I've moved....

Over to Typepad! Come check out the new site.... www.kristenunraveled.com

Yo Gabba Family

Yo Gabba Family, originally uploaded by kirbyloulou.

My cool trick is making costumes....

(and cursing while doing so)

(and taking on too many projects)

(and barely finishing in time for Halloween)

Broken Coins Quilt Top

Broken Coins Quilt Top, originally uploaded by kirbyloulou.

This is destined for a baby born earlier this year. I never thought that pink and orange could look so Fall together, but this is perfectly seasonal!

Announcement!

Hello everyone! I appear to have unintentionally taken the summer (eh, and fall) off of blogging. However, although things have been quiet on the blog front, in the real world I have actually been quite busy and have a very exciting announcement. Alissa and I are writing a book! As many of you know, Alissa and I co-host an online quilting bee called Block Party. Our book will focus on the online quilting community and our little corner of that community called Block Party. It will be published by C&T Publishing and will include contributions from all of the members of Block Party. Since joining Flickr and starting my blog I have been continually amazed by the inspiration, support, and creativity present in the online quilting community. Finally, I have found crafting friends. People who understand the need to go to all five quilt stores in the Myrtle Beach metropolitan region while on vacation because maybe, just maybe, one will have a bit of Flea Market Fancy left over; who understand the want, the compulsion, to stay up all night finishing ababy quilt the night before the baby shower; who can talk fabric lines like other people talk about television; and who can appreciate the beauty inherent in a finished quilt. I am so happy to have found all of you and so thrilled to be sharing this project with all of you and the other eleven women in Block Party. The book that Alissa and I have imagined will capture all of this wonderfulness. Rather than just a book of patterns, we will bewriting a “how to” book that will be also be all about the virtual quilting bee and the incredible sense of community that we have found online. We will be celebrating the creative process and attempting to capture the amazing nature of these group projects -- that what is created by the group is so so much better than each person's individual block. I haven't even gotten to the best part yet. We are inviting all of you to be in the book too! We will be switching our Block Party Blogover to a quilt along and will be including some of the quiltalong blocks in the book. We hope that many of you will join in. There will be more details coming along soon so please keep an eye both here and over on the Block Party blog. Thank you all for all of the inspiration and support and for sharing in this process with us. I can't wait to see what all of you come up with! -Kristen

I need this....

Single fold bias tape at the touch of a button!!!!

(via http://ihaveanotion.blogspot.com/2009/04/here-it-isthe-new-binding-machine-by.html)

Hop on Spot.

All Done! From the start, this quilt was destined for the soon-to-be born baby of a friend of mine. They don't know whether the baby is a boy or a girl, so I chose bright, gender neutral colors -- turquoise, orange, and yellow. The quilt is so happy and cheerful, just like the mom to be! I bound the quilt in orange and white seersucker. I love the hint of texture this gave the quilt, and you can't beat the diagonal stripes. The back was pieced from some thrifted ikea fabric printed with orange birds, and some turquoise print from Joann's that I mysteriously bought yards of. I hand-embroidered a label, which I think is the first time I've done a label by hand. I love the hand-crafted touch this adds to the machine-sewn quilt.

Doll Quilt Swap Six

Received... I received this beauty from emma louise. Emma was inspired by a William Morris design, "The Strawberry Thief." The handiwork is even more impressive in person. The handiwork is flawless, and the colors are so beautiful. I can't wait to hang this on the wall of my sewing room. Emma lives in Australia and blogs at http://sampaguitaquilts.blogspot.com/. Run on over and check out her many, many lovely quilts. She is so inspiring and I am thrilled to have recieved this gem. Thank you Emma! Sent... I was inspired by men's summer dress clothes, cotton paisley, chambray shirts, and linen suiting. The paisley is a wonderful liberty that ginger monkey sent me a while back. The recipient has not yet received this one, so I'm keeping the name under wraps.

Lovely...

I am swooning over the dinnerware from Bauer Pottery, both their own line, as well as the reissue of the American Modern collection. Like fiestaware, but all grown-up and sophisticated.

I've been....

Sorting...   ... all of your scraps. thank you for your generosity. still working on the project. Meeting...   ... Heather Ross. truly as sweet as she seems from her book. Quilting...   ... hop on spot. even more finished than it looks here. Buying...   ... lots of fabric!

Catch up...

Once again, I let my swap obligations pile up. I took the opportunity this weekend to catch up, and I feel so much better. These are all off to their recipients, yay!

I have always loved the multi-colored oval and rectangle print from American Jane, but did you know these come in monochromatic colorways as well? Maybe I should say "came," because I can't seem to find these anywhere! They were part of the "Building Blocks" collection, but there must not have been much of these produced because they are nowhere to be found. Anyone have some they want to trade?

New Quilt: Hop on Spot

All the blocks are done... These look way more complicated than they really are. I was inspired by Dioramamama's tutorial for easy curved piecing. Her tutorial was easy to follow, and these blocks came together very easily. I pieced one giant, long strip from all the orange, yellow, and aqua fabrics that I had in my stash. I then followed the tutorial, using pieces of the long strip for the center of the circle. The only trouble I had was removing the freezer paper, but eventually I realized that I was probably using too much glue. I can't wait to see this one come together.

Show Your Sewing Space and Stash

A few weeks ago, when my sewing room was actually clean, I took a few pictures of my sewing room. This coincided with Sew Mama Sew's Show Your Stash, so I figured I would post my answers to the questions along with the pictures of my room. Here is my sewing room (the pics on flickr are annotated): Here are my stash answers... What do you usually sew? I almost always sew quilts, but occasionally I will also sew clothing for my daughters. When you shop for fabric, what size cuts do you usually buy? (i.e. If you see something beautiful, but you don’t have a use for it right away, how much do you buy?) I used to buy a lot of fat quarters, but now the smallest I will buy is 1/2 yard cuts of prints, and 1-2 yards of solids. With fat quarters, I often find that I run out of a favorite print much too quickly. Do you buy on impulse or do you go out looking for something you need? Both. I build my stash on impulse, then fill in the holes with desperately needed solids, tonal fabrics, or monochromatic prints. Are you a pre-washer? If you are, do you wash your fabric before you need it, or only when you’re ready to use it? I always pre-wash red prints and solids. I have had solid fabric bleed on me more than once, and it just isn't worth the risk to me. With prints, I think there is a little more leeway, but I still try to prewash. Do you iron it? Yes. How can people not iron??? How do you sort it? (color, print size, collection, etc.) Color, but also by size. I keep larger cuts of prints in a separate stack. I also separate out non-cotton fabrics, such as linen cotton blends and upholstery weight fabrics. Do you have any special folding techniques? No, I prefer not to have raw edges sticking out. How do you store your fabric? On a shelf. What tips do you have for building up a well-rounded stash? Buy the colors that you aren't drawn too. Keeping my stash sorted by color allows me to instantly know what colors I need. Also, don't buy fabric that you aren't in love with. Because of my impatience I have spent way too much money on fabric from JoAnns that I don't even really like. I wish I had bought quality fabric online, and just waited for it to come in. When do you say enough is enough? When my paypal is empty :-( What are some of your favorite stash-busting projects? Scrappy quilts. Do you have a current favorite print in your stash? I am really obsessed with early Amy Butler right now, especially Belle and Lotus lines. What’s your definition of the perfect stash? Bigger!!!

