Life the Fun Way: Making Quilts

I know I’m talking to the choir when I say this, but I hate being sick! Absolutely hate it. Want to cry when I feel any ailment coming on. I managed to go 6 months without any problem when my son when off to school. Now, he’s home, and I keep getting sick!

I don’t mind the fact that I feel horrible so much. What I hate is the weakness that comes with it. I spend my days in mostly physical endeavors, whether I’m making quilts, feeding the animals, doing housework, or changing threads on my latest embroidery project. Fabric dyeing is completely out until full health is returned because dealing with wet, heavy fabric is draining on the best of days!

So, while I’m sick, I’m also very grumpy about all the things I cannot do. I have to take care of some of the chores, but that used up any strength I have and leaves none for my creative needs.

When I start to feel better, it is always a busy, golden time. I do the minimum of chores and let my creative side reign! I rush around from gathering quilting supplies to deciding on a new embroidery pattern, to cutting, stitching and everything else my fiber loving soul desires. Then, I ruin it all by dyeing a bunch of fabric which wears me out; it’s back in bed for me!

I’m actually in the middle of taking a class on making vests. Simple enough. The beginning of the class utilizes skills I use while making quilts; it’s challenging in the fact that I am supposed to alter my pattern to fit me perfectly. Okay, I can do that! By the end of the class, I’ll be creating stunning artwork by adding machine embroidery and embellishments to my vests. I’m a bit concerned about this part. Why? Because I have a tendency to go a bit overboard when embellishing. I realize much too late that I should have left off half of what I added. But, I have fun while I’m doing it.

I like vests. They are a great way to pull an outfit together, whether I need office traditional or totally casual looks. Since they can be long or short, they add a great staple to the wardrobe. I can wear a short one with a skirt or a longer one to disguise my bum when I wear leggings.

All that aside, though, I wouldn’t say that I’m into vests. No, I’m more of a casual fan. However, something about this class really interested me. There are many patterns available for those of us quilters that get tired of making quilts, but they all look too home-made for my taste. The vests in this class are much more haut couture … or at least don’t look like a high school sewing project! The student samples are gorgeous and creative; my favorite looks like a city skyline done in shades of black and grey and using the quilting technique known as bargello.

That is the project that hooked me. Although the black bargello vest is from the simple and easy part of class, it gave me tons of ideas for incorporating machine embroidery for added embellishment. And, the simple lines should act as a guide to make sure I don’t add too much!

One good thing about being sick at the beginning of class is that I had plenty of time to sketch my ideas out. I scanned the pattern envelope, cropped it to the one I chose, and printed several on a sheet of paper. Using my trusty colored pencils, I doodled all of the thoughts in my head. Just like making quilts, I now have more ideas than I will ever have time to make!

And, I have decided to ignore the instructor’s edict that we not use pockets. I need something to hold my tissue, don’t I?

About the Author

With a huge collection of making quilting , Embroidery Quilting is now the perfect destination for all sorts of Quilting Supplies. Embroidery Quilter has wonderful designs and amazing variety of Quilt embroidery that will make your embroidery experience the best ever.

Author (embroideryquilter). Submitted on Mon, 7 Nov 2011 Time: 11:05 AM

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