A call to arms

well, maybe more like a call to your cutting table. I'm in need of some vintage yellow 6.5" quilt squares. Blues/greens/pinks are welcome too but with some sort of yellow involved.

Emmy informed me the other day "When you make my ye-wouw bankie?" and when a three year old looks at you in a certain doe-eyed way there really isn't anything much you can do but graciously acquiesce.

I was thinking of doing a swap. I have a plethora of fabrics longing to be cut into something. I can send back as many squares as I am sent. I have a good stash right now but only about 6 differnent patterns and definately not enough for a twin sized quilt.

If you're interested in helping me make a little curly haired babe's wish come true, send me a message at UUmom2many@yahoo.com and we can arrange the swap.

If you need coaxing here you go.

Another quilt finished!

 had been requisitioned by the hubby to make a quilt for his co-workers new baby. It's their first and a boy! I got the request a few weeks before the baby was due and just now finished it, a few weeks after he was born. Oh well, better late than never right?

I did this in an assortment of red, blacks and whites. I love the way it came together. I used a Kona white for the alternating patwork solid.

And a meandering quilting through the three layers; top, natural cotton batting and back. The back is made with a black, white and red print from IKEA.

I hope the little monkey likes it.

 

It's finished.

I blew the goal of having this done by Livi's birthday this past Tuesday but I exceeded my expectations by having this done less than a week belated.

Last night I finished the last stitching the last of the binding on Olivia's birthday quilt. This is the largest one I've ever done measuring just a bit shorter than a twin size. (Because I just winged it and should have MEASURED how big it needed to be.)

I messed up on this quilt. A lot. It's an alternating 9-patch and I used a new method of quilting I hadn't tired before called "quilt as you go". The method wasn't hard at all but I had the brilliant idea of sewing 1/4" away from each seam instead of quilting the whole thing, and then doing the same on the seams where the pieces were joined including the backing. My machine doesn't have a long enough arm for this. It ended in me swearing a lot and shoving the fabric through. The results could be better. Maybe I'll fix it if I ever get a new machine.

The border is the same stripey fabric that appears regularly in the quilt. And the back is a full size white sheet I picked up at IKEA for $7 and hand dyed bright orange. Here is another place I had a learning experience. The dye didn't take fully in my very-large-for-canning-very-small-for-dying-fabric stock pot. So I had to redo it in the galvanized tub we use to wash the dog. Still the price of the dyes and fabric came to less than $15. There are still some lighter spots on it. ::Sigh::

Being the largest and most difficult quilt I've ever made and even with all the imperfections Olivia and her tribe are still pleased as punch with the results. Which is all I can ask for, really.

Productive

I've been a project making fool this past week with actual completion. Now that I've had two sales in my Etsy store I'm all eager to get more stuff listed. I finished two quilts earlier this week.

I made all the quilt blocks for Olivia's birthday quilt yesterday. I'm trying out this new method of quilt as you go but modified a bit. I made the squares first and then sewn them onto the individual batting squares. This is the largest quilt I've ever made. It's just smaller than a twin.

I'd like to make quilts for all the kids eventually. I'm really bad about making stuff for other people or for sale and my kids get the shaft. I have to get a flat sheet for the backing, sew the squares to themselves and do a binding. I might, if it seems too small, add a boarder before finishing it off.

I have another quilt (that was supposed to be for sale but I messed up on a portion so it's mine now, but I think that was subconcious since I really want that quilt anyway) that needs to have the last of the binding finished which I'll be taking to church with me today to do.

I finished up the zippy bags, all seven of them, for the store too and one already sold!

The pallets have been finished except for the very last one and a  portion of another. I have to knock off a few boards that are cracked. I'm going to put up a tutorial on how to stream line the process along with the finshed results soon. Though, I'd like to get at least a replacement pallet (or more) before I completely "finish".

I also made eight pints of strawberry jam syrup, read three books, bought new laundry lines and visited the aquarium with a friend and her daughter.

      

whew! Can't wait to see how productive I'll be this week!

