Feed the Dogs

2012-02-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

Love this tutorial from The Purl Bee.

Weekend Sewing

2012-02-11T19:31:00.000-08:00

Mom made this super cute baby quilt for my cousin's bun in the oven. Love this quilt. Got the whole top quilted today. Yes, it's little itty bitty, but it's still a finish!

Mom and Mel working hard!! Had lots of fun today :)

Weekend Quilting

2012-01-14T15:59:00.000-08:00

Change in plans. Adding some more quilting, probably no ties.

Catching Up

2012-01-08T15:26:00.000-08:00

My youngest' baby quilt just barely covers her toes, so she's getting a new quilt. It's the Across the Sea QAL over at Ellison Lane Quilts. I love this quilt because it's simple and really shows off the fabrics. It took me a while to decide how to quilt this quilt and I settled on my first idea - hand quilting around each plus and I'll put a tie in the middle of those white four-squares. The ties will go through the backing, which will be turquoise minky swirl, which is the same as the oh-so-loved baby quilt.

Some hand-knitted washcloths and a crocheted potholder for a Facebook hand-made challenge.

A dumpling and potholder for my SIL.

Some face-scrubbies for another SIL.

Progress on my mom's birthday quilt. I've got all 12 baskets done. I just need to cut the fabric for the rest of the quilt and piece it together.

I'm not huge on new years resolutions, but I am big on to-do lists :) Besides the 2 quilts above, I've got a Swoon quilt to make (there is a Swoon-A-Long going on so no excuses!!), another quilt top finished last year that needs to be quilted, a purse I want to make, and I'd also like to make a quilt for my older daughter that may have been promised to her months ago. Hopefully it's only one birthday late ;)

Happy Birthday Mom

2011-08-02T21:42:00.000-07:00

Embroidered outlines of the grandkids' hands. Machine quilted around the hands, hand quilted in the borders. Dang it, I forgot to take close-ups of the borders!

This n That

2011-06-27T22:05:00.000-07:00

Oh blogger, how I've neglected you...
Well, this is what happens when you dry-clean minky - the dots get permanently flattened! Yikes. Should have looked that one up first. It all started with that darn basting spray. Working with minky is a pain in the ass so I had the brilliant idea to use a basting spray! No more pins, no worries about stretching. I get the quilt all done and can't wait to throw it in the wash. Pull it out of the drier to find the minky stuck to the batting all weird, like a super static-y sock on work pants. So then I turn to the internet. Should have done it sooner. The June Tailor website says that dry-cleaning may be needed to get the basting spray residue off of polyester. The spray is designed for 100% cotton. Oops. Lesson learned June!
The quilt recipient requested the baby's name and birth date be embroidered on the quilt, so I did some after-the-fact embroidery. Slightly tricky in spots, but totally do-able.
These are my baby's toes. Not related to anything else in this post, I just love this pic! Baby toes!
Oy, my first UFO with no plan for future use.
This is the quilt with the f*d up minky backing. I love how the top turned out and I think Momo's Wonderland is perfect for a baby girl who's mama doesn't like super girly stuff. So soft, I had a hard time giving this quilt away! Good thing I have lots more of this fabric.
This quilt was made for my daughter's silent school auction. Too bad my daughter was sick the night of the auction. I have no idea how much the quilt sold for and that drives me nuts. I hope someone fell in love with it.
Last, but not least, this is the little pillowcase I made for my daughter to use for naps at school. I say little because it fits a travel size pillow. They sell them at Target in the aisle with all of the regular size pillows. It's probably 10x14 or so, perfect for a toddler.

2011-03-26T07:09:00.000-07:00

So the first hat I tried to make Kaylee turned out to be newborn size. Oops. The hat I just finished yesterday for her turned out to be my size. Oops again. Sort of. I like the hat :) Hopefully the third time's a charm. Who cares if it's spring now. :-D

Watch Out Knitting World

2011-02-05T13:38:00.000-08:00

I've knitted my first project ever! I used this pattern and it was surprisingly pretty easy. I've still got lots to learn, but this was definitely a good place to start.

Oldie but Goodie

2011-01-01T16:38:00.001-08:00

This is one of my favorite quilts to curl up on the couch with. It was a $5 quilt. That $5 bought all the lessons, patterns, and fabric pieces for the blocks. The sashing and background fabric was extra. This was the second quilt I ever made. It's super soft and it was a blast to make. I learned a lot then and I've learned a lot since. This quilt makes me think of fun times!

