a little gray

LTTSA: Bear Carrier Link Up

2012-01-30T21:06:00.000-08:00

As soon as I finished this girly little carrier, I realized how sexist I am. For some reason I just assumed this one wouldn't be for Hendrix so I stuck pink flowery straps on it. But then I finished it and realized he would probably love toting around his "Doggie" in it. He's had this brown stuffed dog since he was born and he carries it around everywhere. So many times, I'll see him doing something that would be so much easier to do if he just put the damn thing down, but he refuses. It's always tucked under his arm. But for some reason I am living in the 50's and only pictured a toy like this being enjoyed by a girl. I'm pretty sure Nick toted both our babies around in carriers just as much as I did, if not more. Just call me a chauvinist.

You may notice that said Doggie is conspicuously absent from these pictures, and replaced by this lackluster bear that was apparently attacked by rainbows. This post is coming to you from our vacation to sunny Florida. (Yay!) Being the genius parents that we are, we realized about 3 hours into the 17 hour car ride down here that we had somehow left Doggie at home.

I had a bit of an inner freak out. This was obviously going to be a very long trip to make with two little kids and we really didn't need any circumstances adding to the potential hellishness. We were counting on the kids sleeping most of the trip, since we were driving thru the night. Hendrix always hugs his Doggie when he sleeps, he needs his Doggie to sleep.

I began searching on my phone to see if we would be driving by any Ikeas, since that's where thousands of these identical doggies reside in big white bins. Sure, a new doggie would not have snot-dreadlocked fur and a completely limp neck, so it probably wouldn't have satisfied anyway. And it turns out, the Atlanta Ikea is not open at 3 AM. Weird.

Anyway, it was not an issue on the car ride at all. He slept fine and never mentioned it once. Not one whimper of the doggie. The next day we had settled at Grammy's house and I was reading him a book before his nap. He abruptly interrupted with, "Hey! Where's my Doggie?" I replied softly that we had left him at home and then winced, waiting for the storm of grieving that was sure to follow. He lackadaisically replied, "Oh." I finished the book. He went to sleep. We have been here 4 days and he has not mentioned it since.

What is the moral of this story? I'm not really sure. Probably that I want him to hang on to this vestige of childhood more than he does. I'm mostly the kind of mom that wants to help my kids grow up and learn independence. I'm not at all sentimental about these kinds of things, like moving the newborn out of our room, or even the end of nursing. That part of me knows that this is the perfect opportunity to go home, hide Doggie before he remembers their lifelong love affair, and break the habit for good.

But I'm pretty sure I'd much rather see Doggie tucked under my boy's arm for a little bit longer... Or in a girly pink carrier.

Alright patient friends, time to link up your projects from Little Things to Sew. They may or may not have a sappy story attached, definitely not required. Remember, you have until one week from now, and everyone who made something will be entered to win a free digital pattern from Oliver & S. Can't wait to see your stuff!

P.S. If you are reading this on Tuesday, I'm at Disney World! Yahoo!!!

Oh Yeah! (Stuff I forgot to show you.)

2012-01-27T17:39:00.000-08:00

It seems like Christmas happened ages ago. Somehow I forgot to show you some more gifts I made, besides my brother's quilt and Hendrix's puppet theater. Feel free to comment about how this is yesterday's news and nobody gives a tail shake anymore. Or, you know, say something nicer.

Or you could just come up with a caption to this picture that explains why my mom is trying to get fresh with me...

This is actually a Christmas gift for myself. I made several of these Anna Maria Horner figure eight scarves for gifts this year and this is the only one I have a picture of. (Plus, my mom is cute. Awwww.)

I made my niece and nephew a couple of pillowcases for fun. Sorry about the crappy picture, I just had to show it because I think this fabric is so cute!

This potholder set is for a bachelor friend of ours that is moving into a new house soon. Single guys never have enough of this stuff, or any of it really. Plus they are super excited about gifts like this. Really nothing better than potholders for your average single guy of 30 :)

And here's just a few bibs that were stocking stuffers for Elsie. The fabrics make me happy when I see them every day. While she drools on them.

Alright. Captions: GO!

LTTSA: Just a Little Buttonholin'

2012-01-23T20:10:00.000-08:00

January is flying by! Have you started on your projects yet? If you are doing the bear carrier like me, at least it's a fairly quick sew. And if you are like me, you tend to let finishing touches like buttons and buttonholes linger on these little projects far longer than they need to. Why? I don't know.

Since you are all such good seamsters, you probably know your way around a buttonhole. But maybe there are a few of you out there who have been avoiding them. I thought I'd show you how very easy they are, just so you know :)

I did not pre-mark my pieces as called for. I'm a bit of a hoodlum that way. But it's very ok in this case because it's the nature of the project that the button and hole don't have to be in exactly the right places, not like a shirt placket or something. Anyway, I've never really found a marking tool I was crazy about until I bought this chalk retractable pencil. Totally worth it. So the first step is to mark your line at the appropriate angle, about as long as your button.

Now find your buttonhole foot. This shouldn't be too hard- it's the one that's REALLY long. There is an adjustable bit in the back where you clamp your button in place. This will tell your machine exactly how long to make the hole to fit that button. Magic! Or simple mechanics, whichever.

So place your fabric under with the front of the line you drew under the needle. There should be little red lines on the foot or something similar so you can make sure things are centered. Then you lower the buttonhole lever, as I'm doing on the left there, and make sure it rests behind the latch on the foot.

At this point, you should probably (definitely) make sure you have chosen the correct buttonhole stitch. You want the one with bar tacks at both ends. Consult your manual.

Now is the fun part- just gun it. The machine does the whole thing, reinforces it, and just stops when it's done.

Repeat on the other side and you have two beautiful buttonholes. Except, you still have to give them the hole part.

Put a pin thru the top bar tack and use your seam ripper to make the hole from bottom to top. (Point sharp object away from yourself.)

Of course, every machine does things slightly differently, but most computerized ones will probably be similar to this. So read up in your manual. Mine also has a foot just for sewing on the buttons, which is fun since you know I like to avoid even the tiniest amount of handwork. But you really don't need a foot, you can also try dropping the feed dogs and setting a zig zag stitch on zero length and 3.5-ish width. (Width will vary with the button of course.)

So we still have a week to finish up, actually two weeks to join the link party at the end of the month since I always give a little grace time. And don't forget about this month's fantastic prize from Liesl Gibson. Have you thought about what digital pattern you would pick?? I would definitely go for the jumprope dress if I could win!

Sewing For Boys: 2-in-1 Jacket

2012-01-21T13:04:00.000-08:00

It's January 21, we live in Ohio, and my 2yo finally just now has a coat. This project just kept getting pushed back all winter. I've had the fabrics for a long time, so I didn't want to buy him a cheap Target coat when I had already spent the money on this. I just had to make it! Tara's sew-along gave me the push I needed and the sewing guilt has been lifted. Luckily, winter didn't really arrive here until this week. So now that he has a coat, I'd rather just stay inside, thank you.

But he LOVES it. I don't know where this modeling enthusiasm came from, but check out the moves today-

The outside is a wide corduroy and the reverse is flannel, both from Joann's. Once I started sewing, I really wished I had found some better corduroy. This one just feels chintzy and I'm not in love with the shade of brown. But I'm just nit-picking, overall I'm really happy with it.

I made the side 4/5 since he's wearing 4t now, and I think it's big enough that he'll be able to wear it next year too. I interlined the front and back pieces with an extra layer of the flannel for warmth.

My favorite part is definitely the toggles! I couldn't find any buttons that were right, but I didn't want to take short-cuts on the details. So I ripped these off an old baby jacket of his, thinking this would be a quick solution with high payoff. Well, the payoff was good, but it was not quick or easy. First I had to make a bunch of those tiny cords out of the flannel, making sure they were rolled tight with all the raw edges inside. Then I had to jam them thru the tiny holes in the toggles. This was a lot of tedious work. I've never used my teeth so much in sewing. Of course, now the jacket isn't truly reversible like it's meant to be in Sewing For Boys, but I don't think I would really reverse the sides often anyway. The toggles make the thing.

This was a great pattern to follow and I really enjoyed tackling those welt pockets. (Not as hard as you would think.) After my experience with this and the raglan tees, I cannot wait to make more from this book!

Powerless Against the Swoon

2012-01-16T09:23:00.000-08:00

This is going to reveal to you how ridiculous and vain I am. But I'm just gonna put it out there...

I really wanted to resist making a Swoon quilt. I've enjoyed admiring them on Flickr for a while now, but when they became so prolific, I decided I was too cool to make such a common pattern. Seriously, why would I need to make a quilt that everyone has seen a bazillion times already? Psh. I'm too cool for that. I only want to make mind-blowingly original quilts that will smack you across the face with awesomeness.

(Delusional. There is nothing new under the sun, even in "modern" quilting.)

So then the Swoon-along came about at the turn of the new year, and I couldn't stop daydreaming about a Swoon on our bed. Dammit Swoon, I thought, get out of my head! I'm above you and your tempting wiles. Freaking Delilah quilt is what it is.

(Now I'm a crazy person arguing with a hypothetical quilt.)

So I caved, which is obviously where this story is going. But I decided I would rebel by not using "pretty" fabric. You know, nothing floral or serious. The pattern itself is already so pretty that I wanted fabric that didn't take itself too seriously. Enter the Lizzy House stuff I've been collecting slowly over the last few months. Perfect. I also decided I sure as heck wasn't using white. That's so been DONE.

(Are you guys getting from this inner-dialogue what a donkey face I can be? What is wrong with me?)

So I got some Bella silver for my background. Gray is for the cool kids. I'm so cool.

(Which is obviously far from original. I mean, have you seen Jacey's blocks? Love them.)

So here's my first block, which took me ALL weekend. Not because the pattern is hard to follow, but because I wasn't paying close enough attention. I've never used my seam ripper so much, and it was just because of stupid things like sewing sections on upside down or wrong side to right side. (I'm so cool!)

Anyway, I'm happy with it and can't wait to see how the rest of my blocks turn out. I also hope someone out there feels better about their embarrassingly vain quilting neurosis because of this little tale. You're welcome. (I'm awesome!)

What's Scrappenin.

2012-01-12T19:41:00.000-08:00

Getting back to my scraps this week. It's really fun to be a part of the quilt-along and see everyone else's scrap progress. But I've realized that I don't want to finish my Japanese + & x blocks by March. For one thing, I don't think I could even if I tried. I'd have to forego all other sewing, which you know I have too much ADD for.

But I also just want to enjoy it. I have a crap ton of scraps and I love making these blocks up out of fabric combos I've used in other projects. I envision having about 80 of them when I'm ready for it to be done. That probably won't be until fall or the end of the year... I think I have a total of 15 right now.

Anyway, here's the new batch. Like little scrap firecrackers.

Oh how they make me happy! I think I will have to try a separate pillow or mini for the scrap attack. These are for more of a slow-sipping kind of quilt.

You might recognize the fabrics in that last picture from my bro quilt. That block on the right I cut up as I was making last month's do Good Stitches blocks, mod mosaics. Such a striking look, but yeesh do these things take forever:

And here's just a little peek at another quilt I'm working on this week. It's a little retro, a little traditional, a little out of my comfort zone, and VERY red. It's totally growing on me though- I can't wait to finish this one up:

Official Scrap Sorter/ Adorabilty Infuser:

Lastly, I forgot to mention before that I guest-posted on my lovely friend Rachael's blog last week. I mostly talked about whatever I wanted and the crafty things I'm into lately, including 4 sewing tools I can't live without. Check it out here!

LTTSA: Bear Carrier Part 1- Fabric & Really Fun News!

2012-01-09T13:33:00.000-08:00

Ok, I think I've finally recovered from the holidays and am back in the groove of my normal making. And I'm so excited to get back to our Oliver & S Little Things to Sew- Along!

This month we are working on the Bear Carrier. I figure a lot of little ones out there have new dolls and stuffed friends that might need a way to be close to their hearts.

But of course, you can make any project from the book and link up at the end of the month. Have you tried the cozy winter hood yet? I would highly recommend that one too. Or maybe you could whip up some of those cute scarves like Tara did. Anything goes, as long as it's Little Things to Sew!

Today I cut out the pieces for my carrier. For the main part, I'm using nice gray denim I cut from a pair of my husband's old jeans. The lining, straps, and pocket are all fabrics from my stash. I gotta say, I'm LOVING the pink/ aqua/ charcoal combo. And I love that this project is a mix of old and new materials.

The lovely mother of pearl buttons are from my vintage collection my mom gave me. I just love it when I have all the perfect elements right on hand. Next week we'll talk button holes! (Although you should know, I'm no expert. I've only done a few so I'm getting some practice too.)

Now for the exciting news about this month's sew-along prize. It's coming to you straight from Liesl G! Could there be anything better for our little group of Gibson groupies?? I decided to email her this week, and she graciously offered up a free digital download Oliver & S children's pattern to this month's winner. That means you get to choose from a few adorable out-of-print patterns. Check out all 4 that are available here. Thank you so much Liesl!

If you are new to the sew-along, we'd love to have you join this month. Read up on important info by clicking the sew-along tab at the top of the page, and be sure to leave a comment here if you plan to make something. All the fun is hearing from and helping each other- so don't be shy!

A couple of Raglans on my Ragamuffin, and Other Knitsy Thoughts

2012-01-05T13:29:00.000-08:00

Hey guys, just wanted to pop in and let you know that I'm guest posting today on Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy. Stacey is starting a sew-along thru the very awesome Sewing For Boys book, and this week she is having a bunch of guests showing off their projects from the book to get things pumped up.

I'm sharing 2 versions of the raglan tee pattern in the book, plus all my best tips for sewing with knits. (Which I hear Rae also happens to be talking about this whole week. Knits-apalooza!)

