Splendorfalls

snow blossoms

2015-05-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's been a while since I posted!! Today I am sharing my Snow Blossoms quilt. The pattern is by Lela Boutique and I just love it. Like many of the quilts I've made recently it features over sized traditional blocks, which is a look I love. Modern traditionalism is my cup of tea.

I was motivated to start this quilt last year wen Kelbysews started a quilt along on Instagram for Halloween. I knew I wanted this to be my Fall quilt, and chose my fabrics accordingly and mostly from stash (cue the choir of angels). I am pretty sure I didn't finish in time for the prizes but I still think its fun to participate in virtual groups. I find it motivational and inspiring to see what others are doing and its nice to comment and follow along.

This quilt actually took me longer than most. Cold basement plus newish knitting hobby is to blame. I could not believe the amount of fraying on this quilt. The fabrics were from all different manufacturer so I can't point to one or the other. I really think it was just the increased production time that took its toll on these blocks. My Mom and I had to give it a haircut before sending it off to be quilted - it was nuts!

The quilt was quilted by Crinklelove in a sort of flame/smokey design that evokes Halloween to me. The border is an Anna Maria Horner Dowry print and the binding is a Julianna Horner print from Joann's. The backing is this fun Alexander Henry print called Day of the Dead Frida Baile de Calaveres and I think it is perfect for a Fall/Halloween quilt!

I am so very happy with this quilt and am pleased and the large size (approx 83 x 83 inches).

Perfect for snuggling with kiddo on the couch! Thanks for stopping by!

red letter day

2014-09-09T10:16:00.000-05:00

Red Letter Day was another one of those Thimbleblossoms patterns (much like Swoon) that I kept seeing everywhere and I was loving every quilt I saw. My local quilt shop (Janie Lou) had the pattern and I just couldn't resist. Lucky me, my Lou Bee friends and I were having a retreat soon thereafter and it was the perfect opportunity to sew up the quilt top. The pattern is straight forward and if you chain piece, will come together quickly. The large block size doesn't hurt either!

I wanted to make this quilt with fabric I had on hand, and since I have a box of solids sitting lonely most of the time, I decided to start there. I grabbed a stack of Free Spirit solids that Anna Maria was selling on her site and since they are meant to coordinate with her fabrics I pulled a coordinating AMH fat quarter to go with each solid. I tried not to over think it - just chose, snapped a picture and started cutting!

I like to do all my cutting before retreats and sew-ins if possible. Makes my time there seem so much more productive because I'm sewing up results baby! I tease, but it is a lot of fun to share finished tops with friends. I used the old iron fat quarters on top of each other trick to make cutting go more quickly. I will iron up to four pieces of fabric together and rotary cut them all at once; the ironing kind of makes them 'stick' together. Some people use starch too, but I personally don't find it necessary.

When all the blocks were pieced I was thankful to have my friends help arranging the layout. We moved them around and around before deciding on the final layout.

I loved the way Cindy quilted her Red Letter Day and since she's pretty much a rock star and I aspire to her level of awesome...I quilted mine the same exact way.

Up close I like this quilt. While making it and quilting it I admittedly was feeling kind of meh about it. From far away I love it. Something about the solids being all different colors makes me need to see it from a distance to get the effect of the whole quilt? I'm not even sure that makes sense. Hopefully you get what I'm saying.

The backing and binding are also Anna Maria prints. This quilt is destined to be a Christmas gift I think. I have a few months to decide! This was a very well written pattern and the blocks went together easily. I wouldn't hesitate to use another Thimbleblossom pattern.

Thanks for stopping by!!!

lou bee sewing quilt

2014-09-09T10:06:00.003-05:00

I am so excited to share this quilt finish!

We started Round Two of the Lou Bee in the Fall of 2012 and for this round we decided that each person would design or chose a sewing themed paper pieced pattern. This time though, each member would be making their own blocks; the idea being that we all end up with variations of the same quilt, which sounded pretty special!

I chose to work with mostly Anna Maria Horner Field Study which was new at the time, a few solids and the rest neutrals. I just kept my stack of fabric in a separate pile for the years I worked on this project and just pulled from it as I needed it.

Kristy designed her own block- it's the one with the spools and the horizontal bars.

Juli Ann also designed her own block - hers is the sewing machine, which I hexie pieced.

My block is the stack of fabric.

Jessica chose a thimble design from the book Needles and Notions.

Jamie chose a scissor design from Craftsy

Laura designed her own pattern to look like a fat quarter stack spread out into a circle.

Cara used a clever sewing pedal block design from Badskirt.

Lynne designed a block to look like a pin cushion with LOU BEE written on it.

I mostly kept up with the blocks and over the last two years I slowly added a piece here and there and would pin it up with the rest. Every once in a while I would move them around and snap a picture. Improvisational piecing doesn't come naturally to me, so I just took my time and let it all settle.

I also tried to add bits that were trending at the time I made them. So you'll see lots of popular things...feathers, economy block, arrows...I also added in some classics like flying geese and plain old patchwork. Badskirt Amy came out with a paper pieced bee in the midst of all this, so I sewed up eight of them, one for each Lou Bee member to include in the quilt.

Finally it all came together and I called it done. It was quilted by Abby Latimer in a bubble pattern and I just love it. It's quilted but not too heavily - just perfect. The backing is voile and the batting is a very thin cotton called Creme Rose. Despite all the seams and some linen, the quilt is really light and airy. I'm so happy to have such a special snugly reminder of my good friends!

