Quilts

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Charlie

February 2, 2010 in Finished Objects, Quilts | 14 comments

That’s right, it’s madness up in here! Two finishes in less than a week! Well, it makes sense, as these two babies were born less than a week apart.

My nephew, Charlie. My very first nephew. My brother’s son.  He was born last Wednesday, about 10 days ahead of schedule. I was already working on the quilt when I got the call, but obviously his arrival sped things up a bit.  I hope they like his quilt. Because if they don’t, I’m taking it back. Because I am in love with it.  It feels so “boy” without beating you over the head with BLUE and TRUCKS and STEREOTYPES!

Charlie

It all started with a fat quarter bundle of Robert Kaufmann’s Animal Party prints that I bought from an Etsy seller, ages ago. I bought it on a whim, thinking it would be great for a baby boy at some point. Lo and behold, the ultrasound revealed that my brother’s first child was, in fact, a boy. And my sister-in-law mentioned something about a jungle/animal/explorer theme.  Golden!

I was undecided on what to do with these prints for a long, long time. I toyed with a whole bunch of different ideas, and couldn’t settle on one that I liked. And then Ashley posted about the Spotted Squares quilt she’s working on, and I had my inspiration.

Charlie

I felt compelled to be somewhat organized about it, not totally improvisational. (Because, seriously, improvising takes time! I like to chain-piece, people!)  They are all 8″ (finished) blocks. There are two different sized center squares (2″ and 4″, finished). There are two different layouts (centered and off-center). And there are two styles (print/color borders and white borders).  I picked fabrics from my stash to coordinate with the prints I already had, sticking mostly with brown, green, blue, and orange.

Oh, and the back. I kind of love the back. As much, if not more, than the front. I have to remember to do an actual quilt like this. Maybe for my kids…

Charlie

I was also torn as to how to quilt it, as I seem to be on almost every quilt I make.  I didn’t want to quilt it too densely, that much I knew.  But I’m psyched with what I went with: straight horizontal and vertical lines at random intervals.  I love that it kind of works with the square-but-wonky style of the front. I marked the lines with a washable pen and my ruler to keep them as straight as I could.

Charlie

Binding is from Connecting Threads, their Riviera line, which is now discontinued and on major clearance (those circle/dots are still available in three different colors).

Charlie

Anyways, I’m thrilled that this one is done. And I can’t wait to deliver it in person on Saturday, when I fly to Chicago to meet my sweet new nephew. Hooray!

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2010 Sewing Goals

January 2, 2010 in Finished Objects, Quilts | 5 comments

For posterity, I thought I’d record some of my quilting-related goals for this year. I won’t call them resolutions, but these are things that I’d like to get done this year.

First, a handful of specific projects I’d like to accomplish:

  • Quilts or duvet covers for both kids – This is the year that my kids will move from cribs to big-kid beds, and I thought it only appropriate that they get a quilt upgrade (the first ones I made for them, while sentimental, are kind of crappy).  In my head, this is shaping up to be a many-faceted project, but I’ve got some time.
  • Duvet cover for us – Ack! How on earth do you commit to a quilt for your own bed?! But it’s high time, if I really want to call myself a quilter, that I sleep under my own work.  Except, well, we like to sleep with a down comforter, so duvet cover it is.  We’ll see.
  • Matching pillows – That’s right. Pillow shams. Decorative pillows. My husband is just shaking his head at the thought.
  • Minimum 2 Project Linus donations – I would really like to make some quilts for Project Linus. My kids were the recipient of a PL blanket (knitted) when they were in the NICU, and my daughter still sleeps with hers. Seems only right to pay it back.
  • A bag – There are so many cute bag patterns out there, I am dying to leave my comfort zone and make one.
  • Clothing – I’m not sure whether it’ll be a skirt for me, a dress for my daughter, or what.  But again with the comfort zone, I want to try to make a piece of clothing.  Redeem myself for the disaster that was the formal dress my mom and I made when I was in high school.

