Swoons 2 & 3

Here are pictures of my second and third Swoon blocks - taken in the evening light, which is why they look kind of funny. After making these I decided enough with the brown and green and bought more golden/orange fabrics. I'm hoping for a mostly yellow and gray color palette, but I'll toss in these green and brown ones to break things up a bit. I'm still using mostly Flea Market Fancy fabrics, but I can't resist adding in some other things as well.



I actually finished up a fourth Swoon last night but haven't had time to take pictures yet. We are having some bizarre rainy weather here now that it is June - my poor garden! I managed to germinate some okra seeds this year and was excited to watch them grow in our "hot dry weather," which is apparently all they need to do well. Who would have thought it would become cold and wet now that those little tropical plants are thriving in the back yard. Huh. Anyways, I'm plugging away at this quilt and very determined to actually finish it before the summer ends. Happy Tuesday!

Scrap Attack Quilt

Have you seen that Rachel is hosting a Scrap Attack Quilt Along? I tried to resist it, but then I saw this tutorial on how to piece your super tiny fabric scraps, and my last shreds of self control were destroyed. I have a huge overflowing drawer of teeny tiny scraps that I don't have the heart to get rid of, and a quilt is just where they need to go.



Happily, I just finished up one of the other quilts I've been working on (pictures coming soon), which freed up a little space in my sewing cabinet and brain to add this new project. I sorted through all the scraps trying to pull out things that wouldn't result in anything too riotous. I'm thinking blues and purples with pink and grey, give or take a bit. Thankfully, Rachel talked about the importance of incorporating solids into the mix, which has been a huge help. I usually ignore the ever growing pile of solids in the scrap bin, but they definitely help ground things when working with so many different colors and patterns.



Well, these blocks are super addicting! I love making them and they are fast. The lack of planning and cutting definitely appeal to the rebellious part of me that always wants to measure everything and make it symmetrical and perfect. Speaking of which, I am still trying to decide whether I will use sashing or just sew all the blocks together into a huge happy mess. I'm supposed to be finished with the quilt by the end of March and think that's a realistic goal. I'm envisioning backing it with something different, like Anna Maria Horner's velveteen and not using any batting to give it some more drape. Happy Friday everybody!

do. Good Stitches January blossom block

This month (January) I am in charge of designing and assembling the Empower Circle's quilt for the do. Good Stitches charity quilting bee. It is exciting, yes, but to be honest, I am suffering from a bit of stage fright. Oh well, here goes! Above is a picture of the blocks we will be making. I was inspired by this quilt, which I can't stop thinking about! She made it using all solids, but this month we will be using prints in deep purples and pinks, with accents of gray and gold:



I couldn't find a tutorial for this block anywhere so I just figured it out, taking pictures as I went along (this required MATH. hm.) I'd love to give credit where credit is due, and figure out what this is actually called, so if you know, please tell me! I'll call it a blossom block for now, since that's what it reminds me of. Here is what you need to cut out:



4 large 6.5" squares in your chosen prints
8 small 3.5" squares in Kona coal (for bee friends; everyone else, use the same fabric you will be sashing with)
2 small 1" x 6.5" strips in Kona coal
1 large 1" x 13.25" strip in Kona coal

Lay a small square on the upper left hand corner of one of the large squares and mark your sewing line:



Since I am lazy and don't like to get up and down from my sewing machine, I like to do both corners at once, like so:



Sew your seams, then cut the extra fabric and save it for another fun project. Things should now look something like this:



When your seams are ironed, it will look like this. You have your first petal!



Repeat with the three remaining petals. Now you can finish your block using the strips you cut out. Here is the layout:



And now you're done! The end result should measure about 12.5" square. Feel free to mix it up as far as the petal part of the block goes (that's the large squares). Solids, prints, even pieced petals would look awesome if you had the time and felt like it.



I'm really looking forward to seeing how all the different blocks turn out!

Half-way there...

Remember my 49 Monkey Wrench Blocks? Last night I finally got to work piecing them into a quilt. I dug up the pattern I was following all those years ago, and saw that rather than piecing each block with sashing between, they are actually placed on the diagonal with setting squares between each block. In the pattern, the setting squares are supposed to be a solid color, but of course I opted for a print. (I know, even after I touted the joys of solids in my last post...) I thought this Tula Pink "Damask Dot" would modernize things a bit, and hopefully keep the eye moving so it isn't easy to spot all my terrible corners! (In my own defense, these Monkey Wrenches are the very first patchwork I ever did and I cut all the tiny pieces out sitting on the carpet using paper scissors...) It was super hard squaring all the blocks off to the same size, and some are a bit wonky, but with that gorgeous damask between each one I don't even care.

