Christmas bibs for Anna

One of the really fun things about having a granddaughter is sewing for her. I get to use all these cute little designs I've been saving. These are the cutest embroidered appliques. They are designed by Jennilee at www.digistitches.com. They'll be on the way to Anna right after I sew a bow onto the top of the tree and package them up!!

The Dreaded T-Shirt Quilt

Okay, I know I said I would never do a T-shirt quilt. I made this for my friend Glenda's son's 30th birthday. He's played baseball since he was a little guy...little league, played for McEachern High School and Southern Poly. So Glenda gathered all his shirts from over the years and I had a tremendous learning experience. Whew what a job! He's also a Georgia Tech fan, so I used GT fabric for the backing and also made 2 pillow cases. I had the baseball fabric in my stash (resource center--thank you, Nancy Zeiman!) from many long years ago...I think I was going to make Randy a pair of shorts or something...

I'm really pleased with how the quilt turned out. Glenda picks it up tomorrow--I hope she is pleased also.

HoopSisters TNT

HoopSisters TNT--Textures and New Techniques--all done in the hoop, piecing, quilting, and decorative stitches. Its going to be pretty small, more like a wall-hanging. I think there's only one more row to go all the way around, but I think I am going to do the optional stipple border.
Next month we add texture. I'm going to use jumbo rick rack in a plum color. Stay tuned...

Grandma Sewing

That's the best kind, huh? Anyway, here's the projects I've been working on for Anna.
Bumper pads: I love classic Pooh and I found this fabric at JoAnn and bought what was left on the bolt. If the bumper pads look this good wrapped around my coffee table, imagine what they will look like in Anna's crib! Adorable!


Catherine asked for a sling so she could carry Anna around the house and still have her hands free for different tasks. I made two. I'm not too sure how well the purple one will work. It's called the Mei Tai. Anna is so small, she might slide right out the side--maybe better save that one til she's bigger. And the ties are so long, they are a little hard to maneuver and get situated. The fabric sure is beautiful, though!

Black & white polka dots. This sling is more for a newborn and might work better and its very fashionable, also adjustable and without long ties hanging everywhere.
I really wish I had the one I made when my girls were born...it was great...sturdy denim and easy to hold a baby in. It was more like a pack and you could wear it in front or back.

Okay, next up--baby quilts...ABC's, circus babies, 5 little monkeys...I am going to be busy and have a blast making them!!

Anna Bella Celes

Anna Bella has arrived! 17 days early and a little bit of a thing, but she is beautiful!
I have sew many sewing plans. Here's a few of the things I've already made for her.
This is Amy Butler's Nappy Bag pattern. Its got lots of pockets inside, including 2 quilted bottle pockets and a cell phone pocket on the outside. I also made a paci pod (to hold pacifiers) and a paci wipes case. These were both done completely in the hoop.
Here's some bibs and a burp cloth. DigiStitches.com has some great applique designs--all done in the hoop--so fast and easy. Also a hooded bath towel for when she's a little bigger.
I just registered for Kari Mecca's Embellishing School for next February! Anna will be the cutest and best dressed little girl on the block! Check out www.karimeaway.com for Kari's sewing with whimsy items.

Almost Finished Pinwheel Party Quilt

I have sewn all the blocks together with little pinwheel cornerstones and sashing. There is still another border to go around the quilt with little pinwheel blocks in each corner. Then it will be completely finished except for the quilting. But, wouldn't you know, I'm about 1/4 yard short of fabric for the last border. I really liked this when I started it a few months ago, but now I am not too sure. I love the 30's fabrics but there is just too much white background. I've wanted to make a quilt out of 30's fabrics for a long time, but this one isn't it. I will probably just finish it up and try to sell it.

I've got ideas for about 4 baby quilts for little Anna who will be here before we know it! And I need to get on to making a diaper bag, and bumper pads for the crib. So this will get put away for a while...

