Le Challenge Entry: Space Quilt for Max

Handmade Style by Anna Graham is a great book with lots of drool-worthy projects.  I've checked it out of the library a few times and now it has a spot on my Christmas list.  I chose to utilize the pattern "picnic plaid quilt" for making a quilt for my friend's baby boy, Max.  Max's mom, Laurel, is a friend I met through the Front Range Modern Guild.

I decided to go with a "space" theme for the focus fabrics and worked really hard to follow the pattern instructions to use dark, medium, and light value fabrics. 

I did all of the cutting for this quilt when we were snowed in by a snowstorm that closed school and the Air Force base where my husband works (it was heaven to have everyone home!).  I have zero white/cream in my stash but soon settled on a navy pin dot - I think the print was a better option in the end - which makes me happy.  It took a little courage to use some of my Lizzy House Constellations but it's so perfect for this project.  (The other fabrics are from Rocket Age by October Afternoon, Lizzy House Pearl Bracelets, and the light blue star is a find from Marden's ages ago).  

For quilting, I settled on simple stippling. alternating thread colors to match the fabrics of the quilt top.  When I use all prints in a quilt, I don't feel too guilty when I do a simple meander stitch, as the fabrics are so busy and intense quilting wouldn't show up very well.

I used random stuff from my stash to complete the backing and bound the quilt in a simple dot fabric.  I machine bound it entirely- mainly to save time but also in the interest of durability.

The link up is about 10 days away away but I wanted to post this early anyhow to really feel "done" with this project.  Le Challenge's theme is the word "space" and as you can see, I took it very literally.  Thanks for the inspiration as always!

Total stash fabric used in the past three posts: 4.25 yards
Total stash fabric used since 1/1/15: 85 yards
Total stash fabric used to date:  89.25 yards

Linking to Crazy Mom Quilts Finish it up Friday.

My New Normal

I miss this space.  My sewing room is not occupied by me often enough.  I get it now.  I get why people have been amazed at my "productivity" with sewing as I've raised little kids.  I wrote this post maybe, largely, because I felt a wee bit defensive.  (When people are so incredulous that you have a hobby that takes longer than five minutes and you have young babies- surely you must be neglecting something or someone crucial...)  But seriously- I get it.  Lately, when I look at a project I completed in years past, I feel a bit amazed that I made it and I wonder how I had the time...

When I had my first son, in the weeks of his newborn-ness, I literally thought I might sell all my sewing supplies because I couldn't imagine being able to get back to it.  Funny, right?  My hands are so much more full with three little ones.  Moving across the country has also thrown a wrench into my routine: I am still trying to make friends and be involved in the community and socially, I can't afford to not be a part of MOPS, a book club, the PTO, the local modern guild....  

Speaking of MOPS, some members had a craft/bake sale and ten quilted coffee cozy's were my contribution:

I had a fun time pulling scraps for these.  You might be able to tell I have a pink/green/yellow WIP going on right now.

I have a finished baby quilt to share tomorrow for a baby shower that's on Saturday.  I recently read an interesting book about habits: Gretchen Rubin's Better than Before.  She outlines four personality types when it comes to habits and within her framework, I quickly identified myself as an "obliger." I meet outer expectations and fail inner expectations.  This is why, lately, when time is so scarce, I am succeeding at getting gifts and projects with a timeline completed, while my personal projects with no due date are dormant.

It's all good!  I am not trying to whine- but I miss sewing and getting things done.  I hope to figure out ways to fit more of it in because it's SO good for my soul and mental health, particularly as my life has become so much busier.

Here's a quote from a great book I just read, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert:

I firmly believe that we all need to find something to do in our lives that stops us from eating the couch.  Whether we make a profession out of it or not, we all need an activity that is beyond the mundane and that takes us out of our established and limiting roles in society (mother, employee, neighbor, brother, boss, etc.).  We all need something that helps us forget ourselves for a while--to momentarily forget our age, our gender, our socioeconomic background, our duties, our failures, and all that we have lost and screwed up.  We need something that takes us so far out of ourselves that we forget to eat, forget to pee, forget to mow the lawn, forget to resent our enemies, forget to brood over our insecurities.  Prayer can do that for us, community service can do it, sex can do it, exercise can do it, and substance abuse can most certainly do it (albeit with god-awful consequences)--but creative living can do it, too.  Perhaps creativity's greatest mercy is this: By completely absorbing our attention for a short and magical spell, it can relieve us temporarily from the dreadful burden of being who we are.  Best of all, at the end of your creative adventure, you have a souvenir--something that you made, something to remind you forever of your brief but transformative encounter with inspiration.  