Laura was the first to finish hers; read about it here. I'm number two. It is fun to see the differences in the same patterns and how we put our quilts together.

Thanks as always for reading and stopping by!

four socks

2014-09-05T05:00:00.000-05:00

My goal when I started knitting last Christmas was to learn how to make socks. I kept seeing all kinds of amazing pictures on Instagram (particularly Hey Porkchop!) that I felt crazy inspired to jump in and figure it out. I feel like I've made lots of progress so far and thought it might be fun to document my collection so far here on the blog. There isn't much that isn't already available on the Internet about sock knitting and my notes and patterns are on Ravelry, so I'll just keep this a simple picture parade with few notes.

No. 1 Happy Fuzzy Socks
Didn't love the pooling and were a little tight; gifted to my sister who now wears them to bed.

No. 2 Turn it up to 11 MKAL
Just a wee bit big. Got to have my friend with size 11 feet try these on for size.

No. 3 Soul Train Socks
Pretty darn good fit! Self striping is a lot of fun...you want to keep going to get to the next color!

No. 4 Hermione's Everyday Socks in Nemesis
Best fit so far! I crazy love this colorway Nemesis. Hedgehog Fibres does such an amazing job.

Can't wait to knit more; I surely have plenty of yarn to keep me busy!

swap x three

2014-08-29T06:00:00.000-05:00

It has been a good while since I participated in swaps but recently the bug hit me again and before I knew it I was committed to three. I thought it would be fun to share those here together.

The first I'll share was the Shnitzel and Boo Mini Quilt Swap. There were over 600 participants in this fun swap! I honestly had a hard time following so many projects, but wow were there some amazing quilts made. The generosity of quilters is pretty tough to beat. I mostly followed on IG but there was a Flickr group too. My partner was Patty Sloniger (who just happens to have a very lovely new fabric line out right now called Emma's Garden) and I made her this.

A flying geese mini out of Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks line and a Sew Together Bag filled with a few little goodies. Patty was so gracious and on her blog you can see a picture of her mini hanging on the wall.

I pretty much feel like I won the Mini Swap Lottery on the piece I received from my partner, Jen. A Flowering Snowball Mini out of Anna Maria Horner! Hand quilted and beautifully assembled.

Seriously! It's amazing and I continue to be in awe of it everyday. Jen also sent a purse, a key fob, yarn, and a ton of Canadian candy (which was sooo yummy!).

Just crazy good and generous; so lucky!

The second swap I signed up for was the Orphan Block Swap through the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild. It's a blind swap with the Bay Area Modern Quilt Guild and what a fun way to use up a test block or a block that just wasn't what you expected it to look like etc.

I used my paper piecing project from the Carolyn Freedlander Aerial class at the Nashville Sewdown and made a little tote! I'll find out what I get in return at September's guild meeting; should be a fun one!

A few people dropped out of the swap so I stepped in to make an extra item, this easy quilted zippered pouch that was actually a left over from my first try at an item for Patty in the Mini Quilt swap.

And finally my third swap was something I initiated via Instagram when I commented on one of my favorite yarn dyer's photos. Beata runs Hedgehog Fibres and I am crazy about her yarn. The colors are amazing and there is no pooling - win win. I sewed her two Sew Together Bags and in return she sent me some amazing yarns!

x plus

2014-08-24T15:01:00.003-05:00

Well it's been a long time waiting but my x plus quilt is finally finished!

I was originally inspired to make this quilt after seeing this amazing one by Holly at Bijou Lovely. I also used blacks, neutrals, and Anna Maria Horner for my quilt but my blocks ended up a little different so there is less black and neutral showing, which kind of changes the look a bit. Badskirt had the original pattern I wanted to use and SewAlligorical had a charm square version, but in the end I had a cutting mishap and had to re size everything around that! Quilter problems, right?

Instead of using one line of AMH, I decided to be brave and use all the charm squares I had accumulated during the crazy AMH charm swaps that happened on Flickr in I think 2012. The x's in this quilt have 196 unique AMH quilting cotton prints from Bohemian, Chocolate Lollipop, Garden Party, Good Folks, Innocent Crush, Lou Lou Thi, and Field Study. I used different Denyse Schmidt prints for my pluses, mostly Hope Valley and Chicopee if I recall.

I started piecing this quilt back in April of 2013 and quickly finished the top at a Lou Bee Retreat in May of that same year. It sat for a while while my Mom finished her current quilt project, but eventually it was my turn again and my Mom just finished the hand quilting this week. Like Swoon, she used Aurifil 12wt. I can't recommend this thread enough for hand quilting. It's got less drag than Perle cotton and is a tad bit thinner. I love the look of it too. Again, as with my Swoon quilt, I used voile for the backing. I am sure that it will wear faster than quilting cotton, but it is so snugly that I don't care. I'll treat it gingerly and wash it sparingly and basque in the softness until it's thread bare.

Some kind person in the AMH charm swap coordinated with Anna to get signed charms for those of us who wanted one. Of course I wanted one! Here's a close up of the block with her signature. One wash and it's still there!

Love love love this quilt. My Swoon used to be my favorite.
I think this one just took over the top spot!

modern ohio star

2014-05-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

I am so happy to share this quilt with you!

Last Summer/Fall the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild issued a challenge to make a modern styled quilt with the traditional and classic pattern Ohio Star. I love this kind of exercise - it really gets my wheels turning and I think it's so fun to play with the classics!

