listen while you work

 d4 had an epic finish week: she completed the kitty softie she has been working on (sporadically) for about a year now. and then she completed a quilt for her kitty all in one night. after we finished the quilt last night, she said, "wow! i can't believe i did it all in one night. the kitty took me 10 days and the quilt only took one night." well, not exactly, but we did knock out that little patchwork together in about an hour, give or take.



kitty in the beginning - april 2012

as she worked on the kitty, i remembered how she started it during general conference last april. it was all her own design, made from felt that she cut herself. many of us were doing handwork, as we usually do while listening during general conference, when she pulled out her box and started making something on her own. she's needed help with threading and when she gets tangled, as well as a bit of instruction, but this really was her project. last october, she again pulled it out on her own and made progress as we listened to the fall session of general conference. this last week, even though it wasn't conference yet, she pulled kitty out to work alongside me as i sewed.



go here to find out how

her internal kitty-sewing clock must have known conference was close because it's this coming weekend. we'll be listening to uplifting, inspirational addresses from religious leaders, men and women, and keeping our hands busy while we listen. if you'd like some peaceful background listening for your sewing this weekend, join us for any or all of the four two-hour sessions.

kitty couldn't wait for conference to get finished. d4 got her done right down to her bright blue tail and orange heart on the front. i suggested that maybe kitty needed a nose (so it would look more like a cat) but the creator responded, "the stitching already looks like a mouth so she doesn't need a nose." okee-doke.

after getting the mini quilt made for kitty, d4 said she needs some clothes now. so maybe that'll be her conference project this weekend.  what'll i be working on?

usually i'd say epp! well, last night d3 pulled her christmas gift quilt out of my "needs binding handstiched" wip pile and decided she was "going to snuggle it even though it's not finished." that made me realize we are 4 months into the new year and i should really get the binding done on those 3 quilts for my daughters. so it looks like binding for me while i listen. wouldn't that be a miracle if i could actually finish all 3?

something else that might be keeping the kids busily quiet while we enjoy conference? legoes, of course. here are some creative master builder makes from the girls this morning:

everything is awesome!

especially on general conference weekend. hope your's is a good one, too, with plenty of sewing, family time, and personal renewal.

dolly quilt#1 done

 it's a rather paltry finish, but it's a finish! my first little doll quilt is done. it looks like it could be a placemat, but heaven forbid i ever spend this much time and effort on a placemat. admittedly, this was a quick project; just too much time for something my kids were going to eat on. i completed the binding last night while the baby 1) played in the hose in the backyard, 2) played in the shower after dinner. splish, splash for her; stash time for me.

this was an exercise in experimentation. firstly because i was playing with improv piecing, or piecing as you go; secondly because it was my first fmq adventure. when i made my "out on a limb quilt", i wanted to keep the look mostly primary colored. therefore, i pulled a lot of the pink jelly strips from it. looking back, i think i actually meant to make a baby quilt because i bought a yard of the pink owl floral, another of the green and pink bandanna-looking floral, and half a yard of the yellow dot for binding to mix in with this quilt. but that was two years ago and i didn't process that thought until after the two little quilt tops were done and i thought, "hmm. i wonder why i bought so much of that other green floral?" this is why i need to start documenting my purchases and intentions more clearly.

i didn't have a pattern or particular look in mind, i just started sewing strips together and cutting away. i did rather intend for it to have a more asymmetrical feel. But at the finish, it looks like i cut the two smaller side strips evenly! oh, well.

back

i enjoyed the fabrics so much, that i was wishing i had more of it to make another version of "limb" in this pastel colorway or to make blocks similar to this top for a completely different quilt. greedy of me! it's just grown on me so. good thing i have lots of other pretty fabrics to work with.

the binding is not my favorite choice. not because of the color, rather the print. i have learned i like prints that blend with themselves better. very structured, linear prints, like this dot, end up with a choppy look rather than seamlessly flowing together. you get one portion of the pattern for a bit, then another portion when the strips meet up. maybe if i cut on the bias, this won't be an issue?

i have been feeling a bit silly for making a doll quilt. shouldn't i do a table runner or wall hanging? (not my thing,) that would be more "normal." then i found this little beauty while browsing books at joann, etc the other day:

pretty in patchwork doll quilts by cathy gaubert

it's chock full of fun doll quilt patterns from some pretty big quilting names! i'm validated. and i totally would have contributed my little pretty to it if they'd asked. [insert silly giggle] there were enough patterns i liked in it to justify buying my 723rd sewing/crafting book. whenever i think i've got enough, a new one always pops up.

and it features these darling dolls throughout, which lark offers free bonus patterns for here and here.

a finish means linking in with crazy mom quilts for finish it up friday and quokka quilts for TGIFF. see y'all in quilty blogland.

softies

my gradual interest in sewing was partially brought on by the discovery of softies, also known as plush toys and a few other names to boot. i have some issues of stuffed magazine on my crafting book shelf and at least half a dozen books featuring softies or sock creatures. something about their handmade, individualized, loved-to-pieces velveteen rabbit look really appeals to me. they're supposed to be quirky and off beat. or they can be much more polished looking if you like. softies can really be any which way you choose because they're made by you, for you. i love the idea of picking up some fabric, a needle & thread, then just making up a special little friend. there are also plenty of patterns for copying other people's wonderful ideas.

the above gal is my one and only creation so far. at one point i named her either "claire" or "clarabell" but i can't remember which and neither seems to fit anymore. that's an interesting phenomenon about softies: they begin to take on personalities. when i first read stuffed i was amused and even somewhat annoyed by the profiles and back stories many creations had. now i kinda understand.

i started her over a year ago. can't even remember how long it's been and i'm not sure why she's still unfinished. at the minimum, she needs her head stuffed and sewn on. i might put some arms on her. i might not. i've got plenty of plans for others i'd like to try out, but my 'to do' list is already quite long. softies aren't even useful. they're just cute. at least a quilt will keep you warm or an apron can be worn. that's probably why i've not spent much time sewing softies.

my oldest daughter has made the most softies. they are all completely cute even if lacking in durability but the quality of her work is improving. she pulls them out to work on periodically. so far there is a swan/ostrich, the animal print girl (species unspecified), frogalina, and the cutest little goat made out of some light blue polka dot satin leftover from one of my old pajama pants. couldn't find the goat, who is probably my favorite.

my oldest son loves the mixed-up kind and made a truly off-beat little monster but has since not done more. he said it took a long time. maybe when the fancy strikes he'll do it again.

the eight year old has made the body of a doll and partially completed a classic sock monkey, which is a long-standing form of the now exploding crafting genre.

here are a few of my favorite softie books:

wee wonderfuls by hillary lang - tons of sweet fairytale-ish dolls. i'm dying to make the red-headed flip doll and the fairy tale doll with yellow grosgrain ribbon hair.

socks appeal by brenna maloney - all sock creations to keep your monkey company. there are some totally basic forms that i'm sure the kids can make. the seven year old son is itching to try out the snakes and starfish.

softies only a mother could love - this is one i bought early on before many others were available. a huge variety of styles, each with a pattern.

sew me, love me by hsui-lan kuei -  this one is chock full of the cutest, vintage-y, well loved looking softies. each one seems to be some child's best friend lovingly made by a grandmother. most have really long, lean limbs, which i've discovered appeals to me. and that pig with the button nose puts piglet to shame. the four year old really, really wants the "sleeping doggy." she pours over the book on a regular basis, making up long lists of "to do's" for me. there's a darling monkey at the back of the book that i'm sighing over, but unfortunately no instructions for him. i think this is my favorite.

oh, this has got me itching to make some new friends!  we certainly don't need any more toys around here, but the fun of dreaming up and then producing our own is irresistible. if i get put on bedrest again, you can bet i'm going to be stitching away some of these by hand.