Yet More Sewing Projects

I seem to have been having a bit of a sewing fest of late. I've obviously got my sewing mojo back, that's for sure. It's a good thing, as it has resulted in my using lots of fabric from my stash, which is what it is there for after all.

Having made a couple more masks this week, for when I return to work, I decided to make some aprons for the same purpose.  I'd already bought some plastic disposable ones, but they were bought in the panic leading up to lockdown, when I thought I would be going back into work, and they aren't really a very sustainable solution, so I thought I'd have a go at making some fabric aprons that I can wash and reuse.

I had an Emma Bridgewater apron in my baking drawer, that I used as a template and cut out a couple of aprons from different fabrics I had in my stash.  I managed to complete one, using some cotton tape/ribbon I had already, to use as the neck strap and ties.For the second one, I decided to order a wider cotton tape from eBay, so I haven't yet finished that one, as I'm waiting for it to arrive. I attached pockets to the front of both aprons, to put a pen or other small items in.

I also made a co-ordinating drawstring bag for the completed apron, to take the apron home in at the end of the working day. Here's the apron I completed with matching drawstring bag (I got Bert to model it for me):

I figure I need to make at least 3 aprons and 3 bags, one for each day I work each week, but I will have to put them straight into the washing machine after my working week has ended, in order to use them the following week, so I may make more just in case.

The plastic disposable aprons, I will leave at work for other staff or volunteers to use if they so wish.

Having made some aprons, I then turned my attention to the final quilt that I needed to finish. I've posted pictures of this quilt in previous posts, in various stages of completion. I proceeded to sew the layers together on my sewing machine and then pin and hand sew the binding all around the edges. It took a couple of days to complete the latter task, but I am happy to say that I have now finished it.  Here's the finished quilt:

I was going to quilt each row of hexagons and around the flowers made of hexagons, but the tension on my sewing machine is still not resolved, so I thought better of it.  I may do it at some point in the future, should I get a new machine. I did try to quilt it by hand, but I didn't like the finished result so unpicked it again. I'm happy enough with it as it is for now though. At least it will be useable when winter rolls around again.

This particular quilt has been made for use on this (our) bed in the winter, on especially cold nights when a further layer is needed. The wadding used is a vintage pure wool Witney blanket, that I cut down to size. As a consequence, it is not a thick quilt, but should be a warm one. I should even be able to wash it in our washing machine, with a bit of luck.

Although it wasn't a priority to start another quilt, I did have one last project that I've wanted to do for ages and which I had already cut the pieces out for. It is for a dog quilt, that I intend to use to cover half the sofa, for when the dog jumps up onto it, to prevent it from getting covered in dog hair essentially.

For this quilt, I had various dog and duck fabrics that I wanted to use. It's going to be my first attempt at a block type quilt.  I've never done one before. As a consequence, I think I'm going to sew the pieces together on my sewing machine, as it should be pretty straightforward. I'll keep you posted on the progress of this one.

More projects started and completed, but still more work to do.