all buttoned up.

Feather Bed

I have a long list of quilts I want to make-- some from patterns in books or online, and some that I have yet to realize on paper. When I saw Anna Maria Horner's free Feather Quilt pattern for Field Study I put it at the top of the list. I had a stack of fat quarters from the Japanese company Hokkoh purchased at Quilt Market in Salt Lake almost two years ago just sitting there waiting. That saved me a boatload of time, since I tend to think a little too hard when matching fabric to a pattern. I originally wanted to applique the feathers across the quilt, but decided that this one was 1. probably going to see the inside of washing machine a lot thanks to three little people, and 2. I had not left myself enough time.

I split the stack into three different colour stories and made up 23 feathers. If you are thinking of doing this one (and I would support that notion), be prepared for the cutting and pressing to be the most time consuming part. You're cutting from templates on the bias and any number of things can go pear shaped if you don't pay attention. Once I started laying out feathers, I realized that I also wanted/needed a little more negative space, so I threw in some blank half blocks for balance. I quilted it using my Bernina and its BSR free motion function. I will tell you that there are a few glaring mistakes visible on the backside, where the flannel puckered and folded under hundreds of tiny stitches. This is in part to my sketchy time management, carelessness, and utter disdain for making quilt sandwiches. No matter how many times I sandwich those buggers together, I end up with lumps and bumps. Normally, I start quilting and then readjust my basting pins as I go. I neglected that step and paid for it. Any tips welcome. I usually tape the back to the floor, lay the batting on top, smooth, and then repeat for the top.

This is 64" by 64" ish and was a gift for Sharalee, who is also one of my sisters. It's backed with flannel from my shelves (I've started buying large amounts of flannel on clearance in order to afford to back my quilts with them) and the only think I bought specifically for this project is the Kona cotton for the background. I'm a good way down the list of people in my family that have handmade quilts from me, although, I think I should start going by household until we all stop breeding.

So, what say you? Do you have patterns on your list? Or do you have swatches waiting for the right pattern? I just bought 5 half yards of the newish Liberty Lifestyle cotton on sale at Sew, Mama, Sew and I'm trying to match dot com them into a new relationship with a quilt.

Winterizing

I did nearly no baking this year (a little for the neighbors, a little for guests) but I did stop and make these for a Mariko's Not Necessarily Cookie Specific Cookie Party. They are Lamington Cupcakes and come from The Craft of Baking, a book that usually gets a work out at my house this time of year.

That is glaze, not ganache and the cake part is more cake donut than cake. The crumb is very fine and bright white and as a not lover of cakes, I really love these. The recipe makes 12 largish ones and when I do it again, I may borrow smaller cupcake trays and try to make more small ones instead. They are rolled in toasted coconut and the few leftover were fine on the counter for a day or two.

We headed to my parent's house in B.C. to see the hundreds of cousins (not quite) and play in the snow that we woke up to the first morning after we arrived. We drove home just before Christmas to spend it here with our friends and various hi-jinks. The boys received more things that they needed than wanted (maybe) but it turned out just right in the end. The last couple of months I felt like I had acquired so many things (!!) for them but when they were all wrapped and under the tree I realized that I just have a lot of children and not really a lot of things for each.

I've finished a total of nine of Alicia's ornaments this year-- I sew them in bed at night getting the baby down. I have two more half finished that I packed away for next year. If you find yourself wanting to get into handwork and needing guidance and a beautiful finished project, I can't recommend her kits highly enough. I followed the directions and got exactly what was promised. They are sold out now, but I'm hopeful she'll release them again the the fall, so stick them on that list in the back of your head.

This was, by my counts, a banner year for making. I didn't think I would get very much done but I made a fairly ambitious list anyway, and then plowed right through it during nap times and a couple of weekend afternoons. I am always surprised at how much I can get through if I just put my head down and do it.

Comforter Style

For those of you who have purchased or sewn with Japanese double gauze, your eyes are probably popping and you're thinking "GIRL, YOU BOUGHT ALL THAT?!"

I'll stop you there and say, no, I didn't buy it, I STOLE IT. That makes it better, yes?

Mariko had a stack of half yards of Nani Iro Pocho and Fuwari Fuwari sitting on her shelf for years. I knew that she had planned to make a quilt out of them, but after watching the stack sit untouched on her shelves, taunting me, I finally took it down and told her I had a plan.

I had no such plan.

And so they sat on my shelf for a year and a half until one day I said, "enough!" and I cut into them with a half plan and a lot of good intention. The pattern is based on a throw project from Rashida Coleman's, "I Heart Patchwork". The squares are 9". I had wanted to tie it but I didn't want it to look fussy, so I opted for diagonal straight line quilting. The back is two lengths of double gauze sewn together, and I like it almost better than the front.

A few notes on working with double gauze:

• I didn't prewash because I wanted it to fluff up quite a bit in the dryer. Double gauze washes up almost like flannel and there's significant shrinkage due to a pretty loose weave.
• Because of that loose weave, piecing double gauze is best done on or against the grain. It frays and I had a monkey of a time trying to match those points due to stretching.
• It is so dang COZY, almost like a comforter. I stitched the binding on while putting T to sleep one night. I promptly fell asleep under it. I gave it to Mariko the next day because I knew I would want to keep it if I dragged it out. 

These projects bring me great joy. When I first started blogging (8 years ago?) I used to send surprise packages and swap beautiful things with people all over the world. It was fun and not always predicated on reciprocation. Making stuff and giving it away without occasion is so freeing and sweet. I need to fit more of that gift giving into my life again. Of course, if I can't find anything for Mariko for Christmas, I'm calling this her gift. So basically, I'm also covering my ass.