January 7, 2019 – Hearts have it hands down

         I recently returned to sewing and as part of my process I cleaned out my kraft boxes – reducing two large ones down to one.

         In that process I found quilt squares I had cut out of old wool that had been “felted”.  I don’t have enough to do a lap quilt yet, but they are safely tucked away waiting for another coordinating color.

         Some may say, what is felted wool.  This type is by taking a 100% wool jacket or blazer purchased from a re-sale shop or thrift store.  The garment is then taken apart at the seams and the fabric is washed in hot soapy water then dried to become “felted” wool.  Wool doesn’t take to rubbing, hot water and hot drying very kindly so it shrinks up and becomes soft and thick.  You then have fabric to cut out “felted” squares of wool for quilting that are soft and thick.

        

         This project started out with four wool blazers from a thrift store – all 100% wool.  In the process, my husband noticed two of the blazers were nice, one a herringbone and another a plaid and he tried one on then the other and he walked off with two perfectly fitting blazers for his closet. 

         HMMMMMMMM – down by one half of what I had been expecting.  I can’t blame him, they were quality blazers with little wear and that is that.  So, my quilting project got put on hold a bit until I could get back to the thrift store to snag a few more wool blazers. And, I didn’t have a chance to hunt down any more – so the project was put on hold.

         Where am I going with this . . . well, one of the two blazers I felted was a women’s bright red wool.  I cut out the squares and all the little scraps around the edges I didn’t want to waste so I pulled out a heart shaped cookie cutter and marked a couple dozen hearts and cut those out as well.  I thought I would applique those red felted hearts around the edges of the finished lap quilt.

         Recently, I noticed many of the You-tube sewing tutorials are using “pattern weights”.  I can see how useful they are at laying things out and moving things around quickly instead of using pins.  My problem was I didn’t own any and I must admit I am too darn cheap to buy any – 4 for $12 or more isn’t in my frugal budget.

         Researching pattern weights to buy I noticed some were filled with beans or rice and that turned me off as I am here in the south and no matter how much air conditioning you have – beans or rice in a fabric pouch or square would eventually pick up humidity and probably mold or attract insects.   YUCK! Again, I was too cheap for washers – as I had already purchased a supply of those for the bottom hems of many of the draperies I have made in the past and they can get rather pricey very quickly.

         Then I put on my thinking cap – what is heavy and what can be poured into an opening that won’t attract insects or mold?

         My husband has a BB gun to chase the squirrels away from the bird feeder, and I’ve moved his container of BB pellets from one spot to another on occasion and I noticed how heavy it was.

         A few days ago, I groveled a bit, “Pretty please with Maple sugar on it” type grovel and asked if I could have the container of BB pellets he had and I would replace it in a few days when I was out and about shopping.

         If you’ve never experienced sewing with “felted wool” you have no idea how tactilely soft and luxurious the wool feels and how slippery the needle and thread moves through the fabric.  It is a sheer pleasure to hand sew.

         Thus, I fashioned heart shaped pattern weights in one evening during the commercials of my favorite news programs. The cost for me – about $5.99 for a container of BB pellets, the felted wool was free – and I ended up with 25 heart shaped pattern weights. I’d say that was rather frugal – don’t you think?