Boy Oh Boy!!!

So one of the reasons I haven't been blogging much recently is I've been making gifts that I couldn't show on my blog until I gave them to their intended recipients.  The adorable Pippa Patchwork is having twin boys later this summer and I was lucky enough to be invited to her shower.

I knew she'd already made quilts for the babies so I went with a couple practical and cute items.  The diaper clutch is loosely based on Cluck Cluck Sew's Changing Pad Kit tutorial, which is to say it looks the same but I made mine totally differently.  It's nice not to have to take your entire diaper bag every time you leave the house.  This is perfect for a pack or wipes and a couple of diapers.

I'm trying to get better at using my stash so I dug out this adorable Ann Kelle corduroy for the outside and more of the Joel Dewberry laminate I got at Marden's last summer with a layer of batting in between to make it a bit more comfortable.

I basted the 3 layers together and then added binding to the edges.  It was a little tricky sewing down the binding on the laminate but I took it slow and was pretty happy with the way it came out.  Amy Butler has some great tips for working with laminate!

In my experience you can never have too many burp cloths so I whipped up a few coordinating ones also.

I can't wait to meet these guys!!!

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

W.i.P. Wednesday: Weekender In Progress

Now that my Toes in the Sand BOM has wrapped up Quilter's Way asked if I would teach Amy Butler's Weekender Bag.  I love the Where in the World Weekender I made for Sewdown so I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to make a patchwork version.

Despite it's reputation for being tough to construct I honestly think the hardest part of making the Weekender is just cutting out all of the pieces...

I fussy cut this awesome Melody Miller Ruby Star Sparkle print for the main body and straps and then pulled coordinating fabrics from my stash to make patchwork pockets.

Of course as I was prepping for the class I realized I was going to need to show how to make the regular version also so I also pulled out this fabulous Dear Stella Anchors Away canvas.  Two more Weekenders coming right up:-)

If your local it's not too late to join me...  Sign up now on their new & improved website.

Checking in at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

And Then I Improvised...

 

The awesome Erin of Daley by the Yard asked me to do an improv piecing demo at her grand re-opening next weekend.  If you've seen my quilts you know that tiny little pieces and perfect points are more my style so I figured I'd better practice a bit first.

Neptune is one of my most favorite and maniacally hoarded fabric collections so it was perfect for having random little bits to sew together.  I just pulled everything out of my scrap bag and started sewing it together until I had a panel the right size for my anchor applique.

I also had some jelly roll strips left from my Zig Zag quilts that I pieced together for a border.

I thought it would be easier to do reverse applique on the anchor rather than trying to turn under seam allowances with pieced seams...  that may not have been true:-)  A little glue and a lot of patience and I got all the edges turned under.  I layered the quilt with the backing and batting and then quilted around the anchor to hold the edges in place.

For the rest of the quilting I used the Bernina wavy stitch (#4) with a stitch length of 4.  I found I had to adjust the tension way down to around 1 1/2 but with a little fiddling it was perfect.  It was pretty tedious but a couple of movies helped pass the time.  Thank goodness for Netflix!!!

I've entered this in the Applique category at the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  Hop on over there to check out all the other fabulous quilts!!!

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 42" x 52"
Fabrics: Neptune by Tula Pink, Cotton Couture in Fog, FSDS Cosmic Blue for binding.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient
Thread: Aurifil 2845

Derby Day

  

This weekend marked the 140th running of the Kentucky Derby, my absolute favorite excuse for a party!!!  It's really the only sporting event that matches my attention span...  throw in a signature cocktail and the required preppy wardrobe and I'm in heaven:-)

Of course a party is just another excuse for getting crafty!  I was on a roll making Noodlehead berry baskets and decided to try one with this fabulous Nicey Jane laminate I picked up at Marden's last summer.  I suspect these will be my go to hostess gift for the summer.

It's also the perfect size for holding cocktail napkins:-)  Once that was done obviously my drink dispenser needed a matching label.  

I cut out concentric ovals from my laminate and chalk cloth, made two slits in the laminate wide enough for a ribbon, and then stitched around the chalk cloth to hold it all together.  

I really got to put my Chalkboard table runner to the test.  It was so much easier to just update what's being served on the fly rather then making all those food tags in advance.  

