I am grateful for the friends I have made online through this blog and flickr.I'm making another applique block for Tia's quilt. I love the fabrics that she chose.Have you been pausing this month to think about what you are grateful for?
Mustard Melody
Here's the finished quilt Mustard Melody.
It is made with a fat quarter bundle of Jennifer Paganelli's Poodle line and 2.5 yards of a Robert Kaufman Carolina Chambray in a mustard color. I don't know what the actual color name is.
It has been quilted, bound, and washed. I used a half inch binding for a little bigger than usual frame around the design.Here's the full view.
The block, birds in the air, finishes at 10.5 inches.The large piece in the block is cut 7.5 inches square. The half square triangles are 4 and 3/8 inch squares cut on the diagonal.There are 48 blocks in the quilt. I mostly used the largest prints for the big squares but added in a few of the smaller prints to make all 48 blocks.The quilt shrank up a little with quilting and washing and now measures 59 by 77 inches.
Quilted
I am grateful that I have created a job that I love, that I can set my own hours and work at home or even sometimes when I am out and about.
Fun Fabric Challenge
Last week I got this stack of fabrics from Jennifer Paganelli.
I was ready for a new project so I eagerly jumped in with my rotary cutter. These large floral prints called for larger pieces than I have been working with.I paired the prints with a great Robert Kaufman solid. I think it is a Carolina Chambray - the warp is a golden yellow and the weft is a dark chocolate brown. The result is a very pretty solid that goes great with these colorful prints.
I finished sewing the top together this afternoon.
I spread this out on the floor to pin baste and got another photo of the quilt in different light. I love how it looks like there are two different solid fabrics here. I cut the triangles both ways on the diagonal to give this effect.
It is a subtle thing but I think it adds interest to the finished quilt.
Milestones
Today is a day to mark some milestones.First, today is my four year "blogaversary". It is hard to believe that it has been four years since that very first blog post where I shared my recipe for "Little Red Hen Bread". The last four years have been quite a journey. I have "met" many wonderful people through this blog and have even met some of you in person! Thank you to all of you who continue to visit and leave comments for me. You really help keep me going.Second, this is my 1000th blog post. One thousand! It's kind of hard to believe.Third, I am halfway one fourth of the way to my tiny star goal.
Originally, I calculated that I would need about 500 star blocks for the quilt I have in mind. After a month of tiny piecing, I was thrilled to have made 250 stars. Thinking that I was just over half way, I recalculated to see exactly how many more I need. Well, I found that my original math was WAY off and I will need 1011 stars. So, I have many more to make. I will surely be needing to cut into some bigger pieces of solid fabrics to complete these stars. I've almost used up all of my small pieces.I'll let you know when I reach 1000 tiny stars - that will be a milestone to celebrate!I hope you all stick around and come back to see the finished quilt someday.
Millions of Cats
I feel like we live in Wanda Gag's Millions of Cats.
Last spring P was commissioned to make ten cat families each consisting of a mama cat with three babies. The babies are filled with rice and are made following P's Super Easy Cat Bean Bag tutorial.
The mama cats are bigger and are not stuffed. They are made with a hole in the bottom and have a snap closure so that the babies can be stored inside of the mama cat.
We won't discuss the fact that the mama has to give birth to the kittens each time they are taken out for play.
We worked on them in spurts over the summer. I did the hand stitching on the bottom of the mamas for her and last night we put snaps on them all. These will then be going to a friend and will be put in the family Christmas store at her church. Children will be allowed to come to the store and shop for their families. I hope they think they are as cute as we do. P doesn't want them all to go...We used scrap fabrics for the kittens and I used some of my 1930's reproduction fabrics for the mamas. P loves the reproduction 30's fabrics and has picked out some of those for more doll clothes! It has been fun to have a sewing project to work on together.
Week in Review
The sewing room was buzzing with activity this week but I finished nothing.I was listening to audio books while:knitting two pair of socks - I'm on the second of each pairspinning up some roving - just over half finished with that ball of rovingmaking little stars - I have about a hundred of them so far!helping P with a commissioned sewing project - we're 3/4 the way finishedI enjoyed listening to Jim Dale read the entire Harry Potter series so much last fall that I am listening to it again. I have heard the first three books but the fourth was not at the library when I went so I had to find something else.Earlier this week I heard The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman read by the author and am currently listening to Year of Wonders A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks also read by the author. I love listening to Geraldine's voice.Do you like to listen to audio books? If so, which books have you enjoyed?
Cloud 9
Today I am happy to share the finished embroidery project, a laptop sleeve!
First, I embroidered some yardage of Nethercote, a fabric from the Miscellany line from Cloud9 fabrics . Cloud 9 fabrics are all organic cotton and printed with low impact dyes. They are beautiful and great to work with.
I quilted a piece of solid purple fabric for the back of the bag.The quilting lines run horizontally on the finished bag to help the flap stay folded closed.
I sent the bag off to Michelle Engel Bencsko of Cloud9 Fabrics for her booth at Quilt Market. I hope she likes it.I used the laptop sleeve pattern by Keyka Lou. I shortened the flap so that more of the embroidery shows and also omitted the velcro closures. I think the horizontal quilting lines help the flap lay closed.
