WIP Wednesday 9/11/13

My computer has been in the shop for nearly two weeks now and it’s driving me a little batty! So that means that you’ll have to endure cell phone pictures of my WIPs this week.

Finished this week

My baby turned two this past weekend. She’s officially exited the baby stage and is in full-on toddler mode. I have mixed emotions about it because I’m pretty sure she’s going to be my last child. Anyway, for her birthday, I made her a #geranium tunic using Made by Rae’s pattern. And I think it turned out pretty stinkin’ cute! There are definitely things I need to do better next time (like pay attention to where my 3/8” seam line is on my machine – I used the 5/8” line when sewing the bodice, but it still fits!), but I was really pleased with how it turned out.

Instead of using one print, I used two Lizzy House prints, a Hello Pilgrim flower print and some green Pearl Bracelets.

I still need to add the buttons to the back, so I'm hoping I don't put that off too long.

It was my dad's birthday last week too. Every time he calls me on the phone, he sings, "I just called to say 'I love you'" by Lionel Richie. So for his birthday, I made him this wall-hanging. Eventually, I'll make myself a pillow like it too.

In progress this week

I'm having wrist and elbow surgery in a few weeks so I'm trying to get this next project crossed off my list ASAP before I lose the use of my arm for six weeks.

I used Red Pepper Quilts' Labyrinth pattern to make this brown and blue quilt top. I plan to add another outer border to finish it off. I really like the color combo. Brown isn't usually a color that I use much in quilts, but I like how it pairs with the blue here. The top came together pretty quickly too. I'll definitely be making another one in the future.

Finished 1001 Peeps Supernova Quilt

In 2011, the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild formed a little quilting bee with some of its members. August was my month and I asked the girls to make me blocks for a Supernova quilt.

I had been saving some fat quarters of the blue and purple colorways from Lizzy House's 1001 Peeps collection. I love how the colors work together in this quilt.

My friend, Barbie, quilted this quilt for me. I asked her to do randomly wavy lines and I love how it turned out!

I used the castle turrets print to add mitered borders around the blocks. These were a first for me, so there's room for improvement, but they didn't turn out half bad.

I had several various sized cuts of a few of the prints in the line that I had bought on sale at Hawthorne Threads. Pink Castle Fabrics has some of the prints on sale right now too. I pieced them in random width strips for the backing.

For the binding, I used the blue illuminated and turret prints.

Quilt Stats

Measurements: 70x88 before washing

Fabric: Lizzy House's 1001 Peeps and Kona Snow

Pattern: Slightly modified from Lee's Supernova Quilt-along

Quilting: Random wavy lines by Barbie Mills

August/September Bee Blocks and Other Random Sewing

August was Megan's month in the Sew Beautiful Bee. She asked for Lone Starburst blocks. She sent a bunch of really bright fabric scraps and asked us to follow the tutorial found at the Six White Horses blog here. I loved, loved, loved making this block! I usually start to sweat a bit when asked to paper piece, but this one was very doable for me and I had a lot of fun with it. I'll definitely be making some of these for myself in the near future!

AnneMarie's turn was next for September. She asked for improv hexagon blocks inspired by Angela's block here. AnneMarie sent a bunch of Japanese import prints. It was fun to fussycut these fabrics for the hexagons.

While perusing Instagram, I saw Rae's maxi version of her Washi Dress and just about died. I stalked her blog for a couple days, anxiously awaiting the release of her pattern. I snagged one and quickly bought fabric to make a Washi Tunic and a Washi Maxi. Here's my "quick, honey, take a picture of my shirt with my phone" photo. I haven't tackled the maxi yet, but I am please with how the tunic version came together.

My older daughter is at the age where not only does she love to wear skirts and dresses, but she likes wearing things that I've made for her. I want to take advantage of that for as long as I can since I know all too soon she'll refuse to wear anything I make for her or even hint at thinking is cool, because of course anything Mom thinks is cool will be the complete opposite. Several Saturdays ago, she wanted to wear a skirt (of course), and I sadly, but not surprisingly, was behind on laundry. I pulled out some Heather Ross Crafy Chloe Pin People fabric and made a quick 10-minute skirt. My daughter's friend wanted to play, and when she got to our house, she saw me making the skirt for my daughter. She asked if I'd make her one too. I tried to hide my huge goofy grin, said, "Sure," and asked her what her favorite color is (pink). I finished my daughter's skirt, she got dressed, and the two girls went out to play. I then ran upstairs, found some pink fabric, and whipped together another 10-minute skirt for the friend. (I noticed she was wearing it yesterday when she came over to play...my heart sang!)

