Kitty Kitty Crafts

Christmas crafting round-up!

2012-01-26T12:30:00.002-05:00

Hey, I know! Now that it's a month past the holidays and the last thing anyone wants to think about is Christmas, why don't I finally post about what I made this year? Yeah? Okay!

First up is this batch of jingle mice ornaments. Aren't they cute? I made them following this tutorial, though I re-drafted the mice to be not quite so tall. I made only this handful, one each for a few of my favorite people. I'm really liking this ornament-a-year kick; here's last year's!

Most years, I try to figure out one handmade gift that I can give to everyone, and then produce it assembly-line style. I also typically spend WAY too much time at the sewing machine, so for whatever reason, this year I decided that everyone was getting body care. And sewn drawstring bags because, who am I kidding, sewing is definitely my strong suit! I followed this tutorial to make the lotions, this tutorial for the cuticle balm, and experimented with these tips to come up with the scrub. And of course, the bags come via the In Color Order lined drawstring bag pattern, which I used to make little bags to the perfect size. I highly recommend purchasing the pattern, but if you just want to test it, the free bag tutorial is excellent!

I've gotten a lot of good feedback on the body care, so I guess they were a win, but man, were they tricky! I didn't want to give anything that I couldn't vouch for myself, so I did a lot of experimenting beforehand to settle on recipes. I'm happy to say that the cuticle balm is AWESOME and definitely the easiest thing to make! The scrub is also fairly easy, though I had separation for a while after it was mixed, and some oil seepage from the top of a jar (not in a bag, thankfully) that freaked me out. The lotion, however, has been hit or miss. My test batch was miniscule and turned out awesome, but all of the ones after that separate out, so I have to keep stirring it for a few hours before pouring into jars. At that point, it takes about a week for the lotion to set into the thick cream it's supposed to be, but once it's there, it's amazingness. Huh. I can't figure out what my issue is, but I've been using grapeseed oil, so maybe that's part of it? It's a lighter, more "dry" oil, and putting olive oil on my skin just seemed... heavy. Let me know if you make some, though!

My parents and the newlyweds each received one of these embroidered state frames, which were a huge hit. I spotted this tutorial via Pinterest, and it's just perfect. Punching the holes with an awl was probably the most difficult part, so they really weren't that bad. And as a one-of-a-kind gift, they can't be beat!

There were two tricky guy friends on my list that I didn't want to subject to my lemongrass lotion (though, really, it's a unisex scent!) so I whipped up these toiletries bags using some Ikea fabric and heavy vinyl I had on hand, following this tutorial. Despite being a real pain to turn right-side out, they are fairly easy to make and look so nice once they're finished. They were also a hit!

And for my very spoiled friend Vanessa I couldn't resist whipping up this bag using the Noodlehead 241 tote pattern and some fun Alexander Henry fabric. Unlike my first attempt at this pattern, I added the outer pockets, which make a huge difference and adds much cuteness! This bag was also a hit.

I hope to be back in this space soon to reveal one last gift made for a very special grandmother. I'm one week into a head cold that has knocked me flat, so here's hoping I get some energy back soon!

This is just to say...

2012-01-09T16:00:00.001-05:00

...that I'm jumping into the Sew Colette sew-along hosted by Sarah of Rhinestones and Telephones and Erin of Miss Crayola Creepy, and you should, too! First up is the Meringue skirt, and I maybe just ordered some organic gray cotton twill with which to make it...

Super massive Dear Jane update!

2012-01-04T12:30:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I've posted one of these, so there's a lot to catch up on! But first, the big news: I completed 50 blocks--made of 1,134 pieces--in 2011! That brings my completed total to 66 blocks, comprised of 1,347 pieces, not counting sashing. I've assembled rows A-D, but I won't be putting the whole top together until the blocks are done. Yahoo!

I'm ridiculously excited about this. It was almost a year ago that I posted that I'd like to complete one block each week for the year. My ultimate goal was 52 blocks, but I knew between traveling and work and projects and, well, life, that I would actually shoot for 50 and if I hit it I'd be pretty happy about it. So, here's a quick showcase of the 16 (?!?!) blocks I haven't yet blogged. Above is block D1.

Here's block D2, which I really enjoy, though I can't pinpoint why. Maybe just the shapes?

This is block D4 (D3 was previously blogged here). This is completely pieced, even the melons in the corners. Curved piecing is not so bad, especially by hand!

Block D5, which is pretty straightforward.

Block D7 (D6 was blogged here). Another straightforward one, which was welcome!

This is block D8. I really love how this block turned out, though it was difficult to make! I fussy cut the pieces to get that radiating stripe feeling. This block is entirely appliquéd using the back-basting technique that I favor. I still feel like my points could be pointier, but this is the best I can do at this moment. I wonder how much better I'll be by the time I finish this quilt?

Here's block D9. I think I was trying to do something so the orientation of the ducks would be consistent, but now I can't remember if I succeeded or failed. Probably best if I never know, eh?

Block D10. Straight lines, pointy points, matching corners. Ahh!

Block D11, which I think is less successful. I had trouble with the diamond appliqués, which I think have a bit of a wonk factor. Still, what would Jane do? Make it work.

Here's block D12, which I think turned out fine, but I'm not so keen on my fabric choice. Choosing fabrics has been really difficult--more difficult than I would've expected. I'm preserving the trip around the world in the center of the quilt, but in the outside it's tricky to tell what colors the original fabrics were. Also, Jane used a lot of browns in her Civil War–era quilt, and I don't have a 1930s equivalent. I've marked a lot of them on my chart as "multi" or "dark", and I guess this was the best I could come up with for this block.

Here's the beginning of row E! (Block D13 is blogged here.) I had the same issue with the fabric as with the previous block, but think this one turned out okay. Again, it's completely pieced instead of appliquéd. The center was a little tricky to assemble; I hope it holds together in the finished quilt!

Block E2, which looks a little pink here. Pieced and appliquéd.

Block E4 (E3 is here), which looks REALLY pink here. Simply pieced.

E5, which is pieced and appliquéd. I thought I was being smart when I marked where the center circle was on all of the side pieces so that I didn't sew them all the way to the center points, which would've been difficult to match up.

Here's block E6, which has a lot of little pieces! The squares near the corners are appliquéd and aren't perfect, but I think they're fine.

And, finally, block E7! I finished this on New Year's eve during a Twilight Zone marathon. I had intended to fussy-cut these pieces so the stripes all ran the same way, but that clearly didn't work. I did my best to keep the block symmetrical, though.

So, that's it! A year ago, I only had 16 scattered blocks completed. I now have 66, including four full rows assembled! That feels like an accomplishment, though I still have a long way to go. I'm renewing my desire for this year (and secretly hoping to catch up on those last 2 from 2011 plus complete a full 52 for 2012) and can't wait to see my progress in another year's time. Cheers to hand stitching, productivity, and Jane!

Some creative goals

2012-01-01T16:00:00.002-05:00

photo taken just before leaving for Oliver and Hilary's wedding in September

Happy new year! My parents were here from Wisconsin and staying with us for a week, but today they're headed home. Rob and I are drinking beer and enjoying the last week of RedZone. We had a lovely holiday and a low-key new year; I hope yours has been equally wonderful!

I am way behind in blogging my projects. I have plans for a big year-end what-I-made collage (mostly because I'd like to see it!) and a Dear Jane progress update, but I have so much un-blogged already... So, here's a quick run-through of some lingering non-holiday-gift projects (because those will need their own post), plus some creative goals for 2012.

Perfectly Pleated Clutch from Amy Butler's Style Stitches and the Noodlehead 241 tote, sans pockets

1) Launch my business! As I mentioned way back here, I'm actively taking steps to launch my own Etsy shop. While I've made a lot of progress, I still have a bit to do before I can open my shop. The holiday break has really derailed that, but I'm working to get back on track. If all goes well, I hope to be up and running by Valentine's Day!

Denim whale, based on this tutorial

2) More softies! Related to the goal above, I'd like to develop more softie patterns and softies this year. 2011 saw my creation of my first original pattern, a hippo! I also created a giraffe, and made the whale, shown above, based on instructions posted here (with a little help from Google translate). I have more animals I'd like to draft, sew, and hopefully sell in 2012!

Holiday Craft Market booth and setup at apARTment show holiday edition

3) Find my audience. I did two different shows at the end of the year: one a local craft market, and one a holiday edition of the apARTment show we did over the summer. I wouldn't necessarily call them failures, but I wouldn't say either show was a raging success, either. I have various theories about why I didn't make a lot of sales, but I think increased visibility plus a better venue (Etsy) is a good start.

necklace for Hilary's birthday; pattern from Stitch Magic

4) Join the community. This is something that's been bothering me for a while... I consider myself a part of the modern crafting movement (which I see as tangentially related to the 3rd wave of feminism, but that's a whole other discussion), but lately I've really just become a lurker. I'd like to change that. The reasons why I don't comment on 99% of the blog posts I read are that I'm usually at work, eating lunch and answering the phone and otherwise just swamped; I don't know that I have anything new to add; I don't think bloggers with 100+ regular commenters need to hear from me; and I'm shy. However, when I *have* overcome that shyness to interact with other bloggers, good things have happened. If you blog, please let me know! I'd love to hear from you, and make sure you're in my Reader and hearing from me!

Socialite Dress #2, in voile; still unsure about the back

5) More garment sewing! I am head-over-heels in love with everything Colette Patterns. I did a bit of garment sewing in 2011, and that's something I'd like to continue in 2012, beginning with reading the CP book and making the velveteen Peony I've been dreaming about for months...

6) More Dear Jane! This is something I really kicked into high gear this year. I am so happy that I did. I was trying to sew one block per week, with a final goal of 50 on the year, and (spoiler alert!!) I did it! I finished block 50 last night! Massive Dear Jane update to come yet, but 50+ blocks is my goal again this year.

So, that's it! What are your creative goals for the year?

Peony dress!

2011-12-16T12:30:00.004-05:00

Wrapping up the wedding posts, finally... I made myself a Colette Patterns Peony dress to wear to my brother's wedding rehearsal. I had made myself another version of the Socialite dress and did wear it to a different wedding (though that's another post), but at the last minute decided I wanted a Peony instead. So I scheduled myself one hour of work between getting home from my day job and making dinner for two whole weeks. I was able to get most of it done, but because I decided to fully line the dress, I completed sewing the lining to the zipper on the plane and the lining to the arm holes in the hotel room! Still, I finished in time to wear it to the rehearsal! Go me.

I knew when I saw the Anna Maria Horner Needleworks fabrics that I wanted to create something out of them that wasn't just needlepoint. I was going to stitch on the little cummerbund belt, but ultimately decided it would be too much. I left the fussy-cut sleeves unlined, however, so that I could add embroidery / cross stitch if I wanted to over time.

I really like this dress! I think it's gorgeous but casual. It has pockets! The little belt does wonders.

Despite the simplicity of the pattern, I had a few issues with creating this dress. I did my first full-bust adjustment, and it certainly shouldn't be my last! It took a bit of time, though. And then, somehow, I messed up the bust dart on one side. It's curvier than the other, and without the belt looks absolutely awful. I also think I made the belt a little too snug, as it actually gathers the dress a bit at the waist. It takes some fiddling to get it looking right, but then I'm set all day. I think the next time I make it, I should either take the belt out or the dress in or both. And fix the bust dart, because I would like the option of wearing this belt-less. I have a holiday version in mind with longer sleeves, so here's hoping I can get to it! Things have been INSANE the last few weeks, both at my day job and at home / crafting.

Anyway, if you'd like to see the full album of family wedding / Cincinnati pictures, go HERE. (And yes, that photo above is me trying to document the dress pre-rehearsal, in the hotel room.)

Wedding Chantilly

2011-11-29T12:30:00.001-05:00

Finally--the dress! Above is a photo of Rob and me taken in the hotel lobby before my brother's wedding. I finished the dress way back in September and knew that I wouldn't have the time or resources for a proper photo shoot on the actual wedding day, so I had one at home when the dress was finished. Just so I could show you the details I love!

This is, again, the Colette Patterns Chantilly dress, the same pattern I used for my birthday dress. I really love this pattern. There is a LOT of hand-gathering so it takes a bit to cut out and construct, but it is SO worth it.

I used an Innocent Crush voile (possibly my favorite print/fabric to come out in the last few years; definitely saved for this special project!) by Anna Maria Horner for the outer layer and a light pink cotton lawn for the lining. The dress is really lightweight and floaty, but it's still a lot of dress! Or, skirt, rather:

This version has pockets, which is awesome!

I also wanted to make it a little more fancy than my previous version, so I added two rows of bias ruffles to the hem. It's a little trick I learned from this book. It pushes out the lining just enough; not as much as a petticoat would, but I didn't want to steal the show, plus I wanted to keep the dress wearable to the office and more casual functions.

Bottom line: I adore this pattern and highly recommend it for a party-feeling dress! I also want to note here that my jewelry is by Stonehouse Studio and I really really love it. I can't decide if I like the necklace or earrings more...

Bridesmaid bags

2011-11-11T12:30:00.001-05:00

*sigh* I always have the best of intentions with keeping this blog more updated, but it always gets away from me. If you're still reading me in your feed or checking back for updates, thank you for sticking around!

As you may have noticed, it was wedding central with a lot of my summer crafting. What you see above are the six bags my future sister-in-law (now ACTUAL sister-in-law!) commissioned me to make for her bridesmaids. She really liked this spring tote I had made previously (using a pattern from Stitch magazine), but it needed some adaptations. Anne wanted the bags to be large enough to hold a pair of flip flops, a bottle of water, and other assorted necessities.

I took the same general shape and made a few dummy bags, eventually deciding on one that was about 15" square, then rounding off the bottom corners. Because the bag was smaller, I wanted to reduce the number of grommets in the top, too, but that posed some issues as well: How was I going to get the strap to be outside in the right places? I fixed this by adding a small channel on the insides to thread the strap through.

Anne chose all of the fabrics to go along with their wedding colors of purple and silver. I machine embroidered initial tags to go on each of the straps. They're completely removable, but I figured six girls with similar bag contents would want an easy way to tell them apart!

This project was a bit more time-consuming than I initially thought, what with us changing fabrics a few times, adding the strap channels, and then all that hammering to insert those grommets! Still, Anne was incredibly gracious and complimentary about them. After she gifted them to her bridesmaids at the rehearsal dinner, most of them came over to hug me and thank me for the bags. And then, while we were hanging out in the church before the ceremony, one of the photographers came over, asked if I was Tim's sister, and then complimented me profusely on the bags! It was so so sweet, and a much-needed boost of confidence before I had to get up in front of all those people and do a reading during the ceremony!

So, while these bags are grand, I still have to show you my dress and jacket for the wedding! I wasn't in the bridal party, so I was able to craft my own.

Also, Hilary and I will be vending at the Holiday Craft Market in Beverly TOMORROW! If you're in the Boston area and would like to come out, we'd love to see you! You can see a peek of our wares from our recent farmers' market table (and me freezing my butt off outside) in Hilary's Flickr stream here.

ETA: I am in love with all things Colette these days, but I just adore this post! I think Sarai is doing everything right and can't wait to get my hands on her book!

I took a workshop... and a bloat of hippos

2011-11-01T15:49:00.005-04:00

Wow, time is flying! And I'm not posting. I mentioned in my last post that I was going to discuss an amazing workshop I had taken that past weekend, and now it's been 2+ weeks since it finished and not even a peep from me!

Well, better late than never, right? I first heard about this workshop via Elise's blog post about it. I had never actually met Elise, but I had seen her around (we live in the same 'hood) and had bought some of her cards and a fantastic Foxy Like a Crafter tote, which inspired my birthday party this past year. So, yeah, I'm a fan...

Anyway, the class sounded like exactly what I needed to get my little business going, so I signed up. A few days before the class started, my partner in craft, Hilary, signed up, too! Together, we had the best time that weekend. Really and truly. We emailed each other on Monday to say how bummed out we were that class was over and how spoiled we had been to spend a weekend with other creative people, talking about our art and being inspired. It was such a treat! Elise blogged a bit post-class here, so it sounds like even our instructor enjoyed it.

