Santa's Helper?

Some quilters get rather bent out of shape when asked to mend something for someone, and I admit to having acted this way a time or two. However, in the days following Christmas, when my sister asked if there was a way to repair a stocking, I was totally in "yes, I can" mode. 

I've spent so little time in the quilting room these last few weeks, that an easy, almost mindless mending job suited me to a tee.

The stocking in question is this 35-year-old panel stocking that my sister stitched together for her daughter (my niece) Abby. 

Now, this is a special stocking, let me tell you. Not only is Abby a very special daughter and niece, the fact that Sandy (my sister) actually sat at a sewing machine to make this takes it to a whole new level of special. I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen her sewing, that's how rarely it as occurred.

Take a look at the toe of the stocking - at some point however many years ago, it was hung too close to a roaring fire, and the tip got singed. It was still all attached, but it looked unsightly and it was very precarious for any amount of weight dropped into that stocking would have surely ripped it wide open.

I put on my Santa's Helper hat and spent a very relaxing hour or so breathing new life into this stocking. And I think I did okay. I couldn't exactly match the fabrics, but my stash of Christmas fabrics contained one that suited the job.

I used a seam ripper to take apart the entire toe end of the stocking. Then I cut away the really tattered, burned parts. I traced a rough pattern onto my replacement fabric, then 'eyeballed' the placement enough to cover the toe.

After finishing both sides, it seemed that I really should quilt the fabric so that the new stuff was attached to the original. I grabbed a little ruler and drew out a grid on which to make my quilting stitches.

This side of the stocking had more burned areas, so it needed a larger patch than the other. It looks passable, with the front and back stitched back together. I sure don't want anyone judging it, but for the few days per year that it will be displayed and used, it will suffice. 

A humble little stocking needed a humble little repair. And now it is good for another 35 years, right? Just don't hang it too close to a roaring fire!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Returning The Favor

I spent a happy afternoon yesterday at my niece Abby's house. She needed some assistance on a home decorating project she'd begun.

Here is Abby, comfortable in her dining area where we were set up for sewing. See that cool map behind her? I will explain how that was done at the end of this post. First, I need to take care of the sewing project.

Back in early August, Abby came here to help me with a project with the express purpose of learning how to do these sorts of jobs herself. She was a huge help in making a chair slipcovering which I shared in this post. We worked and stayed at it until finished! I surely would have quit midway had she not been here.

Now back at Abby-Doodle's house. (Doodle - a loving nickname) While Abby's ultimate goal is recovering her sofa, she started out with something way more manageable - a porch swing cushion. When I got to her house, she had already taken apart the old cover, used it for a pattern to cut the new, and had pinned the pieces together, right sides together. She was stumped on the back closure. Her plan to reuse the original zipper failed as it was most likely dry-rotted and disintegrated as she was removing it from the fabric. We thought an envelope-type fold would work, or maybe attach some buttons or Velcro, or even ties.

We left it at just being pinned, as Abby decides what she prefers doing. I have every confidence that she can handle it from here. Doesn't it look great? The original cushion had piping, but it looks perfectly fine without, and it was definitely a faster job for omitting it.

Here is the sofa which will be recovered. Whoa! That's a whopper! It intimidates me, but she is sure she can do it! Yikes!

And here's that cool graphic artwork behind the dining table. You will not believe how this was made. Ingenious.

The map began as a shower curtain. It was cut into thirds and stretched onto frames that they built to fit the length and width of each section. Then the panels are simply leaned against the wall. Does it not look fantastic? It has major WOW-factor impact for an inexpensive DIY. What smart kids!

That's all for today, Peeps. We have some work to get done before Buckeye football time!

Happy Quilting, Friends!

More Home Dec

I confess that while this has always been meant to be a quilting blog, I have shared a fair amount of other types of work here lately. This summer alone I have made porch curtains and a bedspread. I am here today to share the making of a slipcover for an ancient upholstered chair.

Above is the chair, minus its cushion. I didn't think to get a before picture with it in place. Perhaps a bit of history is necessary at this point.

I bought this chair back in the summer of 1975 for the grand sum of $1. Yes, that's right - one dollar. Mom and I went to a nearby town to attend an estate auction, and at the very end of the day's proceedings this chair came up and since almost everyone had gone home (all the good stuff had been sold, I suppose) I got a steal.

At the time of purchase, the chair was covered in an antiquated fabric that was scratchy and worn. Nonetheless, the chair was sturdy and comfortable. Why I thought I needed to take a big overstuffed chair like this to a small college dorm room, I have no idea. But that was my purpose, and I did just that. All four years at school, I had this chair in my room/apartment.

After graduation, I married and the chair made its way into our home. Some time in the next couple years, I took the chair to an upholsterer who put on the plaid it still wears. And it is showing the filth of 35+ years of wear and grime. Blehhh!

