Wrap It Up in 2012!

This is me asking you to cut me some slack...kay????

I dreamed up this great idea, but unfortunately it didn't hit mybrain until late in February. So...I'm getting a bit of a late start.

Anyway...introducing Wrap It Up in 2012!


My grand plan is try to put the finishing touches on some projects that are lingering in the stash and have been all but forgotten.



It all started when, one evening, I went looking for something to embroider. Did I have a project in mind? Nope! Did I need an embroidery project? Nope! Did I have a plan for what I might do with said embroidery project? Nope! All I had was a desire to do some hand-stitching.

As I began the process of pulling out supplies, I just happened to glance down and see this quilt top lying there...completely neglected. As it had been for months.

It wasn't embroidery, but it was hand-stitching. And I could use my giant quilting hoop, so it would feel like embroidery. And I do have a lovely collection of variegated perle cottons that would be sure to have some complimentary colors. And it would be nice to actually finish something for once.

So...I bundled it up, dug through my stuff to find the thimble (I'm picky about my thimbles and only use the leather coin kind that cost a fortune...it was imperative that I find it because I didn't want to have to pay for another), and scampered to the playroom closet to collect the quilting hoop.

A few hours later, I was happily ensconced in my hand-quilting when the idea of Wrap It Up in 2012 came to me. Why not try to finish up one project every month? It was already late February...and I did pick a MONSTER of a project to begin with, but it was doable. Right????

Ok, so I'm not 100% convinced that I will actually be able to tackle 12 projects this year, but I figure if I don't decided to hand-quilt every one of them then I might stand a chance....maybe!

So, keep your eyes peeled and you might just spot 12 completed projects this year, all pulled from my stash of WIPs. And you might also catch sight of a little Bee who isn't always the most helpful, but is most definitely always cute:)

And PS - this quilt originated from a charm pack that I won in a giveaway (Central Park by Kate Spain) and had no intended recipient, so it's listed in the shop if you're interested.

Teaser...

Quilt in progress...cross your fingers that it's ready for Christmas morning!

What We've Been Up To...

So what have Belle, Bee and I been up to recently?

Well, we feasted with family. Our tummies have never been so full or so happy:)



But, we did save some room for dessert!


We've spread some sisterly love...and accidentally excluded all the pictures where the love wasn't so sweet!


Then we made some time to decorate this monstrous thing in our jammies. We even went back later and added a tree topper, but somehow it didn't make the "film."


We froze our cute little tushies off at the Raleigh Christmas parade on the ONE cold day we've had so far this fall. It has been seriously warm here and we are looking forward to a little chill tomorrow!

And even spotted our hometown hero along the route!

Can you guess who's driving these reindeer???

Someone knows who it is and she is being sure to show off her most winning (and innocent looking) smile.

But this one just doesn't seem to get it...no, Bee, you're supposed to be GOOD!

We've read a lot of books and worn more than our share of costumes.

We even sported some rocking Daddy-made "crowns," at bath time.

This has to be the best picture I've ever taken...I just love it!

But, "Wait," you say. What's missing here? Oh, yes. The craftiness.

Well, lest you believe that all projects have come to an end, here's the list of WIP and completed fun stuff over the last few weeks: felt Christmas cookies, a pile of holiday bookmarks/ornaments/gift tags, a good portion of a rather large Christmas quilt pieced, a GORGEOUS dress for Belle to wear to the Nutcracker, a super-fab embellished stocking for a dear local client, mountains of glittered holiday play dough, a wool felt gingerbread baby, a partially completed Clara doll, and a partridge in a pear tree (ok - that was just to see if you were paying attention).

Now, why on Earth aren't there any pictures of those goodies. Well, you see, when one is so busy living life and crafting on the side, one somehow runs out of time to edit the 600+ photos clogging up the SD card, preventing you from photographing all the crafty goodness. UNTIL TONIGHT! All 9,000,000,000 pics have been edited, saved, and organized (and shared) and there is finally room on that card for some pics of the fun projects we've been working on.

Just wait until you see the present Belle is making for Bee for Christmas...it's pretty darn amazing and I'm not the least bit biased.

So, I hope you've been just as busy living life as we have. And I'll be back soon with some of the fun holiday sewing that we've been up to:)

MMM Swap COMPLETED:)

SENT: 1 reversible mini-quilt, 2 zippie pouches, 1 needle book, 6 skeins perle cotton, 1 1/2 yards Modern Meadows, and a handful of needles to fill the book

RECEIVED: 1 needle book, 1 pack needles, a rainbow of 5 AMH zippie pouches, 1 pin cushion caddy, and a pile of AMH and Metro Living

I am one seriously lucky gal! Kelly spoiled me rotten:) Thanks so much for all my wonderful goodies! I sure hope my partner enjoys her little treasures as much as I am enjoying mine!

