Let's make a Spring Tablecloth!

    My "supercold" has evolved into a cough which will probably last for the next six months... either that, or I'm now in allergy season! Overall, I am feeling a bit better-- thank you for all of your kind words.

    It has been a raw spring-- today, it's not even going to get out of the 40s. To cheer myself up and to do something different than piecing, I decided to make a spring tablecloth.

     I am a fan of the Pioneer Woman-- but not of her cooking show at all! I was wandering around Walmart, and saw these beautiful plates-- I have plenty of china, but I allowed myself to buy ONE, which I use on my sewing table to keep important bits and pieces on. When I looked at the back, I saw it was a PIONEER WOMAN design. 

     She has an entire line of cookware, but behold! I found myself in the Walmart fabric aisle and there were FAT QUARTER bundles of her patterns! My heart was just pounding... such a nice change from the Moda prints I've been a fan of. I just love that teal, and look at the cute circle print. I bought a set of six fat quarters and a two-yard cut.

     Of course, I am highly suspect of any Walmart fabric ever since I bought the cute candy corn on black fabric that when washed, turned into licorice candy corns. But this was such a win for me, I bought the set of six fat quarters and a two-yard bundle of one of her rose prints and hoped for the best. It did wash up very well-- even the big red roses did not bleed a bit!

     To make the tablecloth out of the two yard cut, of course I had to cut it in half and then sew it back together along the other length-- similar to how you would make a quilt backing for a large quilt. So I will tell you-- I originally got heavily into sewing not for embroidery or quilting, but I just wanted to make a few home décor items economically for our first house. According to the "home décor" police, you do not sew pieces in halves-- you will have a big seam down the middle. You have to do thirds. 

     I found this math a bit unsavory, so, since things haven't been ideal around here for quite a couple of months, I just went with halves. Here is a nice seam I learned back in the day that gives a nice smooth finish on both sides, with no raw edges-- it's called a "flat fell seam," I believe. 

    I cut the fabric in half and rotated it-- I did try to find two lengths where the big roses somewhat lined up, and I'm happy with the results.  You sew the edges together using a half inch seam, but extend one side of the fabric a half an inch further away than the other.

     Once that is sewn, fold the extending fabric down to meet the seam line-- this will "wrap" the raw edge.

 Now just fold that down again. You can now open up the tablecloth and give the flap a good press down.

Now go back to the machine, and just top stitch that floppy folded each down... it's easier to do on the back, so just make sure your bobbin tension looks nice on the front of the table cloth.

This picture shows the flat fell seam on the front and back.

Now that it was joined, I put it on my table just to check the size, and I did end up trimming five inches on each side of the length that was a little long for me. From there, all that was needed was a little 1/4" rolled hem all around. I work very neatly and slowly-- I pinned the corners as I got them-- I'm sure if you've ever rolled a hem, you know that inside raw edge bit always wants to peek out, doesn't it!

     So here is my finished cloth-- I don't think anyone who wasn't a seamstress would notice the seam down the middle.

     I also sprung for the Pioneer Woman woven circle placemats:

     Of course, I'd love to make a table runner out of the fat quarters, But my sew jo is still compromised, so I'm trying to resist. A beautiful vase of red roses would be just as awesome! 

    So, loving my tablecloth-- it gave the kitchen a nice brightening. It was an hour and a half project, and could probably even last right up to Fourth of July. Unfortunately, the rug under my table looks completely dingy now-- what do you think the chances are that the Pioneer Woman has a line of rugs? I will let you know!

   This past week, I also got the May Birth Month Mug Rug done, and now I've started the last five of fifty Carefree Highways states! If I do any sewing, I'd love it to be on the full quilt now. 

    I have kept up with the Ribbon Runs Through It BOM-- as much as possible. My supplier sent the wrong fabric for Month 3, so I couldn't complete the four blocks. I will keep their name private-- I have been really good at protecting the guilty throughout my life-- so much so, I probably should have been a defense attorney. I will post as many of my finished blocks as I can next week. I have to admit it is somewhat comforting to know that others in the industry are messing up as well as I am!

