The Reason for the Season

Like Mama quilters everywhere, I'm basting underneath the Christmas tree late at night. And quilting while Sprite busily tangles spools of thread or during her blessed but all too short nap time. But stitch by stitch fabric becomes a quilt to cover my Grandma with love and maybe, just maybe, make her hated wheelchair a happier place.

All Treat

But, before the wedding, there was Halloween. Sprite made an incredibly cute Lady Bug. Here she is just before heading out to Trick or Treat with the neighbor girl.She was really confused at first, but caught on quickly. She wasn't all that in to taking the candy at first, but she loved being able to run up to each door and knock on it. As long as the neighbor was there with her, at least. Safety in numbers you know. And she caught on to the candy by the end of the night; Grandma taught her about peanut butter cups. The Halloween candy is now safely out of sight. Frankly, I need to find a moment to get it out of my house, so that I stop eating it, too.

For anyone who is curious, the costume was fairly easy to make. For the dress, I just added a skirt to a black onesie, by gathering the fabric and then sewing it on.

The wings were made by drawing out my own pattern on to four pieces of interfacing, ironing the interfacing on to the fabric, and then cutting all four out. I then cut two batting pieces of the same shape and size by just laying those pieces on top of the batting. Next I layered two pieces, right sides together, and then a piece of batting on top. I sewed around, leaving space to turn at approximately where I expected to sew it on to the onesie dress. After I turned it, I needed to gently press, and then I sewed the opening shut. (I didn't bother with top stitching.)

The wings were then loosely sewn on to the dress with a running stitch. I kept my stitches mostly in the seam line and they were nearly invisible. You have to keep it loose, though, or the stitches will pop when you put the dress on her.

Completing the ensemble - a little red tutu to fluff the skirt out, black stockings and sparkly shoes. That was all she wore to the Halloween party, but on Halloween itself the weather was crisp so I put a long-sleeved onesie underneath it. I couldn't find black at the time, but white really worked just fine. Oh, and I gave her a little purse to use as her candy bag. I had a black headband for her, but she wasn't interested in wearing it.

It really only took a few hours to make, even learning how to deal with the slippery fabric, and she looked a treat.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

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!

Intermission

We interrupt our regularly scheduled slog of hand sewing binding to bring you this Halloween Costume Construction.

I bet you can guess what Sprite will be this year.

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.

Half Way There

The top is done, borders and all. I found a pretty blue for the backing, which I still need to piece. And then, its time for a deep breath, lots of basting and some machine quilting. I'm hoping I can be ready for that on Saturday, when the OMQG has its monthly Sew Day. I could use the moral support - and the advice.

Tweet Painting

Inspired by something I saw on pinterest (dangerous place that), I made this little piece of art this afternoon. It was just a practice piece that didn't have a home when I painted it. But, when I brought it in I realised it works perfectly on the bare nail in my sewing room. Serendipity.

Obviously, I didn't use vinyl letters like the original creator. I cut out my image and glued it down with tacky glue. This technique may take some perfecting. I definitely had bleeding in a few places. I also had trouble getting the paper off after painting, and in some spots the canvas primer came off. Because I'd used an image that doesn't require precise edges, it was easy enough to do a careful touch up with white paint. If I ever do one with words, I will definitely use the vinyl letters.

Also, I love the idea of doing this with your kids. 14 months? Not so much. She was much more interested in banging on the canvas with her toy than painting anything. We'll do some together when she's a little older.

On The Needles

There's also a sweater for Sprite underway. She picked the yarn out herself, pulling it off the yarn store shelf and refusing to exchange it for any other. That was a surprise; she usually wants them all. Perhaps she's part cat, because she finds yarn very enticing. And, of course, with one good tug she can (and has) undone hours of work. But, the sweater is coming together anyway, and with the bulky yarn I actually make a lot of progress despite my limited knitting time.

I'm not in love with the sweater, though. I think, despite the fact that I'm drawn to it in the skeins, variegated yarn is a mistake when I'm making a sweater. Perhaps the busy color scheme distracts from the pattern of the sweater itself? I'm not sure, but I am noticing that I only like muted variegated yarns when I'm working on something larger than, say a sock.

But, my girl still plays with the yarn every chance she gets, and I suspect she is going to love the sweater. So, I'll finish it and then try the pattern again in something a bit quieter.

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.)

Back In The Saddle

It's been six months since I've done any substantial sewing. But recently, Sprite turned one, sporting a GrandmaMade dress and an attitude.

Huzzah!

And with her new independence (and my new role of stay at home mom), has come just a bit more freedom for Mama. She's content to let me do my own thing for chunks of time, as long as I'm willing to pause and make the appropriate animal sounds when she brings me her toy.

So this week, we picked out some pretty fabric and I made her a summer dress.


This is the same Reversible Sundress I made last summer, and so I already had the pattern prepared. With that head start, the dress took me less than three hours to make, even with the need to stop for play breaks and to admire her fabric choices. (She entertained herself in large part by pulling fabrics off the shelf and spreading them about. Occasionally, she'd find a favorite and bring it to me to admire. Or perhaps she was requesting the next dress?) It was simple and quick, a great chance to get to know my new sewing machine - the one I received for Christmas and hadn't even threaded yet. But, oh it felt good to sew something.

