Absentee

I haven't blogged for such a long time because I haven't sewn for such a long time.  In fact the sewing machine and all accessories were put away for a good two months.  Why?  Nausea, headaches, tiredness and all else that goes along with pregnancy.  I am still coming out of it, but think I see a light at the end of the tunnel now.  I managed to pull out my machine to make Christmas jammies for the kids.  I think I only did it because I bought the fabric so long ago.  And I didn't even make full pajamas, just the pants, which I paired with white t-shirts for all.  I did make pillowcases with their names stitched on the corners though.  The girls fabric is Riley Blake.  Also the pillow cases are Riley Blake.  Jack's pants are made from a skiing monkey flannel from Broadbents.  I didn't pay attention, though it may be a Michael Miller.  I just used other pajama bottoms for the patterns. 

 I didn't take their pics in the pj's until Christmas morning, so it's a bunch of sleepy kids.  I think my kids are the only ones that sleep in a bit on Christmas morning.  Sophie went to awake Bella and Bella told her she just wanted to sleep a little longer.  Funny!

 Anyway, I have great hopes of my sewing picking up again over the next few months. I have some projects I want to start-namely a Bliss quilt, and some baby stuff to make.  I did notice this is my 100th post!  Yay!  More projects to come in the new year!

Blush and Fandango

 These quilts are pretty similar, both half square triangles.  The first quilt, made with Blush by Moda, had a more random pattern to the pinwheels.  I used a varieagated thread to quilt a meandering pattern all over the top.  I really love the way this one turned out and I think the recipient did as well.

  

The fandango quilt has pinwheels that share two fabric for each block.  I  also used some of the spare half square triangles in the corners.  I quilted this one with an ecru fabric in a lazy daisy pattern. 

Minnie Mouse Skirt

My daughter wanted a Minnie Mouse party for her third birthday.  So I got together all my red, white, black, and yellow scraps and made her this skirt.  It is out of Sandi Henderson's book, Sewing Bits and Pieces.

There are so many projects in this book I want to try.  I really want to make the cute little slippers.  I have so many scraps and really need to use up some of them. 

Anyway-here is the skirt on the girl.

It is very full and twirly, which she loves.  If I make it again, I may make each tier a bit longer.  The fullness doesn't translate in to greater length, which would be nice.  But overall the instructions were very easy to follow and the skirt went together really quickly.  I do have a serger and I think not having one would make everything go so much slower, it was easy to serge a rolled hem on all those ruffles.  If I had to do a quarter inch one though, it would have more than doubled my time. 

Black, Green, and White all over

I didn't make this quilt.  But it's based on the first of the Old Red Barn Quilt-a-Longs.  My mom made it and brought it to me to quilt.  I used a lime green and stippled all over it.  I think she is going to bind it in black.  There is a ragged edge butterfly appliqued on the lime green floral back.  I don't know what her plans are with the quilt, but I think it will turn out great! 

Fabric Stash and Organization

When we moved into this house, I decided to use the front room as my sewing room.  I have little kids, and this room is situated so I can hear them and know where they are while I am sewing.  It has worked out really well thus far.  We bought this big white cabinet from Home Depot when we moved in to keep all my fabric in.  As you can see, it is full, I need to get sewing.  The top shelf is the hardest for me to keep organized.  I think the fleece is the main culprit, and I need to find some more bins that are the medium size.  I love being able to open this cabinet and find most anything I need.  But it's kind of crazy how full it is and how much I can fit in it.  I reorganize it regularly, just to remind myself of what it in there.

Squared

I got the backing for this quilt a while ago.  It is a Prints Charming print.  I love the scale and colors they use.  I knew the piece needed to be a backing, just because of the scale alone.  So I found some Kona Solids and matched them up to make the top.  I used three and a half inch squares for the center squares.  I really love how this one turned out.  I quilted it diagonally across for the quilting.  It now resides with a snuggly baby.

