Covered in Threadmalaka’s adventure in sewing

I’ve been switching between quilting and bag-making for a few months now, when I get tired of one I go back to the other.  I’ve had ‘new throw pillows’ and ‘table skirt’ on my to-do list forever.  I found a nice neutral green that matches everything in my house on the remnants rack, and there was tons of it.  I bought all they had which was about 6 yards, for $5/yard! This stuff likely sells for $20/yd normally.

My cutting table is just a regular plastic retangular table.  My back started to hurt pretty quickly before I realized it needed to be raised up about a foot.  Richard pulled out the platform that we had in the garage and hooked me up!  I knew we were saving that thing for something.  It works perfectly.  The only problem? It’s hideous!  Add my MESS and it’s even worse.  So I started working on a skirt for it, but I was having problems getting it to stay on (even with sticky velcro, the fabric was too heavy.)  Finally.. I realized I should use the greatest invention ever: Glue Gun.  I love glue guns, I don’t use them very often but boy they’ve made my life easier!

It has an opening in the middle where I can get to my junk:

I decided to go ahead and make some throw pillows from the same material.  I could have wussed out and made simple pillow covers, with zippers so I can take them off and wash them when the dogs decide to lay all over them.  But, I decided that’s too easy.. I’m going to add piping! Piping! I’ve never done it before but how hard could it be?

Turns out, it’s not hard at all.  Leave it to me to make it difficult though, because nothing can be that easy.  I decided the right shade of brown fabric from my stash had to be used, instead of the 3 yards of not-quite-right brown fabric I have.  I had these strips that are way too narrow, especially for the rope I used (which I found in the back of Richard’s truck - he’s going to be mad next time he wants to tie something back!)

I had plenty of strips, which I pieced together just like a quilt binding, then rolled them over the rope and sewed it shut.  This was difficult because some of the strips were REALLY narrow.  After adding them to the pillows, THEN adding a zipper, I wanted to pull my hair out.  It would have been so simple if I’d have used strips that were wide enough.  Instead I had to fight with these things the whole way!  Oh well, they turned out pretty well.. (if you don’t look too closely.)

With Jasmin, again because she’s pretty much wherever I am, at all times.  In this photo, she’s saying ‘yummm new fabric to lick!’

I crossed off a bunch of stuff from my to-do list yesterday.  It felt good, normally I’m adding to it instead of crossing things off.  Of course, this morning my friend Robin and I had a discussion about what kind of camera bags people (like her) might want if their birthday was coming up in a few months.. so off I go to figure out how in the world to make a professional looking camera bag for a professional photographer!