You should go check it out here. All of the cool kids are doing it. And you'll be able to see what hilarious thing this shirt says. You know you want to.

Ok, while we are at it with the knits, I might as well answer Rae's kniterview questions. No, I'm not just pretending that she asked me to guest post too :) She actually wants people to do this!

1. I honestly don't remember. This was the first knit project I made, an LBB Hoodie. I don't think I knew enough back then to even know that knits were different and I should possibly be afraid of them. So that took care of that.

2. See #1

3. Clothes for my boy! And I've now made one LBB Hoodie for my baby girl too. Hendrix's Halloween costumes I've made from knit the past two years as well. I'd like to try a top for myself come spring...

4. It's hard to compare. I'm into quilting pretty hard now (have you noticed?) so that's what I like to do with wovens. I'm obsessed. But I also absolutely love being able to make super-comfy practical things for my kids. Apples and oranges really.

5. Interlock is easiest. Jersey can be a tricky bastard but it's just so soft. I've only used ribbing once and I still need to get a better feel for it...

6. I've only used recycled tee-shirts and sweatshirts until just this week. (See above linked guest post for my other shirt made with store-bought knit.) Oh, and I did buy the ribbing as well. We have a few really nice Michael Miller knits at the local fabric store I work in, but I've also browsed this online store and lusted after their wide selection of knit prints.

7. See #6

8. My main machine, a Brother pc-420.

9. Nope. I have one. It's a sewing resolution this year to actually figure out what to do with it.

10. I used to just lengthen the stitch slightly, but the Sewing For Boys book has a fantastic tip on this that I will be utilizing from now on: zig-zag stitch, 1.0 width and 3.0 length.

11. You know, I haven't. But I can see how that would be pretty helpful. My current walking foot needs replacing though.

12. oooooh, also need to try that.

13. My absolute favorite thing to do with knits is to cut out my pattern pieces with freezer paper. In fact, I've started doing it with all patterns on any fabric, but it especially makes the cutting so much easier and more accurate with knits. I explain a little more with pictures here.

14. Don't be afraid. It's really a must if you like sewing for your kids, so just cut into an old tshirt and go for it. This free tutorial is a good place to start.

More about Rae's Kniterviews here. What about you guys? Do you embrace or fear the knits?

Bro Quilt

2012-01-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

This was my big Christmas project this year. As in, consumed most of my December. Because I am crazy and a sucker for compliments, I didn't decide to make my younger brother a quilt until after Thanksgiving. That's when he saw this one and said he liked my quilts. What's that? You like my quilts? Then, yes you will have one.

Luke is a real guy's guy. He climbs huge mountains and deadly glaciers. He'll camp in the middle of nowhere on any night of the year. He wears mostly things made out of high-tech insulated materials with names I can never remember. He moved to Las Vegas a few months ago just because he could. Besides all of that, he is just an amazing brother and brother-in-law and uncle to us.

So I envisioned this quilt that kind of looked like it was going places, just like my brother. I've been wanting to make a flying geese quilt with a different spin. It's also somewhat inspired by Tula Pink's Field Study pattern, which is perfect because I knew I wanted those Prince Charming raindrops to be showcased. All of the prints are from my stash, I just added the Bella Navy and Teal solids. The dark background is pretty hard to photograph, but I love the way the navy looks. It's strong and manly but not at all drab.

My favorite thing about it might be that back is corduroy! Super soft, grass green, fine-wale corduroy. I got the idea when a customer in the shop did the same for the back of her quilt. It came out great, but the next time I use corduroy I think I will pre-wash it. I don't usually prewash anything for quilts, but after I washed the finished quilt it seemed like the back shrunk just slightly more than the front. Not a big problem, just something I will keep in mind next time.

Here's a close up of the Michael Miller Old Script print, just because I love it. I also love the Cloud 9 Across the Pond Banks print with the little arrows. Arrows in the arrows- it's meta.

I think it came out to about 65" by 80," but I didn't measure after washing. Putting together fabrics and a design for a man quilt- a single, 24 year old man who lives in Vegas- was really a fun challenge. I would recommend making a man quilt to anyone. And Luke seemed to be very happy, so I'm happy.

My Year in Sewing!

2012-01-01T21:41:00.000-08:00

Looking back over the year in my Flickr stream was pretty fun. I've been sewing for almost 4 years now, but a couple of things happened in 2011 that really pushed my skills and gave me great opportunities. The first was when I won a new Brother sewing machine in the Prudent Baby potholder contest back in March. Obviously, getting a better machine was great for me and I love my Brother. (and still love my old Singer too!) But winning an online contest that I entered with no expectations gave me a lot of sewing confidence and pushed me to join in more in the online sewing community. This blogging thing became a lot more fun and I realized that I could "meet" some really cool friends here.

(Thank you little potholder!!!)

Then in the beginning of June I began working at Sewn Studio, a beautiful fabric shop and sewing lounge that had recently opened right in my neighborhood. I was forced to grow more in the technical side of things that I hadn't been able to learn on my own. I have became more comfortable sewing with patterns and different types of fabrics. Of course, I still have a ton to learn and am so thankful that learning is built right into my super-fun job. But the biggest new adventure working at Sewn brought was quilting! I took a class there early in the summer from the talented Heather Jones and was instantly hooked. I still make lots of other things, but even those tend to look more "quilty" now. I have a long list of quilts I want to make in 2012 and I can't wait to start!

These are my finished quilts since that summer class. (More on that last one later this week!)

1. Hendrix's quilt 1, 2. Mini Quilt 1, 3. solids 2, 4. Fall mini, 5. loulouthi back, 6. loulouthi front, 7. Flurry Quilt 1, 8. Bro Quilt

These are my Little Things to Sew-Along projects so far. Hosting the sew-along has been so much fun, and I can't wait to get it started again this year. I just love Oliver and S projects!

1. no hand stitching!, 2. Penguin backpack, 3. Bias-Trimmed Apron, 4. Bias trimmed aprons, 5. LTTS Puppet Theater, 6. Cozy Winter Hood

This year I also joined a quilting bee, do. Good Stitches. This has been a fantastic experience! I've gotten to know new quilting friends and tried some things I otherwise wouldn't have got to. Really looking forward to seeing what our circle makes this year.

1. August block 1, 2. August block 2, 3. greek cross 2, 4. greek cross 1, 5. Do Good Stitches September #1, 6. Do Good Stitches September #2, 7. DGS November block 1, 8. november DGS blocks, 9. December DGS block 2, 10. December DGS block 1

I made a good amount of clothes for my kids. I will always love doing this and I hope they tolerate wearing my creations for a very long time.

1. dragon 1, 2. grandpa cardigan, 3. Amelia top, 4. Ice Cream Dress, 5. Girl's LBB Hoodie 2, 6. Boy's LBB Hoodie front, 7. fall dress, 8. Itty Bitty Baby Dress, 9. Airplane shirt 1, 10. Easter outfit 2, 11. Chevron shirt, 12. warhol dress 1, 13. helicopter shorts14. Not available15. Not available16. Not available

Lots of other diverse projects this year too...

1. Bunnies, 2. Baby Swaddler open, 3. Baskets after, 4. Crib Sheet, 5. chevron wristlet 2, 6. Mae, 7. Pirate bag, 8. patriotic-pillows 3, 9. swaddlers, 10. Sewing machine cover, 11. Convertible Clutch, 12. blocks 1-6, 13. full tree skirt , 14. Stocking stuffers, 15. stocking detail, 16. 4 patchwork bibs

The very best thing I made this year was little Elsie. (I know, groan. I couldn't resist.) We love this little girl like crazy, wild crazy!

So for 2012? I'd love to make a real article of clothing for ME using a real pattern. I've always said in the past that I'm perfectly happy just making for the kids, but I also know that if I want to stretch and learn, I need to try this once or twice. Maybe I'll actually like it.

As far as quilting, there is SO much I want to try. I want to work a lot more with solids and unique color stories. I'm also really inspired by all the curviness I'm seeing everywhere lately. I want to do a lot more improv, but I also want to try designing a quilt actually using math and getting it all worked out BEFORE starting. That's not how I normally operate, but I feel like it probably has some perks :)

I'd also like to actually figure out my serger. Yes, I have a serger that someone gave me, and it just sits on my shelf because I don't take the time to actually learn how to use it. Kind of embarrassing, but I know once I do it I will be sooooo happy I did.

Blogwise, I'm not really good at thinking far ahead and executing everything I want to do. (Those of you who have been waiting for this late link party are nodding mmmm-hmm.) All I know is that the sew-along will continue and the bias tape swap is coming soon! I do love this blog and am thankful for all of you who read and encourage me. I couldn't help but notice that I got my 300th follower just today, a pretty cool way to start the year. I really wish I could raise a New Year's glass with all of you, but instead we get to have "parties" with links here that our friends would probably think really dorky. Little do they know how ultra cool we are :)

Happy New Sewing Year!
Jessica

(If you don't mind, put your first name and blog as the "name" of your link. For instance, Jessica@ALittleGray. That way we can all know who we are looking at. I hate it when I can't figure out someone's first name by looking around their blog!)

Cyber Bundling.

2011-12-30T19:35:00.000-08:00

So I make a good amount of fat quarter bundles in real life. It's part of a very nice job, of course, but this was a little more fun because I felt like I was choosing from every fabric possibly available, (probably not true, but feels that way at Fat Quarter Shop) and I didn't actually have to wield a rotary cutter. On the downside, I did not get to touch/ see these pretty things in person and now I want to spend money. I will show restraint, as I need to go on a New Year's fabric diet.

If you don't have any idea what this is about, check it out here. Super fun idea. Did I mention I'm obsessed with navy lately? I'm pretty surprised how much purple crept in here too. I try to play hard to get with purple, but if I'm honest with myself I like it a lot in the right contexts.

Lanikai Navy Basketweave

Impressions Blue Delhi

Heirloom Indigo Fez

Power Pop Coffee Confetti

Lanikai White and Navy Gridlock

Loulouthi Shadow Framed

Bespoken Aqua Stitchery

Modernology Capri Impressions

Bella Solids Navy

Bazaar Style Night Moroccan Streets

Folk Heart Light Blue Simple Flowers and Hearts

Bella Solids Ruby Ice

Bella Solids Butter

Heirloom Dandelion Opal

Loulouthi Scotch Hugs and Kisses

Handmade Gifts Received

2011-12-28T16:19:00.000-08:00

Before I show you some of the gifts I made others this Christmas, I had to show you the amazing handmade things my family gave me. They know I love some handmade.

Nana made Elsie this owl ornament for her first Christmas. Here it is with the one she made Hendrix two years ago. I love how cute and unique they are, and the kids love them too.

My mom also made me a mini quilt! Couldn't you die from the adorableness? I love how she free-motion doodled around each bird. This one is going up in the sewing room for sure. It's a project from this book.

And Nick got me the entire Amy Butler Lark collection! Not exactly something made, but it will become something made. And he figured it out all by himself. It seems like people aren't too crazy about this collection, but it is by far my favorite Amy stuff yet. I've never been overly excited about her stuff before, but something about the colors in this one totally get me. I'm just loving navy lately and I love what she did with it here.

He also got me those earrings from Etsy. They came with the most amazing packaging I've ever seen, including that little cut out card.

Finally, I had to show this mini my prolific quilter grandmother gave me when I saw her at Thanksgiving. Cute and very true. Hi Nanny!

Also, it's my 29th birthday! I don't remember the last time I had balloons on my birthday, but someone surprised me with these tied onto the front steps today. I love it! (I still think it was you Julie!)

So happy birthday to me! Too bad it's just a regular Wednesday for the rest of you suckers :)

A Look Back, a Look Forward- Join Me!

2011-12-26T14:56:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had as perfect a Christmas as we did! So much great family time, and even more to come this week. Lots of last-minute sewing of course, and I have many great things to show you. But for now, something fresh and new that I'm pretty excited about!

I had thought of having a show-off-your-best-sewn-gift kind of blog event, but I figure everyone's going to be doing a lot of that in the next couple of weeks anyway. So I propose something a little different. It will take some thought and maybe a little online picture-collaging, but I think it will be lots of fun.

The thought actually occurred to me recently in the shower that it would be great to write a post rounding up the best of what I've made in 2011. I've been sewing for nearly 4 years now, but this last year brought many changes and opportunities for growth sewing-wise, so I knew this would be an interesting blog post, at least for me to write if not for you to read.

Then I saw Sophie's absolutely gorgeous post doing that very same thing, and I knew I had to write mine and not let it fall by the wayside of forgotten blog ideas. In fact, I probably should have called this thing "It was a very good year" just like her post, just to keep things positive. (But good grief, you know no matter how many times I have to figure out the code for one of those damn buttons it never gets any quicker. Set in stone. Html stone.)

So here's the deal. I'm going to post my "year in sewing" on January 1, and I'd love for you to join me! If you do a similar post, you will be able to link up to mine thru January 10. Then we'll have one big but concise chronicle of what we all accomplished this year. Sort of like a big pep rally. (Except I never really liked pep rallies, so pretend my metaphor is much cooler.)

Here are some things to think about (just suggestions) in a quick-list format so you can stop staring at these paragraphs:

What new skills did you acquire in your sewing this year? It could be as simple as sewing a straight line or as complex as... I don't know many complex sewing techniques, I'm not that complex. But maybe you turned into a full-on dressmaker or obsessed quilter- like me!
What did you have the most fun making? What sewn item makes you happy every time you see it?
What gifts were you able to make?
What did you make for yourself? (gasp!)
How did your tastes change?
Did you find any new sewing community/ friendships, either local or online?

And I'd love for us to look ahead to 2012 sewing-wise as well.

What new skills would you like to learn this year?
What big projects are on your list?
How are you going to make time (be it a lot of time or a little) to accomplish your goals?

