I Promise I've Been Sewing...

Well I wish I could share with you all the sewing projects I've completed this summer, but I can't. It seems that the best I can do is just complete them.

I turned 30 this summer. Wow. I don't like being in a new age bracket, checking a different box on surveys and forms, but I refuse to mourn. This is life, I'm living it. I'm 30 and that's young to someone else. Now I just need to befriend this someone else so they can make me feel young! =)

My husband threw a birthday party for me. It was wonderful and he did all the work. Good food, great friends and well behaved children (until they reacted to the ice cream cake like it was crack). Did I mention it was wonderful?

But I couldn't let this milestone birthday go by without receiving something handmade. I just had to make it myself. I treated myself to a birthday banner. I cut into one of my favorite fabrics, this navy blue with white polka dots. And then didn't even cry when I cut apart a stark white doily and sewed pieces parts randomly onto the exactly 30 pennants I had cut out. They were strung together with white binding. I hung it up on our porch for the party and I think I'm the only one who knew they were there. But that's all that counts. Of course I took lovely photos of them and then accidently deleted them. I'm too lazy busy to go back out there and get more photos to show you.

Then I put together a LOT of reusable cloth gift bags for the Christmas in July sale on Etsy. That was a bust. Not a single sale. But I got my items into a second shop around here! Hip hip hurray for cold calls.

I made a bag for my sister that traveled to Africa and back. Jealous.

I finished a quilt (queen size no less) for my other sister to celebrate her graduation from college (to be bestowed upon her this weekend). Not so jealous at the idea of going through college, but proud none the less.

I made two table runners and one baby quilt from the scraps left over from the queen sized quilt. Lets just say I have a problem with over estimating how much fabric I need. I still have a grocery bag full of scraps left over. I'm just so sick of the colors that I can't do anything more with them.

I am in the process of finishing 7 cute cloth color books for babies. I'm building up my inventory for a craft sale I'll be participating in for December.

On the not so glamorous side I also altered at least 13 cloth diapers. Boring, but yeah for having properly fitting diapers now and less leaks!

And of course on my to do list/pile is a lap quilt for a wedding present, a dozen or more flower hair clips and bobby pins, felt crowns for dress up, a purse/clutch designed just for me, and lots lots lots more reusable cloth gift bags.

I Can't Believe I Finished!

Well this blog was started with the intent of posting sewing projects. So lets back up from mommy world for a moment, and take a gander at the latest finished project in my house.

This queen sized quilt is a graduation present for my youngest sister. I hope she enjoys it (and keeps it out of the dryer...hint...hint). I just can't believe I was able to start and finish such a large project with two kids in the house in just a couple months (to be fair I did the majority of the sewing on the days my mother in law was able to take one or both kids for the day).

I cut a lot of fabric for this quilt. A lot. So much that I had enough fabric to make a baby blanket, two table runners - all three are now assembled and pinned, waiting for a moment of sewing to finish them. I really need to get better at estimating my fabric needs.

There's probably another small project or two in the scrap pile on the stairs, but I'm starting to get sick of these fabrics and color scheme. Until recently the extra scraps were living in my preschooler's tonka truck, but they've been hidden (in the plastic bag) so I can stop picking them up off the floor every night!

Next on my wish list of projects includes some doilies. Yummy!

Tip Week - Tip # 5

Thanks for staying me with this week for all the tips. National Sewing Month only comes along, oh, once a year I think...so we should celebrate in style!

Tip # 5 - the ultimate tip of all tips...................

Keep sewing - or more accurately - keep doing what you love

If you love sewing, keep sewing, even if it's not perfect the first, second, heck one hundredth time.

If you fall in love with scrappy quilts - do it

If you become smitten with colors - explore

Follow your desires and keep going. I'm glad I do.

Much love to you all!

Tip Week - Tip # 4

Tip # 4 this week comes from a friend.

I posted awhile ago about losing my pins (not marbles). My box of pins had tumbled on the floor and it always causes me some heart palpitations when I have a 3 year old running around at the same time.

