Watch it Grow

Posted on October 22, 2011 by April

I’m so close to finishing Isabel’s quilt top! I’ve put on 10 more rows on each side, so 20 more rows total. It’s become an obsession for me. I really don’t have time to be piecing over a thousand squares together right now, but I do it anyway. I am dedicated to my craft. ;)

Here’s what we have so far:

 

 

Isn’t it prettylicious?

I even laid it out on her future bed to see how it would drape. I was worried that the sides would be too long. Typically this quilt is square-shaped and of course beds are rectangle-shaped. The quilt that I drew my pattern from had added some rows for length, which I copied. This is the finished width. As you can see the top is a little short. The last six rows I have to add will add about 15 inches to the length, which will hopefully be just right!

And a post about Little Bear’s big girl quilt wouldn’t be complete with photos of the special girl herself. Izzy is six months old now. She’s a rolling machine, just like her big sister was at this age. She’s eating big girl food now and can drink from a cup. If I take her about in the baby backpack she is good as gold. No matter how tired she is, etc., she doesn’t cry. I call her my Sweet Bear and like to sing her little songs about how much I love her. Which she enjoys. Izzy is also enamored with her big sister. And big sister loves her right back. Sometimes too much. I have to give lots of instruction about mauling and over-loving.

I know. She seems to live in the Johnny Jumpup. ha. I like this one of Izzy and my Mom.

It may seem that these photos were taken on the same day, from the looks of Olivia in the same sweater. But these were taken over the span of a few days. My Granny gave O this sweater on her birthday and O is obsessed with it, wearing it EVERY DAY. She even tried fishing it out of the dirty laundry to keep wearing it.

Is this JB's baby or WHAT?

 

Posted in Life, Things I've Made | 4 Comments

Reva’s Dolly Quilts

Posted on October 14, 2011 by April

I finished the Devil’s Claw quilt. And I made another one for Olivia, to boot.

So here is my tale of my first foray into free-motion quilting. For those of you not in-the-know (like I was until recently), free-motion quilting is quilting on your machine without feed dogs (the teeth that pull your fabric through the machine), so you are able to quilt in a free motion style, doing swirls and curves, etc. It opens you up to a world of possibilities beyond straight-line stitching.

For starters, I got a hold of a darning foot (which you need to do free motion). Yay! I had called my local sewing shop and asked if I could order one and Tim, the owner, said they  had them in stock. Heh. Reva’s quilts could be made in time for her birthday! I guess whoever I spoke with before thought I wanted something else.

When I finally had all my tools together I got to work. Most people don’t mark designs on their quilts for this type of sewing. They just move the quilt around and do lots of improv swirls, etc. I wondered why they didn’t do specific shapes, like hearts. I wanted to do hearts on the Devil’s Claw, so I drew some on and decided to do improv for the rest of the quilt.

And I figured out why sewists shy away from drawn designs when free motion quilting. It’s really hard to stay on the lines and be exact.

This revelation came to me AS I was sewing the hearts. I didn’t practice on any scrap fabric. I just went to town on the quilt. So….as a result, my stitch lengths are all over the place, and the hearts look like a 120-year-old lady with shaky hands sketched them, but I don’t care.

I tell myself that antique dolly quilts were often made by young girls as they were learning to sew. It was a great way for them to practice on something non-essential until they became better with the needle.

So my quilts needed a touch of authenticity, and thus, required the kindergardener’s stitchery look.

Here they are!

 

Devil's Claw front. The hearts actually look good from afar. Believe me, they're messy! ;)

 

Devil's Claw back. I've had this cute Beatrix Potter fabric for a while and finally found the right opportunity to use it.

My Granny gave me a cute Beatrix Potter tin so I putO’s quilts in it. Sorry there isn’t a good shot of it in these photos. I am considering putting sewn gifts in there for the girls in the future. That way whenever they see the tin in their present pile they’ll know they have a homemade gift coming.

Quilt #2. I knew that the quilt that I had meticulously pieced would not be as popular as this whole cloth piece. I mainly did the Devil's Claw for fun practice. And of course, I was right. She takes this one all over the house and leaves Devil's Claw to itself. ha.

 

The back of the small quilt. It's Jack Russells! I've been waiting and waiting to use this cute fabric. Love it. So does Reva.