Oh, and please pardon whatever is going on with my shirt and belt in this picture. Pretty sure this is what I accidentally look like most afternoons following my super-rushed potty break between making snacks and playing marbles. Hm. I should look in the mirror more often.

Anyways, the boys were excited this morning when I showed them the quilt I am making "for us." I didn't have the heart to tell them it is really for ME. But I think there will be room under it for snuggling, so I guess I can share. Hoping to finish the piecing tonight while the hubs is throwing pottery at our neighbor's house...

Lots to Sew

This blog has been short of sewing posts lately (maybe you're glad about that?), but that certainly doesn't mean I haven't been making things! My house is scattered with all sorts of in-progress projects. *sigh* Someday I will have a sewing room! Until then, the tops of furniture and various drawers will have to suffice. I'm working on a custom order for 6 baby girl bibs - and I always love it when the customer says "just do whatever you want."



I had a little shopping spree last weekend, which resulted in a large pile of yummy new fabrics that need to be ironed. I like ironing fabric - so soothing. I've read a lot about how much people hate ironing fabric and ironing their seams when piecing a quilt, but that is one of my favorite parts. It's so satisfying to turn something all jumbled up into a flat piece with a nice straight seam...



These guys have been waiting to be filled with lavender for over a week. And I didn't even take pictures of the pile of finished ones waiting for their photo shoot. I'm hoping to have the shop restocked with sachets some time next week... this new batch is really fun!



And, because I don't have enough overwhelming projects going on, I finally succumbed to the wiles of the hexagon charm quilt! I am super excited about this, and, in typical form, want to ditch all the other things I am half-finished with and spend every second of the day sewing little hexagons. But I won't. I did make my first 25 last night while watching a movie with the hubby - so very fast, fun and easy! I'm hoping to get a bunch of these little guys made (and I think I need over 1,000) on our upcoming road trip to Oregon. I promise to finish the bib order first, though! :) I've been wanting to make a quilt just for me, and hoping to incorporate a lot of the little scraps of favorite fabrics I've held onto over the years. I've been wanting to make quilts of tinier and tinier pieces lately, and one-inch hexagons are about as little as you can get without becoming ridiculous. Also, this quilt is completely hand-pieced (as opposed to being sewn by machine), which would accomplish another of my quilting goals. I'm envisioning the finished quilt folded at the foot of my bed... in my bedroom... (haha), so I have plenty of time to get it done. I'll keep you updated on my progress!

Argyle Baby Quilt

Here is the latest addition to my shop - an argyle quilt! I'm super happy because making this quilt fulfilled two of the things I've been wanting to do: make a quilt in an argyle pattern, and do a little bit of hand quilting. As you can see, I did a VERY little bit of hand quilting. Once I finished these three lines I really liked the asymmetry of it, so I left things as they were. Probably lots of people won't like the look of an "unfinished quilt," but I just couldn't bear to do anything more. In the words of my sister-in-law Cindy, "one of the hardest things about art is knowing when it looks just right and stopping before you mess it all up."

Salvaged:

This pile of pretty little fabric scraps was saved from death at the dump by my mother-in-law and given to me. I love looking at each tiny little piece - every one is different. Today I got the urge to sew some of the longer strips together. No particular rhyme or reason here; I just liked all the different blues and purples, shapes and sizes. This is what the pile became:



So now what? This needs to become something, but I haven't figured out what yet. I suppose the obvious, and my usual fall-back, would be a little quilt. But I'm feeling like making something else, something I can sit with for a while. I've been inspired lately by Ms. Horner's fabulous needleworks... perhaps a hand-embroidered pillow? Or a hand-embroidered... something else? Hm... as if all this busyness needs any more color. Anyhow, those are my crafting thoughts of the day. Scattered as usual. (I started the day at the fabric store buying backing material for two different quilts I've pieced and need to finish. You can see how far I got on those projects...) Any suggestions for me?

Afternoon on the Farm

Today was such a gorgeous day! Finally there was no fog, and we spent a long afternoon outside enjoying the blue sky and the green grass. The sunshine also allowed me to take pictures of this quilt that I finally finished. Green and blue, just like the farm. I had all these skinny little strips of fabric and started sewing them together without really planning. This quilt kind of made itself, in a way. Maybe that's why it took SO long to finish. :) It is available in my shop.

Triangles!

I've posted a new mini quilt in the shop made entirely from triangles. This was my very first time using triangles EVER because they are such a pain to cut out. However, now that I have my new little toy it was easy! I used only fabrics from my scrap drawer, too, which made it even more fun. If someone gave this to me I would have a hard time deciding whether to let my baby use it or hang it up for decoration. More triangle quilts to come...

