I went to Stone Mountain and Daughter, a fabric store in Berkeley, a few weeks ago looking for some fabric for pants. I didn’t find the pants fabric I wanted, but they had a nice selection of flannel at a good price, so I bought some pieces to make receiving blankets for a friend’s daughter who had a baby a few months ago.
I know the colors are not totally matchy matchy, but I liked something about the combination.
Decorative Stitching
I like making receiving blankets for gifts, but they are still a pain to make so I used some large and loose decorative stitches. I am pleased with how they look and will send them off soon.
I have made progress on choosing fabrics for the music quilt. I bought some fabrics at Houston and then I received a huge box of music fabrics from Mrs. K. What a bonanza!
The fabrics on the left are the fabrics I bought at Houston for the quilt. The fabrics on the left are music fabrics that Mrs. K sent me.
I still don’t have a pattern. I did another Missouri Star disappearing pattern that might work. We’ll have to see.
This seems like progress, but it is extremely painful.
I finally got my act together and sent off the latest niece-phews quilts to the intended recipients. The Disappearing Pinwheel and the Wonky Nine Patch headed off about a week ago to two brothers, the youngest of my nephews. I was thrilled to finally get them out of the house. All reports were that the boys liked them. The boys liking them is the most important part. Truly. An added bonus.
Finished: Wonky 9 Patch
The orange of the Wonky Nine Patch was a bold choice. I made it, because when I started the quilt, Aidan told me, in an offhand way, he really liked orange. It stuck in my head and when I saw Kathleen’s quilt, it all jelled in my head. I was a little nervous about the orange, because some of the prints were tending towards the girly side. Also, boys, and kids in general, change their mind as often as they change their underwear…almost.
I didn’t say anything to anyone (Shhhh! Don’t tell!) and nobody has said anything to me. Aidan’s mom said the colors were perfect and I am so glad.
I have to say, again, probably, that I love that blue batik. It isn’t turquoise, but it also isn’t really in the navy family. It is a great water blue. If I see it again, I’ll buy 10 yards. That is probably too much, but I’ll have enough.
Disappearing Pinwheel Finished
Pierce, the youngest of all of my nieces and nephews, got the Disappearing Pinwheel. I was concerned, again that it would be too girly, but the grey makes it boyish.
Looking at it again really makes me like the layout. If only I had thought to switch a pinwheel block with one of the Disappearing Pinwheel blocks, that would have added interest.
I have a loose project making quilts for all of my nieces and nephews. So far I have made 7 quilts for 7 youngsters. I have 8 more to make. As you know, I make them when I feel like making one or when I get inspired to make a quilt and then don’t know who should get it. I started out with the idea that I would give each niece or nephew a quilt when they graduated from college, but that didn’t quite work with my creative process. Some of the younger kids may end up with two quilts – an additional quilt when they get to college. We’ll see.
We got an email just before school let out saying that one of the Band moms had breast cancer and she was being treated quite aggressively.
We got an update at Band Camp and I decided to ask for one of the quilts made by the BAMQG Charity Project. Michelle and I met on Friday and she gave me this quilt for the Band Mom.
I can’t decide if it is a star or some kind of ring quilt. I forget the name of the design. It is very scrappy and cheerful and I think will make the Band Mom feel better.
Star Donation Quilt Back
I sewed a small label on to the back for historic purposes.
I just have to wrap the quilt and will give it to the band director soon.
I have a new baby niece named Lauren Elizabeth. I hope she likes pink because I have a lot of pink ideas. 😉
My mom is also thrilled to have another grandbaby. My Young Man is leaving for college too soon so Lauren will be a good distraction for her.
Last weekend I made receiving blankets, my gift of choice for newborns.
I bought the pink and turquoise tone-on-tone at Always Quilting a month or so ago. I thought I would find some other flannels to go with them. As I perused the wares at Hawthorne Threads, I saw the Pretty Potent prints in flannel and that large dot. Perfect!
While I was hemming the edges I listened to an interview with Anna Maria Horner on Modern Sewciety (Episode 37, I think) where she talks about her inspiration for Pretty Potent. I was thrilled to know her inspiration for the fabric with which I was working.
