My Whereabouts

I've been absent lately, I know.  I haven't been sewing clothing much this summer--somehow, quilting snuck back in (I blame the flood of babies) and that's had my full attention.  I really haven't even missed sewing clothes, which is very unlike me.  I think part of it is I can afford clothing now--it's amazing when companies actually pay you a living wage--so I tend to buy before I make.  I feel terrible about that but I'm sure it's a phase and it'll wane eventually.

I do have one big plan for fall--the Colette Anise jacket.  More on that later, when I finally get around to seeing if that wool blend in my closet is two or three yards.

Like I said though, I have been quilting.  If you follow me at Squaring Up, you've seen the fruits of my endless labor.  Ariel and I have decided to take a break until things cool down a bit, so I'm going to post my patchwork over here for the next month or so.  I hope you don't mind!  If you do, just skip over my posts until my clothing mojo comes back.

Another one of our friends had a baby this summer--a little girl--and I decided we had to send her a quilt.  Nick has known her for years, though she still lives in Florida, and we sent her something for her first child (a boy) last spring.

She isn't especially girly, though she and her sister both are big fans of nature, natural products, and things like that.  No ruffles, no pink--it would be weird and slightly offensive, like I'm putting my tastes ahead of hers.  I knew I had to use Timber & Leaf for the quilt--the colors are soft and feminine without being saccharine-sweet--but I didn't know what pattern to use.  Churn dash?  Log cabin?  I came across the Sparkle Quilt on Jeni B.'s blog and immediately knew it was the one.  I'm really into big blocks, and lord knows I love half-square triangles.

I also picked up the idea of using FreeSpirit Solids in Pearl from Fresh Lemons Quilts.  I didn't want to use bright white as the neutral but I knew beige would blend too much.  Pearl is a great neutral because it works with blue, pink, yellow, green, gray--whatever you have.

This was the first time I've used different quilting patterns in one project: I quilted the blocks with diagonal lines about 3/4" apart, and quilted the sashing with a single serpentine pattern.  It made it so crinkly!

I also used the lightest pink Aurifil for the quilting.  I pre-ordered the Camille Roskelley Aurifil set, so I better get used to non-white thread!

I backed it with another Timber & Leaf print, which I originally bought for a Colette Pastille dress.  After reading countless accounts of how ill-fitting the pattern is, and how much effort it takes to perfect it, I decided to scrap that idea.  I love a challenge, but I don't want to spend three weeks fitting the pattern.  That's too much effort!

We'll send this out tomorrow--hopefully the new mom and baby love it!  Thanks for indulging in my quilting, non-quilters!  :)

Me, In Other Words

There hasn't been much going on to post lately.  I've been kinda sewing, we have a houseguest, and I've been working.  Boring!

So, here are a few places you can find me in the meantime:

Squaring Up, my blog with the great Ariel.  We're tackling our beginning adventures in quilting and I made a quilt top!  Go check it out!

Wild Olive, run by Mollie, who needed some stitching help this week!  I embroidered the lyrics (from a Disney ride, perfect for me) on a cotton towel and she provided a free pattern--available to everyone!  So go take a look already!

Pinterest!  I pinned so many things last Friday that Pinterest asked me if I was a bot.  Um, no, just highly organized.

Okay, I promise I'll be back soon with something interesting.  Hopefully.

Squaring Up

Remember when I talked about quilting on Monday?  If not, I feel kind of bad for you, that was two days ago.  Get it together.  Anyway, I had mentioned on Twitter over the weekend that I had plans to make quilts before Christmas, and did that make me crazy?  My friend Ariel saw it and mentioned that she, too, had been wanting to make a quilt, and what did I think of creating a virtual bee for support?  We currently live on different continents, so virtual it was!  I loved the idea and soon we were planning and scheming.

I guess this is what happens when you have two highly-motivated women in charge, but we've started a blog and have plans to turn it into a community for modern quilters who need some support.  We're both beginners but we have a lot of moxie and determination, and we want to succeed.  Personally, I think with those traits, you can't lose.

Oh, what's the blog's address?  Right: http://www.squaringup.blogspot.com.  Right now, it's pretty sad and bare, but we are planning for more!  Our first official post should be up Friday, but in the mean time, we're getting things in gear.  If you get a Twitter follow from us, don't be surprised!  And feel free to join in; as we're moving along, we'll need guest posters to feature their projects or plans, and we'd be delighted if you'd volunteer!

We have big plans for this blog, so join us!