Using the Quilt Design Tool on Threadbias I came up with a fun star with in a star pattern that used value to create the pattern. Since low volume or quiet neutrals are so popular and I like the look, I knew I wanted to incorporate that into the quilt too.

This was my first attempt at using value in a quilt so I used the old trick of looking at my fabrics in black and white, which is so easy now with camera phones! I just snapped a picture and quickly edited it to black and white via my phone's camera app. It worked well as I could easily see what needed to be changed. I was sometimes surprised at what read as light vs. medium etc.

My design wall was a big help in assembling this pattern as it's easy to get the pieces turned around! Even with that, I had to do quilt surgery after I pieced the top to turn two blocks around. Doh!

I used scraps for the back just for fun, and my Mom kindly hand quilted a simple and sparse Ohio Star pattern on the quilt. I knew I was going to hang this one up, so I pieced in triangles in each corner of the back so that I could insert a dowel rod for hanging any which way.

I didn't win the guild challenge; there were so many wonderful quilts! If you have a minute you should really check out Cindy Lammon's winning entry - her Ohio Star is stunning and oh so good! Guild members brought their A-game to this challenge, I wish I had more pictures to share!

McCall's decided to pick up my quilt and offer the pattern in it's June/July 2014 issue that is on stands now! Here is a picture of the cover so it will be easy to spot if you go look for it.

I hope you'll check it out!

I am already humbled by some fun Instagram love for this pattern!

I posted it and so did Amanda from Material Girl Quilts!

Thanks for stopping by!!

donated

2014-04-27T16:24:00.000-05:00

Several years ago my friend Kelli gave me a huge box of scraps. All remnants from mass dress pattern cutting, odd shapes but lots of usable material. Eventually I went through the box and cut squares, with the thought that someday I'd make a quilt. 3x3, 5x5, and 8.5x8.5 were the best sizes I could come up with in order to maximize the scraps, and after that bout of productivity…it sat.

The scraps were starting to get to me (as most lingering projects do) and I decided to use them for a charity auction quilt benefiting the American Cancer Society. I've donated goods for several years now, and this year I donated in the name of my sister in law Dawn! Dawn had surgery last fall to remove her cancer and is doing so well! Go Dawn!

The planning is pretty un-glamorous. Post-it with some pretty sad drawings. It worked though!

I had enough to add a row to "the plan" and stitched it up at a St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild Sew-In Saturday event. It's so much fun to sew with friends!

I added in some of my own stash fabrics to round out the scrap prints and make it a bit more interesting than using just three prints. The donated scraps were all from an older Moda line called Hello Betty by Chloe's Closet. It's a color departure for me, but I found that the more I looked at it, the more I liked it.

My friend Jamie quilted this on her long arm for me and did an excellent job! I chose an all over swirly design that I think you can see in some of the pictures.

Check out her blog for more examples of her work!

Just a simple backing, using a scrap piece and some Moda Bella. You can see all those fun swirls!

Because my friend Kristy guilted me into keeping the scraps of the scraps (love ya Kristy!),

I also made a matching pillow. It's kinda fun to have them coordinate and a good way to use up scraps.

I turned this quilt in a week ago and the auction is coming up fast; I hope it makes a good chunk of change and makes someone happy to have won it!

Thanks to Kelli, Dawn, Jamie, and Kristy!

Oh and also to my Mom who hand sewed the binding on this quilt the night before I turned it in!

easy mitered corner napkins

2014-03-30T10:07:00.000-05:00

There are a lot of good online tutorials for making mitered corner napkins. In the past my go-to was this one over at prudentbaby. I've used it several times for napkins and even these pretty AMH baby blankets and had no issues.

When the ohsobeautiful Charlie Harper fabric came out I knew I wanted some yardage but also knew it wasn't fabric I was going to quilt with. What to make what to make....pillowcase? Towel? Napkins?

Napkins!

I could just see a table set simply with those charming birds...it had to be. Not to disappoint those of you who know I love to make multiples, I ended up making 16 napkins and in the process figured out way to make mitered corners just a tad bit simpler than the other tutes I've seen. Most tutes require lots of folding and and pressing and marking...some of which I found unnecessary. I figured I would share my simpler methods with you here today.

It's been a loooong time since I've posted a tutorial here so hopefully I'm not too rusty at my instruction!

I started with about a 17 inch square of fabric and ended up with around a 15.5 inch napkin. The size you want to start with depends on what size you want your finished napkin to be and the measurement of your first fold (step 1) and your miter (step 3). So the math would be...

(measurement of your fold in step 1) multiplied by 2
plus
(measurement of your finished miter in step 3) multiplied by 2
plus
the size you want your finished napkin to be
equals
the size of the square you want to start with

What? Yeah, if you aren't into that math..I'd just start with an 18 inch square and roll with it.

Step 1. Turn and press all edges of your fabric in towards the wrong side about 1/4 of an inch.

You don't have to be crazy accurate, but consistent is good.

The corners will overlap and that is A-OK!

Step 2. Take a corner and fold it right sides together, matching your recently pressed 1/4 inch edges.

Pin. Repeat for all your corners.

Just another picture of Step 2.

Step 3. Using a ruler and a pencil mark a line perpendicular from the fold you just created to the matched edge you just pinned. *Be sure you mark perpendicular to the fold - if you mark perpendicular to the ironed edged you won't get a miter*
You will mark the line where it measures 7/8 of an inch from top to bottom.

Using this measurement results in about a 5/8 inch hem.