Giveaway Winners...

Hello everyone, Thank you so much for entering! I can't believe how many people entered. Using random.org, the following winners were picked: Malabrigo: AuntyM, who said she would "Love the Malabrigo" Liberty: Allison, who said she would love either, but would "extra love" the fabric Winners, please e-mail me your addresses, so I can get these goodies in the mail. There is still more yarn for sale, so e-mail me if you are interested! Make me an offer... all prices are negotiable. kristenunraveled AT gmail.com

Fabric & Yarn Giveaway and YARN SALE!!!!

My quest for fabric has reached new low. I am stooping to selling off my yarn stash to fund purchases of fabric! In honor of this debauchery, I am going to be giving away a set of luscious Liberty print fat quarters and two skeins of Malabrigo. The Winner's choice. First, the Goods... 1. For Sale- 5 Vintage Knitting Books, 2. For Sale- Vintage Metal Knitting Needles, 3. For Sale- 3 balls cashmere luxury aran, 4. For Sale- 6 Balls Cashmere Luxury Aran, 5. For Sale- 4 balls cashmere luxury chunky, 6. For Sale- 16 balls Debbie Bliss alpaca silk, 7. Swatch of Chunky Blue Yarn, 8. For Sale- Over 1000 yards of Chunky Blue wool yarn, 9. 3 Balls Koigu KPPPM, 10. For Sale- Cherry Tree Hill Merino lace, 11. For Sale- 10 balls Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed, 12. For Sale- 10 balls Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed, 13. For Sale- 4 balls Rowan Linen Drape, 14. For Sale- Recycled Cream Wool Blend, 15. For Sale- 6 balls Takhi Baby, 16. For Sale- Over 1000 yards of handyed worsted yard Here's whats for sale: - 5 vintage knitting books, most using chunky or heavy worsted yarns. Very cool designs, especially that capelet! $12 (including shipping) - SOLD Over 40 pairs of vintage metal knitting needles in a large variety of sizes from teeny to large! Gorgeous colors and in great shape. Looks great in a vase! ($25 (including shipping) - 3 balls of soft cashmere blend yarn in a lovely wine color. $12 (including shipping) - SOLD Supersoft Cashmere blend yarn in a bright, springy green. Aran weight. $22 (including shipping) - Luxurious chunky cashmere blend yarn in a beautiful bluish purple. $15 (including shipping) - 16 balls of Debbie Bliss alpaca silk in a stunning wine color. Incredibly soft. $100 $85 (including shipping) (retail over $165!) - SOLD Over 1000 yards of a chunky/heavy worsted blue yarn. This was purchased at the famous School Products in NYC. It has a high twist to it, and a very springy quality to the yarn. The color is a greyish slate blue. I have wound three skeins, and one center pull ball. The rest of the yarn is on the cone still. If you've never knitted off a cone, you're missing out! $40 (including shipping) - 3 coordinating balls of Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino Wool. Full skeins, handrolled into balls. I've done all the work for you! $22 (including shipping) -Cherry Tree Hill laceweigh merino, in a brown/purple/green colorway. Very lovely, I think it may be the peacock colorway, but I can't be sure. $24 including shipping (retails for $40) -10 balls of Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed, Red with flecks of blue, grey, and yellow. All ball bands intact, I just took these out of the bag for the picture. Soft, almost felted yarn. $40 (including shipping) -4 balls Rowan linen drape. 2 balls cream, 2 balls sage green. The cream balls have lost their bands, but are unused. $18 including shipping (retails for $8/ball) -3 very large skeins of recycled cream wool blend yarn. Chunky weight, very soft hand. Probably a wool/nylon/angora blend, but I don't know the exact content. $25 including shipping -SOLD 6 balls Takhi Baby, 4 have already been wound into center pull balls. Pale lavendar/pink. $45 including shipping. (retails for $15/ball) -Over 1000 yards of very pretty handdyed worsted wool, wound into six large skeins. Purple, green, and blue color scheme. No two skeins are exactly alike. Purchased from an artisan dyer at a sheep & wool festival. $40 (including shipping) For more info & bigger pics check out the flickr set: http://flickr.com/photos/kirbylou/sets/72157614238557925/ E-mail me to purchase: kristenunraveled@gmail.com Now, drumroll please.....THE GIVEAWAY!!!! I will be giving away 3 Liberty Print fat quarters as well as two skeins Malabrigo: To enter, either: (1) Post a comment below, gets you one entry! Pick your poison... tell me whether you would like the yarn or the fabric. (2) Link to this page on your blog, twitter, ravelry, wherever! Let me know where you've linked to in the comments and I will give you five entries. (3) e-mail your knitting friends! cc me and get five more entries. Enter a comment or link before Friday. I will pick a winner this weekend, and post the winner on Monday. Fabric here I come!!!

Swap of sorts...

I am planning on making a set of scrappy baby quilts for the shower of a good friend of mine, who is having twins! (gah, two babies??) I've sorted through my scraps, and I have come to the conclusion that I simply do not have enough variety for my vision, especially not for two scrappy quilts. I haven't decided exactly what I will be doing, but I am looking for scraps that are at least 3 inches by 3 inches. Do you have any you can spare? What?? You have a whole bunch? I love you! If you do have some scraps you are willing to part with, I will, in return, send you a pair of fat quarters from my stash. Something lovely, I promise. Let me know if you are interested in the comments, or via email. xoxox Kristen

fear not

I am still crafting away, but... work is crazy computer is broken just returned from vacation. will post new craft pictures soon. i promise.

Whew....

I may have bit off more than I can chew. I am now involved in THREE quilting bees/block swaps. This may not sound like much, but two of them require two blocks each, so that's a minimum of five blocks a month. Even thought this is a little bit crazy, I love the bees. They give me a chance to use fabric I had not yet tried, learn new techniques, and work in other styles. Plus, I know that no matter how busy I am, I have to make time for a little bit of quilting. Unfortunately, the holidays really threw me off. Plus, in DC, the inauguration made everything crazy until only a week ago. Then, add in a new job, a barely sleeping baby, and a crazy crazy toddler, um, yeah. I was a little behind. Fear not. I am caught up. They will all be going out on Monday. Here they are, in all their glory. First up, Alissa's blocks for Block Party. If you want to hear more about these blocks, check out the Block Party blog. Next up, the January block for Sew Connected 2 Now the December blocks for the About.com Birthday Block Swap Finally, the About.com swap January Blocks What a relief to be all caught up!

