A. Powers Design

Ellie's Ottobre Shirt

2011-12-08T09:26:00.000-06:00

Here's my latest sewing creation...it's an Ottobre pattern for a basic long-sleeved knit T-shirt (#11 in issue 4/2008). This is Ellie, who looks very much like Sunny. But, don't you dare call them twins because currently, they don't like it. Oy.

The whole shirt is serged and honestly, it took me less than two hours to cut and sew this. It went together very quickly. I can't believe I was ever afraid of knits. They're my favorite thing to sew now. I think the best thing you can do to make sewing knit shirts easier is to sew your sleeves in flat. Trying to serge a set-in sleeve can be frustrating!

The kitty fabric is a cotton interlock and is from Joann's. The purple cuffs and neckband are a cotton pique Lacoste fabric from Denver Fabrics. Denver fabrics is awesome. They have a TON of fabric, some of it is designer. They occasionally have Burberry prints.

The hem is cover stitched, of course. Speaking of cover stitching....I'm thinking of buying a Babylock cover stitcher. Baby Lock has a binder attachment for the cover stitcher that I'm drooling over. I want to see it successfully apply a knit binding to a neck edge before I buy it, though. My Viking 936 does a fantastic cover stitch, but it doesn't have a nice binder attachment. It has a binder foot, but the foot doesn't put a double fold binding on. It's single fold and it looks crappy, in my opinion.

I don't know why, but Ellie wanted me to take a picture of the candy she was sucking on while I was taking photos. So, there ya go. Yum.

After I took that photo, she was outta here. So much for that.

See you soon. :)

Say Hello to Andy Woofhol

2011-12-06T00:51:00.001-06:00

Isn't it cute? I love it. So does Sunny. In fact, she wouldn't let me take it outside to photograph it. She's a little possessive, I'd say.

I purchased the embroidery design from Embroidery Library and changed the colors to make the quilt look like an Andy Warhol print. Or, at least, my version of one.

The quilted wall hanging measures 18.5"X14.5".

Here's a closer up view of the embroidery....

I used my Viking Designer Diamond to embroider it with 40wt. Robison Anton Rayon threads. The fabric is a white cotton twill. I think I used cotton batting...

Here's the backing:

Bright and cheery, isn't it? Just the way I like it. :)

I Finally Finished The ORB Quilt!

2011-07-08T20:29:00.000-05:00

Y'know, I can't even remember what year it was that Old Red Barn Co hosted a quilt along where the prize was a Janome 6600. Let me look....Ah, yes. It was 2009. And here it is 2011 and I have finally finished quilting and binding the quilt top! Here is my only photo of it:

I used an extra loft 80/20 batting and quilted it with a criss-cross pattern. It turned out really nice and the extra loft batting made it perfect for snuggling up in. I hope whoever wins this quilt loves it.

A man I know at work participates in the yearly Ride For AIDS so I donated this quilt to his team so they could auction it off. I hope it raises a lot of money! Ride For AIDS is a two-day, 200 mile bike ride. You can read about the organization here. The ride is this weekend (July 8 & 9) and if you want to donate money, it isn't too late.

I wish I had taken more photos of the quilt, but it's huge and was difficult to photograph indoors. I need to set something up outside so I can easily take photos of large quilts. I see a lot of you use a clothesline outside. Perhaps that's what I'll do because my kids aren't tall enough yet to hold up a large quilt. And they're much too goofy. Knowing my kids, they'd roll themselves up like a tamale in the quilt before I can snap a photo. :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Kwik Sew 2596

2011-07-07T18:00:00.003-05:00

Hey YOU!

My Mama made me a t-shirt with doggies on it and I love it!

Sunny is so funny.

She was bonking me on the head with a pool noodle while I was taking these photos.

This t-shirt/tunic is Kwik Sew 2596 and it was really easy to sew. The fabric is from JoAnns and it's really nice. Sunny loves dogs and I love Joann's 50% off coupons. Have you downloaded the Joann app yet? I really like it because I'm one of those people who always forgets the paper coupons. With the app, my coupons are stored on my phone. Pretty cool.

Kwik Sew 2596 is designed for stretch knits only and has directions for both serging and sewing. I serged this one and coverstitched the hems.

I have a Viking Huskylock 936 and I love it. It makes a great coverstitch. If you also have one, but have trouble threading it, check out the online threading guide at the Viking website. It's very, very helpful.

Here is the tunic flat:

Kwik Sew 2596 is a fun and easy pattern and I'd recommend it for beginners as well as for seasoned sewists. And knits are great for kids...they're comfy and they wash well. I only wish there were nicer prints available in cotton jersey and interlock. I have a baby-ish print with horses on it (actually I think they're zebras) and Ellie wants a tunic made from it, so that's next.

Some Charity Pillowcases

2011-04-28T10:38:00.008-05:00

One thing I love to do is sew and knit for charities. I have also been looking for ways to quickly de-stash some of my fabrics and one of the best ways is to make pillowcases. They are quick and they require a yard of fabric.

I made two of the pink/white pillowcases. The fabric is an older Amy Butler print that I love. It's so vibrant! And some little girl will love the princess pillowcase.

I also made two of these Lightening McQueen pillowcases:

I don't know a 4 yr old who doesn't love Lightening McQueen. :)

I have my own method of sewing pillowcases and follow the general rule that a finished, standard pillowcase should measure 20"X30". If you need a tutorial, there is a great one here on Film In The Fridge, or here on Made. The quickest way to sew them is to use a serger, but I've also sewn pillowcases with french seams. French seams are the prettiest, in my opinion, but a serged seam is pretty darn nice (and quick!).

Here are three pillowcases that I made for charity, but were stolen from my sewing room!

Luke said he loved this one and wants a quilt to match. I don't think it's the pirates so much that he likes, it's the map. He really likes maps. If I can still find this fabric (I know I got it from Joann's), I'll make him the quilt he requested.

And Ellie still loves monkeys (although they are slowly being replaced by a love of horses), so she took the above pillowcase.

And then there's Sunny. Sunny, Sunny, Sunny. This girl is still dog crazy. And it's so cute. And it still drives my mother-in-law nuts that Sunny wears, lives, and breathes everything dog.

I didn't use a contrasting band on this one and I would've liked my topstitching to be more prominent, so next time I'll use a topstitch needle and a 30 wt thread.

I'm not sure which charity I'll be sending these to. I have three others to sew up and then I'll pick a charity. It will probably be ConKerr, but then someone at work told me that "the cancer kids always get stuff and the transplant kids get overlooked." That made me feel bad, so I'm going to try to find a charity that gives pillowcases to kids awaiting transplants. Do you know of any? Let me know if you do!

I have two quilts to show, too, but I need to finish one binding and take photos.

I also re-organized and rearranged my sewing room (again!) and I love how I have it set up now. The only problem is that I have less room for fabrics. So, that's why I'm trying to quickly de-stash. I also want an industrial sewing machine and a long-arm on a frame (an Innova), so I need to make room. I "test drove" the Innova at the Sewing and Quilting Expo and WOW. Just wow. Its an amazing machine. The machine itself is fabulous, but I think what really makes it great is the stitch regulator and the frame. The rollers on the frame move the machine like it's moving through butter. No jerking and you never felt like you were fighting the machine to get it to move. Just beautiful. And beautiful stitches.

Have a lovely day!

Do Quilters Run With Scissors?

2011-02-15T12:09:00.004-06:00

The scissors are an embroidery I purchased from Urban Threads and then enlarged in 5D Pro. The lettering was added in 5D Pro, too. This was a fun, quick project. Now, it's time to get back to embroidering birds for my Bluework Quilt.

Sew Day

2011-02-02T11:48:00.005-06:00

When it's this snowy outside....

...you know it's a sew day.

Hope your blizzard is as much fun!

Bluework Quilt w/ Hungarian Blue

2011-02-01T08:17:00.002-06:00

What do you get when you cross beautiful Hungarian Blue fabric....

...with beautiful bluework machine embroidery???

I just have to decide if I want to use linen or cotton for the embroidered squares...

Bluework machine embroidery is from Embroidery Library.

The Buggy Baby Quilt

2011-01-28T12:39:00.004-06:00

I finally finished the Buggy Baby Quilt. Some of the fabrics I used have little lady bugs on them, so I've named this one The Buggy Baby Quilt.

It measures 32"X38"...

...and has a flannel backing.

I also tried using a blanket stitch to tack down the binding. You can see it in the above photo. For the most part it turned out really well and I like the look. However, I'll have to practice it some more because not every corner is neat.

I really like the quilting, though. Curly Q's are one of my favorite free motion designs because it's really hard to mess it up.

This quilt is going to charity along with the Flights of Fancy baby quilt.
Next, I'm going to try to finally finish the last rows of hexagons on Sunny's quilt. It's been languishing in my sewing room for almost a year now waiting to be finished!

Is There Anything So Lovely As A Quilt?

2011-01-12T10:41:00.003-06:00

This is the top and the finished quilt will go to charity.

Quilting is so relaxing, isn't it?

Here's A Better Photo of Burda 9676!

2011-01-11T10:17:00.000-06:00

Burda 9676

2011-01-08T17:21:00.004-06:00

Well, here is a review of Burda 9676 with bad photos. Maybe tomorrow it will be warm enough to take photos outside. :)

I really like this pattern a lot and Sunny loves her coat so much she slept in it last night. For real. It must be warm because she woke up sweaty.

The one review on Patternreview for this pattern said the hood was so pointy that it could look like a certain hate group's outfit if it were sewn in a light color. I completely agree, so if you plan to sew this pattern in a light colored fabric, I highly recommend either changing the hood's pattern piece so it isn't so pointy or adding a big pom-pom to the tip of the hood so it doesn't stand up (that's what I did).

The outer fabric is Clifford The Big Red Dog fleece and the lining is Clifford The Big Red Dog flannel that was interlined with Thinsulate batting from Vogue fabrics in Evanston.

I'll get better photos tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be a nicer day!! It's been cold here (frigid, really) and overcast. Perfect for getting the blahs!

EDIT: To see a much better photo of this coat, click here.

A Very Merry Christmas To You!

2010-12-24T02:01:00.001-06:00

I wish you all a wonderful holiday!

Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T07:50:00.000-06:00

I wish you all a very happy, relaxing day!

Butterick 4277

2010-11-11T16:17:00.005-06:00

Here's a quick and easy skirt to sew.

It's a bit wrinkled because Sunny wore it to preschool today.

Here it is before she went to preschool:

She likes that it has a dog on it (of course!).

Can you tell the girl likes dogs?

Some construction details:
I serged the seams, added an adjustable elastic waistband, and added dog paw print bias to the front top edge. It is made from a midweight corduroy that I bought at Joann's many moons ago.

It was easy to sew and I might sew it again. It's a nice skirt, but I think the pattern is drafted for a beefier kid. Sunny is anything but beefy.

I bought the embroidery from Embroidery Library and embroidered it using my Husqvarna Viking Designer Diamond. I love my embroidery machine!

It's Another Swirls Cap

2010-11-05T19:06:00.004-05:00

This post should really be called A Day In My Life because this photo sums it up.

Everything I do lately seems to include a screaming child. Really. And I've been sick for 8 days now. It's the icing on the cake. And the state of my house? Well, I won't even go there.

But, I like to look at the bright side of things and the bright side of this week is that I finished my Swirls Cap. I really like this one.

It is crocheted with Berroco Blackstone Tweed.

Next up: my Everyday Cardi. It's almost finished. Then it's on to a newly released pattern that I'm really excited to start, Cassis, by Baby Cocktails.

I have some sewing to show next week and I'm working on some patterns. Say a prayer that I can kick whatever it is that is clogging my lungs and that my kids stop screaming. That would really be nice. :)

Knitting A Sock A Day Keeps Insanity At Bay

2010-10-20T23:23:00.004-05:00

Or so they say.

My question is: How does one photograph one's own feet?

