One crazy evening; TGIF!

First thing I needed to do when I got home was to gather up the boy baby quilts I had on hand. A lady at work asked for one that she could give as a present to a cousin for their first baby. Packed those up and loaded them in the car.

I started making a label for the quilt and the phone rang. My brother wanted to know if I was busy. Really? I'm always busy! LOL!! He needed a pouch for Michael's wireless guitar transformer and started to explain what he needed. I said I know what you need. I just made 40 for a rock star! He said he would like a prototype for Friday because the band, his son Michael, was having rehearsals and would like to try it out. Meanwhile, Michael showed up to try on his pants. He loved the jacket!

He tried on the pants and they fit really good. I only have to take in the waist a little bit. Whew! Most of my alterations were a wild ass guess so I was glad I guess pretty good! So then he said he would wait while I made one of the transmitter pouches. I had pulled the black duck cloth and the hook and loop tape and got to cutting and sewing.

As I was putting the thing together, he told me one issue that was different than the major rock star's has. Michael only has one channel to run the wireless off of and not multiple channels like the major rock star. Michael has to turn off the wireless whenever he switches guitars during a performance so he needed to be able to have easy access to the switch. I thought about it for a minute and got a scrap piece of ultrasuede to make the tab instead of using duck cloth. I could then cut a hole in the ultrasuede tab for the switch access. Now I am just waiting to hear from my brother if there are any changes needed before I make three more.

It was now 6:30 and Michael left with his jacket and the wireless pouch. About 45 minutes later his mom called. She said in a stern voice "I have two words for you." Ok, now I am scared. She said that jacket is "F**king awesome!" Whew! I turned and looked at my sewing table; it looked like a bomb had gone off! LOL!!

I finally finished the label,

texted my sister, and went to bed. Geeze! What an evening! This weekend is all about getting Michael's pants finished and making that drape for my other brother. Have a great weekend!

Progress on the pants, adding to the jacket, and daffodils

I pressed the seams flat, lined up both halves, marked, then cut down the back of the pants. Some of this is just a big, fat guess.

I trimmed off a bit of the sides on the front pieces. I needed to reduce the waist by 3 - 3 1/2 inches so I needed to reduce the pants thru the hips and legs too. I got the pants sewn back together and tonight when Michael comes over to try on the pants we will see how good of a guess I made.

Something just wasn't looking right with the jacket. I took a cue from the jacket Harry Shum Jr. wore at the Oscars

and I added some trim at the collar. It helps to balance the heaviness of the cuffs and I think it looks so much better. I will be adding some rhinestones too. I brought my sewing machine to work to sew on the trim this morning. I had forgotten my magnifier glasses so I was bending down to get my nose 8" away from the needle so I could sew it on! I wouldn't want to have to sew like that all day long! The color of this suit sure looks different depending on how the light hits it. It will be interesting to see it when he performs.

The daffodils next to the house are doing good in handling the crazy temperature swings. The ones in the yard haven't bloomed yet.

Now the pants, pin box, sampler progress

The pants are torn apart so tonight I will recut them, zig zag the edges and start to sew them back together. They look blue in this picture, but they are a light green.

Yesterday one of the ladies saved me this tin. Someone had brought it last week for the St. Patrick's Day party. It was full of chocolate mint candies. I had the perfect use for it!

I cut a piece of foam core, added a couple layers of a thin batting, wrapped it in fabric and stuck my niece's girl scout pins in it. I had taken the pins off her sash before I appliqued it to her quilt. I decided to add my Girl Scout pin; it's the blue and gold round one on the right side. I did not glue the pins in place. I just pushed them down into the foam core. I sent a picture to my sister to show her and she said she had her pins and our Mom's Girl Scout pin. I told her if she wanted to she could move the pins around and add those if she wanted.

I continue to work on that sampler as I get a few minutes here and there. Here is where I was a couple days ago and where I am now.

Jacket progress

I got the lining extension sewed

Rolled the lining extension down about 3/4 of an inch and pressed it. This gives the lining some room to move around a bit so when you bend your arm the lining doesn't constrict movement.

I threw in a couple of stitches to attach the lining to the sleeve. This keeps the lining in place so it doesn't come out of the sleeve when the jacket is taken off.

I tucked under the raw edge of the lining extension, pinned it to the lining, and sew it together.

I finally got to see what the trim looked like. Since I had to add so much to cover the previous hem crease and make the sleeves long enough for my nephew, there is a lot of blank green space. I think I will scatter a few rhinestones in that area to make it look more cohesive.

I already have started tearing apart the pants, meaning open the waistband and seam at the back, take out the waistband to the side seams, and open up the side seams down to the hem for starters. The waist is 3+ inches too big. I need to recut the pants at the sides to take out some of the fullness in the legs. Once I get the pants to fit I will add the flame design at the pant hems to cover the hem crease.