Spring Pinwheels - Completed

Spring Pinwheels is finally complete! And Belle is loving it:) All her babies now have a genuine quilt under which to snuggle. Thanks again to Chrissy and Linda at Sew Lux for hosting this quilt along!

Spring Stitchings

A few peeks at the second embroidered Easter quilt. I used the two blocks that I decided to leave out of the first quilt. Then I sketched two new designs to complete the quilt. This one is a more traditional spring color palette. And a little more girly.

Looks like Lilac likes it!

Swashbuckling Pirates!

Another of "My First Friends." If you haven't met Penelope, hop on over to the shop to read her bio. She's one-of-a-kind! And yet another, embroidered doll quilt. I just LOVE this color combo...it makes me so happy!

Belle adores Penelope! I think her favorite part is the removable eye patch. It drives her crazy that she can't play with her! I guess that means I need to get busy on another pirate doll:)

Show It Off - Quilt Pattern

This quilt is all about showing off! Whether you choose to show off a hand-stitched design or a large print on a beautiful fabric, you'll have this whipped up in a jiffy! The pattern below is really just intended to give quilters the dimensions of my pieces, so they can replicate if they so choose. But, I added more detail so those of you with sewing experience could play along. If you're a total quilt newbie and would like to see a Quilting 101 series, just leave a comment and let me know. I have one in the works, but it keeps getting pushed to the back burner. Having someone hold me accountable, might actually make it happen:) You'll need: 4 center pieces 8.5" square (something you want to show off) 4 coordinating fabrics perle cotton thread if you choose to do hand-quilting crib-size batting (or a 32" square of batting if you're like me and buy big batting and cut it up) 1.5 yards backing and binding fabric Note: All pieces are cut using a rotary cutter and square ruler. All pieces are joined by placing right sides together and sewing using a 1/4 inch seam allowance.

1. From each coordinating fabric: Cut 2 rectangles measuring 3.5"x8.5" and 2 rectangles measuring 3.5"x14.5". [And you experienced quilters can probably stop reading right here and run off to find something to show off:)]

2. Lay-out: Decide which coordinating fabric will accompany each center piece. Then decide on the block placement for the finished quilt.

3. Assemble Block: Attach the two smaller rectangles (coordinating fabric) to each side of the first center square. Press seams toward outside. Then attach longer rectangles to top and bottom of center panel. Press seams to outside. Repeat for next 3 blocks.

4. Assemble quilt top: Sew top pair of blocks together. Then sew bottom pair of blocks together. Press seams in opposite directions (ie. top seam to right and bottom seam to left) as this will make matching seams easier. Sew top row to bottom row matching the center seams. Press seam toward bottom of quilt.

5. Create Sandwich: Place quilt top on batting. Trim batting to approximately 2 inches wider than top on all 4 sides. Place top and batting on backing fabric. Trim backing to approximately 2 inches wider than batting on all 4 sides. Extra around edges allows for any slipping during quilting process and will be trimmed later. Baste well using your preferred method (pins, basting spray, etc.).

6. If machine quilting - Stitch 1/4" on each side of center square outline and 1/4" on either side of seams between 4 large blocks.

7. If hand-quilting - select perle cotton thread to complement block. I prefer to use variegated, but that's just my personal choice. Hand-stitch, keeping stitches as even as possible, 1/4" inside and outside center square. To stitch around the outside edge of each large block, you will need to stitch 1/4" from the 2 inside seams and 3/4" from the outside raw edges. This will accomodate your binding in the next step.

8. Prepare binding - Cut three 3 inch strips of backing fabric for binding. Sew short ends together to form one LONG, SKINNY piece of fabric. Fold strip in half lengthwise and press well.

9. Attach Binding - Place binding raw edges together with quilt top and sew using 1/2" seam allowance and mitering corners. If you don't know how to miter the corners of quilt binding and want to see some pics, just leave a comment and I'll get a quick tutorial together for you:) Fold to back, press well and hand-stitch folded edge to back of quilt.

Questions? No? GREAT! Now go get busy:):):)

Pinwheel Quilt Along

So, a while back, I told you that one of my sewing goals for 2011 was to return to my quilting roots. I think I might have taken that one a little TOO seriously! Right now, I currently have 4 quilts in process that I hope to finish in the next few days. And I have finished two others in the last week. That's a whole lot of quilting! Now mind you...they are all doll or baby/crib size. Nothing large has been completed, though there are 3 of those in the works too! YIKES! Oh, and I just remembered a mini that's almost finished too, good grief! So when my new friends at Sew Lux Fabrics let me in on their little quilt along, of course, I jumped right in:) This one was a no brainer. I could whip it up in a jiffy and I could make use of some of my stash (the other sewing goal that I've revealed...there's one left that I refuse to admit because I'm just too scared to pursue it!). This little cutie is intended for my Belle. She's been a little jealous ever since Bee got a baby quilt for Christmas. Belle plays with her dolls every morning before the rest of the family gets up. She has the doll cradle that my grandfather made for me when I was little in her bedroom now. It already has a hand-knit blanket that her Aunt made her when she was born folded up in it as the mattress, but those poor dollies just look cold:) So it seemed right that she needed a new quilt for the cradle. We won't even mention how CRAZY she has been going since there have been so many dolls and doll quilts flying out the door for orders recently, while none were heading her way:)

This quilt has actually already been quilted and the binding is attached. It's just waiting for the binding to be completed. But, I don't have pictures of it since then, so just take my word for it...and I promise I'll show it to you when it is finished.