Pinwheel Party

Here's my 12 finished blocks from Playing at the Pinwheel Party. I really like the 30's fabric with the Kona snow. This is not the finished quilt. There are still cornerstones and sashings to be completed, something like 48 half-square triangles that finish at about 2 inches--itty bitty work which I'm not too fond of. I was going to just sew all the blocks together and put a border on it, but I think I will go ahead an do it by the directions. I think it will look better. So, stay tuned...hopefully by the end of next week I'll have this top completed and be able to move on to other PHD's.

Hoopsisters Quilt

This is Month One of a block of the month class I'm doing this year. Its a Hoopsisters design called Textures and New Techniques, TNT for short. Each block is totally done in the embroidery hoop...piecing, quilting...all of it! It is so easy and very fun. I'm using batiks in greens and blues and my accent color is purple. The blocks are only 5 inches and the quilt will be pretty small--have no idea what I'm going to do with it, but its a neat little project. Stay tuned to see the progress each month.

Baby Quilt

I don't think my neighbors read my blog, so I'm pretty safe in posting this. Their first child is due next month and its a boy! I embroidered a bib and some burp cloths that I'm going to give them.
And I also made this cute quilt out of baby flannel and baby fleece. I embroidered the fleece squares with designs from Anita Gooddesign's Nursery Quilt. It was really easy and turned out pretty nice. Its soft and cuddly, too.

Wedding Gown and Quilt

I have been a busy little bee since I last posted. I made my daughter's gown for her June 12th ceremony, my jacket, and the quilt which hung at the reception behind the cake table. I loved making these and am very proud of how everything turned out. My cousin took lots of pictures and some were published in Martha Pullen's newsletter! You can see it at www.marthapullen.com. Look on the left for Martha's Newsletter, find the one for June 28, and scroll down to From Our Readers. There we are!! Thanks, June, for some great pictures!I found this quilt pattern in Quilting and Embroidery magazine. It was designed by Jennifer Gigas, a Bernina educator. I used the fruit of the Spirit as the words in each heart block. Since there's 9 fruit of the Spirit words, I had to add a couple extra. This is the jacket that is on the cover of Fabulous Fashions. I made it out of silk organza and used designs from Zundt Designs Vol 1. I have always wanted to make it and my daughter's ceremony gave me the chance. I love wearing it.

Back to the Party and the Civil War

Now I know why Bridal Lace is so expensive--it has stitch counts in the thousands and takes forever to stitch out. So while one machine was busy stitching lace in the hoop, I went across the hall to my other machine and finished up these quilt blocks.

This is the 5th block in the Pinwheel Party. Very easy and fast. Next week is the halfway block.

And then back to the Civil War Tribute...

I wonder if I can secede from the union of Civil War Tribute quilters? After all, I do live in the south...and like the majority who were tired of the war after the first 3 months, so I am growing weary of this...

I did not like this block. I don't think the directions are all that easy to follow and nowhere could I find what was supposed to be the fiished size of any of the half square triangles or the weird trapezoid shapes. Anyway, I stayed consistent throughout--I stretched all the bias edges and chopped off almost all the points!! And, lo and behold, it came out the correct 18 1/2 inches! Whew--now I have to do one more block this size and 2 12 1/2 inch blocks. The big pieces were hard enough to work with, now I have to make smaller ones???

Lace Making and EZPZ zippered bags in the hoop!!

Had to take a break from quilting to start making some lace for the bridal gown. The scalloped piece was to go around the train which will be silk organza--I think it is a little too heavy for that, so its back to the drawing board to try to figure something else out. The other little pieces are going to be zig zagged together to form a trim to go around a part of the jacket I am making for me. While making the lace, I just had to take a break to make these cute little zippered bags. They are completely done in the embroidery hoop--yes, even the rick rack. They are so much fun!!

This one holds my Little Quilts receipts. It is always with me because you never know when an emergency will hit and you have to head to the fabric store and there just might be enough receipts that will add up to one free yard of fabric!!

This one will hold all my weight watcher trackers--there's none in there now--I haven't been doing too good on that.

