The Undercover Crafter

There's a Light...

2012-02-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

Today may or may not be my last day on this project, regardless the insanity is coming to an end. I can't wait for things to get back to normal around here! Finally. Tomorrow I am off to Denver and I can't wait. I fully expect that I might have to pop into the office for a day or two when I return home next week but then that will be the end. I am looking forward to taking some time off to spend with my husband and to sew. I have so many projects spinning in my head right now and the anticipation is killing me! And I'm also planning to travel. Yea! All of my favorite things happening at the same time.

But for now, I'm arming myself with some hand sewing projects, a little binding and a little cross stitch. And tomorrow I'll be playing in the snow, in Colorado with my family. See you next week! Hope you don't miss me too much while I'm gone.

First on the First

2012-02-01T09:36:00.001-08:00

You want to see where it all began? Then hop on over to Gen X Quilters today because AnneMarie is featuring my very first quilt. If you're not familiar with AnneMarie and her blog you should be! She's awesome and chock full of great tutorials and information. You can find me hanging out over there all day today!

Speed Sewing for Charity

2012-01-31T10:07:00.000-08:00

One of the unexpected joys of the quilting retreat this past weekend included making a charity quilt. Liberty mentioned the prospect of doing a scrap swap at the retreat and encouraged anyone who wanted to participate to bring a few quart-sized bags full of scraps. Me, being one who has trouble throwing anything away, has more than enough scraps hoarded away to share so I filled up three bags and brought them along.

Carrie making her block.

Over the course of the weekend, however, the scraps made their way out of their ziplocs and into a huge scraptacular pile in a corner of our classroom. Liberty then had the bright idea to turn our swap into a speed sew for charity instead. Anyone who knows me that sewing for charity is a particular passion of mine so I was 100% on board with this idea! We decided to tackle this project after dinner on Saturday night, thinking that it would create a natural break in our momentum and be easy for everyone to start a new project without interrupting any creative flow.

Liberty and a few others took the time to gather similar colored scraps into one pile on a cutting table. This theme turned out to lean toward green - my favorite color. Once we were all back in the room, fully sated from dinner, Liberty started the clock. We all had just 30 minutes to blindly grab a handful of scraps from the pile and create one block, unfinished at 12.5", for the quilt.

My fugly block.

Can I just tell you how much fun this was? All of us laughing, and swapping scraps - racing toward the finish line. And there were some amazing blocks that we created. I think mine was in the running for the ugliest block. But I followed the rules and only used the scraps I grabbed, regardless if they looked good together. I even had a little strip of selvedge in mine that I managed to incorporate into the block.

After a half hour passed we had 20 amazing blocks and a few of the ladies started sashing them in white. I have to admit that it turned out to be one gorgeous quilt in the end! Liberty pieced the top and a couple more blocks came in for the back. She's going to take it home and finish it for us so we can donate. We all had a blast with our speed blocks for charity. Liberty even took the rest of the scraps and started sorting them for our next weekend sew. We're hoping this becomes a regular feature. I can't wait to do this again!

Retreat Afterglow

2012-01-30T13:19:00.000-08:00

I don't even know where to begin. Seriously, I just had the best weekend. And I wish you all could have been there to experience it. I will start by saying that if you haven't been to a quilt retreat yet - go. Really. Find one and jump into the fun. I joined the LAMQG's website soon after they started but I didn't actually make it to my first meeting until last year. It's been hard getting to know people from just attending the meetings. And I haven't been able to attend any weekend sews because if I'm not working on a Saturday then I'm spending time with my husband. So, I'll admit, it was a little nerve wracking walking into a room full of women you don't really know. I felt a little like a fish out of water. Well, let me tell you, that feeling had completely disappeared by dinner.

Words cannot even begin to describe the amazing time I had at the retreat. I was surrounded by so many talented, creative, funny, intelligent, generous and kind women. There was not one bad apple in the entire bunch. I am seriously in awe of the women in our guild. They welcomed me (and the other first timers) with open arms and after moments it felt as if I had known some of them my entire life.

I arrived a little late on Thursday, after making a detour to the Purl Soho fulfillment center to pick up some fabric and then hitting some traffic along the way. But I hit the retreat center with enough time to see the sun start to set over the grapevines in Temecula. It's a stunning spot, really. And so peaceful. I checked into our classroom and found my way to my work station. We each got our own table so there was plenty of space to work. And Katie gave us each a personalized goodie bag filled with our favorite treats (Sugar Free Red Bull and Buffalo Bleu Potato chips for me). I was thrilled to discover that I wasn't the only one who overpacked. Everyone did!

The entire weekend was spent sewing and chatting away into the wee hours of the night. Thursday I didn't really get any sewing done until after dinner. And, truth be told, I was feeling horrible on Thursday and I was freaking out because I thought I had the flu so I spent the evening cutting and piecing fabrics for a few blocks I needed to complete a quilt top and then I retired early. Early being 11PM, but I was one of the first people to call it a night. But not before I discovered my amazing pouch that my fabric fairy made me. It was filled with thread and she even had a bottle of wine chilling for me. Carrie, you're the best! I had Tess, and couldn't sneak her surprises into her until the morning because I got down there before she woke up. I gave her some fabrics, hand quilting thread and her favorite snacks.

Friday morning I woke feeling fantastic. Thank god. Whatever had been plaguing me on Thursday had passed. I was able to finish up the blocks and start piecing the quilt top I was working on. It was just so wonderful to have all these other amazing quilters around. Everyone gave input on layout, or helped work through challenges that came up. The blocks in my first quilt weren't coming together quite right so Ramona had an awesome idea that helped me get out of my box and made that quilt top come together beautifully. Katie also organized a fabric steal and I ended up bringing home some of the Echino London prints! And Jamie and I ended up swapping quilts. She stippled mine, and I straight-lined hers. Her stippling is amazing and she is so quick. I wasn't as happy with my straight-lining, but she was so that's all that matters. Oh the pressure.

On Saturday I had to pinch myself because it wasn't over yet. Latifah taught us how to make easy-peasy cowls. Lori taught me how to knit. And Liberty had me laughing until it hurt. We even had a small rivalry with the other sewing retreat across the way called "We Sew Crazy". Well, us bad girls of sewing (temporary tattoos and all) showed them who was boss!

I came out of the weekend with new friendships, full of inspiration and even plans to buy another sewing machine. Ramona let me test drive her Bernina. Can I just say it sews like butter! I have it narrowed down to a Janome or Bernina. Now I just need to shop around. Oh, yeah. And I actually got some sewing done. Not as much as I had planned, but the weekend was so much more than that. I am so grateful on so many levels to have met the wonderful women I did this weekend. I am especially thankful for Katie who worked her little butt off organizing absolutely EVERYTHING. She even made our awesome gift bags and shopped for all the fabric for the exchange. Katie you're amazing! I encourage everyone to dive in and attend a retreat, you won't regret it. And I'm linking up to Sew Modern Monday at Canoe Ridge Creations to show off my retreat finishes.

Off to My First Retreat

2012-01-26T11:29:00.000-08:00

I am off to my very first quilting retreat and can I just say I am so excited. It's a little bittersweet because my first was supposed to be two weeks ago in Willamsburg, VA with my friend Natalie, but United canceled my flight and the ones they had rescheduled for me didn't work at all.

I'm about to load the car. I think I might be a little ambitious for 4 days of sewing. But better safe than sorry I say. I must admit that I'm a little nervous because I don't know anyone in my guild very well. I've been going to meeting for the last year so I have met people, but I haven't really gotten to know them very well because I haven't been able to attend a Saturday Sew. I'm jumping in the deep end in an effort to make more friends and bond with the people in my guild, but when I'm sewing next to the likes of Alissa (who taught me how to quilt) and Latifah it can be a little intimidating. Especially, since they all know each other well. Despite it all I am so freaking excited. Expect a full report next week!

Slow Sewing Going

2012-01-20T15:59:00.000-08:00

I am suffering from the same affliction that I've been hearing many others complain about lately... I just haven't had a lot of time to sew. I was supposed to be sewing my little heart out last weekend with one of my dear quilting friends, Natalie, unfortunately that trip was thwarted thanks to United Airlines. But, that is all going to change next week because I'm heading off for four days of unadulterated sewing bliss during the annual LAMQG retreat. (Yea!) Can I just tell you how excited I am?! I have been stealing moments here and there where possible to work on a couple small things, like finishing up a tablecloth I was commissioned to make for a friend...

And I've been working on another diaper bag for my sister-in-law who is expecting in March...

I even got the first block for my Echo Lone Star Quilt in the mail yesterday from the amazing Flaun. It's just getting me more and more excited about this quilt. I mean, I can't stop staring at it. And this thing is going to be a monster! I didn't have time to test the tutorial for this block before I sent out the materials to the rest of the Sewn Together Bee so I didn't know just how BIG these blocks were going to be. They're GINORMOUS! Seriously, 29" unfinished.

I did learn a valuable lesson from this one... Test out the tutorial first. Not because the blocks turned out massive, but because there was a mistake in the tutorial. It calls for the backing squares to be cut to 9" but later in the tutorial it references 9 1/4" squares. I didn't realize the mistake until the fabrics were cut and mailed off but it was brought to my attention by a fellow member of the bee when she started cutting her HSTs. So you can see on Flaun's that the HSTs are a little shorter than the other squares. I am hoping I can hide this in the seam allowance when I am piecing the top together without losing the points on the star. If that doesn't work I might have to replace a few along the way, by no fault of their own, but I think it might work out okay.

My To Do list for the retreat next weekend is about a mile long and includes several UFOs but I am most excited about diving into the project I'm making with that pretty fabric above. I can't tell you about that one now. I'm keeping that one under wraps at the moment. But it's pretty special. I'm also wrapping up this job very, very soon so I'll be sewing my little heart out a lot more in the near future.

Little Stitches Week 11 - Pattern K - Modern Diaper Bag

2012-01-19T09:08:00.000-08:00

Welcome back for another week of the "Little Stitches" Sew-Along. You're going to see a lot of different fabrics this week because I've been working on making three of these puppies simultaneously.

Pattern K - Modern Diaper Bag - Difficulty Level: 4

Now, although I've been working on this bag thrice-over they're all still in various phases of construction. But one of them is finished and already living with it's new owner, Nina. You can read more about my friendship with Nina here because this isn't the first thing I made for her in this book. But I knew she really wanted a diaper bag, and I promised her one. Unfortunately it got to her just a little later than I planned.

Since Nina is one of my closest friends, and coincidentally, we share a similar aesthetic I decided to cut into my coveted Wrenly to make something special just for her. I had intended to keep this Wrenly print in my stash to make something for myself, as it was becoming increasingly more difficult to find, but I knew she would love this print as much as I do so it called out to me for a special project like this one. When it came to the lining I initially chose a print from Pat Bravo's Modernology line. Then my stylist friend, Nancy, tried to convince me to use the Lizzy House Castle Peeps print that I had chosen for the same bag I was making for my sister-in-law. I agonized over the choice. And I almost went with Nancy's suggestion, but in the end I put things back the way they were because I thought it would better suit the recipients of each bag.

Cutting and attaching interfacing are the most tedious part of the process for me. It's a necessary evil, but I sometimes wish I could be independently wealthy and just pay someone to cut out pattern pieces from fabric for me. No, not a good waste of money (and I am joking) but seriously, it's the part I hate the most in sewing construction techniques. Because of my loathing I decided to get all the cutting done on this bag in one fell swoop. I planned to make three so I cut all three out at the same time.

To save time I doubled (and sometimes triple depending on the thickness of the fabric/interfacing) up on the layers so I cut cut out pattern pieces in multiples. My little pattern weights came in handy for this and it helped cut down slightly on cutting time.

As is often the case, there were a few instructions that read like Greek to me and made me second guess my own sewing knowledge at times. I mean, I've been making pleats and darts since I was a pre-teen but reading the instructions on how to make the box pleats in the pockets confused me at first. I had to take a step back, remind myself that I know how to do this, and just dive in and make a frickin' pleat. In the end simple is always better and don't doubt yourself.

The second time I was making this bag (which is in the final stages but not yet complete) I encountered yet another problem while reading through the pleat directions again and I sewed the pleats on the bottle pockets too small and had to re-do them to get the pocket round to fit the lining properly.

Once your pockets are in it's pretty much smooth sailing from there. Attaching the bottom panel might give some people a run for their money. Make sure you're matching up the centers of your panels as you work your way around and check your corners. Sometimes you have to go slightly over the 1/2" mark to make sure your corners seal up correctly. If this intimidates you go slowly and don'y be afraid. You'll get the hang of it. Attaching the bottom of the exterior should also be a little easier. If you place your fusible peltex correctly, you can simply follow the groove around.

