What I didn't realize before I started going on these adventures is that there is a healthy amount of wine sipping that happens in the evenings. Sewing while sipping is a thing, and now I plan for it.
When I am figuring out what projects to take for the 4 days, I include precision projects for the morning and afternoon, and "drinking-proof" projects for the evening. I always take more projects that I can actually finish! My precision projects were three versions of the GE Designs Lexie pattern I purchased. I got a good start on those, and will share soon.
For the evening, I had decided to work on two scrap projects. I have bags of scraps, some of which I had previously cut into 2 1/2 inch wide strips. Before going on the retreat, I sewed those together into two long rolls. I also cut lots of scrap batting into 2 1/2 inch strips, with the intention of making a jelly roll rug.
During the retreat, while sipping wine and binge watching Grace & Frankie on Netflix, I managed to sew the fabric covered cords to create a rug. I used up all the batting I brought, and created this nice big ball!
Yesterday, I had a few hours free, and decided to try a sample rug. Because I was curious about how far these strips go, I measured out 60 feet before starting. I put on my zig zag stitch and went to town. I like how it turned out, although I'll probably tweak the next one a bit, especially where the coils end. The finished little rug is 24 inches in diameter. A cute little mat for the sink or lav, and almost no cost, since everything was scraps!
My other "drinking" project was to start working on a crumb type piece with all my little solid bits. From my various bins of solids, I filled a huge Marshall's bag!
For this project, I just started on building from a small center, and kept adding and rotating as the mood struck. I ended up with dozen small pieces ranging from about 5 inches square to about 14 inches long. I like how these look individually and how they may look together. I am still mulling over what to do with them. I barely touched the scrap stash, so I can just keep going. I enjoyed this sewing tremendously! The lighting was pretty bad when I snapped this photo - sorry!
I wanted to check my values, and had decided not to include white, so I used my phone camera to see if I had a mix of lights, darks and mediums. I think I do! So, 4 days of sewing, and only a small little rug completed, but lots of projects started, and lots of great memories of the retreat.
Take care,
Gretchen
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