It's much more difficult than it would seem. If only I could take my feet off and then put them back on.

Then I could take better photos of my first pair of hand knitted socks.

They're really basic, but I love them. Next I'd like to knit socks toe-up in something other than stockinette stitch. With Koigu. Mmmmmmmm....Koigu!

Long Live Hand Knitted Socks! (and crazy people)

Pattern used: a Red Heart Heart & Sole free pattern leaflet from Joann Fabrics.
Yarn: Patons Kroy self-striping yarn
Needles: Size 3

You can also check these out on my Ravelry page.

The Woodland Explorer Vest in American Patchwork and Quilting

2010-10-18T08:04:00.004-05:00

This is way. too. cool. I loved seeing the Clothworks Fabrics advertisement in American Patchwork and Quilting!!

I think it has ruined me, though, because now I want to see more of my stuff in magazines!

That's not a bad thing, is it???

Thank you to everyone who has contacted me about a pattern for the vest. It was really nice to hear that you like it! I'm working on putting a pattern together in three sizes: 18-24 mo, 2t-4t, and 4-6. There will also be options for different pockets and d-ring placement. Would you prefer a paper pattern or a .pdf that you can download?

Flights of Fancy Baby Quilt

2010-10-15T09:30:00.005-05:00

At work, we are making baby quilts that will be donated to the NICU at the hospital where my girls were born. My twins were monoamniotic/monochorionic, which means there was nothing necessarily wrong with them, but there was everything wrong with their environment, in utero. They are identical twins and because their egg split a little too late, a membrane to separate them did not form. So, for almost 8 months they shared the same amniotic sac and during that time, they got their umbilical cords all knotted up together. So, I sat in the hospital for 6 weeks on 24 hr fetal monitoring and they were born via c-section a month and a half early. That's not too bad, really, considering that many monoamniotic twins are born earlier than that. And if their egg had split any later they likely would have been conjoined, if they had survived at all. So, because I'm a hopeless optimist, in my opinion, I lucked out. It could have been worse. However, they still required a stay in the NICU, which is a very, very stressful experience for new parents. The NICU is a blessing, but it also sucks.

So, this quilt, and two others that will soon be finished, will be donated to their NICU.

I love the backing to this quilt. I found it at Joann's and can't believe how good it looks with Flights of Fancy by Paula Prass!

As for the quilting, I stippled the center square and made loop-d-loops around the white border. The outermost border was not quilted. It measures 33"X33"...kind of a weird size, but that's how I roll. ;)

Have a great weekend!

Applique Dogs

2010-09-17T11:56:00.004-05:00

My girls won't wear anything unless it has dogs or monkeys on it. So.....yesterday, I turned two inexpensive, plain, sweatshirts into two cute, still inexpensive, sweatshirts that my girls will now wear without tears.

The funny thing is, they don't like to be dressed alike. So, when I asked them to stand next to one another for a photo, this is the best I got:

You'll be seeing this dog again because I have a quilt planned that will use this applique along with a few other dog appliques I'm sketching. I also have a few coloring books with dogs in them and will probably copy some from there (the dog applique above was copied from a coloring book). Coloring books are so great for applique ideas!!

Have a happy weekend!

The specs:
Main fabric: quilting cotton
Purple fabric on ears and nose: linen
Wonder Under used to fuse pieces to sweatshirt and then I straight stitched around edges.
Hand embroidery for eyes and mouth.
Applique measures 4.5"X 5"

Arizona + Belly Dancing = OMG LOL!

2010-09-13T17:48:00.002-05:00

Yes, I've taken up belly dancing. To say I look ridiculous is an understatement, but it's so fun I can't help myself!! There will be no photos of this new undertaking of mine, so there is no need to shield your eyes from this post.

The sad fact is that my waistline has grown and because I am a working mother of three young kids I eat poorly and rarely have time to exercise. But, there's no time to whine about it because I have a project to show you! And no, it isn't a belly dancing outfit. ;)

Backpacks!

My girls needed backpacks for preschool, so I made them quick and easy drawstring backpacks with fabrics they chose. Of course Sunny chose dogs.

And Elle chose monkeys.

Ellie wanted her name on her backpack, so I did a quick embroidery of her name for the pocket.

I used fusible fleece as interfacing on both backpacks. That will add durability to the fabric (it is quilting cotton from JoAnns) and add some cushion. Both bags are also fully lined with contrasting fabric.

I used a heavy duty grommet kit from Home Depot to install grommets on the bottom of the backpacks to hold the straps. Seriously, if you want good grommets, get the kit from Home Depot. Previously, I had the plier tool from Joanns and nothing I ever applied with it stayed on for long. I also fused vinyl to the corners of the backpacks to help the grommets stay put.

Next, I'm making reusable insulated sandwich and snack bags for Luke's lunchbox. That will save hundreds of plastic baggies from the landfill during this school year. I'll post a link to the tutorial I'm planning to use after I've made the bags.

My sewing room is also getting a mini makeover, so hopefully I can show you some pictures of it later this week. :)

EQ Users: Help!

2010-09-11T11:31:00.003-05:00

Have you all upgraded to EQ7? Do you think it is worth the upgrade? I have not yet purchased an upgrade because after seeing what is new/different from EQ6, it doesn't seem to have much more that I would find useful or easier. So, what do you think of EQ7? What new features do you think make it worthwhile to purchase the upgrade?

Thank you for your opinions!!

Fabric and Books

2010-09-09T23:53:00.007-05:00

There hasn't been too much sewing going on since my kids went back to school this week. I do have two backpacks to show, but I don't have photos yet. Now that the school year has started, I'm looking forward to having lots of sewing, knitting, and crochet projects to blog about!! First, let me show you some stuff I got.

Back in March, I won a contest for free fabric from Clothworks Textiles and yesterday I received it.
It's very pretty, isn't it? It's even better in person! I have a quilt in mind for this.

Then, I saw this fabric (below) at Joann's and immediately loved it. It will be a jacket soon.

It's been ten years since I've sewn a jacket, so I'm still trying to decide which pattern I want to use. I don't want the jacket to be real fitted, but I don't want it boxy, either. I plan to wear it casually with jeans.

Then I got some books on crochet. One is a cute book with patterns for amigurumi dolls. I have so much left over yarn and amigurumi is great for using up left overs! The other book is one about improving your crochet technique...

But, the book I'm really excited about is this one:

With my kids in school, I finally have time to really study patternmaking. My boss is completing her Ph.D in apparel and textiles and used to teach at a university, so I'm incredibly lucky to work for her. She's going to take my measurements for me and help me navigate my way through this book. I'm really psyched!

So, that's all that is going on here this week. Next week the kids will be settled into the new routine and hopefully we can all have a great school year! It's funny how I now live by school years. ;)

Sewing A Pillowcase is Fun!

2010-08-25T12:16:00.003-05:00

One of the classes I teach at Joann Fabrics is Kid's Sewing 101: the Pillowcase. I have never been interested in sewing pillowcases because I thought it would be so boring. But, I had so much fun sewing my class samples! I made a Curious George pillowcase for Ellie (her favorite character). There it is behind her in the photo.

And there it is again.

Ellie, my daughter who would never allow me to photograph her, is suddenly the big ham.

For the class I teach, the students are instructed to straight stitch and then zig zag the seam allowances, but for Elle's pillowcase I used french seams. I don't know if you can see them in the photo because Ellie was trying to model it for me. She's so funny.

Oh, and there's some topstitching. Hey, Elle, can you move your cute face for a minute?

:)

Speaking of Joann Fabrics, they are hosting a quilt contest and the grand prize is $2,500. You can also win an AccuQuilt GO! and a lot of other great prizes. I'm not eligible to enter because I work for Husqvarna Viking, but I thought I'd tell you all about it in case you want to enter. I really wanted to enter and am bummed that I'm not eligible. Let me know if you do enter...I'd love to see your entries!

I Went Back. Yes, I Did!

2010-08-23T21:37:00.006-05:00

To Stitches. On Sunday. At 2:30 pm. I couldn't help myself because the needles were calling to me.

So, I bought two size 3, 8" circulars, another size 2, 8" circular, and 12" circulars in sizes 2 and 3. I 'm good with Addi Turbo circulars! And while I was there I grabbed some more yarn, of course.

Rustic Wool DK. This is darker and warmer than the photo shows. It's really hard to take good nighttime photos. Usually, I take photos during the day in front of the window and that produces pretty true-to-life color photos. But, it's almost 10 pm and I can't wait until tomorrow to take photos. ;)

The above yarn is Nashua superwash wool and this is what I'm going to use to knit Ellie's Secret Garden jacket. I can't wait to start it. I was hesitant to buy it at first, but when I showed it to Ellie, she gasped and shouted, "Pooopoe!" (that's purple, in preschooler speak). So, it's a winner!
And below, is Nashua chunky which will be a Heather Hoodie vest as long as I get gauge.

Honestly, I can't believe I didn't come home without any Malabrigo or Koigu. I really love Koigu, but I didn't see much of it there. And even though there was a lot of Malabrigo, I ended up leaving it behind. :( Next time. Next time. lol.

So, now I just need to finish my Everyday Cardi, which is going well. I love to crochet and this pattern is great. I'm using Alpaca Love. If you haven't used any of the Stitch Nation yarns by Red Heart, I highly recommend them. They are lovely to work with. And no, they aren't paying me to say that (although, they can if they want to. lol!!!).

I hope everyone's week has started out well. Talk to you later!

Stitches Midwest!!

2010-08-22T01:38:00.008-05:00

I really wish I could go back to Stitches Midwest today because there is so much more I want to buy!!

Yesterday, I got a few needles that I've wanted for a while. I got 3 circular needles; sizes 2 and 3 that are 12" long and I got another 8" long circular (size 2). Check it out:

Isn't it tiny??!! I'm going to finally knit socks for my girls with it. A lot of people have told me I should just use the magic loop method to knit socks because I could save money by not having to buy such small circulars and because it's easy. Plus, lots of knitters don't like the 8 inchers because they say they are fiddly. The thing is: I know how to do magic loop and I don't want to be bothered with it. Not because it's hard; it isn't. But, because I don't want to have to slide my stitches and then pull up the cord and blah blah blah. Yes, I'm that lazy. I like to cast on and knit. Don't ask me to divide my stitches between 4 dpn's and don't ask me to do magic loop. Because I'm lazy. And because I really love the small circulars. For me, they're fast. And fast is good. ;) Last year I bought two 8", size 10 circulars and I love them. I'm just bummed that I didn't get 2 of each size I bought at Stitches. If I had bought two sets of each size I want, I could cast on both socks at once and alternate knitting each one. That way I wouldn't have one completed sock and then have to cast on for an entirely new sock. For some reason having to start from the beginning all over again is a psychological mine field and it's likely I'll end up with lots of single socks. So, I'll be ordering another size 2 8" circular and two more in size 3. I'll probably do the same with the 12" circulars I bought. Those are a good size to knit socks for myself.

Of course, I bought some yarn, too.

In real life, this one is more purple than pink. I bought 10 skeins of this one because that's how it was packaged. ;) I had my girls with me and I thought they weren't really paying attention to anything at the convention since they were in strollers and because they each brought their favorite stuffed animal with them. But, suddenly, Ellie jumped out of her stroller and grabbed the bag with this yarn in it. She loves purple, so she asked me to buy it and "needle" something for her. I really want to knit Alice Starmore's Secret Garden, but the pattern calls for a worsted weight yarn. The yarn I got is DK, so I know I won't get gauge because I'm a tight knitter. I'll probably get a darker purple something-or-other in worsted weight to knit Secret Garden and save this DK weight yarn for a spring jacket for her.

I also got some Lamb's Pride yarn.

8 skeins in Chocolate Souffle. I want to eat it. This is a worsted weight yarn and would be beautiful knit into Secret Garden, but Ellie won't wear it because it isn't purple. So, I'll just have to suffer and knit something for myself with it. lol. Oh, and did I tell you it was 50% off? Yep. Love that. Y'know, come to think of it, I think they had a few skeins of Lamb's Pride in purple. Doh! Why didn't I think to buy it??!! See? I need to go back!