Fabric Overload

I have admitted before that I have a little issue with hoarding fabric. It's a teeny issue really. I mean just because some nights we can't use the dining room table because I have fabric strewn on top isn't that big a deal. Right? Or the baskets of fabric under said table that prevent the kids from fully pulling up to it, isn't anything to worry about. I mean they have little legs, they don't need that much room anyway. Really, those pieces of potential could make us money once I get around to actually making something out of them. Really.

I was doing well. Truly. I was keeping my fabric purchases to a bare minimum getting just what I needed to finish a certain project. Until a few weeks ago. Oh, that fateful day! When my absolute favorite quilting store got flooded and sent an emergency message to all on their emailing list. The entire fabric collection in the entire store was forty. percent. off.

They needed help. They were asking me to help them out of this horrible situation. What was I to do?

But they closed at five and Rob didn't get home until almost six. I was twitchy sitting here, telling myself it didn't matter. I didn't need the fabric that I would never ever find at such a deep discount anywhere ever again. I didn't need Alexander Henry or Amy Butler's perfectly coordinating threads that would go with the current project I was working on. Oooh! And what about all those other projects I could make with everything else I could finally afford? It didn't help that I had gone so long without designer fabric purchases. It didn't help that we had just gotten paid, either. But Max was asleep and it was already 3:30. I couldn't wake him up to shuck three kids around a teeny fabric store that was sure to be jam packed with other fabric enthusiasts. Could I? Maybe.... No. No, that's not gonna happen.

The providence stepped in. Rob got off early and waltzed through the door not even five minutes after I overrode my internal hoarder. If that wasn't a sign I was supposed to go then I don't know how else to interpret that. So, I went. And I fell off the wagon. Hard.

I admit defeat at the hands of an amazing sale. I actually did better (read: less worse) than I thought I was going to. But the floodgates have opened and last night I spent an hour refolding and rearranging the fabric stash. It's funny how I look at something, even bought years before, and remember what I wanted to do with it. Which project whatever fabric was destined for. So, I'm working hard to actually get those projects completed. Heck, I've already sold one quilt and have a few things listed in my etsy store.

Today, I work on finishing another project that's been sitting around. Today, I'll use more of my stash. Today, I'll try to minimize my fabric overload. It's the best I can do.

Crappy, Busy, Rainy Day

My day started at 12:15am when Max finally went to sleep for the night. I grabbed a couple hours between getting up with a kid to pee, making Max another bottle and having a bad dream. Then all the kids got  me up by 6:45. Ugh. Such limited and terrible sleep lends to a cranky mommy.

I got up and made my coffee just to find myself pouring chunks of milk into it. Nice. Let's try that again. The kids were in rare form, yelling and picking at each other. Nothing was good enough and everyone needed everything this exact second or they'd start whining. With the kids sat down in front of the TV with food, I headed to my laptop to find the internet conked out. It's raining, something I usually like, but not when it keeps flicking off the power making me constantly resetting the wireless hardware and listening to the kids groan when the DVR has to reboot.

I actually did get in the shower. Amazing, that.

We were scheduled to go pick up a new bunny -which multiplied into two - but with my internet down I couldn't get on to get her address/phone or anything else. So I took my Ipod Touch over to Starbucks. On the way I needed gas and wouldn't you know the first one I stopped at was broken. Back in the car to find another pump. At Starbucks I'm supposed to get 2 hrs free WiFi being a gold card member but for some reason it wouldn't let me do it. $3.99 later I find out my Safari app on the Touch is kinked and wont' work. Oh, and Rob stole my GPS for the weekend so the saved address I needed wasn't in the car. Thankfully, the mail app did work and I got her number and called her for directions.

Now, we're thirty minutes late and it's practically a monsoon on the highway. At least I had my coffee and music. But the kids were raring to go, yelling, laughing, picking at each other and complaining driving me up a wall.

Ten minutes before we arrive I hear the dreaded  "I really have to go potty." from the backseat. For those of you that think flooring it to our destination would have worked, I'm not sure you realize what that means when it comes out of a five year old. "I really have to go potty." translates into "I should have told you fifteen minutes ago that I was squirming in my seat but I continued to drink my vanilla milk and now my bladder is exploding."

