What’s Sewing On – January 2024

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 6 Comments

Hello Sewers! I bid farewell to 2023 and ushered in 2024 with this last-minute machine embroidery, small table runner. I needed a small table runner in Christmas-themed colors for my entryway table, so I used the December Kimberbell ME Time monthly embroidery shipment to put together this little table runner. I did not follow the instructions for any of the included projects because I had to make this one to fit my entry table. I embroidered 12 of the small (4″) blocks to assemble three 8″ blocks for my table runner. I added sashing and borders to finish it off, and I am quite pleased with it. It is the perfect size.

To machine quilt all the layers together, I outlined the blocks and borders with a straight stitch, and then I used this scallop stitch on top of the borders.

All of the fabric is from the December kit. I completed this little runner on Christmas Eve.

Michaels had a great sale on these storage cases that I like to use to organize the fabric that I have cut to prep for my quilt making projects. They were $2.99 each, so I picked up several to add to my supply.

This is how I like to use the storage containers. I cut all the pieces for my quilty project and then stack them in the container so they are ready to go when I have a chance to sit down and sew.

These are the pieces I need for a YouTube sew along in which I am participating this year. It is hosted by Laura at Sew Very Easy. The quilt is a mystery. We do not know as we sew each month what it looks like. I am making the scrappy version using fabrics that I already had in my stash. All of the fabric is by Lori Holt except the solid red (which is Kona cotton) and the white background fabric (which is Basin Feedsacks by Stacy West).

After cutting and labeling (Laura was kind enough to include cut apart labels with the instructions) all my fabric pieces, I add the instruction sheet on top so I know which project is in this container. Laura will post a new section of the mystery quilt each month. If you want to sew up your scraps, come join the fun on the Sew Very Easy YT channel. It is free and it is not too late to start.

I started a quilt from Charm School this month. It will be a WIP for a couple months, I only have 12 of the 42 blocks made so far.

Again, I store all my cut pieces in this handy container from Michaels.

My final quilty start this month is a small mini quilt by Sandy Gervais. I just received my 2024 Limited Edition Cupid Box from Fat Quarter Shop. This is the project included in the box. I am hoping to complete it before Valentine’s Day, but that will remain to be seen. I am still busy painting and making our new (pre-owned) home ours, so that is occupying a lot of my time.

I did manage to stitch up one piece of clothing this month. It is the Toaster Sweater by Sew House Seven. I am not going to do a review of the pattern because I have already done one on my blog. I needed another long sleeve top for winter, and this is one of my favorite patterns. 

The fluffy, pink fabric is from Joann Fabrics. It is actually called Pink Fluffy Knit Fabric by POP! At first glance it looks like a bath towel or robe. LOL I believe it is marketed for young girls, but c’mon, who can resist that lovely bubblegum pink color and the softness of this great fabric? It is very fluffy (as the name indicates). I used my rotary cutter to cut the pieces, just as I do for most knits.

I find my serger/overlocker to be invaluable when sewing knits. If you choose to sew something in this fabric, I would recommend you use the extra presser foot lift on your serger to get the fabric up under the presser foot and to get a nice start to your seam to avoid the fabric bunching up as it tries to fit itself up under the presser foot. Other than that, I did not experience any problems sewing this fabric. It can be done with a domestic machine, but it would be beneficial to finish off the seams with a zig zag stitch because this fabric ‘sheds’ little bits of fiber everywhere. I have worn and washed my Toaster Sweater several times since making it, and it does not shed.

Okay, friends, that’s all I have for this month. Are you sewing any seasonal items? If so, I would love to hear what you are sewing right now. Please share with all of us in the comment section. Until next month, Happy Sewing!

Christmas Decorating with Machine Embroidery

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 3 Comments

Merry Christmas Sewers! Pour your favorite beverage and sit back and enjoy the photos of my machine embroidery decorated Christmas home. For most of the projects, I used machine embroidery designs from Kimberbell (they’re just sew darn cute and easy). This is one of the table toppers from Kimberbell Cuties Seasonal Table Toppers Vol. 1

The little snowman head is a sewing pattern by Nancy Halvorsen.

This oldie but goodie wall hanging was a quilt along on Lori Holt’s blog back in 2014. It is not machine embroidery. It uses pieced blocks.

To add a handmade touch to my fireplace mantel, I used a vinyl phrase and a woodland-style garland.

The cute little critter garland is from the Kimberbell Heart-Felt Friends collection.

For the “wonderful winter” phrase, I cut removable vinyl with my Cricut maker. The phrase is from Cricut Design space.

Another removable vinyl design that I added to my winter decor is this sweet snowman. It was difficult to get a nice photo because my refrigerator reflects the images in the room.

My Jingle All the Way quilt hangs in the entryway to greet guests at the front door.

I appreciate all the details that Kimberbell adds to their machine embroidery designs.

This 3 tier tray is a favorite of mine from last Christmas (2022). It sits here on my dining table on top of a small pieced and quilted topper that I sewed up for my mom in 2010. The memory of sewing that table topper and gifting it to her, makes it feel like she is present here with me at Christmas.

These Kimberbell embroidery hoop frame designs give my prim style tree a touch of modern Christmas whimsy

Thank you all for reading my blog. I hope you enjoyed the handmade decoration tour. If you celebrate the birth of our Lord, I pray that you have a blessed, Merry Christmas. And to all of my readers, you are in my thoughts often. 

What’s Sewing On . . .December 2023

Featured ~ Pamela Klingensmith ~ 6 Comments

Hello Sewers! It has been a whirlwind year here at A Notion to Sew. In a nutshell: my hubby retired in April, we traveled back east to look at possibly moving across country, our daughter offered to buy our house in Utah after her house sold, her house sold very quickly and we kicked into high gear to vacate our house, we were in our new home in the eastern U.S. by early July, and the rest of this year has been spent updating, upgrading, and changing parts of our new home to make it our own. After 23 years in one place, I thought our roots were in Utah, but I was wrong. 🙂

I closed my Etsy shop in mid June. I still have some inventory from the shop, so if you are in the market for bag making hardware, patterns, or Riley Blake fabric, send me a message and I will rummage through the boxes to see what I have in stock (all items are new and in unopened original packaging). You will receive a discounted price on your purchase as well.

Needless to say, I have not accomplished much sewing this year. But I do have a few life photos to share with you:

October was a gorgeous month to spend apple picking and pumpkin patch visiting in lovely Harford County Maryland. Above photo – our granddaughter is the navigator as her grandpa provides her wagon transportation to the pumpkin patch.

One of my most favorite sights is the barn quilts in this area of the country.

We live in a small town, but we are blessed with a great Bernina dealer nearby. I did manage to take a rope bowl class and I sewed up this beauty for a gift. Of course, after I filled it, wrapped it, and shipped it, I realized I forgot to snap a photo of the entire bowl! This is a close up of the exterior and the upper braided rim.

Here is a shot looking down inside the rope bowl. . .

I also managed to embroider the table runner from the Kimberbell October ME Time kit.

There are several quilting/sewing machine/fabric stores within an hour of our location. This is a quilt store between Gettysburg, PA and Chambersburg, PA. Why would you not want to stop at a store with that huge, colorful barn quilt on the side of the building!

Here are a couple photos of President and Mrs. Eisenhower’s home at Gettysburg:

Thank you for hanging with me in my social media absence. I appreciate all of you.