Autumn Leaves

This quilt was something rather different for me.  It's the first time that I actually bought a kit, thus I did not pick the individual fabrics.  It was also the first time I worked with stricktly batiks.  I have always loved batiks, but they are generally out of my price range.  This quilt is close to show quality, but there are enough imperfections that I don't know if I will ever enter it.

 

Autumn is my favorite time of the year.  I hardly decorate for any season, but for some reason, I really get into decorating for fall.  My glass pumpkin collection manages to get a little bigger each year.  When I saw the kit for this wall hanging and the example made up in the quilt store, I fell in love.  I was in luck.  It was December, and the one kit they had left was on sale.  I couldn't have gotten the same fabric or even cheaper fabric for the price I paid.  I was thrilled.

I have heard people rave about how wonderful duct tape is, but I am in love with masking tape.  I recently painted a bathroom and had lovely sharp edges where the white ceiling paint met the light green wall paint.  I use masking tap all the time when I quilt straight lines.  it makes a great guideline to follow, while pealing off easily and sticking well enough to use for several lines.  I used masking tape in this quilt to make large diamonds in the green and smaller diamonds in the burgundy.

For fun, I tried using one of my decorative stitches while I quilted.  Every other line is a leaf vine.  It added a nice extra texture to the quilt but it posed many challenges.  It took about twice as long to quilt, and I had to be very careful about getting the fabric to move freely back and forth under the feed dogs.  The picture above shows off one of the changes I made to the pattern.  The original pattern did not miter the corners of the orange border.  To me, the strips looked choppy and weird in the corners, so I decided that this would look more finished.  I was quite pleased with how it turned out.

(Autumn Leaves, 43 x 58, May 23, 2011)

Landon's Quilt

Landon was born on April 29, 2011.  I asked his mom how she was decorating the nursery and she said zoo animals especially monkeys and light UND green.  I liked this pattern because there was lots of room to show off the monkeys in the background.

 I have been having more issues picking baby fabric in the past few years.  It seems like the fabric is always picked over when I go to the store.  I had lots of monkeys to pick from, but the complementary fabrics were a different story.  I generally don't like solids.  I don't think you'll find a single quilt on this site that has one in it.  The closest I get is tone on tone in a cloudy tie-dye style.  I like the depth and texture that these fabrics add.  When I chose fabrics, I am very picky about the color, but I am almost as picky about the pattern/texture of the fabric.  I think the finished product of this quilt is generally good, but there were several fabrics I wish I could replace.

Given that this quilt is for a boy, I would rather leave the pink out.  Unfortunately, red looked awful with the green monkey print because of the little pink dots.  It also did not match the brightness of the other colors.  Purple was also a problem.  For some reason, purple tends to be the color that has the smallest selection.  It tends to be half the size of even the next smallest color.  Purple prints also tend to have "girly"  prints like butterflies and flowers.  I finally went with the dragonflies because they were the least offensive.  The yellow also gave me issues.  Yellow is another color that is in the monkey fabric, so it had to match.  The only fabric that was close was a stripe.  Generally, it is not a great idea to throw a geometric print in with a bunch of soft, curvy prints, but it was my only option.  The only reason it works is that the stripe is very subtle.  Had it been yellow on white, I would not have even tried.  The monkeys on white is the only fabric that I believe was truly was a mistake.  They're cute and match the green monkeys, but they match too well.  The pinwheel blocks disappear into the background.  If I were to do this quilt again, I would use a white on white print or the brown baby print for the pinwheels.

I will admit, I only went to one fabric store.  I almost never go to more than one for many reasons.  When picking out a quilt, a fabric can change positions within the pattern several times.  There was a time when I was going to do the white as the background, or as the border and backing or there was another monkey print that I was going to use.  If I had tried to put it together by going to several stores, I would have had to get several yards of each material so I could cover any position the fabrics may take.  This leads to a craft room full of useless fabric and lots of extra $$$ spent.  I also don't generally mix quality of fabrics.  If I go and find a fabric at Jo Ann's, I would not pair it with a fabric from an independent quilt shop or Wal-Mart.  The quality is not the same, so they would have different textures and likely would shrink at different rates.  Colors tend to come and go like fads.  A single store is more likely to have matching complementary colors.  They do sets of fabric that are designed to go together.  Taking one piece of fabric to another store is generally unlikely to give good results.  The best matches for that fabric were in the store where it was purchased.

I am  my worst critic.  I use each quilt I make as a learning experience.  I can't say there is a single quilt I have made that I am completely happy with and would not change a thing.  In all honestly, I think this quilt turned out rather nice, and I bet Landon will love it and drag it around until he finds out that it says "baby" on it and shuns it because he's a big boy.  I simply wanted to make a point.  I have been quilting since 1998, and I still have a lot to learn.  I enjoy it, and I always look forward to the next quilt.

Teddy Bear Baby

This was a custom order quilt for a gift. The mom-to-be doesn't want to know what sex the baby is, so the quilt needed to be non-gender specific. On the other hand, the person ordering the quilt didn't want it to look like every other generic baby thing on the market. She also wanted to avoid dogs and cats, but wanted something very baby. I suggested teddy bears, and I got the go-ahead.