Second, some more general, overarching goals:

  • Name quilts – I’m sick of referring to my quilts in generic terms. They need names. Except, I kind of suck at creative names.  But, you know, I’ll try.  I might just give them people names, we’ll see.
  • Say “no” more often – I’ve said “yes” a few too many times to people who want me to make a quilt for them.  I mean, I’m torn. I enjoy doing it for my friends, and hey, I like that they pay me for it.  But I find I’m spending so much time on those, that I don’t get to the other things on my list.
  • Use scraps/stash more – Trying to use what I have and put things together in more interesting ways, instead of always buying new fabric for a new project.  Plus, scraps are cool!  If I learned anything from my retreat, it’s that you can do SO much with even the littlest pieces.
  • Use all fabrics from one line less – Related to that last goal, I want to get away from using only a single line of fabric in a quilt.  I mean, sure, it looks great together. It’s supposed to.  But I want to do it a little less.
  • Bigger quilts - I know, size doesn’t necessarily matter.  But I want to make more quilts for use on actual beds this year.  I will not fear quilting them.  I will not fear quilting them.

So, what are your sewing goals this year?  Similar to mine?  Totally different?  Any suggestions for me?

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Olivia’s House

November 3, 2009 in Quilts | 6 comments

Yesterday the mail carrier brought the most awesome package to my house: my swap quilt from Michelle for the 2nd placemat quilt swap!  Holy crap, do I ever love it.

PQS2, Recieved!

Can you stand the awesomeness?  I love the whole scene.  The cherry tree, the house, the little dog, everything.  Love the colors.

PQS2, Recieved!

The quilting is to die for.  On the white parts, she did the teeniest little stippling I’ve ever seen. Yes, I had to put a nickel there, so you could get a sense of scale! That’s some serious skill, people!  And I love the effect of the brown thread on the applique.  Gives it a sort of hand-drawn look that is SO cool.

PQS2, Recieved!

The details are just awesome.  My kids love hunting for the little peeks of Olivia here and there, and would you believe the house’s chimney even has smoke coming out of it?!

PQS2, Recieved!

And because she’s an all-around awesome person, she even sent these little house softies/ornaments for my kids. Could she be any sweeter?  The kids love them, and I’ve decided to call the whole project Olivia’s House.  It just works.  It’s AWESOME.

I’m not worthy! I’m not worthy!

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Two months ain’t much

October 17, 2009 in Quilts | 2 comments

I have come to the realization that the holidays, for all practical purposes, are less than two months away. There will be no late-night sewing marathons on December 22 for me, because I will already be gone. We leave to visit my family probably around the 16th of December, so anything that needs to be done by Christmas has to have nothing more than hand-sewing remaining.

I like lists. When my world starts to feel out of control, or I get overwhelmed, I make lists.  Sometimes on paper, sometimes on a white board, sometimes in an elaborate spreadsheet.  Today: blog.  Here’s what I need to complete between now and December 15:

  • Commission – pink, lavender, and cream zig-zag, due before Thanksgiving.
  • Commission – doll-sized toddler quilt, due early December.
  • Commission – small (~30×36″) baby quilt, Odyssea double hourglass, due before I leave.
  • Gift – Sister-in-law’s Mod Rainbow, due …?
  • Gift bags – Friendship bags in Figgy Pudding, must be done before I go home… unless I can finish them on my mom’s ancient Singer… ooh, now there’s an idea.
  • Potentially a small Christmas gift or two, but not full quilts.

And, as if that weren’t enough, there are two babies due in the very early part of 2010 (my friend’s first, a girl, due mid-January; and my brother’s first, a boy, due early February) who need quilts.  So I should probably get a start on those, too.

GAH!  Anyone else already feeling the end-of-the-year pinch, here in mid-October?  Note to self: must say NO to any more quilt requests between now and the end of the year!

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Blogger’s Quilt Festival

October 10, 2009 in Finished Objects, Quilts | 27 comments

Amy is hosting an online Quilt Festival over at her blog, and a few hundred folks have already joined in.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to play. I’ve blogged nearly every quilt I’ve ever made, which has all been over the course of the last year or so.  Plus, it’s hard to pick a favorite.  But I think I’m going to go with the one I made for the unnamed-at-the-time Marcella, my friend Mallory’s baby girl.

Zig-zag quilt front - vertical

I was really happy with the way this one turned out.  I loved the zig-zag, I loved the colors.  And I am so happy I started over and made this one instead of the original.  The first attempt was a total failure. It sort of worked in theory, but ended up being ugly as sin.  Not to mention totally against my personal taste, which was only just developing (still is, but there was a steep jump last spring in finding out what I like and don’t like).  I’m glad I trusted my gut and made this one, instead.

