The Quilt Top!

Well, kids - here's my (little) big reveal! (We could call it my soft reveal?) The quilt top is done. I put hours into it this week, and finally finished it last week.

This project was done with a friend - because I seriously doubt that I would have finished such a step-rich project without her encouragement and prodding! We shopped together and apart, gathering up vintage sheets. Our big break was a very generous woman in a nearby town who had a box full of vintage bed linens she was willing to part with, for free!

There was one little problem - one of the fabrics that we used was simply too small to give us both all of the pieces that we needed. I think we both tackled this problem differently. She went back and cut out itty bitty squares out of the remnants of that fabric, to add to her existing blocks, to finish the pattern.

Me? I took whatever I had left, slapped it together...and was short exactly one small patch. No problem - I just used a piece of cotton left over from a friend's apron order. I cut a patch the same size as my 9-patch and kept on going!

Yesterday, I dragged my PJ'd kids out to a sewing machine shop a few miles from our home, Stitch in Time . Can I just say, I highly recommend them? I pulled up just a few minutes after closing, but the owner was more than happy to let me (and my two kids) into the shop so I could get the darning foot I needed. They have two locations, and the woman helping me assured me that if I could give her 24 hours notice, anything I needed from the larger location could be moved to the small location, which is closer to my home. Hurray for customer service! They specialize in Janome machines there...and I was drooling, just a little bit. They are beautiful machines!


Last night, Siu Jeun was sleeping very ill, and I didn't dare turn on my sewing machine. Instead, I got out a small embroidery hoop and stitched a small love note to the quilt's recipient, my daughter.

What do you think?

I pulled out my new darning foot this morning, just to play around...and I think I'm in love. I penned the words "I Love You" onto a scrap of felt, and them went over it with the machine. Hello, dreamy. So quick, so smooth...it gave me all sorts of ideas. What if I hid little messages in my quilting on BBJ's quilt? I could very easily throw a "Hi, BBJ!" or a "I Love You!" in there! The possibilities are endless.

Loving on my new darning foot

I dragged the kids out yesterday to a fabulous little sewing machine shop a few miles from our house...and returned home with a treasure - my very own Janome darning foot. (Who knew Janome feet fit student-type Brother machines?!) More on that adventure later!

This morning, I decided to try it out. (You know...before I attempt to free-motion quilt on my daughter's new twin-sized quilt. Heh. When I go in for a challenge, I like to make the FALL as big as possible.)

I couldn't believe how easy it was to use that little foot! A quick note with a disappearing pen, a few swooshes and swirls through the machine....and I had my very own little love note.

I think this is the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship.

BBJ's Quilt

We're making progress, y'all! I really hope to get the top of this quilt pieced together this week. I've had the little 9-patch blocks done forever, but I froze after that.
I decided on an unbleached cotton for the sashing, and I'm really excited about how this is coming out.

The original pattern made a lap-sized quilt. I'm stretching it a good two feet longer to make it into a twin-sized quilt for BBJ's bed. Instead of 9 9-patch blocks, I added an extra row to make 12. I've also added an extra inch to the horizontal sashing, plus an extra inch to the external vertical sashing. (I promise that will all make sense when you see the finished quilt!)

The fabric for the blocks are all vintage bed linens. The sashing is unbleached cotton, from IKEA.

I'm just loving how this is turning out!!

A New Pair of Trousers

During the week, I came across a tutorial over at KoJo Designs to make pants for your little one. (If you've never seen their site, by the way...GO. Gorgeous ideas for parties and weddings. So inspiring!) Hers, of course, were hip and eco friendly and awesome - she made a little pair of yoga pants for her dude out of one of her husband's old t-shirts.
Like I said - Awesome.

Here, the weather has turned chilly - we have a high of 56 one day this week. I needed something a bit more substantial than a t-shirt!

I dug through my stash and came up with a cheap fleece blanket I picked up at Goodwill last Spring. I had intended to cut it into strips to use as filling in my fleece baby blocks. Since I hadn't needed it up to this point, I figured the blanket wouldn't mind being a pair of pants before it became stuffing in a block!

I think the trousers came out rather cute! I used a pair of his sweatpants as a pattern.

The drawstring is three long narrow strips of fleece, braided together. (So, so clever!!)

The pants fit great, and kept my little dude warm.

Please ignore the bits of food on the floor. He's playing underneath the kitchen table right after lunch. How can I tell it's right after lunch? The ants hadn't finished carrying away the leftovers yet. Those little dudes are industrious! And fast. Very, very fast. No wonder the grasshopper wanted to free-load off of them!

Unfortunately, my fabric choice could have been a bit better. Crawling babies are rough on the knees of their pants. I'm seeing the wisdom of sweatpants material! (What is that stuff called?) By that evening, the pants were already pilling up. Oh well! They're fabulous around-the-house lounge pants. I'm thinking of making up a pair for me, next!

Pigpen

Do you remember watching Peanuts when you were a kid? The old Snoopy cartoons?

There's a kid on the show called Pigpen. He's a nice enough kid, but people kind of avoid him, or compensate, because he has this CLOUD of dust that follows him. Everywhere.

Why do I bring it up?

Oh, no reason.

(See those size three jeans over on the side there? They're a part of my CLOUD.)

Crafting has been to a minimum lately. With these two tailing my every move, and the smaller one taking two 30 minute naps during the day...pulling out the scissors and thread is a risky proposition, at best!

At night, once they're all down...I'd really rather just lay on the couch with Lo Gung and watch So You Think You Can Dance or Project Runway!

The other day, though, I snapped. I had to create something, or I'd go nuts. I had to make something that they wouldn't eat, lick, destroy or throw on the floor.

So I sat down and made a birthday banner for the lass, and a new pair of trousers for the wee lad.

Aaah. Much better.

Now. Where were we?

Thing 1 and Thing 2

Two of my son's friends turned 1 a few weeks ago, and he was invited to their birthday party! The boys are twins, and adorable. Since this was Siu Jeun's first birthday party to attend, I wanted to make sure he had a present he would be happy to give them.

Aprons, of course!

I made up matching aprons, in different colors, and appliqued the boys' first initials on the front in white fleece. The aprons are re-purposed (upcycled? What's the cool term now?) pillow cases.

The aprons were a snap to make. Getting Siu Jeun to model them?

Not so much.
(Hold him down, BBJ! Don't let him get away!)

BBJ and I took care to make some little cards for the boys.
(The aprons are a new style for me - the pocket is folded up, instead of appliqued on. I'm not sure which style I like better yet.)

Hats!

A while back, during a massive blog hopping event, I won some free patterns from You Can Make This. When I took off for two weeks with my family at a gorgeous lakeside home, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to try out one of the patterns!

I made a patchwork bucket hat...minus the patchwork. I was on a deadline, and had to make four hats. Two of the hats had to be altered to have chin straps so that teenies couldn't tear them off.

I got measurements from my sister, and set about making hat for all of the Smalls - three girl hats, and one for my little man.

Unfortunately, something was off in the measurements so that the smallest hat (Siu Jeun's) and the biggest hat (Ernie, my niece) weren't even close to fitting. Siu Jeun's could be crammed onto his head when I took this shot, but by the time we got to our reunion, the hat was way too small. Ernie's was the same way.

Oh, and the other baby figured out how to pull hers off, even with the chin strap tied.

Oh well - at least they're cute!