Check zippy's website for more cute in the hoop project ideas. http://www.zippydesignz.com/

Partying On!

I am now caught up...this morning I finished blocks 3 & 4 of the Pinwheel Party. I'm having fun with these and they go together so fast. Now that I'm 1/3 of the way finished, I'm asking myself...is there a right and wrong side of this Kona Snow? I can't seem to tell.

Here are blocks A-3 and B-1

Now I wait til Monday when the directions for block 4 will be released!

Pinwheel Party Blocks 1 & 2

Ok, I am officially crazy! I am multi-quilting again. This is quilt number 4 that I have in the making, but it looked so good and is very, very easy. I just had to jump into the party. We do a block a week and I am working hard to catch up to block number 4--I only joined 4 weeks late and I did block 1 & 2 this afternoon. I am using '30's reproductions and Kona Snow White as the background.

This is a portion of my stash of '30's reproductions on top of the Kona Snow. I have many more '30's fabrics in my fabric stash. Most, if not all, will find a place in this Pinwheel quilt. Block A-1 and A-2

Stay tuned for blocks A-3 and B-1 coming right up!!

Civil War Tribute Feb Block

This is the February block for the Civil War Tribute quilt. There are four of these blocks in the quilt--all the same. At least they will be. Notice one of them is a little larger because of the spacers added to the top and bottom of the block. I didn't like putting this together very much. Every join had 2-3 triangle seams coming together--blech!! No fun, much bulk. After the second block, I quit obsessing over points and seams and direction of fabric and just hoped for the best so don't look too closely at it. It looks great on a galloping horse!! Now for the March block!!

GIVEAWAY!!

SPRING GIVEAWAY!

Win this clutch! Deadline: March 20th


Hi, my long-arm quilty friend Shannon has a giveaway over on her blog to celebrate her 300th post and her one year anniversary of her blog. Head on over to www.piecefulkwilter.blogspot.com and see the cutest ever little clutch she has made as a giveaway.

Projects from Feb 2010 SOAF

I spent a week in February sewing on the amazing Bernina 830 machine. What a sewer's dream! Lezette Thomason of The Children's Corner was the teacher and we made these adorable little outfits.


Back of the two piece outfit eyelet and pink top and skirt. I love the big satin bow and the v-neck detail.

This is the front. The eyelet is lined with the pink and the ruffle makes the skirt so flirty. This is a size 3. A little girl would just love wearing it!!

A true heirloom! Ice blue linen with embroidery embellishing the front pleat. This one is a 12 month size.

And such a cute little bubble!! Also a 12 month size. I love the shadow stitching on the yoke--such a simple touch, but adds so much to the outfit. This can also be made for a boy.

Sewing for children is sew much fun. I don't have to fit anything and the results are the cutest little outfits ever. They would look even cuter with a teeny, tiny person in them!!

Embroidery in the Hoop

Aren't these sweet? They are little pincushions that I made in the embroidery hoop. All I did was stuff them and sew the opening closed. I gave them away to a friend--I love making stuff like this!!

Civil War Tribute

I'm doing the Civil War Tribute quilt block of the month program through my local quilt shop. Reproductions and civil war prints are my favorite fabrics. I'm SO traditional! There's lots of strange piecing techniques and weird angles to this quilt. I'm liking it a lot!!

What I've been sewing

I made these aprons for my friend Linda and her sister. I love how the pockets expand a little.

I like to wear one when I use the long-arm. It holds my scissors and anything else I need close at hand.

Christmas Gift Quilts

These are the two quilts I made as Christmas gifts:

This one was for Robbie, Catherine's boyfriend, who will be son-in-law next December. Its made from 5inch homespun squares. It was fun and easy to put together and Catherine said it looked very "manly". I hope Robbie really enjoys it this cold winter!

This one I made for Catherine. It was the Batik block exchange at Quilt Guild in 2009.

Its called Twirl. I really like how the black sashing sets off the blocks.

I quilted them both myself on my friend Linda's longarm.