I came away with a notebook more than half full of inspiring tips and must-do lists. I have decided that YES, I do want to open an Etsy shop, and I want to do it right. I'm hoping to launch the official Kitty Kitty Crafts store in early 2012, but there is so much I need to do first! Still, now I have some great checklists and the tools I need to take the first steps.

Once the class wrapped up, I spent the entire next week working on inventory for a farmers' market booth (failure, but that's another post), and then rushing through a version of Colette's Peony dress, just in time to wear to the rehearsal of my brother's wedding last weekend! I spent five days in Cincinnati celebrating with family, and now that I'm back, I'm absolutely exhausted! BUT now that the wedding is over with, all of my top secret still-marked-as-private Flickr photos can now be revealed! Look for more posts coming soon.

All hippos in this post are stock for my upcoming holiday show, Nov. 12! If you're local, I'd love to see you there!

Just to say...

2011-10-18T08:30:00.000-04:00

This is a quick post just to point out this wonderful article from the Salem Gazette about Maureen Clark, my LQS owner and a woman I am proud to call my friend. She is incredibly warm, kind, and generous of spirit--to everyone, but especially her customers. We adore her! It was so disarming for all of us to learn that she has breast cancer. I am so happy at the way our little community of quilters has rallied around her.

I think Maureen says it best, as quoted in the article: “The community I’ve found here, all of whom come from different backgrounds but all brought together by their love of fabric arts, have been my therapy,” Clark said. “I’ve taken so much comfort from them.”

(The photo above is of Maureen, myself, and Melynn, who was also quoted in the article. It was taken at the end of a long and very very fun night of debauchery.)

Back later this week with a post of a different sort about an amazing workshop I took last weekend!

Another bird mobile

2011-10-04T12:30:00.002-04:00

I've now made a few of these, but that doesn't make me like them any less! This was made as a baby gift for a friend of a friend (as in, my friend Hilary asked me to make this for her to give to her friend Jenne). I went with bright colors and kept the birds on a branch that could be wall-mounted or hung.

This was done in a bit of a time crunch, so I pieced the birds by machine instead of by hand, as I'd done for all the previous birds. I was pleasantly surprised at how well, and quickly, they came together!

Congrats on your new baby girl, Jenne!

Wedding flowers

2011-09-26T12:30:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, Rob and I attended the sweetest wedding ceremony! My co-worker and friend Oliver and his lovely new wife, Hilary, had a short and sweet ceremony followed by some fun signature drinks, delicious dinner, and lost of dancing! (okay, we didn't dance very much because we overdid it on the drinks earlier in the evening...) It really was one of the nicest events we've ever been a part of. Weddings are so affirming, you know? Of the love of the new couple, but also of your own. We held hands and beamed through the entire thing.

Oliver and Hilary did everything on a very tight budget, and so they called on a lot of their friends to help out. I happily volunteered to do fabric flowers for the couple, without really knowing what I was getting into (!) We chose to use the same Radiance cotton/silk blend I used for this wedding dress, though went with pure white for the bride and a lovely rust for everyone else, as this was a fall wedding.

For the bridesmaid bouquets, I followed this Martha tutorial, which was super easy! I also made five pinnable corsages for moms and special wedding assistants using the same method.

I had some trouble with the stems being sticky once I wrapped them in floral tape. I did some Googling and ended up testing the baby powder method, and it worked! Thanks, internet! Still, I wrapped a little ribbon around the bouquets to bulk them up a bit and give the girls something to hold on to.

Hilary's bouquet was a bit more challenging. She had seen a similar large bloom bouquet online and requested something like that. For the most part, I did the same thing as for the smaller flowers, but with many more layers and varied sizes. The problem was, the flower kept wanting to collapse on itself. After a bit of experimentation, I made a subtle cone out of a heavy interfacing and then sandwiched it in between the two outermost layers, which I tacked together at the top of the petals so the support would be invisible.

Figuring out how to make the stem was possibly the hardest part! I had stitched the petals onto four floral wires folded in the center (so it was eight wires thick), but that created a hinge at the top and made it easy for the flower to flop over. The solution? A skinny PVC pipe, which I glued to the flower at the very top, and then a 8" piece of a large-diameter hose over top of everything. I then wrapped that in more floral tape, then added some pretty ribbon and bits of vintage lace.

For the boutonnieres, I also went with Martha. We used a lovely wool suiting, but it was a bit ravel-y when cut on the bias, so I used fusible web just around the outside to make them behave. We needed some color, so I made a little tube of fabric, inserted some floral wire, and made a little twist. Then I wrapped it all up with some brown ribbon to match the bouquets.

I was ridiculously excited on Saturday when we got to the venue and I saw the groom's dad walking around with his boutonniere on! They looked SO good on all the guys. Hilary and Oliver were lovely and glowing with happiness, and that bouquet when they walked down the aisle...gorgeous! All told, supplies for all of these flowers was under $50. I was reimbursed for materials, and also gifted the most amazing bottle of tequila as a thank you. It really was my pleasure; coming up with solutions to those crafty problems was just a bonus. Congratulations, Oliver and Hilary! I am so thankful I could be a part of your day!

Hippos galore!

2011-09-22T12:30:00.002-04:00

I've been keeping busy behind the scenes with a lot of wedding-centric crafting for others that I can't show you yet (soon!) and a couple new batches of hippos for some upcoming craft fairs I'm doing. These were "born" in early September, and I rushed through taking a bunch of photos so I could make some new hippo-centric business cards! That was fun.

Anyway, here are a few more photos of my little guys, which I love so much! I'm trying to amass as much inventory as I can as quickly as I can, because October is going to be crazy, and then I have two shows! However, people keep seeing these and asking if they can buy one, or two, or three... I'm having a hard time saying no!

Also, did you notice? I had tags made! At the recommendation of Ronit, I worked with Michelle at Inked Papers and I'm incredibly pleased at how these turned out! I think they make my softies look that much more professional, so they were definitely worth the investment (though I only had to pay for the printing; the design was done by meeeee!)

Unrelated: I have a lengthy, rambly interview up with my friend Gregory Sherl, who happens to be one of my favorite poets, here. It's incredibly verbose, so don't say I didn't warn you!

Giraffe!

2011-09-16T12:30:00.001-04:00

I made a new softie: a giraffe! This was a birthday gift for my friend JJ, who I also made these guys for a few years ago and this guy even longer ago. She's got a regular collection of my work!

(this picture of him walking just kills me)

I'm happy to report that this is an original design of mine! It didn't come together as smoothly or quickly as the hippo; I had multiple versions that were too sea-monster-y. I'm still not sure the scale works in relation to the hippo, but I was pretty pleased with how this guy turned out! Even though there will be more tinkering in my future.

I have sewn quite a few softies from a number of different patterns, and one thing I absolutely HATE is sewing in foot pads. I find it horrible. The pieces are so small, the seams are never smooth, it's a fight to turn everything carefully under the presser foot... Blergh. So when I decided to design my own giraffe pattern, I first had to figure out how to deal with the feet (I used a different, easier method with the hippos, and a more intensive hippo post is forthcoming, I promise!). Here's a detail shot:

So, yep, pretty pleased. There are some more silly shots of him in action on my Flickr page.

Also, something I forgot to mention previously: Chrissy, whose wedding dress I made and blogged about here, posted her own take on the experience here. Click over for some really exciting pictures of me ironing, some ridiculously cute pictures of my cat, and Chrissy's write-up of the incredibly sweet thank-you gift she made me.

Psst! This is my 300th post! Yowza!

Dear Jane catch-up

2011-09-12T12:30:00.002-04:00

I *was* caught up on my Dear Jane blocks... For about 2 seconds. Now I'm behind again. But I did hit another milestone: row C is done and pieced together and stashed away! What you see above is block C7, which has 45 pieces and I finished on 7/31/11. I'm still not happy with the points of my diamonds, but I'm not going to redo any of them, either! Finished is better than perfect...

Here's block C8, which I love so so much! I think it's that gorgeous background fabric, which I'd gotten in a swap long ago. So pretty!

Block C10 was pieced in one day, in which it rained all day. It took me the whole day, too!

I finished block C11 on the Amtrak on the way to Maine for a mini-vacation we took last month. It was lovely, and I like the outcome of this block, even though I don't really love the fabric. It was also a swap extra from years ago, and I finally decided to put it to use somewhere.

Here is block C12, which has the most pieces yet, at 49! Wooo! This one took a while. I started it on our Maine vacation, but didn't finish for another week.

And here is C13, which I had a difficult time with. Jane's block has blue in the corners, but it's not pieced. So far, I have only used one focus fabric + my Kona white in each block, and I didn't want to change that for this block only, so I found something with a darker color in it (the green leaves) and fussy-cut the pieces so they would appear in the corners. I am actually quite pleased with how it turned out--pops of green in the corners give the same kind of effect, but I didn't add additional pieces or fabrics.

And with that, I've shown you all of my finished blocks to date! I've been working on other things and am at least 2 blocks behind again already (boo). Still, as of 9/2/11, I have 50 blocks done, and I'm at 989 pieces! Wow.

I made a wedding dress.

2011-08-31T12:30:00.002-04:00

All photos in this post (c) Lisa Rigby Photography (doesn't she do fantastic work?!)

Let me say it again: I. Made. A. Wedding. Dress! This is the first time I'm posting about it (beyond here, where I alluded to starting this project, and here, where I blogged the bag) but it's been done for a few months now, since the wedding was in the end of June!

What happened was this: an acquaintance who is a friend of a friend contacted me about helping her hand bind her wedding invitation books, since I've done my share of bookbinding (little-known fact!) At the end of our dinner of brainstorming and beers, she asked if I'd ever made a dress on commission. By that point I had a buzz going and was feeling super amenable, so even though I was hesitant, I heard her out. She had a very small budget and just couldn't find anything in her price range. What Chrissy wanted sounded simple enough: a strapless, A-line dress. I can manage that! With a full-on lace overlay. Ooh, maybe not so much...

But I agreed to look into it. The next day I did some research into fabrics and patterns, and decided that if she was okay with the inexpensive lace, plus if she would hang out at my place while I made it, it would be a project I was willing to take on. We ordered fabric swatches and a pattern (which I can't find online anymore??), and I got to work.

The pattern had two skirt options: a floor-length sheath with a slit, or a tea-length A-line skirt. I ended up grading the top and bottom, since Chrissy's measurements varied a little, and then re-drafting the bottom to be floor-length but the same circumference as the tea-length A-line. Did you get all that? I then went through 3 rounds of muslin for the bodice, which was tricky, of course.

I wanted the lace overlay to be separate on top of the skirt, so I used French seams to hide the raw edges. I also cut the pieces as best I could to preserve the scallop that was the selvage. You can see a pretty good shot of it above. (Yeah, I'm doing a little back-patting right now!) But I layered the lace on top of the cotton-silk blend for the bodice because I knew fewer seams and bulk was better. Hence the sash at the waist, which covered up that transition.

In all, I'm super pleased with the outcome, and so was Chrissy! Rob and I were invited to the wedding but didn't go, partly due to logistics, and partly to the fact that I was too anxious to be in the same room as that dress on that day! Everything went off without a hitch, though, and you can read more about it and see more pictures here and here.

Even though the results of this collaboration were excellent, I'd be extremely hesitant to do it again. Chrissy is super cool and laid-back, so was pretty easy to please, as long as the dress fit and was comfortable! I'm not sure other brides would be so easy to work with. Chrissy's budget was a set amount, which included all materials, and whatever was left over went to me. I over ordered on the fabrics in case I had to remake any parts, and I tracked all the time I spent, from re-drafting to ironing to sewing and fitting. In all, I ended up earning less than $10/hour. Definitely not a living wage, so don't expect this to become a new side business for me! But I gained a TON of experience, satisfactorily worked through some crafty challenges (which is probably what drives me the most; that was fun!), and got to be even closer friends with a super cool chick. What's not to love?

A success indeed. (A few more photos here.)

More Dear Jane progress

2011-08-11T12:30:00.003-04:00

It seems I am now making these blocks faster than I can blog them! I looked at my finished blocks for the summer and noted that I only finished 1 in June, but got nearly caught up with 7 in July! I am happy to say that I'm finally back on track with my one block per week completion schedule! Which means that I have three blocks that are still on my camera, with another in progress. It seems I'll always be behind with documenting, if not making.

Anyway, above is block C2. I'm finding these diamonds a little tricky to appliqué, even using the back-basting technique. The corners just always end up a little bulky.

Here's block C4. That sashing in the middle adds a LOT of pieces! It finishes at around 1/4", so it's a little tricky to stitch, too.

Block C5 is possibly my favorite so far! I really like the sweetness of it, and the fabric I used. I traced the block onto paper first before reversing the design and transferring to freezer paper, so my block "spins" in the right direction! I also redrafted slightly to match Jane's quilt, piecing the white curves to white wedges. I really like the look it gives the block.

And here's block C6, one with all curved piecing. I really am finding this simple to do by hand. For these last two blocks, I didn't even have to clip any of the curves to make them fit. I think I'd prefer to do curved piecing over curved appliqué, if given the choice. I really love the fabric for this one, too.

You may notice on the sidebar that I've changed the way I'm tracking my finished blocks. This chart is actually Excel-based and requires much less Photoshop work on my part. It doesn't look as pretty as the old one, but I think it's easier to see my blocks without Jane's quilt in the background, so there you go. I'm really looking forward to having rows A-G done so that the trip around the world pattern becomes more obvious, because right now it's not really evident.

Passport Dress

2011-08-08T17:07:00.005-04:00

Since my last post, this happened (check out the comments--eeee!) and there has been a lot of behind-the-scenes Dear Jane-ing which I plan to show soon, but not much else by the way of productivity. Which is okay, because I'm plugging away at some fall deadlines, including two commission projects, while still dreaming of doing more sewing for me. Above is my take #1 of the Lisette Passport Dress.

I pretty much followed the pattern as written for this. I did add my Socialite Dress pockets to the side seams of this skirt, but they are a bit too low as I started them below the pattern's zipper marking. Oops. Still, they're there. I also did a bias bind instead of a facing around the neckline, but I think the neckline is a bit puckered and really could've used a facing, even with my stay-stitching. Again, oops.

I'm not really sure how I feel about this dress. I did a bit of modification to the bodice, taking out some length but preserving the neckline and strap length. It's fitted, but not tight, though the back puckers horizontally (if you can see that above), which makes me feel not-so-confident about it.

Also, once I put the dress together, it was gaping at the armpits. Because I didn't notice this until I'd already put in the lapped zipper (which I think I did pretty well! yay!) and finished the arm holes, I added a little pleat to each side. It's not so noticeable from the front, but it still bugs me. So, I guess if I ever DO make this dress again, the bodice will require at least another go. *sigh*

Sewing through...

2011-08-01T12:30:00.001-04:00

I may have mentioned this before, but I'm completely overwhelmed by all the fabric in my sewing room, so I've been trying to sew through what I have set aside for garment-making. It's a quick and easy way to decimate yardage, which is a big plus. Getting cute, tailored clothes is another plus. What you see above is my first crack at Anna Maria Horner's Socialite Dress pattern, out of Lecien My Folklore fabric purchased from my local quilt shop.

For the most part, I really like this dress. There are no closures, so it comes together easily and just slips on. There are great pockets at just the right place, so that's a HUGE bonus. I'm iffy about the back, though, and looking for some suggestions. I know I could belt this, and I have enough fabric left over to make one, but in general I don't much like that look, and I don't really want to draw attention to my midsection. However, the back has all that gathering, but isn't really roomy below the waist (ahem), so I feel like there's an extra pouf of fabric at the back. It feels odd. When I wore it to work one of my coworkers said it was fine, but I'm still not sure... I really love the front. Have you made this dress? What do you do? I'm considering making another muslin and removing the gathered fabric from the back.

Here's a fun skirt I made using a Michael Miller (?) print, also from my LQS. This is the same skirt I've made three times already, but when I love something, I do it over and over. My favorite part about this skirt is the button:

Yeah, I know nobody will see it, but it's awesome. And it makes me happy.

But lest you think it's all success around here (ha!), here is a borderline craft fail I made months ago but am only finally getting the nerve to post. I used this easy tutorial and some more fabric from my LQS that had been sitting around forever, but I don't think I like it. I'm not sure exactly what it is: The fit is fine, the sleeves are cute, the covered buttons are sweet, and there are pockets! But it just isn't working for me.