So, that's what I got at Stitches. I almost bought a Namaste bag, but they didn't have the bag I wanted in dark purple. I'm tired of always buying black bags, so I'm going to order a purple one online. I wonder if I could sneak away for a while today and go back for more yarn??? Hmmmmm...... :)

A Pair of Crazy Bright Capri's

2010-08-11T09:38:00.000-05:00

My three year old twin girls love bright, funky colors and prints. So, whenever we go to Joann Fabrics, they always pick out some crazy fabrics and I spend the afternoon sewing shorts, capri's or pants. Yesterday, I made these Snoopy capri's for Elle.

They're very bright and fun. They have a mock front fly which you probably can't see because the print is so busy and they are supposed to have ties at the hem. But, Ellie wanted yellow binding so I eliminated the ties. Bias was quicker to finish, so I didn't mind. Since the bias binding was extra wide double fold binding, I used my adjustable bias binder foot on my sewing machine. Have any of you used an adjustable bias foot before? It's one of my favorite feet to use next to my regular bias binder foot. I'd show you a photo of it if my camera's battery didn't die.

Since Ellie loves her Snoopy capri's so much, she was a very cooperative model, which is always a good thing. Here's the "jumping-on-the-couch" shot.

And the "I've-fallen-and-I-can't-get-up" shot. lol.

Sunny wants a pair just like this pair, except she wants bright blue bias binding instead of yellow. So, you may be seeing another pair of these soon. They are made using Burda 9890, which I reviewed here on Pattern Review, if you are interested.

The Loretto Vest Finished!

2010-08-09T09:22:00.000-05:00

Yay! It's done!

Yes, the left shoulder is slightly lighter in color. I was a skein short and when I went back to Joann's to get another, they were out of my dye lot. I'm going to soak the vest and hope it evens out a little. Regardless, I'm proud of this vest because it's the first garment I've finished for myself. And I'm going to wear it proudly to work on Wednesday even if the color doesn't even out. I'm hoping it isn't that noticeable when it's worn.

I do have a photo of it on me, but it's not a very good photo.

See? It's kinda blurry. My photographer is a little inexperienced, so I'll cut him a break. Plus, he's kind of cute.

:)

The Woodland Explorer Vest

2010-08-06T10:19:00.005-05:00

Good morning!

In my haste to finish and send in the Woodland Explorer Vest I sewed for the Clothworks contest, I forgot to take a photo of it. So, I'm swiping this photo taken by the crew at Clothworks.

The ad for Clothworks that will be featured in the next issue of American Patchwork and Quilting is here if you want to see what it will look like.

I really loved working with the Woodland Friends II fabric. It's very cute, isn't it??

You can click on the above photo to go to Clothwork's Flickr page. They have a lot of cute photos on their Flickr page of their fabrics and projects sewn with their fabrics, including this cute quilt, which is a free pattern:

I want to thank Clothworks for this contest. It was truly a lot of fun to design and construct the vest! Thank you!

The Loretto Vest....

2010-08-05T10:10:00.003-05:00

is almost done!!! All I need to do is knit the buttonbands and sew on the buttons.

I can't wait to finish this one so I can start on a crocheted cardi (the Everyday Cardi from the current issue of Crochet Today).

Also, remember the contest I entered from Clothworks Textiles? I ended up winning it! YAY! You can see it here on their blog (you'll need to scroll to the end of the post). So, my Woodland Explorer Vest will be featured in an ad for Clothworks in American Patchwork and Quilting magazine. It was a really fun contest and I'm very honored to have won it.

Do You Have A Bias Binder Foot? You Should!

2010-07-08T14:32:00.012-05:00

Yesterday I made two pairs of shorts for my girls and they reminded me of why I love the bias foot for my sewing machine. Here's Ellie's pair:

Do you see my glaring mistake? I really thought the fabric had one column of monkeys facing up and one column facing down, so I thought it wouldn't matter how I placed the pattern piece. After I cut them out I realized that wasn't the case. So now Ellie's shorts have one leg with monkeys facing up and one leg with them facing down. Ugh. She doesn't care, so neither do I. Well, I do care, but not enough to throw this pair out and start over.

Here's Sunny's pair:

She has a thing for polka dotted dogs, so when she saw this fabric at Joann's she asked to have pants made from it.

Now, about the bias binder foot. I love them so much I have two just in case one breaks or something (the heir and the spare, so to speak!). Check out the stitching on the bias on Sunny's shorts:

Click on it to enlarge it if you can't see the stitching well. Isn't it beautiful? I could never do that without the foot. Well, I suppose I could, but not as reliably as the bias foot. ;)
Here is how you use it:

And one last photo of it just in case you aren't sick of seeing it yet:

Next month it looks like I'll start teaching beginning sewing classes at Joann fabrics, so that will be fun! Between working for the Viking Sewing Gallery (where I'm now a Manager In Training. YAY!) and teaching sewing classes I'll be busy! Then add three kids and a home to take care of and suddenly I'm thinking I'd better hire a maid. :)

Have a great day!!!

Lot's Going On!

2010-06-26T13:56:00.004-05:00

Hello!! Guess what? That job I was hoping I would get...well, I got it! I am now happily selling Husqvarna Viking sewing machines. It's a lot of fun and I really like the women I work with. If you need a new sewing machine, come see me. :)

I have a lot of WIP's that need to be finished and I'm steadily working on them. Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of any of them yet.

Have a great weekend!

Polyester Paradise

2010-05-17T12:28:00.001-05:00

I went to an estate sale near my house yesterday because there was a Singer Featherweight there. The lady who once lived in the house was a seamstress, so there were bolts and bolts of fabric, boxes of trims, buttons, and other notions, a lot of patterns, and 4 metal pattern cabinets stamped with the McCall's and Simplicity brands. The featherweight was gone; someone grabbed it before I got there, but there was a Singer 500 (a rocketeer). I didn't buy it since I have enough sewing machines, but I did come home with a bolt of fabric. Honestly, the fabrics there were awful. Before I walked into the garage (which was converted into a sewing studio) I had high hopes for the fabric selection because as I was walking in, a woman was walking out with two bolts of what looked like nice linen. I seriously considered tackling her to the ground and fighting for the bolts, but I thought there would be similar fabrics inside and it wouldn't be necessary to rough-up anyone. You can imagine my disappointment when I walked in and saw wall-to-wall 1970's polyester. I've never seen so much polyester in one place in my life! I consoled myself with the assumption that the nice linen the woman before me was buying was most likely some type of poly blend made to look like linen. Regardless, I couldn't help but wish I had gone with my gut and tackled her and yanked those two bolts of fabric from her arms. They were probably a poly blend, though, right?? Right??!! One can hope. And just when I thought all was lost, one bolt caught my eye....

I recognized the stamp from across the room:

Fishman's Fabrics!! WooHoo! Generally, they don't sell crap there, so I grabbed the bolt without even considering what it could be. Turns out there is no label on the bolt, so I'm not certain of what it is other than it is almost definitely a synthetic and it's a thin, single knit (one way stretch). There are about 15 yards on the bolt and I got it for $20.

Anyway, I did a burn test and this is the result:

The flame extinguished itself and because there is a black bead I believe it's a polyester or a poly blend(not surprising given the other fabrics at the sale!). Suddenly, I'm hit with buyer's remorse. Ouch. I avoid polyesters because I'm always cold in them (which is odd, i think), but this fabric feels really good to the touch, so maybe I'll use it. It's soft and as long as it doesn't develop static cling, I think it will make a wonderful lining for another thin knit.

I also bought some bra patterns in case I ever feel like trying to make myself a bra.

And I bought a slip kit from Bernina:

I bought this kit because the package was cute. No other reason. The fabric inside the kit is nylon and I hate wearing nylon because it makes me sweat and smell, but I bought it anyway. My inner hoarder was starting to surface, so I paid for my stuff ($21.50 total) and went home. All in all it was a fun sale. The vintage 70's fabrics were fabulous to look at, but last night I had a nightmare that I woke up in 1975 and we were all dressed in those polyester prints. Ack! And I really loved the garage converted to a sewing studio. What a great idea! If you don't have a car, that is!

Almost Done. Almost.....

2010-05-15T16:24:00.006-05:00

I have two more rows of hexagons to sew on the top and bottom and a border all around and the top will be done. The nice thing about sewing a hexagon quilt is that by the end of it, you are really good at sewing Y seams! I also used Dritz spray adhesive to hold the letters of Sunny's name in place while I satin stitched around the letters. I love this spray adhesive!! If you recall, I used fusible web to keep Ellie's name on her quilt and I wasn't happy with it because the fusible made the letters too stiff. The Dritz spray adhesive I used on Sunny's quilt washes out and the letters are nice and soft and flexible. I'm sure there are other brands of this type of adhesive, but this is what I chose and I'm happy with it.

At the bottom of the photo you see a little bit of orange...that isn't part of the quilt. It is orange felt that I use as a design wall. The next 40% off coupon I get from Joann's will be used to buy white felt. :) The quilt top is also not wonky, it is just heavy and is not hanging straight. I have it hung on the design wall with snap barrettes; it isn't really stuck to the felt.

I can't wait to finish this quilt top. It will fit a twin sized bed. My girls still sleep in cribs, but they are getting "big girl beds" soon. They're too big for cribs!

So...I hope you all are having a great weekend!

The Clothworks Contest And My Surprise

2010-05-12T10:41:00.003-05:00

Hi All!
I entered a contest over at the blog of Clothworks Fabrics and this morning I logged on to find that I'm one of the finalists! How exciting! And nerve-wracking! lol! I can't wait to get started on this project!

Here is a sketch of what I'm going to sew:

After I recieve the Woodland Friends II fabric, I can get started. Fun!!

Click over to the Clothworks blog to view the other finalists!

Swirls Cap

2010-04-25T15:40:00.003-05:00

I don't know if I like this hat on me yet. It's cute and it feels good when it's on, so I'll give it a test drive I guess.
The pattern is the Swirls Cap, which is available on Ravelry. It's a well-written pattern and only took me a day to finish crocheting it, plus one overnight to let it dry after blocking. You probably wouldn't have to block the hat if you used a different yarn, but I used Moda Dea Silk 'n Wool Blend and it definitely needed to be blocked. The Moda Dea also grew a little during blocking even though I tried to keep the original size. It obviously still fits, but if I were to make something else with this yarn, I'd keep that in mind. It's a nice yarn...it's soft and the color is pretty.

Hope you all had a great weekend!!

Question Of The Day!

2010-04-23T12:52:00.004-05:00

Is there a tool or notion that you seem to always lose? For me, it's my G crochet hook. I have bought 3 G hooks this year alone! Yesterday I started making a Swirls Cap and, of course, it called for a G hook. And, of course, I couldn't find mine. So, off to Joann's I went (lucky for me it's only .8 mile away!) to buy yet another G hook. Size G crochet hooks are also great for doing an alternate cable cast-on in knitting, btw. So what tool or notion disappears on you?

Happy Earth Day!

2010-04-22T11:19:00.000-05:00

It's Earth Day, so remember to bring your own reusable shopping bags if you do any shopping today. And walk to your destination, if possible. Oh, and plant a garden. :)

Happy Easter!

2010-04-03T22:00:00.000-05:00

Disappointment

2010-03-31T11:30:00.004-05:00

I think my Braided Hooded Tunic is going to be too big. I was almost a stitch under gauge on the seed stitch part on my swatch, but on the actual garment I'm a whole stitch off. I also think my yarn is growing...it's pretty springy and has been stretching a bit as I knit. I'm right on gauge on the reverse stockinette part, so maybe it won't be so bad. I'm really bummed about it, but I'm going to finish it to see how big it is. Maybe putting it in the dryer will help??? I doubt it since it's a cotton/acrylic blend. If the dryer doesn't shrink it, I can always eat Ben and Jerry's every day for a month. Then it'll fit!!!

