Checked Linen Shirt

collar with neck gusset and shoulder reinforcement

hem and side vent

Fabric: 100% linen navy/white check

Pattern: J.P. Ryan Men's Shirt pattern View A

Modifications: I sewed the whole shirt by hand and did more flat felling than what was suggested. I wanted it to be a keep sake but also hold up with hard use from my dad. Putting lots of time into things seems to help that combination-- sentimentality and durability :)

Further Reading: I found Thoughts on Men's Shirts to be very interesting and helpful. You could draft your own pattern from this book but I of course liked having all that work done for me! It did help me know that the pattern was accurate and that I was on the right track as far as fabric and authenticity goes.

Happy Sewing!

Bethany

Lavender Spring Time

Just another Practically Pretty dress, this time with white rick rack ordered special for the warm weather that we all know must be coming soon!

Blessings,
Bethany

Radiating Spring Table Runner

Fabric: It's all from my scrap bin! I think it's all 100% cotton although I suspect that navy might have some poly in it. It all works out because it can still be washed cold and line dried. :)

Pattern: Free Table Topper Pattern

Modifications: Their cutting instructions are really odd. I recommend reading them and figuring out what the measurements are for the pieces and going from there. They assume you have a certain amount of fabric (several fat quarters) but following their cutting instructions just ends up wasting fabric. See! You can't quilt and get out of doing any math! Maybe I should have done some sort of quilting in that large middle square? Next time!

Blessings,
Bethany

"Victorian" Christmas Star Wall Hangings

Fabric: 100% cotton "quilter's cotton" and polyester low loft batting.

Pattern: Look familiar? The larger one is the same as this other one I made but different fabrics. No kit used this time but I still had it all in my stash. The smaller wall hanging is the same pattern but the squares are cut one inch smaller.

Modifications: Same as for the other quilt: I added the hanging sleeve on the back for a dowel road to go through. I also cut binding on grain (since the edges of the quilt are straight and not curved) and sewed it right sides together to the BACK. This way when I fold it over to bind the edge, I can sew it on the machine and have it look good on the front. Most people sew the binding right sides to the FRONT and then fold it around to bind the edge and whip stitch it to the back. That takes f.o.r.e.v.e.r. I have a couple more wall hangings to do and I needed this to be done quick! That's my tip for quick quilts. :) I also machine stitched in the ditch instead of hand quilting.

Blessings,
Bethany

Sunshine on the Weathervane Wall Hanging

Fabric: 100% cotton vintage fabrics (red and yellow) and 100% linen (brown and blue check)

Pattern: I used the weathervane block instructions from Hidden Block Quilts by Lerlene Nevaril Another example of a similar quilt is on the cover. If you want to take your quilting to a whole new level, I highly recommend this book! It contains blocks of varying levels so it can be as simple or as complex as you would like. Whether you are new to quilting or not, it really helps you with designing your own quilt. I learned so much just by making a simple wall hanging and can see how I could have played with the colors more for a completely different look. If you want to design and conquer something new, I bet you would find this book to be helpful!

Blessings,
Bethany