Sew Bored

As awful as the coronavirus is and has disrupted our lives, I have been grateful that life seems to have slowed down. I have a never-ending list of projects I would like to do yet never seem to have the time to start and complete any of them. Well, I decided it was time to make good on my goal to make each of my kids a jean quilt. Kennedy got hers after she graduated from high school. I "thought" was when all the other kids would get theirs too but so far, Kennedy is the only one with a jean quilt. Now these aren't just any jeans quilt - they are made from old jeans that the kids actually wore growing up and I have been storing them for years!

I knew I wanted to do them in a way that I could complete them myself. Not having a quilting machine I knew I would have to tie them or make them in rag quilt style. My first step was to try the rag quilt style on a smaller scale. So I took some leftover flannel I had around the house and sewed a baby rag quilt first for practice.

It was still a ton of work but I felt like I could do that again larger scale for the boy's jean quilts. I love how they turned out! Both of the boys used all the same flannel prints with a red flannel backing.

 Next it was time to start on the girl's quilts. Not many stores were open and we were still suppose to be only leaving our houses for essential errands, so I had to make their quilts with whatever I could find at JoAnn's Fabrics. I decided to do Cassidy's quilt with her wedding colors (yellow, sage and pink) and Karsyn had requested hers be blues and pinks. With their quilts I made them more traditional style and just tied them and did a hand-stitched binding. I can't even count the many hours it took to make these quilts and I can't believe I actually got them all done! It is such a good feeling! I think most the kids know I have been making them (and the boys have actually seen them since they are at home still) but I am waiting to give them to them until Christmas. Truly a gift from the heart!

And then I figured why not get a jump start on all the kids t-shirt quilts I also want to make them! I have also been saving all their old t-shirts and sweatshirts from school and activities and sports so they could each be made into a t-shirt quilt. So I pulled out all those supplies and got most of the shirts cut out and decided to try and practice blanket on one of these type of quilts too. So I made a Portland Trailblazer t-shirt quilt for Scott for Christmas!

Then since I happened to have all my sewing stuff out - I decided I should make masks for us all since they are required to be worn in any store, class or inside where you can't social distance. So I made about 14 face masks for everyone in the family!