A Sewing Mishap!

I was under pressure. It is my Grandson's first birthday...I didn't crochet his afghan yet, waiting for this winter but what to do? I don't have my usual sewing supplies out here so I compromised or got a bit creative perhaps. I would do a fast quilt...of a kind anyhow.

On an unmade bed was a quilted mattress pad of nice quality. Until the 3 month old puppy got shut in the room. He chewed a big hole in the center and shredded it in the one spot! But he hasn't done this to anything else. Ok so I nearly threw it away but common sense told me, no I would find a use. I threw it in the wash and it held up just fine. As I stretched out the sport printed fleece, I decided to use the quilted cover for the other side!

As I inspected it first carefully I decided I wanted to make a big one. This is a big boy so why not make it last? So I took this silly mattress cover, cut it in two pieces, one cut on the side where the hole started and the other where it ended. So I had the center ruined piece and two uneven pieces that were good. Well I seamed them together and put it on top of the two layers of fleece as I had changed my mind, why not make it really really warm? It would be two sided fleece with the padding between. So then I was sewing three thick layers with my sewing machine which I wondered if it could even do it.

Then disaster struck! On the fourth seam, not far into it...the needle broke! It was my last one! I have to boat off the island to get another! His party is on Sunday and I can't bring my sewing machine across this time. I sighed, thinking back to my Grandmother, handing me a needle and thread with the intent to encourage me to sew by hand at five years old. I stubbornly blind stitched nearly the entire side! It took my half an hour just prior to making dinner. What a sweet smile my hubby gave me as I draped it across him! It is so warm and you can't tell inside is a salvage piece of quilted mattress pad seamed together..

Does this ever happen to anyone else? I often wonder...

Good for you! I am sure it is great. This kind of thing happens to me all the time...only usually, it is for a wedding or a shower and I simply forgot. I have no island excuse - but sometimes I am so close to the wire that running to a fabric store would take more time than doing the project. Getting creative is good.

We didn't have our Christmas ornaments out here for the first year. I was stubborn and still wanted a tree. We gathered up seashells and made our tree a real coastal Christmas tree that year! It was fun and it showed us that sometimes the simple things in life are the best! Getting creative is a necessity out here. When the power went out, I was making soup on a woodstove (it does not have a burner but the top will boil water it gets so hot). That sewing machine has been a blessing! I am a last minute gal too! Why is that Callie? We know in advance and it just gets away from us? However, I am very good at last minute things. Maybe we both enjoy the pressure? LOL

That's the way our ancestors would have done it. Pieced together, repurpose, reuse. Kudos to you and happy birthday to your grandson.

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Sometimes the last minute is the best one.

Thank you kindly! I have amused my family with my driven purpose to reuse, save, repurpose and come up with some really funny things. There is a use for everything, isn't there?

You're a very resourceful woman! Good job.

Wonderful!! Isn't there a rule that pics are necessary??!! lol I love how you got creative!!

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Reenie

http://www.aquiltcomplex.blogspot.com

Ok I know that was bad of me not to post a pic. But it has has a sport print that says Mariners all over it with the insignia. LOL That will not appeal to everyone...hahahaha Here is the fact of the matter. Here that nice fleece fabric is about $20 a yard. In COLORADO where I was visiting family, there it was on clearance sale on this for $1.50 a yard. Ok so the little Grandbaby got a really big blanket for just a few dollars and an hour of my time! Thankyou for the nice comments!

What a deal on the fleece. You sure are resourceful!

Thankyou! I couldn't resist the price, I am sure some ladies could from the other states..... Now I am still wondering what to do with this beautiful yardage that has a Victorian look with ladies in upswept hair dos and lots of floral with gold accents running through it....too busy for a skirt or clothing I guess. Maybe fancy pillows....not sure if my hubby would get confused by them.....dancing ladies across his bed...hehehehe That is a good one! I am trying so hard to pass up the "it's free" and the bargains I find all the time....it will be a winter project.... There is always another project to begin!

Just out of curiosity where do you live? Also I pick up sewing machine needles at
Walmart all the time.

That would be a catastrophe to run out of sewing needles when the project was ALMOST done!

HI,
I live on a private island of mainly vacation homes in the state of Washington. We are among only 30 people who reside here year round. That means all the private beach combing walks, fishing, crabbing and clamming with solitude. No, I can't imagine the cost of having two homes in this economy! The island is called Gedney Island on the main maps but is very hard to locate. We look out over Camano Island, see Langley and Mt. Baker so...we are near them. Everett is only 4 nautical miles or 5.6 reg miles away. That is where we grocery shop and we get our mail and we have a car at the marina over there. Here we have an 80's station wagon like the Chevy Chase movies and an old red truck. Our main heat is a woodstove. There are no businesses here except home style. There is of course a Walmart across the water but the day I was getting my Grandson's gift ready, our boat was in dry dock undergoing outdrive repairs and I could only get off the island on that next day on the ferry (the private ferry here has a very limited schedule, the only round trips are on Wednesday). You can see the dilemma? I do so love where I live though!

Romysbaskets, That sounds like a wonderful place to live. I can understand why you love it.

Countryheart