The Park Avenue Sweat Shop

Katie

2010-01-04T21:42:00.003-05:00

Katie is a woman I work with, who is going through a pretty rough time. So I decided to make her a quilt.This was my own design, and I'm very happy with it. It was laid out prior to sewing into long strips, to make sure all of the little plus signs lined up. I used a lot of my pink and orange scraps, a colour combination that's been pulling me these days. The brown is kona cotton, and I put a 5" wide orange polka dotted border around it all, to pull it all together. I quilted it in random (non-drawn) lines in pink thread. Here's the back:I had made those string blocks about a year and a half ago, and it was part of a quilt that never quite materialized. The pink has a tiny white polka dot, and I put a strip of white on either side of the string blocks.
I'm very pleased with how this turned out. The most time consuming part was getting all of those plus signs where I wanted them, and knowing that I couldn't really change things or add on once I started sewing.
This quilt will be a complete surprise for Katie-- I just hope it brings her comfort and warmth.

finally, a quilt for me

2010-01-03T08:54:00.005-05:00

With a little bit of time off for the holidays, I got a lot of sewing accomplished. Here's the only quilt I started in 2009 that's definitely going to reside at the Sweat Shop:(Click to enlarge)
I love it, especially with the border. I quilted it in straight lines, in green thread, 1/4 of an inch outside each seam going one direction. I know that sounds confusing... so here's the back, with Cassidy:
I used green Kona cotton, I think the colour is celery (or at least, that's what I'm calling it).
One of the most thoughtful presents I got for my birthday was from Nicole, and she picked out 4 different yards of quilting cotton that are all very compatible with my stash, yet nothing I already had. I already used one of those fabrics for the binding in this quilt (and a second quilt-- pictures tomorrow). My brother-in-laws got me a pair of Gingher scissors, and I'm in love with them. They cut extra batting and fabric off of this quilt like it was no big deal.

sewing in the New York Times

2009-12-15T10:48:00.001-05:00

Confession: I adore the New York Times. I read it online daily, and frequently forward articles on to my friends from grad school who I think will enjoy them. Now, I'll share a good one from the Fashion and Style section by Michelle Slatalla, called "Altered by a Sewing Machine"

Go ahead, read it-- and if you have any idea as to what sort of machine she's using, I'd love to know!
I think what most crafty ladies know is that sewing can't always be about the finished product. There's a real process that can't be rushed. I try and focus on this process, though I'll admit that I enjoy it with the knowledge of a finished piece in the end. What do you think?

Giveaway Day winner

2009-12-08T08:03:00.001-05:00

Thank you all so much for playing along with me. I had so much fun reading each and every comment. You all are an interesting bunch! After my last "interesting" fact, here's a follow up: since my birthday is so close to the holidays, I have a June wedding anniversary to keep the celebrating even. Anyway, here's the randomly chosen winner:

C-Joy said...

A Christmas baby -how sweet! My interesting this is that I was married in a bookstore <3 Thanks for participating in the giveaway :)

Congratulations, C-Joy! Can't wait to do this again!

I have a few fun things to show you soon-- as well as my solution to the annoying buttonhole problems on the AB Liverpool dress.

2009 SMS Giveaway Day!

2009-12-01T21:28:00.006-05:00

New people: thanks for coming! Return visitors, thanks for coming back!

It's that time again-- Giveaway Day! Here's what I have for you at the Sweat Shop:

Some fat quarters I've been saving/hoarding from Anna Maria Horner:

Also, a pillow I made. Here's the front (careful viewers will see some AMH in here, too):

And here's the back, made out of super soft corduroy:

It's on a 16" pillow form and it's an envelope back, so I suppose if you hate the pillow you can just use the form.

Now, the details:

I'll leave this contest open until December 6, 2009. To enter to win, please leave a comment, and tell me something interesting about yourself, and then I'll pick a winner. Here's something about me: my birthday is December 23, and I love having it so close to all of the holidays because I feel like everyone gets to celebrate with me!

Thanks for playing!

Grandma Ginny

2009-11-30T19:44:00.002-05:00

Yikes, two posts in two days-- and of two completed quilts!
This is the completed wonky/maverick star quilt that I made for my Grandmother-in-law, Ginny. I got a little worried about my youthful colour choices, but as my husband said, "She doesn't need to be reminded that she's old." She's very sweet and very tiny-- so this is a sweet and tiny quilt.
(Cassidy likes it, obviously)
I decided to only use the yellow roses for the centers, and if I would've planned it a little better I probably would've fussy cut something more graphic. The borders are 2.5" squares out of a few different fat quarters I had around here. The border is my favorite part-- Michael Miller Dumb Dot. Sometimes I think there's merit in the old school quilt philosophy of a dark binding (at least, that's always the advice I get-- and usually ignore-- at my local quilt shop)The back has 3 of my leftover stars, some Heather Ross stripes, and some aqua fabric from JoAnn Fabrics that I can't seem to get rid of. I stippled it in pale pink thread, partly for interest but really so I could see where I was going.
Also, word on the street is that I'm getting a NEW CAMERA for CHANUKKAH. Expect better pictures coming to the Sweat Shop soon!

George

2009-11-29T18:44:00.005-05:00

I finished this one a while ago, but I gave it to the recipient as soon as it came out of the dryer, meaning I didn't get a picture (click on it to see the full quilt).
Here's one he took for me:
All scraps, and based on this quilt. I stippled it in white, and my favorite part of the quilt is a part you can barely see-- faux bois as binding! The back is red and aqua.
George is a dear friend of mine, who is dating another really good friend. He had a really rough autumn, and I tried to help in my small way.
All I need to add to the Liverpool are the button holes (which I have to do by hand-- gah), and I started another scrap quilt. Pictures of both soon!

the liverpool

2009-11-22T16:04:00.003-05:00

Ever since seeing this pattern on Amy Butler's website, I knew I wanted to make it.
I've never bought an AB pattern before, but have made some out of "In Stitches" and the free ones from the website. I broke down and bought it today, along with some fabric that was 50% off:It's Erin Michael's Mod Mum, from Uptown-- the same line that brought those gorgeous paint-by-number birds. I was pleased to score this fabric, especially on sale. I figure that if the pattern doesn't turn out, I can always tear it apart for a quilt. I haven't started cutting yet, but I'm pretty excited. I think I'm going to make the short dress with long sleeves. Pictures soon, I hope!

a giveaway I'd love to win

2009-11-20T08:35:00.001-05:00

Yep, it's a Flea Market Fancy giveaway. Go over and check it out!

sometimes

2009-11-12T21:57:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I'm a little late to the game.
Like now, when I decided to finally give the very popular wonky/maverick star block a try:Each of the squares are 5". The centers of half of the blocks (like this one) are made from Dance With Me, I believe it's the Yellow Kayla pattern. The other half will be an assortment of my floral prints. All of the points are scraps-- I realized that mine have gotten a little out of hand lately, and this is good for the littlest ones.
I'm hoping that this will come together quickly, as I want to make this one in time for Christmas. My husband's grandmother, who I adore, was widowed in September. This will be her first holiday season without her husband, and I hope that something feminine and warm can provide a little bit of comfort. I thought this pattern was just familiar enough for a woman of a certain age, but fresh enough to remind her of me.

Mr. and Mrs. K

2009-11-11T13:56:00.009-05:00

Two Nicoles, one post.
The first Nicole is my brother's girlfriend. I decided to make her a tote bag for the upcoming holiday season out of some of my favorite fabric:The pattern is the Flourish Tote. The instructions were clear, it probably took me a total of 2.5- 3 hours, and I'm happy with the construction. I wouldn't recommend it as a first bag pattern for anyone, as there were some slightly advanced things like curved corners and sewing through so many layers. The only thing I need to add is some gray grosgrain ribbon going through the loops in the top. I used quilt batting instead of fusible fleece, and decided with all the heaviness not to put the darts in the bottom corners. Here's a shot of the inside, showing the six pockets (more Heather Ross stripes and dots):
The second Nicole is a friend of my husband's from law school, and she recently got married. Since she's a good friend, and warrants more than a blender, I made this for her and her new husband:
Click to enlarge-- also, it's really sunny outside here today!
All of these fabrics came from my stash except for the gray kona (I think it's called Charcoal). I took my original inspiration from Alissa's Sparks Baby Quilt but quickly deviated. Each of my center squares are 4", and I fussy cut birds:Then I added a rectangular border around each bird, and alternated the direction of the rectangles (vertical, like the one above, and horizontal). For the horizontal blocks, I added 2.5" of the gray to either the top or the bottom (half of each) and then sashed the blocks. The outer border is 6" on the top and bottom, and 3" wide on either side. I quilted 1/4" around each seam. I love the back, too:
(It's windy-- ignore my shoe at the bottom!)
I used the rest of my bird fabric (IKEA-- and the same fabric I used for my bedroom curtains) and more Lotus. Here's a closeup of the quilting, from the back:

I can't wait to put this in the mail and send it off to NYC! It feels so good to finish something, especially two things that make me proud.

tiny blocks

2009-11-05T08:06:00.004-05:00

I had a Snippets jelly roll sitting around, and while I need a new project like I need a hole in my head, I decided to make 40 of these:The green and white block measures just 3" square, and the border strips are 1.25" before being sewn. These are the smallest pieced blocks I've ever made. You can find the instructions and inspiration quilt here.
I think I'm going to set them differently, though-- maybe on point? Maybe I need to make another 40 blocks? I have plenty of fabric left over, even after this:

no-sew tutu tutorial!

2009-10-31T09:41:00.003-04:00

Happy Halloween!
Last night, for a costume party, I dressed up as a ballerina. Here I am, in my homemade tutu:
Sorry for the weird picture-- it's raining today.
Anyway, here's what you do:
1)Take a piece of elastic, and fit it comfortably around your waist.

2) Tie the ends in a sturdy knot. No need to sew these together, because of the volume of the tulle will cover just about anything (ugly upper thighs included!)

3) Take 10 yards of the stiffest tulle/netting you can buy. I got mine for $1.29/yd. at Joann Fabrics, in pale pink. With scissors, cut it into strips about 3-6 inches wide. Again, no need to be exact, and many of my strips were pretty crooked.

4) Take each long strip and cut it in half.

5) Tie each of these strips around the piece of elastic in a single knot.

6) Wash, rinse, repeat.

7) When you're finished, put it on over a leotard, and you're good to go. You can fluff it a little, and honestly, I couldn't stop touching it all night.