 

Posted in Things I've Made | 3 Comments

…Devil’s Claws?

Posted on October 7, 2011 by April

I finished the top to Olivia’s dolly quilt. I’m making it in secret for her birthday. I perused my mother-in-law’s trusty quilt block book, 1001 Patchwork Designs, and of the 1,000+ blocks to choose from I picked Devil’s Claws. For a sweet dolly quilt for a wonderful little girl I made Devil’s Claws.

Does this get me negative points for the Mom Of The Year award? Probably. Oh well. Wasn’t going to win anyway. I’m not a bad mother, but I do things like let my daughter ride her bike to the playground sans helmet (I never wore one, so I never think to make her wear one), give her spanks when she’s naughty, let her watch movies that would frighten other kids her age (but not her), and fail to make her consume the proper amount of vegetables each day. I also do not own a car with a zillion air bags or live in “the right” school district. So, no awards here.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m still an awesome Mom. Just ask O. Last week as we were getting ready for bed she said, “Mommy, you’re my best friend in the whole world.”

But that was before I tried to give her Devil’s Claws. We’ll see if my bff status changes next week…

After I made the top I Googled more images of this Devil’s Claws business. Apparently my version is not the mainstream one. This is the commonly accepted Devil’s Claws:

I found this image at QuiltHistory.com.

If you ask me, those barbed stars look more devilish than this:

I also got crafty at MOPS this week and decorated that photo frame. Can you tell I'm on a red-and-light-blue kick?

But guess what? They’re the same pattern. Ha! It’s just a matter of fabric choice. My pattern called for 3 different fabrics, while the traditional Devil’s Claw uses just two. And there, with the addition of one new color, the whole look changes.

I prefer to call this version Bear’s Claws. It reminds me of those oh-so-tasty donut confections that one should never eat more than one of at a time.

Maybe I’ll tell O it’s Bear’s Claws. Hold onto that best friend status a little longer. Afterall, JB told me to enjoy it while it lasts. One day she’ll be a teenager and I will fall from that sweet little girl’s grace.

Posted in Things I've Made | 7 Comments

I’m not Dead!

Posted on October 3, 2011 by April

I’m not dead. Really. Though my absence from blogland might suggest so.

I’ve just been busy. (I’m sure none of you can relate, right? har har).

Some types of blogging are easier to do than others. Sewing blogs I think are one of the hardest to keep up. Not only do you need to think of something to write about, but you need to actually sew something, find creative ways to photograph it (often several times if you’re showing a procedure), upload and edit the photos, and then write your article.

So most days I just get time to do one of those things. And lately, none of it was the blogging part. But I have been working! So here’s a little montage of what I’ve been up to.

 

I finished washing Hexi! My father-in-law shared his clever way of getting water wrung out of delicates: just press them around the sides of the washer and run the spin cycle. Mark, you saved me from sure Carpal Tunnel!! She only took 7 washes and 3 rinses to get clean.

 

I made a verse board for Olivia's preschool co-op. There are six children and each Monday a different Mom takes the kids for a lesson. I did the first lesson. Looking forward to my time to drop off Olivia and enjoy silence for 2 1/2 hours! :)

 

I finally remarked all the designs for the handquilting on the Citrus Wonder. I got it hooped up and everything. And there it sits. Collecting dust again. Doh!

 

I made applesauce! Not as much as I hoped, but as much as I had time for. I also lost a quart in the canner as the jar broke. Sticky applesauce exploded everywhere in the pot. Ick.

 

Olivia has been pestering me to make her a dolly quilt since before Isabel was born. She's been loving on these fabrics and asking if her quilt is done yet (I'm going to use the cherry fabric on top). So I'm trying to make her one in secret to give to her on her birthday next week. Not getting too far on it. I wanted to practice free-motion quilting on it, as it is a small piece. However, I need a darning foot to get started and my local pfaff dealer would have to special order one. Boo! I'm having trouble finding one on-line so I'm not sure what I'll do...

I’ve also worked on Izzy’s quilt, dog-and-house-sat, became a godmother, finally met my friend’s newly adopted children and planted bulbs for next year’s garden.

