A new start

Yesterday was a catch up on household chores day. I'd done all the laundry but still needed to get the ironing finished so I set the ironing board up in front of the TV and watched some sewing vlogs whilst I ironed. The only problem with doing this is I often have to re-watch the vlogs as I miss bits. Just as I finished the ironing my brother phoned and so I spent a while talking to him. We had quite a lot to catch up on as he had been away cat sitting for a friend and had used the time to visit places of interest in the local area. After that John and I went for a walk around the local cemetery. We would have gone further afield but rain was predicted and the sky was looking quite heavy so walking close to home was a good option. In the end it didn't rain but we enjoyed our walk anyway and there were a lot of wild flowers and birds to see.

Once home I set to work on the bag I'm making . The outer bag had been attached to the wadding, quilted and the sides and bottom seam sewn together. I needed to get the lining and pocket made. The pocket is made from the main bag fabric and stitched to one side of the lining. The lining is the sewn together leaving an opening so it can be turned right side out when the bag is all stitched together. Just as I was finishing the last seam I sewed over a pin and when I restarted sewing the tension was all messed up. I had to remove the bobbin and the housing  and replace in the correct position. By the time I'd done this and got the tension right it was heading up to dinner time so I packed everything away. Today I'll make the straps and the fasteners. I should be able to finish the bag today.

In the evening I turned the clock back by a good number of years and set about unpicking the collar from one of John's shirts. The collar has been damaged but the rest of the shirt is perfectly good so I decided to try 'turning the collar'. I can remember my mother doing this to lengthen the life of shirts and blouses when money was tight. I hadn't every done it myself. Usually, by the time the collar is wearing out so is the rest of the shirt. Since this isn't the case it seemed a good idea to carry out this repair. The collar came off easily and when I set up my machine later I will reattached it to the collar stand.

Finally I went searching for a baby quilt pattern. Once of Lucy's friends has just had a baby boy and I said I'd make a baby quilt. I think I'm going to make this pattern as it's quick and easy.

I've made this pattern twice before, the first time using pre cut charm squares and the second cutting charm squares from yardage. I don't have any suitable charm square so I will cut the squares I need from fabric in my stash.

Today I'm teaching online all day so no sewing until this evening. I'll try and fit in a little slow stitching at lunch time.

Take care

Lyndsey