A Special Gift

 Isn't this quilt amazing?  My friend Sarah surprised me by sending it to me last week.  It is so perfect for Owen and our family.  I am overwhelmed by the generosity of friends and family with the birth of this baby.  We've been so blessed!

I love this quilt and what it means. I have made many meaningful friendships through guilds and sewing connections and they are so rewarding and precious to me.   I know Sarah won't be offended when I say that I hope Owen will use it frequently, nearly wearing it out!

Le Challenge Entry: Method

"Method" was the theme for Le Challenge this month.

When it comes to sewing apparel, there is definitely a specific "method" I adhere to.  I am very much a beginner when it comes to making clothes and I am reluctant to deviate from the method I have found to enjoy and used.  I almost exclusively use one pattern designer (Oliver and S), I stick to the instructions with exactness, I only use quilting cotton, and I only sew for my daughter.  I prewash my materials and almost always have to make a quick shopping trip for notions.

Quilting is a lot less "prescribed" for me.  I never prewash, sometimes I follow a pattern (and I am willing to try all sorts of different designers), shopping is rarely necessary since I have such a "healthy" stash, and I have made quilts for many people in my life.  I am willing to experiment, deviate from the instructions, and try new things.  I am sure that with more experience and practice, my approach to garment sewing will become more adventurous.

Thanks for sticking with me!  Here's the dress I made this weekend:

This fun print is a Clover Sunshine print designed by Alison Glass.  I've got the kids calling it the "eye spy" dress because there are so many fun little designs in the fabric: an octopus, paintbrush, jet, rainbow, etc.  The pattern I used is the Library dress by Oliver and S, in a 4T.

Sometimes I spend inordinate amounts of time in the button aisle at the store but not this time!  I am in love with the glitter-y buttons I found at Joanns.  They match the dress perfectly.

Even though this dress did not have cats on it, Charlotte loves it and I am so pleased.  She wore it all day today and had to be bribed to take it off for a few minutes for me to get a garment-only picture.  Success!

Linking up with Le Challenge and Finish it up Friday.

I haven't caught up with my stash fabric tally in a few posts, so here's the catch-up:

Total stash fabric used in the past three posts: 3 yards
Total stash fabric used since 1/1/15: 82 yards
Total stash fabric used to date:  85 yards

Purse Palooza Sew Together Bag

Last night, in just a few hours, I made a Sew Together bag from start to finish in just a few hours!  It was so fun for me-it's been a while since I've found the time and energy for any project.

One of the most fun parts of any sewing project is choosing the fabrics from my stash.  The far left floral print in the below picture is one of my all-time fabrics designed by Anna Maria Horner.  Matching fabrics to coordinate with it was somewhat difficult: it contains some very unique shades of green, orange, and blue that didn't find friends within my stash- so I chose fabrics that were "close enough."  This is a strategy that I have learned to use often.  Avoiding perfectly matched combinations is a style I like anyhow.  

I had three 9" mustard colored zippers set aside for this project, but I could not find them!  I finally settled on using some other zippers in my small zipper stash.

This cute bag is off to a dear friend who hopefully will love a little surprise in the mail.  I love this bag pattern SO much and I think every sewer needs to have one.  I use mine all of the time!

Lining up with Purse Palooza 2015 and Finish it up Friday.

Purse Palooza: Children's Library Tote

I have entered the world of children's birthday parties thanks to my son's recent entry into kindergarten.  My son had his birthday party last week- a rewarding but exhausting project that explains a lot of my absence on my blog lately.  Then, this past weekend, he was invited to a party for his classmate, Hailey.

I decided to make Hailey a child sized library tote.  I have made adult sized versions previously:

I scaled it all down for the birthday gift, using some of my treasured Anne Kelle girlfriends fabric:

I am not sure if I love the dimensions of this bag- it seems a little "off."  Are the handles too long?  Too wide?  Either way, I knew a six year old would probably like it and I think she did!

Linking up to Sew Sweetness for this year's Purse Palooza and Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

P.S. I received some questions via a blog comment from a person named Lindy in Australia but her google account is set to "no reply" - so I cannot respond.  Please email me Lindy and I will be happy to help you out.

