Twins!

My mom wanted some new twin-size quilts for her guest room, so she decided to give quilting a try. She got as far as piecing the the long strips of printed fabric before she decided quilting wasn't for her. So I stepped in to pick up where she left off.


The pattern is based off of the 12+2=Q pattern from Oh Fransson, but we adapted the pattern to make two twin quilts instead.


Here's twin #1. I started quilting this right after finishing my Sanctuary quilt, so I was a little bored with stippling. Plus, I thought the large expanses of solid colors could use something a little more interesting. For Twin #1 I decided to do loopy quilting.


I couldn't decide if the loopy quilting was a cool contrast to this modern design, or if it was just discordant. Luckily I had Twin #2 to try something different!


Here's #2.


For this one, I tried the robotic, boxy meandering stitch (tutorial from Oh Fransson here). It took me a long time to feel comfortable doing this! It feels very awkward. At first, I got caught up trying to make each angle 90 degrees (not gonna happen), and my stitch length is all over the place. Up close, it looks pretty wonky, but I like the overall effect.


The backs were both supposed to be Kona Coal, but I bogarted some of my mom's Coal to make my Sanctuary quilt. So I Frankensteined creatively pieced the back with some Kona Sage left over from the front. (What? She's my mom. She's obligated to love me anyway.)


My mom bought the printed fabrics as a custom bundle from Fabric Worm so I don't really know what any of them are, but I like them!


The solids are Kona Coal and Kona Sage (I think we've established that this is a great color but a bad name). The binding is dark brown.


I'm happy with they way these turned out, but after these and my Sanctuary quilt, I'm ready for something in a different color palette! And also smaller!



I'm linking up to Sew Modern Monday on Megan's blog!

Blades for less

Have you seen this tip? I read about it on KarrieLyne's blog and had to check it out.

Harbor Freight sells replacement blades for carpet cutters for $1.79/pair. The blades fit in my 45 mm Olfa rotary cutter. (I've heard they fit other brands too.)



I picked up three packs, so that's less than $6 for 6 blades. I think regular price at Jo-Ann's is $6.99 for one blade. Quite the deal!

Before you place an order online (shipping was going to be $6.99), be sure to check the store locator. Surprise! There was a location just a few miles from my house--right on the way to Sonic so I could hit happy hour for a ginormous Diet Coke afterward.

I tried out the cheap blades today, and they seem to work very well. I'll need to test them out longer to be sure, but I'm pretty sure my days of buying their more expensive counterparts are over!

Mitered corners

A few months ago I was complaining that I was having trouble making a decent mitered corner on my binding. This method works for me every time. If you're having trouble, you might give it a try.


When trimming your quilt sandwich, take extra care to make sure your corner is perfectly square.
This is probably the most important step and the one I was slacking off on.



I use 2 1/4-inch strips for my binding, and I sew them to my quilt sandwich using a 1/4-inch seam.

Sew until you're 1/4 inch from the corner of your quilt sandwich. Backstitch. Remove your work from the machine, and cut the thread.

(You'll notice that I don't use pins when I sew my binding. I like to have the freedom to adjust the fabric as I go. Also, I'm very, very lazy.)


Take the loose end of your binding strip and fold it up, so it's perpendicular to the side you just sewed.


Fold the strip back down, being careful to line up the fold with the side you just finished and the loose end with the side you're about to sew.


Start sewing the new edge, again with a 1/4-inch seam allowance. This time, begin sewing all the way at the edge of your work. Backstitch before you continue on your merry way.


With a little luck, you'll end up with a neat little corner!

A little AMH at work

I was searching Etsy for a new mousepad for work and came across this...



That's right, it's a Good Folks mousepad! It arrived yesterday and it brightens up my desk quite nicely. There are a few fabric mousepad sellers on Etsy, but I got mine here. She has lots of other fabric designers too (there are some cool ones using Soul Blossoms that caught my eye). Of course, I'm trying to figure out how she made it...

