Blogger's Quilt Festival: Clouds and Rainbow Baby Quilt

Thanks to Hurricane Sandy, I was able to finish this rainbow log cabin quilt recently.  They closed the Air Force base on Monday and Nick got to have a paid day off of work.  What's a girl to do in this situation?  Work like mad on a WIP and hope that the power stays on while your husband watches the kids.  It ended up working out pretty well:

The pattern for this quilt comes from the Better Homes and Gardens Quilts and More Spring 2009 magazine.  The inspiration for the quilt came from this rainbow Riley Blake fabric pictured below - I loved the use of the dark blue in the print and thought that adding an element of "gray clouds" to the whole thing would be fun. 

 Like a lot of quilters in blogland lately, I have been using Angela Walter's new book to try out some new free motion quilting designs.  I think I like the paisley and woodgrain the best so far.  I attempted a different design in each log cabin strip, some more successfully than others.

 I think my favorite is the pebbles within the light blue pearl bracelet fabric:

 I used some AH "Love American Style" fabric that had been in my stash for ages, I am pretty sure the selvedge said "2006."  I bound it in an Erin McMorris Urban Garden purple print.

I am entering this quilt into the 2012 Blogger's Quilt Festival. 

Finished quilt measures: 51.5" square

Quilted by: me

Best Category: Favorite Baby Quilt, Favorite Scrap Quilt, Favorite Home Machine Quilted Quilt

Sewing Costumes

Things have been a little crazy around here - nothing too concerning or out of the ordinary, I have just been feeling overwhelmed.  This is the main reason why I kept asking myself why I was trying to make Charlotte's costume when cute baby costumes really aren't expensive.  But I felt committed because I wanted to go along with Gregory's Toy Story obsession and create something space-invader-ish, instead of the typical girl-oriented "Jessie" option.  I could not buy a lime/neon green beanie to save my life - I checked TONS of stores!  So I finally had to concede and make one:

 I also did a quick and dirty planet applique on her shirt.  I couldn't believe that some people guessed that she was Kermit the Frog.  Really?  Three eyes?  What type of Muppet movies were they watching?

Next year, she will probably be a pumpkin - a favorite standby costume option that Gregory wore as a toddler.  Happy Halloween!

Crackle Top Finished

On Monday of this week, the stars aligned and both of my children took a 3.5+ hour nap at the same time.  I quickly got started on putting all of my Crackle blocks together to make this quilt top.  I love how it came out!  This is such a fun, easy pattern.  The only thing that bugs me is that I am just not a big fan of precuts- I much prefer the look of mixing collections together to create a quilt.  Next time, I think I might make my own layer cake from my stash.

 The pattern is "Crackle" by Aneela Hooey, available in her etsy shop.  The fabric line I used is called Lucy's Crab Shack.  It may be a little while before I finish this one because I don't think I have any stash options for backing.  If anyone knows of a great price on this fabric line - please let me know.

For the time being, this quilt top joins the other projects in my WIP pile.  I recently gathered all of my WIPs to take a picture for a post on the BMQG blog regarding the guild challenge to have members complete their WIPs (as well as start to use their "precious" hoarded fabrics that we are all afraid to cut into).  Turns out I have 10 WIPs (I found another one after I took this picture).  Some are more important to me to finish than others.... but it's certainly more of a priority for me to get going on these after seeing them all together in such a big pile.

Dreamweaver Quilt Top Completed

I completed the AMH Dreamweaver quilt top (pattern found in the book, Quilts from the House of Tula Pink) at the end of last week.  It took a while to be able to get a picture of it.  It's pretty big - measuring about 84 x 102.  My gracious husband kindly got on the roof to help me get a better picture of it- I swear, he does a lot to support me in this hobby. 

 This was a very easy pattern to do, the only alteration I included was adding an extra "bar" to each row.  I did this because of the color spectrum I was trying to create. 

