Done and Done

For the first time in over a month, I am home and not packing for the next trip. It's been a grand fall, but I am awfully glad to be home for awhile.
But, in the midst of all that, the wedding quilt did get done. And on time, too. The machine quilting was just about as much of a disaster as I expected it to be. I had serious tension problems, even after testing it on a sample sandwich and reading all the tips I could find, and rip out lots and lots of rows of quilting. It got alot better as I went along, though. I think the problem was my choice to pin baste, even though I saw that as the recommended method on several sites. I like pin basting when I'm hand quilting, but I think it caused too much drag when machine quilting. There was definite distortion in the quilt, even after I ripped out the worst of the too tight quilting.
But, the bride (a quilter) and her Mama (also a quilter) loved it, distortions and all. No one is more generous about a quilt, particularly one where you're trying a new skill, than another quilter. And since I picked a pattern I knew she loved and fabrics that I knew she would love, what was a little distortion in the scheme of things.

It was a funny moment, when she picked up the present, too. She peeked in the gift bag - the best I could do travelling cross-country the day before - and immediately said "this one's from Cara." I guess none of her local friends are quilters! That's just as well, because the card was back in Florida.

So, that's one project done - and the bride and groom were happily married off a week later in a beautiful celebration, so that's done, too. Now, on to Christmas!

Tie Dye Extravaganza

I tried my hand at another kind of craftiness last weekend, hosting a tie dye party for 20 of our friends and family.
We ended the day with lots and lot of amazing art work. T-shirts, pillow cases - and my Mom even brought fabric to dye and use later in a quilt. (Smart!)
There was even a "will it be a girl?" onesie.
And, Sprite is now ready for Halloween season with this quirky little Jack O Lantern. I was disappointed when my tie dye was off center, but it turned out to be a happy mistake.
We even had tie dye cupcakes, which I made using the simple rainbow cupcake found everywhere on the internet. (I originally saw it here.)

It was quite simply the best party we've thrown. Because it was a potluck and I had the set up ready ahead of time, I was able to really enjoy my friends and have my turn at the tie dye. Everyone had a great time, and there was very little I needed to do to keep things moving after I gave the original tie dye instructions. My Mom called it a festival, and she wasn't far off. A huge spread of amazing food, lots of good music thanks to Pandora, quilts on the grass and children running wild - and everyone went home with at least one cool piece of tie dye art. We will definitely be doing this again.

Moving Again

Between a few difficult weeks with Sprite (though, we did get 9 new teeth out of it) and the fact that taking blocks apart and re-working them isn't nearly as much fun as making them in the first place, work on the wedding quilt slowed down to a snail's pace. But, a month later all the blocks are finished, I've settled on a layout and I've even started sewing rows.

I'm much happier with the new blue. Everything flows nicely now, and the quilt was just what I envisioned. It was worth the extra work to do it right. And now the pace has picked back up as I get to watch the quilt come together.

Its sure to stall in a bit here, though. I *think* I've decided to machine quilt it on my sewing machine. I really should be able to on this new machine, and its only a lap size quilt. But, its really intimidating all the same.

Lots of Steps Forward, A Few Steps Back

The wedding quilt has been making itself. Ten minutes while Sprite re-organizes my fabric, fifteen during her nap, twenty while she plays with Daddy... suddenly I have most of the blocks done in a week. Maybe its that awesome new sewing machine.


Unfortunately, the blocks were flying from my awesome machine so fast that I was near the end before I laid them out to take a look. The photo here is just a random layout, with minimal fussing, of the blocks I'd finished. I'm almost in love with it. But, the distance between almost and just right is pretty big. Everything is perfect except one fabric choice. The light blue that seemed to go so well when I stacked the fat quarters up doesn't work at all in the actual quilt. It reads as a white, and its actually alot more jarring in real life than in this photo. Aargh.

I've toyed with lots of ideas to fix it. I could embroider on those blocks - their names, their wedding date, hearts. Or maybe the right color quilting thread would make it work... But, in the end, I think I have to re-do those squares. Its too big a risk to take, finishing it and hoping the quilting will take care of it. And while I may do some embroidery on it, I really don't want to do that much. This is a wedding quilt, meant to celebrate the love of a very special friend. One that has made a quilt for all the other girls in our group as we married and for our kids as they've come along. Now its her turn, and this one has to be just right.

So, I'll be hitting the fabric stores and then spending some quality time with my seam ripper. Its a good thing I'm making such great progress. November is still a ways away, right? (Nobody remind me I still have to quilt this thing, please. I'm hanging on to the idea that I'm ahead of schedule.)

