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Most times you win…sometimes you blow it!

April 27, 2011 by Donna

I did take that process pledge, so I have to tell you that I really was way off on this quilt block.  I followed the directions for the cutting and I know they are right.  This was my first block and because you cut a large fat quarter into sections (as many as 17 for some) each strip is longer that the sewn piece to which you are attaching it.  This was supposed to be squared and about 13 1/2 inches. 

Thus far, I have figured out 2 things I did wrong.  First, I didn’t pay close enough attention to which side of the new piece I attached and I also did not always center the new strip to the sewn piece, so sometimes when I was trimming….I would have a corner that was not long enough in the correct direction.  Whew, I guess all this random whacking and stacking isn’t as fun and improvish as I thought.  I will certainly have to do better on the next one.

Thanks for visiting,

Posted in fabric, quilting, sewing, sewing and quilting tools | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments »

Eye Candy for Easter

April 23, 2011 by Donna

I have been purchasing lots of fabric by Heather Bailey, Anna Maria Horner and Sandi Henderson.  Farmer’s Market, Bijoux and Pop Garden are great prints for making dresses and since the price of cotton is rising, I wanted to take advantage of yardage that was still under $10 per yard.  Here is most of my current stash.

Since my daughter is not a big fan of candy for the Easter baskets, I have tried to make other things to put  into the girl’s  baskets.  This year I wanted to make some more dresses for them.  I was able to cut out 6 dresses in sizes 2T and 4T.  I have several patterns that I have not tried yet, such as the Anna Wrap dress from Farbenmix, a Macy Giggles dress pattern from Izzy and Ivy, and the pattern you see completed in this post, Isabel from Modkid Botique.  I put together some fabrics that I thought were very summery and fun. This pattern had very clear instructions and was easy to assemble.  I appreciated the way the instructions gave options for finishing the dress, depending on your type of machine(s).  Because I am spending part of my Easter vacation down at the beach, I was able to take some pictures by the dunes. 


Thanks for visiting,

Posted in dresses, fabric, sewing, sewing childrens clothing, Toddler Clothing | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments »

Shower gifts for baby Illeana

April 19, 2011 by Donna

I have just returned from a quick trip to NY where I zoomed up there from NC to attend a shower for my niece.  Jessica is due towards the end of May and does not even look 5 months along!  That never happened to me!

Well, the two-soon to be grannies threw a wonderful Sunday afternoon shower and I was very happy that I could attend.  Our Prom was on Friday night and because my home room students are Juniors, one of my responsibilities is to help with the Prom (Juniors host the prom for Seniors at our school).  My school system always holds their Prom the night before we let out for Spring Break.   So, Friday night I arrived home really late and left on Saturday during the storms for NY.  I made it somewhere north of Baltimore and stayed for the night.  Up early on Sunday and made it just in time to fluff the tissue paper on my gift bags, take pictures in the Michael’s parking lot (where I bought the tissue paper) and zoom to the restaurant.  I have to say that I had forgotten how beautiful the landscape is in upstate NY.  The Catskill Mountains are truly gorgeous.  

Well, these are not the best of pictures, but they are all I have so these will have to do.   

I saw some of these galvanized tubs online used as props for baby pictures and thought they were so cute.  I will say that it was a little more challenging to decoupage than I thought it would be.  I have a few air bubbles that showed up a couple of days after I thought the tub was dry and complete, but I still think it is a great way to package everything and would still look good in a photo.

Here is a picture of the assembly.  I tried to have a good blend of  thick and thin strips and to distribute the colors evenly.  I pressed the exact center of each strip so that I could have each section evenly distributed.  I wanted to make sure it could look like the letter { I } once it was complete.  I also tried a new machine binding technique that I will share in an upcoming post.  It is a fusible, flange machine binding that works so well!  You will love it!-promise ; )

Thanks for visiting,

Posted in baby items, fabric, gifts, quilting, sewing | Tagged , , , , | 5 Comments »

Doll Quilt Swap #10

April 12, 2011 by Donna

I wanted to share my most recent swap with you.  I was fortunate enough to make it through the lottery for the Doll Quilt Swap #10.  Thus far, I have participated in # 9 & 10.   This is a big swap on flickr.  These quilters take their doll quilts and their swapping seriously.  The talent and creativity are unbelievable. 

