I Remembered My Camera This Week...

My Wednesday students are really getting comfortable with the machines now. We began by reviewing some of the machine and sewing basics, and then progressed to explaining how to measure and cut fabrics for their class project.

I love the intense concentration as they work through all the steps. Hailey was sewing lines on paper in this picture, to get used to her new sewing machine. She did a great job! It was time to move to fabric.

Hailey's mom, Jennifer is also a sewing novice. The first step was to get them over their "machine intimidation". Miss Ellie is like a gentle work horse. Once I turned down her speed control, she just purred along, helping Jennifer gain confidence.

Our class was two hours long last night, and by the end of this session, each of the ladies had a sweet, new pillowcase to take home with them. We used my Pillowcase Tutorial as the pattern. (You can get it HERE. Scroll down through the "Downloads" Widget until you see the "pillowcase" folder. When you click on it, it will download to your computer.)

Don't they looked pleased with their finished projects? They should be. They did a great job! (I warned them that they'll have a strong urge to make more of them now.)

All three of us are looking forward to next week. In the meantime, I'll have fun planning their next project.

You Asked...

Let's start with the newest pillowcases I've made, shall we? I'm really having fun making them. They're fast, simple and add so much to a finished quilt.

This is one of four matching pillowcases I made for our master bedroom. This one is sitting on top of the king-size quilt I made for our bed. Now the bed looks "finished" when I make it up in the morning.

If you've been inspired to make pillowcases, please feel free to add them to the Flickr group I've started. The link is in my left sidebar now. Just click the picture and it will take you to the group.

And, now - just because you asked...
Here's a photo of me in the new top I made last week. I'm not wearing the skirt because I haven't had a chance to get to the store to purchase the right elastic for the waistband. (I know. Hard to believe I don't have it in my stash, isn't it?)

The top is extremely comfortable, but I'm thinking it's a bit "roomier" than I planned. I haven't decided yet if I'll keep it that way or take it in a bit. I have probably 2" on each side that I could take it in if I decide to.

I haven't made anything for myself in a long while, so perhaps I'm being a bit critical. I was really hoping that it would be more slimming, and am disappointed in that respect. I know that my body isn't what it was when I was in my 30's, but I don't want to make things that accentuate the negatives.

I have a tendency toward self-deprecation, so I'll stop before I write something I don't really mean. Suffice it to say that I'm not sure I'll make this pattern again. I think I'll move on to something more tailored...and I'm even more excited about using one of my Lutterloh patterns now. I'm going to tackle that project next week, and promise to share photos, too. Good or bad. Remember, you asked...

Pillowcase Tutorial...

Thank you for all the generous comments you left about the Flying Cloud quilts and pillowcases. I headed to the studio today, and have created and uploaded a pdf tutorial for anyone interested in knowing how to make pillowcases like mine.

The tutorial is free and you are welcome to photocopy it to share with your sewing friends. I only ask that you do not kit or sell my pattern...and if you're a shopkeeper or guild member who would like to give away multiple quantities of my pattern, please contact me first for permission. I'll be glad to give permission if you ask me first. (After all, it's just the nice thing to do.)

To download the pattern, go to the top of my blog and click on the "Free Patterns and Tutorials" button under my header. (Here's a link to get you to my main page.) Once on my patterns page, scroll down to the "Free Pattern Downloads" (right under the acorn ornament photo). There is a white scroll bar on the right side of the Boxnet widget. The patterns are in alphabetical order, and the name of the tutorial is "BW Pillowcase Tutorial". (Well, of course it is!) When you click on the BW Pillowcase Tutorial, it will automatically download to your desktop.

I've made every effort to be accurate (and spell correctly), but if you find an error or have a question, please don't hesitate to contact me. If you make a pillowcase using my tutorial, I'd love to see what it looks like. I'll be opening a Flickr group called the Brynwood Pillowcase Club so we can all upload our pillowcases for others to see. Have fun! I can't wait to see what you create.

REMINDER: Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for my Second Blog Birthday giveaway. The drawings will close at 11 pm. Good Luck!