artsy-crafty babe

sew to swap blog tour + giveaway

Hi there, it's sure has been a while, hasn't it? I'm taking  a little break from my maternity leave (okay, non-stop feeding and baby holding) to tell you about a beautiful new quilt book that I had the opportunity to be a part of,  Sew to Swap. (and if this review makes no sense, I'm blaming sleep deprivation!!!)

If you've done any blog hopping around sewing/quilting blogs in the past few year I'm sure you're familiar with the various quilting bees and sewing swaps out there.  If this is a new concept to you or you'd like some ideas on how to be a part of one or start one of your own, then this is the book for you!

Not only is the book gorgeous - beautiful photos and fabulous illustrations, but it is filled with information about various types of swaps - on-line, local, swap ideas, and swap guidelines.

There's something special about sewing a quilt block that mixes and mingles with a bunch of other blocks made by friends. I think it's kind of magical how beautiful the end result turns out.

I had the pleasure of contributing to 3 quilts in the book, Vintage Meets Modern, Curvy Block Swap, and the Wonky Siggy Swap.

Though there are quite a few quilt block patterns in the book and a thorough section on quilt basics, it isn't only about traditional quilts.  There is a section on doll quilts and decor as well.

As you can see from the blog tour schedule below, there are quite a few talented bloggers included in the book.  I feel honored to have been a part of it. 

Be sure to check out the rest of the tour:

November 7 In His Grace
November 8 Stitches & Scissors
November 9 Cluck Cluck Sew
November 10 My Three Sons
November 11 Twin Fibers
November 12 Stitchy Quilt Stuff
November 14 Texas Freckles
November 15 Quilt Dad
November 16 Artsy-Crafty Babe
November 17 Little Miss Shabby
November 18 A Cuppa and a Catch Up
November 19 A Quilt is Nice
November 21 House of A La Mode
November 22 I’m Just a Guy Who Quilts
November 23 Little Bit Funky 

As part of the blog tour, here is an offer from the publisher:

Get Sew to Swap now for just $14.99 ($10 off the retail price!).  Visit the Martha Pullen Online Store  and use promo code SEW2SWAP to get your exclusive discount.

{Offer expires Nov 30, 2011 at 11:59pm EST. Special Price in US Dollars, for items that are “in stock” only. Martha Pullen Company reserves the right to correct pricing errors.}

AND, just leave a comment on this post to enter a drawing for a FREE COPY. I'll leave comments open through the end of the month. Be sure to leave your email so that I can get in touch with you if you win. Open to US residents only.  Good luck!

**All photos courtesy of F+W Media. 

 

soggy, restful, and productive

Yep, that pretty much sums up my long weekend.  Thanks to Tropical Storm Lee, our 3 day weekend was a total wash-out.  Rain, rain, and more rain.  Truthfully, I didn't mind.  All that rain is perfect for hibernating!

By Sunday I was ready to do something productive, so I pulled out Alex's quilt fabrics, which were gathered, oh, 2 or so years ago (I think).  I don't remember what my original plan was, but I do know that I wanted lots of horizontal stripes.  After cutting many many strips and assembling them into piles, I started sewing.  

I ended up with 4 long sections of of stripes.  After playing with the placement, I decided that I only needed 3 of those sections.  This is by far the largest quilt I've ever made. As you can see, there are lots and lots of dots!

I used a solid gray stripe every so often in my sections, so I decided to border the quilt with that as well.  By Monday morning I had a completed quilt top!  I was feeling quite ambitious, so I took a trip to the fabric store for some backing fabric.  Unfortunately, I left empty handed.  That place was a madhouse with the Labor Day sales going on.  All those people made me nervous.  Hate that.  Oh well, that nap I took instead of sewing a quilt back was probably a better use of my time :)

done and done

Two much too long unfinished projects can be crossed off the list!  Gosh, what a good feeling that is!  Last night I finished sewing the binding on quilt #2 and gave them both a quick wash & dry.  I love how crinkley and wrinkley quilts get after a pass through the washer & dryer.

Here it is, quilt #1, started way back here.  This quilt was started as a baby gift, but that little girl is now a toddler.  I thought about scrapping it all together, but I made all the blocks with a specific person in mind, so I just had to finish it for that person.  Using the blocks for anything else just didn't feel right. 

I do love this quilt.  The pinks, reds, and greens are so soft and girly.  I couldn't help but think about my own baby girl as I was finishing it up.

I tend to choose more modern prints when I pick out fabrics, but most of these are based on vintage feed sacks.  At the time, all these were pulled for my stash.  This quilt makes me want to add a few more feed sack prints to my collection.

And here's quilt #2 (another long ago project), started as a wedding gift for a friend who will celebrate her second anniversary this fall.  Looking back, 2009 seems to be the year of quilts for me. 