Morgan commented that her grandmother used to keep a big magnet next to her sewing machine for such an occassion. A sewing tip has never been as welcomed! Thank you Morgan!

Maybe I can find an antique magnet to go with my antique pins?

Stay tuned for the final tip tomorrow!

Tip Week - Tip # 3

Tip # 3 is...

drumroll....

PRESSING SEAMS!

Ah, yes, the tedious, but sometimes worthwhile venture of getting out the ironing board and iron each time you create a seam. Burn fingers burn! But it really does help, especially when you crate patterned blocks that almost need to lock into eachother. The "locking" or lining up of seams and blocks is much easier when the seams are all neatly pressed down.

It is also beneficial for pressing darker seams away from the potential light fabric counter part. Lets say you sew a piece of white fabric to a piece of black fabric. Press the entire seam over to the black side on the back. Otherwise you'll be seeing the seam through the front forever.

But something I learned was you can do a fingernail press too, just to stave off the iron for a little while. If you don't want to get the iron out at each step, take your fingernail and press the seam down from bottom to top.

But if you do get the iron out, remember, you're PRESSING, not IRONING. So put the iron down and press, don't move the iron up and down like you're ironing a shirt. Don't ask me why, that's just what I've been told. Anyone care to elaborate?

Stay tuned for Tip # 4 tomorrow!

Tip Week - Tip # 2

The second tip for this week is:

Keep a consistent quarter inch seam

(or whatever width seam you're aiming for)

My first few quilts had blocks of all varying sizes because I would start out trying for a 1/4" seam and waver back and forth between 1/2" and 1/8" seam. I had one blue and pink quilt that I had to fill spaces in with extra fabric because the blocks were just so different in size that they would never line up.

Here is a horrible photo of said quilt, but you can see the pink strip on the bottom left hand corner. Yeah, that's a filler.



Beautiful color combo though, right?

Stay tuned for tip # 3 tomorrow!

Tip Week - Tip # 1

So apparently March is National Sewing Month - or at least according to an article by a local quilt shop in the pennysaver.

So in honor of that I'm going to post a sewing tip each day this week. Don't hold your breath for anything magical. I just want to impart some of the first "aha" moments I had when I started sewing.

The very first tip I learned when starting out on this sewing adventure was ACCURATE MEASUREMENTS and ACCURATE CUTTING!!!! It doesn't get any better than starting with the basics. Of course my equipment was limited to sissors and my living room floor (and a general eyeballing technique), but eventually I acquired a cutting mat, straight ruler and rotary blade that greatly aided the entire process. The right tools helped me achieve this accuracy. Maybe this tip should be about the right tools? 

But remember, from the first cut you make to the last, keep accurate measurements.

Square up your blocks as you go and keep checking along the way.

Press down hard on the ruler and focus on a steady hand. Nothing brings a long and tired night to an end faster than letting the rotary blade slip every so slightly off course and ruining a piece of fabric.

Measure twice, cut once

(that one's curtesy of handsome husband)

 Stay tuned for tip # 2 tomorrow!

Addiction

Well after I finished Whirlwind's quilt and the baby's blanket I had all these scraps left over.

Since my bin of fabric is tucked away in the closet to make room for the bassinet in our room I'll be darned if I'm going to lug that thing out and put away these scraps. So instead I decided to start another sewing project (like the psychotic pregnant woman I am). Let's just face it....

My name is Sarah and I'm addicted to sewing.

There it's out and it's the truth. God help me (finish this project before the baby comes).

I'm thinking a scrappy lopsided log cabin pattern is emerging.

Does the To Do Pile Multiply at Night?

How is it that my to do pile continues to grow? And how does it continue to grow at a faster rate than my "done" pile? Oh right, I keep going back into my bin of fabric and pulling out all the projects I want to do. When will my brain realize I have a baby coming in +/- three weeks?

DONE PILE:

quilted canvas

black and white tree quilt (white binding is awesome - really makes the quilt pop!)

TO DO PILE:

pillow covers for whirlwind from the scraps of her quilt (one down, two to go)

cloth wipes for baby # 2

baby blanket for baby # 2

(obviously the priority is the cloth wipes!)

