Dyeing for Sew Day!

Some of the guild members did some fabric dyeing at yesterday's sew day. They lost their marbles during the marbling process and ended up with numerous lovely pieces of uniquely dyed fabric. It really was cool, and great that the guild makes these opportunities to play, experiment with, and learn new aspects of our craft! They had fun and I appreciated the opportunity for puns about dying and marbles. They must have loved the puns because they were dyeing with laughter. 😂  I didn't participate. 1. It's messy. 2. It was hot outside. 3. I was afraid I would enjoy it. You see, I'm one of those people who, if I'm into something, will have to acquire every tool, book, dye, gadget, and fabric that anyone even mentions I might need. Case in point: my sewing room full of every ruler, precut, fabric line, rotary cutter, scissors, book, pattern, and machine someone mentioned I might need for quilting. First thing I did when I got home was order the led light strip like Mendy had on her machine. Wow! It was bright like a mini landing strip! I can't wait till it gets here on Tuesday. It's a sickness. 

Three of us actually sewed on sew day. I chain pieced some HSTs from a kit I purchased from Bluprint after Cynthia mentioned I might need a membership (one of three kits purchased). Curses on her! It had been awhile since I chain pieced. What a great way to completely zone out! Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Bzzzt. Until my bobbin ran out of thread. I ran 2-3 pieces through before I noticed. Aggravation!!! I won't go into what might have happened or been said, but everyone in the room knew my bobbin was empty. Oops.  No, I didn't cuss, but they knew. At first I found it irritating that my Pfaff beeps when the bobbin gets low but now I'm spoiled to it. My "travel machine" somebody told me would be helpful to have so as not to mess up my home machine, doesn't beep. I'm never satisfied. 

Really cool things from sew day:

*  Listening to the excitement and discussions of learning from the group dyeing fabric. There were rookies and veterans working with the dye and it was fun listening to the exchanges of information and ideas when they came in to cool off and clean up.

*   Sewing with Mendy and Janis. Just...sewing with friends. I love it.

*   Seeing Kate showing her finished quilt top. An example of what it's all about. Kate hasn't been quilting very long and to see her progress and the pride on her face is FUN. I love that this group is so encouraging and supportive whether you're a beginner or lifetimer. 

*  Having two used-to-be members re-up their memberships, and two potential new members come check us out. Thanks, Janis for being a great ambassador to the visitors.

*  Laughing. Lots of laughing. An atmosphere of learning and creating with a group of friends who want nothing more than to see you enjoy what you're doing and have success doing it. I almost tear up thinking about it. What a gift.

As always, we missed the ones who weren't there Saturday and hope everyone can attend next time. Sew day really is Sew Fun! *giggle*. That is sew cheesy!!!! Lol!

May your bobbin be full, may your fabric be pressed.

And know that our Guild is always the best!

-Angie Clemons

Choose Kind (even if you have to chew your tongue outta your own head sometimes) 😁😇

Sewist, Quilter, or Both?

I'm not sure what the official definitions are of sewist and quilter. I grew up when anyone who sewed was a seamstress (back when men didn't do home sewing, or if they did it wasn't talked about). I like "seamstress" as I have had quite a few seams that caused me stress! Sewist and quilter are definitely more inclusive. These words open the crafts/arts to anyone without worrying about a label. Well, except the quilt label which, I've learned, is kind of a big deal. 

I enjoy the heck out of making quilts! As I've said before, quilting feeds my soul by providing creativity and purpose in my life. However, I've had opportunities to use sewing skills for other things that were unexpected and useful. Curtains, of course. Who hasn't made a curtain? Or maybe just us poor folks are curtain makers. Lol! Some other projects have been:

* Tiny panties. My great niece CeeCee was a micro preemie and didn't catch up to the growth charts for a few years, unlike her other development. She was potty trained but the smallest panties were a size 2. I altered them to fit the tiny hiney and she was so happy to have big girl panties and not pull ups.

* Tiny baseball pants. Same niece for t-ball. I also resized her size small tshirt.

* Wedding party clothing for family weddings. Ack! That wasn't nerve racking at all. (Lie.)

* Halloween costumes. Yu Gi Oh characters, bride dress for my nephew, Frozen guy, Kick Buttowski, a dress for one of the emotion characters from a movie, and more. Some of the costumes could have been purchased except my great nephew wanted his dad to wear a matching costume. Costumes available in a kids medium don't come in an adult 2X. Ha! The bride dress was also for that nephew. They're realllly into Halloween and costumes.

* Falsies. Yep. My friend fought breast cancer for years. The prosthetics were painful so I made soft ones, then modified tank tops by adding pockets on the chest to hold "them." It allowed her to keep some femininity and minimize the discomfort. She eventually lost her battle.

* Underarm pillow and bag to hold drain tubing for my cousin to use after mastectomy. The patterns for both are on Pinterest if you know someone who needs them. Both added much comfort post surgery.

* Weighted blanket. My neighbor's dog is terrified of thunder, fireworks, and gunshots. July 4, New Year's, and storms reduced him to a shivering mess. I read about weighted blankets helping children so thought it might help a dog. They're a little spendy so I made one using plastic pellets and an old denim shower curtain. It has changed this dog's life. No more shivering terror! 

* Before retiring from Tyler Junior College athletics department, I repaired countless football, baseball, etc, uniforms. I saved the taxpayers hundreds of dollars. You're welcome! Lol!

Those are just a few of the ways I've used my sewing machine for good and not evil. Lol! I would love to hear about your unique sewing experiences if you have any. Or share your best quilt making story. Y'all inspire me!

-Angie Clemons

Choosing kind (one day at a time!)