TBQ

Projects ready to go.  I already have the binding made, so as soon as these babies are quilted, I will be ready to finish them up.  I am planning on stippling the top one, it is Blush by Moda.  The second one is Fandango by Moda and I want to do a lazy daisy pattern all over it.  The bottom on is Kona Solids with a Prints Charming print on the back.  I am going to do some straight line quilting on that one.  They are all baby sized quilts.  

Hexagons Galore

I finished the Hexagon quilt and now it is with its new owner!  It was intended to be 51"x54".  She wanted it a little bigger, so I kept adding rows so long as I had fabric.  The final size was over 80"x84"!

 I had to make Nate hold it up to get a picture.  He was okay so long as I didn't get him in the picture.  This quilt was really fun to make.  I tried out some new techniques and had to really keep track of where everything went.  The print on the back was so fun!  The flowers were huge!

It is an Alexander Henry print, the border on the front is as well.  I used fabrics from Botany, Timber,Sugar, Brooklyn Heights, Spa, Modern Meadow and a few others.  I also added a bit of Amy Butler's Gypsy Caravan from my stash.  I love being able to pull from the stash when I can't find stuff that works from anywhere else.  I stippled the quilt with a lime green in the middle, then variegated brown on the edges.  I really loved the effect.  I can't wait to do another hex quilt!  It's scrappy and ordered at the same time.  There is a lot of visual interest because of all the different prints, but all the points match and come together. 

Coming together

I am working on a hexagon quilt.  I am really loving how it is all coming together.   It is a palate I usually don't work with.  But I am really loving the tones and how it is all coming together.

I have about half of the top put together, the rest is in strips, so I will hopefully get that together over the weekend.  Then I just need to add the borders and get this baby ready to quilt.  Here is a picture of the back-it is crazy!

My Mom Made It!

Someone once told me they didn't want to make me anything because they thought I would be critical of their work-not true.  I love it when I am give things that they made!  My mother has given me so many quilts and bags and things she has made and I love it!  For my birthday this year she sent me a bag and I wanted to get some pictures of it out there!

I know the fabric is Panache by Moda, but I am not sure what pattern she used.  It has a lot of pockets though and will be a great go-to bag.  Thanks Mom!

Crazy Mom Quilt-A-Long Week 8

I didn't press the whole thing after I added the most recent four sides, so ignore the wrinkles.  This quilt is getting big.  I am just doing the twin size, but there is an option to go bigger.  I think there is just one more step before I get to the quilting!

Maui Bag

I saw the fabric and the pattern and really wanted to make it.  Perhaps from an underlying desire to go to Hawaii.  Anyway, the bag went together really fast.  There are some errors in the pattern, but if you think about each step before you cut or sew, an intermediate seamstress should be able to figure them out.  Most of them just have to do with measurements.  But step 5, applying the magnetic clasp, is all messed up, and it's obvious.

I really loved the way the bag turned out.  I want to make it again.  These are my first Art Gallery fabrics and I love the feel of them.  The flower is hand sewn, and I may replace the button with a bigger one if I find a better fit.

Crazy Mom Quilt-a-Long Week 7

We are getting close in this one, I think just a few more weeks and we will have a quilt!

Projects on the Horizon

While The Bossy Quilter was here, we visited various quilting establishments, and I procured some supplies for some upcoming projects.

I love Blush and had a great idea for some of it and found a lot of it on sale.  I also love these Art Gallery Fabrics.  This is my first purchase from this manufacturer, and I plan to make a bag.  I also got a few things to go in my stash while she was here.  We had a blast going to all the local quilt stores together, it is great to share a hobby!

Jessica gave me this book for my birthday-and I have got to say I want to make every project in the book!  Better get sewing!

Off the Grid Wonderland Quilt

I finally found the binding for this one!   I usually make the binding as I cut out the pieces for the quilt, but this time I didn't have what I wanted on hand, so this poor quilt sat unbound for a few weeks.  I really love the way it turned out and may make this pattern a few more times!

Pinwheel Party Quilt Finished!

