Ellie's Ottobre Shirt

Here's my latest sewing creation...it's an Ottobre pattern for a basic long-sleeved knit T-shirt (#11 in issue 4/2008). This is Ellie, who looks very much like Sunny. But, don't you dare call them twins because currently, they don't like it. Oy.

The whole shirt is serged and honestly, it took me less than two hours to cut and sew this. It went together very quickly. I can't believe I was ever afraid of knits. They're my favorite thing to sew now. I think the best thing you can do to make sewing knit shirts easier is to sew your sleeves in flat. Trying to serge a set-in sleeve can be frustrating!

The kitty fabric is a cotton interlock and is from Joann's. The purple cuffs and neckband are a cotton pique Lacoste fabric from Denver Fabrics. Denver fabrics is awesome. They have a TON of fabric, some of it is designer. They occasionally have Burberry prints.

The hem is cover stitched, of course. Speaking of cover stitching....I'm thinking of buying a Babylock cover stitcher. Baby Lock has a binder attachment for the cover stitcher that I'm drooling over. I want to see it successfully apply a knit binding to a neck edge before I buy it, though. My Viking 936 does a fantastic cover stitch, but it doesn't have a nice binder attachment. It has a binder foot, but the foot doesn't put a double fold binding on. It's single fold and it looks crappy, in my opinion.

I don't know why, but Ellie wanted me to take a picture of the candy she was sucking on while I was taking photos. So, there ya go. Yum.

After I took that photo, she was outta here. So much for that.


See you soon. :)

Say Hello to Andy *Woof*hol

Isn't it cute? I love it. So does Sunny. In fact, she wouldn't let me take it outside to photograph it. She's a little possessive, I'd say.

I purchased the embroidery design from Embroidery Library and changed the colors to make the quilt look like an Andy Warhol print. Or, at least, my version of one.

The quilted wall hanging measures 18.5"X14.5".

Here's a closer up view of the embroidery....


I used my Viking Designer Diamond to embroider it with 40wt. Robison Anton Rayon threads. The fabric is a white cotton twill. I think I used cotton batting...

Here's the backing:


Bright and cheery, isn't it? Just the way I like it. :)

I Finally Finished The ORB Quilt!

Y'know, I can't even remember what year it was that Old Red Barn Co hosted a quilt along where the prize was a Janome 6600. Let me look....Ah, yes. It was 2009. And here it is 2011 and I have finally finished quilting and binding the quilt top! Here is my only photo of it:

I used an extra loft 80/20 batting and quilted it with a criss-cross pattern. It turned out really nice and the extra loft batting made it perfect for snuggling up in. I hope whoever wins this quilt loves it.

A man I know at work participates in the yearly Ride For AIDS so I donated this quilt to his team so they could auction it off. I hope it raises a lot of money! Ride For AIDS is a two-day, 200 mile bike ride. You can read about the organization here. The ride is this weekend (July 8 & 9) and if you want to donate money, it isn't too late.

I wish I had taken more photos of the quilt, but it's huge and was difficult to photograph indoors. I need to set something up outside so I can easily take photos of large quilts. I see a lot of you use a clothesline outside. Perhaps that's what I'll do because my kids aren't tall enough yet to hold up a large quilt. And they're much too goofy. Knowing my kids, they'd roll themselves up like a tamale in the quilt before I can snap a photo. :)

Have a wonderful weekend!

Kwik Sew 2596

Hey YOU!

My Mama made me a t-shirt with doggies on it and I love it!

Sunny is so funny.

She was bonking me on the head with a pool noodle while I was taking these photos.

This t-shirt/tunic is Kwik Sew 2596 and it was really easy to sew. The fabric is from JoAnns and it's really nice. Sunny loves dogs and I love Joann's 50% off coupons. Have you downloaded the Joann app yet? I really like it because I'm one of those people who always forgets the paper coupons. With the app, my coupons are stored on my phone. Pretty cool.

Kwik Sew 2596 is designed for stretch knits only and has directions for both serging and sewing. I serged this one and coverstitched the hems.

I have a Viking Huskylock 936 and I love it. It makes a great coverstitch. If you also have one, but have trouble threading it, check out the online threading guide at the Viking website. It's very, very helpful.

Here is the tunic flat:

Kwik Sew 2596 is a fun and easy pattern and I'd recommend it for beginners as well as for seasoned sewists. And knits are great for kids...they're comfy and they wash well. I only wish there were nicer prints available in cotton jersey and interlock. I have a baby-ish print with horses on it (actually I think they're zebras) and Ellie wants a tunic made from it, so that's next.

Some Charity Pillowcases

One thing I love to do is sew and knit for charities. I have also been looking for ways to quickly de-stash some of my fabrics and one of the best ways is to make pillowcases. They are quick and they require a yard of fabric.

I made two of the pink/white pillowcases. The fabric is an older Amy Butler print that I love. It's so vibrant! And some little girl will love the princess pillowcase.

