4×7 Sewing Challenge week 2

Week 2 went a little better than week one, but I still wasn’t able to accomplish as much as I hoped.

First, Sunday and Monday I spent sorting and sending back my fat 8 swap.

Then I needed to do my bee hive block for this month.

The queen chose the tic tac toe block. She wanted low volume text/architecture for the background and vibrant prints like Alison Glass or Anna Marie Horner for the x. I used some of my newly swapped Alison Glass fat 8ths and some fat 8ths from previous text and low volume swaps. I am finding my fat 8 swaps are great for using in stash bees! We are also making signature blocks.

Then I made more test blocks for my pattern test, which will be posted on Monday.

Then I finally buckled down to power through my curtains for the baby’s room.

I used the sailboats for the top of the curtain and the waves (which I have 8 yards of!) for the bottom. I was going to use the crabs for the ties, but I thought it was too much dark blue. I forgot that the sailboats were on a navy background instead of a lighter blue. So I chose the green anchors instead. I like it because it looks like the ships are dropping anchor. lol.

I measured the windows against the pattern a couple times, and I have 8 yards of the waves so plenty to make them long enough, but they came out too short! Of course, they get tied up anyway so they only cover half the window anyway. So I stalled on the second curtain because I am not sure if I should make them the same or try to remake them longer.

I also hate using patters/pattern tissue/etc. This is why I quilt and don’t do stuff like make clothes, I am reminded. I feel it is so inexact. You can get such perfect straight lines with a ruler and rotary cutter. But pattern templates shift and they are unruly and I get wobbly cutting lines and my fabric isn’t perfectly straight. My hems/seams aren’t either. Drives me nuts. But I am trying to just run with it and get it done already. I am probably the only one these things bother and it is not like I am making for sale. I am so nervous the two curtains won’t match up though, and as they sit right next to each other it will bother me.

Anyway, here is the first curtain!

I have the second curtain cut out but have not gotten to sew it yet. I also am making black out shades to go behind the blinds. As I’ve said, that room gets very bright and very hot and the curtains obviously aren’t going to block it all, nor do the blinds. I am not as uptight about how the blackout shades will look, just more a logistical get-it-done thing. Then I will move on to the bedskirt, which I have nerves about because it is gathered.

We have company coming this week so my focus right now is on getting the house presentable, then I don’t know how much sewing time I will get once they are here. Hopefully I can at least finish the curtains before then. I think I am done with all the other sewing I needed to do for now (til the next bee block) so I can spend my sewing time focused on this now.

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