The ups and downs of sewing

Lots of things have been starting and stopping lately. I guess that's why I've been able to post some blogs. Inbetween things, I have a little time to sit a spell.

Up: The Wonky Whirlygig is progressing!
Down: Progressing so much that I need to get more of the ivory sateen. I've really been trying to just buy what I know I'm going to use, but I hate going to the store a gazillion times for boring sashing.


Up: Yay! The cubicle I've always dreamed of! Isabella felt quite important when I put her 3-bin craft organizer by mommy's "sewings". I'm using the cubes for collections and the color-coded pull-out organizer for scraps and random fabrics. The blue "man-box" on top there was my birthday present. Not very pretty, but soooo very handy for the little odds and ends like rick-rack, elastic, bias tape maker, etc. I used to waste so much time searching for things and this is such a sanity saver!
Down: Seriously, nothing. Just wish I had more!


Up: I made my first baby shoes! Poor little kiddo of mine is a professional sock-taker-offer. So I thought little Valentines shoes were in order. I pulled the elastic in the back extra tight so she wouldn't be able to pull them off and her tootsies would be toasty warm all winter long.

Down: Hubby noticed that the elastic was cutting into her skin and toes were turning purple . Oopsy. Circulation can be so overrated. But she didn't get them off! No, we took them off and now they are making the rounds on Bella's dolls. Guess I'll try, try again.

New Year... new quilt!

The Wonky Whirlygig

I'm way late jumping on the whirlygig bandwagon, but I'm ok with that. I started making these little (only about 3" squares!) guys just after new years. I had a 5" charm pack of Benartex City Blooms by Kitty Yoshida that I wasn't sure what to do with. AND I've had a bug in my bonnett (reading a lot of Little House on the Prairie lately!) to do something other than another square-in-a-square quilt. So here we go... my first whirlygig!

I know, they're going different directions. I didn't think to pay attention to how the charm pack was laying while I was cutting a couple squares at a time. They were all wrong - sides together. So just a note to you future whirlygigles out there: check them charms! But I'm hoping it will give the quilt movement and make the eye dance around at all the different styles. Since I made my own templates, they are definetly wonky. Fine by me! I love to use quilting as my main method of chilling out. If I find myself getting frustrated by piecing and getting all exact on things, I'm likely to not finish the project for a few decades.

Hubby bought me a sweet 9-cube organizer thing from Target last weekend! I had way too much fun sorting and folding my fabric. Pictures to follow. Seems like a lot of you are in the organizing mode. I could use about 14 more of them, but I'm thrilled with this one for now.

2009 in Review

Eight quilts, 2 puppets, a gajillion tutus and more ... what a year!

Blankets... They're not just for people anymore

I forgot to post about my Bush Blankets from fall.

I made these little guys for my hydrangeas. It seems that they do ok until one last late freeze in the spring and that zaps the buds. Which makes for big leafy green bushes without the pretty flowers all summer long. No thanks.

So hopefully this route will work. It was basically a scrap buster. Just sewed the circles on and left the raw edges exposed. I did it all on the old machine, but it still went pretty fast.

So incase you have the same situation, here's how I did it:

Get a bunch of chicken wire (or something similar) and put it around the plant. I pushed up all the leaves and Mr. Pin Cushion put the wire around. Then I measured the diameter of the wire. They were each in the 90-inch range. So I then made the wrap a little longer and sewed on the circles.

For closures, I started with velcro but that didn't last through some rain storms so I used little elastic loops and buttons instead. I'm happy to say they are still standing and add some much-needed color with the white snow against the white siding on the house. I'll update in the spring when I take them off after the frost! I hope it works!

She's heeeeeere!

Janome, meet the blog. Blog, Janome.

Ok, so it's a tad anti-climatic. It's been over a month now and I've been through major sewing machine stress. I thought I would be showing you pictures of my new Viking 1100, major Craig's List steal. Actually, the very generous lady who had it for sale decided to give it to me once we got to her house. I was in tears from her kind act.

Then I took it to be serviced before using it and they called a week later to say it needed over $600 worth of help. Apparently the sewing head had been damaged and that, my friends, did not sound good.

So the search began again...

And on Black Friday, I purchased my totally awesome sewing machine. It's used, scratched up, and missing a knee-lift, but I got a major deal on it. I had no idea I would end up with such a big-time machine. I mean, afterall, I've been using my little Brother 2600 forever now. But here's the deal... I knew I needed a machine with a bigger throat/harp area (I've heard both terms used interchangeably) and after seeing what ballpark of coinage I'd be in (yikes!), I decided I had better get the most for my money.

Enter, the Janome (rhymes with Baloney) Memory Craft 6500. (And it says "Professional" on the front. Squeeeeel!) She not only has a rockin' throat (honestly, I gag every time I think of this term), but awesome embroidery powers and some sweet computerized thingy-majigs like needle up/down, make a knot so I don't ruin the quilt, and other things yet to be explored.

The orange quilt is done and given to my sweet, sweet aunt who watches the girls all.the.time.

And I just got the quilting done on the Tina Givens quilt. Seriously, this machine moves really fast and I am crankin' out the quilts in no time flat!!

I hope you are crankin' too if need be. You know, last-minute people, you! But hopefully you are really slowing down and enjoying the beauty of the Christmas season. A tiny bit of snow is falling here which makes it even better.

Merry Christmas to you!

Flea Market Fancy Freaks

Yes, I'm a freak.


And I love this fabric line!


Awesome giveaway going on, so check it out! (And maybe share a FQ with me if you win?)

Animal House

A new puppet in the works. He/she doesn't have a name yet, but it's big and blue and kinda creepy from this perspective if you ask me. Never thought I'd be making these, but it is fun to experiment with different fabrics (fur and felt to name a few!) and new methods of sewing. Once stuffed, however, he/she/it really looks fun.



A jellyfish for Halloween! Speaking of new fabrics, the shimmery skirt was a fun little whip-up. I was ok with the hat portion but realized I hadn't sewn anything. Feeling a little empty and things not quite done yet, we ran to Joann's with only minutes to spare. SuperMom? Definetly not. Sewing-obsessed? Unfortunately, yes.

My little punkin. A day out with dad at the punkin farm. I'm trying hard to phase out characters such as Dora and Princess, but she can wear the handmade skirts as much as she pleases. I'm vain like that.

I'm pleased to announce that the orange quilt top and back are finished. Also, the Tina Givens quilt top. Just working on that backing. My birthday is coming up and hubby is wanting to upgrade the sewing machine for me. Oh yeah, he's a keeper. Maybe tomorrow at this time I'll bring her home with me.