The Minkee
Off and on today, I was at the sewing machine. In between time I was out giving Dennis moral support for his task of working on the Cub Lo Boy. What’s not to like about a tractor that can be tinkered on.
Though we had a good shower of rain, I also want to keep the newly seeded areas next to the drive and the curb damp. It’s been a good thing to have some cool days and allow the soil to stay damp for more than several hours.
Needless to say, the Minkee blanket is done. This was a kit that friend Rita had picked out. After cancer had taken her, her daughter gifted her fabrics to me. Pairing a stretchy Minkee polyester fabric to a woven non-stretch flannel posed some issues. The multi-colored black flannel came from the stashes of my friend Lorraine. After cancer had taken her, her children gifted her fabrics to me. After much pinning, I went to the Fairfax team’s embroidery floss cabinets. Using the old fashioned way of quilting, tying with yarn or floss, made it possible to treat each square unto its own, corralling it as best I could. 
I did have some plain black in my stashes to use to bind the Minkee. I decided to anchor each block with some machine embroidery in each of the 20 blocks, putting it in the center. Putting each block into a hoop allowed the stitching to go on smoothly. After the stitching was done, it was allowed to go back to its fluffy, unkempt form. So be it!
I have no idea where this blanket may end up. There is no waiting list. All I know that having it in blanket form it is more appealing with usefulness, than having twenty pre-cut blocks in a plastic bag. I have an idea the circular file would be found.
So you may have gotten the path I am taking with sewing. I am using up what is lying before me. Working my whiles, using some of this and some of that, making it work. I have no doubt, walking into a quilt shop, there may have been additional choices for the backing. The colors that this black had incorporated, spoke to me.
This was actually the second Minkee project that had been initially Rita’s. On my own, I won’t be seeking out another project with it. I really like my cottons. In thinking on it, it will be a long time before I need to shop for fabric. Thankfully the remaining fabric from Rita and Lorraine is cotton flannels and printed cottons. At the gathering we had in the park last Friday, there was no one that had a love for working with stretchy polyester Minkee. 2020 was my year to make due with what was within the sewing studio. Yes, the fabrics from friends need to be honored and worked into something useful and something for someone to cuddle up in.
Dennis has had a buddy stop in to help with tractor putzing. I am off the hook until supper time. Where did the time go . . . tomorrow is already hump day! Giddy-up and make the most of it.