Most of my UFO quilts are from then.  I had all the gusto to start them, but little steam to finish it appears. 

With my friend in mind, I started all these blocks from my scrap basket, my favorite way to start a quilt.  Once I got the middle scrappy part pieced, I added to each block fabrics from my stash that seemed to pull it all together.  I really love how this turned out.  Even Matt commented on it, which is a rare thing.  I sure hope she likes it.

With both these quilt I did simple straight line quilting.  I am such an imperfect quilter, and that's quite alright with me.  It's the freedom of piecing from scraps, the putting together of colors and patterns, and the evolution of an idea that l love about quilting - not perfectly straight lines and matching corners.  I'm not sure that I'll ever be able to follow a proper quilt pattern, I'd much rather wing it and see what comes about.

Now that I am officially done with my "gift" quilts, I want to start all over again :)

 

progress

Today is  my lucky day!  After supper I sat down with a stack of blocks (made 2+ years ago) and now I have a quilt top (it's a bonus when your blocks match your sewing machine :-)).  It's been a while since I tackled anything quilt-y...I made a trip to the store today for more off-white fabric to finish off the top, but it never occurred to me to think about batting or a back.  Oops.

Once I finished the top there was still daylight out.  Did it really ONLY take me an hour to  get that done??  I decided to search my stash for some backing  fabrics and managed to find a few that would work nicely, but then my brain began to work and I remembered that I saved the scraps from the blocks in a box for the purpose of making a back.  Bingo!  Too bad I don't have any batting on hand.

Wait, what am I doing blogging?  While I'm in the mood, I had better start working on that back...wahoo for progress!!

 

a quilt for kyle

Last week Alex came home from school with a note from his teacher saying that one of his classmates lost everything in a house fire.  Alex was quick to tell me, "mom, he doesn't even have a book sack!".  As a first grader, all this info is a bit difficult to process.

The note went on to say that the school was having a donation drive, but if we had any ideas for the class to do something special for their classmate, that would also be appreciated.

Well you know me, my mind immediately turned to what can I make for this boy?  What can I do with the kids for this boy?  A quilt seemed like an obvious answer.  A quilt that every kid in the class could contribute to.  As soon as I could, I emailed Alex's teacher with my idea and thankfully she loved it.

The next day I sent to school with Alex some fabric squares that had been ironed onto freezer paper (much easier for little ones to draw on that way) and some fabric markers.  My only instructions were for the kids to draw Kyle a happy picture and sign their name.

Oh my goodness, the pictures I got back were so sweet!  I can't help but smile when I look at them.

This weekend I got busy on the quilt.  My original plan was to border each drawing with a colorful print and back the quilt with a solid gray, but after making block, I decided that was a bit much.  I didn't want to detract from the drawings at all, so I alternated a solid gray border with a print one, then I threw in some white to make it all pop.

Using gray on the front meant that I didn't have enough for a solid back, so that got pieced.  I personally like a pieced back better anyway, so that all worked out.  

I'm so happy with how this turned out!  My quilting is wonky and I machine stitched the binding on entirely, but in this case, done is better than perfect.  Tomorrow I'm sending this quilt to school with Alex to give to Kyle.  I sure hope he likes it!

for mallory

My weekend 'make time' involved whipping up a little something for our friends' the latest addition.  I took inspiration from miss pink picket fence and went with a baby blanket, made with my vintage sheets, of course.

Oh gosh, I had forgotten how much I love to make baby things!  The last time I made a blanket like this was in preparation for Ava...almost 5(!!?) years ago.  Back then, I didn't know that she was a she, so there no pink lovliness to indulge in.  After she was born, I didn't have the time to go back to make her anything like this (I'm pretty sure I bought that flannel I used on the back for her back then).  I have to say, this is much more fun!

I simply pieced the front by sewing strips of sheeting & dots, then backed with flannel by placing them right sides together, sewing around the sides leaving an opening for turning, flipping the blanket right side out, then top stitching around all 4 sides.  Easy peasy.

Oh, I embroidered the name first, before attaching the backing.  I also did some top stitching along the seams of the strips, though that step isn't necessary because there is no batting.

With that striped flannel as my inspiration (could it be any more perfect?), it was pretty easy to pull my prints together.  I couldn't believe how well those sheets went with the flannel stripe.

Much to my delight, the blanket was well received - love that!  

quilting on my mind

Perhaps it's all the talk about Quilt Market, perhaps it's the small project I just finished, or perhaps it's the change the seasons...no matter the reason, I've been in the mood to start a new quilt. 

But before I can start something new, I MUST finish some that I already have in progress.  I counted 4 right off, but I'm sure there are more. 

I've decided to concentrate my efforts right now on one that I started more than a year ago as a wedding gift for a friend.  She celebrated her first anniversary last month (oops).  

