Free Web Hosting Provider - Web Hosting - E-commerce - High Speed Internet - Free Web Page
Search the Web


Mary Elizabeth Fricke

Biography

Words

Stitches

Farm Wife Chronicles

Stitches

mef Originals

I began to sew while I was still in elementary school because my mother was a seamstress who insisted no woman could survive a normal life if she did not know how to sew.  There was a time when every shirt, pant or dress I wore was stitched on my trusty 1970's model Dressmaker sewing machine.  My sons grew up in 'Mom made' clothes and today are not immune to requesting that I create some personal item for them--such as the gun case from Army green canvas and hunting jacket from camouflage burlap I made for my youngest son. 

            In recent years my sewing expertise has centered around creating household and craft items I give away as gifts.  Sewing can be costly and must always take time and care.  To break it down, it takes approximately two and one-half hours to cut and sew a 3' square lap quilt depending upon the depth of the design.  Materials purchased through a place such as Wal-Mart would cost approximately $12 to $15.00.    So, cost for a lap quilt at $10 per hour plus material and notions should run about $40.00 plus tax and postage.   $25 to create and $15 for the materials.  Baby Quilts are larger so would take more time and cost more.  My mother charged more than $100. for homemade full sized quilts twenty years ago.  Today they, too, are far more expensive and harder to come by.

  Below are photographs of some of my recent ventures.  
None of the items are for sale.  Sewing is just a past time--something I like to do.  I've thought of selling craft items or sewing for others from time to time but writing tends to take whatever creative time I have.  I will continue to sew and to paint gifts for family members and friends--because I like to.  Sewing and/or painting provides a necessary break for a mind gone numb from creating words to paper...err...computer page.




These two baby quilts are the most recent two I've made.  I gave each to a niece for the birth of a great-nephew and great-niece.  Machine quilting is tricky in that when you use material the size of the full quilt you must keep the material straight to avoid wrinkles and stretching.  It's best to start in the center and work out but quilts larger than these can be very tough to handle.



It seems that when I find the time to relax I often end up with some form of embroidery in hand.  These are a few of the items I have made in recent years and have not yet given away as gifts.  I've used a couple of the tableclothes in my home.  Careful washing keeps embroidery items colorful and softer than brand new.




I had some fun a few years ago creating a bunch of these pocketed jewel cases.  The pattern suggested they be used to carry/store jewelry in but I reinvented them  (without the inner pockets) to store my precious glass Christmas ornaments in. Works pretty well.  The padding concealed in them can be adjusted to protect whatever you are storing.