A Cincinnati Reds Shirt for the Playoffs

For my birthday, a friend gave me a Reds messenger bag and a great T-shirt.

The shirt is very special to me because on the back is “Applegate – 80” (my maiden name and my age).  I haven’t used the Applegate name for over 60 years.  The shirt is the right size but was cut in a way that it would even be snug on my skinny 9-year-old granddaughter.   I really wanted to wear this shirt for the Reds’ playoff games and had to quickly come up with a way I could keep all of the key elements but have it in a comfortable size.

I had a new T-shirt that was about two sizes too big and used one of my tried and true patterns to trim the sides and to trim down the sleeves.

I cut the side seams of the Reds shirt ….

… then lay it on top of the white  shirt and pinned at the shoulder, down the center and around the neckband.

I drew a chalk line, allowing for a ½ inch seam, from the shoulder to the bottom of the front and back on each side and trimmed along that line.

I turned under the ½ inch allowance and top stitched the red shirt to the white one.  Then, I  VERY carefully trimmed away the center white portion front and back.

I sewed the side seams, sewed in the sleeves, sewed the hem and the shirt was finished.

Now, I have my shirt ready to wear and watch the Reds win the playoffs (sorry, St. Louis granddaughters).

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A Patchwork Memory Jacket

This is the first quilted jacket I made.  About 7 years ago, I was very new at quilting and was looking for anything I could find around the house to use as practice projects.

About 25 years ago, my oldest daughter had embellished my black square dance skirt with her gorgeous hand-painted and embroidered work.  When the skirt was no longer wearable, I cut out all of the hand-worked panels, not knowing what I would do with them.  When they surfaced again while I was looking for things to quilt, I had my answer.

I made the jacket first out of patchwork squares with colors that coordinated with the embroidered panels…

…then appliqued the panels onto the jacket.  At that time, I didn’t have the skill to piece the panels into the patchwork design.

The design that had been on the center front of my skirt was a beautiful rendering of swans and I used those as a panel on the back where there was plenty of room.

When I was making the jacket, I wasn’t sure how it would turn out, so I just used a sweatshirt as the lining.  It has become a piece that I keep back for special occasions and if I were making it now, I would put much more thought into a lining that would complement the jacket.

The colors don’t come through too well but this is really an exciting, beautiful jacket and one that is filled with memories.  My husband passed away six years ago, but we had so much fun going to square dances and whenever I wore the skirt, I spent quite a bit of time standing still so the other women could circle around me, admiring each beautiful panel with my daughter’s handiwork.

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Quilted Hospital Cape

When I was in the hospital a couple of months ago, I was surprised at how chilly it could get at times, particularly when I was sitting in a chair or doing my laps down the hall hanging onto my IV pole on wheels.  I had my daughter bring over my favorite warm sweater but I couldn’t cover up the IV tubes with the sleeves and it kept slipping when I put it over my shoulders.

I had plenty of time to think and started designing something in my mind that would be pretty,  lightweight yet warm, easy to put on and take off, and would leave my arms and hands free.  I thought a short quilted cape might be the answer.

When I got home and felt better, I got out some nice pastel fabric and found a relatively simple block I liked called Good Luck Token on my quilting software.

I used a very easy Halloween cape pattern and cut it so that the bottom edge ended at my wrists.  I pieced the blocks and sewed them together to be the right size to cut out the pattern (two front sections and one back) and seamed them together.

I made another cape of plain fabric for the lining, added low-loft batting, fitted the layers together and did simple stitch-in-the-ditch quilting.  A binding around the edges finished it off.  I used Velcro for the closing so it would be easy to remove.

I hope I won’t have to take my cape to the hospital soon, but meanwhile it’s nice to wear when I’m sitting in the front of the fireplace, watching television.

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A Tree Skirt from a Square Dance Skirt

Thirty years ago (in 1978), I was very much involved in square and round dancing.  For my Christmas gift that year, I asked my oldest daughter to work her magic with needle and thread on a skirt I could wear to all the Christmas dances.  She helped me choose a heavy cotton fabric in Christmas green and I made a 12-panel full-circle skirt.  She decorated each of the panels with a different design in embroidery and fabric paint.

My favorite designs were the little folk girl and the angel, although each image was unique and charming.

I wore the skirt for many years at dances and various Christmas parties.  Each time, I would have to stand still while other women made a circle around me, picking up the panels and admiring my daughter’s handiwork.  After my husband became too ill to dance and after the waistband became a little too snug, I hated to think of storing the skirt away and never seeing it again at Christmas time.  That’s when I decided to just cut it apart up the back and use it as a tree skirt.  It’s wonderful and makes an appearance every year encircling my Christmas tree.

I’m so glad to be able to sit and look at the skirt each year, remembering all of the happy dances and parties from so many years ago.

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Springtime Hoodie

When we visited Holmes County (Ohio) Amish Country last September, I saw some delicious Moda fabric that I couldn’t resist. 

I didn’t know what I was going to do with it until I started thinking about a hoodie for spring similar to the one I made for fall which I liked very much.  I had only bought one yard of each of the Moda fabrics and got enough additional Kona off-white fabric to make the jacket.  I used a pattern I found in my local quilt shop, A QUILTER’S HOODIE #0351 by A Little More Effect Pattern Company, 10736-125 Street, Edmonton T5M 0H1.  The pattern is for an unlined jacket, but I wanted to make mine reversible and basically made the jacket twice and then put it together with a reversible separating zipper.   It turned out to be very comfortable, the right weight for our Southwest Ohio spring weather, and with the colors of April.  This is one view of the hoodie.

This is the reverse side of the jacket.  I like the deep pockets.

Whenever I make a jacket, I use the scraps to make a small purse to carry in quilt shops, antique stores, malls, etc., to avoid lugging around a heavy purse.  This purse has a flip-out section for credit cards/cash and a holder for my sunglasses.

 

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Quilter’s Hooded Jacket

 

Last summer, I was looking for a pattern for a hooded jacket that would be good to wear in the fall and spring.  I found just what I was looking for by A Little More Effect Pattern Company, 10736-124 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T5M OH1.  It’s called A Quilter’s Hoodie #0351. 

I chose flannel fabric and a flannel lining to get the warmth I wanted for early spring/fall temperatures and liked the pockets and zipper opening.

I didn’t quilt the jacket at all but used the coordinating fabrics to good advantage and I liked the way it turned out.  It’s very comfortable.

I entered the jacket in the sewing division of the Warren County (Ohio) Fair and won a blue ribbon.

As I usually do when I make jackets, I used leftover fabric to make a small purse to carry in quilt shops, antique shows, etc., where I don’t want to haul around a heavy purse. 

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