Oh yeah, and I landed a part-time job at Macy’s. Yay! I really need a higher paying job but there aren’t many executive positions hiring for nights and weekends only! :) I worked retail in college and enjoyed it. Here’s to spending time out of the house without kids!

Posted in Life, Random | 4 Comments

Ribbed for Her Pleasure

Posted on September 20, 2011 by April

A long, long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, my husband began to knit a scarf for me.

Back when I had a brown raincoat. When the baby I carried around was named Olivia. When JB worked a job that he did not find fulfilling or busy enough, and thus was able to bring his knitting to work to busy his hands in between phone calls.

Then, as is always the case, life got busy. It changed. JB got a way better job. Olivia grew. Isabel joined the ranks. The house continued to need improvements. My brown raincoat broke and was replaced (for free!) in the new color available: black. Yet the scarf did not change. It did not move. It did not grow. It sat on a shelf in the office, waiting for the knitting season to return to JB’s life.

And suddenly, like the morning when you wake up and sadly realize that it’s still dark outside and that a life of endless snow is just a few weeks away, the knitting needles were picked up. They twitched back and forth. Knit one. Purl two. Click, click, click.

A scarf was born.

My very own brown and pink scarf. It doesn’t match my raincoat anymore. I don’t care. It matches me. And whenever I put it on I’ll know that I am loved by my best friend.

__________________

Pattern: Ribbed for Her Pleasure from Stitch n Bitch.

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn, Encore Worsted (25% wool)

Modifications: pink stripes, fringe

Bonus: I am entering JB in the Celebrate Color contest. If you’re crafty, check it out because it’s really cool and maybe you could win! And even if you don’t enter, it’s inspiring to look at what others have made with fall colors.

I have a great idea for October but the money train will not take me to the fabric store to get supplies. Besides, I’m kind of busy enough with a bazillion other projects. If JB wins he’ll get some sweet yarn. He’s found a beautiful blanket pattern (also in Stitch n Bitch) that calls for amazingly soft perfect yarn so maybe this could help him get started.

Photo credit: JB

Extra bonus: Cute small people

Posted in Things I've Not Made | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Mind the Gap!

Posted on September 15, 2011 by April

Every time I put another row on Isabel’s Trip Around the World quilt I get a little more excited. I’m up to 17 rows now, with 11 more to go. The next 11 are the longest, though, so I still have a large task ahead of me.

Since the top left and bottom right corners are mirror images, I am starting from those corners and working my way in. (The photograph at right is of the two corners pinned together.)

I was so worried about the fabric choices & layout at first. I kept second-guessing myself but in the end I forced myself to just start cutting and piecing. I mean, it couldn’t be that bad, could it?

Nope, it couldn’t.

So far I have a 45″ square made. If you lay them out where they’ll appear in the quilt it looks like this.

Almost there! Sort of. Well, not really. I've pieced the "short" rows. Now onto the mega-long ones.

Which fabric is your favorite? Mine? ALL OF THEM. ;)

 

 

 

Posted in Procedures | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Strip Happy

Posted on September 11, 2011 by April

Yes, I have enjoyed writing “stripping” headlines for my posts. ;)

Though I have to be careful as I don’t want my blog to attract those other kind of stripping enthusiasts.

You know, wood strippers.

…….

So I’ve finished all the strip piecing for Isabel’s quilt. I also had to cut out a few individual blocks, too. In the end I had so many different sections pieced that I had to make a chart of it all.

Then I put the strips in marked totes.

I heart totes! JB laughs whenever we walk past organizational supplies at the store because my heart starts to race and I get this excited look in my eyes. Then I ask him if I can get more. Honestly, I'd use them. I really would!

I recently got these guys at Lowe's. They were storing my red, purple, black, and white fabrics until I had to bogart them for this project.

Then I started piecing!

The first 5 rows are pieced here, with the next five lined up.

See the hole? My math wasn’t perfect so I missed cutting a few individual blocks. And a few times I had just run out of that certain fabric. I ended up going back to Smith-Owen once & then improv piecing the rest. Trying to be economical here, like the Depression Era women who originally made these quilts.

 

 

 

Posted in Procedures | Tagged , | 4 Comments

How to Wash an Antique Quilt

Posted on September 7, 2011 by April

As much as I love antiques and quilts, this Grandmother’s Flower Garden is my first antique quilt. I have a vintage topper that I bought a few years ago, but no completed quilts.

