Wordless WIP Wednesday: August 29, 2012

Wrap It Up Doll Quilt

One of the pitfalls of quilting is that there will always be more inspiration than time to sew. I still like the Scrappy Nine-Patch quilt by crazy mom quilts that I started ages ago. However, I recently came to terms with the fact that I was unlikely to finish my version anytime in the near future. Since discarding all the scrappy nine-patch blocks I had made since August 2010 smacked of failure, I decided to repurpose them.

My sweet daughter is not yet two, and already she has shown a fondness for baby dolls. She particularly likes to cover them with a blanket, or carry them around all bundled up, so I figured one more doll quilt couldn’t hurt. I ditched the sashing and borders and just sewed the blocks directly together. A simple cross-hatch pattern made light work of the machine quilting, and I pieced together coordinating binding scraps for a quick finish. At the end of the day, I was left with a fun doll quilt for my sweet girl and one less project on my Work In Progress list.

Christmas in July Continued: Flurry Project Bag

At long last, I have found the gift bag pattern that I have been searching for! After making several Everything Bags, and one Snack bag, I found that the Project Bag size of Jeni’s Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern was the perfect size for my purposes: big enough for most presents, cute, quick and easy!  This bag was made from Flurry yardage left over from last year. I anticipate making many more of this size before Christmas rolls around. First step: stock up on Christmas yardage!

For those that are curious about the relative sizes of these bags, here is a picture of the three sizes I have made: Everything, Project and Snack.

Wordless WIP Wednesday: August 22, 2012

Lavender Cupcake à la Mode

Since I was in the neighborhood recently, I stopped by the Ballard Cupcake Royale to try their new line of ice cream. My plan was to pick a flavor that would pair well with Strawberry 66, their cupcake of the month for August. That plan was dashed when I saw the Blueberry Lavender ice cream flavor listed and my favorite Lavender cupcakes in the case. The combo did not disappoint. The cupcake was as moist and scrumptious as I remembered. The generous baby scoop of Blueberry Lavender ice cream balanced blueberry, lavender and sweetness beautifully. If the shop had been air conditioned, it would have been the perfect pause in a hot summer afternoon. Air conditioning aside, I will definitely be back to try more of Cupcake Royale’s ice cream offerings.

Linking up with Tuesday at the {herbal} Table.

Seaside Cabin

Log cabin blocks make me happy. The first quilt I ever made was a log cabin quilt, but I’ve more or less avoided the pattern since then, as there are so many blocks and techniques that I haven’t tried yet. A few weeks ago, I took Katie’s Improvisational Patchwork class, and one of the techniques was making an improv log cabin. We started with a strip pieced center, and then added scrappy logs to the design wall until we were happy with the results. I liked mine so much that I made a mini quilt out of it. (I also used a couple other blocks from the class in the backing.) Finishing at 8” by 12”, it was the perfect size for one of the walls in our house. This mini is named Seaside Cabin because the colors and relaxed piecing technique remind me of vacationing by the sea.

Wordless WIP Wednesday: August 15, 2012

Strawberry Snack Bag

After I finished my Personal Picnic Purse last month, there was quite a bit of fabric left. Usually, I throw smaller-than-a-fat-quarter remnants into my scrap bin, but I liked the strawberry fabric so well that I turned it into a bag. I used Jeni’s Lined Drawstring Pattern (again) in the Snack size, added some polka dot fabric for the lining, and whipped up a little gift bag in no time. I am thrilled with how it turned out, although it’s a little small for a gift bag. Until I need to wrap a small gift, this sweet bag will hang in my sewing nook, spreading a little bit of summer cheer.

Wordless WIP Wednesday: August 8, 2012

Fresh Sewing Day: July 2012

At the beginning of July, I had every intention of using up the majority of the Christmas fabrics in my stash by making a plethora of gift bags and a couple of lap quilts.

 

I guess I overestimated how much time I would have to sew in July! At first, I was disappointed that my progress toward a handmade Christmas consisted of four gift bags and a half-completed quilt top. Then I remembered that I had indeed achieved much in July. In addition to the four finished gift bags, I made a personal picnic purse, took in the Seattle Modern Quilt Guild Exhibition, and took an improv piecing class. Also, already I’m more prepared for Christmas than I was this time last year. That fact alone will help me stay motivated to continue making gift bags and whatnot before Christmas.

Linking up to Fresh Sewing Day.