I also made two of these Lightening McQueen pillowcases:

I don't know a 4 yr old who doesn't love Lightening McQueen. :)

I have my own method of sewing pillowcases and follow the general rule that a finished, standard pillowcase should measure 20"X30". If you need a tutorial, there is a great one here on Film In The Fridge, or here on Made. The quickest way to sew them is to use a serger, but I've also sewn pillowcases with french seams. French seams are the prettiest, in my opinion, but a serged seam is pretty darn nice (and quick!).

Here are three pillowcases that I made for charity, but were stolen from my sewing room!

Luke said he loved this one and wants a quilt to match. I don't think it's the pirates so much that he likes, it's the map. He really likes maps. If I can still find this fabric (I know I got it from Joann's), I'll make him the quilt he requested.


And Ellie still loves monkeys (although they are slowly being replaced by a love of horses), so she took the above pillowcase.

And then there's Sunny. Sunny, Sunny, Sunny. This girl is still dog crazy. And it's so cute. And it still drives my mother-in-law nuts that Sunny wears, lives, and breathes everything dog.

I didn't use a contrasting band on this one and I would've liked my topstitching to be more prominent, so next time I'll use a topstitch needle and a 30 wt thread.

I'm not sure which charity I'll be sending these to. I have three others to sew up and then I'll pick a charity. It will probably be ConKerr, but then someone at work told me that "the cancer kids always get stuff and the transplant kids get overlooked." That made me feel bad, so I'm going to try to find a charity that gives pillowcases to kids awaiting transplants. Do you know of any? Let me know if you do!

I have two quilts to show, too, but I need to finish one binding and take photos.

I also re-organized and rearranged my sewing room (again!) and I love how I have it set up now. The only problem is that I have less room for fabrics. So, that's why I'm trying to quickly de-stash. I also want an industrial sewing machine and a long-arm on a frame (an Innova), so I need to make room. I "test drove" the Innova at the Sewing and Quilting Expo and WOW. Just wow. Its an amazing machine. The machine itself is fabulous, but I think what really makes it great is the stitch regulator and the frame. The rollers on the frame move the machine like it's moving through butter. No jerking and you never felt like you were fighting the machine to get it to move. Just beautiful. And beautiful stitches.

Have a lovely day!

Do Quilters Run With Scissors?

The scissors are an embroidery I purchased from Urban Threads and then enlarged in 5D Pro. The lettering was added in 5D Pro, too. This was a fun, quick project. Now, it's time to get back to embroidering birds for my Bluework Quilt.

Sew Day

When it's this snowy outside....


...you know it's a sew day.


Hope your blizzard is as much fun!

Bluework Quilt w/ Hungarian Blue

What do you get when you cross beautiful Hungarian Blue fabric....


...with beautiful bluework machine embroidery???


I just have to decide if I want to use linen or cotton for the embroidered squares...


Bluework machine embroidery is from Embroidery Library.

The Buggy Baby Quilt

I finally finished the Buggy Baby Quilt. Some of the fabrics I used have little lady bugs on them, so I've named this one The Buggy Baby Quilt.

It measures 32"X38"...

...and has a flannel backing.

I also tried using a blanket stitch to tack down the binding. You can see it in the above photo. For the most part it turned out really well and I like the look. However, I'll have to practice it some more because not every corner is neat.

I really like the quilting, though. Curly Q's are one of my favorite free motion designs because it's really hard to mess it up.

This quilt is going to charity along with the Flights of Fancy baby quilt.
Next, I'm going to try to finally finish the last rows of hexagons on Sunny's quilt. It's been languishing in my sewing room for almost a year now waiting to be finished!

Is There Anything So Lovely As A Quilt?

This is the top and the finished quilt will go to charity.

Quilting is so relaxing, isn't it?

Here's A Better Photo of Burda 9676!

Burda 9676

Well, here is a review of Burda 9676 with bad photos. Maybe tomorrow it will be warm enough to take photos outside. :)

I really like this pattern a lot and Sunny loves her coat so much she slept in it last night. For real. It must be warm because she woke up sweaty.


The one review on Patternreview for this pattern said the hood was so pointy that it could look like a certain hate group's outfit if it were sewn in a light color. I completely agree, so if you plan to sew this pattern in a light colored fabric, I highly recommend either changing the hood's pattern piece so it isn't so pointy or adding a big pom-pom to the tip of the hood so it doesn't stand up (that's what I did).

The outer fabric is Clifford The Big Red Dog fleece and the lining is Clifford The Big Red Dog flannel that was interlined with Thinsulate batting from Vogue fabrics in Evanston.

I'll get better photos tomorrow. Hopefully it'll be a nicer day!! It's been cold here (frigid, really) and overcast. Perfect for getting the blahs!

EDIT: To see a much better photo of this coat, click here.

A Very Merry Christmas To You!

