Rainbow Road and Improv curves

My intentions this past weekend were good. I got a good start with my note cards in Friday. Saturday I worked on my Rainbow Road project.

Now I have tubs of fabric scraps, saved from forever for when I would - someday - start piecing things. I've always wanted to. This year seem the year for it to take off. Still, when I looked through my scraps, and chose some fabrics, hum... well, they just didn't speak to me, really.

my road didn't get me over the rainbow...

Oh, don't get me wrong, I finished the piecing, and the curving and the sewing the curves. It was really a good assignment. I look at what others have done with theirs, and I like them. It's not that mine is bad, really, but do I need something to hang on my wall that I don't LOVE? I don't have crafty trays to line, or need a new bath rug (which were some of the fabulous projects OTHER people did...) SO. I trimmed it, and I'm setting it aside as is. Perhaps this summer, I'll add to it, and make a lap quilt or some such to donate, and someone, somewhere will love it.

blue curves

Now, just because I didn't love my "finished" project, doesn't mean I didn't learn from the process, because I did. The first cards I made were really too subtle in the curves. After I hit the road, I returned to make this card. I even tried a little decorative stitching. With some interfacing, it will look better. Next week, precise curves...

Note Cards

The first project this weekend was note cards. I have boxes and tubs of fabric scraps that I have saved up over the years for when I really got into piecing projects (or felt like making doll clothes again). I thought I had some blank note cards sitting around, somewhere, but I had no luck finding them. My first order of business was to get some note cards. Spent some time with Carl, Friday evening, and we managed to get to Staples. They had some perfect, blank note cards - intended to go through a printer - and envelopes. Problem 1 solved.

The point of decorating the note cards was to do some improvisational curve cutting and sewing for the Curves class. It was the easy project for this week. Curves, you say. Curves, I say. I had no trouble at all, building up some pieced pieces. The curves are pretty subtle though. I don't think I had the confidence to really, really just cut the curves and go. Still when I finished the two that I made, I liked them.

note cards on my front step

I picked out some other fabrics from my stash to try some more. After looking at the cool, curvy shapes my classmates came up with, I'll probably use up my cards. Well, minus the one Raine made a birthday card for her friend with.

Ginger was watching me take pictures.

Clam Shell Pillow Cover

The final project for week one of the Curves class was a pillow cover. Cutting and sewing 27 clam shells together, and then onto the pillow case was interesting. I looked through my bag of small squares and picked out some brown and blue ones, and found a piece of brown fabric for the pillow cover. Brown and blue. One of my favorite color combinations, especially with a rich, vibrant blue.

all my little clam shells

Cutting the clam shells was the first step, and I can't say I did a great job, just that they all got cut. And I nicked my finger as well. (thanks, Dad, I have to bleed on my projects just like you always did...) This is an applique project, but it surprised me that we would sew actually the clam shells to each other before attaching them to the pillow cover. The firs ones were more difficult than the later ones, as once you built the foundation, it really helped with the placement of the new shells.

clam shell constructed, ready to iron

I'm sure it helped this project that these shells are raw edge piecing. Otherwise it would probably have been too fiddley for me to finish. As it was, it was still kind of fiddley for me. Having said that, let me ALSO say that I really wanted to do some zigzag or satin stitches on the edges of these shells and I totally talked myself out of that. This time.

pillow cover, finished but not stuffed

Doing the smaller curves was really good practice, and I really like how my pillow cover turned out. I even got the complement from someone who liked my choice of colors. I thought that was really nice, since I feel like that is sort of a weak spot for me. I totally look at stuff other people make and wish I could put color and pattern together like they do!

Two Curves Projects

There are three projects planned for each week of the curves class. Of course it isn't required to do all three, but, from the previews, I do want to do them all. I hope that time permits. If not, I suppose I can save what's left for this summer.

The first project this week was bunting. Basically, decorative flags on a string. I actually got through this project after work one evening. I'm pleased with the happy bunting results. It was the first time for me to free-form cut with the rotary cutter. My pinking shears (since I don't have a pinking blade for the cutter) became my friend during this project. Score a bonus point!

happy bunting, boring door

pop of red piping

The second project for the week was a baby bib. A tiny, Awwwww inspiring, baby bib. Since I'm planing to sew most if not all of these projects from fabric on hand, I looked through my box of flannels, and found some scraps. I went with the red and blue for a simple reason. I also wanted to practice using piping.

I made a couple random cuts through the piece and sewed it in before I placed the pattern. I used my zipper foot, and I think that really helped me with the piping. Usually I'm not really pleased with how mine turns out, and this time I am. More like how I want it to turn out. More like how it looks so great in other people's projects...

perfect for drooling on

Then, the instructions were to trace around the pattern, and sew the two pieces together before cutting out the bib. I thought that was interesting, but it really helped with the curves, I think. There was fabric to hold and manipulate through the tight turns at the back of the neck. I didn't sew off the project because I didn't turn tight enough. I never would have thought to do that, but I liked it! Again, I used the pinking shears to cut the bib out. I think the finished project is pretty cute from some ho-hum fabrics.

So here are my observations so far on the class. I'm enjoying trying out the projects, even the ones that I wouldn't have otherwise chosen for myself (baby bib, for instance), and I'm learning something from even the "easy peasy" projects, and making new friends (like pinking shears). Beyond that, getting to look at what my classmates are making is inspiring, too. I wouldn't have even thought about the piping if I hadn't looked at some of the variations that others had made, and I'm very happy with how that turned out. This class was a great idea!

Cowl Scarf Hood

I finally finished the last Christmas present. What? You say. But it's February. Yeah. Well, at least the tree's been put away...

worn as a cowl neck scarf

It was a good experience, making this circular scarf, and I think I came up with pretty much what I was wanting. Loose enough to not be chokey. Soft. Oh. So. Soft. Dress up or dress down-able. I think it may even be light weight enough to wear over a blouse or sweater as an accessory scarf. Maybe. If you're not me (I can barely stand long sleeve shirts if its REALLY cold).

worn as hood

OK. So, if I had made the opening smaller, the hood would close around the face more... but then it wouldn't be as cowl-y. Hope the trade-off is acceptable. Did I mention it is soft? Hope its new owner likes it!

Curves Class Begins

I've been wanting to take some kind of sewing class for a while. I look at the classes my local shops offer, and drool over them, but they never seem to be offered at a time that I can really attend. Then, one day, I saw someone talking about a Curves class they were going to lead online. Hmmmm, I thought, I better check that out! I've sewn curves before, I mean I put in sleeves all the time, but there is something about the logic of them that somehow escapes me. I would like to get a better feel for them.

fan quilt patiently waiting for me

Another thing that drew me to the curves class is this pile of quilt pieces. My Mom cut them out, and I inherited them along with a lot of her other sewing projects and supplies. I love a pretty fan quilt, but the curve is really daunting. I put those pieces away and picked the log cabin pieces to try out instead.

finished log cabin. Thanks Mom!

This past summer, I put together my first quilt out of those log cabin pieces. I pretty much used stuff from my stash to complete everything but the binding. It was a crib sized quilt, and I donated it our local child crises center. I loved working on the quilt, because not only did I accomplish something, but I felt like I got to spend some time with my Mom. I feel like the fan quilt would be a similar experience.

I hope that isn't all I get from the Curves class, but the confidence to work on those fans would be fabulous. I hope that I also get something out of this class to share on my blog. Not the class itself, but the experience of the class, and the projects I work on for the class, and even the projects that I work on in the future that I'll tackle because of skills I gain in this class - and others.

Finally, I hope I get some new friends from this class, and grow my creative community. A winning result all around.