Plan C Revisited

2011-01-01T16:37:00.001-08:00

I just realized I didn't take a full pic of this quilt. Since Hubby is in a cooperative mood, I took advantage and got a few photos in.

Piper's Quilt

2011-01-01T16:19:00.000-08:00

Finished this quilt up yesterday for a baby shower next weekend. This quilt went together super fast. Isn't the name Piper Jo adorable? Love it.

Binding

2010-11-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

Is there a better way to spend the morning?

Plan C All Done

2010-11-26T10:11:00.000-08:00

She's all done! I think this is my favorite quilt to-date of all the quilts I've made. Probably because of the hand-quilting.

2010-11-20T13:18:00.000-08:00

2010-10-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

In between playing with these...
I've been spending lots of time doing this...

2010-10-03T11:12:00.000-07:00

Here's a little sneak peek at my current project. I've been hooked on hand work lately. Since my last post I made two regular size pillowcases, 1 mini pillowcase for my toddler, a small embroidered gift bag, and a small embroidered needle case. If you care to see the embroidery, it's blogged about over here at my mom's blog.

Haste

2010-06-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when you're rushing to get just a few more blocks in before the kiddos wake up from their naps. Oops! Hahaha. At least I figured out the problem before I cut it up.

Flannel Finish

2010-06-13T16:42:00.000-07:00

I finished this up on the eve of my littlest one's birth. I machine stitched the binding on because I just couldn't see myself having time to do it any time soon and I wanted it ready for use when we got home from the hospital. Turned out ok, but I still like hand sewn binding better. The tutorial for machine sewing binding over at Red Pepper Quilts is good though, if you're interested.

Nursing Cover

2010-05-20T23:32:00.000-07:00

Whipped this nursing cover up today just in case my doc sends me to L&D after my appointment tomorrow. I doubt she will, but here's to hoping :) I used this great tutorial.

Lil' K's Door Sign

2010-05-11T17:31:00.000-07:00

So it's been forever since I've posted anything. I just finished this project up last night. It's a little wall hanging to go on my daughter's door. It's about a foot square. All of the applique, embroidery, and beading was done by hand. I just kind of winged the whole thing - doing whatever I felt like at the moment. A fun break from regular quilting.

Diapers & Wipes Case Tutorial

2010-04-10T12:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, here we go :) This case holds a pack of wipes and 3 diapers. Perfect for short trips when you just don't want to lug around a diaper bag.

This case can be made using some large scraps or just a couple of fat quarters, some interfacing, and a tiny bit of Velcro. All seams are 1/4".

Cut out the following:
{Body} 7 1/4 x 9 1/4 rectangles: cut 2 from each fabric: exterior, lining, light interfacing
{Tab} 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 rectangles: cut 1 from each fabric: exterior, lining, light interfacing
{1/2" Velcro}: cut 1 3/4" piece

Iron the light interfacing to the wrong side of the lining pieces. I use Pellon interfacing that you can almost see through. It's pretty sheer.
Create the tab first. Sew your 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 rectangles wrong sides together. Sew along the sides and bottom, leaving one short end of the flap open. Trim the bottom corners off, press, turn right side out, and make your corners all pretty :) Press.
Top-stitch 1/8" around the three sewn sides. Line up the hook piece of Velcro so it's about 3/8" from the edge of the tab and centered between the sides. Pin in place. Sew around the Velcro twice. Back-stitch when you're done. Set aside the flap.

