Estate Sale!

Hi everyone. If you live in New England, hope you are enjoying this nice springy weather. Spring definitely snuck up on me, though I doubt it is here to stay. Makes me wonder how much sewing I might get done, because when it's nice outside - I love to go on walks..... and just not stay inside.

Anyway, I have had some majorly annoying sewing issues - which is why I am doing this blog posting instead of sewing. My sewing machine was in for it's yearly tune-up for the past week, and now that I have it back - it's still acting up and creating awful loopy stitches. I am pretty upset with the guy who supposedly cleaned it. When I sat down to sew with it, little clumps of lint/dust fell down around the needle area. Of course, this makes me suspect that the guy didn't even test it out after he'd cleaned it...... Also, for two days I had serious issues with my rotary cutter- it wouldn't even rotate!!!! I bought a new one (which wouldn't work) and then had several people look it over - with no luck. Finally, in desperation - I headed off to a local quilt store to see if a lady could help me..... But I got sidetracked on my way there when I spotted an estate sale. It was being run by a "professional" (someone who is hired to run an estate sale for a family) - so I didn't get as low prices as I might've liked- but I still made a major killing in some awesome stuff to repurpose for sewing:

Here are some pictures of the goods:

In this one, the heart pattern is actually a vintage apron. the yellow/orange floral print is a dress. The red material is actual fabric.

I've always heard of people using sheets as white sashing or backing for quilts. Many traditionalists are against the practice, but I figured I might as well try. These are all twin size, brand new in the package - but probably date back several years ago. I am hoping this means that they are of a higher quality than what is made nowadays.....
And finally, the JACKPOT! I almost died when I saw these!!!!!! It's two parcels of 4 yards of fabric (each) - brand new all made locally in Lowell!!!!! I knew if I only walked out with these, I would be happy.

Here's a closeup of the blew fabric. Crowns! Lions!

I also asked if I could take down and purchase two curtains that were hanging up in the basement. They agreed, and here's what I came home with:

My favorite are the trees, then the duck pond. Some parts of the curtain are unusable, despite throwing everything into the washing machine. But I definitely have enough for a quilt - if I fussy cut the designs and frame solids/prints around squares.

So all this stuff, plus a white sweater - for $15.... Not too bad. Believe it or not, I refrained from buying a tin full of thread- I am drowning in thread from all of my exploits last year....

Large Receiving Blanket

I bought this dog/fire engine fabric at the Joann's after Thanksgiving sale and I think it is just adorable. All's this blanket is are two pieces of flannel sewed together as a sandwich (each piece of flannel is 1.25 yds). I made 3 for Gregory because Nick and I found that we really like them for swaddling (much bigger/better/warmer than the piddly store bought recieving blankets), covering the car seat to block the wind when transferring him to and from the car, laying one on the couch to sit on with the baby to protect the couch from inevitable spitups, and using as an impromptu protective layer for diaper changes and tummy time. Lots of uses for such a simple thing.

Tie Onesie

Here's a little tie onesie made for our nephew... seriously this project is SO easy - I did it in 15 minutes.

I think a striped fabric is a good choice for this.

Sock Monkey Quilt Part II

Gregory's cousin now has a blanket that matches his own - they are almost the same.... This is the 3rd quilt I have actually quilted myself and I think it came out the best so far because I used decent batting and a walking foot. I really love this fabric and have one more quilt top from it - so we'll see who ends up with the last Sock Monkey blanket.....

My favorite part of this blanket is this corner with the larger scale monkey face peering out - it's too cute!

Brainy Baby Ball Part II

I love making these so much! This is for our nephew arriving in late April.

Bibs and a Block

So I finally got the package sent off to Melanie- so I will be showing those things I made for the baby very soon. In the meantime, I decided to make a bunch of bibs for the kiddo. Missy kindly made a bunch for me a while ago, but I am finding that we need more now that he is slowly starting to eat solids.

Here he is this evening, showing evidence of the rice cereal.

He is exactly 20 weeks old today.... he's getting really big. I went to a quilt store recently to have my machine serviced and one of the ladies there thought that he was 8-9 months old!