I'm not really great at making goals, but I'd like to be that kind of person. My goal is to make more goals... And also accomplish them I guess. But I have to take the time to think about it and put it out there, so this will help me.

What about the pictures you say? Oh yes, we want lots of pictures. You don't have to include every single thing you made this year, unless you want to. But a good way to boil things down is to make picture collages. You can do that for free on picnik.com or Mosaic Maker. I think this whole thing will be such a fun way to meet new bloggers because we will get an idea of your whole "sewing persona" rather than just a small taste.

Really, it's up to you what you make this post. I know that I'm not often the most reflective person, but I think there is so much value in thinking about where we've been and where we are going. That's what I love about the New Year. So why wouldn't we do this with our most beloved past time of sewing?

There are only 3 rules. Ok, maybe 4:

Keep it positive! This is meant only for encouragement and community. Don't start looking at anyone else's sewing accomplishments and get down on yourself. Dude, if sewing blogs make you feel inadequate rather than encouraged and inspired, then close the laptop. We all have different things going on in life, but we are all making completely unique creations that only we can. Who cares if you only had time to make 2 things all year? You are awesome. Show us.
Spread the word. Link up here when you post, you can use my button up there if you'd like. (I swear, I will punch a puppy if anyone emails me and says that code doesn't work. Just kidding, I love puppies. And constructive feedback.) I'm really excited about this, so it would also be great if you could mention it on your blog before the party starts. No one likes New Year's parties with like 3 people there right?
Keep it to sewing. I like other crafts, nothing against them. I'm honestly uber-impressed that you learned woodworking/ paper-mache/ knitting/ body painting/ glass-blowing/ cat-hair crafting/ basket weaving this year. We just have to focus somewhere. You understand.
Keep it super-duper positive. This may sound similar to #1. It is. After all, you've accomplished a lot.

Some of us are easily distracted, so thanks for reading this far into my crazy plans. Who's in??

Elsie's Stocking

2011-12-19T07:48:00.000-08:00

Elsie is no longer stockingless. Phew.

It's inspired by this one I saw from Land of Nod. Mine has a different shape, but I like it's chunkiness. I used that linen I use for everything (like here, here, and here) and felt and rid rac from Sewn.

I love the graphic print on the inside too. I'm so happy with the way this turned out and how bubble-gum happy yum-yum candy Christmas it is. That is not how any of our other Christmas stuff is, but none of that really matches either. I like our mismatchy stockings for now, but there might be more stocking making going on next year.

I used the leftover felt and some green I already had to make Hendrix his own tree to decorate. Simplest thing ever, but he was beside himself squealing with joy over this felt tree. See Angela's much cuter version here.

I have been sewing gifts like a mad woman all week, but I still have a lot to do. I love the pressure though, feels like college days. I'm sure I won't be checking back in here until after the holidays, so have a very happy Christmas!

LTTSA: Your Puppet Theaters, Winners, and Business

2011-12-08T18:32:00.001-08:00

Whoa. Your theaters? AMAZING. I know you already saw them, because that's the point of a link party, but here's a review in case you missed it.

Sarah's colors are just perfect. And how much do you love that little round window?

Alisa did a super- creative rainbow look. (It totally reminds me of the rainbow road level on the original MarioKart. Anyone?)

The brilliant Stacia decided to make it a pirate ship and it came out stupendously! And guess what? She doesn't even own the book, she just really wanted to make this for her son. She's a pirate of sewing. Yar.

Sarah's attention to detail kills me! Her little windows are perfect. And I love the bows on the curtains.

I'm so excited that you guys made this! Isn't it cool how completely different each one is? Lots of other cute projects this month too, can't wait to make some of those mittens and hats.

Onto the winnings...

Out of all ten entries this month, the winner of the 2 pattern pack from Owly Baby is Sarah of Heirloom Farmhouse!

And who gets all this great loot? According to random.org, out of the 4 puppet theaters made, it's Sarah B! The Sarahs sweep all. I'll be emailing you ladies.

So on the Sew-Along schedule I said we'd be making the winter hat from the book, or it would be a good time to take a break. Well, that's still true. I do plan on making one of those hats for Elsie this month, but I'll also be taking a break from doing any more sew-along posts until January. I have no prizes or anything, so feel free to make whatever, but we won't have a LTTSA link-up. I was thinking it might be fun to just have a link-up the week after Christmas where anyone can post their favorite handmade gift they gave this year? It would be great to see what other kinds of things all the sew-alongers make, and to include anyone and everyone else.

But then we'll be back with a bang in January. All those new bears and dollies will need cute little carriers, right?

The December Sewing Tantrum

2011-12-07T19:18:00.001-08:00

It is an inevitable phenomenon. If you count yourself among those who avoid the stress of Christmas shopping by... um, spending much more time and maybe even money on making gifts for your loved ones, (you know, so much less stressful) then you probably know the tantrum I'm referring too.

I didn't realize this was an actual shared creative experience among all of us until I saw Megan's picture on Flickr the other night. The caption explains it all:
"So many different Christmas projects I should be working on by instead I cut out a new bag for myself."

C'mon, amirite? You could go all year without making one blasted thing that is actually for yourself, but when December 4th rolls around and your Christmas to-make list is like 32.5 items long, you HAVE to start a new project that has nothing to do with any of it. AMIRITE? Ok, maybe Megan and I are the only two crazy ones and the rest of you have learned to take your meds and get the ADD under control. You are probably chugging thru your list like the responsible handmade lovers that you are. Me, here's my official December sewing tantrum-

I cannot for the life of me stop making these Japanese + & x blocks. Why? Oh you know, just for a scrap-busting quilt that will be a very slow-going and I might finish in 6 months to a year. It's completely unreasonable, but I'm addicted. I even have 3 more than this done now.

My fave so far is definitely this bottom left one with all the Tula Pink. I'm not even sure what led me astray to starting this project... but it's really fun. I've been thinking of a quilt to make using just scraps for a while now in the back of my mind. At first I thought this design was just a little too scrappy for my tasted, but I'm over that. It looks kind of like my scrap draw threw itself up into this pattern and I love it that way. Almost eye-searingly scrappy, but I don't care. I think it's so addicting because of the freedom. Each block has 7 fabrics, and so you plan each one independently. No forethought as to how the whole quilt will work together, it just works out in the end because it's so mismatched that it matches. Also, with each block I'm nostalgically thinking back on what that fabric became in a former life in my sewing room, which is also really fun.

I'm stopping these right now. No more of these blocks this month! Maybe... So what's your DST of choice this year? (Yeah, that's right, I'm already giving it initial status. Consider phrase coined, you are free to use it freely for free.)

Tree Skirt

2011-12-02T14:25:00.001-08:00

December means lots of making going on, very little time to blog about it. Also, blogging is not exactly discreet this time of year. So I'm gonna be sporadic and undependable around here, but you guys are used to that shenanigry. Here's one more gift I gave early though. It's a tree skirt I made for our bestest friends, Edie and Nathan. (By the way, if you are looking to get married in Ohio, he takes pretty fantastic pictures of such things. I'm just saying.) We have a Thanksgiving dinner with them every year, either the weekend before or after the holiday, so I gave it to them then.

The fabric is that linen I always use, plus a couple of Cloud 9 Nature Walk prints from the shop. I've always thought that collection could be very Christmasy. The trim is also from the shop, it's pre-made bias binding from Moda Bella solids that you can buy off the roll by the yard. Greatest thing ever. It's a bazillion times softer than the pre-made stuff you can get at bigger chains. Although you now I love making bias tape, when you just need a nice solid one, this is a life-saver.

They just re-did their Christmas decorations last year to be all red-and-brown-woodsy-looking, so I think it works pretty well under their tree. I kind of want to make one for myself and everyone I know now, but that probably won't make the cut this month. At the top of the list next is a stocking for Elsie, and I plan on knocking this one off. Fun, right? Happy Christmas sewing!

LTTSA: Puppet Theater Done!

2011-11-30T14:08:00.001-08:00

Man, it feels really great to be done with my biggest Christmas gift project this early! I'm really happy with it and love the 1001 Peeps fabric on it, although it's not without it's problems. The biggest problem is that it's too big for our door frames. Simple measuring could have fixed that, but I'm not one for much forethought and convenient results. But I did kick myself for that. It fits ok, just a little bunched in.

The other problem is that I didn't have any tools to be able to cut those thick dowels down to 28". So the part below the theater window is saggy for now, but I'm sure I can borrow something from someone to fix that problem.

The biggest issue with this is that Hendrix got up from his nap while I was photographing it and his present is now a little ruined. The good news is he was really excited about it, and I'm hoping not seeing it for a month will elicit the same response on Christmas. Of course, by then it will have some new puppets to go with it. (probably store-bought. Ikea actually has really cute cheap ones.) I also might dress it up a bit more by sticking some of the Peeps people on the front.

I think the curtains are my favorite part. I'm really glad I decided to put that strip of purple in it to pick up on the purple towers. And, yes I made the windows crooked on purpose. I had them placed all centered and even, and after staring at it til my eyes hurt, I finally figured out that it looked too nice and neat. They needed to be crooked like the windows on the print.

So, it needs some minor tweaks, but I really like it and I'm glad to know he will too. As I was making this, I realized that it was a LOT of work and took much longer than I had anticipated. That's why I decided to reward the efforts of those who made this particular project.

As always, I would love for you guys to link up whatever project from the book you made this month, big or small. I know not everyone had the time/ desire to make this one, in fact I'm expecting 5 or less of you did, which is fine and great. Everyone who links up anything will still be entered to win the pattern package from the lovely Owly Baby.

BUT! I will then do another drawing including just those that made the puppet theater and that winner will get an awesome prize package made up of my very own awesome destashings.

Super-Duper Stupendous Surprise Puppet Theater Prize Package:

Copy of Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones book. (very nice condition.)
One back issue of Stitch Magazine, full of free patterns.
2 yards of that lovely linen I use all the time. (I used it for the house on the theater.)
6 fat quarters (pretty stuff only, I promise.)
Ziploc stuffed with nice scraps.

What? I know, awesomeness. I'm mostly doing this as a reward for your hard work, not a motivation to get more people to make it (although, hey you still have a week from now.) And as an excuse to get rid of some things that are nice but I don't have room for anymore. And because I'm just so happy to have you all sewing along!

Can't wait to see what you've made this month!

Christmas Quilt for Mom

2011-11-26T13:19:00.001-08:00

I finished this one about a week ago, but now that my mom has her early Christmas gift, I can show you! We were in TN most of last week for a big family thing and it was great. Truly, truly great in so many ways. I wanted to give this to her before the rest of the extended family arrived at their house, so last Sunday after dinner I told my parents I had an early gift for them. Of course, mom immediately gasped because she assumed I was going to say we were having another baby. Um, no just a measly quilt that I started working on back in August. What a gip :)

She wasn't actually disappointed at all, she was thrilled to have a quilt made for her and really loved it.

I used 2 charm packs of Kate Spain's Flurry line along with 2 charm packs of Bella white to make all the HSTs. Then I decided I wanted it a little bigger, so I got some Flurry yardage and added borders. I like the way it came out, but I can't help but wonder if it would have been better to use the solid red all the way around. Oh well, the green is pretty too.

The back is all one fabric, (what?!) an old Valori Wells print that matched the red and white of the quilt perfectly. I had 8-9 yard of this on hand from an old random Christmas project, so I was happy to use up a good bit. The quilting lines are about 3/8" on either side of the seams that form the diamonds, and continued out that way onto the borders. It came out to 72" by 58." The binding is fun, but sometimes I wish I had used a calmer print. And Christmas fabric in general is not my favorite, but this line is pretty and I was glad to get to try this off-center diamond design that I love. This is one of those projects that has several very small regrets (like also wishing I hadn't spilled coffee on it while I was in the middle of quilting), but overall I'm still happy with the end result. And most importantly, mom loves it.

It's officially Christmas now I guess. I still have a LOT of sewing to do. I don't think I'm attempting any more quilts as gifts, but knowing me that is likely to change. And since most of the Christmas season technically takes place in fall, I'm going to enter this one into Celebrate Color. Now, hopefully the kids will stay asleep a little longer so I can put my fresh-from-the-shop machine to good use. After three weeks apart, we might just need to hug for a bit first...

(PS, if anyone wants some of that red and white Valori Wells print, PLEASE let me know!)

Hey guess what, you're not that awesome...

2011-11-22T13:29:00.001-08:00

...said Jessica to herself.

This is the block that reminded me of that fact. So this month, I'm the quilter for my circle of Do. Good Stitches, which is a charity quilting bee. If you don't know how it works, there are ten of us that make a couple blocks each month and send them to the "quilter" who picked out the block and the colors of the design and will put all of the group's blocks together and finish the quilt. Well, for my first time in this responsibility, I went ahead and chose something that would make everyone hate me right off the bat. Seriously, I bet they were/ are all cursing my name while making these babies. I know I was.

I've only made this, the first of my two, because I was just too exhausted to move on to my second. The seam ripper did get put to use, and as you can see it still has plenty of issues. This is the tutorial for the block. When I first saw it back in September, I thought it was so cool and unique and would be great as an entire quilt of these triangles. I didn't really think about how tricky those angles would be in reality.

Here's the thing. While this one was a little frustrating, I really didn't mind because I knew I was learning thru my mistakes. Even if I'm cursing like Ralphie's dad at his furnace, deep down, I'm still really happy to be sewing and getting better at sewing. So I'm hoping everyone else in my group looks at things the same way. Isn't that one reason quilting bees are good? You wouldn't want to make a whole quilt of really difficult blocks, but you can handle a couple, and then they all still get made into something beautiful. So even if someone picks something you might never have made, you get to try it. Is that how everyone thinks of bees, or would you rather have relatively simple blocks you can crank out every month? I don't know, I'm asking. Either way, I had better make this quilt super awesome in the end so that it was worth it for everyone. Then my name will be praised once again, instead of cursed for the headaches I have sprung upon them :)

These are my Greek cross blocks from last month. Denise is an amazing quilter and has already made them into two baby girl quilts that you can see here and here. I'd love to make a whole quilt of this block some day, it's a really fun one.

