And a Little Bit of Sewing

I also did some sewing this summer, using a jelly roll to make a quilt for shavasana during my yoga classes.  It turned into a mat for Lily to use to learn to sit and now crawl.  I like the colors.

The lasagna quilt is easy to make--and quick too! For some directions, check out this web site.

 

And here she is using it to sit and crawl!

 

 

 

And a Few More Designs

I've met several times with my paper crafting group this summer.  We always bring a design or two and kits for others to make the cards based on our design sample.  Here are some of the designs and kits I offered at these sessions.

 

This was my first attempt at a masculine theme.

 

And this was a second remake on the same theme: stamped background, embossed texture

and layers with a dimensional compass.

 

 

This was a first attempt on a tri-level matted floral card.

Sorry it needs to be rotated but it just won't load correctly online...

 

And this one had a touch of dimension added to it.

 

A little texture, some graphic color blocking for another masculine card.

 

 

These cards just used scraps of paper and trims and shapes

from my scrap basket, but I think they turned out fine.

 

 

Some other summer creations

 

 Simple layout, but the "popped" or dimensional bloom makes it special.

 

Masculine cards are always needed--and I usually make the kits

in my group of papercrafters.

Some card making inspiration

It's been a long time since I last posted, but I have been creating since Lily was born at the end of January.  I will try to catch up on some projects by posting on the blog.

Here's what I created today based on a card I received from friend, Sue, who lives in Nova Scotia (with summer outfit for granddaughter, Lily).  Could babysitting Lily four days a week be the reason for not posting sooner???

And here are the two cards I made from the inspiration of patching the background with coordinating colors and prints.

A fun afternoon of crafting with the window to my garden open and Andrea Bocelli on CD.

Another Rag Quilt for the Boys

I finally got around to cutting out the rectangles for another rag quilt for my boys, Reid included. This one has fabrics that match the curtains I made for their pop-up camper last summer--including moose!

 

Front

 

Back
(Oops, I turned the last row upside down.  If I do it on the other half, it will look like a pattern?  That's what you love about these quilts--they are very forgiving!)

 

Half done. Twice as big as a baby quilt! And twice as much room for error--or recovery!

 

Valentine's Day Cards

I made a cute little arrangement in a red polka dot teapot for Valentine's Day. And sent these cards to my Valentines...

 



to my husband, a swinging hearts Valentine with two portraits of Lily.

to my Dad and Donna, a lot of love and hearts.  I told them they were an inspiration

and Dad replied that they were most likely an exasperation!  Never!

 

to Sara and John, the new parents, a nosegay of heart flowers.

 

and for Lily, the one in the center

with hearts and doilies and butterflies and ladybugs and ribbons, both satin and grosgrain,

and pearls and glitter and flowers and lace.

 

Well, everything girl-y I've wanted to put on a Valentine for years...

 

And the boys and Reid and Faith received Valentines too--

but William's was lost in the mail.

A first in all my mailings. Of course, it had some cash in it...

Sorry, no photos.  I had to get them in the mail in a hurry to make February 14th.

 

One More Baby Project

There is an antique Jenny Lind cradle from the Kimball family which we have used since our son was born in 1971.  His father was in it in 1947 and his father before him in the mid-1920s.  The cradle was originally my husband's grandmother's from the turn of the century.  Grandma Kimball was a proper Bostonian of the Victorian era. The cradle originally had rockers which were popular then, but we removed. My son's three sons have also been in the cradle.  It is only usable the first few months when the babies are small, but it makes a good dolls' bed in between generations and siblings.

 

In 1971, I purchased a new foam rubber mattress, bumper pads, mattress pad and woven sheets from the Sears Roebuck & Co. catalog.  For my new granddaughter in 2013, I thought it was time to replace the plastic cover which was brittle and torn.  When I ripped the old one off, the foam rubber mattress underneath was thicker and firmer than any I could currently purchase so I kept it and used it again.

 

 

I searched for a material with which to cover the foam mattress and found

Amy Butler's laminated cotton to be the perfect choice--and easy to sew!

The name of this design in Paradise Garden from the Love Collection.

 

 

 

 

Here's the finished project.  Lily may sleep in it only once

(and in view of parents or grandparents for modern safety reasons) 

but it will make a perfect doll bed for her doll and stuffed animal collection--

just like her mother!

 

 

Babies Have Arrived and Quilts Delivered

Lily arrived the day after the last post.  I quickly finished the "Sunny Days" quilt for my friend's baby who was born two days earlier. It was a good thing to do between hospital visits since it just needed to be ragged.  That means several hours of making snips around all the edges. 

 

 

Then a wash with just a little Dreft in the machine--and a second rinse.  Into the dryer. Be sure to empty the lint trap often since you'll be "ragging" the quilt and that will create quite a lot of lint!  I rinsed both Lily's and Bailey's quilts together one more time. 

