What I've been working on...

You know how when you have a huge, ginormous list of things you want to do and then life gets in the way and prevents you from accomplishing anything on said list? Yeah, that never happens to me, either :)

Somehow, someway, I ended up with a Christmas gift to-do list as tall as I am and the amount of time to finish them is getting smaller and smaller...cue the panicky breathing and the paper bag.

Not only am I making a quilt for the hubster, but I'm also quilting one for someone in my family.

This is the one I made for my hubster:

It has been sewn together, basted, and now is partially quilted since this photo was taken, so that's progress, I guess!

I hope to have more pictures of works in progress on here soon. Hope you are having a good week!

Fandango stars

This is going to be more a contemplative post, rather than the bubbly ones that I normally post, but for good reason. This post does include a finished quilt, though, so stay with me :)

To make a very long story short, a neighbor of mine recently lost her husband. The means of the passing I don't know, nor do I think I should, but the end result is that a woman, married a little more than a month, lost her husband and was left to raise two kids and pick up the pieces of her life by herself. Not only that, but her past is not an easy one and includes huge loss in it as well.

My heart was broken for her. I cannot even conceive the enormity of that loss, and to be honest, it scares me to dwell on it, because it could happen to anyone, at any time, and in such a life-altering way. It may sound weird, but I found that I had to work through my grief, too, and I searched for ways to help her. We don't really have much of a relationship to begin with, and understandably, she kept to herself.

What could I do to help her that wouldn't turn out to be awkward and weird, too? I thought and thought and one night, while I was snuggled under my couch-cuddle quilt, I thought, a quilt, that's what she needs, a quilt to snuggle on the couch with in case she didn't want to sleep in her bed.

What I had was my Fandango quilt that was partially quilted and was patiently waiting for some tender loving quilting. I spent about four hours one day and three more hours spread out over a couple more days finishing the quilting and binding and nervously packing it in gift bag for her. I put it on her doorstep, with a note tucked inside.

I don't know if it was well-received or not, and to be honest, I don't care if it was or not. It helped me to make something with my own hands to give to her with the offer of comfort if she wanted it, and part of me believes that is what quilting is all about: offering comfort from something made with time, love, and fabulous fabric :)

And so, I present, "Fandango Stars" (of course I took pictures before I delivered it!)

The top row and the bottom row are echo-quilted in the star toward the center of the star, while the middle two rows are echo-quilted from the star out toward the edges of the block. All the sashing and borders are quilted in the ditch.

I was a little sad to see it go, but that's balanced by the fact that it was made with love for someone in need.

Pinwheels aplenty!

It certainly has been a long while since I have been on this space, but don't think it is because I haven't been doing anything! No sir, not me! Always working away on something, I am :)

What I've been working on: I made another set of 5 burp cloths, in the same fabric as before (remember, you can get 10 burp cloths from 5 fat quarters); I laid out the In From the Cold fabric for the Christmas quilt I wanted to get done this year, but I'm not sure I like the layout how it is; and I started (and finished!) a new quilt top!

In From the Cold layout...

I saw this tutorial on Moda Bakeshop and thought it was one of the cutest quilts I have ever seen! Plus, I haven't tried my hand at pinwheels yet (I know! Can you believe it?). And, I just happened to have been stockpiling gathering 30's fabrics here and there. I mean, how could I not make this quilt?

All the pretty fabric...

 

Lovely trimmings from the half-square triangles...

Laying it all out on the line...

 
I made it bigger than the tutorial; instead of a baby blanket, I wanted this to be throw-size, so I made extra pinwheels, doing a 5x6 layout instead of the 3x4 layout in the tutorial. I used around three charm packs, instead of the single one that was called for in the pattern, so I had plenty left over for the prairie points (something else that I hadn't tried before), and what was left over from that is perfect for making some EPP hexies (2 1/2 squares), which was fine by me! I also made the second border 5 1/2" instead of what was called for in the pattern.

Prairie points mixed in a bag for ultimate scrappiness!

