Not Much Action

I haven't sewn too much since Christmas.  We got the Spools quilt done by a long-arm quilter.  I am waiting for my mom to bring it this week so I can get the binding sewn on.  My grandmother was so excited and surprised when she opened the box with the quilt top in it!

The story behind the quilt: My grandmother has been quilting for almost as long as I can remember.  She has sewn for most of her life, but after she retired she learned to quilt.  One Christmas, I asked her to buy me a beginning quilting book.  After I got the book, she helped me make a very simple patchwork quilt.  It is not big at all, but it was my first quilt and is still special.  From there, I started reading blogs and finding patterns online, always calling Nana when I ran into a problem or needed an opinion.  She taught me how to use a rotary cutter, how to tack a quilt, how to make and attach border, and how to make and attach binding.  Without her help, I would not know anything about quilting nor would I have ever looked into getting started.  I owe all of my quilting to her.  I wanted to make something special for her to thank her for teaching me.  When I saw the Spools quilt pattern, I knew it was perfect for Nana since it related to sewing and quilting.  I can't wait to finish the binding up and attach a label and give the quilt back to its new owner!

The other quilt was for my mother-in-law.  I took the batting and everything to finish it when we went home for Christmas, but I did not have ANY time to do it.  I accidently left the batting there so I am waiting for that to come with my mom this week too. 

In other news, I am excited to say that I am in the process of testing a new pattern for Tie Dye Diva Sewing Patterns.  After the pattern is released, I can show more.  :)

Christmas Presents

This year I decided to make two quilts as presents. Here are a few pictures of one of them.

Baby Girl Quilt

After finding out that some close friends of ours were expecting a baby girl, I knew I had to get to work on making her a quilt. (Because I want her to have one and because I know I will have to finish it before Collin is born.)  I knew I wanted to use the Skittles pattern by Kate Conklin Designs.  After being told their nursery would be centered around anything pink, I went searching for fabric. One day last week, I took P to the quilt shop with me while I was looking for fabrics for this quilt.   I setteled on Vintage Modern by Bonnie and Camille and chose three gray prints and three pink prints.  I paired it with Kona Snow which was the perfect match! 

Here is a bad cell phone picture from before I basted it.  (Not a good idea to be 36 weeks pregnant and crawling on the floor!)

The quilt top was easy to make.  It only took me a day.  I decided to make the quilt top a little longer and added a 1.5" (1" finished) section between each row.  Since I made the top, I have been out of town and I am just getting back to work on it.  Today I had a new adventure.  As usual, I used my walking foot for the quilting.  However, I decided to use the guide bar that came with it rather than tape to make the straight lines.  About a quarter of the way through, the entire bar fell off.  Obviously this did not make a very straight or accurate line.  I ended up "unquilting" the entire thing.  :(  I wanted to be happy with the results of the quilt and I knew I would not be happy with a very crooked line.  The photo below shows where I was taking out the stitches. 

 Because the blocks finished up at almost 12" wide, I was able to quilt three lines about three inches apart.  I also quilted down the center of the 1" sections I added and then on either side of these sections. 

 I am not crazy about the quilting through the middle of the sections but it was the first part I did.  I am hoping it will look better after it is washed.  It just looks quite indented to me right now.  Overall, I am very happy with the quilting.  

   Now I am off to make true bias binding using a print from Ruby by Bonnie and Camille so I can get it attached and the quilt sent on its way.  :)

Sewing for Sister and Baby

After enjoying a nice, long weekend in the Upstate, it was back to our world on Tuesday.  Since then, I have worked on making two bags for my sister.  She loves her gathered clutch I made her over a year ago.  Unfortunately, it looks dingy and she has too much in it.  She requested a larger bag that can hold her money and receipts.  After seeing the Wide Mouth Bag on Noodlehead, I figured this may be the one.  The zipper is attached in a special way so that the top of the bag opens very wide.

Below you can see the two different bags I made.  The top one follows the original tutorial as far as size.  However, I decided that it was too tall for her to keep her money in.  I decided to make another bag two inches shorter.  The bottom is what it turned out like.  I am happy with the bag, but do not like the way the divider did in the middle.  I will have to keep working on that.  Overall, the bag will serve its purpose.  Now I have to make another one for her friend just like the little one. 

