Mother's Day, Potholders, & Dishtowels, Oh My!

Happy Belated Mother's Day to all the moms out there :)  I had a relatively low key day myself which was perfect.  We spent the day gardening and Hubby made us a really lovely dinner.

For Mother's Day this year I was inspired by Rita @ Red Pepper Quilts to make my mom new potholders.  Knowing that my mom's potholders were in rough shape, they seemed like the perfect gift.  I used one of those mini charm packs which was enough for 2 potholders with a few squares left over. 

I layered the potholder top with a layer of Warm & Natural Batting and a layer of the Insul-Bright and did a little straight line quilting.  

Just finishing the binding.

 

 To add a little something to the potholders, I "made" mom a dishtowel.  I followed this wonderful tutorial by Kleio's Belly.  My pleat came out slightly off center {totally my fault} but, oh well, it's functional!  You can get two of these hanging dishtowels out of one full sized (15x24") kitchen towel.

Mom's second towel is still in progress but these literally take only a few minutes to make.  The most time consuming part for me was the button hole.  Well really procrastinating doing it.  I've done them in the past ----you know, on the old machine.  I was so intimidated by the new machine, with it's special button hole foot.  It was soooo darn easy.  You just pick the stitch number (#49 on my Babylock), attach the foot, line up the starting point, and press go.  Sew easy! (HA!)

Woodland Sampler - April & May

I had (what seemed like) a million things to get done in April, so the Woodland sampler was put on the back burner.  Now that I'm all caught up on various other deadlines, bee blocks, swaps, & pattern testing, I had a chance to work on my April and May Woodland sampler blocks.

April brought the jack-a-lope and April showers.  I added little dandelions which I love seeing this time of year.

For May, I stitched up this little gnome guy.  I think he's rather cute hiding in those sprouts.

I can't wait for the release of June's pattern, but until then I have plenty of work to do on the Springtime sampler. I'm over halfway done stitching up the frames and finally picked up the embroidery floss for the pattern. 

Spring is here!

I'm not sure what it is about this beautiful weather, but I have so much energy and motivation to get things done.  As the weather gets nicer, we're spending more time outside each day --although I'm sure my allergies are going to start at any second.

Emma & her rock collection

This little girl loves to spend time outside, especially if Maggie and Paige are out there.  That's perfectly ok with us because the neglected gardens need a lot of work.   We're currently working on cleaning up the yard, taking breaks to play with bubbles, and are planning to get a few toys for the back yard once we receive our tax return.  It's fun to splurge every now and then.

When we're not outside, I'm dividing my time between the woodland sampler {April is fabulous!}, my springtime sampler frames {never-ending}, sewing my hugs and kisses blocks, and knitting.  It's craziness.  The weather is almost nice enough to do hand sewing on the porch in the evenings.  Can.not.wait.

WIP Wednesday: On the Needles

Socks in progress for Emma.

It's far from perfect though.  I got to the part of the directions to turn the heel and I just gave it a shot.  I'm not sure I did it correctly (the short rows were weird), but it looks ok.

Sock/heel as seen on Instagram.
Pattern: Jelly Bean Baby socks in Toddler size.

I think from this point forward I should be good, until the Kitchner stitch of course. Hopefully I'll get feedback from my instructor tomorrow night so the 2nd sock is better.

April Just 3

A little March re-cap for you:

1. Finish hand sewing the binding on Emma's Smitten quilt - Done!  Can't wait to get outside to photograph it.

2. Piece blocks for my Hugs and Kisses quilt - Done!

I wish I could rotate this :(

3.  Knitting goal -  Finish finger-less mitts so that I can stop freezing my butt {or hands} off at work - Done!

Having goals definitely keeps me motivated to get stuff done :)

April's Just 3

1. Finish piecing the Hugs & Kisses and Cherish Nature quilt blocks into tops (baby steps here, people!)

 2. Knit a pair of socks (a sock,  maybe? baby socks?).  I only have one more knitting class left and I really need to learn how to turn a heel.  I'm hoping that by knitting baby socks I'll get to the heel quicker and my teacher will be able to show me how in class. {Pattern is Jelly Bean Socks from Spud & Chloë.}

3. Make Miss Emma some clothes - quick change trousers, anyone?  I'm hoping Emma will still fit into the 18-24 month size but I may have to make them a little longer for my string bean.

What are your goals for this month?

Linking up:

March - Just 3 Check In

It's almost April!!!  I'm happy and sad at the same time.