I used the pattern from One Yard Wonders and made 10 bibs (one is missing from the pic.) Very easy project and I already had everything I needed on hand.

Here's a block I did for the block exchange. The block for March requires Christmas fabric- and I got rid of all of mine! Not sure what I am going to do about that.....

When I was in that quilt store I mentioned earlier, I got to try out the $8,000 Pfaff Grand Quilter. It was a dream!!!! I really want to get a machine that can quilt like that someday- not just so I could finish my quilt tops easily, but also because I think I would really enjoy the actual quilting. There was a $2,000 model there too --- maybe someday!

Anyway, I had to get my machine serviced because it was overdue for a cleaning and a tune-up. It has been sewing kind of badly lately - leaving loops on both sides of the fabric..... I hope that it works better when I get it back- in the meantime, it's really weird to not have it around. I am going to use Gregory's nap time to maybe do some low key scrapbooking or do the cutting for some future projects.....

What's been going on....

Life has been busy here - not just with baby but with sewing too. The problem with updating the blog is that I am making some things for a future nephew whose mother has been known to frequent the blog (wink, wink Melanie). I don't want to say too much, so lets just suffice it to say that I am having a lot of fun making some baby things and I am learning new techniques... More to come very soon!

I have also been selling some fabric on Etsy to recoup some of the money I have spent on fabric - there just isn't enough time to do it all!

Finally, a branch of a "Modern Quilt Guild" is opening in New England- the first meeting starting only about 20 mins from my house! I am SO thrilled! I can't wait- I have really wanted to make friends with people who share my interest!

More to come soon!

Fabric swapping....

So I have been trying to deny that this blog is about fabric, but let's face it- I am probably more obsessed with fabric than I am with actually sewing with it.... I know that's kind of sad and it makes me feel shallow sometimes and at the very least, materialistic (pun intended). But there's just no fighting it anymore. I recently read a fictional novel about a quilter who referred to women's fabric obsession as a "benign illness" - and I definitely believe it! 99% of this blog's readership are friends and family who don't sew or care to sew- but trust me, all the sewing blogs out there are all about talking about fabric and showing pictures of one's stash. Many post a weekly photo of pieces from their stash just for the reader's viewing pleasure- so I am not alone.

But hey, what's wrong with enjoying something as innocent as cute cloth? I just finished a long stint of social work and volunteering abroad where I was surrounded by heartbreaking human suffering- I think I have used sewing/fabric as an escape - when life gets so serious, you need something else to give you a reprieve.

So anyway, I am going to stop apologizing for my fabric posts and just do them when I feel like it- while keeping in mind my self imposed reminder to get busy using all this good stuff!

This is a picture of fabric I have received in the mail from fellow sewers in an online fabric swap. It's so great because I have traded fabric I had too much of or was tired of, and got great stuff that I really wanted! Everyone's been so nice and generous- it's been a lot of fun and a lot cheaper than just buying new fabric!

Block Exchange

The easiest block exchange I have done yet. Two simple nine-patch squares. Luckily the person included her own fabrics because as far as batiks go, i only have ugly scraps of some from Joann's. These batiks were GORGEOUS and made me want to buy some!

I won!

I entered a giveaway today and won a fat quarter each of Tula Pink's newest fabric line: Plume! I am SO excited! You can see the fabric here.

Donkey's wearing rain boots

Enough said.

Easiest Quilt Pattern Ever!

Sew a nine-patch of 5.5 inch squares together. Cut down the middle.

Cut through the sides, twice.

Now you have 4 unique squares with a lot less piecing than you might have normally done.

I am making another sock monkey quilt- it might actually end up to be 2 quilts because I didn't plan the layout very carefully and I would be kind of embarrassed to give someone a very long rectangular type of quilt.... We'll see what I decide. I do love this fabric!

Apple Pincushion

Tie Onesie

Possibly one of the only cute baby boy "accessories," out there: the illustrious tie onesie. I almost made this one before Gregory was even born because I thought it was so cute! (But I didn't even know if I was having a boy- so I didn't).