The darts in the cell pockets shouldn't be an issue, they're just a little thick so make sure to take it slow if your machine has problems handling bulk. And that goes for the topstitching as well when you're finishing the bag. Due to the fusible fleece, the seams can get a bit cumbersome, especially at the seam intersections. Take these slowly, but don't forgo the top stitching. It will definitely help to secure and reinforce the bag.

When it comes time to attach your magnetic clasp you're supposed to follow the directions on the fastener, which in most cases simply state to push through the fabric with the prongs on the clasp. I was able to accomplish this on the first one I made, with a bit of effort. You're pushing these prongs through several layers of fabric and interfacing, so it can be a little tough. A trick I used to make it easier on the next-go around was to use an awl to get the puncture started. Be careful how large you make the puncture in the fabric because you don't want it to fray or tear. I recommend just guiding the tip of the awl through and then letting the prongs do the rest of the work.

I didn't have as much trouble with this bag versus the Everything Bag. I also love this bag for it's stylish presentation. The Modern Diaper Bag is definitely a monster of a bag. I mean it's ginormous! I think Nina can fit her baby Roxana in there! You'll be seeing more of this bag as I finish up the other two.

I really hope Nina likes this bag and gets some good use out of it, even though it was delivered two months late.

So what are you working on? Link up your latest projects here and show everyone what you're making. You can share your projects in any state from start to finish. I'll keep the linky party open all week. Remember, you can also show off your "Little Stitches" projects any time in the Undercover Crafter Sew-Along group on Flickr. See you next week!

Shameless Plug...

2012-01-17T11:18:00.000-08:00

Excuse the shameless plug but a Brand New Episode of Tabatha Takes Over airs tonight on Bravo at 10 Pm Eastern / 9 PM Central.

Watch as Tabatha takes over a gay bar. Hilarity ensues. (And if you look really close you can see my name in the opening credits!)

Gearing Up For PTS7

2012-01-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

They're gearing up for a new round of the Pillow Talk Swap on Flickr. And although I am cutting back on the number of swaps I'm in this year PTS is definitely on my To-Do List. If you're interested in joining in the fun you should go and sign up to join the Flickr group so you don't miss the announcement for signups , which is coming very soon. This round they're asking us to have our mosaics ready so we can submit them with our intention to join in the swap. This is the mosaic I made this round...

1. Lone Star Pillow 2. Block for Sarah 3. Oregon Star 4. Fabric Stack 5. Cushion Covers 6.October Star Block 7. Pillow Talk Swap 8. Hexagon Block 9. VQB Block 10. Orange Bag Design 11. UHG Swap Finished 12. Spicing up the Kitchen 13. Diamond Pillow 14. Argyle Zig Pillow 15. PTS4

I also add notes to my mosaics in all the swaps I am in to help guide my secret partners and give them specific insight into why I picked the images I did. The more swaps I participate in the more I realize how the more information and guidance you can give to a partner really helps. Often you are paired up with partners who have different tastes and aesthetics than you do. That's part of the fun. It helps to get you out of your comfort zone. There is still time if you want to join in the fun. Hop on over to the Flickr Group to get started.

Little Stitches Week 10 - Pattern F Cap

2012-01-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

It's Week 10 of the "Little Stitches" Sew-Along. Don't get me started on the Comfy Jumper Dress. It's still unfinished and in my UFO pile. Not because it's particularly difficult, but because other projects have taken higher priority status over it. Sorry Comfy Jumper. I swear I'll be showcasing you soon! (Is it weird that I'm apologizing to an inanimate object?)

Pattern F - Cap - Difficulty Level: 3

I met Jeremy through my husband. They've been friends for years. Jeremy is part of Marc's pack of guy friends and I've always adored him since the day I met him. That adoration only grew when he started dating Megahn. They're both, now, part of our close inner circle of friends that I call the Venice Crew. We all live in the same neighborhood. We can walk, or bike to each other's homes and I am so lucky to have such a great group of friends who I know I'll have for the rest of my life. Jeremy and Megahn got married in 2010 and they welcomed their first child, Jude, into the world this December. My plan was (and still is) to make a larger gift for them. It's in the works and will be finished soon I hope, but I couldn't go empty-handed to Meaghn's baby shower.

If you're a regular reader of my blog you know my sewing time has been limited lately. On the morning of the shower I was still gift-less so I woke up a little early to make her just a little something to tide her over until I could finish her real gift. And as they're one of the few people of the MANY (and the list keeps growing) people I know having babies that knew they were having a boy so I thought this little hat would be perfect, and quick.

I cut into this green lattice fabric that I've had stashed forever. It's simple but a favorite of mine. The only problem is, when I was cutting it was early and I wasn't concentrating properly so I also cut the portions of the other hat listed in this pattern from this fabric as well, so some day you'll see this fabric again when I get around to making the butterfly hat.

When you're laying out your pattern pieces for the brim of the cap you can try to nestle the curve of the pattern piece into the curve of the fabric where you just cut. It doesn't fit exactly but you can get somewhat close to help save some of the fabric waste.

This one came together pretty well, but if you're nervous about curves this definitely has a lot of them. My advice is to take your time on the curves. Reinforcing your seams and snipping into the curves to help ease them around is key. Don't cut corners there. (No pun intended!) When you're snipping into your seams be careful that you don't cut in too close to the seam allowance, as these can fray over time if you don't give yourself proper distance from the tip of the snip and the actual seam. But it is a very important step. This helps to reduce bulk and make your curves easier and smoother. I recommend using a pair of small, sharp scissors whenever you clip into a seam allowance.

The only real problem I ran into when making the cap was that my lining ended up just slightly (less than a 1/4") bigger around the band area than the exterior of my cap. I could have easily solved this by stitching a slightly tighter seam into the band, but unfortunately for me I was rapidly running out of time so I fudged it.

The lining isn't as pretty and tailored as it should be but I was able to slightly gather the small overlap when I was stitching the lining to the exterior, which created a slight pucker in the lining. I justified this error because it's on the lining and will never bee seen when worn and I just plain didn't have time to fix it. Instead I affixed my label over the pucker to try to hide it as much as possible. Megahn was pleased with it, so in the end, that's all that matters. I can't wait until Jude is old enough to wear it because I think he's going to look incredibly dapper. It's just so cute and it's easy enough to make in a morning.

So what are you working on? Link up your latest projects here and show everyone what you're making. You can share your projects in any state from start to finish. I'll keep the linky party open all week. Remember you can also show off your "Little Stitches" projects anytime in the Undercover Crafter Sew-Along Group on Flickr.

See you next week when I'll show you my latest finish: Pattern K: The Modern Diaper Bag.

Machine Problems

2012-01-11T11:58:00.000-08:00

I have so many UFOs on my plate right now, but I couldn't resist starting a small project for me. I recently got a new laptop so I wanted to make myself a laptop cover to protect it. I thought this would be a quick and simple project, but it seems that nothing is quick and simple in my life right now.

I started by dipping into my coveted Echino stash to find just the right print. I pilled some fusible fleece for the padding, some neutral linen for the lining and a matching invisible zipper to seal it up. Then I encountered a problem... I don't have a zipper foot on my little Janome and the one from my Baby Lock isn't compatible so I always attach zippers with my Baby Lock. Unfortunately the foot arm on my Baby Lock has come loose and won't keep a proper needle position. It shifts all the way from here...

... To here...

Notice how the needle position skews from the back of the foot to the front of the foot? And when I try to center the needle into the right position it won't stay in place. Problem is, I haven't been able to figure out how to tighten the foot arm. Any ideas? Have you experienced anything like this? I am probably missing something stupid. Let me know if you have any suggestions otherwise I see a trip to Tanner's for a tune up in my future. She's about due anyway.

P.S. I've been noticing some bad links to some photos in older posts so I've been trying to clean things up around here. I hope this hasn't resulted in anyone getting sent links or updates to old posts. If you see something weird or bothersome please let me know. I'm about 1/3 of my way through the cleanup.

Triple 'T' Tuesdays: New Way to Mark Fabric

2012-01-10T01:30:00.000-08:00

Two things... You want to see the product of all the blood, sweat and tears I've expressed over the past eight months? Well then set your DVRs to record because the brand new season of Tabatha Takes Over premieres tonight at 10 PM EST on Bravo! This season Tabatha doesn't only take over salons, she also takes over a variety of other businesses. I've been working on this show since the very first season and it's a labor of love. And if you look really close you can see my name in lights!

Enough about that. Are you ready to welcome back one of my regular features, because it's Triple "T" Tuesdays. I know it's been a while since I posted a Tip, Tool or Technique around here. I've been busy. I'm so sorry. And I think I'm just going to make this a monthly feature for now, because the pressure of trying to keep up while working an insane schedule was getting to me. So today I want to share a technique I use for fabric marking. My sewing box is loaded with a variety of fabric markers, from disappearing ink pens to chalk. My general go-to tool used to be the disappearing in pen. And I do still use it, but I have found myself, more often than not, resorting to a new way of marking my fabrics as of late.

The problem with disappearing ink (or water soluble) fabric pens is that the ink will set if exposed to intense heat, like an iron. I've been getting back to my roots and doing a lot more garment sewing and I was finding that I would be working at a speed where I would need / want to do some pressing on my projects before the ink would completely vanish. I tried using water to speed up the removal process, but even that wasn't working for me, so I started using straight pins as markers.

Straight pins are a great, cheap and easy way to mark your pattern pieces without leaving a trace behind on your fabric. Now, when I'm cutting out a pattern piece I use straight pins to "transfer" pattern markings rather than cutting into the seam allowance. It doesn't disrupt the integrity of the fabric and they don't disappear if I have to step away from a project longer than a ink marking might remain - although I do have to take care to make sure the pins are anchored deep enough so they don't fall out.

Also, when making pleats or darts it's so much easier to match up your lines using straight pins than ink marks on fabric. Recently when I was making a pleat I simply measured the required 2" from the seam and placed my straight pin in the fabric, flush with the edge of my measuring tape.

After I made my marks I used the head of the pins as my guide and matched them up, removing one of the pins and then sliding it through both layers of fabric to secure my pleat mark. Then walla! I was ready to stitch my pleat seam parallel to my straight pin marker.

When making a dart I use a similar method. I mark the top edges of my dart with straight pins and bring them together, joining the marks. Then I measure down, as far as I want the dart to go down the edge of the fabric and use another bin to mark the point of the dart.

Start sewing in a diagonal between the two pins and there you go - a perfect dart without inking or chalking the fabric. Seriously, straight pins are my new favorite way to mark fabric. I think they're one of the most underrated, yet important tools in any sewing kit. How do you mark your fabric? What's your favorite method?

Hope this helps! Do you have a Tip, Tool or Technique that you'd like to share? Email me and I'll set you up to do a guest post on an upcoming Triple "T" Tuesday. See you next month!

Failure Is Okay

2012-01-09T15:08:00.000-08:00

This is a story of failure. And failure is okay. It happens. It's an inevitable part of life. But, especially in my crafty life, I prefer to be a "glass is half full" kind of gal. About a year ago I decided to participate in a round robin for charity hosted by the amazing Julie (Jewel) of the Intrepid Thread. (On a side note, if you haven't seen her online fabric shop you really need to check it out. She always has the most amazing fabrics available!) I had never been in a round robin before, nor had I really ever heard of one before this so I was excited to try it out.

The plan was simple. Each participant would create a quilt center and then send it to the next person on the list, along with some fabric. That person would add to the quilt center and send it to the next person until it was returned to me. We were supposed to have the completed quilt tops in May for us to finish and the plan was to donate the completed quilts to Quilt Hope In. They would sell the quilts on their Etsy site and the proceeds were to be donated to Haiti relief efforts. Unfortunately it didn't work out that way.

Somewhere a long the way people dropped the ball. It happens. That's life. And I honestly don't harbor any ill will against anyone. I had completely written this quilt off until a package arrived at my doorstep on Saturday. Julie had managed to track down my quilt center and was even so kind enough as to add her round to it. She was so sweet and apologetic (unnecessarily so since none of this was her fault) and included some amazing Ty Pennington fabric for me. I know that this project has caused her a lot of stress and I feel so badly for her trying to track down missing persons in places unknown. Her heart was in the right place, organizing this round robin, and the problems we encountered were not her fault. What just adds more salt to the wound; I don't think she was able to recover her own quilt in this mess. Since I was never expecting to see this project again, it was actually a welcome surprise that made me smile. See - glass half full. My only regret from the experience is that I believe Julie has been soured on round robins, and that's a shame, because she's very talented and I would love to work with her again. Hopefully we can find another project in the future to collaborate on together.