I'll leave you with a picture of pretty folded fabrics. Who doesn't love those pictures? I'm in TN at my parents' for Thanksgiving, and yesterday I went to a local quilt shop with my mom. It was just called "Sewing and Vacuum Center" and the outside window was covered in weird paintings of Disney characters. I did not have high hopes. Well, wouldn't you know I found lots of things I couldn't resist. Never judge a quilt shop by it's cover.

Grandpa Cardigan and a Coupon Code for YOU

2011-11-18T14:30:00.001-08:00

This is my version of the Darling Cardigan by Owly Baby, this month's LTTSA sponsor. It's not perfect, but I kind of love it. It's refashioned from one of Nick's old hoodies that was covered in holes. I somehow managed to cut out the pattern pieces while avoiding the holes and centering the plaid. Bonus.

This was not my first time working with knit, but it was my first experience with ribbing. I'm a big fan, however I did seem to miscalculate the length of ribbing I needed around the neckline and front. That's why it's a little too stretched looking around the neck area.

But I'm glad to have the experience with ribbing and I know exactly how I would fix the problem next time. Plus it still looks pretty cute when it's on him. ("Mom, go away. I just woke up and I need to watch Barney." ...Yes, sometimes I let him watch Barney. Don't judge me.)

Also, here's a secret- The button placket is completely fake. I've only done button holes on my newer machine, which is still in the shop. I didn't feel like figuring it out on my other machine, so I just faked it. It's easy enough to pull over anyway. I left it at just 3 buttons because I think it looks much more grandpa-ish. Which suits his grumpy post-nap demeanor here just fine.

Next time I try an Owly Baby pattern, it will most certainly be this adorable City Jumper. Those pockets are killing me. And you know how I feel about piping.

Good news! Becky of Owly Baby is not only sharing her patterns as our giveaway prize this month, she's also offering all of my readers a coupon code. For 20% off purchases of individual patterns (not bundles), enter LTLGRAY20 from now until the end of November. Go!

Loulouthi Tiles Finished!

2011-11-14T10:12:00.001-08:00

Here it is, my Loulouthi Tiles quilt, done and done. I started this quilt back in June when I was still in the middle of my very first quilt ever for the modern quilting class I took. This weekend I finished. Why? I don't know. It was really awful timing to finish this quilt. Although I love it, there was absolutely no reason to finish it. And my #1 machine is still in the shop, so I actually made the effort to spend extra time at work to do most of that very heavy straight-line quilting. (Which I also love, but wasn't really necessary on this already unnecessary quilt. The thing is, I have another quilt that does have a deadline and really needs to get done this week. But I did this instead. My husband and I decided I have focus and time management issues. Just like college.

The back is quite crazy because I really didn't want to have very many scraps leftover. I honestly wanted to be done with Loulouthi forever. I had gotten quite sick of it after making this top and seeing it made into everything all over the internet and staring at it in the shop all the time. Well, I'm over that now. Finishing this has made me totally in love with the collection all over again. It's just an objective fact that this fabric is gorgeous.

Here's a close-up of the wonky log cabin I made just for fun. This is just one of those things you have to try when you start quilting. Then you will get log cabins forever. And you will get wonky. Win win.

Yes the quilting took forever and I often thought, "What is wrong with me? Why am I doing this?" But I knew the answer once I took it out of the dryer. I love that moment.

Some things:

It's the baby version of Rachel's pattern, about 43" by 49"
I used Bella "Green" (Yes, it's just called green. Weird.) for the sashing. I'm just gonna say it: Moda Bella beats Kona. Any day.
I quilted it with aqua thread in diagonal straight lines about 3/8" apart.
Binding is the blue Hugs and Kisses print, all by machine.
I like it a lot and I'm probably keeping it. Even though I'm not a baby.

Mini Quilt Challenge- My Fall Colors

2011-11-11T13:27:00.001-08:00

I originally began this mini quilt as a table runner/ square for a swap in the Cincy MQG. It didn't make it to that swap because my kid took some scissors to it. FANtastic. Well, I repaired the damage this week and finished it up just in time for the Mini Quilt Challenge at AmyLouWho.

The design is inspired by this quilt, just miniaturized. If you are interested in the dimensions, I cut the main squares to 3 inches. Then I sewed a strip of the linen 1.5 inches by 3 to one side, then another strip of linen 1.5 inch by 4 on the next side. Arrange them like so, 6 rows of 6 blocks makes a 21" square mini.

The main part of the back is a Joel Dewberry print I've had forever that I absolutely hated until I used it here. Love it when that happens.

The solids are mostly from my swap package from Anna, and I added my linen and the pink Echino print. I had the Celebrate Color contest in my mind all along with this one too. The yellow is really the only conventional fall color here, but all of it together looks very fallish to me and I love the scheme.

Go check out a whole lot of other lovely minis here. And if you are visiting from the mini party, you can see another mini I've made here.

LTTSA: Planning the Puppet Theater

2011-11-10T13:23:00.001-08:00

We're a third of the way thru November people! How did that happen? We officially have a pink Christmas tree and garland up in my place of work- yikes. Time to get moving on this super-cute gift for our kids, and I'm really glad we are doing it this month.

I recently bought a couple of prints from Lizzie House's 1001 Peeps collection on a whim. As soon as I saw them in person I knew I had to use them for this puppet theater.

Here's a rough little sketch of what I plan to do. I'm not changing it too much, just turning the house into an Arabian tower type thing. Drawing it out really helped me see where I wanted to use my fabrics.

The linen on the bottom here will be the main part of the building. I still need to buy some canvas. The book has a great suggestion to get a drop cloth from the hardware store, but I think I'm going to pick up some duck cloth from Joann's because it comes in a few different colors. That's actually what I used as the base of my table playhouse, so I might even get the same yellow color. The blue tower print will be my roof and door and the purple will be the windows. I'm going to trim the windows in that orange, which is not Lizzie House, but the Moroccan feel is perfect.

I'm using Lizzie's signature pearl bracelet print in a variety of colors for the curtains. That red is actually from Outfoxed- I love how all of her collections work so well together!

Lastly, I have a little of this print on the way. I plan on stuffing the little characters to make a few puppets, either on craft sticks or just finger puppets. (If you like 1001 Peeps, Above All Fabrics has it on sale right now.)

You'll need to get some sort of fusible web for the appliqué if you don't already. I like to use this Heat n Bond light because it comes on a big roll, but there are several good kinds, like Wonder Under or Steam-a-Seam. Just make sure it's fusible on two sides and sewable. Sometimes I like to just use spray adhesive for appliqué, especially when using thicker materials like felt, or really big pieces. It's just quick and easy. Some kind of fabric marker will be good to have for this project too.

The possibilities are endless for how you could adapt this project. You could make it a castle, a circus tent, a train, a pirate ship or Noah's ark, a treehouse... you guys probably have some brilliant ideas. And of course, making it exactly as it is in the book will be very adorable as well. I really love those flower boxes on the windows.

Hey, maybe we should do the giveaway from last month? I loved all your aprons and other projects. And I was encouraged to see that we had even one more entry than last month- we are not losing momentum at all!

Ok, the winner according to random.org is #14, Amanda of Ellieboo! I'll be emailing you soon about your pattern choices from Mama Stellato's shop. If you didn't win, be sure to browse the great patterns at really good prices.

Good news- we have another great sponsor for November! Owly Baby has some of the sweetest young kid patterns like this reversible wrap dress and the sidewalk jacket for winter. You'll soon be seeing my version of the Darling Cardigan pattern. It's pretty darn cool.

So how are you guys doing on the theater? Have you started dreaming? Have you got to the cutting and appliquéing already? Can't wait to hear your ideas. Also, if you know of any great puppet patterns or tutorials, share links here and I'll do a round up of puppet ideas on the next sew-along post. Happy sewing!

Walk In the Woods Quilt Top

2011-11-07T18:03:00.000-08:00

So I started a baby girl quilt this weekend. You know what really sucks? Having two quilts basted and ready and then having to put your machine in the shop for a couple of weeks. I REALLY want them finished, but there is no way my old machine could handle quilting very gracefully. But I am thankful that it's there as a back up, and to soothe myself about those other unfinished quilts I just started another.

I'm not supposed to have Aneela Hoey's new line because it's not due out until spring, but I do because my nice peeps at work brought back samples for me from Quilt Market. It was like a charm pack, except with 2.5" squares instead of 5." Is there a cute name for that precut or is it just sample size? I don't know.

I didn't know it would turn into a quilt. I just started by sewing all of them together, and I thought I might make a couple more of those patchwork bibs for Elsie out of it. But then I realized it was much too light and cute to stain with baby food so I just found some other fabrics on my shelf and it magically became a quilt top. I didn't have to buy a single thing, but it's practically begging for red gingham binding, so I may have to buy a little of that. It's necessary.

And I'm running low on seed catalog. Must get MORE. Also, I need a friend to have a baby girl so I can give this to her. Anyone? Knocked up? Female persuasion? Anyone?...

Bad Things, Good Things

2011-11-02T14:37:00.000-07:00

Well, first cute things...

I'll admit, this hat from Target seems like a copout compared to Hendrix's costume. But really, Elsie was in the stroller under blankets all night, and this is one cute Panda.

Getting ready to go out with friends and neighbors. (I also made Robin Hood's hat using this tutorial, which was really quick and adorable.) Hendrix kept saying "Frick-r-Freeters!"and now he calls the candy itself trick or treaters as well. By the end of the night he was rifling through people's bowls of candy looking for his favorites. Rotten.

Bad thing: I broke my sewing machine on Friday. Luckily, I still have my old one which works fine, but I probably should have been using that to begin with when I sewed up 200 of these-

My husband Nick has a band called FirstPost and they had a CD release party Sunday night at our favorite local pub. (Well, it's just a bar, but I always call it a pub because that sounds classier... especially when talking to my mom. Hi mom! I'm sure she is loving the cd cover as well.) Any way, it was a very exciting night and the band sounded awesome, and my machine could probably use a good servicing anyway. Have a listen to the album here.

The event was also a costume party so I dressed up as Nick. Yes, this picture is weird. But I kind of nailed it right?

So the CD release was a very good thing, but the bad thing was that I missed the first half of the show because of my children, one of whom might be traumatized for life because of that night. Our best friends came over and put their two kids to bed at our house so that we could all go and share a sitter. We do this often and the kids all sleep fine. When the sitter hadn't showed up 20 minutes after she was supposed to, we called her parents and found out that she was in bed sick. Her dad volunteered to come since they were all asleep anyways, so we thought that was great and we left. It's within walking distance from our house, and about 7 minutes after we arrived, the dad called. Hendrix had come downstairs for some reason to find this strange middle-aged man whom he had never met before and he flipped out. Looking back, it might not have been the best plan of action for the sitter's dad to stand in... anyway, I ran home right away to calm him down, and he did pretty quickly. But Elsie had been awoken in the commotion as well and she did not want to go back to sleep. Not one bit. After I had been there an hour screaming this in my mind, our friend Nathan came home to relieve me so I could go catch the rest of the show. And we love him for it. Hendrix has only mentioned the episode once, so maybe he won't be talking to therapists about it down the road... here's hoping.

I'll leave you with one pretty thing. My managers at Sewn Studio got to go to Quilt Market last weekend and they were kind enough to bring me some gorgeous not-yet-released fabric samples! On the left is Aneela Hoey's upcoming Walk in the Woods line, and on the right is some Quilt Blocks by Ellen Barker. I feel like such an industry insider getting to play with these! And did you notice what book that is up there? I finally got my copy of Sewing For Boys. I love every single thing in it and can't decide what to make first. But whatever it is will have to wait because I have got to get in some serious quilting time this week. It's been too long!

Oh, one more bad thing: I dropped my iPhone in Dr. Pepper over the weekend. It's ruined, of course. Don't ask how.

Bias-Trimmed Aprons. (Finally)

2011-11-01T18:21:00.000-07:00

Yeesh. What a weekend. I'll have to tell you more about it some other time. For now, we've got to see some adorable kiddie aprons!

So, you'll remember last week I was having trouble deciding which bias tape to use on my yellow stripes. The choice was between a tone-on-tone green print, and another yellow stripe with more colors mixed in. Stripey to the max, if you will. I think the votes in the comments here were pretty evenly mixed, as they were over on my Flickr. But then Liesl Gibson herself voted for the green! (you know her, just the author of our beloved book and the bestest kid's patterns ever.) Of course I thought that was a pretty good deciding vote. But then, I wavered again. You see, a certain sew-alonger is the mother of designer and blogger Jessica Jones of How About Orange. I'm pretty sure that was the very first crafty blog I ever followed, and she's basically awesome. Well, she voted for the stripes and I was torn.

In the end, I went with the green. True story, though pretty anti-climactic. I just thought it was funny how many designer-y opinions were getting involved.

But you don't have to worry about the stripe trim, I'm in the process of putting it on this crazy Ikea print. I really love it on this one too.

Show off your aprons....you have a week if you are lagging... drawing for a prize from Mama Stellato patterns! .... Be nice to everyone else... you know the drill.

You guys! I'm so excited about the puppet theater this month! It's going to be our most fully customizable project yet, and I can't wait to see what you come up with. Join us if you are new!

LTTSA: Bias Tape decisions and a swap idea

2011-10-26T10:43:00.000-07:00

Last night I finally got around to making my bias tape. A LOT of bias tape. There are about nine yards of the stripes and 10-11 of the green. And that's all from half-ish yards of fabric to start off. Yowzers.