Work on the body of the case. Sew the exterior panels right sides together. Sew the sides and bottom together, leaving what will be the top of the case open. Iron the seams open using a pressing ham or rolled up washcloth.
Sew your lining panels right sides together. Starting on a long side, sew about 2" down, back-stitch, then change your stitch to a basting stitch. Sew using the basting stitch for 3-4". Switch back to your regular stitch, back-stitch, then continue sewing around until you have three sides sewn and the top is open. The pic below shows the regular and basting stitches. Press the seams open.
Make the gussets. Grab your exterior piece and press the side down onto the bottom so that you get a crisp flat corner. Make sure your side and bottom seams line up. Pin in place and press if you wish. Measure 1" from the corner (will be 2" wide gusset) and mark a line with a pencil. Sew across the line, back-stitching at the beginning and end. Clip off extra fabric 1/4" from seam. Repeat on other corner of exterior piece. Repeat for lining piece.
Press gusset seams on exterior piece up towards the top of the case. Press gusset seams on lining piece towards the middle of the bottom of the case. This is just to help the fabric lay together smoothly when the case is all put together.
Rip out the basting stitches on the lining piece.
Turn the exterior piece right side out and place inside the lining piece. Line up the seams and pin together, then pin the middle, then in between those pins as well.
Find the center of the case opening on one side and pin. Find the center of the tab on the open side and pin. Place the tab in between the lining and exterior pieces, lining up the pins. Make sure the lining side of the tab (with the Velcro) touches the lining side of the case. Pin, pin, pin all around the rest of the case opening.
Sew around the entire top, back-stitching at the end and also at both sides of the tab just to make it extra secure. Pull the case through the opening in the lining.
Use your fingers to kind of roll the fabric along the top of the case so that you get a nice crisp seam. Press. Top-stitch 1/8" all around the top.
Find the center of the top of the case in front and measure 7/8" down. This is where the loop piece of Velcro goes. Pin in place and sew around it twice just like you did with the tab.
Make sure you don't have any extra fabric trapped underneath (like the tab).

Close the opening in the lining using the ladder stitch.

That's it! You're done!! Go admire your work :)

Poetry Quilt Complete

2010-04-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

I finished this up a few days ago and finally got it washed and dried today. I really love how this turned out and it's the perfect size for Little K's toddler bed.

Free Quilt Patterns

2010-04-09T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ever visit one of those free pattern sites and have trouble finding anything good? Well, Fat Quarter Shop has a nice set of links to 'real' patterns from known manufacturers, with color pictures! I found a few that I want to try.

FQS Free Patterns Link

Poetry Binding

2010-04-04T09:25:00.001-07:00

Almost done, just need to stitch the binding to the back. Nice project for a Sunday.

Birthdays are Awesome

2010-04-03T16:36:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I didn't want to celebrate my birthday this year. Look how spoiled I am! Thanks Mom!!!!!!

Not only did I get a bunch of fabric to play with, but I also got a quilt!! Yippee :)

Moda's Wonderland by Momo, Oz by Momo, Rainy Days and Mondays by Riley Blake, and 12 Days of Christmas by Kate Spain.

Baby Boy Quilt Complete

2010-03-28T17:45:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm getting fast ;) I got all of the binding hand sewn to the back of this quilt today. It wasn't even a goal really, I was just sewing. Have I mentioned how much I love this binding???? It's Robert Kaufman something-or-other.

Insomnia has it's perks

2010-03-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

I spent my free time this weekend wrapping up this WIP for my cousin's baby due in a few months. I couldn't sleep Friday night so I made good use of my time and quilted :) I'm tired of stippling, so I tried something new. It's a little rough in places, but overall I really like it. It was fun to quilt too. Minky is still a pain in the ass, but I love how it looks with the binding! Polka dots are so cool. Even cooler when you find out they only cost $7/yd instead of the usual $11 at the fabric store.

Embroidery Tutorial

2010-03-22T15:10:00.000-07:00

Instructions on how to start and stop embroidery stitches are hard to find! Easy to find instructions on how to do stitches, but not on what to do before or after the stitches. That's what this tutorial is for.

You can of course just tie knots in the thread, but that leaves the back of the project messy and the ends also can be pulled up to the front when stitches are made. I've been wanting to make some kitchen towels for some time now, but haven't done it yet because I didn't want all that messy string on the back of my towels. Problem solved, so kitchen towels here I come :)

You'll see the messy knots in the photos below because I just figured out this new way of doing things right at the end of a project. :(

Anyway, here's how to start your stitches so the back of your project is super neat.

1. Cut a length of embroidery floss (like DMC) twice as long as the piece you want to work with. You will be folding your string in half, so that's why you cut double the length.
2. Separate out half the amount of strands you want to work with (since you will be folding in half). I like to stitch with two strands, so I 0nly pull one for this step.
3. Fold your strand of floss in half.

4. Take the two ends, put them together, wet them, trim just the tips, and thread through the needle. Leave a 3 or 4" tail, whatever you're comfortable with. The other end of your thread should be a loop.

5. Start the embroidery! Pull the needle up through the front of your project. Watch the back and make sure to leave about an inch of the loop back there - don't pull it through the front!