The Naptime Dress

There's a special little girl in my life who, at 10 months old, hasn't yet received a handcrafted gift. That clearly had to be corrected. She has also generously passed on all her clothes to my little firecracker as she outgrows them, so a dress was the obvious choice* when I finally sat down to make her something. (Its a given that her quilt will have to wait a bit longer, right?)
This pretty little frock fit the bill. Simple enough to be made in a few naptimes, and pretty enough to be special. Add in a few great fabrics from my local quilt shop, and you have a dress that speaks of my love for the little girl for whom its meant.
And made with snaps, it is fully reversible. Two dresses for the effort of one, a lovely gift for a special girl, and some simple sewing for a new Mama - perfect. It feels good.

*Though it occurs to me as I write this that I made a dress for a little one who is crawling. Not good planning.

Slow Crafting

While I greatly admire expectant Mama's who churn out adorable baby items for 9 months, I am clearly not that Mama. I do much less crafting when pregnant. I'm too tired, too preoccupied with the rest of the to do list, and just too disinterested in doing anything that can't be done from the couch.
But, I did think she should have more than just two gowns from her Mama, so this weekend I cut out the pieces for little kimono PJs. The pattern is from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones. I love her adult patterns and they always go together so easily, so I'm hoping this will be an easy sew. And that I'll get back to it before next weekend.

I am making great progress on this adorable Matinee Sweater from The Expectant Knitter. Its an easy knit, and that I can do from the couch. Or the bed. Or the waiting room. I did knit her another sweater, but I don't like how it came out and I'll probably never put it on her. But this little cardigan, which I'm knitting with bamboo yarn, looks like just the thing to fight the air conditioning chill.
I've also spent alot of time pondering how to make a sling from these fabrics. I bought the bird fabric at least three years ago with an apron pattern in mind. When I decided it wasn't right for that project, I put it away with a baby sling in mind. And then waited several years to get pregnant. Except, now that I am pregnant, all the patterns were for longer lengths of fabric and said you should have a fabric that doesn't have a wrong side. So, could I make it with a lining or would that be too thick for the rings? And, can I skip that extra 1/4 yard they call for, since I'm small? My list of questions was endless, and since some of this is actually about safety it seemed like just experimenting was a bad idea. So, I finally emailed a friend with actual expertise in such things* and begged for advice. And she promptly offered to make it for me as a baby gift. Score!

* True expertise - as in she actually made and sold slings to real customers. I bought one as a baby gift years ago, and it was gorgeous. The Mama said it was really comfortable, too. I don't think she's specializing anymore, but you could ask about a commission through the Etsy shop she and her husband share. You should keep an eye on their shop anyway. Really cool things pop up in there whenever they find a minute for crafting in the midst of life and raising beautiful children.

Just Another Saturday Night

Finito

The birthday quilt from back in March is finally done.  I went back and added additional quilting, and the flowers really pop in three dimension now.  (Can you tell?  It seems really hard to see the texture in the photo.)  The one good thing about having to go in to work this weekend is that I was able to leave the quilt for the Mom as a surprise for Monday morning.  She was as excited as I hoped she'd be, and it was fun to give a quilt to someone who really wants one.

We'll just overlook the fact that she has started calling it a blanket.  After all, I'm told that the recipient is "a blankie girl" who carries them around, tucking her dolls and stuffed animals in and sleeping with at least one.  A loved quilt by any other name...

Distracted

This afternoon I decided Sabine needed a quilt for her first birthday. (Her Mom confessed some time ago to being disappointed she didn't get a quilt at her shower. How can you resist making a quilt for someone you know will really appreciate it?) After work, I detoured to the store and chose fabrics for a simple, girly quilt. Tonight it is basted and ready to be quilted. You can't see them, but I've traced dragonflies on to the pink stripes. Now, to quilt it in record time. I don't think my knitting will see any progress over the next two weeks. And my Carnival Tumblers are definitely on hiatus.