So now I can't decide which to use on the yellow striped apron. The obvious answer would be the green because it's more contrasty. But I kind of like the subtle stripe-on-stripe action too. I really just like striped bindings. But do you think it's too light? Too babyish? Too many stripes? Maybe I just think baby because H's crib skirt was made from this fabric. Anyway, I like them both. You decide for me.

Now let's talk a little more about bias tape. Most of you will probably go pre-made for the apron, which you should not feel ashamed of at all. Making your own really does make the project take about twice as long and it can be tedious. But there is something about those tedious tasks that I really like taking the time for sometimes.

So if you decide to make it for this or any other project, you could do it this way (great post about bias tape in general) which is pretty much how the back of our book explains it.

But I do it this way, which was taught to me by my friend Julie. The difference is that you cut it in a way that it's one long continuous strip, instead of cutting the strips first and then having to sew each one together. It's pretty brilliant once you get the hang of it.

You don't need a fancy bias tape machine (though that would be nice), you just need one of those doo-hickies pictured in my first photo here. Just be sure you buy the size that is twice what you want your finished double-fold bias tape to be. For example, I mostly just want 1/2 inch tape, so I bought a 1 inch bias tape maker. They run about $6-$7. Tip: Some instructions will say to cut your strips to 2" for 1/2" tape. But I've found it runs through the maker much easier if I cut the strips to 1 7/8"

If you are unsure about actually applying the bias tape, I'm going to send you to another great Prudent Baby tutorial. (Geez Jessica, this would have been helpful last week when I was actually making my apron. I know, lame of me.)

So here's an idea I had when I was making a bazillion yards of this stuff:

Since just a half yard of fabric makes 9-10 yards of 1/2" tape, you will usually be left with a good amount after whatever project you are working on is done. And then you will get sick of that particular print of bias tape before you use it all up.

So what if we did some kind of homemade bias tape swap??

I'd have to work out the details, but it would probably look something like everyone buying a 1/2 yard of a cute print, making it into tape, then dividing it into 3 three-yard portions. Then you'd send two of those to me, I'd mix them all up and you'd get two different prints back. Does that make sense? If you wanted to get more, you could make as many half-yard's worths as you wanted.

There is no way I picture being able to organize this before the holidays, but is this something anyone would be interested in for sometime in the new year? Can you just imagine all the cute varieties of print bias tape wrapped on cards and lined up on your sewing table? I can. And I love it. Let me know if there's any interest, because I think it's a pretty fun idea!

The apron link party will start Monday. I know that's Halloween (woohoo!) but as always, you'll have a week to join in before I pick a winner for the Mama Stellato giveaway.

I'll leave you with this. But be careful, you might just want to watch it over and over for the rest of the day. (found here.)

Dragon Costume!

2011-10-24T12:17:00.000-07:00

Hendrix, who is two and a half, has been talking about having a "bwack fwagon" costume for at least 2 weeks straight now. I thought this would be the last year that I got to choose what he would be, but no. His mind was made up.

At first, I was trying to talk him out of the black, because I was thinking it would end up a little too evil looking for a 2 year old. But black has always been his favorite color, and I guess he was thinking of the main dragon in "How to Train Your Dragon."

But now I'm really glad he wanted black because it was easy to find cheap black sweats at Target, and it just looks super cute with the blue and green accents. He absolutely loves it, and I think it's my favorite costume yet as well. It really is more fun to make what they want. (Last year he was a fox, and he spent his first Halloween as a garden gnome.)

The tail is sagging here, but usually it's very um, erect. I used this tutorial, which is awesome. For the rest of the spikes up his back, I just cut the hoodie completely in half, attached a row of spikes and sewed it back together.

For the wings, I just drew the shape I wanted on to the felt and cut, added a little black trim and the decorative black stitching, and hand stitched them on the jacket.

Before I sewed the two halves of the hoodie back together, I also cut into them from the top to halfway down each side of the hood, about an inch back from the edge. Then I attached the ears and horns and sewed that back together. This of course took the hood in a little, which is why it doesn't quite cover his huge noggin. But it still stays on fine. I stuck pipe cleaners inside the ears to keep their shape. I think it's definitely the ears that keep the whole costume cute and not too black demon-ish. Nick says they are dopey ears.

I also added the blue felt on the front for a belly, first stitching decorative scales onto it. I love the way that detail looks.

The feet just tie around his ankles with black straps. Let me know if anyone would like more details about those or the ears and horns. Those things could be adopted to lots of easy hoodie-and-pants costumes.

I really love Halloween. Like a lot. It's probably taken the lead over Christmas as my favorite holiday since becoming an adult. I grew up in Florida and I just don't remember it being as much fun there as it is up here. Probably because fall is kind of non-existent there. Here in Ohio, there are so many Halloween and Harvest events going on in October you couldn't possibly do them all. I love it and I'll be sad when this month is over and the holiday blur begins. I mean, I love Christmas too, but Halloween is still about fun and not stress. Anyhow, that's my unsolicited opinion on holidays, so stick that in your back pocket.

When Hendrix first put this on, he immediately said he had to go fight in the sky. Love this kid.

PR Finale Part 1

2011-10-21T14:39:00.000-07:00

I almost entitled this post "PR finale- WTF??" But I can't say I'm surprised in any way. If there was ever any doubt that the producers are pulling the strings on everything and the judges' critiques are basically meaningless, well, that doubt is gone.

I know Anya became a bit of a fan favorite and it's inspiring how fast she learned and blah blah, but she definitely should have gone home. Despite his ass-iness issues, everything Joshua said at the end of the episode was completely justified and I would have felt the same way. Someone should have gone home today. How are the other three supposed to feel that they've accomplished anything?

And the fact that they showed that whole scripted part at the end with the judges saying anybody could win? Please. They might as well have said, "Well, we can't send Anya home because we have already picked her as the winner."

Let's have a look-see at the fashion in this completely pointless episode.

I thought Viktor's showing was far and away the best. Each piece was striking, different, well-made and very him. The only thing he really got critiqued for was putting pieces together that were each too strong. But to be fair, Tim told him that the leather zipper skirt made that dress and Tim also advised him to put a "wow" gown under that jacket. It must be frustrating to the designers when they listen to Tim and are then criticized over it. I just love what he does with those large prints and how everything looks completely professional. I wish that gown was long all the way around instead of a mullet, but that's probably all I would change. I want that black tuxedo jacket.

(Sorry about these bad screen-grabs. I got lazy.)

So this is Anya's.... Completely agreed with everything the judges said. That bathing suit outfit looked silly and unflattering and the gown is AWFUL. She really did everything wrong with the satin. Even if she had chose a better fabric, it would still just be a basic one-shoulder goddess gown. The first dress on the left was cute. But it was helped greatly by the fact that her other two looks were so disappointing. On it's own, it's nothing that special. She was easily the worst today. I honestly don't know how she made it past last week without the judges noticing that everything looked like her assistant Bert and not her. Anyway, we really don't even have to watch next week because at this point it's clear they will do anything to make her the winner. Don't get me wrong, I think she's a lovely person and not a terrible designer, but it really hasn't been a fair game.

I really don't get him. All season they have been calling him a good designer but at the same time saying he has terrible taste. I would guess that a person would have to have some pretty good taste to design clothing, but what do I know. I have no idea what kind of woman would wear his clothes. Who would buy a neoprene LBD? And for the love, stop putting pieces of plastic on everything! I just feel like he should find his niche in designing for men like himself. (Or Stefon.) I mean, the guy wore a half-vest with leather bound books printed all over it in this episode. To me, that automatically disqualifies you from winning Project Runway. But they love him. Or more likely, they love his TV personality. Whatever.

They were right that Kimberley had some styling issues. But I'm really glad she's going to fashion week and I think she deserves it. Her clothes are not my style at all, but I think they are great for her audience and it really is a voice that is missing in high fashion. I could easily see stylish urban girls working these looks in downtown Cincinnati. You can't really tell here, but the backs of each of these were interesting and pretty. I don't think her collection will be win-worthy, but her point of view is unique enough that making it to the top three will at least jumpstart her career.

Well, at least we got lots of Tim time this week...

You guys, I don't want to be one of those people who complains about the quality of PR going to the dogs and threatening to never watch again.... but I'm so disappointed with this season I might never watch again. I don't even care who wins next week. That's not true, I really hope it's Viktor. But it will be Anya. That other thing I said isn't true either, I will watch next season. I'm mostly just full of it :)

KCWC Day 6

2011-10-20T14:29:00.000-07:00

Yikes, I'm a little late wrapping last week up. I don't know where this week has gone. Mostly into pots of chili, pumpkin farms, hanging out with good friends, enjoying the Walking Dead premiere, keeping up with a scooting babe and delving once again into sewing hell. (I know, I said never again. They pay pretty well, what are you gonna do?)

I made this little Amelia top on Saturday, which ended up being my final KCWC garment. Sunday was just too perfect not to go to the farm... So I made something 5 out of the 7 days, which I'm really happy with. I usually sew at least a little every day, but trying to finish something every night really is a marathon. A fun one, nevertheless.

I really adore how this pattern turned out. I just need to find the right color onesie for Elsie to wear underneath. I added the piping detail around the neck and under the bodice, and used it instead of the fabric trim suggested around the bottom. I'm mostly just a huge fan of piping. It makes most everything better. But putting it one the corners of the neckline was pretty tricky. I'm pretty sure knowing how to bind a quilt helped me with that one.

The button is from my mom's vintage collection. I just love the pop of brick red, very fallish don't you think?

I'm entering into Celebrate Color this month. I hope to scrape together a couple more entries, but October is disappearing way too fast. How did that happen?? I still have to start Halloween costumes and make my LTTSA aprons- I still haven't got past the cutting!

Speaking of the sew-along, if you are waiting on your leader to get her crap together, just check out Jenny's post. She links to a great bias tape tutorial, and gives awesome tips for sewing with laminates. Love it. And don't forget, if you link up this month you might win a couple Mama Stellato patterns- including this Amelia top if you want. Yay for sew-along sponsors.

WARNING! Totally unnecessary and gratuitous kid/pumpkin pictures ahead...

KCWC Day 4

2011-10-14T17:43:00.000-07:00

Last night I made pants. I realized I've made lots of pairs of shorts from Dana's pattern, but this is the first time I actually used it for pants. I made them from an old pair of cords I've been saving for this very purpose. The best part was that I managed to cut them so that I didn't have to hem, just used the original hem. It's a really wide hem, which I thought might look too girly, but I think it's super cute on him.

I also added knee patches from this funky waffle knit. They turned out to be slightly too far to the inside, but they will do. I had meant to add pockets, but the pants were already put together before I remembered that. Whoops. Sometimes this KCWC can really rush you thru your vision for a garment. You know, it's probably exactly what it's like to be on Project Runway :)

I couldn't resist putting another Echino piece in for a tag. Now that I think about it, I probably should have used the rest of this particular square for those knee patches. See, late night sewing really lacks that kind of clarity.

Speaking of Project Runway, I'm hoping to muster up a PR post tomorrow, since we are nearing the end of this very lackluster season. I just can't get too excited about any of the contestants, and a lot of the goings-ons this season have been slightly more ridiculous than usual. Plus if I wait a couple of days past watching an episode, I just don't have anything to say about it. Lately, I forget to even watch it right away, if that tells you anything. So sorry to that small percentage of you out there who look forward to those posts.... am I alone in my looking forward to this season being over already? Yeesh.

Nick got off very early from work tonight unexpectedly, so no Project KCWC here tonight. I'd like to get two more things done by Monday, but even if I don't, it's been very fun and I'm so happy with what I've done. Now, it's wine and movie time.

KCWC Days 2 & 3

2011-10-13T12:30:00.000-07:00

So remember how I said I was hoping to get both of these LBB hoodies done on Tuesday? Well that was dumb. Since I already had all the pieces cut out, I thought I might do each step to both at once. But then I realized I needed to use different color thread on each, so that was out. I also forgot about the extra time you need to spend spray starching the t shirt knit and doing extra careful pinning. But I was at least happy to get one done each night.

The Beatles are from his dad's old shirt that had a stain on the bottom. I really love the teal and gray with it. I made him the size 4, since that is what he has been wearing lately, and it fits well other than the sleeves being a little long and the hood being gimungous. Probably should have cut the size 3 hood. He was really excited to put it on when he saw it, which as you know, is the best thing ever when it happens.

This one also came out a little large in areas, but I still think it's super-cute with some pink leggings. It was an old Threadless shirt of mine. And yes, it had already been spit up on in that last picture.

I really love this pattern. I love that it is such a comfy wardrobe staple that I can make them year after year. (Last year's version here.) I also love that it's made from old shirts and cut in a way that you don't have to hem it. It's an awesome one to try if you are nervous about sewing with knits. Check it out here, along with loads of other cute LBB patterns.

Tonight maybe a pair of pants, maybe a girly top, maybe a grandpa cardigan. Who knows, I'm leaving my plan and going rogue.

KCWC Day One

2011-10-11T13:42:00.000-07:00

So if you don't know what Kids Clothing Week Challenge is about, let me explain just a little. Meg of the blog Elsie Marley runs it in spring and fall and challenges everyone who would like to join in to spend one hour a day sewing for your kids, for a week straight. Then we all add our creations to the flickr pool and blog about them and tell each other how awesome we are. Well, that's what blogging is always like, but this week is intensive and all about kids clothes.

So yesterday was the beginning- I think. Lots of people already had stuff made and blogged yesterday, but I didn't do my 1-2 hours until late last night, as usual. It's the blogging about it every day that might get really tricky...

Anyway, I made a fall dress for Elsie, who is nearly 6 months(!):

The pattern is the Charlotte Dress from Mama Stellato. I love this pattern. It's super quick to go together, but the options for details and embellishments are endless. If you have a daughter to sew for, this basic peasant dress pattern is a must. I know I'll use it over and over.

