{Post #866} Sewing Room Happenings

Once Susie twisted my arm and dragged me into the sewing room (ahem), I started on some pillow shams to match this quilt that is currently on my bed.  I had this boxful of leftover pieces...

So I started sewing and sewing.  I had 4 strips going, two of each direction.  I sewed from the time Maria arrived at the mansion until they escaped from the Germans (wasn't the wedding beautiful).  The hills are alive, with the sound of sewing.

But I digress.  I also was moving forward on another quilt I'm piecing via leaders/enders.  Here is a picture of many of them, grouped by tens and held together with safety pins.  They finish at 1" x 2".  Project picture to come later.

I was just a rollin' along on my Texas Braid strips.  Here is one finished on the cutting table, ready to be trimmed down.

Then a few chops later, I haphazardly put these on the already overburdened design wall.

Do you even SEE them?  I have the well-developed ability to tune things out, but it takes regular upkeep and plenty of practice, Practice, PRACTICE!  After I cut up the 4 strips, I needed two more pieces, one of each direction!  Ack!!  That does mean more tiny flying geese (I might call them goslings, they are so small) to come!  I had to dig these out of the trash can (one for each direction) to have a starter for my next sewing session.

I don't have a pattern for the shams.  But I always have a plan.  I am making shams for standard sized pillow forms.  I am going to make them with 5 Texas Braid strips across, which = 30".  Then I'm adding the red of the center squares in a 4" border and quilting those.  Then I'm going to make backings that are two pieces that over lap and are Velcroed in the middle (that way they can be easily removed for washing).  I will run a seam along the edge of the red so the pillow doesn't slip around, but will have a nice edge.  That's my plan and I'm stickin' with it (unless I need to change it!).

The not-so-surprising part is that my box is still so full of pieces for this quilt!  I may have to crank out a baby quilt to use them up.  I can't stand having a project just hang around like a piece of gum on the bottom of a shoe!

Going to read a while then hit the hay!

~Joan