What a weekend

It was a crazy busy weekend. I spent some time cleaning up before my friend showed up on Saturday. We warmed up by cutting out tote bags from the fabric that another friend and my sister had gifted me. After lunch we worked on my nephew's suit. I taped the design on the light box my brother had made me many years ago. Kris traced the design on to the lightweight Heat and Bond. I would have never gotten as far as I did on the jacket without my friend's help.

I prepped the fabric and then pressed on the first tracings. She traced the design four times. I needed a tracing for the white and then for the green fabric. This is going on the sleeves because 1. the sleeves are too short for my nephew, and 2. the design will cover up the hem crease.

I pressed the design on the sleeves and then topstitched each layer.

I forgot to take a picture of the sleeve after I glued on the rhinestones. You will see that after I finish up the lining. When I went to sew the lining I didn't realize that the lining was too short. Geeze! One more thing to fix!

I dug around in a bin of odds and ends and found a piece of silk duponi that would work. In this picture it looks bluer than it really is. This is a scrap I saved from when I worked at the shop that made clothes for people who showed Western horses which means I have had this for 20 years! It finally found a use!

I got the pieces I needed cut out, sewn, and pinned to the sleeves. I will have to do this all by hand. I am anxious to get this done so I can finally turn the jacket right side out and see what the design looks like. I will be putting the same design on the pant hems to cover up the hem creases.

My friend brought me these two knitted chickens. Aren't they the cutest things? The egg can be squeezed out of the bottom as well as the top. Her SIL made these.

I worked on the sampler a bit Sunday morning. I was still tired from Saturday and I find cross stitching very relaxing. Here is were I was on Friday and where I am now.

I thought you might want to see the back. I don't carry my thread from motif to motif and I try to keep the back neat.

My brother sent me some pictures and he needs me to make a drape for this sound board. It won't take too long, but since I am working on my nephew's suit, things as piling up! I kind of drew lines of what he needs. The drape will help block the view.

Finally, Friday was a sad day when I saw Lance Reddick died. He was only 60! He was an actor and in a lot of shows, but I know him from the role he played in the John Wick movies. He played a great character and he had a lot of on-screen charisma and a great presence. He was on tour helping promote John Wick Chapter 4 which comes out on the 24th. I don't know if there will be a JW Chapter 5, but if there is Lance's charater will be hard to replace.

Harley quilt progress

Another Harley shirt quilted.

I hope to get a few more quilted this weekend, but I do have to work on that suit for my nephew. It is going to be a busy weekend with a girlfriend coming over to hang out on Saturday too. I did get the border outline done on the sampler. At first it was looking like the ends were not going to meet up, but low and behold they did! Here is where I was yesterday and where I am now.

Have a great weekend!

Enough with the cross stitch

I wanted to get the rest of a DVD watched before I had to take it back to the library, so I cross stitched while I finished watching it last evening. I can't FMQ while watching a DVD. I have to stop with the cross stitch at home and get to working on that Harley quilt pronto! Here is where I was when I posted on Wednesday and where I am at now. The band with the circular design was fun to stitch.

Harley quilting and Elizabeth progress

I finally have the first Harley shirt quilted. I need to spend less time cross stitching and more of my evening quilting! LOL!!

Speaking of cross stitching, here is where I was yesterday on Elizabeth and where I am now. It was so cold and windy yesterday at lunchtime - 14 degrees with the wind chill - that I stitched instead of facing that walking. Yes, I wimped out.

Buttons, fabric, cross stitch, and snow

Yesterday the third of four buttons fell off the jacket I wear at work. The other two had fallen off months ago, but I just hadn't bothered to sew them back on.

I decided it was time to get them sewn back on.

The lightweight ultrasuede fabric I ordered finally arrived yesterday. This will be used to lengthen the sleeves on the green suit my nephew dyed. I want to do a flame border to jazz it up a bit. I now have the Heat and Bond, the ultrasuede, and a flame design so I'm ready to attack this project. I will take some pictures of the process. The things I learned in the year I spent at the shop that made clothes for Western horses will come in handy for this. I guess there was a reason why my life took a lot of twists and turns in the early 2000's.

I need a new cross stitch project. I have been wanting to stitch this sampler. I like the ship on it.

I started on it yesterday and I already have a good start.

We got some snow yesterday and last night. Not much more than a heavy dusting. Most of it will disappear by tomorrow afternoon with the sunshine and temps in the 40's. Meanwhile, at times, the flakes are big and fluffy. The falling snow is quite beautiful. I think this is more snow than we received in the entire month of February.