Curtains for Days

I had a second sewing project for the bus before we left on our great road trip.  We needed curtains for the bus to provide some light insulation and to act as a security measure for when we left the bus in metropolitan areas.  Now, the curtains were very much a priority for me but not so much for the guys (with good reason). So, while the guys did an amazing marathon of improvements to the bus, my mom and I set out to solve the curtain dilemma.  

We had a number of constraints to consider.  We needed to keep the costs low while still obtaining around 20 yards of fabric. The fabric needed to be thick enough to be non-transparent and light enough to be hung on the inside of the bus with earth magnets.  It also had to be visually appealing. That's a tough order at any time of the year, but it felt especially challenging at Christmas when traditional fabrics weren't on sale and inventory was low.  

Ultimately my mom and I had a great time trying to accomplish this challenge.  We ended up choosing a flocked chevron felt from Jo-Ann Fabric's.  We originally wanted only aqua but we quickly realized there actually wasn't enough fabric available in Georgia to achieve that goal.  Shipping the fabric from Jo-Ann's website would have been a disaster because it was so close to the holidays.  We ultimately decided to do half aqua and half gray and only had to visit two locations.  We decided to alternate the colors every two windows to cohesively use the two fabrics.  I did some quick envelope math to decide how much fabric we needed and we walked away with around 12 yards of each color.  I spent right around $150 including tax for 24+ yards of fabric.  

When we got home I cut the felt to size so that each panel covered two windows on the bus. The felt was a great choice of fabric because I didn't have to sew single hem!  I sewed a small 1 inch patch over an earth magnet in the corner of each panel of fabric and the task was quickly done. At the end of the project, it became clear that my math was way off and I ended up with several yards of each color leftover.  I used some of the leftovers to cover an AV cabinet on the bus and the rest of the fabric now lives under a couch on the bus.  

The installed curtains were exactly what we were looking for! They were easily removed and replaced as needed by passengers.  As an added bonus, the felt really repels dirt! 

Installation!

In Utah the bus blew a high pressured fuel line.  It was around midnight and snow was falling.  The engine trouble resulted in a lot of noxious fumes coming out of the engine (located inside the bus). We had to drop the windows so we could breathe and that's when the curtains really came in handy! The felt kept a lot of the snow out of the bus and still let us get fresh air.  The curtains were very helpful for the entire trip but this one application was worth all the effort!

Inside view during the first breakdown of the trip. 

Curtains are riding low for maximum views.

Sewing in 3D.

We own a school bus. A full length beast of a school bus. The bus lived in Georgia until we decided we were ready to bring it to California over the holidays.  We went home to Georgia on December 20th and left on December 26th for a cross-country road trip with 10 of our best friends.  Before we left on the trip we had some serious improvements to do. Quentin, his brother, and our best buds painted the exterior, did some rewiring, and engine work in the days before we left.  I packed my sewing machine in a carry-on and made a new seat cover for the bus seat while I was in Georgia. 

The original bus seat had a brown textured vinyl seat that was cracked and tired.  The vinyl was attached with staples to a very simple frame and the pieces were easily removed. I took the vinyl apart and used the pieces as a pattern for the new cover.  The seat itself is a molded foam that we did not replace.  This was my first attempt at sewing something 3D and the result was great!  The bottom piece is very tight fitting. I was able to wrap the seatback with some batting before putting the fabric sleeve on.  The most difficult part of this process was using the staple gun to secure the fabric again.  My mom helped me but we were very unskilled in the hand tool department.  I shot a lot of staples at my feet during the process. 

I considered using elastic so the fabric could be removable but we were on a serious time crunch and I didn't have time to get anything wrong. I also wanted a very snug fit for comfort.  I retained the pattern pieces so I can remake another seat cover down the road if this one fails or gets stained. I think the seat has a lot of character now!

Work Space

Our apartment is not big enough for a legitimate dining table. After doing some research I discovered the world of expandable tables! New tables cost several thousand dollars so I needed a vintage solution.  I was trying to obtain a table that had at least 3 hardwood leaves for $400 or less.  I was so pleased to purchase this beauty from Craigslist for $95! This table was owned by a one L.A. family for generations.  This piece has some ornamental damage but I was able to find replacement pieces online.  