I wish you all a wonderful holiday!

Cheers!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish you all a very happy, relaxing day!

Butterick 4277

Here's a quick and easy skirt to sew.

It's a bit wrinkled because Sunny wore it to preschool today.

Here it is before she went to preschool:

She likes that it has a dog on it (of course!).

Can you tell the girl likes dogs?

Some construction details:
I serged the seams, added an adjustable elastic waistband, and added dog paw print bias to the front top edge. It is made from a midweight corduroy that I bought at Joann's many moons ago.

It was easy to sew and I might sew it again. It's a nice skirt, but I think the pattern is drafted for a beefier kid. Sunny is anything but beefy.

I bought the embroidery from Embroidery Library and embroidered it using my Husqvarna Viking Designer Diamond. I love my embroidery machine!

It's Another Swirls Cap

This post should really be called A Day In My Life because this photo sums it up.

Everything I do lately seems to include a screaming child. Really. And I've been sick for 8 days now. It's the icing on the cake. And the state of my house? Well, I won't even go there.

But, I like to look at the bright side of things and the bright side of this week is that I finished my Swirls Cap. I really like this one.


It is crocheted with Berroco Blackstone Tweed.

Next up: my Everyday Cardi. It's almost finished. Then it's on to a newly released pattern that I'm really excited to start, Cassis, by Baby Cocktails.

I have some sewing to show next week and I'm working on some patterns. Say a prayer that I can kick whatever it is that is clogging my lungs and that my kids stop screaming. That would really be nice. :)

Knitting A Sock A Day Keeps Insanity At Bay

Or so they say.

My question is: How does one photograph one's own feet?



It's much more difficult than it would seem. If only I could take my feet off and then put them back on.



Then I could take better photos of my first pair of hand knitted socks.


They're really basic, but I love them. Next I'd like to knit socks toe-up in something other than stockinette stitch. With Koigu. Mmmmmmmm....Koigu!

Long Live Hand Knitted Socks! (and crazy people)

Pattern used: a Red Heart Heart & Sole free pattern leaflet from Joann Fabrics.
Yarn: Patons Kroy self-striping yarn
Needles: Size 3

You can also check these out on my Ravelry page.

The Woodland Explorer Vest in American Patchwork and Quilting

This is way. too. cool. I loved seeing the Clothworks Fabrics advertisement in American Patchwork and Quilting!!


I think it has ruined me, though, because now I want to see more of my stuff in magazines!


That's not a bad thing, is it???

Thank you to everyone who has contacted me about a pattern for the vest. It was really nice to hear that you like it! I'm working on putting a pattern together in three sizes: 18-24 mo, 2t-4t, and 4-6. There will also be options for different pockets and d-ring placement. Would you prefer a paper pattern or a .pdf that you can download?

Flights of Fancy Baby Quilt

At work, we are making baby quilts that will be donated to the NICU at the hospital where my girls were born. My twins were monoamniotic/monochorionic, which means there was nothing necessarily wrong with them, but there was everything wrong with their environment, in utero. They are identical twins and because their egg split a little too late, a membrane to separate them did not form. So, for almost 8 months they shared the same amniotic sac and during that time, they got their umbilical cords all knotted up together. So, I sat in the hospital for 6 weeks on 24 hr fetal monitoring and they were born via c-section a month and a half early. That's not too bad, really, considering that many monoamniotic twins are born earlier than that. And if their egg had split any later they likely would have been conjoined, if they had survived at all. So, because I'm a hopeless optimist, in my opinion, I lucked out. It could have been worse. However, they still required a stay in the NICU, which is a very, very stressful experience for new parents. The NICU is a blessing, but it also sucks.

So, this quilt, and two others that will soon be finished, will be donated to their NICU.


I love the backing to this quilt. I found it at Joann's and can't believe how good it looks with Flights of Fancy by Paula Prass!

As for the quilting, I stippled the center square and made loop-d-loops around the white border. The outermost border was not quilted. It measures 33"X33"...kind of a weird size, but that's how I roll. ;)

Have a great weekend!

Applique Dogs

My girls won't wear anything unless it has dogs or monkeys on it. So.....yesterday, I turned two inexpensive, plain, sweatshirts into two cute, still inexpensive, sweatshirts that my girls will now wear without tears.


The funny thing is, they don't like to be dressed alike. So, when I asked them to stand next to one another for a photo, this is the best I got:

You'll be seeing this dog again because I have a quilt planned that will use this applique along with a few other dog appliques I'm sketching. I also have a few coloring books with dogs in them and will probably copy some from there (the dog applique above was copied from a coloring book). Coloring books are so great for applique ideas!!

Have a happy weekend!

The specs:
Main fabric: quilting cotton
Purple fabric on ears and nose: linen
Wonder Under used to fuse pieces to sweatshirt and then I straight stitched around edges.
Hand embroidery for eyes and mouth.
Applique measures 4.5"X 5"