Wordless Wednesday
37 Sketches
I'm back from my retreat up north with Gwen Marston. This year we used Gwen's 37 Sketches as inspiration for our liberated projects.Gwen's self published book, 37 Sketches is beautiful and inspirational. Each quilt has a full page photo and a short description of the inspiration or idea for it. The text is like poetry. There are no how to's in this book just the 37 sketches. It is an elegant little book that is great for studying liberated piecing and inspiring you to try your own small sketches. Working on a small scale is a great way to try new techniques and work with different colors or fabrics. Since the book is self published there are a limited number and are only available directly from Gwen.Back to the retreat recap...Gwen had her little works of art displayed so that we could study them up close.
I made these at the retreat:Sketch 1:10 x 13 inches
Sketch 2:8 x 10 inches
These little quilts were fun to do and they are even finished!!I then got side tracked by another project inspired by a quilt someone brought for show and tell.
I have a weakness for little stars.
These stars will finish at two inches. They are smaller and not liberated like the ones I did last year.I have no idea how I will set these. They may be a quilt of their own in a nine patch setting or maybe a border for a medallion style quilt. Right now I'm just having fun making them.Quilt retreat is very "grounding" for me. All of the ladies who come every year really make it special and help me put things in perspective. I love coming home and feeling like I have a focus and direction. Thanks ladies, it was a great week.
The First Grade Backpack
P needed a new backpack for school this year. Her kindergarten backpack was really too small. A full size folder would not fit in it without being bent. So, the NIGHT BEFORE SCHOOL STARTED, she reminded me that "first grade is starting tomorrow and I don't have a first grade backpack!" (mini meltdown followed)We went to the sewing room and chose fabrics for a larger bag. This was enough to calm her for bed.
The next day after school she drew out the quilting designs that she wanted - connected flowers on the floral, and beads on a string for the green dot fabric.
This is a view of the floral quilting from the lining side where it is a little easier to see.
I finally finished the backpack today. It was my goal to have it finished before leaving for retreat and I did that!
It seems big to me but I guess she will grow into it and I won't have to make a new one next year! I used the large size of this pattern, the same pattern I used last year.Changes to the design:I used the gusset depth of the small size so that it wouldn't be quite so big.The zipper I had was not long enough so I had to make an adjustment for that. (I should have measured that before cutting and made the lower gusset longer to accomodate the difference.)I omitted the pockets on the inside because she never used those on her other pack.She is thrilled with it!
Progress
I've made a little progress on my embroidery piece. I had planned a limited palette for this but I think it made need a few more colors. I have a pretty brown and am thinking about adding green. I'm not sure how the green will look with these colors and I have already used the teal in places that make sense for the green.So, last night I thought about it instead of working on it.I don't like being "stuck". Sometimes decisions are hard for me.
Something New
I may have started a new embroidery project.
Now I've Sewn My A B Cs
I finally finished the flowery goodness on this Daisy Chain Sampler. The pattern is by Alicia Paulson.
I've stitched the letters from A to Z in the crewel wool that came with the kit. I had never embroidered with wool yarn and I really like the results. My satin stitch looks a lot better with the wool. The fluffiness of the yarn hides mistakes well.
This was a fun summer stitching project! 
Now we just need to fix and finish the walls in my sewing room so I can have a place to hang it when it is framed.
Wardrobe Update
Yesterday P decided that SHE wanted to make something for her doll. We settled on a simple waistband with gathered skirt. We measured the doll, did some math, (2.5 times the waist size for the skirt piece) and cut out two rectangles of fabric.I helped with cutting and pinning but she did all of the sewing. P thought the magic of pulling gathering threads was pretty cool.I showed her how to hand stitch the inside of the waistband.
She got the hang of it pretty fast.
Just look at these tiny little stitches.
She was tired of hand stitching after sewing the waistband down and opted for a machine stitched hem.She thinks the skirt looks great with the sweater I made last year.
We were both pretty thrilled with our afternoon time in the sewing room.
P says we need to make the panties today...
A New Wardrobe in the Making
My friend, and knitting partner, Adele came for a quick visit not too long ago. She brought P amd me some goodies. P got a doll that she LOVES and we also got a dressmaking book for dolls.P and I looked through the many designs in the book and decided on our first project, a pretty simple dress with bodice. I wanted to make sure the pattern size that we had chosen would fit the doll.
Then we made a pinafore to go with the dress.
I have to say that this book, The Doll's Dressmaker: The Complete Pattern Book
Next up, panties - because every doll needs some panties. And then a slip, and a bonnet, and a dress with some lace....Thanks Adele. We have been enjoying our time together in the sewing room!
Lady of the Lake - Finished
I finished the Lady of the Lake quilt last week.
It has been washed and fluffed a little in the dryer.
I had fun piecing a back for it too.
I like the back as much as the front.
The quilt measures 45 inches by 52 inches.
On the Grid
I've been doing a little quilting on the Lady of the Lake- stitch in the ditch.
Daisy Chain
I fell hard for this sampler when I saw it on Alicia's blog. I immediately submitted my preorder for the kit and have been having a lot of fun stitching it since it arrived. There are quite a variety of stitches to try.
I had a little trouble with tension being a bit tight at first but then I switched to a small hoop as recommended; it worked like a charm.This is really a great summer stitching project.Also, if you need a refresher or are wanting to learn some new embroidery stitches, check out this site for some excellent tutorials. All of those beautiful pictures of interesting embroidery stitches make me want to embroider on everything in the house!
Lady of the Lake
Between chores and trips to the lake to cool off I took some little sewing breaks on the weekend. By Sunday afternoon I had a stack of finished Lady of the Lake blocks.
Another day of sewing breaks between paint scraping and play house trim painting and they are all sewn together.I am pretty happy with it.
I just love all of those half square triangles.I am trying to decide if it is finished or if I should put a border on it.
What do you think?
