So productive I don't even know what to do with myself

A very productive weekend for me! First, I made a quick Jalie top to wear to our usual Second Saturday swing dance in Richmond. Fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics, of course.



I had a few problems with it, mostly of my own creation. I tried to do a FBA, forgetting that I usually don’t need to with Jalie knit shirts. But after fiddling with it for a while, it was pronounced Good Enough and worn happily to the dance. I like the style and it was pretty easy to put together. I am sure I will do another one and not try to “fix” it and then it will turn out splendidly. All I see are fitting issues, but I got many compliments on it at the dance, so perhaps to the non-sewing eye it looked fine.

Most of the sewing was quilting stuff. I am still in progress on the Giraffe Baby quilts. The tops are done now, and I spent the weekend practicing free motion quilting. Here was my very first attempt.



Not perfect, but not too shabby for a first try. But I wanted a bunch more practice before I quilted on the Baby quilts, particularly since they are a gift. I decided to make a very small little quilt to put on the cat’s window seat, a Cat Mat. I figured the cats wouldn’t care if the quilting was a little wonky! 

I whipped together this quilt top and quilted it as my second practice piece.



Much better! Still not perfection, but good enough to start on the Baby quilts. I set it aside to do the binding later.

I actually finished the quilting on one of the Baby quilts and started the binding. There are a few boo-boos, but I don’t think they are noticeable and I really feel like I am getting the hang of free-motion quilting on my machine. But all of these projects are very small, so doing the Mod quilt will still be an adventure. I will try to have pictures of the finished quilt top tomorrow, but no promises as I am meeting with Vintage Pants dude again tonight to go over some changes he wants in the pants.

Busy Busy Busy!!!

Parting shot: The children are enjoying the end of rain and the opening of the house.

So many toddlers, so little time

Been quilting up a storm and I am almost done with the Mod Sampler quilt top. I finally get my fancy machine Sven back from the spa today....so no more excuses about starting the actual quilting part of the quilt.

And of course, my scatterhead has started new quilts before the first one is finished. But this time it actually makes sense. The Husband and I between us have about a billion friends having babies in the next few months, so I am making several small baby quilts. These will be easier to machine quilt than the big lap quilt, so good to do them first for the practice. I'll take some photos of the fabrics and progress this weekend, but I think they will be really cute. Children's quilt fabric has come a long way from the cutesy stuff it used to be. Now you can get cute AND funky. YEAH! There was even some robot fabric that I had to buy for myself. :-)

Speaking of cute and funky, more toddler shirts, made several more for the many many toddlers of my acquaintance. Cause everybody wants some...I want some too! (sorry, Cusack flashback. it happens.)



I like what I did with the hippo--took off the bird, resized, and reversed so there is a momma and a baby. Designs, of course, from Urban Threads.

Before I do the quilting this weekend, I need to work on a commission piece. There is a REALLY good lead in our local swing community who wants some vintage style pants. He has a pattern that a tailor made him long ago, but no one to make the pants. It has been really interesting to work from someone else's hand-drafted pattern and it is a fun project. Plus I get paid with some private dance lessons, which is great!

The Mod Squad, starring me and Bruce the Avenger

The quilt is progressing nicely. It is so very relaxing to piece. And I have to say, all of the advice and instructions included in the Mod Sampler quilt-along totally rock. I feel like my rotary cutting and my piecing skills increased just by reading them, let alone following them!

The fabrics I am using (Just for you BeeBee!). The colors are prettier in real life, relaxing blues and greens and aquas.


Work in progress. I love the organizing cards that Oh Fransson recommended in the quiltalong...all those little pieces would be really hard to sort out otherwise. I am about three quarters done with the blocks. I plan to pick out the sashing on Thursday and maybe finish the top this weekend.


My new best friend.

Makes it soooo much easier to square up finished blocks when I just have to center this little fellow on it and cut around rather than measuring from the center out on each side.

The fancy machine is in the shop, so I have been doing this on the industrial, Bruce.....and what a pleasure it is! I am still a little askaird of him, but putting together this quilt has meant some quality time spent with Bruce the Avenger (I am not sure what he is avenging.....poor stitch quality perhaps?), and I am slowly getting used to him. And he makes such pretty pretty stitches and is so smmooooooooth. I think I love him.

When I get the fancy machine back, I will do the scary part of this project...free motion quilting. ACK!

Parting shot: Seriously Fred, how does that even begin to be comfortable? He slept this way for several hours.

Oh me, I shiver and I shake

I am cold. ALL the time. I keep blankets in various places in the house to wrap up. Last weekend we had some houseguests and before they came I was running through the house gathering up the blankets and hiding them in the hall closet because they are all old yuck things I have had since college.

It occured to me at this point that what I need is a pretty lap quilt that I can just leave in the living room even when someone stops by and not be embarrassed.

Then I saw a quiltalong on Oh Fransson's blog. The actual quiltalong is over, but she kindly provides awesome instructions for each step, so I am going to do it.

I have made a few quilts in the past, but this is the first one I have really been excited about making. I think because my sewing skill level is now at a point where I think there is a chance of it not being total crap in the end. I am even going to try to do free motion quilting on my machine. Ack! I would have fingers crossed for luck, but it is kinda hard to sew that way!!

I went last night to a local quilt shop and picked out all my fabrics. BTW, the name of the joint is The Artful Quilter and they couldn't have been nicer. The gal that worked there spent a lot of time and effort helping me pick out fabrics, even staying past closing. She said not to worry about it, this was fun for her. I will definitely be going back there. Plus it is about 10 minutes from my house and next door to a fabulous pizza place. :-)

I never thought I would be a quilter, but honestly after several recent sewing disappointments I need a break from sewing clothes. I thought this would be a good way to keep the sewing mojo going until I am ready to jump back in the garment pool.