Kilo skirt

I haven't made anything special for Savannah in a long time and wanted to make her an early Christmas gift that she could try on now but save until our winter trip to Florida to enjoy wearing on the beach with a T-shirt or tank top.

She picked out some Alexander Henry fabric in my stash called Kilo. It's from his 2005 collection.  She said she liked the print because it made her think of Hawaii. I paired it with some basic black cotton and lined it with the black cotton as well. I much prefer lined skirts, over the single layer cotton ones.

The waistband is a 1 1/4" non-roll elastic, thicker than I usually use. I wanted to add a ribbon that would hang down on the side but she said she liked it plain (maybe because she just wanted me to finish asap). I think it looks snazzy! I can imagine getting away with wearing it as an evening skirt with cute black top and a pair of black Mary Jane's.

Look out runway models, here comes Miss Savannah with attitude to spare! Here's the matching handbag.

Quilts of 2009

Quilts of 2009
Originally uploaded by alwayscreatingsomething

Here's a review of my quilts this year. Three quilt swaps, two charity quilts, four gift quilts and three keepers.

My favorites are the Afternoon on Oahu quilt, Baby Isla's quilt and the Aloha quilt. I think I only have two WIPs at the moment which is great for me and one is a finished quilt top.

Sew many fabric combinations, sew little time!

Fall Mini-Quilt Swap

I completed my Fall Inspired Mini-Quilt for my swap partner. I didn't get a good idea of the kinds of quilts she likes from her blog, so I had to wing it. I hope she likes it.

I selected fabrics for this quilt a long time ago but haven't had the chance to start work on it until a few days ago when I had an unexpected "opening." I'm so glad to have completed it while it's still Fall, although as I write this, snow is falling (and sticking!) outside my window. I used a simple natural muslin fabric and made a small strip of fall colors across the top (or side or bottom, depending how you look at it). Then appliqued a maple leaf in the corner. It's simple and I hope more classic than boring. I wanted to create something that could be used practically as a placemat or small table topper as well as hung, if desired. It measures approximately 15" by 18".

I quilted it in intersecting lines - something completely new for me but I used my walking foot and took my time with it. I like the clean, modern lines of it. If I quilt in straight lines again, I think I'll use my water soluble pen or chalk to mark the lines before sewing. 

The maple leaf I cut out by hand instead of following a template. I wish I could have used a real maple leaf as a template but I waited too long and now they're all brown and crispy or decomposing in my compost pile.

Here's the back before I added the hanging sleeve where I signed the quilt to my swap partner. I like the binding fabric but didn't measure it out correctly this time. I cut 3 1/2" strips for the binding but 3" would have been plenty. Usually I like thinner bindings than what I added to this quilt.

Aloha Quilt

I call this quilt the Aloha Quilt because of the wild floral patterns in the fabric and bright colors. The backing is a natural muslin fabric that is also the color of sand with little speckles in it.

It's a log cabin quilt with a four patch for the center of each block. I began by cutting a bunch of strips and squares, uncertain of how I might arrange them but I'm pleased with the final result. It's bright and cheery and had contrasting colors that a baby girl might enjoy. The fabrics are mainly from designers Amy Butler, Kaffe Fassett and Michael Miller. I used the remaining squares of fabric for the binding, sewing them into a long strip and then sewing the binding on. This is one thing I will never do again! Every two inches where I tried to shove the bulky fabric (quilt top, batting, backing, two layers of binding plus seams) under my sewing machine's foot I had a difficult time, but live and learn! It looks beautiful and used up my extra fabric scraps. There are two whites in the quilt , one in the border and a different one in the log cabin blocks, since my fabric diet is still in effect until I reduce my fabric stash to a more reasonable size. I turned the blocks a quarter turn each so they appear random, but in an orderly way. I free motion quilted it in a simple meandering pattern, the one I'm most comfortable with.

I made it for a little girl who hasn't yet been born, Joslin Rosalie will be her name. I hope she likes it and gets years of use out of it.

