Hello there!

Made it to the sewing room over the weekend, which was both surprising & lovely.
There was bee work to be done! When a package leisurely makes it way through the postal system, it kind of makes you want to jump right in & get sewing when it finally shows up. So much so, that I didn't even worry about messing up someone else's pretty fabric. See what happens when I don't worry?!
 It's not awful. But it's far from my version of "perfect" (Definition: Not perfect, but close enough for me, depending on which project I am working on.) After finishing those chevron sections, I realized that I may have picked the worst fabric possible for my star points. (I know, 'what chevrons...?' right?!) This was the only fabric I was to contribute from my stash & if making the star OR the chevron stand out was the goal, I failed. This was completely overshadowed by the fact that these sections did not line up with the corner pieces (which I am in love with, btw). I am still not sure why...! My package was missing in action long enough that Marian sent me another. Dare I try again? (How much extra fabric do you have for this project Marian? Should I send the second package back unharmed? haha)



Immediately after finishing this block, I decided it was the perfect time to sew up this quick little quilt I've had cut & waiting since June. It gave me no trouble whatsoever. Which was nice of it!



That blue star fabric in the center is flannel, as is the backing. All fabrics are from Riley Blake's "All Star" collection. It was approximately 44" square before washing.
  I hope it keeps baby M. nice & cozy!  <3

For Brielle, with love

A long, long time ago, I spotted this bedding on Anthropologie.com. That photo with all the chalk board, yeah, LOVE IT. Cut to about nine months ago, one of my bestest friends had a baby girl. I picked out one of my favourite fabric lines & got to work. Then I stopped when my quilt top was almost finished....you know how it goes. The newborn is now closer to being a one year old! (Ouch, sorry to the baby mama, but it's true...) (Also, look away if you want to see it in person first)

Here she is.




And the back, with a little bit of hexie love there in the middle...

Quilt Stats
Fabric: Aviary 2 by Joel Dewberry
    Kona Charcoal, Eggplant, Artichoke, Violet & Aloe
Size: 45 x 45"
Pattern & Quilting: Me, wingin' it.

 

Bloggers' Quilt Festival: Retro Flowers

I bought Christina's Retro Flowers pattern a little while ago, when Curves Class was first announced. The quiltalong came at a perfect time for me so I signed myself up! I knew I wanted to test out the pattern a little before jumping in with both feet & making a huge quilt. My leftover 'Pretty Bird' bits & pieces seemed like a good place to start. Not unlike the last time I used these fabrics, they grew on me the longer I worked with them. I had wanted to use up all my Kona Ocean...but when my little test project started to become more, I had to order more fabric! (Such a shame, eh?)


My little machine gave me some trouble during the piecing process...so glad I stuck it out though! I turned my blocks on point & a baby quilt was born. The plan was to use Kona Tangerine for the binding, with a mostly Ocean backing. Well, immediately after making the orange binding, I knew it wasn't going to work for me. It had to be Ocean. I was not about to wait on another order of Ocean, so the backing became a mish mash of all the leftover fabrics from the front.

Quilt StatsFabric: Pretty Bird by Pillow & Maxfield
 Kona Ocean & Robin's Egg
Size: 36 x 48"
Pattern: Retro Flowers
Quilting: All quilting is done by me, on my clunky old Kenmore

Fresh Sewing Day {April Finishes}

Well, I have never linked up to Fresh Sewing Day before; it's embarrassing how much I *don't* finish in the average month! April was a little different though. Here's what I've got!



The three quilts alone are a huge accomplishment for me. Throw in a bee block, a couple of pillows & a few small things for my upcoming sale, and I am starting to wonder what I was doing that was working so well for me in April.
Less tv, yes. More coffee, well, yes. The biggest motivator was probably my craft sale. I need deadlines. I need them, so I can slack off & then sew like a madwoman right down to the wire. It's just my style, I guess. Now I know - better plan for another show!?!

Christmas Show & Tell

It felt like I made more. In reality, the Christmas gifts I worked on for weeks only amounted to one quilt & five Keyka Lou wallets, one of which was for myself! I am happy with my finishes though, I am such a procrastinator - it really is something that there are finishes to speak of.

