Pony Tales

This barnyard quilt was intended for a little boy from the beginning. The mom was very into horses, so my aunt wanted a quilt that had a horse theme. I found the pattern, Pony Tales on the internet and suggested that she look at it. She loved it, so I got to work.

I picked fabrics that were a bit more horse-like  than the ones in the pattern. I actually took the time to look up horse coloring so that I wasn't making a horse of a color that didn't exist.

I combined machine and hand embroidery in the applique. I did the machine embroidery around the outside edges and did the smile, nose and eye by hand.

The original pattern was a bit on the small size for a crib quilt, so I added black sashing between the blocks to bring it up to a more standard size.

I used the same cream fabric for all three horses and used it again for the star in the corner. I was looking for bandanna fabric for both the blue and red, but only found it in red. Rather than just doing a denim-colored fabric, I found a light-weight denim  that was a nice shade of blue.

For the plaid, I used a homespun cotton.

Overall, it turned out super cute and durable for the next little rodeo star.

Lemon-Lime Lamb Quilt

Baby time in my aunt's office. Two quilts, both with a barn-yard theme. The first didn't want to know what they were having, so my aunt asked me to make a quilt with yellow, lime green, and light orange. I showed her the pattern for this quilt, and she fell in love with it.

I was super happy when I found a green that had flowers that were the right shade of orange and also had yellow. I also had fun with the fluffy lamb fabric. The pattern had suggested felt, but I used novelty fleece instead. I also used a plushy fabric for the face and legs. This picture was taken before all the hand embroidery. 

I don't like using buttons and ribbons on baby quilts because of the choking hazard, but that's what this pattern suggested, so I went along with it. I sewed them down very well and super tight, so with proper supervision, all should be fine. (I should mention that this is the third child for the mom).

The original design called for a rose in the center block, but since the baby might have been a boy, I opted for these cute little iron-on lambs instead. I was glad to hear that the baby was a girl, and the mom loved the quilt.

Overnight / Laundry Bags

This was a fun scrap project for my friend's nieces and nephew.  The often go on sleepovers, so we thought they would enjoy having a good-sized bag to use for overnights now and for laundry when they go off to college. I let my friend raid my scrap collection, so she picked the fabrics for the bags. Since it was so close to Christmas, I went ahead and did all the sewing to save time.

The first bag was for a mature 12-year old. I actually had used these fabrics together before for my own laundry bag  (which I apparently never posted). We added in a few more teals and golds to make enough scraps for the bag.

This bag was also for a 12-year old girl, but she likes cats and everything princess.

I didn't have any scraps of pink long enough for a strap and the top drawstring, so I used a glittery batik that had mostly the right colors.

The last bag was for a 7-year-old boy. He loves monkeying around, so it seemed natural to give him a monkey bag.

With all three bags, I did different sized patches for the majority of the bag. I used one piece of fabric for the top drawstring so that it would be stronger and less likely to rip out with opening and closing all the time.

All three have the same interior, an unbleached muslin.  I am a fan of light colored linings for bags because it makes it easier to see what is inside.

Once I finished, I wanted one for me. It was a fun project, and I smile every time the kids are visiting their Auntie and they have their bags.

Netbook Bag

 This is a new design I tried for a friend for Christmas last year. She had a netbook bag she used as both a purse and a computer bag that she loved, but it was falling apart. I actually repaired it a few months before a mutual friend suggested that I simply make her a new one.

She is a huge coffee fan, so I picked a coffee themed cotton for the interior, and a red microsuede for the exterior. Just like her old bag, I used velcro to fasten all the little pockets.

 I put a compartment in front for all the little accessories that come with having a computer.

And a long thin pocket in back for papers and other such things.

Overall, it turned out nice, and is only as big as a netbook. I am thinking of making one for me, so I can stop putting my netbook into a huge laptop bag.

Amanda's Baby Quilt

 

I think I will always be working on a baby quilt. And I have to say, I love it. This one was a self-imposed challenge. I don't have much extra cash, and I wanted to make a nice quilt for my cousin's new baby, who was just born and needs a name. Anyway, my challenge was to make a new quilt unlike any I have done using only scraps.

I love this lamb fabric for a boy, and I had a fair bit left from this quilt, so I was looking for fabric to match. The green was an accident. I happened to have some fabric from a bear quilt out as well and was seeing if I could make a match, when I noticed that the blue, aqua and green were all the same fabric print and looked rather nice together. On the down side, I had less than a quarter yard of each, so I needed something else to go with it. I found the fluffy white material left over from a lamb quilt I made a few months ago, and it seemed to be perfect. I like making quilts that have some texture for a baby. It gives them something interesting to touch while they play or sleep on the quilt.

My biggest challenge was the backing. I dug and dug thinking I would never find a fabric that both worked and that I had enough of, but then I found this one. It isn't quite the same as the other vine print, but it was close enough in color and design that I thought it was perfect. I just finished with some green DMC thread, and I think it turned out great!

(30 x 40 Squares and Stripes, Finished 7-17-14)

Deb's Purse

This was a long-over-due present for my aunt Deb. About eight years ago, I found this wonderful pattern called "The Bow-Tucks Purse". I tried it and fell in love with it. I asked my aunt if she wanted one, and she did, so we went out and picked fabric.

Somehow, I managed to make at least 8-10 more bow-tucks purses without ever doing this one. I even gave her one, but this fabric just sat.

So, eight years over due, I finally sat down and made it up for her,

I put ribbon along the inner pocket to make it pop a little.

Deb likes purses with long handles. I also played around with iridescent thread on the quilting. It makes for a rather playful accent.

Sangita's Bookmark

While on chemo, I was often too tired to quilt. I also had a ton of appointments with hours in waiting rooms. So, I taught myself how to do shuttle tatting. I really enjoy the rhythm of it, and it is by far the easiest craft I have found to take with me. I can fit everything I need in a sandwich-baggie and it doesn't add too much weight to my purse. I'll post some more tatting later.

Megan Grace's Quilt

I love teaching others how to sew. I've had the chance now to teach two little girls how to make a quilt. Megan Grace was 10 when we worked on this quilt together. I did the rotary cutting, but she did all the sewing on the top.  She also picked out the fabric herself.

This was one of the projects affected by my illness though, so I ended up doing the finishing work for her (sewing the top to the bottom and doing the ties, etc.). I really think she did a wonderful job. This was her first time using a sewing machine. She told me that the quilt would be for her doll, Magic.

Oh, what a year!

 

Some may have noticed that I abruptly stopped posting after stating that I was ill. This was a bit of an understatement. I was diagnosed with breast and thyroid cancer and have been busy with treatments and everything else that being seriously ill causes. I am still not 100% yet. In fact, I still have thyroid cancer, though hopefully the surgery later this week will take care of that. While I was in chemo and radiation and recovering from surgeries, I did craft a little, and I hope to post pictures of what I did. I also took an art class (2D design/drawing), so I have some art to post as well.