And just a note of thanks - My mom sent me the charm pack that I used for this quilt quite a while ago...so thanks, Mom! You've made Belle a very happy little girl yet again (and she thanks you doubly for her new movie!).

Easter Stitchings - Doll Quilt

I shared the sweet little spring stitchings that are the foundation of this quilt a little while ago. In all honesty, I embroidered the designs and then had no idea what I was going to do with them. Thankfully, Harriet caught my eye and I just knew she needed a new quilt.

I think she likes it:)

I trimmed the embroidered blocks to 8.5" and then added a simple border to each one. I really wanted the focus to remain on the stitchings and not the complementary fabrics and I think it worked out pretty well.

Then I started combining the blocks. I had originally planned to use all 6 stitched designs, but once I had these four together, it just felt complete, so I left the others for another project. And I really love this color combo...the pink and green on the other blocks somehow ruined the quirky palette.

The finished dimensions are perfect for Harriet or any of my other 19" dolls and bunnies. She likes to be swaddled up where it's warm and cozy:)

Once the top was finished, I just had to do some hand quilting with my DMC cotton perle! It is a great complement to the embroidered designs and really gives it a fun, vintage feel.

The quilt is already SOLD, but if you're interested in making one yourself, the embroidery patterns are available here. I'm so glad this little beauty found a home that will love her for many, many years!

Sweet Stitches

I've really been enjoying all the handwork involved in the gazillion and one dolls and bunnies I've made over the last few weeks. So I owe my mom an apology...on a long visit down to our part of the country she spent hours stitching. Redwork. I just couldn't understand how she could do the same thing over and over, day after day. Ok, Mom, I get it now. Mom was right, as always:)

The methodical up and down of the needle, the mindless activity, the rhythm of the stitches...it's all so peaceful. But even with all the bunnies I've made, there weren't enough little faces to stitch. So I began a collection of spring themed illustrations. This particular set is bound for an Easter doll quilt (look for it in the shop soon!). But, the patterns are available in the shop now in case you have a hankering to stitch.

And my early Easter gift to you: A list of my top embroidery tips:)

1. Use high quality thread! Whether you're using traditional embroidery floss or perle cotton like I used in my designs, you'll be a lot less frustrated if you spend a tiny bit more for the nicer thread. It won't tangle nearly as much and will result in a smoother motion.

2. SHARP needles! If you've been using the same needle for the last 26 years, it is time for a new one.

3. Tie off before moving. Like in the little chick above...I easily could have moved from one of the little eggshell chips to the next without fastening off and cutting my thread. It would have saved me time. And really, who's gonna know??? Well, everyone maybe. When you stretch a long thread across the back of your design it will either show through the fabric to the front side or cause all of your stitches to become loose and not so cute. So don't do...REALLY!

4. Use variegated thread. Ok, this one is pretty non-traditional and maybe not for everyone. But a nice variegated thread is going to add depth and character to your illustration. And it's just plain fun:)

5. Use the right size hoop. You want to be able to stitch as much of the design as possible, but you still want to be able to pull the fabric nice and taught. If your hoop is too small, you have to move it every few stitches. But, if your hoop is too large then you can't enclose all of the edges of your fabric...not good!

6. And finally...have FUN! Embroidery is a great way to add whimsy to even the most serious of projects. So tuck a tiny bunny in the corner of your own grown-up skirt and wear a happy smile all day long:)

Make Mine Modern Please!

So I think I've explained most of the buttons over there on the right...but I'm not sure that I told you about the Make Mine Modern swap that I was lucky enough to get into.

The rules of the swap are:
* Your partner is a secret. You know who you're making for, but you have no idea who is making for you.
* You spend hours, days, even weeks stalking your partner to find out what they love and what they need.
* You create 1 hand-made item for you partner.
* You send one item to decorate your partner's sewing space (makes me wish I had one!).
* You send 1.5 yards of fabric that your partner will love.
* You can include any extras that you wish.

This is a sneak peak of the main part of the package for my partner. I'm not going to tell you exactly what it is, but it makes use of my current obsession (DMC perle cotton) and has hours and hours of hand-stitching in it. Wondering about the fabric??? Kona solids from here. You can create your own Kona solids fat quarter bundles in various sizes...and they're really reasonably priced for Kona.

I'll share more of the goodies headed to partner in the next few weeks...I really hope she likes them!