What’s on my Sewing Table – Midsummer Edition

Oh my goodness – it’s hard to believe that July is here. I thought I’d share a little bit of what is happening right now on my sewing table. My sewing mojo tends to wax and wane in the summer months, but at the moment I’m feeling motivated and enjoying sewing, so I’m running with that and even enjoying it too. 

Here’s what I’m currently working on.  I also want to clear-up any mystique that quilts appear overnight out of thin air around here, so I’m trying to be more transparent about progress reports.

This past week I’ve been working on sewing on the sashing and cornerstone blocks of the Riley Blake Quilt Block Challenge Sampler quilt. Oh man, I love it! Here’s a little peek of how it’s looking so far. I’m going to attach one more border and get it off to the quilter’s this week. 

After it’s bound, I’ll be sharing pictures of the full, finished quilt. You can find the links for the free block patterns + the finishing instructions here. 

I’m toying with the idea of putting together a small number of kits using the same fabrics I used in my version. If you’d be interested in one, will you leave a comment? I’d like to get an idea of the amount of interest and possible number of kits to make.

Also currently on my sewing table is this new kid on the block. I’ve been working with Baby Lock Sewing Machines for a few years now and they recently sent me a new machine to try out and review. This is the Accomplish and I’m having a lot of fun learning about and playing with this purely mechanical, straight stitch machine. It’s a speedy machine!

I’ll be sharing my review + what I’m learning next week, so stay tuned for that.

Also on my sewing table at the moment – I’m making more stuffed bears for Dolls of Hope. I’ve been cleaning out my fabric stash and found a bunch of flannel. A few weeks ago Dolls of Hope put out a plea for more bears as their requests have grown recently now that NGO’s and other aid workers are able to resume more humanitarian causes. And the need has grown.

These bears are a good handwork project for me this summer. I can stitch faces quickly or stuff bears while hanging out with my family. Last summer I was making a kajillion facemasks – it’s nice to get back to making toys for kids instead.

If you’re looking for ideas, I’ve got a list of other causes in need of charitable sewing here.

I live not far from the Dolls of Hope distribution center. If you’d like to sew bears and send them flat, I’ve got some expert stuffers and we can stuff them and deliver them to Dolls of Hope. Email me directly at amy@diaryofaquilter.com for details.

Also on my table today – I just picked up my Sparklers quilt from Sew Shabby Quilting last night. Here’s a preview of the quilting – it’s perfect for this quilt! I’m hoping to get the binding sewn on tonight so I can sit and finish the hand-binding tomorrow while watching Wimbledon and have it finished for the 4th of July!   

Also on my sewing table – this little “squirrel” project. These are all of the triangles I trimmed when making the Sparkler quilt. After talking scraps last Friday on the Quilting Hour with Lee of May Chappell and Heather of The Sewing Loft (it was SO much fun. You can find the replay here) I’ve been feeling inspired to play with scraps.

And since this little bowl of them was sitting next to my sewing machine, I started feeding them through chain-stitch-style making mini half square triangle blocks. I’m not 100% sure of their final destiny yet, but having fun playing, for sure.

Here’s another glimpse of what’s happening around here – I’m trying to get out to the mountains at least once a week. I always feel rejuvenated after. Normally summer kind of wears me out, but this one is feeling much more manageable.  I think part of it has to do with comparing life to the past two summers – two years ago navigating a house disaster and last year navigating a global disaster. By comparison, this summer feels pretty pleasant. And I’ll take it!