What's the moral of the story? You've got to get out there and try new things. Sometimes they succeed and sometimes they end in failure but just let go and enjoy the ride no matter the outcome. I go into every new endeavor, crafty or not, with joy and minimal expectations. Life is too short. Shit happens and even if I never received my quilt top back at least I learned some stuff from this experience. But since I have it back in my possession I think I'm still going to finish the quilt and donate it, so I am sure you will see this quilt again in the future.

2011 Finishes

2012-01-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

As the first week of 2012 is coming to an end I thought I would hop onto the 2011 Finishes bandwagon before bringing myself into the new year. When I started thinking about all my finishes last year t struck me that I didn't have many quilts in that category. As I started looking through my photos I realized that there were a couple more than I realized but it was a light quilting year for me - although I do have several quilt tops from 2011 in the cue to finish this year. Swaps aside, since much of my sewing this year was swap related, as I've already showed you, I did venture into doing a few commission pieces this year for the first time. And as usual, all of my non-swap finishes were gifts for others, but at least one of those resides in my own home since it was a gift for my wonderful and amazing husband.

(Nancy's Quilt, Booties for Ryan, Habitat Challenge, Laundry Bag for Roxana, PJs for Arden, Diaper Bag for Kerry, Ivy's Quilt, Baby Wrap for Sawyer, Marc's Quilt, Hat for Jude, Quatreflowers Quilt, Dress for Arden, Changing Pad for Ryan, Bed Skirt for Arden, Echino Pillow, Pjs for Hadley)

So 2011 was a more productive year that I thought when reflecting back in my own brain. And while the end of the year my sewing came (almost) to a screeching halt due to work, I'm anticipating that 2012 will be even better than the last. Here's to a creative and productive New Year!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-05T04:25:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year everyone! I know I am a little late with the New Year wishes but as soon as the wonderful and amazing husband and I returned from our end of the year road trip I slipped immediately back into work hell. (Yes, I realize I am posting this at 4:45 AM, but don't worry. It's not because I woke up early this morning - it's because I haven't left the office yet.) But there is a light at the end of the tunnel. This project is almost finished and then I can get back to focusing on the things I really care about, Marc, friends, travel and sewing.

This year we only had a week, so our road trip was short. We spent a couple days at my parent's house in northern California and then drove home down the coast with stopovers in San Francisco and Big Sur.

Not bad, eh? And for the first time in a few years we were actually home for New Year's Eve so we celebrated with friends. Unfortunately, the close of 2011 left me with several UFOs on my plate and I haven't sewed a stitch in the past two weeks but I'm choosing to look at the bright side - that's just a few more projects that I'm going to complete in 2012. Hope you all had wonderful holidays and a glorious new year!

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to pop by and wish everyone very Happy Holidays - whatever you're celebrating this time of year. The wonderful and amazing husband and I are hitting the road tonight after I get off work and we won't be back until New Years so things will be quiet around here. *See* you all in 2012!

Munki Munki In Da House!

2011-12-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

I have been lusting after Munki Munki since the first time I discovered Heather Ross' whimsical style, but I've never been able to get my hands on any of it. Not even a scrap. Yes, I could have spent $88 to get a pair of these pajamas but that seemed insane since I would just cut them up and turn them into fabric. But I lucked out at the recent Heather Ross Studio Sale. Unfortunately I didn't get there in time to snatch up a scrap bag of fabric BUT I did score on two deeply discounted sets of PJs and they finally arrived so now I have some Munki Munki of my own!

I have been in love with the goldfish forever. Seriously, they're my favorite. I am always swooning over them when I see them popping up in projects all over the place. And although I don't wear pajamas to bed - I'm usually just in a t-shirt and maybe some old sweats - I bought them for me to wear, just a little before I cut them up, because they make me so happy!

Then I got the sock monkeys in the largest size possible so I have plenty to spare, trade, use... whatever. I thought they were so cute and I am sure they will start popping up in gifts for my nieces and (soon-to-arrive) nephew.

I know I'm not usually the whimsical type but these just make me smile. I mean, how can you not? Right?

Looks Like We Made It!

2011-12-20T09:38:00.000-08:00

It's the first night of Chanukah so if you celebrate hope you enjoy gathering around the menorah with your family tonight and lighting the first candle.

We will be a little delayed with lighting our because it's also our first wedding anniversary. Wow! I can't believe we made it a year. Everyone says the first year is the hardest and we've had our ups and downs - thanks to my crazy job, but I am lucky to be married to a very patient and kind man who puts up with all of my insanity. I love you baby!

A Year of Swaps

2011-12-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

I just realized in all the craziness of the past few months I never got around to showing you all the beautiful pillow I received from Brittnay in the last round of the Pillow Talk Swap. She used gorgeous fabrics to create this stunning pillow for me and even included some extra fabric in the package. I'm such a lucky girl!

It got me thinking about all the amazing swaps I've participated in this year. And then I started counting... Ten. Yes. I participated in TEN swaps in 2011. Talk about crazy. Even before I reached that count I vowed to slow down in 2012 and I hold firm with that, but I don't regret any of the swaps from the past year. I love every single one of them. So I thought an end of the year recap was in order. First off check out all of the amazing swap packages I received this year...

There are so many talented people out there! To start off the year I received this wonderful apron and a matching towel from Megan. That towel (along with one I received from Darci the year before) lives on my oven and gets constant use. Then Shruti made me a very colorful sewing apron and a mini quilt that came all the way from India. Next I received a fabulous sewing machine cover for my Janome from Mary. Then, lucky me, all the way from Australia, Bek sent me these awesome linen and Echino placemats and coasters that grace our table every night. Back on the homefront I received another amazing sewing machine cover from Nichole. This one lives on my Baby Lock. Eventually, I got into the Pillow Talk Swap and received this cute Central Park inspired pillow from Safieh. And the gifts kept coming in the shape of a table runner from Kristy followed by linen napkins to match my placemats from Amber. Then a bath mat and embroidered wall hanging from Marie. Then the amazing pillow from Brittany to round out the year. Thank you to all of my amazing secret partners. I am constantly in awe of your talents!

And I was busy too! I made Sarah some Echino and linen placemats and napkins that made her "Spart!" Then I sent Wendi a pincushion and tread catcher with some nesting bags. For Meghan I made a cathedral window pillow and a DSLR camera strap our of some of her favorite fabrics. Karie received a circle table runner and come matching coasters. I made Missy the Soul Crushing table runner. And Wendy got a hexie and linen table runner with a matching dish towel. I was so excited when I got to make Darci the hexie pillow she had me in a swap in 2010 and it was fun to repay the favor. Dorte was obsessed with bags so I made one for her and filled it with goodies. Then I made a sewing machine cover for Leanne and I was Charlotte's angel and made her a floor cushion using her favorite Kona Orange. Finally, Cate received a lime and aqua pillow in my last swap of the year. It's been a very productive year I think.

Echo Winners

2011-12-16T17:01:00.000-08:00

Wow! I am overwhelmed by the number of comments on my two giveaways this week. I think I underestimated the love for Lotta out there. I mean, I knew Echo was a popular line but I didn't know it was that popular! Thank you to everyone who stopped by and participated. I tried to respond to every comment but there were well over 1000 comments between both giveaways so I hardly made a dent. But I did read each and every one of them and I am going to try and continue to respond because I want to sincerely thank everyone who came by my little blog. I can't promise that I'll get to them all but I am really going to try. So you wanna find out who the lucky winners are?

The winner of the Blog Hop Party Giveaway is...

And the winner of the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway is...

Congratulations Sallie and Beth! Shoot me your mailing addresses and I'll get your fabric out to you right away.

And don't forget to watch my show tonight on Lifetime, Starving Secrets with Tracey Gold. A new episode airs tonight at 11 PM Eastern / 10 PM Central.

November Bee Blocks

2011-12-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

I am so excited! My Echo packages are starting to arrive at my Sewn Together member's doorsteps. I can't wait to see these blocks come together. If you want some Echo of your own you can check out my Blog Hop Party post here or my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day post here.

I did send off my November Blocks recently to their destinations. First of all in the Sewn Together Bee, Rick asked us for some Drunk Love inspired blocks. He sent us two prints to use as the center focal points in our blocks and then some batiks and black and white prints as well. He didn't care about size and said we could send squares or rectangles. And if you know anything about me I get excited about having this kind of freedom.

I love to improv piece! And I decided to make my first block a square but I really loved this small piece of green batik that he included in my package so I wanted to highlight it and build around it.

Since Rick gave us some freedom, I made a rectangle for my second block. And, although I am not a big fan of batiks, I really loved this one particular green batik and I wanted to showcase it in the second block, so I left it intentionally large.

I know I'm repeating myself but one of the things I really love about participating in bees is getting to step out of the box and play with fabrics and blocks that I usually wouldn't.

Then, for the Hope Circle, Rachel asked us to make two Ft. Macon blocks from a super easy tutorial she wrote. You can check out her great tutorial and the inspiration for these blocks here.

Rachel wanted out blocks to be in purple and blue so I pulled some fabrics from my stash and came up with these...

I can't wait to see both of these projects come together. These were fun and easy blocks to make. December is my month in both bees, so I can breathe a little easy for a moment.

Giveaway Day

2011-12-12T09:57:00.000-08:00

**GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED**

Well, it seems like a lot of you have fallen for Lotta Jansdotter's Echo line just as much as I have. And if you didn't already know, it happens to be Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day! To celebrate I'm going to give away one more Echo Fat Quarter set. How does that sound?

So you want to know how you can win? It's easy. There are two ways to win.

1) Leave me a comment. Any comment will do.

2) And as a thank you to my loyal followers, if you're a follower you can leave me another comment for a second entry.

It's that easy. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you are a "No Reply" Blogger. The giveaway is open until December 17th. As always, international entries are welcome. Good luck and check out the other fabulous blogs participating in Giveaway Day!

**GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED**

Blog Hop Party Giveaway

2011-12-09T10:22:00.000-08:00

**GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED**

Who's ready to win some fabric? It's Quilting Gallery's 4th Birthday and they're hosting a Blog Hop Party full of exciting giveaways and I am happy to be participating. And I'm not the only one. There are over 250 bloggers participating so be sure to hop on over and see what other goodies you can win.

Since there was such a good response to the fabrics I pulled for my Sewn Together blocks I thought it was only appropriate to give away some of this amazing line. So how would you like to win a Fat Quarter stack from Lotte Jansdotter's new line Echo? You know you would, right?

So you want to know how you can win? It's easy. There are two ways to win.

1) Leave me a comment. Any comment will do.

2) If you're a follower you can leave me another comment for a second entry.

Oh... And don't forget to watch my show tonight on Lifetime, Starving Secrets with Tracey Gold. We actually saved some lives with this one. A new episode airs tonight at 11 PM Eastern / 10 PM Central.

**GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED**

Sewn Together December Packages

2011-12-06T11:38:00.000-08:00

This month is my month in both Bees that I host. I usually don't care which month I have in a Bee so I take whatever is left over, and most people didn't want December this year. I want to thank my fellow Sewn Together Bee members in advance for taking on the challenge I am posing to them this month. I'm asking everybody to make me a Lone Star Block. Since this block can be challenging I am only asking for one from each person. And I'm also giving them longer than just this month to return them to me, since I know December is a crazy month for most people.

I recently fell in love with the Lone Star Block, which surprised me. It's super traditional, which usually isn't my thing at all. But I've seen a couple really cool modern ones lurking out there lately and they were breathtaking. Then I happened upon this tutorial that spelled out the process really well, including a separate tutorial for Y Seams, so I thought I'd get everybody, including myself, to stretch their sewing muscles.

Choosing the fabrics was the hard part for this project. I have decided that this is going to be a quilt just for me. Not for a friend. Not for a charity. For me. I've never done that before. Awhile back I saw Lotta Jandotter's Echo line and it was love at first sight, so when I saw that Lauren had it in stock at Sew Modern, I ran over to pick some up and somehow it became the inspiration for this entire quilt.

I had no intention of making this quilt all from one fabric line, but when I was staring at all the yummy bolts of Echo up close I just swooned. I chose 4 different prints from the line and added some Kona Sage to the star fabrics. I was looking at solids for the background fabric and was choosing between a couple different shades of gray when I overheard Lauren talking about the Kaffe Fassett shot cottons that she had in stock. I adore these but never bought any for my stash because I wasn't sure where I would use them. Then the lightbulb went off! And I found the most gorgeous shot cotton - the perfect blend of turquoise and orange - to use as the backing fabric for these blocks.

I am really so excited to see how these blocks turn out. And I want to thank my fellow Sewn Together members in advance on helping me with this one. You guys rock!