Whatever happens, it'll be a good learning experience. I love this pattern and if this one looks bad, I'm going to knit it again. Do you think it'll go faster the second time around???

Progress on the Braided Hooded Tunic

2010-03-29T10:10:00.003-05:00

It is taking a while to knit, but I like it so far! Hopefully I'll have it finished by this weekend so I can start on a cardigan. I'll have to go yarn shopping for the cardigan....darn! We all know what a chore it is to shop for yarn.

Patterns I Will Never Sew

2010-03-24T21:08:00.005-05:00

Everyone usually blogs about the patterns they love, so for a change of pace, I'm going to show you the new patterns I will never sew.

The first one reminds me of the early 90's. I love Bananarama as much as the next 40 yr old, but I don't want to go there again. Ever.

What the heck is this? Is it really in style? My great grandmother used to wear stuff like this. Only she called it a house coat*. She also used to slug down a case of Hamm's beer every day while wearing it. Needless to say, this pattern does not appeal to me. And look at the model wearing it. Does she look happy? I rest my case.

I didn't like the song Walk Like An Egyptian the first time it came out, so I don't want to revive it (or relive it) with these pants.

This next one looks horribly sloppy to me. And home made. Ew.

That's my list. What do you think?

*I know a caftan is not the same as a house coat, but my great grandmother obviously didn't know that. It was probably all the beer!

The New Knitty

2010-03-22T14:59:00.004-05:00

Have you seen the new issue of Knitty? Unfortunately, nothing really rocks my boat except these, which I TOTALLY love!! After I finish the Braided Hooded Tunic I'm currently knitting, I think I'll knit a pair! The Braided Hooded Tunic is on the cover of the current issue of Interweave Knits.

It's been a rough two weeks, so I still have Sunny's quilt to finish, too. It looks good so far, but it's just taking a while to finish. Hope you all have a great day!

Preview Of The Sunny Bunny Doggie Ruff Quilt

2010-03-11T22:54:00.008-06:00

So far, I love Sunny's quilt! It's a hexagon quilt featuring her favorite animal. Almost all of the hexagons are cut and ready to be sewn, so I'm fighting the urge to stay up all night and sew. But, I know I'll be better off if I go to bed and wake up early to sew. I don't function well when I'm tired! Here's a preview of her name:

The hexagons aren't sewn together yet in the photo. In fact, the applique isn't done yet, either. I'm still trying to decide if I want to satin stitch the applique or use a blanket stitch. I'm not turning my edges under, so I'm leaning towards a satin stitch. Or maybe just a short zig zag. I'm also not using fusible web this time. I'm going to experiment with a few applique edge finishes to see which one I like the most. What do you all recommend? I'd love suggestions/advice. Usually I turn my edges under and hand stitch (needle-turn) when I applique, but I'm trying to branch out and try different (and quicker) techniques.

Here's a close up of Sunny's FAVORITE animal. The girl can't get enough of them!

Doggies!

I let her name her quilt and since I call her Sunny Bunny all the time, she decided to name her quilt The Super Duper Sunny Bunny Doggie Ruff Quilt. How I'm going to get all of that onto a quilt label is beyond me. It's going to be a rather large quilt label, I think!

PS: I won a giveaway from Clothworks fabric!! WooHoo!! It's a beautiful fabric, too, called Hungarian Blue. I already have a quilt pattern in mind for it. As soon as I receive the fabric, I'll post pics! Click here to go to their blog.

Once A WIP, Now A FO

2010-03-09T21:00:00.002-06:00

Love those acronyms! I finished binding the baby quilt I started back in the middle of December.
This one is going to charity. It is 34" X 48" and is flannel backed. I love using flannel to back quilts. It's so soft and cozy!

I also used high-loft poly batting, so it's warm and fluffy. It took me forever to decide on the binding. I tried to find either a solid pink or purple that would look good, but had no luck. In the end, I decided the polka dots were the best choice. You can't go wrong with polka dots, right? :)

Lost Generation

2010-03-01T22:42:00.001-06:00

Well, this has nothing to do with sewing or knitting, but I had to share this because I thought it was so cool. I discovered it through a Facebook friend who had posted it on her wall. Thanks Connie! It's a really cool video and very short (only about a minute), so it won't take up a lot of time. It's worth watching. Let me know what you think of it.

It's National Craft Month

2010-03-01T10:12:00.002-06:00

What do you have planned? I have lots planned. February was a month of growth for me (read: emotionally and physically difficult, but resulted in growth and insight), so I'm looking forward to March. There will be warmer weather coming our way and I will have more time to spend sewing. Yay!

This week I plan to finish knitting my hat (which I will likely not need much longer...isn't that always the way?) and I'm going to finish the linen top I have planned for Sunny. I didn't start it last week because since it's actually a cardigan-type top, I want to underline it and I need to decide what to use as underlining. Initially, I wanted to use silk organza since it will combat wrinkling the best while giving the linen some body, but I don't want to dry clean the top. I hate dry cleaning. So, that leaves cotton batiste or organdy. Since organdy is really expensive and, for the most part, only comes in white, I'm leaning towards cotton. Or maybe I should just line the cardigan? I'm still undecided. I've posted a question about it on the Stitcher's Guild site and am hoping for some advice from more experienced sewists. I love the internet. Isn't it great that you can go to a site and ask for help and there are women and men out there who will answer your sewing questions? I think it's fantastic!

I'm also hoping to finish an afghan I've been knitting for the past 3 months. It's a very simple stockinette and seed stitch afghan designed to use up 9 balls of Lion Brand Thick & Quick that has been in my stash forever and I have no idea what to use it for other than an afghan. Boy, I'm out of breath just typing that run-on sentence!

I also need to make progress on the Super Duper Sunny Bunny Quilt. She keeps asking for it and I must deliver!

So, what do you all have planned for the week? What are your goals for National Craft Month? Get busy!! :)

More Knitting

2010-02-20T16:01:00.003-06:00

Yep. I'm still mostly knitting. In other projects, I'm still trying to decide what color binding to use on the baby quilt I made back in December (in this post). I can't find the perfect solid pink or purple, so I think I'm going to go with polka dots. I've also cut out a linen top to sew for Sunny. Yes. Stop the presses. I have a garment in progress. Miracles do happen. Of course, I've probably just jinxed it and it will look like crap. Whenever I announce something before it is finished I usually end up not making it or my sewing machine eats it. Ah, well. We'll see how it goes.

So, my knitting. Here it is:

Another Dean Street Hat. I love this pattern!!

And an Irish Hiking Scarf. Both are free patterns on Ravelry.

I still haven't heard anything about my potential job....I'm going to go ~~bug~~ talk to the manager to see if she still needs to hire someone (me!).

Do You Really Need Another Sewing Machine?

2010-01-28T13:58:00.005-06:00

That is what my husband asked me when I told him I was getting another one. "What a silly question!" I replied. Of course I do when it's a Singer 301-A in a cabinet for $40.00.

It's in GREAT condition and so is the cabinet, so I couldn't pass it up. I took it to the Harlem Sewing Center to have the tension balanced and it sews beautifully. Don't ask how many machines I now have because quite frankly, I'm not sure. It's around 8 or 9. You might recall that I bought another 301-A about two years ago at an estate sale. I still have that one and I love it, too, but it isn't in a cabinet. A cabinet that has a knee control.

It's pretty, isn't it? I have my Diamond set up to embroider some quilt labels, so I'll be piecing Sunny's quilt with the 301. I'm in love with it! In the spring I'll probably sand the cabinet and refinish it. Maybe I'll stain it a lighter color or maybe I"ll paint it a cool retro color. I don't know. For now I'm just going to enjoy sewing with it!

I Think I've Accomplished One Goal

2010-01-26T21:47:00.005-06:00

Remember my goals for the year? Well, I think I got a job already. It isn't finalized, so I shouldn't even say anything because I know I'll jinx it. BUT, I think I have a job working part time for the Husqvarna Viking Sewing Center near my house. It's only part time, but I'm very happy with that since I don't have a nanny and really don't want to have to get one. Plus, I am taking some accounting classes and they take up some time, too. I took three accounting classes in college and really wanted to be an accounting major, but for a million reasons--or excuses depending on how you look at it!--I took the easy road and graduated ASAP. I have always wished I had changed my major and stuck it out with accounting because it's a MUCH more marketable skill than technical writing, not to mention more profitable. There's a lot of upward movement with accounting. With technical writing there's only lateral movement. I got A's in my accounting classes when I was in college, but now I find myself struggling with Chapter 3 of financial accounting, which is supposed to be a relatively easy class! What happened to me? Did I get stupid with age? Ah well. Such is life. All I want is to have something I can point to that says I have business skills so if my job with Viking gets finalized I have a good chance at moving up in the company. Keep your fingers crossed for me!!

The Super Duper Ellie Quilt...

2010-01-26T13:03:00.006-06:00

It washed up really well. The only thing I'll do differently in the future when doing large applique on a quilt is not use fusible web. It didn't soften up as much as the rest of the quilt so the letters are stiffer than I'd like them. I know there is a temporary spray adhesive you can use to stick the applique to the fabric while you do a running stitch--or whatever stitch you want--around the edge. Then the adhesive washes out so the applique will not be stiff. I'll have to check into it for my next quilt. Here's a picture of the Super Duper Ellie Quilt lying on the couch

It measures 42" X 58". Here's a close up of the applique. Maybe you can't tell in the photo that the applique is a bit stiff. And it isn't unpleasing so, but we're our own worst critics, right?

The only problem now is that Sunny cried when I gave the quilt to Ellie. Sunny wants her quilt now. Right now!
Here's a close up of some of the tumbler blocks...

And here's Ellie!! I love how excited my kids get when I make them things. I know it won't last long. When they're preteens they'll probably think I'm archaic and cheesy. So, I'm going to enjoy every moment of it now!

Have a great day!

Another Super Duper Quilt

2010-01-25T23:36:00.006-06:00

The Super Duper Ellie Quilt is finished! I haven't washed it yet. And I'm nervous about washing it because I didn't prewash anything and it's the first time I used fusible web on an applique on a quilt (I usually do needle-turn). Will it look disfigured when it's washed? I have no idea, but the fusible web makes the applique stiff and I'm not used to that. So, I'm wondering how it will wash up. I'm hoping for the best because I put a lot of energy into this quilt. Ellie loves it, too.

I used wool batting so it will be nice and warm. I usually use cotton batting, but quilts with cotton batting simply are not warm enough for the winter. Luke's Super Duper Luke Quilt has cotton batting, so I layer him with two quilts when I tuck him into bed each night. He wants a new quilt now. One with airplanes. But, first, Sunny gets a Super Duper Quilt.

I'll have more photos tomorrow with the results of the washing. My fingers are crossed that it washes well!!!

My Favorite Hat Pattern

2010-01-14T23:24:00.000-06:00

This is by far my most favorite hat pattern.

It's the Dean Street Hat and it's a free pattern on Ravelry (free is always good, isn't it?)
I used Lion Brand Wool Ease worsted weight washable wool. The yarn doesn't show the cable pattern as well as I would like, but this hat is a gift and I wanted it to be an easy wash item. I think the cables show up well enough for me to recommend the yarn and it's very easy to knit with. It's one of my faves.

One thing I love about the pattern is that the author/designer, Nina, instructs you in cabling without a needle. It made the hat knit up very quickly! I'll probably knit many of these hats. The designer has other wonderful patterns available, too. The Vita Cloche and the Faberge Cowl are on my queue!

How to Successfully Succeed

2010-01-13T14:03:00.008-06:00

I love Spongebob Squarepants. In one episode he says he is "confident in his ability to successfully succeed." So, how to succeed at sewing?

I got this booklet years ago at an estate sale. There's nothing like vintage sewing books! This one is from 1962 and if you open the front page, you see this...