This little girl is getting so big!  Time is flying by and she is picking up new words everyday.  I want her to stay this age for just a little longer.

I'm looking forward to the beautiful weather, playing outside, and getting back to gardening.  And of course April 1st will bring the next month of the Woodland Sampler and the first installment of the Springtime Sampler.

I'm making pretty good progress on my March Just 3.....

1. My fingerless mitts are done (yay!), except I have to weave in the yarn ends and figure out how to bind off....

2. My Hugs & Kisses quilt blocks are coming along.  I am about half done sewing the blocks...and should have no problem finishing up the rest this month.

3. Binding is complete!  I finished it on a recent car trip to visit my in-laws.  Once it starts to feel more like spring around here, I'll take it outside for some pictures!

Pattern is Smitten by Rachel Griffith.

I'll have lots of time this week to catch up on my Hugs & Kisses blocks because Hubby is traveling for work :(

March - Just 3!

So in attempt to get more done each month, I'm linking up to Traceyjay quilts's Just Three.  Since this is my first time participating {hi everyone!} I don't have a report for last month.

March's Goals

1.  Finish hand sewing the binding on Emma's Smitten quilt.  It's over half done.  I've just abandoned it for other fun projects.

2. Piece blocks for my Hugs and Kisses quilt.  I finally picked out my neutral color on Sunday (Moda Cross weave in light gray- so awesome!) so now I need to press my strip sets, cut the fabric using the Lazy Angle ruler and piece it all back together again.

Progress made since I drafted this post :)

3. Since I started a knitting class in January, I think a knitting goal is only fair.  I need to finish my other finger-less mitten so that I can stop freezing my butt {or hands} off at work.  One of the few disadvantages of having a drafty window office....also apparently, you can knit two mitts, socks, whatever, at the same time on circular needles. :::Smacks self on head::::  Apparently, the teacher thought that I should already have known this....even though I'm a {self taught until now} beginner, in a beginner's class.  Lesson learned, lady!

Linking up to:

More Bee Blocks

I’ve had more energy lately….and I think I might be starting to nest. lol!  I’ve been obsessed with cleaning, knitting little baby hats, and sewing for baby.  Cooking and food shopping have not been high on my list of priorities but one’s husband can only starve for too long before going to the market, right?!

Since I’m not up for basting large quilts on the floor quite right now, I decided to get a jump on July’s bee block.  This block is for Susan in the Scrap Bee.  Susan requested a “square in a square” block using aqua, orange, and green.   

Fabric for Susan’s block came from the scrap basket, except the orange.  I picked some up recently because I have very little orange in the stash.  Using orange scares me….I love the orange tulip print above, but when it comes to using orange I hesitate to put it into a quilt. 

Am I the only one with an orange (or other color) phobia?

My block for the Scrap Bee was May.  My plan was to make a few extra blocks for my quilt so it would be a little larger for the baby.

I’ve made two blocks so far using scraps from other projects.

My favorite print is that zebra one.  Isn’t it fantastic!  It came in a scrap pack I bought online so I only have a small piece.

The first block seemed really time consuming to make….these blocks go really smoothly if you have your scraps cut into strips and pressed.  The second block went a lot quicker once I organized my scraps.  Not sure how many more I’ll end up making, but if your scrap bin is overflowing I highly recommend these blocks using this tutorial.

Sewing for Baby….

A couple of weeks ago, I went for an anatomy ultrasound.  I was on the fence the whole pregnancy about looking vs. not looking.  I wanted the baby’s gender to be a surprise, while Hubby wanted to know what we were having.

Well, we looked!  We were so shocked to find out that we are going to have a little girl!  I was so sure it was a boy, I even bought fabric for a little boy quilt.  I have to say there is something really special about knowing that I’m carrying a little girl, as opposed to a baby.  It makes the bond that much stronger…just my opinion (from someone who didn’t want to find out, so no hating please!).

Sewing for a baby girl has been so much fun already!  Awhile ago I picked up Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner.  There were so many projects in it I wanted to make, but never had the time nor motivation until recently.

The first project I picked was the quick change trousers.  They are so cute!  I made the smallest size (0-3 months) and plan on making bigger sizes after the baby arrives.  The pattern provides sizes for up to 24 months.  The only con, if you can even call it a con, is that you have to copy each pattern piece since there are multiple pattern pieces printed on top of each other on one page.