You can play with the math to get different widths for your specific mitering needs.
Longer line = wider hem.
6/8 line gets you a 1/2 inch hem
7/8 line gets you a 5/8 inch hem
1 inch line gets you a 3/4 inch hem

Step 4. Sew on top of the lines you drew, taking care to make sure the 1/4 ironed edges are even. If they are offset your miter will not be perfect. Gasp! It's really ok if it's a tad off. I know I'm not inspecting napkins when enjoying dinner. I like to back stitch at the beginnings and ends for security.

Trim the little ends off to about 1/8 of an inch. That is just my preference, a little bigger I think would still be ok, but too much and you won't be able to get a nice point on your turned corner.

Step 6. Turn your miter out and use a turning tool to get nice points and press your work.

Step 7. Top stitch about 1/8 of an inch around your pressed mitered hem to hold it all in place.

Step 8. Admire your handiwork! You did it!

new tricks AKA I bought a lot of yarn

2014-03-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

I finally got bit by the knitting bug. It started innocently enough. About a year ago a friend made a crochet bobble clutch and I loved it - had to make it. Bought yarn, bought the pattern, and it sat. For a year it sat, until late in 2013 I finally decided to give it a go.

It turned out pretty cute! I liked working with the yarn...it was growing on me. Add to that I kept seeing sock after amazing sock on Instagram and was really getting the itch to try knitting. After Christmas my Mom and I went to Knitorious in St. Louis and I found another pretty yarn to try. I made another bobble clutch (slightly modified the pattern).

Now I was ready to try knitting. I am lucky in that my Mom is a very experienced knitter and a patient teacher. She set me up and I started knitting a washcloth pattern from my dear friends Aunt. I probably started over 10 times or more on that first washcloth but eventually found a rhythm and made a handful. I moved on to a slightly more involved pattern so I could learn yarn overs and purling. Then I tried the same pattern again only bigger.

This project gave me the confidence boost I needed to start a real project! I had seen the most beautiful scarf on Instagram and set about recreating it. It's called the Great Divide Shawl.

I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and already on to new projects! Knitting is kind of addictive...just one more row you find your self saying. It's also kinda zen in that repetitive motion kinda way. The fabric budget is going to take a hit now that I want all the yarn too!

I'm keeping track of my projects on Ravelry - I'm splendorfalls if you are on Ravelry stop by!

garden lattice

2014-02-28T06:00:00.001-06:00

Just a quick post to share my latest quilt finish.

The pattern is Garden Lattice by Cindy Lammon and can be found in her book Simply Modern Christmas

The fabric is Briar Rose by Heather Ross.

The pattern is easy and quick to piece and I think it is one that lets the fabric shine!

I chose to use scraps for the back and a coordinating solid.

Quilting is the same as the quilt in the book, a simple crosshatch which I love.

It was a challenge to photography this quilt as I only had a few hours from when I finished it to when it went to its new home. These were the best pictures I could get on a windy, dreary, snow covered day. Winter has been winter this year in the Midwest; I am definitely looking forward to some warmer days!

handmade holiday

2014-02-25T06:00:00.000-06:00

I'm a little (a lot?) late at posting Christmas gifts but better late than never I suppose. For 2013 I naively thought I might save money making handmade gifts using my stash and creating unique items for my family and friends. Turns out I spent more than I would have if I'd just bought a gift after all the notions and specialty supplies I needed. Live and learn! I don't regret gifting handmade, but I'll have more realistic expectations of cost next time around!

Zippered pouches! My go-to pattern is Perfect Zip Bags by OhFransson. I get teased a lot for making multiples. It really is a bit of a sickness. In my defense, I will say that sewing something more than once really helps me hone my skills. How's that for rationalization?

Dopp Kits! Used this tutorial as a guide. Outside fabric is waxed canvas, inside is backpack cloth, pulls are leather. A note if you are planning on sewing a bunch with waxed canvas...the wax does gum up your sewing machine. I had waxy residue in my hook race and especially on my feed dogs. I had to go in with a toothpick to get it all out. Oh and some people have never heard of the term Dopp Kit so I got curious as to why they are called Dopp Kits...wikipedia to the rescue!

Some simple pillow cases in on of my all time favorite Amy Butler fabrics.

Union Jack paper pieced pillows! I enjoyed making these, though I didn't know the Union flag was such an odd shape. Rather long and skinny. I had to make custom pillow forms to fit. Tried an invisible zipper for the first time with these...wasn't too scary!

Flirting the Issue skirt for my niece. I love this pattern. It's so easy to whip up.

Perfect for a beginner garment!

I used the tree skirt pattern from Simply Modern Christmas to make this quick project. I've made two projects from Cindy's book now; I highly recommend it!

Hope you had a great 2013 Holiday Season!

I feel like I should start sewing now for 2014...

diy at your doorstep

2013-11-25T05:30:00.000-06:00

I am really excited about the DIY at Your Doorstep kits that Country Living Magazine is offering!

There are currently four kits available and one is for my flex frame coin purse pattern called "Cha Ching". The kit comes with full instructions (with pictures) and supplies to make two linen purses. I do hope you'll take a minute and check it out! More kits are being released in the next few weeks so be sure to check the Country Living site; I'm loving the green gloves that are available on December 9th!

Here is a photo of some coin purses I made with the pattern in case you want to see them made with different fabrics.

