Wednesday, August 6, 2014

Latest Project

I got a custom order recently for a memory bear with a coordinating baby quilt.

I'm not a quilter.  But the customer really wanted a matching quilt to go with the bear, and the story behind the fabrics was so sweet, I gave in.

I did warn her that it's going to be more free-form, like my potholders, instead of a strictly pieced "normal" quilt.  She was okay with that.  I also said that I was going to tie the quilt instead of machine quilting it -- aside from her time frame, which is short, and which would really put pressure on me -- did I mention, I'm not a quilter?

The fabrics arrived today -- a floral/paisley print moleskin skirt, a matching plummy moleskin jacket and a lavender silky blouse.  The colors match much better than they do in the photo.

The two pieces are for her friend, who is about to have her first baby.  She was very close to her grandmother, who died recently.  My customer helped her friend pack up grandma's things, and while she was at it, she snagged this outfit from the closet -- grandma wore it to her friend's wedding, so it's very likely that there are some fond memories associated with it.

I got the clothing cut up this evening and cut out and stitched all the bear pieces.  Tomorrow evening I'll get the bear stuffed and strung, and start in on piecing the quilt.  I doubt I'll have enough fabric in the provided clothing to back it, but I told her I'd pick up a yard of coordinating solid-color cotton for backing if there wasn't enough fabric in the clothing.  It's not a big expense and I'll get to use the remnants anyway.

In other news, I missed both my First Friday and Saturday events this past weekend, partly due to feeling like crap and partly because of weather.  I did do my first sewing lesson on Sunday, which went well (and ran a little over).

My temp job is endless and boring and they're not keeping me busy enough -- if I have time to make long lists of all the things I need to do when I get home, I'm wasting my time and they're wasting their money.  They seem to be okay with that.  I wish I was.

3 comments:

RhondaBuss said...

I once did a pair if bears out the wedding dress and suit that a couple wore. They, the bears were so precious. Your bear and quilt will be lovely I'm sure.

badmomgoodmom said...

It will be a lovely keepsake and thank-you for accepting the commission even if you are not a quilter.

RE the boring temp job. Perhaps they just need you in case of bursty work loads? I had a very prepared student ~ 1988, She said that a drug company paid her $10/hour (back then!) to work the graveyard shift just in case they needed to ship out an order in the middle of the night.

That is, most nights, there was nothing for her to do but study, do homework, talk on the phone w/ her boyfriend or nap on the cot they provided.

But, if they had a big order and needed to run the production line around the clock, they needed an analytical chemist to perform the purity assays and certify them before shipping.

Though she was one of the strongest students, the professors could not convince her to go to grad school. She pointed out that she made more than grad students. And she would earn a hell of a lot more after graduation with a BS than a PhD. Smart girl. I hope she's running a company now.

Journeyin' Lady... said...

What a wonderful project! A little daunting considering you are working with their special fabric not having quilted before! Good luck!