Here are a couple shots of all the pouches together. I added a strap to the one for my 3 year old niece as I think that will make it easier for her to carry around. The polka dot wallet is for my almost 10 yr old niece, there's a D-ring in case she would like a little wrist strap added. I don't have any clips on hand but need to order some more.





The original two I had planned to make are for a couple of my sisters. I thought it might come in handy to have a basic sewing kit for things like loose buttons or a seam that has pulled apart. I am always here to help with that sort of thing, but I have ulterior motives! It would be so nice for someone else in the family to catch the sewing bug! You never know, right?!


The quilt I managed to finish up on Christmas Eve day is for my 4 month old nephew. The very first nephew on my side of the family! Not his first quilt though, < this quilt > was made by big sister Miranda before he made his appearance.
 I used the line "Alphabet Soup" because I love the cute little zoo animal prints & the fact that the rest of the line wasn't too busy. It is colourful though, which I knew my sister would like.



I think Baby Miles likes it too! I forgot to measure it after all was said & done, but I believe it is around 50x50"

The latest quilt...

This quilt was made for a little guy who is very lucky to have my friend Leanne for an Auntie. He will find out soon enough :)   

It was made with "All Star" from Riley Blake & measures in around 40x50"



My next four (?) quilts will be something other than strip quilts, I promise. I do love them for many reasons, but I am trying to expand on my skills. Up next, two more baby sized quilts & two lap sized, hopefully all to be finished before Christmas! One is just for me (summer sampler) but it is getting mighty chilly on the couch these days!

Linking up to Rachel's "Celebrate Color" for October!

Pretty Bird Quilt

My latest finish is a quilt & pillow set commissioned by a relative for her little girl. She chose the fabric collection 'Pretty Bird' by Pillow & Maxfield & I added in some Kona Ocean, Grass & Robin's Egg Blue to round things out.
It is approx 45x60" and I quilted it with straight lines.

Pretty Bird Quilt a photo by twelfthzodiac on Flickr.

Side B


I am proud of this project! The pillows all have invisible zippers - it was my first time using these & they turned out so good, it's hard to find the zips even when you're looking for them... lol...that could be just me though :P

Hushabye, Little Girly

 
Hushabye Front a photo by twelfthzodiac on Flickr.





Washed this one up today! It's a small one... 27" x 40" - a great size for carrying around on the go!                                                                       



The back...tried out a zig zag...I like it!



Couldn't resist...

It's such a nice day out (above freezing ~yay!) that I had to take a couple few more photos of this quilt.

A Quilt for a Friend

It is finished!

The front

Random blocks on the 'back'

This quilt started life as a sheet set. Add in a few prints here & there, quilt & bind... presto- a new quilt, perfect for snuggles on the couch.

This one is:

1. the largest quilt I have ever made @ 47 x 72 inches
2. the first recipient of free motion quilting. (the best way to describe this method is to say that the needle is like a pen & the quilt is the paper. I move the quilt & the needle draws on the pattern.) It took a little bit of time to get into a rhythm, but I eventually got there. I LOVE the effect!
3. my first time following an actual pattern. I used Stitched in Color's brick pattern found here. (if only for a small section)

 Most people start their free motion quilting with a 'simple' stipple pattern, which is a meandering line that looks sort of like coral to me. I am not sure why I jumped in with both feet and did a leaf pattern! I guess it just suited the prints better & I didn't think (worry!) about it before starting. I hope I can keep up this fearlessness! I am very grateful to my good friend who was trusting enough to let me do whatever I wanted (fabric choices were hers). I think that having a recipient that I know is not overly critical & the fact that there wasn't a fortune in fabric involved, I was able to be a little more 'free' than I normally am. Funny that the brick pattern on [what I think of as] the front was my first time following directions for piecing... but the quilting itself was very relaxed.

Here you can see the quilting a little better :)

While taking my photos, I discovered that this size works just fine as a quilt for a single bed. There is not a lot of overhang, but it still looks nice to me :)

Now...generally, I keep my kitties away from my quilts. Cat fur loves fabric! Since I knew my friend wouldn't mind, I allowed Mira to come explore...

Testing the waters...

She quickly got comfortable!

Possibly *too* comfortable?