Zig-zag quilt - backing

I loved it so much, I barely wanted to let it go.  But I am so happy it is being used and loved by a sweet little baby girl (and I still get to see it, from time to time).

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For Me?

September 22, 2009 in Quilts | 5 comments

Ooh, ooh!  You can just imagine the happy squeals when my mail carrier arrived yesterday and had a big envelope for me, all the way from Australia!

DQS7 - Received!

Hooray, it’s my adorable DQS7 swap from Erin!  It is so lovely.  Great colors, simple but pretty blocks. Adorable cherry print on the back, and a great purple (arguably my favorite color!) binding.  I love it!  And just because she’s sweet, she included some TimTams, which she says are a big favorite in Australia. I tried one last night, and I can see why!

DQS7 - Received!

I’m not the only one who adores it. My daughter carried it around for half the morning, mostly saying it was her “dress” and delightedly pointing out all of the colors.  Erin, clearly she is a big fan of your work!

DQS7 - Received!

DQS7 - Received!

So thank you, thank you!  What a delightful package to get in the mail.

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What I like

July 20, 2009 in Quilts | 2 comments

I’m totally jazzed up for the Doll Quilt Swap, and I believe we are to expect our partner assignments sometime Wednesday. There are several suggestions for getting the word out to your (secret) partner to let them know what you like and what you want.  Some people are putting together inspiration mosaics and posting them to the Flickr group.  Some are trying to update their Flickr favorites.  Another person suggested an actual blog post on your likes and dislikes, and I thought I’d try to put one together.

Honestly?  I like just about everything.  There’s very little I straight-out dislike.  And there are plenty of things that, while I wouldn’t do them myself, I think they’re lovely and would be simply tickled to get it in a swap.

I suppose I am not really into things that are, for lack of a better word, country-ish.  I think “traditional” quilts (Ohio Star this, Walking to Oklahoma that) can be quite lovely and impressive, but it’s not necessarily what I gravitate towards.  It’s just not my cup of tea, as far as what I choose to make.  I’m also not into a very fall-ish color palate right now. This one I made for my stepmom?  Yeah, doesn’t really resonate with me at all, but she liked it, so that’s cool.  And I suppose I don’t really get into holiday-themed things, since I don’t tend to swap out the decor in my house by season or holiday.

What I am particularly digging right now are fairly modern designs.  I like almost anything AmandaJean does (of course), and same with Red Pepper Quilts and Film in the Fridge.  Links to more folks I enjoy following are on the left sidebar.  As for other styles… I’ve seen some incredible applique and embroidery work, and while it’s not something that I do (AT ALL!) myself, I think it can certainly be wonderful when done by those who are good at it.

Anything else helpful to know about me? Hrm. I can’t say I have a single favorite color, as I have seen things that I love in seemingly every color of the rainbow.  I like pretty vibrant colors, and I think throwing in a solid neutral (white/gray/etc) is very pretty, but certainly not everything I like has solid white in it!  I have two rather active toddlers, so probably best not to put too much effort into delicate beading that could be ripped off by little hands (and swallowed!).  Though, honestly, whether it’s something kind of artsy or fancy to hang on the wall or something meant to be in the playroom with the kiddos, I think either would be great.

I’m relatively new in the quilting world, and still have a ton to learn. I just love to see what other people come up with and try out new things that I see and think are cool.  And I think the great part about a little quilt like this is that it gives you an opportunity to experiment with something new without spending too much time and money in case you don’t end up loving it.  So, dear Swap Partner, I leave it entirely up to you, and I’m sure I’ll love it!

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Vacation Countdown

July 7, 2009 in Quilts | 1 comment

In just over three weeks, the kids and I will be heading to the great, flat Midwest for a few weeks to spend some time with my family. It will be plenty of crazy and lots of fun, but it also means no sewing machine for a bit over two weeks.

So the question is this: how much can I get done between now and then?  Or, at least, done to the point where I can bring it with me and finish the binding by hand?  I need a list.