Receiving Blankets in Blue
I really like the Coneflower (Echinacea) print. I think it is a little hard to use in quilts, but it is perfect for this receiving blanket.
I have the card written and just need to wrap the gift and send it off.
A few weeks ago I posted a pillowcase tutorial that used some sort of Christmas fabric. I think that I really want to make pillowcases for my nieces and nephews. For those that are married, I will make one for the spouse and children as well. I thought I mentioned it, but don’t see the words on my blog. It may have been that I was thinking about it since I made the three pillowcases for the littlest nephews last year.
I have a bunch of Christmas fabric that I bought on sale for gift bags. I never made those gift bags as I really have enough and am happy with the ones I have. The fabric was languishing (read taking up precious space and getting on my nerves) in one of my drawers. I finally decided that I would actually make pillowcases for pre-Christmas gifts for the nieces and nephews so they could enjoy the holiday season while they sleep.
This means the following: <Quilt Math ALERT: Breathe deeply and don’t panic>
13 nieces and nephews
+1 great niece
+1 great nephew
+1 niece spouse
_________________
16 total pillowcases
-3 pillowcases already made for nephews last year
______________________________________
13 total to make by Thanksgiving*
-2 already made this year (see this post (-; )
______________________________________
11 pillowcases to make by Thanksgiving
I will make as many as I can and I will start from the top down so kids in the same family or household all get the pillowcases at the same time if I can’t finish them by Thanksgiving. I feel a little bad that the littlest nephews won’t get them with their cousins, but since I plan on sending them early (so the cases can be enjoyed during the season) rather than giving them out at christmas, they really won’t know. I am pretty sure the 3rd and 5th graders don’t read this blog.
I washed all of the Christmas fabric for the pillowcases and decided to press it as I made the cases. If you have read the gift bag tutorial, you know that I don’t wash fabric I use for gift bags as I like the sizing to give the bags a bit of body and they will probably never be washed, so I don’t take the time. There is minimal pressing so I don’t break out from pressing the unwashed fabric.
Although I haven’t used up all the fabric I have, I had to buy some fun, modern Christmas fabric on sale after Grand Parlor because I loved the color. I think I bought enough for 4 pillowcases, but can’t remember.
Christmas Pillowcases
Last week, I finished up the two pillowcases I started the week before I went to Vancouver.
The main body of the pillowcases is the Christmas fabric and the cuff is some fabric that looks like crumpled paper that I got in the mid 1990s. I remember getting that fabric from Lisa Call, who bought a bunch of it in several different colorways and distributed it to those who ordered and paid. I was really excited about the fabric, then never did much with this particular colorway. I used the turquoise and rose colors in various projects. Green has never been a favorite of mine, but the fabric worked very well with the Christmas fabric. (Aside: use your beloved fabric before it ends up as the cuffs of pillowcases!)
I decided I didn’t want to bother with the trim. I don’t really like the way it has come out on the ones I have made. I also think it is an extra bit of annoyance when I am trying to plow through a project. I might feel differently on future pillowcases, but for now that is the word.
I do want to try piping again and if I can perfect my piping technique, then that might look lovely. On the other hand, piping might just make ugly lines on the nieces and nephews faces when they sleep. For now, I will leave it.
I might even get the packs ready to send to people, so there isn’t a lot of packing up required. That might be a little creepy organized even for me. We will have to see.
It is kind of fun to have a project like this. I don’t think I have had one since I made the card holders. I feel like I am spreading the quilt/fabric love when I make useful stuff that non-quilt people won’t wonder too much about. Who knows? They all might think I am insane regardless.
*Thanksgiving is kind of my unofficial cutoff time for sewing projects like this. I go later sometimes, but really try to have big projects done by Thanksgiving so that I am not sewing at the last minute. A lot of my spare time after Thanksgiving is taken up by writing cards.
I needed to get back in the swing of sewing last week after being out of town. I don’t know why I have so much trouble getting back into the swing after being out of town, because all I really want to do is sew. I am sure there is some guilt about having fun mixed up in there. Oh well, I think about that later. 😉
Paris Pillowcases
Anyway, pillowcases are easy and I wanted to cement the process in my mind. I had just ironed some Paris prints and decided to make them as a birthday gift for a friend who has everything.