After a pitstop on the side of the road, we made it and picked up a new set of bunnies.

EEEK! They're so stinkin' cute. They do make my day just a bit better :) I also was able to finish up two quilt tops today.

I've been trying to get projects done by taking it piece by piece. I'll cut everything out working with just one fabric at a time so I don't loose my place if I get interrupted. Then piece them all. Sew at once. Iron at once. Sew again. Etc. until the thing is done. It's amazing how much you can get done and how quickly when you set small goals for yourself. I have to top stitch these to the batting and gather the materials for the backs and binding and I'll be ready to schedule that binding class.

The kids are still driving me nuts, they just won't leave the bunnies alone! But I'm glad they're excited about it. I'm thinking tonight will be an easy dinner and maybe cupcakes are going to get made. I'm not sure I want the mess but a cupcake will do me good after the kids go to bed and I can relax with an ibuprofen and my current read.

Lead Foot

It seems my hiatus from sewing has come to an end. Over the past two days I've been a quilting fiend. I've cranked out twenty 8.5" mod lincoln block squares and started piecing them together this morning.

It's a Space Robots theme and I'm in love with it.

So in love, in fact, that I think I might have to make Max one. The colors match the boy's room and it's a lot larger than the seven quilts he has now in rotation.

I actually do have enough fabric for another. Which is a temptation and excuse to go ahead and do it. The back will be blue raised dot minky a dark color like some of the solid blue blocks. The background is an orangy-yellow kinda between the dark orange and yellow spectrum. I was going to do an orange binding but I think I'm going to piece together an edge using all the different fabrics.

I'm giving this one away to a friend that has a friend that has a baby boy. I'm trying to spread word of mouth on my products and gain some much needed practice. I need to have a couple quilt tops done to take this two hour private lesson at the local quilt shop so I can get better at binding. I really need to master those corners before I set up quilts in a shop asking on the other side of fifty dollars a piece (depending on size, cost of fabric and difficulty, I do try and be reasonable). This Space Robots is closer to a toddler size. I'd probably ask about $85 for it completed.

This is the other quilt top I have ready to go to the class.

It's a simple stacked coins pattern using a single charm pack and cream colored flannel as the background. This one will have a dark chocolate minky background and pink or blue binding, haven't decided which yet.

I used a meandering machine quilting technique for attaching the top to the 100% natural cotton batting. It too is going to be given away as soon as someone claims it. In my store this one would probably go for $55. It's closer to a crib size.

I have another friend that had posted her want of some reusable snack bags (to replace ziplocks) but the price was too high for her (yeah, $8 a piece is a little silly). So, I talked her into letting me make her some. So I'm sketching out ideas for a grown-up washable lunch kit for her too.

After so long away I forgot what it's like to sit down and create something from nothing. It's satisfying to complete projects and see my ideas come together. Plus, I got to go to the fabric store last night. I think I might go to a different one today. Oh, I can feel the fabric monkey slowly easing his weight on my back already.

My name is Crystal and I'm addicted to fabric.

There's the first step for you. I know I have a problem. I'm addressing the problem. I have no desire to really rectify the problem though. Which is a problem.

I hoard fabric. I can't go to the thrift store without pouring over their old lady smelling remnants looking for that one perfect find. I can't go to the chain fabric store either without making a serious dent in my checking account. Even Etsy.com is a trap for my addiction taunting me with hard to find prints. Currently, I have a closet bursting with fabrics egging me on to make them something special.

I think the reason I lust over fabric is the potential. Turning that eye catching print into something even if, the majority of the time, I have no idea what that might be. Not all fabrics are alike. There are many prints out there I look at and say "Dear god." wondering what on Earth someone would do with such a hideous pattern. But to each their own and in fabric there are always some for all.

This past year I've been on a quilting kick. Having a machine that is designed for it helps but isn't necessary though it was the catalyst to get me interested. Those quilts used to look daunting. Sitting in the quilting store laughing at me and my feeble attempt to figure out how they put the darned thing together. I started out simple and like to think I've gotten quite good even if the binding is digging in its heels and refusing to let me figure out how to make it perfect.