It is so happy and adorable that sometimes, I just lay the top out on the bed and look at it and smile. I already know how I'm going to quilt it; I just need to find just the right backing for it!

One more tidbit...I found the neatest little thing at a recent quilt show...an ironing cover for a little folding TV tray! Isn't the fabric adorable? It sits right next to me while I'm sewing, so I can press (really, I iron instead of pressing, but that's between you and me) and then start sewing again without having to get up! Genius!

I will post better pictures of the pinwheel top soon! Until then, hope you're having a good day!

Slice of fun

Hello there! How are things going in your world today? Hopefully all good things are happening to you...

I've embarked on a new project and this is one is just for fun! I haven't had a just for fun project in a while, so this is very exciting! I might have been smiling and giggling like a silly ninny the whole time I was sewing...maybe :)

Like a squirrel with its nuts, I've been hoarding charm packs and fat eighths of 30s and 40s reproduction fabrics and stashing them about the house. Then I forget and find them some time later :)

 

I found this pattern on Moda Bakeshop and ever since I saw it, I've been wanting to make it! I'm making it a little bigger, a throw size rather than a baby blanket...

Can't wait to share progress updates with you and hope you have a good week!

She's alive!!!

She's alive...and somewhat kicking :) So much has been going on in my little world lately that I haven't had time to update this ol' blog here with some the projects that I've been working on!

Never fear, though, we can fix that!

My In From the Cold fat eighth bundle has been sliced into; I cut 4 5-inch squares from each eighth and have some scraps left over that I plan on making a couple pillows out of.

 
My office seems to have a fertility statue hidden somewhere...now there are five pregnant ladies! It was time to come up with something to make for them that is not as intensive as a quilt, but still something useful and handmade...burp cloths! I backed mine with terry cloth found at JoAnn's and wish that I had had some for myself!

 

I've given away one set and have another cut out...you can make ten burp cloths (or 2 sets of 5) with 5 fat quarters and a yard of terry cloth...good deal if you ask me...especially when you get everything on sale or with a coupon!

 

 
Lastly, I made a skirt for a friend of mine whose daughter turned four last week. It felt really nice to make the whole skirt from my stash...something I need to do more of!

 
I'll be back soon with more fun for you!

 

Sunny Day Progress

Progress: the process of improving or developing something over a period of time. Pretty fitting description for anything quilting related, huh?

This project, using a kit found at a quilt show with Avalon fabrics, has been placed on the back burner several times since I started it, but I'm happy to report that the top is finished! Progress has been made!

It's now basted and partially quilted. I'm not real happy with how the quilting is going, though, so I've started unpicking what has already been quilted, which sucks a big, fat one. I was going to do an allover floral design with some swirly loops between the flowers, but the flowers look more like a child's scribbles than a flower and that was ticking me off, so I stopped quilting and started unpicking. I think I'll go with this pattern: Crybaby Meander; it looks easy enough and it is something that I haven't tried before.

I just really want to get this done, so I can snuggle on the couch with it, even though it's going to be like, a hundred degrees here shortly... :)

In From the Cold!!

I might have mentioned this before, but I love Kate Spain and all of her lines of fabric! Last year, I fell in love with her In From the Cold line because it was just the right mix of green and red holiday, without being too holiday-ish.

I've been kicking myself for not getting any fabric from that line when it came out last year, and have been trolling around looking for it.

I was so excited when I found this bundle, I gave a little squeak and promptly clicked the Purchase button. It is a fat-eighth bundle, which is just enough fabric for what I plan to make out of it. I've already made a dent in cutting it... :)

Linking up to Molli Sparkle's Sunday Stash:

Let's do this again!

Ready for round three of baby blankets? Or round four? Or five? I have seriously lost count of how many baby blankets I've already made this year, but I think the end is in sight!

This one is for a former co-worker of mine who loves the outdoors and is having a boy. The fabric is from the fat quarter set that I bought at a local craft store and split up to make another baby quilt in the same pattern; that quilt used the green and white and brown fabrics to be gender-neutral. I love the teals and browns in this quilt and the flannel fabric is sooo soft!