First quilt of 2009...

I made this quilt, called "Traffic Jam," for two dear friends of ours who are about to have a baby boy. The mom-to-be had her shower last Saturday, and the poor thing has definitely reached the "get this baby out of me!" stage. I was hoping that this quilt might brighten her day and help them feel ready for the new baby. This is my first "boy" quilt and I am very happy with the result. The quilt features a mid-tone solid grey, probably Kona, and pieced strips containing various primary colored prints, along with a few focal car prints. Some of the car prints are from purl soho and some are from pink chalk studio. As for the quilting, I quilted straight parallel lines in the grey "road" sections, and stipple quilted the patterned sections. My stippling is starting to improve, although I find that because I have to set my tension fairly high to keep the back looking neat, my thread often breaks while free motion quilting. This can be very frustrating, and often leads to a string of expletives on my part. Has anyone else experienced this? My machine has a scale from 0 to 9, and I have to keep it at about a 7 in order for the back not to look loopy. What do you keep your machine's tension on when free motion quilting? I bordered the quilt in a solid yellow, which I like, but do not love. It makes the quilt look a little less sophisticated that I wanted, maybe because the grey/yellow combo screams construction site. The back is pieced from a large piece of rocketship printed fabric from Purl, along with some other pieces from my stash. The white/red check is from Joelle Hoverson's Cake Rock Beach line.

Well said...

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - Barrack Obama's Inauguration Speech As Joe can attest, one of my biggest disappointments and frustrations during the last administration was the rampant trouncing of civil liberties in the name of "freedom" or "terrorism." While I do not discount the need for safety and security, I have long worried (along with many others) that we might find, at the "end" of the war on terror, that we had left our core freedoms in the dust. I agree wholeheartedly with Obama that the rhetoric of the past eight years presented us with a "false choice." We simply cannot give up our ideals, especially in such perilous times. now, back to your (ir)regularly scheduled crafty postings...

Happy Inauguration!

Today I had the pleasure of joining 2 million other people to watch the inauguration. My heart swelled with pride as I watched Barrack Obama be sworn in. I have never felt more proud to be an American, more certain that something great is on the horizon, and more thrilled to be celebrating with millions. We watched from up high, on the rooftop of my lawfirm. Unlike many others, our day went quite smoothly. We had no delays, no trouble on the metro, and did not shiver out in the cold. It was perfect. here are some pictures: 1. Mom and I in front of the capital, 2. The Capitol, 3. The reflecting pool..., 4. Obama cupcake

You know you are obsessed with fabric...

When the only thing you can focus on during Grey's Anatomy is whether Erica's Hahn scrub cap is made from Denyse Schmidt's Katie Jump Rope fabric. And the answer is.... Yes!! See below for photographic evidence: Apparently, I am not the first to notice the magical meeting of awesome fabric with craptastic televsion. Happy New Year to all fellow fabric obsessors!!

Whew....

Finally, time to take a breath. We traveled for Christmas, which is always stressful with two small babies. Luckily, we had plenty of help in NJ. I gave only two crafty presents for Christmas, but alas, I did not take pictures of either of them! Hopefully I can coax some pictures from the recipients. For my sister, I made a lap quilt using some vintage house fabric I have been saving for a very very special occasion. I would say that moving to NZ is pretty special. I hope she likes it! For my two nieces, I made them each a set of doll bedding. The set included a quilt and a pillowcase, both made from the vintage sheet fat quarters I received from Elizabeth in the swap. We also got them the sweetest little doll beds. Taking a cue from House on Hill Road, I wrapped everything in brown paper and string. They looked so lovely under the tree.

At this time I wish I was the stay at home parent....

Joseph: annie is doing yoga she is panting like a dog like the woman on tv Sent at 10:21 AM on Thursday me: what are you watching??? Joseph: she changed the chanel to some crazy show and started impersonating the asian woman in front of the ocean me: um, video??? Joseph: sorry, it kind of freaked me out me: what was the asian woman? the yogi? Joseph: don't know, she was all painted and panting...it was surreal me: and annie was panting? Joseph: YES me: hahaha. Joseph: i know

November Block Swap blocks

For Deb, the Autumn Tints block in 30's prints: For Angelina, a Tuscon or Sonoran Desert inspired block:

Thanksgiving table...

We travelled to my parent's house for NJ. My mother, who is an excellent cook, did all of the food preparation, took care of the babies, and cleaned up after us all weekend. As a thank-you, I tried to set a lovely Thanksgiving table for our guests.

many thanks...

Angel baby...

My great grandmother (tilda's great-great grandmother) gave me this onesie after Annie was born. She told me that her children wore it when they were babies... 50 years ago! Unfortunately, Annie was already too chubby for this heirloom by the time it was given it to us. Luckily, Joe pulled this out of Tilda's drawer the other day. It fits her just perfectly! Maybe this was not a coincidence... Matilda is a much easier baby than Annie ever was. She naps in places other than our arms, she goes to sleep fairly easily at night, and rarely cries. I never used to believe people when they told me that their newborn slept all day. I thought they were either lying to themselves or had just forgotten how rough infanthood can be. Now, I too am one of "those" people. Of course, I loved Annie as a baby. She was the first, and I was wholly in love with her. But, as babies go, she was not easy. I found myself wishing us through her first few months, just willing her to nap! to sleep! to self-soothe! to grow up! With Tilda, I am in love with her littleness. She is just the best age... squishy and lovey and smiles and giggles. If she was sleeping through the night, I would try to keep her this age forever.

First Love, First Quilt...

One day, about two years ago, my husband and I were walking around the West Village headed to my favorite yarn store, Purl. We passed the then-brand-new Purl patchwork, and I dragged my husband in. Pregnant at the time with Annie, I instantly decided I would make her a quilt. I already owned Kaffe Fassett's Caravan of Quilts, and wanted to make one of the more complicated quilts in that book. The lovely woman staffing the shop talked me down off that ledge and convinced me to pick something much more manageable for my first project. I spent an hour salivating over all the gorgeous prints, and plucked various gems off the shelf. After spending way too much money, I walked out with a stack of fabric and a new love of fabric. For the next few weeks, I slaved over my mother's Singer sewing machine. I had never made a quilt before, yet I was convinced that it couldn't be too difficult. I worked and worked, and this was the result!

Boxes: 1, Me:0

After unpacking what seems like a million boxes, we're finally starting to feel at home. We did a lot of work to this house in a very short period of time, and I will post some pictures early next week to show off the magic that a few coats of paint and some curtains can work. Til then, a peek:

Love at first sight.