The pattern itself was really easy and the pants are completely reversible!  The only trouble I had was sewing the hem on the legs, because of the teeny tiny opening. This was done relatively easily by just sewing a little slower than normal.

I’ve made one pair so far and have 2 more in the works….including a pair in this cute Parisville shell fabric.  I might have to snag some more of this fabric before it’s hard to find!

Next, I’m going to try the pretty as a picture dress from Handmade Beginnings in this Amy Butler fabric.  I think it’s going to be adorable!

Wednesday Work in Progress

I love this quilt…I seriously can’t stop staring at it.  Isn’t she gorgeous?

The pattern is Jaybirdquilt’s Quarter Log Cabin as published on the Fon's and Porter website.  The blocks came together super easy.  I loved Julie’s original version of the quilt (especially after seeing it in person) that I knew I had to make it.  It took a little work to track down the Martinique (Moda) fabric but it was totally worth it.  This quilt is currently waiting for the rows to be sewn together and then it’s on to the borders. 

Do you like my design floor? I never know where to lay out my quilts, especially for basting.  Usually I’m dealing with 2 dogs and 2 cats.  I’ve even tried laying out quilts on my design…..grass??? (on a very windy day when the lawn was overdue for mowing!).

Jaybirdquilt’s Off the Rail pattern in It’s a Hoot by Momo for Moda.  Quilt is done and should be posted very shortly!

And no I would not baste a quilt on the grass…I’m not that silly!

WIP Wednesday

I had a record sewing weekend {for me}, but on Monday I just felt blah.  A complete lack of motivation for sewing, blogging, and all things crafty at the worst time possible…my mom’s birthday gift sat unfinished.

I finished her quilt top last week and ordered backing one day too late to receive it in time to finish her quilt over this past weekend…so I finished another {secret} quilt instead and burned myself out.  Unfortunately, this is a very special birthday for my mom so I feel a little guilty.  I’ll finish it this weekend, but I’m a little disappointed in my complete lack of energy.  I think she’ll like it…when I saw the Central Park fabric, I knew I had to make a quilt for her with it.

Pattern is Charming Stars via Moda Bake Shop. 

Other things in progress:

• 2 gathered clutches ala Noodlehead for mom’s birthday and one for a friend.
• Another Amy Butler Frenchy Bag
• It’s A Hoot patchwork quilt

Sunday Stash

Week 4 of 2011 and I’m only getting around to my first Sunday Stash post.  I’m expecting my stash reports to be pretty boring with the fabric diet, but we’ll see.

Recent additions to the stash are 8 yards of Tula Pink Parisville.

And a fat eighth bundle (5 yards) of Central Park by Kate Spain (which I’ve already cut up).

Fabric out this week: 1 yard Robert Kauffman Kona cotton in white and 2.5 yards of Central Park by Kate Spain for a quilt top using a Moda Bake Shop tutorial ~ more on that later.  One block down (above) – 15 to go. 

Fabric Used this YTD:  3.5 yards

Fabric Added YTD: 13 yards

You can check out how everyone else is doing here.

Pretty Patchwork

I started this during the Philly Modern Quilt Guild's November Sewing night at the Little Shop in Haddonfield.  This pattern is from the book Jellyroll Quilts.  It’s coming together pretty quickly and is actually alot of fun to make. 

The pattern comes with 2 size options.  The larger size quilt (the one I’m making) uses 1.5 jellyrolls.  There is also a smaller size which uses less than 1 jellyroll.  The fabric is It’s a Hoot by Momo (LOVE it!) for Moda.  The blocks are almost done.

I did have one dilemma before the project even began.  I was planning on using white as my background fabric and thankfully Julie suggested maybe white was not the best idea.  I normally use white in everything and am starting to learn it doesn’t go with everything.  Since we were sewing in a fabric shop the problem was quickly resolved when I found a nice dark brown solid to use instead.  It gives the quilt a totally different look and I’m loving it. 

I finally did find a use for some of the white Kona cotton I’ve been hoarding….more on that later!

Progress…

Finished the blocks for this quilt….now if only I had a design wall! 

So many projects…

So little time!

I’ve got so many things in progress, it’s hard to focus!  The beginnings of a Birdie bag that I just can’t bring myself to cut out all of the darn pieces (stupid interfacing!), two quilts tops needing basting, quilting, and binding, a wedding quilt for a friend, and Siggy blocks from the Modern Siggy Swap 2.

