Sugar Bowl House - Established 1908

Baby Love

2009-10-29T14:16:00.002-06:00

Just when I thought I couldn't be happier, along comes Callum Stephen.

Welcome to our family, little man. We love you so much!

Today's Forecast: Sunny with No Sign of Baby

2009-10-23T12:48:00.003-06:00

Well since Junior Mint is not showing up any time soon, I thought I'd finally show you the cradle we have waiting for him. Maybe he'll see it and be tempted to come try it out.

This beautiful cradle was made for my Aunty Shelly by a wonderful and talented family friend, Mr. Klemmer, who has since passed on.

She gave it to us to use for our baby boy. I hope to pass it on to other members of the family who will appreciate it for it's beauty and sentimental value.

After 30 years in storage it's still in beautiful condition. It needed a new mattress and a screw tightened but it's of such quality that other than a clean, it was in perfect shape.

I proceeded to make a mattress cover, sheets, bumper and baby quilt for it. All with the idea that they would get passed on with the cradle to the next baby in line.

I cried when she offered it to us, I cried when I finished putting it all together. I'm pretty sure I'll cry when I see him in it. It's that kind of love that goes into such an heirloom.

Happy Friday everyone, M

Preserve University

2009-10-20T18:59:00.004-06:00

This year has been a lot of learning for me. I don't expect it to slow down anytime soon, what with Baby Boy on the way. Oh, by the way, I'm still pregnant and today is the "official" due date.

My study for the day is about making jelly. This one is a Ginger Zucchini Marmalade.

By the time I got them in the canner on the stove, I also made Easy Marmalade with the leftover oranges, lemons, limes, apples and a little pineapple thrown in.

The yield for the day was six 500ml jars of amber deliciousness.

All this learning came from Bernardin "Complete Book of Home Preserving" , a book I picked up a couple of months ago. I'm hoping to have a bigger garden next year and I really wanted to learn how to preserve the produce. Today was a successful lesson!

Happy Tuesday, M

The Dish On Diapers

2009-10-16T13:44:00.000-06:00

I'm an advocate of cloth diapering. Disposables are simply not an option for our house. It just fits in line with a lot of the other choices we've made around here - green cleaning products, high-efficiency appliances, composting, etc. And now cloth diapers.

With that in mind, the last time I put a cloth diaper on someone would have been around 1976 - my little brother. But in 1976, diapers were panels of flannel folded and pinned and covered with rubber pants. Surely something must have changed by 2009. But where to start?

An answer came to me in the form of a free information night at one of the local libraries, "Eco Baby." It's where I met my friend, Kim, of Clothology, she's the local cloth diapering guru. Not only does she carry all kinds of different brands/styles in her online store, she also gives parents support on how to clean and care for them, which ones will suit baby's body type, how to adjust for the different stages of baby's development, and on and on. In short, she's a cloth diapering wonder and the reason I feel so well prepared today.

After a few sessions with Kim and a visit to her local store, I selected several diapers that we felt would cover a lot of the issues that baby might encounter. (I also discovered many styles of baby carriers - but that's a post for another day!)

As a seamstress, I knew I also had the ability to add to my stash if I could find a pattern/style that I felt I could work with - both in making them and in using them. Kim's information and support started me on my search for what I needed in this area, too.

Some online research brought me to the pattern for Rita's Rump Pockets. Seriously cute name for a rather versatile but not complicated diaper.

I used white flannel inside (that I got on sale for $4.99 for 2 metres, Score!)

And I used colourful, fun flannel in boy themes on the outside.

I made twenty of these in total, to supplement my brand name diaper stash, and I now have about 50 cloth diapers altogether, in varying sizes. With the average newborn using 10-12 diapers a day, this means I don't have to wash daily but can stretch things out to every third day and still have room to breathe. Whew!

This style of diaper is called a pocket diaper, as you can see below, because you insert absorbant layers inside, depending on what you will need.

For a heavy overnight wetter, for example, a large microfibre insert might be the best thing to soak up all the urine. A tiny newborn might only need a small pad-shaped insert for daytime use. Like I said, versatile.