Oh yea. Lovely vintage Singer sewing machines. The Featherweight (5th from the right) sold for $132.50 back then. Nowadays you usually can't find them for less than $200.

I also got this book at an estate sale...

It is simply a "How To" book but, I had to laugh when I read this...

There's nothing like saying it bluntly, right?

And these doll books are awesome...
I love the cape on the doll in the middle. Unfortunately, this book doesn't have the paper patterns that originally came with the booklet. It probably wouldn't be too hard to draft one based on the photos in the booklet, though.

This next booklet still has the patterns in it. Yay! It'll be so fun to make doll clothes with my girls when they're a little older. I would've killed for these booklets when I was a girl! They're from 1966. Three years before I was even born.

I also have a bunch of booklets that have knitting patterns in them for dolls and a Barbie pattern from the McCall's pattern company, but I'll share those another day. Right now I've got to get dressed (yep, I'm still in my pj's!!!! such is the life of a SAHM!) and go to the grocery store. Have a great day!!

Goals, Shmoals

2010-01-09T23:01:00.005-06:00

I usually don't write out goals, but I'm going to this year because I think my memory is shot. This morning I remembered something I wanted to make back in October but, never got around to making. How does that happen!? I swear I'm in menopause. My mom went through it young and she said she couldn't remember anything during it! There are also other reasons why I think I'm starting menopause, but who wants to hear about that?

So, anyway, here's my list:

1) Make a curtain for our front door. I can feel a serious draft through our front door, so I want to make a thick curtain that will cover the entire front door. When I was in England years ago (like, 22 years ago!!!) I noticed that some families did this and I've always thought it was a great idea.

2) Get back to garment sewing! I miss sewing garments. I stopped for two reasons, first, we had moved and I packed away my sewing machines. The house we had moved to was a fixer-upper, so I never ended up unpacking my sewing machines. Then, when we moved back to Chicago four years later, I was pregnant, so there was no reason to sew clothes for myself. Then I got pregnant again with the twins.... So, now that I'm done having kids and my weight is back to where it used to be I can start sewing for myself again. And I can now sew things other than quilts for my kids, which will be fun! I just hope I can remember how to do it!! I haven't put in a zipper in 7 years. Yikes.

3) Make a few Eleanor Burns quilts. There are a few quilts I have seen on her show that I just love, such as the Liberty Star and the Airplane and Propeller block quilts. I also love the Egg Money quilts.

4) Knit for myself. A lot.

5) Go back to work. Yep. I need to work again! I've been a SAHM for 5 years now and I've loved it. But, my son is going to kindergarten in the fall and my girls will start preschool, so it's time for me to work. I'd like to start something part-time (or maybe start my own business) so I can still pick them up from school and be a mostly SAHM. They are still young, after all. When they're pre-teens and can't stand my very presence I can go full-time. Right now I need flexibility.

6) Get out more. I'm a homebody. Mostly because I'm introverted and enjoy being either by myself (so I can sew and/or knit!) or just with my kids. But, I'd like to get out and meet some other women who enjoy sewing/quilting/knitting so I can socialize a little.

Hmmm. So, I didn't list any specific things I'd like to make other than the door curtain and the quilts. I guess that's a good thing. No pressure, right?

A Quick Doll Quilt

2010-01-08T11:33:00.006-06:00

My girls love to steal fabric from my sewing room to use as "blankies" for their stuffed animals. So, in an attempt to stop the thievery I made them a doll quilt! As you can see from the first photo, I had to take these pictures quickly because there were little hands waiting to snatch it away!

I love the top square with the yoga monkey. Too bad I accidentally chopped off part of his head with the binding. Next time I'll remember to add an extra quarter inch....

I backed it with flannel and quilted it with big squiggly circles.

Does anyone else's daughter have the dog in the photo? I know not much of it is showing, but it's the Sleeping Puppy Alive toy from Wow Wee. To me, this thing looks like a dead dog and it freaks me out when the girls leave it lying in the living room. I always feel like I should call the vet or something.

I still haven't decided how I want to quilt Ellie's Super Duper Ellie Quilt, but I'm going to decide that today because she really wants her quilt! Have a great day!

The Super Duper Ellie Quilt

2010-01-04T09:57:00.003-06:00

Last year I promised Ellie I'd make her a Super Duper Ellie Quilt, but I never got around to it. Until last week. Here is the finished quilt top. Ellie is excited to have a Super Duper Quilt just like Luke.

It needs to be pressed again, but I'm happy with this quilt. Ellie loves it. Now I just need to decide on a quilting design...

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T00:47:00.001-06:00

It's a new year and a new decade! Let's make it the best it can be!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2009-12-29T11:15:00.005-06:00

One of my favorite things about Christmas is that my step-mom totally indulges my yarn habit. She and I have similar tastes, so she always picks out colors and fibers that I love.

The yellow is Euroflax yarn. 100% Wet Spun Linen. I've never knitted anything with linen before...I'm thinking this would make an excellent mesh bag. Or a summer shell. Hmmmm. The balled yarn is Plymouth Tweed and the last 2 skeins are Mountain Colors hand painted yarn. The hand painted colorway is called sandstone. It would make gorgeous, warm socks, but since I'm not much of a sock knitter I'll make a lace scarf with it. Or a cowl with matching fingerless mitts. We'll see.

On the needles right now is a Snuggie for Luke. I don't think I can call it that, though, since "Snuggie" is a trademarked term. So this is a blanket with sleeves. Or it will be. Someday. It's going pretty fast because I'm using Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick on size 15 circulars. Right now I'm not sure if I'll do a raglan sleeve or a set in. Can you do a raglan sleeve from the bottom up? Or is it only a top-down technique? You can see I've really thought this project through.

I'm also going to put a pocket or two on it for his iPod and a Transformer or two.

I heard on the news last night that there has only been 12 minutes of sunshine in Chicago since December 17th. No wonder why I've been so glum and tired!!! Today the sun is shining brightly, so I'm going out!! It's only in the single digits right now, but I'm going out anyway! Happy day to all!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T23:10:00.005-06:00

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa!! Can you believe it's going to be 2010 next week?????!!!! I'm excited about the coming new year because I think we are all going to have a very good 2010.

So, here are two new projects...first, this is a hat I knitted for Luke a week or two ago, but haven't shared it yet..

It's the Nottingham Hat, which is a free pattern on Ravelry. Luke picked out the yarn and I was so excited to knit it since it was my first cable project. But, now he won't wear it. He wants a Transformers hat. TRANSFORMERS? He wants a Transformers hat instead of a hand knitted hat from his Mama? Well!

And I finished this scarf this morning...

It's the Road Scarf, also a free pattern available on Ravelry and on the Lion Brand website. This scarf is for my Grampa. It's a very manly scarf even though I draped it quite femininely on my dressform. I wanted to show the patterning on the scarf, so that's why I draped it like that.

Here's another photo of it...

I used Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool and was pretty worried because it's scratchy. Very scratchy. But, before I blocked it I soaked it for 10 minutes in Eucalan and my scratchy wool turned soft. I still wouldn't use Fishermen's Wool for a baby, but the Eucalan softened it up enough for teens and adults.

So, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, a Happy Hanakkah, and a Happy Kwanzaa! Stay warm, drive safely, and be merry and bright!

What Do You Get A Teacher For Christmas?

2009-12-16T14:23:00.005-06:00

I have to buy a gift for Luke's Greek school teacher, but don't know what to get. Any ideas?? I was thinking I'd buy her a nice ornament.....?????

Here are some of my latest projects...

First up is a stack of hats going to charity. The lovely Sea World Barbie is kind enough to present these....

Since July, I've knitted 22 hats for charity. Hopefully they'll find heads that fit them. Now I need to knit a hat for myself because it's getting COLD out!
Here's another hat that is going to charity...it still needs a button to hold down the flap.

It's the Robin's Egg Blue Hat pattern on Ravelry. I love this pattern and am thinking of knitting myself one of these hats!
I also knitted this scarf to go with it:

This pattern is the Feather Scarf from the book Twinkle's Big City Knits.

These are for ME:

I didn't think I'd like knitted face cloths, but I do! They feel so nice on your skin.

And last, but not least is a baby quilt top. I couldn't get a good photo of it because two little girls I know wouldn't stay off of it long enough for me to snap a decent photo. ;)

See what I mean?

They couldn't resist jumping up and down on it. Little stinkers! I'm going to back the quilt with flannel and do minimal quilting. It measures 36" X 56". I don't have a recipient for this quilt yet, so I'll hang onto it for a while. Or maybe I'll give it to charity. I don't know yet.

So, back to my original question.... What's a good gift for a teacher????

Threads - 25 Days of Christmas Sweepstakes - Daily Reminder Sign Up

2009-11-19T21:35:00.001-06:00

Threads - 25 Days of Christmas Sweepstakes - Daily Reminder Sign Up

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Cheerful Crochet Flower

2009-11-07T20:32:00.001-06:00

Here's a great tutorial on how to crochet a cute flower to embellish a hat, bag, sweater...you name it!

Yum

2009-10-14T16:43:00.005-05:00

I was websurfing the pattern websites and I really like a few new Vogue patterns...check them out:

This first one is totally me. Athletic-looking, but sexy. Not that I'm athletic or sexy, but that kind of style fits my body type, which is straight up and down. No hips, no boobs.

I love this whole outfit! The jacket is awesome!

A part of me wants to be classy and vintage (not that I'm not classy or vintage!! lol!), and this pattern fits that bill perfectly! This would look great for a fundraiser we are going to in 2 weeks. I just redesigned my sewing room (pics soon!) and it's very convenient to sew in there now (always a good thing!)

What's on your sewing agenda?

I'm Back And I'm Ready To QUILT

2009-08-26T06:31:00.003-05:00

We had a great time in Greece. We saw loads of family and baptized our twins in the horio (the village). It was awesome. We went the nontraditional route in choosing godparents...our girls have 3 godfathers, but no godmothers. They are very handsome, very Greek, and very tall and strong!! Who wouldn't want three hot godfathers??? They are also very smart men and I think they are excellent role models, even if they are a little too traditional in their ideas about marriage (in my opinion!). But, most men are too traditional to me. If they don't cook, clean, change diapers, and worship me, they're too traditional in my book. :)

So, now I'm off to finish my 9 patch quilt and catch up on everyone's blogs. I was only gone 12 days, but I feel like it was 12 months!

Vacation Time!

2009-08-12T13:18:00.004-05:00

I was hoping to have one more post before we left for vacation, but between cleaning and packing I didn't have enough time to finish my 9 patch baby quilt! So, I'll finish when I get back.

I don't want to leave you with nothing (I'd feel like such a bad blogger!), so check out these links:

Here's a tutorial on how to knit a bag using plastic bags (the tutorial uses Target bags and the red and white is SO cute!).

This one sounds like a really fun thing to do: a quilt block dash. It's like a Fab Shop Hop, only with quilt blocks. I heard about this from Eleanor Burns' website and wanted to join in, but my vacation is calling!

Speaking of Eleanor Burns, you can download all kinds of free quilt block patterns from her site. I like the Rocky Mountain block. Scroll down a little on the page and you'll see all her previous free downloads.

And because I'm a Husqvarna Viking kind of gal, here's a link to all their free projects. If you look on the left hand side of the sewing project page, you'll see other links to great information under the heading "Education". There are great tips and hints, help for Viking Diamond owners, and if you like the show America Sews with Sue Hausman, click on the America Sews link and it will take you to her page where you can spend hours learning new things. Great stuff.

Well, my vacation is calling my name, so I'm off. I'll see you when I get back!

Shrinky Dinkies

2009-07-30T14:22:00.003-05:00

About 2 weeks ago I bought a Shrinky Dink oven from the thrift store.

It uses a light bulb as the heat source, so it's really just an Easy Bake Oven with a narrower slot. When I bought it I wasn't sure it would be a worthwhile investment, but it turns out that this thing is awesome!

