My comfiest masks

I never thought I would be so picky about my masks, but here we are. With the Delta variant it seems like masking is still a helpful measure and I want to do my part, but stay comfy, too! So here are the iterations my pattern has undergone in my comfy quest. 

I started out making masks with a basic pleated rectangle pattern. It worked, but it was not so great.

I soon after tried the seamed-front pattern from Craft Passion - download it for free here!

I liked this shaped style much better! Plus the little channel on the sides to cinch it up, and the strips of knit fabric for head ties vs. twill tape or elastic - all huge improvements.

Here's the Craft Passion pattern, along with my traced versions with added seam and hem allowances. Again, you can download her free pattern here.

Okay, onto some CHANGES!

With all-day wear, I found the masks pushed uncomfortably into my nose, so I added just to the front of the pattern, particularly at the top.

That really helped! The extra room kept the mask from smashing my nose. 

Here's the original next my my updated version. (The tiny handwritten notes say I added a little extra length, but I ended up taking that off as it cut in a bit under my chin. See pattern comparison above.)

But  even though it was roomier, I still found that the center seam annoyed my nose after a few hours. So I drafted this version with a bias-cut center gusset.

Again, very comfy, and no chafing seam! But it's possible this one is a little too loose; I did find if I breathed quickly I inhaled the loose mask fabric a little. More tweaking is needed.

COMFY NOTES:

• Pre-wash your fabrics! A mask that fits now might shrink and feel tight after washing.

• Use T-shirt or knit fabric ties. I cut 1" strips and pulled them to make them curl. I prefer head ties but this works for ear loops too. I left extra length to untie and adjust as needed.

• Line your mask with something smooth; anything linty can really irritate the nose. I used cotton sateen for my last few.

• Make your side channel small; the tie should fit snugly. That way you can adjust the straps and the mask will stay where you put it.

• Trim the heck out of your seam allowances. Grade, layer, and nest (press in opposite directions). Anything to reduce bulk.

I hope this helps you stay comfortable and masked! 

Soulshine and Daydreams Quilt

I made this quilt for a work display and I am so happy with how it turned out!

It started with the Soulshine and Daydreams fabric collection; we got the big central panel and three of the coordinates in at Treadle and I was immediately smitten. I looked for a pattern online - usually fabric companies release a pattern when they have panels like this - and found Beautiful Dreamer on the Benartex website.

I am really glad I found a pattern I liked, because making stuff up from scratch is not my strong point, especially in quilting. Since we didn't have every single fabric in the collection, I added a few others from the store and a few from my stash.

There's a Kaffe Fassett print and an Anna Maria Horner print that are both current at Treadle, and a lot of my stash pieces came from my trip to Gruber's a few years ago.

I did have Quilting Math Problems, probably because of the changes I made. Around the central panel, I modified the dimensions a bit, so I had to take in the side pieced units a tad, and add an extra square to each top & bottom pieced unit. 

I free-motion quilted it myself on a regular machine. Most of it I did in a curlicue pattern, but I wanted to give the face a little more attention. Spirals in the cheeks, a defined nose and brow, and more details and curls in the hair. 

The backing is an organic cotton print from Treadle. It has a blue tone in the leaves that's darker/cooler than anything in the quilt top, so it's not a perfect match, but I really love it and I am trying to tell myself it's close enough.

I do like the scale of the backing with the quilt, and the floral motifs, and the pinks and yellows. I wish the teal green came through a bit more.

I could not decide on a binding fabric so I just pieced all my scraps. 

I don't think I have ever made a quilt this fast! I wanted to get it done to hang up in the store. I can't wait to take it home, though! It's going to live on my living room chair and be all for ME!

Something Victorian-ish for the kid

I sewed something new! And we went out and had historical dress-up fun!

The Kid has really grown and absolutely none of the old historic outfits still fit. :( 

Plus we are now in a phase where dresses and frills are not so popular. That's tough for me, as a frilly-dress lover, but I can compromise if it means my kid will still attend events with me! 

I had a gorgeous piece of dark warm-grey wool with a very subtle red plaid stripe, and I decided to go for a look inspired by late 1890s bicycle wear, like these ones (more on my pinterest board):

 

Now it's true most of them include a jacket of some kind, and I really just wanted to make a vest and blouse. (And I even ran out of time before our event and just pulled an old blouse out of my closet. Oops!)

The pants pattern is just a basic pajama pattern that I added width to, then made my own pieces for waistband, kneebands, placket, and pocket. The vest is from a Burda pattern for a girl's school uniform jacket. In retrospect I could've made the front opening much higher. Both pieces are the same subtly-plaid wool. The vest is lined in black linen and the pants are unlined.

The boots were a lucky find at Target. The wool flat cap is an old one I made my husband. Most of the time we were out in the cold we added the capelet and muff. There's also some serious long underwear because brrr.

We had a good time playing with friends!

I wore my patterned wool polonaise.

It's definitely not perfectly historical, but it's historically-inspired and a lot of fun! Hoping to get some re-wear opportunities out of it for anything Victorian or steampunk we do in the next year.