sewing for family – Dear Liza

Finishing Up, Looking Back

Dear Liza,

I finally got Auntie Katie’s curtains done! The last step, which I had thought would take about an hour, took a whole day. It turns out that the nifty velvet fabric, when put together in several layers, was just too much for my sewing machine. It was so thick, I had to use a rubber band to help me pull the needle through.

As I was threading my needle, I saw that I was coming to the end of the spool.

I realized that this thread was bought to sew one of Auntie Katie’s prom dresses back in the 1990s. This led to an hour or so of hunting in old photo albums, and I found this lovely picture.

I love that all these years later, she still loves this particular shade of green. And velvet.

Isn’t she beautiful?

Love,

Grandma Judy

It’s Curtains for You!

Dear Liza,

One of the nice things about living close to Auntie Katie and the Cousins is getting to help out in fun ways. Sometimes that means feeding cats or watering the garden, but this week, I am helping with curtains.

Katie’s bathroom has a window that is old and a bit drafty (not surprising, the building is over 100 years old!) Fortunately, Katie found this gorgeous fabric in a friend’s fabric stash, and asked if I could make it into some pretty curtains.

”Easy Peasy,” I said.

Well, so I thought. The fabric is beautiful and fuzzy on one side, but the back is slippery and needed lots of pinning to stay put while I cut and then sewed it. I said some bad words. Quite a few, actually.

The style of curtain Katie asked for has loops along the top of the curtain to hang on a rod. These are easy…. But I managed to forget what I was doing and needed to cut twice because I had only measured once.
There were more words.

Still, I am making progress. Here is the ‘rough draft’, laid out on the floor with the bits just set together.

I will double check the measurements, pin and sew them tomorrow, and then on to the next project!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Sewing for… Just Me

Dear Liza,

I learned to sew back in college, when I needed inexpensive clothes to work in, and since then sewing has been a useful, interesting hobby. I sewed prom dresses for Auntie Katie, baby quilts for friends and family, and clothes for dolls and stuffties.

Sewing has been a gift I can give to those I love.

And now, I’m doing some just for me. It may not turn out to be anything, but since I’m stuck inside and my story is on hold for a while, what have I got to lose?

Our neighborhood in Salinas…University Park School on the left

I love maps, as you know, and have spent some time trying to combine quilting and map making. I made you this map of our Salinas neighborhood, and this More abstract one of where the Salinas River flows into the ocean near Castroville.

A few years ago, I found this map-printed fabric. It looked perfect, like scenery from an airplane… what wonderful things could I do with it? Well, as it turns out, not what I had planned. The sections are TINY and not suitable for the appliqué I wanted.

Frustrated, I decided the printed lines were not the boss of me.
So this is my new project, where it is now. It looks pretty clunky, but we will see.

And since this project has not been promised to anyone, I can proceed into the unknown without fear of disappointing them. It is for me, and I know the risks.

Love,

Grandma Judy