Bermuda baby

Our good friends in Bermuda welcomed a beautiful baby boy and I made them this quilt. I wanted him to be wrapped in the colors of the island whether he was there or away. It's a little hard to make out, but the base color on the front is a very pale green and the binding is a light brown with cream dots (both from Purl). I absolutely love this one.

(Click on pics to see bigger versions, I am having some technical issues!)


Pattern: Marquee from The Modern Quilt Workshop (inspired by this).
Fabrics: From the stash.
Date completed: August 2010.


The back.


Block detail.


Who can resist a little owl?

My first quilt

When I was about 13 I decided I wanted to make a quilt. Having no idea what this entailed, I settled in with a pile of pink and purple fabrics (what else), pinking shears, a spool of white thread and a needle. I painstakingly cut out piles of squares, and then commenced sewing them together. By hand. With no regard for seam allowances (of which I knew naught), ironing, backstitch, or really anything else.

After finishing one row of squares, I set forth on the second row. When that was done I eagerly set both rows together and still remember the crushing disappointment when I discovered the squares did not line up in the slightest (see ignorance of seam allowances, above). I think I put my quilt down for at least a year at that point.


At some later point, still while in middle or high school, I picked it up again and slowly assembled the whole mess, and then put it in a closet never to be seen again until last week, when my mom unearthed it while cleaning out the basement. I am so thrilled it's survived! Yes, it's a hot mess, but I can't wait to wash it (it's got some questionable stains, possibly from sitting with festering dressmaker's chalk for 20 years), patch up some holes and make it into the quilt it always wanted to be. Maybe one day I'll even get over the color scheme.

(Hopefully) sold to the highest bidder!

My good friend V is a member of her son's coop preschool and asked me to make something for their annual auction. The proceeds support the school. Her initial request was a knit hat and mittens but I said I'd rather make a quilt.

The tricky part was that since the item was for sale, I had to come up with my own pattern; I didn't want to risk infringing on anyone's copyright. I'm very pleased with the result!


The quilting is pretty light - only a row of loops across each of the linen panels. The fabrics are from the California Dreamin' collection (purchased here), Jay McCarroll's Garden Friends Collection (purchased here), and others from Purl Soho and the stash.


I was originally going to do all rows of the colorful fabrics but was afraid it would be overwhelming and would not apply to a broad audience of potential purchasers, so I toned it down. Of course, that was after I had cut all the rows of colorful fabrics so I have enough left over to make four more of these (and I just might).

Now hopefully everyone will think any wonkiness is just homemade charm and pay top dollar for it...

California Baby

My crafty friend M had a beautiful baby girl in November. I know it's crazy to make the quiltmaker's daughter a quilt, but I loved these fabrics and they had to go to sweet Lila in California. Of course it took me 3 months to get the thing out the door, but better late then never. Whoops.

The design is inspired by my Counterpane Quilt and this. I did loopy quilting in the open spaces which was really fun. The fabrics are from Fiber Notion and ye olde stash.
The back is this delicious organic cotton from Purl Patchwork that got so soft after I washed it. So cozy for a new baby!

A Poppy for Baby J

Baby J turned one yesterday and we were pleased to attend her ultra-cute birthday party. As a gift we gave her a doll stroller (critical for a girl on the go and summertime entertainment) and a doll to occupy it.

The doll is from Hop Skip Jump's lovely Poppy pattern. I have loved her stuffies for a long time and was so excited when she started publishing patterns. I enjoyed making this one a lot more than my usual stuffed attempts. The pattern was very clever and the end result is just so sweet! I used a snap on the back of the reversible smock instead of the recommended button, since I was putting it together at the 11th hour and have yet to attempt buttonholes on my new sewing machine, plus, who wants to miss an opportunity to hammer in a snap? My only stumbles involved turning the pieces right-side out after sewing. I am apparently quite inept at this task. In fact, for the smock I had to slice open part of the seam along the neck to get the panels righted. This was ok, though, since I was planning to topstitch around the whole kaboodle anyway and it turned out great.

