Darn bills..
 

They are getting in my way of buying fabric. lol

Someone posted yesterday, I think, about a store going out of business. Well I asked if she had several fabrics, getting a yard of most with some 5 yards and 2 yards. She said the total would be $38 for 19 yards of fabric, from flannel to cotton to fleece. But we had to pay our yearly deductible for my sugery, something we were thinking, nor prepared, for. So no more fabric until next month. :(

I need to buy fabric for my mom's quilt which is my next quilt to start once I am able to walk upstairs and sit to sew. Darn surgery...lol. But at least I am getting better and hope no more pain.

So what do you do when you can't buy fabric...or sew...I have just been window shopping and waiting to be able to sew again. I got my darning foot in so I am itching to practicing FMQ.

Move the machine downstairs and get going. Hope you are feeling better soon.

I am tempted to ask hubby to move it for me...but I don't think he would. He is a strict nurse. lol. I am doing good at sitting at the table so maybe in a couple of days, I can venture up the stairs. Maybe....

Plan quilts. Get colored pencils and some graph paper and play. If you don't end up with a design that you want to make later, you don't. If you can sit up, could you do some light cutting? Organize your leftover pieces into 2.5 inch strips or cut some squares?

If you're itching to practice FMQ, go to the nearest thrift shop, pick up the cheapest floral fabric you can find -- doesn't matter if it's an old shirt or where it comes from. This is just practice fabric, meant to be thrown out. Find something for the bottom of your sandwich -- junk fabric, something really cheap. Use paper towel for the "batting". Then start by outlining the flowers on the fabric using your new FMQ foot. Try different sizes of flowers. Or different patterns. The whole point is just to get comfortable with the process, and pulling up the bobbin thread to the top, and getting the feel for the movement, and how slow/fast you can go, and how you need to slow down for curves, and how to alter the thread tension if it's not right. For that matter, you may have some old clothes, or a old sheet or stained tablecloth you can use. Just get going, start practicing! This will give you something of genuine value to do until you can buy fabric! If you want more directions (because this is how I learned FMQ) just PM me.

I do machine applique with a lot of preparation needed. So I trace onto the fusible, cut and assemble until I can get to the machine. Then I have a lot of satin stitching waiting and can do all of one color before changing the thread.

A friend of mine went to The Salvation Army Thrift Store and bought shirts for a few dollars each. She cut them up and made a quilt with them for very little money.

Thanks! That is a good idea. Hubby was getting rid of a lot of old shirts, so I can practice on them.

Tomorrow I hope to start walking up steps...Hubby won't let me today. He is being very protective, and he doesn't want me to over do it.

Just an FYI, I had a hysterectomy so moving is still tender but I am getting better. Just can't sit or lay for too long or I get stiff and it hurts to move again. Hubby has been wonder but like I said protective but he is going to get our DD today because I miss her and she don't need to miss anymore MDO, she has been gone for 8 days.

I totally understand about bills getting in the way of buying fabric. I am having the same problem. I did start to cut up all my scraps so that my daughter is making a scrappy quilt, and I have some other things that I am working on that I don't need to buy fabric for but my niece is having her baby tomorrow and I was not able to buy the material I wanted to for a nice and cuddly baby blanket for her. I have some other stuff that would work for a blanket for the floor but nothing nice and soft for now. I am bummed. I hope you get to feeling better, and isn't it lovely when the DH really takes care of us when we are sick? Beth

Maybe your DH could look in the closet for any cotton shirts you and/or he doesn't use any more. I've seen some stunning quilts made out of shirtings.

Feel well soon!