My leotard came from the children's section at Target, and I put my hair in a bun, wore dance tights and ballet shoes. Super easy, very comfortable, readily-identifiable costume. If you make one, I'd love to see it!

fuzzy math

2009-10-25T16:04:00.004-04:00

Here's the nearly finished quilt top, all for me:I'm going to add a big polka dotted border around it, but am still deciding on the width of it. All of the orange sashing and cornerstones are 3" before being sewn. That's about double the width of the block borders (all cut to 1 3/4"). Using this crude math, I think it'd look pleasing if I make the border double the sashing, or 6". I'm really very pleased with this; selfish quilting is fun! I'm still trying to decide on the backing, and also the quilting. Especially the quilting, and even the thread colour. Normally I quilt in the colour of the sashing, but I'm afraid the orange might be too vivid on the blocks (plus, the orange is really made of magenta and yellow warp and weft).
Here it is again, in the sun on my front yard:

sashing fun

2009-10-22T21:01:00.004-04:00

Thanks for the sashing suggestions for my HR quilt. Here's what I've decided on, with Butch's obvious approval:I'm sashing in the orange, which I already adore. I was most concerned about the way it'd look next to the bright orange AB print (on the left) and the sherbert-y Flights of Fancy on the right. But I'm very pleased so far, since it makes the paler prints stand out more than I'm used to.
I'm using five fussy cut 3" squares for the corners. I've decided that the corner pieces will be the same all the way across, so the top row are the bikes, the second are the ice cream trucks, etc. I'm planning on a pretty wide polka dotted border (that plan could change). I'm also trying to think about something brilliant for the back. Maybe another solid?

a Heather Ross story

2009-10-20T22:07:00.005-04:00

A while back, Ms. Heather Ross herself posted a great opportunity for a handful of lucky fabric junkies to buy some of her stash. Since I still haven't won a single giveaway, I count it as a true victory that I was able to purchase some Munki Munki love.
Ms. Ross picked out some good stuff: sushi, toadstools, bicycles, dogs, ice cream trucks... and she even included a white tank with a patch of farmer's market sewn on the front, which magically fits me.
Fast forward about a month later, and I was trolling the arts and crafts section on Craigslist. You may or may not remember that I got my amazing Singer 201 on Craigslist for next to nothing. There's of course plenty of junk listed, but then I came across a posting listed "highest quality Westminister fabric, $3 a yard". Yes, it read Westminister instead of Westminster, but I let it slide. I drove to a far suburb, and to my delight, a young mom who had a baby boutique selling baby slings decided to shift her focus, so she wanted to liquidate her HEATHER ROSS LIGHTNING BUGS fabric. For yes, three. dollars. a. yard. She had the orange and blue stripe, and the polka dots in a few colours. And I happily bought a ton. I decided that two Heather Ross encounters-- both serendipitous, to me at least-- warranted a quilt of my very own. So here's what I've started:I think this is the only time I'd consider sushi, mushrooms, dogs, campers, ice cream trucks and a ton of stripes and polka dots coordinating fabrics (click to enlarge).
But what to do about the setting? I'm thinking about sashing it in either this: or Joelle Hoverson's gorgeous peachy Net of Jewels, which is sort of like shot cotton:
Or, there's always white kona cotton. But I do that a lot. What do you think? Are the dots too busy? Or could it look as great as the cover of Material Obsession? (I kid, I kid-- there's no way it'll ever look half as amazing as that quilt. But I do love the polka dots...)

Connie

2009-10-19T19:27:00.005-04:00

A six week blogging break was really nice, I won't lie. I have a ton of VQB blocks to catch up on, and I feel really embarrassingly bad about it. But I'll get there.
Meanwhile, a lot of sewing has happened around these parts. I just finished a commissioned quilt using Pashmina, and really, I didn't like this quilt at all until I created the back. Why is it that so many quilters like their pieced backs better than the fronts? Here's the front of the whirlygig quilt:Here's the back:
And here's a close up of the four sisters again, just like Carolyn's quilt:

I've cut into my Heather Ross stash and have finally started on a quilt for ME. More tomorrow!

new Amy Butler collection: Love

2009-08-31T08:08:00.001-04:00

If you're following me in Google Reader, I'm guessing my title got your attention.

Why haven't I heard about this new collection on the zillion blogs I follow?

Amy Butler's newest collection is called Love, which makes it super annoying to google, as you just get a bunch of fabric junkies saying how much they loooooooooove AB. Anyway, I got the tip from an email from Wish Upon a Quilt, who said that Love is due out in October, and the entire first printing is already sold out. I managed to find a couple of pictures at the Quilted Castle. What do you guys think?

Also, I went on a skirt making binge this weekend-- pictures soon!

Baby M update

2009-08-25T09:22:00.001-04:00

Baby M was finally born, and so the name of the quilt will be re-named with her official name: Katelyn. I get weirdly superstitious about sending baby things off to expectant parents before babies arrive, so this one (and her big sister Maggie's quilt) are still sitting at my house. I'm pleased to send them both off today!

Rebecca is on her way to California, so as soon as she gets settled I'll be sending her quilt her way, too.

I really need to do a post with all of my quilting bee updates-- I think I've fallen victim to the dog days of summer. That should be out of my system soon, I promise!

wild thing

2009-08-20T15:53:00.005-04:00

Thanks for your comments and ideas yesterday! I went to my local quilt shop and they happened to have a pattern that I was anxious to try out:And some charm packs that will make my life (or at least fabric selection) easier, Pashmina by Moda:It looks a lot more brown on the screen than it does in real life. To me, at least, it reads more orange which makes it more palpable to me. I'm using the pale one on the far right, second row, as my background for the whirligigs. I seem to be the last one to make one of these quilts, but I'm looking forward to it.
I'm also looking forward to showing you some more Rachael-typical quilts!

another sister, another quilt

2009-08-19T12:53:00.001-04:00

After the whole quilting debacle on the Carolyn quilt, I was glad to hear from my stepmother that Carolyn was in fact very surprised and pleased. So was my stepmother-- she's actually commissioning me to make a quilt for another one of her sisters, Connie, who has an October birthday. Connie also has a pretty traditional home in New Jersey, and so I need to go just barely outside my comfort zone yet again.

I've been going through Flickr and my favorite blogs looking for inspiration. Do you, loyal readers, have any brilliant ideas for a pattern or fabric line for this new quilt? Again, I don't have too much time, so I want to get started on it right away. Any thoughts and ideas will be appreciated!

phoebe bag

2009-08-18T18:19:00.004-04:00

I haven't made a bag in quite a while, and I really needed a new one. I dug into some of my IKEA stash, and followed Rebeka's instructions for her easy Phoebe Bag:
(Butch is the best purse model ever)
Honestly, the hardest part was turning the flap right-side out, and sewing around that curve. My usual critique with handbag patterns is that the strap tends to be too short and out of proportion with the rest of the bag, but that's not the case here. The only hardware needed was a magnetic snap, which I already happened to have. I love this purse. I think it'll be one of my go-to patterns for holiday gifts this year (real life friends, forget this immediately).
The fabric for both the lining and the outside is home-dec weight, so I decided to skip any interfacing. It holds the shape really well, and it feels sturdy. The inside is a green, white and yellow IKEA print I got on clearance.It's very hard to photograph the inside of a purse! That bit of pink on the inside is the pocket I added. It's a keeper, for sure.

dress shirt revamp

2009-08-16T21:58:00.002-04:00

I saw this tutorial over the weekend, and knew I had to try it out:
And so I did.
I've been buying a ton of dress shirts from Goodwill for a quilt I've been working on, and decided to sacrifice one of the shirts for a cute dress (click to enlarge). I followed the instructions exactly as to how to deconstruct the shirt (a size large), but then amended the directions as follows:
Since I'm smaller than the tutorial's creator (5'2", size 0) I was able to get away with using both sleeves as the entire bodice without the complicated insertion instructions. I left the hem on the skirt as-is, hemmed like the bottom of the shirt it previously was. I also used my machine for the ruffles, using 2 long basting stitches on each.
The bodice on mine is a lot longer than the original posting, but I'm actually really happy about that: with the elastic at the waist, I can pull it up to make it shorter or pull it down to make it longer. I'm totally wearing it to work tomorrow with a cardigan.
Total cost: $2.00 at Goodwill, as I already had the elastic and thread at home. I could make this a million more times, and probably will!

Carolyn

2009-08-14T09:09:00.004-04:00

Yikes, what a week! I finished the Carolyn quilt exactly 4 hours before my stepmother boarded a plane for NY. The plane happened to leave at 6:00 AM, and so I don't have a picture of the finished quilt because I was binding like a zombie. The binding is red, by the way, and I quilted it in crossed diagonal lines, forming diamonds after my quilting disaster. I'll probably be able to add one later, hopefully of Carolyn actually opening and loving it!
I've been really busy doing non-sewing things lately, so that's why it's been a little quiet here. I do have a lot of quilting bee blocks to show, and another quilt to put together, so things will hopefully go back to normal soon. Thanks for reading!

escape to IKEA

2009-08-10T08:14:00.001-04:00

I know I've spent a bit of time kvetching about the heat at the Park Ave. Sweat Shop, but really, yesterday I woke up and it was 88 degrees inside. At 8:00 AM. So what do my husband and I decide to do? Why, drive to IKEA for a fabric buying trip!

These birds will be bedroom curtains:

And I think I'm going to make a pretty simple quilt out of these two fabrics for my bed:

I also got a few yards of a kelly green fabric with huge white and yellow hearts on it on clearance-- I think it'll make cute yoga bags for the holidays this year.

I've also finished quilting the Carolyn quilt and have been working on the binding, and I've started an obligatory red and aqua zigzag quilt-- the kind without half-square triangles. This could be the first quilt I've started in a long time without a recipient in mind. I'd really like to have a "boy" quilt and a "girl" quilt made and ready to go at a moment's notice.

and... we're live.

2009-08-04T07:57:00.001-04:00

I had to be at work at 5:30 AM today (compared to my usual 8:00) because a local news station was coming to film a 90 second piece. Of course, I freaked out about what to wear-- more so than what I was going to say (I'm a ham). I know that pastels and blue look good on camera, and since I wanted to look approachable yet professional, I decided on a light blue button down shirt tucked into a wrap skirt I made last year out of this fabric:

The video is already up on the website, and really, the skirt photographed well. I was pleased with my choice.

Aden

2009-08-02T18:33:00.004-04:00

I give just about all of my quilts away, and looking back at the 2009 list of recipients so far, I see a number of happy occasions: new babies, weddings, birthdays, just because, housewarming. Then, there are those that I make and give to hopefully comfort and help heal. I both love and hate making the second kind. I feel like those quilts could become a little more special to the person it's going to, but I hate making them because I know those people are in pain, and making them a quilt is about all I can do.