I think it looks borderline nightgown, in a weird way. What do you think? I wonder if it has to do with the dark fabric being the main and the light fabric being the accent. If I had switched them, would it be better? Or if it were made of all one fabric? Or does this dress just say "fall" and need dark tights and knee-high boots underneath? Suggestions? I'm afraid this will just be relegated to my closet... maybe I can turn it into a top?

Sorbetto, x3

2011-07-26T12:30:00.002-04:00

As I've been mentioning / posting, I've been on a clothes-for-me sewing kick lately. I've been particularly taken with the (free!) Sorbetto pattern from Colette Patterns. Not only is the pattern easy and adorable, it doesn't take a ton of fabric and goes super quick! I wanted to try it a while ago, but instead of making a muslin (since my first try at a Colette pattern, the Chantilly, required no adjustments), I decided to make it out of leftover fabrics from a previous project. I used the same fabrics as my birthday dress, and decided to make the first top as part of some summer pjs for me (along with the [also free!] Madeleine mini-bloomers). Well. The first try was a complete success, as were the bloomers! This outfit, which I will *not* be modeling out of modesty, is completely adorable and perfect for these hot summer nights we've been having. I couldn't have been more pleased!

So, with the success of that (perfect fit! no changes!) I decided to sew through some AMH voile I had on hand. I have SO MUCH fabric that I've been buying over the years, earmarking it for future projects--as in, "this will be a skirt! that will be a top!"--and then either pre-washing and then folding it away, or just folding it away. And then accruing more fabric. This is a vicious cycle, which has resulted in me being completely overwhelmed every time I step into my sewing area now, so I'm doing what I can to sew through much of what I have on hand without buying more / new fabric. I have made some sizeable yardage purchases recently from my LQS, and I'm happy to report that I've sewn through both! But that's a future post... For the time being, I'm showing you my Little Folks voile top that I love love love. I wore it to work last week with a little black skirt and felt like "business lady (tm)"--in a good way.

Over the weekend, I made yet another one. For these last two I've been making my own bias tape from the same fabric. Hey, it matches, it's the same weight, and it is so easy to do (why was I always so resistant to this?!). I'm also applying it using a nifty little method I learned from Anna Maria Horner. It's in her Socialite Dress pattern, but I believe she uses the same method for the smock top that's in her first book. This top is a little different in that I omitted the pleat, which was super simple. I felt the fabric was busy enough already, and I have this problem of continually making the same project (ahem), so thought this would help add a little variety to my closet. I'm making myself make other things next--a forced break from the Sorbetto. It's going to be hard, because these are so easy, and cute, and fun to wear. Still, there's a lot more fabric to sew through, and a lot more patterns to work up, too. More tk soon...

A new post, brought to you by the letter B

2011-07-13T12:30:00.004-04:00

Finally, another post! I have two exciting things to share! One is that I finished row B! You can see the last three blocks I had to make pictured above. Two down, 11 to go (plus triangles). Still, it feels oh so good to be making progress!

Second is that I met Brenda Papadakis last weekend! Yes, the Brenda, the original Janiac! It turns out that she is good friends with a friend of mine from my LQS, so when Brenda came to town to give a lecture at the New England Quilt Museum, I had the opportunity to spend a little time with her. On Friday the 8th my friend had a quilters-only dinner party so we could meet Brenda. It was incredibly sweet! Quilters, cocktails, delicious summer food, and killer dessert! Plus I got Brenda to sign my book, and my blocks were passed around to much oohing and ahhing. I haven't really shown them to anyone except for Rob, so it was nice to get such positive feedback from other quilters! On Saturday my friend Melynn and I made the trip to Lowell for Brenda's talk, which was great, and then got to have lunch with her, our other LQS friend, and two of the curators from the museum. The whole thing was just lovely! Above is a picture of me with Brenda, taken after her talk on Saturday (and yes, that's a new dress, and yes, there will be a post forthcoming on that).

Anyway, with all this visiting going on, I fell even more behind in my block-making. Boo. I'm even further behind on my blogging, however, so here are some quick updates on row B. Above is block B10. I thought the patterned fabric would work well, but I think the scale is too big or there is too much white in the pattern because from afar the block just looks kind of messy. Oh well--it's done, and as Brenda says, "Finished is better than perfect!" I couldn't agree more.

Here is block B11. I didn't know how best to piece this one, so I appliquéd those curves onto the background pieces first, then pieced them in to the log cabin sashing around the center block. It was a little tricky sewing those areas where I had three fabrics instead of just two (I didn't trim out the background behind those curves), but other than that it worked just fine.

Block B12. I did regular appliqué, not reverse, for this. It is 5 pieces total, and for this block I did trim out the background behind the print. The center is a little bit wonky, but I must say that I'm quite pleased with the curves!

So, that completes row B! I've just finished my next block, which is in row C and which puts me at 41 blocks total. 128 to go, and then it's on to triangles! Also, I'd been wavering about putting on the scalloped border since I started this quilt. My rationale was always that it would just be too finicky and take too long. Over the weekend I realized how completely ridiculous that statement is, since it's already taking me years to complete this thing. So, yes, I am now resolved: I will do the scalloped border.

Super crazy-delayed Dear Jane update

2011-07-07T12:30:00.000-04:00

Helllllooooo, July! I can't believe how quickly this summer is flying by. I know that technically it's still just the beginning, but do you remember June? Or even the end of May? I sure don't, and I can't even tell you why! Amongst the other things I was working on, I have been plugging away at my Dear Jane blocks. Here are six from row B (though I discuss 7 below), and these were all completed by the end of May. I then took a bit of a hiatus to focus on things for the sale, but am happy to report that I'm back at it, so there's even more progress than these photos represent.

So, here's block B1. Even with back-basting my appliqué, circles are still tricky! Still, I love this technique, and I've lately been using a bit bigger needle, which seems to help the fabric "remember" exactly where to turn.

Block B2. This is a bit of a mistake, as I used freezer paper to trace the block from the book, then applied to the wrong side of my fabric to trace and cut out (as I always do now). I forgot to mirror the image, so my block "spins" in the wrong direction. Oops. Clearly, it didn't bother me enough to redo it. I mean, WWJSD?*

Block B4. This was fairly straightforward, so nice to have all straight line patchwork piecing!

Block B6. Another straightforward one with all piecing, but a LOT of pieces!

Block B7. Completely back-basting appliquéd. Clearly, points are still tricky with this technique, too! I did the center circular bit out of one piece, and the diamonds all separate. I really adore that background fabric and wish I had more, in different colors!

Block B8. A good mix of piecing and appliqué. I really like this block, and think my version is near perfection.

Block B9. I did what I could to get a print with similar striping to Jane's. I quite like the effect in the center. This was all pieced, with Y-seams galore! SO much easier to do by hand.

More Dear Jane updates coming, plus some clothing, and a big Dear Jane surprise! Happy (almost) weekend!

*What Would Jane Stickle Do?

apARTment art show recap

2011-06-27T12:30:00.000-04:00

Hello, blog. Long time no...anything, actually. So sorry about that. I was so busy getting ready for the apARTment art show held on 6/17-19, and then took a *really* long time to recover. Ahh, 30. I sure don't bounce back like I did in my 20s! Seriously. It took me a good week to feel "normal" after working and crafting so much. Still, the show (where we turned my friend Hilary's apartment into an art gallery and sold the work of 15 people out of it for an entire weekend) was a success, though I had hoped for more sales. But isn't that the way it goes with craft shows? You always hope to do better than you actually do? Or is that just me?

So, here's my quick recap post. What you see in the top photo is the amazing display we came up with using Hilary's IKEA bookshelf, sans books. It was awesome. Directly above is part of my display, featuring one of my aprons and four linen-blend tote bags I cooked up. These were hand-printed by me in what was my first but surely won't be my last attempt at printing on fabric. They're fully lined with cotton and the perfect size. Nobody even looked at them *sigh*.

In an effort to make my art a bit more affordable, I crafted some hand-quilted teeny tiny quilts in shadow boxes. I was hoping to make them more affordable, but they actually took a ridiculous amount of time, so I had to price them a bit higher than planned. Nobody even looked at them, either *double sigh*.

Here's a photo of more of my setup, including another set of three quilts in frames. I ended up wearing that apron around most of the weekend, since they look so much cuter on a person than on the wall.

I also made these linen / cotton zippered pouches with covered ends and more hand printing. I sold 2 of them, which made me happy. I think they're really nice, and surprisingly big. Still, they didn't get the attention I had hoped for.

What did get the attention were my hippos. These represent my first original softie design, which I would call surprisingly successful! I went through 3 rounds of muslins before I reached my final master pattern, but that's not bad considering I started with my own sketch (and I am NOT a good drawer). I relied on Abby Glassenberg's soft toy design series for help on drafting the gussets and adding darts, but this pattern is wholly original and wholly mine!

I see more of these in my future, as I've already received a personal invitation to apply to a local holiday craft fair. I may also consider developing the pattern for sale on its own, but am very wary of copyright infringement so am a little afraid to put myself out there like that. In the meantime, I am working on my second softie pattern, since I love these so much! And almost all of them sold!

Side note #1: I now wear glasses (see above). Boo.

Side note #2: In all of my hippo stuffing, I exhausted my ginormous supply of Morning Glory super premium fiberfill, so I ordered some more. It is crazy hard to get, so I ordered two 5# boxes from Amazon. I opened them up on Friday night and was horrified to realize that they've changed the formula. Instead of being a fluffy white cloud of amazing stuffing, it's now a dingy, pill-y mess of shedding fibers that migrate through my fabric (I like to stuff firmly). It's even worse than cheap Poly-fil, which is saying something! So, crafters, I beg of you: What do you use for fiberfill? Where do you get it from? I've already ordered a couple of different kinds online that I will try until I find one I really like. I need something that will allow me to stuff firmly without migrating through my fabrics, which are usually quilting-weight cottons. It can't be too poke-y, and it can't be too slippery that it won't stay where I pack it, like in the legs or other curvy, small places. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! I am loving making softies, but now having a minor freak-out about sourcing materials. At least I have until November before my next show...

Clothes for me!

2011-06-09T12:30:00.001-04:00

In between making stock for my upcoming show/sale and sewing for birthday and other gifts, I took some time to craft a few more wardrobe essentials for myself. Like the giraffe bubble skirt you see above. Essential, right?!?

I can't fully explain how much I adore this skirt. It is so. much. awesome. in such a small package. The giraffes! The hem! The overall foofiness of the shape! LOVE.

Okay, the details: The outer skirt is cut using my go-to self-drafted full skirt pattern (side note: I just realized that I mentioned the giraffe bubble skirt in that post! It only took me a year to get around to actually making it...). The lining is cut using my self-drafted A-line skirt pattern (all of which I learned from Cal Patch's book, which I can't recommend enough!). The assembly was kind of done on the fly. I'm starting to realize that I'm understanding garment construction much better these days, and it a really fantastic, I-just-know-what-to-do-and-don't-have-to-really-think-about-it kinda way. So when I knew I wanted to make a bubble skirt, I made my A-line, chopped about 4" off the hem, attached the gathered outer hem, and then attached the layers at the waistband. I added little snaps to hold the overlapping waistband in place, and hand-stitched the lining to the invisible zip (I'm starting to figure those out too--yay!) on the inside. The lining is leftover from my birthday dress and is really lightweight (I think cotton lawn), so even though the outer fabric is quilting-weight cotton, the skirt is not too heavy.

I also made this flora skirt using the A-line pattern I drafted from the Cal Patch book. I drafted the pattern a year ago and only just now put together a skirt from it, and it's actually a little big. I need to make another muslin and possibly re-draft the waist a bit. (I don't think this means I've lost weight, though, maybe just that it was really hot when I made my first muslin?) I put the pockets too close to the center / too far away from the hip seam, but I think this skirt is fine for a first try. I'm definitely wearing it!

Last is not a new skirt but a bit of an update. I originally blogged this fishy skirt here, but only just got around to adding the contrast stitching. Now that I look at the before and after pictures, I'm really glad I did it--I think it adds a lot. Plus it only took me like 2 episodes of Law & Order on a Saturday morning to do it all.

Apron, take 2

2011-06-08T12:30:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned in my last post, here is the tweaked/revised apron pattern. I think I solved all of the minor issues of the first apron with this batch, so I believe this pattern is a keeper!

Revisions are to the skirt, which now has a double-hem all the way around instead of that horrible bias bind I struggled with on the prototype, and to the bodice. Instead of being a straight geometric shape, the bodice is now a bit narrower on the bottom, quite a bit narrower at the top, and I used my hip curve to cut the sides with a bit of a curve to them, which I think makes them look a lot nicer.

And, a bit of news: these three aprons will be for sale at the apARTment art show I'm participating in next weekend! We're mentioned in this little local write-up; if you're in the Boston / North Shore area, please come check it out! More of my stock to be revealed shortly!

More gifted crafts

2011-06-06T12:30:00.001-04:00

Poor, neglected blog! I am so so bad at keeping this updated... Here's a quick catch-up of gifts I've recently presented to friends. First up is a bridal shower gift: a vintage-inspired handbag. This is for my friend Chrissy, whose wedding dress I made! (!!!) More on that in a month or so, after the wedding--I can't ruin the surprise! But you can consider this your sneak peek, as I used the same fabrics from the dress to make this sweet little bag.

The pattern comes from Making Vintage Bags, appropriately enough, except instead of copying and enlarging the pattern, I made some quick measurements and drafted it myself on some printer paper. Easy peasy. Other than that, though, I followed instructions as written and, in the process, learned a nifty new way to set in a zipper, which you can see above!

I made these bookshelf mini-quilts for two friends who had May birthdays. The design is from Modern Quilt Workshop and is pretty easy and fun to do. Once again, I machine-applied the binding, which really sped up the process. This is beginning to become my go-to method...

Last is this Mexi-themed apron I made for my friend Vanessa as an additional birthday gift (hey, she threw my birthday party in April, so it was the least I could do to try to pay her back!). This apron pattern was completely drafted by me, which makes me ridiculously happy. The skirt is modified from this one I drafted for myself, and the top is a pretty simple geometrical shape that I forgot the name of as soon as I finished 8th grade geometry. The skirt corners are rounded, and the whole skirt is bound in my first (and possibly last) attempt at continuous bias tape. Seriously, it was BAD! I liked the final outcome of this apron, but there are a few things I tweaked for my next round, which I will be showing you soon!

Baby shower gift round-up

2011-05-24T12:30:00.002-04:00

I know I've mentioned this before, but it really seems like everyone is pregnant! I had a baby shower to attend two weekends in a row! Phew! So please forgive me if this post is a bit all-encompassing, but there's a lot to share!

First was Steph's shower. I made her the gift you see above: A stroller quilt (finishes around 18" x 30"). You may recognize the pattern from the cover of this book. I adapted the blocks to finish much smaller, and just pulled some neutrals and stripes from my stash. The quilting is an easy diagonal cross-hatch, and the backing is flannel for extra coziness. I put the binding on by machine to save more time. I really like how this one turned out!

I also made Steph four little stuffed lambies for her mobile. That last was a special request, and I was happy to oblige! I love softies :) These were my own pattern, made with some faux fleece and felt that I had on hand. Steph texted me a photo of them on the mobile, which you can see here. Aww!

Next up was Michelle's shower. She's having a girl, and the nursery is ladybug-themed, so I gifted her this quilt (which you may remember from way back here) and made her the ladybug softie from Little Stitches. I omitted the antennae because I thought they were too fussy and added eyes instead--blanket-stitched circles of felt. Now I think that I'd include the antennae next time; I think it looks like a little something is missing.

Since I've been giving my friends two things (a quilt and a softie, usually) for baby shower gifts, I wanted to make another something for Leah, to whom I'd only gifted this sleep sack for her shower. She was kind enough to host Steph's shower while caring for her own newborn daughter (!!), so I whipped up this Mermaiden from Wee Wonderfuls for her. I was in a time crunch so I did most of the assembly by machine. Still, she turned out pretty cute!

