artsy-crafty babe

Loops and Ladies

If you've followed my creative endeavors over the years you know that I've dabbled in many things. I've always loved starting a new project! The majority of them involve fabric of some sort.

A few years ago I decided to concentrate on one thing to see where it led - solid colored fabric + hand sewing in mini quilt form. At first I was focused on the loop. I explored following the curvy line, changing colors to make a fluid composition. That was fun, so I kept going.

The loops morphed into larger loopyish circular shapes. I relaxed my rules and allowed lines to end. My designs got a little larger.

And then they got smaller. I call these Micro Minis. These little ones are so much fun! With these, the enjoyment came from playing with color. I also experimented with different stitches while quilting. The small size made them perfect for experimentation.

Have I mentioned I did all of these completely by hand? No machine sewing whatsoever. Slow sewing all the way!

About a year into my journey I got the idea to turn my "loops" into recognizable forms while keeping the fluid line aspect. It was after hearing a speaker at church talk about The Theology of the Body  that I got the idea to make my "ladies". Like most women, I've always struggled body image. At the time that I heard the talk I had already been working on loving and accepting my own body, so it seemed like a good fit creatively and personally.

There were some experiments with flowers along the way, but those didn't stick. I have yet to quilt any of those. In fact, I have yet to quilt and finish most of the things I've pieced over the past 2.5 years.

I have so loved making my ladies! In the year or so that I've been making them, they have evolved from small, simple forms to a bit larger, more complex forms with wings. I'm not sure where the wings came from, but they work.

With each one I discover something new or try out a different technique. Recently, I've relaxed my hand sewing rule and started machine sewing the outline of their bodies once I get to the quilting phase. Previously, I hand sewed the outline of their body with clear thread. Before that, there was no outline and they were entirely quilted.  I like the definition the machine stitch gives them. I'm not opposed to machine piecing them if I could find an efficient way to do so, but for now my hand sewing method works. I don't think I'll ever change the hand quilting aspect, that's my love.

This is an ever evolving process, nothing is set in stone. Looking back, I've come a long way...and I'm excited to see what the future holds!

(All the photos above are from my phone.I'd like to start using my camera again. Baby steps!!)

LA love

LA as in Louisiana, of course.

Keeping with the same theme as last time (gosh, however long ago THAT was), another one is finished. Louisiana love. Y'all, I'm stuck on these mini quilts! Right now, they're just the right speed for me.

This one isn't as I originally envisioned, but that is my fault. I was too impatient to do it how I wanted, so I compromised. The good news in this is that the original idea may come to fruition eventually. I'm pretty sure it will, actually.

It started without a plan, just an idea I had to get out. Once it took off, I knew exactly its' purpose. It was to be a gift for a dear friend moving home from out of state. Perfect. (it hasn't been gifted yet, so cross your fingers that she likes it)

I thought of her often as I was making it, thinking good thoughts and offering good wishes.

I think the stitched parish lines are my favorite.

If I were to keep it, I'd probably do something like this.

Love.

P.S.

It feels good to be here again!

Last month (okay, 2 months ago now!) I wrote about slow sewing and why all this crazy hand sewing fits in my life for Sew Mama Sew. Check it out if you’re interested ;-)

inspired by Lulie

I’m sure you’ve all see the work of Lulie Wallace. I love her style! The color, pattern, whimsy – I love everything about it. Last year for my birthday I treated myself to one of her prints. It took me about a year to find a home for it, but now it resides on my bedroom wall surrounded by lots of other fun prints I’ve collected over time. (that empty frame is will be filled eventually...I'm not too speedy at decorating!)

When I look at my wall, it’s that print that always catches my eye.

While in my mini quilt phase (which is still going strong), the idea popped into my head to make a Lulie Wallace inspired mini quilt.  I looked at several pieces of her work and chose elements that I could interpret into a quilt.  It was meant to be my summer long project, but I got so caught up in it that I finished it in a few weeks.  Well, almost finished – I think it sat longer waiting for binding than it took to do all the appliqué and quilting.

This was one of those projects that just flowed.  Love that.

The background was machine pieced then the flower arrangement was needle turn appliquéd.  Next was the fun part – the quilting!  Hand quilting is becoming my favorite type of hand work.

I’m not done exploring this medium. There are so many ideas I’m eager to get out of my brain that I wish I could finish them in an instant, but then that’s not really the point, is it? I don’t think I’d like them nearly as much if I were to machine quilt them (not that there’s anything wrong with that). Weird. I've always been a process girl, and this process makes me very content.

