gathering for a good cause

(This post is going to be quick & to the point. I am painfully sunburned and last week's stomach bug is back kicking my ass sideways. For once, I'll try make to friends with brevity.)

So there's this great crafty shop that opened up in Cambridge that is my dream come true of a place that carries fabric AND yarn and all sorts of supplies that is airy and colorful and friendly and a million sorts of awesome. Perhaps you've already heard of it. Well, the good folks at gather here are really cultivating a crafty community, and it is reinvigorating my interest in making stuff and being a part of that community. But more importantly though, as with most people who understand and value the importance of community, they are interested in helping out and making a difference on a grander scale. When they heard about the tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri, they decided to start a fundraiser. I thought the least I could do was donate something. So I donated this wee lion quilt:

The quilt measures 36 x 44 inches and was inspired by this needlepoint pillow by Jonathan Adler. That pillow reminded me of some lion in an old board book I had as as wee way back in the 70's. It was an image that I needed to explore. When I made the blocks for the pseudo-Single Girl baby quilt, it all came together for me. I figured out how I would construct this quilt and was dying to do it. Essentially, the whole quilt is one big block comprised of 4 pieces. And it has floppy ears and appliquéd felt eyes, mouth, and cheeks for wee ones to play with, making it interactive as well as visually stimulating for them. Since I wanted to get it done and present it to the folks at gather here this weekend, I decided to try a machine-stitched binding for the first time. It was easy as pie and only took a matter of minutes to complete. It's just not as lovely as a hand-stitched binding, though. I am not 100% in love with how the back of the binding looks with the machine-stitching. Eh. My corners came out well, though. (So there's that.) And I am happy with the quilting. Echo lines are fun, yo! Overall, I am pretty pleased with how it came out and am thrilled to be able to donate this piece to such a worthwhile cause. If you're interested, please do check out the raffle.

bunting on the brain

I cut and pieced the triangles for this quilt about a year ago when I had bunting on the brain and bad. I finally got around to finishing it last week. And just in time for my wee's transition into toddlerhood! At 43 1/2 x 53 1/2 inches, this quilt is the perfect size for what will soon become his little toddler bed. I always have to laugh at myself when a project languishes in WIP mode forever and then I'm able to finish it in one go. Why didn't I get around to it sooner? It feels like a bit of a relief to be able to cross that off the list of stuff to do. AND not only do I get the satisfaction of that, but lo! We have a finished quilt! And I rather like it:

For the back, I kept it simple with a super-soft flannel from Cloud 9. I'm not normally one to tout the wonders of organic whathaveyou, but seriously, this organic cotton is lovely stuff. Once washed, it softened up into the most buttery and delightful fabric without any fuzzing as sometimes happens with other flannels. And the print! How cute is this?

You also get a peek at the pieced binding in that shot. It was super-easy to chain-piece the 8-inch lengths together in alternating prints, though I did run out at the end and had to use a long length of the teal TaDot. Eep!

I debated whether or not to piece the strips of triangles together at odd angles to make it look like bunting draped here and there, but in the end went with parallel strips with descending distances between them. That structure was more in line with the crisp, ordered, modern look I wanted to achieve. Besides, when it's in use it kinda does that haphazard waving and draping, like flags flapping in the wind, on its own:

The kiddo certainly took to snuggling and snoozing in this right away. I think he likes it.

i love it when a plan comes together!

I truly love it when this:

becomes this:

Have you ever improvised letters before? Try it. You will love it! It is such a fun project! Once again with this quilt as with my last, I enjoyed the process of creating it every step of the way, from picking out the fabrics and planning to constructing each letter to quilting the circles, as much as I am pleased with the finished object. Every night, I would work on a few letters. It was such a great way to end each day with an hour or so of sewing on a project that really engaged me.

This quilt was extra special for me because it was intended for a very good friend and her baby boy. This friend is a gem. She has always been kind and extremely generous to me (and to my kiddo). I wanted to make something unique and fun, something kinda playful but structured and modern. I think this fits that bill. I hope she loves it. I can't wait to meet her little one!

So the details: measuring 40 1/2 x 50 1/2 inches, my own design (improv letters), using a bunch of Kona cottons (Kona Coal for the background) and Michael Miller Ta-Dot! prints (with some scraps of Kei Honeycomb and Denyse Schmidt FMF here and there), backed with a Cloud 9 organic flannel bunny print (which I forgot to photograph - DOH!). It's a good size for a snuggly crib quilt that a little one will love come winter. And for now, it can be used as a visually-stimulating tummy-time playmat.

skittles ain't got nothing on this!

Last weekend was amazing if exhausting. We celebrated the kiddo's birthday with family and a few friends in the backyard. I'm not one for birthday parties, but really this was just a great excuse to get together with some of our favorite people and hang. A few of our dear friends from NY were up here with us, and my sister and nephew stayed with us as well. Since I hadn't really planned on making a big production out of the gathering, I just needed a few ideas for simple but pretty and delicious foodstuffs. Pinterest to the rescue! So many great ideas abound there, like these rainbow fruit-kebobs. I also made these cupcakes, but I couldn't get the eyes to stick, which made them less adorable than the ones in the photo (but delicious nonetheless). Next year, I'm doing a little bit of prep and going balls out doing it up big time for the kiddo. I'm already planning....

nine

Nine years ago, this little fella followed me home. He's been a huge and awesome part of our lives ever since. This weekend included lots of fetch in the backyard, being pet and played with by kids, and everyone feeding him melon and berries (his favorite). I've got one exhausted but happy dogger snoring away in the other room hopefully dreaming of all the fun he had and feeling very much loved.