In Love

My greatest project....

Baby Andrew! 

Excuse me while I take a break to love on this little man. :)

Modern Chain Baby Quilt

It's been quite around here lately.....probably because we're busy prepping for baby #2! Any day now!

What I love about sewing and crafting is that it's there when I need it - a creative outlet that helps me feel well rounded - but nothing mandatory. For me, that's what works and makes me happy!

I have spent some time in the craft room lately. I can't stay away for long...

This Modern Chain baby quilt is almost complete. I purchased the pattern several months ago, interested to figure out how something with so many pieces could be pieced quickly. And I'm happy to say, yep, it was quick!

I probably spent more time digging through my scraps, choosing the fabrics, then actually piecing the quilt top. But I realized I loved this process! I think this is  my first quilt top made entirely from scraps. I'll have to do it again! 

After the quilt top was finished, it sat for weeks because I couldn't decide how it should be quilted. I'm such a novice when it comes to free motion quilting. I wanted to try something new, but was hesitant because this quilt has large open background spaces - my less than perfect quilting would be easily seen in those areas.

I decided to try some loose swirls. Since I knew this could get out of hand easily, I marked circles in an offset grid to keep me on track, not only with spacing, but approximate size of each swirl. Glad I did; this was really helpful.

I think it turned out ok for a first try. I'll have to do this again!

Almost done!

Sewing for Baby Boy: Simple Patchwork Quilt

We are counting down (about 7 weeks left, maybe less!) and it's about time I get something ready for this baby boy!

It's funny how excited I get to make a baby quilt for a friend or family member; I always have lots of ideas. But when it came to our own baby - I was drawing a blank. I thought about it for a long time and kept putting if off. All I knew was that I wanted something really simple.

Eventually, I chose the backing fabric. I really like this Michael Miller print, part of the Les Monsieurs collection. I like the grey drawings on the white background, and these little airplanes, cars, and rocket ships are pretty cute. The lime green and range of blues appealed to me too.

So, pulling colors from this print, I gathered several fabrics from my stash and ordered a few more - .....

I opted for a simple patchwork quilt with squares that finish at 4", starting as 4.5" strips to make the most of each 1/4 yard cut.

The quilting is simple, just straight lines about 3/8" on either side of each seam.

I opted for a striped binding, another Michael Miller print.

The quilt is done! Lots more to do...

Sewing for Little Girls

Happy New Year! Hope your holidays were relaxing! Ours were for sure - it was nice to slow down and spend time at home with our little family.
I didn't get into the sewing room much, but I did sneak in one project...

Yes, my craving to sew for a little girl returned! :) A few weeks ago I saw this fabric and instantly thought of my four-year-old niece. Isn't it so sweet? It's part of the Table for Two line by Moda.

So, I turned to the Hopscotch Dress, another Peek-a-Boo Pattern, because I knew it was manageable for me and a pretty quick project. (Here's my first Hopscotch Top.) I also really like the simplicity of this pattern.

Simple and sweet! I hope she loves it!

Now on to spring cleaning, my after-Christmas tradition. Not so sweet, but after that....it's time to sew for this baby! Third trimester, here we are!