Polyester Paradise

I went to an estate sale near my house yesterday because there was a Singer Featherweight there. The lady who once lived in the house was a seamstress, so there were bolts and bolts of fabric, boxes of trims, buttons, and other notions, a lot of patterns, and 4 metal pattern cabinets stamped with the McCall's and Simplicity brands. The featherweight was gone; someone grabbed it before I got there, but there was a Singer 500 (a rocketeer). I didn't buy it since I have enough sewing machines, but I did come home with a bolt of fabric. Honestly, the fabrics there were awful. Before I walked into the garage (which was converted into a sewing studio) I had high hopes for the fabric selection because as I was walking in, a woman was walking out with two bolts of what looked like nice linen. I seriously considered tackling her to the ground and fighting for the bolts, but I thought there would be similar fabrics inside and it wouldn't be necessary to rough-up anyone. You can imagine my disappointment when I walked in and saw wall-to-wall 1970's polyester. I've never seen so much polyester in one place in my life! I consoled myself with the assumption that the nice linen the woman before me was buying was most likely some type of poly blend made to look like linen. Regardless, I couldn't help but wish I had gone with my gut and tackled her and yanked those two bolts of fabric from her arms. They were probably a poly blend, though, right?? Right??!! One can hope. And just when I thought all was lost, one bolt caught my eye....

I recognized the stamp from across the room:

Fishman's Fabrics!! WooHoo! Generally, they don't sell crap there, so I grabbed the bolt without even considering what it could be. Turns out there is no label on the bolt, so I'm not certain of what it is other than it is almost definitely a synthetic and it's a thin, single knit (one way stretch). There are about 15 yards on the bolt and I got it for $20.

Anyway, I did a burn test and this is the result:

The flame extinguished itself and because there is a black bead I believe it's a polyester or a poly blend(not surprising given the other fabrics at the sale!). Suddenly, I'm hit with buyer's remorse. Ouch. I avoid polyesters because I'm always cold in them (which is odd, i think), but this fabric feels really good to the touch, so maybe I'll use it. It's soft and as long as it doesn't develop static cling, I think it will make a wonderful lining for another thin knit.

I also bought some bra patterns in case I ever feel like trying to make myself a bra.


And I bought a slip kit from Bernina:

I bought this kit because the package was cute. No other reason. The fabric inside the kit is nylon and I hate wearing nylon because it makes me sweat and smell, but I bought it anyway. My inner hoarder was starting to surface, so I paid for my stuff ($21.50 total) and went home. All in all it was a fun sale. The vintage 70's fabrics were fabulous to look at, but last night I had a nightmare that I woke up in 1975 and we were all dressed in those polyester prints. Ack! And I really loved the garage converted to a sewing studio. What a great idea! If you don't have a car, that is!

Almost Done. Almost.....

I have two more rows of hexagons to sew on the top and bottom and a border all around and the top will be done. The nice thing about sewing a hexagon quilt is that by the end of it, you are really good at sewing Y seams! I also used Dritz spray adhesive to hold the letters of Sunny's name in place while I satin stitched around the letters. I love this spray adhesive!! If you recall, I used fusible web to keep Ellie's name on her quilt and I wasn't happy with it because the fusible made the letters too stiff. The Dritz spray adhesive I used on Sunny's quilt washes out and the letters are nice and soft and flexible. I'm sure there are other brands of this type of adhesive, but this is what I chose and I'm happy with it.

At the bottom of the photo you see a little bit of orange...that isn't part of the quilt. It is orange felt that I use as a design wall. The next 40% off coupon I get from Joann's will be used to buy white felt. :) The quilt top is also not wonky, it is just heavy and is not hanging straight. I have it hung on the design wall with snap barrettes; it isn't really stuck to the felt.

I can't wait to finish this quilt top. It will fit a twin sized bed. My girls still sleep in cribs, but they are getting "big girl beds" soon. They're too big for cribs!

So...I hope you all are having a great weekend!

The Clothworks Contest And My Surprise

Hi All!
I entered a contest over at the blog of Clothworks Fabrics and this morning I logged on to find that I'm one of the finalists! How exciting! And nerve-wracking! lol! I can't wait to get started on this project!

Here is a sketch of what I'm going to sew:


After I recieve the Woodland Friends II fabric, I can get started. Fun!!

Click over to the Clothworks blog to view the other finalists!