 Playing with a bunch of Anna Maria Horner collections is so much fun - I am so glad I disregarded my original plan to keep the collections together and make individual quilts for each one.  Her colors and designs play very nicely together. 

I am entering this into the Tula Pink Sew-Along, check out the details here. 

My backing came in the mail yesterday from fabric.com.  It was so awesome to have a valid reason to buy nearly 8 yards of one of my favorite Loulouthi prints.  SO many of AMH's fabric designs were simply meant to back quilts, don't you think?

Dreamweaver Progress

I know it's been quiet on this blog but I have acutally finished a queen sized quilt that won't be revealed online until next summer.  But in the meantime, I am nearly done with the AMH Dreamweaver quilt top.  My search for a linen/cotton blend for sashing was finally resolved yesterday when I finally found some at the Cambridge Quilt Shop - the fourth local store I had tried!  I will post pictures as soon as it is completed. 

 After a long ordeal trying to use a gift card on Barnes and Noble.com, I finally have a copy of Aneela's first book: Little Stitches.  The book is just darling and I can't wait to get stitching! 

 I am doing a little destashing on my etsy shop - time to unload a few stacks of fabric that just aren't being used.

I decided to change my blog name after I attend this weekend's BMQG meeting - the topic we will be discussing is "blogging" and I am eager to get some advice/information that other members may have on the subject. 

Name Change Coming Soon

I am finally going to do it: I am going to change the name of this blog.  I figured out how to do it last night and it was surprisingly simple.  I chose "Dodging the Butterfly" ages ago and it was when I didn't really have a clear vision of what I wanted this space to be or represent.  The name is a reference to a silly private joke between my sister and I and it really wasn't even funny anyway :)  It's hard to choose a good name for a sewing blog - and I am not that creative - so keep that in mind when I reveal that the new name will be: Dresden Lane, http://www.dresdenlane.blogspot.com

I am pretty sure that my Google followers and Google reader subscribers will have to do nothing to keep my blog on their reading list, I will also be able to keep my old content.  I am sure there will be a few hiccups and old links posted elsewhere won't work.  But I can't let that stop me from moving forward with this change.  I have been wanting to do this for quite a while!

And because you should never have a blog post without some eye candy, check out the score from my first ever giveaway win: a full FQ pack of Riley Blake's Pieces of Hope collection:

Turns out that it was totally worth it to enter Creative Bug's Craft Book promotion.  Yay!

Projects and some sweet yard sale finds

I made this rainbow log cabin lap quilt last weekend.  I used a pattern from a quilting magazine - I will cite the source when it's all finished.  I am surprised this is the first rainbow-quilt I have made, as I definitely love lots and lots of color.  I am please with how it came out - the grey is symbolic of clouds and sky.

 I finally made a serious dent in my Anna Maria Horner stash to make a quilt for the Tula Pink Sew Along.  I am using a pattern from her book called Dream Weaver.

Occasionally, on this blog, I like to share thrifty finds from yard sales that relate to sewing.  Since Charlotte was born early this year I haven't been yard saling as often as I would like.  But there are still a few weekends left in the season and I plan to take advantage of them!  On Saturday, I bought this gorgeous handmade, never been used pillowcases for a dollar a piece!  You can't buy cheap, plain ones at the store for that price.
 I also couldn't resist this antique-looking toy crib to give to Charlotte someday.  (It was only $3, so I really doubt it was anything special).  Can you imagine the cuteness of placing a Wee Wonderfuls-like doll along with a sweet doll quilt in there!?  I am so happy I had a little girl!

Crackle Start

Lately, this is what I have been working on: a Crackle quilt (pattern by Aneela Hooey, found here) using a layer cake by Lucy's Crab Shack.  I chose the Lucy's Crab Shack line because I liked it and thought it had a fair amount of light and dark fabrics that might provide suitable contrast for the pattern.  I like the way it looks so far and I am (surprisingly) enjoying the reptitive process of making the blocks.