6. Make a stitch and poke the needle down through the front. When the needle is half way through the front, turn your project over and pull the needle through the loop.

7. Back on the front of the project, pull the thread so your loop on the back tightens up. That's it! Super neat start.

8. Complete your stitching.

9. To finish things off, flip to the back and thread the needle through several of the stitches you just made. A knot is optional, but I still like one small knot just in case. I make the knot before weaving the thread between stitches so the tail gets buried. Trim the threads close to the stitches, but don't cut your stitches :)

10. Admire your work because you are done :)

If you find this useful, I'd love to hear from you! I often wonder if I'm just talking to myself out here in blog-land.

Mom's Quilt for Baby M

2010-03-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

Since the Poetry top, I've been working on some embroidery blocks for a quilt my mom is making for my new baby. Here is a sneak peek, but head on over to my mom's blog to check out the completed blocks.

Poetry Top Done - Almost

2010-03-07T10:56:00.000-08:00

I got the Poetry heart quilt top done last weekend. I'll probably add a little border around it though, so maybe I'm not done. Now I just need to get to Jo-Ann's and get some batting so I can finish up all these tops I have lying around!

Crafty Friends Are Cool

2010-03-07T07:15:00.000-08:00

Tiara - thank you sooooo much for the baby blanket! I absolutely love it and the yarn is beautiful. You're so talented!

To the rest of you - look at what a neat surprise I got in the mail! A super cute blanket for my new little girl, made from soft organic cotton. I love getting knitted things for two reasons 1) looks pretty 2) I don't have the patience to learn how to do it myself :)

Thanks again T!

Fabric Friday

2010-03-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

Went to the Sewing Expo on Friday and only came home with 3 things! I wanted lots more, but little people school trumps fabric. Halloween is my favorite holiday and I just love this quilt every time I see it, so I got the pattern. Also got a super simple quilt kit made from Valori Wells' fabrics because I want the new baby to have a flannel quilt. Turns out the Stitchin' Post is owned by VW's mom! Who knew? Well my mom knew, that's how I know :) My lucky mom gets to meet VW at the Sisters Quilt Festival in a few months - fun!

Back Yard View

2010-03-01T20:02:00.001-08:00

Why have I been thinking about moving lately? This is what I woke up to today! Mt. Rainier.

Poetry Quilt Started

2010-02-22T08:22:00.000-08:00

Started a new quilt yesterday - one that's been sitting around since 2006! Yikes! Yay me for working on my backlog though. I just love the fabrics in this kit, which surprises me because I steer clear of florals when I'm shopping for fabrics. These are just too pretty though.

Bamboo Batting

2010-02-03T19:52:00.001-08:00

I will not be sad if the bento box quilt doesn't sell! I may just pull the listing and close shop anyway. The quilt just came out of the drier and it's sooooooooo soft. LOVE it.

Nursing Cover - done

2010-01-31T17:57:00.001-08:00

I couldn't find a tutorial online that I was completely happy with, so I used a few. This nursing cover is double-sided with an adjustable strap via d-rings. This is a gift for my sister-in-law who's baby is almost 4 months old now! When i make one of these for myself within the next few months I'll try to remember to take pictures of the process so I can post a one-stop tutorial :)

New Baby Girl's 1st Quilt Complete!

2010-01-31T13:45:00.001-08:00

I could not keep little feet off of this quilt when I was trying to take pictures - apparently the quilt doubles as a dancing mat :) I love love love this quilt! Tired of all-over stippling, I stitched triangles in the pinwheel section (which was much more of a hassle than I thought it would be), straight lines in the inner border, and stippling around the outer border just to break things up a bit. Needed some curves in there somewhere.

Fabric Box!

2010-01-25T13:29:00.000-08:00

What a great tutorial from Pink Penguin! I decided to try it out so I could do two things: 1) use up some scraps and 2) try out pressing seams open instead of to the side. I keep reading about this and it sounds good, but how do you get seams to line up with this method? Well, you pin everying to death, I discovered. Like this:

I ripped out many seams before I caved an started pinning. Here are some before and after pinning photos. Quite a difference! I do like the results even though I hate all the pins. Nothing's bulky and it all lays nice and flat. It really is more precise because you don't lose fabric in the fold like you do if you press to the side. Sounds trivial, but some of us love the details and it makes my day when things line up perfectly.