When I'm working on a big quilt I can expand the table and put in all my leaves for a great work space. When I'm just repairing clothes or working on tiny pieces the desk fits well against a wall in our living room. 

Blue Quilt

I love my first Jelly Roll quilt! I had to know if the results I found with the first quilt were a fluke or if quilting really was this easy. I ordered the Moda Persimmon jelly roll from Amazon and backed this quilt with a blue cotton sheet flat sheet from a sheet set we no longer used. While I quilted my first quilt in tight waves, I did a very simple diagonal tight zigzag stitch here. This quilt came together in just a weekend!

Basting Buddies

Chiquita approved.

Let Me See Your Jelly Roll

When I bought my sewing machine my intention was to tackle sewing projects. Skirts. Bags. Miscellaneous Pinterest projects. Then I saw my first Jelly Roll quilt online... and I had to try it. After pouring over tutorials I was hooked.  How easy! How fabulous and fun!

I returned from a work event in Dallas and I needed a project to relax myself. I ordered the Moda Catalina Batiks jelly roll and some batting from Amazon and got to work.  In a week of evenings I had a beautiful lap quilt backed with orange fleece.

I expected basting to be the most difficult part of making a quilt. Instead, I found that the physical strength it took me to move my quilt through my standard sewing machine was the most challenging part. The second most challenging task was making mitered corners with my binding. Thank goodness for bloggers who love to teach and for Pinterest! I must have read more than 20 different tutorials to learn all the steps for this first quilt.  

Murphy can't resist the streaming action of a Jelly Roll

Diving In.

Now that my machine is running I’ve spent some time randomly stitching things together.  For my first actual sewing project I created a travel pillow for my brother-in-law. Some time ago he gave me a pants leg from his favorite blue jeans that he had worn to pieces. I turned that pants leg into a simple travel pillow for camping.  It is not a masterpiece but it is a start!

The next project I tackled was incredibly simple. I have found that despite my best intentions I don’t wear straight lightweight scarves. It doesn’t matter how many I buy or how many are gifted to me, they sit my closet. If it’s not a circular scarf, it’s not going to see the light of day.  So I sat down on a Shonda Rhimes Thursday and slowly stitched my straight scarves into circles using an overcast stitch for a great seam.  Success! 

A Decision Is Made.

In September I hit a wall. My career had become quite challenging and I sometimes felt like all my mental energy was spent by the time I got home in the evening.  My work was satisfying, stimulating, and fast paced. Unfortunately, most of my projects were long-game systems with payoffs that took months to achieve.  I desperately wanted to put work into something purely creative and see the positive results with near immediacy.

I'm a crafter but for some reason my normal projects weren't getting me out of my funk. I felt stuck. Stuck and stagnant. Stuck, stagnant, and hungry for something creatively satisfying.  Beyond that, the challenges of my husband's career meant I was spending countless hours alone. I needed something to revive my creative spark.

Maybe it was Pinterest, maybe it was the never-ending Project Runway episodes on repeat I was absorbing, but I decided to start sewing.

Earlier in the summer, my husband purchased a vintage mint green Singer sewing machine for me.

I pulled it out and quickly realized I had no idea what I was doing. I'm not even sure I had all the right parts.  I immediately put the vintage machine away and tried to sign up for a class at my local Jo-Ann Fabrics. However, they were booked solid for weeks! I decided to just dive in on my own and started my sewing education on the internet.

After reading reviews and visiting stores I decided to purchase the Brother XR9500PRW Limited Edition Project Runway Sewing Machine.

I did not buy this machine for the Project Runway branding. I chose this machine because it had glowing reviews and I felt a computerized machine was the "new" path in sewing.  That being said, don't let the branding full you because this is a powerful machine!  I ordered mine from Amazon and I was sewing seams within the hour.  

Five months later and I find myself donating my yarn stash and making room for a fabric stash. The vintage sewing machine is still in the house but I think it's heading for Craigslist. California living allows little room for sentimental living.  This hobby is so satisfying!