I am actively working on the Autumn Sampler every morning-- I am on the very last corner of the little schoolhouse-- and it doesn't have any backstitching! YAY! Someone asked me when I think I will be done with it-- I'm guessing six weeks.

       So by now, only YOU, my most faithful friends will still be reading! We have had rather hard news. My mom, who is 89, is in the later stages of renal cancer. It's a cancer that is never discovered until it's late. Thankfully, Mom feels pretty well-- believe it or not!

    We made the decision to move her back in with us and I intend to get her down this road with all the patience, love, and strength that I can. I'm sure it's going to shorten my sewing time-- that's fine-- so if I'm not as amazing as usual--hee hee, I just wanted you to know why.

    I once went to a sit and sew, and the woman who was running it sat and talked about her husband's cancer for three hours. I really felt for her, and went home feeling depressed and sad. 

    I never went back. 

     Lesson learned-- I don't want to be that person-- we have all faced health issues, and I have a lot of support with my family. I realize how fortunate I am to have had my mom for all these years, and I really want to keep this a happy place for all of us. So I'll just keep jabbering along about whatever it is I'm sewing-- I think it will be the best medicine for me really, and I can't thank you enough for sharing this space with me.

xox

Carol

Thwarted!

      So I started the year with all the best laid plans and enthusiasm, then settled in to a nice routine...  now I'm THWARTED!  Mr. SFO and I went for a spur of the moment road trip up to Maine last weekend, where I picked up a nasty cold. It's a wonder I consent to travel at all anymore beyond the grocery store-- I come back sick every time. Were those mountain vistas worth it?  'Fraid not.

     You know it's bad when you can't even sew... and nowadays there is the haunting question--  (am I going to end up on a ventilator...) 

     I did test negative and seem to be a bit on the upswing today, so I'm hopeful I have a few sewing years ahead of me to tackle all that collected fabric and kits. Not much to really say in this blog post though... it's going to be more of a place marker.

    The Gypsies are on their way! We had planned to do Facetime as they passed under this famous arch in Amicalola Falls, GA that marks the approach trail... I was asleep in bed! So disappointing after watching all the hard work and prep that went into this.

They are now just a number...

That's how many people are ahead of them on the trail. It's a big year, as the trail was partly shut down through the pandemic. Halfway through the hike, you re-register in West Virginia, I believe, and your new number will reflect how many are still on the way up. Only 20% make it-- I am completely sure they will be in that group. :-)

If you are an Instagram fan, Caroline is @cloudonamountain and Evan is @gypsytrails_NH. Cell service appears to be pretty good along the trail, and I'm sure they will put a post up on Instie every day. On YouTube, I believe they are doing once a week videos. If you're like me, vowing to never leave home again, it should be fun to watch. If, due to the price of gas, we all end up hiking from here to there, it should be inspirational.

This is, I'm sad to say, the only sewing I have to show for myself for a week now! I guess it's just one piece in the middle... those other corners are only cut out!

    The Ribbon Runs Through It delivery is late again anyway. I had hoped to be able to use the overly generous fabric the Fat Quarter Shop provides to do Block 9 and stay on schedule. Unfortunately, I didn't have one of the fabrics needed yet. The designer provided this great layout sheet which I have blurred to not give away the pattern. It is SO helpful, and so far, no badly rotated half square triangles have happened.

     So that's the sad state of affairs in my world. It happens to us all, but when I'm sick, I make sure everyone knows it!! That is so much preferable to me, than these people who keep it to themselves!! I once had someone throw up in my car, without a single mention of my stomach feels sick.

    I'm just about ready for another coughing fit and another two hours on the couch-- no, I haven't even been able to cross stitch, not even a little!

    Hoping for a miracle cure soon-- all the best to you, my friends. There is always tomorrow.

xox

Carol