Go Sew" on it. A cute surprise, and very good advice. I really prefer to buy locally, but in a pinch this is a nice alternative.

The quilt and blanket chest are delivered

They loved the quilt! Here they are posing under it with their dog Sirius. The dog kinda blends in with the black and white. Perfect.

The reason I made this quilt was so they would have a special blanket to put in the blanket chest that my husband made for them. Here it is, isn't is gorgeous? His original design and wonderful craftsmanship.















I know this piece of furniture will be a cherished part of their home.





I did manage to get in some basic sewing during our visit. I mended 6 shirts for Andrew. A la this work.

We had a great weekend in Columbus, a wonderful visit with my son and his wife. It was warm and spring-like. I saw crocus blooming in their yard. yea!