Natural Patchwork

2011-05-19T12:30:00.000-04:00

I was just skimming through old posts from last summer, looking for a mention of working on a big commission project, but I couldn't find any?? Hmm. Anyway, last summer I undertook a large commission project for the publisher I work for: Make 12 sample projects from Natural Patchwork to be given out to sales reps to help sell the book.

These have all been finished since August (!) but I wanted to wait until the book was actually printed and on sale before I posted them (I worked from a Word file of the manuscript and a photocopy of the Japanese book, which was really tough!). I tried out a variety of projects because I wanted to test some of the patterns and also show some of the range that's in the book.

I spent a lot of time trying to match the fabric choices in the original book, which made everything take quite a bit longer than if I'd been making them for myself and using fabrics I had on hand. These hot pads, especially, were really time-consuming!

These bags took a while, too. Those courthouse steps blocks are really small! I consolidated some of the quilting (I did about half as much as was recommended in the book, and all of that by machine) and they still took a while. Looking back on them now, though, I am really loving them, especially that red bag!

I learned some new construction techniques, especially with the courthouse steps bags, which are quilted in sections and then have bias binding applied to cover the raw edges. The bags also use an interesting zipper insertion method that I had never tried but did like.

In all, it was a great experience. I really like the book and the variety of projects in it and would highly recommend picking up a copy (and not just because I work here!). It's sweet to look at all this happy patchwork now, and I'm a little sad I had to let it all go. I'm thinking now that I may have to revisit some of it this summer...

Bird branch for Hilary

2011-05-16T12:30:00.002-04:00

As part of yet another crafty/arty swap with the amazingly talented Hilary Emerson Lay, I made her this variation of a bird mobile (softie tutorial from here). I lucked into getting this branch from a coworker and thought it was perfect: It leaves Hilary with the option of mounting it on the wall or hanging it from the ceiling.

She opted to hang it, as seen above (this photo was texted to me by Hilary herself). Just like the other two times, the birds are completely stitched by hand. I know this takes me longer to do by hand than it would to do by machine, but I like the portability of the project (I actually worked on some of these during my trip to New York) and I like the control I have by hand. Those curves can be tricky!

NYC + fabric haul

2011-05-12T13:43:00.001-04:00

Part of why I've been MIA is that I was in New York City for work two weeks ago, and have been fighting with allergies / a cold / general yuckiness since I got back. I didn't take a ton of pictures, partly because I've been there before, and mostly because I know I'll be back, but I did take a few, which you can see here.

I had three stops I wanted to make: the Strand, Mood, and Purl. Even though my plans and what actually happened ended up diverging significantly, I was able to visit all three! Above is a picture of what I got at Mood (which is surprisingly different from what they show on Project Runway, but still huge and overwhelming). I had only a backpack for the three-day trip, and I had to carry EVERYTHING for much of it, so I tried to keep my purchases small and light. I limited myself to the cottons so I wasn't completely overwhelmed, and I ended up with yardage of these two prints, both of which I believe are cotton lawn. Aren't they pretty? I'm definitely thinking of summer wear for both.

I don't have anything to show for my visit to the Strand (hey--books are heavy!) but above is my haul from Purl, which I thought was surprisingly small in person. I pretty much knew going in that I was going to allow myself some Liberty yardage, but I didn't have my eye on anything in particular. Then I saw this:

How lovely, right?!? I got a yard and a half, and I'm thinking of summer top for this one, too. It is so so beautiful, and so so expensive, but I'm going to try to not treat it as something precious; instead, I'm going to pre-wash it and cut it and sew it and wear it. It will do nobody any good if it sits in a pile as untouchable! The other fabrics from Purl are a yard of Kokka on sale, a random fat quarter, and more yardage of a lovely Japanese print that caught my eye.

In all, I got about 7 yards of fabric, plus thread and invisible zippers. Not bad, eh? Now to get through my must-sew list so I can work on my want-to-sew list...

Dear Jane progress

2011-05-09T12:30:00.000-04:00

My poor, neglected blog! I am behind in posting, and a little behind in crafting (and definitely behind in my Dear Jane progress), but I *am* making progress, which is what counts! Above is block A12, finished a month ago. Where does all the time go?!

And here is block A13, finished a couple of weeks ago. You know what that means? Row A is DONE!

I cut the sashing and pieced the row together by machine (to give my hands a bit of a break from all that hand-stitching, and to add a little extra resilience to the quilt as a whole) on 4/22. It is so amazing to have a row completed and to see it all together! Now I'm onto finishing row B, although I'm behind by 2 blocks at least, soon to be 3. Here's hoping I can shake this cold I have long enough to chip away and make some progress...

30 hexie bag

2011-04-26T12:30:00.004-04:00

I've already blogged about my birthday party, but haven't said anything about how I spent my birthday day. It was pretty typical KJo, really. I slept in a little, lazed about all morning with the cat and the TV. Rob had to teach plus had office hours, so I was alone for most of the afternoon. Instead of chipping away at my to-do list (which is full of some doozies), I decided to set it all aside and do something for ME. I'd been needing a new bag for ages. I have some Modern Meadow fabrics set aside for the perfect bag, except I haven't figured it out yet. In the meantime, though, I decided to make a stop-gap bag.

So I started pulling fabrics from my stash, and when I had a bunch that looked good together, I counted. I had something like 26, so I added more to bring it to a full 30 (a little cheesy, I know, but you only turn 30 once). I really liked a bag I'd seen in an issue of Stitch magazine a while back--I can't remember which issue, but it's red, suede, has hardware on the straps, and has a large outer pocket with floral 3D appliqué. Clearly, I made a lot of changes, but I did keep the shape. I should note here that I cut at least 2 of each fabric, so the bag is made up of more than 60 hexagons total.

The hexies I cut to the pattern in Natural Patchwork, then I laid them out and stitched them together, by machine, into the shape required for the pattern. I then ironed on fusible fleece and quilted through the top layer. I added an interfaced lining with a pocket and that was that. Almost. By the time I got there, I wasn't really loving the bag, and couldn't figure out what to do with the handle--patchwork? Solid? ?? So instead of rushing to finish and risking being late to my own party, I stopped, set it aside, and took it into my LQS the next day. Maureen, the owner and a great friend of mine, pointed out that the Lantern Bloom print would make a great not-so-solid-but-not-patchworked-either strap, and she was right. I'm not in LOVE with this bag, but I'm very much in like. Which is fine by me.

Unrelated, I happened to see this Two Hippos post in my reader today and thought it was very interesting. I am lucky in that I have a fantastic LQS that is a great resource--and that is run by a kind and supportive woman. I can't imagine what it would feel like to be put down before you even buy fabric for your creative endeavors. Even though I don't get all of my fabric from my LQS, I will happily pay a bit more per yard to buy locally as opposed to paying less to buy online. I think it's really important to support your community, and the extra customer service I get in person really can't be beat!

So, inspired by Ronit and also by this post, which started it all, here are some things that I think but don't say out loud:

I am also not a Pips fan (I think it's the colors)

I was not in love with Innocent Crush, except for this voile, but I did buy some prints because I'd hoped they would grow on me; I am ridiculously excited about her next line, though

I'm not a fan of the Single Girl quilt (and, in general, not a fan of anything template-cut)

I hate Denyse Schmidt's Greenfield Hill line, too

I'm not really big on Heather Ross, though the rest of blogland still seems to be

I spend way too much money on craft books I look through a couple of times but don't make anything from. Hmm. Maybe that's grounds for a giveaway?

I will just continue to make what I'm inspired to make when I feel like making it, buy fabrics I'm drawn to whether they're trendy or not, and plug along at my Dear Jane at a pace I feel comfortable with. It works for me, and I don't feel any pressure to change anything to make it work for anyone else. Ahh, the fabulousness of 30!

Gifted: birthday wall-hanging

2011-04-18T12:30:00.002-04:00

I just had a birthday, but so did my mom! Hers was yesterday. Ever since I made her this for Christmas, I've been wanting to do a coordinating wall hanging to go above the French doors in her sunroom. (I made this as her Christmas present in 2007, but the last time I was home and saw it hanging I absolutely hated it, so really wanted to make a better replacement.) This finishes around 12" x 60".

As before, I was inspired by this bit of amazingness. All of the fabric used was Kona white, and I dyed the tan bits myself using the same technique of coffee and tea bags and vinegar. I really like the final shade, but do still wish I could achieve more of a textured, uneven look to the dyed fabric. I guess if there is a next time, I'll have to switch up my technique a bit.

*ETA: I machine-applied my binding by cutting double-fold binding and then stitching it to the wrong side first, then folding over to the right side and sewing down. I think it turned out okay, but I think there are probably other, better ways to go about this for future projects...

And unrelated... My to-sew list has just increased exponentially, it seems, and instead of diligently working away to cross things off my list (I'm now 2+ blocks behind in my Dear Jane sewing), I find myself dreaming (pulling fabrics, buying patterns) of starting new things, like for this. Hmm. Maybe I'm getting my super-crafty mojo back so I can be really productive? NBA finals = Rob watching games a lot of nights, which = more evening work time for me.

Now I'm 30

2011-04-13T12:30:00.001-04:00

It's true: I'm now 30. My birthday was on Friday. This year I continued my tradition of making a new dress for my birthday, but I also threw myself a big party (because, hey, why not? 30 only comes once, and the fact that it was also a Friday...well...it's just too good to pass up)! I rented the screening room at my local cinema (LOVE them!) and showed Fantastic Mr. Fox. Then we went to the amazing loft apartment of my lovely friend Vanessa for after-party appetizers and drinks! I called the entire thing "Thirty, Flirty, and Foxy like a Crafter!" It was fan-tabulous! There were about a dozen people at the party at any given time, and it was so wonderful to spend such a special day with my friends!

One of the specialty items I crafted for my party (other than the dress and the garland) was a cocktail. I named it "The Janiac", on honor of another special lady who shares my birthday. It's made with tequila and a fancy ginger liqueur and got my friends all pleasantly liquored up! Delightful!

Okay, so, more about the dress, right?? It's the Colette Patterns Chantilly dress. This was my first time making a Colette pattern and it was fantastic! I think this is the only time--ever--that I've made a muslin and not made ANY adjustments! Even the hem length was pretty much right on.

I used some cotton lawn I got on mega sale at fabric.com because this is my "practice" dress--my brother is getting married in October and I'm planning on making another version, but in this and with pockets. I'm pretty excited.

The dress was super comfortable to wear, and the skirt is full and swishy, perfect for dancing around in! Doing all that gathering is a pain in the butt, but is so worth it in the end. More pictures on my flickr page.

Also, semi-related: I am a-squee with excitement over this sneak peek!

Hemmed, bound, tied, begun

2011-04-04T12:30:00.003-04:00

After wasting away the first part of my weekend on a wicked hangover (will I ever learn??), I spent yesterday in a fit of productivity: hemming, binding, tying... It always feels good to finish something and cross it off the list. Finishing multiple things feels exponentially better.

...Though of course, there's always something new to be started...

(Full reveals to come, but the "tied" is a baby gift, one of these, for an expecting coworker.)

More Dear Jane Progress

2011-03-30T12:30:00.002-04:00

Above is block A10 (woot for double-digits!), which is also my first attempt at reverse appliqué. I used the same back-basting technique I use for regular appliqué and I think it was successful (and still relatively painless, too)!

And here is block A11, which has 33 pieces! I cut the outer squares and rectangles a little larger to combat my problem of blocks coming out a bit small, but when I finished and pressed the block I was able to trim it on all four sides, probably equal to the additional that I'd added in the first place! Awesome. I know some people say that it's a sign of a beginner quilter that you haven't yet figured out 1/4" seams. That may be true, and for the most part I have it figured out for my sewing machine piecing, but by hand... it's a different story. There just seem to be too many variables.

With these two blocks, I am now caught up for the year (until Sunday night, when A12 is "due"), and nearly done with row A! Exciting stuff!

DJ A9 + some handmade politics

2011-03-24T12:30:00.002-04:00

Here's finished block A9, which was a surprising struggle for me to complete. I used tissue paper to kind of paper-piece the center few rounds. That was tricky. Then I ended up with the center a little too large, so I trimmed it before adding on more borders (log-cabin style) and somehow trimmed it too much, and had to rip some sides and sew on new pieces. Ugh. Then I kept putting together the triangles wrong for the outsides, before finally figuring those out and stitching them on. I did more ripping on this block than probably all the others combined. Definitely not fun, but I'm glad it's done! 41 pieces!

And now, switching gears a bit to get a little political... I've been thinking a lot about labor and unions lately (Wisconsin is my home state, and I've been following that situation closely via college / facebook friends who are teachers and protesting) and this week I happened to catch some thought-provoking documentaries on HBO that are semi-related. The first was Triangle: Remembering the Fire on Monday, all about the horrific fire at the Triangle shirtwaist factory in NYC that killed almost 150 people 100 years ago. Then last night I happened to catch most of Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags, which is about New York's garment district--and its disappearance.

What's basically come out of this idea stew, for me, is this: Collective bargaining rights are important for so many reasons, which include worker and workplace safety. Garment workers are typically young, female, commonly both, and have a long history of being abused. Something like 95% of all clothing sold in the U.S. in the early 1970s was also manufactured here, whereas that number today is closer to 3%. That's right: about 97% of clothes sold here were made in factories overseas, probably by women, possibly by children, and for a wage of less than $1/hour.

It's hard to find clothes that were made here (other than American Apparel, which is difficult for a feminist to support for a completely separate set of reasons)--in fact, other than AA tees, I don't think I own anything made here. It's hard to make clothes. Especially pants. But it's also hard to spend good money on things that were manufactured by exploiting those with little or no power. Watching these documentaries almost back-to-back has really inspired me to strengthen my efforts to craft my own apparel (and maybe tackle some of those difficult pants). Winters are tricky, but summers are easier, and I have a ton of fabric in my stash... Although the ethics of fabric manufacturing are tricky, too, but I think the lesser of two evils. And if you're a reader of this blog, you know I don't have to be convinced of the value of the handmade.

Okay, stepping off my soapbox now.

Scrap garland

2011-03-21T12:30:00.001-04:00

I've been sort of mentioning this in a very roundabout way, but I'm having a birthday soon. A BIG birthday. And while I normally don't make a big deal about my birthday (other than dropping some gift hints for Rob and going out to dinner with some close friends), but this year, I'm making a big deal about it. Part of this big deal involves a new dress, part of it involves a bit of menu planning, part of it involves a LOT of cocktail testing (yum!), and part of it involves some easy peasy handmade decor. Like this garland, which was sort of inspired by this, except is even easier.

I spent Saturday night's movie time (Micmacs, which we loved) pinking a lot of what was in my scrap basket into square-ish and rectangular shapes. I didn't have any templates to follow, I just took what I had and made the shapes a bit more straight. For some, I left them as is, un-pinked. Then, yesterday, I put them all through my machine, but instead of making the garland two-sided, I alternated right-side-up and upside-down, so that from both sides the garland would be pleasant. Hey, sometimes the wrong side of a fabric will reveal something interesting!

Then I strung the entire thing around in my apartment, felt giddy, and took pictures. It's about 50 feet long! And yet, my scrap basket still looks as full as it did before. Huh.

More Dear Jane!

2011-03-17T12:30:00.001-04:00

Yep, I'm definitely on a roll this year! Above are four more row A blocks, all completed in February, I believe.

A2 was 44 pieces, the most so far! It took quite a while to complete, and I think it came out slightly too large, which is sad, but I'm not re-doing it. I will just lose some of my points when I piece it all together.

A3 was done in only 2 pieces; I made the appliqué just one piece, and left the background as one piece as well. I know it's not true to Jane's, but this way I have a finished block that is exactly the right size. Even though my circle got a little wobbly and my inner points aren't as crisp as I would like.

Block A4 came out a touch too small, I think, but I really like it anyway. I worked on both A3 and A4 when I was in Florida last month.

A5 is okay, but some of my points lost their points when I put it all together. Sad. Still, I really like the focus fabric on this one, and I like the block as a whole.

Block A7 furthers my adventures in back-basting appliqué! I am quite pleased with how this one came together--and with the pointiness of my points. I actually used the melon shapes from block B12 instead, because I didn't think the diagram in the book was "true" enough to the photo of Jane's block.

And believe it or not, I have another block finished that isn't documented here, plus another in the works! Who knows--I may actually finish by the time I'm 40! A girl can dream... Totals as of these blocks: 25 completed, 396 pieces!