Then I delivered Lily's elephant themed quilt to her and packaged Bailey's monkey themed quilt to send to Atlanta.  What fun to have first granddaughters together with a dear, old friend from high school!

 

The best part of this pattern is the "windows" created by the quilting.  Lily's windows show some elepant tails and trunks (not shown here but visible in earlier posts). Bailey's windows highlight some monkey antics from a great fabric collection by Dear Stella called "Play Date".  I hope we can get these girls together sometime for a play date!

Before You Get Too Zealous--

I don't do all nine rows at one time.

 I work in thirds to make it easier

to get the quilt into the arm of the machine.

Then you can attach the thirds together with two seams--

and only need to deal with the entire quilt for one last seam. 

Much easier to handle this way.

 

Now that really is enough for one or two--or even three days!

Next Step

Okay, so like me you enjoy sewing all day on a wintry day and want to know how to connect those rows before you mix them all up and lose your pattern.

How to connect rows:

With back sides together, pin two rows together

matching the horizontal seams at the openings

and the marks at the top and bottom.

 

 

Sew down the whole vertical row.

I reinforce each horizontal seam/opening with some reverse stitching.

 

Two rows sewn together and opened up.

 

Flatten the vertical flaps.

 

Sew in a figure 8 pattern up and then down the vertical row, securing the flaps to the front side.

You will cross over at each opening/flap.

 

 

The last stitch holds down all the flaps at a point on the scalloped corner.

 

On the back, there are no exposed seams and the pattern of stitching begins to show.

 

If you are a perfectionist, all the stitching should cross the seams at the same point.

The best thing about a rag quilt is that you don't need to be perfect!

Mine is off a little, but the reverse stitching at each seam should keep the seam tight.

I'd love for these quilts to be dragged around a lot by their baby owners!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Getting Started on a Circular Rag Quilt

A snowy day with a wintry mix expected later is a good day to start a sewing project.  In case you want to make a rag quilt, here is how make a circular quilt step-by-step.

How to make a row:

 

Sew around a circle with front and back together

 

Sew another circle, front and back together.

 

With two sewn circle sets together back to back,

use the square template to mark the four corners and the sewing lines.

 

Sew from one marked corner to another along the line to connect the circles.

 

Open the flaps (front side up) made by the seam. 

Topstitch along the flaps following the stitching already in place

to attach the flaps to the interconnected circles.

 

Sew a whole row of circles together following the directions given.

That should take you less than an hour.

You could make more rows if you have time. 

Be sure to label them "Row 1", "Row 2", etc.

Enough for one lesson!

Next lesson: how to connect rows.

 

 

.

 

 

 

Another Baby Due Soon

A friend from high school also has a granddaughter soon to appear. I started another round rag quilt for her DIL and baby with scraps from previous projects and a little help from my neighbor's stash.

My folder for round rag quilts includes directions and fabric choices from previous quilts I've made. The book and author from which I copied the pattern are noted somewhere on this blog in an earlier posting.

My friend, Irena, who gave me some flannel fabrics to complete my new quilt pattern also set me up with a nice, large cutting board and a handy little gadget that cuts the circles.  I couldn't do it without these tools.  Irena cut her first granddaughter's quilt (and Irena's first quilt) circles after tracing each circle and cutting all edges with scissors.  Then she got online and found these tools. She ordered one of each for her and one of each for me.  Thank goodness!

 

After cutting out all circles, I put together a pattern for front and back. It's easiest to work on a flat surface so that you can view front and back with a flip. You also want to see the outside and middle border and the center. I pin after I'm sure of the pattern. Then flip and check a few more times to make sure I'm ready to sew.

 

New Year--and All Gifts Delivered?

I was so busy making gifts for my daughter's baby shower and Christmas that I didn't want to reveal on this blog, that you must think I've been doing nothing. Far from it!  I'll show you a project I started in the fall with my daughter for her baby due February 3rd.  We had so much going on with the holidays that we just got back to it last weekend.  She snipped and I sewed.  Then into the washer to fluff it up.

Here is Lily's rag quilt made with flannel circles:

 

The fabrics include Sara's baby shower color themes of grey, pink and green and her favorite animal--an elephant.  She feels like an elephant right now waiting out these last few weeks.

 

 

But any day now, just like the elephant's eye and tail in the quilt, Lily will pop out!

 

It can't be soon enough!

 

Here is Lily's smooth quilt back flipped over the front with the rag ruffles.

 

Entire back of the quilt reveals birds in the outer border, grey polka dots and white elephants in the middle border and pink paisleys in the center.  Come on, Lily. We want to see you front and back, totally revealed now.  We're waiting for that last gift from 2012!