Luke calls Shrinky Dinks Shrinky Dinkies. That cracks me up. I made these two...

They were supposed to be knitting stitch markers, but the hole is only big enough to fit up to a size 5 needle comfortably. Maybe if I find a larger ring I can use them for larger needles. Until then they're just charms. For these I used real Shrinky Dink plastic, but did you know you can use any number 6 plastic for Shrinky Dinks? Yep. Pretty cool. I'm on the lookout for number 6 plastic now because Shrinky Dinks are fun!

EDIT: Here's a link to a tutorial using #6 plastic...it's here on Thrifty Fun. I tried it and it worked great with my Shrinky Dink oven.

Here are Luke's Shrinky Dinks. I wrote the colorful one, of course. He didn't do as good a job spelling his name as he usually does. It's summer, so he hasn't had much practice lately!!

In other news, we aren't leaving for Greece until the 13th now. We were going to leave on the 4th, but my husband is swamped with work. With the economy the way it is, we think it's best to delay our trip. I'm not upset at all since I've got a ton of stuff to do....like, sew, knit and finish some quilts. I should say "clean, do laundry, and change the oil on my car", but eh... priorities, shmriorities.

Dyeing Yarn (and More Hats, Of Course!)

2009-07-28T15:44:00.006-05:00

I think I'm done knitting hats for a little while! Here are the last two of the bunch I am sending to the Pine Ridge Reservation:

That makes 4 baby hats, one baby hat & blanket combo, 2 toddler hats and 4 child sized hats. Not bad! We are leaving for vacation next week, so I'll have time to knit then. Now its time to finish some quilts! But first....

My foray into dyeing yarn with Kool Aid was not very successful! This was harder than it seemed. For me it was, anyway! I was going to wait to try Kool Aid yarn dyeing until I had destashed more, but then I remembered that last year I had bought 2 Irish wool sweaters from the thrift store for $2.50 each. I always intended to frog them and reuse the yarn, but never got around to it. Until last night.

I cut the seams of this sweater (luckily it was seamed with mattress stitch...easy to unseam!)...

Wound it and tied it so it looked like this:

Looks like a bad perm, doesn't it? I wound two skeins like this and...

...then I used Kool Aid to dye it in the crock pot. I used Orange, Strawberry, and Lemonade.

Here's the finished product:

It's not bad, but I think I'll leave dyeing to the experts. I don't think I have a knack for it! If you'd like to try it, here are two excellent tutorials on how to dye yarn using Kool Aid and a crock pot: this tutorial on Knit Purl Gurl, is excellent, as is this one on Nermal, Not Normal. There is also a tutorial on Knitty, but it doesn't use a crock pot. If you try this I'd love to see your results. Leave a comment if you dye your own and I'll check it out!

More Knitting For Charity

2009-07-25T17:23:00.006-05:00

This blanket & hat combo will also go to the Children of the Pine Ridge Reservation. If you want to donate hats, blankets, mittens, or whatever you'd like, there's a group on Ravelry that lists addresses and the needs of the Native Americans who live on the Pine Ridge Reservation. They need items for all ages. One particular need is for mittens for kindergartners this fall/winter.

My kids aren't babies anymore, so I don't have a baby model to show these off. The teddy bear will have to do!

The pattern for the blanket (it's actually a hoodie blanket) is here at The Thrifty Knitter and the hat pattern is published in Last Minute Knitted Gifts by Joelle Hoverson. I used Caron Simply Soft yarn...it washes well and is nice and soft.

Now I'm off to watch the second half of Soylent Green with the husband (while I knit, of course!!). It's funny that I was only 3 yrs old when this movie was made! It's a great movie and I recommend it. Especially in this day and age where food is becoming more and more engineered.

GO MAKE SOME MUFFINS!

2009-07-23T20:46:00.007-05:00

I'm baking again today. We had no snacks in the house and the kids kept chanting "blueberry muffins! blueberry muffins!" so I baked muffins. Luckily I had all the ingredients handy! The recipe was from Martha's book:

Luke helped me, so it took a little longer than expected, but it was a lot of fun! He is my official Mixing Technician.

Cook! Darn it! Cook!

Ahhh! Muffins!

"You are mine, all mine! And I shall devour you!

Confession time: These plates...

I stole 4 of them from Greek Islands restaurant. I don't know why except that it's my most favorite restaurant ever and I just had to have them!

Bake On!!

The Charming Girls Quilt Club

2009-07-20T23:57:00.004-05:00

With so many UFO's in my sewing room, I think joining a quilt club will be the only way I'll get them all finished! So, I joined a fun group of women at Charming Chatter:

I'm leaving for vacation in 2 weeks, but I have 2 quilts I would like to finish before then (actually, I have 3 I'd like to finish, but I'm trying to be realistic!!).

The first quilt I'd like to finish is my pinwheel quilt. I have all the pinwheel blocks finished; all I need to do is sew them together and then make a flying geese sashing and another sashing and, and, and.... you can tell I have this one well thought out, can't you? Here's a photo of some of the blocks:

The second quilt I'd like to finish is my "Beach Quilt". Its a quilt made of super bright orange and yellow obnoxious polka dots and an equally obnoxious vintage sheet backing. I've been wanting to make a quilt to take to the beach to sit on, but could never decide on fabrics since I don't want to use really nice fabrics; this quilt will be soaked and rubbed in the sand! I couldn't bare to use expensive fabrics. I don't have an "in-progress" photo because I just started cutting it yesterday, but I swear I'll be embarrassed to show a photo of it when I'm done. I'm almost certain it will be the most obnoxious quilt I've made thus far. But at least my kids will always know which blanket is ours.

How To Make Gluten Free Cupcakes That Taste Good

2009-07-19T22:43:00.000-05:00

Use a good mix. lol! These cupcakes were made using Pamela's gluten free chocolate cake mix and they were really good! The frosting was also a Pamela's gluten free mix. Both were very easy to make.

Nothing like a cupcake and a cup of tea. I love my new mug. It's cute, isn't it? It was on sale at Joann's for $3.95, so I couldn't resist. I also got one that says, "I love quilting". Totally dorky, I know.

The cupcakes got a thumb's up from Luke....

What a great way to start the week!

EQ6 Haiku!

2009-07-18T17:21:00.000-05:00

The Electric Quilt Company hosted an EQ6 Haiku contest and I was a winner! I'm so excited because I won a quilting design software package that is stand-alone, but also compatible with EQ6. It is called Quiltmaker and I won Volume 6. Now I can explore quilting designs other than straight lines and free-motion stippling! As soon as I get a chance to install it on my computer and use it I'll post a review. I'm excited to try it out! Here's what it looks like:

Serious Destashing Going On!

2009-07-15T14:04:00.005-05:00

I've been knitting hats like crazy lately (aka...serious destashing!). My yarn stash is insane, so I thought I'd knit up a ton of baby/toddler/kid hats to donate to charities. Its a great way to destash, especially if you have a lot of acrylic yarn you want to destash.

So, why the destashing? I want to try the Kool-Aide dye method and dye my own yarn!! How exciting is that? Sure, I could just go dye some yarn now, but my yarn stash is seriously out of control, so I can't buy more yarn and remain mentally stable. I'll end up on CNN...A woman had a mental breakdown at Joann's today...police officers said she was mumbling something about her stash being out of control and she had a hoarding problem.... So, I told myself if I destash a bit I could venture into dyeing with a happy heart and clear mind.

I'll have links for you if you want to try it yourself, but my kids are going nuts today, so I don't have the time to add links to this post.

Have a great day and remember to take some time to enjoy The Stash (tivist). lol....

Some Free Quilt Patterns & Site Links

2009-07-15T07:56:00.000-05:00

I was recently listed on the site Free Quilt Patterns and thought I'd share the link. When you go to the site, at the top is a list of categories for the free patterns that are linked to. But, and this is the greatest part, if you scroll down you'll see a huge list of quilting blogs (including my blog!). I spent almost an hour looking at all the sites listed and only got through the blogs that begin with the letter "A". It kind of makes me think I should have named my blog something that begins with the letter "A"... How about A Stashtivist instead of The Stashtivist?? lol!

The Winner!

2009-07-14T15:05:00.004-05:00

Thank you to all who entered this giveaway! It was a lot of fun and I love how many new people I've met here and over at Twitter!

I drew a number using the random number generator at Random.org and the winner is:

Number 14 is: Mandaleighta!! Congratulations!!

I'll be contacting you tonight (I have to run off to karate with my son right now!). If you want to beat me to the punch, email or DM your address to me.

Thanks again to all of you! I'll be having more giveaways in the near future; this was fun!!

Hey, Hey! Its A Giveaway!

2009-07-08T13:12:00.001-05:00

Time's Up! Winner will be announced shortly! Thank you to all who entered!

To celebrate having more than 20 followers of this blog (Yay! Big Smile!), I thought I'd host a giveaway!

Tuesday afternoon, July 14, I'll draw a name from the comments and that lucky winner will receive a brand-spankin' new copy of Heather Ross' book, Weekend Sewing! I have a copy of this book and love it.

It has over 40 projects and wonderful accompanying photographs. If it doesn't inspire you, nothing will!

To win, leave a comment to this post. PLEASE make sure I have a way to contact you should you win. There is one entry per person. However, to get an extra entry, tweet this giveaway on Twitter and then come back and leave a comment telling me you did so. Easy as that. And if you'd like me to follow you on Twitter, leave your Twitter ID in the comment, too. I'm always looking for fun people to follow on Twitter!

Good luck and thank you all for reading my blog! It's a fun way to share projects, information, and inspiration!

Giveaways Are GREAT!

2009-07-07T10:50:00.000-05:00

I won two giveaways! Both giveaways were on Twitter, which is yet another reason to use Twitter! The first giveaway was from Robert Kaufman Fabrics. A fabric roll!

I've never used batiks in a quilt, so I'm really happy to have won this fabric roll. It will allow me to explore quilting with batiks (and there are a lot of impressive batik quilts out there!).
Then a few days after the Robert Kaufmann giveaway, I won 2 Amy Butler fat quarters from Flair for Fabric!

Aren't they great? I love fabric!

Elle's Quilt...Flower Girl

2009-07-06T10:24:00.007-05:00

For the longest time I couldn't think of a quilt to make for Elle. Last year I had started a butterfly block quilt, but it just didn't say, "Elle". Know what I mean? When I went on my road trip (all by my lonesome!) I had purchased some fabrics I knew Elle would like, but I really didn't want to just cut squares and rectangles and sew them up. I wanted to do something different, so I made these:

They are HUGE. 16" square. I suppose 16" isn't really that huge, but they are a lot bigger than the other blocks I've been making lately.

The background fabric is a light yellow with white polka dots. I don't think you can see that in the photos. These last 2 are not yet appliqued onto the background fabric.

Since the blocks are 16" square, I'm only making 4 blocks. With 4 inches of sashing between them and around the outside edges, I'll have about a 43X43 inch square quilt. Perfect for a 2 yr. old.

On Sunday we went for a day-camping trip to try out our newly fixed RV, so I started another knitting project. And didn't get as far as I would have liked. It's a hat for my SIL's baby who will be born in early December. She doesn't yet know the gender of either baby (twins!), so if they both turn out to be boys, I'll donate this hat to either Knit One, Save One, or a similar organization. (it's purple..I don't know if the color is obvious in the photo!)

It looks like a cuff, doesn't it? Its so tiny! I remember my girls being that small, but it seems like a lifetime ago.

Time moves quickly!

The ORB Strip Quilt

2009-06-30T13:06:00.007-05:00

I'm almost finished with the top to my Old Red Barn (or "ORB") quilt-along quilt. I could stop where I am and call it finished, but if I add another 10 inches in length and width it will fit a queen sized bed very nicely. It is on a queen sized bed in the photo below, but it doesn't hang low enough over the edges for my liking, so, I'm going to add on to it. The quilt-along ends this week and, obviously, I won't finish it by the end of the week, but I don't mind. This quilt turned out much better than I had anticipated, so I'm taking my time with it.