Weekend recap

2011-03-16T12:30:00.002-04:00

I finally feel a bit better (still dealing with my allergy situation, but it's improving) and have some energy to focus on other things. I took last Friday off in an attempt to give myself a long weekend in which to be extremely productive. Wishful thinking... Instead, on Saturday I gifted the above Wild Flower Pincushions (made in January) to my quilting friends who had just had birthdays, and then we proceeded to get ridiculously, sloppily drunk. It was lots and lots of fun. Oh, and those pincushions are really really big!

I spent most of Sunday hydrating as I recovered from that night of debauchery. I did attempt to make some progress on a dress for a special occasion. Consider this your sneak peek.

Although it's difficult to get too much done when you have such enthusiastic help...

Patchwork linen pouch (take 2)

2011-03-02T12:30:00.002-05:00

Hello! Happy March! I wasn't planning on a two-week absence, but life happens. I was out of town for some family stuff, including a memorial for my beloved grandfather, and am now dealing with a horrible hives situation of semi-known origin (detergent on hotel sheets?! really?!? I am a sensitive flower, apparently). Not feeling great can really sap my energy, and I just haven't been very productive, though I'm still Dear Jane-ing (!) However, I'm happy to report that before I took my trip I made this patchwork linen pouch (from I Love Patchwork!, and this is my second time making this pattern) as a gift.

My friend Vanessa has been really amazing lately, and when Iris was sick a month ago, she selflessly drove us to vet appointment after vet appointment, sometimes at 10pm on weeknights, sometimes at 8am on weekends. Selfless, indeed. Knowing Vanessa, I knew a gift of money for gas or any other attempt to reimburse her in that way would be flat out rejected, so I had to get crafty. Vanessa has recently become intrigued with embroidery and wants to learn. She already has Jenny Hart's awesome book, but I figured she could use some supplies to get started.

So, I loaded this patchwork pouch up with some fabric, a really nice hoop, needles, about a dozen different colors of floss, a thimble, some nice Gingher stork embroidery scissors... Everything I thought she needed to get stitching! This gift went over perfectly, and the pouch is the perfect storage size (I know because I keep all of my hand-stitching supplies in my pouch like this). This pattern comes together so quickly and easily, and it was a treat to use some of my Little Folks voile for the lining. Thanks again, Nessie! You're the best!

Dear Jane Progress!

2011-02-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year I wrote in this space that I wanted to try to commit to making a lot of Dear Jane progress this year (there's a lot of qualifying language there, I know, and that's on purpose). I'm happy to report that, so far, I've been making progress! Above are the four blocks I completed between the beginning of the year and 2/5/11.

First was block G1. Piecing the curves was trickier on this one than any of the other curved blocks I hand-pieced, and I'm not sure why. I clipped the seam allowances quite a bit, though, and that seemed to make the difference.

Next was block G7, which I was a bit hesitant to start: It's the center block! These curves came together a bit easier than the previous block.

Then I pieced G8, which was also a little tricky with all those inset seams, but much easier to deal with by hand-piecing than by machine!

Last was block A1. Up to this point, I'd been skipping around in rows A-G, piecing the blocks I thought would be simpler first. However, I've skipped most of the appliqué, and know that if I don't go in some kind of order, I'll be left with all the tricky ones at the end. I've nearly exhausted the blocks I had prepped in previous years (it seemed to be easiest to cut for a handful at a time), and I've since learned the back-basting appliqué technique, so from this point forward I am going to work in order, starting with row A. This block has 32 pieces, the most up to that point!

Here are my totals, as of 2/5/11: 20 blocks completed, 290 pieces total. There are more in the works, though, so stay tuned! If I can complete my goal of 50 blocks this year, that means that by early 2014 I can have the center of the quilt finished! Then it will be on to the triangles... This is a marathon, people, and I'm so happy to be doing it.

Gifted: Obi-inspired hot/cold wrap

2011-02-14T12:30:00.003-05:00

I've made yet another of these obi-inspired hot/cold wraps from One-Yard Wonders, this time for my Gramma Mary's birthday gift. I had a hard time figuring out what to make for her gift, and then when my mom told me she is trying to pare things down to what is really useful (as opposed to just decorative, like the doily I was considering crafting), this gift seemed perfect. I really love this fabric; I think it's an Anna Griffin print? It has a nice, soft hand.

I'm heading out of town soon, but I hope to get in a Dear Jane update before I leave. I don't want to say too much yet, but will announce that progress is being made!

Gifted: Koji monster

2011-02-11T12:30:00.001-05:00

Here is another project from Wee Wonderfuls: the Koji monster, which turned out to be the perfect birthday present for my super amazing and famous friend Kate! (Seriously: read her book; it's awesome!) Once again, I followed instructions as written and, for the most part, this guy turned out perfectly! I did have trouble, like a few others, getting the bottom to fit, even though I sewed dot-to-dot as instructed. I fixed this by stitching a little extra on the legs, which made the bottom "hole" smaller, and everything worked out fine.

Seriously, this picture? Just. Kills. Me. I love it so so much! That face is just full of personality. Enjoy your new monster friend, Kate! I think he's found the perfect home.

Baby shower gifts

2011-02-07T12:30:00.003-05:00

It seems like everyone I know is expecting! That means a lot of baby gift crafting for me, but despite not really liking children and planning to remain childfree myself, I don't really mind making for babies. For one thing, I think it's important to surround babies with lovely handmades, and for another, those handmades are usually small, which makes them fairly quick projects. I'm thankful for a couple books in my craft book stash to help me out in times like this: Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings, and now Hillary Lang's Wee Wonderfuls. The above gift, for baby Fae (who came 5 weeks early, so it was actually crafted a couple of weeks after her birth) includes projects from both books.

I've made these booties a few times already, but they are such a great go-to project, and they're so small that they come together quickly. I'm still hand-stitching the insole to the booties; I just can't get the fusible interfacing to work the way it should, according to the book. But, like I said, they're so small that the hand-stitching doesn't take that long, and it ensures a really nice finish, so I'm happy to do it. For these I used a super soft corduroy for the outside and a bright orange solid for the inside. I think they look adorable and sophisticated!

The doll is my first project from the Wee Wonderfuls book. I have to admit, I didn't want to get the book at first. I'd flipped through it and decided not to--my original thought was that it was too doll-centric and I prefer to make animal softies instead. However, I re-joined Crafter's Choice (it's a sickness, I tell you!) and got it as part of my introductory package, and I'm so happy I did. It's true that the book is mostly dolls, but I'm now realizing that dolls are just as great as animal softies! This little girl is one of the three sleepover pals (and, I should mention, my brother isn't even married yet but I am so hoping for twin nieces so I can make them each a set!!) and I just loved making her. She was really easy to put together; I followed instructions as written except I machine-stitched her lace collar on before sewing the halves together. It did take a bit of time to finish her, though--there is a lot of hand-stitching involved with the arms and the hair, and stitching around both twice to ensure they won't fall off, but it was totally worth it. I definitely see more of these in my future!

For an as-yet-to-be-delivered baby girl, I made this sweet sleep sack from Handmade Beginnings. I saw that my friend had registered for some plain ones, so I thought a patchwork one lined in super-soft flannel would be welcome. The patchwork is made up of 2.5" squares and actually took a really long time to cut, lay out, and stitch together. The rest of the sack came together quickly--I think I spent the most time sewing around each piece of Velcro twice.

I didn't want to make my own bias tape, so I used some I had on hand, but it was much skinnier than what the pattern called for. I'm not sure if that's why the top is a little ripply?? In my card I told my friend that when the baby outgrows it she could return it to me to have the patchwork repurposed into something for the nursery (I was thinking a little pillow, maybe, or an embroidery hoop hanging with the baby's name stitched in it). I have a feeling I won't be getting this back again, though--my friend's mom saved most of her baby clothes, which are being passed on to this new baby. It was so amazing at the shower to see the handmade Strawberry Shortcake dress from thirty years ago!

Christmas recap, part 2

2011-02-05T12:20:00.004-05:00

And now, finally, a continuation of my run-down of the handmades I gifted this year. First up: mug rugs and hot cocoa mix. These were gifted to the four guys I work with in my office. Only some of us give gifts, and I love to do it, but I always try to keep the gifts uniform (or variations on a theme) and give them all something small. Here is a really horrible photo of the gifts I made a few years back. So, anyway, this year the guys got mug rugs made with the same fabrics (scraps of the Folksy Flannels I used for these, plus some gray Kona in my stash) as well as a small jar of my mom's own hot cocoa mix. I was pretty pleased with this idea; it came together pretty painlessly, and the guys all seemed to appreciate the gifts. Bonus!

Next, I made a special gift for my friend Vanessa, who is a neighbor and a longtime friend (from ten years ago already!) and who does so much for us. I knew she wanted a new bag, so a while back, when she took me to Ikea, I had her pick out some fabric. She chose this great wood print, which is an upholstery-weight cotton but is not "canvas"-y feeling, if you know what I mean. I designed this bag myself so that it could be made with half-yards of fabric, though in the end I wonder if it's a little bit too small for my own use? I need a new bag for myself, but have yet to finalize the pattern I will use.

Anyway, for my Nessie Bag, I used a LOT of interfacing: fusible fleece throughout, plus heavyweight for the top bands to help give it shape. I also used fusible fleece in the straps because I thought it would add to the comfort of carrying it around all day. The lining is this great red floral print I picked up at my LQS; it really pops against the black and white of the outer print.

Last were the gifts I made for my parents. I knew they were going to be adopting a kitty in early January, as soon as their holiday visit to us was through, so I made a little catnip mouse. I like to embroider these with the cat's initial, but since there was no cat yet, I embroidered this sweet little snowflake instead. (The kitty is Sophie, a 3-yr-old rescue from their local shelter, and it sounds like all three of them are in love! Aww.)

My mom had purchased some new art to hang in her sunroom, but needed something else to go on the wall and said she'd like a quilt. She gave me some dimensions to work with, and I decided to make this wall hanging close to the same dimensions as the framed picture she has, only vertical instead of horizontal.

This quilt was completely and totally inspired by this one, the elegance and simplicity of which I fell in love with as soon as I saw it. I made mine similarly, using raw-edge applique for the two rectangles on the top, and quilting with straight lines about 1/4" apart. Even though this was a simple project, I really wanted to push myself to make it unique, so I tried my hand at fabric dyeing; the entire quilt is made from the same white fabric, but the tan ones were dyed using coffee grounds, about 8 tea bags, and some red vinegar. I followed the instructions provided by a number of tutorials online. I'm happy with the final color of this, but I guess I'd wished for more variety in the fabric and not such an even color. I have plans for some more dyeing in my future, so we'll see if I can achieve that textured look with my next project.

That covers my holiday handmades! Next up: baby gifts!

Christmas recap, part 1

2011-01-25T12:30:00.003-05:00

I've *finally* downloaded the hundreds of photos from December and January to my desktop, done some editing, and uploaded a bunch to my Flickr page. Wow--that's a lot of work! It's already been a month or more since everything was gifted, so I'd like to whip through this as quickly as possible. Here are the notes:

I made coaster sets (6 each) plus little "boxes" for my grandparents and my brother and future sister-in-law. These are the criss-cross coasters and are easy peasy to make. Everyone can use some holiday coasters, right?

I made potholders for my brother and future sister-in-law to match the apron I gifted them in the fall.

I made a plastic bag holder/dispenser (my second one) for my future sister-in-law; her birthday is in early January, so all of her gifts were bunched together.

My nana-in-law got an apron (my second take on this pattern, from Seams to Me) and potholders.

My intern got a coffee cup cozy (made using this tutorial) to go with a Starbucks gift card.

One of the things I gave my office secret santa was a tea wallet made from this tutorial.

Everyone else got one of these trivets, which were made according to the pattern in Stitch magazine (it was in the Spring 2010 issue). They are stuffed with lavender and smell divine.

Whew! That's the bulk of what I gifted, but there are a few more things I'll get to in my next post. Thanks for reading!

Merry making

2011-01-08T12:10:00.001-05:00

Our big Christmas present to ourselves (with some $$ help from my folks) was a new couch. Actually, mostly just "a couch," because prior to that we had my pre-college futon. Only. Which was (and is) falling apart. We've done some redecorating and moved the futon into my craft space, where it *just* fits, and have really been reworking the living room. It now feels less college-y and more grown-up, which is great, since we're thirty-ish and it's been a loooong time since undergrad! (I should note here that part of what took so long to get the couch was the fact that we live in an old New England home with skinny, windy stairwells. Getting a couch from Ikea, in pieces, was necessary; even then, it took some doing to get it into our third-floor apartment!)

Anyway, part of the living room remix project involved a Christmas tree upgrade. This was our 8th (!!) married Christmas together, and for the first 7 we had a little 12" fake tree from Target that we would load all of our ornaments on. We couldn't leave it on the floor, so put it up on a TV tray, but then Iris would knock it over, so when we were at Kohl's around Thanksgiving and they had 4' pre-lit trees on sale, we jumped on it. I made this tree skirt for the new tree to help dress it up a bit, and I love it!

All fabrics are from Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush line--the quilting cottons. The skirt is based on the one I saw here, but was even easier to make! For whatever reason, the first time I saw the tutorial I thought the skirt was gathered in the middle, not that the wedges were cut out. So when I made mine, I did a little math (radius! pi!) to figure out how big, but I think I ended up cutting 18" squares (I started with fat quarters, so that was easiest), sewing them along one side, and then gathering the top. The trickiest part was basting the skirt! For backing and binding I ended up using a flat sheet I'd already cut up for pattern drafting; it just happened to match perfectly! I made the binding out of the sheet as well, and that was the biggest pain in the ass but the final look is worth it. The double-faced satin ribbons came from my stash and I love that touch; it makes the whole thing feel so luxurious. I still haven't quilted the segments to the backing, and now the whole thing is put away, but I think next year I'd like to do some hand-stitching, just on the side seams, to help hold it all together.

This year I also started what I hope will be a new tradition for me: ornament making. When I was a kid, every year my mom would get us a different ornament and write the year on the bottom/back. I re-joined Crafter's Choice a few back (what can I say? they made me an offer I couldn't refuse...) and one of the books I got was Fa La La La Felt, which is really really fantastic! After some hemming and hawing, I decided to make the gingerbread house ornaments for a few select family/friends, plus one for our tree, of course!

I followed the instructions mostly as written, but added seed bead "sprinkles" instead of little felt circles. I also didn't stitch the white "roof" down in the scallops--I figured all the bead stitching would hold it in place. I added the year to the back and some cute ribbon to hang, and that was that!

I also made these mini stockings from the book as part of my gift to my brother and future sister-in-law. They just bought a big house, which will need a BIG tree with lots of ornaments! I thought it would be nice to give them some to start out with, and add a few each year. These were easy to make but took a LONG time because of all the different embroidery stitches. Still, it was good practice; I think it took me as long or longer to decide how to stitch them than to actually do the stitching!

So, to recap: Gathered tree skirt = sophisticated, Fa La La La Felt = cool, ornaments = great gifts! Unrelated, I'm now on Pinterest if you want to follow me, and I have invites available if you want one of those, too!

Catching up

2011-01-05T12:30:00.001-05:00

Well. That was an unexpectedly long break! A lot of stuff happened with my day job after my last post, and then was the mad dash to finish everything before the holidays, and then my parents were staying with us for a week, and then it was back to work! So, now is time to play catch-up on projects going back to November. Ugh. I'm not one to make resolutions, but I'm hoping to be better about carving out bloggy time this year.

On to the projects... This first one was a birthday gift for a coworker of mine who loves guitars. I thought it would be cool to make a soft version of one of his guitars. As with my latest tattoo, though, it couldn't be just any guitar. I was very sneaky and with the help of another coworker decided on which guitar to make: a Gretsch 6118 Double Anniversary, in Two-Tone Smoke Green. Yowza. You can see photos of my inspiration here. I think I came pretty close, no?

The guitar is made of wool felt, an upcycled linen shirt, and an upcycled (accidentally felted) buclé wool skirt, stuffed with poly-fil, and the strings were machine-stitched using metallic silver thread (left over from this project). I thought that was a pretty cool touch. My coworker loved it, and he knew exactly which guitar it was as soon as he saw it, so that was a big win for me!

