My friend Eileen is a treasure. We’ve traveled together and belonged to the same wonderful quilting groups. She’s always been there for me, and recently she caused me to laugh out loud. After I posted about making “Sidelights” for my sink (click here to read that post), we were chatting and she told me she thought I was the “MacGyver” of quilting. I guess I do love to solve problems with supplies I have on hand 🤣!
And that side of me showed up again this past November (I’m finding our new home just needs creative fixes). You may have noticed this new quilted “fix” in this photo from last week’s post ~
or maybe you didn’t notice it, but you’ll know all about it soon enough. Here’s the story:
Mike and I have always had homes with natural fireplaces. This is a good thing because my husband loves “playing” with fire. Well, much to his dismay, this house has a gas fireplace which we’ve pretty much ignored until the weather turned cold. What made us think about it was feeling the cold air pouring in at the bottom of the fireplace. We called a chimney sweep in to clean it and answer questions, and he said the flue needed to stay open a crack to vent everything ~ and the cold draft couldn’t be helped. YIKES! So I went through my UFO bin and found some blocks leftover from a quilt I made for my friend Margaret (for the story about this quilt click here).
They were 16 patch blocks I acquired in a guild exchange and they made a lovely quilt:
I had 5 blocks leftover, so I cut pieces the required height and sewed them end to end, making sure no seams needed to match (just for fun). I then began hunting for a stiff piece of something to stabilize everything. In a “studio” box that is still waiting to be unpacked I found a foam core sign from an old quilt exhibit. It just needed to be cut to size and mailing taped into a long enough rectangle:
I then sewed the block pieces into a tube, backed it with black fabric:
and slid the foam core into place.
The end was hand-stitched closed, and it was ready to be tucked in place. I think Mike’s mom’s china cat approves!
Now we just have to remember to remove it when we want to have a cozy fire (like after our New Years Eve dinner last night).
I think my ideas are a little tame for the MacGyver nickname, but I’m grateful for the creative brain the Lord gave me, and for wonderful quilting friends who make us laugh.
Since I took this photo the Autumn decorations have come down and Christmas decor is still in place. I guess I’m also grateful that the Lord has given me so many blog ideas that the seasons are changing before some of the posts make it live 😊.
Happy New Year everyone. May it be filled with smiles and fun quilting projects!
Joanne Corrigan says
That is an amazing clever solution! You are an inspiration! Happy New Year and I look forward to your blog every Sunday!
WANDA E KRUGER says
Clever!!
judy raddatz says
I had the same problem with the vent over my kitchen stove. I used old bath towels to stop the draft. Not as creative but it worked!
Jean Casey says
Chris, your problem solving ability is a phenomenal gift, and I have certainly benefited from it in the Quilt Lab. Thanks for sharing it
Sally McFerren says
Your solution reminds me of the draft dodgers I have made for outside doors only they are stuffed with batting and something like kitty litter to hold them in place!
Laurie Neubauer says
Love this problem solution and it gives such an artistic touch to your fireplace. The china cat is the finishing touch. Maybe she can share a space with a china dog someday. LOL Great idea!