Two weekends ago I got together with friends and spent the afternoon cutting up my pure charm pack and piecing my blocks for Project Pure.   Hoping to piece the top this week!

                     A sneak peak at my blocks…. 

This past weekend I was on vacation at the beach and as much as I wanted to pack my sewing machine, there just wasn’t room in the car with 2 dogs, a dog crate, an assortment of linens and clothing.  A quick trip to JoAnn’s and I had a few templates for hand sewing hexagons instead.  I brought a fat quarter bundle of Bliss and got to work.  Unfortunately I ran out of templates faster than I would’ve liked and those plastic templates are expensive.  Time to switch to paper piecing I think!

Crazy about Circles

So I started the Cherish Nature quilt with a solid, that may or may not be Kona solid, and ran out.  I thought I had 5 yards…but it was definitely a different color Kona…so I’m forced to put it aside until I figure out what the heck fabric it was. 

So I took that 5 yards of Kona and cut it up for my Circle Around quilt - designed by Julie.  I used the easy circle ruler and in my opinion…not so easy….at first.  I think it was a combination of being hot (sewing/ironing without air conditioning in my 90F dining room) and irritated from above noted mistake.  I managed to completely screw up 1 circle…that turned out to be 2 half circles (duh!) and cut 5 or so the wrong size…I’ll use those on the back.  I used my Frolic layer cake from Amy’s Creative Side SMS giveaway.  It’s so bright and cheery!!  As for the pattern itself, super easy and super fun.  The blocks come together so quickly, once all of the cutting is out of the way.

It’s so big, I couldn’t get it all in one picture!  Like I said, super easy and quick…all I have left is to sew my rows together and quilt!

WIP Wednesday

I love this quilt.  I’m starting to feel that way about all of my quilts though.  It must be the delicious fabric I’m using!  I’m hoping to finish the quilting on this one tonight.  I decided on straight line quilting for this to make the quilt as soft and cuddly as possible.  I’m quilting on the inside of the outer hexagon and the inner hexagon (you can see this in the picture above).

Did I mention I love this?!

Wonderland

Check out these double hour glass blocks! 

This quilt is going to be my favorite ever…I just know it.  My original intentions were to make another hexagon quilt by sewing a white strip to each jelly roll strip.  Instead, I cut my strips using a half square triangle ruler and came up with this - each strip set yielded 2 blocks.  Fun!

So why did I finally use my coveted wonderland jelly roll!?  Because I found something even better, a wonderland layer cake online, which btw they have plenty of jelly rolls and honey buns of wonderland in stock!  So excited to add this to my stash, but what’s a stash if you aren’t going to use it?

Hexagons

Friday April 9th was the second sewing night for the Philly Modern Quilt Guild.  Since I had yet to finish piecing my Charisma top together, I figured that was the perfect project to take.  By the time Friday night was over, I finally started sewing the rows together to complete the top.  I am sooo in love with this quilt probably because it’s something for me! 

Since I don’t have backing yet for the Charisma quilt, I moved right on to my next project, Julie’s Hexagon Quilt A Long, which I got a sneak peek at during the guild sewing night.  I’m using Hunky Dory by Moda.  The colors are very cheerful and springy but slightly muted so I’m worried about having good contrast in my blocks.  For Christmas Hubby bought me an equilateral triangle template which I thought I would never have a use for until now!  He was pretty excited (as excited as a husband can be about quilting)  last night when he saw it on the floor and asked me if was actually going to use it.  Of course, why else would it be on the floor?  I cut the majority of my fabric on the floor.  Is that terrible?  I don’t have a cutting table and sometimes transporting the cutting mat, fabric, and rotary cutter to the dining room table (which I then have to clear off) just doesn’t seem worth it. 

This is only half of the triangles I have cut so far.  Can’t wait to sew together my hexagon blocks!  After seeing a few different layouts, I think I’m going to go with just one block type (above).   Hope you join in on the fun!

A little charisma

in the form of a jelly roll…

Plus the Knickerbocker Glory pattern from Jelly Roll Inspirations yielded lots of four patches and a messy work area…

Which will be sewn together on point tonight once I figure out how to arrange my colors!

Lessons learned so far:  Quilting under the influence, particularly rotary cutting, is not suggested.  Cutting mishaps can occur, but luckily all of my fingertips are in place.  I’ll need to figure out a new strategy for the summer since grilling generally involves delicious Blue Moon.