A Little of This….A Little of That!

My concentration is still iffy but I have managed to get a few things done and a lot started!

One fun, little project I have been doing is making pillowcases. Knitters love making socks, weavers love making hand towels and quilters love making pillowcases. We have always used bolster pillows on our bed and when we were first married, I embroidered our initials on them. When I got over stitching our initials, I bought unusual cases. But it was the wonderful quiltmaker, Jane Sassaman who really inspired me. Scroll to the bottom of this blog to see the delightful cases she made for gifts! Isn’t it much better to make your own? The pattern I used is called The Burrito Method and here is the burrito part – looks impossible, doesn’t it ?

Interestingly enough, this has been a bit tricky for me. Although I have lots of fabric, I tend to buy fat quarters and the base of the case requires 3/4 yard. I’ve been digging in the fabrics I have bought as possible backgrounds. This floral set is in the spare room.

Here are the two for our bed – notice that I used a he fabric and a she fabric. I know I have lots of bigger fabric pieces in Christmas and Halloween bins and I’m looking forward to choosing those patterns.

This one is for the kids’ spare bedroom. You can see that I wasn’t paying attention to the direction of the fabric but I doubt a little visitor will notice…To find out about this interesting technique, follow this link.

Another project that I have been meaning to try for years is ice dyeing. The fabrics I have seen have such a random, and yes, watery feel to them. Turns out it’s quite simple! here’s a yard of cotton during the melt….

…and after being washed and pressed! I’m not sure what I may do with this but I am quite sure that it will be cut up for smaller projects.

And the start of hand towels, a project in the January/February 2020 issue of Handwoven Magazine. For you weavers, it’s a 5/2 mercerized cotton. I have always used this shiny thread for decorative weaving, but the designer, Andrea Williams, says they make dreamy towels. In 5 yards or so, I will let you know!

Oooo…. and there might be another little start… Melinda Bula is very kindly doing a quilt-a-long using her dogwood pattern and I just may be participating! You might remember that many years ago, I made her zinnia quilt.

What little projects are you up to?