Right now, sewing by hand feels right, so that’s where I’ll be ;-)

 

pinwheel mini

Last fall I stumbled across a beautiful old handmade quilt at an antiques store.  I wanted to bring it home, but it wasn’t in my budget.  I did think to snap a quick photo. That quilt never left my mind.

Since then I’ve done some quick searches to try to figure out the pattern, but I never really found anything. Honestly, I didn’t look all that hard.  Do you know what it is?  I assume it is some sort of pinwheel variation.  I found something similar, but it wasn’t quite the same.

One day it dawned on me to reproduce it.  So I did, in mini version.  Have I mentioned I’m obsessed with mini quilts at the moment?

I didn’t hand piece my blocks like the original, but I did hand sew the rest.  The hand quilting is my favorite part. This is why I’m in love with mini quilts. Hand quilting a mini - yes. A full size quilt, uh, I’m not quite on board with that just yet, but I’ve jumped into crazier waters ;-)

 

sewing for sanity

Life is so very busy right now! I know one day I'll look back and wonder how I ever did it, but right now I'm living for the slow times to catch my breath. These kids [and life] of mine sure keep me on my toes.

During my down time (which isn't nearly enough) I've fallen back into hand sewing. Y'all how I love to sew by hand. When I'm feeling stressed and overwhelmed nothing calms me down like the movement of my needle through layers of fabric. I crave it.

If you follow me on Instagram you've seen this project pop up a few times...remember when I started this? About a month ago while looking for project to take along on a road trip soccer game, I rediscovered it. I threw the project, some fabric scraps, and my sewing pouch into a bag and hit the road. My original idea of turning the dresden plates into personalized mini quilts for the two youngest girls never did materialize, but I still had the urge to do SOMETHING with them. With no plan other than wanting to sew by hand, and a few hours in the car, I jumped in and started sewing.

The Dresden Plates had already been appliqued and quilted, but the rest was a blank canvas. I decided to fill in all the white space with patchwork. Because it was already a "quilt sandwich", the patchwork got appliqued and quilted at the same time. It was so fun!

Once I finished filling it all in, I went back and added more stitching. I finished the first one all too quickly, so I went on to another. I still have more quilting and stitching to do on this one and they both need to be bound, but I'm very happy with how this project is turning out.

(pssst - that stack to the left is my work on a new bag pattern - can.not.wait. to share!!! yeah, i'm a little bit crazy ;-))

the fox & the cow

This is a long lost post that never got posted back in early December...apparently it slipped through the cracks!  It may be old, but it’s still quite relevant.

I seem to be stuck on appliqué, specifically, appliquéd shirts for Ceci.  These are such fun, satisfying little projects! Never mind all the holiday hustle and bustle (old reference!!), all I want to do it sit and sew on these little shirts.

Let’s just say that silly fox video has been played several times at my house.  Ceci loves it..  Months ago I happened to picked up a fox t-shirt for her. Once she made the connection between that song and what was on her shirt, it became her favorite. Unfortunately, her beloved fox shirt met an early demise this past weekend thanks to her attempt to paint her own fingernails...grrr!  I had to remedy that, pronto.

Thanks to some mini boden inspiration, a cute shirt from old navy, and my appetite for appliqué, Ceci has a new fox shirt.  I’m pretty darned pleased with how it turned out!  I kinda want one for myself.

I love that the fox body was cut from a pair of newborn pants she wore and the white bits are from one of her old onesies.  Love.

  

Since making the fox shirt, I’ve made a cow shirt.  Both are in frequent rotation.  Like the fox, the cow appliqué was made from bits of outgrown clothing.  It was a pleasant surprise to find that the star printed gray fabric was such a close match to the striped shirt.  A pair meant to be, for sure!

 Somewhere near the holidays I lost my applique mojo, so the Ruby shirt never got finished.  She’s been requesting it, so I guess I had better get back to it. We're all home today thanks to a snow (freezing rain) day. As soon as I get a grip on the stir crazy wild kid situation, guess what I’ll be working on?

 

a little something

7 days?  I honestly don't know where last week went.  In fact, all this week I've been on the wrong day.  I can't seem to get it straight.  So much for posting every day in November!!

 

As much as I've been craving a new, big project, a small something was all I could muster.  This little project is something I've wanted to do for a while, but deadlines and other things kept getting in the way. I'm sure you know how that is.

 

 

I picked up a plain little gray t-shirt on clearance at the end of summer.  I always see plain t-shirts as a blank canvas for embellishing.  With a few knit scraps and my favorite thread, I turned it into something not plain.

