Coincidence? Or, Divine Intervention…

So, it all started out innocently enough.  I was excited!   I made  the big executive decision to merge the girls’ things into one room.  Here’s why: they sleep together anyway and they hardly use the other as a playroom. 

I wickedly and swiftly had my own sewing room.  I cannot show you pictures yet because it is still quite messy and I wouldn’t want to confuse you all with imperfection.  (HA!)  So, after the machine had been moved in, and I figured out storage, and the like, it came time to decorate a bit.  I’d had this cheater print from Denyse Schmidt for awhile and didn’t have any grand plans for it and so this is what has become of it. I cut three squares and stretched them over a canvas frame from the art supply store.  I love them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, I had a fair amount left over. I thought that the nice home dec weight of the canvas, and those lovely, wacky squares would turn into a nice bag or tote. So, I started to make one and here’s what we have so far….

I’m pretty excited about making a bag out of this.  I’m using Peltex fusible stabilizer so it will be extra boxy and have firm sides, which I like.  And, what’s the big deal about making a bag out of this?  Well, it’s not.  Except, a few mornings later, I opened up my Denyse Schmidt newsletter email to find this.

Hmmm.  Interesting.  County Fair fabrics are in the air I suppose.  Well, they were.  Literally. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fastforward a few days and what comes in the mail for me?  My DQS7 quilt from my partner.  It was her first step into the quilting world and I think she made a great, sweet quilt.  Uh…notice a theme here?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And not only did she make this, but she sent leftover stash…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it.  Do things really happen in threes?  I say yes.

WIP Wednesday

Flea Market Fancy – A Decision Has Been Made!

After looking at many different squares, blocks, triangles, hexagons (half or otherwise) snowballs and the like, I started cutting into the blue flea market fancy.

Much has been written and blogged over this colorway of this particular line of fabric by me and many others.  I’ve traded and swapped for it and even called little shops all over the country in search of it.  Basically, it’s called hoarding.  This past week, I swapped for another half yard, plus a fat quarter of the creme de la creme blue bouquet and I said to myself that the time had come.  I want to enjoy the prints, not have them on my fabric shelf, as pretty as they are sitting there.  So, without any further ado…here it is. 

The blocks are 6″ and there are only four fabrics that I’ve settled on.  The other three are kona cotton in bleached white, the pinky-red coordinating barbells, and Amy Butler’s full moon dots. 

It’s all about the fabric….

A Wee Project

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This was a quick and sweet project for my swap partner who shall remain nameless until she receives it in the mail.   I wanted to make a graphic quilt that used bold color.  I have triangles on my mind lately and what better use of quarter sqare triangles than for a tiny quilt like this?  It measres 13×18 and I’m very happy to send this out in the mail all wrapped up in a hand-embellished tea towel.  Every tea towel should have pom poms.  Riight??

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you’re interested in joining in on all the fun, there’s a doll quilt swap group at flickr.  Next round will most likely be after the holidays, but why not join now and see all the lovely quilts being shipped and swapped all over the world!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

School Clothes

When I was in elementary school, August meant one thing.  It meant that school would be starting soon and I always had mixed feelings about that.  Long days at the beach would be over, but it did mean school clothes shopping.  My mom did go through a sewing phase for me when I was in 5th grade and she made me a classic 1970′s wrap skirt.  I loved that skirt because I got to choose the fabric, and because my mom made it.  So, I wore it with a pink blouse and braids.  With birkinstocks.  And knee socks. 

But I digress.

This year, as my Suzannah enters 3rd grade (insert sound of hand smacking forehead here) I am determined to:

a) Sew her blouses, dresses and skirts

b) Use fabrics only from my stash

c) Involve Suzannah as much as possible

So, I searched around for a simple patterns that I could use to create a kind of uniform.  I wanted a blouse pattern that could also be lengthened to make a dress.  I found it in Simplicity 4206.  This is a fast and easy, versitile pattern.  I bought it in sizes for both girls so let the dresses and tunics and blouses begin.  Here’s the first one.

She picked out both fabrics.  But I’ll tell you what fabric really got her excited. I ordered Lecien’s Happy Chihahua from Fabricworm and together, we made a lazy days skirt. 

And of course I had to quickly make one for Isabel too.  You can make these great skirts in 45 minutes – even less time if you have everything all ready to go.  You use about a half yard of fabric, some elastic and about a yard of trim or ribbon and it all costs under $10 and no one else on the playground is going to have one exactly like it.  What could be better than that?  Well, maybe if Suzannah would wear birkinstocks with knee socks….

