Pregnant Quilting

Well, it's the week of Christmas! I have been very blessed to have a lot of commission orders since summer. T-shirt quilts, the circle quilts, adoption quilt, and some random magic show props and pillow covers. Whew!

I love quilting, the process of it all, but I do not enjoy basting a quilt whilst pregnant. Crawling around the floor is not a fun pasttime as is. Add a placenta and two people are miserable.

Enter the rag quilt! Now I don't have one of those fancy-schmancy die cutters so it does require a lot of patience in snipping all those raggy edges. HOWEVER! There is no basting and no binding. (I'll always love you, binding, but you are a little rough on the fingers.)

Not to mention how handy rag quilts are in using up charm packs. When I first started my quilt mania 5 years ago, I started buying charm packs of all the spectactular new lines out at the time (Flea Market Fancy, anyone?!) without really having a plan. I was studying for a board exam, hating life, and desperate for a creative outlet. I hadn't touched a sewing machine in years but throw some beautiful fabric in front of me and cha-ching! Gazillions of charm packs are sitting here looking at me for half a decade pleading to be used. Well used you shall be, my pretties.

I just finished up a rockets and robots rag quilt with David Walker fabric. Once it is washed and ready I'll post pictures of that too. I know, try to wait paitently. Both will be in the shop for all your frantic New Years shopping. I kinda misplaced my camera Thanksgiving and didn't get things ready for Christmas. Good timing.

May the peace of our Lord touch you this special time of year. A very blessed and Christ-centered Christmas to you and your families.

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

John 3:17

Therese's Quilt

First of all... yikes! The winner of the CSN giveaway that was supposed to be announced oh, about a month ago, is PAM! Congratulations, Pam! I'll send you an email with the info.

Recently I had the honor of making a quilt for a sweet little girl who will come from Africa to her newly adopted home here in The States. Her name is Therese and I really, really hope she loves her new quilt.

A lot of the fabrics are from MacKenzie of Dena Designs. There is one Kaffe Fassett print in there to add a little "African Flare" and one from Red Letter Day of Lizzy House.

I used a lavender chenille backing and made the binding from leftovers scraps of the quilt fabric. I can't remember if I've ever wrote about it before, but it IS possible to do free-motion-quilting with a chenille or minky backing. The secret is doing your FMQ with just the quilt top and batting -- NO FMQ'ING WITH THE BACK! Then do some straight-line/stitch in the ditch to attach the backing and you have the best of both worlds!

In other random sewing news...

For the first time ever I've entered a swap, the Hoop Up! Stitch and Send Swap on Flickr. This was a nice challenge for me. There are several groups of four people that each give their theme. Then each swapper creates something based on that theme and sends it to the person who wanted it. So not only is it fun to create something for another person but also you get some adorable little surprise in your mail as well! My swappees wanted a mandala and bird in a birdcage:

There was also a cereal design but I seem to have lost it for the time being! It is on the flickr link if you really have to see it. My designs are all done and sent and now I just sit back and wait to see what my partners stitched up for me! I highly recommend getting involved in a swap. There are quilt block swaps, pillow, coaster, and embroidery swaps... pretty much anything you can think of. It's a fun and relatively fast little project that helps to enhance your sewing skills. Plus it's always fun to meet new friends out there who don't look at you like you're a senior citizen just because you can use a needle and thread.

Happy Thanksgiving to all you US readers!!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

A little late to the party, but nonetheless I wanted to partake in Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival.

It is always a great source of inspiration to me and so fun to participate in the frenzy of it all!

So this time around I have my circle quilt(s). It was a commission for a brother and sister. Adorable! Mostly made up of Kaffe Fassett fabrics with a little Amy Butler and Tina Givens thrown in. They are both twin size.

I must say with alllllll the circles I cut (108 fabric circles per quilt + 108 interfacing circles per quilt x 2 quilts = 432 circles!), the sanity lifesaver award goes to the Olfa rotary circle cutter. It was about $20 at JoAnn and worth every penny. Also using Steam a Seam for the interfacing was totally fantastic as it is sticky on both sides. Very helpful for eyeball placement on the squares and ironing. No, I'm not getting paid for this (but I'm certainly up for it!) just giving my helpful tips should you attempt a circle quilt in your future.

Something new to me... I went big on the binding. I cut my strips a whopping 6" wide. I love it. Especially with all the craziness of the busy fabrics going on, it kind of doubles as a border, giving the eye a place to rest. Ahhh...

And the brother quilt, which is also mostly Kaffe Fassett with a little Joel Dewberry in.

Orange flannel backing worked well. I was a little hesitant how flannel would do for free motion quilting, but it was a total champ. I taped and basted these suckers like never before! And it paid off - not one wrinkle or a pucker here.

Thanks for visiting me for this installment of Blogger's Quilt Festival! See y'all next year for more quilty fun. I predict a baby quilt in my future about that time of year. wink wink!

Ooooh, ottomans in October! + Giveaway!

So I made this slip cover for my ottoman at home. I highly recommend washing it before posting pictures on the web for others when showing off your future new ottoman slip cover! I have washed it many times but apparently that was long ago...

Excuse me while I shrink that picture down to a microscopic level so that the filth is a little less noticeable.

If you are not in the mood for making one on your own, CSN stores would like to help supply you with a new (clean) ottoman coffee table.

Aren't they fab?! Of course if you are more the DIY kind of gal you can still enter to win the amazing $35 gift certificate to any of their oodles of stores to get something else like a bird feeder (my new obsession) or maternity clothes . Yeah, so... I kinda need some of those these days!!