Thanks for stopping by and I hope your handmade holiday plans are progressing nicely!

hexie love quilt

2013-10-30T16:29:00.000-05:00

I have a young daughter, who I know, will be grown up before I know it, leading me to reflect back on the days when she was little. I'll surely think about her toys and clothes, and all those small things she loved as a little girl. I wanted to make a special quilt, an unmistakably little girl quilt, something to capture this short moment in time. A she still holds my hand in the parking lot and looks up at me smiling quilt. A Mom look at this picture I drew of us with the sun and a flower quilt. A jump in the puddle after a rain shower quilt. A quilt to remember those sweet days of being a kid, of my little girl, such a thoughtful daughter she is, a quilt for her.

Sarah Jane fabrics seemed to convey what I was feeling more than any other, so I stocked up on my favorite Children at Play and Out to Sea prints. Coordinating prints I pulled from my stash, using up some old favorites for this little quilt. My quilt turned out looking similar to this cute one by Amy Smart due to using the Sarah Jane fabrics. Do you ever have that happen? You start a quilt and then come across its doppelganger? I was happy to see this one; it made me more sure of my fabric choices and motivated me to actually start sewing!

The pattern is written by Olive Juice Quilts and can be found in the 2012 Fall issue of Quilt Sampler Magazine. The shop, as of today, still has copies of the magazine and the acrylic template for sale. I've dabbled with small hexies before, even tiny ones, but never large ones.

The method in the pattern requires you to mark the intersections with a dot, and I found this easier and more accurate than the non marking method I tried. (Don't you love that there are so many ways to do the same thing? Something for everyone in quilting, love it!) I started piecing the top at a STLMQG sew in, and later finished it a Lou Bee Retreat. Love love LOVE sewing with friends!

I free motion quilted this quilt rather heavily in a flower design. I've seen this design all over, but used the tutorial over at Oh Fransson to get me started. In hindsight I think I'd have made larger, less dense flowers, like the tutorial, but I am still happy with the quilting. Thankfully I used a very thin batting (Quilters Dream Cotton Request) and so the quilt still has a snuggle factor.

I started quilting this quilt with a cheaper heavier weight thread (the thread that shall not be named) that kept breaking on me. I tried every trick in the book, even two different machines and the thread still broke! Frustrated and tired of ripping out stitches, I of course went out and bought some trusty Aurifil 50wt in a very light pink (#2410) that I feel blended really well with the colors in the quilt and of course worked flawlessly. Lesson learned.

It's been washed and slept with and I'm so happy to see my daughter enjoying it. I hope there are many tea parties still to be had on it, tents to be made, and maybe a trip or two sliding down the stairs.

I've entered my quilt into the ohsofun Bloggers Quilt Festival; be sure to hop over and check out all the inspiring quilts and their stories!

Baby Lock is giving away a Melody sewing machine in honor of the Bloggers Quilt Festival and to enter I am supposed to tell you why I'd like to win! Well firstly - it's a free sewing machine! Secondly, I'd be very curious how a higher end Baby Lock sews. My first machine was a Baby Lock, but a very basic entry level machine. Who knows, maybe I'd be a convert?

reversible grocery

2013-10-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

Well I finally took the Craftsy plunge and put my trusty reversible grocery tote pattern up for sale!

Since it has been about two years since I made any new ones, I thought now would be a great time to make a few with some newer fabrics. I need a few new ones anyway, since I often find myself giving the ones I am using to admirers.

First up is this great Anna Maria Horner print lined with a DS Quilts print. I am so happy that AMH released this print in a quilting weight cotton; I can't get enough of it.

Next is a Juliana Horner print from Joann's lined with a (hard to see) Tula Pink print.

What? You don't hang your grocery bags in trees?

I wanted to show the depth of these bags, so hopefully this picture allows you to see the sides while you wonder why I hang my bags in trees.

And another shot of the Juliana Horner bag. I just LOVE it.

I have posted about this bag before; you can read about it and see more pictures here, here, or here.

This is a great beginner bag pattern! You can find material lists and the pattern on Craftsy.

I hope you'll check it out and do let me know if you make one; I'd love to see it!

small quilts

2013-10-16T06:00:00.000-05:00

I think I'd make child or baby size quilts exclusively if it was practical. The piecing goes really fast, basting is a breeze, the quilting goes faster, binding is done in a snap! Small quilts might be where it's at if you are looking for a quick finish and sense of accomplishment.

This pink and yellow quilt is a pattern from Jacquie Gehrings book Quilting Modern. Great pattern, easy to follow and I'm pretty much in love with the design. It's just 36 x 36 inches. Just perfect for a wall hanging or a kids snugly lap quilt.

I backed this quilt with minky, since it was for a sweet little girl undergoing treatment for leukemia. I figured the extra snuggle factor would be nice while she is in the hospital.

This trio of quilts were made for a relative who recently had preemie triplets. The babies are doing well and we wanted to make them each a special gift. My Mom helped a lot with these, doing some piecing, basting, and binding work. You can see photos of the whole quilts on Flickr.

I've got a bunch of small projects lined up to work on next and have a three day quilt retreat coming up;

I'm hoping to accomplish a lot!

sewing circle tote

2013-09-01T14:41:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was another St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild Sew-In.

Twelve hours of sewing? Don't mind if I do!

I'm normally a pretty prepared person, but for some reason my girl scout gene has been on the fritz and I've found myself scrambling at the last minute to get supplies together for sewing events.

For the sew-in I grabbed an in-progress quilt, some leftovers from a HST project, and a big pile of

fabric to make Elizabeth Hartman's Sewing Circle Tote. I never got to the first two.

