Pre-Vacation Projects

With the banner done it was time to turn to a couple of projects on the Domestic Sewing Machine! First up, making a little case for my nifty portable charger. It is a Jackery and can recharge multiple devices at the same time and holds a charge itself for a very long time. Great tool for any time you are away from home.

Planning to take it on vacation with me it seemed appropriate to find a way to protect it, I'm a quilter so of course it's a quilted case. I measured the device including the charging cord and dug into my scraps to come up with some bright pieces and a cute button from my large collection!

Done, and it cost me nothing but an hour of my time!

Next onto a project that has languished long, a Work Hidden In My Mind! WHIMM.

These lovely vintage 30's/40's Dresden plates came from a long gone quilter's UFO collection, you can find blocks and partial blocks at estate sales and if you are really lucky at a yard sale.  I purchased these a few years back at an estate sale and I know the quilter is happy I am going to make all 26 of them into a quilt! They are nicely hand pieced, it's a sad thing when you see these in an incomplete state, some woman spent a lot of time cutting the fan blades individually with scissors and then sewing them painstakingly by hand. I need a hand work project to take on vacation and this will do nicely, I can applique all the circles in the centers but first I have to applique the fans onto the blocks - by machine though!

OK so this next step was a bit tedious to attach fusible to the outer edges of the fans only. It took a while but they all look nice, using the buttonhole stitch on the Activa they are secured to the blocks. I tried out half a dozen or more 30's/40's repro fabrics and came to the conclusion that the yellow looked best, had to use two different ones because they were only FQ's. I ended up rejecting the fabric on the left in the picture below.

Next up, how to attach the circles- if I used freezer paper I would have to cut the backs open to remove it so I chose to make two cardboard templates, one to cut the fabric circle and the other to shape it to the right size.

 I think this is how I did it last time, making a large running stitch around the outside  and pulling it in around the smaller template then hitting it hard with a very hot steam iron before removing the template!

 It worked and now they are ready for vacation sewing!

 I am using Superior's Master Piece thread a fine 3ply, 50wt. cotton perfect for applique and I actually have just the right color yellow.

Another project the last few days was this cute potholder and funky chicken pin cushion.

 They are for my friend Gale, I made her an apron a couple of months ago and had enough scraps left to make these, I just need to mail them off to her I think she will be surprised.