Baby season is here

It's baby season again! No, not me, but babies seem to be popping up (out?) all over! Two friends have had/are having babies, so I thought I'd whip something up for each of them.

As I'm so pressed for time these days, simple designs are king. I wanted something striking though, so I googled 'strippy quilt' and found oodles of quilty inspiration. The photo that really kicked me off was on Flickr, from Bubbachic, who had a similar dilemma and lovely scraps!

I went through my stash and found some gorgeous soft pink left over Amy Butler (from 'Marina's Midwest Modern' quilt), which is now snipped and sewn into a top for a pram quiltlet. A friend at work has just had her third girl, and another work friend made a play quilt. I thought one for the pram might be a good idea, especially now winter is really here - it's been cold and raining for two days straight!

(Measures 20 x 30")

I also had some left over Park Slope from the 'Funky Chicks' quilt, which is now doing double duty in a cot quilt. A friend of mine, who I never get to see because she lives so far away, is having a baby - a girl - and I'm just so happy for her. My friend has been dreadfully unlucky in love and has finally found a man who's right for her, so this baby is extra special! I love how this quilt is coming along. I'm going to use a stripey binding in chocolates, pinks and purples, which I think will bring it all together. The baby's due in a couple of weeks.

(Measures 40 x 40")

Both quilts will get the all-over stipple treatment, with the pram quilt to have a built-in foot muff, so I'll 'birth' that one to integrate all the layers. Never done it before, so it should be interesting!

I'm hoping to have both quilts finished by Thursday night in time to take them along for show and tell at the Canberra Quilters meeting this week, alongside the Hungry Caterpillar quilt (see previous post).

And here's one of Romily - wearing my clothes (the hat is now a permanent resident in her dress-up box). She thinks she looks like a grown-up in this outfit!
For long-time readers of my blog, can you believe Romily will be five in just a little over two months? Crikey!

Never has it felt so good to finish!

It's been two years in the making. Drum roll, please...........................................Tristan's Hungry Caterpillar Quilt is finally finished! Woot! (I haven't actually been working on it for two years straight - a baby/non-sleeping toddler kinda got in the way...)
I did a lot of handquilting on this baby - a mixture of quilting and perle thread. The perle was a bugger to quilt with, but I eventually got my needles sorted out and after many evenings of stitching in front of the television, got there in the end. The only downside of using such a thick thread is that it stiffens the quilt - the rest of the quilt is all soft and snuggly. The butterflies are noticeably stiffer - and they warped the 'squareness' of the quilt.
Not that Tristan minds! He just loves it and has spent a good part of today climbing in and out of his bed to go under his new 'covers'. God love him :)And here's a photo of the back - it's cheater flannelette. So warm and snuggly and the perfect colour combination for this quilt. Now I just have to add the label, but since I'm not giving this one away, there's no rush, right?

Since this is such a momentous occasion, Tristan's Hungry Caterpillar Quilt is my entry for this year's Blogger's Quilt Festival

Collaborative Comfort

It's so nice to have a finish. I should outsource block-making much more often! Quilts come together amazingly quickly when you're working together. Here is 'Susan's Stars' bound and finished. I am very happy with the quilt (made by three work friends and me) and was delighted to present it to our colleague Susan, who was recently in a serious car accident. She is still in hospital, and will be for about another two weeks. The quilt will certainly brighten up her bed.
She said it was the first quilt anyone had made for her and was absolutely chuffed. She also confirmed that while she loves making quilts, she doesn't do much machine quilting - therefore she thought mine was fab!

Here's the pieced back - a beautiful stripe from Spotlight, of all places. I might have to go back and get some more - the colours are just fabulous. It didn't quite fit across the width, so I added a 90 degree strip down the middle - quite effective I think.
And one more close-up of the quilting/stars - excuse the folds, I had taken it to show everyone and it got a bit creased in the bag.
I now have five days to make a small challenge quilt for a calendar competition being run by the Canberra Quilters - it'll be no surprise that I'm doing some maverick stars! It may not get made in time, but I'll give it a try :)

Susan's Stars Update

I love long weekends - especially when Carl takes the kids of my hands for half a day here and half a day there. I get a lot done when I have the place to myself!

Here is 'Susan's Stars' quilted all over with a medium sized meander. While it's not perfect (I accidentally crossed the lines a couple of times - quilting in white over white-on-white fabric can be tricky!), it's effective and it was quick. So, it will have to do!
Now for some binding. I'm going to raid my stash for a suitable stripe - the back is a very bright Adobe style stripe, so it needs to coordinate or contrast. If I'd been thinking clearly when I bought the backing I would have bought enough to do the binding too. Ah well!

