wip wednesday

a look at what's going on on my dining table. it's become my (temporary) second sewing spot. i love having a dedicated spot upstairs in my bawthroom, but ever since i did all that work while listening to general conference with the family earlier in the month, i've had my cutting tools and a few handwork projects parked on the dining table. with them close by in reach i find i can grab them every now and then to work on. and, when i'm working on pressing and sewing, i get some exercise running up and down the stairs from the iron, to the cutting mat, to the machine.

so here's what i did this week:

-began handquilting the baby quilt
-sewed together top and back for baby's 4sq blanket
-printed off pattern for ladybug softie
-pressed fabrics for new shabby squares quilt

i find i like having several projects going at once and hopping around among them as i have time. keeps it exciting.

i love this vignette of the bits and pieces of this week's work, especially the great new fabrics in heather bailey's freshcut line and hello, luscious by basic grey for moda. they mix really well together. the soft colors in the meadowsweet fabrics for baby's 4 sq meld nicely, too. even the yellow pins and my tools fit the color scheme. then there's that bright and bold oopsy daisy quilt in there, begging to be quilted some more. inspiring.

girls out and about

i took daughters #4 and #5 to the scrapbook/fabric store on friday evening before daughter #1's last soccer game of the season (yay!) to have a look at some fabrics i was eyeing online. #4 was not too awfully well behaved. even with the promise/threat of one of the store's suckers if she was good, she barely held it together. no tantrums, just all over the place, grabbing fat quarters left and right, running around, squealing with delight, etc. i was also there to select fabric for an edith twirl skirt for her because a friend told me they were super simple to make. but my little monkey made that nigh on impossible to do. so i went back the next morning with #3 and #4 was not invited. we had some quality mommy/daughter time at a much better pace.

this little lady stayed close by me, didn't grab like crazy, and even brought her own money to buy fabric with. two of her selections weren't available as fat quarters on the shelf so i made her carry the bolt to the counter and ask for a cut herself. at first she didn't want to do it, but i made it clear that was the only way she would get what she wanted and she did it. the second time around, she carried the bolt with a smile on her face and belted out "fat quarter, please!" nice and loud. i had a pleasant trip with her and was even able to get some fabrics for those twirl skirts.

while at a different store, mulqueen's sew and vac shop, i saw the craziest quilt i think i've ever laid eyes on:

who knew lingerie and quilting went together? not me! and i'm still not convinced. where would one put such a quilt? the guest bedroom?

the sales lady assisting me in finding parts for my machine told me the quilt was created as part of a challenge: that bright paisley fabric was given to participants, who were told to "make something wild" with it. i think the quilter most definitely succeeded in the wild department. wowsers. obviously this quilt involved a lot of time, attention to detail, and skill. beyond that i'm baffled by what to say about it.

however, undie quilts aside, i finally got the walking foot made for my machine! (that's her, actually, under the quilt - the pink-panelled project runway {innovis 40} by brother.) and while i was there, i sprung for a quilting table attachment, too. these purchases mean i'm ready to get to work on machine quilting limb and taite. if i'd had the walking foot before instead of trying to use my old singer foot i probably wouldn't be picking out all that stitching on limb still. those two projects are right around the corner.

wip wednesday & #13

hello, blogland! baby and i were working on posts and thought we'd share a picture of ourselves while we're at it. she's making a funny face, but there you have us - a view of what's on the other side of the screen.

not a whole lot of sewing going down this week, but i did finish something: another 4sq. yawn. i know. who wants to read a blog about the infinite ways to combine 4 pieces of fabric, some flannel, and embroidery floss? not exactly riveting reading but i do want to keep track of what i produce. it's sorta the purpose of this blog for me. so here you have it - 4sq #13 for my niece laynee.

i must say this is my current favorite because of the hot fabrics. i showed my seester and her husband a few options and she let him pick because, as she said, "believe it or not, he actually cares." drew has pretty good taste in my book. he flattered me by saying, "i thought {so-and-so's} blanket was impressive until i saw hydee's." very gratifying.

i don't know which i like best: the asian-looking chrysanthemum panel or the orange daisies.
i loved the robert kaufman grey with white polka dot flannel but was rather unsure about how feminine it didn't look with the orange floss for the edging. i like the way it turned out, but it just wasn't saying "baby girl" to me. katee loved it, however, so we're okay.

katee came to our family egg hunt on saturday, so i was able to hand off the completed blanket before laynee was even a week old. i think that's a record. later in the afternoon i spied it rolled up next to their diaper bag and thought it looked fetching that way, hence the photo. i might have to use that styling for future shots.

that's my one completed project.