I mentioned earlier that paper piecing makes me nervous. But, I've really come to love English paper piecing (EPP). I've been accumulating supplies over the last couple months and decided it was about time I make a zippered pouch to store my paper pieces in. For this pouch, I cut two 10x10 inch squares from Melody Miller's Ruby Star Shining typewriter fabric and two 10x10 inch squares from Joel Dewberry's Deer Valley Lodge Lattice in Azure fabric, and used a 10 inch zipper. I boxed the bottom of the pouch, making the finished bag about 8 inches wide by 9 inches tall. It's the perfect size (for now), and it's great to have all my EPP supplies in one place.

Well, thanks for making it through that hodgepodge of a post. I have a couple more finished quilts to show over the next little bit. Have a good weekend, everyone!

September 11, the day after

So I meant to post this yesterday because it would have made better sense, but I was distracted by a sick baby.

September 11 is kind of a bummer day here in the states because of the World Trade Center attack. It's also the day I had my miscarriage a couple years ago. To top it all off, my bestie cousin started chemo yesterday for ovarian cancer. She had to have a complete hysterectomy and has not yet had the opportunity to have kids. She's only 32.

I found out she was scheduled for chemo a couple weeks ago. My mom is a breast cancer survivor (20 years now - go Mom!) and I remember her talking about how cold she'd get during her chemo treatments. So, I thought my cousin could use a quilt. Not only to keep her warm, but maybe lift her spirits and remind her that she has a lot of people thinking about her and cheering her on. To remind her to have

I pulled together a bunch of fabrics and cut 12.5" squares. Simple, big patchwork. I used fabrics from Lizzy House, Riley Blake, Tula Pink, Laurie Wisbrun, Momo, American Jane, Heather Bailey, Doohikey Designs, Denyse Schmidt, Joel Dewberry, Emily Herrick, and others.

For the back, I paper pieced "hope" using the wonky alphabet pattern from Kelbysews and added a DS Quilts print from one of her Joann's lines, a Lizzy House Pearl Bracelets print, and a Joel Dewberry print from Modern Meadow.

I quilted it in meandering double loops and bound it in a plaid from Play Ball from Riley Blake.

The quilt measures about 60"x60".

A few random sewing projects, part 1

As I mentioned in my last post, I've really been enjoying working on some smaller projects that offer instant gratification when I finish them in one sitting. Perhaps this is because I've started so many big quilt projects that are in various stages of completion. Here's a hodge podge rundown of some of the projects I've been working on lately.

First up are a few drawstring bags using Jeni's tutorial. With three kids five and younger, it's a constant challenge to stay organized out our house. I made a few of these bags to help in our toy-organizing effort. These really are so quick to whip up, especially if you use ribbon as the drawstring. I plan to make many more of these in the near future.



I also sewed up a quick skirt for my daughter using the Crafy Chloe unicorn fabric by Heather Ross that is available at Hancock's. My daughter is pretty much obsessed with wearing skirts on a daily basis. I figured rather than buying more skirts since so many if hers have gotten too small (she's growing like a weed), I'd just make some.



This one isn't lined, but it's also meant to be a play-day skirt. I've since made another skirt just like this one using some DS Quilts and Lizzy House fabric that she can wear to church. I wanted it to be lined, but didn't want to "waste" good fabric on the lining, so I made it reversible instead. I still have to take pictures of that one, but I'll show you what I'm talking about when I do.



Now, I don't know about all you ladies, but when it comes to "that time of the month," I usually just carry tampons and such loosely in my purse. I remember in jr. high and high school being so embarrassed when I needed to use the restroom and tried so hard to be discreet. I decided it was time to have a cute little pouch I could house those supplies in and stick in my purse, making it easier to just grab the pouch rather than stick a tampon in my pocket and head for the bathroom. While I was at it, I made a few more for my nieces so they can feel a little less self-conscious too.



