Blogger's Quilt Festival: Large Category: Typewriter Swoon Quilt

 This quilt came together came together like a whirlwind at the most recent Front Range Modern Quilt Guild retreat.  The idea to use a unique combination of Melody Miller typewriters and other designer favorites was inspired by Nicole's amazing hexie cushion for the 2014 Sewvivor competition.  I've also been intending to make a swoon quilt for ages and loved being able to alter the pattern to accommodate large scale prints and eliminate several tedious half square triangle units.

I used stash fabrics to create this 90 x 108 quilt, buying a small amount more for prints that I only had a fat quarter of.  I am particularly happy with my choice of black scrappy sashing and borders- it's a lot of fun in my opinion.

This quilt almost went into the proverbial "will be quilted someday" pile because of my confusion on how to quilt it.  I had many friends encouraging me to splurge on custom long arm quilting, but when I looked into that option, I learned it would probably cost me at least $500.  I also worried that an all over design might not do the design justice.  But then I came across this post by Angela Walters, and her statement won me over, "The one thing that I love about  [the Swoon]  quilt pattern is the large scale of the blocks. The fact that the blocks are so large means that an allover design won’t take away from their beauty!"  

I also felt that my choice to use only prints in the quilt really would minimize the "wow factor" custom quilting generates when it's executed on solid fabrics.

After finally mentally resolving my dilemma, I went to Jukebox Quilts in Ft. Collins and rented time on a Gammill Statler Stitcher.  I was disappointed in the geometric/modern quilt designs available to me, but eventually settled on the "Scratch Modern" pattern.

I was about 35 weeks pregnant and it was a very long day getting this quilted.  When I was done and back at my sister's, I laid down for three hours.  I was exhausted!

I backed this quilt in a large cut of Hope Valley from my stash as well as some random stash (black) prints that I didn't think I would miss for other projects.  I really had wanted to go with something much more fun, but decided to use the money for quilting and not buy more fabric!  I bound the quilt in Joel Dewberry's True Colors woodgrain teal fabric.

I hope focusing on my thought process in choosing a quilt design is helpful.  I think it's easy to get excited about all of the amazing custom quilting that so many talented artists provide.  But if it's not in the budget or if our fabric choices are really busy, an all-over design is perfectly acceptable.  I once heard a traditional quilt store owner explain that new quilters really get sucked into modern quilts and the amazing quilting featured in patterns and books- but the "$5,000 quilting" is truly what makes the quilt and may not be achievable for beginners or within their budget to have someone else do it for them.  As I worked this all out for myself, I ultimately had to take another piece of advice I've heard from Angela Walters, "A finished quilt is always better than an unfinished quilt top."

Linking up with the Large Quilts Category at the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy's Creative Side.  Thanks for stopping by!

Total stash fabric used in this post: 9 yards
Total stash fabric used since 1/1/15: 34 yards
Total stash fabric used to date: 43 yards

More Dresses for Charlotte

I couldn't help but quickly revisit the Hide and Seek dress pattern, using unicorn and geometric fabrics from my stash.  I eked this 3T out of just 1 yard of the unicorns, skipping the pockets in favor of saving time as well as a lack of fabric.

I found the perfect buttons at Joanns:

Yesterday I completed the Oliver and S Library dress pattern, skipping all the "extras" except for piping on the waistband:

This Japanese "doll kitty" fabric from Pink Castle Fabrics was too cute to resist for my pink/cat loving daughter.  I think it's almost too sweet but she loves it.

My machine has really been acting up: sewing on it's own intermittently without me pressing the foot pedal.  Sometimes it goes really fast when it does this and it's driving me nuts.  I am told it could be a computer problem, which really scares me because that is a problem that essentially "totals" a sewing machine.  I am not sure when I can get it looked at due to the extra budget considerations and busyness accompanying the new baby.

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts at Finish it up Friday.

Hide and Seek Dress

My daughter really has a thing for cats.  Hello Kitty seems to be in her blood.  I've made her at least 10 dresses within the past year, but she repeatedly only wants to wear this one:

So I decided to grab some more Lizzy House Catnap fabric to make the Oliver and S Hide and Seek Dress.  I feel so intimidated when I am about to try a new pattern, but my fears were definitely unfounded.  This felt like a really easy sew and I really enjoyed making it.  Charlotte really loves it, I let her try it on before the sleeves were attached and she would not take it off.  When it was finished, she wore it till bedtime.  

This dress has lots of fun details: large front pockets and sleeve cuffs.  If I skip the pockets on the next one, it really will come together much faster.  But I am not sure what I am going to do because my daughter really loves pockets on her dresses.

