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Wednesday, April 8, 2020

Masks, a New Quilt, Big News...and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends.  Well this week, with the new CDC recommendation that everyone wear masks, I set out to start making some for family, a few friends, and our elderly neighbors next door.  We are still staying locked down, but if we absolutely have to get out, it is nice to know that we have something to cover our faces  My dad works in an essential business, so he still ventures out to work each day, and I was glad to send some for him.


1/4" elastic is nowhere to be found, but I have plenty of Kona White, so I decided to make masks with ties.  At first, I did a double fold tie, doing all of the pressing by hand (because I don't have a binder attachment, bias tape maker, or serger), and they took FOREVER.  Then I came up with a different solution.  Instead of finishing the raw edges completely, I used the pinking blade on my rotary cutter and just did a single, raw edge tie with zigzag stitching.  Between the zigzag and the pinked edges, the fabric shouldn't fray.

I also made a pocket on the back side so that an additional filter can be inserted, and added a pipe cleaner to the top to make it fit snugly against the nose.  Single pipe cleaners are a little flimsy, but folded in half and twisted together, they are just rigid enough to work perfectly.  I slid them into the fold of the seam and stitched them into place so they don't slide from side to side (that's the little stitches you see at the top of each mask).

Even with these modifications and assembly line construction, I spent about an hour on each mask.  I'm just not very fast at it, so I'm going to leave the mass production to others who really have the tools to make the process easier.

My other project this week has been working on this fun collegiate quilt top.  This is for a friend whose daughter is graduating and heading to the University of Southern Mississippi in the fall.  They are the Golden Eagles, and their colors are black and yellow/gold.  Funny enough, I think I actually spent less time sewing this quilt top than I did on all those masks!  Snowball corners are my jam.


I have the backing and binding all ready to go for this quilt, but I am still waiting on an important part of the quilt top before I can baste and quilt.  There isn't any licensed fabric for Southern Miss, so instead, I ordered six embroidery patches that I will sew onto the top, just so it is very clearly a college quilt.  They should arrive tomorrow, and then I can get this one finished up and delivered (no contact, of course).

Last week's party was full of amazing creativity in the midst of these difficult circumstances.  Sew Preeti Quilts linked up this simple but sweet quilt-


I love this baby quilt by Alison at Little Bunny Quilts-


Check out these scrappy stars by Shannon at The Flemings Nine-


Look at this super cute fabric scrap wreath by Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting.  She has a tutorial for it!


And this quilt gy Tiina at Kasityolainen - unelmissaan is absolutely gorgeous.  By the way- Tiina's blog is also written in English.


Before we get to the party, I have a bit of great news to share with you.  I have just signed a contract with Fox Chapel Publishing (Landauer Imprint) to publish a second book, yay!  I'm not ready to share additional details just yet, but I'm super excited about it and I think you're going to love it!

Okay y'all, let's party and get all the eye-candy!

1You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.
3. Please remember to spread the word and post my button or a text link within your 
    post.  
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)





20 comments:

  1. Congratulations on your second book! I am also very slow at putting together masks and will be making for immediate family and close friends / neighbors. Be well!

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  2. I tried making about 8-9 masks. I agree, quilting is quicker. Love that yellow & black.

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  3. Congrats on your new book deal, Kelly!!

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  4. I love your collegiate quilt top! And congratulation for the contract ;)

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  5. Yay!! A new book. That is exciting for you and for those who loved the first one.
    xx, Carol

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  6. Congrats on the new book deal! Yippee! I'm with you on the mask making - it takes me forever. Nice quilt too, and great idea adding the patches for a finishing touch!

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  7. My daughter and I made a bunch of masks for friends and family along with quite a few extras. There are so many tutorials available. We ended up modifying our masks to what we like and are now waiting on 1/8" elastic to arrive to finish them off. I don't enjoy mass producing, but I did enjoy spending time with my daughter in a sewing environment again!

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  8. Well that's exciting news about a second book! Did you know that my first (and only) book was a Landauer Publication? It was published in 2009. I hope you have a great experience writing your book. I know how much work it is! Mine was more so because I not only wrote it, but I made all the samples, and was present for all the photography. Love the quilts you shared. Your collegiate quilt is great! Such fresh colors of yellow. No need for collegiate patches if it was for anyone else! We need to see such pretties during these challenging days.

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  9. Congrats on the new book deal Kelly!!! Look forward to more of your great quilt ideas..

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  10. These face masks DO take a lot of time! Even though I am trying to chain stitch and production line create them, it's still a LOT of time. Makes me long for a new quilting project :)

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    1. Forgot to tell you CONGRATULATIONS on your new book contract. That will keep you busy this year. Looking forward to it!

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  11. Thank you for featuring my Forest - quilt!

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  12. CONGRATULATIONS on your new book deal! Yay! I can't wait to hear more about it! I feel your pain with the masks. My husband wants me to make some for him, but I'm dreading it because I sew EVERYTHING so much slower than other people. If one mask took an hour for you, it would probably take four hours for me -- an hour is how long it would take me to read through all of the tutorials and decide which pattern to use, then another 30 minutes deciding on which presser foot and machine settings... Definitely need to factor in 45 minutes to pick out the fabric and another 20 minutes to clean up the mess from digging through my stash -- and all of that is before sewing a single stitch!

    I love your yellow and gold snowball quilt. It's a beautiful "college quilt" even before adding the university logo, which will just make it that much more special to the recipient.

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  13. Congratulations on your contract. I look forward to hearing more about the subject matter. Blessings, Melva
    MelvaLovesScraps(at)NolanQualityCustoms(dot)com

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  14. So excited for you and your new book!!! Making masks takes time--it's all done with love. Thank you for sharing my wreath tutorial!!!

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  15. Your masks look good, probably the only way we can get some is by making them. Congrats on your new book deal! That is truly exciting!

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  16. Thank you for featuring Garden Party. I made a few masks myself almost identical to your design with a pocket and ties. Similar experience on the ties taking a very long time. Kelly, you are the queen of snowballing :-) Yellow and Black flimsy looks sweet as a honeybee :-) Stay safe and sane.

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  17. wow congratulations on your new book, that's fab news

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  18. Congrats on the new book. Such exciting news. I've made some masks as well. Thanks for the tip of sewing the pipe cleaner in place. Elastic is hard to find around here as well, but I did manage to get some.

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  19. Yellow and gold quilt is the bomb! It'll have a lot of meaning for the recipient especially with the embroidered patches. Love the colors and quilts you chose to share this week. Fun, bright happy quilts are a treat. Take care of yourself.

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