When I first came across Melissa's etsy store, Little Girl Pearl, my first though was, "Thank goodness I have a daughter." Her dresses are exquisite, her palette inspiring, and her technique impeccable. I've been dying to order from her for the past year and a half, but hand crafted goodness comes at a price. With the holidays approaching, I decided to splurge on the girls' Christmas dresses. This was the result! Yummy, right! Melissa was a dream to work with. I picked out the two styles, and she sent me a whole host of inspiration fabrics. I chose this bright flower pattern, and Melissa took it from there. The dresses are amazing, and I cannot wait for the girls to wear them. Although they are festive, they are not overly Christmas-y, so hopefully they will wear them through the spring. I wish I had taken a picture of the packaging, even the box was beautiful. Now, go, run off and order yourself some lovely dresses from Little Girl Pearl! I am already dreaming of the dresses I will order next year.... hmmm, maybe a bright green?

See Katie Sew Giveaway

Katie's blog is new to me, and it's fabulous! In commemoration of her two-year blogiversary she's giving away a box full of fabric! Check it out: http://seekatiesew.blogspot.com/2008/10/two.html Tell her Kristen sent you!

Why you should always pre-wash...

Now, I know that some of you swear that you never pre-wash fabrics. In various quilting forums, I have heard that pre-washing is a "waste of time," "unnecessary," and just plain "silly." I have always questioned this wisdom, and have always pre-washed my fabrics, especially solid colors. I was just too worried that the dye would run later and ruin all my hard work. As you may remember, Mattie's quilt featured some of Patapri's lovely hand-printed fabric. In pulling out my accent colors, I knew that I wanted to use the bright, lively, chartreuse. I embarked on my usual thorough search for a quilting solid in such a color. All local fabric stores were visited, and alas, no chartreuse... really nothing even close. Kona samples were ordered... the greens were a bland disappointment. But then, out of the corner of my eye, in the red-dot clearance section of Jo-Ann's (gasp!), I saw the perfect color. Eye-poppingly bright and vivacious-- CHARTREUSE!!!! I quickly checked the fiber content-- yes!!! 100% Cotton. My one concern was that the fabric was dip-dyed, so I was worried about color consistency. I decided that I would only use strips from the end, which would ensure that all strips were the exact same shade. Now, as I explained above, I ALWAYS pre-wash. Suspicious of the dip-dyed fabric of uknown origin, I prewashed it not just once, but TWICE!!! Apparently, twice was not enough. Although it is hard to see in this picture, the greenish-yellow fabric in Tilda's quilt has bled (twice now), turning the white sashing to more of a yellow. It's not too bad, but it is disappointing none the less to have something that I worked so hard on turn out to be less than perfect. The moral of the story... always pre-wash. Although maybe the true moral is not to trust Jo-Ann's clearance offerings, no matter how perfect the color!

Ikea Highlights: Don't ever go to paramus on a saturday edition

We will be moving soon, which in our house ineveitably means another trip to IKEA. I have a love-hate relationship with the big blue mothership. While I love the inexpensive, stylish finds, I hate the particleboard, crowds, and omfg-i-will-kill-you-assembly-process. Joe just has a hate-hate relationship. The minute the word IKEA is mentioned, he breaks out into hives and gets the shakes. My friend Colleen was in town last weekend and had never been to the big blue. Knowing a willing victim when I see one, I suggested that we go to get some furniture for Tilda's room. Here were the highlights.

When I saw these sheepskins for $19.99, I instantly grabbed one for Tilda. When visting my Latvian grandparents in NH, Tilda was partial to their animal-skin decorating scheme. I knew she would cuddle right up the wooliness. These make great stroller liners, playmats, and barf rags. Also, contrary to popular belief, they are machine washable.

Because we already own the incredibly stylish and versatile MALM in the color "fakeydoo light wood," (also known as "birch effect") we have decided to give Annie the gift of a matching set of fakeydoo light wood furniture. We like the cube storage of the EXPEDIT bookshelf, and I have this delusional fantasy that all of her toys will be stored neatly on the shelves instead of in the pits-of-hell buckets we use now. I had been planning on sewing curtains for Annie's room, probably from some Amy Butler August Fields fabric. But, then I did the calculation, and realized that I would need like 15 yards of fabric, which would be very expensive. These curtains, which seem very Orla Kiely-like to me, fit our criteria of mucho-colorful and not pink, and also NOT A MILLION DOLLARS. I think I will pull out the orange and blue, and decorate around those two colors.

Because of our high brow desire for matching furniture, I wanted to get my fingers on the newly released birch Gulliver. Sadly, the Paramus store did not have any instock. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the College Park IKEA will not disappoint. Oh, and I also picked up some fabric remnants. IKEA has the most fabulous cotton fabrics. They are wide, and colorful, and 100% cotton, and cheap. None are over $7.99 a yard. Unfortunately, Paramus on a Saturday is CRAZY crowded, and there was no one to cut fabric. I picked up a few remnants, but that was it. There were also some cool things that I did not get. My husband and I have attempted to make a no-buying-except-for-necessities-pledge. Not getting the following items was me sticking to this pledge. Ignore the purchses above.... clearly fabric is a necessity. Isn't this chandelier fantastic? It is constructed from strings of LED globe bulbs wrapped around a frame. It is actually outdoor lighting, but it looks so modern and fabulous. At some point, I would like to get this for Annie's room.

I like both of these dressers MUCH MUCH MUCH better than our hideously unstylish MALM, but showed enough restraint not to buy either of these. Sadness ensued. I am seriously considering buying this dining table. I love its mid-century lines, and it is actually made of wood, not the usual IKEA crappy fake woodness. But, I think I would rather buy an actual vintage table. Luckily, we've got time to ruminate on this one. As always, IKEA was exhaustingly crowded on a Saturday. As we left, I asked Colleen what she thought of her first glimpse of the stylish Swedish behometh. She said, "I think one trip to IKEA may have been enough for me."

Mailbag

I made a trip to the post office today to send out a few swap packages. First, the easy lap quilt for the bend-the-rules swap. My fellow swapper chose the fabric, but the layout and quilting are all mine. I like the simplicity of this pattern, and it really was quite easy. To complement the linear design, I channel quilted lines parallel to the strips. I also hand-quilted a number of asterisk-ish designs in three of the bars in cream pearl cotton. Hand-quilting is hard! I found it very difficult to emulate the rocking motion that everyone speaks of. I think this may have been because the pearl cotton is so thick. It took quite a tug to get it through the layers of fabric and batting. I would love to hear any hints on quilting with this type of cotton if you havy any! Here's the handquilting: Here is the front: Here is the back: I also sent out the blocks for the about.com birthday block swap: peggy asked for a butterfly block: stacy asked for a batik star block. another paper-pieced beauty!

Watercolor giveaway....

I harbor this secret desire to have gorgeous portraits painted of each of our daughters. If I won this giveaway, I would be halfway there!

Finally!

