How a Sew-n-Sew spends her days after bunion surgery

I admit it - I have an addiction, and I am proud of it.

My favorite store to spend an hour or six is a fabric store.  My eyes feast as I browse the rows of rainbow colored silks, cottons, flannel and anything I can cut up and construct something from the pieces.  So I have spent several days sitting on the floor doing my thing with scissors and thread.  Later this week I will be moving to my workroom and will be thrilled to post photos of finished projects.

During the first days of my recovery I put my seam ripper to work. The bag on the right had given it's life to carry my daughter's computer to work each day.  I saw possibilities.  After several hours of tediously removing stitches I have all the hardware and lining for my next purse.  I even saved the inner pocket organizer!




My next item on the list "waited forever" was a beautiful hand crocheted doily, a gift from my brother and his wife several years ago.  After searching through frames at every thrift shop I entered for two years, I hit pay dirt.  It was the day I stopped at the St. Vincent de Paul with a few donations.  As I carried the bags and boxes in the crowded hallway used for incoming items I spied the perfect size frame sitting by the door.  "Is that for sale?" I asked the worker.

"Everything in here is for sale."   he replied.

"How much?'

"$3?"

"SOLD!"  and I smiled all the way back my car.  Unfortunately it waited an additional year for me to take the time to block and frame it.    It needed new fabric and a good dusting, I knew I could handle both.

Rick brought my ironing board and iron to the front room and placed it on the floor.  No legs were needed for the floor work I had planned.  I pressed the scrap of midnight blue velour.

I used the unscented liquid starch and saturated the cotton threads.  I blocked one section at a time until it was smooth, even and stretched to the proper size.  After twenty-four hours it was dry.  I found a matching polyester all purpose thread and hand stitched each point securely to the fabric.

Next on the agenda - stretch the fabric over the framing board and tack it securely.  Final step - hang it in my front room.  Well, that will wait until I have created the rest of the grouping and figured out how the wall arrangement.  My goal is to complete this before I go back to work.

Early in recovery I also made a pattern out of my best fitting blue jeans of all time.  My trusty seam ripper and I painstakingly picked the seams apart, pressed the jean pieces flat and now I have a pattern.  My old cutting board came out of hiding and took it's place next to the ironing board.  It wasn't long and my 'pattern' was pinned on denim fabric.  I am excited to sew my new best fitting jeans of all time.

Last, but not least, I created some small pillows for my darling granddaughters.  The fleece was a remnant from the scarves I gave them for Christmas.  I used black yarn and sewed them together using a basic blanket stitch and poly-fill stuffing.  The biggest challenge was pulling the needle through the fleece.  Next time I will use an awl and make tiny holes before I thread my giant needle with yarn.

I think I hear large wooden hearts calling my name begging to be covered with quilt batting, fabric, ribbon and hooks.  I guess they want to hold jewelry in the bedrooms of some of my favorite people.