Sorry, I always end up making these about me. ANYHOO, if you would like to be entered in the random drawing for the CSN gift certificate (and I highly recommend that you do!) please leave a comment here about a time when you got caught with a dirty house so I don't feel so bad about mine. Contest only open for US addresses, please. I will use random.org to find us a winner on HALLOWEEN, October 31st.


In other news... I have finished the circle quilts! They will be displayed in all their circle glory for Blogger's Quilt Festival coming up.

And probably the coolest thing ever done with a pumpkin (other than figuring out to make it into a pie), my dear friend surprised me with this.

How fun is that?! She actually broke out the drill for me! Way cool.
Don't forget to enter the giveaway now that I've distracted you with other news. :)

PS. Welcome Giveaway Scout peeps! I'm so excited to be listed with other fun blog giveaways and contests. Have a look around and by all means... enter that contest! Thanks for stopping by!

Circling the Wagons

Hi, remember me? I used to write here frequently. I guess summertime can do that to ya. We've been having a most enjoyable summer. Nothing too grand, just relaxing and being. Being together has been so lovely.

We've taken a few day trips to Amish Country which is perfect for my Laura Ingalls-in-training. It makes a mama happy to see her daughter delight in such innocent and beautiful things like a rag doll or new bonnet.

And my new favorite fabric store, Miller's Dry Goods. I managed to find some Bliss precuts since the yardage had not yet arrived. Oh goodness, what a great fabric line that is! I also bought a few fat quarters of Fresh Cottons that were just so beautiful in person.

Other than shopping, I have been working on the circle quilts. Both quilt tops are done. Hooray! It has been so satisfiying to see these lovelies come together. Working on two twin quilts simultaneously has been a challenge but a good one. I have found sewing to be the ONE THING that stays done. Toys are picked up but always end up on the floor. Dinners are made but dishes follow soon behind. I have found sewing to be a great source of momentum in my life. It (almost) always goes forward, showing constant progress and tangible improvement. Of course I visit with my seam ripper from time to time but even then a quick fix isn't so bad.

So there they are. I also have another very special quilt I'm working on for a friend who is adopting. More to come on that. And since Halloween is coming there are tutus to be made as well. Hopefully I'll find the time to get back here sooner rather than later!

Hoping your days are warm and bright in this fantastic late summer season.

Winner! And more circle news

Winner, winner chicken dinner! Random.org selected #3, Melissa. Congratulations and thank you for entering!

The circles are coming along nicely. This will eventually be a twin quilt with 108 squares. Each square is 8 1/2 inches with the circles inside measuring 6 inches.



Most fabrics are from Kaffe Fasset, but a lot are from my stash because I simply can't help myself. The more color the better in my world. I currently have 73 squares and circles done, so it is coming right along. I must say the two most helpful purchases for this quilt have been a circle cutter and Steam a Seam.

The circle cutter is a necessity if doing a circle quilt such as this. After this quilt is finished for big sister A, her little brother is also getting a twin size one. Therefore I will be cutting 436 circles (218 fabric circles and 218 interfacing circles)! I wasn't really about wasting fabric or having imperfect circles and this is exactly what I needed. As long as the blade is sharp, they come out perfect and fast. I can't recommend it enough. I bought mine at JoAnn with a 40% off coupon for less than $20. Worth every penny.

I also had an interesting predicament with the interfacing. The client's son has asthma so I had to be very careful with all the "ingredients" for the quilt. Eveything must be "non-toxic" and "no added chemicals". I was sure to wash and dry everything to eliminate any unwanted extras hanging around. I usually use a lightweight fusible interfacing for raw edge applique but we were unsure of what went into that. Thankfully I found out about Steam a Seam and it conforms to LHAMA Regulations (which means no toxins added). PLUS it washes up better than any interfacing I've ever used, so double bonus. The only downside is it is much more expensive, but at least no one will be ill.


Lately I'm pretty much convinced I'm the best mom ever.

I made the play tent from 2 Little Hooligans. They love it, I love it, everyone wins!

It consists of one hula hoop ($4) and three twin sheets ($4 each), so final price = $16. NICE! The tutorial states that it will take 2-3 hours start to finish. Um, not for me. More like 8-10 hours. But it was one of those projects I worked on when I needed a break from a quilt or something else.

Our AC went out last week (yes, in the middle of a nice long 90+ degree stretch!) so we have been frequenting the "Fairy Tent" for meals and play. You simply must be happy when you enter it, and I needed an extra dose of happy for sure. It will be great when we have to bring it in for winter as well. I'm thinking a great reading nook for them in the playroom.

GIVEAWAY! and some mini quilts

Hello my happy readers!

I am very pleased to announce another giveaway! Woo hoo! This may seem a bit random, but it actually is in celebration of my dear, DEAR husband breaking yet another item in my - I mean THE - kitchen. Usually it's your basic glass or espresso cup (that was a birthday present). But this time it was the pepper shaker. As in - part of a set. They were so cute together. *sigh*

However, you have the divine opportunity to win your very own Salt and Pepper Shakers or whatever other fancy schmancy Corelle you desire.

So go ahead and leave a comment here about what your husband has broke around the house and I'll pick a random winner Friday night. (Sorry, only US readers please.) The winner will receive a gift certificate to CSN stores which is a major score because they sell everything under the sun. It's your chance to stock up on those breakables!

Personally, I've had my eye on these pressure cookers for the upcoming canning season. Those maters just get bigger everyday!!

And in the sewing front... I'm playing with circles!

I've recently been commissioned to make two circle quilts which require a lot of practice. So here are some mini-quilts of my circle experimentation.

For a 5-yr-old girl that just doesn't want to be "little" any more. How sad for her mama!

For a 3-yr-old boy that really doesn't care! ;)

So I embroidered a road for him to drive his matchbox cars and made some of the circles bumpy for hills. Who's the coolest 3-yr-old now?!