I sent out Matilda's quilt to be quilted by Jessica Brunemer on a long-arm machine. Jessica did an amazing job, and I received the quilt back in the middle of August. Then, it sat, and sat, and sat, just waiting for me to bind and label it. Finally, I tackled the binding. For the first time, I handsewed the binding to the back of the quilt. It makes such a difference. This binding looks better than any I have done before. I think it is well worth the time, energy, and pricked fingers! Here are some pictures of the finished product:

Baby Kimono

I've gotten a lot of questions about the kimono top that Annie is wearing in the growth chart pics. We recieved it as a gift from a friend, but I did a little research (i.e, googling) and it appears the kimono is from Lucky Wang, right here in NYC. You can find them online here for $32.

Yeah for me!

My growth chart took second place in the Apartment Therapy Amy Butler contest. I feel so honored-- Amy herself chose the winner! I can't wait to recieve the box full of Amy Butler goodies. Hmmm, maybe this will keep me from buying fabric any time soon....

I posted a tutorial for the growth chart below if anyone is interested in making their own.

last stay at home mom day

This is such an frustrating, albeit exciting, time for Annie. Every day is filled with little disappointments that lead to not-so-little tantrums. I try not to use the word "no," but it is difficult when Annie is constantly wanting to do things that are either unsafe (like play on the stairs while mom is holding told) or just not ok (eat kudos bars ALL day). She has also learned to say "please," but when not given was she "pweeses" she screams and screams. I know this is just a stage, and is part of her figuring out who she is and what her boundaries are. It is hard, though, to remember that when listening to her yell all day.

stay at home mom day 21-ish?

Annie was enjoying dancing to this clip this morning... look familiar to anyone? Emily?

block swap september

Here are the blocks for this month's birthday block swap. For Becca, a brasstown stars block in black and batiks: For Faye, a basket block on point: This was my first attempt, but it came out a little smaller than it should: Because it wasn't quite big enough, I made her another one: A picnic basket! I sent Faye both, on the chance that she can use both. Hope everyone likes their blocks!!

project sahm day 7+8

my friend bianca got married in rehoboth, de last weekend and I traveled, alone, to meet my friends for the festivities. unfortunately, sometime in the last two years I became O-L-D. 2 am is very, very late. Thus, monday was a recovery day. Unfortunately, recovery is hard with two babies. I still feel tired!

say it ain't so...

thanks uncle alessandro for the fab shirt.

Tutorial: "So Big!" Growth Chart

My first tutorial! I entered this project into the OhDeeDoh Amy Butler contest. I was so happy with how it came out, I thought that I would make a tutorial for anyone else who might want to make it. This is the first project tutorial/pattern that I have ever written, so please let me know of any suggestions you have! Enjoy!! Pattern

What I did on my summer vacation....

apparently, fabric shopping! This is the result of visits to the myrtle beach area quilting stores, a ginormous order from starlitnest's etsy shop, and a visit to the fashion district. The mendocino half-yard cuts and the linen are destined for one quilt. I ordered the mendocino prints from starlitnest and she was a joy to shop with. She put together a custom order for me and shipped super-fast. Thanks Allison! I also received this gorgeous doll quilt from Linaloo. I adore the mix of linen and quilting cottons, and the red embroidery is precious. I had planned to give the quilt to Annie, but I love it so much that it is hanging next to my sewing machine instead.

project sahm day 5+6

last friday i was all set to write about how smoothly things were finally going when this happened: oh no, poor annie! annie has been so great about going down the stairs, so now I usually let her "sit and scootch" all the way down, while I walk right next to her. of course this was all well and good until she decided to somersault down the bottom two front steps. poor baby, she tumbled down the concrete step and landed face up, bawling. of course, i have matilda in the sling, so i can barely grab her to see if she's ok. luckily, she suffered surface damage only. annie promptly forgot about the whole thing, while i blamed myself over and over again all day *** day 6... finally, i can write that we had a day that went smoothly. both babies napped nicely this morning and we went to have lunch with joe in the mall. this was my first time out with both babies and it went really well. i wore mattie in the ergo and pushed annie around in the maclaren. it wasn't nearly as bad as i thought!!

project sahm day 4

yeah! annie's feeling better. maybe we will get some sleep? no such luck... she was still up twice last night. alas, no good night's sleep for the birthday girl.

project sahm day 3

worst weekend ever. annie's teeething has reached a fever pitch...literally. Her mild friday fever escalated to 103 on saturday. maybe not a teething fever after all? she was miserable all weekend, which means everyone was miserable. today she woke up with a rash so we head to the pediatrician for the fourth time in a week. boo hoo. on a brighter note, mattie napped for 2 hours this morning!! hopefully its not because she's sick. lets all keep our fingers crossed!

project sahm day 2

annie has horrific diaper rash. just awful. the kind of diaper rash that looks like third degree burns crossed with poison ivy combined with road rash. in an effort to cure this i let her run around the backyard with no pants on this afternoon. we've done this before. but of course, for the first time, annie pooped without her diaper on today. very difficult to clean poop, hold newborn, and hose down toddler all at same time. *** because of said diaper rash, annie quivered, shook, and screamed at every change today. very sad. brings tears to my eyes. hopefully this will get better tomorrow. *** nothing new with mattie. today she seemed to hate the moby, but her love for the kkafp is going strong. rock on sister, the more time you spend in a carrier the better for everyone. *** i did manage to sew a little today. mattie was asleep in the kkafp and I stood up next to the sewing machine and put the pedal to the metal. got a whole 1/2 hr of fun in before annie woke up.

project sahm day 1

for the most part both babies were fed, changed, and happy most of the day. success. *** spent much of the day telling annie not to hit the dogs with rocks. she mostly listened. zoe did get smacked in the hindquarters with a nice size stone. sorry zoe. *** matilda slept in the moby wrap in the afternoon. all was well until i leaned over annie's crib to pick her up after her nap. tilda's head fell back and practically fell off. whoops. on thursday i will try to remember that she has no head control. *** only one two babies crying moment. matilda was yelling her head off when i put annie down for her afternoon nap. i came back down and there were little tiny tears streaming down her little face. so sad.

NZ or bust.

My sister and her boyfriend recently moved to NZ. Although this was a very sad for me, it did provide me with an excellent crafting opportunity. Before Dani left, she complained that she needed some bags to pack her socks, underwear, and bras in. Dani is super-environmentally concious, so rather than use disposable zip-locs like the rest of us, she preferred something reusable. With this in mind, I whipped up these ditty bags for Dani. Each is labelled with a pictograph showing its contents, making it easy for Dani to locate a clean pair of undies after a long day of travel. Plus, they are so pretty! They definitely glam up her otherwise functional black duffel bags.

Mold and Mildew...

So, apparently the cute brown and white dress that Annie wore on her birthday sat in her hamper a wee bit too long. The ice cream crusted garment now has green and brown spots of mold on it!! I blame the new baby for the long delay in the laundry... Anyone have any good tips for mold spot removal?

Annie's Birthday Party... take two

Annie's second party was held at my parent's house in NJ on July 19th, 2008.