 

 

The long outgrown embellished onesies I made when she was tiny are now sitting in my knit scrap basket. I still have plans of turning them into blocks to make a quilt of knits one day.  Before I know it this top will be in the scrap basket as well, but hopefully not before it gets some wear and a few stains for character.

 

I think she likes it ;-)  She's a master at cheesy grins right now.

11.12.13

Dang it - I missed yesterday!  Oh well, moving on....

 

These early evenings are calling me to a new project.  Something to work on once the kids are in bed. Something productive to do with my hands.  

 

Ceci's dress was a tease.  I want more.  I'm craving a larger project to sink my teeth into.  Perhaps it's time that I broke out of my usual mold of reverse applique to try something new.  

 

I have a whole stack of knits waiting to be turned into something wonderful.  

 

The beginning of a project is my favorite part.  I love the planning, but I find the deciding the hardest part.  All the possibility can be paralizing.  If I liked to do projects as is, it might be easier, but I tend to manipulate to make my own.  In most things I am a rule follower. This does not apply to making.  There's always something I want to change, some rule to be broken.

 

One thing I do know is that I'll figure something out soon. 

the project I forgot to talk about

Remember this project?  It was my spring/summer slow stitching project.  Oh, how I love a slow, hand stitching project!  My muslin was worked on during an early spring out of town soccer tournament.  I remember rushing to get a panel stenciled so that I could work on it while in the car on the way to and from the zoo over Easter break.  It rode around in my purse a lot.

A number of things have kept me from sharing the finished project with you.  For one, I finished it on vacation in late July.  Re-entry combined with the rush of back to school and the numerous other events going on at the time put it on the back burner.  

I never did get a chance to wear it because from start to finish I lost weight, so it no longer fit.  When I finished it up I had to take out a few inches from the back seam.  It worked, but the modification threw things off a bit.  I was no longer in love with the fit.  Also, when you're not wearing something, you simply forget about it - out of sight out of mind.  

I was reminded when I read this post last week.   It got me thinking that I should make my girls something. I've only ever made alabama chanin inspired clothing for myself, which I rarely wear, despite being completely in love with them.  If I were to make something for my girls, namely Ava & Ceci, I'm sure they would get lots of use out of them.  

So now my mind has turned to girls dress designs.  No plans yet, but the ideas are percolating.

As for my top, the design is my own, cobbled together from various elements of tops that I like combined with some anthropologie inspiration.  I know back when I started this there was a top there I admired, but it is no longer on the site.  The stencil pattern is also my own.  I stenciled the design using jacquard textile paint then stitched around the design.  The stenciled-stitched areas are two layers of cotton jersey.  I had plans to do reverse applique (my go-to), but I preferred the look without it.  

I may not be wearing it now, but I'll do something with it.  I love it to much not to.

keeping me busy

Hello out there! I haven't fallen off the face of the Earth, just been insanely busy keeping up with my kids' activities. They're on spring break this week, so I think I'll get a little reprieve. I hope. I can't even tell you what's been going on the last few weeks because it's gone by with a blur. I HATE when our life gets like that, but I suppose this is the season that we're in. It won't last forever.

I was recently complaining to chatting with Chris that I needed a project to work on. I've been so busy with the kids that I haven't had time to do anything and I was starting to get twitchy. She suggested an Alabama Chanin project, knowing how much I like to do the hand stitching. This conversation took place after an earlier one about Boden spring fashions, which sparked the idea to make an Alabama Chanin style tunic top a la Boden. Makes perfect sense in my brain.

With an upcoming road trip soccer tournament weekend in Gulfport, MS, silly me thought that I might have some down time to work on that project. I knocked myself out getting everything together before the trip. I used a PDF pattern I had on hand as the basis for my top (I taped it together in the car at Alex's baseball practice). There was no time to buy fabric, so I found something in my stash, which ended up not being enough to include sleeves. I stayed up way too late Thursday night getting my pieces cut out (NOT packing), but darned it, I was going to have something to work on over the weekend!!

There wasn't a needle threaded until the car ride home Sunday afternoon. That car ride home was only 2 hours. I managed to work on it throughout the evening, enough to try it on to test the fit. I have a few kinks to work out, but I have big plans for my next one. Until my new fabric arrives I'll keep working on this one. It's a definite wearable muslin.

I do believe my love affair with Alabama Chanin style projects has been rekindled (and that creative twitch has been satisfied)!!