small projects week-day 3

habitual kimono-size 3T
tutorial here

small projects week, day 2

I bought this little side table when we first moved to town...nearly 2 years ago. I only paid $2.00 for it at a garage sale. It's not the cutest thing, but when you add some primer and a little green paint, it looks much, much better. I always love seeing how paint can transform things. I added a little dresser scarf thingy that came from my grandma's house to protect the painted top. I really like it. Now I just need to finish my bento box quilt to go along with it. :)

Also, I finally got around to making some more checkbook covers. I intended to make them for Christmas presents, but April is pretty close, right? The red and the green ones are for two of my friends. When I was making these last night my husband asked me to make one for him in some masculine looking fabric. He picked out the fabric from my stash, but he wanted it without interfacing, which was just fine by me, because it came together even more quickly. He put his entire checkbook-plastic cover and all-inside the fabric one and it fit perfectly! (Yes, I was a little surprised.) I had to look back at my own tutorial on how to make these because I had forgotten how, which just cracked me up. Keeping a blog is useful! For this set of covers, I added a quarter inch to each measurement, so I cut the pieces 7.25 x 13.25 and they fit even better than the first ones I made.

This week may have to be renamed "five ways to use fabulous red polka dot fabric". It might show up a few more times yet....you've been warned. ;)

small projects week

Thanks so much for your kind comments about my square dance quilt. I appreciate you all cheering me on as I quilt away. You guys are the best!

I'm declaring it small projects week here at crazy mom quilts. I find that my list of things to make "someday" has gotten extremely long. Some things have been waiting for a year or more. I also find that I would usually work on a quilt rather than a smaller project. Anyone else like that? This week I hope to make some progress on my list.



Today's project is a door stop from Lotta's book Simple Sewing. I checked out this book from my library last summer, made the pattern and that's as far as I got with it. Until this morning. It only took about an hour, and that included interfacing everything. Of course now I'm wondering what took me so long to make it. :) I used popcorn kernels and fiberfill (so it wouldn't get too heavy) to fill it. The fabric is Moda Cherries Jubilee. I love this fabric! As much as I am tempted to make a few more of these, I'm going to move on to the next thing on my list.

square dance quilt top

The square dance quilt top is done. My original plan didn't involve the white sashing, but I felt that the white would help break up the colors a bit. After sewing it together, I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. So I slept on it. (Not literally.) This morning I determined the white strips had to go.

So I ripped out 10 long seams and I sewed all the rows back together. Seems to be a lot of re-work going on in my sewing room these days. I think I like it a little more now. This is the only quilt I've been working on for a week straight and I need a break from it. Here's hoping that whenever I get around to stippling it, I like it more. I have a feeling I will.

It measures about 66" x 85"...so it's a twin size. When I was contemplating whether I liked it or not, my sweet son said, "I'd use it on my bed." What a honey.

double click on the photos to see more detail. they look better up close. :)

katie jumps rope

I finished this quilt last fall sometime. Amy Jo and I had ordered a fat quarter stack of the entire line of katie jump rope fabric back in April of '07 and then we split them, leaving us each with a fat eighth. It took me a year and a half to settle on a design. Isn't that shameful? My quilt was inspired by this one. Simple and pretty. As much as I love a lot of white in a quilt, I love the absence of white in this quilt. It gives it richness and warmth, yet it isn't too busy.

I cut the blocks 5" x 6" and got 6 blocks from each fat eighth with very little waste. I added one additional fat quarter to get the amount of blocks that I needed. I loved using rectangles rather than squares....a little bit of a twist on a "just plain squares" pattern.

The back was pieced from my stash. Mostly solid blues, with a brown strip. It is stippled with white thread. I washed it in my new washer and dryer this weekend (hurray!) and it crinkled up nicely. I LOVE IT!

I made it a twin size, even though it probably won't be used on a bed most of the time. It sure looks good on there, doesn't it?

I've been dragging this quilt around the house like my daughter carries around her blankey, wrapping up in it every opportunity I get. :)

square dance

yesterday a friend came over to learn how to quilt. it was our first session, so we picked fabrics and a design for her quilt. i loved the fabrics and the idea (which has been in my head for months) so much that i decided to make one, too. i hope that BOTH quilts turn out well, because that is a whole lot of pretty fabric that i just cut up. :) even after all the quilts i've made, i go through moments of doubt when making each one. that being said, i have high hopes for this one.

this brings my work in progress number to 13! somebody help me.

two of a kind

These are new bed quilts for my boys. The color scheme was inspired by these earrings.

