Origami Birds Quilt

When it comes to quilting, I am an amateur. I don't really know how to quilt, so I don't realize that some things are too difficult for me, a beginner, to attempt. Instead, I jump right in, and then have to fix whatever mistakes come with unknown territory, and unacquired skills. This is the finished baby quilt for my soon-to-be neice, and I am happy with how it turned out. As I pieced the bird blocks, I sewed 1/8" seams. Once I got the top together, some of those small seams were starting to come apart. I took it into the local quilt shop for some help, and they sold me this great invisible thread. It is clear nylon, and worked like a charm for zigzagging over the offending seams for reinforcement. While I was there, they asked me if I had paper-pieced the birds. Paper pieced, what? I guess this is one more thing to add to my list of things to learn!

Oliver + S Playsuit

There are not many cute boy patterns out there these days, but some of the cutest ones can be found at Oliver + S. I'm making a series of these little playsuits for summer to keep Baby cool and free his knees for crawling! The print on this playsuit is "Robotic" by Alexander Henry in honor of his science-minded dad.

More Summer Sewing

This is another version of the Anna Tunic, this time in the minidress style, to wear with leggings. The buttons at the shoulders are fabric-covered and work perfectly for nursing.


One thing I've discovered about Amy Butler patterns is that there is not enough ease under the arms. For the size small in the Anna Tunic, I had to cut deeper armholes to make it comfortable. With this small adjustment, it fits great. Perhaps this will become my uniform for summer!

Over the Top Tunic

Here's my first version of the Over the Top Tunic from Indygo Junction. It's another piece for my summer wardrobe, and should be perfect for nursing with the deep V-neck. The fabric I used is from the Erin McMorris Park Slope collection, and has little birdies on a deep teal background. With some leggings and a cami, this should be about perfect for summer!

Summer Sewing

I've embarked on a mission to sew some new clothes for Baby and I for this summer. Mainly because I haven't seen much I like in the shops, but also because we have a lot of specific requirements: must be very cool so we don't get too hot, must be accessible for diaper changes, must be accessible for nursing, and must look good! Needless to say, patterns that meet all such requirements are hard to come by, so I'm trying my hand at adapting some to suit our purposes. This first project is the Amy Butler Anna Tunic Dress, with buttons on both shoulders instead of at the back, for nursing.


This dress is very baggy, so I had to make some adjustments so I don't look pregnant! Overall though, it's a good start, and should keep me pretty cool in a light seersucker. The pink buttons on the shoulders are vintage, and hopefully they will promote easy access for nursing. We'll see. What patterns are you liking for the summer?

Butler Bags

Here are the two Amy Butler bags I made while Grandma was here. One of the many ways my mom enriches my life is by helping me stop and consider things I may usually pass over. So it was with these bags. I had seen these patterns numerous times, but always figured they would be too complicated to do myself. But, with a little encouragement, I started and successfully finished them up. They are really very easy, and perfect for gifts. We discovered that out of the required yardage for a Birdie Sling (below), you could make a Birdie Sling and a Frenchy Bag (above); perfect, huh? One to keep and one to give away!




As I was getting ready to take these pictures, I threw the Frenchy Bag over a chair while my camera batteries charged, then noticed how the guitar in the background mimics the pear-like shape of the bag. Sweet serendipity.

It is also coincedental that the fabric I chose for the Birdie Sling happens to be an owl pattern from Alexander Henry, with little birdie print lining on the inside.

Tomorrow I have pictures from my Cozy Domesticity Swap to share!

Intense

Last week Grandma was here visiting Baby (and me!), so I got in some great sewing time. I started and finished two Amy Butler bags (pictures to follow soon). DH was out of town, and when he came home I was close to finishing the second project; he said I seemed very "intense." Well, yes, I was. It was the first time in a couple months that I had been able to start and finish a project in a day. And it was great! But I wouldn't want to do it everyday, I much prefer cuddling the little one, who has become very entertaining, "talking" and cooing, moving his arms and legs all around. He loves music, partcularly Raffi, who I grew up with. Do any of you remember Raffi? I have the old cassette tapes; fortunately you can still get him on CD. Baby Beluga is our favorite collection.

Part of my sewing frenzy included some fun purchases, like this "Sweet Box" from Moda. Talk about great marketing. Who could resist a cute little package like this, with enough fabric to make two fabric pouches, seen above. And talk about instant gratification, they make up in literally twenty minutes. A great way to satisfy your sweet tooth if you're foregoing other goodies this Lent!

Spring at Siebenthaler's Quilt

This quilt was designed and made in my manic pre-labor frenzy in January. I was envisioning the bright colors and patterns of the local garden center in the spring, with all the flats of annuals arranged in rows on tables. For this quilt, I used 8 different floral prints, randomly sewn in blocks of 5 and arranged in 3 columns. The machine quilting was done by a local quilter, and my mom and I finished the binding last weekend.


I'm so happy with the results! I plan to write and diagram out the pattern and instructions for anyone who's interested.

Embroidered Art

This colorful craziness is a piece I did right before I graduated from college and got married. I used an intaglio print bird I had done, printed on fabric, and arranged in a three by three grid. It's quilt-like, but intended to be hung on the wall. Every other bird is either painted or embroidered, and then sewn onto additional squares of mixed print fabric, and bordered in a wonderful umbrella print from Kaffe Fassatt. The result is kind of weird, very non-traditional, brightly colorful; and I've never been quite sure what to make of it!

