Craft-A-Little

Well, I still can’t upload a photo to my blog.  I keep forgetting to have my IT dept take a look at it.  I think that the problem is that I am trying to upload photos that are too big.  So, I need to learn how to make them smaller before uploading them.  I am sure that I will learn that soon!  In the mean time…I am using flickr.  Unfortunately, I can’t get my blog to link to flickr and I don’t know what the deal is with that.  But…my IT dept isn’t home tonight, so it will have to wait.  For now, I will just link you to photos on flickr. 

I have a few things to share…first…I finished my doll quiltfor DQS9.  It isn’t as fancy as most of the ones that people are making.  I kind of feel like mine isn’t as cool as everyone else’s.  But I really like it.  And Little Helper keeps asking me if it is hers.  I have had to promise that I will make one for her.  But since I put the first letter of my partner’s name on the back, I have told her that hers will have an A for her name on the back and that is how she will know it is hers. 

I am also working on the sleep sack for my neice that will be born in September.  It took me a while to choose fabric, but I finally did!  Here is what I chose.  I kind of went back and forth on whether I wanted to follow the same idea that AMH did in the book and do 2 in squares for the patchwork front or if I was going to switch it up and do something different.  In the end, I decided 2 in squares (well, I cut them to 2.5 and finished they are 2 in).  I decided on the squares for 2 reasons:  I really like how it looked in the book done that way and I feel somewhat short on time and I didn’t want to spend a lot of time doing something and then end up not liking it. 

I did think that rather than doing a 20×24 in rectangle as suggested in the book, I cut out my pattern front and used it as I went to just sew together enough squares to cover the pattern.  I think that this picture shows what I mean.  And here is the fabric not covered by the pattern ease. 

Now I have 2 decisions to make. 

1. What fabric should I used for the back?  My husband has suggested thisone.  This fabric looks totally different in person than it does in thie picture.  I was really trying hard to figure out if it was the same one.  I was thinking the clouds.  What do you think??
2. Do I want to try to add a zipper?  I really prefer sleep sacks with zippers, but I am not sure if it is a good idea to add a zipper the first time I make it.  I am not sure if I am that experienced of a sewer yet!  I have to go to Joann’s tomorrow for some flannel lining and velcro anyway, so I might pick up a zipper and see how things go!

I am hoping to have this sleep sack done this weekend!  Hopefully I will be sharing finished photos of this by the end of day Sunday.  I also have to admit, that if I have a little girl, I might totally copy the sleep sack that AMH did in her book.  I just so LOVE the one that she did in her pink Little Folks Voile.  It is also possible that if I have a boy, I will just copy it, but in blue. 

I completed another quilt square!  And then I tried to do another one so that I was caught up- and I screwed it up.  I barely got any cutting done and I realized that I had messed up.  I do think that the instructions are not clearly written.  And I am not the only person who had trouble with that.  Anyway…I am currently waiting to hear what she wants me to do with my screwed up fabric.  I am so irritated with myself!!

So here is what I finished…

And what is coming soon…

We are going to a wedding in April.  I wanted to make a dress for Little Helper to wear.  But since it is a wedding, I wanted it to be a little fancier than quilting cotton.  So, I am excited to say, that I went to a different fabric store today and picked up some silk dupioni!  It was not cheap, but the woman who was working there assured me that it would not be that hard to work with. 

The colors aren’t coming out quite right in the photo- my photo quality is pretty terrible for this post.  Sorry about that.  My real camera’s battery is dead. 

I also picked up some fabric for some summer shirts for Little Helper-

I know- those 2 are very similar.  Well…that is ok. 

I am really excited to start on some of these projects, but unfortunately, I will be away from my sewing machine for a few days.   Even worse- away from my Little Helper. 

I had a very productive weekend of sewing!  I made 3 things- start to finish.   2 pair of bedtime story pajamas and a knitting needle holder- I was VERY productive!! 

I made coordinating pajamas for my daughter and a friend’s daughter- aren’t they cute??

I really loved how they turned out- and they came together so quickly!!  I was able to make a whole pair in one day (during Little Helper’s nap and then after she went to bed at night).  And they turned out so cute!  I used Riley Blake Be Merry fabrics.  I ordered the fabric from an online store and when it came, A was so excited about getting snowman jammies.  Then, as I was making them, she sounded like she wasn’t going to want to wear them.  But when they girls opened their presents tonight, I was able to convince her to put them on and I am so glad that she did.  When I put her to bed, she looked up at me and said ” snowman jammies”- like she liked them and was proud of them and wanted to be wearing them.  I love her.

Unfortunately, I have no photos of the knitting needle holder.    I forgot to take one.  Hopefully, my friend Athena will take one and send it to me.    Well, she did take a picutre on her phone and texted it to me, but I am hoping for better quality.    I used one of the new Sandi Henderson Meadowsweet fabrics and made one that was very similar to the one that I made for myself last winter.

Well, I am worn out after a day of Christmas partying!  And I still have to work this week.    I took too many trips this year and used up all of my vacation!  Oh well- one more week(well, 3 days)  and then I am off for a week and a half!  I can’t wait…

I have lost it.  I heard that Heather Ross’ Mendocino line was being discontinued and I NEEDED to buy some.  And some turned into a lot. 

 So, here it is. 

I bought at least a half yard of each.  Most are 1 yard.  And 2 are more like 3.  I had some favorites, ok?  Really, the ones that I wanted a bunch of, but couldn’t find are aqua seahorses.  Anyone know where I can get some?

In addition to buying way too much fabric, I made my first block for one of the online quilting bees that I am in.   It is for A Piece of Work B.  If I could figure out how to put buttons on the side of my blog, I might have one there for this!

I really like making this type of block.  It provides just the right amount of freedom and structure for me.  I see string quilts in my future!

Now, if only I could get it together and finish up my doll quilt for the doll quilt swap!

Don’t tell my husband, but I have been doing lots of shopping lately.  Check it out-

Here is the Katie Jump Rope fabric that my sister and I purchased for the quilt we are going to make for our mom for Christmas.  We figure that we have “stolen” enough quilts that she has made over the years and we “owe” her.  Plus, she gave both of us our sewing machines for Christmas  last year. 

Fabric for a quilt for my mom

 When I was ordering that fabric, I came across this fabric in the same etsy shop and just couldn’t resist-

Heather Ross prints

Cia's Pallette Order

Spud and Chloe sweater

I also bought some  Blue Sky Alpaca yarn.  I seem to have lost the picture of the other 3 colors that I bought.  I bought 3 other colors to make a sweater for A.  I also bought some white to make some mice that are in a mobile in Susan B. Anderson’s Itty Bitty Nursery.  I also bought the brown and white yarn to make the Baby Bobbi Bear again.  I knit this bear a while ago- it was in my first 6 months or so of knitting- and I did a TERRIBLE job of it.  I really want to try again. So now I have yarn for it!

Blue Sky Alpaca Yarn

 I am getting quite a few projects lined up!  I am excited about them.  And I really like new yarn and new fabric!