Wordless Wednesday - my favorite day

Milkweed Seeds

Baby You Can Drive My Car

Stack of Napkins

Yummy

Wordless Work in Progress Wednesday

Hello Betty by Moda

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Yes, the holiday season is just around the corner. This is the time of year when we crafters start freaking out about inventory. On October 1st I received an e-mail from one of my retailers indicating that all holiday inventory must be delivered by October 21st. What?? I needed that e-mail two months ago! I should be spending every waking hour working on totes and cosmetic bags, but between you and me, all I can think about it quilting.

I'm smitten. I feel like I'm having a sewing affair. All these years of sewing home dec, accessories, and clothing mean nothing to me now. I just want to piece and free motion.

Here are some photos from my illicit affair.

This is the doll quilt I put together using freebies from the Robert Kaufman booth at Spring 2010 Quilt Market. This line is called "Betty Dear" by Darlene Zimmerman. I even salvaged the batting from a garbage can on the last day of Market. The backing is orange Carolina Gingham also by Robert Kaufman and the binding is a Moda Bella solid. Just in case you were wondering...


Here's the finished baby quilt that I blogged about eons ago. I used a charm pack of Riley Blake Design's Bloom and Grow collection (sadly out of print now). The sashing is Kaufman's Essex linen/cotton blend that's just a delight to work with.

The wonderful ladies at Glad Creations Quilt Block here in Minneapolis helped me pick out the backing. My seven year old son gave final approval. When the woman told him that he has excellent taste in fabric he absolutely beamed! It was so sweet. Anyway, it's from the Hunky Dory line by Chez Moi for Moda. Here he is helping me photograph the quilt and the top of his head.

Finally, here's a sneak peak of a quilt I'll finish today - just 3" of binding to hand sew. Don't you just love Alexander Henry's 2D Zoo? I'm delighted to report that this is my first for sale and SOLD quilt.  I didn't even have to put it on my Etsy shop (three cheers for fabulous neighbors).

A new walking foot for my sewing machine should be arriving via UPS today. Yes, I'm obsessed.

Summer Vacation

I think it's fair to say that I've taken a summer vacation from my blog. It's been a busy summer - much of which was spent in the car driving my oldest child (7) from one sports camp to the next. We took a family trip to Portland, Oregon then I had my 20 year high school reunion just days after we returned. We've had family visiting, etcetera, etcetera. No doubt you know how it goes. Besides having little time to sew, let alone blog, it's been quite hot this summer. While we have a few window air conditioners in this 102 year old house, my sewing space stays unconditioned and can get quite hot.  Sweat and sew or take the summer off. What would you do?

Here's a photo I took the other day of my sewing room. It was a hot day - in the 90's and ridiculously humid. The afternoon light was so lovely, though. The room looks inviting but don't be fooled!

That's a mini quilt/doll quilt in the foreground. The fabric is by Robert Kaufman. On the last day of Quilt Market I made one final purchase at their booth and they gave me a huge stack of 3" squares. Most of the fabrics were absolutely not my style, but there were a few goodies. I've scoured the RK web site looking for photos and the name of this line, but with no luck. Let me know if you recognize it. I'll post a better photo of the finished product soon. Mini quilts could be addictive.

Speaking of small things, what I have been working on lately is cloth napkins. Dinner napkins, hors d'oeuvres napkins, kids' napkins in various sizes. What fun to pair fabrics and to get a finished product in a short amount of time. I'm slowly but surely getting my Minimushroom Etsy shop stocked, but I have a feeling a little back to school trunk show would be more fun and more successful.  Here are some photos of napkin mania.

 

Photography is always a struggle for me. Seems crazy given that I loved the class in college, but photographing your work is different from just trying to get the occasional "artsy" shot. I need to capture the item AND try to convince you that you need to buy it. I have a profound respect for sellers on Etsy with great photography, and certainly professional photogs who bring us adverts, billboards, etc. It's not just about aperture and f-stop. You need a good eye, good lighting, a good angle, and of course styling/props. Practice makes perfect - I hope. If you're in a similar conundrum, check out this post on the Etsy forums about taking great photos. Good stuff!