I was inspired by my sister’s love of Paris and France to buy these prints, but I decided that they were too brown and muted for me. I bought the Black Dress print at Scottie Dog fabrics in January and thought that fabric, used as a cuff, would tie the set together.
I know that three is an odd number for a gift, but that was all the cuff fabric I had. I am not even sure I will be able to cut a piece of it for FOTY 2014. I might have another piece somewhere. We will see.
I am pleased with how they came out and think the recipient will like them. I hope so, at least.
My last effort with a pillowcase was frustrating. Amy left a comment that really helped me make this one. Except for messing up the French Seam and having to rip it out, this pillowcase went together really well.
Amy said that the selvedges go on the side of the pillowcase. What I did was leave the selvedges on until I had sewn the first seam and used the numbers and other directions from the Twiddletails tutorial. Sometimes a comment as simple as that can really help (which is why your comments really matter!!!).
I am not sure I bought this fabric for a pillowcase or for a pillowcase for my nephew who is off at college, but I washed this fabric and decided that I was neglecting the poor soul.I like to make things and send them to my nieces and nephews who are off at college. You have seen a quilt or two that have gone off to colleges around the country. I have also made pillowcases and have a few other items on my list to make as gifts. Yes, pillowcases, I am sure get strange looks from their recipients, but I don’t care. They are good vehicles for fun fabrics. Where else could you use hot sauce fabric?
Smokin’ Hot Pillowcase – folded
After I finished the top and back for Super Secret Project #4, I decided to tackle the pillowcase. I am really glad it went together easily, because I don’t think I could have taken another frustrating pillowcase experience.
It would have been a shame, too, because I probably would have given up on pillowcases and I really can’t think of another way to use fun fabrics like this.
I really am completely thrilled at how this one came out. It came together really easily and even the trim is matched up pretty well. No, I didn’t match the pattern of the fabric. That is a fight for another day.
I hope this pillowcase doesn’t look too Halloween-y
Recently Mom cleared out her storage unit. She found a lot of great stuff, like her jewelry box and some not so great stuff, e.g. my childhood in a plastic sweater box. I had mixed feelings as I went through the box. Clearly, these things meant something to me, or my mom, at some point, but, frankly, most of them I didn’t remember. I put them away. When I am dead someone else can decide to toss them.
Childhood Heart Pillow
I did find this pillow, though, which I thought was very sweet. It doesn’t have my name on it, but if Mom says I made, I have to believe her. It looks like something I would do. I love the wonkiness of it. I also love the visible stitches. It seems heartfelt to me.
It also seems odd, in a way, because I never called my mom ‘Mother’. That must have been the pattern.
I admit to being one of the instigators of a thank you gift for Charlotte, the Scrapitude Queen. I thought that a small token of our appreciation for the hard work she did on Scrapitude would be well deserved and a lovely surprise as well.
Like the BAMQG gifts, I suggested we all send small gifts to Sandy and Sandy could make a bag and put all the gifts inside. I left it until the last minute and made a needle case over the first February weekend while DH watched the big Sportsball game, as Pam calls it. I wasn’t procrastinating, I was just out of town. And, of course, Scrapitude embroiled some of my attention during that weekend.
My idea was to use scraps, but I have to say that after working on Scrapitude, I wanted some symmetry of fabric and some calm. I love my Scrapitude quilt so far, but it has a lot going on.
I had a love piece of Martha Negley vegetable fabric that was large enough for the outside. It is a little dark, but the eggplant was so wonderful.
Charlotte’s Needle Case – inside
Inside is completely different. I had a strip of some mermaid fabric, but only fish and mermaid tails were left. I fussy cut a bit and made it look like my lovely mermaid was swimming off the piece. At least that was my intention.
Again, I sewed the inside and outside right sides together and then turned them and top stitched. I stitched the ribbon closure to the outside before sewing the main pieces together. I hope she likes it.
