Birthday Sewing

Today is my Birthday.  No cake for me.  I'm happy with feeling well enough to have a bite of spaghetti for supper.   I was determined to do something today to prove I am getting better.  So I decided to do a bit of sewing.

Our windows have blinds but no curtains.  I've had an idea floating in my head to make a kinda quilt as a curtain.  It would be the same basic pattern that I will use to make quilts for our beds.  I thought I would start with the smallest window in our bedroom.

Much to the amazement of nearly everyone, I've managed to take old material with me everywhere we have moved.  I have my Mom's old dresser stuffed full of old material from the days of crafting before I became a teacher (yep over 25 years of moving these pieces of material).  I went up to the dresser and starting picking and choosing material until I had some colors I liked.  Then I had to come up with a design. I tried one then another.  Finally decided what would look nice. That took most of the morning.

Before one can stitch, one has to cut the pieces from the various pieces of material.  We got this wonderful machine called an Accu-quilt for cutting the pieces. 

You start with a die (different shapes) and turn the crank by hand.  The die cuts the material.  Here is a close up of a die.

This die will cut four triangles at once.  We have several dies.  So I used scraps of cloth that I stacked one on top of the other and then cranked.  Before you know it...triangles of different shapes along with some squares have been cut.

Isn't this material pretty?  I made a photo album for my Mom and my Mother-in-law from this material at least thirty years ago and now I will look at that material on my wall and remember them.

Here are the stacks of triangles and what I am thinking I will make.  The grey is from a pillow I made for my Grandma Reitz probably 35 years ago.  The white flowers pattern is from either doll clothes or a stuffed animal.  I could tell from the cut out.  But I don't remember it.  Isn't it neat how they all got together?

Time to sew!  Remember 1/4 inch seam allowance and make sure to match the corners.  Then press the seams open. 

Now the pieces will go together with a white square.  In the white square I will embroider some redwork flowers. The reddish brown is from MANY pillow ruffles over the years of selling crafts.  Tomorrow will be more squares and the white borders that will tie it all together.  Unless I decide to embroider the squares first.   I think I like how this is working out.  I love using the old material to make something for me to look at.