Oliver and S patterns are a lot more expensive than the $1 specials on patterns you can often pick up at Joann's but the extra money is really worth it, in my opinion.  The patterns are so thorough and well written, I've never taken a class on garment sewing and I feel so accomplished that I have been able to make cute, wearable clothes for Charlotte.  I should also point out that it's not difficult to find Oliver and S patterns on sale.  Signing up for the Oliver and S newsletter often avails itself to significant savings, especially on Black Friday.

I've gone through my patterns and fabrics and am preparing to make three more dresses, hopefully before the baby comes.  I know I am being over ambitious and there's a lot to do besides sewing within the next week, but finishing this dress gave me a huge psychological boost and I am craving that satisfaction again.  I also know I am going to be SO busy when the baby comes and Charlotte is only going to be a little girl who loves what I make her for so long.

I finally invested in a grown-up pair of scissors with a Joann's gift card I had.  The scissors I have been using are at least a decade old and are very dull.  They're the kind with a spring and the springs have stopped functioning too.  Hopefully cutting out all the pieces for these dresses will feel less like a chore now.

Linking up to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

SMS Giveaway Day: Patchwork Pillow Cover

Welcome to my giveaway for Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day.  I really didn't think I was going to be able to participate for this round, but I made a pillow cover just in time.  This is a 16" patchwork square pillow cover made with some of my most favorite fabrics, leftovers from a quilt I made last year:

The pillow back is made with a flapped, zipper enclosure and this fun bike print:

To win, please leave a comment on this post before Sunday, May 10 at 5 pm PST.  International entries are welcome.  If you want to just say hi, that is fine.  If you have any baby name suggestions for me and feel so inclined to give me a suggestion (boy or girl- we never find out the gender ahead of time), that would make for fun reading for me.  Only thirteen more days till our family welcomes the little one and I cannot wait because I am so sick of bring pregnant!!!

Another entry for following me on my blog (via Bloglovin, Google+, etc.) or on IG (@dresdenlane) is also available.  Just leave another comment letting me know this.

Here's an idea of the kinds of projects I have been posting lately:

Thanks for stopping by and good luck with entering all of the giveaways.

The random number generator chose #13, Christine Sullivan.  Thanks to all for participating and giving me lots of great baby name ideas.

Gifts and Beginnings

 I have really missed sewing and this space lately!  I have had some non-serious health issues towards the end of this pregnancy that have really interfered with doing anything besides lying in bed.  Amazingly, I was spared gestational diabetes with this one (had it with my first two) but it's still not been smooth sailing.  I finally feel better today and am happy to be able to do a quick post here to catch up.

A few weeks ago I finished up two large quilts by renting some time on a long-arm in Ft. Collins.  I've decided to save the posts for those finishes for the upcoming Blogger's Quilt Festival.  Stay tuned!

Just after my trip to Ft. Collins, I had the pleasure of attending a mini retreat with a small group of friends from the Front Range Modern Quilt Guild.  We rented a house in Colorado Springs and sewed and socialized.  The sweet girls threw me a surprise baby shower on that Saturday night.  My friends made me these baskets filled with baby supplies and I also received boxes of diapers and gift cards.  It was so unexpected and generous.  I really haven't gotten much for this baby and it's a little depressing to think about all of the baby stuff I had to leave behind before we moved- so this was especially appreciated.

Several hours after the baby shower, I made the difficult decision to go home early from the retreat.  I just really wasn't feeling well and was unable to accomplish anything anyhow.  The only thing I did was cut out the lining pieces and quilt some panels for a Weekender bag.  It was so sad for me: retreats are my super productive happy place!!!  And this was the last one for me till the baby is weaned.

I received another handmade gift for the baby from a friend in MA: a beautiful handmade blanket.  My daughter really loves it, but I think she will be okay with sharing:

I made some time to do some sewing today but decided to keep it simple:

Remember that time when I was going to make myself a mini quilt for my sewing room and before I knew it, it became a king sized quilt top?  I am making a second attempt at that goal with the start of this churn dash block:

I also pulled out these leftovers from my Penny Patch quilt and made a 20" square destined to be a pillow.... maybe in time for SMS Giveaway Day......?

And just for fun, I will share this hilarious mosaic a friend shared with me to illustrate her belief that my husband looks like Prince William.  He's actually been told this about a dozen times before, usually by women in their 60's.

Finally, with lots of boredom resting, comes lots of internet surfing on my phone.  I really liked this post about stashing fabrics and this one about a "shrink test" with specifics on various fabric companies.  I will confess I also did a bit of online fabric shopping, I will share my spoils soon.  

Once Upon a Time Cross Stitch Completed

This cross stitch is something I have been working on for nearly a year!  Completing that last stitch was so exciting.  It really is such a great design and I can't wait to frame it and enjoy it.  The pattern can be found here.  

Pursuing cross stitch as a hobby makes me feel a little guilty because it's so time consuming, but I just pick it up in the evenings when I am too tired to do much more than watch a little Netflix with the hubby.  It's amazing what you can eventually accomplish when you are wasting time watching TV.  I am dying to start a totally new needlework project but I don't have any linen on hand for the patterns I have acquired.  For now, I plan to revisit the Dala Horse I started quite a while ago.

Aragon Bag Finished

After writing this post about my productivity things really slowed down with my sewing.  My third trimester fatigue and complications (nothing serious) increased and my kids' ability to independently play without me decreased.  Then I made the mistake of verbally marveling that we've been so healthy this past winter, so of course, a few of us are now struggling with colds.  But it's just life and I am happy to share one of my most "urgent" must-do-before-baby projects is now completed!

Allow me to introduce the Aragon bag, a pattern by Sara Lawson at SewSweetness.  I think that this is the most challenging bag I have ever made, it's making me wonder if I can now handle the famous Weekender.....

Cutting out all of the pieces took me almost three evenings.  There are over 43 pieces to cut out, all mostly hand cut (a few could be rotary cut).  I dove into my stash choosing some bargain Echino I originally bought to make Charlotte a dress, some Lucky Penny fuscia Bike Path originally intended for quilt sashing, and a Summersault raindrop print.

This bag has nine pockets! Three of the pockets have zippers.

 Here's a picture of the lining.  Binding seams within the interior was a new technique and I have to say it was NOT easy or enjoyable.  Each side took me about two hours!  I hope not to revisit that finishing method again and will confess it is not neat looking at all.  But I am okay with it because it's all inside the bag anyway.

This is my project for this month's Le Challenge, the theme word is "tradition."  Making a new diaper bag for myself with each new baby has become a tradition for me.  It's a little treat to myself.

Here's the one I made in advance of Gregory's arrival (when my photography skills were sorely lacking, sorry!):

Here's the one I made for Charlotte's arrival:

Also linking up with Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Total stash fabric used in this post: 2.5 yards
Total stash fabric used since 1/1/15: 31.5 yards
Total stash fabric used to date: 34 yards

Finish it up Friday: Jacob's Ladder

It's finished!  My Jacob's Ladder quilt is done.  All 2,728 pieces!!!  It's easily one of my most favorite quilts I've made.  It's from a Blue Elephant Stitches tutorial found here.  I started it after finishing my Penny Sampler, actually craving a project that would challenge me more (but I still really love that quilt too!)  It's been nearly a year since I began this project and it feels so good to wrap it up before the baby and summer comes (no one wants to be hand quilting on a hot day!).

 I spent many evenings hand quilting it, a process I will admit I did get a little bored of.  I used perle cotton, four different variegated colors available from Joann's.  I don't think I am particularly good at hand quilting, even after so much practice.  I never learned to "rock the needle" and let's just say the back of the quilt is definitely not as pretty as the front.  But I am still glad I hand quilted it, I don't know how I would've machine quilted it, and the pattern seemed to call for a very traditional quilting approach.

The backing is a pretty choice from Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush line.  I bought a bunch of it on sale for $5 a yard at a LQS just before I finished this quilt top.  I came very close to buying fabric for the binding but finally used some Lizzy House Constellations asteric print from my stash- it was perfect and I actually had a full yard!

Linking up to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

Total stash fabric used in this post: 1 yard (most of this quilt was completed in 2014, so I am just counting the binding towards the total of stash fabric used)
Total stash fabric used since 1/1/15: 30.5 yards
Total stash fabric used to date: 31.5 yards

WIP Thursday

 In the evenings, when my husband and I take a bit of time to indulge our Netflix addiction, I have been doing lots of hand sewing.  I took a long break from this routine because I was getting lots of headaches in the evening and couldn't bear to pick up a needle and thread, even if only from the comfort of the couch.  Most of that is alleviated now that I finally updated my eyeglass prescription (not wise to put it off for 5+ years).

I did some English paper piecing and made some Hexie flowers out of leftovers from making this pillow.  These will be a fun addition to my do-your-own sample project that I am anxious to put together.

I have also been making tulips for the dyo sampler quilt, using a free pattern found here.  I made the leaves quickly with that software I blogged about here.

This week, I have also been chipping away at a new diaper bag.  It's become a tradition for me to make a new one for each baby- a little treat to myself.  I am using Sarah Lawson's Aragon bag pattern and several stash fabrics.  There were 43 pieces to cut out- including pieces from 3 different fabrics, interfacing, and the alternative to Soft and Stable- automotive headliner fabric.  Bag making almost always requires a cutting marathon.

Thanks for reading!  I will be back tomorrow with a big finish that I am very proud of!