Wish me luck this weekend. These projects need to get out of the way in order for the true nesting to take place.

(i.e. cleaning the base boards! are pregnant women considered psychologically insane?)

Because You Really Wanted to Know About Diapers...

I made two cloth wet bags for baby # 2. We're going 100% cloth diaper this time. Remind me that this was my idea when I'm in the throes of laundry soon.

They're not water "proof", but more on the repellant side. Hopefully they work.

With whirlwind I tried all cloth diapers for about the first three months. We had all in one cloth diapers that I had bought super cheap off of ebay. They leaked. I had to change her every hour and when I went back to work I couldn't keep up with the laundry. But then a friend bought us a gdiaper kit. I was hesitant because there were so many parts: a cloth diaper, a plastic liner and then a flushable insert. But I tried it one day and we are now officially big fans of gdiapers.

Gdiapers now has cloth inserts, so I stocked up on used gdiapers on our local craigslist and bought all new plastic liners (the key to no leaking!!!!) and bought a ton of cloth inserts. Hence the wet bags to store the dirty cloth inserts until laundry time. Wish me luck!!!

Our little diaper corner. Newborn disposables for the first couple weeks of extra smallness and overnight diapers for Whirlwind. When do toddlers/preschoolers start staying dry through the night? I'd love to buy less diapers.

Nesting = Sewing

I can't stop sewing. I would say it's an addiction, one I'm not likely to seek help for, but from previous experience I can feel the nesting hormones kicking in. I'm just using a needle and thread this time instead of a vacuum cleaner, mop and rag. Did I ever mention that I went around cleaning the baseboard in my entire house last time I was pregnant? No? It's certainly something my mother will never forget to remind me about.

Well the binding is on the black and white tree quilt. I just have to hand sew it onto the back.

And the custom order for a quilt/art piece is done!!!!!

I had originally planned on quilting large gold thread circles on the top, but after just one the fabric became bunched and wouldn't lie flat. So this design will have to do. With my limited resources and tools (i.e. no quilting frame or fancy long arm sewing machine) there are just some things I can't do. At least not for now. But I still like the outcome a lot. I hope the customer does too!

And I fit in one more sewing project into the weekend. I actually got around to some of the personal sewing projects I've had on my mind. More about those tomorrow!

Saving a Birthday Party

I have not made any progress on the black and white tree quilt, but it seems I can't go a day without sewing!

So instead of doing something productive I made a pretty little crown for Whirlwind's 3rd birthday!

Whirlwind had requested:

cake

ice cream

balloons

party hat

We were visiting my parents in a small town with a very small general store and I had not brought anything with me. So Whirlwind and I made a trip to the general store the morning of her party. We found abosolutely no appropriate balloons or party hats! Unless we wanted to celebrate her being "over the hill" I had to think of something else. 

I lucked out when we found a pile of felt instead. My daughter chose blue (but I bought a sheet of purple too because part of me couldn't fathom my little princess-y girl not wanting purple or pink) and I had an idea in the back of my head how to make it into a crown. I've always wanted to try it anyways.

Was she excited to pick out the color? Yes!

Was she delighted to help me finish it when she woke up from her nap? Yes!

Did she immediately put it on with pride? Yes!

Did she then proceed to have a hissy fit about how it didn't sit on her head correctly...........yes

So there you go. You can create all you want for a small child, but only they determine if they are happy or not! I for one think it is ridicously cute and want to make a dozen more.

And of course she had also requested balloons, but there were none at the general store. So my mom's cupboards came to the rescue with some ancient and small water balloons. My fabulous mother and sister helped me create this impromptu garland and voila! Balloons! I was able to give Whirlwind everything she had asked for (patting self on back).

But no birthday is complete without some cake.

Note to self: apply sprinkles immediately after frosting so they stick and do not tumble everywhere, including off the cake.

2nd note to self: do not leave a three year old alone with a pretty candle. It obviously looks like candy.

But from the look on her face, I'd say the overall day was a success!