Bento Box Quilt Complete :)

2010-01-24T16:50:00.000-08:00

I got the entire quilt bound today! Yay! It's all done :)

2010-01-16T17:54:00.001-08:00

The top is all done! Once the batting comes out of the dryer I can make my quilt sandwich and be on my way to finishing up my new little girl's first quilt. I was reading the OhFransson! blog the other night and in her old sew along she says that she pre-washes her batting because she doesn't like the crinkled look on finished quilts. I like the crinkled look, but I don't like how stiff crinkled quilts are, so I've started pre-washing my batting and I love the results! I did this with the bento box quilt and it's nice and soft :)

Spoiled

2010-01-16T17:33:00.000-08:00

My hubby is net-shy and won't let me post his pic, but I caught him vacuuming today! He said he felt dirty when I took his picture because I told him before that a man doing chores is like porn for women :) hehehehe :-P He even vacuumed under the couch and the back of the couch. If it wasn't so embarrassing I'd have taken a picture of the crap load of junk we found under the couch. Enough stuff to fill a small toy box! Jeez. Did I mention that my hubby even drove me to the fabric store today so I could pick up some thread. He even watched the kiddo while I sewed! Today was a great day!!!

2010-01-15T12:51:00.000-08:00

My new work schedule with Fridays off is going to be expensive. Oh well, I have everything I need to keep me busy for a while.

Crossed off the shopping list today:
- White fabric to finish up the Pinwheel Baby Quilt
- White fabric for another Stacked Coin Quilt
- Yellow fabric for Pinwheel back & Coin binding
- Orange fabric for Pinwheel binding
- Wine thread to quilt the stripes quilt
- Recess charms for Coin Quilt
- Needles because I'm out of spares

2010-01-10T20:20:00.000-08:00

So my sewing table is the perfect size for basting baby quilts!

This is seriously how far I got before I ran out of thread:

And I got the whole thing done today! After work tomorrow I'll sew on the binding.

2010-01-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

I just SAW my belly jump! Baby Bean is getting strong :) Well my kitchen is spotless this morning, including the microwave and fridge shelves (must be the hormones), so I think it's time to sew now :) I was going to organize my closet this morning (again, must be the hormones) and came up with something new to add to my to-sew list. Those little fabric baskets/boxes that people make would be perfect for beanies/gloves/scarfs/etc. I didn't organize because Little K woke up, so some other day. Well, I'm off to finish up that bento box quilt I worked on a while ago. I finally got the batting I needed, so today is going to be free-motion quilting day.

I would be posting pics of the finished pinwheel baby quilt top, but I ran out of white fabric so that will have to wait. I also don't have the right color thread to do the quilting on the stripes quilt, so that will have to wait too. Happy Sewing Sunday everyone :)

2010-01-09T11:45:00.001-08:00

Baby Bean's 1st Quilt

2010-01-08T22:05:00.000-08:00

So I started making this quilt a few days ago and it's gone together really fast so far! It's been fun to make. I just love the little prairie points the tutorial calls for - how perfect for a baby quilt!

2010-01-01T22:35:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh, it looks like a quilt now!!!! All of the rows are sewn together and now all that's left is to throw on the border and the top is done. Finally!

Nursing Cover Fabric

2010-01-01T15:33:00.001-08:00

I got this fabric for my sister-in-law that recently gave birth to my adorable little nephew, Baby C :) Hope she likes the fabrics I picked out.

Retail Therapy

2010-01-01T15:00:00.001-08:00

We got to see our little baby girl yesterday at the 20-week ultrasound and I think reality is finally setting in. I'm going to have another baby! I'm super excited, but still freaking out. I can barely control my two-year old sometimes when we're out in public, how am I going to handle two? Ahhh! Anyway, I needed some me time today so I went to Pacific Fabrics for some retail therapy. Of course no salons are open today, so I couldn't get my hair cut :( Boo.

I love Aunt Gracie type prints, so I got a couple of these super cute Moda Recess charm packs. I'm either going to make a stacked coin quilt like Little K's X-mas quilt, or I'm going to make something like this.

And how adorable is this charm pack? There are so many cute prints in Moda's Off to Dreamland line. I'm not sure what to do with these charm packs yet, but they were too sweet to pass up.

This fabric isn't one that I saw and fell in love with, but I think it will look really nice on the back of my stripes quilt. It's a large bold print with colors that work with the stripes.