This project was so easy, it actually took me longer to decide on what fabric to use than to actually make it. I finished it in 15 mins. He wore it today to church and it was a big hit! For all the family who read this, here's some cute pictures of my guy sporting the duds. I found this picture hilarious because he never wears hats and he hates them- but he looks so cute in a little beanie. He wore it for all of 10 seconds.

This was this morning when he had a short little nap before we left for church.

Inspiration

I want to make this quilt. That is all.

Pear Pincushion

Baby Boy Quilt

When I spotted this cute baby boy print, I knew I had to get it! If you can't tell from the picture, it's little white airplanes on a blue background.

Here is my favorite block:

I took these pictures outside with the goal of trying to have better lighting- but it was FREEZING!

I think I am going to try to quilt this one soon after studying up on how to machine quilt!

Brainy Baby Ball

Yes, that is the name of this brightly colored toy. It was a lot of fun to make and not as difficult as it looks!Gregory is too young to appreciate it yet, but he is definitely interested in the bright colors...... and of course, he tries to stick it in his mouth! I already finished my quilt top for January! It will be posted soon!

Inspiration

So, I recently found this post of one of the most adorable baby boy quilts I have ever seen. Isn't it precious? I love looking at other people's sewing blogs (sometimes I do this much more than sew- which is defintely counterproductive!) but it's really great because I get so many ideas of what I can do.

Anyway, I wanted to share a little bit of what I have been up to. I am trying to post more regularly, so here it is:

Believe it or not, I had to make more burp rags for friends and myself. Nick and I counted that we have at least 15 in use for our little guy. When he was first born, he spit up a lot, but then he took a break. Now we're back to using at least 2 per feeding. Now I know that a lot of family members look at this blog- but don't worry about your nephew/grandson- he's gaining weight, growing out of his clothes very fast, and an extremely happy little guy, so we're not very worried! I was especially amused to spot little dimples on his cute baby butt the other day, so he's not exactly wasting away.

The second picture is of a baby quilt I am working on. It's slow going - only because of trying to take care of Gregory, but it's fun. I loved the airplane print, and am framing it with stuff from my fabric stash.

Sew Many Resolutions.....

So I want to try and publicly commit to some sewing resolutions for the new year. I like making goals and lists, so here it is:

Every month:

I will finish 1 quilt top,
I will finish 1 other project (a purse, a stuffed animal, etc.)

AND I will accomplish these goals without buying more fabric to complete said quilt tops and projects.

Also within 2010, I want to:

Learn how to quilt a quilt on my own sewing machine
Take at least one sewing class at a quilt shop or by a long-arm quilter

I hope I am not setting myself up to fail with these ambitions; having Gregory is making life much more busy and sewing an infrequent activity. But I am definitely willing and excited to try! Wish me luck!

Laurie

Peg Bears and Fabric!

Hope everyone enjoyed the holidays! We sure did. Baby's first Christmas was so nice- I have never felt so happy and blessed. I love our little family and being a mom is wonderful.

I did manage to get a little sewing done- this is a project I have wanted to do for a long time. One Red Robin is the first craft/sewing blog I came across, thanks to a recommendation from my SIL, and I was dying to make the peg bears posted there. But the blog's author never posted or released the pattern till now. The pattern is in a book I received for Christmas- One Yard Wonders.

I have to say that Gregory LOVES these bears- I have never seen him react so positively to a toy. He's only 12 weeks old, thus I know that his interest in toys is very limited to begin with. But when he saw the one my sister made- he smiled a lot and was fascinated. He later gave it his stamp of approval by trying to eat it. It wasn't till this afternoon that I completed the one I made for him, and he stared at it with great interest for at least 10 minutes. Soon after, he tried to eat it and later begged to take it to bed for his nap as you can see from the pictures below.
Here is the one Emily made, the bear is stealing a snooze in the bassinet at Grandma and Grandpa Moulton's house.

Emily and I made these in just a few hours. Emily isn't big into sewing, but she was a great help in cutting and stuffing the bears- while I did all of the machine sewing.

