Skirting The Issue

These three skirts have been ready to hem for a few months.  They were cut out and sewn together for the two younger girls.

Everyone needs a nice, basic skirt, but the navy and black ones are more for winter!  Thankfully, winter comes again every year.

Night Wear

My mother always kept her daughters (seven of us) in nightgowns.  I do not think I ever wore sweats to bed!  We got new flannel nightgowns each Christmas.  When I was in high school, I began sewing my own, as well as gowns for my younger sisters.  One year our family Christmas photo featured everyone in candy cane-striped nightgowns and when I was a freshman, two of my beribboned creations were worn in the high school production of Little Mary Sunshine (I wore my sister's blue one).

This nightgown was begun by my second daughter when she was in ninth grade.  She picked the smooth broadcloth fabric to learn to stitch up her own project.  By the time the ruffle was sewn onto the bottom (three years later), she was too tall and it was promptly passed down to her younger sister.

The elastic in the sleeves was a little tight, so it was removed after it was inserted.  The gown is getting plenty of wear!

Those Damp Curtains!

We have two showers in our house that require narrow curtains across the openings.  They get used a lot and the hems get orange over time.  It is probably some kind of mildew and it doesn't fully launder out.  Yes, I have washed the curtains!

Each time these have been replaced, I have purchased a single fabric curtain and cut it in half.  A new hem at the side of each narrow curtain is required, but somehow this is an ordeal!  For one thing, it is often hard to remember to buy a curtain when they are in stock (Back-to-School is a bad time to hunt for anything) and then the package seems to get shuffled and buried in one of those everloving piles.

Today I found the curtain and did the necessary cutting and stitching.  It only took a few minutes -- longer to press out the creases than to stitch -- and the two youngest boys each took one to a bathroom in a race to get them hung.

"What should I do with the old one?" one boy wanted to know, as he showed me the orange stains.

"Toss it!" I said with glee.

Wild Horses and the Log Cabin

At long last, the Wild Horses quilt is finished, bound, and delivered to its intended recipient!

This quilt was begun more than a year ago, as a Christmas gift to a generous and thoughtful neighbor.  Each of the fabrics, with the exception of the horse fabric I purchased for the borders, came from my stash.  Sadly, the horse print didn't look good with the Log Cabin pieced design in the quilt's center.  I lost faith in the project (they always seem to go through an "Ugly Phase," anyway) and put it away; it went into the closet and surfaced every few weeks -- or months -- and so did my uneasy feelings and guilt.  What we are after is quilts, not guilts!

I put the quilt on the frame this Christmas break and everyone in the family helped, out of love for our neighbor.  My husband discovered he is actually pretty good at it; he contributed a lot to the completion of the project. Our youngest son pointed out what he had done and told me, "I am very proud of these stitches."  Within a week, all the quilting was completed.

Having a quilt on the frame provides time to talk.  I am sequestered, but with my body facing the room; my hands are occupied, but I am free to give attention to anyone who wants some.  We shared a few movies (my teenage daughter appreciated that), but mostly we spent time together.  And the quilt turned out beautifully.

The galloping horse fabric was pieced and put on the back of the quilt.  I found a different horse print that worked better for the border.  The neighbor, always appreciative of our efforts, was delighted to receive it.  This UFO found its rightful home at last.

Trailing in the Kitchen

My neighbor and her husband invited my husband and me to go four-wheeling with them last summer.  They had taken their trailer to a remote area, a couple of hours from home.  They served us some wonderful meals and showed us a great time.  I wanted to thank them for their generosity, but somehow my good desires -- and the supplies for my gifts of gratitude -- got bogged down in the clutter of everyday living.

One of the bags for their tent got ripped on the outing, and I offered to repair it.  At the store I found the best approximation of color and strength to match the bag.  The repair was finally completed with a patch on the inside and a reinforced addition to the exterior of the bag.  I hope that it will prove at least as strong as new!

The other gift was a set for my neighbor's trailer kitchen.  She recently made new curtains and a new bedspread for the trailer and I chose some fabrics that coordinated with the renovation.  Though I wish I had bound the potholders with a more intense hue, I like how they turned out.  They have a mylar layer in between the layers of batting that gives a satisfyingly crinkly sound!