This little quilt is for a two-year-old named Aden. He was in a horrible car accident last week, and managed to break a leg and his skull (among other injuries). His aunt works with my husband, and as soon as I heard about the accident and his long hospital stay, I knew I wanted to make him a quilt. Here it is:And here's the back:I don't know why, but Swiss dot never photographs well.
This is the smallest quilt I've made this year, which I felt was important since it'll be in the hospital with the little boy. I quilted it in straight lines with my favorite yellow thread. This was put together very quickly from my stash-- there are fabrics from a lot of the quilts I've made this year, with the addition of some very cute cowboy fabric that I've held on to forever. I'm going to handstitch the binding tonight and wash it. Hopefully Aden will get it tomorrow.

ripping seams

2009-08-01T11:21:00.003-04:00

Oy vey, I can't wait for this quilt to leave the Sweat Shop.
I've spent about 3 hours stippling the quilt, and have broken 4 needles. I re-threaded the machine, changed the bobbin, got all the dust out, and took a break. The front looks fine, but the back has tension problems.
Also, I did too good of a job picking out the green thread: it blends in exactly with the front of the quilt, so I can't see where I'm going. Here's a horrible picture of some of the worst quilting I've ever done:

So, I'm ripping out all of the quilting, and I'm going to quilt it in straight lines. I'm putting this on here to show myself that I can remedy this problem. Wish me luck, it's going to be a long, thread-covered day.

my first commissioned quilt top

2009-07-31T17:27:00.002-04:00

Here's the Carolyn quilt top, on my newly landscaped front yard:As I've mentioned before, my favorite part about this is the outer border-- all of the fabrics I chose for the pinwheels were inspired by that pattern. Here's a closeup:To avoid having to piece the border, I had to wait and see how much I needed to buy, as this runs parallel to the selvedges, rather than across (like a typical jelly roll strip).

In my dream world, Moda would realize that those stretchy jelly roll strips, while easier for them to produce, aren't half as easy to work with as cuts that run the length-- rather than width-- of the fabric. Cutting the borders this way makes sure that the edges don't ruffle and instead lay flat. I got this tip from my favorite quilt shop owner when I was buying the aqua and brown Snow Flower for Mr. and Mrs. D's quilt, and sure enough, it made a big difference.

I still need to piece the back, making sure to include four of these little girls to represent Carolyn and her three sisters. The backing is a really soft faded denim-colored blue, which I think will make the quilt a bit more dimensional (I didn't realize how green the top was until I put it all together).

thread storage

2009-07-29T12:12:00.001-04:00

I'm not one of those women who get all crazy at places like the Container Store or have piles of Tupperware always ready. But I do love to repurpose items, and finding a good hiding place makes me feel clever.

I used to store my thread in a shoebox, then I got one of those ubiquitous wooden thread racks that I planned to paint some brilliant color, like aqua or orange, but I never got around to it.

Then, a fortuitous event occurred: I had the option of giving a very old metal four-drawer film strip cannister cabinet a new home. My home. It's an ugly gold and black with silver pulls, but I will actually spray paint it soon. It was made by the H. Wilson Company, probably in the 1960s. The drawers are each lined with a plastic liner with 90 indentations per drawer that are the perfect size for most of my thread. The little Guttermans don't fit very well, but I'm using the wooden rack for those. It's incredibly heavy, and I totally love it. Pictures to come soon.

I haven't been sewing too much lately because it's super hot and our furnace and AC are getting replaced this Saturday. That's an annoying and unsexy (not to mention very expensive) project, so expect to see some scrappy quilts (read: more economical) coming soon!

Nicole

2009-07-26T15:45:00.003-04:00

Fresh from the dryer, bound and ready to go to Milwaukee:It's a good thing, too, since her birthday is July 30. I started and finished this one in no time at all.I found some packages of ready-made quilt binding, so while the binding is thicker than what I typically go for, it was really very easy. I think one of my favorite parts of the entire quilt is the one green corner.
This quilt isn't very large, but I'm hoping it gets used while on the couch, or as a picnic quilt. Nicole and Max go to a park and listen to jazz with a bottle of wine pretty frequently. This one is surprisingly heavy, because of the home dec fabric on the front, and the yellow on the back is also pretty thick. It killed my fingers while binding, especially with the dense stippling, but it was so worth it.
I've also just added the final borders on to the Carolyn quilt and will be basting it shortly. It's really coming together, and I'm liking it a lot more.

this is more like it

2009-07-23T17:30:00.005-04:00

My second commissioned quilt, in progress:
This is for my brother's lady friend, Nicole. Her birthday is coming up, and she loves yellow. I used a cheater panel for the middle and I'm totally in love with this little quilt. I used some of my solid scraps to make a wide border around it, and went around 1 1/4 times (see the double wide border on the left-hand side?) That made it as wide as I wanted it to be, and also I liked that the panel was now a bit off-center. I ran out of yellow thread when I was about 80% done quilting the top (the part where Cassidy is standing) is unquilted.
Here's the pieced back, again, all from my stash:
There's a tiny strip of leftover Patchwork Promonade from the front on the back. The wrinkled part hasn't been quilted yet. Am I the only one who can't lay out a quilt without a dogfriend joining the party?
I've decided that I need to buy Dual Duty XP thread in color 7310 in bulk. It's the same thread I used (and ran out of) on Rebecca's quilt, and I did the same thing here. It's a pretty butter yellow color, and I've gone through no fewer than 5 spools of it in the past month. Yikes.
I'm unsure what colour I'll use for the binding. Maybe I'll make it scrappy, just to add to the whole thing. I totally adore this quilt-- I told Max that if he and Nicole ever break up, I want the quilt back (I kid, I kid... mostly.) Once the quilting is complete I'll post better and brighter pictures. I think this is just what I needed to go back to working on the Carolyn quilt.

a lack of confidence

2009-07-20T11:23:00.008-04:00

I spent 2.5 hours in a quilt shop yesterday.
Normally, I'm in and out in about 30 minutes-- I make decisions pretty quickly. But yesterday, I needed to pick out fabric for the Carolyn quilt. I decided on an easy pinwheel pattern from Material Obsession called Cowboy Baby. Since the quilt in the book was tiny, about 40" x 48", and I have limited time, I decided to make my blocks twice as large (you know how I love the big blocks).
But I had the hardest time picking out the fabric. My eyes always go immediately towards stripes, dots, brights, solids and contemporary prints. I knew that those wouldn't do for a lodge-inspired quilt living in the Adirondacks. This is probably the first time ever that I've been continuously second-guessing my choices. I had a lot of help from the women at the shop, which was great (though one thought I was nuts for not putting dark binding on every quilt I make, but that's another story).
Since the quilt is surrounded by a large border, I had help picking out the print used as the border in this pattern as my inspiration.

I haven't bought the border yet because I want to cut it parallel to the selvedge as opposed to the way it's shown in the picture, and I need to know the length first. It's actually pretty cute, with half moons and red flowers on a dark blue background. Most of the fabric I picked for the middle of the quilt is from the same line, American Primer:
I'm not in love with this, though I did like it much more next to the border. Maybe I just need to wait and see.

Mr. and Mrs. D

2009-07-19T09:24:00.007-04:00

This is a wedding present, just about a month late, for my stepbrother and new stepsister-in-law:I went to my favorite nearly local quilt shop (an hour away) and bought the stripes for the binding, the pale aqua border, and I splurged for the good stuff for the back:That strip in the middle was going to be a fifth row on the front of the quilt, but I knew I wouldn't get around to ordering the 2.5" x 7" piece of fabric I needed, so I decided on a big border instead.
I also joined the Cult of Mettler yesterday-- that thread is amazing. I used nearly 3 spools (and nearly $10) of the silk-finish. I picked aqua, and it blends into the border and the flowers in the backing perfectly. Between using a ton of safety pins, superpremium thread and a new needle, this quilt came together really easily, despite all of the little pieces.

I quilted diagonal lines 2" apart. I always forget how much I love straight line quilting. Because this quilt is pretty busy, I thought that stippling would've been just a little too much.
Once I put the binding on, I'll be ready to send this to southern California. I know they aren't expecting this, so it'll be a nice surprise.

so excited!

2009-07-17T18:46:00.003-04:00

I just got asked to create a quilt on commission! My stepmother has a sister, Carolyn, turning 60 next month and wants me to make a quilt for her. Of course I said yes!
The one thing (besides time) that's making me nervous is that my stepmother's sister (my step-aunt, I guess?) lives in a log cabin/lodge house on a lake in upstate New York. The quilt should evoke a lodge, and my stepmom wants me to also incorporate the theme of "sisters". There are four girls, all with first names that start with the letter C.
So, I think the quilt will be much more traditional than I typically lean. Which is fine-- good, maybe, to test my boundaries. Do you guys have any ideas?
My first thought was to make four patchwork girls, but I'm unsure what else I should do. Trees? Those houses that are so popular? My mind is really reeling, but the timing is great: my husband is going out of town for the weekend with his brother, so I have the whole weekend to sew. And the weather is really cooling down, so it should be a good time to quilt.

crayon roll

2009-07-16T20:03:00.011-04:00

As I mentioned, my friend Rebecca has a daughter turning two in August. I don't know too many two-year-olds, but I remember seeing a lot of crayon rolls around the holidays here in Blogland. I looked at a few of them, and with my $0.25 box of Crayolas, went to work. Here's what I came up with:Rebecca carries a purse the size of a golfbag, so I know this will fit no problem. The surprise is how looooooong it is:That's a 24-box.
I tried my hardest to match all of the colours of crayons to scrap fabric, and I think I did an OK job. The red is some linen I had in my stash that is unfortunately not quilt-friendly, and the back is some of my favorite Alexander Henry. Amazingly, the crayons were the only thing purchased for this. I had fun arranging the crayons and finding little scraps. Each piece is about 2x6". I trimmed them down to about 2x5 after sewing all of the colours together.
I hope they both like it!

half square triangles

2009-07-15T20:22:00.005-04:00

Inspired by this quilt, I decided to try it with my 12 Deer Valley fat quarters:Apologies for the sunset picture...
You can see there are 12 HSTs across, one of each fat quarter. They are trimmed down to 5.5" square. I decided to lay them out in diagonal rows, and am pleased with my original placement. Here's a close up:
This is for my good friend Rachel in Wisconsin, who just bought a house. Her style is a little more traditional than what I choose, and she said she's decorating in red and tan-- next to purple, those are the least popular colours in my collection.
I had a hard time deciding what solid to use. My original thought was white, but I wanted to make it a little more exciting. My second thought was dark brown, but I still wasn't happy. Then, I wanted a blue, but this blue is very tricky to match, and it made some of the prints look muddy. Luckily, with my fat quarters in hand (still fresh from the Fat Quarter Shop, in their great plastic bag), the woman at my local quilt shop was able to steer me towards this color, which I'm calling pumpkin.
Does it work? I've been staring at it for a few days now, unsure of what I'm going to do for the back. These Deer Valley colours are so specific, and while I absolutely adore them, they're nearly impossible to coordinate with other lines (or, ahem, cheaper JoAnn fabric for the back). I might actually have to spring for the good stuff. But which print?

lots and lots of sewing

2009-07-15T08:45:00.001-04:00

I feel like it's been forever since I posted, but I guess it was just on Saturday. A big problem with the Park Ave. Sweat Shop is that the physical sweat shop space seems to be about 15-20 degrees warmer than the rest of the house, despite two big open windows. With an iron and a very bright lamp over my machine, it gets to be a little unbearable. Regardless, I've been doing a ton of sewing. I don't have any pictures today, but here's a little teaser:

1) I made an orange dress completely out of my stash. I even managed to cut into some of my Lightning Bugs fabric.