Big Time Retail Therapy

2011-12-05T14:41:00.000-08:00

I know that my posting around here continues to be sporadic and I don't see that changing until well into the new year, unfortunately. My job has been soul crushing as of late and I still have a couple more months of insanity ahead of me. Sadly, that means that I haven't been able to relieve my stress much with my sewing machine and I miss it. My sewing life has come to a screeching halt. Check out the sad little assembly line of diaper bags that I have going on in my dining room...

They're all cut, pressed and ready for sewing but they've been driving my wonderful and amazing husband crazy just sitting on our barstools, untouched for weeks. I can't blame him. So what does a girl consistently working until 2 AM do to help keep the creative juices flowing? Shop for fabric, of course!

I took full advantage of some of the Black Friday sales and scooped up a ton of fabric. Literally, if I weighed it all I think it would be a ton! Some of it was stash building but a lot of it has a purpose.

I am attempting to make my nieces dresses as a gift for the holidays. I picked up the super cute Kyoto pattern during a liquidation sale and I spent some time over Thanksgiving picking out just the right fabrics for each. I'm planning to make the same dress for both of them, just using different fabrics. Rilyn's is going to be green. I'm using the Urban Circus Giraffe print on the skirt and the floral green for the top. Then the cranberry Heirloom fabric will be the obi.

When I spotted the Pernillas Journey elephant print I knew that had to be Emerson's skirt. The yellow Heirloom print will be the top and the grey Silent Cinema print will be her obi.

I also picked up a couple patterns for myself. I know there is no way I'm going to get around to making anything for me until at least February but the patterns were on sale and so were the fabrics. Eventually I will make the Liverpool shirt for me. I just can't decide which fabric to use. What do you think? Heather Bailey or Jay McCarroll?

The rest are intended for the stash, although on a few prints I did order multiple yardage because I really want to use them to make myself some new dresses. I really want to get back to a little garment sewing in the new year. So I'm going to suspend Triple 'T' Tuesdays an the Little Stitches Sew-Along until 2012. I promise they'll come back. But I want them to come back when I can focus on making them regular and consistent postings. But I promise I'm not disappearing entirely until then. I'll be around. I think I'd go a little insane without my blog and all my sewing friends out there.

FTLOS Redux

2011-11-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

My husband often complains that I am too nice. I like to make people happy, even complete strangers when I can, so when I heard the call go out for Angels in the FTLOS Swap I answered, despite my insane schedule. Megan paired me up with Charlotte since her partner went AWOL somewhere along the way. And for a moment I thought the pressure of turning around a spectacular and desired swap package in a short amount of time might prove too much for me. But I approached her as I would any other partner in any other swap - except this time I didn't post teaser pictures.

Charlotte had a couple things on her wish list, but the one that stood out to me the most was a floor cushion. I have never made anything like this before but it seemed like the thing she wanted the most so I decided to try it.

Her favorite solid is Kona Orange so I ran over to my favorite LQS, Sew Modern, and picked up some Kona Orange along with some coordinating shades of orange and neutral solids and threw in some Robin Egg Blue for a pop of color.

I decided that paper piecing was the way to go with this one and I started by drafting two circle patterns in the size I wanted. Then I traced out the pie slices so that all the points met in the middle and cut the circles into four pieces. I did make one stupid mistake, though... In my haste (but if I'm being honest it's actually due to my aversion to math) I forgot to account for the 1/4" seam in each of my quadrants so my points didn't end up as perfect as I imagined.

I added a zipper along the side for easy stuffing. And since I was custom making this round floor pillow without a form, and I was shipping her overseas, I couldn't send her stuffed but I thought the zipper would be the perfect way for Charlotte to be able to stuff it herself. I used crumpled pages from a magazine to simulate the stuffing for my photos, so it really won't be that lumpy in reality.

I also tried making my own fabric covered buttons for the very first time and, let me tell you, I am in love! They were so incredibly easy. I see many more of these in my future.

Since I wanted to treat Charlotte as I would any other swap partner, I added some extras to the package including some fabric and sewing tools I hope she could use. Thankfully my package made it safely across the pond to Charlotte. And I discovered later that this was her first swap experience, so I hope that it doesn't sour her thoughts on online swapping. I really had a blasy making this for her. It got me out of my comfort zone and I learned a lot. If you envision it, you can create it. Enjoy Charlotte!

Triple 'T' Tuesdays: The Mighty Iron

2011-11-15T14:33:00.000-08:00

Welcome back to Triple "T" Tuesdays. Today I'd like to share with you one of my favorite sewing tools. Oh the mighty iron! How I do love thee. I know for many the iron is a polarizing tool. You either love it or you hate it, but either way it is a necessary evil. I am one of those sewers who falls into the first category. I love my iron! Seriously. I know I'm a freak. And just because I love my iron doesn't mean that we don't get into the occasional fight, but the majority of the time I see her as one of the most valuable tools in my arsenal. And I know this makes me a Major Dork, but I squealed with delight when I came home late last night to find that my husband had bought me an amazing gift yesterday...

Unfortunately my old Black and Decker was on it's last legs. She was constantly clogging up and wouldn't always steam properly, despite my thorough cleanings. And She recently got dropped (more than once) and was starting to come a part at the seams.

She was a trusty old girl. A gift from my sister one holiday season years ago. And I am sad to put her out to pasture but it was time for an upgrade. But just look at my upgrade! I can't wait to put that precision tip and power burst of steam to the test! I am giddy like a little girl!

My love affaire with the iron likely started as a teenager. I used to pick up odd jobs around the neighborhood to try and make some cash and one of my clients used to have me iron her husband's shirts. She hated doing it. I didn't mind and I needed the money. Ironing was never one of the chores that bothered me. Perhaps it's because I first learned to iron as a function of garment construction and not as a daily chore like most people.

Now that I have added quilting to my crafting resume I think I have developed an even deeper love of this powerful tool. I have my ironing board and iron up, out and at the ready always. And my iron is just an arms distance from my sewing machine so all I need to do it turn around and it's there. An iron will help you achieve a more precise seam. It can help you make that wonky Dresden lie flat. And it can ease even the most wrinkly fabric back into submission.

For all sewers, and especially quilters, an iron is a necessary tool. Respect her and she will do you wonders. Remember to clean your iron regularly and don't leave water in the reservoir while in storage or the water could leak. After a few days with this pretty little lady I'll let you know how she's working out because I know there are a lot of choices out there.

Do you have a great Tip, Tool or Technique that you'd like to share? Email me and I'll set you up to do a guest post on an upcoming edition of Triple "T" Tuesdays.

Habitat Challenge Reveal

2011-11-14T13:52:00.000-08:00

Last week we had our monthly LAMQG meeting and I was finally able to make it. The past couple months I've been absent because of work, but my friend Jay McCarroll was calling in via Skype on this one and I didn't want to miss it. It was also the chance for us all to reveal our finishes in the Habitat Challenge. This one tested my boundaries. I love Jay's Habitat line but using several of his prints all at the same time was a stretch for me creatively. I thought a lot about what I wanted to make for this challenge a lot before I dove into the project. Our guild had very simple ruled for this challenge:

1) We have to make something quilted, since we are a quilting guild.

2) We can add as many fabrics from the Habitat line as we like but the only other fabrics we're allowed to add are solids.

I decided that I wanted to make a pillow for the challenge for a couple of reasons. The main one being my schedule has been so out of control lately I didn't think that I would have the time to make a quilt and a pillow seemed the perfect thing. I focused on the fabrics a lot before I started cutting. I wanted to let the fabrics speak to me since they're very bold and have a definite voice. Honestly they're very much like their creator, Jay. Those are two of the things I admire very much about him. He's so super talented and honest and hes' not afraid to speak his mind.

I started thinking about curves as I looked at the fabric. And while I did do a little sketching, this was mostly improv pieced and I didn't know what the end result would look like when I started. It was a bit like jumping off the deep end. It wasn't until I started quilting that I allowed myself this kind of freedom with sewing. Usually I use patterns when I construct garments. Quilting has really pushed me to grow as a sewer. Even now I approach patterns in a different way and I'm not so handcuffed any more.

I didn't intend the piece to turn out as literal as it did. I started by using crisp, straight lines on the bottom and then the top was all curved piecing because I wanted it to have a different flow.

I did straight line quilting using Gutterman variegated yellow 100% cotton thread. I wanted it to feel like a starburst. Then I machine appliqued the circle over the top of the quilting. This wasn't to hide my points - actually they were almost perfect - instead it was deliberate and I wanted to break up the quilting with some "negative quilting" for lack of a better word.

I used Kona Ash on the back and laid in a zipper enclosure. At first I wasn't so sure about the finished product and all of the prints playing off each other the way they do. I even sent pictures to Natalie to get her feedback because I value her aesthetic and I wanted to make sure it wasn't ugly. It worked for me but it's definitely busy. In the end she convinced me to go with my gut.

It was definitely nerve-wracking to show it off to our entire guild and to Jay. There were so many absolutely amazing projects made by the incredibly talented members of our guild. But even more fear inducing was having Jay call me out in the middle of the meeting to chat with him while the votes were being tallied. Don't get me wrong, it was wonderful to talk to him. It had been way too long since we last caught up properly and even longer since I've seen him, but it put a spotlight on me that I'm not used to. But it was so good too. I miss him to pieces. He's such an amazing guy! If you get a chance to work with some Habitat you really should! I am actually adding a little more to my stash. I think I see a Habitat dress in my near future.

Catching Up on Bee Blocks

2011-11-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

You can tell that it's been another crazy week for me around here because I haven't been able to post anything. Despite that I have been stealing moments here and there to sew. Recently, I sent out bee blocks for October. In the Hope Circle of the do. Good Stitches Bee Kat asked us to make Bento Box Blocks using greens, blues, browns and blacks. My first attempt at my Blue Block proves that you shouldn't sew to try to cure insomnia.

At least I caught my mistake early and was able to rectify it quickly.

Then, in the Sewn Together Bee, Amber sent us all some fabulous black, white, blue and green fabrics for us to create so string blocks for her. I'm sensing a trend with this color palate right now.

And finally, I sent my dear friend Danielle some PJs for her daughter Hadley. Danielle is among my group of friends who didn't know of my "undercover" sewing obsession until I went public with it recently. She saw the PJs I made for Arden when I posted them on Facebook and immediately asked for some for her youngest in purple. I was more than happy to oblige.

So, despite my silence I have been doing some stitching. And I'm hoping things will return to normal again around her next week.

Little Stitches Week 9 - Pattern C - Bed Skirt

2011-11-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

It's Week 9 of the "Little Stitches" Sew-Along. Okay, so I know that I promised to show you the Comfy Jumper Dress this week, but it's been a busy week for me and I'm not quilt finished with it yet. So I hope you don't mind me showing another finish instead.

Pattern C - Modern Crib Set Bed Skirt - Difficulty Level: 3

Another one for Arden. I'm keeping her well dressed and in style! Ehren and Caroline had a forest theme in mind for her and Caroline helped me find this adorable fabric that almost perfectly matches her bedding.

This one came together so quickly and easily. Really, I had no complaints or mistakes on this one. Even the side panel "pleats" were easy.

I think this pattern is labeled level 3 because of some of the other patterns in the set, but definitely not for the crib skirt. The hardest thing here is just free cutting the fabrics using only measurements and not pattern pieces. And that's not really all that "hard" it just involves math and a ruler.

This was so easy to whip up in no time at all and conforms to standard crib sizes.

So what are you working on? Link up your latest projects here and show everyone what you're making. You can share your projects in any state from start to finish. Remember, you can also show off your "Little Stitches" Sew-Along projects anytime in the Undercover Crafter Sew-Along Group on Flickr. See you next week when I really will show you Pattern E: The Comfy Jumper Dress.

PTS6 Sent!

2011-11-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

My package for Round 6 of the Pillow Talk Swap is out in the mail traveling to it's new home. The pillow isn't exactly my style, but I think I gave my partner everything she asked for - at least I hope I did. I do love the color scheme of the white with lime and aqua. Those colors always work in my book.

Unfortunately after it was finished, I realized that I must have had some Kona Snow lying around with my Kona White because in the sunlight I noticed a couple squares off just a shade. Ugh. And it was too late to start over. I am sorry partner! Hope it's not too noticeable!

I added a zipper enclosure on the back and kept the back plain and simple white as I thought it would match my partner's desired color scheme. And, as always, I included some extras to round out the package... some lime and aqua Kona cotton, thread, pins, a seam ripper, some Pearle cotton embroidery thread and some cute buttons.

I really hope I was able to predict my partner's style and I hope she likes everything. As for me, I am waiting, anxiously, for my pillow to arrive. Which one will it be? I'm in love with so many of the creations I've seen in the Flickr group.