Hurray for Poppy! I can't wait to make another, this time hopefully in some wool flannel like the pattern suggests.

Magoo finds a home

My good friend H had her second baby on Christmas Day. Her first is a week younger than ours, and needless to say he did not get a handmade gift. So, I was resolved to knock one out this time. The only problem is she is a self-proclaimed "not quilt person". I wasn't in the mood to knit something, so I landed on stuffed toy.

Introducing: Magoo.

I am a long-time reader of Melly & Me and love her stuffed creations, so I was excited when she started publishing patterns.

I retired to the stash to find appropriate fabric for a monkey, and surfaced with some orangey corduroy I bought from a fabric shop that was going out of business a few years ago. A little of this and a little of that, learn to applique and embroider, and presto: Magoo was born. If only it was that easy... I must remember for the future this thing that I have already learned many times before: I hate making stuffed things! This is not meant to be any reflection on this pattern - it is well written, clear, cute and wonderful in every respect. But ugh, stuffed things... all the pieces and the tracing and the turning and the stuffing (oh how I hate the stuffing!). And then after all that the thing sits there with no face for weeks like a stuffed zombie, because I am too afraid to sew it on and create creepy not-cute stuffed animal face (in this instance I am actually pleased with the face, and thank goodness for that).

The only change I made to the pattern was to sew the arms into the side body seams rather than sewing them on to the outside afterwards. It was only a little tricky dealing with them stuffed inside the inside-out body when I was sewing it up, but I liked not having to deal with them afterwards.

Upon unveiling my monkey the husband immediately told me it was "weird looking", and upon further inspection I discovered I had aligned poor Magoo's ears with his cheeks rather than alongside his eyes as intended (hopefully he cannot hear all of this criticism as a result). The husband said I must fix this. I said it was impossible as I could not bear working on this small beast for another moment.

Anyway, I'm glad it's over. And despite the fact that I did not enjoy it, I still have plans for just one more stuffie, but first I have to forget how much I enjoyed (ahem) doing this one.

The Quiltmaker's Child Gets a Quilt

While I was pregnant I didn't make a single thing. The child seemed to sap me of all creative juju. This meant that any baby born within 6 months of ours received no handmade gifts, nor did my kid get a thing. Slowly the creative juices started flowing and I started catching up, but it was not until this summer that I got around to making the child his own quilt. Then it took quite a while to get it on the wall, but at long last it went up this weekend, and I love it! Now we just wait to see how long it takes him to try to pull it off the wall.


Also, wanted to share a picture of Baby J sporting her Christmas pajamas. A perfect fit!

More zig zags

Continuing the great baby boom of 2009, Baby F arrived in London this past Monday, almost 2 weeks late. Needless to say, his parents are glad he's out.

Baby F's gender was unknown until he made his appearance so I had to go with something gender-neutral, and I hope this red and orange ensemble succeeded. This is my second Zig Zag Quilt - I love the way it's assembled and the process of arranging the triangles.

Welcome Baby G!

When our friends D and L announced they were expecting a baby I set straight to work on their baby present. This little bean has been long anticipated and although we weren't going to know the sex, the quilt had to be perfect. I chose the Zig Zag Quilt pattern from the Purl Bee and used a mix of orange and turquoise prints that I hoped would be gender neutral. Little baby G (a girl) made her appearance on November 5 (an excellent birthday, if I do say so myself, and I should know) and she is just beautiful!

Even more so than her blanket, if I'm being honest.

A detail of the edging and the quilting:The back, packed with Heather Ross' Mendocino:
Little did I know, but L's family has a special thing with seahorses, so the fabric choice was perfect!

All fabrics from Fabric Worm, Purl Patchwork and my stash (source sadly long forgotten).