2) I added a border of 2.5" squares around the Mr. and Mrs. D quilt, and will probably add a larger outside border on (at least?) two sides. Color suggestions encouraged and welcome!

3) I've made a half-square triangle quilt top out of the persimmon colorway of Deer Valley. I'm not a very good HST maker (even after trimming off those little dogears!) The other half of the squares are a pumpkin-colored Marcus solid.

4) I took a stab at making a crayon roll for Rebecca's daughter who is turning two next month. This was an easy and fun project that cost all of $0.25 for a new box of Crayola Crayons.

Pictures to come soon, I promise. My memory card can be read by my camera but not by the computer for whatever reason. Off to buy a new one today!

AQB2-- July

2009-07-11T15:33:00.003-04:00

Anna sent out fabrics that coordinated with a fantastic vintage sheet she plans on using for the backing:She sent nice big pieces, and wanted a scrappy block. I used scissors instead of a rotary cutter which gave my pieces a satisfyingly almost-wonky-almost-straight look. I love the center of that Heather Bailey flower, and I'm curious who designed the pale pink fabric-- the birds and birdcages were fussy cut, and my very favorites for this block. I see lots of red and aqua quilts out there, and think I need to make one-- but with a healthy dose of ballet pink.

a nun and her quilts

2009-07-09T15:49:00.001-04:00

from "Sisters Face Death with Dignity and Reserve" by Jane Gross, New York Times 7/8/09:

There were goodbyes and decisions about giving away her quilting supplies and the jigsaw puzzle collection that inspired the patterns of her one-of-a-kind pieces. She consoled her biological sister, who pleaded with her to do whatever it took to stay alive.

Even as her prognosis gradually improved from hours to weeks and even months, Sister Dorothy's goal was not immortality; it was getting back to quilting, as she has. She spread her latest on her bed: Autumnal sunflowers. "I'm not afraid of death," she said. "Even when I was dying, I wasn't afraid of it. You just get a feeling within yourself at a certain point. You know when to let it be."

I read the New York Times daily, and found this mention of how an elderly woman near death is still concerned about her quilts and quilting pretty touching. Not to get too sappy or deep, but I like to see when and how creating and sewing provides an outlet.

Thanks also for all of your love on the Rebecca quilt. I'm glad I get to hold on to it a little longer, as she doesn't need one more thing to pack!

Rebecca

2009-07-08T20:53:00.007-04:00

Yay, internet has been restored on Park Ave. just in time for me to show you my newest finish, for my good friend Rebecca. She's moving from Dallas to northern California next month, and I decided she needed a quilt to commemorate the occasion. She's definitely a perfectionist, and I wanted to make sure I did my absolute best work on this one (I know I should be that way about every quilt... but...)This could be called JoAnn, because all of the materials came from there (but the good stuff, of course). I used the same circle template that calls for 7" squares of fabric, but then I put the blocks aside for a while, because they just looked a little too skinny. My original arrangement called for all of the yellow circles to be in a row, and all of the patterned ones in a row. I wasn't feeling good about it, though. After thinking and working on other projects, I added a 3" border around each block, changed the order, and I'm in love. I had two spare blocks-- I was too tired to try and make a fifth row of three-- so I played with them in the back:
It didn't photograph well, but the back is orange with white dots because orange is Rebecca's favorite color. I stippled it in pale yellow thread:
I'm also particularly proud of the binding and my mitred corners! I think this came out so well because I used a lot of pins while basting, and I also consciously chose to quilt one big square before moving on to the next. Those tips are probably obvious to most of you, but they were lessons that took me a silly long time to figure out.
As I type, the Sarah quilt is in the washing machine. I can't wait to get that one sent off!

and the winner is...

2009-07-07T15:38:00.001-04:00

Quiltmom!

Stop by and congratulate her! Thank you all so much for playing. This was so much fun for me, I'll have to do another giveaway soon. The Neptune charm pack and other assorted goodies will be headed all the way to Western Canada, just as soon as she sends me her address.

I started binding the Rebecca quilt last night, and I'm in love with it. Structurally, it's my best one yet. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my home computer will be up and running again as soon as tomorrow.

annoying technical difficulties

2009-07-06T16:28:00.001-04:00

I guess all technical difficulties are annoying, but as I mentioned in my last post, the 4th was rainy. It apparently zapped our cable modem, because I'm officially unable to get online at home (I'm posting this from my local library). The technician will be out Wednesday. My first thought was, "But I have a giveaway!!" I'll leave it open until tonight at midnight, EST, and will pick a winner first thing tomorrow morning.

I have a lot to show, too-- doesn't that always happen? I finished the binding on the Maggie and Sarah quilts, and am nearly finished with the quilting on the secret quilt, which will soon be named Rebecca. I say "nearly finished" because I ran out of yellow thread when I was doing the densest stipple ever. Who runs out of thread? I couldn't believe it. Here's what I'm using for the binding (Alexander Henry Bangle Dot):

After celery Swiss dots for the last two big quilts, I can't wait to look at something else!

Don't forget, the giveaway ends tonight!

Sarah

2009-07-04T17:31:00.006-04:00

I took advantage of a rainy 4th of July and finished quilting this monster:(rare shot of both lhasa apsos)
This was the largest quilt that I've stippled to date, about 65" x 94", and it went fairly well. I decided to add some curlicues in the quilting, just to make it a little more interesting. My cousin's favorite colour happens to be my least favorite: purple. I realized that I really didn't have much-- if any-- purple in my stash and subsequently the quilt, so I bought lavender polka dots for the back:
Here's a close up of the center stripe, which is my favorite part of the quilt:The binding is the same that I used for Maggie. I still need to attach it to the back, for both this quilt and Maggie's. The purple backing and the batting were the only purchases made especially for this, and there are over 150 different fabrics in the top.
This will be living with my cousin Sarah in Michigan. She's the oldest cousin on one side of my family, and after seeing our Grandpa Fred quilt, she wanted one. I was happy to oblige.

I'm happily surprised that this is my 10th finish of 2009. Also, looking back at the other nine, I realized that more often than not, I choose polka dots for the backs. I think I'll consider it a Park Ave. Sweat Shop signature.

100th post giveaway!

2009-07-03T14:46:00.005-04:00

It's my 100th posting on this little webspace of mine. I figured a giveaway was in order, and I happened to pick up a Neptune charm pack today, just for giving away. I have some other goodies I"ll throw in, too, but that's a surprise. I really am grateful for all of your support and feedback. Sometimes creating can be a bit lonely, but knowing there are other (mostly) women out there feeling the same way about fabric and design makes me feel good. Leave a comment on this post, telling me your favorite thing about your hometown, and I'll pick a random winner on Monday. Good luck, and thanks for reading!I've started on a long term quilt project, just for me. After seeing all the half hexagon quilts out there, I decided it was a good use for my Hello Betty charm pack. I also used an American Jane Snippets pack, and have been scouring online looking for other 1930s charms. If you have any good sources, let me know. I don't normally choose those fabrics, but looking at the quilt so far, I really like it:After all of those blasted nine-patches, I think I needed a break from squares. It's a lot of fun to play with the fabric placement on this one. Speaking of nine-patches, I have about half of the quilting done on that quilt. I decided on stippling it, but adding some loops. I also used bamboo batting for the first time, and it's amazing, like everyone says.

nice rac

2009-06-28T14:58:00.003-04:00

OK, SoCal has to be influencing my title, at least a little bit. I thought I wasn't going to blog on vacation, but I have some nice downtime and immediately checked out Flickr, and look at what I saw:

I love both of these blocks. I'm also really pleased with my decision to let them be any size. I know that I've either come up a little short or wanted to make them bigger than what seems to be the standard 12.5" square. These two blocks were made by the lovely and talented Salt Marsh Designs.

On my first day out here, I went to the garment district and bought about 15 yards of fabric. I was overwhelmed in the best possible way, though there wasn't much cotton for quilting. I did buy some crazy Anna Maria-esque floral for some curtains. Pictures to follow!

more AQB2 blocks

2009-06-23T17:32:00.007-04:00

Look at this, two more blocks made just for me by Dancydoodle:I see some Full Moon Forest in there, and I like what I see! Very excited about getting these, too. Do you see the bit of ricrac in the second block, acting like a flower stem? So, so cute.
I have my 100th post coming up, which will probably be sometime next week. And what's a 100th post without a giveaway? More on that later.
I'll be gone for a week to southern California for my stepbrother's wedding. I'm making him a quilt, but of course, it's not finished in time. I think I might make a mini quilt/potholder with a sort of IOU on it. Just to prove that I'm not a total bum regarding that, here's a picture of the top in progress:
Naturally, I ran out of that brown and aqua stripe with one more row to go. Figures, doesn't it?
I will say that I found more of the green and white Swiss dot at JoAnn's, so I was able to finish Shorty's block. Phew.