School starts here on August 30th. While I'm going to miss my little boys while they're at school, I'm excited to have some time to finish the millions of things I have in progress - like several quilts of my own designs. And then there are more skirts. So much to sew, so little time. On that note, here's my most recent skirt - finished just one hour before my friend wore it to a wedding. There's nothing like working in heat and under pressure.

What's new?

I haven't been posting much since the start of summer vacation.  I have three kids at home with me all day every day. My life is basically about driving from one sports lesson to another (tennis, golf, tumbling, baseball) and making endless meals. I've managed to squeeze a little sewing in, though.

Last year I used the instructions from Sew What! Skirts to make myself a simple A-line skirt with an elastic waist. I was just a few weeks postpartum and it seemed like a comfortable transition piece (you know what I mean - when you're too small for maternity but still too big for your old clothes). But the skirt turned out way too big. Perhaps my measurements were wrong or I simply had too much ease. Anyway, I recently dug out that old pattern and hacked away at it until I finally got a decent fit.

Here's the result. I used a print from Paula Prass' Woodland Delight line.

I just finished two more skirts for a friend. We thankfully wear the same size. The first skirt features an older Joel Dewberry print with black ricrac sewn into the hem.

and this one is made from an Alexander Henry home dec fabric called Sofia.

I love that the skirts are lined so there's no need for wearing a slip or alternatively giving a free show. And guess what, they have a knit waistband! It's a guilty pleasure - like wearing maternity clothes when you're not pregnant. But it's also nice to have a slim silhouette without the need for a zipper.

Here's a photo with the waistband:

My plan is ultimately to do skirt parties. That seems like a great way to conquer my out of control fabric stash. After sizing down the pattern, though, I discovered that the measurements need a little tweaking in order to fit the masses. Once I get the kinks worked out I'll be on my way.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about my latest quilt. Here's a little teaser -

Thanks for stopping :)

Annik

Sewing Room Shots

My life has been pretty crazy lately. Preschool ended the last week of May, then my 1st grader finished school on June 8th. Now that I'm back to parenting three children all day every day I'm positively worn out! Who has time for blogging? Here are some of my sewing room I shot on a whim the other day to tide you over until I start blogging again in earnest.

Happy sewing!
-Annik

Tools of the trade needed for a pattern grading class I took recently.

Just some of my Japanese fabrics. My shelves could use a little organizing...

A rainbow of thread.

More Eye Candy from Quilt Market

Books, books, books. I love sewing and crafting books! And let me tell you, there were lots of enticements at Quilt Market. I missed book signing on Friday because I was home with my kids. I missed out on Joel Dewberry's new book called Sewn Spaces and Kay Whitt's book Sew Serendipity, but I was utterly delighted to get a signed copy of Anna Maria Horner's book,  Handmade Beginnings. The projects in this book are so lovely and varied. Even if you don't have a new baby you are sure to find something you'd like to make in this book.

Case in point, here are some close up shots of baby booties and dresses and jackets.

For the moment I would like to return to Kay Whitt's book before I delve into the other sewing books featured at Quilt Market.  If you like to make jackets, skirts or dresses, this is the book for you. Here are some photos of Miss Whitt herself sporting her fabulous creations. I can't wait to get this book because sewing clothes is so much fun.

Here's Kay during her Schoolhouse presentation. The dress she's wearing is made from the new line by Pillow & Maxfield (for Michael Miller) called Pretty Bird (I love the orange and brown color way).

A rack full of loveliness. 

Drum roll, please... look at this long coat. Isn't it divine? The fabric is the new line by Japanese designer Momo for Moda called It's a Hoot (these are twills).

The back of the coat is cut from a single piece so it's perfect for large prints.

Another sassy outfit:

And speaking of It's a Hoot - here's one of Moda's design inspiration quilts featuring this line.

Tune in tomorrow for a gushing review of Cherri House's book, City Quilts. Until then, happy sewing!