Family Tree a Thanksgiving Gift

As oral tradition becomes a lost art, I think family trees become more and more important. There are times in one's life when the only way to go forward is to first go backwards, return to one's origins. I think it is powerful to see where you've come from, the long line of those who have come before you, each contributing some role towards making your unique life possible. I like the organic form of the tree as well to portray the family lines.

This is my Thanksgiving gift to my family - our family tree. The children appear as apples resting on the tree's roots. They are the "apples of my eye", and in our house it's true that "the apple doesn't fall far from the tree". I can look at the tree and trace my daughter's love for crossword puzzles, reading, and word games and our uncanny knack for finding four-leaf clovers in a field.

Each frame is 10 x 20 because nothing else seemed quite large enough to read without squinting and standing directly in front of it.

His side of the family tree...

...and her side of the family tree.

Baby texture block

Like most babies, William loves exploring new textures and sounds. After he became obsessed with the crinkly texture of a cellophane wrapper, I decided it was time to make him a safe crinkly toy. I used some of my Katie Jump Rope scraps to make a 5" square. I added different colored and textured ribbons to the corners. Some sides are quilted for additional texture and some are not. Two sides have layers of cellophane stitched in between the batting and fabric but not completely (ie, seam to seam) so that it can still be machine washed, but not dried. There's a bell in the middle - probably his favorite part, since he's often found shaking it by the ribbons to hear the bell ring.

We've been taking it along for car rides and giving it to him to play with on the floor at tummy time. So simple it was made in an afternoon with things on hand and he loves it!

Hunting season hats for kids

We have a lot of good land for wildlife, as do our neighbors, and during hunting season I worry about the kids being outdoors. Everyday we go for a walk or hike outside and spend time either near the garden, near Savannah's climbing and swinging tree or with the chickens. I tried to purchase the hunter safety orange gear for them but it's always too big. During a quick trip to JoAnn's for Halloween costume fabric, I saw a section on hunting fabrics, including safety orange fleece. I brought home a half yard of it, and turned it into silly and warm fleece hats (and mittens) for the kids. Because of the sale on fleece, this little project cost less than $3 for two hats and two pairs of mittens.

Savannah's hat is like a jester's hat with fleece pompoms atop two points. The fleece for the ear and chin strap is double-layered so she always has the softest warmest part close to her skin. It closes with velcro that she can do herself. Both sides of her hat are the same so there's no front and back to confuse little ones.

William's hat has one silly pompom on top and a generous brim that can be folded up or pulled down to further cover his ears. His also closes with the adjustable velcro strap under the chin. Both are easily machine washable and dryer-ready.

I'm pretty sure it would be hard to mistake the three of us for turkey or deer now!

PS If anyone would like me to post a tutorial or patterns for this, I'd be happy to. Just ask!

Autumn Quilt Colorway

This maple is the inspiration for my upcoming mini-quilt for Fall.

Here's my fabric selection for my mini Fall Quilt. There are a few more days to join if you're interested in the Quilter's Fall Swap. I'm planning to make a mini-runner or place mat with the fabrics and to get it out as early as I can so it can be enjoyed while it's still autumn.

The colors remind me of Savannah's tree swing under the maple's autumn dress of red, gold, chestnut and green:

 
 The perfect place to read her Halloween books and eat apples from the local orchard.

Online Fall Quilt Festival

In the autumn, there's no need to look far for inspiration - the golden leaves, the pumpkins bursting off the garden vine, the orchard full of twisty trees bending to the ground under the weight of apples, the browns of the earth silhouetted against the bluest October skies. But just in case you've been too busy to notice, you can still find some inspiration here at the Online Fall Quilt Festival hosted by Park City Girl.

Visit the Flickr group if you can and enjoy!

Turquoise and fuschia

Here's a peak at the baby quilt I'm working on for a friend. The colors are her request and I have to say, they are really growing on me!

It's my modern twist on the four- patch and the log cabin. Lots of great fabrics in this - Amy Butler, Alexander Henry, Kaffe Fassett. Yes, it's really growing on me...