This weekend is exciting for the Boston Modern Quilt Guild.  We are having our meeting tomorrow with none other than Angela Walters!  I am so excited - she is known for her amazing free motion quilting and I really love her work.  I can't wait!

Urban Clutch

I was inspired by this month's "Craft Book Month" theme over at Crafts Buds to make something from a book I received for my birthday a few months ago.  I love this book: Bags: The Modern Classics by Sue Kim.  It has so many simple patterns for nice bags, wristlets, totes, etc.  A lot of the shapes inside are quite simple; it might be easy enough for a seasoned bag maker to figure them out on one's own - but for me, if there's a pattern available, I would much rather take advantage of someone else's hard work.

I chose to make the clutch on the cover.  I would die for a half yard of that Echino leopard spot (!) - it's a gorgeous clutch, but since I don't have that print, I went ahead and used some of my Lark stash.  I love the ikat print - I thought I would hate it when I saw it online, but it's actually my favorite print from that collection. 

 ANYWAY- this project could easily be done in an evening if you had no interruptions - it's a very simple bag.  I enjoyed making it and I am pleased with the results!

I love craft books - the inspiration and eye candy is so fun to browse.  I usually check out craft books from the library before I even consider purchasing them.  I am very picky about what craft books I actually own because I want to actually use them and not just clutter a bookshelf.  In fact, I have done a project out of almost all of the crafty books I own.  I love a lot of the newer quilt books that have been coming out lately - but I prefer the ones that just have patterns for actual quilts.  I think it's kind of an annoying trend that quilt books often have odd projects - like a quilted cuckoo clock and how many quilted laptop/e-reader patterns does the world need?!  There, that's my rant for today.

Improvisational Wall Hanging

This past week, I have been working on framing and adding to the "Beauty is You" panel that I had received for my birthday.  Improvisational piecing is fun but not as easy as I had remembered.  Maybe I found it more difficult because I was working from stash instead of scraps....

 Speaking of stash, lately I have been mourning the relocation of my sewing supplies.  It all used to live across the room from my son's bed, but the baby is going to have to sleep in there soon and all of the fabric had to come OUT. 

 Most of it is here, a cubby in the master bedroom, a space most likely meant for a TV.  I feel like a brat whining about my first world problem - but this setup is totally cramping my sewing mojo.  It's nearly impossible to find anything.  I like to pick and choose from my stacks when I am starting a project- that's one of the most fun parts about creating for me. 

The lack of space, the desire to stick to a budget (I have been lately, I promise!), having the 2nd child and having less time - these are all issues that have made me start questioning my approach to my hobbies of sewing and quilting.  These are some of the issues/questions I have been pondering:

• What are my goals with my sewing?  I am not sure if it is to learn new skills, to challenge myself, use up stash, to have gifts on hand for loved ones, to receive recognition, etc....  of course I do it because I love and enjoy it, but there is more to it than that.
• What kind of quilter am I?  What is my style?  I most aspire to be like Sarah Fielke - I love how she combines the most random fabric combinations and seems to make effortless masterpieces.  But there are lots of times when sewing a bunch of charm squares together is quite satisfying too. 
• How important is it to finish up UFO's?  With time being so limited now, should I really dedicate myself to projects I don't care about?
• Should I consider making items to sell?  It would be nice to put some money back into sewing and I think it would feel good to help our family save for a house, etc.  But sometimes I check out Etsy and see people selling gorgeous baby quilts for a mere $100 or less, and I back away from the idea (are these people even covering the cost of materials?!)
• Why is it so important to make quick/easy items?  Sometimes I want to tackle something more challenging, a project that would be completed over a long period of time.  Like a giant spider-web quilt, or maybe something from Denyse Schmidt's new book.....  But then I get scared of simply not having the space or the patience for something so big when life with 2 little ones is so crazy.
• What fabrics can I live without?  I will admit to a hoarding tendency when it comes to fabric - some of the modern fabrics are just so gorgeous and unique, I have a hard time telling myself "no."