Gasp! There be quilting around these parts

Well there's been some quiltmaking going on around here! A work friend was in a serious car accident two weeks ago - she just happens to be the president of the Canberra Quilters - and a bunch of us at work, who also are quilters, decided a comfort quilt was in order. I wanted to get the quilt to her while she was still convalescing, so I thought a larger version of Bonnie Hunter's Maverick Stars would be a good idea, a la the Bushfire Quilt Project.

Polly, Teena and Ruth made up a bunch of blocks, and I made some too. I made eight, although it turns out I only needed two (leaving me with six for another project!). I originally thought a 5 x 5 layout would work, not realising how quickly 12" blocks would stack up. So I ditched a row and the quilt has finished up with a 4 x 5 layout instead. Now it's a very generous size lap quilt - Susan, the recipient, is vertically challenged, so the quilt will cover her completely when she's lying down.
Carl took the kids off to see the Dora the Explorer concert this morning, so I got busy and pieced the top together, as well as constructing the gorgeous stripy backing. As soon as I finish posting, I'll get started on sandwiching and pin basting - the intent is to spend part of tomorrow and Monday (public holiday here) quilting and attaching the binding to the front. Ruth has kindly offered to help me stitch down the back of the binding at work on Tuesday - a lunchtime quilting bee!

If I have any time spare after finishing the binding part on Monday I'm hoping to get a pencil roll made for a good friend's daughter - I made one for her big sister just over a year ago and the little sister adores it apparently! Meanwhile, the handquilting odyssey on Tristan's VHC quilt continues - I'm almost there!

Finally, here's a photo of my two cuties together. They both had haircuts yesterday - Romily had about 10cm (3") off in length (it was time) and Tristan had his first professional cut (he was remarkably still and well behaved!).

Poor, neglected blog!

This poor little blog, abandoned but not forgotten. Life just keeps getting in the way of crafting and blogging. And I am sorry I have been unable to come visiting with my blogging buddies. My research/studies are taking up a lot of my time, and, in what little free time I have, I am usually too tired from work and looking after kids to pull out the sewing machine/quilting tools.
I have been doing quite a bit of handquilting on Tristan's Very Hungry Caterpillar quilt, which I started way back before he was born, but there's not a lot to show for it (above picture is of the finished top, pre-machine quilting - it looks a bit different now - will post a photo when it's done). We went to Bendigo for Easter and I spent the evenings stitching away (how lovely). I showed the quilt in progress to Tristan, whose reaction was: 'wowowow!' - I think he likes it! He loves the book and is constantly bringing it to me saying: 'Mummy. Story. Cat-pillar. Story.' He's already a man who knows what he wants!

Tristan is 19 months old already. As I keep saying, they grow so fast. Rom will be five in August and is loving preschool. She will definitely be ready for school next year.

Dot's Bouquet is finished

I am really happy with this quilt I made for Car's aunt Dorothy! Number one, it's finished (and don't we all love a finished quilt?!), and number two, I am happy with all my choices. The fabrics, colours, pattern and quilting all seem to work together. (See the previous post if you want details about where I got the idea for this quilt from.) The fabric is from the Timeless Treasures Kiwi Mama Mia range.
I had to piece the back, after discovering my backing wasn't quite long enough - I even like how the back turned out! I'm pretty sure she'll like it - she'll appreciate the gift, even if green isn't her favourite colour!
Now that I've made quite quite a few of these comfort quilts and feel much more comfortable free motion quilting, I feel like I can tackle some 'keepers' for us. It would be nice, wouldn't it, to have something to show for all this quilting? I only have one quilt here that is made by me! The very first sampler quilt I made for Romily way back in 2006.

And just because, here's a photo of Mr Trista! He is wearing a deflated ball as a hat. Why not, I say?!

Shhhhhhhh! There's been quilt making going on around here!

I know, it's been a while! But I finally started piecing the next comfort quilt on my list - this one for Carl's only aunt, who's been having a rough time with her health lately, including a long stay in hospital. She's home now, but taking things slowly. As the weather starts to cool, what better than a snuggly quilt to keep your knees and toes warm? I've pieced all the blocks, and hope to stitch them together tonight. I'm hoping I can baste and start quiting by Monday - a public holiday here in Canberra. (Edited to add that I was very neglectful in mentioning that the pattern isn't mine - it's based on a pattern called Highlights that my friend Helen used in a quilt last year. I loved hers, so based my blocks on the general ratio used in the Highlights blocks. Mine are quite a bit smaller and I don't have so many different fabrics. I've also made only 'A' blocks and changed the layout to get the secondary pattern of squares of the main fabric.)
The weather has certainly turned here; we're still getting warm days, but it's noticeably cooler in the mornings and we're starting to get a bit more rain. So guess who has some new gumboots to go with the rain? Tristan loves his first pair of gumboots - Roary the Racing Car boots, replete with 'headlights' and 'wheels'! They are so cute, although not so cute as their owner!