And I hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween! It's one of my favorite holidays and this year we celebrated in Phoenix for a friend's 40th Birthday. For anyone who hasn't seen the new series "American Horror Story" on FX you should set your DVR! It's our new favorite show. It's so creepy! And my costume will make a lot more sense.

Easy Zipper Tutorial

2011-11-01T14:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Triple "T" Tuesdays. Today I wanted to share with you a simple technique for adding a zipper to your projects.

I hear from a lot of quilters that zippers are intimidating. But I don't think they should be. I started as a garment sewer so zippers quickly became second nature, and they don't have to invoke fear in the hearts of quilters. Last night, I was putting the finishing touches on a couple pillows and I decided that I wanted to add zipper closures to both, since they add a more fitted quality to your pillows. And I decided I would create my first tutorial in the process.

Step 1: Since this was for a pillow backing I cut the fabric where I wanted the zipper closure, so I had two pieces of fabric of the same length.

Step 2: Place your two pieces of fabric, right sides together, matching up the long side where you want to insert the zipper. Using a zipper slightly shorter than your fabrics line, center it and note where the head of the zipper begins and zipper ends. I'm not talking about the fabric head and tail on the zipper but the actual zipper itself. Mark these points on your fabric using straight pins. (Mark these points with chalk or a pin for future reference - See Step 5.)

Step 3: Starting at one end of the fabric, sew a 1/2" seam (backstitching at each end) to the first pin. Then adjust your stitch length all the way to the longest stitch and continue your 1/2" seam using the basting stitch all the way to the other pin. Once you reach the other pin, revert your stitch length back to normal and finish out your 1/2" seam (backstitching at each end). **I know most quilters are used to working with 1/4" seams but it's very important to create a 1/2" seam when inserting a zipper for security. If your seam is too narrow you risk not stitching your zipper into your seam properly AND the zipper might not hold up as well over time with all the stress put on this seam.**

Step 4: Press your seam open. It's important to press your seam open and not to the side because this is where you are going to attach each side of the zipper.

Step 5: With your fabric Right Side Down, place the head of your zipper at the point you marked in Step 2. Your zipper should be Right Side Down against the Wrong Side of the fabric. Pin the head of the zipper in place, taking care to ensure that the zipper sides are over the fold in your seam.

Step 6: Carefully align the center of your zipper flush with the center of your seam, pinning occasionally as you go.

Step 7: Attach your machine's Zipper Foot.

Step 8: Starting at one end, backstitch to secure then stitch all the way down one side of your zipper. I use the middle of my zipper foot as a guideline. Take care as you stitch around the zipper head, this is where most stitching errors occur. Make sure you have enough room to get your foot around the head of the zipper, but you are still stitching all the way through the zipper fabric and your seam.

Step 9: Stop stitching just below the metal tail of your zipper. Do Not Backstitch. Instead, drop your needle and pivot, making a 90 degree turn. Continue stitching to the other side of the zipper. Again, drop your needle and pivot then continue your stitching all the way back up the other side of your zipper. Backstitch at the other end.

Step 10: Using your seam ripper, carefully cut your basting stitches. Don't rush. It's easy to clip more than just the basting stitches, or even worse, rip through your zipper or fabric if you're not paying attention.

Step 11: Pick out your loose threads and you're done. It's that easy! You're ready to take your zipper for a test drive.

Hope this helps! Do you have a great Tip, Tool or Technique that you'd like to share? Email me and I'll set you up to do a guest post on an upcoming edition of Triple "T" Tuesdays.

FTLOS Received

2011-10-31T10:48:00.000-07:00

Still playing catch up over here. And I am sorry it's taken me so long to show off this one! I participated in the For the Love of Solids Swap on Flickr and I got a wonderful package from Marie.

She made me the most gorgeous bath mat. I could just have easily gone in the kitchen...

...but I thought it fit our bathroom perfectly! She used yummy cream linen and improv pieced circles in gorgeous blues, greens, greys and yellows.

She even found this awesome rubber coated fabric for the backing so it's not slippery. Genius!

And she included the sweetest hand stitched canvas that I adore. It's the perfect addition to my sewing studio.

Marie, thank you so much! I really love everything you sent to me. It was a gorgeous package and you really got my style. You're the best!

Bloggers Quilt Festival Fall 2011

2011-10-28T07:50:00.000-07:00

This is my third time participating in Amy's amazing Blogger's Quilt Festival. I am always inspired by this event, seeing so many amazing quilts and being introduced to an incredibly talented bunch of fellow quilters. As always, thanks to Amy for hosting the 2011 Fall Bloggers Quilt Festival.

If you are a regular reader of my blog you will recognize my entry into the festival: Ivy's Quilt. Forgive me for showing her again, but she's really my favorite finish to date. My wonderful and amazing husband implored me to make a quilt for Joel, his roommate from law school and subsequently one of his best friends, and his wife Sarah who were expecting their second daughter. I was flummoxed at first. I admire Sarah for her grace, poise and style so I knew that I wanted to create something that reflected the amazing qualities she embodies.

On a recent journey to Sew Modern, my favorite LQS, I had picked out fabrics for a swap partner and, of course, came home with extra yardage. Looking at the stack I realized that these fabrics had the elegance I wanted to encapsulate in the quilt.

From top to bottom: Bazaar Style "Gems in Terra" by Patricia Bravo, Bazaar Style "Mosaic in Cream" by Patricia Bravo, Kumari Garden "Stone Tara" By Dena Designs, Mod "House Genie in Lilac" by Annette Tatum, Parisville "French Lace in Sky" by Tula Pink, Bazaar Style "Belly Dancer in Sand" by Patricia Bravo, Central Park "Plaza Trefoil" by Kate Spain & Central Park "Floral Carousel" by Kate Spain.

It was so romantic, and yummy. Seriously I was in love with this stack. I decided I wanted to keep things simple and showcase, not only the fabrics but the way they played off each other so well. I started to cut strips and made a simple, yet elegant, log cabin of sorts.

The quilt actually came together very quickly. I was on a deadline, but the pattern was also simple and I pieced and quilted the entire thing in a weekend. I decided to use swatches of the leftover fabrics to piece the back as well and I made a scrappy binding to match.

I did simple, straight-line quilting and stitched in the ditch so the thread wouldn't overpower the fabric but the quilt would still have a comfy crinkle to it. I also liked the simple rectangle pattern it created on the back.

After it was completed and sent off to it's new home I missed this quilt. These fabrics are so special and I fell in love with this quilt so I ended up running back to Sew Modern to buy up more yardage of each. And the ones they no longer had in stock I found online. These fabrics still sit in my studio in a simple stack, just quietly apart from the rest of my stash. One day, hopefully soon, I intend to make an adult-sized version of Ivy's quilt for myself. And that quilt will be all for me. But until that day comes I look at that expectant stack and smile. It makes me happy.

Little Stitches Week 8 - Pattern A - Snuggy Baby Wrap

2011-10-27T11:19:00.000-07:00

It's Week 8 of the "Little Stitches" Sew-Along. This week I'm sharing the Snuggy Baby Wrap that I made for Karinabelly - a nickname that started when she was pregnant with her first baby.

Pattern A - Snuggy Baby Wrap - Difficulty Level: 2

Karina is another one my my oldest and dearest friends. I've known her as long as I've known Caroline and Ehren who welcomed little Arden into the world in July. All of us travelled together for a year in Up With People way too many years ago, now. I don't remember exactly how we met but all I know is that she is one of my closest friends from that year. I even spent a night at her parent's house in Germany on our semester break and I've been close with her entire family ever since. Not only am I lucky enough to still have Karina as a close friend in my life, I also have the luxury of living near her. She's been living in the Los Angeles area for many years now.

After having two gorgeous little girls, Karina and her husband Jeff welcomed a little boy (Sawyer) into their tribe just last week and he is a cutie. A few weeks before he was born, several of us gathered together to celebrate her with a shower. She had requested no clothes, and had much of the baby equipment she needed since this is her third, so I knew the snuggy wrap would be the perfect gift for Sawyer. And I wanted it to be extra snuggly so I opted to use flannel over the required cotton.

I cannot stress enough the importance of reading, re-reading and sometimes re-reading a third time the pattern instructions. My biggest frustration across the board is that occasionally the pattern instructions in the book are a little difficult to decipher at times. I swear I read and re-read the instructions for attaching the lining strips to the main fabric but I got super confused and ended up laying them out incorrectly. Thankfully, after a frantic email to Caitlin, I realized the error of my ways. Caitlin was really my saving grace. She quickly explained what I was doing wrong and then I re-read the instructions a final time and embarrassingly discovered that I had mis-read them all along. Thank you Caitlin! You saved me on this one!

My mistake was that I was initially trying to line the strips directly up against the edge of the main fabric NOT the required distance FROM the edge of the fabric. Yeah, as soon as I figured that one out it all came together in a snap!

I did make one other, rather large mistake that was unforgiveable. Thankfully not SO unforgivable that I couldn't "pretend" it was intentional. Thank god it was for a boy and it was a frog theme otherwise I would have had to scrap the project altogether and start over. That's what I get for trying the whip this entire project up in the two hours I had before I intended to give it to Karina. Let this be a lesson to you all... Don't Rush and Sew!

Yeah... that plate was supposed to be put down the opposite way to make the hood correctly. And as a result the frog has eyes! At least that's what I'm calling them. And if I had more time I would have run to the nearest craft store and bought googly eyes to attach to the little peaks I created in the hood. Thankfully, Karina loved it anyway!

Finally, in my sprint to the finish, I decided to follow Caitlin's lead and attach the strap by sewing it on. Honestly, it was because I couldn't find my buttonhole foot and I was running out of time. But I did also like the way Caitlin's turned out. And I also decided to make the inside the outside which worked because I was using flannel instead of cotton.

This project was so super simple and quick, really. If it weren't for my rookie mistakes and trying to rush through it I wouldn't have had any issues at all. I am planning to make more of these for my friends since it's such a fast and easy project to whip up in a pinch. Not to mention it's super cute too!

So what are you working on? Link up your latest projects here and show everyone what you're making. You can share your projects in any state from start to finish. Remember, you can also show off your "Little Stitches" Sew-Along projects anytime in the Undercover Crafter Sew-Along Group on Flickr. See you next week when I'll show you my latest finish, Pattern E: The Comfy Jumper Dress.

PTS6 and Habitat Progress

2011-10-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

Last night I unexpectedly had the house to myself for the evening. I actually left the office at a decent hour and my wonderful and amazing husband was detained at a business dinner much longer than expected so I made some major progress on my PTS6 pillow and my Habitat challenge project.

Over the weekend I was able to piece all the little stars for my PTS6 project. So last night I pieced the larger, center star, played with the layout and pieced the whole top together. So I swapped my 1/4" foot for my walking foot and went to work on quilting it. Initially I was going to alternate aqua and lime thread in the quilting but once I got started I opted for the "less-is-more" approach and kept it simple with basic aqua echo quilting around the stars.

The LAMQG is also revealing out Habitat Challenge projects at our November meeting. The rules are simple. We have to make a quilted item using any of Jay's fabrics from the Habitat line and the only fabrics we're allowed to otherwise add are solids.

It's all quilted. I just need to finish it off now. I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone with this one! The big reveal will be coming in November.

And for the first time, in what seems like months I'm linking up with Lee!

Final A Dozen Quilters Block

2011-10-24T13:25:00.000-07:00

I got way behind in A Dozen Quilters Bee, and sadly September was our last month for that bee. It's for the best I suppose. I have been seriously over committed and my hectic work schedule wasn't making matters any better. Patty was in charge of our final project: a breast cancer awareness quilt. She sent us each some fabrics and asked us to make one block that would finish to 12" in any style we wanted.

I had been wanting to try a block like this for some time and I thought this was a great project for it. I like the linear quality of the block and I knew it would go well with some of the other blocks I saw come in for this project. I can't wait to see the finished product. It's going to be one gorgeous quilt. I loved working on a year of charity project with these 12 ladies. Thank you ladies of A Dozen Quilters!

Bottled Rainbows for April

2011-10-21T09:56:00.000-07:00

More catch up my friends... This time it's bee blocks. I was so far behind on my blocks for April in the Sewn Together Bee. Her month was August and truth be told, I didn't send her block out until October. I know! I'm a bad bee mama. April asked each to make one Bottled Rainbow Block made from Rachel's tutorial. She sent out packets in one of two colors, Red or Aqua and I scored an Aqua packet! I love aqua!