Repurposed

In my crafting these days I'm considering how I can use the materials I already own in new ways. For wrappings, I make little fabric bags to gift things in. For some free diaper covers, I'm using a felted wool blanket cast off from another project (details for another day). And this bag was made using yarn I got from ripping out an old knitted sweater that I didn't fancy anymore. And yes, this is one yarn, can you imagine it as a sweater? Not a very pretty sight.

How are you using materials in new ways to fuel your craft addiction?

Destash: Scrap Fabric Wreath

In an effort to continue cleaning out my stash of craft supplies, I made this festive wreath for the basement door. I pulled all my red, pink, and green colored fabrics, and used them up to make a new decoration!

First, I cut the fabric into strips that are about 1 1/2" x 6"; any size really will work, just make sure you can tie the strips in a knot.



Then, with your purchased wire wreath frame, start tying the strips onto the frame, packing them pretty tightly to cover all the space.



Continue in this way until you've covered the frame and the wreath is pleasing to you. I finished it by tying a pretty ribbon on one side to use as a hanger.



Easy! And now you have an (almost) free new holiday, or anyday, decoration!

1980's Re-Vamp

I remember making these fun necklaces with my mom for presents as a kid in the '80's. Essentially, they're a tube of fabric, stuffed with large round beads, with pony beads on the outside between each large bead. I was reminded of them the other day with a photo of a many-hundred dollared necklace from a big name designer in In Style Magazine. So I thought I'd try making my own again. This time around, about 20 years later, I used some bright Kaffe Fassett fabric, with wooden beads replacing the pony beads for a more sophisticated, grown-up look.



And I like the results! I used 3/4" wooden balls from the craft store, and made my fabric tube about 2" in diameter. It's tough to get the first wooden bead over the fabric sleeve, but once you've gotten one, the rest are easy. And, I would start from the middle of the necklace and work out on each side, just to make sure you've spaced everything properly in the fabric sleeve.

A modified version of these has also appeared in Amy Butler books. It's a great way to use up fabric scraps!

Honeymoon Scarf

On our honeymoon in London three + years ago, I indulged in a little Liberty fabric shopping. I purchased this 100% wool paisley fabric with the intention of making a scarf, because that's what my mom always did with beautiful Liberty fabric. This summer, I finally got around to making one, so this scarf is, somewhat improperly, named the Honeymoon Scarf. As my first venture into sewing with this kind of fabric, I used one piece of fabric, cut to size, then made a seam around the whole piece, about 5/8" from the edge. Then, using it's natural fraying properties, I pulled the loose threads off the edges to make a fringe.



It worked better in some places than in others.



Thankfully, I still have another whole piece this size, and I'm going to hem the edges this time.

Ideas Please

I have this gorgeous pile of patterned silks on my sewing table waiting for inspiration to strike. There is about a yard of each pattern, but I'm reluctant to make anything with them because they are so special. These fabrics came hand-picked from China by a dear friend as a wedding present; what a great wedding present, huh?! I could not have asked for anything more perfect! (As a matter of fact, I did ask for her to bring me some Chinese fabrics:)

So, I am wrestling with what to make with them: it needs to be useful, or beautiful, and something that I can always remember my friend by. Any thoughts?

A new skirt...and a new gifting philosophy

This is my newest summer skirt, finally finished after as DH said, "almost a year." Well, not quite, more like 8 months, only 2/3 of a year; so there! It is the Sasha pattern by Louet knit with Claudia Hand Painted Yarns Linen and I love how it turned out. But now I'm too pregnant to wear it. So I've just been admiring it on the hanger. I thought about making the elastic band in the waist a little larger to fit under my belly, so I might play around with that. Right now I'm just content to gaze at it.

As I was wrapping my friend's wedding presents in homemade fabric gift bags, I was pondering my plans for Christmas presents this year. I'm giving all handmade items (mostly handmade by me; yes I'll be busy:), and I'm going to wrap them using items I already have on hand. The fabric gift bags are a great way to use up leftover fabric, and, since I save all the wrappings people give me, I have quite a stash. Yet another way to recycle, be good to the environment, and get more stuff out of my house!

Crafting Fool

Last week, I had two major projects due for my Masters program, so of course, all I wanted to do was craft. But, I restrained myself, and waited until the weekend when I was surprisingly productive. First, I made the Sketchbook Wraps for the shop shown in the last post.

Then, I tackled my first project for Baby; a Five-Hour Baby Sweater.



I think it turned out really cute, perhaps a bit too large for a newborn though. Now I just need to hunt down some sweet vintage buttons. Since we're going to be surprised and wait to find out whether it's a girl or boy, I'm going to bring a pink and blue sweater to the hospital.

And lastly, I made the pile of cloth napkins above as a wedding present for a friend of mine. She registered for red, yellow, green, and blue Fiesta Ware for her everyday china, and I though some re-usable napkins in complementary colors would be nice. They're really bright and cheery, I hope she likes them!
All in all, I'm pretty proud of my productivity (how's that for alliteration!)!

Sketchbook Wraps

My newest project, created in an effort to combine all my scraps of material with bookbinding somehow. Ever since I got pregnant I've had this strong desire to clean everything extraneous out of the house! Not so easy when you're sentimentally attached to almost anything and everything:)



But, it's easier for me to part with supplies if they're transformed into something useful, like a book. Hence the Sketchbook Wraps to use up all my bits and pieces of Kaffe Fassett fabric. Who wouldn't want to draw or doodle in a book covered with these fantastic prints? And I think the vintage buttons add a nice touch on the cover fasteners. There's just enough room in back to slip five shortie colored pencils too, so no good idea goes unrecorded.