this week

I love to see in progress photos on other sewing blogs. So I thought  I would put one.
I took  pictures of my sewing room as it pretty much has everything  out that I am working on :

  Mid picture is a chair with leftover bits of red, blue and floral home dec fabric. I am making chair pouches for my daughters third grade class.  Those kids are tough on their pouches, I repair them sometimes but her teacher asked for new ones so as I come up with leftover fabric bits, I am  using them to make the pouches. . 

Next to the chair are green & brown cushions. Those are for my mom in laws deck benches- these cushions have taken a couple of weeks to make.  They are  100 inches long and I designed them with a  hinge  attachment in the center so they fold up very neatly as well as ties to tie them to the bench.  All that is left on those is  to put them on the benches and  then fold the ties to the right length and add velcro so she can easily take them on & off the benches. Here they are yesterday, I took them over to check over everything.

I hadn't sewn the cushion together yet,
but I did take over the top piece so I could check for tie placement. 

The cushion fits perfectly!

To the right of the cushions is  dress & coat for my niece for her birthday in march. I used a repro 1948 pattern and embroidered bunnies on the front.. I have taken TONS of pictures of these sweet little things. and will post them soon ( after her birthday- her momma might read this and I don't want her to see it yet:) )   Under that is a purse that is being made as an example for a lesson. 

My beautiful baby, my sewing machine sits on its padded stool. It is rarely off the table, but when it is, it has a cushy spot to rest. 

hmmm.  The picture is a bit grainy. sorry :) 

I finished the sewing room valance this week! Look at that thing- it is huge! 105 inches long finished.  I hand made every rose. 16 of them!   Right now the edges are pinned down  to train the trim at the bottom to stay folded where I want them to. I will have better pictures of the valance when it is completely done . Underneath the valance, I installed a traverse rod ( changed the draw from right to left, go me!)  and sometime in the next year or so I will make floor length  pinch pleat panels to go on the rod.  

To the right of the valance hanging on the door , is  the Father Christmas coat. After wearing it during the holidays, my dad had a few small adjustments he wanted me to  make: I added buttons down the front  (just for some extra oomph), I am adding belt loops ( the belt wouldn't stay up unless he tied it too tight to be comfortable ), a snap in the back to keep the hood in place (  The hood is so big that it sometimes  falls in his face :), and making a hat. Just a small round hat.  I have to get more velvet to make the hat. Somehow I thought I had more of the fabric left, like a yard & a half, but  I looked through my fabric closet ( ransacked. tossed fabrics in all directions. had the entire sewing covered in piles of fabric.) and   I couldn't find it.  So the hat is on hold until I make it back out to Joann's in greenbrier. Next week maybe. 

On the table is  sweaters and pants  that need buttons sewn back on - they belong to an older neighbor. He is a sweet man and  since his wife passed, he has had no one to sew on his buttons. He is very happy I am across the street now :) Then behind those,  there is the pattern and fabric for a pair of boxer shorts for my hubby. I am going to make them for his birthday. I am making a practice pair out of some skull fabric as a practice pair and then once he has worn them and given me feedback on how they fit   I will make a pair out of Doctor  Who fabric! 

He picked this fabric- Melting TARDIS.

No shot of my sewing room would be complete without my buddy, Sophie.  She is by my side all day long.

My devoted  sewing assistant. She keeps me safe from squirrels.

 I went to an estate sale this morning in my dream house. It is  in our neighborhood  and I walk by it weekly and   sigh.  This house is lovely  and I want it. I will never be able to buy it so  I went to the estate sale mostly just to see inside of my house  ( it should be my house). I love to go to estate sales in my neighborhood because  the lady of the house always had a sewing stash - I just have to find it.  Today they had the sewing stuff in the garage. So I was out there for a while sorting through boxes of sewing implements. Most of it junk but  I found these two mini bolts of trims- perfect for my purses! For $2 a piece!!