This quilt went together really fast once I started on it.  And I really love the way it turned out.  The mini pin wheel in the sashing turned out really great despite being a bit tedious to put together.  I finished this during one of our craft days during my sister-in-law's visit.

Crazy Mom Quilt-a-Long progress

This is after week six of Amanda Jean's current quilt-a-long.  I am using pop garden and a white solid.  I like the way the quilt it coming along, and I can see the home stretch!  I am a bit impatient with quilt-a-longs usually, but this one has enough pieces that I like having a weekly break. 

Pinwheel Party Quilt Blocks Began

I have had my fabric for the pinwheel party since it began, I just didn't cut into it until yesterday. I cut out all the blocks and sashing, now they just need to be pieced together.  That will have to wait until next week though as my machine is getting serviced this week.

I the meantime, I will probably cut out the fabric for Amanda Jeans quilt-a-long.  And start focusing on the family craft day Jessica and I are planning.  

Dresses for the Wedding

My husbands little brother got married this past weekend in San Diego.  It was such a nice getaway and I am so glad we got to go.  I made dresses for my girls to wear not realizing they would coordinate as well as they do.  In fact, Bella's dress is the same fabric as the bridesmaids, which was a coincidence.  I was surfing the internet and found Bella's dress on mini boden.  I hadn't really drafted a pattern from scratch before and am pleased with my first go at it.  The top is gathered.  There is a keyhole in the back along with a tie.  Sophie is wearing a basic pillowcase dress with a big satin sash instead of a ribbon.  I found a similar dress on Garnet Hill but couldn't justify the price tag for such a simple dress.  Her dress has big flowers appliqued on it.  They are the same swiss dot as the material, the edges are serged in hot pink with hot pink satin centers.  I didn't have any close ups, somehow I spent a lot of time visiting with my SIL, instead of snapping away.  She made the bridesmaid dresses by the way. 

Book Bags

This is another tutorial from Skip to My Lou.  These bags are just so cute and go together so fast.  The fabric is Wildwood  by Erin McMorris.  They have it on sale at American Quilting right now.  The bags, I made two, are lined with a white on white print I have had in my stash for a long time.   I need to make more of these for my kids for summer visits to the library.  They are the perfect size at about 12 X 13. 

Skip To My Lou Pleated Pouches

My sister in law was throwing a bridal shower for our soon to be new sister in law.  I helped her out by making the favors for the party.  I used this pattern from Skip to My Lou.  It went together fast!  The directions were really clear and it didn't take long to make all these variations.  I filled the pouches with goodies.  I decided to make all different patterns so people could pick a color combo they would want to have.  But the bride-to be's colors and pink, black, and white. 

Mermaid Sets

Nate bought me a serger last year for my birthday and I am continually looking for projects to make on it.  I love little knit dresses and my girls love to wear them all summer long.  These dresses are actually made from an Ottobre Design tunic pattern.  I just lengthened them to make them into dresses.  And I wanted to make capris to go underneath so they could play freely without danger of flashing.  So I just hacked a pattern from some of their store bought capris.

Del Hi Complete! Festival of Quilts!

I really enjoyed working on this quilt.  I used the Del Hi pattern from Free Spirit fabric along with the fabrics by Valori Wells.  I have always really loved her collections.  This quilt was not for me, and I hope so much that it's new owner loves it.   I quilted a mum type pattern in all the strips and then butterflies in the cross section.  The finished size is about 68 x 89 inches.  The original pattern was for an 80 x 80 throw and I modified it to fit a twin sized bed.  I love being able to change things about ready made patterns to fit what I need.  I have to say again, I love how it turned out.

Twin Sets!

Not really of the shell and cardigan style.  Bella was invited to a birthday party for her friends a few weeks ago.  She has known these girls for a few years and we wanted to do something special.  So I made them matching pj's with pillowcases.  The girls loved them and I was happy with how they turned out.  The fabric is Alexander Henry.  I have had it for quite a long time so I am sure it is out of print.