I started with the bear print, and used it as a foundation for my color scheme. I was originally going to go for a yellow and green theme, but I found all these really fun bubble prints in bright colors. They went so nicely together, I just found that nothing else was as good.



I love how the blue and the pink are not the typical baby blue and pink. It seems like these bolder colors make it much more neutral. I have noticed a trend in baby items the last few years. It seems like brown is becoming a more popular color for the nursery. A couple years ago, I never would have added in so many dark colors, but it seems like it's all the rage now.


I used the bear fabric as the backing as well. I never got a really good picture of the colors. In all these pictures, this fabric looks really light. In real life, all the colors in the print match the colors in the dotted fabric.


By the way, this pattern may look familiar. It's amazing how different a quilt can look by just changing a few colors and rotating a few blocks. Check it out.

(Sailor's Dream 38"x50" 2010)

Kindle Cover

A good friend of mine just got a Kindle and asked me to make a cover for it. She wanted something very simple, mostly just to keep the screen from getting scratched. She also wanted it to close with a wooden button.

I used a soft cotton fabric for the outside and inside and I used a flannel for a little extra padding. When I did a mock-up with batting, I found that it was too thick and made the whole cover very puffy and fat.


I did a little quilting to hold the flannel in place. I followed the brown check design in a dark brown thread. I wanted to avoid leaving lint or threads on the Kindle, so I left the lining off while quilting so there were no unfinished seams.

I was a little concerned that the button could damage the screen. I suggested storing the Kindle so that the screen is not on the same side as the button. This case will protect against scratches and minor bumps, but it is not padded enough to protect against dropping.

She was thrilled with her case and is off in India enjoying it as I write this post.

Kimonos

These kimonos were made for a husband and wife who are really into learning about Japanese culture. I will be the first to admit that the fabric is far from authentic. This was really a cotton trial run for some nicer silk/satin ones in the future.

His kimono was a bit of a challenge because he is very tall, and has the mass for his height. Every pattern piece was approximately 5" to small, both lengthwise and width wise. With careful measurements, I was able to get it really close. The only alteration it needed was to hem up the sleeves.


The belt that came with the pattern was a simple velcro-in-place belt, and it looked far from sturdy. I designed this belt like a karate belt, so that it goes around the waste twice and ties in front. I made it a little long so that it looked a little more formal.



Her kimono was a little harder to sew with the long sleeves. I actually didn't have enough fabric for the sleeves, so I had to improvise by adding a panel of red to the bottom. In the end, I think it turned out nicer having the two-toned sleeves.



Her sash is not an authentic obi. I did use the pattern with the velcro-in-place sash. It looks fine for every day use, but we plan on doing a full real obi for her silk/satin kimono.

People Giving Back

Well, the cat's out of the bag. I was just given credit by The Joyful Heart Foundation for making and giving away my quilts to D.V. shelters. Here is the story if you would like to read it. For those of you who found my blog due to the story, here is a bit of an update. I have been giving my quilts to the local TESSA'S House. Lately I have been making mostly baby and lap sized quilts because the art quilts aren't as functional. I would like to make some more twin and full sized quilts, but money has been a bit tight, so I haven't been able to afford the materials for a larger quilt. In September, I donated a blue and yellow striped lap quilt.


I ended up having a very crazy October, so I ended up donating two in late November. Both have a kitty theme and fun textural fabrics.





My shop has been suffering from post-Christmas blues. My friends and family ended up getting purses, table runners, pot holders, lavender eye pillows and the like under the Christmas tree, which means I am out of stock on almost everything! This write up may just be all the encouragement I need to get a bunch of purses/quilts finished. As always, if you would like to special order a quilt, purse, costume, etc., please feel free to contact me!

sewhoneybee@hotmail.com

Blogging, I have missed you!

I may have taken a break from typing, but my machine has been active as ever. I've been sewing for others here and there as well as working on a queen sized quilt (I am currently avoiding it).

I have crocheted for years... I might even be better at crocheting than sewing... not sure it's a fair comparison. Anyway, I finished an afghan for Silver Key and made a few scarves to sell. I also finished up another baby quilt to sell. Here are some photos of the newly listed items in my shop.




I'm really thinking I should use a human model rather than my old dressmaker dummy. It's got charm, but it's also wearing out in some places and hard to adjust. I really wish I had one of those fancy photography light boxes, but the big quilts won't fit in them anyway. It seems like the hardest part about selling something on the computer is getting the color and texture to show up.


This quilt is one of the annoying ones that just isn't the right color. It looks rather dull and bluish in this photo. It is super cheerful with the multiple shades of pink, and it will also be fun for the baby to touch. I tried to use many different textures in the blocks to add interest. I don't generally like being random, so making a quilt with all random blocks was rather hard. I cringed when I ended up with two blocks that were the same next to each other... it happened four times. But random is random, therefore I will live with it.

If you see something you like, check out my shop!