A pink and green baby quilt has been on my mental to-do list for quite some time. Couldn't resist the fabric on the far right, then I just kept finding more cute stuff. My days are all off this week so I didn't even realize until I checked my receipt that I got one of these for free! Friday is buy 3 get 1 free day for fat quarters. All of my other fabric was 20% too, so that was nice :)

It's a Girl :)

2009-12-31T15:03:00.000-08:00

Little K is getting a little sister :) Time to go shopping for baby girl quilt supplies! So exciting!

Oh Crap!

2009-12-30T18:51:00.000-08:00

I knew it was coming because things were just going together too easily. I sewed the wrong two rows together, which lead me to realize I sewed about half of my setting triangles on backwards! Santa - next year I need a design board.

Little K's down for a nap and the hubby is at the gym, so I get to sew - I mean rip out seams. About half way through it I take a sip of hot chocolate that totally goes down the wrong tube and I end up spraying it all over the place. I've never done that before. Gross. Somehow I missed all of my fabric and even my clothes too! Not sure how I did that since my belly is a food magnet these days. My coughing woke the kid up too, so sewing time ended too soon. Oh well, my seam ripper isn't going anywhere.

2009-12-28T14:47:00.000-08:00

It's been an eternity since I've wanted to sew (well, 19 weeks and 1 day to be precise :)), but I finally dusted off the sewing machine to work on the stripes quilt again. Raise your hand if you're tired of hearing about this quilt! All the rows are sewn, so now I just need to sew them together, layer, quilt, and bind. I see the light at the end of the tunnel!

2009-10-31T14:30:00.000-07:00

Finally got the binding done on this one. My back is killing me now. Anyone know a good way to sew binding on without the resulting backache???

2009-10-12T13:38:00.000-07:00

I also made some progress on the slow-going on-point stripes quilt. Clipping all the dog ears turned out to be a big waste of time because I ended up trimming all of the 200+ sqaures anyway. What a chore that was. Glad it's all done and I can finally sew some squares together! I'm about half way done sewing the strips.

2009-10-12T13:34:00.000-07:00

So I finally dusted off my sewing machine after a few weeks of not being in the mood to sew. This weekend I got the kid quilt all quilted and with binding sewn to the front. Now I just need to hand stitch the binding to the back before I get to wash it :) I've really been wanting to do some hand sewing lately, so it should be fun even though it's just binding.

2009-09-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

Anyone else quilt with mustard?

On-Point WIP

2009-09-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

I am soooooo tired of pressing!

On-Point Progress

2009-09-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

So all I've got left to do is take these two stacks of 5" strip pairs and turn them into the squares seen in the photo below. After I press all of these I get to do my least favorite part - drawing a diagonal line down the middle on the back of one of each square set. I don't like doing this because Ialways find some squares that aren't quite square and it drives me nuts.

This is what the finished squares look like, all pressed with dog ears removed. They are 4 1/2". About half of these squares were finished a few years ago when I first started this project. The rest were done yesterday - yay me! There is still a lot left to do, but it shouldn't take another 3 years to do it.

The New Kid

2009-09-20T01:58:00.000-07:00

This has nothing to do with sewing, but we got a new puppy! I wish we still had Hurley around, but Blitz is going to be a great dog! We adopted him from a rescue in Yakima. Mom is a German Shepherd mix, and I emphasize mix! Dad is a lab. After taking him to the vet, we think mom must have lots of Shiba Inu in her because Blitz looks just like a Shiba but with short hair (maybe from the lab?).

On-Point WIP

2009-09-20T01:51:00.001-07:00

So I started this quilt at least 3 years ago, maybe 4 or 5. Oops. I put it aside because after sewing lots and lots of strips together, you cut out 2 squares from a set of strips, draw a diagonal line down the back of one of the squares, then sew on either side of the drawn line to make two triangles (squares when opened). Some other day I'll post more pictures. Too tired tonight. I got all of the strips sewn together! Took a few hours and one silly movie in the background to get it done because there are so many. The top picture is the before and the bottom the after.

Bento Box Back

2009-09-20T01:45:00.000-07:00

The backing fabric that came with this kit is not quite wide enough, so I think I'll use up the left over small squares to make it wider. I even have enough left over squares to make a pillow also. The back will be the geisha girl fabric too, same as the quilt. Now, what to do with the last small square that is left over?? Sorry for the crappy lighting in the photo.