Lincoln's Baby Quilt

My best and oldest friend, A, gave birth to a beautiful (and enormous) baby boy at the end of April. I have been beavering away on his baby quilt and am going to give it to him when I visit them in Portland next weekend. I know the colors aren't exactly babyish but neither is she, so it should be a good fit. These are some of my favorite stash fabrics and I'm glad they are going to a good home!

The pattern is from a quilt class I took at Brooklyn Mercantile with Michael Michalski back in the fall, and I supplemented my stash fabrics with some from the shop.

Quilt front:

Quilt back:

Embroidered name tag on twill tape:

Heather Ross Sundresses

Two sweet little dresses for two sweet little girls.


All fabrics from Pink Chalk Fabrics.

Free Wheelin'

I finally took my free motion quilting class this weekend at The City Quilter! I have been counting down for months. I even toted along my trusty little Janome Gem so I could practice on that, seeing as the Bernina 440s they have for classes bear nearly no relationship to its elementary ways. (They both had needles, thread and a foot peddle, but after that the comparison ends.)

We started with "wind":

And moved on to "water":

But I am truly a squiggle girl at heart - it felt totally natural to me, probably because it's always been my boredom doodle of choice:

There were attempts at stippling in there too, but I need, oh, a few hundred hours practice before that technique will be ready for prime time.

Now I just need practice materials - after a little more muslin, I'm thinking a big expanse of some pretty fabric so I can practice maneuvering something large through my machine's short little neck. If it turns out decent, perhaps it will become a gift for a [very forgiving] recipient!

Another Jane's Quilt

I've been waiting to post this until it was done and gifted to the recipient, and somehow 6 months snuck by since my last post! Whoops.

Anyway, this quilt is for my friend J's new baby, Baby J. She arrived in January but the quilt wasn't finished until this week. I love it, and it goes smashingly with Baby J's navy nursery, if I do say so myself. I'm quite proud of myself - this is the most complicated thing I've patched together and it is so exciting when the corners line up!



Fabric: From Purl Patchwork
Pattern: Sweet Redbird by Liberty Star.
Started: Hmm, Fall 2008?
Finished: March 2009

I added a little tag for the recipient, which is embroidered on twill tape.


A couple more pictures here.

This weekend I'm taking a free motion quilting class at City Quilter with my new crafty friend, M, and I'm super excited to break free of my straight line quilting! She's way more advanced than me and already knows how to free motion, but I suppose everyone can use a refresher.

Jane's Quilt

Pattern: Easy Lap Quilt from Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol.
Materials: Purchased at Brooklyn Mercantile and Fiber Notion, both in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
Completed: September 2008.

I have spent nearly every day of my maternity leave hanging out with or talking to my new friend R, whose daughter Jane was born the same day as our little Sam. Together we have attempted sing-a-longs, roamed the park and obsessed over sleep (and our children's seeming disdain for it, day or night).

When I saw these Dick & Jane fabrics I had to make a little something to thank R and Jane for all of the good times.

Here are a few not-so-good pictures, but trust me, it came out really cute!

Lovely little curtains

Pattern: Cafe curtains. My own pattern (if you can call it that).
Materials: Nani Iro fabric purchased at Purl in July 2008. Umbra tension bar and drapery rings.
Completed: August 2008.

I made these quickly one night and could have been more careful cutting the fabric on the grain. Because I wasn't, when they are closed they are a little wonky and don't hang quite straight (should have taken the time to do this, I guess). They are also a little skimpy - I only used one width of fabric and they barely cover the window when closed. Apart from all that, when they are open I'm ok with them.

Gift for a fit friend

Project: Yoga Mat Tote from Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter.
Materials: Fabric purchased at Purl in the spring of 2007. Drawstring is a clothesline from the local hardware store.
Completed: June 2008.

Is this thing on?

I wasn't sure Blogger would even let me back in after my egregious blog absence. It seems my last post was almost 4 months ago (I'm sneaking in 2 days shy of 4 months...). In the meantime...