And Sprite is such an appreciative recipient. When I held it up to her to check the size, she hugged it to herself and then grinned down at it before grinning up at me. She happily wore it all day Friday, protesting when her grandmother took it off her before dinner. And as pretty as she clearly felt in it, I got that special glow from seeing my kid wear something I've made her. Something I not only actually managed to sew, but that I think she looks cute as a button in.

Emboldened by the success, I bought fabrics for a new quilt the very next day. Its intended for a November wedding, so lets hope I find the time to work on it. Saturday was the OMQG Sew Day, and I slipped away for a few hours and did the cutting. Tonight I set the machine up with a neutral thread and set out my first strips for piecing. Here's hoping tomorrow brings a few sewn seams!

Look, I made something!

The Orlando Modern Quilt Guild's monthly sew day is today. My life doesn't exactly lend itself to a sew day right now, and I'm okay with that. But, I did want to participate in the Holiday Craft Project, where guild members are making items for long-term residents of a nursing home, those without regular visitors and who may end up without Christmas gifts.

So, yesterday I dusted off the sewing space. It turns out it takes one nap time and a few hours after the munchkin is in bed to make four pillowcases. The nice flannel should make for a little bit of soft luxury, or at least that's my hope.

My rotary cutting skills are apparently a bit rusty, but overall it felt great to sew. And a quick, but meaningful project was just what the doctor ordered.

Now to make sure I deliver it to the coordinator in time...

The Three Bears Romp

On Halloween, the three bears locked up the porridge and made the rounds. It was so much fun to have our own little Baby Bear to share Halloween with, and she was fascinated by all the strange decorations and kids running around in costume. She's always interested in the bigger kids these day, and the addition of bright and playful costumes really put it over the top for her.

For me, the joy was establishing the tradition of a Mama-made costume, and that it was more about fun than fancy. I started with Simplicity pattern 5720 and tweaked things a bit to create a bear. (Her father doesn't think I quite accomplished that. He describes her costume as 'some sort of cute little animal' and spent the night saying we were 'apparently' the three bears or that we were 'supposed to be' the three bears.) Her costume was finished off by furry boots and a Halloween bib. Mama and Papa Bear were made by basting a belly patch to a brown shirt and improvising ears sewn to headbands.

So, the first of the holiday traditions has been established. Onward in to the holiday season!

Fits and Starts

It's not that I have no time to craft. I could easily take 15 minutes of her naptime or ask my husband to take over for an hour after he gets home. I just don't seem to be able to focus, and so the short spurts I can do aren't getting me very far.
I've almost finished the great Orchid the super-talented Julie designed and kindly taught us at our last guild meeting. I was too distracted by the munchkin on my lap to listen to directions well at the meeting, so I took mine apart to start over at home in the quiet. Its honestly a 15 minute project, but after doing the hard part I stalled. Why? Because I have to remember to get out a little batting and the glue gun when the baby isn't sleeping in that room. Its been in this state for almost two weeks now. Lame. Maybe I'll finish it this afternoon in honor of the guild's Sew Day. It will eventually get finished, because I have plans to use it as part of a Christmas gift. Of course, that will also need to get made eventually...
I also have big dreams of a liberated stars quilt, using the technique taught in the second edition of Liberated Quiltmaking. Or at least to make some star blocks. This is as far as I've gotten. Again, I've been working on this for weeks. If you can call what I've been doing 'working on' it. Mostly I've been fingering these blocks that I cut out several weeks ago and dreaming about the quilt.
My knitting is actually faring a little better, because this is a project I can do with the munchkin on my lap or half spaced out in front of the TV while her Dad has her. This is a prayer pocket for the knitting ministry we have started at church. I haven't made it to a group knit since before the baby was born, but at least I've knit a few rows. Quite a few really. I'm letting the other knitting projects, the ones that take brain power, languish, but this little bit of crafty caring is progressing.

Mostly, though, I'm focused on the munchkin who is developing almost faster than I keep up. That's okay. I figure she's by far the most important project I've ever taken on. And its not like I can relegate her to the UFO pile when I'm not in the mood!

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.

Waiting: Day Four

Mary Jane booties to match the Matinee sweater.

Waiting: Day Two

Finished.

And I'm glad I took the time to pay attention to details like zig zag finishing the inside edges, changing thread colors when needed, and learning to properly use bias binding to finish the top. The small time commitment of baby clothes are a great opportunity for me to really learn those skills.

Waiting: Day One

I am officially on maternity leave, and the baby is officially not here. So, in addition to many hours spent sleeping and reading, I am filling my day with little projects.

Today's project was finishing the little kimono pajamas I've been wanting to make for weeks. The pants are finished, but I ran in to a problem with my plan to use store bought binding so I could use the blue trim despite not having enough yardage. Apparently, Coats & Clark and Amy Butler do not agree on the definition of 1/2" bias binding. I wasn't willing to venture out to the store by the time I realized that, so this may spill over in to tomorrow's project.

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.

Still Nesting

We're still spending alot of time cleaning, rearranging and generally trying to fit all the kid gear in to our house. It doesn't help that all this finally got us motivated to install a ceiling fan, fix some plumbing and basically deal with a bunch of other household chores that we'd been ignoring. And, of course, this meant turning upside down the work we'd already done so it almost has to be re-done.

In all of that, I haven't done much sewing. Mother's Day weekend, appropriately enough, was the exception to that. I finished the hand quilting on her bird quilt, which just needs binding now. And, I made her another gown. This is the same drawstring gown pattern. Clearly, this is my current comfort pattern.

I think I may be done with it now, though. The adorable kimono patterns are really calling my name...