Hexi, my new quilt, was quite dirty. in the past I’ve read about washing antique quilts. They say to lay them out flat in a massive tub and to handwash. Yeah right–I totally have a huge 6×6′ vat just lying around at my disposal!

But at the Antiques fair I learned an easier way from the woman who sold me Hexi. Which so far, appears to have worked.

Thank God, too, because Hexi was NASTY. Ugh. Gross. I thought I bought an off-white quilt. Turns out, she’s white.

So I thought I’d share with you my procedure for cleaning an antique quilt. I am sure there are other good methods out there, too. Do you know of any? This is what worked for me, so here we go!

First, get a bathtub. (Ha. I know that showing a photo of your bathtub is dangerous, as really, you could see grime. But I wanted to show off my husband's tile job from a few years ago. He's so handy!)

And some of this.

Run just enough cold water into the empty tub to cover the quilt, and dillute 3-4 scoops of Oxy Clean. (Note: this was taken with Toddler Cam. Aka, Olivia with Daddy's camera. Didn't she do good?)

Drop your quilt into the tub and soak her down. Agitate/wash with your hands. Be gentle. But thorough. (Photo courtesy: Toddler Cam.)

If you did it right, and your quilt was in any condition like mine, your water will look like this. After just minimal agitation. This is just the first washing. GROSS.

Let out the water, wring out the quilt carefully, and repeat the above steps seven more times. Yes. Seven. Actually, do it more. After seven washings my quilt is still dirty on the front. The back feels and smells clean. So I’m going to wash her again, this time turned over with the top (colorful) on the bottom.

While washing quilt and caring for baby, give Toddler run of the house with the Toddler Cam:

Isabel was the focus of many a shot.

This is the antique poster I got for JB at the Antiques Fair last year. How did she know I'd want to show that to you?

JB's Dad, along with a good family friend, were siding the back of our house that day. O was desperate to go outside and play with them. She would give them reports out the window of things she was doing throughout the day, whether they could hear her or not.

This is her artistic piece. It's titled "Bedroom Table."

Convince toddler relinquish camera and give quilt a final rinse. I draped the quilt over a free-standing towel rack.

Wring out quilt best you can (afterward you'll wonder if you've given yourself carpal tunnel) and hang on line to dry.

Posted in Antiques, Procedures | 7 Comments

A Great Day for Antiquing

Posted on August 28, 2011 by April

I went antiquing today!

I looove antiquing, especially at the Allegan Antiques fair, held monthly through the warm months in Michigan. There are over 400 vendors and they aren’t afraid to wheel and deal.

My mom-in-law and I always go together, and this time my friend Jessica came, too. (I have lots of friends named Jessica–if you were to ask me America’s most popular girl name from 1975-1985 I’d say it’s Jessica). She loves antiquing, too. She gets the shopper of the day award because she found the most treasures.

As usual, I passed up a lot of really neat items. Mostly because of the cost. Would I like this sweet spool case?

Yes! For $1,000? .... No.

 

Or this other neat trinket holder:

I didn't even look at the price of this one.

JB wanted me to look for WWI and WWII propaganda posters.

This one was cool-the menacing shadow is in the shape of a swastika. But it's an original and thus $200.

Isn't she a beauty? A $200 beauty. Worth it. For someone with a bigger pocketbook.

Others, for practical purposes:

I loved these children's book images (so did Jessica). But I already have several things awaiting a professional frame job.

These pink chairs were pretty sweet, but I don't have a place for them. I would if I had my own sewing room/office... so I've placed these guys in my "April's own room" daydreams. They look good there.

And others because I simply forgot to go back for them:

Such a pretty tablecloth!! Doh!

And then there were other items that didn’t go with my “look.” Like the mannequins. We saw lots of mannequins today. Or random mannequin parts. So much so that Jessica and I kind of had a mannequin scavenger hunt going on. We’d point out the different appendages we saw lying about for sale.

There were the  normal busts, some with heads, some without. A crate of assorted arms and legs, sticking out in several directions, which I was certain were just waiting to reach out and grab the right innocent passer’s-by leg. A mannequin sans legs, arms, or torso. It was like just the butt piece. A whole mannequin wearing a wig and dress that I mistook for a real person. Yeah, that startled me.