Le Challenge Entry: Gold

Hi friends!  Just under the wire, I wanted to submit an entry for this month's Le Challenge.  The theme is: gold.  I took an easy, literal approach to the challenge by making a bow pillow with some Remix chevron gold-accented fabric that I won at a guild retreat almost two years ago.  You all know I am a big Ann Kelle fan, so this was a great prize.

I used my own Bow Pillow tutorial along with some Kona solid (Apple?) from my stash.  

I always prefer a zippered pillow back but decided to favor the time saving technique of an envelope back:

Thanks to the ladies at Le Challenge for providing the inspiration to get back in my sewing room, it was getting a little dusty in there thanks to the demands of raising three small children!

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

Total stash fabric used in this post: 1.5 yard
Total stash fabric used since 1/1/15: 80.5 yards
Total stash fabric used to date:  82 yards

Tula Pink at Fancy Tiger

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for me.  I am trying to catching up on things, including blogging!  So please excuse my tardiness, but I must talk about Tula Pink's visit to Fancy Tiger Crafts on September 4.  I drove a carpool of friends to Denver and had an amazing time!  I even made the effort to bring my real camera, but totally spaced it and only took two poor iphone photos.  I was so distracted by the gorgeous fabrics in the store as well as many friends in attendance, taking pictures wasn't my first priority.  

Tula's presentation was just awesome.  There are so many talented fabric designers I've had the pleasure of hearing from, but not all of them are decent public speakers.  Tula is talented in both areas!  She was hilarious and so fun to listen to.  She spent a lot of time explaining her design process for the Elizabeth collection and it really helped me understand how detailed and thoughtful her fabric design process is.  Everything she does is thoughtful and has purpose.  

I met up with one of my most "favorite people in Colorado," Cassie, who lives in Ft. Collins (too far!).  Here's a goofy selfie of us in front of the Eden butterfly quilt:

I really love the new collection, Eden, the pixelated tigers are to die for!

If I had an unlimited budget, I could easily drop $500 at Fancy Tiger.  They always have the newest fabrics and I want everything!  My souvenir fabrics from that night were these bargain one yard cuts of Tula Pink fabrics for $5 each shown below.  I bought two yards of the horses (far right) and hope to see if my daughter will consent to a dress made out of them (she can be very picky).  

The morning after Tula, I got up very early with my family to see the annual balloon launch downtown.  This is one of my favorite events in the city.  There were much cooler balloons than the stupid Pepsi one, but oh well.  We got there just as the Darth Vader and Yoda ones were ascending.

We finally had Owen's baby blessing when my parents were in town and it was so nice.  I am really, really enjoying Owen because he's sleeping through the night without any major hassle on my part.  It's been amazing.  He's such a good baby and I don't know if I can take any credit for it but I am receiving it with a grateful heart, especially when my childbirth recovery had been so miserable!

Well, blogging and looking at my pretty new fabric really makes me want to go sew!  Too bad I have a morning meeting today but I will get to it asap.  Finishing the nearly year long Weekender WIP has really lit a fire under me to keep completing things and finding time to sew now and then, even though things are so busy with taking care of my three young kids.

Le Challenge: Wilderness Weekender

Phew!  I am ridiculously proud of myself for completing this bag.  Actually, instead of calling it a bag, it really should be called "luggage."  With an Amy Butler pattern, there should be no surprise that this thing is HUGE.  I've seen them in person before, but when I finally made my own, it finally became clear how big the Weekender pattern really is.

I chose fabrics for this project 44 weeks ago and let it sit for a long time.  Later, post-baby, I goofed on some fabric/color choices and my project took a whole different direction.  The fabrics I did end up using include: Echino Decoro prints (some stash favorites long overdue to be used!), Moda Mochi Linen Dot, and Canvas Duck Cloth from Joanns.  

Unfortunately, the deer got totally covered by the straps on this side of the bag:

I made a point to get the deer wearing red glasses on both side pockets:

This bag was a popular project in a few years ago.  By being late to the party, I had the advantage of being able to review several blogger's "tips and tricks" posts.  I'd like to contribute my thoughts on how to make this bag an easier sewing experience:

• The instructions ask you to attach peltex to nearly every piece of the bag to provide stability.  For many sewers, this has resulted in a thinner wallet, broken needles, and many unfinished weekenders.  Stability and structure can be achieved without the peltex.  
• Make the bag pieces with a layer of canvas, batting scraps, and your chosen exterior fabric, ala this method.  Make your pieces a little bigger than the finished pattern piece size because distortion will happen with the quilting. 
• Don't skip the piping.  I've seen a few weekenders without it and you just don't get that handmade/polished look.
• Yes, installing and dealing with the piping is a pain in the butt.  Make it easier on yourself by buying the piping if possible.  
• Sew the piping onto the exterior pieces with a thread that matches the piping but contrasts with the canvas interior layer (thus, choose your canvas or duck cloth color with care).  By doing this, you will have any easy guide to follow when you are assembling the bag all together, as you'd like to sew very close to the piping to make it pop along the seams of the bag and you can just parallel, very closely, the thread line that attached the piping to the exterior.
• It's one extra step, but next time, I am going to sew the raw edge of the piping to the exterior pieces, after the piping has been attached the traditional way.  When I assembled the bag, the piping would get bunched up and pop through seams many times.  This was NOT fun to seam rip and fix multiple times, this could have been avoided if all parts of the piping were firmly attached to the bag.
•  The directions instruct you to pin the zipper to the bag gusset and sew it from the exterior on top.  Instead, I used 1/4" washable tape to attach my zipper to the gusset and sewed directly on the zipper (wrong side up) and it came out really nice.  I felt like it was too much guesswork to rely on pins and sewing on the top of the panels, hoping to precisely catch the zipper without seeing it.  
• I increased the strap dimensions significantly.  I worked with a scrap piece of fabric to see what I thought would work for me before I cut into the duck cloth.  I also put a thick scrap piece of batting in each scrap to help with cushioning.  I love this pattern but I think the skinny straps are silly for such a big bag that is meant to carry a lot. 

A big thanks to Le Challenge, whose theme this month is "wilderness."  This was just the motivation I needed to finish up this nearly year-long project.  Can you get more wild than non-domestic animals posing in picture frames and wearing glasses?  I think not.

Total stash fabric used in this post: 3.5 yard
Total stash fabric used since 1/1/15: 77 yards
Total stash fabric used to date: 80.5 yards

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

WIP Wednesday: New and Old WIPS

Lately, my main sewing focus has been the Weekender bag.  I came to peace with my color mistakes and am pursuing this fabric/color scheme shown below.  I've been a bit bored with all of the straight line quilting but glad I am not going the route of peltex, as the pattern calls for.  Just need to make the straps and add piping before I assemble.  

I am also forcing myself to put together my DYO Sampler.  It's been on my design wall since at least January- I told myself it couldn't come down until it was put together and I've stuck to that!  I started it in May 2014.  This is my highly sophisticated diagram of how I plan to put things together.  I am also waiting (in vain?) for a chunk of time to receive help from my husband in figuring out all of the math to make this work.  Nick has had forced overtime for weeks now and our time together, especially without kids, is quite limited.

I finished cutting the squares for a king sized color dive quilt:

I've also added to my modest pile of City Weekend churn dash blocks:

Even though I am trying to focus on current projects, I couldn't help but invest in some fabric for a future project that I am really excited about: a "Swoon Sixteen Twenty" using my most favorite range of all time: Bloomsbury Gardens for Liberty Lifestyle.  My LQS issued a 31% off one item and I bought 8.5 yards of "Modern Background Paper White on Fog Pindot" by Moda.  My summer birthday money was really burning a hole in my pocket since I received it, but I think my choice was wise.  It's so easy to grab a bundle here and there that equate to completing new project after new project.  Sometimes I have to force myself to buy supplies that will work with what I already have and help me use up some of my favorites.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Scrap Happy Sewing: Craft Tote Pattern

 This week my son started kindergarten and my husband began his first (of many) work weeks of forced overtime.  I've needed sewing as therapy desperately!

I turned to Scrap Happy Sewing (by Kim Kurzich) again and made this "Craft Tote."  I don't work with scraps as often as I'd like and I was curious what kind of "look" I could create with pinks, greens, yellows, and blues from my scrap bins.  I altered the pattern slightly in making the straps and bottom linen rectangles a bit wider than what the pattern called for.  This is my favorite side:

Somehow, this side (picture below) ended up with a lot more yellows and it's not as balanced.  Good to remember to watch that for next time.

Before I sewed up the lining, I took this picture to show this fun combination of prints inside the bag.  That bird/floral print was one of the first "modern" fabric prints I bought several years ago.  The house print isn't from the same fabric line but they go together so perfectly.  I love it when that happens.  Aren't bag linings a good way to use fun multi-colored fabrics that might be hard to use otherwise?

