Along with working full time, regular housework, a 2 month old baby and a general lack of sleep I have gone above and beyond and managed to make a whopping 5 stuffed blocks in the last 2 weeks. I never thought this modest sewing would be such an accomplishment but boy, I feel lucky to have found the time to do them. I dove into my scrap squares this time, having exhausted most of my scrap stripes recently. I loved finding the 6 squares that would make one block. Making each into a little color family. I stole some of the jingle bell cat toys from the cats and nestled them in the middle of the poly-fil batting in some of the blocks. I had intentions of filling a film canister with a few beans to make a shaker for one, but film canisters are practically extinct and I’ll be damned if I can find one in my house. There is a baby shower later this month and while I would normally make a baby quilt I think I can admit that there isn’t a snowballs chance in Hades that I will find time for that and I will be making some more of these.
I have had long internal debates trying to decide just how personal to make my blog. Some of my favorite blogs are all about moms and their daily experiences with their kids; Julia and Suburban Bliss. And the other extreme, the craft blogs that speak nothing of day to day life are just as lovely to read; handmade by Alissa and pretty little things. As much as I enjoy Julia’s writing, I don’t have the same talent so I blurt out personal things from time to time but I find it tough to spill out all the details of my life. It will be a little more personal now that I have a little girl to sew for. I hope the gratuitous pictures of her don’t lead to her being embarrassed (dear god, or exploited) someday, but she is just so perfect- I want to share her. She turns 2 months old this week but I will spare you too many photos of the gorgeous little thing.
I am still working on the paintbox quilt, but I wanted to do some little projects that I could get done while the baby napped. I tried 3 different times to sew a baby sling that I liked but royally failed each time, so I am sticking to the baby bjorn and she is fine with that.
Anyway, I revisited an earlier idea, t shirt dresses. I dived into the boxes of clothes that are piling up. Seriously, if I didn’t buy another stitch for this little darling she would be well clothed until kindergarten! I have been pulling out the plain shirts to re-work. Both of these dresses will probably fit this winter even though they are 12 to 18 month size… Did I mention that she is already wearing 6 month clothes?
I am cruising ebay hoping to find my own treasure chest of rick rack on the cheap. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it before. People are selling stacks of it and I am happy to make much of it my own.
And yesterday I fell in love with this book;
I tried to get it through my local quilt shop but she didn’t have it and now I am getting it through Amazon which told me it would be 1 to 3 MONTHS (?!?!). Seriously?? Well, I bit the bullet and ordered it, I fell in love with the images on the flickr group and decided that owning it is crucial to my survival. Sewing the raincoat to be worn 2 or 3 years from now isn’t crazy? Is it?
I happen to love Cloth and Bobbin, the (only) quilting store that is within 30 minutes of my house and now I am a sample maker for some of the patterns they sell! I taught a class there with an altered Simplicity baby dress pattern about a year ago. The class felt successful but my habit of always wanting to do new things means I haven’t done it again. The amazing owner asked me if I could make a sample of this adorable pattern;
And I jumped at the chance. When I arrived Saturday morning, Lisel- the pattern designer just happen to be there setting up for her class. I didn’t realize who she was right away but when I did I felt a little starstruck. Sewing fame couldn’t happen to a nicer gal…
The rest of the weekend was filled with friends and food and sangria, and I promised a particular 4 year old a pair of these pants in astronaut fabric. I have 2 quilt tops waiting to be sewn, new couch pillow covers cut out, a big stack of minkee waiting to become security blankets and a pink/green/brown quilt marinating in a stack. But yes, I did volunteer for another job. Biting off more than I can chew? Maybe, but pleasing 4 year olds is one of my great goals in life
In an attempt to create a variety of items and prices for my farmers market debut I tried some of these little things. I tried to call them binkies but learned that is actually a pacifier, and blankies are bigger, but some searching on etsy leads me to think they are lovies, feedback anyone?
Ingredients: Minke on back, satin quilt binding when I had some that matched and some very small sacrifices on some of my favorite fabrics.
a quick business card holder for Amanda, who just bought a new business
And a crochet hook roll for Paul’s mom, who loves green.
It has been a year since I started this blog. Which seems like a blink of an eye, and forever all at the same time. In that time I have sewn numerous dresses and quilts for the little shop that sells my crafts. The quilts were selling when there were only a few, so I made many, and they have just sat there for months and months. I should have taken heed, but instead I have gone completely overboard. I had been delivering 5 or 6 dresses a month and selling 4 or 5 of them. Last month I made 10, and from what I could tell today, only 4 of them sold. And here is where it will all fall apart- I delivered 14 more. I had ordered tons of gorgeous fabric from www.equilter.com and couldn’t help but make a big load of adorable dresses. But now I fear that I have sewn too many dresses and none of them will sell. I guess time will tell… Most of the fabrics below are from that lovely equilter website. The exception being the brown and pink polka dots and the Joel Dewberry birds that are from Cloth and Bobbin. I didn’t even take pictures of all the dresses, mostly because I was overwhlemed by how very many I had managed to crank out in a few days. So what is next on my plate now that I have manged to flood the market with my goods? Oh- I am sewing sails for my father in law’s sail boat! Thank goodness the weather has gotten so nice, I think I will have to sew in the yard!
The internet has made our lives so easy.
In between junior and senior year of High School I became friends with a lovely Kent, Washington girl while doing a summer theater program in Chicago. I was at that time a North Carolinian. We were pen pals and when I visited Seattle years later we hung out. The internet has kept us in touch over the years. She moved south to Albuquerque and I moved north to Philly and through the world of blogs she asked me to make a duvet cover with the Joel Dewberry pink aviary fabric
here is the jumping off point…