Pot Holders

I was trying desperately to sleep last night and thinking about what else I could make to sell. I remembered that I had some special heat blocking batting. I got it to make an ironing board cover, but it works well for pot holders. I also though about the fact that I had a few extra quilt blocks laying around. I bolted out of bed and started to sew.


This quilt block has been hanging around for at least 15 years. I can't take credit for the block; my friend, Lisa, made it when we were in college. I don't know why I ended up with it... maybe she was going to throw it away.


Yes, I still had blocks left over from the queen quilt I am making for Micah. I swear this is the quilt that never ends! Rather than putting the blue and yellow blocks together, I made each pot holder a solid color. I think it would be fun if they ended up in the same kitchen, but I will sell them separately, so we'll have to see!

Vintage Fun

I went around to some consignment shops last week in hopes of finding a local place to carry my sewing. When I was in one of the shops, the suggested going to a vintage store called Swish. When I went in, the lady of the store was very excited, and asked me if I could sew "funky" things from vintage fabrics. I said I could try, and she gave me a couple yards of fabric, a table cloth and a set of curtains.

I started with this little skirt. The fabric is a heavy woven cotton. All the red is flocked, which is also fun. One of the big things the gal stressed is to make things in "real people sizes,"
so this skirt is a size 14.




I made a purse out of this same fabric. The curtains and table cloth made a really cute skirt. I was a forgetful person, so I forgot to photograph them. I'll have to see if I can get a picture at the shop after lunch.

Pink Kitty Quilt

This is another version of the original kitty quilt. I wanted to try another color scheme since the blue kitties disappeared on the blue sky background.



I am still not happy with the eyes and nose. I used buttons for both which look nice, but I don't like having potential choking hazards on my quilts. I think the key will be not using chenille. It is very hard to embroider on, so if I pick something more like fleece, I'll have better luck.



I like how the butterfly turned out this time. I added lace to the design which I think helps make it look a little less like a bow and a bit more like a butterfly.

(Kitty & 9-Patch, 36"x51" Sept. 21, 2010)

Karli's Wedding Dress Part 2

I've been back from Canada for a week now, and I thought you might like an update on the wedding dress. I did end up having to put in a lot of work. Both brides maid's dresses needed alteration, as did the flower girl dress and the wedding dress.




As I was working on the wedding dress, I made an extra little dress for the maid of honor's 4 month old because she was so cute I couldn't resist. It turned out to be a very smart move. The original flower girl got sick on the day of the wedding, so the 4-month old got to be the flower girl. I never got a good picture of the original flower girl in her dress, so I am hoping I can talk her mom into sending me a photo.





I ended up having to redo the front bodice of the wedding gown. Everything else fit fine, but the dress was too low cut. The original flower girl dress wasn't so bad. It was about 2" too big, so I just had to take in each side a little bit. The brides maid dresses were ordered through a company and both were too big in the bust and offered too little support. I added clear straps and a lace up back to both dresses. I didn't get a good picture of the back of the dresses, but each black dress had a 3/4" red ribbon with 5 crisscrosses imitating the lacing in the back of the wedding gown.


Karli was very pleased with her dress and how the other dresses all turned out. I only have non-professional photos at the moment, so I may post again when I get the professional ones.

Lavender Eye Pillow

We forgot to go to Wal-Mart last night, and when I looked at dad's list, he had listed an eye-mask. He apparently forgot his in Arizona the last time he visited. I suggested instead of buying one, I could easily make one. I even teased him that I could put some lavender in it (I got a bunch on sale when I was doing soap making). I made the mask and started to think about how easy it would be to sew rice and lavender eye pillows. Here is the design I came up with:

I have noticed on other eye pillows that they are either too full, and therefore feel like an elephant is sitting on your eyes rather than a relaxing pillow, or they are about half full and everything slides down to the sides so your temples get all the rice. I designed this pillow to solve both problems.


I sewed the pillow into 4 chambers. The rice is then held roughly in place, with enough room to still have it conform to your face. It is also much lighter then the elephant-style ones.


As always, I couldn't leave well enough alone, so I added in some finishing details, including a little bow and some lace. The bow actually helps make the sides much more stable, so it serves two purposes by looking nice and adding strength.


I used white rice and lavender buds inside the pillow. It doesn't look like a lot of lavender, but a little goes a long way. My whole sewing room now smells of lavender!

Black Dragon Purse

I got a bolt of this fabric on clearance when I was working at Jo Ann's a few years ago. I was saving it to make an outfit, but I think it also works nicely as a purse. This one has the same lining and pockets as the burgundy one. One of these days, I am going to keep a purse rather than sell it. They keep turning out so nicely and my current one is falling apart from love.

Brocade Purse

Here's the latest variation on a theme. This is the same purse pattern as the "Teresa Purse," but this time with a satin oriental brocade. The lining is still cotton (mostly because I hate it when purse linings are made of satin and shred after the first use). The pockets inside have a metallic gold pain that highlights the design. I thing that this is one of the nicest key fobs I have made so far. This purse will be on sale on Etsy, but you saw it here first!