I love making bags so much and have decided to stash such projects for future birthday or Christmas gifts since I already have so many for myself.  It feels good to be ahead of schedule with gift giving!

Linking up with Finish it up Friday and Super Online Sewing Community Match at Sew Mama Sew.

Total stash fabric used in this post: 1 yard
Total stash fabric used since 1/1/15: 76 yards
Total stash fabric used to date: 77 yards

WIP Wednesday: Ongoing Projects

I have three pre-baby WIPS haunting me, one of them is the Weekender bag.  I recently completed this paper pieced section for one of the large outside pockets:

to be placed on the outside of this quilted main panel:

But when I put the two together, I didn't like how they looked at all.  The problem is that the deer fabric is printed on a very brown linen, and I chose bright white prints for the patchwork piece.  Normally I try not to fret too much about white and off-white going together, but this bugs me too much!

This whole Weekender debacle has made me feel like I am making a lot of creative mistakes and not catching a lot of simple problems that could be avoided with more care.  I have also been thinking that I am definitely motivated to sew, but I am having a hard time coming up with projects and fabric combinations that I am really excited about.  I think my mental block is definitely related to sleep deprivation/interruption and having so little time to sew lately.

I came across a blog post, from Gnome Angel, recently with this quote, "Life is too short to make things that make you unhappy. I would rather not deliver on something then take the time away from my family to make something that’s sub par. Life’s too short for bad quilts!"  

I completely agree with Angie.  I don't need to put so much pressure on myself.  I don't have to create a masterpiece with everything I make.  So I am going to give myself a break and just work on some simple projects.  Projects with patterns.  If I follow a designer's fabric print/color suggestions, it's okay, I don't always have to reinvent the wheel every time.  I almost always try to throw in my own twist on projects, but if I want to make an exact duplicate of something from a book or tutorial, so be it.

Over the weekend, I had a bunch of sewing friends over to work on projects together.  I only had the baby to look after, so it felt like a vacation!  I spent my time visiting and cutting up squares for the Color Dive quilt.  This is exactly the kind of "easy" "no brainer" project I need: charm squares and half square triangles made out of Anna Maria Horner fabrics.  It's simple and I know I will still be happy with it because I love her fabrics and the pattern.

I also finally cracked open my City Weekend bundle I've hoarded for years.  I usually don't love pastel fabrics but this collection has been one of my long time favorites.  I am pairing it with blenders from my stash to make 9" churn dash blocks.  It's another simple project that will hopefully result in a pleasing vintage style quilt.

Scraptastic Tuesday: A Few Projects in the Works

Like a lot of quilters, I have a lot of scraps.  I enjoy working with them but don't do so often enough.  Here's a few recent projects I've been working on:

Apple potholders, a pattern from the book Scrap Happy Sewing.  I love how they came out.  The insulated batting shifted a lot within the project, but that was the only trouble I had in making these:

I had the perfect backing fabric:

This is the last project I completed recently in completing the decorating of my sewing room.  The mat and frame came from a yard sale and I spray painted the mat bright pink.  The mat was originally a dark, dusty blue.  Sorry about the poor picture- it was difficult to photograph.

To fill in the letters, I simply glued scraps of my favorite sewing themed collection, Sew Yummy, to the back of the mat.

Over the weekend I started working on another scrappy project, more details (and hopefully a finish) coming later this week:

 Linking up to Scraptastic Tuesday at She Can Quilt:

Pajama Softie Bears: Scrap Happy Sewing

I have been eyeing the "Pajama Softie Bear" pattern for months and finally got my hands on a copy of Kim Kruzich's Scrap Happy Sewing for my birthday.  There are lots of cute patterns in the book (today I will finish up a second project from its pages) but I would've bought the book if only for the cute bears!  My regular readers all know I love peg bears and this is right up my alley.

So I made three bears, one for each of my kids.  I really just wanted one for the baby, but of course, I ended up making one for each of my older children.  They appreciate them, which is good, because I don't really love "assembly line sewing," aka, making several of the same thing over and over.  (If I had a dollar for every time someone encouraged me to do a "craft show" or "open an Etsy shop."  I know they mean well, but no, thank you).  But I'm getting off topic.....

This pattern is cute because it has several sweet details.  My oldest son insisted I didn't add a collar, buttons, or the adorable "butt flap."  But the other two bears got the full works:

Here's my crew with their softies.  Pretty sweet shot that was made in haste, as the baby was nearly overdue for his morning nap.  Got to love my daughter and her mismatched outfit and shoes.

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