Annie's Birthday Party... take one

Annie turned one on June 28, 2008. Knowing that we would be moving shortly after her birthday, we decided to have two parties-- one in Shreveport, and one in New Jersey. We went with a red, light blue, and navy color scheme and a nautical feel.

I designed the invitations and had them printed by vistaprint:


For decorations in Louisiana, I made a flag bunting with annie's name on it and scattered a few GIANT red and white balloons throughout our living room. I also covered a set of party hats in the same fabric I used for the bunting.




We used red, white, and blue partyware:


For party favors, we gave away Koozies matching the invitations:


I made Annie a white cake with cream cheese frosting. The middle layer was filled with strawberries and blueberries, and I used berries to decorate the top as well. I am no baker, and to be honest, this cake was a minor disaster. The layers fell apart, and I needed to use about two cups of icing to spackle it all together!

Announcing Matilda Claire Poulas...

After a slow start, Matilda Claire arrived in the world on July 29th, 2008 at 7:30 p.m. She weighed 7lbs, 10 ounces and was 21 3/4 inches long.

Mini Color Wheel Quilt

As soon as I joined Doll Quilt Swap 4, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. A mini version of Purl's color wheel quilt. The most difficult part of this quilt was the initial planning, especially the math. I first figured out the dimensions of the color wheel. I decided to make the wheel about 20 inches in diameter, with a 4 inch diameter white center. This would give me about 2 inches of white around the whole wheel. I then figured out how many pieces I wanted in the wheel. The original used 52 pieces-- 14 in each section. I knew that many would be too difficult; they would just be too skinny. I decided on 32 total, 8 in each quadrant. I then figured out the size of each piece by dividing the 360 degrees of the circle by 32. This made each piece 11.25 degrees. I next used powerpoint to draw templates. I made a quarter circle template for the wheel and a circle for the white center. I also made a wedge template that was 11.25 degrees and 10 inches long with 2 inches chopped off of the middle. I added a quarter inch seam allowance and used the templates to cut out the 32 colored pieces. I then cut 4 13 inch by 13 inch squares out of white kona cotton, and used the templates to remove the color wheel sections. I sewed the colored pieces together into a quarter of a color wheel, then sewed the white pieces onto the outside. Last, I sewed the white center in. This was the most difficult part of the piecing. It required a lot of pins to keep the edges aligned and I ended up using some stabilizer to keep the points together in the center. I decided to use a solid teal linen blend for the back, and quilted in the ditch around the color wheel. I stipple quilted the center of the wheel, as well as the white background. I used a white linen for the binding, and added the label.

Wowza.

We're finally settled in NJ. The last few weeks have been unbelievably hectic and have prevented any crafting or blogging. And, still no baby! We moved July 12th. It went pretty well. Annie slept most of the first flight, and part of the second. She melted down at the end of the second, but given the disruption in her nap schedule and the length of the flight, that was to be expected. We brought the carseat on the flight, which was helpful and a hindrance. In the end, I think it was worth it to be able to restrain Annie, but I'm not sure that if we had to pay for the seat we would have brought it. Joe got home on Monday night, after driving our car up from Shreveport. He and his dad seem to have had a good drive, but I know he missed Annie immensely. Look for craft updates in the next few posts, as well as some pics from Annie's birthday, including a bunch of handmade decorations.

Roosters-N-Rickrack Pinafore GIVEAWAY!!!!

Kathleen has another giveaway up. Her clothes are brilliant, so you should all enter!! Roosters-N-Rickrack Pinafore GIVEAWAY!!!!

July Birthday Block Swap

I am participating in a Birthday Block Swap at the about.com quilting forums. The concept is pretty neat. 24 quilters participate, and each month it is two quilters' "birthdays." All of the other quilters then make the birthday ladies a block of their choice. So, I send out two blocks every month, and then, when it is my "birthday" month, I will receive 23 blocks of my choice. Some quilters choose a general theme, such as gardening or birdhouses, and let everyone run with it. Others choose a particular block in a particular color. For me, this is a great way to force myself to try "traditional" quilting techniques, such as complicated piecing or applique, that I wouldn't normally. I think that over the course of the year I will definitely make a lot of mistakes, but also learn a lot in the process. Here are the first blocks, for July: On the left is my contribution to a "garden" theme. The background sky and ground are pieced together using curved piecing. The veggies are appliqued on, using light fusible and a teeny-tiny zig zag stitch. I love how bright the colors are, and I think the cross-section view is neat. On the right, the birthday gal requested blue stars on a white background, quilter's choice of pattern. I used this pattern: http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2008/06/star-quilt-along-week-7.htm from the crazy mom quilts star quilt-a-long. Her tutorial was great, and I love the star pattern. This quilt will be going to someone who lost everything in Katrina. I hope she likes it!

Strawberry Quart Caplet with Simple Sailing Frock

Everyone should enter! Strawberry Quart Caplet with Simple Sailing Frock

What We've Been Up to...

We've been busy around here, but have been lazy about posting updates.

• I sent out my fat quarters for the Oh, Fransson! vintage sheet swap. I ended up having a few extra, so I sent those as well and Elizabeth can distribute them to those less fortunate in the sheet hunting!

• As a thank you for Elizabeth, I sewed the bottle bag below out of a vintage dishcloth and some fabric from my stash. It came out very cute and was so easy. These would make great Christmas gifts when filled with a bottle of wine. Inside the bag I tucked two vintage aprons that I found when scavenging for vintage sheets. The picture doesn't really do them justice, but they are quite cute.

• I've been busy working on my quilt for doll quilt swap 4. Because of the baby and the move, I wanted to make sure I was finished nice and early. Below is a sneak peek. I hope it doesn't give to much away! The quilt ended up about 24" x 24." I have finished the patchwork and the quilting. All that is left is the binding, but I've been feeling very indecisive about color choices. Luckily I have some time. These aren't due until the beginning of September.

• Father's Day! We celebrated Father's Day last weekend. Joe's present came out awesome, and definitely involved some craftiness on my part. I will post on that later this week.

Quilt for new baby...