Last month, Jessica (Euphoria on Flickr) invited my to participate in a charity sewing event, Bibs for Babies, that she was organizing. The Operation Shower non-profit group gives baby showers to military families, helping to raise spirits despite deployment. She asked for everyone participating to make two baby bibs that she can donate to the cause, hoping to collect 100 bibs. This was a first for me, and while there's definitely room for improvement, it was nice to use some materials I had on-hand as well as contribute to good cause.



Well, that's the rundown for now. Check back Saturday for a few more projects I have in the works.

Carpenter's Star for Sukie

For Sukie's month in our local guild bee, she requested Cherie's Carpenter's Star blocks. She had such fun color combos within each package, but I chose this green and gray one. The green doesn't quite look as yellow as it does in this picture.



I'm part way through cutting my Figgy Pudding stash to make a Christmas quilt using this pattern. I can't stress enough how much I LOVE this block!

I also received my last fabric.com order last week. I purchased an assortment of Lizzy House's Outfoxed prints as well as some Michael Miller grays. Aside from Flea Market Fancy, this is my last fabric purchase for a while...at least it should be. ;)



Pin It

Look! It's finished!

I promise this will be the last post I write about round seven of the Pillow Talk Swap (except to show off the pillow I receive, of course). I finished my partner's pillow over the weekend and I am so pleased with how it turned out!



Except for the binding. That just about did me in. I had to rip out a couple sections and redo them.

I changed my fabric choice for the binding as I was getting ready to make it. The multi Pezzy Print wasn't cutting it. I opted for a solid to help balance out all the different patterns.



I straight-line quilted each piece (front and two back flaps). The front and part of the back features parallel straight lines that measure about 1/4 to 3/8 inches apart.



I also quilted zig zags the same distance apart, along with a decorative wavy stitch on the Washi fabric strip on the back.



On one of the back flaps, I quilted wavy lines with my walking foot.



I'm excited to ship this puppy tomorrow and see what my partner thinks when the pillow arrives at its new home!

Pillow Stats
Size: ~18.5 inches (fits 20-inch pillow form snuggly)
Pattern: Drunkard's path die from Accuquilt Go! Baby
Design: Me
Quilting: Straight line by me
Fabrics: Variety of prints, including Washi, Hometown, Make Life, Metro Living, to name a few

WIP Wednesday: My First of 2012

I have a slew of items on my to-do list that are in various stages of completion. I really really really want to get them done so I can work on one of my 2012 goals: working on one project, start to finish, before beginning anything new. So, here are a few WIPs and a couple finishes for this week to get the ball rolling.

In Progress

1001 Peeps Supernova

My local bee mates helped me put the blocks together for this one back in August before I had my baby. I made two more blocks earlier this month and then pieced the top together. I love that mitered border! Read more about this quilt top here.



Quilt for my mom

I've cut most of the printed fabric for my mom's quilt, but need to finish cutting about three more fat quarters and then I'll get started on the solid. Her quilt will be really similar in design to my dad's quilt.

Quilt for my oldest daughter's bed

I started this quilt back in the summer in preparation for moving my middle child out of the crib and into a bunkbed. I have the top half-way pieced and just lost motivation in getting it done. I WILL finish it up.

Quilt for another sister

I started a quilt for my sister, who's right above me in the family line, forever ago. At least a year ago. Maybe more. Despite it being red, black, gray, and white (I'm not a huge fan of the red and black color combo), I really love the blocks. I'm determined to get this one done at least before the year is half over.

Finished

Drawstring bag

I made this bag on Sunday to hold my daughter's first set of Legos.



Appliqued Name Pillows

I spent Saturday appliqueing letters onto fabric for pillow fronts. My sister-in-law asked my sister to make 16 pillows for girls in her church who are advancing to the Young Women program. Since my sister has been watching my kids for me, I told her I would help out with the pillows. I appliqued eight of the names on Saturday. And I am sure glad to be done!



Bee Block for Colleen

Colleen asked for circles way back in September for our local bee, but she let me have an extension since I had my baby and didn't make it to a couple meetings afterward. This circle piecing was difficult for me. I need to give the block to Colleen on Saturday, so if I have any time before now and then, I'll try adding another circle or two. I think her quilt is going to turn out awesome, especially because she is hand-quilting around each circle with different color thread.