I did a simple four-patch pattern and quilted it from corner to corner through each square, which resulted in a soft and cozy finish.

The binding is a brown dot (same as the other flannel baby quilt) and is backed in a turquoise gingham print that I fell in love with at the store.

I also finished making the bags for the new big sister. I used a fairy print that I have had in my stash for a couple of years, so I don't even know what designer or whatnot it is, but I love it so much!

I made three bags, two for the big sister and one for me, but since I have already wrapped the other two, I just have mine to show you. The other two were made with the purple fairy print, a brown with small white polka dots, and the brown and white fabric you see on mine.

I adore these bags! They came together fast and the pattern was easy enough to follow; they might pop up again in different fabrics for Christmas presents.... :)

Busy bees

Spring is the time of year when everything starts getting busy: the flowers are busy blooming, the bees are busy collecting pollen and women are showing the signs of getting busy in the fall (if you know what I mean), so needless to say, that finds me busy making baby quilts!


 

I finally got some free time (thanks hubster!) to do some serious sewing, so without further ado, I present my second (or third, but really, who's counting?) baby blanket this year!

I picked up a 12-piece flannel fat quarter set (so soft!) at a local craft store, so I'm not sure what lines these fabrics are from, but they sure are cute! This pattern uses six fat quarters, so I split up the fat quarter set into two different colorways and am working on a second quilt in the same pattern, to be finished sometime in the future.

This quilt was supposed to be gender-neutral because the couple it is intended for is not finding out what they are having, but since the mom will be induced tomorrow, three weeks ahead of schedule, I guess that's a moot point now!

Of course, I had to take a picture of the section that has crooked quilting lines...

The new baby has an older sister, so I will make her a couple of drawstring bags, probably using this tutorial, as a big sister gift. Or consolation prize, depending on who you talk to :) I will post those once they are done.

Hope you have a great week!

So much to do, so little time! That's always the case, isn't it?

I just wanted to do a quick update on what I'm working on...

The Fandango stars quilt is about 1/3 to 1/2 quilted. I dedicated several one-hour time slots over the past few weeks toward it and am frustrated with how long it is taking and how little progress is being made, so it has been folded up (again) and will sit for another time when I feel the urge to work on it. It also doesn't help that I am always changing how I want it to be quilted :) I honestly feel that perhaps this project would have been better sent off to a professional longarm quilter...

I have the backing for my Dear Stella quilt, but have set aside that project...for now.

My kitchen curtains still have not been made...

But...I have started on three different baby quilts! I am really good at starting lots of different projects, but not so good at the finishing part of it :) One of them is from fabric leftover from the Dear Stella quilt, and the other two are made from a fat quarter set I bought at a local craft store.

Hopefully, progress will be made on these this weekend because I am starting to run short on time...

WIPs

Today, I thought I'd share a couple of my current WIP (work in progress) projects that I've managed to start but don't have any time to work on.

Alas, I can look at the pictures and say "someday, I will work on you"... :)

The first project is one that I started last year when I was pregnant with Boy #2. I was technically on bed rest, but anyone who has had that sentence knows there is no way in heck you can just lay in a bed all day long. So I sat sometimes, instead. I saw this pattern on Moda Bakeshop a while back and loved it, fabric and all and put it on my to-do list with the stipulation that I would make it, but only with the fabric it was originally made with because I loved it so much. So, I waited and searched and hunted in vain, until one day, a local quilt store had a layer cake and by that time, I was ready to pay the price they had listed for it.

The fabric line was Fandango by Kate Spain, and she is one of my most favorite fabric designers. The pattern is made from 3 charm packs and some yardage and I just love it! Mostly because it has stars in it :)

The top is all finished and basted. I have 3 of the 16 stars quilted and with the way I am quilting it, each star takes about 45 minutes to quilt...so, needless to say, it is hard for me to commit the time to quilt one star versus getting 45 minutes further on another project, since I pretty much only sew after bedtimes for normal people. I really want to get this done soon though...