And since Lilly didn't make matching boy's shorts this season (ahem!), I was forced to whip up this adorable bow tie for Dex using this awesome tutorial from Pretty Prudent.  Can't you tell he loved it:-)   

Egg-xtra Special Easter Decorations

Easter seems to be one of my favorite holidays to make for.  I think it's because it features my favorite color scheme:-)

I still had some scraps leftover from the bundle I used to make our Easter Zig Zag table runner and matching napkins.

For the basket I used Noodlehead's fabulous Berry Basket tutorial.  I didn't have any Peltex 72F so I used Decor-bond on both the outside and lining fabrics which seems to be stiff enough for the basket to stand, even using linen for the lining.

Then I whipped up some eggs using this egg-cellent tutorial from retro mama.  

And of course put my captive audience to work on stuffing duty:-)  

I'm not sure it was as fun as dying actual Easter eggs but they got to do both.

And the result was the perfect complement to the bunny cake and a lovely addition to our Easter decor! 

Joining the fun at Crazy Mom Quilts on Finish it Up Friday!!!

 Sewjo Saturday at My Go-Go Life.

W.i.P. Wednesday: Toes In the Sand

Our Toes In the Sand BOM group at Quilter's Way is taking the month off to give everyone time to finish up all their blocks and assemble their tops.  

It's a little awkward to cut all of the setting triangles.  I didn't make templates, just used the edge of the Hex N More to align my ruler for cutting.  

I found you could get a set of the side triangles from each strip set by leaving enough room before my first cut.  You can measure 7 5/8" from the point of the triangle to get the right width.  

Remember to alternate the direction you start cutting so you get both sets of side triangles.

This is all bias so I found I needed to pin the blocks, a lot but it all goes together pretty easily.

I had some extra blocks leftover so I'm working them in to the back.  I'm hoping to get this quilted before we meet again in May...  it's good to have goals;-)

Checking in at this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Anthropologie Hack: Chalkboard Table Runner

I recently happened to venture into Anthropologie and spotted this awesome chalkboard runner.  Their runner is just paper but it got me thinking about the chalk cloth I bought ages ago and still hadn't used.  I paired it with this beautiful ink Peppered Cotton and even took some pictures of my process so you can make your own:-)

Determine your desired finished size and how wide you want your outer border.  The basic technique is the same as for my Self Binding Linen Napkins but I've added some math so you can customize the size.  In my case, I wanted this to fit my kitchen island so my finished runner will be 24" x 78" with a 3" border.  

Cut your chalk cloth:

width = Finished width - 2 x border width + 1"

example width = 24" - 2 x 3" + 1 = 19"

length = Finished length - 2 x border width + 1"

example length = 78" - 2 x 3" + 1" = 73" 

Cut your outer fabric:

width = Finished width + 2 x border width + 1"

example width = 24" + 2 x 3" + 1" = 31"

length = Finished length + 2 x border width + 1".

example length = 78" + 2 x 3" + 1" = 85" 

* All seam allowances are 1/2"

Before you use your chalk cloth you'll want to "cure" it.  I put my kids to work with some sidewalk chalk and my cut piece of cloth.  Oilcloth Addict has a great tutorial on how to do this.  

From there the process is the same as the napkins.  Starting with 1 side, match the centers of the two fabrics and stitch along the side using 1/2" seam allowance.  It's best not to use pins on chalk cloth as they will leave permanent holes.  I also switched to a denim needle and increased my stitch length.  

Repeat on the remaining 3 sides starting and stopping where you meet a seam allowance.  Leave a small hole in 1 side for turning.  You will have odd wing like things sticking out from each corner, that's the way it should be.

Miter the corners by lining up the sewn seams and drawing a line from the folded edge to the seam line.  Sew along the drawn line and trim 1/2" from the sewn line for all 4 corners.

Turn you table runner right side out through the hole.  Poke the corners out using a chopstick and evenly distribute the border around your runner.  You can press the outer border flat but do NOT iron the chalk cloth directly or it will melt.  Topstitch around the edge of the border making sure you close the hole left for turning.  

Throw a party and show off your latest creation:-)

There are some great tips on working with chalk cloth in general at the split stitch and Oilcloth Addict.

Sharing the fun with Crazy Mom Quilts on Finish it Up Friday!!!