Since coming back home, I have spent a lot of time thinking about what we still need for baby.  One thing I knew we needed were some burp cloths.  I have been saving this blue, green, and gray flannel for a special project, and I believe this is it!  The green I am using to make some cloth wipes that we can use for anything.  I also found some white chenille and some blue terrycloth that I am going to use for the back of some of the cloths.  I can't wait for baby to be here and be able to use all these things!  Only 8 more weeks until his due date!  :)

WIP and a Finish

About a year ago, my grandmother gave me a pattern to check out that was a Bargello purse.  She bought all the materials to make it, but she wanted me to make it for her (even though she is a great quilter).  When I was home last weekend, she gave me the supplies and this week, I got to work on it. 

Here is one set of the strips.  I have one more piece to add and then I will sew it into the tube. 

These are the other strips.  All mixed up and ready to be pieced. 

 After seeing this review on Sew Sweetness about Jeni's Lined Drawstring Bag, I knew I had to make one.  I followed Jeni's tutorial and added the pockets like Terri said in this tutorial.  The only thing that I did differently than the tutorials was that I sewed across the pockets 1.5" from the middle on each side to make room for the bottom.  I didn't want small things to fall straight to the bottom and really under the bag when I put them in the pockets.    I love the way this bag turned out.  It is a great size without being too small or too large.  While cutting, I cut enough to make several more bags.  I also want to make a bag out of Flea Market Fancy very similar to the one that Terri made on her review with one solid outer fabric and the pocket.  I will be making this bag again for sure!   

fabric from Hobby Lobby

Quilts for Kids

Here are the two quilts I made for the Downy Touch of Comfort Quilts for Kids. 

The Cars quilt is the one I received the kit from Downy to make.  It included everything by the binding.  I intended to fold over the backing to make the binding.  Without even thinking, I squared up the quilt after quilting and cut the extra backing right off!  The next morning, I ran out and bought some bias tape to use for the binding.  This quilt is different from other things I have made in several ways.  First off, it had to be heavily quilted to withstand the many harsh washes at the hospital.  Also, the binding needed to be zig-zag stitched so that it would not get caught on IVs.  I think this quilt turned out great!  I am glad I was able to make this Cars quilt for a child in the hospital.  I hope it brightens their day.

For receiving the quilt kit, they ask that you also donate a quilt that meets their specifications.  I was already working on three smaller quilts using a Hullabaloo jelly roll that I bought a while back.  Since they sent me fabric for a boyish quilt, I knew I wanted to make a girly one to send as my donation.  Since the center was square, I just added larger borders to the top and bottom.  The pink border is a print I picked up from my LQS but was not from the same line.  It matches nicely though. 

Now all I need to do is get them in the mail! 

Working Hard!

Over the past week, I have been working hard to finish up lots of different projects.  As I said last time, my sewing room has to turn into the baby's nursery so I am losing my table and lots of space.  Never fear, I have stashed all my fabric and things in the closet.  :)

 This is a quilt top that I made before we moved.  The pattern is Chopsticks from Julie at Jaybird Quilts.  The fabric is a mix of two lines by Deb Strain: Fresh and Fresh Flowers.  The two collections work well together and use the same colors.  My favorite prints are the blue ones. 

For the backing of this quilt, I chose to go a different direction.  I knew when I dug the top out, I was going to give this quilt to a friend who is expecting a baby girl in late August.  Since they are Clemson fans, I saw the orange polka dots and knew it would be perfect.  Although you may not be able to see in the pictures, several of the prints include orange in them.  I can't wait to give this quilt to her soon.

 After working on it for about two years, this quilt is finally finished (well, except for the binding...coming soon).  I started it one afternoon thinking it would be fairly quick.  The pattern is Mini Wild Thing from the Pint-Size Pattern by Camille of Thimble Blossoms.  When I bought this fabric a long time ago, I just bought a charm pack.  I never thought of trying to find more at the time in case I needed it later.  Needless to say, when I began actually working on this quilt I did not have fabric for the borders or the backing.  I went on a mad hunt for some that coordinated and this what what I found.  I know that flowers are not the best option for boys but it was all I could find.  I don't think he will mind too much.  :)

I was so afraid of messing up the quilting, I sent the quilt to a long arm quilter.  When we moved, we didn't know we moved near the largest quilt shop in Georgia!  I took the quilt to A Scarlet Thread to be quilted.  The pattern was called Van Gogh.  This is a close up of the quilting which turned out great!  My last task for today is to prepare the binding for it before I put away my machine.  Hopefully stitching on the binding will keep me occupied for a while. 

I also finished both of the quilts for Quilts for Kids, but I feel like they deserve their own post. 

I can't believe all that I have finished in such a short period of time!  I am very proud of myself and disappointed that it may be a while before I finish another large project.  Unless I take over the kitchen table.  :)