My next WIP is a quilt kit that I picked up at a local quilt show. I fell in love with the display quilt, but decided not to get the kit. Then I walked around the show and thought about that darn quilt the whole rest of the time I was there. Somehow my feet wandered back there and I grabbed it before I could think twice about it (again).

The colors aren't something I normally lean to, but the more that I look at them, the more I love them! The fabrics are Paloma by Dear Stella. I just got the backing for it and it is a flower-embossed minky in white that I am so excited about. This will be my cuddle-on-the-couch quilt for myself, since I still seem to be borrowing Boy #1's quilt to snuggle with...

The third thing on my WIP list is to make curtains for my kitchen out of these super cute fabrics! I picked up a couple of half-yard cuts at my local quilt store because they were so cute, but I didn't have any plans for them. A few weeks ago, I hung up the fabric to see what they would look like as curtains and voila! new plan for the fabric. The fabrics are from the KITSCHenette line by Claudine Hellmuth for Andover Fabrics.

Also on my list is finding a pattern using fat quarters for Boy #2's quilt.

I just have a couple of things to keep me busy :) Hope you have a great first day of Spring!

 

Round and round finished!

Yay! My second finished quilt of the year! Man, I am on a roll!

I have so many WIPs floating around, that sometimes I feel like a butterfly flying here, working on this for a little bit, flying there, working on that for a little bit, and somehow I manage to come up with even more things to do while I'm fluttering around. So, last month, I decided I needed to finish something and get it off of my to-do list, and what better thing to finish than something that has been on my list for over a year (maybe a little more).

 This quilt is for Boy #1. It feels so good to know that he is going to have something handmade by his mommy. Even if he never uses it (he's pretty attached to some other blankets), at least he has it :)

I quilted the circles with swirls. In the beginning, I tried to keep the lines uniformly apart, but then some squiggles happened and since I have a no-unpicking policy (unless I royally screwed up the piecing part of it), they stayed, along with the hundred other squiggles that happened.

I stitched in the ditch around each square/block and did a loopy-loop on the borders. I really enjoyed doing the loopy-loops because they were super fast and perfect for borders.

He hasn't received the quilt yet, because I am still on the fence about whether he should receive it as a birthday present (which is still a few months away) or as a just-because present, but I think he will be receiving it in the near-future, just because :)

Also, I might be borrowing it to snuggle with after he goes to bed...maybe.

Jack-Jack's Quilt

It's a lovely day in the neighborhood today! I'm deluding myself that spring is just around the corner and pretty soon it will be all bright and sunshiny outside again! Whatever it takes to get through the day, right?

This weekend I finished my quilt for my coworker, which makes it my first completed quilt of 2014!!! I actually started and finished a quilt in the first month of the new year - pretty awesome-sauce if you ask me! We'll overlook the fact that it was a baby quilt and a pretty easy pattern at that :)

I'm calling this one "Jack-Jack's Quilt" because 1) the baby's name will be Jack and 2) I love the little baby from The Incredibles named Jack-Jack and 3) I'm not feeling clever enough to come up with a really creative name.

    




I ended up pulling the stitches from the top row and resewing the top row on the other side of the block and that fixed the problem that I was having. It might've taken help from my super-smart hubster to figure that out, but it worked like a charm! I was ready to throw in the towel and consider it done.

I quilted it in straight lines running from corner to corner. I had intended to then go the other way to end up with a grid, but by the time I got done with the first set of lines, I fell out of love with that idea.

I love the texture that all those lines produces!! The only concern I had was bunching; I'm not sure if I didn't baste well enough or if it was the shot cottons that I used, but I ended up with some bunches in between the lines. It added to the whole look of the quilt, and feels super-neat, but I'm not sure if that is normal or if something was off on my end of things.

Anyway, the end result is that I was able to finish it the day before my coworker left; I feel so accomplished and I kind of wanted to keep the quilt for myself - maybe I'll keep the next one I work on instead!