Now, I really like these bears and I think they are adorable, but I can see how they might not appeal to all tastes. I am begging for comments on this question: Peg Bears: Cute or Not Cute? Please weigh in on this crucial matter as I am thinking about making them as gifts for other children but don't want their parents joking that I make terribly ugly stuffed animals that induce nightmares in their children.

P.S. Here's one of the best presents I received that will greatly help in using up lots of fabric:

I am really thrilled with how many awesome ideas it has!

Christmas Stocking

Well, I finished Gregory's stocking and I am really happy with how it turned out. I did my own design and pattern- using techniques I had previously learned. I found that my experience making purses was especially helpful. The front is a combination of polka dot cotton prints sewed together and then fused and quilted onto fusible fleece. I loved the ease of not having to measure all the strips and purposely make it crooked. I used a red gelly roll pen to transfer his name from graphed tracing paper onto the white fabric of the cuff (the picture makes his name look crooked, but it's really not.) I then emboridered over the letters, easily the most time consuming aspect of this project (maybe I should have named him "Gus" or "Dan" or an abbreviation- like B.J.) I made the back of his stocking twice because I stupidly did not flip the stocking pattern the first time. Blame it on "baby brain." I wanted the back to be simple because the front is so busy on the front, so I think this worked out pretty well.

He's too young to appreciate Christmas this year, and won't get the concept of Santa or presents next year (but probably will be very adept at yanking off the tree ornaments next year); but perhaps in 2012, we will have a lot of fun with the little guy at this time of year.

Red and Green

Recently I have been plugging away at making a Christmas stocking for my son. I have scoured my stash for red and green fabrics with polka dots. I love fabrics with dots- so luckily I had quite a few. I am doing my own design, using the technique I showed in an earlier post with the Christmas tree quilt square. Hopefully I will have it done soon.
I am not really a "crafty" person- because I consider being crafty to be more of a person who uses glue a lot- you know, buys all the knick knacks at Joann's or Michael's that you can paint or put glitter on. I actually think there are a lot of cute crafts to do out there, I just have so much I want to sew, I really don't have the time to add another hobby. (Let's be honest, I also don't have the space either). So anyway- last year I did see a tutorial on how to make a wreath out of Christmas ornaments and a wire hanger. So I ended up buying 8 $1 boxes of red and green ornaments in the after-Christmas sale at Joann's, and here's what I made:
It really only took 1 hour to make- I just had to hot glue the little ornament "caps" onto the bulb and then strung it onto the wire hanger (which I had made circular). The only thing that stinks about it, is it can break pretty easy I think. Gregory loves to stare at it.

Maybe I should take up knitting..........

So my wonderful friend has made some adorable gifts for the kiddo...... It honestly makes me want to knit when I see what cute things she has made:


Look at those hexagons! Gregory better be careful, his mom might claim this little turtle for her own (only because the pumpkin hat won't fit her.....) Just kidding.

Box Exchange 2009

A little while ago I posted the quilt block I was submitting to my quilt guild. Here is the first block I made for someone: Of course, I procrastinated this project and on the evening it was due to be submitted, I started making it 1.5 hours before the meeting started! It was also right at the time my baby started stirring and crying after a long nap. I had thought the meeting was a week later than it really was. I blame it on the fact that usually the guild meets on the 5th Monday of every month and they switched it up for some reason as well as "baby brain."

The baby with the most blankets wins

I haven't been able to do much sewing since my son was born, but he is easing into a schedule and occasionally I have been able to do a few things.

I had made the blanket on the right before he was born- it's just a very simple receiving blanket- a sandwich of flannel. As Nick and I have been taking care of Gregory, we noticed that it was the perfect size to swaddle him in- about 45" by 54". I decided to makes some more, hence the muppets one and the little cars one. Joann's is having all of their flannel on sale for 1.50 per yard on Black Friday- I can't wait!
My little guy has SO many blankets thanks to my sewing and generous gifts of friends and family.

I am also working on a large adult sized quilt out of black, white, and yellow fabrics. I am in the tedious stage of doing all of the cutting- a task I hate. I will show the progress once I begin actually sewing.