Random finishes for Friday

I took out these string flying geese from several years back1

and last week finally got them into a top.

I decided to go with two hues of orange

and now the top is done.

It measures 48 inches square.

I made some carry bags for Singer Featherweights.

This one for Krista Hennebury of Poppyprint 

incorporates free-pieced letter in hand dyed fabrics against a background

of a snow-dyed feed sack. 

The orange fabric top and bottom is from a woven Danish tablecloth

that had holes in the centre.

I've made one more FW tote from it and cut two more.

Just in case anyone is wondering what's inside,

I free motioned the word "featherweight" on the other side.

I love these vintage half-sized sewing machines,

but the cases can have problems

like the clasps not closing properly

or the handle wearing out.

So it is safer to carry the case in a bag.

I oiled and lubed and fiddled with the tensions on my choir of Singer Featherweights last week.

They were ready to use for a workshop last weekend 

sponsored by Winnipeg Modern Quilt Guild

and for a retreat in a week from now.

My oldest son vacated his room for several months.

His furniture is still there,

but there's room for my folding table-turned cutting station

and my choir of Featherweights and other storage bins underneath the table.

The added benefit is there's more room in my sewing space now.

I took Krista Hennebury's class Speed Date with Improv last Sunday.

Those are my blocks at the far right.

She demonstrated several improv techniques

and then encouraged us to put the all the parts together.

I've made many improv quilts before, but not in this style.

I was quite deliberate in matching up colour changes and lines in this piece.

It measures about 19 by 37 inches.

We were required to bring 5 inch squares in white and black and one other colour. 

I chose a light green that reads as a medium value, 

to contrast with both the black and the white.

I'm linking up with other Friday finishers at

Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Black Friday Finishes

I've got lots of finishes for this Friday.

First up is a dozen gift bags of various sizes from Christmas fabrics

for a charity sale tomorrow.

I was teaching beginner sewing again this fall,

and my students made some of these lined double drawstring bags

for the same sale.

These are the five projects one student made.

She was very proud of her tote bags and her infinity scarf, 

pictured at the bottom.

Another student was thrilled to make tag stuffies for her new granddaughter.

Here's my only quilty finish of the week:

sewing the binding on my Hillary quilt I made before the election.

Disclaimer: I'm Canadian, and I didn't vote 

and I'm not interested in having a political debate,

but I am a feminist and I made this quilt

to commemorate breaking the glass ceiling 

for women in politics.

Now I'm going to hang it in a my sewing room

as a reminder that we are better together.

My biggest finish this week: organizing/cleaning/decluttering my sewing space.

I folded and sorted all my fabric.

It may not look too neat in the picture, but its a big improvement.

And I found a few things I was missing,

including the melon template for my double wedding ring quilt,

which is now living in that plastic project box on the bottom right.

Happy long weekend to my American readers.

I'm linking up with other Friday finishers at

Crazy Mom Quilts

Confessions of a Fabric Addict

Each one teach one, part 2

I'm more than half-way through teaching a five-week learn to sew class.

Here's what I've learned so far:

Learning to operate machinery as an adult is harder than you realize

when you've been sewing all your life.

And adult learners are good sports, 

even when the sewing machines jam up

and the teacher needs a little instruction herself.

I'm teaching in a space with about 10 different donated machines.

We've had problems with all of them,

whether they were expensive computerized Janomes

or basic plastic Singers.

Last week I brought my all metal Elna SP (above)

because I can thread that one in my sleep.

I've also brought in my Singer 301a

and next week I may just bring in a Featherweight or two.

But we've persevered, and after a quick lesson on rotary cutting last week,

everyone was able to cut out fabric for a tote bag last night.

We're using a variety of upholstery samples

and some IKEA twill yardage.

I'm teaching bag and pillow making methods

rather than specific patterns,

so everyone figured out the size of bag that would work best.

Yesterday was all about flat construction --

we put on the handles and finished edges before sewing the side seams,

and then squared off the corners.

My question to you is one the students are asking:

What's a good starter machine?

I've been promoting vintage,

but those of you who have newer Pfaffs and Janomes and Berninas,

tell me what's a good new machine to buy?

I've been telling the students a sewing machine can be a lifetime investment,

since my mother is still sewing on her 1968 Elna Supermatic

and lots of us are loving our Featherweights and other all-metal vintage machines.

I'm linking up to The Needle and Thread Network 

and Freshly Pieced's WIP Wednesday.

Each one teach one?

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My hand drawn illustrations, which took minutes instead of hours on the computer.

Sometimes simple is best!

Tonight I teach my first learn-to-sew class.

On the curriculum tonight:

Keep your sewing shears sacred to sewing!

We're also covering the importance of good thread, sharp needles,

and how to make a perfect stitch.

I think I'll be taking my Singer Featherweight 222K to demonstrate that!

The challenge will be teaching students on 10 different machines,

since the sewing room we're using is full of donated oldies-but-goodies

and a few new but not so great machines,

plus a beautiful Viking Lily in its own custom table.

These are some of the samples for the class.

We're making bags and pillows and pouches

using a method-based construction method.

My goal is to encourage creativity while teaching skills.

I'll let you know how it goes.

I'm linking up with The Needle and Thread Network