I'm hoping to be more productive starting next week. I've rearranged my work schedule, which starts soon, and I think it'll give me a little more time for sewing!

Linking up to:

Drawstring bag, an oops, and a bit of a rant

The mister and I are always trying to find ways to help our middle, impressionable daughter know that there's more to life than pretty princesses. She's three so that's pretty much all she cares about most of the time. In fact, we had a really hard time coming up with Christmas gifts for her that were appropriate for a three-year-old girl, but not just "pretty" and pointless. We've made the decision not to buy Barbies for her and we're trying to limit the influence of dolls and being pretty and dresses (not so successful there) and...and...and...

The mister is also an avid magazine reader. Bloomberg Business had an article in a recent issue about Legos for girls. We were pretty excited and it was interesting to hear what changes were made to the legendary building blocks.

"...There's a Lego phase for boys that's as consuming as the princess phase. But unlike tiaras and pink chiffon, Lego play develops spatial, mathematical, and fine motor skills, and lets kids build almost anything they can imagine, often leading to hours of quiet, independent play." -Bloomberg

While at WalMart last night, the mister spotted a few sets of these Legos for girls and brought some home for her. Thankfully, the one he chose for her was the dog show set rather than the salon (another influence of physical appearance and feminine stereotypes - ugh - but I'll save those rantings for another day).

So now I'll get to the point of this post. After taking the Legos out of the box last night, I quickly realized that we needed a bag to store them in. I've been wanting to try Jeni's drawstring bag tutorial for a while now and this was the perfect time for it.



I made the mistake of not reading through the instructions all the way before cutting the fabric. Otherwise I would've seen how to cut my directional fabric (the ducks) the right way. Oh well. I think having the ducks sideways gives the bag a nice horizontal stripe look.

I also need to stop being lazy and actually change out my thread to a matching color when it'll be visible from the outside. Seriously. That white thread really sticks out against those dots.



The bag came together so easily. I took Kati's advice and used ribbon instead of making the drawstrings to save time. Although, the only ribbon I had on hand was this sheer stuff that I would rather not have used. Now I want to cut out fabric for a few more bags to organize my son's toys too.

So despite my mistakes in constructing the bag, I think it was a hit.



And if any of you have strong feelings about the constant influx of negative media bombarding girls of all ages, feel free to tell me how you feel.

My Supernova Quilt Top

A few of us in the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild came together to form a local quilt bee, La Beeda Loca. August was my month and I asked the girls to make Supernova blocks for me using 1001 Peeps and Lee's awesome quilt-along tutorial.

I opted to make the quilt top out of 12 blocks instead of 9, so I made two more blocks. One of the girls pieced the outer units the wrong way, and while she offered to redo them for me, I loved how the block looked so I made another block that way (see the middle blocks on the second and third rows).



I got some of the tower fabric and wanted to try mitered corners on the border. It was my first time, so there is definitely room for improvement, but I was pleased with how the border turned out.



Hawthorne Threads had several prints from the 1001 Peeps line on sale last month so I ordered a bunch to use for the backing. I'll be binding it with Peeps Illuminate in Light Blue. Can't wait to finish it off, but I think my mom would really like me to work on her bed quilt first.

Pillows Galore & Starting the Kona Solids Challenge

A couple weeks ago, I spent a Saturday making nine 20" pillows. I'm happy to report that I mastered the invisible zipper. It took me four tries to get the first zipper on, but after that, the rest came together like that (*snaps fingers). I made three more pillows over the last week, making 12 in all. Since I ran out of zippers, the last three just have envelope closures. Here are a few.

Riley Blake's All Star 2


Art Gallery's Spellbound


Momo's Odyssea Front


Momo's Odyssea Back


Lizzy House's Red Letter Day




I know I've said this before, but I need a long break from pillows. I'm learning that I need to have a nice variety of projects/techniques to work on so I don't get burned out.

In other news, the Salt Lake Modern Quilt Guild is having a Kona Solids challenge over the next two months. We got the Brights pack and I'm excited to try something new.



I cut my charm pack into 2.5" squares.



We can add in any solids that we want (so far, I've added Kona Coal), but we can't use any prints. We can make anything from a pillow to a king size quilt.



I have a plan in mind and have started piecing the top of my quilt. Hopefully, it turns out the way I hope.