Mehetabel Feathers Her Nest

Mehetabel and her fiancé, Aloysius (also not his real name), are in the process of furnishing their new home.  You see, I’m not the only one who recently relocated to Bend, Oregon; Mehetabel and Aloysius led the way, followed by his mother, my parents, and finally, me.  Sort of like the Beverly Hillbillies, except instead of a cement pond, there’s a gorgeous and glorious river that runs through the town.  We are all in Bend, but in four different homes in different parts of the town.  For the first time in memory, we can get together at the drop of a hat; the longest distance between houses is perhaps a ten minute drive.

 

So, Mehetabel and Aloysius recently took delivery of a gorgeous dark chocolate leather couch from Pottery Barn.  To add some color and additional comfort, Mehetabel wanted to try her hand at making throw pillows and asked if I’d help.  Sure!  So, today, we spent a delightful few hours in my studio measuring, cutting, and sewing the first in a series of covers for the pillow forms she’s purchased from Joann’s.

Since it has been a while since she’s tackled a home décor sewing project, I sent her a link to the Craftsy class, "Sewing Studio with Diana Rupp.”  Lesson two provides great step-by-step instructions on making an envelope pillow cover with French seams.  I watched it too; it’s inspired me to make a few pillows for my living room, although I’m still waiting for my fabric order to arrive.

 

Mehetabel took a cue from this Pottery Barn catalog when selecting her fabrics:

 

She wanted a mix of patterns and colors, so she first selected a fabric with  all the colors she’d like to incorporate to use as her jumping off point; this is the fabric she chose to sew first, as shown below.  Next, she selected a variety of prints (paisleys, geometrics, florals, etc.), plus several sizes of pillow forms.  With my ample stock of thread* and other notions, she didn’t need to make any other purchases. 

 

*One of Mehetabel’s Christmas presents to me was this 80-spool Gütermann thread tower!  I love it!

Mehetabel masters the machine

 



Sewing is fun!

Inserting the form into the case.  Messy stash closet!

Mehetabel used 3/4” French seams but otherwise followed the instructions from the Craftsy class.  This first pillow is 24" by 24".  The front was cut as a 25" square, and the two back sections which create the envelope are 25" by 18" each.  1" double fold hems were sewn along the two center back sections and then overlapped onto the front piece.  The first part of the French seam was sewn in one go around the entire square at 3/8", pressed, trimmed, and flipped to sew finish the French seam with another 3/8" seam. 

Here is the proud designer and creator with the finished product:

And here is the pillow in its new home:

The cover was extremely easy to make, and most importantly, Mehetabel loves it!  I have no doubt that Aloysius will love it as well. 

This was a fun and very satisfying project.  I suspect Mehetabel will be back tomorrow to make more pillows for her new couch!

My First Post - Introduction and an Outfit

Greetings!  My name is Peggy and I love to sew (and write, read, go for walks, cook, entertain, etc.)  The launch of this blog signifies several new beginnings for me, including my recent relocation to Bend, Oregon, after 34 years in Marin County, California.  I love a fresh start; anything is possible.

My primary focus for this blog will be the apparel I make for my adult daughter, Mehetabel (not her real name) and for me.  I occasionally sew for others as well--and I'll be making the bridesmaids' dresses for Mehetabel's upcoming wedding.  Home dec sewing happens sometimes, too, although it is not my favorite.

What am I working on now?  Well, Mehetabel--a high school special education teacher who also team-teaches algebra and English--has requested some outfits to wear with her new brown suede boots.  No problem, I thought.  Then I looked at my stash.  Nary a brown item amongst the stacks.  What's a gal to do?  Orders were quickly placed to a variety of online fabric stores as well as quick trips to Hancock's and Joann's.  To make a long story slightly shorter, I did my bit for the economy.

Mehetabel left it up to me (pretty much) to select styles for her new brown wardrobe, but she did mention that she loves the fit and design of New Look 6150's bateau neckline top with 3/4 length sleeves.  She looks fantastic in a pencil skirt, and that would be great if only she stood still all day!  She's always on the go: parent/student/administrator meetings, changing classrooms, etc.  After some discussion, she decided that mid-calf length A-line skirts would work best with the NL 6150.  With those details settled, I got to work.

My first skirt was View B from Vogue 7444 (oop).  I've used this pattern for years, and I've lost count of the number of skirts I've made either for me or for Mehetabel.

 

For the fabric, I used this faux suede from Hancock:

 

The skirt has an ivory lining, invisible zipper, and hand sewn blind hem.  Here's the skirt awaiting a final press:

 

 

I chose this fabric for the first project because Mehetabel already has a New Look 6150 in tarragon double knit that will work beautifully with the paisley.  

 

I don't have a photo of the outfit on her yet, but I will post one soon. 

 

Next up:  a teal/brown print 6150 with a brown double knit straight skirt (I figure she'll like this straight skirt because there's plenty of stretch).

 

Thanks for joining me on my sewing journey.  ~ Peggy