Wednesday, April 17, 2013

WIP Wednesday #1

So I'm going to start doing these!   I think it's going to be good to give myself some kind of "Hey you haven't finished this yet" kind of motivation.

So, without further ado, here's what I've got in progress:

#1: Spinning Stars Quilt


Mind if i squeal?  No?  Good. Because I LOVE this block!   #lowvolume #annamariahorner #spinningstars

The plan is to do an ombre effect, going from light to dark aqua/teals.   I'm using two low-volume bundles I purchased from Westwood Acres on Etsy, along with some scraps that I managed to pull out of my scrap bin.   I didn't have a lot of low-volume scraps, but I did have some of the aqua and grey on white swirl fabric you see above in the middle of this block - it's from the Washi Line by Rashida Coleman-Hale.   I purchased a half yard bundle of that on pure whim last year and it's really come in handy for zip bags, pouches, etc.   I'm sad to see the last of these fabrics go, but I'm also glad they're being used.   It's so satisfying to know that I used up some fabric.    It is similar to using the last little bit of toothpaste.

These blocks are cut from a template, all pretty much on the bias.   If you look at how the block is constructed, you have to sew these two triangle pieces together.   Since my machine's favorite late night snack is little bits of fabric, I start sewing the triangle pieces together in the middle and sew out on both sides.   It takes a little longer, but if you look closely you can see that everything is really lining up quite nicely, despite all the sewing being on bias.   Here you can see how well the first block went:
Also - omg, look at that point - it's perfect!!

Pretty impressive, if I say so myself.   I managed to get 3 blocks done, and the rest should come together quite quickly with most of the cutting already done.   Here are the 3 blocks together:
3/16 complete & (almost) all the "white" fabrics cut!  #spinningstars #annamariahorner

(Not Shown, for very boring reasons) Fabric Cut:
3/4 of A pieces
24/128 of B pieces
All of the C pieces

#2: Feather Bed Quilt

All blocks completed, just languishing in a nice neat pile.   I have the backing all picked out for this, and I already know how I'm going to quilt it.   The assembly of this quilt is open-ended, so when I got to that step I admittedly faltered.   I didn't want to just copy her pattern - I wanted to make it a little different.   I also didn't like how the pattern wasn't clear on what size cuts of fabric to make to "fill in" the spots between the feathers.   I don't have a design wall, so I'm going to need a dedicated day to decide how to do the layout and sew it all up.

#3: Roller Skate Dress

I have the lining cut and the fabric pre-washed.   It should theoretically take me about 2 hours to finish this.  In reality, it will probably take me 2 weeks.   I think Claire will really like this, and since she's a little short in the shorts department (ha!), she could really use the dress to beef up her wardrobe until I either go buy shorts or ask my sister-in-law for the hand-me-downs.

#4: Dessert of the Month, Winter Sampler & Woodland Sampler (in-progress)

February - minus the sparkle thread, which I haven't purchased yet.  #woodlandsampler #frostedpumpkinstitchery
No progress on the winter, and April is coming along nicely.   But let's not forget how I skipped over March.   I really like their Spring Sampler,  but I hesitate to buy it when I already have so many projects half-done.

#5: Grandmother's "zip-pouch/purse" thing (not started)

My grandmother wants me to make a "zip-pouch/purse" thing.   But it needs to be smaller than the one I showed her, with a handle.  *sigh*   Nothing is ever easy for her.   But I'll get around to it ... I basically don't want to have to make something up.   So that means I'll be browsing the interwebs for some awesome tutorial that will be the correct size.   Boo.

#6: 3/4" Hexagon Pillow

Obviously a long term project.   I maybe have a 5"x6" portion of the 20" pillow done.

Linking to Lee at Freshly Pieced.

Monday, April 8, 2013

Lately

I've been busy!   I've made lots of new things, but no quilts.   I have a sketch for my next one though. We will see if it actually comes to life...

First, an Easter basket.
A little Easter present!
No pattern, no real plan.  I knew how the construction was, so in my crazy head I though it'd all be ok!   In reality, it's floppy, too wide, and the walls of the basket part are too short.   Oh well.   It's cute!   Hopefully it'll prove useful carrying babies around or something...

Second, a Miss Maggie bunny from Posy Gets Cozy.

Miss Maggie is finished!  Now I have to start on her clothes so she's not naked tomorrow morning...

Here is the finished bunny.   I wrapped up bunny construction on Saturday night.   Then I whipped up the dress a little quicker than I would have liked to.   Here's a picture of Claire and Miss Maggie:

Take a picture of miss Maggie mama!
"Take a picture of Miss Maggie Momma!"
All the work was worth it because in the morning Claire got this really excited grin, grabbed the doll and whispered to her really quietly "We're going to be best friends.   You can sleep with me."   Melted my heart!

I have yet to complete the boots and the cape.   I haven't finished the boots because I've been busy with other stuff, and I haven't finished the cape because it looks terri-bad.   No, really.   I'm really glad it's a gift for a 3 year old.  

Third, I made Claire a dress!
I made Claire a dress!   Im quite proud of myself.  :)
Here it is!  

I used the Roller Skate Pattern from Oliver + S.   The fabric is from the Habitat Line by Jay McCarroll.   I got it $6/yd a few months ago.   There's enough fabric left Mommy might need a matching shirt!   Claire also really loved this.   She wore it all day long, and the next day, and made sure I was washing it so she could wear it again.   I made the size 5.   It was a really good fit.   A little big in the arm holes, but not exposing.   I have another all ready to go - a pink AMH voile this time!   The only thing I'm not fond of is the lining color.   I didn't think about it (next time I will), but I wish it were a color not so obvious.   Or I could have picked a really cute color, hot pink, light blue, etc.   It was easy to construct and I'm planning on finishing up #2 this week!

Next time I'll talk about my private swap with my sewing buddy and everything else I've been up to!

Elizabeth

#scrappytripalong

I just couldn't resist.   It looked so quick and easy.   And it was.   It really, really was.

#scrappytripalong done!  And thank goodness for tall husbands with really long arms!
Here is a picture of the quilt with my lovely husband (aka quilt holder).

I used all fabrics from my stash.   Once I had pulled a bunch of them out - I created a few rules:
1. No reds, blacks, or browns.
2. Stick to cool colors.

I think i was pretty successful in this.   There's one particular Lizzy House print that reads more "red" than the purple it is, but other than that I think all the colors are working well together.  As I look at the picture, I also see that the quilter's linen in dark purple looks black.   I also wish it had been left out, but I was trying to give the quilt a lot of different values.   I think it would have looked better if I'd stuck to all light/medium value fabrics.

I backed the fabric in grey sheet that came from a sheet set I had bought for backing a queen size bed quilt.   I'm glad to have used it!   The binding is a light grey herringbone, Riley Blake, I believe?

This quilt is headed to my sister-in-law's family.   They have been very generous with baby items.   Clothes, toys, essentials.   Just my way of paying them back!   Plus, we don't need any more quilts.  :)