Sarah-- in progress

2009-06-21T17:52:00.004-04:00

Well, the nine-patch top is finally finished. I ran into a kind of funny/very annoying problem. I used most of the nine-patches I just received from the Twiddletails swap, which was cool, but as Anina warned in an email, some are probably smaller than they should be. I'm not one of those super anal quilters, and really didn't think it'd be a big deal. I happily interspersed the swap blocks with my own, sashing away. Then I was attaching the strips together, and had a major problem-- things weren't off by a half inch or so, they were off by, like, 5". Too big to ignore. So, I decided to lay them out a little more organically:(It started to rain right as I took the picture)
Notice some of the crazy three-patches on the ends? It's one of those happy accidents, where I'm pretty thrilled with the way it came out, as non-linear as it is. I even added the pieced border, like the original picture. Two things I really dislike: long strips of sashing, and complicated borders. This had both, and I'm thinking it's worth it, every once in a while. This has over 150 different fabrics in the top. The only thing I had to buy specifically for this was the white (Kona Premium, my very favorite).
I'm thinking this will probably call for a scappy binding and backing, just to keep with the spirit of it. This will be going to live with my cousin Sarah in Michigan. She discovered my blog and was appropriately impressed, so we decided she needed a quilt of her own.

meta butterfly

2009-06-18T12:44:00.001-04:00

The fourth block to be added to my AQB2 quilt comes from Chen. It's a butterfly made out of butterflies, hence the "meta" in my title. She used her own ricrac as the butterfly's antenna:

I'm even more in love with these colours, now that I'm seeing them arranged in so many different combinations. Not only do I like each individual block, but I'm also delighted in the variety of it all. I sent everyone the same fabrics but they all come out so differently. I think there are two different virtual quilting bee schools that have emerged: some participants have very clear instructions and want a specific style of block with only the fabric they've included, and then there's the other school that gives less guidance (or..... none, in my case). I don't know what others prefer to make; sometimes I like to have a brainless block (see previous June blocks post) but sometimes inspiration strikes.

June blocks

2009-06-16T21:42:00.006-04:00

For Shorty's block, she gave me everything pre-cut with a very simple diagram to follow: a nine-patch with two borders. How did I manage to do this? Hmmm. I'm hoping she sends more fabric, I'd be embarrassed to send it back missing a side. And here I was, thinking this was going to be the simplest of all quilting bee blocks to make. Silly me.

Then, I made a spiderweb block for Stephanie:(Apologies for the bright pictures. It's been raining, and the flash needed to be on)
The gingham is so cute. She sent a lot of different fabric choices, and I feel like I met a stash twin-- we have a lot of the same stuff. I'm also really curious what fabric she chose for the kites because it was wonderfully heavy, but looked like a linen. Love.

And, if those weren't enough, I got Kat's blocks in the mail the other day. They're even more gorgeous than the pictures!

One quick request: if any of you are in southern California, or are familiar enough with it, can anyone recommend a good quilt shop? I'll be in and around Huntington Beach.

Maggie

2009-06-14T18:10:00.006-04:00

This is my finished product for the Old Red Barn Co. Quiltalong:The binding still needs to be attached to the back. It's a white Swiss dot on a celery background. Since it's going to a little girl, I decided to have some fun with the back:
There are a few puckers and that stripe of leftovers isn't quite straight-- but I'm going to let those things go. The back got a little skewed because I tried something new for the quilting: straight lines, about a quarter of an inch from each seam. I continued it across the vertical sections of the quilt, too, so the lines are only going horizontally. I used pale pink thread, which was a nice change as well. Here's a closeup of the quilting (click to enlarge):
Overall, I'm pretty happy with it. This was a really fast quilt and I appreciated not having to think too much. If I was going to do it again, I probably would've made it scrappier than just twelve different fabrics. This quilt, along with the Baby M, will be shipped to Nebraska. Luckily, Baby M isn't due until August, so I'm nicely ahead here.
Now, back to those blasted nine patches...

bizzare bundle

2009-06-13T18:53:00.005-04:00

There was a lovely rumor circulating among the crafty bloggers that JoAnn Fabrics had some Heather Ross hiding in their fat quarter bundles. Not wanting to miss that opportunity (as nobody in my fairly large city carried HR), I ran over there after work yesterday. Sure enough, I found this:This was the only HR fabric I saw at this particular JoAnn's, and yes, I looked through every single bundle. The one sad thing about buying these at JoAnn's is that all of the selvedges are cut, and Heather Ross has some of the cutest selvedges around. The first three, obviously, are the wonderful Lightning Bugs fabrics. They were hidden behind the black and pint polka dots and the ugliest FQ I've ever bought (which happened to be the front one displayed). Look at this one up close:
I'm not even going to give it the dignity of being ironed-- those are glittery smiling dogs on a neon green background. Yikes. It's even uglier compared to the gorgeous HR fabric. Now I kind of want to do an ugly FQ show of my collection-- ones I've recieved from swaps, or unfortunate impulse purchases.

flowers and butterflies

2009-06-12T13:50:00.001-04:00

Really, if's hard not to feel loved when total strangers make you darling blocks like these. Kat made me two blocks:

I'm so excited to have some of that faux bois in my quilt top. I think I need to buy a bolt of it. Here's the other one she generously made me:

I love them both! And I got Mary's gorgeous block in the mail yesterday-- after seeing it in person, I can see she made that middle butterfly "float" by giving it a tiny ricrac border. That was really clever. Thanks, ladies!

three is our magic number

2009-06-11T08:51:00.000-04:00

I don't post much about my non-sewing life on here, but yesterday was my third anniversary. My husband and I are silly and love to do the traditional gifts, and the third year is a funny one: leather. I got him a new belt and wallet, both things he wanted/needed. He thought about getting a big leather purse for me, but-- and this is where crafting comes in to play-- knows that I like to carry bags I make myself. That, and everything that he liked was crazy expensive.

(Mine's the second one from the right)

Now, I know that a sterling silver key necklace might not look like it followed the traditional bent, but it does: Tiffany's wraps all of their baubles in a little suede pocket. Two of the many reasons why I love my husband: he's incredibly clever and has gorgeous taste. And a reason I love my anniversary, aside from the fact that it celebrates my marriage, is that it's six months away from my birthday (which is always lumped with Chanukkah/Xmas/New Years celebrations). Celebrating and gift giving in June is really refreshing.

Fourth anniversary is traditionally fruit or flowers. See more traditional and modern anniversary gifts by the year here.

skirt mishap

2009-06-09T08:12:00.001-04:00

Remember this dress? And how I was going to make a matching blue and white one for myself? Well, after having about half of it cut, and my annoyance with the book that inspired it, I decided to go rogue and make myself a very simple skirt instead. It's just like the red and white, only in blue. It's a full circle cut on the bias, with it stitched up one side. I made a casing and threaded through some elastic. It took me about 10 minutes to make, and I really do want to make a ton of them. I've decided an elastic waist isn't all that evil, so long as I'm feeling thin and use a really narrow elastic, like 1/2 inch. The drape of this fabric is so wonderful, and I decided to keep the hem raw. I really want to embroider/applique a clipper ship on it for some reason (if I can find a good free design). I wore it to work yesterday with a navy cable-knit sweater, and I was happy and felt pretty.

Except when I was walking from the parking garage to work, and realized that I wore a flimsy, unlined circle skirt on a very windy day. Big City Downtown, I apologize for anything you may have seen.

I started another quilt, too, as a wedding gift for my stepbrother using some of this and some of that from these two collections. I know it's an unusual combination-- but the green and pale aqua are just about identical. Pictures to follow soon.

the excitement begins

2009-06-05T19:58:00.003-04:00

Look what Mary made, just for me:
I think the only fabric she added are the outer lime green polka dots. I love the movement, and after my last block full of triangles, I'm very appreciative of them. I'm unsure how she got that little butterfly to float in the center; I can't wait for it to arrive back at the Sweat Shop. I'm crazy excited to see what everyone else is going to make for me! Mary, thanks so much!

Maggie (in progress)

2009-06-04T09:29:00.004-04:00

I was so excited after I cut my strips for my most recent quiltalong, I decided to go ahead and sew the top together. Here's the top, from two different angles.It's going to be about a twin size, I think, which will be perfect for the little girl it's going to. As you can see, my lovely assistant Cassidy approves. My blocks are 12.5" square, and it is 5 blocks across by 7 blocks down. I have a couple of stray ones for the back. How should I quilt it? I'm kind of thinking straight lines, but I'm unsure how many or where. This was such a fast top to put together, which was a nice break for me!

PTQB-- June

2009-06-03T17:02:00.004-04:00

This block is for Michelle. Here's something different for my quiltalongs: a specifically-asked for traditional block. I went to my 2009 Quilting Block-A-Day calendar and found this pattern (twirling pinwheels, I believe). Originally I wanted the off-white in the location where the light blue fabric is, but part of the fun of a quilting bee is working with what's sent. I'm really happy with this-- I took my time to make sure my points match.I hope she likes it!

sewing machine shop talk

2009-06-02T10:19:00.001-04:00

The ladies at Sew Mama Sew have started a sewing machine meme. I don't talk much about my sewing machine, but I guess it is kind of unusual.

What brand and model do you have?

I have a workhorse-- a Singer 201 from the 1940s. It only does a straight stitch, but it will sew through a zillion layers without complaint. It's also practically silent. I adore it.

How long have you had it?

I've had it for about a year and a half now. Previously, I was sewing on a terrible Brother machine that my husband bought me for a birthday. It was refurbished and never filled a bobbin completely (among other problems). It would've been sufficient if I was only using it occasionally. Neither one of us thought sewing would become so important to me!

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?

This was a lucky Craigslist find-- I got it for $40 in a cabinet, with a bench seat.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?

All of the above.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?

I sew daily, and I think the machine likes that it gets a good workout.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?

The machine doesn't have a name, but maybe it should. I love it-- especially for the cost. I also like that it has a long history, and will probably be mine forever.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?

It has an absolutely giant space under the throat. I can put a king size quilt to the right of the needle with little problem. I also love the knee lift.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?

I wish I could zigzag. Also, the feed dogs are able to be lowered, but I think mine are stuck (no matter, I just cover them instead).

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!

$40 on Craigslist makes it my find of the year.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?

Yes. It's all metal, not fussy, and beautiful to look at, too.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?

Just because it's new doesn't mean it's better. I'm happy without decorative stitches because it does one thing, really really well.

Do you have a dream machine?

A longarm-- when I win the lottery and have a huge quilting space!

Baby M

2009-06-01T10:12:00.006-04:00

I definitely took my time starting and stopping with this one, but here it is:
I've sewn the binding on one side already. I also decided to try a new-to-me technique for the binding. Typically, I do the French-fold binding, but decided to shake things up and try flat binding. I think I like the flat binding better, because I usually get annoyed at my iron when I try to get each side to line up with the center fold. I'll see how it looks after I wash it, but so far so good. This is the easiest explanation I've found regarding French vs. flat binding. Thoughts?

Anyway, this is inspired by Fanciful Flowers in Material Obsession. I made it smaller, and since I ran out of the brown fabric for the corner pieces (click to enlarge), I didn't continue those little squares into the border. This was my first time with raw-edge applique, and there are some missteps, but I'm overall pretty happy with this. I stippled it. I feel like I never get to play with pink, so this was fun. All of the fabric came from my stash, too. The center of each non-applique block is from Farmer's Market, and there's a little bit of everything in there. I'd like to maybe make a quilt entirely out of the pieced blocks. The blocks are huge (about 18" square).