Can anyone relate?  Am I the only one who thinks about these things? 

UFO progress

I forgot to post a picture of the awesome tag I bought at Fancy Tiger Crafts in Denver.  What do you think?  Would you put these on any handmade items you gave to friends or family?

This weekend I decided to tackle a pretty old UFO.  A while ago, I had the crazy intention of making an entirely hand-pieced hexagon quilt and frame them in charcoal grey.  It wasn't long before I realized that it was very time-consuming, but I didn't hardly love the look of it.  I made myself finish 7 "flowers" and had the idea to applique it onto a large piece of fabric. 

 It would've come out neater if I had hand-sewed all of the flowers to each other and then appliqued it to the background fabric but I just didn't want to put even more time into the project.  I am happy with my results despite my initial lack of enthusiasm for the whole project.  Once this is quilted and bound, it will be a nice gift to have on hand for someone special. 

I still have quite a few completed hexagonal flowers without grey borders that I have a plans for, stay tuned!

Back from Colorado

 I just returned from an exhausting but fun trip to Colorado to visit some family and friends.  My mom came along and I brought my six month old daughter.  I hadn't realized how badly I really needed a break from the daily routine - so refreshing to have some "time off."  We did a little site-seeing, visited friends and family, ate out a lot (hello Cafe Rio! x3!), and enjoyed the constant sunshine. 

I hadn't seen my brother in law and his wife since my wedding, so a stop to their house in the Springs was a must.  They have a son about 6 months younger than Gregory, so I decided to whip up a big-boy bed quilt for him.  I had made him a sock monkey themed stroller blanket when he was first born, so it was kind of cool that I "unconsciously" chose a monkey theme for this blanket:

 All of the fabrics came from stash, and I did an improv-style backing.  I am very happy with the way it came out.  For the front, I love the use of blenders that aren't all dots.  The monkey print from Ann Kelle is to die for. 

 I bound the quilt in a Jennifer Paganelli dot - a perfect basic.  I did a new-to-me free motion squiggle design.  The quilt measures 54 x 63.

I also made a stop on Ft. Carson to visit one of my first freshman year roommates, Melinda.  She has three little ones, so of course, I pulled out my favorite stand-by children's gift: peg bears. 

 You know the fabric obsession runs deep when you seek out local fabric stores when you are traveling.  A few places had the whole range of Chicopee and I saw some Out to Sea and Field Study (the three collections calling my name lately!) but I decided to grab things that weren't so readily available online.  I am thrilled with the Sarah Jane family tree panel, and I am really tickled to have the other three in the top row- I especially have wanted some of those foxes for forever!  The cuckoo clock print is a lot of fun too. 

I could be wrong, but I kind of think that sewing and quilting is bigger out West.  There seem to be more shops and a lot of them offer long-arm rental (something pretty rare in my area).  I was pretty excited to come across a great sale at one store - lots of good basics, Amy Butler Love, and Meadowsweet at 50% off.  Stores around here seem to have bolts on their shelves for ages and never lower the price.....  Can you tell I am a little sad to be back?

Cork Board Project

This project didn't involve any sewing but it was a fun and easy way to use up a little fabric.  It's the first project in the book, One Yard Wonders.  You simply cut some cork board to the size of a picture frame and staple fabric around the board before you put it back in the frame.

I obviously need to tack some snapshots or something onto this newly decorated message board but I am just enjoying the lovely framed AMH voile piece for now. 

Ornament Swap, Anyone?

[Bird Ornaments from the Purl Bee, tutorial here.]

So, my baby has definitely been giving me a run for my money lately.  I am tired.  I haven't had a full night's sleep in a long time.  This afternoon, when she went down for what I knew would be a long nap, I said, "Screw it.  I am going to take a long nap too."  Now it's nearly 2 am and I can't sleep.  She's sleeping and I am on the computer thinking about organizing a Christmas ornament swap.  I am also trying to distract myself from ordering this and this from Hawthorne Threads.