I like the ability in quilting to join together even the teeniest fabric scraps into a creation that amuses the eyes and cuddles the soul. It's my new joy. I still find small snippets of time to give to my first passion, sewing clothes but quilting has trumped it for now.

I yearn for the day I have a studio and my future dress form, Susan (yes, I've already named her) would greet me and encourage me. I already have my workstation and fabric storage picked out from IKEA. How's that for fueling the addiction?

Finally got this quilt done!!!

I've been sitting on (not literally) two practically completed quilt tops. One has the backing already sewn on, the second, the one I finished yesterday, had to have it done. I figured after about six months of looking at it, moving it, putting it back and looking at it some more, I might as well finish them.

I added a chocolate brown raised dot minky to the back and hand sewn the handmade coordinating binding. I didn't go with a pattern, just figured out what I wanted it to look like. I dubbed this "Window Shoppers" basically because of the fabric. The quilt measures approx 42" x 50", nice and large. Shameless link to etsy.com listing.

I have to hand sew the binding on the other quilt which went through the wash and I started a new top but can't top stitch because I have no more batting!!! My goal here is to move some of this fabric out of the house and make a little money for the holidays but apparently that's now side tracked as I ended up buying a BOLT of 45" Warm and Natural batting...at least I won't have an excuse not to finish these quilts! Well, unless I run out of backing...

I have a plethora of girl colored fabrics, probably because I enjoy making stuff for my girls more than the boys. I can only make so many elastic waisted pj pants before it gets boring. But I'm going  to try and get some of the limited boy fabrics I do have out of here in the form of quilts and maybe more elastic waisted pants. I'd like to find a nice easy overall pattern (if you have suggestions let me know!) or jumper for boys for the baby.

I should probably go to the fabric store but I really, really don't want to. I can't believe I just said that.

Quilted Cloth Coasters Tutorial - Beginner Easy

Here's another one for you guys to try. Beginner Easy. Grab your square ruler and some scraps and lets go.

You'll need to cut 8 squares of whatever fabric you want for the outside. You can also do 4 of two kinds and have a front and back, or just be crazy and cut out 8 completely different ones. Then 4 squares the same size of batting. I chose a spare piece of white 100% cotton.

I used a 6.5" square ruler for my cuts because I wanted nice big coasters that'll drink up all the condensation, which runs rampant here in Florida, even in the AC.

Layer a coaster batting, right side up fabric, wrong side up fabric and pin them in place. Repeat for the other coasters.

Sew around three sides, I used about a 1/4" seam allowance, and trim the edges.

Flip them right side out with the batting in the center and fold over the open end and pin down. Sew along this side making sure you secure all the folded over parts.

Hook up your darning foot, drop your feed dogs (reference your manual if you have no idea what I'm talking about), and free motion sew the three layers together. You want a flat surface so make sure your pretty equal with your top stitching.

and you're done! Go have a drink!

Simple Squares Baby or Lap Quilt Tutorial

I had a lot of fun figuring this out. While I'm sure it's something that has been done before, I wanted to give you a simple, quick beginners quilt guide based on the quilt I made. I used 1 charm pack and supplimented with my own fabrics to extend the pack to 2 quilts. This is my first time doing a quilt tutorial so if I erred please post a comment! finished dimensions are approx 40x45".

Here are the supplies needed:

1 charm pack of fabric

1 yard coordinating

1/2 yard coordinating

1/2 yard coordinating

1/3 yard for binding

40x50 piece of batting

44x50 piece for backing

Part of the fun of working with a charm pack is that most of the work is already done for you. The fabrics are all coordinating saving time trying to match and using solid coordinates helps to focus on the fabrics in the pack. You will need to have 42- 5" x 5" squares for the center of the quilt. I supplimented some in the charm pack for the coordinating fabrics I used around the edges. I felt this gave it a more cohesive feel.