I (finally) finished the quilt top for the new baby's quilt. The quilt was inspired by the bundle of fabric that I purchased from patapri on etsy. I decided to do a modified log cabin quilt block, and pulled out four colors from the prints to serve as the borders-- teal, chartreuse, plum, and orange. I strip-pieced the log cabin blocks with the colors, then added the white strips. I sewed up a bunch of random "confetti" strips to mix in with the plain white strips. There are 12 different prints total. Overall, I am very pleased with this project. There are plenty of wonky seams. I really hope that I get the hand of straight 1/4" seam sewing soon! The biggest difficulty in this quilt was that the printed squares and the white fabric is 100% linen. Because of that, it frays like mad! For durability, I double-seamed each of the seams, which took forever. Also, the quilt is huge! I don't think I realized quilt how big 60" by 60" is. I kind of think I just should have made it a twin, but I think it will be a nice place to lay down the baby. Now, all that is left to do is quilt! I purchased a lovely linen/rayon blend in the exact teal I used on the front to use for the back. But, after scouring the internet for advice, I've decided that using the rayon blend is just too risky. I'm worried about the rayon wearing unevenly or deteriorating. So.... impatient me must wait for the quilt back fabric to be delivered. Sorry teal linen, we will save you for another day! I am also thinking of sending this quilt out to be long-armed. I've never done that before. Anyone have any recommendations for long-arm quilters that do "modern" quilting?

oh yeah...

me: they never make any cool double strollers joe: that's because people who need double strollers never get to do anything cool

Review: Avent Replacements

Our 10-month old daughter has used Avent bottles since her birth, but over that time we have become increasingly concerned over the presence of BPA in these bottles. Last month, we finally decided to cut the Avent cord, and started to look seriously for alternatives. One of our primary concerns was that she had become used to the Avent nipples. In addition, we liked the multiple flow rates offered by Avent and we already owned a huge stock of nipples. Another concern of ours was cost. Many of the bpa-free bottles are really expensive- $10 a pop, at least. We were worried about making such a substantial investment and then having our daughter reject the bottle because she didn't like the nipple. We had read reports that the Gerber GentleFlow was compatible with the Avent nipple, so we decided to try those. In addition, the Avent magic cups are BPA-free, and are compatible with the Avent rings and nipples as well.

Here are our thoughts:

Gerber GentleFlow:

Cost: $2.99 for one at Walgreens (As an aside, I have seen these being sold for much more, as much as $10/bottle. That is absurd. Every Walgreens we've been in has had these in stock for $2.99)

Pros: Avent nipples and rings fit perfectly; good shape; markings in both ounces and milliliters; cheap!!!

Cons: These seems to make our daughter more gassy then the Avents, I think they may not be venting as well; they only come in 9-ounce size, which will be huge for a newborn; can be hard to find if you don't have a Walgreens

Avent Magic Cup:

Cost: $7.99 for two 9-ounce at Target

Pros: Come in a few different sizes; cheaper than many of the other bpa-free bottles, converts to cup

Cons: Made by Avent, who refuses to recognize the BPA-issue; really vague ounce markings, no milliliter markings; odd shape

The main problem we had with these was leakage. We first tried just replacing the spout with the Avent nipples and using the MagicCup ring. This was a disaster, formula everywhere. Now, we use both the Avent bottle ring and nipple, and we've has less leakage issues. However, like the Gerbers these make her more gassy then the Avent bottles, so again, I don't think they are venting as well.

In the end, we bought a bunch of the GentleFlows and a few of the MagicCups. We're due in August again, and I'm not sure if either option will work for a newborn because of the Gas issue. We may have to try to Avent bottles that use liners for a few months

My contributions to the vintage sheet swap

Very Pregnant....

Less than eight weeks left.... Amazing drawing by muffin at kerspinks.

Dear Annie

Today, you stood up against our patio door. As usual, you spread your legs apart and lay your hands on the door. Then, remarkably, while staring at your hands, you slowly moved them off of the door, bent your knees slightly, held the pose for 30 seconds, then gracefully replaced your hands on the door to steady yourself. Pleased with yourself, you repeated this again, with a huge smile. How brave! I can't even imagine how scary it must be to let go like that without ever having stood without support. What a risk you took. I am so proud of you. Love, Mama

Vintage Sheet Swap

Yeah! I am participating in the Oh, Fransson! vintage sheet swap. Coincidentally, I just picked up a bunch of vintage linens at Goodwill a few weeks ago. Some of those will definitely get turned into fat quarters for the swap. I do think that this calls for another trip to Goodwill this weekend, whoopee! Here are some pics of what people are contributing: There are a bunch more pics in the flicker pool: http://www.flickr.com/groups/792015@N22

Oh, how I love paper...

I want to plan another wedding just so I get to design another wedding stationary suite. It seems so unfortunate that such lovely correspondence is only used for such an occasion. http://nymag.com/weddings/planner/2007/winter/coutureinvitation/

Dear Annie

Dear Annie, Thank you so much for greeting me with a big giant smile every day when I come home. Often, after my enormous pregnant self works all day, I am cranky and tired. Sometimes, admittedly, I even dread the prospect of having to go through bathtime and bedtime. Instead, I wish that I could wallow alone on the couch with no one else to worry about or take care of and spend the next four hours eating a pint of ben and jerrys and watching crappy mtv reality shows that we no longer get because we cancelled cable. But then, the moment I walk through the door, you turn and greet me with an enormous smile. Usually more than one (thanks for being so generous). You then crinkle up your face, touch your fingers together in that pincer grip wave you've got going on, and crawl towards me. At that point, I instantly recover. Your smiles fortify me. We play, and talk the dog for a walk, and do bathtime, and bedtime, and all is good. This time always ends up being the best part of my day. And it is all because of you! Thanks again. Sincerely, Mama

Sweet cheap modern toddler bed

I am not sure whether we will get Annie a toddler bed. Instead, we may transition right from crib to a big bed, either full or twin.

However, I have always loved argington baby and children's furniture, especially this adorable toddler bed. The price, as with everything argington is sky-high! $395 for a bed that will not be used for very long.

I was pleased to come across this KidKraft modern child bed. I love the bench at the end, which would make a sweet reading nook for a toddler. It has similar styling to argington bed, but the price is much lower, $144!

Holy Crap.

Annie is never going to college. Never. I witnessed plenty of drugs in college, but participating in a drug cartel? you've got to be pretty stupid... Yearlong probe results in 96 arrests on SDSU campus for participation in organized cocaine distribution ring [via San Diego Union-Tribune]

Nadia's Quilt

Recently, Joe's cousin Andy and his wife Rika had a baby girl. I felt that the new arrival, Nadia Kiko, was clearly in need of a quilt and began working on a pinwheel patchwork design.

I had many of the fabrics in my stash. The fruit print is part of the Alexander Henry picnic collection. I bought a decent amount of that print, as well as the blue dots, at Purl in NYC to make my daughter a sundress. I way overbought, however, and had plenty left to make this quilt. In fact, I still have enough for another few pinwheels!

The red dot and blue pattern fabrics came from the quilting cottons section at Jo-ann. Quality wise, they were ok, but the red dot was a little thin. It has almost a challis-y rayon-y feel to it. The red zig zag fabric came from a local quilting store. The blue/red rickrack for the back came from Hancocks, and was such a perfect fit for the front that I overlooked the fact that it is a poly/cotton blend.

The biggest challenge for me was the actual construction of the pinwheels. My half-square triangles were never quite square, and therefore, I had to do a lot of squaring up. It was also hard to not cut off the pinwheel points when piecing the pinwheels together. Another issue that I had was that I sewed some of the pinwheels backwards, so they were "spinning" the wrong way. I was more careful after having to rip out four blocks.