This second project is another of the tiny bird in a nest (originally blogged about here). This was a housewarming gift for a friend to give to a mutual friend of ours. Bird in a nest = best housewarming gift idea ever, I think! This birdie was also well received and turned out very well, though the legs are a pain in the neck to do, and I always underestimate how many fabric strips I need for the crocheted nest.

Okay, that wraps up the pre-Christmas gifts. Next up is some decorating/Christmas crafting, and then actual Christmas gifts. And though I said I'm not one for resolutions (I'm not--I always break them), I think it would be good, in this space, to officially put out into the universe that I would really like to try to hold myself to completing one block each week for my Dear Jane quilt. If I can do that for the next three years, I will have the center squares done... Oh my, it sure is a marathon, isn't it??

**Edited to add: I saw this yesterday and think it's a fantastic idea!

With the Band vintage skirt refashion

2010-12-03T12:30:00.002-05:00

This skirt has quite the story... I saw it in the window of Modern Millie, the amazing vintage / consignment shop in town, and couldn't stop thinking about it. I stopped by the shop a few days later and it was still there! I knew I had to have it.

Except... there were problems. The salesgirl warned me, as she was taking it off the mannequin, that the waist was small. Really small. Like, 18" of small. So small, in fact, that she couldn't take it off the mannequin's hips and had to fight to get it off over her shoulders. Ummm... a problem, for sure, but how fantastic is that print?!? "It needs some love," the salesgirl said, and I knew I was the one to give it, so I bought it.

When I got it home, I did some investigation, and here's what I've figured out:

This skirt is homemade (see gathering stitches showing under the waistband)

This skirt was probably for a child (see tiny waist, and hem that was let down twice)

This skirt is old: selvage was still attached, and the fabric design is copyright 1953!

Thankfully, the skirt was also long enough that I could make the necessary alterations. Here's what I did:

Used my seam-ripper to remove the existing waistband
Carefully un-gathered skirt

Pressed the heck out of it (check out the fading!)
Cut 3" off the top of the skirt
Cut a slit down the center back to remove the hole and insert a zipper

Sewed a seam in the center back and inserted a zipper
Re-gathered the skirt to fit my waist
Fashioned a 1" waistband from the 3" I cut off the top
Attached waistband to re-gathered skirt and added a snap closure

And here is the finished skirt! It really wasn't that much work to fix it, and the new length hits a few inches above my knees, which is perfect! Also, because the skirt is made of two lengths of fabric sewn selvage to selvage (there are two sets of selvages--one at each side seam), there's still a lot of volume. And that print! Oh my--I am in love!

Commission crafting

2010-12-01T12:30:00.002-05:00

Well, I'd been hoping to get this post up in November, but... The holidays are here! That means 'tis the season to craft like a maniac but not be able to reveal what's been crafted! So, maybe it *is* a good thing that I'm behind on blogging my projects... These were all made for friends by their requests. Above are a mini lap quilt (about 31" x 40" finished) and a Scottie dog made for my friend JJ's parents. The lap quilt was just pieced from pre-cut squares from Connecting Threads. It's put together the "cheater" way, with no binding. There is a layer of batting and the backing is a cozy flannel.

The Scottie dog is another attempt at this pattern. I really like how stately this guy looks with his little neck bow!

This apron was a request by another friend and is an improvised pattern from me. I now wish I'd made it a little smaller in the bib top and in the drop to the hips/ties, but it's an apron, right?!? Too big is okay, and I realize I'm on the petite size of average (read: shorty) so just because I had to gather it up at the tie doesn't mean everyone will have to!

Back to my elf-cave of holiday crafting, but more soon!

Fishy skirt

2010-11-24T17:30:00.003-05:00

Here's another go at the skirt pattern I drafted over the summer. This skirt is almost exactly the same as the original (which is one of my favorite skirts to wear!); I used a pants clasp closure instead of a button on the waistband, but that's the only difference. I want to (again) plug Cal Patch's book, which is awesome and you should definitely own if you're interested in pattern drafting, or even just in making your own clothes that fit right the first time.

I really loved this fishy fabric when I first saw it (in January or February, I think) and bought a few yards to make a full skirt, so this is me finally getting around to it! I still want to do some hand-stitching with a thicker thread around the pockets and maybe the hem; pictures TK, if I actually get to it!

As a side note, I'd like to wish you a very happy Thanksgiving if you're reading this! It'll be all sides and Quorn Turk'y Roast for us this year, as it has been for many previous years. Thanksgiving tastes SO much better when it's cruelty-free!

Comfiest dress ever

2010-11-15T12:30:00.000-05:00

Seriously. I am in love with this dress, and I've only been able to wear it twice. So far. It's currently in the wash, which I need to do so I can wear it again this week! It really is so comfy, cozy, and really really awesome--might I say my best apparel-sewing to date?

This is take 2 of my Kathy dress pattern from Cal Patch's amazing Design-It-Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified and I like it even more than take 1, which is saying something! The first thing I did before making this dress was re-draft the shoulder / armhole area. I ended up narrowing the shoulder significantly so that now it fits really well and isn't sagging or baggy. I also re-drafted the armhole to be less deep. The seam here is still a little wonky and could use some more work, but it's a definite improvement!

Here's the back. I meant for the sleeves to go to a few inches below the elbow with the elastic in the cuff, but once I hemmed them and made the casing, they came out a little too short, so I need to wear them above the elbow (which is fine--hello, tattoo!) This time I cut the pockets into the correct side of the dress, too!

The fabric is flannel, from Amy Butler's Love line, and it's the most gorgeous shade of periwinkle; I just love it. The dress has the potential to be really warm, so this deep scoop neck in the front and back is really essential.

Housewarming / engagement gifts

2010-11-13T12:30:00.001-05:00

A bit of news: I'm getting a sister! Well, a sister-in-law, but still! I only have one brother, so I'm very excited that he is getting married! I was in Cincinnati a few weeks ago, visiting with the newly engaged couple--who had also just moved in together--and I wanted to bring them a little handmade as a congrats. The first things I made were these placemats from Dare to Be Square Quilting. (An aside - this book is really really cool and I'm surprised I haven't seen it out in blogland more!)

The patchwork is simple, and the quilting is perfect--I did mine in a dark blue cotton thread that added just the right bit of contrast. And it looked cool on the back, too! This was my first attempt at this method of machine binding, and I must say that it turned out pretty well and definitely saved me a lot of time hand-stitching, though did take a bit of time at the ironing board making the non-bias binding tape.

The next thing I made was another zigzag apron, from Stitch magazine a couple of years ago. I forget that this is kind of a fussy pattern, with a lot of pieces, and facings, and interfacing, and miles and miles of handmade bias tape... Still, I'm so pleased with the finished product that it's worth it.

I made this one adjustable at the neck with a button closure, just in case my brother wants to wear it. Of course, he put it on right away and it's WAY too small for him, but I must admit that the skirty bottom sure looked cute!

Misc crafting

2010-11-11T12:30:00.001-05:00

More catch-up! Here are some little bits I stitched up last month. The first is a plastic bag dispenser, which we didn't know we needed! The pattern is from Stitch magazine a few issues back, and the bag holder hangs on the wall near the litter box. Genius! There's something about those patchwork squares with the diagonal-line quilting through them that just warms my heart...

The second bit is a little of an after thought. I'd been meaning to make these removable bands to secure baby quilts for the show that killed my mojo but ran out of time. Now: done! It's a very simple little design, but one that I hope is helpful for parents trying to juggle a million and one baby supplies.

And, sort of related, this lovely post from my reader yesterday goes a long way in summing up how I feel about sewing. Thank you, Mom, Thank you, Gramma, for teaching me to sew. I love you.

Gifted: Birthday

2010-11-02T12:30:00.002-04:00

How is it November already?! I feel like I'm so behind in blogging my fall crafting, and now it's time to start kicking things in gear for Christmas crafting... Oh my! Pictured above is the birthday present I sent to my friend Sadie about a month ago. I wasn't sure what to make for her, but I've been thinking for a while about coming up with my own zippered bag pattern, which is what you see above. I also included a set of my cards, left over from the craft show fail from September.

I think the pouch pattern still needs a little bit of work, but in all I'm pleased with how it came together. I like the look of linen + patchwork, and I also like the durability it offers, too. I also really like covered ends on zippers. It's a little thing, to be sure, but makes quite a bit of difference--and also stretches those 7" standard zippers just a little bit further, which I like. The ribbon on the zipper pull is just the finishing touch!

Tethered Threads: September + October

2010-10-19T12:30:00.001-04:00

Playing a little catch-up with the blogging of these blocks for my block party... Above are the blocks for September; Jen wanted more drunk-love-in-a-log-cabin blocks, but using Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks line. Many many props to her for cutting into her stash! I really love these blocks, and the colors in this line in general, and I'm sure the finished quilt will be spectacular!

Next are October's blocks. These are for Amanda's son, due to arrive in a couple of months. I was so inspired by these fabrics and the colors that I dove in right away! Amanda wanted us to mostly use the solids, with the prints as accents. I love how these blocks turned out, but I do worry that I used too much of the prints, especially that stripey one. I just loved it so much, it was hard to stay away! Almost done with the bee--wow! Where does the time go? And when am I actually going to finish putting together my quilt?!

Gifted: Tiny bird + nest

2010-10-18T12:30:00.001-04:00

One thing that I've noticed post–craft show is that I'm really enjoying being able to craft what and when I want to. Of course, there are still deadlines for gifts, but I'm enjoying the variety and slower pace of crafting compared to those frenzied weeks right before the show. I guess that's one good thing that comes from failure...

A friend of mine just had a birthday, and as soon as I got the book Little Birds, I knew I had to make this project for her. (Side note: How great are these new little Stash books? What a lovely concept! I'm looking forward to more in this series.) So, back to the bird, which is TINY! Seriously--it's very very small. The eye? That's a black seed bead! The nest? That's about the size of a baseball!

I thoroughly enjoyed making this little guy. I followed the directions really closely, only veering a few times. I don't know how to knit in the round and didn't want to try to learn, so I crocheted the nest instead, just as I would start a hat. I used wool-blend felt for the bird, accented with some little scraps of voile left over from this quilt. I also tore the voile into strips and used that for the nest. I love the way it all looks together!

Craft show: FAIL

2010-10-11T12:30:00.000-04:00

As I indicated in my last post, I did all of this work for naught. I'm not sure what it was that made people not buy my wares. In some ways, it was a perfect storm of no-sales: the weather was a gorgeous 81*, which kept people from thinking "fall! scarves! quilts!" and also sent a number of potential customers to the beach. We didn't have the best booth placement, but there weren't that many booths there, so I'm sure all interested parties made their way around to our space.

I ended up selling my scarves for $30 and my mini-quilts for $45 / $60 for the all-flannel ones. I sold two quilts and something like four scarves--all to people I knew! Seriously, why did I pay a booth fee to sell to co-workers or friends I see every week? It was a bit ridiculous. Hilary had an equally poor showing, and she usually makes a killing selling her sock critters, so we really have no idea why we got so few bites. Maybe we were just too funky for our own good?

I mean, seriously. How adorable is that sign?! We are not giving up--we're definitely exploring other avenues, but the deadlines for holiday shows passed long ago, so we may have to sit on our inventory for a while. Lovely.

So, could I interest you in some handmades??

Tethered Threads: August

2010-10-01T12:30:00.004-04:00

(Yes, I know that it is now October!) Above are the blocks I made for Marty for August's block party assignment. The colors just did not photograph well for me--late night pictures. I hate that the sun is setting so early again! Marty gave us each mostly the same fabrics, with one different one for each of us, which she asked us to use in both blocks (mine is the red). I'm fairly pleased with these, though I wish they were more interesting. Still, I'm not sure what I would change, so guess that's a good thing?

In other block party news, I think I had a breakthrough on my block party quilt, which you may remember I wasn't loving. Two words: set diagonally. With sashing. I think that might be the trick! If I feel adventurous this weekend, I may play around. Lord knows I don't have to worry about this fiasco any more... More on that next week (it didn't go well).

Where have I been?

2010-09-20T12:30:00.002-04:00

I have pretty much spent the entire month of September chained to my sewing machine, churning out crafts for my first real craft fair--this Saturday! Above is a picture of the piles of stuff I have (almost) done.

Here are some of the 12 quilted scarves I have finished. These are patchworked onto batting, backed with cozy flannel, and topstitched. I've had my own since last winter and I love it! So warm and comfy! Scarves finish around 6-1/2" x 60"--plenty long to wrap around your neck once or twice.

These are the mini-quilts I have completed--plus some I have nearly completed. As of this writing, I have 5 of the 13 of them completely done. Those that aren't finished just need me to hand-stitch the binding to the backing (easier said than done, though). The quilts all finish around 20" x 30", which is a perfect travel size for baby! They would also make great wall art. Most of them are backed with flannel, too! Soft AND cozy!

This is just a gratuitous shot of my favorite minis, all using Anna Maria Horner's Folksy Flannels. These were a dream to work with, and are SO soft! Also, they're gorgeous, like all of her stuff!

Pricing is still a little in question for me. I think I have it figured out, but I'd like to pose the question to you, dear reader: If you were to buy one of my scarves, how much would you be willing to pay? Same with the mini-quilts; what do you think they're worth? Would you pay more for the Folksy Flannel ones? I've been pouring ALL of my energy into these for weeks, and I doubt I'll be able to make any kind of profit on them once I factor in my time, but I'm curious to know what other people think. I also think I'm overvaluing my work because I'm having a hard time letting go..

New(est) ink!

2010-09-14T12:30:00.002-04:00

In my last post, I promised pictures of some "needlework" I had done. Here it is! My newest, most bad-assest tattoo! It's a line drawing of my grandmother's sewing machine, an old Necchi, on my inner left forearm, just below the elbow. I. Love. It!!

Here's a little before-and-after. The photo of the machine is the one I gave to Molly, my tattoo artist (at Witch City Ink, which I would highly recommend!), who drew up the tattoo from there. I love all of the detail she was able to keep--the knobs and levers, even the thread guides and, my favorite, the screw holes on the throat plate!

I got the tattoo in early August so I've had some time to adjust to it already, but I'm continually struck by how awesome it is. I love having this reminder of what I love (both sewing, and my grandmother) right where I can see it. All of the time.

Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves. I wear my sewing machine on my arm.

Even more baby gifts

2010-09-11T11:55:00.002-04:00

I'm back...again...after some more unexpected silence. Gah! Can't keep up! Here is another set of baby gifts, gifted to my coworker James a while ago. His little boy was born just over a week ago and is a real cutie! Can't wait to see pictures of him wearing those little rockin' booties!

Per usual, the elephant pattern is from here and the booties are from here. I am so predictable.

I'm hoping to get my bloggy mojo back soon. I spent way too much time this morning setting up a Google reader of all the links to the right and then catching up on weeks' worth of other people's crafting. Yowza. I still can't show you much of what I've been working on, but I did finish a large commission job (my first! yay!) and am now embarking on another adventure: selling at a craft fair! It's in two weeks. Panic has not yet kicked in, but I need to be massively productive this weekend. So, stay tuned for some in-progress shots, as well as pictures of some, uh, needlework I had done....

Tethered Threads: July

2010-08-26T12:30:00.002-04:00

Now that August is nearly over, I guess it's time to show the blocks I made for my Tethered Threads block party for July! These are for Beth, who had requested blocks in the style of Denyse Schmidt's Drunk Love in a Log Cabin quilt. This is a really popular block party request, it seems, but I'd never actually made blocks in this style before. Hope I did it right!

Psst! This is my 250th post, according to Blogger! Wow. Perhaps I should do some kind of giveaway at some point? I've got some big projects cooking right now, but maybe something in October??

Gifted: Wedding-ish quilt

2010-08-19T12:30:00.003-04:00

Wow! I don't know where the time is going, but it seems every time I look I've been neglecting the blog! And yet, even though there's not a TON of crafting going on, I've been amassing pictures on my camera. Nearly 300 of them, from various day and weekend trips, plus a little bit of crafty crafty. I finally downloaded them last night in a marathon session--seriously, we're talking hours here. Phew! Anyway, this is a quilt I made for my lovely friends Nick and Katie. It's only a "wedding-ish" quilt because they were married in May 2009, but in late July had a party/reception/ceremony, which is when I gave them this gift.