I received this awesome quilt from Handmade retro all the way from Australia.  Everything about it is hand done.  After receiving it, I went and visited her blog to read about it.  It is so much more beautiful in person.  I am a big fan of Anna Maria Horner and mentioned it in the initial questionnaire.  Both sides of this quilt are equally fabulous…I really love it.  Can’t wait to hang it in my studio.  Knowing that I am busy making things for the girls, she also sent along this super cute book with all kinds of stuffed creatures.  There were also some buttons, but I had already stashed them by the time the sun can out.  Thanks retromama!

As for the quilt I made…I really have to push myself  in this swap.  Not only are the people talented, but they are always online commenting, joking and exchanging ideas.  I had been stuck on a specific idea for round ten which revolved around my cake plate from Christmas.  I tried-twice, to get an appliqué to come out like the design on my cake plate…but no go. 

The strands I wanted were too thin and it was just too difficult for me to accomplish the task.  Perhaps a master appliquest (is that a word??) could have been successful.  Anyhoo…I have this book called Pretty Little Mini Quilts from Lark Books and as I thought about my partner, who lives on a large piece of property in a place much colder than NC…I made the decision to do a  version of a quilt about Spring from the book.   This was my first time using the blanket stitch on my Bernie 820.  I really liked the stitch, but I need to work a bit more on the curves and knotting at the start and finish.  I thought I was using the feature on the machine, but it seemed like a few were not as secure as I wanted.  Will have to work on that (note to self).  Here are some pics. 

One of the requirements is to label your quilt.  So I used the lettering capability on my new machine.  This is something I hadn’t done before and it was easier than I thought.  I placed one of my new small labels under my name.  Another aspect to virtual swapping is extra goodies in the package.  I like to include things that I see either out shopping or things I have around the studio which remind me of the partner I have been stalking.  This partner is a quilter as well as a knitter.  The fat quarters and scraps will be so perfect for her (can’t say more until she gets her package).  I haven’t knitted in quite a while and I have - too much yarn, so I thought I would share some.  : )  Hope she likes it!

Thanks for visiting,

Posted in fabric, gifts, knitting, quilting, virtual swaps | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments »

New woven labels have arrived!

April 9, 2011 by Donna

Last month I decided I needed some labels for my creations.  I have tried to make my own and even though the twill tape works, it still looks somewhat homemade.  I used them a few times and was not too excited about them.  Since changing the name of the blog and having a designer create the gate and logo, I thought I needed some professional looking labels.  I chose to use worldwidelabels.com.   These are just some small labels and I was able to get quite a few for under $100.00 because I kept the design simple and didn’t use multiple colors.  Here is their little Saturday story.

Thanks for visiting,

Posted in fabric, quilting, sewing, sewing and quilting tools, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 7 Comments »

Ballet shoes for a toddler

April 5, 2011 by Donna

What does a Nana do, when the granddaughter wants some ballet slippers and you can’t find them in her size.   These little slippers were the best I could do (Dansk at Wal-Mart), but Kate said they didn’t look like real ballet shoes, she needed the ribbon so they would tie up her leg!  A little ribbon and 5 minutes on the sewing machine … Voila!  Kate is really happy with her shoes.  My daughter took a few pictures of them for me to post.   The quilt I made for Kate is on the bed.  Lots of pink, red and green! 

Thanks for visiting,

Posted in gifts, sewing, Toddler Clothing | Tagged , , | 4 Comments »

3 by 6 Mini Sampler Bee / Hive 2

April 3, 2011 by Donna

I participated in the 3 x 6 Sampler Bee again for the 1st quarter.  I asked for black and white blocks and I received some beautiful blocks from my hive members.  I will try to get a picture for you to see.  I plan to use them in an NC State quilt that I want to make this summer.  I chose to make a mini coin stack pattern with a wonky coin stack.  I was very happy with the way they turned out. 

Thanks for visiting,

Posted in sewing | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments »

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