I made a bunch of the pinwheels before deciding on a layout, and actually had made some green pinwheels as well. I tried a few different settings, but I think laying out the pinwheels on point gave the quilt a modern feel. I love the way the pieced border came out, but I did have some problems with the border flaring out slightly.

I used two layers of cotton quilt batting and basted the quilt using a wide zig zag stitch. I think that the thread basting worked better for me than safety pins, but I had some trouble with the basting threads getting caught in the quilting. I quilted in the ditch for the pinwheels, then did some variously sized squares in the white blocks. I still have some puckering problems in the back, but this looked a lot better than my last attempt. I may try spray basting glue next time.

As you can see, I also made a bag to package the quilt in. it's basically a pillowcase made from chocolate brown corduroy, with two appliqued birds on the front. I also made a quilt label. I just printed with an ink-jet right on the fabric, I hope it is wash-proof!

In love . . .

Today, I came across two new fabric lines, both of which are incredibly unique and inspiring.

The first is mendocino, by Heather Ross. In the past, I have often found Heather's lines a little too cutsey. She designed the goldfish fabrics, as well as the recent rabbits and racecars. Mendocino, in contrast, is both sophisticated and whimsical all at the same time. I love the subject of the sea, and the incorporation of the mermaids. I think there is definitely a mendocino quilt in my future.

Here is my favorite of the fabrics:


The second line is drawing room, by anna maria horner. Anna maria is insanely talented, and always manages to put together these genius color combinations that make my head spin. The collection is pretty abstract and appears to be a heavier weight fabric, suitable for upholstery. I wish I was bold enough to cover my living room in these fabrics!

Here are my favorite three:

I had been thinking a lot about the quilt that I would like to make for the new baby, when I stumbled upon Patapri's lovely textiles. Luckily for me, Patapri was releasing a very limited run of prints on fabrics. I snatched up this bundle of nine different prints, and Yuko kindly included some additional animal prints for me to use in the quilt.

I have not yet settled on a design for the quilt. I am struggling to figure out the best way to integrate the fabrics without it seeming busy or cutesy. Right now, my plan is to use a lot of white, along with the teal, orange, plum, and chartreuse from the prints.

I may do a Denyse Schmidt inspired drunken log cabin on a white ground, and use the patterns as the center of the squares. Another possibility would be to do a modern handkerchief corners, like Rebekah's lovely version, pictures here. This flock of triangles is nice too, but I'm not sure that it would do the prints justice. Or maybe a stacked coins quilt? Or last, but not least, a weewonderfuls inspired coin quilt?

So many choices. . .

Outfit for Annie

I purchased the Britches and Bloomers Pattern, by Jackie Clark, a while ago, but had not yet gotten around to actually making any britches or bloomers. The pattern needs very little fabric, only 1/2 yard for the smaller sizes, so it seemed like the perfect way to use up some of the fabric in my stash.

I made the pants first. I had some very soft brown corduroy left over from another project, but not quite enough for the full length pants. I dug around and found the aqua print, which I think came from Joann (bleh). This was the first project that I have actually used the overcasting stitch on my sewing machine, and it worked nicely to finish the raw edges. The only tricky part was making the blue cuffs even, but even that wasn't too hard. The pattern was easy to follow and the directions were great, even for a beginner like me.

After finishing the pants, I really felt like they needed a little top to go with them. I had enough of the aqua, so I made a pattern from a shirt that Annie already had that fits her pretty well. Figuring out how to line the top was tricky, but I figured it out. Adding a lining in the top part meant a lot less raw edges to finish. The lining also helped stabilize the button holes. I used my old friend Heat and Bond Lite for the applique, stitching around it with a zig zag sitch. For the bottom, I used some bias tape that I had left over from a quilt, but binding a single edge did not work quite the same as binding a quilt. I can't figure out why, but it just didn't fold-over right. Next time, I think I need to use double-fold instead of single fold.

Catching Up . . . Quilt #1

I made this quilt while I was pregnant with Annie, and it is the first quilt that I ever made. I think I finished it in February of 2007.

I bought all of the fabric at purl patchwork in NYC. When I was in law school I often frequented the sister yarn store, but at that time the patchwork store was not yet open. During a trip to the city, Joe and I wandered by and I was totally and completely in love. I made him come inside with me, where I proceeded to spend $100 on fabric with the intention of making a quilt for the baby. Due to his unwavering confidence in me, or perhaps simply a fear of my hormones, Joe didn't even bat an eye as he pulled out the debit card. He did make me promise that I would actually make a quilt.

I had previously bought Kaffe Fassett's Glorious Patchwork and was intent on making one of the quilts in that book. I had originally thought of making this one, but luckily the very kind lady talked me out of that endeavor. Something about my lack of experience. Instead, I chose the Pieced Stripes Quilt. This was a great choice for a first quilt. There was no accurate piecing or cutting requires. Instead, I cut all of the fabric into 4" wide strips, then randomly cut them into shorter pieces using 60 degree angles.

Here is a picture of the quilt in the book, courtesy of http://redisforpassion-red.blogspot.com/2007/12/quilt-inspiration.html

Here are pictures of my quilt:

Um, sorry about the baby that is in the way! I will try to put up better pictures of this quilt later. I wish I had kept track of what fabrics I used in the quilt. I pulled out all sorts of fabrics at purl, and I know there were some Amy Butler, Katie Jump Rope, and Alexander Henry fabrics, but I didn't note the patterns. Oh well.

Catch Up. . . Annie's Bedding

These first few posts will be dedicated to past projects, in an effort to try and bring the blog somewhat up to date.

First up, Annie's nursery bedding. I should start by explaning what a crazy pregnant person I was. Crazy actually doesn't even begin to describe me. I was obsessed with being completely and utterly prepared, and for me this included making custom bedding for the baby to come. I was due in late June, and started working on all of this in, um .... May? Didn't leave myself much time, which will explain why I was frantically sewing during the two weeks prior to her birth and during any "spare" time afterwards.

I chose an Alexander Henry apple and pear print in pink and green. To coordinate with this, I bought many, many fabrics, but I ended up using primarily solid pink, solid green, a green polka dot from American Jane Building Blocks, a pink swiss dot, and a mottled pink dotty print. I still have plenty of fabric left over and definitely bought fabric I never used. Making your own bedding is not a time or money saver.

I made a bumper, crib skirt, two throw pillows, and a quilt. I didn't really use a pattern for any of the pieces, but just kind of winged it. A pattern did come with the bumper inserts, which was kind of useful. We ended up not using the bumpers at all and they were a huge pain to make. Because of this, I would never make them again. Consider yourself forewarned if you attempt to make bumpers.

The completed nursery was featured on Apartment Therapy's nursery site, http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/bedding-blankets/followup-kristens-homemade-nursery-bedding-034190.

Here are some pictures: