Showing posts with label quilting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label quilting. Show all posts

Thursday, March 22, 2012

oh hello..

Whoa! I just realized it's been almost a month since I last posted anything here! Crazy! It's not like I've forgotten about this poor little blog of mine.. I kept thinking of things I wanted to post about and share on here but just never got around to writing it all out. It's been a busy month I think, and I've actually been doing a lot of sewing, some for friends, some as donations, but mostly for myself. Here's what I've been working on:

First block done :)
Swoon block #2
I completed two blocks (of nine) for my Swoon quilt! I'm doing this at a rather slow pace but totally loving the process. Because each block is so big, it's like nine mini quilts in one!


Wiksten tank
I made another Wiksten Tank muslin (wearable of course) trying to adjust the size a bit. I made the top part one size bigger than the first one I made and the bottom part the same as the first. Although I still love and rave about this pattern, I think I can still do a bit of tweaking on the fit to match my body type. I think really what I need to do is add some mini darts and possibly lower/widen the armhole (is this called the armscye still when it's a sleeveless top?) a bit on the original size. And I'm sure this is old news now, but Jenny now offers her two amazingly awesome patterns as PDF downloads! That means no more waiting for a restock of patterns, and no more shipping fees. Just instant gratification!

I've also been working on a muslin for the Sewaholic Crescent Skirt and have been following this old sew-along which is so fabulously detailed and easy to follow. I have completed my muslin in, well, a rather drab, worn out muslin fabric so I won't  show a picture of me wearing it. I'll be sewing up the 'real' skirt in a lightweight denim fabric for a look that was inspired by this version.

Finally, I have also started sewing up a 'dottie angel-esque' frock from this sweet vintage pattern I bought off Etsy. I'm hoping to have it completed for when I head out to the dottie angel workshop in Seattle in just over three weeks (I AM SO CRAZY EXCITED ABOUT THIS!!)

And just for fun, check out this sweet little scrap pack Laura of Charm Stitch sent me! She was cleaning out her sewing space (something I've actually been doing as well) and she was offering out some little fabric scrap packs for free! I was totally stunned to find such wonderful scraps included in this pack! Look at those mermaids! I've wanted those mermaids forEVER! and lots of other Heather Ross, Nani Iro, and Amy Butler scraps. Thanks so much Laura!!

And aside from non-sleeping children, sunny days mixed with random snowfalls/hail storms, spring break, spring cleaning/organizing, sewing with good friends and many trips to the thrift stores and a fabulous flea market, that pretty much sums up what I've been up to this past month. Hopefully I'll be back here before another month passes. I miss this space and want to thank you all for continuing to visit and read my ramblings :) What have you been up to? What have you been sewing/crafting/creating? 

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

swooning

swoon-along button

Ok, I've totally lost my mind and have decided to join a quilt-along hosted by Katy over at Monkey Do. Didn't I just purchase about a dozen new patterns over the holidays that I told myself I would absolutely sew up this year? Yes. Didn't I say that my focus this year would be on garment sewing? Yes. Do I enjoy sleep? Yes. Have I ever completed a quilt? Well, technically yes. But it was before I knew anything about quilting, so I basically just sewed a bunch of fabrics from a jelly roll together and sandwiched it with some batting, bought pre-packaged biased tape and zipped the whole thing through my machine so fast that some of the binding didn't even catch in the stitches. Don't get me wrong. I made this quilt for my son while I was still pregnant, and I really love it even though it's falling apart. But I do want to make a REAL quilt. And this is what drew me in..
16" scrappy Swoon blocks made with charm squares

So pretty, right?? I spent the last few days trying to figure out my colours/theme. I ended up just picking and choosing individual FQs (18 total!!) which nearly did me in. I buy most of my fabric online so I've been switching back and forth between thumbnails of fabric swatches on my computer monitor and my teeny tiny iPhone screen, trying to decide what goes with what. I would have just bought a pre-matched FQ bundle but I had a specific theme in mind that I couldn't quite find in a pre-cut bundle. And my theme was inspired by..


...cleaning products by my kitchen sink! Aqua/Turquoise-y blue and peachy/tangerine orange (with some hot pink, fresh green and sunshiny yellow thrown in). I'm attempting a summery-sorbet-picnic theme. Now I just have to wait 2-3 weeks for the mailman to bring me my fabric. Torture!! Anyone else doing a quilt-along this spring? How do you usually go about choosing your fabrics?