Katie Made

Wedding Quilt

2011-08-09T20:51:00.000-07:00

Based on the simplicity of this quilt, it's shocking that it took me over a year to make. Well I drew out my design complete with measurements, and something had gone way wrong with my math and the quilt was about 30% smaller then what I wanted it to be (which was throw size). Anyway I got stuck for about 8 months trying to figure out how to enlarge it and still make it seem like the same quilt, which I finally did. And then of course I had some hold up with the hand sewing of the binding. Anyway now it is done and I even put my label into my quilting, hopefully you can see that in the picture I posted of it.

My dear friend L got married in Mexico last May and my aim was to have it done by the end of a year, I had it finished by the beginning of July, so a year and two months. She forgives me, she knows the baby got in the way.

I really love how it turned out and I my try another quilt like this, because I really like the layout a lot.

This post was written more then a month ago, but was waiting to publish because the quilt hadn't been received yet, well it was FINALLY mailed today, and that's good enough for me.

Christmas Blocks for Bee Happy

2011-08-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

The third month of Bee Happy is now complete (the second month was my blocks) and Libby asked for one Christmas tree block and one other Christmasy block, I ended up making 3 total, the wreath is my favorite. The picture quality is terrible as these were snapped on my phone before running out the door to work this morning.

In the second month of Bee Happy people made blocks for me. I got one Christmas tree block (in red or aqua) from everyone and one tree in a color of the rainbow, for a rainbow quilt I am going to make that was inspired by the bottled rainbows quilt along. I'll have a post with pictures of the blocks I received ASAP.

What I made: Baby Edition

2011-07-19T21:01:00.000-07:00

The focus on this was supposed to be on what I made for baby rather then the baby, however she is sooo darn cute it is kind of both.

I finished everything on her jungle book quilt except the binding before I gave birth, and then when I was in all day long monitoring 2 days before my water broke, I started hand sewing the binding. Well that binding didn't finished getting sewed on until late May, but now the quilt sits beautifully on the edge of her crib.

The jungle book print is from Heather Ross, I think it was only made into PJ's, I spent way tooo much money on it. But I loved the jungle book as a kid and I had to make a quilt with this print as the focal point.

The pink elephant was completed before she was born and I love how she now likes to suck on the trunk of said elephant (who was named Ellie by my husband), in my long line of to be completed projects I have two more elephants cut out and waiting to be sewn for friends whose babies arrived long ago.

Another Round of Bee Blocks: Doors and Windows

2011-07-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me recently what I'd been sewing, and I swear I have actually been sewing a ton, but I also have found that being a mom is sometimes all consuming and blogging is the last on my list of priorities. I have several blog posts in the works for months, but felt that the pictures weren't' good enough or that I didn't have the time to write as much as I wanted. So, I am just going to start posting again, as often as I can, even with lackluster pictures or not as much text as I would like.

Here are my two blocks for Kelly from my Bee Happy Quilting Bee, she asked for one window and one door block, these were really hard for me to figure out what I wanted to do, but I like how they both turned out!

What I've been making....

2010-12-12T20:00:00.001-08:00

Yes there are lots of projects to update on, including holiday table runners, baby quilts, and quilted elephants. They should all be posted soon. However I figured I would post some ever important pictures of the most important thing I ever made.

For blog purposes we will call her baby C. She was born on 12/9/10 at 12:27 am after 23.5 hours of labor, 22.5 of which we spent at the hospital, because my water broke. She weighed in at 7 pounds 14 ounces, and was 18 inches long. Given that she was 2.5 weeks early she probably would have been huge had she gone full term. She is already well loved by all, including her grandma as seen below.

Fabric Bowl and Hotpad

2010-10-03T14:10:00.000-07:00

I took a class almost two weeks ago at Tanner's Sew and Vac in Westchester. My friend Lisa took the class and it was super fun. My mom and I went together and we came home with super easy to make fabric baskets and I added in a hot pad too. Since I wasn't fur sure what we were making in the class (I couldn't quite get my mind around the project) I brought brighter fabrics then I might otherwise have used, but I actually kind of love the end result and cheeriness factor of both pieces.

Joel Dewberry - Bird Pincushions (or something)

2010-10-03T14:08:00.000-07:00

Made from Joel Dewberry's newish book. These little birds were super fun to make and pretty quick and easy too. The wings have hand-embroidery, per the pattern, which is the only part that slowed the process down. They need some perfecting. Hopefully the two people who will receive these in swap packages over the next week think they are as cute as I do.

Bee Mod Blocks Melissa and Shaina

2010-10-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

Bee Mod Blocks for Shaina (non-wonky log cabins) with gorgeous Joel Dewberry and Melissa (the first set of blocks), who wanted 3 different blocks, including the half triangle ones. She is making a modern lime/pink Christmas quilt with her blocks. I am really curious to see how the triangle blocks play into her plan.

Homemade Presents for Baby C

2010-09-20T16:59:00.000-07:00

This isn't a post about what I made for baby C, but every time I see this little sweater laying on our bureau I get so excited to see her in it. It's the first homemade present she has received (aside from what I made her). Too bad she isn't coming this fall, because its the perfect colors. Eeee... it is so little and so tiny!

Sweater Details: Made by Bonnie, with hand-dyed wool yarn from Vermont.

Bee Mod Blocks for Jane - Long Overdue

2010-09-20T16:54:00.001-07:00

It's been months since I posted bee block pictures, but the last set didn't make it out of my house with a picture being taken, so that's why there's been some delay. Also these blocks were a month late, so there's that too. These blocks were hard to give up. I loved making them and loved the finish product, and can not wait to see the quilt that these go in to. Brown and aqua are one of my favorite color combos, so no wonder these were so fun!

Scrappy Mug Rug Swap

2010-09-20T15:52:00.001-07:00

Well another swap completed. Not sent, yet, but completed. We aren't allowed to send these babies until at least 10/1, but I have a million swaps this month amongst other projects to be completed before baby C's arrival, so I wanted to get one done.

My partner requested the use of Orange, or at least listed it as her favorite. The task was to create a scrappy mug rug, you can see more of the ones created here. The one I made is also reversible, and I can't decide which side I like better. The bicycles was intended to be the front, but either way is cute, I think. Also, I made a little matching drawstring bag, because I think you can't ever have enough drawstring bags.

Why would you need a mug rug you might ask? Well you don't REALLY need one, but can't you imagine one sitting on your desk in your cubicle/office at work holding your coffee mug? Or sipping a leisurely latte on a Sunday and being able to place your mug on something so cute? I know those are some of my plans for whatever one I receive in return.

Dish Towels

2010-09-12T15:24:00.001-07:00

I made these months ago, but I still love them just as much. The pictures don't do them justice. Wiping up kitchen spills with coffee cup fabric makes me soooo happy. It's the small things right. I found the coffee fabric at Micael Levine's in Downtown LA. I sadly don't know what it is.

All about Blueberry Hill....

2010-08-10T09:28:00.000-07:00

I signed up to go to the Heather Ross sewing weekend at Blueberry Hill Inn way back in January. I made a deal with Skywalker that I would cut back on my Starbuck's habit in order to save the coin to go on the trip, which was actually very effective. I do realize that it is a little crazy to go across country to sew for the weekend, and tried to explain myself as best I could when I got lots of dumbfounded questions about my trip.

Anyway when I first signed up I really didn't know what to expect and was kind of just excited to meet Heather. As the weekend got closer I started planning projects and then we also found out that Liesl Gibson was coming, and I was pregnant, so it was a perfect opportunity to retry making clothes. However I was a little anxious too, I mean it's Heather and Liesl and they are famous (well in the sewing world). As the weekend got closer I was a little bit regretting what I had gotten myself into, it has been a little bit of a hard pregnancy and I just didn't know how smart it was for me (physically or emotionally) to spend the weekend away from home. But I was all paid up and my flight was purchased, so what choice did I have. Plus my friend Leslie was going too, and I didn't want to bail on her.

Both women were completely inspiring and helped new sewers complete projects and pushed veteran sewers into working on items out of their comfort zone. They were able to help people who didn't come with concrete ideas of what they wanted to accomplish create beautiful things. Throughout the weekend they checked in with all sewers to make sure progress was being made on the projects and that everyone was getting the help they needed, even if it wasn't asked for.

All my anxiousness was for nothing, because I really had the best time. Heather and Liesl are so extraordinarily friendly, welcoming, and helpful that I really couldn't help but be happy the whole time. I was worried about my energy level and being able to sew all day, but I happily made it until past midnight sewing away on both nights we were there. We got to sew in this really cool barn where all the cross country skies and snowshoes were kept, which made me want to come back in the winter.

Although there were minutes of frustration had by all, Heather and Liesl quickly came to the rescue when there were groans of frustration. All the women who attended were also extremely helpful and generous and happily shared supplies with those who needed a little extra fabric, a pretty button, some ribbon, or whatever else was needed.

To top it all off in addition to all the sewing that was done, we were also able to hang out and eat cheese and chocolate (and wine for some), go swimming in a beautiful lake, tap naps in the teepee that Heather set out in the field behind the barn, and pick blueberries from the Inn's blueberry bushes.

In short, Heather and Liesl are AMAZING. The weekend was one of the best weekends of my life and I think some long-distance friendships were forged amongst the sewing weekend attendees. Even the clothes we made became friends with each other.

What I made with Heather and Liesl

2010-08-10T09:17:00.001-07:00

I just had what is probably one of the best weekends of my life. I got to sew in Vermont for 3ish days with Heather Ross and Liesl Gibson of Oliver & S. Because I have soooo much to say about this wonderful weekend, I figured two posts were necessary, one about what I made, and one all about the weekend itself.

I went into the weekend with three goals. Goal 1) To learn how to read a clothes pattern. Goal 2) To learn how to use said pattern to complete an outfit for the upcoming baby. Goal 3) To re-learn how to put in zippers, so that I can make copious amounts of zippered pouches. Everyone needs a zippered pouch right.

As you can see by the photos below, all three goals were accomplished! I figured a picture of me with the dress I made but I do hate how I look, thus it's place of honor at the bottom of the post. The dress made from this pattern is so freaking cute it makes me all warm and fuzzy inside. The bloomers were super easy, and numerous pairs of those might be made, including some possible additions of ruffles. I already have the fabric picked out for dress number 2 from this pattern and hope to get through it this weekend, so I can keep some of the skills I learned. The zippered pouches need some finessing, but I got the technique down and Heather and I reverse engineered this zippered pouch I loved so I might try to re-do that without rushing.

The weekend I have been waiting for...

2010-08-04T15:21:00.000-07:00

This weekend by friend Leslie and I will be traveling to Vermont to go to this. Needless to say I am so flippin excited, we planned this back in Jan (or maybe Feb) and it has seemed like such a long time coming. I don't know for sure how much sewing we will complete with all the other fun stuff that's planned, but I plan to enjoy the time either way. The funny thing about Vermont is that I have only ever been one other time, and that was for a craft sleep away summer camp when I was 13, so after this weekend Vermont will be a state where I can only go for craft related reasons (j/k).

In addition to Heather Ross, Liesl Gibson from Oliver & S, will be there, so I hope to get her expert guidance on making this pattern.

Back next week with an update of the trip and hopefully at least one finished product.

Mother's Day

2010-08-03T09:12:00.000-07:00

Yes Mother's Day is in May, I know this, however presents for my mother in law got delayed this year, partially because of exhaustion and partially because I didn't see her for a few months, and I wanted to give them to her in person. I came up with this idea and bought all the materials back in Jan, with the intention of getting them completed on time. Intention counts for something right? Anyway when we planned a few weeks back to visit her last weekend I knew I had to get them done in time to give them to her in person, which I just barely made it by.

I originally had plans to make all the pieces more patchoworkey or possibly log-cabinish, but I realized simple was better for her, so I just highlighted one piece of Denyse Schmidt with each napkin/placemat combination and then also made them reversible. I think my mom was a little jealous when I showed her, I am sure she may get some for her birthday or Christmas or some other occasion. I forget what Kona was used for the white and the blue, I do know the white was not snow, but something a little more beige. I wish Kona Cottons had selvedges with labels so I could remember what I was using, since I don't have one of those fancy color cards.

Pillow Talk Swap

2010-08-03T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have had these pictures for a few weeks, but like I said in my last post, I have been soooo low energy lately that blogging was even too much. Anyway below is my pillow from the Pillowtalk 3 Swap, made for Sparklygreenknickers, if you click on her name you can see the photo she took of my pillow, which was much nicer then the rush job I did with no insert on my desk chair at work. I know it is simpler than a lot of Pillowtalk pillows, but I really wanted highlight the hummingbird fabric, which I think I did well.

Below is the photo of the pillow I received on my couch. It is a lovely Dresden with my favorite modern meadow fabric and was made for me by allz i'm sewing is ..., as you can see my picture doesn't do it justice at all (guess I have to work on that). I am having major trouble with the viewfinder on my new camera, so I can't preview the pic until I see it on my computer, guess I should get Skywalker to fix that. Anyway you can see a better photo of my lovely pillow here. Sometimes when I watch TV on the couch I cuddle with it, because I love it so! In my pillow package I also got a lovely surprise of a really fun pin cushion, which I know want to make more of, you can see it here. It already lives on my sewing table all full of pin holes. I don't know whether or I like the pillow or pin cushion more...

About a baby...

2010-07-28T10:27:00.001-07:00

I really only thought it had been a few weeks since my last post, turns out a few weeks is really a month. Ooops, I have a backlog of crafty things to post about too. My only excuse is the fact that I have got a baby sitting in my belly and she seems to be sucking all my energy, so while I get it together with updates on projects I have made over the last month I will give you some photos of the first pink things I bought for our baby girl, due 12/24. I apologize in advance for the poor poor quality of the photos, they were taken this morning on my phone in terrible lighting, but I love the outfits so much, I just had to snap a shot and was then inspired to finally write a blog post. Also in case you can't tell the little pink coat is extra puffy and has little bear ears, and its lined in little pink polka dots. An extravagance (seeing as it came from Gap Kids), most definitely. A necessity, for sure!

More to come by weekends end, I promise. I have to get caught up before I head off to Vermont next weekend to meet Heather Ross and Liesl Gibson, because I am sure that will result in many posts or at least pictures.

Spiderweb Quilt Blocks - Follow-Up Part 2

2010-06-22T13:22:00.000-07:00

Several comments have made me realize that it is not as easy as I thought to get the Spiderweb Quilt Block tutorial. I thought it was, since when I click on it I just get to download it, but I guess you have to be a member of the site in order to be able to do that, which I didn't completely realize. Anyway if you are having trouble downloading/opening the file, just e-mail me. I just updated my profile with my e-mail address, so it should be easy enough to do that. I have a pdf I can send as an e-mail attachment, if that makes things easier.

Castle Peeps Love

2010-06-22T11:53:00.000-07:00

Success!! Castle Peeps was available at Michael Levine this past weekend. Dreams do come true! :) Oh I love it even more in person, I really do. I bought too much (not just Castle peeps) and subsequently I am on a fabric purchasing moratorium until July 26th, however at least there is some new pretty in my stash. I wish it had been the blue and not the green that Michael Levine had, I just hope that when I am allowed to purchase fabric again in July the blue is still available.

I know some think that it is totally a kid line of fabric, but to be honest, I just really think it is going to be for myself. I really like the idea of making it into a large squared simple picnic blanket!

Also because I can;t figure out how to get blogger to do what I want with formatting and such, I am going to write a separate post about new pretties for my stash and a couple photos of our downtown field trip.

It's Friday...

2010-06-18T14:44:00.001-07:00

There are exciting things happening this weekend, but sadly no berry picking (which is always what I wish I was doing on summer weekends). Tonight skywalker and I are baking strawberry shortbread bars (our standard go to easy to make dessert) and these. I can't wait for some batter of both things. Tomorrow, the LAMQG is having a field trip to Michael Levine in Downtown Los Angeles' Fabric District. I have yet to visit Michael Levine, despite my love of fabric, sewing and such, because as much as I love fabric I hate driving anywhere in downtown Los Angeles (yes this is partially because of stupid traffic tickets), and I'm even a native Los Angeleno. Also, I worry about my self control in a store that has so much of what I love all in one place. I better come up with an acceptable budget before the trip. Our group gets a discount that day, which is pretty cool and we are getting a behind the scenes tour, which is also cool. I am bringing my camera, because I never do, to LAMQG events, and I want some pictures of my own. Whether or not this happens, who knows.

What I am hoping to see most at Michael Levine is some Castle Peeps (pics below), because I want all of it, and I have ever since I first saw pics. It is just now available online, so who knows if they will have it tomorrow (I'll order next week if it is unavailable). You know why I love it so much, because it reminds me of the animated version of Sleeping Beauty, which is one of my favorites. Check out this picture and tell me you don't see the similarity. I have to dream up a quit worthy of these fabrics and then figure out a way to live in said quilt. One more project to add my my ever growing to do list.

Spiderweb Quilt Blocks - Follow-Up

2010-06-15T12:23:00.000-07:00

I have heard some requests that I post the tutorial I created for the Spiderweb blocks for my month in the {Bee Mod} Quilting Bee. The ones I have gotten back are gorgeous and I can't wait to make the quilt.

So I made a PDF of the tutorial, partly because I have trouble reading and printing other blog tutorials, and think PDFs are easier and partly because I have the most trouble getting pictures to be where I want in blog posts on blogger.

So here is the tutorial, let me know if you have any questions/need some help with it. I would love it if you left me a comment or became a follower because of this tutorial.

Spiderweb Quilt Block Tutorial_nonbee

MiniQuilt (and Mexico too)

2010-06-07T10:20:00.000-07:00

LAMQG has a mini-quilt swap tonight, and I wasn't sure I would get it done, but I did, and although the pictures don't do it justice, I really love it. I made the center square while sitting on the beach in Mexico over the past week and then whipped out the quilt yesterday, thus the not so perfect bias tape binding. I rushed the pictures this morning and they didn't turn out so great, but you should get the gist.

What I've been sewing lately...

2010-05-27T07:19:00.001-07:00

Due to a relatively hectic schedule lately, my sewing has fallen a bit by the wayside. In fact until last week I hadn't sewn since my trip to Hawaii almost three weeks ago. Needless to say I have a pile of projects waiting to be made (including several Mother's Day gifts) that need to get finished sooner rather then later.

Tomorrow we leave for 8 days in Mexico, for a dear friends wedding. I offered to make this dear friend her Out of Town (OOT) gift bags for the wedding guests, just the bags mind you, not all the contents. I made 26 drawstring bags that are lined with laminated cotton. The idea behind these bags is that they can keep items dry at the beach, like and IPOD or camera, or can nicely carry your wet bathing suit home, without getting all the suitcase contents wet.

I loved making these, didn't have too much trouble with the laminated cotton, and I think the labels I ordered look really lovely. I hope the wedding guests love them like I do.

Maybe thats another thing to add to my yet created etsy store, OOT gift bags for weddings.

The best thing so far this week...

2010-05-27T07:18:00.001-07:00

Although I didn't make these delicious pieces of chocolatey, oatey, deliciousness, I just had to write a little post.

A friend of mine who lives in NYC made these once during a trip we took, this was 2 years ago, I have been think about them ever since. I told said friend about my craving for them, and yesterday a box of them arrived on my doorstep. For a girl who is going on 4 days being sickly, these brought the biggest smile to my face.

Yum, yum, yum.... I may only give Skywalker one of them!

More home goods...

2010-05-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

The pictures above are of the completed sewing machine cover I made for my partner, janssendesigns (which was kind of reversible, but I didn't like one of the sides). It was too big for my machine, but it fit hers perfectly. See the picture she took of all the goodies I sent her.

The bottom two pictures are what I received, a beautiful apron made with some lovely Modern Meadow prints, a cute sewing basket/bag that will live on my sewing table (made with the cutest Heather Ross prints), and a really fun bright and cheery reusable lunch bag, which will look so much better in the fridge at work then the the plastic grocery bags I usually bring all my stuff in. Thank you so so much Meagan from Edan Rose!

The process of spiderwebs...

2010-05-07T10:27:00.000-07:00

It was my month for the {Bee Mod} Quilting Bee, which meant I got to pick fabrics and a square for 11 of my friends to make. Originally I was going to have some pink in my piles, but I kind of liked the idea of tonal blocks. I still have grand plans for including the pinks I chose in the final quilt, but I will have to see how all the squares look when I get them back.

In case you aren't a sewer, a spiderweb block is a type of string block. Where all the pieces are made up of precut strips of fabric. There are lots of tutorials for many types of string blocks, including spiderweb, available online, but I was confused by all of them. So I read through two of them, and then just decided to create my own tutorial, which I gave to my group. Hopefully it is clearer for the bee members, but we will see.

Doesn't looking at all those piles of fabric just make you happy? It doesn't, well they make me happy.

Off to a new home....

2010-05-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

You may be sick of this quilt, but I am not, and I promise this is the last post about it. Quilt was loved by all and now "Jungle and Forest Friends" lives at it's new home on the island of Oahu. Doesn't look good on the crib, and aren't you jealous of the beach this quilt may get to lay out on?

Macaroons

2010-05-03T11:39:00.000-07:00

Although I am the sewer in our household, we both like to bake. Almost every month we bake goodies for the monthly celebration at Skywalker's office, sometimes people even make requests for what they want. Dear husband wanted to try to make macaroons for the April party (we had the best french macaroons while in London last fall). I was worried that they would be a disaster like some of our other baking adventures, but they turned out delicious. Well, I didn't get to try one, but thats what I heard. Skywalker dropped two off for my mom and dad after work, and my mom has already requested more. They weren't as hard as I thought they would be, but they weren't easy either, and they are super labor intensive for a relatively small amount. A nice heaping pile of them would have looked so lovely on those Liberty plates.

Some goodies for a swap...

2010-04-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

So I am part of a flickr swap called {Urban} Home Goods - A Modern Swap. We were all blindly paired up with another person who gave us some guidance on favorite colors and items desired and then tasked to make them something that they would love. I decided to go with three things, the bird photo in the bottom, is a sneak peak at one of the items, one item only the fabric has been cut and no stitches sewn, and then the third item was finished last night. All three projects will be completed by weekend end and sent off on Monday.

I don't love following patterns, for anything, which I guess explains my aversion to making clothes. So for the sewing kit, as I am calling it, I just created my own pattern. I made the original (which I will take a photo of and post tonight) of this about a year ago with some Heather Ross Blue Gnome fabric, which I love! There were major flaws in the original, mainly that it was super flimsy!! So for this one, I used some Home Dec. weight fabric (Joel Dewberry) as well as some interfacing to give it a little bit more structure, and I think it worked out really well. I really liked making this one, and the one that's in progress (for myself) and they didn't really take too long. Maybe I finally found my etsy niche. I guess if I am going to make a lot more of them than I need to actually make a pattern, instead of winging it every time.

Also I got a new camera (Nikon D5000 and 3 lenses) and as you can see by the photos, I am still learning the ins and outs of it, but I love it already and can't wait to take it to Hawaii with me. I have only practiced with it twice and both times it was after dark in our fairly dimly lit apartment, so I think I need to do some outdoor shots. Also a shoutout to my friend Emily for giving me a lot of good advice on the camera (and lenses) and websites for more advice. I need to make a camera strap that suits me better than the boring black one, and I think I might take a photography class this summer at Santa Monica College.

More Embroidered Blocks

2010-04-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

These two and the giraffe from yesterday are my three favorite blocks. I only did six, so basically there were 3 I loved and 3 I feel ho hum about. The quilt as a whole I love, and will post a good picture of it after its been handed of to its new mom. Guess I better label it before next week.

The inspiration for all the embroidered squares came from some fabric I love and from my head. I traced some of the animals (giraffe) and just sketched the others. All the trees in the squares are my own invention and the birds in all the squares mostly came from my head too

Giraffe Block - My Favorite

2010-04-21T08:52:00.001-07:00

Giraffe Block - My Favorite
Originally uploaded by KatieMade

Trying the blog this feature on flickr. Let's see if it works out. This is one of the blocks for the baby quilt I made, and it's my favorite of the bunch. I really like the colors of the giraffe and both the trees I created.

New Sewing Table

2010-04-13T09:27:00.000-07:00

I finally got my new desk (aka sewing table), which had been backordered since my birthday, when it was ordered. I freaking love it, a lot. I was sewing on our kitchen table, which I hated and so did Skywalker. I hated sewing on a round table, he hated me always having stuff all over our kitchen table. So we made space in our apartment for me to have a little sewing corner, and my machine gets to sit out pretty on the desk all day long (guess I need a cover for it now, huh?). Originally i was going to get baskets for the cubbyholes, but I like the way my fabric stash looks all piled on the shelf, plus it will force me to keep the piles of fabric neat and organized, since they are always on display.

Now all I need is to talk Skywalker into letting me purchase the matching chair.

Jungle and Forest Friends

2010-04-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

Just two more sides of binding to hand sew (and a label) and the Jungle and Forest Friends quilt is done and ready to go to it's new Hawaiian home just in time for my trip. I took some close up shots of the stippling, which is all I am going to show for now, so that it is a little bit of a surprise when it gets to its new home. I love everything about the quilt so much, I want a big version for myself.

{Bee Mod} Quilting Bee - Lisa's Blocks (for March)

2010-04-08T08:38:00.000-07:00

I didn't love Hope Valley until making these blocks, now I may need the whole line. It is so very very soft and I pretty much love all the prints. One more fabric to covet I guess. The middle block is my favorite.

Sewing lessons and new pillowcases....

2010-04-06T08:39:00.000-07:00

Blog posting of late has been hard, due to the death of our home computer. Skywalker is researching us a new one now and we may have it at home tonight. I have some backlogged posts in my head, so as soon as I get it together, there should be a couple of new posts.

Anyway two Saturdays ago a good friend of mine (L) came over to spend the day with me, she had never used a sewing machine before and wanted to learn. I wanted to pick a pattern that would be easy enough to finish in one setting and would be fun for her to have in her house. So I decided that we should use Ashley's (from Film in the Fridge) pillowcase tutorial (which I had wanting to make anyway). I borrowed my mom's machine (we have the same one) so that we could sew side my side and then L could see what I was sewing and follow suit. Even on my small circular kitchen table this worked really well, and I think L found it helpful.

First stop was Urban Craft Center to pick fabric (UCC is so close to me that I go there almost once a week to pick up another yard or two of fabric, for my slowly growing fabric stash). L picked some fabric from the Hunky Dory by Chez Moi fabric line (which I think I need all of now) and I picked some of Alexander Henry's Gr anville fabric, which may be my new favorite, both the pink and the blue.

After fabric I taught L about some of the mechanics of using a sewing machine; threading a needle, winding a bobbin, stitch length, seem width, etc. Then we got sewing, we practiced cutting and sewing scrap pieces together so she could get the feel of the machine and I could adjust my machines every increasing thread tension problems. Overall it was a success as we both made two beautiful pillowcase and I really couldn't decide which set I loved more. What do you think?

These were promptly washed (we didn't prewash, so we had to adjust the pattern a bit) and but on our otherwise mind numbingly all blue (aka boring bed) and have made me super happy ever since. I am already ready to make more, and maybe have a stockpile on hand for some presents throughout the year.

What I wish I was making this summer (even though it isn't summer yet).

2010-03-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

I'm a Los Angeles native (well born in Manhattan, but raised in LA) and although I do love living by the beach (especially when I can go swimming) I don't love how long and warm our summers are (I know I know, what a thing to complain about). I really do hate being hot, unless I am swimming (which doesn't happen as often as I'd like), so my summer (2008) in Portland was so perfect. Portland weather was always a perfect temperature for me, it even rained a few days (this girl loves summer rain) and it was never too hot. I could run on the Willamette even in the height of a sunny afternoon and I had none of the heat related running problems I have in Los Angeles. But Portland summer weather is not the point point of this post, the point is..... this summer (almost summer) I miss Portland more than I did last summer, the main reason for this being the Pacific Northwests abundance of berries and my ongoing obsession with homemade jam (KatieMade Jams has a nice ring to it I think).

If you have known me for awhile you might have read my Summer in Portland blog (which I took down). I talked about and blogged about picking berries at Suavie Island and making jam all summer long. Los Angeles doesn't get the same quality berries as were available in Portland, nor do berries ever get as cheap as they were in Portland. Los Angeles also doesn't have Marionberries and sweet blackberries are always hard to find.

I love berries, all kinds and in/with anything. I could eat berries all the time and never ever get sick of them, and I especially loved picking my own. Partly because I could eat and pick berries at the same time (as shown below) and partly because it was so inexpensive to buy so many berries. I ate pints and pints of berries and made pints and pints of jam which was eaten and shared entirely too quickly.

So although I am happy for some upcoming pool beach time and sunny Saturday sewing afternoons, today I miss berries (picking and eating them) and then making jam with them. Maybe I will just have to buy a flat at a Farmers market and make a little bit of jam. Or I could order some Marionberry jam from Moppethill Farms (at the Portland Saturday market) and spread it on a tasty English muffin (delicious breakfast). If I was in Portland that English muffin would be substituted with Daves Killer Powerberry Bread or Sin Dawgs loaf, which was some of the most delicious bread I have ever had (and I do love bread). Maybe instead of making jam on the weekends, Skywalker and I can try a new waffle recipe every Sunday (yum, yum!).

Sewing, LAMQG Style!

2010-03-22T11:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was LAMQG 3 weekend sew (and my 2nd). This one day a month is quickly turning into one of the things I most look forward to each month. We had more than 20 people working on various projects yesterday. So much inspiration, so many fun fabrics, and so much fun chatting. Emily, our wonderful guild photographer, took a few shots that I was in, including one of me sewing (which I asked for), and making a really scrunchy/squishy face, which I seem to do a lot in her photos. I still really love the photo of me sewing, thanks Emily!

The problem with the weekend sew (and Monday Meetings) is that the rest of the week, especially the immediate days after, all I can think about is sewing and fabric, which makes it hard to get anything else accomplished!

Today's Happiness

2010-03-18T07:47:00.000-07:00

A little Liberty, wonderful Polka Dots (Wonderland by MoMo), Gnomes (by Heather Ross) and Basil!

Cards, Scrapbooking, my Mom and the Snow

2010-03-12T08:35:00.000-08:00

Weekend in Arrowhead with just me and my mom = a truly fun, relaxing and memorable weekend. As I posted last week, I went to Arrowhead this past weekend, with mom, for our 2nd annual Scrapbooking retreat. It was put on by my friend Laurie (a creative memories consultant) and it was at the UCLA Conference Center, which is such a nice place. All meals were included, so we wouldn't worry about going into town for food and we have this huge room for cropping (thats scrapbooker speak) in case you didn't know. Everyone gets and 8 foot table (which is sooo mcuh space) to crop on and there are lots of extra tools there to use.

This year and last year (and at a couple other crops), Stephanie has brought her cricut machine. Man I love that thing, if I ever have the craft/sewing room that exists in my dreams, I will have a cricut with it's very own special table. The short explanation behind a cricut is that it is able to cut paper in a million (maybe an exaggeration) different ways, with different letter fonts, different holiday shapes, lots of animals, and borders and on and on. Anyway it is really cool, the cards I made below, were all through the use of cricut and made over the weekend, because I didn't have as much cropping inspiration as usual.

The other great thing about this past weekend was that it snowed. I love the snow. I love playing in it and being cold in it but I especially love eating it (I know, I know, I'm like 5 years old). One of my favorite things to eat on earth, is snow ice cream (fresh snow, milk and maple syrup), it is delicious. Most people have never heard of it or eaten it, but people love it when they try it. As a California girl, time in the snow is at a premium and some years go by with no snow trips at all, so I was so glad it snowed on Saturday in Arrowhead, made the trip completely perfect.

Last year at the retreat I made 40 something pages, this year I made 16 (fail on my part I guess), I was not as into it as I wanted to be, and I spent some time making cards, walking with my mom and two other croppers and finishing up some of the embroidered squares for the Jungle and Forest Friends quilt (post below). I took a photo of my favorite page of the weekend, which didn't translate will in the photograph, so it might not have the same impact as it does in person, but I love it anyway (plus it is snow themed).

Baby Quilt - My Jungle and Forest Friends

2010-03-12T08:17:00.000-08:00

So I finished the squares for this baby quilt I am making, and I love it so much. The squares haven't been all squared off and I still need a back, because I HATE the one I bought (this is why you bring the quilt/squares/fabric into a store to chose a back and don't order one you think might work online).

Anyway the squares are 15 inch log cabin (or they should be when I cut them) with a 7ish inch square in the middle. Log cabins seem to usually have smaller center squares, I really like the look of the big center square. 12 squares total, 6 with hand embroidered center squares and 6 with coordinating animal print fabrics. The giraffe square (pictured below), is my favorite, I want to make another one for a pillow, I just love that little giraffe sooo much. Even though not all the embroidered squares have been finished (I still have 2 left to complete), I had to finish the log cabin parts, because I was sick of just embroidering plain white squares. I'll be purchasing the back tonight (I hope), because I have to have everything ready for next Sunday and the LAMQG weekend sew, so I can do my stippling all at one time. Hopefully I can come up with a better option then what I have at home.

The title of the quilt "My Jungle and Forest Friends" is because of the hand emrboidered squares, 3 of which are more jungly (hippo, giraffe and elephant) and 3 of which are more foresty (deer, birds and a skunk [which everyone thinks is a squirrel]). Every square I embroidered has a little bird in it. When I showed a friend a couple of the squares (I forget who this was) there was a little bird in 2 of them and they said I should put a bird in all the squares, and I loved the idea. Some of the birds are much better then other birds, maybe I should take some photos of just the bird parts of the squares to show you what I mean.

Kelly, if you are reading this post, and you don't want to see Savannah's quilt then read no further (I'll try to put the photos down the page some). I just had to post them though, because I love the overall look, but you know me, not so good with surprises. Plus I am so excited to get the blocks mostly completed.

A week full of happiness...

2010-03-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

This week was full of happiness, and here are some reasons why, quilting time, winning raffles, LAMQG meeting, new purses and a weekend away with mom.

On Saturday I bought 5 raffle tickets (to increase my odds of winning) for the Urban Craft Centers (UCC) Quilt for a Cause, fundraiser for Haiti. UCC gave everyone who wanted some, the same Alexander Henry Green Owl print and gave some directions for making quilt squares. Some of the girls from LAMQG made squares at the last weekend sew (which I missed), see my friend Abi's blog for a post about the weekend sew. All these various squares were then turned into 3 baby sized quilts, which were then raffled off, and I won one! I was thrilled, because I love the idea that it was made as a fundraiser, and I also have a new obsession/love for String block quilts (I took a picture of the whole quilt as well as my favorite block in the quilt).

On Sunday I worked on quilt squares all afternoon and Skywalker did some of my chores so that I could keep piecing blocks together. How great is he?

Monday was brought one of my favorite days of the month, and the LAMQG monthly meeting. Emily's blog has a nice post about it, including a picture of me holding my new quilt (don't look at the weird closed eye face I am making). I brought the quilt I had one to the meeting for show and tell, because I knew some of the ladies might have made squares in my quilt. I often can't sleep after LAMQG meetings, because of the abundance of ideas floating around my head. Next meeting my goal is to have the "Jungle and Forest Friends" baby quilt finished and ready to share, a lofty but possibly doable goal.

Last night my husband made me the happiest girl in the world. He came back from a business trip with a lovely new purse (see the picture below) in tow. If you know my husband at all, he is anti adding to my purse collection, especially slightly expensive ones, and he is also not the most spontaneous person in the world. He likes to think about purchases for months before buying them. So this was an amazing and unexpected present in so many ways and is already in use today.

My last happiness of the week, is crafting related. Although I have to have a weekend away from sewing this weekend, I am going to Arrowhead with my mom to attend our 2nd annual Scrapbooking weekend. Weekend away with mom + hours and hours of cropping = a very very happy Katie. If I make any brilliant layouts, I will be sure to post pictures.

Hippity Hop

2010-03-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

So I was telling my friend Bonnie last week that I had an image of a stuffed bunny in my head and I wanted to make dozens of them and send them to friends and family for Easter. Problem is when you have images in your head, it is hard to make them translate onto paper and even harder to make the fabric version look like the one in your head. I actually have lots of crafty ideas swirling around my head, some of which may be impossible to get a fabric version of, but my almost success with Mr. Bunny give me hope.

So the first bunny pattern did not turn into a bunny, it turned into a weird skinny creature. There will not be pictures of this bunny fail, but I do have the little guy in my sewing bag. Some discussion with dear Skywalker about the unsuccessful first pattern led to changes in patter number two, including his request to make the bunny have more Velveteen Rabbit type ears (the fact that my husband used Velveteen Rabbit as a reference point was shocking, if you have met him, it probably would have shocked you too).

Bunny #2 was a overwhelming success, well maybe not overwhelming, but certainly a success. He even stands on his own. Changes to future bunnies, overall rounder shape, longer ears, a cottontail and eyes evenly spaced on both sides of his head. I also love the idea of making one with strips of fabric, so he or she could be extra stripey. Also I want I want to make some a bit smaller, which will pose some pattern difficulties.

On the positive side, he really didn't take very long to make (if you take out the time I had to redo some mistakes in sewing), only about an hour and a half with his embroidered eyes (I am sure with more practice I can get it down to less time). Also he is already being loved by a cute cute little boy (my 2nd cousin), so now I have to make another one for myself, and maybe a whole bunch of them to sit on a shelf on our bookcase, or to send to people for easter.

Quilting Bee's

2010-02-24T09:37:00.000-08:00

Some of the rest of you must have grown up reading Laura Ingalls Wilder right? Man I loved those books, growing up, I always imagined myself in that time sitting on the porch sewing with my mom before we had to make the bread and butter for dinner. I guess that is why I picked Felicity from the American Girl line up (and yes I still have her, all tucked away with her red riding hood and yes I can't wait to have a little girl with an American Girl doll too).

From what I know, and I could be wrong, the quilting bee came about during this era, and it was an important means of socializing for pioneer women. Women would get together and work on a quilt all day or during some evenings (especially during the winter) and sew together. Quilting bees were essentially a place for women to gather and socialize. Quilts could be for upcoming marriages, babies or even charity. On a side note, I would love a wand quilted and pieced quilt from that era, can you imagine how cool that would be.

The modern version of the quilting bee is helped along by the internet. Virtual quilting bees and block swaps are all over the internet these days. There are tons of flickr groups with block swaps and many quilting bloggers are part of one or more. Essentially the idea behind a block swap/virtual bee is that 12 people sign up and each person is given a month. During the month you are assigned, you are able to give direction to the other 11 members of the swap with regards to what type of blocks you might want at the end of that month. So your assigned month you will get at least 11 blocks (usually more, because most people will make you 2 or 3 or 4) back. These blocks will be made with your specifications and or fabric, but created by other quilters. Hopefully the blocks you get back are made into a quilt, which was in part created by other quilters.

There are not hard and fast rules for these virtual quilting bees. Some bees are created around a certain fabric designer, a certain type of block, or even a color palette. Many swaps have no defined theme and the theme of each month is left up to that months assigned person. Virtual swaps also go way beyond quilting and many bloggers have stitchy swaps (with embroidery) or swaps centered around creating certain items (softies/pillows/etc.).

It is amazing to me how connected we can be through the internet. Internet friends may in time end up as close to you as friends made in real life. I love the idea that being part of a virtual quilting bee/block swap will leave me with enough blocks to make a quilt, of which the pieces were made from other quilters who I may or may not know. It is amazing to me how virtual communities have been built around themes I love, like quilting and sewing.

Some (12) of the women from LAMQG are currently part of a block swap (there is at least one other block swap with LAMQG ladies). Before I showed my pictures and talked about the swap I am in I wanted to talk about swaps and bees in general, thus all the wordiness above. This swap officially started in Feb 2010, and will run until Jan 2011. I am so excited to be a part of this swap and I just finished my first squares for Lauren, who gave us the task of making 11 inch squares, one with log cabin and one with circles. She gave us wonderful aqua and yellow fabrics and everything else was left to us. I love love love how my squares turned out, and the photos on our flickr group make me so excited to see the finished product. I already can't wait for next months assignment. My month is May and my wheels are already spinning with ideas for fabrics I want to use and potential squares I want created. Anyway I hope you enjoy the squares I made and I will be certain to post the squares I created for all the months ahead.

Bloggers and Giveaways

2010-02-22T16:01:00.000-08:00

Some of the more together quilting and sewing blogs have giveaways. I try to enter these lovely giveaways whenever I see them, because it would be so fun to have a lovely little package arrive in the mail from a fellow sewer/quilter. Today I entered Heather's (at A la Mode Fabric) contest for some really fun Heather Ross fabric. There are lot's of entries already and still many days to enter, but a girl can dream can't she.

Another blog with oodles of giveaways is Sew, Mama, Sew! Those ladies have giveaways all the time. Even better than all the giveaways though is the endless supply of tutorials that are posted, of which I have many stashed. You should check it out, plus they sell stuff too.

Being a new blog, there is no need for a giveaway yet, but eventually with enough followers I will have to have one.

How to cure a migraine (yes it involved creating)!

2010-02-21T21:49:00.000-08:00

I have had migraines since about age 13 (which means I have had migraines and dealt with headaches over half my life). Migraines suck. I have also suffered month (sometimes up to 6 months) long spells of chronic daily headaches (24/7), seriously good times. No solution works all the time, but todays solution is my favorite ever.

Anyway after a long weekend away from husband (aka Skywalker) and puppy, I was ready to come home and be loved and sew a little. Instead I came up and got smacked upside the head with my worst migraine in recent history. Skywalker took care of me so well, but there was really no helping it, lots of tears were shed, and then finally the delicious goodies that the best husband ever had been working on all evening were complete (homemade pecan pretzals and homemade pecan sticky buns). The magic of excedrin was finally winning the battle with my migraine when the deliciousness was ready to eat. My delicious and unhealthy dinner filled up my belly and migraine was gone. You may think the excedrin was the trick, but I think it was the sticky buns. Also to be fair, this can't really fall under the KatieMade category (all I did was the goopy sauce), so we can file this one under SkywalkerMade.

Maybe dancing Basil helped a little bit too.

Recent productivity....

2010-02-21T21:38:00.000-08:00

Although there are still quilt tops in the works, I have been productive with some other projects. One of my dear friends bridal shower was this past weekend, and I like to make gifts whenever I can, she had been looking at this reversible apron from the Santa Monica Main Street farmers market, and when I went to look at it with her one day I decided I could make her a similar version. A slightly adapted version of one of the aprons in A is for Apron was used. The adaptation mostly being making it reversible and with an adjustible neck. On a side note, I really love the aprons in this book, but really hate figuring out how to enlarge the apron patterns in the pack, total pain. Both aprons I have made from this book have turned out pretty cute though. Other gifts for the bride to be were a lingerie bag and a bathing suit/keep your electronics safe at the beach bag (cloth outer, with oil cloth inner). All three are pictured below.

Modern Quilting: What does it mean?

2010-02-18T15:25:00.000-08:00

Last week the modern quilt guil d blog posted entries about "What does modern quilting mean to you?" I had a post all written in my head and it never got typed out, so I will try to remember my thoughts from last week about "What modern quilting means to me?".

Modern quilting enables me as a sewer/quilter to feel confident enough to create my own patterns and adjust accordingly when they don't come out quite as expected. Modern quilting gives me the freedom to make a quilt with perfectly cut strips but still end up with wonkyish blocks and feel ok about it (because even though I have sewed since I was like 5, I still can't get regular straight lines on my sewing machine). Ultimately modern quilting and the LAMQG gave me enough confidence to call myself a quilter, because until this group existed quilting was always such an intimidating process. The perfectly gorgeous and pink log cabin quilt that resided on my bed growing up, inspired a little bit of fear on my part. My mom is a meticulous quilter and I am not.

The best thing about modern quilting is that it is an expansion of the hand sewn patchwork blankets I have made for years (of which I will try to get some photos of, well the good ones at least). If I think about it I was already modern quilting, because I pick fabric cut out blocks (by hand) and sewed them together (by hand) in the way that felt the most right.

What I appreciate most is the inspiration I get from other quilters blogs, especially those using color combinations I never would have thought of myself, but that look beautiful when finished. My friend Latifah, from LAMQG, always uses colors (and color combinations) that make me a little nervous, but I am always so impressed by the end product.

And although my completed quilts pile is nonexistent (because the only completed one was given away), it turns out I was a modern quilter all along, because the modern quilter aesthetic worked it's way into this years slew of Christmas potholders I made and my current obsession of making project bags, which take such little time. I'll get some photos posted of the potholders and my most recent project bags soon. Free time that was once only spent watching Gossip Girl (ya ya ya, I know), Grey's Anatomy, Big Love and assorted other favorites, is now spent purusing favorite fabrics online (including Heather Ross [her fabric with mermaids makes me want to swim and play in the water even more than normal, which is a lot if you know me], Michael Miller [the zoology fabrics were inspiration for a current hand embroidered baby quilt I am working on] and Joel Dewberry [I literally dream about the jasmine palette of the ginseng line].

Happy Early Birthday

2010-02-09T19:19:00.001-08:00

Hadn't gotten the mail since Friday and my mailbox was so full of fun. 3 packages!! A pile of rainbow solids from Pink Chalk Fabrics, some of Tanya Whelan's Docle fabric (which I admittedly don't love as much as I thought I would, but might cut up nice) and the best of all (and not craft related), my dear friend Ashlee bought me a Starbucks Travel Mug (from the original Starbucks) as a replacement for the one I bought when her and I had a road trip there the summer before last (my original one broke). Oh how these things brightened my day soooo much.

I haven't yet jumped on the solid bandwagon, but there is so much talk about solids during guild meetings and people make such beautiful solid-centric quilts, I figured maybe getting a rainbow to start with would be inspiring. Thinking about making a slight adaptation of the Paintbox Quilt featured in Oh, Franssons 2010 Paintbox Quilt Along. I need a good layer cake from Moda to start it out though.

Project's I am working on...

2010-02-05T13:27:00.000-08:00

I am at heart a multi-tasker. I always work better with multiple projects going at once. I have a pile of needle felted polar bears that need to be finished, and I didn't even get through one (i did do the penguin though). I owe more than one person a quilted stuffed animal (and have multiple sets of fabric already cut out, but the zebra I made took sooo long, I am a little wary of those patterns. I am working on a quilt for a friends wedding, and want to do some hand appliqué onto it, but I feel that is a push at this point. The quilt I am making for the future baby of my best friend, is coming along so very slowly (due to the hand embroidered squares for it I am making) and I need to complete an apron that I haven't cut out the pattern for but I do have the fabric, ASAP in time for a bridal shower.

The point here is that I tend not to promise things anymore, but let gifts be surprises, and if people know they are getting something homemade, then I imagine an assumption about the items lateness usually occurs.

With all these projects in the works, I also needed to finish a belated Christmas present for a friend (could hardly be counted as a Christmas present this point right??), so on Saturday I made a bunch of (5) project bags (one for my mom, one for Bonnie, one for me and two as surprises). These bags were inspired by my friend Jamie's project bags. When she shared these at LAMQG show and tell two weeks ago, I knew I needed to whip some of these babies out, and I assumed they would be less complicated then either the apron or quilts I am working on. These were soooooo fun to make. I liked figuring out how to make a drawstring lined bag and was happy to make one little thing for myself (I had some very special pinks being saved for such an occasion). I already want to make more (and have a list of people in mind to receive them), and I want to adapt the idea to turn it into a drawstring shoulder/bag purse (which I am not allowed to make until some other projects are done). I also want to make a floppy doll with a pretty dress and a doll quilt that will all fit nicely into one of these bags. That project is definitely some time away.

Maybe posting all the projects here will bring them to accomplishment quicker. Accountability or something. Below are some of the project bags I made, including the one used in the Valentine's Day LAMQG swap.

Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild

2010-02-02T08:59:00.000-08:00

I started sewing young. I sew a lot by hand, for a few years I made 5 or so patchwork blankets, with flannel backing and sating binding, all done by hand. I like sewing by hand, it enables me to watch TV or interact with other people, rather than being tied to my machine. It also helps with my imperfectness in cutting fabric. Even with a rotary cutter, mat and ruler, my lines never seem to work out the way I want them to.

Anyway I have at least 2, likely more, quilt tops that need to be basted, quilted, and bound. These are tops done by hand, no fancy patterns or anything, and I don't even really like them anymore, but it would be nice for them to be finished (but I feel a block finishing them by machine when all the piecing was done by hand).

So here come the Los Angeles Modern Quilt Guild (LAMQG), a group of highly inspirational women, who have bonded together over a mutual love of quilts. We have been meeting once a month for a couple of months to have show and tell and swaps, and just started meeting one weekend day a month to get together and sew.

My first meeting I felt like a fraud, since I had never really finished a whole quilt, and certainly not anything like the other beautiful quilts the ladies brought. A lightbulb went off, I had a baby shower in a month, I could make a modern quilt for that, and I did, and it was imperfect, just like all the other blankets I had made, the stippling didn't quite work out (not enough pins) and my corners were far from mitered (a bit of a rush job). But I do love the general look of my first modern quilt, especially the colors (pink, my favorite!), and it received many oh's and ah's at the shower (Quilts final name "Under the Sea"). The white mendocino Heather Ross mermaid fabric, used in the quilt, may be my favorite fabric (ever!). I also made a match onesie (With a ruffle butt) for a onesie competition at the shower (sadly, I didn't win!)

So in my head, I wasn't a fraud any longer, but I didn't even get to bring it to show and tell (because I finished it hours before it had to be given away), and I didn't get to wash it and make it all crinkly with love. My new mission is to finish the 2 quilts I have in the works, and the 2 I have in my head, so I can at least bring one to meetings (and take one of those lovely little photos of a stack of homemade quilts all folded and stacked neatly on top of each other).

Blogging Bandwagon

2010-02-01T15:54:00.001-08:00

There are a myriad of blogs I look at when I can remember the various names of all the ones I most enjoy. I figured that a blog is as good a place as any to chronicle the many things I create, especially since I have yet to find the perfect hard copy format for cataloging my creative endeavors.

Hopefully I will keep up to date with postings so that I keep what ever followers I end up with, interested in what I have to say, or post.

To start the blog off I included some photos of picnic blanket quilts I made for friends for weddings and birthdays.

From top: Rainbow Bright has a picnic, Picnic in Paris, Lemonade Stand, and Hawaiian Luau