Simple Squares Baby or Lap Quilt Tutorial

I had a lot of fun figuring this out. While I'm sure it's something that has been done before, I wanted to give you a simple, quick beginners quilt guide based on the quilt I made. I used 1 charm pack and supplimented with my own fabrics to extend the pack to 2 quilts. This is my first time doing a quilt tutorial so if I erred please post a comment! finished dimensions are approx 40x45".

Here are the supplies needed:

1 charm pack of fabric

1 yard coordinating

1/2 yard coordinating

1/2 yard coordinating

1/3 yard for binding

40x50 piece of batting

44x50 piece for backing

Part of the fun of working with a charm pack is that most of the work is already done for you. The fabrics are all coordinating saving time trying to match and using solid coordinates helps to focus on the fabrics in the pack. You will need to have 42- 5" x 5" squares for the center of the quilt. I supplimented some in the charm pack for the coordinating fabrics I used around the edges. I felt this gave it a more cohesive feel.

Another day, Another quilt

I continued making another quilt by pulling out these Pumpkins gone Wild fabric I had in my stash. I bought this last year in hopes to make some coordinating clothes for the girls but alas, that never came to be.

I am still in the learning curve with quilt. I ended up messing up the back and having to fudge the sides to make it work. I realized this after I machine quilted the entire top, middle and bottom. So this is another quilt for Max. I'm working on my skills though and thing the binding came out much better this time. This is also the first time I machine stitched the back along with the top and middle. I'm not sure how I feel about it.

Here is the quilt top. It looks peach but it's not, it's orange.

And back. I added a little decorative touch. I just feel like the solid plain colored backings are just no fun!

The back stripe also looks crooked, which is might very well be but I'm going to blame it on the crooked floor.
All these quilts have planted a bug in me and I went to the store today to pick out some fabrics to make a quilt for my niece and one for my best friends little girl that is going through cancer treatments right now. I thought her own personal snuggly to take back and forth from the hospital would help comfort her (she's three).

Baby, It's cold outside.

In my ever expanding endeavors, I have been inspired by some great artists on Craftster.org and have tried my hand at quilting. The beautiful BabyLock I won about 6 months ago has had a good number of features poorly neglected considering it's a Quilter's Dream machine and I do not quilt...until now!

I go this wonderful pattern (yes, I needed instructions) from Oh, Fransson for the Simple Modern Baby Quilt which she sent me super quick (I am a instant gratification kinda gal). I recommend buying it if you have little clue to quilting but want to try. She also has a new one called Mixed Tapes quilt which is again, lovely! The instructions were easy to follow as long as your toddler doesn't throw them in the air, you don't quilt the printed instructions onto the back of the quilt, or you use the stapler for it's intended purposes. You could always print them again if you have any problems.

Here is the first quilt I put together, it's for little Max.

Top of quilt, sans binding

Close up with meandering quilting.

The back is cream chenille. I added a little decorative applique to give it a lil' somethin'.

And Emmy, being a good big sister and stealing his blanket.

Which brings us to quilt #2, the Emmy quilt. I saw this great quilt on Craftster and though I didn't have instructions I managed to piece together this quilt using 6" wide strips of varying size, 2", 3" and a few 4". It was so great to make because I had everything on hand! I dug out my scraps and cut up more than enough for this quilt. I had the pink flannel on hand and the left overs of the chenille from Max's quilt.

Quilt front with binding.

Close up of top with meandering quilting. I got a lot better at it this time and it's fun!

And the back. I appliqued three seperate 6x6" squares to make more fun (or is it funner?).

I hand sewn the binding on the back of this one instead of machine stitching. Once I got down the rhythm it took me less than an hour to do this crib sized quilt. I won't go back to doing it on the machine but I will make sure I have a nice relaxed time doing it.

My girls really enjoyed this quilt because I used scraps that I had left over from making them clothes. So they were so excited to see fabrics they were familiar with and could point out what I made them with which fabrics. I'm working on a third quilt now and I'm really excited to add this new art form to my collection. It's a great way to use up scraps depending on the quilt you make and they're a nice cozy treat when it's a little chilly.