It isn’t something I have ever seen before, but I really like it. The letters are about 6″x6″, if you started out with a square. I think it would be amusing to wear it as a name tag, though I do think it would get in my way after awhile.
One of the gifts I received for my birthday was a box of Aurifil threads, 50wt. This is my first box of Aurifil thread, though, as you know, I was part of the Aurifil Club at the Quilt Bear for awhile. I am starting to think there might be a conspiracy afoot to get me back to my sewing.
Yes, Happy Aurifil Colors
I didn’t even know this group existed and I was really excited when I saw it, because they are truly happy colors. They look like a box of candy!
When I saw them it made me think that I would have to start piecing with colors to match my fabric. I want to use these right away.
One the other hand, I might just want to look at them for awhile and admire them.
I feel somewhat self indulgent by sharing my birthday report with you. I had such a great day, though, that I can’t help myself. I love my birthday and really strive to savor it every year. I think I would love to have it more than once a year, but then I would get really old, really fast and it wouldn’t be as special. The bonus was that I had a day off of work!
First, I got up and wrote in my journal and drank my tea. The boys got up and DH made us an omelette (I didn’t even have to ask!), then I started opening gifts. I couldn’t believe the generosity of my friends and family. I couldn’t even open all the gifts at once.
Granary Fabrics
Later, I went to pick up my sewing machine and out to lunch with Maureen. Our favorite lunch place is right near the Granary, so while I waited for her, I looked at fabric. Julie and I are going to do a block project with the 100 Modern Quilt Blocks book by Tula Pink and I saw the perfect background. My mother-in-law gave me some money and the fabrics are the result. I really like the Granary. The fabrics are all commercial and most of the ladies there tend towards non-art quilts, but I like the busyness and the variety of products in the place. They have a lot of fabric that is well organized and it is clean. They have lots of everything as well.
Birthday Gifts
And then there was the birthday box! OMG! TFQ out did herself this year and sent me the most luscious quiltmaking fabric and supplies and inspiration. If I don’t buy anything else this year, I will be all set.
I also put the books that Julie gave me and some gifts that DH gave me in the picture. I am not tall enough to include them all.
One item I received was a FitBit. I have been wanting one and am pleased to finally be able to see where I am in terms of fitness. My first morning workout was over 2,000 steps, which is amazing!
We give bags of gifts to the officers of the guild. Some of us make tote bags and then all the guild members bring a gift for each officer. It is a lot easier than making a quilt. It also allows people to contribute in a way that makes them comfortable.
Needle Cases
We encourage people to bring small gifts, such as spools of thread, packs of pins, needles, Pigma pens and WonderClips. We also encourage people to make small gifts, like zipper pouches. Some just write heartfelt cards and I know that is appreciated.
This time I made needle cases. As I mentioned in previous posts, I found the needle case pattern in a magazine and modified it to suit my needs.
I used, mostly, scraps for these needle cases. I like this project and am pleased with the modifications I made to the pattern. It is something I can make quickly as a gift.
I wasn’t able to make the meeting yesterday as I just returned from a work trip. I hope the officers liked them.
I had some time and thought I would make some pillowcases for the littlest nephews. The ‘littlest’ nephews are now 2d and 4th graders so ‘little’ is relative.
Still, I thought it might be a fun to give them a pillowcase they could especially use during the holiday season. I won’t have much of a chance to do that as all the niece-phews are getting quite old.
They came out well, but I really had trouble with the directions this time. Once again, I used the Twiddletails tutorial, which has been great in the past, though it isn’t as straightforward as it could be — or it is not written in the way I think. I have decided that what I need to do is measure a pillow case of my own, figure out the dimensions of each piece, take what is good from the Twiddletails tutorial and create my own tutorial. I haven’t posted a tutorial in awhile and it is about time.
Christmas Pillowcases – open 2013
I think the problem is the selvedge. I always get confused when I am reading the directions about the selvedge. I don’t know if it matters where the selvedge ends up. I have made notes on my printout and have determined that they are muddying the situation. It could be that I need to just print out a new version of the directions and make other notes. We will see once I measure my own pillowcase.
* This is the second version of this post. The first version disappeared in the move of my blog.
