Up until CJ’s t-shirts, it had been a long time since I quilted anything. A 550 sq ft apartment just doesn’t have the space for sewing and painting. Not the way I do it anyway. Now that I have a dedicated maker space, it probably shouldn’t be surprising that the needles are back.
I’ve been sewing in one way or another since I was 13 years old and discovered Oma’s Singer in the folding table. It sat unused behind the door in her bedroom for years but I was smitten. Aunt Janice taught me to read a leggings pattern, leading to 30+ years of trial and error.
I’ve sewn through fingertips (do not recommend), busted knuckles on the needle return (also bad), and bled from innumerable pin sticks and blade mishaps, from my thumbs to the bottom of my feet (please don’t ask). And yet. There is no more personal gift than the one you bled to make. And I never could say no to bib requests.
The tiny piecing of the Space Invaders quilt nearly broke me by the end. Had I known about hand piecing then, I probably could have saved myself a great deal of frustration lining up all the teeny-tiny corners. That being said, it remains one of the coolest things I’ve ever made. Even if I did add extra energy bolts.
I forgot about the velcro edged birdcage covers – was the perfect stashbuster to clear out the innumerable browns I inherited. Also when I realized sashing was not my favorite thing to do, but I like the grout affect. Looking at them now, I may need to order EQ8 for my Mac. I’d like to try some cel shading and that’s too many maths to do by hand.