I used fine charcoal corduroy left over from the penguin backpack, some AMH Innocent Crush for the sleeves, and bright pink 1/2 ric rac. Loving ric rac lately. It's funny how important finishing details have become to me in my clothes sewing. When you first start sewing, you are happy just to get through a pattern without puncturing any fingers or throwing your machine out the window. It's nice to feel comfortable making a pattern your own.

I even added a cute little tag in the back. It's actually a scrap from one of my Echino squares I cut into. It was almost painful to cut that first square up, but I'm glad I did. Well, I was glad now I'm a little angry...

See, this is the little quilty project that I'm using it for. Looks nice so far right?

Well, it has this happening all around the edges thanks to a certain 2 year old who got a hold of my thread clippers while I was at work and his dad was feeding his sister. Of course it's probably my fault for leaving my stuff out, but... grrrrrrrrrrrrrr! This one might have to go away for a while before I have the motivation to repair it. At least none of the Echino pieces were clipped into.

On deck tonight for KCWC is two LBB Hoodies. I love patterns that I can use for both of them, and hope I can zip thru them assembly line style.

Finally, some good news for those planning to make the LTTSA apron this month- Rachel from Mama Stellato has agreed to giveaway one of her pick 2 pattern packs to one of our lucky entries! And there are going to be two winners this month, I'll tell you about the other prize later this week. Anyone can join in the sew-along and link up their project to enter, check out more info here.

LTTSA: Apron part 1 (and Winner!)

2011-10-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

Can I just say how inspired I am by you guys? I mean, the projects everyone linked up this month are kind of mind-blowing. And I'm so encouraged that we had nearly as many finishes as last month. That's saying something, since the backpack was really a lot more work than the hats. You guys are hardcore and I love it.

Now let's get to it- who wins the Oliver & S pattern of their choice?

It's #15, Meryl! I'll email you soon to discuss your choice of winnings, congrats!

So this month when cutting out my pieces for the bias-trimmed apron, I took Sarah's advice and used freezer paper. It was GLORIOUS. I've had some on hand forever because I love using it for stenciling on clothes, but I don't know why it never occurred to me to use it for patterns. I decided to cut fabric for 3 aprons, and it took no time with the freezer paper.

Just make sure you trace the pattern onto the freezer paper with the shiny, plastic-coated side down. Then iron your cut-out pieces right onto the fabric. Since it stuck so well, I felt like I was able to cut much more accurately than with pinning.

And the amazing part is that you can peel it up and iron it to another piece of fabric, and it sticks just as well! Have you guys tried this yet? I'm really excited about it, like to a degree of ridiculous sewing-geek proportions.

I found my roll of freezer paper at Target a while back. I'm not sure if all grocery stores carry it, but I'm telling you, it's worth hunting down! It was even easier to see thru than my blank newsprint I've been using.

So here are my pieces cut for all three aprons. All of this fabric is from Ikea, you may recognize that middle print from when I used it on a floor cushion.

I'm really glad I planned this project for October because we always like to paint pumpkins. Well, always, as in starting last year. I want to try to do more indoor painting projects with the kids as the weather cools down too, so these will be perfect for that. I thought about using laminated cottons so they could just wipe down, but I decided it would be better to be able to throw them in the wash. These are all sturdy home-dec weight fabrics too.

... Speaking of, did you hear that Ikea is going to stop selling fabrics?!?! I'm a little sad about it, and I need to get to ours SOON to clear them out.

Anyway, next week we'll talk about making bias tape, though using pre-made is ok for this too. After making that, this project will go together like cake, which will be nice after those backpacks with 57 pieces.

Also, I'm working on getting another prize together for this month, so stay tuned for that! What are you guys using for the aprons?

The Quickest Path to Homemade Cuteness

2011-10-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

... is baby legs. You've seen them everywhere, but you haven't seen them on my adorable baby yet, so obviously, it's necessary.

She really is this sweet. All the time. Even when she is fussing about something, you can make her laugh in the middle of it. And... cheeeeeeeeeeeeeeks!

These things are the quickest ever. I whipped up 4 pairs in about 20 minutes. They are made from long socks I got at target a long time ago for just this purpose. Now that the weather is changing and she's starting to scoot around, it had to be done.

I'm getting pretty excited to make her some more clothes next week for KCWC. I'm gonna kick ass this time. Last spring was the first time I tried to participate, but she was very new and sleep was still very precious, so I only made a couple of things for Hendrix. I'm hoping to gather my patterns and get a bunch of fabric cut out this weekend so that I can just zip through the sewing next week. Yay for fall weather and fall sewing!

2 Blocks, 28 Squares, 1 Winner, and a Front-Butt.

2011-10-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

You guys, attempting to shop for new jeans this afternoon has left me totally depressed. After striking out in the junior-ish section, I actually tried on a brand called "Not Your Daughter's Jeans." Really? That was a new dressing room low. There is nothing in between the low-cut-look-at-my-tramp-stamp variety and the mom jean front-butt variety. My life is over at not quite 29. Might as well get a dog that fits in a purse, switch to decaf, and go back to the store for those mom jeans.

Ok, I'm going to stop being so devastatingly dramatic, and think about pretty fabrics instead.

... Look what came in the mail this morning!

28 perfectly beautiful 10" squares of Echino prints. These make me incredibly happy. It's just going to be difficult to land on the perfect quilt design for them. Infinite thanks to Sara at Sew Sweetness for organizing the swap!

These are my September blocks for the do.Good Stitches bee. Diane asked for off-centered square in square blocks with orange, white, and one or two other colors. I love pink and orange together and was happy to use up some Loulouthi scraps... I really need to finish that quilt. It has a back, just needs some quick and simple quilting. Anyway, I love how both of these blocks came out, and I think the whole quilt is going to be really fun.

Finally, if you are looking for the winner of LBG Studios Convertible Clutch pattern, it's #13, my buddy Liv! (I promise that was the first result! Screen grabs don't lie.)

The rest of you, go buy that pattern anyway, it's going to be all the rage in blogdom. Do it, do it!

LTTSA: Backpack Link Up

2011-09-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

Yippee Hurray, it's done! Hendrix loves his new "Penwin pack-pack." I used a fine-whale charcoal gray corduroy, some solids from my stash and two black buttons from a vintage button collection my mother gave me.

On the inside, I used this odd green print that I don't love, but it's been sitting around too long and needed to be used. I do, however, love the red zipper I chose. I still want to add a zipper pull like some of you did, I think I might try something like this cute cuteness.

Let me just say a few things about this pattern:

1. Holy hell, that was a lot of pattern pieces to cut out, especially since I interfaced every single thing.
But my goodness, it was worth it because it's uber adorable.

2. Son of a beesting, I still loathe handstitching. Really not my strong suit. You can see my giant black stitches in the upper left corner there, so I'm guessing that's not a blindstitch. It took me two entire episodes of the Daily Show just to do one side. I'm the slowest ever. And that was after ripping out my first attempt and starting over. And after all that my fingers were bleeding... ok, that's a complete lie, I'm just being a wuss.

3. What the cuss, I may just have to sign Hendrix up for preschool now just so he can use this thing every day. Ok, I probably won't do that just yet...

Alright, can't wait to see all of yours! Remember you have to link up by October 7th at the latest to be entered into the giveaway for the Oliver & S pattern of your choice. (2 giveaways in one week? Whose blog is this?)

Next week we'll begin the bias-trimmed apron. You could also make the artist smock if you like that better, but that one has a kind of girly shape, which is why I'm making the apron. If your kids are really small, you could try a couple bibs, or if they are older, maybe the bento box carrier. Anyway, we'll talk next week about supplies and bias tape (which I have an odd amount of love for.)

Thanks for playing along everyone, this is really too much fun!

New Pattern Giveaway!

2011-09-28T07:26:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I was lucky enough to be a pattern tester for Vanessa of Little Big Girl Studio. I "met" Vanessa back in February when we both won new Brother sewing machines in the Prudent Baby potholder contest. She is definitely one of those bloggers who I know would be cool to hang out with in person.

And she has come up with one of the most creative bag designs I have seen in a long time! Seriously, how cute is this bag?

The pattern is called the Convertible Clutch because it can be carried two ways- as a clutch or a tote. Brilliant.

I used Whimsy Gray Flower Mosaic for Henry Glass on the outside and Robert Kaufman Remix Zig Zig for the lining. The pattern has a pocket inside and also adds a magnetic snap, though I did not.

The pattern is great to follow and the bag has a nice sturdy shape. I love my new clutch/ tote! Find out more about the pattern and purchase right here.

Vanessa has graciously offered to give the pattern away to one of my readers. To enter, just leave ONE comment telling me the best pattern or tutorial you've tried recently- Because I really want to know! Make sure your profile has your email, if not also leave that in your ONE comment. I'll keep the giveaway open until this Saturday night, then draw a winner. Good luck!

*** Also, I'm a finalist in this month's Celebrate Color contest!! Go here to vote for me or whoever you like more. Fellow sew-alonger Melissa is also a finalist for her super adorable fall Ice Cream blouse. Go Vote!***

Quilted Sewing Machine Cover

2011-09-26T08:52:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago, it was my friend Julie's birthday. I work with Julie at Sewn Studio, so I got to make a gift for a sewing friend- someone who can really appreciate a handmade gift. Not that other people don't appreciate very much my handmade gifts, it's just different getting to sew for a sewer. It's really fun because you know they will appreciate your thinking in fabric choices and things like quilting styles. Also, Julie is just an all around fantastic person, so that made this gift even more fun to make very late at night.

I decided that an "organic" wavy line style would look good with this design. It was actually harder to do than I thought. It's much easier to just make straight lines, but I still really like the look.

One side is cool and one is spicier. It's funny how much I love this Lizzie House print in brown because I'm normally not drawn to brown fabrics. I think I may have to get more. And the binding is that yellow Annie's Seed Catalogue which I also might need more of. I can't wait to use the red that I have in that on something special.

I just used my machine as a guide to make it, and it came to about 17" by 28." It was a really fun little last-minute quilting project.

LTTSA: Your Most Genius Ideas Ever

2011-09-25T13:30:00.000-07:00

.... or you know, from the last two months.

Just wanted to do a little showing off of some really special and creative things you guys have added to your projects. It's really cool to see all these different takes on the same simple patterns. YOU GUYS ROCK.

Also, don't forget that the backpack link party will go up this Friday, September 30. I'll keep it open an extra week so everyone has a chance to catch up and add their project, then I'll do the drawing for the FREE Oliver & S pattern of the winner's choice (currently in print, of course.) Make sure you add your post even if I am showing it off here, and if you are playing along on flickr, I think you should be able to link your photo url, but if you have trouble just email me. Remember, messenger bags or any other project from the book counts.

I'm not doing any more how-to posts for this one, but if anyone has trouble, feel free to email me anytime- jessica@fyrefly.com

I'm sure you've probably seen Anne's adorable girlie penguin backpack, but I just had to make sure! She added a squeaker in the penguins nose (so it sounds like Pingu!) and a beaded zipper pull. I'm definitely adding some type of pull to mine now. Love it.

Tara added a really sweet tree applique to her backpack. Love how the bright reds pop!.

This perfect little bird applique took it's cues from seeing this fun squirrel bag. Great to see some messenger bags and some shared inspiration.

Everyone's hats last month were so unique and well-done. I really like the way Sarah added this cute boy-ish patch and contrasting topstitching.

Liv added a bit of velcro to her daughter's hat so she could switch out bows and embellishment, and she really got creative on her son's hat by changing the brim shape entirely. Love the vintage military-inspired look!

Cecile chose to make the perfect rain hat for her daughter by using laminated cotton. I would love to venture out in the rain in those polka dots :)

Can't wait to see everyone else's backpacks soon! (Including mine... maybe I'll finish tonight?)

I made the mistake of showing the front of it to him, so then he insisted on wearing it around his neck for a few days. It was pretty cute... and probably a pretty poor parenting decision on my part, what with the pins and all...

Baby Gifts: Bibs and Swaddlers

2011-09-20T12:45:00.000-07:00

A few friends having babies= a few baby gifts to make! Baby stuff is so fun to make because A. There are a bazillion cute projects and cute fabrics to choose from and 2) I like to give gifts to the parents that are a bit off the beaten path from the baby shower norm. Of course, that's why I like handmade for any kind of gift I guess.

Ever since I made this swaddler (free pattern here) for Elsie, I have known that every newborn needs one. Or more accurately, every parent of a newborn needs it. It's like a sleep genie.

So after making three swaddlers for three babes, I had a lot of minky left over in odd shapes. I took one of Elsie's bibs and made a pattern for these, backing them in the minky and attempting some fun scrap-busting on the front. Making enough of that 2" square patchwork (postage stamp?) did take a little while, but it was the fun, methodical, mindless kind of sewing that is very refreshing sometimes. And I think the results are pretty cute. There was even one girl version left for Elsie- see, she does get something made for her once in a while.

Three fun baby packages all mailed out to sweet born babes or babes to-be.

Do you like making baby gifts? What are your go-to infant projects?

The Fruits of All My Swapping

2011-09-19T12:41:00.000-07:00

Not that you do swaps just for the goods. But that's a big part of it. And I made out like a bandit this week!

First, in my "For the Love of Solids" swap (I made this) I got the most wonderful package from Anna of Woollykat. I was like a kid on Christmas morning when I opened it and saw this quilt inside. I had been blown away when I saw it pop up in the flickr pool. Turns out, it was custom made for me! In my swap survey, I said I loved wonky and improv piecing as well as the use of linens alongside bright colors. She really delivered. Thank you so much Anna!!

(as much as I love my helper, this is a much better picture of the quilt. That bit of pieced binding on the bottom is so perfect.)

