all buttoned up.

The Deep Breath Throw and a Kindle Query

This is the last of the 2011 quilt projects. It was probably the easiest (and scrappiest) of all of them, made from a pattern published by Weeks over at Craft Nectar a couple of years ago. It was a gift for my parents for Christmas, and besides the Kona (snow I think?) it was all made from bits I already had.

I have way too many bits.

This pattern had been on my list for a while and it's something I'm going to make again. Hopefully soon. (I included a envelope style slipcover to store the quilt in. I'm not sure how often it's going to get put away, but I think it's a nice storage solution for seasonally used blankets.)

In other news:

• I just ordered Weeks and Bill's new quilt magazine, Modern Quilts Illustrated. Very exciting. (I'll take all the excitement I can get).
• We are to the painting and flooring portion of our basement project. Which means that soon we'll be to the moving furniture and twirling around in fits of unadulterated joy portion of the project.
• Paul bought me a Kindle Fire last month and it's pretty flippin' neat. I've been using it to watch old/strange BBC comedies in the middle of the night (nursing) and to check out books from our library. I'm wanting to subscribe to a newspaper or some magazines, but I've read a lot of mixed reviews on this front and I'm not totally sure where to start. Any thoughts or recs?

Staving off the Restless Leg (Whole Cloth Quilting)

I imagine a whole lot of folks don't count whole cloth quilting as real quilting, but I assure you that as long as that sandwich is in place accompanied by stitches and ties-- it counts! Both of these throws are for good, wonderful friends; one of which I've known since college and the other I've come to know and love in the last six years. They are radically different sorts of people who's tastes are near opposite of each other. For the first, I used Melody Miller's Ruby Star Spring backed with plum coloured voile and for the second I used two voiles: gingham and black (all of which I purchased at Bolt). I wrote up the details on the first over at Bolt Neighborhood, including a quick how-to in case you're wondering if you still have time to put something like this together for gift giving (you do). The second was constructed in nearly the same way and I quilted it in scattered squares using the gingham as a guide.

(The construction is a bit besides the point, as these were both exercises in hand quilting and evening distractions. I used Pearl cotton and gold eye embroidery needles for the quilting. I pinned and hand bound the quilts first, so I skipped the hoop. This was probably a mistake. Incidentally, if you hand quilt, what sort of hoop (brand/size/type) do you use?)

The quilting started out a little rocky, but it was meditative and it took longer than I had thought it might-- which was just fine. As soon as I get to sit down at the end of the day, I generally get a wicked case of restless legs. With the accompanying heartburn, I imagine I look a bit like I'm having a semi-violent seizure trying to stretch without cramping while trying to get comfortable. It is super cute. Handily enough, the symptoms nearly disappear the minute I pick up a needle and thread and begin to sew. I like the print sides of these, but that Pearl cotton makes the solid sides sing a sweet little song. And they are for people that I love which is the most important thing.

I just got one of Alicia's ornament kits to see if I can continue this whole stitch-so-I-don't-twitch thing. I also plan on tackling my 20 year battle with crappy looking french knots. BIG PLANS.

A Hex on That Overwhelmy Sort of Feeling

We all got The Sick and frankly, I was a little relieved to wake up with a sore throat on that Saturday morning. I knew it was coming. I just didn't know when and I was ready to get it over with. No amount of preventative measures (short of a bio-hazard outfit) were going to prevent those germs from getting in my body when my sleepy child inadvertently coughs DIRECTLY INTO MY MOUTH repeatedly.

We have had visits from aunts, uncles, cousins and Grammie and Grandpa. I brined my first turkey. The tree is up and the boys went to go see The Muppets. Paul and I got a night out where we ate well and stopped in quickly at Sunday's Best to meet Lynn and hug Shanna. I'm checking in with Crafty Wonderland this next weekend to finish up gift getting. Yesterday there was a little baby shower that was big on laughs and awesomeness. Today I'm going to try and get the rest of the leaves (there are MANY) out of the yard and onto the street for the city to pick up. It is cold and sunny outside.

I have been sewing quite a lot and trying to finish things from The Pile, one of which was this table runner that is too wide and slippery for our table but fits our island much better. Besides, if there's something on the table it will most likely end up on the floor. I initially wrote about this project here and mentioned that I was hand-quilting it. Nope! I pulled out what I had started and finished it up using my machine. I hand bound the edges and gave it a good wash.

I've finished two more quilts for my friends which both involved a lot of hand-sewing, something I'm a little desperate to get better at (because I do so poorly at it for some reason). The friend quilt thing is going to extend into next year as I was hoping to do two more. I got side-tracked. But I'll post about the two finished ones this week. They are the sort of quilts you could still have time for this December. Not that I want to add anything else to your list. Take it easy on yourself, good people.

Happy Machine

We are happy about this baby girl. I didn't quite get there last post, did I? Yes. Very happy. Shock and happiness don't have to be mutually exclusive, right? Thank you for your good thoughts and kind words. I have already serged up the edges of some of that double knit. I washed it and put it away in the drawer next to some of my nieces hand-me-downs and a unopened package of tiny onesies. I love tiny onesies.

The rest of my piles don't look so neat, and I had a good little chat with myself about the amount of fabric sitting here and vowed to keep any new textile purchases confined to batting, thread and solid white and off-white cotton. I have finished up two more small throws for friends and I am trying to work my way through the unfinished pile. It's now or never, people! On top of that, I have a new sewing machine that I purchased used at the end of the summer. I had been casually looking for a while, and then specifically looking for several months. I had all but given up and then the craigslist stars aligned and I was able to bring home a barely used Bernina 440 for a stunner of a deal. I feel pretty lucky.

Luck precipitated action and I pulled out two cotton linen prints to make it a cover and practice free motion quilting with the stitch regulator. I used a print from the Tammis Keefe tribute line and a Japanese folk print I've had for ages. I bound it to be double sided and used two leather buttons and two lengths of fold over elastic to finish it up. I used elastic so that it will fit around the table that is usually attached to the arm. It's very similiar in style to Rashida's cover in her book I *Heart* Zakka.

It is a great machine and before it's novelty wears off (maybe it never will?) I'm getting through that to-do pile with lightening speed. It feels so good to be sewing again. And who am I kidding about not sewing very many little girl things? That just seemed a silly the minute I wrote it down.

Desk Sized Modern Crosses

I mentioned a while ago that I was going to try and sew quilts for friends this year. This is the third (the second was given prior to documenting) and is going in my Top Five Things I Like Right Now list. The list also includes the aforementioned flannel sheets, roasted almonds and my fruit guy. These are some of my all-time favourite prints all put together.

The pattern comes from Susan Beal's Modern Log Cabin Quilting, and is one I will be making again. The blocks. My version measure up approximately 40" by 52" which is about the size I thought might be appropriate for someone who needs something to cover up their legs when they are sitting at their desk all day. Paul works a desk job and he told me lots of people have small quilts they use when the A/C gets too crazy. Sometimes they even walk around with them wrapped around themselves like a towel. Maybe just on casual Fridays?

>

I used a mix of scraps for the crosses-- mostly Liberty Tana Lawn, a few Japanese prints, and some printed voile and lawn. The background is all Kona cotton in Snow. It is backed in one of my favorite voile prints from Anna Maria Horner (it feels like silk and I wish I had a bunch more) and bound in a stripe from Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley line. I am so happy it is done!

We are celebrating the boys birthdays a little early this year as Grammie and Grandpa are in town this weekend. I'm pretty sure there will be mini bagels and Tah-Dah! A Bouncy House. We are about to get all jumpy up in here.

 

 

Links About Sewing, Photos of Food

August and September have become the put up months in my life. I guess they have always been this way, since as children, we all helped my family take care of summer foods. I freeze the earlier summer berries, but the stuff I like to can comes at the end of the growing season-- and the last two years (especially) things are coming in later and later. This year I'm skipping some of the whole tomatoes and trying pasta sauce instead. I suppose I thought I would just *make* sauce from the whole tomatoes, but that didn't happen as often as I liked, and my small people (who eat a lot of noodles and sauce) like consistency in this arena. So far, so awesome. The recipe, like so many good things, comes by way of Jennifer.

Besides that, there have been lots of salsa, some peaches, pears, and finally fruit butters with the remnants. There is a little jam, and there have been A LOT of pickles. August and I can finish a quart in a day, which, besides being gastro-unwise, means I need to Plan Ahead for heavy consumption. There has also been a fussy camera and a broken lens.

I should be done with apples (and their sauce) by the beginning of next month and I'm planning a return to serious sewing. So. I had my machine serviced, and my scissors and pinking sheers sharpened. I started pulling out books and patterns at night to Make a Super Awesome List.

• I am so super stoked about Sarai Mitnick's forthcoming book, The Colette Sewing Handbook. The quality and integrity of Colette patterns is really something special-- and even when the style is most definitely, not mine, I'm still drawn to the great lines and construction. She also released three new patterns that are going on the post-baby list. I love me a boat-neck.
• Oh, the baby. There will be some baby sewing, I suppose. We're going to find out if it's a boy or girl, and I'm going to get really serious about sewing with knits. I feel like this would be easier if I got a hold of some Nani Iro Double Knit-- this one, maybe? 
• I just received Shelly's new book, Sewing for Boys! I'll have some projects up from it next Saturday. It's a good one.
• There is a series of quilts that I'm working on-- or working through, more like-- and after coming out of a slump with them I'm think I'm back on the right track. Or some kind of track. I'll let you know.
• There will also be a new tablecloth before Christmas.

Back to boiling pot of water. Do you have one?

(What's up 95 degrees?? You had your chance in July and you blew it. September is no time to try and make it right.)

 

Transparency Quilt Finished and Some Other Plans

I finished that quilt. There are more details at Bolt, but the basic rundown goes something like this:

• Crib sized Transparency Quilt Pattern from Quilts Made Modern
• All fabric is from Bolt, which consisted of white-ish Kona and three colors of Moda's Crossweave
• I quilted it at Modern Domestic using their Bernina 440 with the magic, little stitch regulator
• AND, when I washed it up I threw in three sheets from a box of Shout's Color Catchers.

The color catchers work, folks. I threw it in the wash and the sheets came out a deep, dark, mustard yellow. I generally don't worry about bleeding, but the cross weaves (like Kaffe's shot cottons) are yarn dyed and just so rich, I was sure there would be a little colour running. But not so! I had a short discussion with the woman behind the counter when I paid for them and we both decided that this sort of thing is usually some kind of marketing voodoo. I'm sold.

And speaking about Bolt, my happy year and a half of writing for them is coming to a close-- sort of. I'll still be posting projects once or twice a month, but Meredith (MD wondergirl and Bolt counter girl) is going to be taking over the majority of the skill/project related sewing. I am thrilled because she sews like a fiend and I'm hoping to learn a lot from her posts.

That means that after we take a quick trip North, you're stuck with me here and with greater frequency.

And She Makes it to the Sewing Machine

I am halfway through a small quilt from Quilts Made Modern. I am a big fan of Bill and Weeks and the work they do and I imagine this book will become a part of my go-to library. I'm reviewing it tomorrow at Bolt (there will be a copy up for grabs!).

You will be happy to know the laundry is piling up. And if you're in the need of a good gloat, you can let me know how you are totally on top of yours (I will find it inspiring-- I promise). Everyone needs a good gloat now and then. Of course, if it wasn't quilting it would be canning tearing me away from all that needs doing. But canning is a need, yes? The beans are in out at at the farms and spicy lemon green bean pickles are calling out to me, needing (wanting?) to be made.

 

 

The Violet Again, and Quilt Market!!

I made good on a promise (to myself) to try this one again making some of the changes we talked about in the last post. It's not navy, though. This is some lawn that I got last summer at the Depot for pennies. It is pretty loud. I can back that assertion up because Eggplant got the same stuff and she does not do tame.

So! Size 8, with modifications on the collar and the sleeve length. This is not a fitted blouse as there's a lot of fullness in the back. So if you're looking for figure hugging, this is not the pattern for you. You're going to want something with darts in the back and coming up from the waist in the front. I am not a figure hugging type, but I think I may take out some of that back fullness next time.

Anyway-- it is going in my suitcase along with a cardigan for next weekends Quilt Market in Salt Lake City! Gina asked if I would tag along and I'm pretty excited. I'll also be doing some recon for Kim at True Up. If you see me, be kind. I will be the one wearing the loud shirt (possibly) and dorking out from being around so many great textiles (most probably). 

The Violet Trial

(left side is the original and the right side has been pinned up at the sleeve and collar)

I hear from lots of people who like to sew clothes-- or WOULD like to sew clothes-- that they don't want to waste time on muslins or test runs or whatever you want to call them. I get it. But I will tell you that cutting into that good fabric with a pattern you haven't tested is risky behavior for even seasoned sewists. I have owned piles of unworn handmade clothes that I made this way, but didn't love because they didn't fit me the way I wanted them to. Muslins are not a waste of time. I have learned my lesson.

But there are compromises. Keeping tabs on what Melissa is making and then seeing her wear the clothes she sews, has been very helpful. I keep several yards of super cheap, lightweight/apparel, type fabric around that I like but don't love. I usually pick it up at the Fabric Depot outdoor sale for 2-3 dollars a yard. Old sheets work great, too. I trace out the pattern onto pattern paper and sew up a trial version. For dresses, it's usually just the bodice with one sleeve. If that's going to be too time consuming/difficult, I pin the tissue paper pieces together and sort of wiggle them on to test it. For blouses (depending on the difficulty) I sometimes just make the whole thing.

For the Violet blouse from Colette I just made the whole thing. I knew there would be a few issues from the get-go. The cut of the main blouse pieces are going to be flattering on all kinds of shapes and sizes, but the collar and the sleeves were wild cards on a body type like mine. If you are rolling with a little more on top, there's a fine line between looking good and looking like Gerta the Milk Maid heading out to wrangle her livestock (I love the name Gerta, by the way). This is a FANTASTIC pattern for beginners. I'm not lying. If you are careful, cut things out properly, and follow the instructions, you will happily graduate from a-line skirts and pillows to becoming a full on blouse maker. This is my fourth pattern from Colette, and they have all been stellar.

So, first off, it's too big. That's going to be easy enough to fix. I'll keep the dart at the same place/size, but bring in the sides near my natural waist while making a size down. I made a size 10 which was already a size down from my measurements. Other changes:

• The sleeve cap is great but the sleeve length is problematic. I'm redrawing the hem line on the sleeve by shaving at least two inches off the center and curving them down to shave an inch off at the arm pit. Take a sleeve you love and trace hem line and length onto the Violet pattern piece.
• The collar! I'm cutting the collar down considerably and backing it off the center at least a 1/2 inch. As long as you keep the neck curve the same, this is easy as pie. 
• I made the underside of the collar a different fabric (black) and will likely do the same for the collar and the facings in the next blouse. It's cute! And you can get away with less of the main fabric. 

The nice thing about functional muslins, is that you can always gift them to someone that they might fit! Or you can re-purpose the fabric into quilts or small clothes. My next version is probably going to be navy pin dot. I refuse to admit that I have enough navy in my life.