I sewed up a Weekender bag earlier this year, and honestly thought, just by looking at this Sewing Circle bag, that it would be easier. I can't say it was harder...but don't let the straight lines fool you,

this bag takes some patience.

To start, you need patience cutting. It took me three hours to cut everything and organize it all.

I loved that there were no patterns to cut out - sweet!

Since I slacked and didn't have the exact cuts of fabric the pattern required, I did spend some extra time figuring how to make-do with what I had (ie. patchwork lining and handles)

The quilted panels take a little time, but I think they really enhance the finished bag.

I used an old Fabricworm fat quarter bundle that I've had for a long time paired with some natural Essex linen and a pretty grey cross weave from Janie Lou, a local quilt shop.

Assembly wasn't technically difficult, but as the bag grows in size it becomes a bit cumbersome.

Really no way around it when making a really large tote.

The interior went together easily. There are lots of small steps, but the instructions are written really well and the pictures are very helpful. I love all the pockets and zippers. Super functional.

The last few steps were the ones I found the most tedious. Basically its when you are finishing the top edge of the bag, and again not technically difficult, just cumbersome and some extra thick (no really) seams. My stitches aren't too pretty and I had to go over everything twice due to some skipped stitches, but I got it done. There has to be some trick to sewing something so big and lumpy - but I don't know what it is. You can tell in the picture up above that the edge is a little off.

All in all, I love it. Primarily because this bag is going to be so functional.

It's really well thought out, and I know I will get a ton of use out of it. I do love my Weekender, but it's just not my go-to bag. There are no pockets and it's not easy to take things in and out. This Sewing Circle Tote does all those things and will hold so much more.

Took me 14 hours total to make and lots of patience. Just one broken needle and a few bent pins.

Not too shabby!

the one where i meet jacquie gehring

2013-08-26T06:00:00.000-05:00

Last month I had the opportunity to listen to Jacquie Gehring speak about her quilts and quilting experiences. She was inspiring, funny, smart, confident; I was so inspired and so impressed. I walked away with even more love for this hobby, new perspectives, and the itch to start something new.

As if the lecture wasn't enough, the next day I attended a workshop with Jacquie where she taught her methods of crazy piecing. Armed with my hastily pulled pile of fabrics and scraps that I hoped would become place mats - I was set (and a little unsure of my choices). Jacquie is an excellent instructor and was so hands on; she offered comments, help, and support the entire time. It was really fun and I was happy with what I made. I think I could have payed a little more attention to the disbursement of the solids; I ended up with a maroon panel, a white panel, and a brown panel - but for what I wanted to use these for -

it was totally ok.

Inspired by Jacquie - I used my crazy fabric and made some place mats for my friend Juli Ann's parents, who were so generous to let the Lou Bee ladies take over their home for a quick quilt retreat this past spring. I used osnaburg for the background and a serpentine quilting stitch, both of which were in several of Jacquies quilts she showed at the lecture.

So big inspired thanks to the STLMQG for providing this opportunity and of course to Jacquie for sharing with all of us!

scrappy trip

2013-07-22T06:00:00.000-05:00

I couldn't resist the scrappy trip. Temptation proved too strong and I gave in.

If you somehow missed this phenomenon you can find the tutorial here!

Flickr group here.

For this quilt I decided to use one of every Denyse Schmidt fabric

I had and let the quilt be whatever size that turned out to be.

Turns out I have about 150 different DS fabrics and ended up with a 60" square quilt!

Uh...please tell me I'm not alone in my DS hoarding?

I cut at home, pieced blocks at a Lou Bee retreat, picked seams at a friends house, assembled the quilt at a STLMQG Sew-In, and finished it up by quilting back at home.

I love that sewing can be both solitary and social.

Not too long into making this quilt I found out a dear friend and fellow sewer was moving and I knew I wanted it to be for her and her family. She knew who Denyse Schmidt was well before me and it seemed fitting that she should have this quilt with the history of DS fabrics. I thought often about all the fun we've had and good talks she and I had as I worked on the quilt and I hope the family settles in quick and all love their new home in Texas!

I literally pulled strips out of a paper bag to create the blocks for this quilt; no design boards, no plans. If I had it to do over I'd have paid a bit more attention to value as some blocks read pretty light, but over all I think it has sparkle and makes me happy!

swoon and the bqf

2013-05-17T05:00:00.000-05:00

Don't you love the Bloggers Quilt Festival? It's such a great way to learn about quilt makers and their stories, which I've come to realize, is really my favorite part. So welcome to my lil' ol' blog!

How could I not be inspired to make a Swoon quilt after seeing so many beautiful examples?

like this one

or this one

or how about this one

i do really love this one

and of course, this one

A little research into my emails and I've learned that I bought the Thimble Blossoms PDF pattern on 6/8/2011.

The idea simmered about 8-9 months until I was ready to start in the spring of 2012; seriously how does time go by so quickly?

Maybe you know, or maybe you don't know, that in April of 2012 my husband and I divorced. I'll spare you the details but as it does for most people, divorce sucks. My brother wisely advised me to keep busy and more than once told me to make a divorce quilt and be done with it and move on. I think it was good advice and while I probably won't ever refer to this quilt as the "divorce quilt" I might be comfortable calling it a healing one.