Sometimes, More is More

This weekend we attended the wedding of two wonderful people who make an amazing couple. It was also a Hindu Indian wedding and I can't settle on just one or two adjectives to describe it.  Beautiful, Breathtaking, Glittering, Awesome, Musical, Huge are all vying with one another.  Lesson One: if you want to throw an elegant affair, you simply need to invite Indian women and ensure they wear their sari's.  They were beautiful and looked comfortable; I was very jealous and expressed more than once my conviction that I would wear a sari to every dressy event if only I wouldn't look ridiculous.  And there were hundreds of them, wearing saris in every color of the rainbow, embroidered, beaded or floating.  There was food (lots and lots of food), music and dancing.  For the family, this literally started on Tuesday and continued through Saturday night.  We only attended Friday and Saturday, and I was still awed.  When we came in to Friday's celebration, I was told I needed to take bangles.  So, I took one set only to have every Indian woman I knew express concern over the next half hour that I didn't have more.  I finally took another set and no sooner did I put the bangles on my wrist than the groom's mother walked past me and said "good, good" as she patted my wrist.  Lesson Two: less is not more at an Indian wedding.  And, just in case I didn't learn that lesson the first time, the Saturday ceremony was three hours long.  Yes, three hours.  Followed by a cocktail hour and reception with more speeches, food and dancing than I've ever seen in one place.  And I can not begin to describe to you how it is they manage to have half a dozen speeches - speeches, not toasts - and stuff us full of plates of spicy food and still have hundreds of people on the dance floor.  It was amazing.My only regret is that I missed the henna. But, one of the other guests was kind enough to let me take a photo of hers. How cool is this?

Ready for Ebony

Little Miss Ebony's Christmas stocking is done, in plenty of time for Mama's baby shower. I'm really pleased with it.

I just hope they don't decide she's not an Ebony when they meet her. Do people do that? Announce a name, but then decide to change it when the baby is born? That thought struck me just as I drew the last line for the 'E' and became irrevocably committed. Oh well, I suppose they can always hang it the other direction, and it will add to the family folklore.

Friendship

Some friendships are magic. It has been ten and a half years since I was in a position to see my college girlfriends every day. At times, we have lived on three separate continents and today we span the United States. But, this weekend we were in one place, one time and while almost everything about our lives has changed nothing about our bond has.

With them, I was tough enough to hike up this mountain to the top of Multnomah Falls. (It is every bit as high and steep as it looks.) Those of us from the flat lands were breathing heavily in the thinner air and leaning in to the incline. The mountain girls took the trail like nimble goats. But, we got to the top together.

At the Saturday Market, the differences in our tastes could not have been more apparent. I ogled a silk quilted jacket, while another coveted the marble lions that would look great in her drive. We each knew exactly what would appeal to another, though, often calling out "come look, it looks just like you." Ten years of sporadic visits, but we still know.

We cooked together, played together and talked incessantly. We shared stories, talked about scary decisions, and told inside jokes. I found myself startled when someone shared a bit about their daily life I didn't know, and only on the flight home did it occur to me that what is truly surprising is how much we do know. If you work at it, relationships can be maintained through email and phone calls. But, the occasional chance to share a fall day and an apple - to strengthen that bond with some time together - its precious.

Oregon was beautiful, if a bit cold and rainy, but we could have been anywhere. We just needed to be.

A Seaside Celebration

We've been very busy with the business of life recently. Lots of work and lots of play - and for me spurts of progress on my projects.











This weekend we spent three days at the beach, celebrating my little sister's 26th birthday. It was a grand celebration with tons of food, sun and sand. October in Florida is the perfect time for swimming and sand castles with our 5 year old friend, and her 11 week old brother allowed us to cuddle and rock to our hearts content. We did have a mishap when my husband walked off a ten foot sea wall in the dark, but besides a bruised shoulder and a sore knee he's recovered well.

Early in the morning this Thursday I'm off to Portland for a long awaited retreat with my college girlfriends. Despite the long list of things I need to do before going, life really doesn't get any better than this.

Ashley's Quilt

Our friends' recently started a family with the adoption of little Ashley. Naturally, such a long-awaited and wonderful occasion requires the proper amount of celebration and fuss. This is Ashley's Quilt. Cotton and Minke rectangles on the front, flannel backing, embroidery thread ties - I wanted this to be a tactile quilt - and high loft batting turned this in to a cuddly comforter. I'm very pleased with my girly but modern color choices, since Mom and Dad have to look at it, too.

The front was pieced entirely out of my stash, a first for me, and a shortage of the pink fabric inspired this block. I think it might be my favorite part of the quilt.


Here it is all packaged up for Alex to deliver this evening. I used scraps from the quilt haphazardly sewn to the front of card stock to make the card, which contains the care instructions. (I saw this brilliant idea in a tutorial somewhere on the internet just recently. Naturally, I can't find it again.) The whole thing makes a cute little package that I'm happy sending to the new parents.