Here's the back:The pale pink has a white polka dot, and the fun flowered fabric was a Hobby Lobby bargain.

Baby M hasn't yet been born, so I'm going to hold onto it until she is (to confirm it's really a girl). Baby M is the second child of a good college friend of mine, who I don't get to see very often. I wasn't quilting when her oldest was born, so I think I might have to make one for her, too.
Someday, when I have babies, I hope to have a daughter if for no other reason than to sew for her. I don't know many crafters who prefer to sew for boys.

IKEA giveaway winner

2009-06-01T10:07:00.002-04:00

Wendy from Smalltown, NC is the winner of my IKEA bounty. Congratulations, Wendy! Thanks to you all for playing along with me.

Old Red Barn Co. quiltalong

2009-05-31T15:41:00.003-04:00

Like others in blogland, I decided that this looked too good to pass up. I got my fabric today:
It's for a little girl, and it's a lot of Clementine by Moda, Lila Turner, and a couple of others mixed in. I love pink, orange and green together. My fabric is all cut and I'm ready to go.
In the meantime, I'm still busy making nine-patches (here's where I start to lose steam with that project) and I'm also quilting a baby quilt today.
It feels good to be back to quilting and away from garment making-- I'm much more confident.

Live Piecefully-- June

2009-05-28T22:54:00.004-04:00

My newest virtual quilting bee begins with June. Here's what I made for Kat:It felt really good to get back to my sewing machine tonight. This picture was taken before I squared it up-- ignore the ragged edges. The fabric is beautiful, and it's probably a good thing I don't have any yardage of that faux bois because it'd end up in just about everything. This fabric posed an interesting challenge for me: most of the choices were large scale prints on a yellow background, so fussy cutting and flipping around my squares and rectangles was important. Looking at it now, I'm pleased with the movement. I wanted it to look like a big bird was sitting on a branch, and that the branch was visible through a window. This was especially tricky, as the bird head was actually below the bird body in the piece I was mailed. I hope that makes sense. Anyway, I love the pink, yellow and gray. It feels very fresh.

AQB2-- June

2009-05-28T14:30:00.001-04:00

OK, you guys didn't play along trying to guess what local fabric designer inspired my June fabric choices. Since the envelopes are in the mail as of today, I'd figure I'd tell you: Paula Prass, Flights of Fancy. She lives in the suburb where I grew up, about 10 minutes away from the Sweat Shop, but I haven't yet met her. This is a particular favorite that I've included:

http://www.fatquartershop.com/store/stores_app/images/images_499/FlightsOfFancy-DC3885-SUMM-D-200.jpg

AND, because I'm extra tricky, I've included some jumbo ric rac to include in the blocks. I'm super excited to see what these talented ladies will make me!

Don't forget to enter my IKEA giveaway!

an IKEA giveaway!

2009-05-27T21:18:00.004-04:00

My vacation was wonderful, but I didn't get any crafting done-- not even work on my needlepoint pillow. That's OK though, because in honour of Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day, I'm going to give one of you four jumbo half-yards of my favorite IKEA home dec fabric. I call them "jumbo" because the fabric is 54" rather than the usual 42" wide:

I'll pick a random commenter, but you'll get a bonus entry if you either: follow my blog/ use a reader, blog about my giveaway, or tell me what you'll do with this IKEA bounty. I'll leave it open through May 31, and will ship internationally. So what are you waiting for? De-lurk, and let me know you're here!

reneged

2009-05-20T21:23:00.003-04:00

In the rush to get everything ready before my glorious six days away, crafting fell by the wayside. Therefor, I renege on my previous goal of getting my bee fabric out early, and showing you cute pictures of the matching blue and white seersucker dress (it hasn't been made yet). I will, however, show you the cutest pair of pants I got at Anthropologie on supersale ($19.99!)

I will be at the beach with no internet access. I'm very excited for Memorial Day, and the excuse to wear cotton and white again. Leave me lots of comments to let me know I'm missed!

AQB2-- June

2009-05-16T22:30:00.003-04:00

June is my month for Another Quilting Bee Two. I'm so excited, I addressed all the envelopes and starting cutting the fabric tonight. I'm a little nervous I'm not sending enough, so I keep adding more. I love all things local, so the only hint I'll give is that the fabric designer lives very close to the Park Avenue Sweat Shop. And this designer designs super cute fabric that is very different from the previous fabric used for this bee.
I don't know why I'm so into secrets these days-- I hope it's not annoying. Leave your best guess, or wait for the mail, AQB2 ladies!
Also, I'm leaving for a much-needed vacation on Thursday, and will not post until the following Wednesday. I'll send the fabric out before I leave, so y'all have something new to work on over Memorial Day.

PTQB-- May

2009-05-15T15:34:00.006-04:00

Here's Colleen's block:I had been giving myself gold stars for getting these quilting bee blocks together pretty quickly-- but then this one came along. Colleen sent beautiful fabric, and asked that we not add any of our own... and I came up embarrassingly short. Luckily, she was nice enough to send me some extra and I made a block I'm proud of.
This fabric reminded me of vacationing in Greece, and old-skool airlines. The squares within the green in the center remind me of windows on a plane, as do the large stripes and symmetry of it. I hope Colleen likes it!

Also, here are pictures of my wrap dress from "Chic and Simple Sewing". The front:The back:
Seersucker is hard to photograph. Also, ignore the wrinkles. Looking at the pictures, I'm afraid it looks a little like a hospital gown... does it? I will say I'm in love with the circle skirt, and you know I love anything that involves a bow and the waist. I'm going to make a matching blue and white one, too.

secret quilt update

2009-05-14T21:12:00.006-04:00

OK, I read over my post from yesterday, and really, I'm not as angry about the book as I might have sounded. I just thought I'd throw that out there, in case I scared anyone away.

And, to make up for it, I want to show you what I'm calling the secret quilt-- I just couldn't resist sharing this as I'm in love with these blocks:
So cute, I can't even stand it. Also, since it's been a while, here's my progress on my hug pillow:
Coming right along! I'm visiting my mom over Memorial Day, and I figure this will be a nice project to work on during that trip. Do you think I'll be OK with a tapestry needle on the plane?

chic and simple sewing

2009-05-13T20:59:00.004-04:00

I really wanted to like this book. Really.
I got "Chic and Simple Sewing: Skirts, Dresses, Tops and Jackets for the Modern Seamstress" by Christine Haynes at the library. The cover is cute, and I immediately liked that the book lays flat and included full sized patterns. Unfortunately, that's about all the praise I can give it.
The designs are arranged by season, even though it's quite clear that it's arbitrary. The patterns are designated on a level of difficulty from one to five and list the required skills. The very first dress, "The Classic Wrap Dress" is pretty cute, as is "The Opera Dress". Those are the only ones that look even close to something you'd wear.

None of the designs have zippers, buttons, darts, lining, facing, interfacing/stabilizer, or even embellishment suggestions or views in alternate fabrics. Everything is shapeless and shoddily constructed. The hems are all machine-stitched, and the designs don't even fit the models that well. All of the accessories on the models were wrong, too, including a prominent black woven belt that keeps reappearing to hide many elastic waistbands. There's also a large bottom ruffle shown on FIVE different dresses.

There are very few diagrams, and I was surprisingly annoyed that Haynes didn't even show how the patterns ought to lay on the fabric. She mentions in the 40 page general sewing instructions that all of the patterns should be laid out to maximize your fabric usage.

That reminds me: the patterns. I went ahead and made the wrap dress, and the book told me to cut out a handful of patterns that came with numbers, like "20, Bodice Back Side". The previously-mentioned full sized patterns are still printed on tissue paper, and every piece has generic names. There's no mention of the dress as well, so I could've easily cut out another "Bodice Back Side" if I didn't also match the number.

Back to my making of the wrap dress. The instructions offered little more than, "Cut out your pattern. Sew your dress." I bought the recommended yardage, but after cutting, I still have about half of it left (that's fine-- I'd rather have extra than coming up short, and I'm also glad I picked fabric I like).

Here's an example of the vague direction given: "For this dress, pick something lightweight, medium weight, or even slightly heavier." (p.105) Lots of help, eh?

If you're still with me, I will say that the small pattern actually seems to be a small. And the wrap dress did indeed come out OK. I promise to post pictures soon, but right now I'm way too tired to model. Bottom line, "Chic and Simple Sewing" gets a big thumbs down from the Park Avenue Sweat Shop.

happily handmade giveaway

2009-05-13T09:05:00.001-04:00

If you're not already familiar with the Happily Handmade Giveaway, allow me to introduce you. Twenty-five crafty shops are giving away wonderful products. All you need to do is visit each website, submit an entry, and drool over what you could win. It didn't take me much time at all (except for getting distracted by all of the great merch). It's a chance for these indie businesses to gain visitors, and a chance for us to discover something new. You don't even need to be crafty to enter-- just appreciate handmade things. Today is the last day to enter, so be sure to check it out now. Tell them the Sweat Shop sent you.

Coming soon: another book review, frantic pre-vacation sewing, matching mother/daughter dresses, and quilty goodness.

May Giveaway Day

2009-05-12T12:49:00.001-04:00

Those crafty crafters at Sew Mama Sew have decided to host a May Giveaway Day, and I've decided to participate. It's not until the end of the month, so I have a little bit of time to decide exactly what I'm going to giveaway. I will say that it's in the category of "handmade item AND sewing supplies", so you'll get something out of the Sweatshop as well as raw materials. And I promise to make it good. Won't you join me?

I think this will be fun, and a perfect excuse for me to give something away. Yay!

sewing for moms

2009-05-10T13:00:00.005-04:00

Happy Mother's Day, if applicable. I'll be visiting my mom in a couple of weeks (she lives 1000 miles away), but tonight I'll have dinner with my in-laws. Of course, that means sewing something for my mother-in-law. Here's what I made:It's a variation on the Buttercup Bag, which uses a single fat quarter for the outside, and a second one for the lining. I decided to make it bigger, but since I still only had a fat quarter of the Good Folks, I compromised and made the strap pink (like the lining). I also added jumbo ricrac, which is probably my favorite part, and some striped pockets inside. I hope she likes it! I'll probably make something similar for my mom, too-- and I'm glad I have a couple more weeks to do so!

secret quilt

2009-05-09T17:43:00.004-04:00

Oh, I have so much fun fabric to show-- I have June for AQB2 and I finally decided on fabric today-- but I'll be good and not show all at once.