I originally wanted to make a linen and voile quilt, but after making a linen Single Girl quilt, I knew it would be too heavy for my liking. I decided on a neutral cotton for the back ground and whatever Anna Maria Little Folks voile I had left in my stash. I love that no matter what is going on in my life I have a hobby that is so fulfilling, keeps me busy, and feels so therapeutic. All those jokes about quilting being cheaper than therapy - hmm...maybe based in truth?

The St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild had a Sew-In on April 28th and there I organized my fabric pieces and started piecing the blocks. It was a memorable Sew-In - tornado sirens, huge hail...I will never forget it. Sew-ins are a great way to bond with your fellow quilters, but a sew-in with severe weather REALLY takes it up a notch. Would it be weird to say I highly recommend it?

June saw the completion of the 9 over sized blocks and excited as I was to see them together, I just wasn't ready to finish the top. So it sat. I'm usually not one to let things sit unfinished but I had a lot going on that summer and maybe I needed the time to really absorb everything that was happening and didn't want to have all those not so great memories sewn up in my quilt?

Everything in life started calming down in the Fall of 2012, and thankfully so. The house sold, we said goodbye to some old memories and started a new interim chapter. Pretty soon, 2013 arrived and with it, a new sewing machine! What to sew first...hmm...you guessed it, Swoon! The new machine was just the motivation I needed to finish the quilt top. I chose to back the quilt with voile and the batting is Mountain Mist Cream Rose from Joanns - my Mom and I basted it with every pin we had between us to minimize shifting - it's a slippery soft drapey quilt (in the best way!).

I'm a lucky lady and my Mom agreed to hand quilt it; I purchased two spools of Aurifil 12 wt, one for neutral areas and one for the print and my Mom got to work. She finished it just three days ago and just when I thought I couldn't love it more - I love it more. Mom reports that the combination of the batting, voile, and Aurifil made this an easy project, with the needle just happily gliding along.

It is the most snugly soft, light and airy, cozy quilt I've ever touched and the best part is it that it's part of my journey and part of my story; a little souvenir of life. It never ceases to amaze me how healing hobbies can be. Between the actual act of sewing, the inspiration of the online communities, and the support and love of friends and family- I have made it through some of my worst times - while still managing to have some of the best times, and I have a pretty sweet quilt to boot!
I'm truly thankful.

Thank you for reading; enjoy the rest of the festival!

modern patchwork spring 2013

2013-04-23T06:00:00.000-05:00

Last year I was inspired by these flex frame bags at Pink Penguin, and you know how it goes...I overbought on supplies because I was THAT excited!
So, tap tap tap, finger on the table...what to make?

If you guessed flex frame pouches...you are correct!

My first try was for the Midwest 12 Day's gift exchange I participate in.

I made seventeen or so of these linen pouches with a doily stamped on the front. I drafted the pattern and it took a few tries to get the size and boxed corners to look the way I wanted, but overall they were quick and easy to put together.

In the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to make little coin purses with the 10 smaller frames I had purchased and it just so happened that my little project coincided with an opportunity to submit to the next edition of Modern Patchwork by Interweave.

I am really proud to be a part of this publication for the second time. The first edition of Modern Patchwork is a favorite of mine, and I've seen the second issue - it's just as good!

I bought my frames here and they came in the mail with really cool stamps and markings from Hong Kong (in case you geek out about that stuff like I do).

The Spring edition of Modern Patchwork hits newsstands today!

dashed

2013-04-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

May 2012 was my month to pick a pattern for the Lou Bee, a small group of friends that formed out of the St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild. These lovely and talented ladies have made some beautiful quilt blocks and one of our quilts won a ribbon at Quilt Con!

The Thimble Blossoms - Swoon pattern was on my mind at the time and still as popular as ever back in Spring '12. Swoon is a fabulous over sized traditional block and it inspired me to try to put my own spin on a favorite old school quilt block, churndash. A little log cabin action...toss in some string piecing...make it all bigger...and you have Dashed.

After I'd written up a little pattern, tested it, and handed fabric bundles out to my Lou Bee friends I decided it wouldn't hurt to try and get it published since most of the work was already done. Happily, it was accepted for publication in the Winter issue of Modern Quilts Unlimited.

The backing is Moda's Pezzy Print.

The quilting is free motion, in a sort of aboriginal inspired stipple?

I totally made that up, but that's what it looks like to me;

though I'm pretty sure aborigines didn't stipple quilts.

It's almost been a year since this journey started and I have finally finished my original Lou Bee quilt, which is why I'm writing this post and why I'm torturing you with the all the recap nonsense!

The string piecing section of the original quilt is less structured than the magazine version and it does make a difference in the way the quilt looks; maybe a little more kaleidoscope-ish?

The patterned fabric changes it up too (Denyse Schmidt Flea Market Fancy).

My Lou Bee friends did such a great job piecing; despite 8 of us sewing, the seams lined up well!

Since my Mom is currently hand quilting my Swoon quilt (oh yeah, I didn't miss that train) I couldn't very well ask her to quilt this one too...but I'd be lying if the lure of those Aurifil 12 wt hand stitches weren't what I had in mind for this quilt. I tried, unsuccessfully, to use Aurifil 12 wt cotton thread in my machine to try and give the quilt more of a homespun quilted look while still matching quilting it - but my machine just wasn't having it. It started well, but quickly turned into broken thread, seam ripper, expletive land. (I am going to try again on a different quilt though, cause it looked pretty awesome.) So Auriful 50 wt it was to be.