Luke can never resist jumping on my quilts when I'm trying to photograph them....crazy kid!

I also won 2 giveaways and a contest, but I'll tell you about those next time because I don't have photos yet. Exciting!

Great Site for Knitters/Crocheters!!!

2009-06-18T11:32:00.002-05:00

Hi All! I'm really busy with my Old Red Barn Co quilt, so there won't be much posting this week. Also, my chihuahua died so I'm pretty sad about that. She was 16 yrs old and was going downhill fast (wouldn't eat, was losing weight quickly). She died here at home as peacefully as one could hope for. My Sophie Pop went to doggie heaven, the sweet thing. I'll miss her.

On the brighter side, I wanted to tell you all about a WONDERFUL knit/crochet site I recently found via Ravelry. Its called Sweater Babe. Oh my, is there anything she designs that I don't like?? No, there isn't! I want to knit and crochet it all! Plus, she has a "help" page where you can ask her questions and get help on projects or techniques. WOnderful site! Why didn't I know about it sooner!?

Just Call Me (Quilt) Block Head. Its A Good Thing!

2009-06-08T14:24:00.005-05:00

Who is also quilting along with the Old Red Barn Co.? If you are a quick cutter/sewist, there's still time to join the fun! The grand prize is a Janome 6600P! We are in week 4, so there are three weeks left to the quilt along. I finished pressing and cutting my blocks this morning and will begin sewing them together tonight. Here's a look at my blocks:

Click on the Old Red Barn Co button on the right sidebar if you'd like to learn more!

I've also been working on two other quilts that aren't nearly as finished as I'd like them to be!! First is a hexagon quilt:

This is almost half the blocks I need. The fabrics look very subdued compared to the other quilts I'm working on!

Then there's my double pinwheel quilt. I love the bright colors of this one!

I'm using Baskets of Flowers by Mary Engelbreit for Moda Fabrics. I'll be working on these three quilts all week along with completing more 9 patch blocks for Amanda Jean's quilt along. Lots to do!

What are you working on???

Would You Like To Win A Janome?

2009-06-02T12:04:00.003-05:00

Then join the quilt along at Old Red Barn Co.! You'll have to shake a tail feather, though, because we're in week 3 already. My fabrics came in yesterday and I got them all cut this morning....

I'll start sewing them together tonight after the kids go to sleep and then I should be all caught up.

I'm using Paula Prass' Flights of Fancy fabric. It isn't a fabric I'd normally choose for myself, but I get one hundred extra entries in the Janome giveaway for using it! To be honest, I really like the fabric. When it arrived in the mail and I opened the package, my first response was, "Wow, that's really pretty!" Sometimes it takes a little push (or a little greed!) to get me to try something new and expand my horizons. In this case it was a very good thing. The colors in this fabric line are really pretty and I love the designs.

So, join in the fun! It isn't too late!!

A Road Trip Was In Order

2009-05-29T15:43:00.015-05:00

What is in the water???! There must be something in the water because my kids have been horrible the past few days!! Screaming, fighting, whining (lots of whining)...so I told my husband I needed 4 hours and $200 to myself this morning. His eyebrows lifted as he tentatively answered, "Ok....i think!" So, I was off.

I am a woman on a mission. Look Ma! NO KIDS!

I got halfway to my destination when I encountered a construction sign that said, "Expect Delays." Boy, if that isn't a phrase to live by. I was pondering the philosophical implications of that phrase when my peaceful reflection and introspection was rudely interrupted by:

An actual delay!!! I sure wasn't expecting that!!!

Go WEST, ~~young~~ old woman!

I finally arrived at my destination.

And now you understand why I needed 4 hours and $200.

Both stores are located in Morris, Illinois.

Unfortunately, after browsing the store for a half hour I realized I had lost my mojo. I was no longer gung-ho on fabric shopping. I don't know why. Maybe it's the huge pile of stash I already have; maybe it's the quilt-a-long I just joined and the two others I'm trying to stay in. Maybe it's just that getting away from the chaos at home allowed me to breathe for the first time in days and that was enough. I didn't need to shop. (Gasp! I just slapped myself!) So, I bought a cup of coffee and sat by the river that runs through this town and relaxed.

I didn't leave empty handed, though. Sunny and Elle both love cats and bugs (quite the combo, I must say), so I picked up a few cute fat quarters and some thread so I can make quilts for them.

I was amazed to see that they still hand write their receipts. It's a wonderful store with a TON of fabrics and I'll definitely go back when my stash needs replenishing.

So, I drove home and when I saw the city I actually felt like I was home. Pretty scary for someone who wants to move out to the country! We've been here for 5 years, though, so I guess it should feel like home by now. Here's to a good weekend!!

New Fabrics I'm Excited About

2009-05-27T13:20:00.009-05:00

What new fabrics are you excited about?? Moda has three new lines I love:
First is Clementine, which is bright and happy:

Second is Figgy Pudding, which is, as you can tell by the name, Christmas-y. Is this cute, or what?

And this one I'm WAY excited about. Its called Shirtings. I'm definitely making a big quilt out of that one.

And did you know you can download .jpg files of Moda fabrics so you can use them in EQ6? Yep, right here. To download older collections, click on the link that says, "visit the Moda Fabric ARCHIVE."

In The Beginning fabrics has a new collection called Lily Pond that looks really cute for kids. My girls are currently fascinated by bugs, frogs, turtles, and birds, so I think they'd love this collection!

I also really like a collection by Henry Glass. Lately I've been feeling very vintage and want to work on a few quilts with reproduction fabrics or vintage inspired fabrics. Pocketful of Posies by Bev Proulx fits the bill. They are reproductions of 1930's fabrics. MUST. GET.

Now I have to get off the computer and do something productive...like finish my pinwheel quilt and my hexagon quilt....maybe do some laundry and put some of these toys away. Good Lord, my kids have a lot of toys!!! And they're all over the living room!

Be sure to comment on the fabrics you love...I'd love to hear about them!

Slowly, But Surely Getting It Done.

2009-05-24T11:07:00.005-05:00

I made 4 more 9 patch blocks for Amanda Jean's One A Day Quilt A Long. I'm way behind, but at least I haven't shelved the project! I'm enjoying making the 9 patches and have been using many of the scraps from a hexagon quilt I'm currently working on.

I'm also a bit further along on my Lace Ribbon Scarf. I really like this scarf, but it takes forever to knit! Its going to look so pretty once its blocked.

Hope you all have a wonderful Memorial Day!

Wall-E Meets Lightening McQueen...

2009-05-19T17:54:00.007-05:00

I finished binding Luke's quilt over the weekend. I ended up not hand sewing the binding to the back of the quilt because I had a cute bright green thread that matched the fabric perfectly. So, instead I zigzagged the binding.

I absolutely LOVE how the green contrasts with the blue binding.

I wish it were easier to photograph large quilts. Any suggestions? Here's Luke's name quilted...

If you want to see the whole quilt top, a photo is HERE.

I'm also in a knit-a-long on Ravelry to make the Lace Ribbon Scarf. Here's my progress...

The yarn is Koigu KPPPM and is really pretty. The photo doesn't capture the color well because I took the photo in front of a window in the late afternoon. This pattern is really pretty. I love it! And it isn't very difficult. You just need to watch for the pattern changes. I had to rip back 11 rows last night because I realized I had dropped a stitch a few rows back. But since there are a lot of yarn overs I had a hard time recovering the stitches...that's why I ended up ripping back 11 rows. At least I didn't have to frog the whole thing and start over! Its on size 3 needles, so its taking a while to finish. I love it, though!

I also finished a few 9-patch blocks for Amanda Jean's Block a Day Quilt-a-long, but I don't have photos yet. I'll post those this weekend, probably. Happy Tuesday!

Because I Didn't Have Enough WIPs Already...

2009-05-14T21:47:00.005-05:00

I started another one of these:

I started it on Mother's Day because I needed something to do during the car ride to my mom's house. I'm also in a knit-a-long on Ravelry to make the Lace Ribbon Scarf. I've got 4 inches of it completed. I'd be further along, but its knitted on size 3 needles. OY! I knitted for something like 3 hours and only have 4 inches of work to show for it. Its gorgeous, though. I'm using Koigu KPPPM yarn....yummy!

I'm also working on:
1) finishing up the hand sewing on Luke's quilt (on the binding).
2) a hexagon quilt that I can already see will be very hard to give away (i love it!).
3) a charm pack quilt
4) Amanda Jean's block-a-day quilt along
5) AJ Quilts' panda quilt along.

I've got a lot going on. So far it looks like the panda quilt will have to wait. It will be for my SIL and she isn't due until December, so I've got time. The hexagon quilt is for one of my son's preschool teachers who recently found out she has cancer. She's on her second round of chemo and I felt that maybe a bright, cheery quilt would be comforting in some small way. I hope, anyway.

So, I'm off to finish scrubbing the oven. Weeee! fun! I love to clean! NOT! But, it has to be done, so why bee-atch about it? Once its done I can quilt and not have a dirty oven nagging me. Its all good!

A Few Blocks...

2009-05-09T15:37:00.009-05:00

I'm participating in Amanda Jean's block-a-day quilt-a-long. I'm a little behind in making blocks, but that's the story of my life, so all is good! Here is a block...

The floral fabric was cut from these pants that used to be Sunny's:

The flash on my camera washed out the color in the photo. The pants were a size 0-3 month and they fit her for a very long time. I thought that girl would never grow, but one day she surprised me and sprouted. That's another story though. I'm glad I can use her clothes to make quilts now. lol! Also in the picture you can see the white fabric cut for the panda quilt-a-long at AJ Quilts. I'm going to work on that tonight. You can also see Luke's quilt somewhat. The quilting is done so all that is left to do is bind it. Crossgrain binding is so much faster, so I might do that. But, I want it to last, so I'm debating taking the time to make bias binding. The thing is: the fabrics I used for the quilt are not the greatest. They don't make the Disney licensed print fabrics very well (definitely NOT quality fabrics!) so I keep thinking I shouldn't bother taking time to make bias binding since the fabrics probably won't last very long anyway.

Here are two other 9 patch blocks I finished today.

I debated joining Amanda Jean's block a day quilt a long because I have A LOT of quilts going on right now as well as a scarf I need to knit (on size 3 needles!! OY!), but I'm glad I joined because I really love the 9 patches I've done. They're really bright and happy. And I could really use bright and happy right now!

Have a great weekend!!

Houston, I Have A Problem....

2009-05-06T17:11:00.007-05:00

Sunny has always liked to watch me sew, but now she wants to sit in my lap while I sew. This makes things a little, um, difficult. I had my iPhone nearby, so I snapped a few photos...

I'm finishing up the FMQ on Luke's quilt (he's beginning to think I'll never finish it!), so exactness isn't critical, but I do prefer a smooth quilting design to a rather jagged one (a squirmy toddler on your lap doesn't make for smooth sewing!).

Today she insisted on holding her bubble maker while sitting on my lap. Do you know how hard it is to FMQ while holding a toddler who is holding a bubble maker? It ain't easy. lol! I secretly LOVE that she likes sewing. Well, ok, not so secretly. I'm pretty open with my love of Sunny's interest.

I'm praying for a "like mother, like daughter" thing. I used to watch my mom sew and used to love sewing with her. There's nothing I'd like more than to sew with Sunny when she's a little older. So far Ellie shows no interest in sewing unless you count stealing my thread spools an interest. There's still time, though!

Quilt A Long With These Quilt A Longs!

2009-05-04T10:02:00.000-05:00

I've joined 2 quilt-a-longs and am excited about them since my sewing room is finished and I've got SPACE to actually sew! lol! The first quilt-a-long is with Crazy Mom Quilts. She is having a one-a-day quilt-a-long where you make one 9 patch a day, for like, ever. But, if you make it to the end of the quilt-a-long you'll have enough 9 patches to make a gorgeous quilt. Its a great scrap de-stasher, too.

