I always have my hands in several projects at a time, but lately I’ve been really hopping around. Do you do that? I thought it might be fun to share a little bit of what I’ve been making.
Hunt
We aren’t due for a Hunt QAL update yet, but here’s one anyway. With the appliqué done and the blocks sewn together, all I need are some borders to make it the size I want it to be. In this case, it’ll go on my bed, which is where I laid it out to figure exactly what needs to be added and what might look good.
If my bed weren’t already cream, I might be more tempted to go totally wild with scrappy/shiny/fun prints for the sides. However, I’ve decided to keep the borders mostly light/white to give it a little contrast. The fun prints will go on the back in all kinds of scrappy glory. In my mind, this will be a two-sided quilt. (Although, aren’t they all?)
Border tip: I always pin my borders before sewing them, with the border on the bottom and the blocks on the top. This way works for me.
Making more masks.
I’ve been making masks, with the first couple of batches going to healthcare workers as well as to a local nursing home. For those I used this May Chappell tutorial, which is fantastic. The size fits a wide range, including anyone needing to wear a cloth mask over their medical-grade mask.
The newest batch of masks is for me and for some friends. I thought I’d try a different style to change things up. These are the CraftPassion masks (tutorial here), and I used t-shirt yarn (tutorial here, although I just cut 3/4″ strips from jersey scraps that I already had). The t-shirt yarn is pretty genius. It’s soft, easy and accessible if you have jersey scraps or old t-shirts lying around. I’m a big fan.
Have you seen the jokes about using bras as masks? It’s gotten me giggling, but in all seriousness, after sewing this style of mask (and having sewn bras), I’ll tell you that there are some real similarities!
Picking the colors and fabrics are just as fun as picking them out for a quilt or a garment. Although thinking about prints and colors to wear on your face is a new consideration. I can’t say that I have any concrete conclusions to draw on that…
Just for reference, I have a couple of May Chappell style masks on the left and the CraftPassion masks on the right.
Handwork.
Handwork. I have to have it, especially now. Do you? With Hunt being done, it’s been weird not having an easy go-to for winding down in the evening. To be honest, I was hoping to get Hunt finished and basted so that hand quilting could fill the evening handwork needs, but it’s been a couple of weeks, and I can’t help myself. I need it. My scrappy Everglade blocks (using my pattern here) are exactly what I knew I’d be coming back to after Hunt. I am excited.
Your Hunt quilt is beautiful!! I too have been making masks. I was debating styles and decided that the seam running down the center might create larger openings that germs can get thru. I only mention it because all of this is so new and patterns are popping up everywhere by people who may not have considered that when designing a mask. What do you think?
Thanks, Linda! Yes, I can totally see what you’re saying. That would be the case if the seams are pressed open. On mine, I pressed the seams in one direction for the exterior and in the other direction for the lining, which means there is a doubled up layer at the seam and then 3 layers (including the seam allowance) on each side. Unfortunately no fabric masks filter everything, but that’s a good thing to consider for sure!
What fabric is the colorful florals? I love the contrast with your architectural prints.
Thanks, Claudia! The colorful florals in my Everglade blocks are Liberty Of London prints. They are really fun, right?
They truly are.
On a side note I am seriously thinking of using your Hunt pattern for a new bedspread for our master bedroom. I love hand stitching and I love that pattern.
I’ve been collecting your fabrics for quite awhile and would love to find the right project for them.
Thanks so much for your response,
Claudia
That sounds wonderful! 🙂
Love the quilt! Hand stitching really is so soothing, been doing a bit of mending which is keeping me busy. I did up several masks this week as well. Thanks for all the inspiration and I truly appreciate your blog posts and newsletter. Take care and stay healthy.
Melanie
Thanks so much, Melanie! Take care, stay safe, and happy sewing 🙂