I have never tried this block before, nor have I tried the quilt as you go method so I was excited to broaden my horizons on this one. April had sent along a bunch of scraps and I went to my scrap bin to add some of my own. I know that I always love when my fellow bee members add a bit of fabric form their own stash to my blocks when appropriate. I was a little concerned about getting the block to lay flat and puckering a little when I was basting the border. I thought that it might become an issue when I started sewing on the scraps but it wasn't at all.

This block was a little time consuming because I did a lot of fussy cutting to make the scraps "fit" together. But that was my own choice and I was having fun with it. I have always loved puzzles. I used to put them together almost obsessively as a child and I looked at this block as a puzzle where I could manipulate the pieces. Hee hee. I don't have kids, so I don't have a glue stick handy so I ended up using my spray baste instead of the glue stick that Rachel recommended in her tutorial and it worked out just fine.

I really fell in love with this block as I was working on it. It's a lot of fun and a very creative way to use those scraps. I keep even the tiniest of scraps hoping that one day I'll be able to put them to use and this block is a great way to showcase your favorite fabric scraps, no matter how small they may be. And the best part is, my wonderful and amazing husband actually noticed this block and commented how much he liked it so there may be more Bottled Rainbows in my future. Sorry for the delay April, but I hope you like the block as much as I do! Thanks for helping me learn a new block and a new skill.

Little Stitches Week 7 - Pattern M - Cheeky Monkey Laundry Bag

2011-10-20T10:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Week 7 of the "Little Stitches" Sew-Along. This week's project was the Cheeky Monkey Laundry Bag that I whipped up for my very dear friend Nina.

Pattern M - Cheeky Monkey Laundry Bag - Difficulty Level: 3

Nina and I have been close friends for over 15 years. We first met when she transferred to my university and joined our theatre program. During my junior year we did a production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof together (I played "Big Mama" and she played "Mae Pollitt") and we became fast friends. We also lived in the same off-campus apartment complex so we spent many a late night together. After I graduated I moved from Los Angeles to New York City but we remained close, so close in fact that I was able to convince her to move out to NYC once she graduated and we became roommates (and co-workers) until I abandoned her moved to Chicago in 2001. Despite the distance (I now live back in Los Angeles and she, thankfully, moved back to Las Vegas so we're closer) we've remained the best of friends throughout the years. Nina is expecting her first baby next month, so of course I had to make her something and I helped her family throw her baby shower too!

Nina and Jorge have decided to keep the baby's sex a mystery but they're going with a "Jungle" theme for the baby's room, so the Cheeky Monkey Laundry Bag couldn't have been a better choice for her first gift. I decided to go with green polka dot fabric for the bag portion to simulate a tree and keep it gender neutral.

My first, and really only, glitch was working with the Wonderunder I bought for the project. Thankfully I could tell it was going to be a problem right off the bat as I was reading through the directions so I was able to come up with an easy work around.

The directions say to apply the Wonderunder directly to the fabric before cutting out the facial pieces. The problem is that the Wonderunder I was working with didn't have a protective, removable backing (as I can only assume some brands have based on the directions in this pattern) so if I were to apply the Wonderunder at this stage as directed I would have inadvertently applied it to my ironing board cover. Instead I cut out the Wonderunder pieces separately from the corresponding fabric pieces and then applied them to each other later when I got to the stage of fusing those pieces onto the main pattern pieces.

My good machine (my Baby Lock) has been fussy lately. It just means that she's in desperate need for her annual tune up. So, I resorted to using my inexpensive little Janome for this project. The stitches are limited on my Janome and it doesn't do a Satin Stitch so I had to get a little creative with the Zig Zag Stitch. I went around the applique pieces twice to create an intentional "messy" look.

My only gripe with this pattern is the monkey head. The head isn't actually attached to the bag, it's Velcro-ed on. While I think this is for easy removal of the monkey head so you can wash the bag without washing the head, I think it makes the head lie a little wonky when it's actually attached to the bag. Mine doesn't look as good as hers does in the book.

It's a pretty easy project and it comes together quickly, and while I think this project is super-cute, I'm not sure I would make it again, unless I could figure out a way to make the head lay better.

So what are you working on? Link up your latest projects here and show everyone what you're making. You can share your projects in any state from start to finish. Remember, you can also share your "Little Stitches" Sew-Along projects anytime in the Undercover Crafter Sew-Along Group on Flickr. See you next week when I'll show you my latest finish, Pattern A: the Snuggy Baby Wrap.

A Surprise From Rachel

2011-10-19T12:03:00.000-07:00

I received the most amazing surprise in my mailbox last week. As most of you know, I have been leading the Hope Circle of the do. Good Stitches Bee on Flickr for well over a year now. If you haven't heard about do. Good Stitches, it's a charity Bee started by Rachel of Stitched in Color. She started the group back in June of 2010 and since then the bee has grown to 13 circles filled with 5 Quilters and 5 Stitchers. Each circle works together to make one quilt each month to benefit a different children's charity. Well, Rachel decided that she wanted to tank each of the hosts for all we do to facilitate our circles and she surprised each of us by making us these amazing journals.

She individualized each journal to reflect the style of each intended recipient. She stalked me and discovered that my favorite color is green, I love playing with fabric through creating texture and that hand stitching makes me *swoon*. Boy, did she nail my style right on the head!

I mean, seriously, how gorgeous is it? I am totally in love!

She inscribed the front page with a sweet dedication and included some of the newly designed Bee labels so we can use them on future quilts.

Since I am one of the longest-running circle Hosts (Alecia and I started the Faith and Hope circles in September of 2010) Rachel also sent along some yardage of this terrific blue fabric that I am planning to use in a future do. Good Stitches quilt. I don't think it's the right backing for the soon to be completed Red Stripe Quilt but I think I might be able to use it in the next one I design. I mean how incredibly generous is she? Rachel is truly amazing and I am so blessed to be a part of such an amazing group.

If you would like to join in our endeavor you can join the waiting list over on the Flickr group. There are new circles starting up all the time. It's a wonderful group of quilters and a great way to give back to the children in need out there in the world. Thank you Rachel. You're an amazing and talented woman and I am proud to "know" you.

A Great Weekend

2011-10-17T10:57:00.000-07:00

I am always so sad when Monday rolls around and I have to start another work week. I had a great weekend and I didn't want it to end. On Saturday Marc and I stayed around the house all day and then we were lucky enough to meet up with a bunch of our friends at the Hollywood Bowl for the Clinton Foundation concert. It was absolutely amazing and it was streamed live on Yahoo! (and I believe they're replaying it there as well if you want to catch it). It got a little chilly when the sun went down, but I brought Marc's Quilt along with us and was able to snuggle up while Bono and the Edge played an acoustic set.

Then yesterday we ended up at LACMA for the Tim Burton exhibit. I have been a huge Tim Burton fan for years so this was just so cool. He is such an imaginative genius and there were several rooms filled with his sketches, sculptures, short films and costumes from his movies. It was magical. I couldn't leave empty handed so I bought a T-shirt which I thought was appropriate in more ways than one...

And I also started on my pillow for PTS6. I'm going scrappy and small. I think it's going to work. I got everything cut this weekend. Now it's time to sew. Wish me luck that it all comes together as planned.

How was your weekend? Hope you had a good one too!

Pillow Talk Swap 6 Fabric Pulls

2011-10-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend I did a little fabric shopping for the latest round of the Pillow Talk Swap. I had a specific color palate in mind but I thought I might need a few more fabrics to round everything out nicely. I think I have a good handle on my partners color desires and I hope this pile of fabric floats her boat. I am still brain storming the actual design, so I don't know if I am going to go this scrappy or not but I think pulling the fabrics gets me headed in the right direction. What do you think? Anything I should remove from the pile? Should I go scrappy or edit myself down? I don't know where this pile is going to take me, but I hope it's somewhere good!

Little Stitches Week 6 - Pattern E - Bloomers

2011-10-13T07:05:00.000-07:00

The Little Stitches Sew-Along is finally back. Sorry for the unexpected hiatus. This week I'll me showcasing the bloomers I made for Arden to match the Easy Empire-Waist Top.

I used Cloud 9 organic cotton fabric from their "My Happy Nursery" line that is so simple and cute. I mean, who doesn't like polka dots?

These bloomers are super easy to make and come together very quickly. The pattern is straightforward and I don't have many tricks to report, leave one. I would recommend giving an extra 1/8 of an inch in width when you're making all the casings for the elastic (waist and legs). The dimensions in the pattern are spot on and make a super-tight housing for the elastic but there is no margin of error so it can make it difficult to feed your elastic through if you're off even a hair on the shallow side.

These bloomers are so cute and they're the perfect enhancement to many other cute dresses and shirts. Keep this pattern in your baby clothes stable.

So, what are you working on? Link up your latest projects here and show everyone what you've been making. You can share your projects in any state, from start to finish. And remember, you can also share your "Little Stitches" Sew-Along projects, questions and concerns anytime in the Undercover Crafter Sew-Along Group on Flickr. See you next week when I'll be showing you the Cheeky Monkey Laundry Bag (Pattern M) I made for Nina's baby.

MMM Fall Package Catch Up

2011-10-12T08:48:00.000-07:00

I'm playing more catch up. Way back in August I sent off a super secret package to my partner in the MMM swap on Flickr. I didn't want to post the goods until she received them but they had to travel a very long way, across the Atlantic to find their way home. Luckily, everything made it there safe and in one piece but the package arrived during all the craziness so I didn't get a chance to share it with all of you.

I was so lucky to be paired with Dorte. I immediately knew what I wanted to make for her as soon as I saw my pairing. She asked for something she could use for her sewing stuff when she travels and I initially thought about making her a travel sewing kit, but I also saw that she was obsessed with bags so I settled on making her a cool duffle from a pattern I saw in a recent issue of Stitch Magazine. I had been wanting to try this cute pattern for a while. I thought I could add some internal pockets to make it more sewing friendly, but I should have read the pattern all the way through before settling on this pattern. The way it's put together it leaves the raw edges exposed on the inside of the bag and I would have preferred for the lining to be used to hide these edges. And since the external fabric and the lining are put together like a sandwich, I wasn't able to add internal pockets so I added a second pocket on the opposite external side panel.

I also worked hard to track down at least a small piece of every fabric on Dorte's ISO list. The last one I found on Ebay the day before I was supposed to send her package, so her package went out a couple days late, but I don't think she minded. I also filled the bag with some goodies that might be harder to find in Denmark than here, like variegated thread and the latest copy of Stitch Magazine.

I really loved making this and searching out these fabrics for Dorte. Honestly this is one of my favorite swaps on Flickr and I plan on joining in the next round as soon as it's announced.

Triple 'T' Tuesdays: Spray Basting

2011-10-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Triple 'T' Tuesdays. Today I've got a great tool to share with you. It's finally time for me to wax poetic about the joys of spray basting. I used to dread that moment when I had finished piecing a quilt and I knew it was time to start basting. Often, I would set the quilt aside for a day (or longer) procrastinating. Finally, I would muster up enough gumption to lay out my quilt sandwich, dig out my old pickle jar of safety pins and start basting, hoping that our dog, Jack, would stay away long enough for me to finish my work. My fingers would get tired. I would prick myself and start to bleed. I'd worry that I wasn't basting enough but would be to aggravated with the process to baste too much. And then I found this little can of wonder...

Yes, there are a few drawbacks to spray basting your quilts. And I will never fault anyone who refuses to use them, but I love them. Really, the pros outweigh the cons for me. Spray basting take a fraction of the time as traditional pin basting. And I was surprised how well the spray baste actually held up during the quilting process. I was certain that there was no way this adhesive was going to be strong enough to keep the sandwich together as I manipulated my quilt through my machine. But it does! And, while the quilt may be slightly stiffer than with traditional pin basting, it is still completely pliable. And the adhesive rinses right out as soon as you wash your finished quilt, restoring it back to it's original, snuggly quality.

One of the drawbacks of spray basting is the aerosol. Glue particles will end up in places other than on your quilt (i.e. your floor or furniture if you're working too close) especially as you spray toward the edge of the quilt. Initially I laid paper down on my hardwood floors around the edges of the quilt sandwich to minimize contact between the glue and my floors, but I have found that the glue comes up easily enough if I do get it on my floors. I just give them a little rub and the adhesive comes up quickly and clean.

Another complaint I have is that some spray bastes can gum up the needle in your sewing machine. I have found that this depends on which brand you use. Thus far I have tested out two brands - June Tailor and Dritz. The June Tailor is more tacky and I like how sturdy it feels when my quilt sandwich is together BUT I have noticed a residue on my machine needle when using this brand. I switched over to the Dritz brand and while it's not as tacky as the June Tailor it still does the job AND it doesn't gum up your needles.

If you haven't tried spray basting your quilts I would definitely recommend it. And it's not just for full sized quilts. You can use your spray baste on smaller projects and appliques, etc. The uses are unlimited. Spray basting has changed my quilting life and now I can't imagine basting quilts any other way.

Do you have a great Tip, Tool or Technique that you'd like to share? Email me and I'll set you up to do a guest post on an upcoming edition of Triple 'T' Tuesdays.

Boy, I Missed you!

2011-10-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

I'm back! Did you miss me? Well, I miss all of you! The past couple of months has been incredibly stressful, and while I'm not out of the woods by a long shot I had my first weekend off recently and I was finally able to get back to some sewing. Woot! (And I'm not even going to mention how sad I was that I couldn't make it to the Sewing Summit over the weekend. I had it on my calendar, with every intention of going, since it was announced. Alas, as work intensified in August it became quickly evident that I was not going to be able to make it. I did hold on to hope but, regretfully, couldn't go. I hope every one that was lucky enough to get to Salt Lake City had an amazing time. I'll be there next year!)

Since my sewing machines have been on an unexpected hiatus I've gotten dreadfully behind on projects and have a To Do List a mile long. I did make my deadlines on a couple swaps, but I owe some bee blocks from months past. Over the next week I'll be playing a little catch up here and there so bear with me.

I started limiting myself to the number of swaps I'm joining and I've decided that I'm keeping it to the MMM Swap and the Pillow Talk Swap. Occasionally, if something else strikes my fancy I'll join in, but for now that's about all I can manage. I did get nudged into the For The Love Of Solids Swap on Flickr and I will admit that I was up to the deadline on that one. Thankfully, I was able to eek it out in time.

My secret partner didn't give me a lot to go on, but I knew she wanted a sewing machine cover and I used her mosaic to hopefully pin down her style. Using her favorite Kona Ash as the primary solid I picked out some complementary colors for the project. I don't know why but I was really feeling yellow for her sewing machine cover. And I wanted to add a few pops of color here and there but keep the overall look on the subtle side.

I chose a variety of buttery yellow hues as my baseline. Then I added in a few shades of soft greens and finally a pop of purple. I was really excited about this project because I finally got to rip open my brand new Sizzix Big Shot for a test run! (I'll be giving a full review on the Big Shot very soon, I just want to get a few more projects under my belt first.) I used the 5" Square Die to cut out the squares for my HSTs.

I experimented with the layout and ended up playing with shading as well as geometry to get to my final layout. I quilted the sewing machine cover with Gutterman variegated yellow 100% cotton thread and decided to echo quilt in the negative spaces of the Kona Ash. I really like the geometric shapes made by the quilting on the underside of the cover. Since I didn't know my partner's machine dimensions I had to guess and use my own machine as a a model, so I hope it fits! Unfortunately, my partner has gone MIA so I have never heard if she likes it or even if she received it. One of the perils of blind swapping. I do hope she's okay!

So that's update number one. Expect more catching up this week and then I'll try and get everything back to normal around here. It feels good to be back. I really, really missed you guys!

Looky... Looky...

2011-09-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

The craziness of real life keeps getting crazier but there are only two more weeks left of the insanity and then I will be bringing back my regularly scheduled features (Triple T Tuesdays and the Little Stitches Sew-Along). I have been working 16 hour days, 7 days a week (no joke!) so I haven't had one moment to sew. Thank you for being so patient with me during this overwhelming time. There was a ray of light in the darkness. Look what arrived on my door step...

It has been torturing me! I am dying to rip open the box and try it out but I haven't had a moment to breathe. So for now, it sits, mocking me from my kitchen table. I tried to move her to a distant corner in the dining room so she would stop staring at me but she popped back up on the table to taunt me. I think I'm going to call her Matilda. And I think I'm going to test her out with these...

How do you like them fabrics? I promise this blog will resume normal functions in October. Please bear with me. And thank you for being so patient.

Little Stitches Week 5 - Pattern H - Easy Empire-Waist Top

2011-09-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back for another week to the Amy Bulter "Little Stitches" Sew-Along. Forgive my two week absence. You've heard about the craziness. All of that aside, this week I, again, made something for Caroline and Ehren's new daughter Arden.

Pattern H - Easy Empire-Waist Top - Difficulty Level: 4

Again, Care and Mayah helped me pick out the fabric from the "My Happy Nursery Line" from Cloud 9 Fabrics. I took them fabric shopping as a treat while Arden was still in utero and this pattern was one that made me fall in love with, and ultimately buy this book so I couldn't wait to dive in to it!

The bodice assembly is easy peasy, just trim your seam allowances and use an awl to get your corners sharp when you turn it right side out.

One of the trickiest parts of this pattern was attaching the trim to the bodice. Working with curves can be a challenge for even the most experienced seamstress. (No offense to you fabulous male sewers out there. You count too!) My advice is to be patient, go slow, and pin and iron the hell out of it.

You can hide small imperfections on the backside of the curve through diligent ironing. And use your basting stitch as a guideline.

My Baby Lock doesn't have a clean 1/2" line so I marked one with masking tape, but when sewing curves like this, especially when you're topstitching and the stitching will show, it can be easy to lose your guideline. I marked my guideline with my trusty disappearing in fabric pen. Just make sure you wet the in down after you're done stitching and before you iron because water makes the ink disappear but the iron will make it permanent!

Finally, when you're making the elbow slit in the sleeve, mark your slit and trim you seam allowance close, then rely on your trusty iron to get the slit flat when you turn the sleeve.

I absolutely adore this top! And I made the bloomers to match but more about that next week. The outfit comes in four pattern sizes, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months. Since I wanted Arden to have stuff to grow into I made this in the 9-12 month size so it will be a while before she'll be modeling it for us. But I promise an update when she's wearing it.

So what are you working on? Link up your latest projects here and show everyone what you're making. You can share your projects in any state from start to finish. Remember, you can also share your "Little Stitches" Sew-Along projects anytime in the Undercover Crafter Sew-Along Group on Flickr. See you next week when I'll be unveiling the bloomers I made for Arden. This week I'll be working on making her the bloomers found in Pattern E.

Tool of the Day: Design Wall

2011-08-30T05:58:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to Triple T Tuesdays! Today I want to wax poetic about one of the tools I love so much... the Design Wall. When I started sewing I was primarily garment construction so I never had much need for a design wall. A dress form was more my style. But once I started quilting it all changed. Design walls come in many different shapes and sizes and range from the uber portable to permanent built ins. No matter if you're just starting to dabble in quilting or if you're a professional, a design wall can be one of your most useful tools.

Most design walls have a white or neutral background that allows you to focus more on your quilt layout instead of distracting from it. They can be as simple as a piece of plain white flannel that you can roll out and hang if you're on a tight budget or don't have a permanent space. The advantage of using something like this is the ease of travel. Simply add a few grommets to the top and some ribbons and you can hang it anywhere.

Using a fabric lined wall allows you to put your quilt squares up and take them down with ease and without the use of pins. The fabric sticks together thanks to the miracle of static cling! Do you have a design wall? What does it look like? What's on your wall right now? Mine's sparse at the moment but I'll be getting the red stripe quilt up there very, very soon!

MMM Summer Package Received

2011-08-29T11:15:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday my lovelies! I am so sorry that my posts have been sporadic as of late. I also can't believe that I missed posting last week's Little Stitches Sew-Along project. My real life has been a bit hectic and I'm being pulled in a million different directions. I wasn't supposed to be out in the field on this project. I was only supposed to be snugly in my office for the duration but things change and I was thrown a bit of a curve ball so for the next month I'll be trying to balance managing my team in the office as well as the teams in the field. Unfortunately being in the field means long days and it wipes me out. When I get home I just want to pass out. Please bear with my for the next month when things will eventually normalize.

Just because I'm working hard doesn't mean that there aren't wonderful surprises that end up on my doorstep to brighten my day. I received my package from my partner in the MMM Swap, which is really my favorite swap on Flickr. I received such a sweet package from the lovely Amber of Wambers Whimsies. She made me exactly what I wanted... linen napkins!

I love the purple she used to trim them. I know the trim gave her a bit of a headache but I so appreciate the effort she put into them! They're just perfect and they totally match the awesome place mats (that we use all the time) that Bek made me in another swap. Amber also sent me three favorite fabrics! You know I love me some City Weekend! And I also got some much loved fabric from Amy Butler and Kate Spain. She rounded out the package with a delicate necklace and a super cute City Weekend pincushion. I love it all!

My package, it seems, is still in transit to my secret partner. I'm just dying for it to arrive on her doorstep so I can reveal it to all of you.

Yard Sale Find

2011-08-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend was Yard Sale City in my neighborhood. It seemed like everyone was trying to unload their unwanted goods off on their unsuspecting neighbors. We love checking out garage sales. Most of the time we don't but anything but this weekend I found this...

Without knowing what what inside of it I scooped it up for next to nothing and took it home. At the very least I was intrigued by the vintage thread it contained.

Once at home I sorted through the treasure chest and found a plethora of vintage threads and buttons which was enough to make the purchase worth it for me. I'm planning to display the thread along side my collection of vintage thread I inherited from my grandmother once I get my studio organized.

Same with all the buttons. I'm envisioning a giant glass vase full of them. Of course, I will put them to use when I find the proper project.

Some of what I found was crap, but I'll add the vintage patterns to my collection and I love the vintage notions. They're showing some wear and tear but I still find them charming.

And, while some of the scissors are going right into the junk drawer (hopefully my husband will start using those instead of reaching for my precious sewing shears) I did luck out and I'm now the proud owner of a "new-to-me" set of sewing and pinking shears.

For some reason, this needle book from the 1940s might be my favorite thing in the box. I might frame it.

Not a bad find for a yard sale I think.

Rotary Cutting Tips

2011-08-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

It's Triple Threat Tuesday! Sorry that we missed out on one last week, but I think the Kona made it worth it, don't you?

Today I want to share a simple tip to help out when you're using your rotary cutter. I'm sure that this is sewing 101 but I'm a lazy sewer and I used to just line up my ruler and slice away at fabric in any old direction that suited me. Well, sometimes rulers slide and blades can end up cutting what they shouldn't so here's what I do to help protect that precious fabric from getting snipped where it shouldn't.

I always square up my fabric against my cutting line on my mat and then I lay my ruler over the main piece of fabric, using my ruler to "protect" the piece I don't want cut. This way if my blade accidentally slips then it will slice the fabric I don't care about and not the piece I need complete.

Lastly, remember to apply pressure towards the top of your ruler. I always find that if my ruler is going to slip it happens when I am nearing the end of my cut. Applying pressure closer to the end of the cut helps me keep my ruler firmly in place. It's just another way I've found to preserve my fabric when I'm cutting.

Hope this helps! Do you have a Tip, Tool or Technique that you'd like to share? Email me to guest post on Triple Threat Tuesdays.

Blogtastic 2.0 Winner

2011-08-22T09:37:00.001-07:00

Thank you to everyone who entered my Blogtastic 2.0 Giveaway! I really love hosting giveaways. Aren't they so much fun? I want to thank all of my loyal followers for sharing in the fun and extend a big welcome to my new ones. I hope you enjoy it over here. I know you're all chomping at the bit to find out who won this super-duper prize. I'll let Mr. Random Number Generator do the honors...

Congratulations to #254... lavindersmiles said... fabric...best kind of prize

I've sent you an email and I'll be sending you your prize shortly.

A Blogtastic Giveaway!

2011-08-16T22:51:00.000-07:00

**Giveaway Now Closed**
It's been a crazy week and it's only Wednesday. I am sorry I missed posting the second edition of Triple Threat Tuesdays. I just had some craziness happen at work and it, unfortunately, disrupted my flow here on my blog. I will also be postponing tomorrow's Little Stitches Sew-Along (because of the work craziness) with the promise that both features will return next week.

The good news is I have an amazing giveaway to share with all of you. I am participating in the amazing Blogtastic Extravaganza 2.0 organized by My Silly Monkeys. There are 100 blogs participating so be sure to join in the blog hop and check out all the amazing blogs participating in this round. There are lots of good prizes to be had all around.

So you wanna know what you can win? I want to help one lucky reader build their stash so I'm giving away TWO (that's right two!) Kona Fat Quarter Bundle. You'll get a Poseidon bundle and a Greener Pastures bundle. That's 42 fat quarters all for one lucky reader! You have two ways to win.

1) Leave me a comment.

2) If you're a follower or become one leave me a second comment for a second entry.

It's that easy.Two entries per person. International entries welcome. Please make sure I have a way to contact you if you are a "No Reply" blogger. The giveaway is open until August 21, 2011. Good luck!