I finished my pink scarf:

I sewed an elephant for Baby J:

New hat for Baby B (you can see he loved it):

And nearing the finish line on a sweater for him too:

Sweater for new Baby K:

And coasters:

Phew.

The truth is, though, I've been working on something else really big... a person (Two Potato, as C calls him)! That's right, we're having a kid at the beginning of May. While I was spared morning sickness and crippling fatigue, the bean sapped me of all creative energy and it only returned a few weeks ago. Now I'm playing catch-up.

Have happy holidays everyone! Hopefully it won't be another 4 months until you hear from me again!

The great West Coast yarn tour and wedding fiesta

This past weekend was my best friend's wedding in Portland, Oregon. Before heading to Portland, we made a stop in San Francisco to catch up with some friends and the city in general. While the Boy worked, I made it my business to visit every yarn store I could think of; I only missed one that I know of (don't tell me if there were others).

My favorite is Imagi-Knit. Since my last visit they've almost doubled the square footage of the store. It's like every yarn shop in NY rolled into one - everything from Koigu to Brown Sheep, all under one roof. I was so overcome I forgot to take a picture, although I did not forget to take home these gems - that's two skeins of fabled Seasilk in Rose Garden. It is so soft and yummy that I carried it around the store like it was my little toy puppy.

I exercised restraint - that was my only purchase despite the fact I hit the Urban Knitting Studio, Artfibers and Noe Knit as well. Urban Knitting Studio was nice but a little austere for a knitting store. I loved the feel of Noe Knit, though - warm and inviting with lots of people lounging around in comfy chairs and at a big table.

I also cruised through Britex in San Fran - Oh. My. Goodness. This place was amazing. The colors! The selection! The organization! I just had to take a picture of their zipper wall - have you ever seen so many zippers so well arranged?! When I go buy zippers in NY I have to dig through a decrepit box marked "blue" which has zippers of all lengths and hues arranged as though they've sprung from Medusa's scalp. I came home with all manner of thread, twill tape and elastic but there was so much fabric I couldn't get my head around buying anything but a remnant of flannel! Shameful, I know.

While in Portland I hit the Dublin Bay Knitting Company, which was lovely and inviting with a beautiful selection. I also poked my head into the Knit Knot Studio and was dismayed to find an old favorite, Lint, is closing its doors! The place had clearly be ransacked by the time I got there and it was sad to see it all cleared out.

Lest you think nothing was accomplished but shopping, I did sew up this little number before I left. The bridesmaids' dresses were a lovely shade of blue shantung and I had no purse to match. So on the morning before my flight I chopped up the hem of my skirt (left over from alterations) and made this little zip pouch which has grosgrain ribbon accents and is lined with cream cotton. It's a little wonky because I rushed the zipper, but it did the job of holding my lip gloss and the bride's perfectly!

Sadly, it's the only scrap of the bridesmaid dress that I still have. After our flight home, my Boy and I idiotically waltzed off the plane without our garment bag, which the flight attendant had helpfully hung in the first class cabin (far, far away from where we were sitting). Nestled in said bag were the Boy's best suit, his dress shirt, my dress from the rehearsal dinner (which I adored and wore only that once) and my bridesmaid dress. We realized our error when we got to baggage claim but by the time I sprinted through the airport, convinced someone to give me a security pass, went back through the metal detectors, stripped off my shoes and had my water confiscated, the plane was no longer at the gate and gone was our black, plastic, completely nondescript and unidentifiable garment bag... with close to $1000 of clothes in it. I am still so mad I could spit. C0ntinental is purportedly looking for the bag but as each day passes with no word, I'm losing hope. There is an outside chance it will wind up in their warehouse in Houston but I'm not holding my breath... because if I did, I wouldn't be able to scream at the top of my lungs "I AM SUCH AN IDIOT!!!"