Bento Box WIP Update

2009-09-14T10:14:00.000-07:00

So I'm not a huge fan of Tracy Brookshier's Bento Box pattern. I mean, I like the results, but I've had issues with the directions and I'm usually pretty good at following directions. The pattern calls for 6-9 fat quarters for the 45" square quilt, which is what I'm making. The directions for cutting out your fabric are easy to follow, but they don't explain how many pairs of cut fabric equal 1 square, so you really don't know what you'll end up with until you are done with the first bit of sewing. So for anybody using this pattern, 6 fat quarters equals 6 15" squares if you follow the cutting directions and cut 3 strips from each fat quarter. The directions are really geared towards 9 fat quarters.

After patting myself on the back for getting everything cut out and sewn together so quickly, I realized I only had 6 blocks instead of the 9 needed. Back to the cutting board I went. Now I've got all of this to sew together. Since I wasn't sure how to cut half as much as I did the first time around, I cut the same amount which means I'm going to end up with a total of 12 blocks. I'll decide later if I'm making a larger quilt or the original quilt plus some pillows.

First Quilt

2009-09-14T08:06:00.001-07:00

Came across a photo of the first quilt I made about 6-ish years ago, although this photo was taken just a couple of years ago when I was preggo. I had no idea what I was tackling at the time. I remember showing a quilting instructor a block I'd made with some applique on it and she just said "Oh!" when she looked at the back and that was it. The front looked good, but I wasn't doing the stitches like I was supposed to. I just made up my own stitch since I didn't have a clue about anything back then. On the back side, I would put the needle in about 1/8" inside from the edge of the applique shape, then I'd come out on the edge of the shape. Then I'd put the needle straight down into the background fabric, right under the edge, then repeat for the next stitch. Basically, you'd see a bunch of lines on the back of the block instead of one smooth line. I know how to do applique the right way now, but it all works. You'd never know by looking at the front of this quilt. I quilted the whole thing myself, not using free-motion, but just a regular foot. I outlined some flowers and also did a vine with leaves in some of the borders. I learned a lot making this quilt, but looking back - I was nuts to make this as a beginner! Someday I'm going to make a king-size quilt for my bed out of all blue and green batiks. This quilt belongs to my mom.

First Quilt Label

2009-09-14T07:38:00.001-07:00

I've never stuck a label on a quilt before, but I made one for my mom's birthday quilt. I didn't set out to make a label, but I didn't know what else to do with my embroidery. I'll probably label all future quilts with embroidery labels just for fun. This label is made out of muslin. I did the embroidery, cut out a rectangle without chopping off any stars, ironed the corners in then the short and long sides, then stitched the label onto the quilt using the same stitch used for binding. The large teal stitches on the border are just there to be pretty :)

Bento Box WIP

2009-08-31T15:03:00.001-07:00

Well I bought some fabric that I shouldn't have because it was such a good deal. Moda's Momo Wonderland 40 FQs for only $60. How could I pass that up? I of course found other steals that I couldn't resist either, so now I've got to start selling some quilts to fund my fabric addiction.

I really like Bento Box quilts but have never made one before. Seems simple enough. These fabrics are so pretty. Love the colors and love the pink flowers on pink. Can't wait to see how this all goes together!

Quilts for Kids WIP

2009-08-31T14:55:00.000-07:00

I finished the Quilt for Kids quilt top on Saturday. I don't have backing fabric picked out yet, but I will soon. Maybe plain black for the binding and black thread for the quilting? Too dark?

Quilts for Kids

2009-08-27T17:25:00.000-07:00

This fabric is going to be turned into a quilt for charity. Here is where the quilt will go when it's done.

Little K's Apron

2009-08-27T17:22:00.000-07:00

I spent a couple of hours Saturday morning making an apron for my little girl whose birthday was on Sunday. She doesn't want to wear it though :( Oh well, I'll just have to make myself an apron so Baby K knows what to do with hers :)

Diapers & Wipes Case

2009-08-20T06:32:00.000-07:00

I also made this for little Baby C. I just created the pattern as I went along. This will be handy for the times when they don't want to tote around an entire diaper bag.

Nephew-To-Be's Quilt

2009-08-19T23:30:00.000-07:00

My brother and sister (technically sister-in-law) are having a baby boy in a couple of months and I couldn't be more excited to become an auntie!! I of course knew I'd be making a quilt for a baby shower gift and I spent way too many hours online looking for ideas / patterns / fabrics. This really sparked my quilting obsession lately and ultimately led to this blog.