I recently had the pleasure of listing to Cindy talk about Free Motion Quilting at a St. Louis Modern Quilt Guild Sew-In and I was inspired! This is the first quilt I've quilted since her class and I definitely stepped outside my comfort zone a little and tried some new things.

Yay for new things and if you ever get the chance to learn from Cindy, don't hesitate.

Oh! I also want to note that I used Quilters Dream Cotton Request batting for the first time with this quilt. Hello? Super soft, super light, actually - a dream. It was so smooth, easy to baste, easy to quilt - and has a lovely drape to it. Will most definitely use it again!

everyone else is doing it

2013-03-22T08:06:00.002-05:00

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

So it would seem with the eminent death of our beloved Google Reader that many a folk, including me, are moving to the cutely named Blog Lovin'. {anyone else want to poke a little doughy cartoon in the belly right now? hooo hooooo!}. Blog Lovin' lets you track some stat's on your blogdom if you "claim" your blog; I feel like a settler in Nebraska claiming my 40...clever Blog Lovin'...verrrrry clever. I'm sure there's something in if for them too, and had I actually read the terms of service, I might know what that is.

Until the next post - which hopefully will be about my Lou Bee quilt, if I ever actually get it quilted.

weekender

2013-02-24T14:52:00.000-06:00

What do you do when everyone in blog land is whipping up awesome bags with Amy Butler's Weekender pattern?

Hop on the bandwagon and make one too!

Here are the tips and ideas I found most useful, as well as some of my own:

1. Use batting and duck cloth instead of interfacing from Oh Fransson! I used scraps plus some Robert Kaufman Yarn Dyed Essex in Black, along with some Kokka polka dot.

2. Increase the length of the straps by 9" from Oh Fransson! I found this to be the perfect length to swing over my shoulder.

3. Zig Zag around all your pieces of duck after quilting to reduce fray from Providence Handmade. SOOO glad I did this.

4. I added zippers to my side pockets using these pictures from lietuvnikas

Hopefully you can see it in the pictures above and below. I felt like the pockets would be more functional with a zipper and I'd be less likely to lose things.

5. As just about everyone recommends I used the Clover wonder clips, and they worked great. I bought the 50 piece box and honestly could have used about 10 more when piecing the bag. On the corners I left no open space, just clip after clip after clip. Seems insane but it made me go slow.

6. Many people recommend making their straps wider for comfort. I took this advice and made mine 1.5 inches wide. I'm glad I did. I did not follow the instructions for making the straps. I used my favorite method with some interfacing I had on hand.

7. If I could do it over, in addition to the included instructions to tack down the handles, I would also tack them down vertically on either side from the base of the bag up to the 9" mark. I don't like that I can reach behind them in my side pockets or that there is a gap on the outside of the bag (you can see it in the picture below). Tacking them down just seems a little cleaner? Not a huge deal though.

8. I used a 22 inch separating sport zipper and it fit the opening between the side pockets perfectly - however, remember to make stops, as the pattern suggests! Trust me. You don't want to be struggling to reassemble your zipper that separated while the bag is complete and everything is sewed down, worrying about having to take it all apart if you can't get it back together. Who on earth would do that? Yeah, me.

9. I sewed my side pockets with just a 1/4 inch seam to make them a little taller. I think the pattern calls for a 1/2 inch seam. Small potatoes but still something to consider.

10. I used a quilted panel for the base (no interfacing). I did buy some masonite for the false bottom insert. Seems sturdy enough for me, but that's entirely personal preference.

11. When sewing the side panels to the top panel I put my Clover clips all around the bag, but sewed all the straight edges first. This gave me less to worry about and more places to put my hands when it came time to maneuver the corners. Maneuver is a good word for it too. Really. Brace yourself.

12. I backstitched and went over stitches a lot on the final assembly, especially the corners. You are sewing through so much, I felt the added security would increase the longevity of the bag.

13. Like many others I broke a few needles, but only because I was trying to sew too fast.

The pattern says go slow. It's no joke.
{in my best Horowitz's mother voice}

"Listen to yah Muhtha! Go slow!"

I've made lots of bags, so my experience might bias my opinion, but I thought the pattern was simple and straight forward. The prep work for this bag was time consuming but well worth the effort. I love the quilted look and it really is a nice sturdy bag.

The final assembly is cumbersome. Like threw my back out, been hobbling around for five days cumbersome. IF you are prone to back injury - and tend to sew with your whole body...take breaks and stretch. Really. That's not to say it's not do-able. It really is.

I don't love that you have to hand sew the lining in, but what are ya gonna do? The pattern is otherwise pretty awesome and I am lucky enough to have a Mom who does stuff like this for me! Yay Mom! I chose the feather print from AMH Field Study. Can you see it peeking out there?

I'm proud of the bag I made and am already fighting the urge to make another, lucky my back is a constant reminder to appreciate what I already have and not wish for more.

For now. {wink}

zippered chevron pillow

2012-08-23T10:07:00.000-05:00

I'm excited to update this post now that my pattern is available for sale on Craftsy!

I originally designed these pillows for a class at a local quilt shop that has since closed it doors.
The owner wanted something modern at a beginner level that also taught a skill that would be useful.
We decided a pillow would be great because it can teach so many skills at one time; piecing, quilting (if you want to), attaching trim, zippers...etc.

I enjoyed making these pillows!

Got any Charlie Brown fans in the house? Wouldn't the green one be cute done up like Charlie's shirt?

The pillow back with concealed zipper closure.

If you give this pattern a try; I do hope you'll let me know how it goes!

Thank you!