Custom Order

I received my first custom order awhile ago. This is very exciting and nerve wracking for me. I'm so afraid that what I create will not be exactly what the customer had in mind. But it's a friend of my sister's so they have been very reassuring that they are flexible and also understanding of my schedule (trying to finish up my nesting/sewing list). Anyways....I am tasked with making a large 3 x 4 foot piece of fabric art. I'm new at this, so bear with me, but I'm basically making a quilt top and the customer will mount it on a frame in their home.

Here are the inspirational photos the customer sent me.

Here are the fabrics I bought.

And here is the basic design I have in mind.

What do you think?

Did I mention this custom order is for a man!?! Also intimidating. I've never sewing anything for the masculine point of view. But I am extremely excited to get paid to try new things with my sewing machine. Here we go!

Doe It Ever Get Any Easier?

I had the best of intentions of finishing this quilt last weekend, but it felt more like I took one step forward and two steps back.

I had the whole quilt top put together, then I decided I didn't like the borders, too many mistakes. So I went to JoAnn's and bought the right fabric. I ripped seams and sewed on the new borders lickety-split. I was even impressed with myself.

Then I basted all 3 layers together and quilted the top in a zig zag pattern. Bad news, it looked awful! I just had bad luck with this quilt and too many errors in the beginning that built up over the course of its completion.

Error 1 - I repurposed an old bed spread for the white squares on the quilt top. The fabric is slightly stretchy, not even a match for my walking foot. Plus it's thick and soft (why I chose it) so it was hard to quilt, causing pulling and stretching while I quilted. The stretchiness also let me get away with not squaring up the squares as much as possible, leading to the pattern not always lining up perfectly. I cannot emphasize enough that cutting the fabric correctly right away in the beginning is so important to a stress free project!!!

Example of the squares not lining up - I do love that white fabric though, look at the raised details!

And when everything doesn't line up and the mistakes start to accrue, it leads to even more wonkiness in the end

Error 2 - I picked a soft and cuddly fabric for the back. I think the feed dogs couldn't pick it up as much, causing more stretching and bulging.

post edit - here is the back after quilting from the middle first. Of course I miscalculated a row on the front and the middle rectangle isn't centered on the back! Oy a quilt of many mistakes, but I tried my best.

Error 3 - I didn't start quilting in the middle. I started on one end and worked my way to the end. Oy. I felt like an idiot when I realized what I had done. The stretching and pulling just magnified itself as I went.

So I spent the weekend pulling out stitches instead of putting the final touches on the binding and we're back to square one. I have a freshly basted quilt on my sewing table and I hope to find the time to finish it. Wish me luck!

post edit - I hunkered down and got all but the hand stitching of the border done yesterday

New Items in the Shop

I've been experimenting with a new way to make flower hair and shoe clips. This is the end result!

I like them a lot and I hope you do too, or someone out there does. I was able to use up the last of these three fabric scraps (a goal of mine is to use up everything I have before I go buy more).

Check them out at Seamingly Sarah

Abandoning One Project for Another

I've had a grocery bag full of black and white scraps sitting on my bedroom floor for awhile. God bless my handsome husband for not cursing my overflowing fabric bin!

I had an idea to make black evergreen trees on a white background in a repeating pattern.

Then I made this tree quilt for a wedding gift and now I'm hooked. So I cut out some leaves and even found some solid black fabric for the tree trunk. I pulled out a soft gray fabric for the background....and saw faded spots! No!!!!!!!! I washed it in hopes it was just from storage, but alas, the fade spots stayed.

Not happy.

There goes my idea to make a quilt with only materials I have on hand.

 So while I mourned the death of that idea (for now) I moved on to making a quilt for Whirlwind. She's been quickly outgrowing all the baby blankets that were lovingly gifted to us when she was born. I "accidently" bought too much fabric for baby #2's quilt, so I've decided Whirlwind needs one too, but big enough for a toddler bed. I saw an excellent pattern in a quilt magazine that Santa put in my stocking.

Wish me luck that I can actually finish this one!

After Christmas Sales

Have I mentioned how much I love sales? The only thing I love more than not spending money at all (my mother openly calls me tighter than bark to a tree) is seeing how much I saved during a sale.

So I hit up Target and JoAnn's after Christmas to stock up on supplies for next year's Christmas bags. There will even be Hanukkah bags this time! 

I'll admit I feel like I'm taking a gamble on some of these fabrics, but I couldn't resist them. I do believe the pink, red and green dotted one will be a hit though, so I bought extra yardage of that.

Forgive the low lighting/flash photos. Sometimes the only free time I have is at night. That's my life.

The 2010 Christmas bags are on sale at my Seamingly Sarah shop. Stop by and find out how you can save during the after Christmas sales as well.

