sample sewing

That's what I'm doing! I just realized now (derf) that I've been making a pillow a month for the last few months. I'm building up quite the collection! The fun thing about making pillows is that you get to try out different blocks and techniques without having to commit to a whole quilt. It's such a straightforward, low-commitment project. And? You end up with a pillow which you can give to a loved one or keep it as part of your decor.

With this pillow, I got to try my hand at kaleidoscope blocks. I've been dreaming of making a kaleidoscope quilt for months now, but I need to find a way to fit it into my schedule. Testing out a block in this way helped me realize how easy it is and how little time one block takes. With that information, I can then see how I can make the time for it. I think if I make one like this, it will go pretty quickly. Ultimately, I dream of making a striped one like this Denyse Schmidt quilt.

However, before I go starting something new, let me finish a few things over here. There's certainly no dearth of inspiration or ideas, but I need a few finishes first. Like, uh, that Colorist quilt that I cut the pieces for last year then pieced in one go one night about a month ago. Yeah, that. I should quilt that.

12 pieces - #2

Back to that recycling project I was telling you about.... These wee leggings for Dahlia are made from my old favorite scarf - a cuddly cashmere number by Catherine Malandrino that I bought at her shop on Broome Street one blustery day. Ten years and many, many holes later, the scarf is too beat up to wear as such but perfect for little leggings which will only be worn for a season. Kids and their growing, you know. Heh.

everybody pants now! pants pants pantspantspants

pattern: no name but they're something between shorts and pants - pantaloons?

designer: found in Small Children's Everyday Clothing

fabric: pin dot corduroy by Lecein

Pants! For Spring! And this transitional weather! I want to make a million of these. Well, ok, maybe not a million, but how about a dozen more? They're comfy and cute and easy to modify. And Dahlia seems to dig 'em.

A couple of things to keep in mind when sewing using Japanese patterns. The publishers like to cram in all the pattern pieces in one large double sided sheet so you have to pay close attention when you're tracing. Often, one piece will be used for several patterns. The seam allowance is not included,  so you need to add that while tracing. The diagrams are very clear and easy to follow, and they're perfect for someone who is more of a visual learner (like me).

More kids' clothes coming up on this here blog in the next few weeks. With the Kids Clothes Week just around the corner and Dahlia having outgrown just about everything we have for her, I'm going to be a busy happy stitcher.

pattern now available!

A couple of exciting things to share today:

• etsy now allows sellers to upload pattern files for sale and instant download upon purchase! This is life-changing! Or, uh, just makes things easier and more convenient all around. Hooray!
• I now have my Modern Drunkards Path quilt pattern available for sale there. Hooray!

Check it out, and please do let me know what you think - of the process, the pattern, the quilt, quilting in general, whatever "leaning in" is....

wip wednesday - getting back to it

Full disclosure - I haven't worked on this in a little over two weeks. This week, I've been working on class patterns and making clothes for the kids for Spring. Last week, we were in New York, and the week before that I was working on samples for next month's classes and The Colorist. So this has kinda fallen by the wayside, which is fine. I'm looking at this as a long-term project rather than an instant-gratification project or a sample that needs to get whipped up in as short a time-frame as possible.

Only 42 blocks so far means that I am almost halfway there. I still have a ways to go, but at least I know the direction I need to take. I still need to make more blocks with dark background pieces and bright + signs. Meanwhile, I've got a few things to finish up before I can get started again. Onward!

double your pleasure with double-gauze?

pattern: Little Pearl Dress from Liberty Love

designer: Alexia Marcelle Abegg

size: 18 - 24 months

fabric: Echino double gauze I bought by accident (no, for real) years ago

modifications: read on because I made a few

When Chawne posted about the Liberty Love book recently, the sneak peek she offered totally sold me on it. I had already been thinking of getting it because I *need* to make a Marcelle Medallion. The Marcelle Medallion-along has been calling to me for weeks since all these beauties started popping up all over Instagram and Flickr. But then I saw the wee dress, and I had to have the book in my hands asap. 

You see, this is a cute design, and it's a simple design. That's what makes it the perfect pattern to use as a basis for more dresses. Imagine it with little flutter sleeves. How about cap sleeves? Maybe with a flouncy hem? Or what about some pintucks at the bodice? I didn't just fall in love with the dress but the potential the dress offers, the plethora of design options. And yeah, I'll get to the medallion quilt eventually, but for now I want to make wee dresses for my little monkey.