I've started a new quilt, because I'm about 2/3 of the way finished with the nine-patch, and sometimes a girl needs to work on something a bit more challenging. I don't want to share ALL the details of the latest and greatest, because I know the intended recipient reads this and I want it to be a surprise. I will say it's inspired by one of the quilt-a-longs that I've been lucky to be a part of. Also, it's going to be a two-fabric quilt. I love a lot of the two color quilts out there, and have never been able to stick to that plan. The Stephen quilt was supposed to start that way, but ended up quite differently. Here are the two fabrics I'm using:
Banana Kona Cotton:And Alexander Henry Mocca:I'm really excited to see this one take shape.

tulips in my garden

2009-05-08T17:04:00.003-04:00

Look what I got in the mail from Daniela, my partner for the six o'clock stitch's spring swap:That's the front. Here's the back:
Love it! She calls it "Tulips in My Garden", and I think it'll have a new home on the wall leading upstairs. I'll post pictures of what I sent Daniela as soon as I know she's received it (not wanting to ruin the surprise, you know).

nine-patch madness

2009-05-05T20:28:00.004-04:00

This nine-patch quilt-to-be is for my cousin Sarah. Click on the picture to enlarge it:Here are my first 31 blocks-- all from my stash! I'm surprised, too, because I feel like I don't have too many pinks, but I guess this is proving me otherwise. It's going to be very feminine and cheerful with the white sashing.

Also, here's Allison's block for May:
This went so easily, I kind of want to make a quilt out of nothing but circles. That'll be my next one, for sure.

neptune dress-- with pictures

2009-05-04T12:01:00.005-04:00

By (kind of) popular demand, here are some pictures I took of myself modeling my new dress. The front:And the side, showing the pocket detail:Last summer, I bought a big pattern cabinet full of patterns (mostly from the 1990s) on Craigslist. This was a funny way to go about making a dress, as I bought three yards of the navy and 3/4 yards of the coral. I went to the pattern cabinet and found something I could make, and decided on this. It's a 1992 McCalls pattern, #6004. It's no longer in print, and has been out of print so long I didn't even find it on the McCalls's out-of-print section. Here it is:
I made view B, like the yellow dress. It's hemmed to about my knees. The pattern called for 3 1/2 yards of one fabric, but I switched it up to accommodate my two different fabrics. I followed the pattern just about exactly, with the exception of adding a few rows of shirring to the back. I wish I could've taken a picture of the back; I think it's the cutest part. It's a very comfortable dress, and I think I'm going to get a lot of utility out of this one.

neptune dress

2009-05-03T21:29:00.004-04:00

Grr, my camera battery died just as I was about to take pictures of my latest dress. I made a Marilyn-Monroe style cotton halter sundress out of this fabric:With the pocket lining, halter tie, and big tie belt with a bow at the waist out of this:I'm having a bit of a problem getting it to fit under the arms (what else is new?) but I think I might be able to fix that with some elastic in the back. It's really cute-- take my word for now, and I'll take pictures later.
I wish more fabric designers had a sense of humour like Tula Pink. I had to tell my husband that there are turtles and fish in the fabric.
I also made a zillion more nine-patches for Amanda Jean's nine-patch quilt-a-long. I'm set for the next month.

3x3= 9 patch

2009-05-01T19:01:00.003-04:00

I'm one of the fifty participants in Twiddletails' nine-patch swap. And I'm such an overachiever, I finished my sixteen today:I made eight of each. The blue is a seed dot from Amy Butler, and I'm in love with orange and blue now. I'm a little bored of all of the red and aqua, so I feel like this is a fresh change.

Also, I got Allison's fabric in the mail and I'm going to give curved piecing a try. Yikes!

fame!

2009-04-29T08:40:00.001-04:00

OK, maybe not fame, but my first thought when I saw this was, "I'm famous!" My torso is on display in the seventh row, all the way to the right.

Thanks, Made by Rae, for making me even more proud of my top than I was before.

I promise I won't let it go to my head (except for today).

nine-patch thoughts

2009-04-28T10:37:00.001-04:00

You know I just finished the Stephen quilt (formerly known as the Lotus ) and it had 25-patches that I made easily with strip piecing. But I realized that in all the quilts I've made, I've never made anything involving the humble nine-patch. I like it, though I always think of the Purina logo.

I'm not the only one who has thought about these easy blocks, though; Crazy Mom and Twiddletails have, too. I've decided that I'm going to make a bunch of two-colour nine-patch blocks for my next quilt, making at least one per day. Weirdly, I woke up about 90 minutes early this morning and knocked one out already (no picture yet, but it's four pink Amy Butler Martini Dot squares and five green striped City Girl squares). I want to use different fabric in each block. This will be good to use my overflowing scrap drawers. Care to join me?

pleated purse

2009-04-26T15:40:00.003-04:00

This purse is going to live with my quilting bee friend Stephanie's mother-in-law in Florida:It's made from this tutorial, and I used some of my favorite IKEA canvas and an orange and white swiss dot for the lining. The tutorial was just OK-- the bag is very cute, and I didn't run into any problems. I wouldn't recommend it for a beginner-- I'm glad I've had previous purse making experience.
It's going to Stephanie's mother-in-law because she was kind enough to pick up an extra ABC panel for me, just like the ones we used for Stephanie's month.
I hope she likes it!

spring ruffle top

2009-04-25T07:43:00.005-04:00

As soon as I saw this tutorial, I knew I had to make it. I had the fabric in my stash, and followed the pattern exactly, except I didn't add the patch pockets. To me, it would've made it look too much like an apron.
Here's a better shot of the very top:I took this picture myself, awkwardly at midnight. But you can see the cute pleats, and hopefully see the ruffly detail on the straps. The best part about the pattern, in my opinion, are the directions on how to shape the sides-- I took in 1.5" on either side. Otherwise, when I tried it on, it looked a little too much like maternity wear. It's going to be nice out today, so I'm going to wear it! Hopefully I'll get some better daytime pictures of it, too.
Oh-- and my cutting table is finally cleared off! We'll see how long I can make that last.

Stephen

2009-04-24T17:08:00.005-04:00

Here it is, nearly finished. The Stephen:I couldn't resist taking pictures today, as it's finally sunny and I'm home at a decent hour. All that needs to be finished is one side of the binding (the short edge on the right-hand side). Here's the back:
I know it looks white in the picture, but the back is actually a baby blue pinstripe. The strip is made up of orphaned blocks that just didn't make the cut for the front. When I was taking pictures, a woman walking a dog stopped to compliment me on it. I actually got a little shy talking about it, which kind of surprised me. Still, I was pleased. I free-motion quilted it, and it's a little larger of a stipple than I typically like-- my machine was getting grumpy from all of the seams. This is the first time I've stippled pieces as small as 2.5" squares covering a decent-sized area. I'll probably take more pictures of this one once it's completely finished (out of the dryer, with all my extra threads snipped) because I love it so much.

enter this giveaway

2009-04-24T13:30:00.001-04:00

Katie is having a very generous giveaway in honour of her birthday. Go over there and check it out-- tell her the Park Ave. Sweat Shop sent you! I'd like to have my own giveaway sometime soon... maybe when I hit 100 posts?
Lotus quilt update: it's almost finished. I cut into my Lightning Bugs dot (which I've been hoarding) for the binding. I'm kind of afraid this might have too much white in it to make it manly, but I love it regardless. I hope that if I love it enough, it'll rub off on others. It's also no longer square, courtesy of big zigzag borders on two sides. Pictures to come soon!

winner!

2009-04-23T20:15:00.002-04:00

I know that everyone says, "Oh, I've never won anything online before!" But seriously, it's true-- or rather, it used to be true for me, until I was the sole entrant in Stephanie's generous giveaway. Look what I got (photo courtesy of Ms. Stephanie):Yay! Thanks, Stephanie!

spring cleaning

2009-04-21T12:30:00.001-04:00

The actual, physical space of the Park Ave. Sweat Shop is in complete disarray, and pretty much has been from moving in two years ago. I'm a messy person, especially a messy creator-- I need to see everything, all at once. I can't just clean, either. I must have specific instructions. For example, I can't "clean the family room" but I can get rid of all of the old magazines, or water the plants, or clear off the coffee table. That's why this sewing room-specific list is perfect for me. I definitely need to follow this. I love that there are plenty of commandments that start with the word "sew". Won't you join me in checking these off? What will you tackle first? Inspire me!

Zanzibar

2009-04-19T12:31:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, while trying to remember the name of the coffee fabric Mary selected (Bistro by Deb Strain), I went to Moda's website to jog my memory. I looked at all the new collections coming out, and one made me pause: Zanzibar by Sentimental Studios. What you guys probably don't know is that I honeymooned in Zanzibar, one of the most magical places ever.
Zanzibar is a small island in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. When most people hear that I've been there, they assume-- as Sentimental Studios does-- that if it's sub-Saharan Africa, it must be a place to safari. Not so.
There are no giraffes, rhinos, big cats or elephants, as Moda's collection would like you to believe. It's an island with a strong Indian influence. That means rich silks, overdyed cotton, kangas, and bold prints. It's called Spice Island, as they grow and export spices like cinnamon, vanilla, and pepper. The main animals we saw were the colobus monkey (below) and amazing sea life.
So, I'm sorry for the kvetch. But really, I know there aren't too many Westerners who have experienced Zanzibar, and it's just a huge misnomer for Moda's collection. I ought to make my own Zanzibar-inspired quilt, no animal prints necessary.

AQB2-- May

2009-04-18T17:50:00.004-04:00

Yikes, everyone's really getting their fabric out early-- and I have June, so I better decide what I want to do for my turn! Mary decided her quilt will be called "Time for a Coffee Break". I decided to make "time for a wine break" as I sewed. Here's what I came up with:See the coffee cup in the center?
The fabric she sent were Deb Strain's Bistro. The wide border reminds me of stained glass, and you guys know I love a good dot. Definitely reminds me of Starbucks. What do you think?

lotus in progress

2009-04-16T19:54:00.003-04:00

I don't know why I'm taking my sweet time on this one.This is the quilt top that is currently a square, and after looking at it out in the sunshine, I think I'm going to keep it a square. I'm insanely happy with the way this is turning out, but it's still too small for the person it's going to. I'm going to add some more borders.This was the easiest way for me to use two different fat quarters for the borer. All I did was cut them into 3" wide strips x width of the fat quarter (about 21"). Then, I sewed the strips together, alternating red and blue. When I finished sewing a strip to one side of the quilt, I cut off the extra, and started sewing the next side (like making one round of a log cabin, all the way around the quilt). It's easy to see in the picture; three of my corners came out blue, one came out red (above). Love it!

adventures in needlepoint

2009-04-14T21:54:00.005-04:00

First, can I even begin to tell you how hard it is for me to take a picture of a mesh canvas at night? Here's my final and best attempt, if you can believe it:
The picture looks better than it does in real life! I went to my local needlepoint shop-- which is different from a cross-stitch shop, which I learned after first visiting a cross-stitch shop that couldn't really help me. I wanted to follow the directions quite closely, as I'm in love with these pillows and wanted to make my time worth it. So I learned the differences between needlepoint, embroidery, crewel, and cross-stitch. I won't go into it, because it's not nearly as exciting as the details of this project, but you can google it, if you're interested.