18 months

Time flies when you're having fun, so the old saying goes. But I'm wondering where on earth the past 18 months has gone? And wondering how my child-bearing days whizzed by without so much as a 'by your leave'?

Here's proof that it has! Tristan has grown a lot since I took this photo at one month old (on his fab 'Winter's Garden quilt made by some lovely friends in my online quilting group).Playing 'peekaboo'!And one with his big sister, who he loves and adores (and sometimes shows his enthusiasm by whacking her with whatever whacking object he can lay his hands on, all the while cackling like a madman!).
And here's one of Miss Romily herself, after the party on Saturday, where she 'won' a mini-face painting set in pass the parcel. I promised her a butterfly when we got home. Then I tossed her into bed for a sleep - she's got a slight summer cold/cough and was absolutely wrecked - you can tell from this photo!

Glacial crafting

Or, crafting at the speed of a glacier. Pffft work is seriously cramping my creativity! I am just so tired after each work day that the thought of dragging my machine up onto the table and having to go through my stash is just too much.

Anway, nothing like a deadline to get me moving - yet another birthday party today saw me make another cute skirt with matching applique top.

From the birthday girl (5): 'Oh I just love it!'

Another very happy 'customer'. I think maybe I should make up four or five sets to have in reserve for the undoubted birthday parties Romily will be invited to this year!

Another drag on my crafting time is starting on Monday - classes resume for uni. I thought I had finished formal classes, with the next two years to be devoted to a research paper, but sadly, I was wrong! I have to do one more unit: 'Introduction to research methods'. Urgh! Ah well, it will help with defining my question, researching the problem and writing the paper (when I get to it in about 18 months time!).

No rest for the wicked, I suppose!

Six years of happiness

Today I celebrate six wonderful years with my true love. We were married on a stinking hot day in Canberra, surrounded by friends and family and it was the best day of our lives. We are so happy and are having a wonderful life. Long may it continue!

A preschooler needs a book bag!

Yes she does! I've been hoarding a half yard of gorgeous Michael Miller 'Pet Deer' fabric, not quite knowing what I'd do with it. When we were asked to ensure our new preschoolers came with a book bag I knew!

I wanted the bag to be fairly large, to accommodate the giant picture books little kids seem to prefer, so I used the entire half yard to make the bag. I sliced off the selvage and then two 1 1/2" strips for handles. The remaining fabric formed the outer shell of the bag. I lined it with some purple homespun.
The bag has a little green button on one side and a loop stitched into the top seam on the other for the closure. I even sewed one of my new labels onto one of the handles. Rom loves it, so I guess it's another successful craft project :) She starts preschool (kindergarten) on Thursday; we had an 'interview' with her new teachers last Friday. She loved the idea of preschool, but she's not so keen on reality, although she's been going to 'playschool' for over a year, so I think she'll be fine once she gets there. Nerves are normal - I remember having 'collywobbles' when I was young too :)

Here's the link to the company that made my woven labels, if you're keen: Apparel Labels. They cost around AUD$40 for 100.I can't quite believe I have a preschooler! What's next? Finishing high school and leaving home? Aiyee!

Two-whit two-whoo

A lovely friend of mine (aren't you all) who's posted to the US with her husband for three years had a lovely baby boy (and aren't they all) last November. I've been meaning to make something for him since then, but Christmas kind of got in the way. I finally pulled my finger out this week and sewed up some cute shorts (Otto 3/2008 'aqua pants') and made an appliqued onesie to match, using an owl design from Ottobre 4/2007. The duck-egg blue and chocolate fabric is Michele D'Amor.I think this may be my best sewing effort yet - I made no mistakes (this may be a first) and I used an overedge stitch to finish the seam edges, as opposed to zigzag, which I find doesn't look very professional. The overedge stitch takes longer and uses more thread, but it looks so much better. It will have to do till I buy an overlocker at some stage in my future. The owl's pupils and branch are drawn on with a chocolate brown fabric marker. I sewed one of my new 'Cascade Lily' labels into the back waist casing to finish it off.

I've packed up the outfit and will send it off to the US with a couple of treasured items of Tristan's that sadly no longer fit. I hope Thomas can wear them but I've told Kath to gift them on if she doesn't want them :)

Next up is another comfort quilt, this time for Carl's only auntie, who's had a dreadful run of health over the past 12 months. She's in rehab at the moment, recovering from a middle ear imbalance, the poor thing. I hope a quilt will cheer her up.

