Welcome to byLauraMcFall!

Howdy!  Welcome to #bylauramcfall!!  I have toyed with this blog for several years now covering a few different topic areas.  If you look through my posts you will see many from 2015 about my 50/50 personal challenge to decide whether or not I am a runner (Running Towards Fifty).  I have pretty much decided I am not a “runner” but I do like to walk fast for fitness and hike slow for leisure.  After the 50/50 2015 posts there are several from 2016-2018 under the tag #ministrymessage.  That was a growth phase where I went through Certified Lay Minister training in the United Methodist Church and was preaching once a month at a senior living center near my home.

Sprinkled throughout are a few sewing tutorials and step outs of different projects.  I toy back and forth between really hunkering down and creating a sewing “business” or just keeping it as a recreational hobby.  It’s not really a business because there isn’t any income – these days, I sew for pleasure and occasionally sell something I have created.  I don’t make any money – what I get for my pieces barely covers the expense.  Typically, most items are given away.  Years ago, I did sew for a little income on the side.  As a young Army NCO wife overseas, I found a niche making ballgowns and custom clothing for the officers’ wives.  In the earlier ‘00s, I would offer handmade goodies in exchange for fundraising donations to Relay for Life. 

But…  I would love to create a strong virtual community with a platform to teach and encourage others in various areas of stitching.  I am hoping that by joining this challenge I can build an interactive audience and begin to create that community.  I would also like to increase my online visibility so I have the opportunity to do things like be an Island Batik Ambassador, or product tester/designer for new fabric lines, etc.  So, the rest of this entry is a bit of a resume’ for the types of stitching I do and some of the crazy projects I have gotten myself into:

I use the word “stitching” because I am not limited to quilting.  I sew.

I sew clothing (for myself, my children when they were little and now my grandchildren) and have also made wedding gowns, prom and ball gowns and a very fluffy pageant gown for a young girl.  I spent days designing and then hemming circular curved sparkly organza pieces with fishing line to create the vertical ruffles.  Of course, within a few months of finishing the gown, very similar fabric was available by the yard at the fabric store. 

 

 

I sew craft items including stuffed animals, tote bags, aprons and kitchen items, pillows and home décor.  One time I recovered two poolside swinging futons to include the large rectangular umbrellas that covered them.  The material was basically woven plastic and was a bugger to stitch and the pieces were huge and heavy.  I set up one of those six-foot plastic banquet tables to help hold the weight which, in turn, generated enough static electricity it probably could have powered the sewing machine. 

In the fall of 2008, I purchased my first computerized embroidery machine and have made many items with it to include personalized Christmas ornaments for our grandchildren every year since.  Some years they’re all the same design and other years they are each unique.  We are up to 8 grandkids over 12 years.  It’s always an adventure trying to come up with each year’s design and making sure I haven’t duplicated any yet.

In 2018 I made PJs for all 12 grandkids and 2 daughters plus 2 DILs with embroidered t-shirts – 16 stitch-outs altogether.  Our two sons plus 2 SILs were left out, but they will get personalized embroidered BBQ aprons and/or accessories (hopefully) this year. 

I began really getting into quilting in 2010 and have incorporated embroidered blocks into quilts a few times.  It didn’t take long to learn the terms UFO – Un Finished Objects and PHD – Projects Half Done.  I have made many, many quilts, most are throw/crib size, wall hangings or smaller, but I have made a handful of twin-size or larger.  It’s funny how the longer I do this the larger the quilts are getting… 

My husband and I also travel with a 35-foot Fifth wheel RV.  We have been camping for years, but only after getting the “5er” in 2015 did I learn about #RVQuilting.  Yes, it’s a “thing”.  There’s at least one huge FB group, RV Quilters.  We share our projects and sewing set ups while camping at a variety of campgrounds from RV resorts with activity centers to state parks to boondocking, which means without hooking up to water or electric sources.  We have made renovations so I have a complete dedicated sewing area and I have completed many projects both in and for the RV.  One of my recent favorites are quilts for our split recliner.  The pattern is by Victoria Findlay Wolfe (vfwquilts.com) and is called Negative Space from her book Modern Quilt Magic.  The original is one large quilt but I skipped the step of sewing the two sections together with additional side border pieces and kept them separate so the individual sofa pieces would recline independently.  This photo also shows the pieced cornice covers I made with a stack and slash technique creating multiple unique 6” blocks. 

I hope you have enjoyed this general outline of my stitching career….  Please continue to follow along for this #31dayblogchallenge2020 to learn a lot more about #bylauramcfall.  Comment below if I can answer any questions or explain anything further. 

Please check out my Facebook Page – by Laura McFall (https://www.facebook.com/byLauraMcFall) – where you can peruse all of the albums of my creations.  I have only been on Instagram since 2019.  On either platform you can also search #bylauramcfall or #flamingomooncampers to see what we’re up to. 

#31dayblogchallenge2020