The weather has been so horribly hot and humid, I have been spending a lot of time in my lovely, cool basement. Nothing like finishing things at the last minute! I finally got my granddaughter’s baptism gown completed, and I am quite pleased with it.
The slip is pink broadcloth, the dress is Imperial batiste, and the bonnet is Nelona batiste. The bonnet I finished a few years back in an heirloom sewing class, and this is the first girl born since then. Ribbons are used to tie the sleeves and the back, very traditional. I got it done 8 days before the baptism!
Next big project was finishing the quilt we will be using in the motorhome. I had finished the basic top at 72×72, all batiks in browns, blues, greens, and golds. However the bed is 72×80, plus it needed a drop to come down the side of the mattress. I decided to add an extra row of 6” blocks plus a 3” border to give the correct length while 3 sides got a 3” border in a solid color, a 6” border in a coordinating batik, and then another 3” border in the solid. I also ran to the local quilt shop to look for the solid color border fabric and the quilt backing. Luckily I found fabrics that will work since I am running out of time! I finished adding the borders, and Kevin helped me pin baste the top, wool batting, and backing together. I am now quilting it with a meander in the main quilt. I will decide how to quilt the borders later. I need to get all the quilting done on my quilting machine at home, though I could finish the binding in the motorhome if I need to.
Don’t you just love the colors? This is the biggest quilt I have ever done, but it is going well so far. I am using a greenish brown 50 weight thread for the top and a similar (but not identical) greenish brown for the back. The back is a brown to cream shaded fabric. Since the fabrics are batiks, I am using a size 16 needle, and everything is going much better than I expected. I love the look of batiks, but they can be a bear to quilt because they are so tightly woven.
Oh, and a Kevin was a darling and bought dozens of stackable plastic totes to use instead of the horrid collection of cardboard boxes my stuff had been in. He even packed them up while I was sewing. We also rearranged the entire sewing area to take advantage of the electrical outlets we had installed in April. Lovely! I can reach all the outlets without crawling on the floor or moving furniture now.
I also got to the allergist today for my new immunotherapy drops. I am allergic to corn pollen, and it is July in Iowa, meaning I am on every allergy medicine possible without using an inhaler or steroids! I take the generic equivalent of Flonase, Singulair, and Zyrtec every day right now. I have a step down pack of steroids the doctor gave me for backup if those aren’t enough. The drops take the place of the old allergy shots, so maybe in 2-3 years I will be really better.
Friday we are making a major shopping trip to Stringtown Grocery near Kalona to stock up on seasonings and some dried veggies. We will be packing the motorhome on Saturday, and my granddaughter’s baptism is Sunday. Monday we take off. I better go back to quilting!