When making these quilt tops, I had a little trouble measuring. The first time I made them, I thought something was a little off, but i couldn't put my finger on it. I put the quilts on the beds to check for size and decided to rip them apart and make them wider. When I finally re-measured the original pieces, I discovered I only cut them 55" wide instead of 65" wide. No wonder!!! So even though they look really simple, they gave me trouble, which seems typical. :)

Now that I finally got the measurements right, I am very excited. They turned out better than I had imagined. I adore the color combination. (thank you, Susan!) And without many seams, they are going to be so fun to stipple!

They each measure 68" x 90".

So I now have 4 quilt tops waiting to be finished. I'd better start making some backings. I should do that from my stash, but today, that doesn't sound appealing at all.

wee play

Hey, remember me? :) I didn't mean to disappear, but phew, last week was rough. I won't recount it all, but let me just say that remodeling (still) and being sick (for 5 straight days) don't mix well. I think I'm finally on the mend. Woo-hoo! And I'm thankful for antibiotics!!!!

These are 9 patches (even though you really can't tell) that are going to be made into a disappearing 9 patch quilt. (Inspired by this fabulous quilt.) I'm really liking the blocks just as they are, but I am going to force myself to cut them into quarters. I started with 3 packs of wee play charms and then added various other Moda fabrics from my stash that coordinated, but not all are from the same line. It's going to be a twin sized when it's done.

There is a disappearing 9 patch tutorial here.

bento box quilt top

I finished piecing my bento box quilt top.

(And I think it looks pretty darn good on my bed!)

This thing is a monster-measuring 105" x 90".

For those of you who asked for a tutorial, I cannot share that, as there is a pattern published.

For those of you who asked for advice on making a king sized quilt, I have none. This is only my second king quilt, and the first one that I am going to attempt to stipple. I'm a bit intimidated at the thought. Unlike Miss Heather, who just finished her third-or maybe fourth-king sized quilt. I'm so proud of my quilting apprentice. :)

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the quilt in the foreground is this one.

all zipped up

Can I just say that I'm happy that spring break is over? I am so ready to get back into a routine. I had a nap before lunch today since "vacation" really took it's toll on me. Oh, and that bathroom remodel didn't help, either. It's still a work in progress. My son (who is 6) predicts that it will take 19 months. I hope he is wrong. He had better be wrong.
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Now, let's talk quilts, shall we? This quilt is my 10th finish of the year. (!!!!)

Diane from Bee Square Fabrics asked me to design a quilt that would feature some of the gorgeous fabrics that she has in her shop. (She was so very fabulous to work with!!) This is what I came up with.

It is a zig zag quilt, but....BUT, it's made without piecing a single triangle. How nifty is that?

I used some of the leftover pieces of fabric from the front to add a strip of patchwork to the back. It's a little busy, but it made the backing just a bit wider than a normal width of fabric, which was just what I was after. How great is that elephant fabric? I LOVE it. And I love a pieced back, but you all already know that. :)

I used some awesome Jay McCarroll fabric for the binding. I love the little ants in it. (My kids do, too.) And the color. Mmm. Aqua!

I stippled the quilt (of course) in grey thread.

It measures about 46" x 61".

I LOVE this quilt. I have been wanting to make a zig zag quilt forever, and I am very happy with the results. This color scheme is one of my favorites these days.

There is a tutorial on how to make the quilt here.

And the fabric info (should you be wondering the specifics) is listed in this post.

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edited to add:

Bee Square Fabrics currently has a promotion for 20% off the Jay McCarroll fabric. Please enter code "20offJay" during checkout. It is good until March 31st.

a few finished projects

Thanks so much for your feedback on my bento box quilt! It was great to get some objective opinions. I stared at the quilt too long and got stalled a bit. I'm excited to get back at it....I have a plan now. Thank you!!!

I finished up these hand knits yesterday. They are for my friend + neighbor, Mary. A pair of toasty mitts (pattern here) and a scarf (pattern here). I am not a good knitter, but I can see that I am making progress. I actually knit thumbs! Woo-hoo!

I'll be away from my blog for the rest of the week. (Well, I'm going to try to.) My kids and my husband are off on spring break and we are knee deep in a bathroom remodel. It's going to be such a fun way to spend our "vacation". :) Have a great week!

the beginnings of a bento box quilt

I finally started my bento box quilt and I'm having color doubts...

I'm not sure if I love the brown in the mix. Is the brown is too dark? Does it jump out too much?

Here it is without any brown. Does it lack a certain zing that the brown brings to the mix?

Since it will be going on my bed, maybe the brown fabric will be the key to tie everything together once it's done and on the bed?

What do you think?