Stepping Out (of my comfort zone)

This week was a good week, but a tiring one with work stretching well in to the evening.  So, on Friday evening I wasn't particularly looking forward to our friend's birthday party at Opa, the Greek Taverna.  I felt every bit of my 31 years and a few of someone else's.  A restaurant infamous for dancing on the tables and napkins used as confetti wasn't exactly what I would have planned for my evening.  But, it was her birthday and so I put on my sundress and a smile.  

And when we got there I sat back to enjoy the show with a plate of amazing food .  One of the belly dancers was on the table next to us, swallowing fire.  Others danced through the room, pulling patrons out of their seats.  Not that much encouragement was necessary, since many of the patrons were eager to have their plates cleared away so they could dance on their table.  I won't deny alcohol was consumed in great volume, but it was really mostly good, clean fun.  People were dancing, laughing and enjoying one another.  Besides, you couldn't be too drunk since you were dancing on the table.

I watched the table across from me and smiled over the top of my glass of wine thinking "it really takes alot of self-confidence to be able to climb up there."  Then they cleared our table, and with only the birthday girl and I sitting there at the moment the belly dancer started to dance.  When she reached her hand down to us, I simply couldn't refuse her.  I mean, she is dancing on the table in the middle of the restaurant.  The least she can expect is for everyone else to play along.  

And that is how I ended up dancing on the tabletop with a belly dancer as perfect strangers took our picture.  

My foray in to table dancing would have been short-lived, but when I held my hand out for an assist down the belly dancer literally whispered "no, don't go!" in a panicked voice.  So, I stayed and the braver of our friends and my extroverted husband joined us on the table as they came back in from the patio.  It turns out that once you've spent ten minutes dancing on the table it is much easier to climb back up there again.  

While its not the first time we've danced the night away, it is certainly the first time we've done so on top of a table.  It is also, as far as I know, the first time we've taken a starring role in the photos of several dozen tourists.

Photo Monday

Tippy Toes

I {heart} Mail

More happy mail!

This beautifully wrapped package arrived last night. (No owl post this time, but our friendly mailman.) It was fun to get a package at all, but then to find it was a bona fide present... What a treat on a Monday evening.

And a present that combines two of my favorite ways to spend my free time. Perfect.

Thanks, S!

Owl Post

Look who came to live with me!
It's Murray the Owl. He came all the way from Washington to live with me. I was worried the relentless heat of Florida might be a bit much for him, but he says he's so well insulated that it doesn't matter to him whether its hot or cold. Besides, what is most important is the humidity to keep his feather's shiny and that we certainly have.

And he brought me happy post from the wonderful Britt. He arrived bearing these gifts just as I was leaving for the hospital yesterday, and it sure lifted my heart.

This morning Murray and I spent some time admiring what she sent - cheerful turtle fabric and a French Vanilla chocolate bar. (She enclosed a note that she would have sent Turtle Beer, but it might have gotten Murray in trouble with the postal service. That's okay with me; turtle fabric and chocolate are even better.) I was worried I might have to share the chocolate bar, but Murray says I can have it all. He really prefers voles anyway. But, he does want to help me design the projects for these fabrics. After hearing his ideas this morning, I'm sure it'll be a great collaboration and he's a very enthusiastic design partner.

Murray is a bit homesick for his friend, Sarah the Snail, though. (I wonder if she'd mind the nickname Sally the Snail, because I keep wanting to call her that.) I told him I'd put the word out that she's still looking for an adoptive home. You should go take a look. Britt's friends make great companions... And inspire a bit of silliness on a Sunday morning.

Welcome Alena

Baby Alena should be joining us any time now, and her cuddly quilt is on the way to Mama. Cheerful turtles, the soft texture of minky fabric and ties to be played with - just the way to greet a little one whose older siblings (all three of them) are bound to ensure she's a creative little sprite.

Finished!

We won't discuss how many years - or tears - it took to finish this. Instead, we'll bask in the glory of it being finished. And just in time for delivery to its patient owner, who visited for a few short days over Easter. Yes, it took me that long to post about it. I can't get the colors right, but I've now given up. The heck with it. Just know the purple is only slightly variegated, not tie dye, and actually looks, well, purple.

Ironically, the binding, always my least favorite part of a quilt, went on without a hitch. Go figure. It might have something to do with researching better methods of applying the binding, but given that absolutely nothing else about this quilt was easy I'm still amazed.

I'm just so glad that its done, that S. is happy with it, and that I never have to do another T-shirt quilt again as long as I live.