Action Kivu Fundraiser

2011-08-13T10:47:00.000-07:00

If you haven'e already heard, Alissa (of Handmade By Alissa and also the awesome woman who taught me how to quilt) is hosting her second annual Action Kivu Fundraiser. Her twin sister, Cate, works with this amazing non-profit that teaches women in the Eastern Congo how to sew, thereby helping them to learn how to support themselves and their families. It also helps send children to school so they can get an education. Many of these women are victims of rape, which is used as a weapon of war in the Congo. Alissa's goal is to raise $15,000 and there are two days left to help her reach her goal. If you can, please go an donate. Every contribution matters, regardless of how small. And don't just donate because of the prizes - donate because this is a great cause.

New Fabrics Just For Me

2011-08-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

I finally bought some fabric for myself. I can't believe it. I was shopping online for fabrics for my MMM partner and stumbled across the gorgeous Heirloom line by Joel Dewberry and I had to have some. They also got some Wrenly in stock so I swooped it up.

From the Heirloom line I piked up two yards of the Ornate Floral in Amber and a half yard each of the Opal in Jade and the Tile Flourish in Amber. They're all voiles, yummy, yummy voiles.

I intend to make myself a dress out of the Ornate Floral and I think I want to use the other two to make myself a skirt. As soon as they arrived I knew I didn't order enough of the two prints I got as half yard cuts. I think I want more. This fabric is just so delicious. Of course, I don't know when I will have the time to actually sit down and make something just for me. This weekend I need to finish up my package for my MMM Partner. I've also got a couple commissions that I'm working on and the gift for my Solids Swap Partner. Sigh... Someday I'll have a pretty, pretty dress, just for me. What are you working on this weekend?

Little Stitches Week 4 - Pattern D - Kimono-Style PJs

2011-08-11T00:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome back for another week to the Amy Bulter "Little Stitches" Sew-Along. This week I made something for my friends Caroline and Ehren. I've known Care and Ehren for almost 20 years. The three of us traveled the world together for a year in Up With People. We arrived in Denver that fateful July as total strangers and came away a family. Well, I'm only "family" in the figurative sense but they literally became family soon after our tour ended. They met, dated and fell in love on the road. They have two gorgeous and wonderful children, Luke who will be (gasp!) 16 in October and Mayah who's about to turn 14. (When did we get so old?) Then this winter, much to their surprise, they discovered that Baby #3 was on the way! This wonderful family welcomed Arden Adele into the world in July and I could not be more thrilled to be able to help keep her in fashion.

Pattern D - Kimono-Style PJs - Difficulty Level: 3

Care and Mayah helped me pick out the fabric (Living Elements Collection from Art Gallery Fabrics and Sweet Broderie by Rosalie Quinlan Designs), and I took the lovely fabrics they chose for Arden and ran with them! I had been wanting to make these super cute pajamas since the very first day I got the book and these super soft fabrics seemed perfect for sleepwear.

I have to say that this was one of the most straight-forward patterns in the book so far. These PJs came together quickly and easily. The little details, like the bias binding that frames the Kimono top really add a level of elegance and beauty to this outfit.

The pattern calls for 1/2" seams throughout which is especially important when attaching the bias binding. The 1/2" seam ensures that there is enough of the contrasting binding skirting the edge of the top.

Topstitching is and easy and beautiful way to finish the binding seams but remember these stitches will be visible so if you're not as confident with straight stitching then just take it slow. I actually put a piece of masking tape on my machine to provide a guideline for my 1/2" seams to help keep them all straight.

When you're attaching the remaining bias binding around the collar of the kimono top I used the seam line as a guide when I folded the binding onto the wrong side of the top. This is probably the trickiest part of the entire pattern and truthfully it's not all that difficult.

And don't forget to finish your edges (as directed) to provide a finished look to the binding. Part of this binding will end up being one of the ties for the Kimono.

Making the matching pants is even easier than making the top. Seriously, this pattern was a breeze and the final result is to die for cute! Why doesn't this come in adult sizes?

The outfit comes in four pattern sizes, 0-3 months, 3-6 months, 6-9 months and 9-12 months. Since I wanted Arden to have stuff to grow into I made this in the 6-9 month size so it will be a while before she'll be modeling it for us. But I promise an update when she's wearing them.

So what are you working on? Link up your latest projects here and show everyone what you're making. You can share your projects in any state from start to finish. Remember, you can also share your "Little Stitches" Sew-Along projects anytime in the Undercover Crafter Sew-Along Group on Flickr. See you next week when I'll be unveiling another cutie-patootie outfit for Arden. This week I'll be working on making her Pattern H, the Easy Empire-Waist Top.

Playing with Strips

2011-08-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

July was my month to design our quilt for do. Good Stitches and I wanted to do something a little different so instead of asking for two 12.5" blocks as usual, I asked each of the lovely ladies in the Hope Circle to send me one red strip measuring 48" x 6.5" instead.

The strips have been trickling in. I'm still waiting for the last two which are on their way and should be here any day but I just couldn't resist getting the strips already in my possession up on my design wall for a sneak peek.

I put the strips up randomly. I haven't even started to think about layout yet and I won't until I get the two final strips and make my own. I always wait to make my blocks (or in this case strip) until I've collected all the pieces so I can determine if I need to balance anything out.

Can I just tell you how much I'm absolutely LOVING how this quilt is coming together?! Seriously I think it's glorious in all it's scrappiness! The wonderful women of the Hope Circle have outdone themselves. There are so many little lovely details in each strip.

Look at the gorgeous prints Rachel used... (And she was afraid it was too Christmas-y. No Way! It's beautiful!)

And I the hippo print Suzy used in her strip is one of my favorites!

Muriël made a gorgeous cross strip...

(and even added some special goodies in her package that I didn't find until I opened it up last night! Thank you!!)

Kat added some super cool blocks into her strip...

I love Janet's use of prints in the tiny squares she incorporated throughout...

And check out the block piecing that Nicole did for hers...

Lori's detailing really knocked my socks off!

I think I may be making more of these in my future!

Triple 'T' Tuesdays

2011-08-09T11:35:00.001-07:00

I'd like to introduce a new feature here on the Undercover Crafter. Welcome to Tips, Techniques and Tools on Tuesdays (Triple T Tuesdays for short). I want to create a forum where we can share details on our process so we can all learn and grow in our sewing. I'll kick things off with a tip I'd love to share with all of you. I was working on a project recently and I made a pretty common "oops" that every sewer has made at one time or another.

As I was cutting my fabric my rotary cutter slipped. This is so frustrating when it happens. I didn't want to throw the fabric into the scrap bin because it was such a little cut and such a large piece. I also didn't think that I had enough fabric left over to for the desired cut I needed. But it's not lost. Here's an easy way to salvage that fabric and no one will be any the wiser.

Run to your scrap bin and cut a small piece of fusible interfacing just over the size of the cut. Make sure at least one edge of your interfacing is cut straight so you can line it up flush with the edge of your main fabric. Align the fusible side of the interfacing against the edge of the WRONG SIDE of your main fabric directly over the cut.

Using your iron, fuse the interfacing to the fabric and wallah! Your piece is whole again. Likely this cut will end up in you seam allowance so no one will ever know your rotary cutter or scissors slipped.

I hope this was a helpful Tip for all of you. I want to be able to share something new each week but not just me - YOU can join in too! If you have a sewing tip that's helped you work through a tricky project, or want to share a sewing technique you've perfected or even tell people about your favorite tool just email me and I'll hook you up to do a guest post. Let's all learn from each other!

August do. Good Stitches Blocks

2011-08-05T10:47:00.000-07:00

Last night was hockey night for the husband so I decided to get a jump on my August blocks for the do. Good Stitches Bee. After culling through my novelty fabrics last week I decided that we were short on Red, Aqua and Blue blocks so I committed to those colors. I pulled my coordinates but realized that I was a little thin in some areas so I did a little fabric shopping. Okay, I really didn't need the aquas that I bought. I certainly had enough in my stash to cover me on this project but I couldn't resist. I didn't find a ton of true blues and reds that I liked at Michael Levine but I came away with a sufficient stack...

That's some Bird Talk by Ellen Crimi-Trent, Remix by Ann Kelle, Daisies and Dots from Piece O'Cake, the Sweet Posie and Tiny Gingham are Mini Mikes and the Stitch Petal is a Michael Miller House Designer.

Natalie asked for us to make two Rainbow I Spy Blocks from Anna Maria Horner's tutorial. This month we are diverging from donating to our usual charity, Threading Hope, and our preemie quilt(s) are going to the NICU at the Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children in Northern Virginia. Natalie actually decided to take this project a step further this month and she's extending her ask for blocks past the Hope Circle. She's organized a block drive to collect more blocks. The more blocks she gets - the more quilts she will have to donate. If you would like to help out she is accepting blocks now through the end of October. For every 9 blocks she receives she can make one preemie quilt. If you want more details head over to Natalie's blog Threaded Mess.

We are only required to make two blocks every month but since this has become bigger than our little circle I started with three blocks and I have the intention of making more between now and the October deadline. These blocks are really simple and fun to make. I whipped up all three in no time last night. They were so easy I'm actually thinking about making a quilt of my own for a friend of mine from this design.

So that's one more thing crossed off the massive to do list I have running in my head. Oh, and in other news, I started an Undercover Crafter Page on Facebook. I'd love to have you hop on over and "like" me if you want to. Oh, so many jokes there...

Little Stitches Week 3 - Pattern J - Everything Bag

2011-08-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

It’s Week Three of the Amy Butler “Little Stitches” Sew-Along. This week I made one last gift for Kerry’s “miracle” baby boy.

Pattern J – The Everything Bag – Difficulty Level: 4

Kerry has been searching for the perfect diaper bag so I hope this one fits the bill. I picked out two of my favorite prints, one from Anna Maria Horner’s Loulouthi line and another from Jenean Morrison’s Silent Cinema. Since she’s having a boy and her colors are traditional I thought this would be the perfect combo for her.

This pattern is a little tricky, I will admit. I think in hindsight I might have shaved a hair off the width of the Peltex. Getting it sandwiched into the center divider fabric was a little tight, as it should. But once I got the center divider into the bag it was just a hair taller than I, personally, would have liked.

The bag has a rectangular base and I found that pinning perpendicular to the seam was the easiest way to keep everything flush and aligned properly. Don’t be afraid to take it slow when attaching the bottom of the bag to the sides.

This was also my first time attaching a rectangular or square bottom and although the instructions seem a little counterintuitive it really works! I would add that I stopped the requited ½” on the short side seams but for my own piece of mind I extended the long side seams just past the ½” mark to ensure that the corner seams connected. I loved learning this new technique for attaching square bases and plan to use this on other projects in the future.

Honestly, for me the most difficult part of this project was the topstitching around the tope edge of the bag. I sewed and ripped the first row out probably five times before giving up. The problem always occurred as I started to near the center divider on the side. This is why I said earlier that I would shave just a hair off this next time I make this bag. My center divider comes all the way up to the very tip top of the bag making it difficult to make this top row of stitching continuous. I hate to say it but I finally gave up. I ended up reinforcing the straps with machine stitching and then I decided to hand stitch the top row using a matching Pearle cotton thread. The most difficult part of the hand stitching was guiding the needle through the straps but with a little extra tug (and an occasional use of teeth) I made it through. Then I opted out of adding the second row of stitching as directed in the instructions because I was really digging the aesthetic of the single row of hand stitches.

This pattern isn’t for beginners but don’t let its complexity scare you off. From start to finish I was able to create this bag over the course of a weekend. And the best part of the whole process… Kerry loves it! She told me that she had been searching for the perfect diaper bag and couldn’t find anything that she liked until she saw this one.

She loves the functionality and the fabrics and thinks that it’s everything she’s been looking for in a diaper bag. And it doesn’t hurt that the changing pad I made her matches perfectly. I would definitely recommend this diaper bag for the traditional mom-on-the-go who likes a little of their own personal style thrown in.

This week I’m working on Pattern D the Kimono-style Pj’s. Aren’t they so cute?

So what are you working on? Link up your latest projects here and show us what you’re making. If you’re linking up this week try and stop by and see everyone’s creations. You can share your projects in any state from start to finish. And remember you can also share your “Little Stitches” Sew-Along projects anytime in the Undercover Crafter Sew-Along Group on Flickr. See you next week!

MMM Fabric Choices

2011-08-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

As soon as I got my secret partner in this round of the MMM Swap I knew exactly what I was going to make. The problem. I'm still not sure what I want to make it with... I pulled some Midwest Modern from Amy Butler, because in my opinion you can never go wrong with al little Midwest Modern. But I'm second guessing myself. Maybe I should go with something a little more retro? Decisions... decisions... Yes, partner, I stress out about these things because I sincerely want to please you.