Waiting for the sun

These coasters (now finished) are waiting for a sunny day to be photographed and put in the shop, along with some other fun stuff. I have the start-of-a-new-year motivation to sew my head off, and this gift I received for Christmas should help:

It's the Accuquilt Go Baby fabric cutter - the "baby" version of their larger model and is perfect for my tiny house, even tinier work space, and the little quilts I make! I am SO excited about this - now I can make all kinds of quilts that I've been overwhelmed by due to the extensive cutting involved. Once my cutting mats arrive in the mail I will give it a try and let you know how it works. Happy New Year everybody!

DIY Friday

It seems that I get the crafting itch even more than usual near the holidays - of course, I am also so busy with the normal activities of being mommy and running Junie None that I seldom get beyond the gathering ideas phase. So I thought I'd share some of my I-wish-I had-time to-do-it crafting plans - maybe you are better organized than me! (and if you make any of these things you must send me pictures...)

This succulent wreath was in the Better Homes & Gardens magazine that my friend Jess passed on to me - isn't it beautiful? I love succulents; very hard to kill, and believe me I've tried. Plus this could be used indoors or out.

Then there are these darling dinosaurs I'm thinking of making for a certain dino-obsessed two-year-old I know. You can order the instructions from Bit of Whimsy Prims on etsy, as well as tons of other darling patterns. A definite must-see for you crafty gift-givers.

I've promised myself that I will make these velvet flowers for my house some day - the instructions are in the November issue of Martha Stewart Living (thanks again Jess!) Aren't they so cool?! And they look really easy to make, too.

Then there is this adorable notebook pattern I found on Sew Mama Sew. The tutorial is put together by Jennifer from J Casa, another of my favorite etsy shops. This would make such a great gift, and she shows a bunch of cute ways to personalize it with embroidery.

OK, that's it for now. I'm sure I'll come across lots more things I want to do but wish you would do instead. I'm crossing my fingers to get at least one of these projects done by Christmas (though I also have 2 quilts in mind to make as gifts...). Happy crafting!

Little Farm Quilt

Here is the quilt I've been working on for the last few weeks. I decided to experiment by quilting it heavily, something I've never done. I really like how it turned out - the close quilting seams give the quilt a slightly nubby texture that is quite nice. Titus LOVED it - he kept rubbing his little (clean) hands all over it and smiling at me. I will say that quilting it like this took MUCH longer than usual and was a bit tedious, so I'm not sure if I will be doing it again any time soon! It's available in my shop. (Oh, and the edges of the quilt are straight - it just hung funny and kept blowing in the wind, which makes it look all wavy-edged.)

Something for us

I started making this quilt when I was pregnant with Titus and VERY sick. Not only was I throwing up every few hours, but I was taking an anti-nausea medication that did nothing except make me feel like my arms were going to fall off. (It's always a bad sign when the pharmacist says "huh - this used to be prescribed as an anti-psychotic," when she hands you a bottle of pills.) I was completely worthless, so Brett took Moses to his parents' cabin to leave me alone in my misery. I decided I was going to do something productive with my "freedom," so I pieced this together using a charm pack (I think that's what it's called...) I bought at the Twain Harte drug store. I spent the entire day piecing it, quilting it, making and attaching the binding... and then the mere sight of it would make me dry-heave, so I was forced to pack it away.

Well, the other day I found it amongst my fabric stash and realized that the leaned association had worn off enough for me to finish stitching the binding. Now Titus has his very own little quilt. I love having a baby quilt just for him - the other ones we have are technically Moses' (though he is very good at sharing them). Titus loves it - all the little patterns and the red and white backing are really eye-catching.

I tried to do a cutesy photo shoot of Titus and the quilt, but most of the pictures turned out like this:

so I gave up. That's why there are no kids in the pictures in my shop. :)

Oh, Happy Quilting Day

In the midst of a very long week (wait - is it only Wednesday?!!?) of fevers and boogers and a hopelessly messy house, the EMS truck pulled up the driveway today carrying something to brighten my day. Something exciting for me from Japan!

To date I've kept myself from buying any Japanese fabric because I knew once I did I would add some serious fuel to my fabric addiction. But it's all over now - I'm hooked.

This fabric is so gorgeous and it came packaged so beautifully! It was folded up and placed in a cellophane envelope, sealed with a tiny piece of very Japanese-looking red and white tape. When I opened it, a tiny knotted piece of silk cording fell out with it. That just put me over the top. This had obviously been packaged with great care by someone who loves all things beautiful. And all the way from the other side of the world! I'm still surprised that such a small gesture could have such a big effect on me, but I've been smiling about it all day.


The fabric is for a very exciting special order quilt I'm working on. Above is a collage I put together of the fabrics I'll be using - it's going to be so great! I had a blast working with the customer to choose these fabrics. I already know this one is going to be hard to ship out - I'm attached already!

P.S. For your own fabulous Japanese fabric-buying experience, go here.