The ORBCo quilt may very well come with me to Florida, so I anticipate it being Done very soon.  The nine-patch quilt is also ready for quilting, so that’s next on the list to be finished.  But there’s no rush, so if I get most of the way there and then just leave the binding half-on in time for my trip, so be it.  Honestly, I started quilting it last night, and despite the fact that it’s smaller, I think all of those straight lines are going to take forever.

Next up, and high on the priority list, is a twin-sized ragged square quilt that has been ever so slowly in the works for ages.  I’ve got most of the fabrics chosen and cut, and I think it should come together pretty quickly, but I need to get moving on it.  It was my second custom order, and was always intended to be done by August, so it’s about time.  Again, I can certainly bring the last of the binding with me to Chicago and ship it from there.  (Lordy, I’m going to have an extra suitcase just for sewing, aren’t I?)

I’ve got two more orders for three more quilts.  Two more ragged-square quilts for a blog reader’s twins, and a baby shower gift that a real-life friend of mine has asked me to make.  All three of those are small, in the 24×36″ range.  Do-able.

Plus, of course, there will be a very good friend with a brand new baby when I’m there. Can I arrive empty-handed? Of course not.

Anyone taking bets on how much I can actually get done in three short weeks? Especially when one of those weekends will be spent in Florida?  Hrm.

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For Mallory

June 15, 2009 in Finished Objects, Quilts | 12 comments

So, it turns out I was justified in my paranoia, and the recipient of the purple & green quilt was, in fact, reading along as I was sewing. No worries. I think she liked it. And I know I sure did.

Zig-zag quilt front - vertical

Like isn’t strong enough. I love this quilt enough that I had a hard time parting with it. The pattern was fun and enough of a challenge to be interesting, but not actually terribly difficult. I love the colors and the white sashing, and the fact that I managed some semblance of order in my stripe layout (can you see it?).

Zig-zag quilt front - horizontal

I adore the back. The scraps were meant to be a variety of widths, but I don’t think the variation in size was large enough, so it just looks like I might have messed up. If you can actually look closely enough to see that some are smaller than others. Oh well. Love it, anyways.

Zig-zag quilt - backing

I’m even happy with my little label, and the excuse to use one of the pretty decorative stitches on my sewing machine. And my obsession with striped binding, apparently, continues. Whatever. It totally works.

Zig-zag quilt - label and binding

I could point out imperfections, of course. But I won’t bother. It’s pretty and big and soft and yummy. I’m really happy with it, and I hope a certain little girl (due to join us in the next few weeks) will use it and abuse it. That’s what it’s for.

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A label for every occasion

June 9, 2009 in Etsy, Finished Objects, Quilts | 3 comments

Since my first (hideous) attempt at a quilt label, I feel like I have made substantial improvement.  Where we stand now, I have two different labeling strategies.

For things on my Etsy shop, including custom/commissioned orders, I use my teeny tiny quilts label.  In a low-key attempt at consistent branding, I printed up some business-card-sized labels using a word processing program, and print them out on some iron-on transfer paper.  While I don’t adore the look and feel of the iron-on stuff as a general rule, I think it’s the right choice.  It’s small (only about 1.5″ x 2.5″), it’s clear and easy to read.  It says “handmade with care by: / teeny tiny quilts / 2009″, and also includes the URL of my Etsy shop and my email address.  Hey, you never know when you’ll get referral business…

doggy quilt labels

For quilts that are given as gifts to friends, or that I’m just making for myself, I have started doing handwritten labels.  The wording may vary, but it seems that the critical components are:

  • some description of the quilt’s purpose (“for baby Henry,” “Old Red Barn Co Quilt-along”)
  • some description of when it was made (for now, I’m just sticking with the year, I think that’s specific enough)
  • my name (since, you know, the whole purpose of a label is to virtually sign your work)

Here’s the one I made for Duck, Duck, Frog.  “made with love for / Henry Joseph / from / Liz J— / 2009″

frog quilt label

Simple, small, to-the-point.

So, here’s my question for anyone out there reading, and you don’t have to be a quilter to help me out.  The purple & green quilt is complete (and I love it and can’t wait to show it off…), all it needs is a label.  And I’m not sure how to word it.  It’s a gift for a good friend and her baby-girl-to-be.  To the best of my knowledge, they have either not yet picked a name, or not yet shared that name, so I can’t address it directly to the baby.  Just saying “baby girl” seems too generic.

How would you word a baby shower quilt label?

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