A skirt that fits

Well I did it! I made a skirt that fits and that looks good. It even has a zip. (Mum, you can get up off the floor now!). And a hook and eye for that professional finish :) Of course the process wasn't without its mistakes, challenges and improvisation. It wouldn't be one of my sewing projects if it didn't!

I used the principles contained in Sew What! Skirts, which I blogged about here and drafted an interfacing template by roughly tracing around a skirt I already have, folded in half lengthwise. (I use a big roll of sew-in interfacing for drafting all my patterns - it's great because it's cheap, clings to the cotton and folds up easily for storage. It also doesn't tear like tracing paper, etc.)

Then I laid the pattern onto the fabric I chose for the skirt - an Anna Griffin Circles Light Green 100% cotton. Unfortunately the fabric wasn't wide enough - even though it was a 150cm bolt. The hazards of a spare tyre! So, this is where the improvisation came in. I cut a reduced front and back on the fold and then sewed up the side seams with a basting stitch. I held the 'skirt' against my waist and worked out how much extra fabric I'd need to insert as panels to get a good fit. I then cut two strips of white (Kona solid cotton - snow), matched the curve of the front and back skirt pieces by laying them over the strips and trimming the strips along the gently curved edge.
I pulled out the basting stitches from the seams (one at a time) and sewed the panel seams. On the front left seam, I sewed up to where the bottom of the zip (placket) would be and basted to the top. At this stage I held the skirt up to my waist again to check the fit. It was still slightly too small, so I cut about three inches off the top of the skirt to increase the waist circumference. This meant I had to adjust the top left seam to ensure there was enough depth for the zip. I followed the zip sewing instructions in my Janome manual and it worked!

I then folded over the waist twice and sewed it down, as well as sewing a double-fold hem. I'd chosed a gently scalloped hem, so I sewed the curve very carefully - I didn't clip the inside fold, as the curve was so gentle. Then I tried the skirt on - it was a good fit around the hips and bum and it was the right length. My belly, however, is still a bit rounder than I'd like, so the fit wasn't so good around the waist. I followed the Sew What! Skirts instructions on making darts (so easy! who knew!) and put two in the front and two in the back. Voila! A perfect fit.
The upside of putting the darts in after I'd sewn the waist is that when my belly shrinks (which it will do over the coming months!), I can unpick the darts, increase their size and resew them. Too easy. I'm very happy with how this skirt turned out - I even wore it work on Thursday. I think I'm just about ready to cut into my much-prized Saffron Craig Nest fabric.

Speaking of work, it's going fine. Four days a week is good, although I'm still getting used to saying bye to everyone on a Thursday afternoon. Things are really busy, so the first two weeks have absolutely flown. It'll be Christmas again before I know it. I have also started my new exercise regime, going for two runs this week. Sadly though, my tired old back didn't like that rude shock very much and when I bent over to pick up Tristan yesterday, it 'went'. I am now in complete back spasm and can't do anything except lay flat on my back reading. I can spend a little time sitting upright, but I don't want to push my luck. No doubt it'll be fine by Monday, just in time for me to go back to work, of course :)

Christmas craft

I did promise to post some photos of the last-minute crafting I got done while we were staying at my parents' place the week before Christmas. This is the table runner I made for my brother Bill and his partner Kate. They bought this Amy Butler Belle fabric for me last Christmas - you might recognise from the quilt I made for my mum. I still have some of it left too! Here's a close-up of the quilting - random diagonals (click for a larger image if you can't quite make it out here).And here's the back - aqua homespun.I also made a flower brooch each for Kate, my Mum and my other sister-in-law Jacinta. The rosettes are great, because you could wear them as a brooch, or use them to decorate a bag or a hat. I didn't follow a specific tutorial or pattern, but there are loads of tutes that I've read on the 'net, so I guess my brain just smooshed all the instructions together and voila. I handstitched a gathering stitch along an edge-to-edge strip and pulled the thread gently as I sewed to create a curved edge. I then simply wound the fabric on top of itself until I was happy with it, stitched it all in place, sewed a button from my tiny button stash over the centre and added a brooch pin to the back. I love the pinked edges on the pre-cut strips - perfect for this project. The Denyse Schmidt fabric wasn't pinked, so I pulled a couple of threads from the edge of the strip to stop any ravelling. The biggest was made from a 2 1/2" strip - the smallest from a 1" strip.

Sadly, not much crafty stuff has happened since then. It's been too hot, we've been too sick (all better now, thankfully) and I've gone back to work (first four days made me feel like I'd never been away!). I've got lots of projects in mind, it's just a matter of finding the motivation, time and energy - a common complaint around here!