When our daughter Erin moved to her own apartment about 10 years ago, this chair went with her. With plans to slipcover it, she bought a bolt of blue suede microfibre home decor fabric and gave it a start. She tells me that she was dissatisfied with how slippery it was to work with, and then her cat loved sleeping on it making it gross, and well, then she quit, barely midway through the project.

So, it came back to my house, along with the bolt of fabric. Below is a picture of the cushion covered with the new fabric. The chair is still sturdy and comfortable! It's worthwhile to make the effort to update it.

I removed all the pieces Erin had fitted onto the chair - most were far too dirty and cat-hairy to try to salvage - especially when I still had most of a bolt of fabric from which to cut new pieces. Below is the fabric to be discarded.

At about the same time I was planning to tackle this project, my niece Abby (just a couple years younger than Erin) asked me if I had any knowledge or skill with upholstering, as she is interested in recovering her sofa. When I told her I had a chair that I was going to slipcover, she was interested in watching, helping and learning. And that is what the remainder of this post is about - last Wednesday, Abby and her mom, my sister Sandy, came over for a day of upholstering work.

Abby catches on fast, let me tell you. There was nothing that she didn't grasp really quickly. To say she can take the bull by the horns (sorry for the trite phrasing) would be an accurate comparison of how she operates. We made a good team, as she pushed through any moments when I otherwise would have thrown in the towel (ah, there's another one!).

In the midst of my crazy-messy sewing room, Abby got straight to work on the sewing machine. I worked on my other machine making the work go rather quickly.

Let's just take a look at some of the photos of the progress.

Finally, all the major work was done. I am left with the task of hemming it all around the bottom and fastening the ties for the back of the chair. I need to buy some upholstery pins to use in some strategic places to make this chair look tidier.

Abby, I am happy to report, is gung-ho on the idea of tackling her sofa. I will be heading over to return the help that she gave me. I am glad she feels confident in our ability to do a whole sofa; I am a bit intimidated at the thought of it, frankly!

My chair will never be awarded any prizes for outstanding workmanship, but it will serve as an easy chair in that same bedroom with the new bedspread. After I take care of the finishing touches, I will drape a throw over it, and it will look just grand.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

Too Busy for Quilting!

Lately it seems I have had too many irons in the fire to maintain any sewing and quilting momentum. Here's a run-down of the past week:

Friday - the fabric shop road trip with the Frankfort Girls. I've already shared this in the last post.

Saturday - Buckskin Community Yard Sale in South Salem. I joined forces with my neighbor Dorothy, and we had a relatively successful day. We set up in the parking lot of Buckskin Elementary, and it was hotter than blazes, but we had a good, steady stream of customers. The picture below was taken at the end of our day.

Saturday night - dinner at La Cascada. DH and I have been enjoying a weekly visit to this Mexican restaurant in Hillsboro for years now. We don't make it every single week, but we do go often. On this particular visit, we were joined by my niece Abby and her husband Stephen. It was a fun impromptu family dinner.

I spent Sunday catching up on laundry, unpacking the remains of the yard sale, and preparing to go on a quick overnight trip with my mother to Put-In-Bay.

Monday - Travel to Port Clinton, Ohio, and board the ferry to South Bass Island in Lake Erie where Put-In-Bay is located. We booked an Airbnb called The Dellwood for our accomodations, and all was lovely.

A ferry on Lake Erie waiting to dock. The water looks relatively calm here, but when we came out around noon on Monday, the waves were quite choppy; our ride was not smooth. At least one passenger got seasick and threw up. (None of our party, thankfully.)

Tuesday - leave PIB, and drive over to Marblehead to see the lighthouse.

More clouds and breezy conditions. We did not take the time to go up into the lighthouse, but for a small fee, visitors can do this. We did go through the historical museum and learned about the lighthouse, its keepers, and general history of the area.

Wednesday - today - I'm back home, I have driven for our Mennonite neighbors, walked 2 miles, and am getting ready to go to a friend's for a couple of hours of pool time (it's so chilly, it'll be more sun time than water time!). I hope to sew a quick project yet, and deliver it to Hillsboro later tonight.

I did take some stitching with me on the trip to the lake, and I even managed to sew while DH drove; I will provide details and progress soon.

Happy Quilting, Friends!

A Wedding Is Near

Bride-to-be and niece Abby asked me about an alternative to a traditional guest book at her upcoming wedding. She wondered if it was too late to have guests sign fabric that will eventually be turned into a signature quilt.

My immediate reaction was "let's do it!"

She wants 4-inch squares of muslin. I dug through Grandma's fabrics and found oodles of muslin to use. I have cut all the 4" strips of muslin and freezer paper, and they are all adhered. Now I need to finish cutting. I cut about half of the squares before leaving for MB, but have about half to finish when I get home. I also bought the Pigma Pens that we will use. I hope no one is concerned that this will be sort of a last minute finish.

Happy Quilting, Friends!