When looking for patterns, I stumbled upon Oh, Fransson!'s blog and her adorable modern baby quilts. I'm a math nerd, so it didn't take long for me to figure out what size to cut the pieces and how to put it all together. I figured I'd just make my own applique shape, but I ended up scrapping the applique all together because I didn't like the test I did on some scraps. Maybe some other time.

Anyway. Choosing fabrics took me forever because there is just too much cute stuff out there!! All baby fabric is cute, but I really loved this Michael Miller 2D Zoo fabric and so did the mom-to-be. I got it at http://www.fatquartershop.com/ along with some Garden Pindot for the binding and the cool Groovy fabric that's in the mix.

I had a tough time choosing between the blue/gray background and the green one. I like them both, but lots of the other fabrics have green in them, so I went with the blue/gray. Who knows, maybe I'll make a green one some day though with all the extra fabric I accumulated while making this quilt.

Here is the result after arranging and rearranging the squares to get the right overall look. Ready for the top to be pinned to the batting. I used Minkee for the back, which I didn't want to quilt through.

Once I finished the quilting and threw the quilt in the washer and dryer, it was time to add the backing. I had no idea what a pain Minkee is to work with! Had to use the seam ripper way too much and no matter how many times I would pin things, it would still shift and end up sloppy looking. I got it eventually, but with quite a bit more effort than I was expecting. On the plus side, it was way easier to hand stitch the binding onto the back than I thought it was going to be. It was a breeze. Minkee is sooooo soft - perfect for Baby C :)

Mom's Birthday Quilt

2009-08-19T20:29:00.000-07:00

My mom taught me to sew. She also taught me to only sew if it's fun, so I don't take it too seriously though I do love perfect points. I bought the Timeless Treasures Jane Street quilt kit about a year ago and decided to make it for my mom's birthday this year. What a fun quilt! Took forever to cut everything out, but I loved putting it together. The pattern is very forgiving and it goes together quickly.

I made the back from one of my mom's latest obsessions, Amy Butler's Midwest Modern Poppies in Fuschia. I didn't want to just sew two panels of the same fabric together so I put a strip of fabric in the middle that was left over from piecing the front.

This is only me second attempt at free-motion quilting and I tried out a heart pattern all over. Just hearts and loops. Not thrilled with the process or the results, but I thought this was her favorite quilting pattern so i stuck it out. Turns out her favorite pattern is stippling! Oh well, I'll just have to make her another quilt someday :)

Next generation little helper :) Oh, I can't wait until she's old enough to sew! She's getting a little play ironing board and iron for her birthday this weekend.

The quilt is all finished and ready to be given. Done early, yippee!! Mom loved her quilt. Hit a home run with her birthday gift this year :)

Baby K's Coin Quilt

2009-08-19T19:51:00.000-07:00

I saw this tutorial by Crazy Mom Quilts and had to try it. My little daughter is the lucky recipient because... well just because :) I found the Sheri Berry Holiday fabric while shopping for my soon-to-be nephew's quilt and couldn't resist. The colors are super cute for Christmas and the little deer are adorable! Who doesn't love cute little deer??

This quilt went together super fast - I got the top and back done in just one day. The next day I did the free-motion quilting and I hand-stitched the binding on in a weekend. I made this quilt plus two doll quilts with just 2 charm packs! I used up all but 1 charm square, which made this even more fun for me.

I decided to make some doll quilts because I thought my daughter and her dolls having matching quilts would just be too cute. I only used the 2 charm packs for all three quilts, but I did get an extra half yard each of the background, binding, and backing fabrics from what Crazy Mom's tutorial calls for.

This is the first doll quilt. There is a start stitched inside each square, then straight lines stitched over the prints ans stippling done on the white fabric. Binding was attached in the traditional way - machine stitche onto the front and hand stitched onto the back.

This is the second doll quilt. I made this one because I wanted to test out this 9-patch pattern. I think I like it.

By the time I made this quilt I was tired of hand-stitching binding on so I did it by machine. I know this quilt is tiny so my excuse is lame, but I just wanted to be done. I'm actually really happy with the results too. The little edge of each star catches the edge of the binding, so it all stays nice and flat. If you've ever straight stitched binding on by machine, you know what I'm talking about.