The new set of placemats will not be ready for Easter dinner because I felt more like sewing more than I did quilting (too many interruptions to get into the zone/flow of FMQ).
Instead I finished four more monthly pillowcases for Little Man. This is the "April showers bring May flowers" that he'll have in his Easter basket.
June 1 is National Dinosaur Day (who knew?!) so choosing fabric for June's pillowcase was easy.
This is the one for July. Little Man's Daddy collected thousands of stamps growing up so hopefully this pillowcase will spark a few conversations between the two of them.
This is the pillowcase for August (Little Man's birthday month). Dr. Seuss stripes for the cuff and color bursts that look like fireworks to keep the celebration going all month long.
I still need to make the ones for September - they're cut out and ready to sew together.
And a few weeks ago younger son decided he wanted a new set since his have become faded after so many washings. His are also cut out and waiting to be sewn.
Once September's pillowcases are finished and gifted Little Man will have a complete set of pillowcases for each month/season. (October/Halloween, November/Thanksgiving, and December/Christmas were finished and presented in late 2021)
Now for my question.
I've been doing a lot of random cleaning out to reduce clutter and make things work more efficiently (my bedroom closet, the closet in our bathroom, our kitchen pantry, lots of drawers, the glove box in my car, etc.).
One of the studio-related decisions I made was to take all the pins off the Baobob tree quilt that DIL brought from Africa and roll the quilt onto a pool noodle to give it a rest so I could add another flexible use design wall in the studio.
DH had this sheet of foam insulation in the attic (leftover from who knows what) and it will fit perfectly on the wall. I typically cover my design walls with a twin flat flannel sheet but the ones I've used before are no longer available and the first two sets I've purchased (and quickly returned) had miserable "so-called flannel." fabric.
Does anyone out there have an online source for good white flannel yardage that isn't thin or wimpy? I really don't want to spend $85 or more for a set of twin sheets from Land's End (since no one seems to sell just the flat sheet).
(I do know about the gray gridded design wall covering offered by KF but I prefer white without lines)
Thanks for your suggestions.
Quiltdivajulie
-----------------------------------------------“There is no magical perfect version of you waiting in the future. You are here. Use the magic you have now.”
Heather Havrilesky
21 comments:
First, I spent yesterday making two flannel construction vehicles pillowcases for a grandson- just flipped the body and top panel for variation. And, for my design wall that I have floor to ceiling in my sewing studio I used high quality wide white felt from Joann's with coupon. When I took a workshop once with Sujata Shah, she said she used white fleece (also wide).
Oh what a marvelous thing to do. A monthly pillow case - perfect for the grands! I'm sure he loves every one of them. As for the flannel. I do have a source for random flat sheets - but it is truly "random". Our local (Maine only) department store often buys lots of things and I've been able to find single flat flannel sheets from time to time. I will check it out next time I'm in and if I find a white one on the thickish side I will get one and ship it to you. As I said it is random so don't hold your breath! I will let you know if I can find one.
I've used wide backing flannel from Fabric.com. I adhered it to my foam-core design wall with spray adhesive and smoothed it out, wrapped and pinned it around the sides, and I've been very happy with it. I can gently vacuum or lint-roller the threads off it. Be careful to protect the surrounding area when you spray the adhesive or do it outside.
Vermont Country Store has open stock flannel sheets - you can purchase just a flat sheet.
https://www.vermontcountrystore.com/open-stock-portuguese-cotton-flannel-sheets/product/78139
Can’t help you with finding the flannel, but I have a suggestion. I did not use the gridded flannel. I marked a grid directly on my insulation panels. It is visible through the flannel.
See my process at http://www.factsfacts.com/quilts/QuiltingAids/DesignWall.htm
Check out Fabric.com - they have several brand-name flannels in wide, white solid
I know there is a size for massage tables, 63" wide. I don't know the quality since I usually bought the 108" wide flannel and split it down the middle to cover each design wall. I haven't bought any for years so I'm no help there.
Congrats on getting a few months closer to a complete set of pillowcases for Little Man! Such a fabulous (and fun) project.)
I got mine at Hobby Lobby. I stapled it one from the back
Another lovely collection of pillow cases.
My design wall is 72 wide crafters felt. I've replaced it once in 19 years. Regular price is $7.99/yard.
CUTE CUTE CUTE pillowcases :-)
Classic napped white drapery lining - Joann item #18449850 is what I used. Not only because of the price (I had either 50% coupon or 50% off sale), but the 54" width was just right to cover the 48" wide panels. IIRC, I used 3 1/4 yards for each 2" thick panel to allow for plenty to fold to the back at each end.
I use white polar fleece and really like it. Originally I covered my foam boards with Warm and Natural cotton batting but over time it fuzzed too much. Fleece is often on sale at JoAnn's and it's wider than the foam boards so that's what I tried next and it is a winner: good at gripping blocks/fabrics, easy to clean with a lint roller, doesn't fuzz.
Try WeWak sewing supplies. They have a heavy pressing flannel that is 60 X 2 1/2 yards. For around $68.00. They have very good quality products. WeWak.com
My favorite cover is batting!!! Try different scraps to see which one sticks better (fabric sticks to batting). I rarely need to pin anything to the design wall unless it's a wide or long row. When threads make it look messy, a good clothes brush works best to remove the threads. I commend you on your success for a year's worth of pillowcases for dear Little Man. Maybe a new year set for DS2?
Your pillowcases always have the correct direction (like the dinosaurs). Mine are always upside-down no matter how hard I try. My friend made hers last week and they were upside down and I laughed. Lucky for her, her husband likes to rip out stitches. Well, the laugh was on me because I did the same upside-down trick last week too. Happy Easter to you and your family.
Just read a comment from NeverBored and I will try her fleece idea. True, batting does fuzz.
I have the one I think from Liz Porter. I think that’s the but on my other wall I got an inexpensive tablecloth with flannel backing and it works great plus they come in many different sizes. I love your pillow cases. Hugs,
I bought wide back flannel from Joann's and found that to be better quality than the sheet flannel I had. Hope that helps.
Can you stand any more flannel source suggestions? Although it's only 44/45" wide, Marshall Dry Goods flannel has a very good price. I just bought some and I recommend it's quality. It's better than my flannel bedsheets. Also, although I know nothing about it, I've heard people use drapery lining fabric (a cotton blend) to cover their design walls and it is both wide and inexpensive. I heard about that option only after I got my flannel yardage.
Homesew out of PA has good quality flannel. They have a wide variety of sewing supplies. I have bought from them for years. Great customer service and reasonable shipping.
I just have batting covering my design wall.....nice pillow cases......they will be enjoyed........
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