Daisy Chain Squares- A Quilt for Sarah

This is my most recent finish, a nearly twin-sized quilt for my sister Sarah.  She’s getting married in August and I really wanted to make her and her wonderful fiancee a quilt in colors I was sure they would like.  Amy Butler’s line from Daisy Chain provided just the perfect balance of neutral with fresh color. 

There are 12 squares, each 12 – 14 inches.  I put the squares right to the edge, which I like.  I think doing that gives it a more modern feel.  Also, in the sashing, I tried a different kind of quilting.  I was inspired by this blogger who does a similar kind of quilting and whose work I really enjoy.  You can see it more clearly here on the back.  It’s a sort of wavy, overlapping stitching.

I love that tiny block on the bottom. 

I was able to give this to Sarah over the weekend at her bridal shower.  I am so happy to give this to her at such a happy time in life.

Hi. My Name Is Tina.

And I’m a junkie.  This is my drug of choice.

It’s taken me a long time to find some of these fabrics from my beloved Flea Market Fancy line by Denyse Schmidt.  I was lucky enough to be able to swap for some of these.  And now that I have what I need, I find myself stumped and a bit reluctant to cut into these little beauties.  I really want to make a quilt with this assortment, natch, but what pattern?  It took so much looking and messing around to get this much, that it seems like I should have a concrete plan, nicely put on graph paper like more careful, less impulsive quilter/bloggers do.  Or, perhaps I ought to be using an actual pattern.  I’m stuck for sure. 

I love scrappy quilts, but don’t want to cut this up so small, that you can’t see those beautiful flowers.  I’m going mental.  Dear readers…WWYD???? 

This is one of the possibilities I’m considering:

I like the two top patterns.  Feedback, ideas and attempts to give me therapy are welcome.

Gee’s That’s A Lot of Yellow

This month, it’s all about me.   Well, me and Adina.  For the Cottage Quilting Bee, the two of us are designers.  I’ll be Sending out my most favorite yellow fabrics and having my bee peeps stitch a Gee’s bend inspired block.  For those of you not familiar with the amazing quilts of Gee’s Bend, feast your eyes.  Here are a few examples…

This last picture is only inspired by the Gee’s Bend quilts, however, it is a style I love and adore which is why I’ll be asking my Cottage Quilting Bee participants to be making blocks like this for moi.   I very much want squares within squares within squares.  Each block can have many squares in it like the one directly above on the right, or it can have as few as three.  Each square within the block can have 1 to 3 fabrics in it like above in the pink, green, blue and grey quilt.  One square on the right has both green and pink fabrics.  I hope this is clear.  If you have any questions, please feel free to email me here or at Flickr or leave a comment below.  Ok…fabrics going out today!  Thanks everyone!

A Princess, A Unicorn, Various Slimy Creatures & One Tiny Pea

I wish this picture were better, but once again, I finished after the sun had set and the light was lousy.  But, here are a few close-ups of the Far Far Away quilt. 

 

I totally love it so much that I want to marry it. 

Love Heather Ross.  Love this fabric. Love this quilt.

Somewhere in a Land…

There lived a woman who loved her daughters and loved making things for them.  She was never exactly sure when her pastime became her vice, or when the fabrics she bought for making these quilts, dolls and the like became the object of her desire, but this is exactly what happened.  The culmination of her love  for beautiful fabrics was the arrival of the etherial, new line from Heather Ross.  As pictured above with the sweetest selvedge ever made. 

Ok, that’s it for the fairy tale.  I can’t write in the second person about myself very well without feeling really ridiculous.  Seriously though, these fabrics are so lovely to touch.  They are two layers of gauze and they drape beautifully and sew easily.  I’m making a quilt of large blocks and it’s going to be incredibly soft, not to mention charming without being overly so.  Here are two blocks out of 7 so far:

The blocks are turning out to be 15 inches, my biggest to date.  I’m trying to use up every tiny scrap leftover after cutting.  Notice the princess’s mattresses are framing the unicorn above. 

Check out the tiny snails…

So, yes.  I may be on my way to Queen of collecting fabric, but I think anyone and everyone will love these fabrics.  Also, I think I have enough left over to make a small dress for a nearly 3 year-old girl.  What a coincidence!

All hail grand Duchess Heather Ross for her incredibly imaginitive designs.  Go visit her at her castle…

Feathered Friend

Here she is – all ready to go to the auction.  Keep your fingers crossed that this set of girly bedding will fetch lots of money for the arts program at my daughter’s school.  Also, can I get a hallelujah that we get to go out and converse amongst other adults!  Adult beverages might even be consumed…