I originally thought I wanted to stitch this on 7 or 10 hpi (holes per inch). Turns out that's really quite large, and the shop didn't carry it. The higher the number, the smaller the finished design ends up being (for example: 7 hpi would yield a much larger product than 14 hpi, which is what I ended up buying). One of the advantages to going to a local place instead of winging it in the floss aisle at Michael's is just like when you start out quilting: sure, once you know what you're doing you can find the Robert Kaufmann or Alexander Henry between the lesser-JoAnn brands, but starting out it's pretty intimidating.

The woman at the needlepoint shop was able to determine exactlywhat kind of canvas would be best for my project, and about how much to buy. I'm going to have some left over... maybe I'll make some bookmarks or something. The canvas above cost me about $20. Then, she was able to show me the kind of floss I needed that would provide accurate coverage, be durable, and wasn't something I needed to split, because that drives me crazy. It's still by DMC, that craft superstore standby, but this is size 3 Pearl Cotton. It takes 12 different colors, which makes it fun but not obnoxious to do.

I'm really enjoying this project-- it's so perfect to work on while on the couch. I do wish it was a bit bigger, but I'm sure it'll look OK when I'm finished. I'm also still working on the Lotus quilt. I added a fun border of Good Folks and Andalucia, which is keeping things interesting. My one sticking point is that it's currently a square, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about square quilts. What do you think? Should I keep it a square, or try and lengthen two sides? How would I do that?

PTQB-- April part two

2009-04-11T19:00:00.004-04:00

Switching gears from the other quilting bee blocks I made for April, here's what I made for Erin:Erin asked for squares and rectangles, and sent lots of red and yellow prints. I made an 11" block with 31 different pieces. This will be such a cute summery quilt; the block reminds me of ketchup and mustard at a picnic.
Happy Easter, if that applies to you.
I've also been busy with the "Hug" needlepoint pillow... I'll be sure to post pictures soon, along with an account of my first visit to a LNS (local needlepoint shop).

Amy Butler's everything bag

2009-04-11T17:54:00.006-04:00

This is what I've been spending most of my time on this weekend:I mentioned in my last post that the only project I really wanted to try out of the Little Stitches book was "The Everything Bag". I was hoping I'd be able to carry it without looking like I was carrying a diaper bag... but I'm thinking I'll hold on to this for a mom-to-be. I'm pretty happy with how it came out. I read a number of reviews of this online, and was most freaked out by the 2-layered peltex divider in the center. I didn't have a problem attaching that, but it was super annoying to maneuver around when I was attaching the lining to the outside. Here's the lining:
Yep, those are the same fish that I used here. Who would've thought that fish and pears would go together so well? I decided to use fabric for this that I already had on hand, after the sticker shock of the various interfacings. This required the previously mentioned Peltex, fusible fleece, and a mid-weight fusible pellon, setting me back nearly $40 at JoAnn. With a coupon. I carefully followed the pattern, except that I sewed on the side panels without having the outside pockets attached, so it's missing 2 pockets. I think it still has plenty.

If I was to sew it again, I would do a couple of things differently.

I would use a shorter length of elastic in the lining pockets, because I think they gap a little more than I'd like.
I'd make that silly divider not go quite out to each edge (is a divider really necessary in a diaper bag? Seriously, I'm asking-- I've never carried one).
I'd forget about buying the expensive fusible fleece and use scraps of quilt batting instead. The fusible fleece didn't ever really fuse, and I followed the instructions.
I might make the straps a little longer, though I guess it could get a little out of control.

I think that's about it. I'm crazy in love with the fabric, and that I managed to keep both of the directionals going the right way. I think it's about time I start working on a quilt, and get away from all of this baby crafting.

little stitches for little ones

2009-04-08T17:07:00.003-04:00

Two book reviews in one week! I know I'm a little late with this one, but I just got it from my local library. I don't have children, but I'm at that magical age when people start to think that's a good idea. And I support that by making them things, typically quilts.

I love that this book has a double wire ring binding, meaning it'll lay flat on my sewing or cutting tables (or ironing board, wood floor, etc.) I also like that the "how to sew" information isn't right up front,and that the patterns are printed on heavier, almost glossy paper. For library books, and things I want to keep for a long time, that's extra important as I have to trace the patterns.
The multiracial kids that model in this book are rediculously cute-- just look at the cover.

I was flipping through the book and realized that everything looked great and fun... and that ALL of the fabric featured was by Ms. Butler herself. Makes sense, I guess, but other sewing books by fabric designers (Seams to Me and Weekend Sewing immediately come to mind) show other fabric designers' fabrics. I tend to gravitate towards stuff shown in fabric I like (really a basic concept, but true for me), I liked just about everything at first glance.

The Everything Bag looks like something I might be able to get away with carrying, and while I love the shape of The Modern Diaper Bag, it looks enormous on the model's shoulder. That's my one beef with Amy Butler bags-- they. are. huge. I made a Birdy Sling and it was very heavy with all that interfacing, and it went nearly to my knees (or at least felt like it).

I wasn't too impressed with the stuffed animals because they all looked a little flat. The last two projects, a photo album and brag book, looked like nice quicker options.

I'll probably try my hand at the Everything Bag, and see how the instructions go. What do you think? Have you made anything from this?

PTQB-- April

2009-04-07T22:07:00.004-04:00

Stephanie sent some great fabric that looks a lot like stuff I'd pick out. Tula Pink, polka dots, aqua, brown and green... clearly, a girl with good taste! She wanted a log cabin, but one that wasn't wonky. This is what I came up with:
The only fabric I added was the very outer border-- look familiar? This is a twist on a traditional courthouse steps pattern, but the widths of the fabric are different. I was very careful to keep the directional prints going the same direction, most notably the butterflies. This was much less time consuming than Chen's but I love it just the same.
Next up: Erin's block.

a hug and a kiss

2009-04-06T22:09:00.004-04:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, I dislike needle-turn applique. I do, however, like spending time with my husband, especially crafty-productive time while watching TV. Look what I just bought from EmilyPeacockTapestry, via Etsy:This will be the perfect couch project (and yes, I splurged for both pillow patterns). These will look divine in the sweatshop. I really hope the pattern is clear, and that I can find all of the right DMC thread colors-- I think these are just about perfect and I really don't want to change anything. I can't wait!

In quilting bee news, I got the best mail ever: no bills, no junk, just envelopes full of fabric goodness from Stephanie and Erin!

material obsession: fanciful flowers

2009-04-05T17:58:00.006-04:00

From the Material Obsession book, I decided to try one of the patterns out for (another) college friend of mine who is expecting a baby girl. I picked the Fanciful Flowers design-- one they call "advanced".I really don't like doing applique by hand, and after one disaster of a practice block, alleviated my problem by machine stitching very close to the flowers' edges, and using a lightweight fusible interfacing for all of the flower parts and the back of the white. Here's a picture of the huge (18 1/2" square) blocks that I've made so far:What can I say, Butch is a good quilt model.

I didn't work at all on the Lotus quilt today; it's been raining and I really needed to work with some fun happy colors. This is a total stash/scrap quilt. Some Amy Butler, some Sandi Henderson, some of this and some of that.

In other news, here's what else has been happening at Park Ave.:

That's our new chandelier and our new "Midas Gold" faux tin ceiling. This is our foyer, directly above where I took the first picture. The crown molding isn't up in this picture, but it is in real life.

Irish Chain revamp

2009-04-04T13:47:00.005-04:00

You saw the 25-patch blocks that I made out of the Amy Butler Lotus. As I previously mentioned, I kind of screwed up making a traditional Irish Chain quilt. I hadn't sewn the blocks together, but I had already made 4 of these:I wanted this quilt to be a 2-block quilt, with the 25-patches in between the other block. So, I put those aside and came up with a few of these:
Closer, but still not quite right. Too flat. I tried reversing the colors, with an outer white border and an inner red one. I kind of surprised myself with how long it was taking me to find something to make me happy-- typically, I'll just dive right in and be happy with the result.
And as they say in Pulp Fiction, "DISCO." This is right. Here it is, nestled among its' 25-patch friends on my design wall. I got some Good Folks in the mail yesterday, and decided to dedicate 2 of the fat quarters to this cause. The yellow-green in the Lotus is complimented by the yellow in these, and that inky gray/blue also adds some interest.
The orphan blocks will probably make it into the back. This quilt is for a friend of mine who asked for me to make him a quilt. This is a modern floral quilt-- and yet I think it's still masculine. What do you think?

material obsession

2009-04-03T17:27:00.003-04:00

Here's my first Park Avenue Sweat Shop book review. It will take a lot for me to actually buy a book-- I'm a giant library champion, and when it comes to craft books, I'd rather spend my money on fabric or fun tools. So this book, Material Obsession: Modern Quilts with Traditional Roots by Kathy Doughty and Sarah Fielke, came to me from my local library. I think that quilt books *can* be judged (at least a little) by the cover. And I like this cover, a lot. There are 23 (!) different quilt projects inside, arranged from very easy to advanced, and I like that they put the obligatory "quilting basics" section in the back-- having the basics covered, I like to get right to the good stuff.

The fabric combinations are really refreshing-- one of my pet peeves is seeing quilt books showing quilts done in all one line. Of course those look great, when they were designed to go together. Seeing fabrics from all over come together and mingle is much more special-- to me, at least.

Just about all of these are hand-quilted, and some have applique that looks kind of optional (on some blocks, but not all) which is also inspiring to maybe try.

My favorites: Retro Starburst (easy); Out the Window (intermediate); Fanciful Flowers (advanced) and Dotty for Dresden (advanced, and also the gorgeous quilt on the cover).

good advice

2009-04-01T20:01:00.005-04:00

You guys were right. The Lotus should go into a quilt. While I really don't need another new project (I'm pretty behind on the Geese in the Forest BOMs...) I just couldn't resist:Here's one of the many 25-patch blocks I've been making. The other fabric is tiny orange polka dots on white. This was originally going to be a sort of Irish Chain quilt, but then I realized that I made these with only two fabrics instead of three. I didn't like how it looked next to the other typical Irish Chain blocks, so I quickly changed gears. I'll do something cute for the alternating blocks, probably some sort of squares within squares.