Yes, I need to get on that!  Better late than never, right?

hexed

Dang it!  I do NOT need another craft project…but after playing with my scraps last week, I succumbed to the hexagon.  They’re easy, fun, and totally addictive.  Arggggg!!!

Lately, portable crafts that I can work on in small bursts (and tuck in my bag) are just about all I can manage.  Having a couple of hours to sit at my sewing machine seems like such an unattainable luxury!  I often look back and wonder how in the world I used to be able to do that.  I suppose this falls under slow summer stitching, though it is definitely reflective of the upcoming season.

When I started making these hexies, I thought they would turn into a pillow.  But now I’m thinking they just might be the perfect accent on a new fall bag.  Hmmm…the wheels continue to turn!

***these are long hexagons (2 sides longer than the other 4), inspired by this

***Craft Hope book winner coming soon!!

red + aqua

How about a little bit of happy to start off the weekend?  I don't know about you, but I can't help but smile when looking at these blocks. 

Last night after the supper dishes were cleared away, with the NY Housewives on in the background (my goodness, the drama!), I poured myself a glass of wine, then had a little fun cutting and piecing.

Sew, then trim...sew, then trim...that's how I make my log cabin blocks.  No rules, no plan, just making something pretty...which always makes me happy.  I never did jump on the red & aqua train, but these colors sure are pretty together.  I can see how one would be smitten with the combination.

What are these for?  Oh, I don't know... *wink*wink*

I'll leave you with this - look who learned a new trick!  We already can't leave the dining room chairs pulled out or else she jumps on the table and now this.  Ruby and Ava make a great pair, those two are always keeping me on my toes!  Happy weekend, friends :-)

a year of making

It's always fun to look back on the year to see what has been accomplished.  In my mind, it doesn't seem like I accomplished all that much, but when I went back through my photos - holy crap!  Seriously, did I do all that?  I have the photos to prove it, so I guess I did. **warning, photo heavy post!

It looks like I sure got into my knitting groove this year!  Over the course of this year I completed 8 sweaters.  Of those eight completed projects, three of those were baby sweaters, two were short sleeved and one was a vest.  I also managed to end up with 6 wip's (works in progress).  Oh Christmas day Matt and I each wore a hand knit to church, which I thought was pretty cool.  I still need to post about his vest and my finished red featherweight sweater.

I had kind of forgotten about this category, but I also managed to sew some things for myself and my girls.  Back in the early spring I got on a dress kick, resulting in 5 dresses for me.  There was also a dress for my friend's daughter, a first communion dress for Lily, a birthday dress for Ava, a pillowcase dress for Craft Hope and 2 Alabama Stitch skirts for me (which are my favorites of them all).

Participating in two quilting bees made quilts a constant in my making.  It's been a lot of fun trying out different quilt blocks.  I also completed 4 quilts (2 for me, 2 given away) and started a few quilt tops as well.  Piecing a quilt top is my go to craft when I feel the need to just play with fabric.  Quilts are such a satisfying thing to make.

Some time this summer I got on a home decorating kick.  After 5 years in our house I was ready for some change and wanted things finished.  I'm the queen of half-finished decorating projects!  My focus was my living room and the girls' room.  I made pillows, 2 chair slip covers (for the same chair), a table skirt, a bookcase skirt, curtains, a futon cover, and more pillows.  I never did give you a full reveal of either of these rooms, but they're coming.  As soon as I take down all my holiday decorations I'll show you my living room, but I'm still finishing up the girls' room.  Just this past week I did a lamp project and hung some art on their walls, so it's almost there.  I'm determined to get their room FINISHED.

Last but not least, bags.  Ah, bags.  Can I really count all the bags I've made this year? I had photos of 27 bags in my flickr set, but I know there were more than that.  I don't usually take photos of custom orders and I don't seem to have any photos of the bags I made for my pattern covers.  What can I say?  I love to make bags.  In all my bag making, I came out with 5 patterns, one for free, three for purchase (which are still on sale in my shop), and one in Stitch.  I'd say that was a pretty good bag year!

Dang, what a year!  I'm starting to think that 2010 needs to be the year of rest and slowing down.  Who am I kidding, I can't sit still long enough for that.  I promise, I am NOT a robot, but I may be a little crazy ;-)

Thank you all for sharing this knitting-sewing-making journey with me.  All your encouragement and kind words really do mean the world to me.  One thing I'm not so proud of in 2009 is my lack of comment replying - sorry about that.  One of my goals for 2010 is to do better in that department.  My interaction with you all is what makes this fun for me.  Please know that I do read each and every comment you leave me.  Thank you for taking the time to stop by here.

Well friends, Happy, Happy New Year!!  I wish you all the best in this upcoming year.  Here's to another crazy craft filled year in 2010!!!