She also took the time to make this pouch in the most perfect color combo, and send all those solids for my stash. I'm sure you guys will be seeing those put to good use soon.

I also went to my second Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild meeting this week and we swapped mini quilts. (I made this one for the swap.) I got this adorable piece by Amy. I love the bright colors and the solids she chose. I also love anything in that diamond shape.

And how perfect does it look in my kitchen above my shelf of Fiesta wear?! Amy might be a clairvoyant and a techbrarian. (Pah ha... am I aloud to have inside jokes with you guild girls yet? Should I wait a few more meetings, what's the protocol on that?)

PR, Episode 9: V for Vendetta

2011-09-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

I'm going to do a bit of an abbreviated Runway post this week, because the looks were all pretty standard mall stuff because they were sewing for real women. (Although, I will say that it was thoroughly entertaining to watch Olivier get his paper-doll panties in a wad over sewing for someone real. "These boobs, to me, they are trouble." It was kind of like watching him trip and fall all over again... I just realized I'm a horrible person.)

Anyway, there is really only one point to make this week. Why do the judges/ producers hate Viktor?

Exhibit A:

For the avant garde challenge, Viktor made this (kind of really fantastic) and wasn't even top three...

while Josh made this (throw up in my mouth a little) and got wildly praised.

Exhibit B:

Last week, Viktor made this (gasp-worthy)...

But this dress by Anya (cute, but whatever) took the win.

Exhibit C:

This week, Viktor made this (so cute and perfect for her)...

but Josh made this dress (zzzzz...) and won again.

Oh Viktor, you are so naive. Did you think you would win Project Runway with talent? If only you were beautiful and exotic like Anya, or maybe a huge turd sandwich like Josh.

Solids Quilt Finished!

2011-09-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

Oh, this quilt. It was a roller coaster of loving it, hating it, hating it some more, then really loving it, then sending it off to a new home.

It was supposed to be a mini. It ended up about 46" by 48". Whoops. I guess that's what happens when you stray from your original plan.

It's hard to tell in the pictures, but there is an outer ring of navy around the off-centered snowballs, and then the background is a dark purpley-maroon called "grape."

I'm actually kind of hating these pictures now because it all looks close to black. There is no black, just more navy and grape on the back.

I did contrasting quilting in natural colored thread

It's now on the way to my partner in the For the Love of Solids swap. I'm really hoping she loves it and doesn't hate getting a much bigger item than she anticipated. I just got excited about my off-center snowball idea (which I don't remember seeing anywhere else before, but I'm sure someone has done it), and I needed to make it big enough to have that empty space along with the balls. And then I decided it needed that linen to soften it up because it was looking so dark and modern. I have no idea what that linen is, I have an obscene amount of yardage that someone gave me a while back. But I love the balance it adds.

The quilting is my favorite part. At first I thought I might regret choosing a light thread on all that dark grape, but after it crinkled up in the wash I absolutely loved the effect. It echoes the shape of the blocks, but begins in two emptier spaces, rather than matching up perfectly with the snowball block sections. I also really love the cheery blue binding.

This was my first Flickr swap and I enjoyed it so much. There were definitely moments (1 a.m.-ish moments) when I thought, "why did I sign up for this again?" But having the specific challenge and timeline set out made me create something I love that I wouldn't have made otherwise. And I learned a ton about design and improv piecing.

Now I cannot wait to see what I get in the mail in the next day or two!

I love this guy.

2011-09-12T20:57:00.001-07:00

I love this guy., a photo by A Little Gray on Flickr.

He works late. I quilt late. This was our conversation tonight.

(and yes, he is referencing the honey badger.)

LTTSA: Penguin Backpack- the Zipper

2011-09-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

... dun dun dun!

Just kidding. This zipper is going to go in like butter. Let's do this thing.

We are going to start on page 55 where it says "Insert the zipper." (duh.) Putting together the front and back panels of the backpack is pretty straight forward, so we'll just push on through. The first time you read through the zipper part, it can be a little confusing, so hopefully my pictures can help you visualize it.

You need your two zipper panel pieces cut from the outer fabric and interfaced with that 1.5" strip. You can see mine are double interfaced. I'm using a thin charcoal gray corduroy, so I'm interfacing all of the pieces. And I chose a bright red sport zipper so that it's easy for little eyes and fingers to find.

Here's what the wrong side will look like after you stitch together the interfaced long sides and press seams open. This is just a basting stitch that we will be taking out later. So turn your machine up to the longest stitch length and don't backstitch the beginning and end. I also found it helpful to use contrasting white thread here because it was easier to see all the pieces when ripping it out later.

Now you are supposed to mark a line on the right side, 3/8" on either side of that seam. My fabric marker didn't show up on this very well, so I resourcefully grabbed a giant fat stick of sidewalk chalk. A bit cumbersome, but it worked and wiped off easily.

Now flip it back over and pin the zipper on, so that the top of the zipper is against the wrong side. We are just pinning it centered on that first seam, so that we can hand baste. This is not something that has to be pretty at all, you can see how huge and hasty my stitches are. But it would be nearly impossible to try to get the zipper and all the layers through the machine with pins. Don't try to skip this necessary step.

Now rip out that first machine-basted stitch before you sew down the zipper. This helps things settle into position.

Has everyone dug their zipper foot out of whatever chaotic drawer or bin it's been hiding in? Good. Put it on. Maybe you've never changed your foot before. That's ok, dig out your manual if you need to and figure it out. It's really not hard at all. As a self-taught sewer, I put this off as long as I possibly could in the beginning. But then I did it and realized it's actually worth doing, and it's easy. Same thing with changing your needle regularly. Anyway, we will have the zipper on the left side of the needle, so clamp down on the left side of the foot, as shown. Then you will just sew down the lines marked earlier on both sides.

Here's an extra tip- When you get a couple of inches away from the zipper as you sew toward it, stop and lower your needle. Then raise your presser foot up as far as you can and move the zipper back past it, then continue sewing. Then you never have to actually sew past the big part of the zipper. This is what I tried to show in the picture on the right, hope that makes sense. If you do this very carefully, you might even be able to go without the zipper foot. But I'd still recommend it.

You can see here that I ended up sewing another line inside of my first ones. This was because when I turned it over, there were places where the seam allowance did not get caught in the first stitch I made down the chalk line. It was no big deal to fix and now it's extra reinforced, but you might want to just sew a little inside of where your marked line is to make sure you catch that seam allowance the first time. Also, I obviously took out those big ugly basting stitches.

Now the only thing left involving the zipper is sewing it to the long outer side panel with the wings. I took a picture just to show that when you line up both short edges of these two pieces, they won't lie flat because the side panel is much longer. When you sew these seams, (you don't need a zipper foot now) be slow and careful so you don't run your needle into the zipper teeth. That would be bad. Just lift up the foot and move over the teeth, then continue. I actually backstitched before and after that long stitch over the zipper as well as at the beginning and end of the seams.

Turn it right side out and admire your awesomeness! Zipper JUBILATION! Those wings placed there are pretty genius because they will make easy zipper pulls for toddlers. I'm so excited to finish this, it's pretty much going to be the cutest thing I've ever made.

Just waiting on those strap adjustors which I did have to order. (Boooooo Joann's)

So how's it going for you guys? Let me know if you have any questions about my zipper explanation. And please let us know if you conquer the zipper for the first time- It's exciting!

PR, Episode 7: A new favorite villain

2011-09-09T19:25:00.000-07:00

The past few weeks have been all about hating Bert. Now it's much more fun to hate Joshua. They should just have an arm wrestling match or something for who will be this season's most hated.

So this was, I believe, the third team challenge of the season. They were in two teams of 5 and each team had to put on a fashion show complete with custom printed fabric, a runway video, music and whatever tone and direction they wanted to take. Literally, they could have done anything.

... and this team chose to go with clocks. They approached their fashion show like they were planning a baby's first birthday party. Pick a theme and everything matches the theme in the most literal sense. I realize it is hard to get 5 people in a group to agree on one idea and all be excited about it, but it is also very hard to believe that none of them could come up with something better. Or that none of them at least said, hey, clocks aren't really an idea, they are just objects. Why don't we make it about time?

I'm not sure exactly whose idea the clock thing was, but at least it was better than Josh's girly village people idea. Even if it wasn't his original idea, he sure did carry it in the wrong direction. Besides the fact that he absolutely ruined any good vibes the group could have had with his big tantrum in the beginning, he followed that with a slew of really bad ideas and he was obviously the non-leader leader of this group. His video ideas were awful, his print was awful, and his whole outfit was awful. He seemed really proud of that cog jacket (top photo) but I don't see anyone really wanting to wear something that fits like puzzle pieces over your boobs. And the pants are wildly unflattering.

I say all that, but I'm going to have to agree that Becky was the right choice to go home this week. Josh ruined this group's whole show and collection, but that was because he had three girls on his team that thought it was better to keep their perspectives to themselves rather than add fuel to his fire. Even Bert seemed to do his best to stay out of Josh's way (even though it's still a bad attitude if it's under your breath.) My point is, Becky may have interesting things to put out there as a designer, but she's spent most of this competition keeping those things to herself in an effort to please everyone and keep the peace. Her outfit (lower left) was boring. If your team's going down in flames, don't try to please the jerk doing it, just make the one kick-ass outfit that stands out from the rest. Laura and Kimberly also rolled over to Josh, but they at least made decent and interesting outfits with their own perspectives. Although, I kind of hate Kimberly's (middle right), but it's not sad and boring.

And one more thing about Josh. The show is really good this season about showcasing the villain of the moment's sad story as if it's an excuse for ass-clown behavior. But it isn't. Ever. I'm not saying I don't feel for Josh. I'm sure he has deep and genuine pain about the death of his mother. I won't pretend to know what that's like, but I think it's a good excuse to have bad, sad, and depressed days. It's a good excuse to get a little emotional. But it's never a good excuse to treat other people so poorly. I hope I don't sound insensitive to someone who truly has reasons to be upset. I'm just saying he should probably figure out better ways to deal with it or life will be very difficult for him. Either way, the producers are playing those sad stories like fiddles, aren't they?

This was the winning team. Obviously. I really loved that little bit of editing where they showed the team laughing and smiling together in slow-motion while the other team looked on, so forlorn. That was kind of hilarious. The getting along really helped them and it shows up in their collection. I can't think of much I don't like about these looks. The one thing that I thought was pretty cliche was their footage of people moving in the city. It's been done a gazillion times and it seemed a little obvious for their chaos idea. I think it might have been much cooler if they had carried the ink blot idea into the video and made it moving and kaleidoscpopic (not a word.)

I'm not sure I agree that Anya should have won though. I love her dress (bottom right) and her style obviously shows through all of those prints. But Anthony probably should have gotten more credit for the direction and idea of the collection. And I thought his look was pretty adorable too (middle right.) But Viktor's gown? COME ON. Tell me it wasn't gorgeous and I will fight you. Making a rorschach test look that chic is impressive and downright cool.

It finally became clear to me this week that Anya, Anthony, and Viktor should go to fashion week. It was a little murky until this episode, but I'm calling it now, here in stone, on the interwebs. Do you agree? Who do you think are top three?

A baby dress

2011-09-07T18:29:00.000-07:00

But not for my poor neglected daughter. Remember that time I made her a dress a week before she was born? I'm really glad I had that pregnant motivation because I haven't sewn her a thing since. She just grows out of them too fast! And I'm not saying that in the drippy emotional mother sense, I'm just sayin, she literally grows out of them quicker than I can make them. So, Miss Elsie, you are punished with the wearing of generic onesies for all that healthy growing you are doing. Why do children's clothing brands feel the need to put little sayings on every single item of clothing? It can't just have cute purple flowers on it, it also has to say "daddy's favorite" or "silly-dilly little dumplin puddin-pop face of sugary-sweet bunny-bunny hop land."

Anyway, I made this dress a few weeks ago for one of my bestest friends who is having her first baby this month. It's Rae's Itty Bitty baby dress which is really fun to make. And the fabric I found at Joann (gasp!) on clearance. Definitely the cutest stuff I've found there in a while. Or maybe I just don't go there anymore. I'm a total quilt shop snob now, I won't deny that.

Speaking of fabric snobbery, I'm doing an echino swap. So.... that's pretty awesome. I will end up with 28 amazing Echino prints in 10" squares. I'm thinking I won't even cut into them, just make a square patchwork quilt. We'll see, but I'm pretty excited to get my hands on them. (If you don't know Echino, here's a lot of the prints.)

And here's a peek at my current quilting ~~obsession~~ project. I really need to learn how to survive on four hours of sleep. Time to get back at it, this one has a looming deadline.

A Mini-Quilt for Your Monday

2011-09-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

I had a small finish over the weekend! But any size quilt finish always feels good...

I made this mini for a swap in the Cincinnati Modern Quilt Guild, which I seem to have unwittingly joined :) I hope my partner doesn't read the blog, but if she sees it, oh well. She didn't give me any parameters for what she likes, so I just cut into some of my new fabric and had fun with it. I hope she likes it because I really do.

Here is the back. (I totally forgot to add anything in the binding to make it a wall-hanging. Whoops.) This being my second ever finished quilt, it also has a lot of firsts. First time using mostly prints, first flying geese, and first time trying the dreaded free-motion quilting.

Which really wasn't that bad. A little practice on some scrap batting and a little vodka-infused watermelon seemed to help. I think. I like how it came out overall, but here you can see how crazy long some of my stitches are. Stitch length definitely needs some work. It's honestly not my favorite style of quilting. I still much prefer straight line, but I want to become good at this too.

My favorite part has got to be that binding. I'm so glad I have more of it because it will definitely become binding again sometime. It's Ann Kelle's Remix zi-zag. I also really loved making those geese! I must make more soon.

