the liverpool

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!

Mr. and Mrs. K

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.

Amy Butler's everything bag

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.

1. I would use a shorter length of elastic in the lining pockets, because I think they gap a little more than I'd like.
2. 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).
3. 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.
   
4. 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

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?

Irish Chain revamp

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?

good advice

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.

Mom

This is finished in time for my mom's upcoming April birthday:I just finished the binding tonight, while watching TV. I quilted it in diamonds, 3" apart, like the Grandpa Fred quilt. I didn't have a problem going through the canvas on the back, though that was a pain for binding. This is a "stash" quilt rather than a "scraps" quilt. I define scraps as fabrics that I've already cut into, whereas the fabric for this one came out of things I've been hoarding. I'm a huge fan of that green Amy Butler print; I had it in watermelon, and both have made their way into so many of my projects. All of these fabrics have so much motion and are really round, which is why I chose to make these square (for balance).

As I mentioned in my previous post, I'm really excited about that border, not only because I think it pulls it all together, but also because my mom taught me how to fish last year. She can catch and cook her own dinner. To tie in the red blocks from the front and the orange strip on the back, I used this for the binding:I think that's how I managed to bind it in one night-- there's so much to look at, it didn't get boring! I've never used fabric with a white background for binding before, but I think I like it, at least for this quilt.
It's in the washing machine now; I'll be sure to take some up close pictures after it's washed and dried. I'm anxious to mail this to her and see what she says!

new quilt in progress

My mom lives in a tiny little house on a small island. She's very crafty and has impecable taste, and just this week taught herself to knit (without a book or any instructions-- she just thought about it and applied her extensive crochet knowledge). Her queen sized bed takes up most of her tiny bedroom. The point is, a quilt could really change the way her room looks, especially a nice bright fresh one. Like this one in progress.

The pieced back has 4 stripes: pale aqua oxford shirting, orange Paula Prass, a tiny strip of IKEA canvas, and brown swiss dot. I love that canvas, but didn't want it to be itchy or too hot. Plus, I didn't know how it'd work while quilting, so I figured I'd start small. I never pre-wash (that's another post altogether) but I'm curious to see how this will hold up. Here's the back: And here's a sneak peak of the front:
It's hanging over my bannister, anxiously awaiting basting. I actually made the top sometime last year, but I wasn't crazy about it. Plus, it was just a little too small for my own queen sized bed. Then, I pulled it out, and after a good sale find of the Tula Pink fish fabric, it cam together. It's not a very complicated quilt pattern, just some framed squares, but I think my colour choices are what makes it a little more interesting.

Once I actually get this quilted, I'll be sure to take a full-length picture. Apologies as always for the bad picture-- the background is white, and the rest of the colours aren't quite so harsh in real life. This is a big quilt-- nearly 90" long, which was actually really nice for cutting my batting.

Grandpa Fred quilt update: my dad delivered it to him, and according to my dad, Grandpa "really liked his blanket and was surprised but asked for it to be taken to his house so it wouldn't get stolen from the assisted living facility". I'll take that as a compliment, for sure. Even though my dad called it a blanket, which we all know is inferior to a quilt. As I mentioned before, I come from a non-quilting culture. I guess they'll get it eventually.

half day shopping

There are few better things in life than having a half day on a sunny Friday. I decided to go to a quilt shop a little further away than my usual one to see what they had. After about an hour of circling the store, I finally decided on these lovely pieces:I think I'm currently in love with pink and orange. The picture really doesn't do the fabric justice-- the orange looks just like a creamsickle. I bought a yard of each... if these don't end up in a quilt together, I might make some skirts.
In other happy news, I'll be going to IKEA this weekend and buying some more fabric-- hopefully some of this or this. Yay!