in progress:
taite quilt
oopsy daisy dozen quilt
ladybug softie

trips to the store: none!

internet purchases:
-some end of bolt items from the quilted castle 
-my first ever bit of flea market fancy by denise schmidt, the height of trendy, hyped-up fabric. too bad the ones i wanted were all out. i got a little of the dots and one yard of the large floral with the yellow background.
- at long last, a few pieces of sandi henderson's secret garden from fabric.com. sandi is probably my favortie designer and i've had my eye on this collection she gave her first sneak peeks at it.

wip wednesday

thanks to general conference, i got so much done this weekend! i worked on whatever was available as i could through out the 8 hours of inspirational listening and sewed at the machine in between sessions. it was like crafting ADD: blanket stitch this one, clean out my sewing caddy, help kids with stitching projects, press some fabric, more blanket stitching, cut a new blanket, sew here and there, figure out this border, etc. fun! i definitely didn't get bored of any one project. in fact, i didn't even get to all the things i wanted to work on.

i can't decide if i am more proud of finishing nearly 3 of the 4sq blankets or for pulling taite back out and making some progress. my daughter was definitely happy to see work on her quilt underway once again. maybe by this next birthday i'll have it done?

this border took some time to fix. i'd previously pulled off the border because i didn't like the way the angled seams looked, so i had a pile of stringy-edged, angle-ended strips of various sizes. i didn't want to spend time doing the math to make everything even, so i just pressed and straight-cut the ends, then lined them up around the outside. since i wanted to add more blue to the border, i had purchased and cut the blue background pop daisy print (bottom two strips) to add to the border, but i couldn't make it work out evenly and just pulled it all together. i pieced the other three fabrics and sewed on. none of the strips are evenly-sized, unlike everything else in the quilt, but it bothers me a lot less than the diagonal seams did. it's good enough. in fact, when i look at the top, i don't even notice this because they all blend so well together. time to move on and get this baby finished! just need to decide how wide to make the outer neutral border. i have precut jelly roll strips in snow, which i used in all the blocks, but i think i might want to make the border wider/quilt a bit bigger by using a wider border. then again, i really don't want to cut anymore. hmm. probably should have done a snow inner border, the blue/green border, and then another snow border. too late now - i am not pulling this off again.

completed:
ollie's 4sq (#11)
hailey's 4sq (#12)

started:
lanee's 4sq (#13) - top and back completed, edging started

in progress:
taite - added blue inner border
oopsy daisy baby six and one half dozen quilt
ladybug softie - pressed fabrics, located pattern

in the wings:
out on a limb
baby's 4sq

trips to the store: none!

internet purchases: fabricworm package arrived

inspired sewing

i had a fabulous opportunity to get lots of project time this weekend: general conference. twice a year instead of regular sunday worship sessions, our church's worldwide leadership broadcasts four two-hour sessions of inspirational talks over the course of the weekend. our family watches from home via the internet.

to keep little hands busy and mouths quiet while we watch, i allow the children to pull out their sewing boxes and create. even the four-year old got to stitch this time. i gave her a small hoop with some muslin in it, some inexpensive embroidery thread, and a tapestry needle. (normally i use burlap because the large, loose weave is easy for little hands to navigate - but i couldn't find my surplus.) she was happily occupied for most of the conference with selecting colors and simply putting the needle in and out where ever she pleased. a few times she flipped the hoop and the thread got wrapped around from front to back, but it was easily fixed. after the first time or two she quickly recognized what she had done, making it easier for me to unpick. love to see them progress in understanding like that. just look at that big smile on her face (which looked a lot bigger as it scrunched into her eyes before i had to crop half her face for privacy reasons.)

the two oldest girls dove into churning out felt pastries for the play kitchen's food collection.

then the oldest daughter picked up some of the cutting scraps and turned them into this cute little scrap bug, purely from her imagination.

i felt like i had project ADD as i jumped from one project to the next, doing a bit of this one and some more of that one as i had the chance over the two days. lots to report for my wip this week!

my favorite talks heard while doing all this crafty goodness?

importance of family to the fabric of society, m. russel ballard (here)
how trials help us grow, henry b. eyring (here)
the race of life, thomas s. monson (here)

4sq #11 and #12

i've completed a round dozen of these babies now, with my baker's dozen almost done, too.

for my nephew, ollie, whose nursery is surf themed. i probably could have found much cooler beach/surf fabrics on the internet, but i decided the week of his baby shower to do this thing and just ran to the store. hey, it was january and i had a two month old baby of my own. i was happy to find some moderately cool surf stuff and to get the top completed before the shower. his parents insist they like it, so i should just get over my paranoia about making geeky stuff and be happy with it myself. i finally completed it this weekend and ollie got to snuggle in it when we all went to the movies together friday night.

there is a surfboard panel, blue seaweed, grey starfish, and a stripe from the collection on the top. the back is a speckled baby blue flannel. all edged in a deep sea blue to match the seaweed and stripe squares.

#12 goes to my niece, hailey, born last month. she's my husband's sister's daughter - their girl #5 to match our girl #5. only we also have two boys and they've none. love it! my husband's family gave a shower for my s-i-l and myself in january, hitting right in between the births. i wasn't into sewing again just yet, so my s-i-l got a bag of fabric for her present. "what's this - burp cloths?" she asked. nope, it's going to be a blanket. two months later it finally is.

the chandelier panel is a bit out there, but it was the only pink from the collection. i think it looks a bit odd with the less formal/mod flowers. my 13 year old kept drooling over the fabrics, though. hope my s-i-l likes them as much. the back is a soft pink flannel. the edging was done in a bright pink to match the dots. wish there had been a nice grey for the edging instead, but there is a surprising lack of greys in embroidery floss.

securing corners when blanketstitching

i've never had trouble with corners slipping on the blankets i've made as far as i know. no one's complained or mentioned it happening. but still, i've begun taking the extra precaution of tacking down the corner stitch when i edge my 4sq blankets. it's simple.

when making the stitch around the corner, i make sure to grab a bit of the corner with my needle by going under just a few threads before catching the thread.

then bring the needle up under the thread as you normally would

and pull tight, as usual when completing a stitch

then loop back around to where the thread entered the fabric and insert the needle again
pull the thread snug and continue stitching down the next side of the blanket

your corner is secured in place

when done carefully, the tacking stitch is not noticeable.

six and one half dozen quilt pattern

my mom had a saying that went "that's six and one half dozen of the other." it took me a few years to figure out that what she was saying was "they're both the same" or "that's two ways of saying/doing the same thing." because, you see, "six" is the same as "half a dozen."

it stuck and i use it all the time (along with other family expressions that have been passed on for generations now: "no, no, fluffy," "the bus is leaving," "for cryin' out loud," etc.) when i started a second quilt after the same pattern i created for star cookie, which uses 6 fat quarters, mom's expression kept coming to mind, which is why i think i'll name this pattern "six and one half dozen". it does, after all, consist of 6 fat quarters cut in half, placed in two rows, so you actually have six on one side and . . . a half dozen on the other.

this quilt top is about as absolutely simple as they get. i've decided to share basic instructions for how to make it. it's beyond the scope of this tutorial to give detailed instructions on quilting basics like how to square off fabric or bind a quilt. the good news is, those topics have been covered thoroughly and extensively elsewhere, many times over, in books and online.

what you'll need:
6 fat quarters (or just 6 regular skinny quarters, doesn't actually matter) for the top
1.5 yards for the backing
1/2 yard for binding
batting, slightly larger than 1.5 yards x width of fabric
thread

start by squaring off your fabric quarters and removing the selvages. then cut them into two 9x21'' rectangles. (this is why you can use fat or skinny quarters - you're just cutting them in half either along the length or the width depending on how your quarter was cut.)

arrange your rectangles in two rows in a pleasing manner

begin pinning them together by folding the bottom left hand rectangle on top of the adjoining rectangle, right sides together, and pin along the seam. do the same with the next two rectangles and the final two in the row.

***tip - this is where i found it helpful to have photographed my layout because no matter how well i mark placement or think i'll remember even a simple one as this, i always get something turned around. so having a reference photo was super helpful.

go sew and press your seams
square off you fabrics if you need to. i only removed the selvages and measured the 9" across the width so my lengths were slightly different. i just square up after each seam to get them even.

now you will have three squares, side by side. fold the left hand square over the middle square, right sides together, pin and sew like you did the rectangles. press open the seam. put the final square, right sides together, on the middle square, pinning along the seam. sew the final square and press your seam. trim if you have any sections longer than the others along either length.

your first row is complete.

stop and drink a glass of water. seriously, we all need to stay hydrated!

repeat the above steps for the other six rectangles in your second row.

when you have two rows of six rectangles adjoined, put one on top of the other, right sides facing.

you'll want to line up your seams between the rectangles with the ones across from them to create nice intersecting seams on your top. start with pinning at the very middle seam.

to pin, line up the seams and pin on each side, with one pin in the pressed seam allowance to keep it flat, which i didn't do here so you could see how the seams are together. but do pin down your seams. it makes it much easier. (you can't tell where they're placed very well from this picture because my pins blend with the fabric - sorry. look closely and maybe you can make out the ivory colored, flat, round pin heads and pins on either side of the seams.)

after you've pinned the middle seam together, pin the seams to the left and right next, working your way out toward the edges. then go back and pin twice between each seam.

you may have a little slack between seams if your cutting or seam allowances weren't precise. pinning them first will allow you to have clean intersections and make up that slack. just keep your pins in place as long as you can and watch that your seams don't shift.

now simply sew that baby from top to bottom, being careful when you approach the seam intersections. press open.

you've got a completed top!

i did all of this in one afternoon nap session (the baby's, not mine - ha), which was probably between two and three hours. easy-peasy.

sandwich, baste, quilt, bind.
there's your quilt.

you can see more about my completed version, named "expecting blossoms," here.

variations:

 when i made star cookie i only used 5 different fabrics. i used the main fabric, my daughter's favorite which was also the backing, twice (or for four rectangles) on the top so it was more dominant and noticeable. so i purchased 4 fat quarters and 2 yards (one half for the 4 rectangles on top and 1.5 for the backing).

i'm considering turning some of the squares on their sides so it looks like six large blocks rather than two rows, but will have to change the dimensions so the squares are actually square.

wip wednesday

it must be crafting spring fever because it's always this time of year that seems to get me in a frantic mood to make stuff. with baby four months old and somewhat close to a schedule or at least to the point where i'm not consumed by her needs every minute of the day, i found the time to do some blanket stitching to finish up that gift blanket. it got me back in the saddle, so to speak. i promised myself i was going to make time each week for at least some small bit of sewing.

when my husband announced two weekends ago that he was going to take several of the children on a two day camping trip, i got all excited for a big block of sewing time. then, we found out there was finally going to be snow at our closest ski resort and decided to do a spontaneous trip to a cabin for four days so the mr. and older kids could ski. i figured cabin time was the perfect opportunity to do a bunch of handwork - how cozy!
unfortunately, we were so spontaneous i had no time to prepare any handwork to take with me. i was dying over the missed opportunity. when we got home late thursday and the girls had sewing class friday morning, i thought to myself, "no sense trying to have school today. i'll just declare this a bonus spring break week. and if the girls are going to sew today, so am i!" i vowed never to be without handwork at the ready for any chances that might come along.

i completely amazed myself by knocking out two 4sq tops and then a small quilt top by dinner time. now i actually have a wip report for this week:

completed:
-4sq blanket #10

under construction:
- ollie's 4sq, back attached and edging started
- hailey's 4 sq, top sewn
-oopsy daisy baby quilt, top completed, sandwiched, and pin basted

in the wings:
-lanee's 4sq
-charity's baby girl's 4sq
-ladybug softie for daughter #3
-taite
-at last's top embellishment

trips to the store:

- one to joann for flannel and floss for 4sqs (and a book or two. hee,hee) discovered mollie makes british craft mag - very cool

online purchases:
-barnes and noble book order (for more new ideas and to read while nursing)
-fabricworm, some monsterz, woodland tails, and saddle up to celebrate the fabric i used up this week (and because i couldn't resist the coupon i got in my email.)

tutorials:
-securing corners for blanket stitching
- six and half dozen quilt pattern

i'm raring to go on the three projects. can't wait to start the hand quilting, especially. in the hour i sat at my kids riding lesson today, i was able to complete half of ollie's blanket stitching. almost there! maybe i can even get lanee's (my newest niece) blanket done this week before she comes.

kelly's at christmas

long past the season, but i wanted to share this. our sewing teacher, kelly hendrickson, had her studio decked out for the holidays and some really fun christmas projects available. i ducked in with my camera long enough to snap some of her inspiring decor and the kids at work.

kelly, on the left, and a few other students

even the dress dummy was festive

daughter #1 at the ironing board
there are several project options hanging from the shelf in front of her

not holiday decor, but more cute project displays
daughter #1 is going to make that bear soon

the boy at work

he was really crazy about this "elf" stocking. his fabric selections gave it a very jester-type look, i think. pretty loud and wild, just like his crazy-fun personality. he also made an apron for his dad so dad could stop wearing the frilly "girly" yellow apron he usually cooks sunday waffles in. i kinda think the mr. is cute in that apron, but like that our son made him one, too.

my girls also made a few gifts during december sewing classes: pj pants and luxury drawstring bags for siblings. sewing class and gifts all in one swoop, that was something i really liked. i didn't enforce a mandatory handmade christmas this year because of the new baby and all, but i didn't really have to because many of their ideas were things to sew for each other anyway. it's definitely catching on. they often refer to our handmade gift giving in 2010 with fondness and seem to be naturally gravitating in that direction the more experience they get with crafting.

