June update

It’s a rainy, cool Saturday here.  My dear husband has taken our older five children off to Northwest Trek, a nearby drive through type nature preserve.  I put the toddler down early for his nap and I’m looking forward to several quiet and uninterrupted hours of sewing.

Before I get started, though, I wanted to take a few minutes to update this poor, neglected blog.

Things without pictures:  I’ve been rearranging and reorganizing my sewing space.  I’ve taken over more of the room, with a larger table and more lighting.  I’m making upcycled curtains and as soon as I’ve got the last set done, I’ll have pictures.

I’ve been giving sewing lessons to a couple young ladies.  It’s been a lot of fun and I’m considering doing formal lessons for other homeschooled teens in the fall.  For example, Sewing 101 would cover how the machine works, how to choose fabrics, seam finishes and sewing techniques, how to follow a simple pattern, etc.  The session would last about 6-8 weeks, 2 hours each week and we would make a couple of simple projects, like a grocery tote bag, a-line skirt and/or an apron.

One thing I do have a picture of is the doll quilt I did for the Spring Doll Quilt Swap at sewingmamas.

I saw this idea in a book of contemporary quilts.  The squares are zig-zag appliqued onto the quilt after it’s sandwiched, so the zig-zags are visible on the back.

What I’m working on now:

A baby quilt for a sweet baby girl at our church.

Tablecloth and placemats for a friend with a  huge table. 🙂

Three twirly dresses for a custom order.

Summer skirts and capris for my girls and shorts for the boys.

Well, time to get busy and make the most of this quiet day!

Coming Back to Sewing Doll Quilt

I thought I’d begin my return to blog posting! with this little doll quilt I just finished up for a swap at SewingMamas.com.

It’s about 16X22, give or take a bit, just to give some reference.  And the binding is not wonky, it’s just lying crooked on the table and then I didn’t hold the camera steady enough.

My first ever stained glass quilt and I really like how it came out.

And what have I been doing for the last year?  Well, besides all the typical day to day stuff of a stay at home, homeschooling mom of six in a house without a dishwasher, I’ve been battling the monster of post-partum depression.  I’ve finally gotten almost back to normal.  Lots of hard work, prayer, walking, journaling, medication, talking and time.

I’ve been sewing again since early fall, but haven’t had the energy to post about it.  But hopefully I can get back to regularly sharing my sewing creations here.

Thanks to the handful of friends who have encouraged me to sew and blog again.  Love Ya!!

My disappearing nine-patch block

I don’t remember where I saw this first, but I really liked the look and the simplicity of it.  So I gave it a whirl and I’m very happy.

In the beginning, there was a basic nine patch block.

Next, I boldly cut it into quarters.

Then, I rotated and rearranged until I was pleased with the layout.  Finally, I sewed the quarter sections together, and voila!  A very pretty quilt block.

I have about 9 more blocks partially pieced into nine-patches.  I’m still deciding whether to do each final block the same or try to randomize the arrangement.  I’m also still deciding why I’m doing this in the first place.  I could make it a baby quilt for our new little one, but maybe there are too many floral prints for a baby boy?  Or maybe a lap quilt for me?  Nothing bigger than that, though…or it’ll never get done.

BTW, the fabrics are mostly Katie Jump Rope and Ginger Blossom, with a few random prints from my stash thrown in to get a scrappy look.

Mail Call!

It’s easy (for me!) to lose track of what I’ve ordered.  Until it all shows up.  On one day.  Especially when that day is the same day I hit the big Joann’s sale.  Many yards of fabric joined my stash today.

First, the personal stuff:

For me, the green knit and the green circles (fat quarters).  For my oldest and next oldest daughters, twirl skirts shall emerge from the teal batik-y and the pink floral fabric at the top.  The three bottom middle prints (stars, cars & sharks) are destined to be shorts for my two boys and lastly, the very cute onesie I won from DaisyEyes and just by chance, some turtle fabric I bought from a fellow sewingmama.  Everything but the turtles came from Joann’s and was on sale, except the fat quarters.

Then, the actual mail and “business” fabrics (though that’s not a hard and fast rule):

Across the top, several “green” fabrics I couldn’t resist while buying the rest.  Top right are four prints from Robert Kaufman’s Iota Lagoon line.  All across the bottom are prints from Erin McMorris’ Park Slope collection.   Can you tell that I like green and blue?

So it’s off to the washer for all of these!

I’m currently working on a quilt top using the disappearing nine-patch block.  I didn’t plan to do this, but the urge came over me the other night and was irresistable.  Plus I had broken one of the needles on my serger and for some reason, didn’t have any more (thus the trip to Joann’s).  So I had to sew something that didn’t need a serger.  Now I have needles, so watch for skirts, shorts and maybe even a quilt top soon!

Giving Away a Quilt! Wow!

Here’s just a quick peek at the quilt I hope will soon be adorning a bed near me. 🙂

One my current favorite fabrics is the Katie Jump Rope line by  Denyse Schmidt for Free Spirit fabrics.  I have a few precious yards which I am thinking about using, but it will probably by *quite some time* before I cut into them. 

So I would be thrilled to no end to win the quilt made from these lovely fabrics that Old Red Barn is giving away to celebrate the 200th post over there!  All you have to do to enter is leave a comment, by March 19th.  So hurry!