The second quilt-a-long I've joined is with AJ Quilts.

Isn't this the cutest Panda quilt ever? It will make a perfect gift for my SIL who is expecting her first children (its twins!). I'm going to make one panda quilt and then when she finds out the genders of the twins (they're fraternal) I'll decide if I want to make a second panda quilt or if I should go with a different animal for the second quilt. Maybe I'll make a Mariposa Quilt as the second baby quilt if one is a girl. We'll see!

Books and Quilts and Stuff.

2009-04-30T10:46:00.009-05:00

I'm free-motion quilting Luke's quilt and having so much fun with it.

I have to admit that when I started it yesterday I thought it was a horrible technique and that I'd never get the hang of it. But after an hour of quilting I was getting the hang of it and learning to think ahead so my design would flow fluidly. I really think free-motion quilting is good for preventing dementia because you have to think ahead so your design flows smoothly and doesn't have jagged starts and stops. Its not as easy as you might think!

After a while my stitches became much more even and the stippling is looking good.

There are still a few areas where you can see my indecision about where to go with the design, but I'm getting better at it. Honestly, I can't wait to get another quilt top done so I can do some more FMQ (free motion quilting). I can see that an extension table would be very helpful because a few times the quilt would start to drag and I'd have to rearrange it. I'm sure it would do the same thing even with an extension table, but I doubt it would happen as often. You'd also have more room for your left hand with an extension table. Anyway, FMQ is very cool and I'm glad I finally got around to trying it.

Now for a book recommendation....

Professional Sewing Techniques for Designers is an awesome, but pricey book. I am not a designer, nor do I intend to be, but the clothing construction techniques in this book are top notch and it lists all of them. I couldn't think of anything that was left out of this book and I'm seriously thinking I can get rid of my other clothing construction books. Well, all of them except for my next book recommendation. :)

Another book I think is great is:

The Bishop Method of Clothing Construction. Its a very inexpensive book and is really a "classroom in a book" type of book. Its an old book, but I still love it. It clearly and easily guides you through projects, including aprons (I love aprons!), and that's what I love about it. It also guides you through pattern alterations (for sway back, big butt, no butt, big boobs, little boobs, etc...) which is really helpful. I've read some books on fitting and have come away believing that learning Russian would be easier than learning to fit clothes. But, this book wasn't like that for me. That's why I like it so much.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Weekend Stuff.

2009-04-26T13:37:00.000-05:00

Thanks for the nice comments about Elle and her crocheted hoodie. I think she's pretty cute, too! lol! And Sarah gets extra brownie points for saying Elle looks like me! Speaking of Sarah, I had the pleasure of meeting her for coffee on Saturday morning! A few weeks ago I won a fabric giveaway on her blog and since we live so close to one another we decided to meet for coffee. Here are the fabrics:

The sweater knit is more red than the picture shows. I'm excited to work with it since I've never sewn sweater knit before. Before I cut into it I have to read through the forums at Pattern Review to get some tips on how to sew it well. I love the other fabrics, too; especially the plaid. That will make cute pants or jumpers for my girls.

I also stitched this during the weekend:

It was a cross-stitch kit that I've had forever and finally got around to stitching it. I put it in the frame for the photo, but have to iron it before I put it in the frame permanently. I have no idea who to give it to, but it'll make a great Christmas gift for someone!

Elle In Her Crocheted Hoodie

2009-04-22T23:06:00.000-05:00

I made this crocheted hoodie back in January and didn't really like it then.

I made it large thinking it would fit Elle by the spring....

Its still a bit too large, but I've changed my mind about it. Its pretty cute.

Or maybe its the girl wearing it.

My Sewing Room...

2009-04-22T10:43:00.004-05:00

Its still a bit cluttered because I am DROWNING IN FABRIC AND YARN (notice I won't show you my "fabric wall"?!), but the bones of my sewing room are done and I'm so happy with it. Its a small space, so I made an island table out of our old kitchen table. Underneath are stackable organizer cabinets/shelves from Target. My serger is on the table along with the ironing board...it just didn't make it into the photo. I'm still organizing and trying to use up my stash, so I may have more photos in the near future. At least now I can walk around my sewing room; before I moved things around I had a too-large table in there and I literally couldn't walk freely in the room. I was always hopping over stuff. That's definitely not a good thing! Clutter always stifles my creative moods.

Thread Really Does Matter

2009-04-14T21:47:00.003-05:00

I got my Sapphire sewing machine back from the shop. This time I took it to a man who works on them right there in his shop (he's an authorized Viking repair person) and he taught me a lot about thread today. Shortly after I got my Sapphire I started using machine quilting thread for my machine quilting. I thought it would be great stuff...I mean, its made for machine quilting so it must be perfect for that purpose, right? The repairman, John at B&J Sewing Center, told me that its too thick for sewing machines and that its coated and the coating tends to gunk up the bobbin case and mess up the tension. Same thing with topstitching thread. Who knew? I sure didn't. So I'm back to using plain 'ole 100% cotton thread for my quilting and either mercerized cotton or polyester for piecing and garment construction.

The author of another blog I read, Melissa at Fehr Trade, also says topstitching thread is too thick for most machines and to instead use Gutterman Extra Strong thread for topstitching. Looks like that's what I'll be doing. Maybe I'll try using it for machine quilting, too. I like the look of a thicker thread in my quilts. That's why I prefer to hand quilt; hand quilting thread is nice and thick. I just don't like how long it takes to hand quilt and I thought by using machine quilting thread I could get the look I like with my machine.

Looks like I'll be using the rest of my machine quilting thread for basting!

I'm Still Alive

2009-04-09T19:18:00.002-05:00

Thank you to those who emailed me asking where I've been. I'm still alive and everything's ok! :) There's a lot going on around here, so I've been busy (scattered, really).

I'm redoing my sewing room, so there hasn't been much sewing lately. Also, my Sapphire 870Q is back in the shop. If it doesn't come back in pristine condition it's going on eBay. Seriously. Or Craigslist. Or maybe I'll toss it out the 2nd floor window along with a watermelon. That might be fun.

Tomorrow I'm going to the 'burbs to check out a vintage sewing machine for $25. Its a Necchi in a cabinet. It looks really nice, so as long as it sews well its coming home with me. I'm getting rid of my current sewing table since its crappy. I can't wait to show you photos of my new room. When I was into bookbinding, papermaking and letterpress printing I bought this old, huge, heavy table from an auction and used it for years. When we moved to the city I had to put it in storage. I had completely forgotten about it until I decided to clear out the storage shed; its perfect for a cutting/sewing table. Is anyone interested in letterpress printing presses? I have 2 you can have if you come and get them. They've got surface rust now and I don't know if the motors still work, but if you want 'em, they're yours. They're both C&P's. I also have a huge Challenge cast iron guillotine you can have. You'll need a forklift, though. I'd love to keep them because I really love to do letterpress printing, but I have no room for them here. They'll be scrapped if no one wants them. Its a shame since they don't make them anymore, but what can I do?

So, that's all I have for now. Oh, I might have a JOB. Yes. I'm pretty excited because its a good one. I won't know until the end of the month, so I'll keep it under wraps for now. But, wish me luck!

Toddler Pillows and New Friends

2009-03-25T14:29:00.008-05:00

My girls want pillows so they can be like Luke, but I think they're still too young to have regular pillows. So, I made my own "toddler pillows". Super easy. I used two receiving blankets from when they were babies, so I get points for repurposing, right? I folded the blankets in half, cut them to 13"X21", and sewed half inch seams. Then I took four layers of extra loft batting, basted them together so they won't shift inside the pillow, and sewed it into the pillow. Really easy and now my girls have pillows that I'm not afraid will suffocate them and we're all happy!

I'm going to make pillow cases for them because I'm certain they won't wash well unless I quilt the pillow. If I do that they'll be flat and the girls are sure to protest. So, I'll make pillow cases out of two other receiving blankets I have from their infancy.

I also made these two guys:

In these photos you can also see how thick the toddler pillows are...or should I say, how thin they are. They have just the right amount of softness, I think.

Sunny loves the pink teddy. No one loves the rainbow teddy. Poor guy. He's unloved. He was the first one I made and I forgot to embroider his face before I did the decreases to close his head, so I had to do it after I had finished him. That's why he looks like a train wreck. Its not his fault! The pink one turned out pretty cute and Sunny has claimed him. Elle wants a green one, so I'll get right on that!

Bad Sewing Habits

2009-03-24T13:07:00.003-05:00

My bad sewing habits, exposed!

1. Sticking pins in my mouth. Aside from poking my tongue with a pin every now and then, I think this is a bad habit because it probably makes the pin rust a bit, which is bad for fabrics you are pinning.

2. Blaming missing implements on Luke. Poor kid. Its just that more often than not he is the one who ran off with my seam ripper or my seam gauge or my tape measure. He also likes to use my 22" clear ruler as a ramp for his Hot Wheels. So, its easy to yell, "LLLUUUKKEEE! Did you take my fabric marker??!!!" Hey, at least if he draws on the wall with it, it will disappear in about an hour.

3. Not ripping a seam that really needs to be ripped. When I was working on my greenery quilt I had sewn a seam that was all wonky, but I SO didn't want to rip it because it was a long seam and I wanted to just. keep. working. So I tried to keep working, but all the other seams started to look off thanks to the one seam I refused to rip. I ended up going back and ripping it and re-sewing it and was so glad I did. Lesson learned: always rip a nasty seam. Nasty seam=sloppy work.

4. Sewing with hairy legs. Just kidding. My legs really need waxing and I'm doing everything possible to motivate myself to wax them. Telling myself its a bad sewing habit will go a long way in getting me to finally do it! (Plus, I was just checking to see if you were paying attention! lol!)

5. Not transferring all the pattern markings onto my fabric. There's a reason why the pattern has those markings (who knew!! lol!). Last Halloween I tried to make Luke a Super Why costume and the pants turned out great. The top...not so great. After 3 tries I finally realized I had not transferred a VERY IMPORTANT pattern marking to the fabric and that's why things weren't lining up. And how I managed to make the same mistake THREE times, I'll never know. Too bad I realized my mistake a week AFTER Halloween!

6. Not bothering to make a muslin. I've made shirts and pants and even 2 jackets for myself, but I didn't make a muslin for any of them. And they all had fit issues. The shirts I made almost always were too big in the shoulders and the bust is often baggy (I have no boobs). Ditto with the jackets. If I would make a muslin I could address fit issues without wasting my fashion fabric.

7. Not making ample use of basting. If your fabrics seem to slip a lot, then basting is your best friend. I used to think it was a waste of time to baste, but I do it all the time now.

8. Feeling rushed. Since my kids are very young, I only get small pockets of time to sew. So, I frequently find myself trying to rush through a project and it always results in a project I'm not proud of. My kids will only be young once; I frequently remind myself of that fact. Keeping that in mind helps me to slow down and enjoy both my time with them and also the little time I have with my sewing machine. I've learned how important it is to enjoy the process of sewing and not just the finished product. Plus, my sewing machine will always be there for me, but childhood only happens once.

Those are my bad sewing habits and I'm working on all of them (especially the hairy legs thing!) because I truly wish to be a talented sewist and quilter. What are some of your bad habits??

Necessary Items

2009-03-17T10:38:00.006-05:00

We go through wash cloths very quickly around here and it seems I never have enough. I also hate to buy them because since we go through so many I buy the cheapies and they're SO flimsy. This morning I was going to throw away my thick terry cloth bath robe, but then it occurred to me it would make great wash cloths. So, some cutting and zigzagging and wa-la:

Nice, thick, soft wash cloths. I zigzagged some and used another utility stitch on others. In all I made 10, so that should last for a while! I used a pink variegated thread, so the stitching is darker in some places and lighter in others. I love how they turned out and will probably look at the thrift store for bath robes to turn into wash cloths!