Some Days...

...are better than others.

Let's hear it for the boy

After all the girly sewing I've been doing lately it seemed only fair to whip up something for my little man.

Behold: the Henry Shirt from Sewing for Boys by Shelly Figueroa and Karen LePage.

Owen helped to pick out the fabrics. Lately he has been heavily invested in all things robot. He's even declared that he wants a robot themed birthday party this year.

I'm particularly fond of the brown pearl snaps.

And someone seems to like his new threads.

Here's a gratuitous gappy toothed picture.

And just so you can appreciate decent pictures of my kids - this is what happens whenever I bring out the camera.

So, that's what's been going on around here. I promise to get back to crafty quilty things soon! There's even a plan for a new quilt design swirling around so hopefully I'll be able to post about that soon.

What's keeping you busy?

Girly girl

My daughter is four years old and has a bigger wardrobe than I do.

I suppose part of it is because I keep making her dresses.

In my defense, she apparently won't stop growing so new clothes are a necessity.

This is a very simple jumper but I made a few adjustments along the way. Most notably, I changed the way the pattern did the interfacing so that I didn't need to add bias trim around the arm-holes.

And I love that I had this button just waiting to be used! It's so sweet! And I also really like the button loop closure - so simple and easy to get the placement right.

Then there's this little number:

I didn't have enough of any one fabric to make the dress so I just used what I did have and mixed it up a bit. I even needed to add the red at the bottom to get the length right. But you know what? I really like it! I like that it uses more than one print and I really love the red at the hem.

Best of all - it's a great twirly dress so Bailey is in seventh heaven!

There are a couple more dresses and skirts just waiting to be sewn up and hopefully, Bailey will be properly clothed for a few months until she outgrows everything again.

Under the wire

Thank goodness February had that extra day or I wouldn't have finished my Cocorico block for the month!

Muriel chose Pippi as her theme. I remember growing up with Pippi Longstocking stories and films so this was a fun trip down memory lane.

When I think of Pippi, it's always about her hair and her stripey socks. Too chicken to even attempt her face, I settled on the stocking feet. I like the bold graphic quality of this block, though it was a bit of a bear to construct. Thankfully, Muriel likes it - and that's the most important part of all!

MQG Showcase

Have you heard about the Modern Quilt Guild Showcase for the International Quilt Market?

Here's my entry:

This quilt was inspired by the mid-century modern boomerang design motif. It's the first time I've made a quilt using all solids and I was excited to try out three different white/off-white fabrics for the background. I was hoping the subtle variations would add some depth to the piece as a whole.

You might notice that these colors look vaguely familiar. I really like the way they all work together and was fortunate enough to have plenty of leftovers so this quilt came entirely from my stash!

Dense straight line quilting keeps the look clean and simple but adds a wonderful texture.

And the back is all kona white with the leftover bits of color. I swear I squared up the quilt but it's so hard to get the angle just right when taking a photograph!

This was also the first time I tried doing a binding that pretty much blends in with the rest of the quilt and I'm very happy with how it turned out. All in all, probably my favorite quilt that I've made.

Until the next one....

In Progress

It's that time of year when a preschoolers mama turns her thoughts to school auctions.

This year I volunteered to make a quilt as a class project for Bailey's class of 3 and 4 year olds.

Some of the kids were less than enthusiastic about their contribution, but thankfully all were finally persuaded to participate.

I'm kinda loving it.

At first I wasn't quite sure about the color palette. I don't know if I've just stared at it so long that I've rationalized the colors work together or if they really do look good. But I'm actually leaning toward using them in another project I have up my sleeve. Mostly I hope that the other families like it so we aren't the only ones bidding on it!

The backing is almost ready and then it's on to basting and quilting. And binding.

Better get busy!

Petite Piecing

This year, the Portland Modern Quilt Guild decided that it would be fun if we each made our own name tags. Last night I realized I better get going on mine if I wanted to wear it to our meeting tonight!

So here's my super-teeny-tiny paper pieced sewing machine name tag! The entire thing measures 3" x 4" so it's pretty small.

Sewing machine details are embroidered on and I stamped my name with Versacraft ink, which is then heat set to become permanent. Tape measure print is a lovely scrap from Ayumi (thank you!) and the binding is heath by Alexander Henry.

All in all a very fun and satisfying project that took relatively little time. Can't wait to see everyone else's name tags at the meeting!

UPDATE: Free paper-piecing pattern for the sewing machine HERE.