Would anyone be interested in making 6-12 of the same ornaments, sending them to others throughout the country, and receiving several handmade ornaments themselves?  There are lots of tutorials out there that seem like fun and I love the look of handmade/patchwork decor.  The only restrictions I would put forth would be that this swap would have to involve sewing the ornaments (i.e. very minimal - to no gluing), have a modern aesthetic (sorry, no Thimbleberries), and no craft felt (sorry - I've seen how badly that stuff deteriorates and I want these things to last a while).  

So, who's in?

Guest post on BMQG

Check out the BMQG blog for a summary of my participation in last weekend's LQF Panel discussion on the future of quilting here. 

Gifts for Friends

I have finally joined the Jane Market Tote club and I made a few recently.  This one is a very belated birthday gift for my sister.  She loves blue and green together:

 I have a few book-lover friends who deserved a treat:

 Finally, I made an armrest pincushion (tutorial by BMQG's very own Aimee at During Quiet Time) and a brainy ball for Alexis as a thank you for her significant role in making the BMQG quilt show happen.

This blog may be a little quiet for the next few weeks because I have more gifts to make and I think the recipients might be blog readers.

BMQG at Lowell Quilt Festival

This picture is SO fun - so I had to start with it first.  After the panel, "The Future of Quilting" that Rachel and I participated in, Mary and Marianne Fons came over to our gallery and took in our show. 

 It wasn't long before they started dismantling our displays.....  Just kidding - they had the great idea to have us hold Rebecca's awesome guild logo quilt for the above picture. 

 Mary and Marianne were so fun, funny, warm, and encouraging.  I really enjoyed visiting with them.  I will do a post on the panel and what was discussed within the next couple of days.  They really did love our show and I was excited for the few BMQG members who got to visit with them. 

 Here's Alexis, Rebecca (holding Charlotte), Alice, and I manning the table on Friday afternoon.  Sitting at the show was really a lot of fun.  It was fun to chat with friends and interact with the show visitors. 

I had Charlotte with me for most of my shifts and she was a real trooper.  The poor girl is not even 6 months and has already been to her fair share of quilting and fabric related events/venues.

 I submitted 3 quilts and one mini to the show.  Here's one of them (I also submitted my mod mosaic bee quilt as well as the African Heart quilt):

 This is a selection of most of the mini quilts that were showcased.  You can tell how diverse and talented  our guild is from just this one picture.

 Here's Alice's Ghastlies quilt.  I heard a rumor that a Mills resident asked her to sell it to her.  That is a great compliment!

 I am so impressed that Lia managed to quilt this beautiful "Birds of Paradise" quilt on a longarm when she was 9 months pregnant.  It is just gorgeous (pattern by Sarah Fielke).

 Here's Rebecca's stunner that has received a lot of attention from The Modern Quilt Guild.

 Jane's tumbler quilt was stunning and makes me regret destashing my Echo bundle:

 I love this beautiful quilt by Alexis. 

I couldn't include pictures of all of the quilts in this post but if you find the BMQG Facebook page, you will see albums and links to other blogs that help to document the whole show.

One of my favorite parts of the weekend was the Friday night reception.  Lots of guild members attended with their friends and family.  It was so fun to hang out with each other and celebrate the accomplishment of hosting a show at a major festival and we all couldn't get over at how professional and polished it all looked.  I feel so indebted to all of the guild members who pitched in to make this possible. 

It was New Year's Eve morning (2011) that I received an email from the director of the New England Quilt Museum asking to meet with me.  I was able to go over right away and I soon agreed to participate in the panel discussion as well as the guild show.  I was 7 months pregnant and the commitment felt overwhelming.  But it wasn't long before our guild members rallied together and this weekend was a very satisfying culmination of their efforts and passion for the guild.  I won't name names but you know who you are - thank you so much!