E is for Elephant

Luke's buddy Elliott had a birthday party this weekend, so I made him a little elephant.


I used the Elijah pattern from Ysolda. I bought it from my local yarn shop, but it looks like you can download it from her web site too. She has lots of cute patterns (love the hedgehog and these bears). The yarn I used is Sublime.


This is a great pattern! The best part: All of the little appendages are added by picking up stitches. So much easier than sewing them together!

Paging Dr. Luke

This was community helper week at preschool. On Thursday, the students dressed up as their favorite community helpers. I made scrubs for Luke using Butterick pattern 5565. This was a good reminder of why I don't sew clothes: Scrubs have a very generous fit (with lots of room for error), and the top is still way too big! Oh well, he still looked cute. And maybe he can wear them again for Community Helper Day 2014.




I have to tell you my tale of woe with this project. I started it back in the fall for community helper day at Luke's old school. I was furiously sewing the night before when we had a bad storm and lost power for the rest of the night, so I couldn't finish them. Then I tried to get Luke to go as a doctor for Halloween. He decided he'd rather be Spider-Man. So I was glad he got the chance to wear them!


And...here's one more pic of the kid. Cause he's cute.

Sanctuary Slices: Finished!

Done! I finished up my Sliced Coins quilt for Elizabeth's superb quilt-along. Elizabeth's pattern is ideal for showcasing the large prints of Patty Young's glorious Sanctuary line.


And...here's the back. I pieced my leftover coins with chunks of Kona Coal and Aqua. I like the back as much as the front!


There's a lot to love about this line. I love the names she chose for each print: Aromatherapy, Seaweed Wrap, Zen Garden, Dahlia Lama (to name a few). It's one of those she-thought-of-everything details.


I included a little selvedge strip on the back as my homage to Ms. Young.


Sanctuary is a cotton shirting weight. I found it to be a bit softer and lighter-weight than most quilting cottons. To me, it seemed to fall somewhere on the spectrum between quilting cotton and voile. Obviously, it would be great for clothing, but I think it makes a pretty excellent quilt too!


I quilted with an all-over stipple. At first, I went for wavy lines, but I wasn't loving it so I ripped it out. After seeing Lee's and Megan's versions, I wish I'd stuck with the wavy lines! (Theirs are vertical and mine were horizontal...I think vertical is definitely the way to go.)


I used the glass tiles quilt for binding.


Luke took it for a fresh-from-the-dryer test drive, and he didn't have any complaints!

Busy bee

I had the day off today, but my husband and son did not. So I spent the morning vacuuming, doing laundry, cleaning the bathrooms working on my February bee blocks!


Amy asked for a block using triangles and with two borders.


Kelly requested blocks using half-square triangles and her Anna Maria Horner Good Folks fabric.


Emily asked for drunk love-style blocks with more Good Folks. I love working with this fabric. Makes me think of my first quilt (still one of my favorites). It's where the obsession began!

Luck & Fortune

Rachel had a drawing after the Postage Stamp Quilt-along, and I was one of the (very) lucky winners of a gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop.


It took me about 4 seconds to decide on this bundle of fat eighths from Central Park. It arrived yesterday, and it is glorious! No plans for this fabric (yet).


And...I found these treasures on the free-to-a-good-home table at work. Heck yeah!

Hope you're having a lucky week!

Okay, enough procrastinating. Basting another quilt tonight. At least I have The Good Wife to get me through!

The pins win.

I made three quilt backs this weekend, which means I need to baste three quilts. Egad. I really want to like spray basting, but I just don't. I can't get the hang of it, and I always end up giving up halfway through and switching to the pins.


I gave the spray one more chance with my sliced coins quilt. No good! So I'm giving up and sticking with pins. At least I feel like I have some control over the outcome!
Today I decided to make the best of it. I popped open a Diet Coke, turned on an episode of Criminal Minds (current obsession...not to be watched when you're home alone), and reminded myself that all of that pinning leads to happier things!

