Ketchup!

So, I finished a few quilts (finally). I started these during my maternity leave, approximately 22 months ago. I'm not sure what took so long to quilt it, but it did and it turned out to be not so bad and it's done and given to Project Linus. Hopefully will find a loving home.


The back is a striped flannel, similar color palette.



A little ric-rac in the binding. I do not know why this amuses me so, but it does.


I also finished this quilt - started at the same time. I didn't like the backing flannel I picked out for it, so I had one of my design consultants help decide from stash. We went with the fruit print that I adore. Also, given to Project Linus.





Another recent project - one of my friends approached me and showed me a bib that she had that just fit her 18 month old, but was a little too small for her 3 year old. It was made from flannel, and it velcroed around the neck and waist and was nearly perfect for what she used it for (car rides with drinks, keeping clothes clean). But she only had two and .... So I borrowed one, traced it and this is what I came up with...



Got some feedback and made a few more.....



I have two more quilt tops to show next time.....

Wow. Number 384.

I've been sewing and knitting and going to soccer practice and Girl Scout meetings and friend birthday parties and manning the fort while the boys go camping and Boy Scout committee meetings.

Here's the skirt I made for myself. I love it so much! It's made it into my regular rotation, and I bought some more fabric to make myself more skirts. It's kind of a variation of the Heather Ross Weekend Sewing, Yard Sale Wrap Skirt. Except it doesn't wrap.



Mods: Made 8 panels. Mostly followed directions to join them with French seams. When I got to the end, I added a zipper and sewed up the open side. (With non-French seams). Then I added darts to make the waist fit pretty well. Then extra-wide, double fold bias tape around the waist and hem to cover the raw edges. I tried a snap closure by the zipper, but it didn't work out, so I took it out, ripped back a little of the bias tape and added a button/pony elastic closure, as seen on Angry Chicken. (brilliant.)

It could use pockets, and I wish the zipper situation wasn't such a kludge, but otherwise, works good, lasts a long time.

Here's what else I got out to do: I haven't worked on this in a while. The centers are Kaffee charm squares that I got for Christmas, the solids are from a fat quarter set of Kona Cottons (Pink Chalk Fabrics!). I've got all 32 squares done, I need to iron them and true them up so that they're all about the same size (and squareness). Then the crazy colors will commence! Black sashing would look pretty sharp and tone it all down, but I kind of want to see if I can make it make sense without that.

Meet the Teacher Tomorrow! Wow!

I've been doing a lot of sewing. Also, I've been back to the film camera, so I end up with batch updates.

1. I finished this baby quilt for my friends who are due this fall.
And a little hat and big sister gifts - doll quilt and doll hat.


2. I've been knitting too. I'm working on a Feb. Lady Sweater in Cascade Eco +. For me. First sweater for me that has gotten this far.


3. I made El the Flowergirl Dress from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. If I had read any other blog posts about it, I would have measured the pattern piece against a dress or shirt that actually fits her. I got it all done and then it wouldn't get onto her body - she couldn't get her shoulders/arms through the bodice. I ended up recutting the bodice pieces a little larger. I toyed with the idea of a gusset at first, but it seemed tricky to implement and only a little less unsewing. The results are more like a jumper, but that's fine too. Later on, I made myself the "wrap skirt" which will hopefully be photographed at some point. I have some lessons learned about the book as a whole. I may need to redo the buttons/button holes/strap situation on the dress, but I'm going to wash it first, before I try more tricks.

Wow. Summer Vacation

It continues to be a little crazy. Three weeks til school starts again.

In the crafting department...I finished a baby quilt, pieced a doll quilt, and am ready to bind another baby quilt. Wanna see?



This is for my new nephew - he was born July 23. I used pages of a cloth story book panel, with sashing from the same line of fabrics.

I made this one for his older brother a couple years ago:


I put this together for a little girl who is going to be born in September:

That picture is just the top. But now it's quilted and halfway bound - I need to tack it down in back. I tell you, panels sound like they're going to be simpler, but frankly, the picture might not be as square as it looks.

This is for the big sister:

I haven't figured out what to put on the back yet. Should it match the big sisters? Should it be flannel?

She was the recipient of this, back in the day: