I'm finding the Great Granny Along blocks to be addictive. After sewing 12 of them, I'm more than happy to continue making more. At this point I'm thinking 24 (for a 4X6 arrangement) or 25 (for a nice square quilt) is where I'll stop.
In other news, only one of the many sunflower seed I planted was nice enough to germinate. I'm blaming it on the ridiculously dry weather. I'm happy though becasue the one that did grow is gorgeous and appears to have quite a few buds. Crazy drought.
Did you ever continue working on something, knowing it just wasn't right, but hoping that it would be okay in the end? That's exactly what I did with the binding on this quilt.
This quilt was claimed by Maddie before I even finished the sewing, so I figured I'd save a lot of time and do a machine sewn binding. While I do like the look of a hand sewn binding, I'm not that patient, and neither is Maddie. I think last time I must have made my binding wider, or used a small seam allowance when sewing it to the front of the quilt. I don't remember having any problems like I did this time.
So, I sat and riiiiiipped the entire thing out, started over and this time I sewed the binding with the front of the quilt facing up. Much better.
More photos of the completed quilt soon!
While my Macbook is pretty compact and lightweight, my iPad is even more petite, so I knew I would be bringing it on vacation with me. And while I have one of those fancy magnetic covers, I wanted a little more protection for my iPad since my carry on luggage is not well padded.
I whipped up this little felted wool case in literally 10 minutes the day before our trip. I have a bin of pre-shrunk thrift store wool sweaters, so I choose this colorful, stripey piece, stuck the iPad between the front and back of the sweater and pinned very close all the way around 3 sides. Then I simply sewed inside the pins, clipped the seems very close and turned it inside out. to make the flap, I cut straight across one side and made a rounded edge on the other. I ran a line of stitching about 1/4 in. to the inside of the rounded flap to keep the wool from stretching out of shape.
Instant iPad case for next to no $ and very little time or effort.
I sewed up the scraps and now have a little mini quilt -- or maybe I'll incorporate it into a larger quilt -- but at any rate, I have made some progress on something and that's a start.
A few books arrived in the mail yesterday, and one in particular has me planning another quilt...
Modern Log Cabin Quilting
So, home I went, logged onto Amazon and ordered a copy. It was cheaper ($14 vs. $23) and arrived in only a few days. We already lost our nearest Borders, and I fear B&N is close behind.
About the book... at first glance it looks fantastic. Lots of great info on log cabin quilts up front and the projects are all updated versions of the traditional log cabin quilt. There are even a few smaller projects in the back for those who just want to dabble.
Look for a new quilting project coming soon -- looks like my crafting energy is on its way back!
I've been feeling a bit uncreative lately. After a tragic bout of spinning (or more accurately, plying), a large block of time spent browsing Ravelry and a couple hours of TV while looking at photos of quilts on Flickr, I was still uninspired. So yesterday I took out my scraps and decided to see if anything would grab me. I found these little colorful pieces that I bought *years* ago and started playing around with them and the color wheel.
I think today I'll sew some up and see what happens. They are pretty tiny and once they are sewn together, they will make tiny little blocks, so a mini quilt is the best I can hope for. At least it's a start though. Maybe it will get me moving on a bigger project.
I made a pillowcase yesterday for Maddie out of fabrics that she pulled from my stash. Can you tell that she likes it?
I did the whole, roll it up and sew a tube thing -- finishing it off with french seams. Super easy and a good project for practicing french seams, since size doesn't matter that much here.
I've had this project on my list for ages, and I'm glad I finally gave it a try. It was quick, easy and my girl is super happy with the results.
This weekend I took a much needed trip to the local quilt shop to browse and get some inspiration. I came home with a bunch of cream colored 1/4 yard cuts of fabric for a project I've been thinking about, some cream thread (boring, right?) and some tiny paper hexagons. I've been wanting to try English paper piecing for a long while and I vowed that this year I would do some of these projects I've been thinking about.
For me, 2010 was a thinking year. I don't feel like much doing happened. This year I want things to be different, which probably means less internet and more crafting, baking, homemaking and such.
So back to the hexagons. Maddie wanted to watch the 3rd LOTR movie, so I sat down with my bag o' scraps, the die cut hexies and a needle and thread. And while I did discover that my eyes are so bad that threading a needle is pure torture which requires many minutes of squinting, attempting and mostly failing, I also discovered that I love this kind of handwork and I can mostly do it even with my bad eyesight.
This is all sort of a revelation, because I had thought this kind of work was behind me. I used to love piecework, cross stitch, embroidery and the like, but lately it is more distressing than relaxing since I just can't see well enough.
So I'm going to continue with my hexies, and even try getting a new pair of glasses. Hopefully this will get me moving on projects I can still do instead of worrying about projects I can't.
I love Denyse Schmidt's gorgeous Flea Market Fancy fabric and wish I could get my hands on some more of it someday, don't you? If you answered yes, then the Flea Market Fancy Freaks website is the place for you.
As Maddie turned 4, 5 and 6, I started to introduce crafts to her. While I saw a spark of interest now and again, nothing really seemed to stick. At 7 I took a step back and waited. Now she's 8 and suddenly she's turned crafty!! First there was the potholder business ( which is still going strong! She's sold 4 potholders through etsy and now she's making some for Grandma.) and this past week she started sewing. Be still my heart.
We stopped by the local fabric shop -- Robert's Sewing Center -- after a failed trip to an estate sale that was a total dud. We were looking at all the pre-cut Moda packs and she fell in love with the Fresh Picked fabric pack and I told her she could get it and try sewing on the machine. She was nervous at first, but soon she was off and running! She's sewed 3 strips of her 6 strip quilt already and has plans to make a pillow after finishing her quilt. I'm so proud of her!
Have you tried the new yo-yo makers from Clover yet? I have them in just about every size and shape -- probably because I haven't seen a crafting gadget I didn't like. They make yo-yo's super easy and fun! I'm working on my ornaments for the 2nd Annual Holiday Ornament Swap. (There's a Flickr Group too!) and I'm almost finished making my yo-yo's but I'm enjoying them so much that I think I'll continue making more so I can have a holiday yo-yo garland for my new office.
(Speaking of the office, there has been progress and I'll post photos soon!)
How to make yo-yo's here:
More holiday yo-yo inspiration here:
I'm sure there are ton's more -- leave me a comment with a link to your favorite yo yo idea!
So much going on -- I've been MIA because Pete got a new job and we decided to squeeze in a quick vacation before he started. (Very relaxing, but now I'm trying to catch up on work -- you know how that goes!) And in addition, my sister is about to have her baby. She's been having contractions for a few days, so I'm thinking it could be any time!
But there has also been crafting. I got it in my head that I wanted to make a nice quilted bag with a flap -- sort of messenger style. So I got out some fabric and started sewing. Now I admit, this may not be the smartest way to do things, but I like to learn by doing and so I dove in. First I quilted the fabric pieces:
I like the squares, but next time I think they need to be on an angle. THe straight up and down lines made the corners awkward -- the bag wanted to "fold" at the quilting lines instead of the seams. Hmmmm. . .
I also made a proper lining complete with pockets which worked out fine:
I used straight of grain binding around the top edge. Since I was feeling lazy at this point -- and because I knew that this wasn't going to turn out exactly as I wanted, I cheated and machine sewed the binding instead of hand stitching it on the inside.
I love the handle -- and the stability of the quilted part of the bag. The flap is another story -- I thought it should be softer, so I used a different batting and didn't include any interfacing -- not such a good idea.
So all in all, I learned a lot from making the bag and I'll take what I've learned and make another. It was a fun project at any rate!
While I haven't completed a quilt block in the last few days, I'm all set to get one finished today (and hopefully several this weekend). I spent some time cutting and have quite a few pieces to show for my efforts. I'm looking forward to sitting down at the machine and getting some sewing done, but I need to take a trip out to the quilt shop to get some thread first -- a minor roadblock.
I've been thinking of sewing a lot lately (when I'm not thinking about cross stitch) and I wanted to share a new book with you. I purchased this a few weeks ago and have been meaning to write about it, but time has gotten away from me:
The book is called Simple Sewing with a French Twist
The first section of the book is an illustrated sewing guide that coveres everything from handstitching an opening to inserting a zipper. French seams are covered too -- which I appreciate because I always have to search the internet to remember how to do them!
The middle part is filled with the projects which are divided into several sections including a "First Steps" chapter filled with simple projects -- perfect for a beginner, but fun for even an advanced seamstress. There are also projects for the kitchen, bath, bedroom and even the garden!
The final section is devoted to fabric selection and she includes a list of suppliers, which is very useful if you want to duplicate the projects exactly as pictured.
There is so much in this book that it is fun just to page through it -- many projects can be adapted as you wish and are an inspiration from which to plan other projects. Lots of photos and diagrams make this a joy to page through and remind me a bit of some of the Japanese craft books that I love so much.
Speaking of Japanese craft books -- I need to find time to give you a peek into the stack of the ones I received last week!
The second Pincushion Challenge is coming to an end and last night I realized, in all the excitement, that I hadn't finished (or even started, truth be told) my pincushion!
Well, lately I've been reading Gwen Marston's Liberated String Quilts, so I guess that's what inspired me to get out the scraps from my latest quilt and start hacking away at them. I really like how it turned out, although I still haven't mastered adding rick rack as a picot edging. I suppose I should probably do the corners by hand, but I was in a bit of a rush as it was 10PM and all.
You still have until midnight to get those pincushions made! If I can do it in less than an hour the night before the challenge ends, I know you can make one today! I have confidence in you!
*** Update *** Wow! Lots of pincushion photos coming in today! I can't wait to show you the gallery tomorrow!
So yesterday I didn't do very well on my goal list but I got *a lot* done! One of my stops was this little quilt shop I just discovered. I had to pick up this:
Yes, I'm starting to stash fabric for my back-tack project, so I guess that is progress on one of the goals in an indirect way.
Anyway, I need to explain the title of the post. While I was there I got to chatting with the woman cutting my fabric and we were talking about knitting and I mentioned I'm a knitting designer. She said she just got into knitting after a long hiatus. Turns out she's knitting a felted bag -- well, what a coincidence! I design felted bags! We chat a bit more. I mention something about having a website and she looks at me funny and asks the name of my "pattern". Well, I have 9 patterns so far, but my most popular is the Booga Bag, I tell her. She, of course, is knitting the Booga Bag! She had no idea that I was from the area and was all excited, saying that she was going to have to tell her friend that she met me and everything. (heh!)
So we move on with the rest of our errands -- hours of errands. I come home and later in the evening check email. There is a comment on the blog from Greta saying that she just picked up a quilting magazine and "there was the booga bag in a glorious color spread". HUH? I knew nothing at all about this. Well, I had to see it for myself! It turns out it is the Spring/Summer issue of Quilt Sampler (Better Homes and Gardens quilt mag that is on *every* grocery store checkout!!) and there it was on page 63:
How cool is that? They were doing a piece on one of my retailers -- The Threaded Bear Fabrics in Vancouver -- and took this picture in their shop!
So lots of Booga Bag weirdness all in one day!
When my mother-in-law sent me birthday money and I called to thank her, she said, "Spend it wisely!" I asked my husband if he thought this is what she had in mind :)
At any rate, I was lusting after it, stalked it, and purchased it literally the minute after it hit the store. I was updating my browser as the items hit the shop! And I have to say, now that it has arrived, I am very happy with my purchase. The pinks are a lovely salmony pink -- the reds are tomato-y -- the browns are dark chocolate! Each color is just perfect and the prints are lovely too. Just look. . .
And the rest. . .
I've actually been dreaming of what kind of quilt I will make with these fabrics and I'll share more of that in the coming weeks. For now, I'm finding all of the discussions on Denyse Schmidt and her new fabric line really interesting. You can find comments about it at disdressed, dioramarama and yarnstorm.
I'm generally of the opinion that Denyse's Quilt's are beautiful for their simplicity and use of quite a bit of solid fabrics, so I certainly wouldn't expect to use a bunch of her fabrics and one of her patterns together. Just look at the quilt they are showing on the Freespirit website that is supposed to be showcasing her fabrics -- oy! That's just not right as far as I'm concerned. Take out about 50-60% of the prints, throw in some solids in their place and you would have a lovely looking Denyse Schmidt-esque quilt. Or take her fabrics and make an all together different kind of quilt! Just don't try to make Drunk Love with her fabrics, 'kay?
And a quick comment on her book -- Denyse Schmidt Quilts
I bought the fabric from Fat Quarter Shop by the way and they were *super* fast and look how cute they tied it up! I got half yard cuts which was a pretty good value.
I spent a good portion of the day working on my quilting homework. This week we had to finish the top -- all of the piecing and all three borders! Here's the top before the borders:
And after the three borders:
This week we learn how to quilt! I'm completely confused as to how I'm going to get this quilted in a week, but that's the plan. The following week is binding. We'll see.
In podcasting news -- we got a microphone, only to find that we need some kind of preamp. Hmmm. I'm not sure, but I think this may be getting expensive and more involved then both Pete and I first thought. At this point we are have decided to go for it though, so I ordered the mixer thingy and we should (hopefully) be good to go in about a week.
If anyone out there knows about these things, please enlighten me! We have a Shure SM57 and I've ordered the Behringer UB802. I've also downloaded Audacity and I'm getting the hang of it. Is there anything else I need? I would hate to get the preamp only to find that there is one more piece of equipment that I need but don't yet have.
I've longingly looked on as gorgeous quilts were started and completed in the modern quilt along. I own The Modern Quilt Workshop
Now I've started several quilts over the years and not one of them has ever made it anywhere near completion. Probably because I have always chosen something too ambitious and gone into it with too little know how. So I decided to start with something easy and to learn the basics from my knowledgable local quilt shop teachers.
Even though I've been sewing since I got my first children's sewing machine when I was about 7, I went in and told them that I wanted to start from scratch. I asked to be taught about thread, fabric selection, everything. So that's how I'm coming at this -- with a totally fresh outlook.
With the help of the friendly staff at Robert's Sewing Center in Joliet, I chose these fabric:
And I will be making the "Candy Cane Lane" quilt from Christmas at the Bears Paw Ranch
Overheard at our house:
Me: My homework is to wash and iron the fabrics.
Pete: I'll show you how the iron works.
Me: Very funny.
Pete: And I'll wash the fabric too.
Several years ago we were exploring and antiquing in historic Lockport, IL (just a few towns over) and I stopped in this little quilting shop. It seemed small and rather uninteresting to me. I don't remember if I even bought anything.
So, a few weeks ago when we made a detour through downtown Lockport, an accident of fate due to some bad traffic on the highway, I wasn't sure I wanted to take the time to stop in the shop again. Something told me that I should though and as we were driving past I blurted out -- Stop! I want to go in the fabric shop!!
Pete is awful sweet about these kinds of things and quickly agreed. Lucky for me that he is so indulgent of my whims, because this shop was not what I remembered! It was big and open and full of great fabric! After looking at everything twice (okay, maybe three times -- thank goodness they had comfy chairs for Pete & Maddie to sit in!) I decided on that lovely brown civil war print (civil war? who knew I liked civil war prints?) with some matching red. And I couldn't resist the "Kaye's Kitchen" fat quarter's.
I chatted with one of the owner's for a while and asked her about the shop. It seems that a while back her and another woman purchased the store and transformed it into what it is today. So let this be a lesson to you. You may want to give that shop that previously underwhelmed you a second chance. I'm sure glad that I did and I know that I will be going back!
*** Update *** Pete just emailed me to tell me that I forgot to include the name of the shop! Oops!
After several pathetic attempts to start a book blog, I had almost given up hope of having one. Then Theresa generously agreed to let me in on hers! It's called Two Friends Collect Books. Theresa already reviewed The Knitter's Book of Finishing Techniques -- go check it out! And make sure you add the site to Bloglines or bookmarks because between the two of us, we probably own just about *every* knitting or fiber related book. (It's a sickness really. I love books, I love fiber -- you know what I mean?)
And in back-tack news. . .
Time is running out! So yesterday I sat down an focused on sewing. The fabric I used is a thick cotton -- like an upholstery fabric -- so the bag has a nice feeling of substance. And inside. . .
There are some pockets for "stuff" (which will not be shown here just in case my back-tack match reads my blog!) Notice the bias binding on the top edge of the pockets -- I have kind of solved my bias binding problem. I purchased a bias binding foot for my Pfaff (I *heart* Pfaff!) It only works for little bindings (you start with 1 in. strips of fabric), but it is really amazing. I'll have to do a tutorial on it sometime so that you can witness the magic -- because it really is like magic!
And before I cleaned up, I grabbed some scraps. . .
And made this little buttoned pouch. I wanted to practice button holes on the new machine and I also wanted to do one of my favorite things -- sew on a button. Why? Because this machine sews on buttons for you! (This really amazes me for some reason!?)
Ingeborg progress picture tomorrow!
I felt so domestic yesterday! As we sat and drank our coffee and ate our donuts, we watched the Food Network. Rachael Ray was making mac & cheese from scratch and I got it in my head to do the same.
Now when I want to cook or bake something I usually scour my vast cookbook collection, search the internet and then come up with a hybrid recipe. However, yesterday I found a recipe that needed little change -- Fannie Farmer's Classic Baked Macaroni & Cheese. I switched out whole milk for the milk & cream and I omitted the breadcrumbs because I felt lazy. The mac & cheese got a thumbs up from the whole family. (How could it not -- did you see the nutrition info -- yikes!!) The only change I would make is to use a very sharp cheddar next time.
After the mac & cheese was consumed, I decided to take the new sewing machine out for a spin. Working without a pattern, I came up with this nifty little pouch. Look at the tiny little seems I can make with this new machine:
Is that cool, or what? My zippers have never before looked this good! The pouch is fully lined and I even used bias binding to cover the seems inside. Bias binding is my nemesis and I still can't get it to look as perfect as I would like. I'm winning the battle of the zipper though, so I do have some hope that bias tape will eventually yield to my will!
Can anyone recommend some good basic sewing books?
I got a Pfaff! For years I have been longing for a new sewing machine. I have been using my Mom's old Sears Kenmore machine from the 70's and every time I sewed with it, it was a struggle. This new machine is so smoooooth!
I had quite a bit of work and some errands to do yesterday, so only a bit of sewing was done. . .
A flannel (lined with muslin) heating pad cover. This was super quick and much needed. I have chronic pain in my ear and neck and my heating pad had a nasty, scratchy polyester cover -- yuck! This is so much softer. I didn't have time to make the super cute pieced heating pad cover that is in Denyse Schmidt Quilts
I've been so busy lately that I haven't had time to do much crafting except for a few rounds a night on my poor sock. So Saturday I decided to take (most of) the day off so that I could sew.
I got a super cool Japanese craft book on my trip to Mitsuwa in July and had been wating to try to make one of these triangle bags that appear on the cover. The instructions were in Japanese and for some reason the directions for this bag weren't as extensive as the ones for other items, so I had to wing it.
I had some scraps of Halloween fabric laying around (hence the halloween bag made in july :) and I figured it would have to be quilted to be able to stand up. So I forged ahead. It's not perfect, but I feel like my sewing is getting better with practice, so I'm considering it a success. I learned to make bias tape, although I used store bought on the seems on the inside of the bag. . .
I also started a patchwork bag of my own design, but ran out of time. Maybe in September I will get back to it -- ha ha. August looks like it will be busy for us.
Adobe Illustrator question!! I just downloaded the trial version of Illustrator and loved it. I used it today to make a diagram for my Carroll Bag pattern (yes, I'm back to work on a Sunday). So I only have 24 days left and I'm feeling sad already. Does anyone know a good place to get the program -- there's no way I could pay the $500 it's going for. Is there a place I could get an outdated version maybe? And if so, are older versions still good? Any input would be much appreciated!
Since yesterday was super busy and I had no time for crafting (other than the 2 rows I did on my sock in the doctor's waiting room), I am going to re-hash yesterday's pathetic post by putting a new spin on it. I'm going to discuss digital photography. . .
Now I own a Sony DSC-W1, 5.1 mega pixel camera. I love it and it takes much better pictures than my last camera (an HP something or other -- 3 mega pixel, I believe), but I find that I only get *really* good pictures if I use a tripod and the slow speed setting. (I think that's what it's called. It says SL and has the little "flash" lightning bolt after it.) The above picture is taken using that method. For yesterday's shot I didn't use the tripod and you can see the difference!
However, at the top of today's picture you see that I did get a bit of over-exposure. (I'm throwing around photography terms like I know what I'm talking about!) This is a big problem I seem to have with this camera.
But I have been inspired to do better. I read Felicia's blog, Sweet Georgia and her photographs are beautiful! I love looking at her blog. So I am going to aspire to be more like her and I am going to try to work on my photography skills. Anyone know some good online resources for digital photography tips?
And for everyone who asked about the knitting fabric from yesterday -- I got it online from The Virginia Quilter and here is a close-up:
I'm off to get caught up on pattern orders!
I've been sewing again! The 4th was rainy here, so I stayed inside and sewed all afternoon. Up above is the tote I made for Maddie. She spotted this Hello Kitty fabric when we were out shopping one day and asked me to make her a bag. Who was I to argue?
It's just a basic tote -- no pattern involved. It is lined and I also used interfacing to give it some body. (I'm *so* into the iron-on interfacing.) I think I mentioned this before, but if you ever want to make a tote and don't know how, just check out Mariko's totebags 101 at her blog Super Eggplant. I'm sure you all know who Mariko is, but if you don't, go check out her blog -- it's great!
Next up. . .
Here is a cute little pouch that I made. I've seen a lot of pouches and things made as a result of the whole back-tack thing. (I'm so sorry that I missed getting in on that!) And there is even a tutorial for this type of zippered pouch listed on the site -- Thimble's Front Zippered Pouch Tutorial.
Once again, I didn't use a pattern (although I did look at Thimble's tutorial before starting). I had a 7" zipper and I knew I wanted the pouch to be square, so I went from there. And of course I used iron-on interfacing :)
It's even lined. See. . .
Don't let all this sewing fool you though! I've been knitting too. The latest Black Sheep Bags design is in it's final phase and I've also been working on my lace scarf pattern. More on that later!
I've been a bit obsessed with aprons lately. First there was my sewing binge & then I started looking in at Tie One On. And last weekend when I went to the library I found this little gem --
How to Make Aprons
It's from the "Barrows Recommended Library for Homemakers" which include such other fine titles as: "Setting Your Table", "Better Dressmaking" & "Cook it in a Casserole". And it includes an apron for every task --
Here's the "Washing Apron" which you can wear for "any splashy job."
The "Dressmaking Apron"
The "Hair Washing Apron"
And of course the "Mend-While-You-Iron Apron" (which cracks me up since I never iron, let alone mend!)
And while I rarely find time to cook these days, I do appreciate a cute little apron. And this book has several of those too. I love all the little half-aprons, but I thought this one looked especially smart (don't I sound old fashioned?):
The illustrations in this book are great -- very 50's. It's got me wanting to sew up a couple aprons despite the fact that I don't really do any "home-making" activities that would require the use of one! (Does microwaving Stouffer's count?)
Now if you want to see some cute vintage aprons, check out Jan's post from yesterday. I love the rickrack!
Well, I'm back to sewing and I'm trying to perfect my zippered pouch pattern. My first attempt ended up as a mangled mess and into the garbage it went. Try number 2 turned out much better, don't you think? It's even lined:
And I used some interfacing since the cotton fabric is very flimsy by itself. That part of the process went very well. The zipper is fully functional and looks pretty good from the outside, but the lining is a little wonky. Not sure what I need to do to fix this in the future. Any good books on the subject? Let me know!
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