The pattern is from this book (you can see the original on the third page here) but I definitely changed it up a bit. For starters, I used a Dill Blossom jelly roll, so I re-drafted the blocks to use the 2.5" strips instead of 2" strips the pattern called for. I eliminated the prairie points and changed the layout to use fewer blocks, but the essence of the quilt is still the same.

For the back, I pieced some lovely, super soft Connecting Threads solid teal with some strips and fat quarters of fabric from the front. (By the way, did you see that Connecting Threads has massively expanded their line of solids, and lowered all pricing??)

For quilting, I divided each block into three sections--a top, middle, and bottom--and quilted loop-de-loops up and down through all of the rows with some gorgeous variegated teal Aurifil thread. I also did some curlicues in the outside borders. (Side note: Gloria is still quilting a-maz-ing-ly! I was so surprised when I was able to quilt this entire twin-sized quilt in little over an hour and a half! Free-motion ftw!)

Bound in the polka-dot, the quilt is folded and ready for gifting! Nick and Katie loved it, of course. Rob and I traveled to Providence, RI to stay with them last weekend and were able to see the quilt in action on their couch and sleep under it for two nights. A lovely quilt for some lovely people! Does it get any better?

Little Red hoop hangings

2010-08-12T12:30:00.002-04:00

Remember when I made this quilt for a friend's birthday? Well, when I bought the fabric I also bought some matching wooden buttons, but then didn't know what to do with them. It took me a while, but I finally decided to make these hanging embroideries for the same friend as a housewarming gift. I love how they turned out!

These were really easy to do! The appliqués are cut from felt and stitched to the linen background. I used some floss to stitch some grass, and then just sewed on the buttons.

I finished them the best way I thought possible, though it was a little sloppy: I glued the linen to the back of the inside hoop, trimmed the excess, and covered all of it with some bias tape. It looks okay, but I could've probably just glued and trimmed the linen and been okay. Still, they are a cute addition to my friend's new apartment!

Folklore Bag (again)

2010-08-04T12:30:00.000-04:00

I'm back, after an unexpected bloggy break! Summer is just flying by, and we've been out and about a lot, spending time with friends and just enjoying time away from the computer. And I've been toting this new bag! It's my second attempt at the Folklore Bag pattern from One-Yard Wonders. I wasn't planning on making another bag so soon, but then this happened to my corduroy, right where my phone rubs against my body, so I fussy-cut some of this amazing volumes print by Anna Maria Horner for my new bag. I am in love with it!

This time around, I left out all of the interfacing. I probably could've used some in the handles, which are still pretty floppy, but the outer fabric is home decor weight (though still super soft and nice--love Ms. Horner's fabrics!!) and the bag is holding up well--a little slouchy, but that's okay with me! The lining is a print I'd had around forever, so I was really happy to use some of that up, too. Gotta make room for more, new fabric, right?

How in the world is it August already?!?

More baby gifts!

2010-07-15T12:30:00.001-04:00

It seems as though everyone we know is either pregnant or has a newborn right now! (And for the record, we are definitely NOT on the baby train, nor are we planning to jump on it. Ever. Iris is enough for us. Still, I am happy to craft for my friends who are new parents!) These gifts are for Ivory, a little girl (though we didn't know the sex at the time I crafted these) born to Rob's (our?) best man and his lovely wife.

This is starting to become my go-to baby gift. That's okay, right? The elephant is from the Indygo Junction pattern I've already used a few times. This time, I added a little ribbon bow. I also blanket-stitched a felt eye on; buttons on baby things still freak me out, although I did use them on the booties (but I stitched each one 20+ times with heavy quilting thread!)

The booties are from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings. I am still hand-stitching the insole to the lining of the booties; there just doesn't seem to be a way around that, regardless of how carefully I fuse the insole to the inside of the sole.

Congrats to Joe and Melanie on their baby girl!

Tethered Threads: June

2010-07-13T12:30:00.001-04:00

This is a much-delayed post, but the blocks above were not late! These were made in June for Megan in the Tethered Threads block party. The prints are all from Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley line, and Megan chose them because they reminded her of starfish in tide pools. Lovely, no?

Megan asked for blocks using the fabrics she sent and nothing more. She wasn't very specific in her desires, but did say she likes blocks with lots of pieces and with triangles. For the first block, I decided to continue in the disappearing nine-patch vein I've been in lately, but use the solid for the centers. I really like how this turned out. I typically don't use so many pieces in one block (this one finishes at 12.5") but I do like this effect.

Once Megan mentioned starfish, I couldn't get it out of my head to make some stars, too. I wanted to design something a little different, so I came up with this block, which is just half-square triangles and straight squares. Nothing tricky to piece.

I really liked making these blocks for Megan. I think the color scheme is gorgeous, and I also really like that Megan is going to turn the blocks into a quilt for the bed she shares with her new husband (and probably that adorable new kitten! squee!). I thought about that the whole time I was piecing those blocks, so I hope some of my congratulations and good wishes carry through!

Nicey Jane HST wall quilt

2010-07-07T12:30:00.002-04:00

You may have seen a peek of this quilt in the photos from my last post, but here it is, officially. I've just been calling this my Nicey Jane HST quilt, since it's made with a Nicey Jane charm pack (plus Kona snow for the contrast) and it's all half-square triangles. Creative title, no?

This quilt was started in May during a marathon sewing session with some of my favorite quilty ladies. We snacked and drank and stitched, and by 3am I had the center and skinny borders done! The larger outside border was made using yardage I had gotten a while back. The whole thing is really just a large version of these quilts, which I love so much.

The only real difference between the minis and this larger quilt is in the quilting. Since I'm loving the way Gloria does some free-motion, I decided to continue in that vein and do some curlicues in the outer solid squares and some floral-like squiggles inside. I really like how the quilting came out. On a whim, I backed this in a solid I'd gotten on clearance from Connecting Threads, and also used that fabric as the binding. It was my first time using a solid from them but, my oh my, it won't be my last! I was continually struck by how soft it was and how easy it was to stitch. I highly recommend it! Too bad it doesn't come in very many colors... I should stock up on the white for lining skirts while I can!

My weekend of patternmaking

2010-06-28T12:30:00.008-04:00

My day job has been making me crazy and stressed, and my upcoming trip to Wisconsin to see the family (we hop in a cab at 3:45 tomorrow morning--ugh) has also been adding to that crazy/stress/insomnia cocktail, so instead of working more overtime or packing or doing anything work- or trip-related over the weekend, I did what any other crafter in my situation would do: I sewed. Sometimes, you just need to stop, step back, and switch to an activity where 1/2" seams are always 1/2" seams and your hands know exactly what to do, you know?

I've had Cal Patch's amazing Design-It-Yourself Clothes: Patternmaking Simplified for months now and finally decided to delve in this weekend. WOW. I thought, when I bought the book, that I'd develop a crush on Cal Patch, but I never expected to fall in love with her and this book! I originally started doing clothes with the "just wing it" method, which then see-sawed into the "follow the pattern exactly and then be disappointed when it doesn't fit" method. My last, tested, workable method is the "follow the pattern to baste together a muslin, try it on, take it apart and make adjustments; repeat, repeat, repeat" method, but it is very time-consuming. With this book I still made muslins and still did some adjusting, which often meant re-drafting my pattern slightly, but I was amazed by one simple fact: Every muslin I made fit, pretty exactly, on the first try.

Which it should, right? Since Cal (we're on a first-name basis at this point) teaches you how to draft your own patterns--from scratch!--using your own measurements. I bought a 36" wide roll of newsprint last week and spent plenty of time on the floor this weekend drawing, erasing, measuring, etc. but it worked really well. The first thing I tried was actually the last project in the book: the Kathy dress. Because it was the last project in the book and the projects build on one another, I actually had to back track to the shirt chapter and draft the shirt and sleeves from there, then move on to a different dress to make modifications, and then modify that pattern to be my Kathy dress.

I am in love. The shoulder/armhole probably could've been gathered and definitely needs to be re-drafted, I accidentally cut the pockets into the back because I was rushing, the sleeves could be pouffier and might need to have the elastic gathered by another inch or so, but at this point, I don't care. I love this dress. The fabric is a Joel Dewberry, from one of the older lines (Deer Valley?), that I bought on a whim. The necklace was made for me by my friend Katie.

After that worked out so well, I made the Phoebe skirt, also at the back of the book. It's just a slash-and-spread version of the standard A-line skirt (for which my muslin turned out beautifully!). I used this really fun village print (Robert Kaufman?) and added the pockets to the FRONT this time. I didn't topstitch the pocket opening or stitch the pocket to the front of the skirt, but they are a little floppy, so I'm thinking about doing some hand-stitching in a thicker thread, á la Anna Maria Horner.

All this to say that I am very very pleased with the Cal Patch book and I fully intend to revise and adapt the patterns in it--I'm seeing a giraffe bubble skirt in the near future. It was so great to make clothes that turned out (despite some small imperfections), especially after I had a craft fail with the Sew Mama Sew! skirt tutorial. Like others I've seen, my skirt came out too small on the waist and too mini on the length. The length is my fault. The waist fits, but without a zipper, I have trouble getting the skirt on and off over my hips--a standard 4" is added to the waistband, but I guess my hips are a bit larger than that. Hmmm. Also, the pockets are too small! BUT I did learn how to shirr with elastic thread, which was super cool. I'm just bummed that I wasted a yard of the lovely AMH voile on this. I guess I'll just chalk that one up to "learning experience" and rely on my handy Cal Patch book for evaluating any new patterns before diving in.

Disappearing nine-patch quilt finished!

2010-06-24T12:30:00.001-04:00

It's done! (Okay, it's been done for a few weeks now, but still...) I first posted this finished quilt top here, way back in March. It had been sitting, finished, for months while I worked up the courage to quilt it. See, the problem was that I knew this quilt needed something curvy, something free-motion-y, to finish it. You may recall my first attempt at free-motion quilting with Gloria. Not. Good. That is what made me so nervous about quilting this one (and why I opted for straight-line quilting on this quilt). However, between that first attempt and this one, I shelled out $$ for the Sew Steady table and the spring/hopping free-motion foot for Gloria. I don't know if either one of these changes--or both together, along with some adjustments to my machine's settings--made the most difference, and I don't care! I took the Friday before Memorial Day off work, got up early, spray-basted the quilt, then sucked it up and started quilting.

I just want to say that, despite our differences up to this point, I am in LOVE with Gloria's quilting! It's phenomenal; I can't even remember how I was able to quilt such large projects on my Brother! I am now a curlicue free-motion quilting machine! As you can see above, I opted to just do an up-and-down curlicue straight across the quilt, with the row centers being about 5" apart (I think--I can't remember. I know that I did use a chalk liner to mark the baseline for reference, so my rows didn't move at an angle as well).

Here's a shot of the back so you can see the quilting a little bit better (there are more pictures on my Flickr page, too). I kind of like how the non-quilted parts pop, too. It's just another layer of interest in this quilt. For the back I used a Kona solid (I think it's Coal, but could be wrong) and pieced in a row of disappearing nine-patch squares made from the leftover fabrics from the front. The quilt finishes at about 48" x 60", so I needed a little extra width on my backing fabric and thought that would be a fun touch. The quilting was done using my standard Mettler gray piecing thread--not quilting thread. I was concerned about how the fmq would go, so I opted not to use a heavier quilting thread, just in case it was jerky and I hated it.

I really like everything about this quilt. The fabrics are gorgeous. The thread I used for quilting lays down on the top really well and doesn't distract from the lovely voile, but provides just enough contrast with the backing solid to really show off those curvy lines up close. The slight wonkiness of the quilting is perfect. Just the experience of quilting this was lovely. Rob can vouch for it--I was full of giddy excitement the entire weekend because the quilting turned out so well! Trust me, there will be plenty more fmq projects coming up!

Baby gifts

2010-06-22T12:30:00.002-04:00

A good friend of mine has a baby that is going through a tough time right now, so I couldn't help but put together a little package of handmades to make baby (and mom) feel a little better. (Plus I had a new bootie pattern I wanted to try out!)

The booties are from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings. I've previously made baby booties following the pattern in Amy Butler's Little Stitches, but I like these better. For one thing, they seemed to come together a little bit easier/quicker without all that fussing with velcro and many many layers of interfacing. For another, I think they're just as cute. Anna Maria's pattern doesn't call for any hand-stitching, instead telling you to fuse the insoles into the bottom of the booties, but I had trouble with that. I ended up blind-stitching the insoles in to the lining, just to make sure they stayed in place.

I made the booties in the 6-9 month size and the 9-12 month size. For the largest size (pictured above), I used a textured fabric for the sole to give baby a little bit of grip for scooting around. The grippy fabric was really inexpensive at my LQS and easy to work with--I'm glad I tried it out for this project.

The Scottie dog softie was made following this (free) pattern, with a few modifications. I reduced the size of the patchwork squares slightly, to 2" cut, because I wanted my doggie to be more baby-sized than the one in the pattern. I had a much more difficult time than I thought I would stitching the gusset around the dog! Those corners were really tricky. Instead of using buttons for the eyes, I blanket-stitched on some felt circles. I get so nervous using buttons on baby things! (I used quilting thread to stitch the buttons to the booties, and even then stitched each one a good 20 times, just to be safe!)

Hope you like it, kiddo!

Gifted: Little Red Riding Hood quilt

2010-06-17T12:30:00.001-04:00

My friend Vanessa loves Little Red Riding Hood. Vanessa is super amazing and sweet and generous; Rob and I knew her in another life (undergrad) and fate moved her halfway across the country to be our neighbor! Rob and I are car-free, and Vanessa has been sweet enough to take us all over the place for groceries, vet visits, literary road trips... you name it. I'd been wanting to do something special for her, and she just had a big birthday, so a Little Red Riding Hood quilt seemed perfect.

The main fabrics are Kokka prints that I bought from Superbuzzy. I supplemented them with Kona solids in a variety of shades, including bone, and one Nicey Jane print that coordinated perfectly. The layout was inspired by this amazing quilt, though I fussy cut the scenes and ended up with larger--and fewer--blocks for my version.

For the back I strip-pieced what was left of the Little Red fabrics and the solids, then stitched them all together. The quilt ends up nearly reversible! Except for the label, which was actually a reject block that I embroidered around:

I really love that bit. The whole thing was quilted in random lines--some straight, some slightly curved. I did my best not to decapitate any Little Reds! I like the final effect, though I now wish I had decided to bite the bullet and free-motion quilt some of this (more on that later). Still, this is probably the most modern quilt I've ever made, and it was definitely well received!

My block party blocks

2010-06-15T16:00:00.003-04:00

As I posted last, I received all of my March Tethered Threads blocks, putting me at an even 24. I plan on setting this quilt 5 x 5, so I made the 25th block, pictured above. Since I had everything out, I figured I'd lay out all 25 blocks and see what they look like together:

What say you? I'm a little embarrassed to admit this, but.... I don't love it :( I certainly don't hate it, but it's not love at first sight, you know? It just looks much crazier than I thought it would. I mean, I love sampler quilts! There are so many cool block party quilts out there! I'm just afraid this isn't one of them... but the thing is, I love all of the individual blocks! The ladies in my group did a really great job! I just don't know how to make those great building blocks (pardon the pun) equal an amazing whole.

So, where do I go from here? Suggestions?? I was originally planning on building each row with pieced sections around the blocks, so that the blocks are off-kilter. I thought that the wonkiness of the blocks would lose something if I sashed the whole thing with a solid grid. But now I'm wondering if that might be the way to go. Thoughts?? HELP!

Catching up: Tethered Threads block party

2010-06-09T12:30:00.001-04:00

Time is still flying by, and I'm so behind in posting! Ack! Here's a quick catch-all of the blocks I've made for my Tethered Threads block party. The blocks above were made in May for Jessica, who requested blocks following tutorials from Modify Tradition. She's making a modern sampler quilt--so cool! I really love this idea, and am still so in love with those Nicey Jane fabrics!

The blocks above were made in April for Wendy, who requested some Ticker Tape–style blocks. I really love the look of these, but they were SO time-consuming to make. Glad I only had to make two!