And did you notice that white isn't really white? It's Seed Catalogue from Annie's Farm Stand. I got a fat quarter bundle which included the white on white, but I had no idea how I would use that color. When I saw it in person, it turned out to be my favorite of the bundle. It's really gorgeous.

I'm joining in Faith's mini-quilt Mondays. Faith visited our shop when she was in town once and she was the nicest ever. Her kids were also adorable (and very well behaved), even when her 4yo daughter announced loudly before they left that she had to poop. Faith just rolled her eyes and laughed. Everybody poops sweetheart, even quilters.

LTTSA: Backpack Part 1- Supplies

2011-09-03T20:20:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! I'm so excited to start another month of the Little Things to Sew-Along! The first one went scrumptrilescently because you guys are so amazingly creative. We had 17 people link up their completed bucket hats, and I know I saw at least a couple more on Flickr that said they were sewing along. I don't know about you, but I definitely got some good practice on sewing curved seams and making pretty topstitching :)

Alright, let's get moving on our backpacks, because if your preschoolers haven't started school yet, they will be soon. And even if we miss the start of school, that's ok too. We are all about stress-free sewing along here.

We need a yard of our main fabric. If you are making a regular backpack, you could really pick any home-dec weight fabric or something else canvas-y. I think some echino or other thick Japanese import would be adoooooorable (if pricy) but might still need a little added interfacing or backing.

I haven't purchased my fabric yet, but I am making the penguin version, so I'm looking for something that is solid or at least reads as fairly solid. The version in the book looks to be cotton twill, which I think looks really nice. But I'll probably buy either denim or corduroy from the shop I work in. The corduroy is very fine wale and thin, so I'll have to interface that as well.

When you are picking out your fabric and wondering if it's the right choice, I would just trust your instincts. If it feels sturdy enough to be a backpack, it probably is. At the same time, you don't want to get something extremely heavy, (like maybe denim from thick jeans) because you will have to sew through a few layers of it at times and don't want to have too much trouble.

More ideas on that here, from someone who has made it. Go on, read it... Thanks to Erin for paving the way for us :)

As far as other supplies, any quilting weight cotton is good for lining and the outside embellishments. You also need 1/2 yard of lightweight fusible interfacing.

The zipper- you need one of those bigger-molded-toothed kind, 18", which you can find at Joann or wherever. Not invisible and not one of the little-teethed kind you would put into a zippered pouch or something-

Strap adjustors- this might be a little more tricky to find. I haven't actually looked at my local Joann yet, but they are on the website. But they aren't called strap adjustors in the 1-1/2" size, they are called slides. (I tried looking on the site listed on the resource page in the book. Couldn't find them there.) I also think you might try like a sporting goods supply place if sewing supply stores don't have it. But it might just be easier to order online. And it doesn't matter if they are plastic or metal, just as long as they are made to fit 1-1/2" straps.

I'll leave you with another gem I found on flickr. Penguin fabric lining! Love it.

Alright folks, we'll get started as soon as I can get my crap together. You can cut everything out and put together the front and back of the outside, but if you are ~~scared of~~ apprehensive about the zipper, I'll walk us through that part of the instructions with pictures. Don't worry! You'll do splendidly.

So what are your thoughts on fabric choice for the outside of the backpack? Anyone have a good resource for strap adjustors?

***Also, some of you have said you would rather make the messenger bag. No problem, you will still be eligible for the giveaway if you link up your project. I'd love to see them!

Fall Sewing- Big Plans I Say!

2011-08-31T19:39:00.000-07:00

Have you guys ever read this book?

It's a BIG favorite in our house- among the young and old alike.

That's how I feel about all my ambitious plans for what I am going to sew this fall. AND I WILL SHOUT THEM AT YOU FROM ON TOP OF A MOUNTAIN! Or just from right here.

First of all, I want to make a lot of my kids' fall wardrobe. Namely, both their coats, some Hendrix pants and some Elsie jumpers. Here's just a little of my inspiration:

1. Puppet Show Dress Modified, 2. red and teal jumper , 3. Big Uptown Girl Jacket, 4. Toggles, 5. Stripey top 1, 6. IMG_3740.jpg, 7. sailboat pants, 8. Kimono PJ top, 9. backpack

I want a lot of stripes, plaid, buttons, and fun trims. A lot of Oliver & S patterns. A lot of adorable details. Oh, and definitely a lot of the Robert K fine-whale corduroy we just got into the shop.

And of course, we are making the penguin backpack this month in the sew-along. How cute is that thing?

I was going to try to tackle sewing something for myself to wear this fall, like something actually tailored and requiring a pattern... but if I'm honest with myself, that sounds even more painful than shopping for something to wear. I'll stick with sewing for the kids while they are still young and wear whatever I want them too.

Moving on to my quilt inspiration. I pretty much want to make every quilt I see. This is a bit of a pocket book/ time/ obsession problem...

1. Linen Love with Lotta Jansdotter fabric, 2. Fresh Modern Bee - July block for Mandy, 3. Cross Your Fingers Quilt, 4. miscellany quilt, 5. Lightning zigzag tutorial is up, 6. finished Swoon quilt top, 7. For the Love of Solids Mini Quilt, 8. Grey and Yellow Quilt, 9. the blocks, 10. Big Zig Zag Quilt - Finished Frontwtmk, 11. Bicycles, Birds & Lime Sherbet 2011, 12. DQS9 from lizzy house, 13. Improv II for Rangsiwan, 14. Curved improv piecing cushion, 15. Kona challenge quilt, 16. baby Ingrid in progress

Do you see my problem here? I obviously love all these improv and geometrical looking modern designs. But I'm also a sucker for those traditional blocks in fabrics I love. Like that Swoon pattern that's so trendy now? Irresistible. And those summer sampler blocks are crawling under my skin slowly too. I've actually started a couple for work, but I might end up tackling the whole thing for a couch throw or something.

Speaking of the living room, I have also started hating everything in there for no reason at all and need to change everything that's not furniture.

I'm REALLY inspired by these curtains...

which were inspired by these curtains.

Why have I always had it in my mind that curtain panels had to actually be solid panels? I don't know, piece them! Then of course, I will need all new pillow covers and something pretty on the walls. It never ends.

So just to recap, the major staples of 2 kids' fall wardrobes, somewhere between 3 and 33 quilts, and a whole new look for the living room. Oh, and a penguin backpack and some Christmas gifts, whatever those will be. Totally reasonable.

(Are you guys checking this out? Could I be any more of a Rachel groupie?)

LTTSA: Bucket Hat Link Up, and a Pretty Fun Announcement

2011-08-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

I really thought this kid would never want to wear his hat. But he LOVES this thing. He wants it whenever we are outside. He puts it on and says, "Let's go fishing now!" He's never been fishing before, but apparently he knows that's what bucket hats are for. That kid.

Just this week, I saw that Liesl Gibson released the hat pattern for free download. So if you've been watching from the sidelines because you don't have the book, you can now get the pattern here. Bucket hats for the world.

So now is the time to show off your awesome skills and cap off (pah! get it? I'm soooooo funny) our first month of the LTTSA. I think I have seen most of your hats already and I'm seriously impressed. I know I have seen some of you commenting on each other's hats too, which is very cool. But if you haven't taken a look around, but sure to visit everyone's post after you link up yours. Who knew you could get so creative with one simple hat pattern?

AAAAAAAND, because you all have been so great and participatory and really exceeded my expectations already for how the sew-along would go, I've decided to make this month even more fun with a giveaway. You guys know I never do those, so I must really love my sew-alongers :)

For the September backpack project, everyone who participates and links up their pack at the end of the month will be entered to win an Oliver & S clothing pattern of your choice! Whoa, awesome, I know.

First backpack post next week, so if you are jumping in now, just leave me a comment and I'll add you to the list. See more info and grab the button on the sew-along page up there.

Ok, let's party! On an imaginary fishing boat....

(I'll keep the party open for a week, in case there are any laggers.)

Quilty

2011-08-29T07:25:00.000-07:00

So I told you about joining Rachel's do.Good Stitches quilting bee. August was our circle's first month and these are my first ever bee blocks.

The quilt is inspired by this one, except our background will be gray instead of blue. I actually finished these about a month ago. My edges are a bit wavy, but I was really happy with them at first. But as the month goes on I get less and less pleased with them. I think mine are a bit more wonky than everyone else's and my gray is also darker. I like it when bee quilts have really varied blocks on the same theme, but hopefully this month's designer Leigh does as well. Either way, I just need to get them in the mail!
Any bee veterans have tips for packing blocks? Do you just stick them in an envelope or what?

Here's a little sneak peek of another patchwork-y project I'm working on. I have way too many of those going on at once right now. I also have a full-sized quilt top about halfway done that I can't show you at all because it is a gift for someone special. I'm excited about it though :)

And then there's this...

Happy Monday!

PR Episode 5: Klumzilla and the Crackheads

2011-08-26T14:24:00.000-07:00

This episode was so full of BS it was ridiculous.

First of all Ms. Klum, didn't we just have this challenge last season? (I think, if not last season, it was a very recent one. Designers had to make looks for her sportswear line, and I believe they even did it in teams like this.) Apparently this show just has to bow to building your brand name empire now. It's a bit obnoxious.

Also, the judging in general, seemingly led by the Klumzilla, was just so wildly all over the place and mostly wrong about everything.

The Top 2 or 3:

Viktor: This was the only thing they got right. Viktor's look won and was clearly the best. Let's all just admit that jacket is badass. And the fact that he made it look so good with a drapey jersey dress like that and it still looked perfect with the sneakers is impressive. I'd wear that dress, although if I attempted to wear a jacket like that my friends would probably do laughing spit takes. I need a neck tattoo, obviously.

Anya: This is the other winning look that will be sold on amazon. It's a great dress, I like the sporty stripes and racerback and love that print. It is just another dress that is completely designed for Anya herself, but that seems to be working for her. We'll see if that carries her to the end, as it does seem that she is the only one that the judges like consistently. But this is where the episode turns into Dumbo's drunken circus dream and you have no idea what is happening... Why was there a second winning look at all? I don't know. Pointless. And why didn't the designer of that winning look actually win for it? I don't know. Pointless. Klumzilla on a rampage.

Joshua: Instead, this guy won for Anya's look. I guess the judges were very taken with his team leadership. What? In the beginning, his team was one of the two called out for having getting-along issues within the team. In this case, that was purely his fault. Even if it was his plan to just use Becky for her skills and not let her actually design, you don't come out and tell her that. A good leader would have found a way to get her on their side and do what they wanted, all while making her think it was at least somewhat her idea. He was really dickish to her, but at least he did apologize. If he had realized that she needed a little coddling, he could have saved a lot of strife and time. And anyway, I don't know where he gets his idea that she's dowdy. Her dress from last week was very young looking and actually looked a bit like his style.

As for his look, the detail on the side of the shorts was cool, but that vest was ridiculous. I can't believe that Nina of all people liked it.

Some mediocre stuff:

Josh C: I was actually pretty happy to see him come back. Hopefully he's gotten a little tougher and we don't have to watch him wet his pants on stage the next time he gets cut. I really liked this look a lot. Those pants look perfect with the sneakers and I love the black suede pockets. Even the holster business looks good here. I wish he had made the t-shirt a bit more fitted, especially in the sleeves, but that's my only quibble.

Becky: Hello nips. This look is pretty boring and the shirt is unfortunate. But mostly I just want to talk about Becky. She had a bit of a pity-party, but really you can't blame the designers for that sort of thing with the kind of pressure and schedule they maintain. (Plus, who of us girls haven't done that?) Besides, Joshua was really unnecessarily mean to her. BUT, what impressed me about her this week was that she was genuinely happy and rejoicing for his win, even after all that. The girl's got character and integrity. Unlike someone else...

Bert: It's almost becoming laughable. He finds new ways each week to make you hate him just a little more. He acts above the whole reality show competition thing, but maybe he is really the one milking it for all it's worth and making himself this season's most memorable character. I mean, how did Anthony Ryan not just turn and punch him on the stage? He was literally jumping for joy and laughing when the judges criticized his teammates. How can you be that old and still be that immature and generally crappy as a person?

AND WHY WON'T THE JUDGES SEE IT? Really, you can't remember the last time a team had this much trouble getting along? Well, It was two weeks ago, and the one common factor was Bert. His look didn't go with the sneakers at all, he was obviously a huge troublemaker in the team, and yet he got a pass. He should have been in the bottom with the other two.

Olivier: Should have listened to his teammates about farmgirl here, but mostly I just wanted to remind you of this:

"I wanted to be a team leader, but instead I had to fall like a bitch."

That line alone may have been worth all the crazytown in this episode. HILarious.

The Bottom 2:

Danielle: Oh Danielle. She lost this week, but at least now she is free to continue her torrid love affair with chiffon and maybe elope with it to Jamaica or something. This is not sporty at all. Why didn't she use jersey and make something similar to her first week's look? That type of top would have been perfect in this challenge.

Anthony Ryan: To be fair, he should have lost this week. This was one of the saddest things to ever go down the runway. Just another example of the judges following arbitrary whims and ideas about how much past challenges can carry a designer. But I am glad he didn't lose, because I still like him, and besides that he had to deal with the Abominable Bertman. He did seem like he was trying his best, but I don't think Bert would let himself be under the leadership of anyone. I wish he would get back to some of that pattern mixing he does so well.

Really, this week was much more about the personalities than about the looks. Oh, and about Heidi. And about inconsistent judging and agism.

And what the hell was Cecilia's problem? Why did she even go on the show? Some people have integrity, some people don't. A lot of people's true colors came out this week.

What did you guys think? The Bert thing is getting a bit puzzling. Do you think he's playing a part, or is he really just that crappy of a person? Do you think the producers are keeping him out of the judges' line of fire for entertainment value? I guess we'll see what variety of crazy the judges choose to reward next week...