What slows you down when you're doing a clear out? Is it heirloom baby bed clothes?

 Going through all of the drawers and closets looking for bedding and towels... and I find my baby clothes and bedding. 

Mom was very talented, and I was a spiffy baby.  Enjoy! For tomorrow we sew.

I wonder how many pandemic babies are out there?

Robe and binky

Dress with lace insertion and embroidery

Crib sheet set

Two cotton baby blankets a bed jacket and bib

Crib sheet and pique blanket with scalloped edges and valenciennes lace

Crib sheet detail

The cotton and linens used are so fine, it makes the linen we can get today look like burlap.

I think one day, some of these crib sheets might find themselves in quilts... just a thought.

Pillows and year end clean up..... fixing "down alternative" pillow batting

Still on track for my year end clean up, today was wash all pillows and comforters day.  Off to the laundromat, and this happened. The filling has distorted and pulled towards the center.

I knew when the washing cycle finished, something had gone terribly wrong. It went wrong on 3 of the 6 pillows I washed.  They are all "alternative down" because I'm allergic to feather pillows.

It's time to see, what is in these pillows.....

Three sides had the double top stitching, but one had single, this is side that was unpicked. 

Nooo

Yes! Just a single line of stitching

Well hello there.....

 This is interesting, I've learned two things the batting is folded over itself and stitched in place with what looks like spiderweb of batting fiber, almost tacked, and can be pulled apart.  The second thing I learned is that despite drying it in a commercial dryer for 30 minutes, it's still damp inside.  The others will be put back into the dryer with some wool balls. This little guy had the biggest lump.

This was not a big deal, it didn't take that long, you just need to find a place where it can dry out undisturbed.... and away from cats, or dogs.

After it dried completely, it was folded back, and the areas that were matted were pulled apart to make them less thick.  

So will I be able to get this back together again? That's a lot of batting...

The cover was measured and the batting was folded to that approximate size. It was scooted back into the cover, and the batting was pulled into the corners, then pinned closed.

I can live with this.

Before.....

After....

The other two have fluffed up using wool balls, but this one was in the worst shape.

Onwards and upwards.... I hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas!

Making that Restoration Hardware Tailored Bedskirt.....

Inspiration bed skirt

 I've made a new duvet cover (that in another post), and now, it's time to replace the bed skirt that was too short for the box spring.  My first step was to create the base.  I used an existing bed skirt and trimmed away the ruffled fabric, and serged the edges. 

I purchased 5 yards, and the fabric is 43" wide after washing. 

The drop was 16", I decided to split the fabric down the middle 21.5".  

This would give a 3" margin on the top and a 2" hem. 

The box spring measured 80" x 60", and I added 8" to the side panels, 

and 36" to the panel at the end.  The deep pleat ensures the seam will sit in the inside fold of the corner pleat.

The panels were joined, and hemmed.

Then draped around the bed and pinned to the base.  The corners have deep pleats, 12" for each side, or 24" for the inverted pleat.

After I was happy with the inverted pleats, I went back in to mitre the top corner seam, securing all of the layers.

Honestly, I could leave it like this, or I could slide it off and machine sew it, or .... hand stitch it to the base fabric. I decided to do both.  I secured the pleats with hand stitches, and took it to the machine to finish the rest.

This is the least wrinkled this fabric will be.... it is a blend of linen and cotton.

I had to assemble this by myself, and the mattress is quite heavy, so there are wrinkles everywhere.  I have an idea on how to iron the bedskirt while on the bed, but for now, maybe if they hang for a bit, some of them will soften.... that is my hope.

This is a good transition to the next project... the pillows... another story altogether.

Happy Holidays!!

Making a Duvet Cover for the Guestroom..... Parisian shabby

 You know when you are on the internet and land somewhere you weren't supposed to, on yet another fabric website?  So when I saw this bed made up, I just had to have it, lucky me they were going out of business and they were selling their fabrics for very little money, and I jumped.  It's a risky affair to buy from a company that is liquidating, if there's an issue with the fabric, will they have more to replace it? How would they handle returns?  Yeah, I didn't think of any of that when I jumped in.  It was that tiny gathered ruffle on the pillow sham, so cute.

To start, I repurposed an old white sheet, that didn't seem to have a mate in the fitted sheet department.  I went through a phase where I would only but one sheet, there are some other stragglers that will go in the repurpose pile.    It was too narrow, so I had the length, but not the width.  

 look at those needle marks...

 It was too narrow, so I had the length, but not the width.  I opened up the side seams, now I have to contend with the holes and the permanent creases.  Not even another launder and ironing would remove them.  Drat.

Trimming away....

Eventually they were cut off, and the fabric was squared. 

 I will make up the difference with the print. Let's start.... it's a queen sized duvet, it's not a standard size, so measure yours.  Mine is 88" x 92", then I puzzled over the orientation.  The 88" is from headboard to the end of the bed, and the 92" is across the bed.  I put the duvet on the bed and looked at it from both ways to see which looked best. 

If my fabric didn't require piecing then it wouldn't have mattered, but the fabric is narrower, and the print has direction.  You can hardly see the piecing.

The cover is made with the full width of the patterned fabric down the center, with two side pieces to make up the width. I purchased 5 yards to make this duvet cover and they sent me 5 1/4 yards.  That was enough for one side, and the back sides, where I was short.

I did not measure to determine the size of the cover, the front and back were assembled, and the duvet was put in between the layers.  I pinned the along the edges for the sew line.

 I had considered not prewashing the fabric.  That would have been a mistake, it shrunk 3" across the width, and 5" across the length.  It's within 5%, but still, that would have made the cover too small after washing.

As suggested by the Fabulous Corrine in Sewtopia,  I added rings to the duvet,

 and ties to the inside cover, to keep everything in place.

Tie & ring placement

and Viola!!

The opening is hand stitched closed, until I decide how I want to attack the opening. The opening is finished enough to put in buttons, or velcro.   The one on the website is closed with a long zipper, I may find one in my travels but for now it will stay put.  On to the bedskirt....