Thursday, February 7, 2013

My Many Talents

The quilt. Not quite done. I have 3 more rows to go. The finished product will measure 112" by 96". It lays nicely on my bed and covers the sides, with a nice hang at the bottom. I still have to come up with some shams, but I haven't given them much thought.

When I started this project, I was just looking for a way to get rid of all the jeans that were not being worn by he who has shrunk in his old age. He would still put these jeans on and cinch them with a belt at his waist. Looked like culottes on him. Not a good look, especially on a man. The jean shorts were even funnier, as he has bird legs. I have never had that problem, remember, he who loves me once told me I had sturdy legs, like ..... bridge pylons. He is so very romantic, but that is not the story I am telling right now.

Back to all these jeans. I purchased some that actually fit him and removed all the ones that were too big. It was an impressive pile and made up over one third of the quilt. I acquired the balance at the thrift store, paying a buck a pair. I started out cutting 8" squares and realized I was losing a lot of fabric and added the 4" squares.

My family will tell you I am loathe to throw anything away. Nothing brings me more pleasure than making something useful out of something useless in it's original form. So, even with my thrifty use of scissors and measuring, I still had leftovers of these jeans. No way was I going to dispose of the zippers, so I tossed the remains in a large bag and set it aside to ponder in the night with my old friend, Insomnia. Insomnia and I have been known to come up with some very inventive ideas.

Jeans are made with flat-felled seams. This is the bulky seam that is 4 layers thick. Then there is the inseam,the hems and the waist bands. Pockets, too. Don't forget the pockets. The zippers are a no-brainer. You can never have too many zippers or buttons ..... and she who dies with most fabric wins.

I was lurking on Pinterest and saw that some enterprising person such as myself had designed some coasters out of the flat-felled seams of old jeans! But, I have no need of coasters with my double insulated glasses that do not sweat, and he who drags a huge bubba mug around like a baby drags his blankie. Not to mention the fact that I have miles of inseams and side seams.


So, here it is. A rug. Not big yet, but still growing. I just wound it round and round. I liked the look of it, but decided I wanted oval and just changed the shape. So far I am just using glue. I was going to sew it by hand, but quickly abandoned that idea when I realized just how hard it was to push that needle through all those layers. Now I think I will use carpet tape on the bottom and glue it to a piece of painter's canvas.


The quilt still has to be washed and dried, then all the threads clipped, But I like the look. It could be reversible, too. It has a nice weight. I like a heavy blanket, so this will be perfect. And denim wears well. Toni Louise is finally past her puppy chewing days. My last quilt has gnawed edges from her teething.


This is what Toni Louise chews on now. It looks like they are viciously fighting, but Mr. Martha loves his dog!


I will need to paint my bedroom and cover my headboard. You know how it is, get just one new thing, then everything has to change. In the meantime, I painted Oscar's portrait. It looks surprisingly like him! What do you think? Am I talented or what?

13 comments:

joanne said...

you are so freakin' talented that it scares me! Love the quilt and rug...fantastic..;j

Brian Miller said...

omg...that is awesome...not only the quilt, but the rug...wow....very cool!

SkippyMom said...

I dare say talented may be a wee bit [okay, okay A HONKER LOT] of an understatement.

I don't know which thing I like best, but as a fellow dachshie lover [um, tolerator?] I am jealous of your talent with that pic you painted.

I bet if you made different shapes, sizes and colors, keeping the basic idea you would sell out of them in the store. So cute.

And the rug is amazing. I love rag rugs and that is what that reminds me of. Neat.

The quilt is fabulous, of course, but as much as I would love to make/have something different, the weight is too much for me. I am still trying to enjoy the wonderful 482.8 lb bedspread my beloved MIL gave us. hee

Talent Kathy, but then we always knew. You're the best!

Linda O'Connell said...

This is awesome! Buy denim with dachsunds printed on it and make pillow shams. Tie it all in with the painting. These would be boutique items somewhere...think Cracker Barrel.

Joanne Noragon said...

My heart is pitter pat over the oval rug and I'm thinking on how to fasten it all together, too.

luksky said...

Yes, you are talented!! You have me inspired to make jean quilt.

ellen abbott said...

I started a quilt decades ago out of our old blue jeans but never finished it. I was doing the state of Texas piecing it by counties (and Texas has about a million) using the dark blue for forested east Texas and medium blue for the hill country and light blue for the plains and desert. Got the state about 4/5 done and just gave up. Stashed it in the attic. I have no idea what shape it is in. I'm sure the vermin have made a nest in it.

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mamahasspoken said...

I love the quilt so far and the rug is going to look wonderful! From the sounds of it, I think you might be able to make and sell some of those rugs in your store.

Val said...

Dang! You are uber-crafty! You really should be selling your creations far and wide.

Anonymous said...

You are just so clever to find a use for those seams. I am amazed. I am also very uncreative.

Pat said...

You just blow me away with your talents.

Seriously!

And you find uses for EVERYTHING!!

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