I am joining the weekly To-Do Tuesday Weekly Progress Update Linky Party hosted by my friend, Roseanne, at Home Sewn By Us.

To-Do for the week of March 31st-April 6th:

1. Quilt the three Stargazer pillows. – √ Done
2. Make the binding for Karla’s Glimmers of Gold quilt. – √ Done
3. Make the binding for Hayden’s Graduation quilt. – √ Done
4. Make at least one handmade face mask. – √ Done

To-Do #1

I did get the Stargazer pillows quilted and finished this past week. We put them on Mary’s day bed and didn’t really even have a chance to arrange them very well before her cat, Mime, jumped up on the bed. Doesn’t she look pretty on the quilt with the pillows behind her? I quilted the pillows primarily with stitch-in-the-ditch with just a little triangular accent. Very simple but works for me and more importantly for Mary and Mime. I should be getting Mime’s Kitty Quilt back from The Modern Quilting Company sometime this month, so there will be even a bit more purple on this day bed hopefully by the end of the month.

To-Do #2/3

I got the binding made for both Karla’s and Hayden’s quilts. I decided that pics of the bindings aren’t necessary or interesting. ‘Nuff said!

To-Do #4

After pre-washing some grey feathers fabric, I made my first face mask with ties using the free face mask pattern from Gotham Quilts, and I found that making the ties was the most time consuming part of the project, and the mask felt a little too snug when tied (I would probably make my ties longer than 14” if I make this face mask again). So I ordered some 1/4” elastic from Amazon (in black because the white was back ordered) to make some masks with elastic ear loops. Then I got an email on Thursday from my not-for-long local quilt store, ThreadBear (they’re still planning to move to Las Cruces, NM the end of May—what a terrible time to be moving a business!) saying that Moda had sent them some 1/8” white elastic to give to people making masks. Mary picked up 3 feet each for her and me on Friday (calling ahead because non-essential businesses are closed), and the black elastic arrived on Saturday. So Sunday morning I pre-washed more fabric (I’m generally NOT a pre-washer) and made a mask each with the white elastic and the black elastic. I found the thinner white elastic stretched quite a bit, so I tied a knot at the end of the elastic loops. The mask with the black elastic still could fit a little more snugly, but I love the fabric! There’s so much confusion about the utility of handmade masks and even a potential risk if people are constantly touching their faces adjusting the masks. I’ve read so many face mask tutorials that my head is spinning, but the last one I read by Sarah Maker suggests making a pocket where a filter could be inserted which ideally would be HEPA filter material but could be interfacing or even a cut-down paper towel. This seems like it could increase the effectiveness of the mask. It’s all rather confusing which is such a characteristic feature of this COVID-19 pandemic. The tutorial by Sarah Maker calls for sewing with a 5/8” seam allowance. I’ve been using my normal quilter’s quarter inch. That’s a big difference, and I bet if I use a bigger seam allowance, the elastic will fit more tightly. Y’think?

To-Do for the week of April 7th-April 13th

1. I think I’ll try making another face mask with Sarah Maker’s tutorial. Maybe like Goldilocks, this one will be just right!
2. Sew some sawtooth star blocks for the Hummingbird quilt for Mary’s niece. Getting this quilt done is my April One Monthly Goal.
3. Make some improv squares for a table runner that I hope to complete in time to link to Sarah Goer’s Show Me Something Improv Link-Up that will be open until April 30th (maybe Wendy with Pieceful Thoughts will also share something improv at this linky party since improv projects are definitely in her wheel house—not so much mine!). But I think this will be a fun and relatively quick project, and I plan to use Alison Glass’ gorgeous Kaleidoscope fabrics which increases the appeal for me.

Linking up to Home Sewn By Us: To-Do Tuesday Weekly Progress Update Linky 35 .