Flower Power

Feather Quilt Revisited

I recently took some new pictures of one of my favorite quilts.  I felt the old post didn't do it justice. 

So this is how I design my quilts.  I sketch them out on graph paper.  Then I decide how many inches each square represents based on how large I want the quilt to be.  

Recycled dress

My for this goal this spring (one of many)...to not buy any clothes for Sophia.  I have been given some things, and I hope to make everything else.  I plan to achieve this by keeping it simple.  This dress I made from a vintage pillow case and took the ruffles from an outfit Sophia had hopelessly stained.  

These crocheted flowers were also from the tank top/pant set that I took the ruffles from.  

The blue ruffle on the bottom was the trim edge of the vintage pillow. 

I always forget to take the before pictures!  But here is what's left of the pillow case and the outfit I used to make this dress.

Black and White Quilt: Oldie but Goodie

I had almost forgotten about this quilt until I spied it in my mom's guest room the other day.  This was either the second or third quilt I ever made.  She bought a bundle of black and white fabric and told me to do what I wanted with it.  It looks random, but it actually took some effort trying to make each of the strips contrast to the one next to it.  

I did quilted in the ditch and used black thread for the back so the design would really show up. 

This quilt lives in my mom's guest bedroom.  I also created the quilt she has in her bedroom.

Fun with Printing

The other day I found a book at the library about printing with kids, and was inspired to have a little at home printing workshop with my boys.  We experimented with all sorts of things, vegetables, sea shells, lace.  My favorite was the larger Legos.  I am actually planning to do that along the bottom of a skirt.  But the boys loved using the Star Wars cookie cutters they got for Christmas. 

The purple is the print from the Legos. 

These cookie cutters are available at Williams Sonoma.

All this printing got me excited to pull out my screen printing supplies again and so I screen printed this AT-AT.  Luke worked with me to layout patches of our prints on this shirt

Get them started early

I started teaching James basic weaving when was 4.  I know he's a boy, but they can be artistic, too.  James just sewed this ugly doll (with lots of help).

James is six now.

Luke sewed this pillow.  He just turned 5.  He chose the fabric, but I have mostly girlie fabrics to choose from.

Luke calls this a pin cushion and uses it as such.  It is certainly the world's largest. I call it a pillow.  

Fabric Picture Frame

I had lots of fun rummaging through my scrap and trim bins to design this frame.  Once I had all my bits sewed  and glue on, I sewed the window right sides together with muslin and top stitched.  Then I sewed it onto canvas the along the outside edge, flipped it and top stitched.  The picture is of my grandmother.  

It currently lives in my bathroom.

Striped Boy's quilt

This quilt was inspired by one Pottery Barn sold a few years ago.  I saw it at a friend's house, and really liked it.  I used cotton plaids, but I couldn't find the striped fabrics I had in mind.  Then I found some dish towels at Target that were just the right colors...

and I really like the texture it adds to the quilt.  The only issue is that the dish towels aren't holding up too well, so I have to trim snags every now and then.

I did the quilting 1/4 inch from the seams rather than on the seams.

Coming Soon...

A New Wave quilt in these fabrics from Ty Pennington's new collection, and some old Amy Butler fabrics.

Girlfriend of the father dress

Perhaps you have noticed that my "Kids Stuff" section has been growing more rapidly than others.  Quilts take me around thirty hours, woman's dresses ten hours, but it only takes me one and a half to two hours to pump out a girls dress.  So I guess it's that instant gratification thing.  I am embarking on a new project to even out the scales.  A dress for my mom to wear to her boyfriend's son's wedding.  

This is a loose drape of what the dress will look like.

She picked out the fabric.  When she pulled out the shaggy tassled fabric I wasn't quite sure what to think, but  I think it will work out well as the skirt.  She assured me there was lots of fringe and tassles in the latest Vogue.  I guess I am out of the loop.