And then there was this guy:

I don't know where the rest of him went. But I get the feeling that that dog may have had something to do with it...

Or perhaps his wife is to blame (from the looks of this nearby sign)...

But lo and behold, I did buy some things! I had brought my sidekick, in hopes that I would garner some Cuteness Discounts. But she ended up hanging in her carseat the whole time so she mainly entertained other shoppers. Who all loved her leggings and infectious smile.

Thankfully, I still got discounts.

Like THIS tablecloth that I didn’t forget to buy.

Jessica also nabbed two really cool linens from this vendor. One for her table and one to frame (a cool Michigan map linen from the 50's with the major towns on it and little images of popular activities, attractions, and things made in Michigan). I really, really also wanted this gray, pink and white tablecloth that the vendor had with apples on it. But I can't have it all. Sigh...

Or how about this little bit of cute stitchery?

 

Here is where I put it in my kitchen. The yellow cupboard Marian snagged at Allegan Antiques LAST year and gave it as a Christmas gift. And the cool hanging lamp was also a Christmas gift from the grandparent Hunts one year. They know how to outfit a house!

But here is my PRIZE.

I saw it the moment we walked into the fairgrounds. It was hanging on the door of a tall cupboard. It was BEAUTIFUL. But also pricey. So I kept shopping, thinking I might find another treasure. Alas, there were other quilts, but none were like my first love. So I returned and asked her best price. Which was more reasonable. Then I left again and shopped more. But I couldn’t stay away. We belonged together. Hexi and I. She needs a good cleaning, which I am excited to do tomorrow. And then into my arms she’ll go. My new best friend.

Love the blue pieces in this!

 

So pretty!!!

What’s the coolest thing you’ve gotten antiquing?

Posted in Antiques | 9 Comments

Quilting the Grid

Posted on August 21, 2011 by April

My Citrus Wonder quilt completion is so close

…yet so far away.

The weather was friendlier the last few weeks so I machine quilted like a madwoman. Since my quilting marks had disappeared I wanted to remark them while they were fresh in my memory. But that also meant that I had to quilt all of my marks at the same time, lest they evaporate again.

So desperate was I to finish this part of the quilt that I even tried sewing with Isabel on my lap at one point so she’d stop fussing and I could lay a few more inches of thread down before having to take care of her. I broke one of my own cardinal rules of sewing: don’t operate machine while holding a child. It wasn’t worth it. My line ended up crooked and I was terrified the entire time that I’d accidentally sew a pudgy little baby hand or something.

It feels good to have all my cross-hatching stitched. But there is still a big hole in the middle that needs handquilting. I estimate that to be about 10-12 hours of work. Then I have to locate the right binding fabric. I am taking my readers’ advice and looking for a turquoise/teal piece with either a chocolate or orange print. So far, no dice.

While I sewed these lines I prayed for the girl who will get this quilt. My baby sister K. She left for Equador last week on a Study Abroad trip. I prayed that she would have a fantastic time and that she would grow a lot. That she would gain a bigger worldview through her travels. That she would have a vision of what lies in her future.  Happy trails, K! If I can find 12 hours and some binding, perhaps your quilt will be waiting for you when you get back!

My bro gave me a cool camera filter for Christmas. That, coupled with the way the sunlight fell, helped me get this "illuminated" shot.

My model wasn't very willing when I asked her to show me her boots under the quilt. I thought it would be a cool photo. I probably would have been. Sigh... that's what I get for free labor.

When I left her alone she performed better. My best shots of Reva are my "journalism" ones--shots that I don't try to create, but rather ones where I play quiet observer.

She was so proud of herself for riding her tricycle onto the grass "like a big girl." Can you believe you're looking at a 2-year-old? She'll be three in just a couple of months. My little star.

 

Little Bear took in all the photoshoot fun with quiet interest. She's usually Miss Smiley. One of my favorite things to watch is when Olivia comes up to her to play or say hi or give her a hug. Izzy's eyes light up and the biggest baby smile spreads across her face. She opens her mouth as wide as it'll go and smiles with delight, as if to say, "She's talking to ME! She's playing with ME!" It's so sweet how she looks up to her big sister.

Posted in Things I've Made | 4 Comments