We have accumulated a pile of inserts of varying sizes and absorbancies, too, to make sure we can keep up with whatever the little guy is going to need. (Keep in mind that microfibre should not stay in direct contact with baby's skin for very long as it's so absorbant it will dry his skin out in a very short time. Much better as an insert in a pocket diaper!)

So that's my story on cloth diapers. Now if baby would just come on out, we could figure out if I actually remember how to install the things!

Happy Friday, M

Home Made Baby Toiletries

2009-10-15T08:05:00.009-06:00

Yes, I know I have some "extra" time on my hands to take on projects these days but this stuff is so, so easy, I simply had to share it. I know some mothers of toddlers are shaking their heads right now going "Huh?"

Baby Powder:

500g of cornstarch = $0.91

10 ml of lavender essential oil = $2.50

Protecting and soothing baby's bottom with non-toxic powder = priceless.

Put the cornstarch in a sealable bag, add lavender oil drop by drop, shake the bag whenever you pass it on the counter, let cure for four days.

Get a dollar store shaker with large openings and hey, presto! Non-toxic baby powder in a dispenser!

Diaper Creme

In a double boiler set up, melt a couple of tablespoons of beeswax in a 1/2 cup of sweet almond oil.

Add a capful of vitamin E (about two capsules if you're using those instead) and 10 drops of lavender oil.

Pour into a clean container that can take the heat.

Let cool and solidify (I put mine in the fridge for a day) and seal. Store it in a cool dry place until you need it.

Even if you do both of these things at once, the "cooking" takes less than 20 minutes. And there's enough of both to last quite a while. So why not give it a try? It's better than risking all the stuff they put into commercial products these days. (For more information on toxins in baby products, start here.)

These recipes are inspired by my time owning a book called Skin Deep. It's not in print anymore but you can still get it used. I've had mine for many years and pull it out when I'm feeling inspired. When I found out I was pregnant, I knew it was coming out again. :)

Other tips for preparation? If you're like our house, you'll find these recipes much easier to do if you have help in the kitchen, like I did.

Well, "help" might be a bit of a strong word. :)

Happy cooking, M

Finishing Up Stuff

2009-10-14T09:15:00.005-06:00

I've been in the mood for finishing things lately. Hmmm, wonder why that might be? The nesting instinct is way stronger than anybody tells you. lol

None the less, here are a couple of things that got finished lately.

A crib blanket with a Noah's Ark theme on one side and wild animals on the other. All free-motion quilted to make lots of bubbles on it.

I finally got the binding done on the pumpkin table runner I started last autumn. Guess I can dress the table for fall now.

Oh, and we got the stroller put together. Sailor Moon Kitten says "You aren't leaving me behind when this baby arrives!"

I suspect there will be more baby items posted this week as he doesn't feel like he's in any rush to come out and meet us. We're off to an ultrasound this afternoon to check his position. In the mean time, maybe I'll get some more things finished up!

Happy Wednesday, M

Creation Comes In All Forms

2009-10-13T08:46:00.004-06:00

Still here and still pregnant. But still puttering around the house.

Some of my freezer stock - pumpkin muffins and corn bread.

Another pretty baby blanket - came from a kit from the LQS - I think it's called Day At The Beach. (My apologies to the creators if it's something else!)

David pretending he's a Sears model to show off some of the back - which I pieced from leftovers.

And Stella saying "No pictures please. I'm too important to be captured!"

I seriously love my life!

Happy crafting! M

Nope, No Baby Yet

2009-10-07T12:59:00.002-06:00

Sorry to leave you all hanging like that. I'm sure everyone was starting to think we were in the midst of that new baby smell around here. But nothing yet.

He's due in another two weeks so we could be at this for another four if he decides to delay his entrance. But I'm okay with that now - since I read that it's good for brain development for them to stay in as long as they want. Within reason. :P

I have been very busy - baking bread, filling the freezer with all kinds of goodness so we don't have to cook for a while, learning to make jams and preserves, sewing up a gazillion diapers, and on and on. All stuff I thought would make pretty boring blog posts.

Also, I figured if I only have so much energy on any given day, which is true, then I'd rather be doing these things than snapping pix and posting about them. So the days have been scheduled thusly - bake bread and muffins, have two hour nap, sew two diapers, have one hour nap, make supper, sit on couch in stupor until bed time at 8pm. Lather, rinse, repeat. Such an exciting life. lol

Hope you're all having a craft October, maybe squeezing in a little Halloween prep.

Happy crafting, M

Autumn Harvest

2009-09-25T08:19:00.003-06:00

I didn't get much gardening done this year. Too tired and pregnant mostly. But I do try to plant a few pots every year, just a few flowers and tomato plants.

I have to say that this year I have had great success with my tomato jungle. I guess my fertility was a bit contagious! :)

Couple the first of my little red beauties with some fresh olive onion bread and I feel the start of a delicious lunch coming on. Yum!

Hope you're having a good Friday. M

Kindnesses

2009-09-23T06:06:00.002-06:00

We are into our first week of maternity leave here at Sugar Bowl House. I'm supposed to be taking it easy and putting my feet up. Yeah, sure, cuz there aren't a gazillion things to do before Baby Boy arrives.

The difference between this week and last week? I can take a nap in between jobs around the house. A definite plus.

The focus this week is getting the nursery finalized and the freezer stocked. I keep negotiating with the baby to stay in for at least two more weeks (we're four weeks from our due date) so I can get everything done. Some days I think he's listening, other days not so much.

Before I get too lost in the day's activities, I just wanted to thank everyone who has sent or delivered a gift recently. So many wonderful things are being received here from both bloggers and non-bloggers alike that I can't really keep up with photographing and documenting them all.

But please know that your kind thoughts and good wishes for us and for the baby are so very appreciated. It's a joy to know that so many people are celebrating with us.

Thank you.

Michele

A Binding Love Affair

2009-09-14T21:15:00.001-06:00

Sorry about the delay between posts. Been training my replacement at work, making way for baby, attending family reunions, all sorts of things. Computer time has truly been at a minimum. And frankly, I liked it that way for a while.

Now, though, it's time to get back to some crafty projects. Specifically, I need to get this last post up for the Quilting 101 project - a tummy-time I Spy Quilt for my soon-to-be-arriving son.

The last piece of all my quilts is the binding. I guess other people might do other things after the binding (labels, embroidery, what have you) but I leave this piece until last as it's the icing on the cake for me. This is the part that makes the whole thing come together - like the frame, if you will.

First, you need to audition the binding fabric. Because it is the frame, it needs to show off the quilt in the way you want it to. I like this orange/yellow batik for this quilt because it's high energy and shows off the brown in the sashings.

But I also like it against the back fabric. It really highlights the oranges and yellows in the rocket ships and planets.

I did try out a few other binding potentials but they would go with one side and not the other, or they just didn't give the quilt the same kind of pop that I was looking for. This bright one is the keeper.

Once the choice is made, you need to make sure you have enough strips of the fabric to make it all the way around your quilt. You can use a special quilters calculator, check physically by holding it up to your quilt, or you can do the math - whatever you're comfortable with.

Of course, all this is dependent upon how wide you want your binding to be. I tend to stick with a 2.5" strip, that then gets ironed in half and stitched on. Some people like them wider than that but I prefer to make it fit like a candy wrapper. Trim and close.

So you can see in the above pic that I cut five strips - each of them being 2.5" wide and as long as the fabric is wide - 44".

The strips then need to be sewn together at the ends. But you can see here that I'm sewing them at a diagonal to each other. The right sides together, with one strip at a 90-degree angle to the other, sew diagonally, one after the other after the other, until you have all strips stitched on to the binding snake.

Don't forget to trim those corners to the 1/4" seam allowance - all the way along. (Hint: Stretch the snake out to make sure everything is going in the right direction for your needs. If you start cutting first, you may wind up really mad about that one piece that isn't cooperating!)

Iron out your seams so they don't get in your way while sewing.

Then fold over and iron the end piece. This will keep the fabric from serious bunching at the beginning/end of your sewing the binding to the quilt.

Fold the rest of the binding in half and iron it all the way to the end. It's a bit fussy but totally worth it in the end.

I wind mine up to help me keep organized for the next step. This gives you an idea what it should look like when you're finished with the iron.

To attach the binding to the quilt, I place a pin just at the beginning and then match the raw edges of the binding to the raw edges of the quilt, with the binding on top of the quilt top. This will give the quilt top a nice finished edge.

Using the same 1/4" seam allowance that has been with us since the beginning, start stitching that baby on. BUT before you get to the next edge of the quilt, you want to stop with 1/4" left before you run off the end, like in the pic below.

This little window of 1/4" will allow us to do a special corner fold, letting us go around the corner of the quilt. So stop stitching here, do a little back stitch to reinforce if you like, raise your needle, and cut your thread.

Fold the binding back, as in this pic, and then along the next edge, as in the pic below.

Start stitching along the new edge, again with a 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat this corner folding at each corner all the way around the quilt.

When you finally get back to where you started, you will tuck the end of your binding into the diagonally-ironed beginning, like so.

If you turn the binding up, it should look like this from the top:

Now your binding is attached all the way around the top of the quilt. At this point, you're going to fold the binding over the edge of the quilt and start hand stitching it to the back of the quilt. Here is what it will look like during this process:

You fold the binding in half again, and using a needle and thread, stitch it down to the back side, over top of the seam that keeps it in place on the top side. So then it matches both top and bottom being stitched 1/4" from the edge.

Continue this stitching all the way around. The last stitch of the binding will be the last stitch on the quilt.

If you still need clarification on this, almost every quilting magazine and most books have more details and pics for you. There are a few different ways to accomplish this task, but all of them are similar with a few modifications.

So that's it. We've done a quilt together from beginning to end. I hope this helps to clear up some questions you've had, maybe even inspired you to try one yourself. Remember to go easy on yourself - it's a learning process, not something you have to do perfectly.

Good luck and happy stitching! M

Strange and Spoiled

2009-09-01T09:11:00.002-06:00

I know I should be posting about crafty things since this is a craft blog. And I do have one nearly ready to go, but I just had to post these pictures.

Strange? Stanley helping with the dishes.

Yes, he's sitting in the dish rack while I do the dishes.

I don't think I've ever had a cat as strange (but of course lovely) as our man, Stan.

Spoiled? Have you seen David with his princess, Molly?

She's sound asleep in that position while we were watching a movie. And he won't move a muscle for fear that he disturb her.

I keep telling him it's a good thing we're having a boy because I don't think I could handle a daughter as spoiled as this little girl! Sheesh!

Hope your world is happy and your crafting joyful. M

We Interrupt Our Regular Scheduled Craft Blog

2009-08-27T07:04:00.005-06:00

To bring you updates on . . .

The flooring in our bedroom and the hallway getting replaced, and

Stanley's challenge finding comfortable sleeping spots in the summer heat.

There is still a bit of crafting going on, though. Like a new sweater and some soakers for our baby boy. (Please excuse the flash-less orange glow.)

In baby news, we have less than 8 weeks to go until our official guess date. I'm still pretty exhausted and getting a bit restless but very excited to meet him, too.

My blogless friend, Maria, who just had a baby girl in July, tells me these last weeks are the longest wait ever . . . and she's done it twice so I'm taking her word for it!

Hope you're all having a great week! M

Sandwich Anyone?

2009-08-19T07:12:00.001-06:00

At long last, I am getting around to talking about the I Spy quilt again. Sorry for the delay but it's been a busy couple of weeks.

Before we start talking about sandwiches and quilting, I thought I would show you the completed top, as modeled here by my lovely assistant.

I am very pleased with how it's turned out. It should be an excellent quilt for tummy time with Baby Boy. Lots of interaction and learning to be done on here!

Given that this is going to be the "go-everywhere-do-everything" blankie, I decided to keep the insides durable but trim.

Thus I sandwiched it with an ugly 1980's piece of jersey in the middle. And on the back I have a cutie rocket ship flannel, also with the idea that it might entertain a little boy.

I am of the mind that what I put in the centre of the quilt should be about what it's going to be used for. This will hopefully be dragged all over the countryside, to the park, in the car, everywhere. Thus it shouldn't be too bulk and definitely washable to the max.

I know. Purists everywhere are cringing. Meh. My baby, my quilt, my decision. As it should be yours when it comes time.

Okay, next step. Find a thread that's going to blend in the way you want it to, or stand out the way you want it to. I picked a variegated colour that changes along the way but isn't too noticeable. I want more of the fabric to stand out.

You can see here that I ran it across several fabrics to see if I would like the subtle effect of the thread colour. I'm good with this one in gold/brown tones.

Now you get to decide what kind of pattern you want for the quilting. For this one, I didn't want anything too busy to interfere with the fabrics. I chose a modified Grecian key.

I pulled out my marking pencils (you use whatever marking device works for you) and I started free-hand lines. I prefer the relaxed look of free-hand work, even on a very boxy kind of quilt like this one.

To see the effect up close, take a look at this guitar block.

Enough lines to keep the fabric in place, but not so many that it plays havoc with the eyes.

So repeat this process until all your blocks and the whole quilt has been quilted. This size blanket and this simple pattern took me the better part of a Saturday - about 7am to 2pm. It's a big job but it's also the part that finishes the look so should be given it's due attention and time.

Oh, and my favourite part of the quilting process? Having an A-1 assistant like Sailor to help!

"I'll hold it here for you!"

Happy quilting, M

The Perfect Quilter Does Not Live Here

2009-08-10T06:42:00.000-06:00

Seriously, she doesn't. I don't even know her personally but I have read about her quite a few times.

Perfect Quilter has points that are . . . well, perfectly pointy. Her corners match each and every time. She rips seams, re-sews, and rips them again if they don't shape up to her ideal. She doesn't hesitate to trim each piece. . . block. . . section several times until it's just right. She revels in the process and glory comes to her in the perfect finish of every one of her quilts.

She is so not me.

I am definitely a destination girl, as opposed to the journey girl, when it comes to quilting. (David tells me this is true of many of the things I do but that's an argument for another day.)

I may get some points to be perfectly pointy but that's mostly a random happenstance. I guarantee, though, that of all the stars on a quilt, some (or maybe only one) of them will have perfectly pointy points.

My corners mostly match but only because I learned how to iron my seams to do the snug-fit thing. If you make me sew a giant row of corners that are supposed to match, though, only some of them will make it.

I will only seam rip if there is absolutely no way in Hades that I'm going to get it to work (or almost work) any other way. If I have to rip the same seam more than once, there will be cursing. I would rather cut more fabric and try again.

I get close enough and trim to make it fit. I will short sew a seam all the way along if that's what it takes to get an approximately 8" or 10" or 12" block.

I revel in the glory that is a finished quilt that looks just as good from a distance as Perfect Quilter's quilts do up close. I mean, really, does the Quilt Inspector live at my house? Nope. And mine are just as pretty and warm on a cool night on the couch as anybody elses.

The real bonus of my quilts, though, is that they are my creations, in all their glorious imperfection.

And I can't wait to make another!

In my reality, that counts way more than any old perfectly pointy points.

Happy crafting, M

(Hmmm, now if I could just get this attitude with the rest of my life.)

Hints From The Close Enough Quilter

2009-08-05T06:58:00.000-06:00

Otherwise entitled, Things I've Learned About Quilting Along The Way.

I have been sewing since I was 5 or 6 years old. It's a genetic thing in our family. I come from a long line of sewers and crafters.

So I was no stranger to a sewing machine or to the sewing process when I decided to take up quilting a few years ago. I figured it would be pretty straight forward moving from one form of fabric craft to another. Oh, how wrong I was.

Quilting has its own language, its own tricks of the trade, and its own sewing machine know-how. There are also ironing tips to learn, tools you've never heard of before, injuries that crop up as a result of addictive behaviour, and so much more.

As an example, let's discuss this picture in terms of quilting.

First, we have that cute little line of hearts tape attached right to the bed of the machine. Why so, Moda Yoda?

Well, in quilting, all seams allowances come in 1/4", not the 1/2" of clothing patterns. And this 1/4" seam allowance is very important to the quilting process. Lose the 1/4" and you compromise the integrity of the quilt.

The tape on this non-quilting (but still okay for quilt piecing) machine is placed exactly 1/4" from the needle, all the way down the bed. That way, the quilter can follow the edge of the tape with the fabric to achieve the perfect seam (okay, in theory that's what I could do, though it doesn't always work out that way).

Second, what is that scrappy, thread-infested, tiny piece of fabric doing under the foot, Obe-Wanna-Janome?

That, my friend, is a good way to save on thread, keep the thread from bunching up under your first piece in chain-piecing. It is a great way to feed triangles through the feed dogs without their slipping into the hole. It is an excellent method for keeping the thread threaded through the needle rather than losing it to the upward thrust of the machine.

In short, young Fabric Walker, it is sanity itself.

What else might a quilter notice about this picture, Thread-Eye Master? Other than the machine is sitting on a cutting mat with two rulers behind it, not to mention the stack of fabric pieces in the corners, this is not a quilting machine. It is just an ordinary machine (remember the 1/4" tape modification) that is serving very well as a quilting machine.

A quilting machine is like a Millenium Falcon compared to a freighter. If you ever get to the point where you want to make the commitment to a Millenium Falcon, I mean a quilting machine, you'll know you're committed to the Force, er, the Craft.

Happy stitching, M

The Building Part of an I Spy Quilt

2009-07-31T05:58:00.000-06:00

Now that the anniversary party is over, I guess we better get back to the quilting tutorial.

We left off putting all the blocks together with the feature fabric and sashings, and now we can lay them out and play around with the look of the quilt.

Mine just barely fit on the dining room table but close enough so I can get an idea of how I want the feature fabrics to be set out.

In this quilt I don't want all the reds bunched up in one corner, nor all the blues in one column, nor all the beiges in one row. I want the colours of the blocks to be spread out so it has a random feel to it.

You'll also notice when you lay out your blocks that the right-hand side and the bottom of the quilt do not have a brown sashing border.

Once you have decided which blocks will go where, you then know where to add the other sashing pieces. All the blocks with edges on the right-hand side need an extra sashing, like so.

Similarly, all your blocks for the bottom row will need an extra sashing along the bottom of the block. Voila.

The block that lives in the bottom right-hand corner will need to have a sashing put on both the right-hand side and the bottom. This is where we'll be using the brown sashing that has two orange 2.5" squares attached to it.

Keep in mind that you still want your seams ironed in such a way as to give the snug fit for easy seaming.

Okay, now we're ready to start sewing the blocks together. Keeping in mind where you had them laid out on the table, start stitching the blocks.

You may have to do some re-ironing in order to get the seams to fit snugly but it's so seriously worth it. At this stage, I'm planning ahead for which seams will need to fit together and ironing to make sure that happens. It gives you some beautiful corners and saves some seaming heartache later.

I have another thing I do when I'm sewing blocks together. I like to do it with as many shorter seams as possible. So instead of sewing a whole row of them together and then joining the long rows, I do it in chunks that look more like this.

And this.

Then I'll join these chunks together. My plan is always motivated by doing the least number of long seams as I possibly can. In this quilt, I had only one seam that ran from the top to the bottom of the quilt. It was a good score.

Use whatever works for you. Some people like sewing many rows together. I'm not accurate enough to make sure every thing is done just right in order to make all those corners work for me. I'm kinda lazy and not motivated to pull things out and do them again if they don't work. This way, I get to avoid as much of that as possible. :)

Next time, I'll show you my completed quilt top and we'll start talking about sandwiching.

Happy sewing, M

Stanley says "Can we go out and play with those birdies now?"

Prize Winners

2009-07-29T08:26:00.004-06:00

Can Elizabeth and Justine please send me an email with snail mail addresses so I can send you a little anniversary gift?

Thanks, M

Five Years

2009-07-27T08:10:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was the 5th anniversary of my first post on blogger.

It's been a heck of a ride since then. The name has changed, the look has changed, even the focus has changed. But its still me and mine.

When I look back and think about all the blogs that have come and gone in that time, I'm rather amazed that this one is still here. Granted, there have been some long spells when it wasn't overly active, for various reasons. But all in all, I have been happy to be here.

So with that in mind, I thought I'd have a little give away to celebrate.

All you have to do is leave a comment and tell me what you would prefer - quilty or knitterly gift, and would you rather a book or stash enhancement. Then we'll do a random draw and send away a little treat or two.

Happy Monday everyone, M

Instructions Errata OR I Changed My Mind

2009-07-24T06:59:00.002-06:00

I changed my mind on the instructions for the I Spy quilt, for sanity's sake. I'm trying to make this as straight forward as possible and don't want you to get frustrated so please forgive me for making changes after the fact.