Black & White Tree Quilt

I've got a binding to hand sew at night while handsome husband and I watch horrible television.

But I've also got a nifty little tree quilt waiting for me at the sewing machine.

I can't wait to see this quilt finished. It has a very special purpose!

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

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!

The Zoo's Side Show

I had quite the productive weekend over the New Year. Not only did I finish that purple table runner, but I FINALLY made a project I've had in my head for months!!!

I saw similiar toys floating around on the internet (I can't remember exactly where), but when my nesting instinct kicked in for this pregnancy I knew I had to make some. Then I found out some friends of ours are pregnant too. So my in pregnancy haze I made another one as a gift. Is it just the hormones that are making me flippin' crazy excited everytime I hear someone else is pregnant?

I think they're cute and oh so not perfect. Mostly I'm more excited that I finally sat down and made them. I put little jingle bells in them and the giraffes have ribbon tags for along their necks (if you can't tell from the picture). The only weird thing is when you actually pick them up to play with them it is suddenly very evident that they look better in 2-D rather than 3-D. Welcome to the zoo's freakish side show of two legged elephants and giraffes! It's slightly disturbing.

But overall I love them and want to make a million more. Would someone else please get pregnant?!?

Done, done and done!

 I finished the binding on the tree quilt in just two nights!

That is a record for me, especially with a lap sized quilt.

And once I got the tree quilt done and out of the way I felt like a busy and productive little elf.

I made these little characters for my daughter with some empty food coloring bottles, felt and glue.

They'll sneak their way into her stocking!

I finally fixed the gdiapers I'll need for the baby in my belly...

And even dyed the clothes with heinous spit up stains on them for the new baby.

I'm pretty darn impressed with myself. If you want to pat me on the back I won't mind. =)

Tree Quilt

Isn't it just gorgeous!

I have fallen in love with making this quilt. I had more fun making it than I can remember while making other recent quilts. It's a lap sized quilt (I hate going beyond 44" wide!) and I think the most fun was the quilting part. It's just pinned in this picture, but I ended up outlining the whole tree and then adding branches amongst the leaves to quilt it.

I've practiced free motion quilting a bit since I got my sewing machine back from the maintenance shop, but it still isn't working out. I even used the tips they gave me at the shop, but to no avail. Perhaps my work horse of a sewing machine just isn't meant for free motion quilting. But I was able to get away from "stitching in the ditch" with this quilt. And that felt gratifying.

The binding has been sewed on the front. All that is left now is some handsewing for the back of the binding. I can't wait to gift this to the wonderful couple it's meant for. I know it makes me smile just looking at it. I hope they feel the same way.

Christmas Garland Complete

I was pacing around one morning before work. My daughter was lollygagging around while eating her breakfast and I had nothing to do while I waited for her to finish. Trying to apease my cranky listless self I sat down and turned these little paper discs into a garland!

I hung it up over her "little table" and then got both her and I ready to leave the house. It was quick and satisfying. Now if only I could say it kept me from losing my temper that morning.

I do think it is cute, but I'd like to try making one with more solid and vibrant colors. The details in the old Christmas cards get a little lost when they're all cut up.

Leaves and Pins

Remember how I told you the christmas tree and sewing machine are sharing space still? Well it's because of this little beauty. Which will hopefully look like a tree in fall foliage when I'm done.

I'm excited to be creating something so beautiful and yet the tension in my neck and shoulders would tell you otherwise. I've sewed many leaves on already and have many more to go.

Speaking of all those leaves I have officially used every pin I use, including these oldies, but goodies. My handsome husband saw these and said "Dear Lord Sarah, how old are these?"

I laughed because I knew he was more shocked that I've kept them all this time more than he was shocked by their actual age. If something goes missing in our house it is the basic assumption that I threw it away. I'm a minimalist, a declutterer, a putter away of things, a ruthless tosser of cherished childhood memories and objects. But these pins have been tucked away inside my sewing box since I was a teenager. My paternal grandmother gave me a birthday gift of a sewing box filled with odds and ends I would need. These pins were included. I don't know why, but I just never got rid of them. And today I'm glad that I did not.