Hideaway hoarding

I don't think I'm a fabric hoarder. I have a relatively modest stash (although more than I need), and I don't hesitate to cut into my most favorite pieces. But then I found Hideaway...


I first came across this line by Lauren & Jessi Jung when I saw Cherie's postage stamp quilt (I guess I'm blaming you, Cherie!). So I bought a charm pack (fabric hoarding's gateway drug) and decided I must. have. more. I found a really good deal on some fat quarters, and then I was completely hooked.


It's not what I'd normally call "my style," but I love the bright, fresh color palette, and it really gives me a feeling of nostalgia. It reminds me of my family's trip to Germany when I was a kid. (If I cite nostalgia, that makes it okay...right?)


Love the little deer...and the birds. And the gingham!


It's just so...pretty!


This print is my favorite. It makes me think of the hex signs my dad used to paint.


I honestly have no plans for this fabric. I'll used it eventually, I promise. Right now I'm just...collecting. (Hoarding has such a negative connotation these days! It's fabric, people. Not cats!)

Mary and I have been e-mailing about our shared obsession appreciation for this fabric, and we agree that we haven't seen much of it out there in blogland. So I started a Flickr group to see if there are any other enthusiasts out there.

What fabric line makes you lose your ability to reason?

Baby girl quilt

We'll be welcoming a new niece to the family soon, so of course she'll be needing a quilt.

I made this pink-and-green quilt using the His and Hers quilt pattern from Moda Bake Shop.
(If you click on the link, you might think I accidentally copied the name from the tutorial. Rest assured, my new niece's name is Claire too.)
The fabrics are from Joel Dewberry's Aviary, Lizzy House's Lizzy Dish, Amy Butler's Midwest Modern, Paula Prass' Summer Soiree, Pat Bravo's Paradise, and Heather Bailey's Pop Garden.


My applique is best enjoyed from a distance. I added a little butterfly, which I got from the Martha Stewart Encyclopedia of Sewing and Fabric Crafts. I quilted in triple diagonal (straightish) lines. I was going to quilt in the opposite direction too, but I decided against it in hopes that the quilt would be softer. It definitely got crinkly in the dryer!


For the backing I used yardage from two prints on the front. The fun chevron stripe binding is from Heather Bailey's Pop Garden.

The finished quilt is about 40 x 40. I hope she likes it!

Think pink!

Today was pink day at preschool. Luke was supposed to wear something pink and bring a pink toy. Now, I try not to assign gender stereotypes to colors. Still, my 3-year-old doesn't own any pink clothes.

So I set out to make him a Valentine's Day shirt. I thought about a heart or the word "love."


In the end I settled on a simple XO and made the X black in hopes that it would be more punk than princess.


I used raw-edged applique. Super easy. It took me maybe 20 minutes, and he was proud to wear it to school!

Sliced Coins: (a little) Progress

It's Thursday! That means it's time to report on my progress in Elizabeth's Sliced Coins Quilt Along.

This week, we were supposed to have our coins stitched up into neat little stacks...


And, well, I get partial credit! Just one of my stacks is finished, but the others shouldn't take very long.


Good news: I love it already!

WIP Wednesday

I finished my Hello Betty postage stamp quilt top this week (using Rachel's quilt-along).

This one is probably going to sit around for a while. It's huge, and the thought of quilting it makes me a little crazy!


Want to know how many 2-inch squares make up this quilt top? That would be 1,200. Mercy.

I have a few other irons in the fire this week. I finished one other project, but it's of a gifty nature, so I can't show it to you yet. I have made NO progress on my Sliced Coins quilt, but I should be able to devote some time to that tonight. Oh, and my Red Letter Day quilt top remains untouched. But now that I have these 1,200 squares behind me, I'll be able to move on to something else!

I'm linking up to Lee at Freshly Pieced!!