The Aftermath of Thanksgiving

Who else would go visit family for Thanksgiving and come back with more sewing supplies? I love raiding my mother's house. Love you mom.

Multi colored zippers. Love it.

Technically these were given to me by my sister. I'm like the save-a-stray for unwanted fabric.

Many moons ago my mother attempted to clean out her stash of fabric. Thankfully I was there and saved many scraps and yards of fabric from being discarded into the unloved pile. Unfortunately I still have limited storage space at my own house, so a bin of fabric still resides at my mother's house. Ultimately she didn't really accomplish the whole declutter mission, but at each visit I select a few lovelies to come home with me. Who doesn't need more white....and black....and blue....and red stripes....and gray....? I ask you, who?

And buttons. Need I say more? I'm in love.



Fleeting Flowers

I've learned the best time to create is when I'm away at a conference for work. Who knew? Whenever I have to spend a night away from home (in a swanky hotel room with tv channels I never see and take out just for me - do you feel sorry for me yet?) I always bring a bag of scrap fabrics, sissors and a needle and a thread.

While watching 3 back to back episodes of Bones I churned out these lovely little flowers.

(I also later had nightmares about someone breaking into my room and murdering me - Bones is only good in moderation)

I love the metallic fabrics! New Year's Eve anyone?

And this one...

 Let's just say I almost keeled over in delight when I saw how the fabric pleated itself.

I love you, I love you, I love you.

Look for these in the Seamingly Sarah shop soon!

PS - I hope everyone finds time to go out and vote today!

Calling Anyone Who's Ever Owned A Purse...

I don't own purses.

Okay, scratch that. I own two purses and both are in my daughter's dress up box right now. She puts them over both her shoulders and pretends to be me and go to work. Then she comes "home" and gives me a kiss. I love her.

Side note over.

To clarify I do not USE purses. I have all these rainbow blocks and one set is begging to be turned into purses, or maybe the right term is a clutch? But what do you as the consumer and daily purse user like in a purse? Do you want a wrist strap or a shoulder strap? Zippers or snaps? Interior pockets? With a bottom so it stands up? Stiff with some structure or floppy? I'm lost.

Help a girl out and leave a comment.

Wave Your Freak Flag

Okay, these aren't really freak flags, but it's a saying my husband likes to pull out from time to time and it was too good to pass up.

I obviously seem to be more into party banners than my original rainbow project from the beginning of the summer. C'est la vie. I like the red in this one, but the blue and white triangles are looking boring to me now. It's what I had on hand, already pre-cut and everything, and we know how much I dislike the tedious task of cutting.

I also do not like how thick the red border is compared to the original khaki one. But again it's what I had on hand and I also dislike buying new things. This post is getting really negative really quickly.

Well what I really want to say is that I'm reading "Bend the Rules with Fabric" by the fabulous Amy Karol, and I'm feeling inspired to "bend" the rules. Stamping? Bleach pen? Fabric paint? We shall see...

While I'm Away

I'll be down and out for a few days - work related conference.

But don't worry - I packed these little pretties in my suitcase.

I'll be doing some handsewing while I'm gone and hopefully returning with some flowers.

I only wish I could show you a better picture of them,

but alas, my toddler continues to hound my every step.

Her shadow haunts me.

Fabric Stash Replenished

Well I finally went shopping. Patchwork Passions has a Fat Friday sale. Every Friday you can get 1 Fat Quarter free for every 3 you buy. I may or may have not gone over board. Didn't I tell myself this winter that I would try my hardest to not buy any new fabric? That I would instead whittle away at my current large overflowing stash of fabric? Oh well, my hardest wasn't enough to stop me.

I pawed through the basket of scraps and found enough green to finish my green blocks. 

UPDATE - they are now done!

There were some other scraps in there that I snagged for future projects. 

They were too pretty to leave behind and one sandwich bag full of scraps is only $2!

Who can resist? Seriously, who? Because I would like to meet you and shake your hand.

I also purchased my first supply of orange. I can't decide whether I want to eat these colors or bask in their summer time glow. Either way they'll help me start and finish the orange blocks for my future crazy rainbow quilt.

This is where I went overboard.

I don't need these fabrics.

I couldn't leave the store without them.

Besides, I needed fat quarters in divisions of 4 so I could take advantage of the sale.

The urge to make these into a baby blanket makes my womb ache.

Do you see that shadow falling over them in the picture?

That is my toddler, constantly underfoot and searching for destruction. That makes my head ache. 

Possibilities

What oh what should I do with this?

I usually don't have a problem with cutting into a piece of fabric, but once in awhile I come across something I just can't cut yet. I guess it's because I don't know what it wants to be yet.

Have you ever had that problem?