Moral of the story? Put the quilt together first then post the steps. :P

Instead of sewing all the orange 2.5" squares on first, I attached a brown sashing to the left-hand side of each feature fabric 8" block. Like so.

Some of my fabrics definitely have a right-side up so I positioned them the way I want them to look in the finished quilt, and stitched the brown sashing to the left-hand side of the square.

The reason I did this first is that I think it will be easier to proceed this way. But then it's up to you to decide what's best for your process. You know there will be an uneven number of sashings with 2.5" orange blocks in order to compensate for the border of the quilt. It'll make more sense when we get to that step. Just trust me for now, please.

Now that we have the feature fabrics involved, this is what it will look like before we stitch them together.

That makes a bit more sense, right? You can see why some sashings were without an orange block and some with. Easier for piecing, yes?

At this stage, I want to point something out about ironing while quilting.

In order to get the different stages of piecing to fit together, you need to iron seams in different, but form-fitting directions. You can see here that I've ironed in opposite directions.

When you lay one piece on top of the other for the next stage of seaming, they will snug together and leave less of a fabric hump to get over with the sewing machine.

In order to make sure I get this snug fit each time, I figure out which direction I need to iron each piece by playing with them together . Then once I have the direction determined, I iron every single piece of that construction in exactly the same way.

For example, all the brown sashings with the orange square attached were ironed with the seam laying towards the orange square.

To make it fit snugly with the feature fabric/brown sashing pieces, I ironed all the feature fabric/brown sashing pieces with the seam laying towards the feature fabric.

Once the seaming is completed, your feature fabric blocks will look like this - two sides finished.

Next time, we'll lay all the blocks out, figure out an arrangement and start putting them together. The finish line is in site!

Happy seaming, M

The In-Between Time

2009-07-22T09:08:00.000-06:00

In between my found quilting minutes, I managed to knit up a pair of baby leg warmers. So easy to carry in the purse for those waiting-in-line minutes and the like.

Apparently fashionable babies everywhere are sporting them with their diapers and t-shirts. These ones are tiny, newborn size for the first weeks at home.

I made them from leftover sock yarn and the pattern from The Expectant Knitter.

My mom bought me this book when I first told her I was pregnant. It has some very cute patterns in it, like that pair of soakers on the front cover that I definitely need to add to the list!

Speaking of wee little things, here's our Stanley helping with the baking.

If you look very closely on the left side of the photo, you can see tiny white paw prints. I personally choose to deny the existence of such things. It keeps my baking self very happy to live in a state of unknowing.

You can also see Sailor in the background, trying to look like she had no idea what was going on. Yeah, sure!

Hope you're all having a lovely Wednesday. M

I Spy Quiltmaking, Part 2

2009-07-19T19:11:00.017-06:00

I apologize for the delay between posts but as I'm still sewing in my "found minutes" the quilt isn't going as fast as it might for other quilters. We'll get to the end eventually, though! ;)

Okey dokey. From where we left off last week, you should have your brown sashing pieces looking like this:

Two diagonal corners have orange squares sewn diagonally to them.

It's time to trim these corners, using a 1/4" seam allowance. Using one of your quilting rulers, line up the seam to the 1/4" mark, rotary cut off the remainder. It will look like this:

Make sure you do the same for both corners on all the pieces.

Using a dry iron, press the seams on the back to one side (I chose to press towards the brown this time because I like how the pieces look with this direction.) then flip the fabric over and press again from the top.

Once all 48 of your sashing pieces are made ready with ironing, you are going to add two more littlest orange pieces to each brown piece.

Attach them with diagonal seams again, using the chain piecing to speed things along.

You'll be trimming to 1/4" seam allowances and pressing again until all your brown sashings now look like this.

Now that the sashing pieces are ready, you can attach the 2.5" orange squares.

Just lay the larger orange square on top and stitch it on.

Keep in mind that you only have 30 of the 2.5" orange squares so not all of your sashings will have an orange square attached to the end of it. In fact, you'll want to only attach 29 of them to separate brown sashings.

Press the seam open again and you should have 29 sashings that look like these two.

The last orange 2.5" square will be attached to a sashing that already has a square sewn to it. So you'll have one brown sashings that has two orange squares. Trust me, it'll all make sense when we get closer to the end.

