Wednesday, February 25, 2009

WIP for Carrie

I am making a scrappy nine-patch quilt for my sister Carrie and am enjoying the sumptuous florals of April Cornell's Poetry fabrics.


Here is a terrible picture of some I've already completed. Lord only knows what's happening to my camera. DH has been abusing it taking hundreds of photos of his aquarium and fishes.

Crazy Log Cabin Quilt



6 years ago (I'm catching everyone up!) I started a brights quilt for my husband. Well, I'm picking it back up now and finishing it for my two little boys. It is CRAZY bright and uses Jan Mullen's "Log Cabinz" from Stargazey Quilts. I have basted it and want to quilt it with purpley variegated thread. What quilting design do you choose for a crazy log cabin quilt?


I have pieced a label for the back and used my simple machine alphabet on it.

Doll Quilt




This is a doll quilt I made a few years ago but just finally put the binding on last month. I HATE the yellow binding! It was a premade roll of easy binding I got at Joann's. I thought it would help me finish this quilt once and for all. Ugh. And the quilt is hand-quilted which makes it even more heart-breaking. There is yellow in the quilt fabrics but the binding just attracts your eye too much. What do you think?


First Dress


I have been working on a dress for The Princess and it's finally almost done. Excuse the wet spot on the left. I was trying to get out the marking spots and didn't wait for it to dry before taking the pic!
This pattern is Burda 9879. I've never sewn clothes before or used a pattern. It is very amateur but I'm happy with it!
Any ideas about how to fill the big white yoke? Monogram? Embroidery? I don't have an embroidery machine so what about hand stitchery of some kind? A sunshine? A saying? Applique?
I used a favorite fat quarter for the skirted part and had to use white for the yoke since I didn't have enough to do the entire dress in the blue and white fabric.
As soon as I can get her to "agree" to try it on, I'll post a picture. I have also been working on another dress with bloomers for her but am too chicken to do the buttons and buttonholes needed to finish it! My next clothing project will be Amandajean's dress pattern. It is similar to this but has easier straps since she added elastic to the top of the yoke. I'm lucky that my daughter is only slightly younger than hers! Keep the good ideas coming CrazyMomQuilts!

Launch for The Forest of Hands and Teeth




Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The Forest of Hands and Teeth


This is a shameless plug for my sister Carrie's new book The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Delacorte Press is releasing the book on March 10th. It is available for pre-sale at Amazon and will be on sale at B&N, Borders, Target, etc. when it is released.

This is a rich novel set in a post-apocolypse world. I can't blurb it well enough to do it justice so please check out her website at http://www.carrieryan.com/ or check out the reviews at GoodReads.com.

I am so proud of her accomplishment in writing and selling such a phenomenal novel! The story is fast-paced, thought-provoking, and thrilling. I'm sure you'll be hearing plenty more from me on this topic in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, check out her website or go over to your favorite online bookseller and call dibs on your very own copy today. Enjoy!

Showing Off Ellie!


I have been making a baby gift for a friend and can't wait to share it. Hopefully she won't come across my blog by accident since it is so new! The shower isn't until Saturday.


This is Ellie. I used a pattern from Clotilde.com made by Melly and Me. I used some leftover nursery fabric that my friend gave me but she has no idea what I wanted it for. The polkadot fabric and bowtie fabrics are her nursery fabrics and the coat fabric was from my stash. I am a little disappointed about the black and white felt for the eyes. I got cheap felt squares at Joann's but they are shedding lint all over each other. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to redo them better? I am so in love with this project but want to make the eyes better before it'll be just right.
Let me know what you think and please share your pics of any animals or other softies you've made. I am always open to advice and ideas, especially for something like this that I've never tried before!

A Quilter's Beginning

Alright, here we go. I love all of the quilting and craft blogs I've seen lately. They are superfabulous and so inspirational! To think that all of these fresh, new quilters are out there creating new, luscious work is just so exciting. In honor of all of these bloggers, I am going to share my work as well. I hope that you can find a morsel of inspiration from my blog the way I have found so much from yours!

I began quilting over 7 years ago while living in England. My husband's job transferred us there for two years shortly after our wedding. I was BORED to tears and tried all kinds of things to fill the time. I volunteered at the hospital, at a children's health clinic, at The American Women's Club, and I took up bowling. I had never bowled before but this women's bowling league met weekly at the nearby American military base. The only place around to get my husband his beloved Mtn. Dew!

On my bowling team was a woman named Cheryl. She was raising four outstanding children on a military budget and also created gorgeous quilts on the side. She offered to teach me what she knew about quilting and a new hobby was born. Cheryl moved back to the States and we lost touch. I have thought of her so often in these past 6 years while having my own children, creating my own family's home, and pursuing the craft of quilting.

Fast forward to today. I have stepped away from the sewing machine for several of these past 6 years. With three kids under the age of 6, it was too risky having the needles, pins, scissors, and rotary cutters out on the table. I pretended it didn't exist. Several months ago, my husband and I finished our basement. I now have a nice, expansive place to spread everything out and I have enjoyed getting to know my old fabric friends!

In support of this new awakening, my husband agreed to use part of our tax refund to purchase a new, fancy sewing machine. I have had it for less than 6 weeks and I haven't wanted to turn it off for a minute! I can't wait to share with you what I've been working on!

Monday, February 16, 2009

A Blog is Born