And last but not least, I received all 24 of my March blocks! These above are from Rebecca and came all the way from New Zealand!

And these are from Kathy. Love them all!

Catching up

2010-06-01T12:30:00.002-04:00

*sigh* I am so far behind in my blogging / blog reading / Flickr updating that it's not even funny. It's ridiculous, really. Though I guess the good thing is that I have been crafting even if I haven't been keeping up with it on the blog! So, anyway, this will be a little bit of a catch-all post so that I can move on to more recent pictures. Everything in this post has been done for at least a month!

First up, pictured above (and being worn today), is my birthday dress! My birthday is April 8 and I finished the dress just in time. I used pretty much the same pattern I did for this dress, but changed it up a little bit. Instead of using elastic in the sleeve hem, I did a little pleat at the shoulder and at the bottom of it. I also cut the dress pretty short, then added a contrasting band hem the same way you would stitch on some double-fold bias tape. It was chilly on my actual birthday, so I wore the dress with some knee-high black boots to this bit of amazingness (which was nothing short of awesome). I even got a, "That is a sweet dress!" from the funky girl behind me at the show, which was super sweet.

Next is another Dear Jane block: G2. This one took a while because it has 28 (!!) pieces! But it's a pleasure, as always. I am now 16 blocks down, too many more to go.

And last for this post is the cosmetics pouch from I Love Patchwork! This was a quick and satisfying project for me. It is a great size and came together really easily. It now holds all of my hand-stitching stuff, which I should really commit to using more often and making more progress on my Dear Jane.

Hopefully more posts TK later this week. I had a lovely and productive long holiday weekend, which is now screwing up everything else!

Wee Robot

2010-05-27T12:30:00.003-04:00

Yet another May birthday gift! I made this Wee Robot for my friend Robert using the pattern in the Softies book. Robert really likes robots, and I'd been itching to make this guy since I got this book, so it was a win-win!

I really enjoyed making this guy. I did have to enlarge the base, as the one in the pattern was too small and I wouldn't have been able to attach the body without gathering it at the bottom. I did like all of the hand-stitching, and the final effect is really cool. I had a lot of trouble with the arms, though. It took me probably two hours just to get the wire through the body and then get it wrapped with yarn. I love that the arms are movable, but wish I'd had a better needle or some other way of getting that yarn inside the body.

I was in and out of the hardware store so fast when I got the wire that I forgot to look for other hardware for the antennae, so I ended up hand-twisting some (inspired by this robot). I really like the final look. Happy birthday, Bobby!

Birthday cat

2010-05-21T12:30:00.002-04:00

Here is another birthday softie, this time using a pattern from Softies Only a Mother Could Love. I made this for my friend, Ginny, who is a big cat lover. I was originally thinking of making her the Wee Wonderfuls Pointy Kitty, but then thought some more and decided that she would probably like this simple, stylized kitty better.

I think I made the right choice. The fabric is from the Denyse Schmidt Hope Valley line. This pattern was really easy to make; the hardest part may have been turning out those skinny ears! I love how much personality is in this very basic shape. That little bit of head tilt was unintentional, but is such a great touch.

Patchwork horse love

2010-05-20T12:30:00.000-04:00

As you can probably see, I've been in softie mode with my crafting lately. Of all the softies I've made this year (and I have two more to show you, once they've reached their recipients), this one might be my favorite. The pattern is Patchwork Horse from More Softies Only a Mother Could Love, and it was created by Abby Glassenberg (who has a book coming out! yay!). I'm not sure what it is about this pattern that I love so much: The patchwork body, the articulated button legs, the torn-fabric mane... Everything about it is just so...sophisticated.

I followed the pattern pretty much exactly. I put some flax seed in the bottom of the feet to help the horse balance. I used Kona cotton in Bone for the solid, and I like how the flax shows through at the bottom of the legs. It kind of looks like hooves to me. I think I may have gotten a little overzealous with the fabric tearing, resulting in a tail and mane that are a little too thick. Chalk that up to the learning curve...

I made this little guy for a coworker of mine who needed a little extra TLC at the time. Also, secretly, I was hoping she'd keep him at the office because I loved him so much. Alas, something about him reminded her of a similar stuffed horse she had as a kid, so I had to say goodbye to the horsie so she could take him home to her own bed. I am a little sad that I don't get to see him every day, but also happy that he's being so so loved. I guess I'll just have to make another one...!

Beetle Bug

2010-05-17T12:30:00.003-04:00

This is the first of four (four!) May birthday gifts I've made. My friend Katie had a birthday at the beginning of the month, but I didn't know what to make her. I knew I wanted to make a softie, but wasn't sure what. That is, until her husband reminded me that she loves bees. Of course! So I adapted the Beetle Bug pattern from Softies Only a Mother Could Love to have a striped body, and that was that. The pattern was quick, easy to follow, and turned out really cute. Katie loved it.

Mother's Day mini-quilts

2010-05-14T12:30:00.001-04:00

I am still so far behind in my blogging of craftiness! It's this day job, I tell ya... Anyway, these two mini-quilts were made for my mom and my quilty gramma for Mother's Day. I used a Hope Valley charm pack and some Kona bone solid to make both of these. There were a lot of little pieces, but I really like the way these turned out!

The minis are entirely made of half-square triangles, and the layout was inspired by this awesome quilt I saw on Flickr a while back. I cut the charm squares into quarters, and these minis finish around 15" square, so each half-square triangle block finishes around 1.5".

Some of my points aren't perfect, but the overall effect is still pretty nice. I didn't want to complicate things, so I just echo-quilted in the white areas and called it done. My mom and gramma were quite pleased, so I think that's a success!

Crafty swap! (part 2)

2010-05-09T16:15:00.001-04:00

As I mentioned previously, I did a private swap with the amazing Rita. Here is the hippo that I traded her for the pea pod! It's made following my usual pattern and uses all Anna Maria Horner Good Folks fabrics. Actually, they were pre-washed and are leftovers from when I made this dress.

I fussy-cut the fabrics for this one so that the legs/underbelly and snout/head gusset would be a little different than the sides. I really like the effect of this. Part of why it works is the amazingness of the AMH fabrics. I can't help it--I adore her stuff!

I was actually really nervous to make this hippo! I made it specifically for Rita, and I hadn't made any in a while, so I did my best to be very very careful and make it really well. I still messed up some stuff, but I think overall it turned out really cute! Thanks, Rita, for giving her such a good home! I'm so happy she's there.

Crafty swap!

2010-05-05T12:30:00.004-04:00

I have long been a fan of Rita--through her blog, her Flickr page, her Etsy shop, and now on Facebook. A while ago I was commenting (yet again) on how adorable her plushies are when she asked if I'd like to do a swap. I jumped at the chance! I'd been eyeing her pea pods for a while, so we agreed to swap one of her pea pods for one of my hippos.

As you can see, Rita went above and beyond the pea pod! I also got the adorable bunny case, some buttons, a sweet note, some fabric, and some Mochi Studios business cards! Wow! I am blown away. The craftsmanship of the pea pod is even beyond what I had imagined--Rita does amazing work! It is super soft, too. I am SO lucky! Thank you so much, Rita, for a fantastic swap. I hope you like your hippo!!

Tethered Threads: March (part 5)

2010-05-04T12:30:00.000-04:00

Two more blocks, this time from Jessica! Jessica sent a very sweet note along with the blocks stating that she was terrified to start on them but had a really great time making them. I felt the same way about making my two, which surprised me a little, since I was the one doing the asking. I have really enjoyed getting all these blocks in and seeing how differently everyone interpreted the "assignment." I've got four more to receive, plus at least one more to make, and then I will start working on the layout, which is going to be a lot of work in itself! Still, I'm getting excited to see all of my blocks together; I haven't laid them all out yet!

Folklore bag

2010-04-28T12:30:00.001-04:00

For a while I was really in love with the last bag that I made and then...not so much. It had to do with my revision of the straps, I think, and also probably with my tendency to get really tired of things I see every day and need a change after a couple of months. Also, I'd loved this pattern (it's the Folklore Bag from One-Yard Wonders) since I got the book and had been itching to make it. So, here it is!

I really love this bag. It is the perfect size! Not too big, but definitely large enough to hold all of my necessities, plus a large hardcover book (and I'm currently in the middle of this, which is surprisingly really good!) I lined it in a contrasting orange with white polka dots; you may remember this super soft corduroy from these softies I made a few months back. It translated equally well to this bag, though I do think the straps could've used some interfacing to make them a little less floppy. Oh well--I'll just have to add some to the next one I make!

Gifted: Mom's birthday

2010-04-26T12:30:00.001-04:00

My mom had a birthday last weekend! I didn't know what to make her, so one day I just broke down and asked. I was sure glad I did! Turned out she needed a new apron, and she'd seen the obi hot/cold wraps I've been making and wanted one of those, too. Suggestions always help!

The apron pattern came from Seams to Me. It took a while to make and I had a LOT of leftover fabric that I used to make the bias tape, but I really like the final result. I made this apron over a month ago so I don't really remember the experience of making it, but I think it was easy enough and the directions were clear. This was my first time making covered buttons, which were super easy (but also pretty big, which probably helped). I made the neck strap on the bias, as called for in the pattern, but I guess it's a bit too long for my mom. Oh well--I guess it's better to have that be too big than too small!

And here's yet another obi-inspired hot/cold wrap from One-Yard Wonders. These are so simple, and so great. Every one I give has been really happily received!

Gloria's new clothes

2010-04-22T12:30:00.000-04:00

This is another post that's a long time coming. I have had Gloria for a couple of months, but only just made her a quilted cover a few weeks ago. The reason for her new clothes, when she came with a perfectly good, tailored hard cover, is my new Sew Steady extension table!

It's a little bit of an expensive splurge, but it was definitely necessary (and I did just have a birthday). I am really starting to get used to my new machine and do more work on it, but quilting with just a tiny bit of space to the front and left of the needle, even though there's that glorious ten inches to the right, is just too hard. Of course, I have put off quilting with this table yet, but it has already come in handy for piecing and pinning and measuring.

But when the table is set up with the machine (and that's what makes the most sense, because I don't know where to store that 18" x 24" table when it's not in use), the hard cover doesn't fit. The surface of the table is not equal to the surface of the bottom of the machine (duh, right?) so the hard cover kind of floats and doesn't protect much of the machine below the computer screen, especially not the space where the cords plug in. So I took an afternoon and whipped up this quilted, lined, tailored cover. It's three pieces: the top and sides are all one, and the little ends are each separate. As you can see, it fits Gloria perfectly. I first cut batting to the correct size, and then quilted fabric scraps to it using the same technique I did for my winter scarves. Easy peasy, and done in a short afternoon. I think Gloria appreciates the love, too, because she's been extra good since then and we've been getting along splendidly (knock on wood).

Tethered Threads: March (part 4)

2010-04-15T19:00:00.002-04:00

More blocks! I've received six more blocks for my Tethered Threads block party this week. Above are the blocks from Megan.

These are the blocks from Jen J.

And these are the blocks from Wendy, whose month is April. She's asking us to make blocks based on the Ticker Tape quilt. Hmm... Seems I've done some of these before.... Looks like I'll be busy this weekend!

Tethered Threads: March (part 3)

2010-04-10T07:30:00.000-04:00

More blocks! I am currently half way there! The top two blocks in the picture above are from Marty, and the bottom two are from Nicole. SO much piecing--thanks, ladies!

And these two blocks came from Beth. I am loving how everyone's are coming out SO different! I'm really getting excited for this quilt, and I have a great idea for layout, once I have all the blocks back. Stay tuned....

Tethered Threads: March (part 2)

2010-04-05T17:30:00.000-04:00

After all that rain we had last week, we finally had a bit of sunshine and I was able to get some pictures taken. These are the blocks that I made for myself for my month of the Tethered Threads block party.

This first one wasn't really planned; I just kept putting together pieces and trying new things. I'm really happy with how the curved piecing worked! Some of the larger pieces don't exactly lay flat together; I think it's because the cuts were long and the fabrics did a little shifting in the process. It's a learning process, but so far I really like the techniques from this book, even though they're a bit time-consuming.

This second block is modeled after one in the book: a courthouse steps block with little wonky inset piecing. I made mine a log cabin with wider strips, but I really like how this one looks. Again, it took a really long time (you don't think 15.5" blocks are going to take that much longer than 12.5" blocks, but they do!) but I'm pleased with the results.

I have blocks in from two more ladies that I need to get posted. Stay tuned!

Christmas swap, part 2

2010-04-01T12:30:00.001-04:00

This post is really delayed, but better late than never! This is part two of the Christmas swap I did with my arty friend Hilary. I've had these since January but only just recently got around to properly photographing them. Above is an original Hilary sock critter. It is gold and sparkly with a purple sweater, argyle limbs, and a long devil tail. Cute and sweet and also a little bit dangerous. Hilary said it reminded her of me! Hmmm....

Along with the sock guy, I also got these paintings. Aren't they amazing?!? I just love them! Thanks, Hilary! You are the BEST!!

Hexagons table runner

2010-03-30T19:08:00.004-04:00

This is probably the last project I completely finished on my old Brother machine (yes, it's been done since late January / early February but I'm only just now posting it). This was a three-Fridays class at my LQS. We used this pattern, but didn't have the templates so had to make them from mylar instead (not fun).

Instead of using a charm pack, I went with a scrappy blue-and-white color scheme and I really like how it turned out. I quilted it in diagonal lines from corner to corner of the hexagons. Easy, quick, and satisfying.

Taking this class reminded me how much I don't like making template-cut projects. Still, I've hung this on the wall as art instead of using it as a table runner. It's fairly large and looks nice above one of our many bookshelves.

Tethered Threads: March (part 1)

2010-03-25T12:30:00.003-04:00

So, March! March is my month for the Tethered Threads block party! Exciting stuff! I can't believe I haven't posted about it yet, but now there's plenty to talk about. The photo above is of the fabrics I sent: four solid Kona cottons and two prints from Erin McMorris' Wildwood line. (The Konas were purchased at Fabric Shack and Pink Chalk Fabrics and the Wildwood at Hawthorne Threads--all of which are online fabric stores that I really love. Also, I just saw that Erin McMorris has a new line coming out. Sweet!) I decided that we needed a new queen-sized quilt for our bed (this is the one we've had for years), so I requested 15-1/2" blocks that will finish at 15". I have 22 coming from the group, so I plan to make either 3 or 8 and set them 5 x 5 or 5 x 6, depending on how many I feel like churning out. I also asked the group for blocks that read dark with pops of color and said I was inspired by the intuitive piecing and projects found in Jean Wells' Intuitive Color & Design.

The ladies in my group certainly haven't disappointed! (Check out the Flickr pool here--it's full of great blocks!) The photo above is of the first four blocks I received, all of which came yesterday. The top two are from mommymae and the bottom two are from Amanda. WOW! I am super impressed and can't wait to see this come together!

Though I guess that means I need to do my share, too! The photo above is how far I was on Saturday. Hmm. I've finished that block and started on another, but they are big and taking a long time to complete. So glad I have the help of 11 really talented ladies to make this happen!

Disappearing nine-patch, in voiles

2010-03-18T12:30:00.001-04:00

Disappearing crafter instead, perhaps? I have just been so snowed under with work that I haven't even been able to keep up with my blogging, much less that of the others I read. Gah! Life! It always seems to be getting in the way... This finished quilt top was made from Anna Maria Horner voiles, the moonlight palette, I believe. I had ordered a fat quarter pack from Pink Chalk Fabrics with a gift certificate I had won from True Up way back in January. They are not cheap, these voiles, but they sure are lovely, and I figured I'd treat myself, because isn't that what a gift certificate is for?

So the fabrics arrived in January, but then they just sat in a (very very large) pile of fabrics in my crafting space, waiting for the right inspiration to strike. How to use them and let them shine? Then I stumbled upon this quilt on Flickr. Perfect. A disappearing nine-patch pattern is so simple, yet complicated enough to not be boring. I cut the original squares to 9" and then re-trimmed the final blocks to 12.5". I'm waiting for batting to arrive, then piecing the back and hoping to quilt this soon! I think I will just keep it for myself. Selfish, I know, but those voiles are just too tempting....!