And that's where we'll leave off today. Next time, we bring in the feature fabrics.

Hope you're all having a lovely Monday! M

The Making of an I Spy Quilt - Part 1

2009-07-13T07:11:00.011-06:00

With a baby on the way, I find that I'm drawn to more children's quilts. Duh, yeah, obvious, I know.

Anyway, I decided to document the process from start to finish for a friend or two, ahem, who might have been saying they want to learn to quilt. No pressure, though. Just some step-by-steps.

First, I love the idea of quilted learning so an I Spy quilt makes perfect sense as a crib-sized quilt. (Although I'm not too fussy on the finished size as long as its in the ballpark.)

Keeping the I Spy idea in the back of my mind, I noticed our LQS (local quilt store) was carrying packs of novelty fabric cut into 8" x 10.5" pieces. Perfect. With 10 in a pack, I picked out two with more masculine fabrics for our baby son.

I cut these down to 8" x 8" and have 20 of them so I can make a quilt of 4 x 5 blocks.

Knowing that I didn't want anything to0 fancy or complex, I started looking for fabric for a simple sashing between the feature fabrics. Digging through my stash, I found a nice brown textured chunk that would work and cut it into 8" x 2.5" pieces. There are 49 of them.

I decided I need some brighter corner pieces so using this orange piece of fabric, also from the stash, I cut it into 2.5" x 2.5" squares. After cutting 30 of them and realizing that I have another piece of orange fabric, I decided to make the corner squares into corner stars.

This means I needed to have 196 little 1.5" x 1.5" squares ready for seaming, too. (Don't be intimidated by the big number. They go pretty fast with a rotary cutter.)

Once finished with these little ones, the cutting process was complete and I was ready to start sewing.

The first step of the seaming process is to attach a 1.5" square to each corner of the 8" x 2.5" brown sashing strips.

The little squares need to be attached diagonally to each of the corners. I just place the fabrics with wrong sides together and sew from one corner of the orange piece to the other. (Feel free to draw a diagonal pencil line, if this is more comfortable for you. You could pin it, too, if that helps.)

I do one after another, after another, as this helps to speed things along, as well as save on thread. It's called chain piecing because you create a long chain of pieces.

Once the first corner of each brown piece has a little orange square attached to it, I did the opposite diagonal corner. So by the time I was finished with this step, each brown piece had been through the machine twice and had two smaller orange squares attached to it.

Okay, that's where we're ending today because that's as far as I've gotten with the steps, and thus the photos. Tune in later this week for more.

And for our furry cuteness intermission, here's Stella giving Sailor a bath.

She sure likes to keep everybody clean, that Stella cat!

Hope you had a crafty weekend! M

The Cuddling of Cats and Dogs

2009-07-02T06:31:00.007-06:00

It's easy to see in our house that world peace is a real possibility. I mean, if ancient, instinctual enemies can cuddle and share space, why can't the rest of us?

Molly and Stanley have it all worked out.

Emmett and Stella have it cased, too.

In fact, most days, I catch Stella giving Emmett a bath, but they were too modest to do it for the camera this time.

That's it for my soapbox today. World peace - it can happen.

In crafty news, I bring you another found-time project. This one is a cradle quilt for the baby's nursery that I pieced mostly in those minutes I keep finding in the basement.

It's a four-patch in blues and golds, with a contrasting soft red fabric that features prams and babies on it. I still have the hand-stitching on the binding to do but that's for movie night.

Once I get all the pieces done for the cradle, I'll take an ensemble photo and tell you all about it.

Hope you're having a crafty kind of Thursday, M

Activity Abounds

2009-06-24T07:09:00.000-06:00

Okay, that might be a bit misleading. When someone says "abounds" it implies that there is a lot of it. In reality, there is just some activity around here. So I guess it would be more appropriate to say "stuff happens."

What kind of stuff? Knitting baby slippers kind of stuff. Teeny, tiny baby slippers.

Then there was the baking with chocolate chips kind of stuff. Mmmmm. Cookies and banana bread.

And finally, kitty bonding kind of stuff. My first photographic evidence of sibling snuggling.

There's more stuff, too. I just don't have photographic evidence at the moment. We're moving slowly around here these days but we're still moving!

Happy Tuesday, M