one last bit of creative holiday decor i discovered at home:

someone made an angel for the kids tinsel tree out of american girl mini josephina in her night shift with a baubble in her hand and a shiny ball around her neck, taped to the top of the tree. love, love, love!

custom baby carrier cover

awhile back i was shopping at the fabric/scrapbook store with my daughter when i ran into another shopper with the cutest customized baby carrier seat i've ever seen. its been popular for a few years now to purchase boutique carseat covers to replace the run-of-the-mill and often tasteless covers that come with carseats, but i've never taken the leap. as much as i admired everyone elses, it wasn't high on my priority list of purchases, especially when told they often cost more than the carseat itself.

i looked at the amazing cover and thought, "she only has one or two kids tops. moms with lots of kids never have time to do that." i complimented the mother on her creation and asked how many kids she had. "She's number six" was the reply. well, there went my theory and my self-esteem shot down into my shoes. to myself i said, "why is it everyone else on the planet can manage so much better than i can and finds the time to be mommy and creative? dang it! i want to do something cool like that, too." then we got talking about life with so many kids, how challenging but worthwhile it is. my new friend was pretty beat down and weary at the moment, actually, and our conversation lifted both of us. i love talking to other moms in the trenches and being reminded how important and fleeting the work we do with our children really is. they'll be gone so soon - all seven of them. the oldest will be out the door in just a handful of years. chin up and carry on! the sewing can wait or be skipped altogether. being there for my kids is what's really important, not making cute stuff for them.

check out the shade cover. don't you just love it?! wow.

she told me she isn't much of a sewer and freehanded the whole thing by simply "tracing the original pieces." when i kept oohing over it, she said "it really wasn't that well done, don't look too closely." heck, who cares how perfect her stitching is or how precisely it fits? look what she did all on her own! quite impressive and inspiring. i was so overcome by it's shabby chicness i didn't even notice the imperfections she was apologizing for. she was good enough to allow me to photograph her work right there in the paper isles.

a few weeks after i saw this cover, i noticed another one at church. it was simpler, but done up in designer fabrics, too. this other mom told me she did the same thing: no pattern, just sorta laid out the original cover, squashing it as flat as she could to trace, and went for it. geesh!

i've thought about the process they described over and over, but every time i look at my own carrier, i get completely intimidated. no way i can do it. but now that i think about it, i bet there are tutorials all over cyber craft space, don't you? i'm gonna look them up right now. and maybe, just maybe, my baby will get a more stylish ride.

4 sqr #10 & a scrap book

i'm pretty sure this blanket was on hold longer than any i've made thus far: bought the fabric last spring, completed the top in late summer, my mom sewed on the flannel back for me in the fall while i bedrested, and i completed the border stitching for it this month in a few short sessions. whew! done, wrapped and ready to hand over to baby charlotte, who is now 6+ months old.

i have to say she is one of my favorites for a few reasons.

1. i adore the lily and will fabrics from bunny hill designs for moda. very feminine, baby, soft, vintage and classic but in that more modern color combo of pink and brown. i've gotten lots of compliments on these fabrics whenever i've been seen working on the blanket. love of fabric is one of the reasons i started sewing so you better bet i'm gonna gush a bit over designs i love. i am especially tickled by all the sweet bunnies worked into the designs of this line.

2. i really like how the brown stitching contrasted with the ivory flannel on the backing.

3. on this blanket i upgraded my technique for the blanket stitching in 3 new ways.

*i was having problems with getting my thread knots to pop in and out of the fabric. sometimes it worked perfectly and other times i had difficulties galore. finally i realized i could just put my hand and needle in the opening i left for turning the blanket. i did this to plant the thread whenever i started a new section of floss.

*i started anchoring the corner stitches (more on that when i upgrade the tute).

*i quit popping the knot in when i tied off a section and began tying off right on the stitch. this is not as hidden of a techinique, but easier, quicker, and more secure. i'll upgrade this section, too.

so long, pink lily and will bunny blanket!

i still have some of this fabric to use for myself but no plans yet. maybe i'll just put it away for use on a scrap project from the newest quilt book i bought, sunday morning quilts.

this book has some great projects for using up your scraps, as well as tips on how to store and sort them. looking over it last night, i'd say the book is for sewers/quilters with some experience because there was a lot of assumed knowledge. but if you have enough scraps to create entire quilts, then you have probably been sewing a while. fair enough. i especially liked having ideas for using my strings and the little triangle corners i cut off projects because i save the all, every last bit. even selvages. at $10+ a yard and rising, designer fabrics are precious to the last thread.