Back from sewing camp. Project report:
1) Hand-sewn
pink & white quilt top that is so badly stained that no one else wanted it at the library fund raiser, so I was able to buy for $2.50: I had thought that I needed to stabilize it before washing by sewing a muslin backing to it. I was told instead by expert quilters that I should serge all 4 sides and then soak it in Dawn dishwashing detergent. I don't have a serger so one of the other campers offered to serge it for me. Unfortunately, she was having trouble both with her serger machine and with her eyes after cataract surgery, so it didn't get done. Therefore, I will do an overcast stitch around it with my regular sewing machine. Since sewing group meeting is this Saturday, I will take it to show them how stained it is now and hopefully I can make it look a lot better before next month's meeting.
2)
Chameleon Purse: That's the name on the pattern instructions that came with the purse, but when I googled it to find a picture I couldn't find the same one. The version I was given is a very small leather purse with a zipper on top, and then 2 metal clips that hold a decorative flap that can be changed. It came with a flap in a 4th of July print cotton fabric. I took several pieces of cotton prints to make more flaps, but after I made the 1st one I decided I didn't like the batting I used to stiffen the flap.
Side note: I was given several yards of Thinsulate batting so I tried it because I'm trying to use up what I have on hand. I didn't like the texture of it for this project. Also, the plastic coating on the Thinsulate means that it cannot be pressed with an iron, which makes the purse flap look unkempt. I'll try to do some decorative stitches on the flap to make it look better. In the meantime, another camper was using Thinsulate inside 2 layers of fleece fabric to make dog beds for a rescue organization. I will give her the rest of the batting, and that will free up a lot of space in my sewing supplies. Win-win!
3)
2 nylon net scrubbies for washing my cast iron pans
4)
Knit top: Drafted the pattern using instructions from a recent class, cut out the fabric and sewed the whole top. That was my Friday project, so I wore the top all day Saturday to test it for comfort before I make more using the same pattern. I like it and I received several compliments.
5)
Heart shaped pot holder for myself: quick project, finished! from this tutorial:
http://leafytreetopspot.blogspot.com/20 ... orial.html6)
Small insulated lunch bag: Cut out and sewed 2/3. I forgot to take a zipper with me so had to stop at that point in the instructions. Will finish it this week because I need it for work, plus I want to show it at Saturday's meeting.
6)
Mug rug idea for coworker Christmas gifts: Started cutting the fabric pieces yesterday morning but ran out of time.
It seems to me that I finished another small project Thursday night, but I'm blanking on it right now.
[Edit: I think it felt like I did another project because for the lunch bag, I had to convert/enlarge the pattern from the instruction sheet before it could be cut out of fabric. Same with the pattern for the knit top.]I took fabric to cut out another knit top. I had washed & dried it, but didn't use fabric softener or a dryer sheet. The knit was so full of static cling that I was struggling to get it to lay out flat to cut out the pattern. I decided I didn't want that much stress, so I stopped trying. I'll fluff it in the dryer and cut it out later this week.
That is a lot more sewing than I am usually able to do at sewing camp. There were only 9 of us this time, and I think having such a small group made a big difference in the number of interruptions to my fun.