I did make quite a few modifications, but only because I wanted the pattern to be exactly what I wanted it to be. Instead of the placket of buttons at the back, I closed up the back and made an opening at the neck. There was nothing wrong with the original design, but I just couldn't imagine it being very comfortable for a toddler to sit or slide with a row of buttons at their back. Also, instead of a full lining, I opted to just do a facing for the front and back just because it's going to be a summer dress. I sewed a single button at the back and used elastic ribbon (uh, what is the exact technical name for this item?) instead of bias tape for the loop.

While I was at it, I bought a yard of that stretchy stuff in purple and a yard in aqua and made a ton of matching hair ties.

Overall, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out. I can't wait for warmer weather so that my happy chipmunk can wear it out and about.

Oh! And one last thing - a note about the fabric.... So this fabric, I can't even remember when I bought it, but it was shortly after we moved up here so it must have been almost six years ago. I ordered it from Purl Soho. I thought it was the Echino cotton/linen blend and was totally confused when it arrived and it was double-gauze. I had been planning to use it for softies and was a little disappointed that I had ordered the wrong thing. Instead of sending it back and returning or exchanging it, however, I decided to hold on to it in case the right project ever came along. Heh. I'm glad I did because double-gauze is so soft and lovely and perfect for summer dresses for little girls. I have some more double-gauze that I cannot wait to use now!

a new project in 12 pieces - #1

Recently, while weeding stuff I don't use out of my closet and dresser, I came upon a shirt I bought at Target shortly after the littlest wee was born. I knew when I bought it that it was unflattering, but it was so cute that I wanted to make it work somehow. Yeah, that didn't quite pan out, and it sat in my dresser for about a year. I was about to pack it in the bag with the rest of the stuff to give away when it occurred to me that it would make a cute toddler girl dress. It's a really soft lightweight cotton in a print that's not pink or purple. Perfect!

The modifications were simple - I cut away the sides and cut into the sleeves at an angle, hemmed the sleeves with the felling foot, gathered the neck a bit more and attached bias tape at the collar, and hemmed it about 5 inches shorter than its original length. They were really basic mods that took me maybe less than an hour to complete. Just like that, I had what felt like a spanking new dress for the wee. It got me thinking about how great it would be to take clothes that we can't give away to Goodwill because of holes and other damage and reconstruct them for a Spring wardrobe for her. Kids outgrow clothes so quickly, and it might be a good way to save some money while also using stuff that might otherwise go to waste. Wins all around, right?

So I'm thinking of making a project out of it now. I collected 11 more items that I think will work well for these purposes and am gearing to go.

And the wee seems pretty chuffed with her dress!

coloring

Can I tell you how excited I am to be teaching people how to make this quilt next month at gather here? I AM VERY FREAKING EXCITED! It is going to be an awesome class. Sewing curves is super-easy, and once you try, you'll be hooked. You will want to use circles in everything!



I thoroughly enjoyed working with such a sweet spectrum the last few days that it's been gray and blech out. Not to fetishize fabric (because I have strong feeling about that), but this Architextures line by Carolyn Friedlander is so much fun to play with. I want to make all the things with it. Here, I used all the fabrics in the line and the coordinating Kona colors, and it makes the happiest rainbow. I just want to snuggle it!



I love the ledger and plan fabrics for the binding, too.

Also? There's the color wheel checked off my quilty list. Woohoo!

wip wednesday - and now for a different project

Working on samples for next month's quilty classes at gather here, and I am almost done with this one. Going to make this short and sweet so I can get back to it now (while the wees sleep).

Speaking of which, they are rather fond of this quilt already.

wip wednesday - 8 more to the score

That brings my total to 25. Things have been slow-going here because ugh. I was ridiculously sick last week, like had to go to the doctor and they thought it best I stay for a bag of fluids sick. Man, toddlers are just cuddly little Petri dishes. Seriously, I never got sick like this until I had kids. I used to get sick every winter when I smoked, but it's been a long time since then. I'd gotten too used to feeling all hearty and healthy. It's like we need to mist ourselves with sanitizer at the door when we come in from the incubation room, aka the Children's Floor at the library. Gugh.

Moving right along, though... the blocks, they are a'buildin'. To answer Seanna Lea's question from last wip wednesday, I work on a bunch of them at a time. My goal is to do 3 a night, but what actually seems to happen is I sew 8 in one go after not having sewn in almost a week. I have a dozen bagged up and ready to sew, and I've been steadily making progress with going through my scraps and cutting pieces to size. I'm happy with the direction this last batch has taken. I think all the darks there will help to achieve that balance I was talking about. Off to sew I go to try to knock out a couple more perhaps before bed.