Framing Fabric

I loved this print so much I decided I wanted to stare at it every day:

Michael Miller's Flora And Fauna - Hummingbirds - Turquoise

Eventually I'll have pictures of both hung up in their new spot...

Free Motion Quilting vs. Me

I love the look of free motion quilting.  I had yet to try it yet just for fear of spending hours with my seam ripper and the TV.  I eventually want to use free motion for my next quilt, so I grabbed some scraps and put together a quick potholder.

I put together one disappearing 9 patch square using 3" squares. Finished pot holder size is about 8.5".

I added a double layer of batting...

Crossed my fingers... and started!


My stitch lengths weren't so hot:


and the back was embarrassing (wtf was I doing):


So... I spent some time with the seam ripper... adjusted the tension... tried again. (repeat more seam ripping and tension adjusting) It started to look a bit better. I still have to work on getting nice rounded corners and losing those 90 degree angles....



My stitch lengths improved a little, but I can still see many flaws:


I prefer not to look closely at the back:



but if you zoom in really close it looks cute!


Tada! Not to shabby for a first try of something that I'm just going to get dirty in the kitchen anyways :)

Kitchen Curtain

I'm not sure why it took me so long to do this.  My old curtains were so boring that I completely forgot about them.  But not any more!

I finally found the perfect fabric for them!  The day it arrived I was so excited that I refused to go to bed before it was done.  It took me less than hour to actually sew it.  I used the old valance as a measurement guide and double folded the edges in using 1/2 inch.  This was so simple.  So very simple.

I played around with the idea to make two vertical panels, but the space between the window and the start of the (ugly) cabinets isn't big enough and would just look weird.

The old curtains were maroon and the desert sun really killed them. They're nearly white in spots on the back in the shape of the blinds.  Here's the before:

Blueberry Cake Bars

Little Birdie Secrets recently posted a recipe for Blueberry Cake Bars that just looked amazing! I still had some Michigan blueberries sitting in my freezer that would be perfect for it. So far all they have been used for are lots of blueberry muffins... so I gave it a shot.

And this is what came out:


They taste just as good as they look!



You can find the recipe on her site here: Blueberry Cake Bar Recipe

Union Jack and Trinidad Passport Covers

My friends husband from the UK asked me for a passport cover with the Union Jack on it.  I figured it wouldn't be that hard so I pulled up Photoshop and started measuring.  TIL: The red diagonal lines are not even!!  That threw a little kink in my plans.  So I figured out the measurements for the most part, cut everything, crossed my fingers, and started sewing.

I made two passport covers because my husband was like "Oh! You make him one and not me!" once I got done with the first one. So poof! Out came a Trinidad one.
 

The flags images I started with:

Here's a quick photo shoot of my process for each one:

I love these things! The left one has reached it's destination in time for their vacation to the UK in a couple of weeks!

Amy Butler August Fields Duvet

As soon as I saw the August Fields Duvet on Amy Butler's site (free pattern & pdf) I wanted to make it! :)  And here it is courtesy of my husband in his favorite Vibram Five Finger Shoes that have been permanently attached to his feet.  I love it so much!  This is by far the biggest project I have took on and is really (way to) heavy.

 I used the pattern for the queen sized duvet sized at 86" x 90".  It suggests to use 19 different home dec prints, but mine has only 15 and I think it worked well.

 

I also hate ties and buttons on duvets because they allow chunks of my comforter to fall out in between the gaps... so I ordered a massive supply of white zipper tape from ebay and used about 4 feet of it on the bottom for a closure.

Ooom nom nom. I love zippers!

If anyone decides to make this pattern - don't make my mistake.  I followed the directions and made the back of the duvet too.  This is what would have been attached to the back.  It's all home dec fabric too.  Once I got the top layer pieced, that was heavy enough as it is.  If I would have attached this to the front I wouldn't be able to lift it let alone sleep under it. (and yes, I read Twilight)

Now I have this piece just sitting there and I have no idea what to make it into.  Suggestions?  Maybe a picnic blanket for all those picnics I don't go on because I live in a desert?

Instead, I lined the back with a queen sized sheet in aqua. I'm so glad I did. I like the weight of the duvet now but my husband hates it and won't admit it because I know he doesn't want to hurt my feelings. He wants it to be super light and I don't blame him, this thing is way to hot for the summer :( and we've already replaced with a different one in the meantime.  But this does mean I can buy more fabric and make another lighter one! ;)

Pink Baby Blanket

This blanket was finished just in time to be shipped off to our cousin's little girls 1st birthday!  I hope she likes it!

This is my first quilt EVER.  The cotton squares are mixed with light pink dot minky to match and stitched in the ditch. Sewing with minky was a brand new experience that will never be repeated in a pieced blanket.  I kept a can of air next to my machine and had to blow out the bobbin area often and crossed my fingers that the fabric wouldn't move.  My seams matched up pretty well.. I only had to rip out a few and redo.  I pinned like crazy... pinning on either side of a seam helped a lot.

A huge reminder for me next time - re-read measurements!!!  Binding is 2 1/2"... not 2".  This was my first time making bias binding using the tube method.  It looked confusing in some of the tutorials, but I was wrong.  It was so easy.  My biggest problem is I get bored fast trying to cut all 200+ inches of it.

I just had a whole stack of fabric come in the mail today... and I think I have my next quilt lined up assuming I can decide on a style...  :)

I basted it together with spray. How in the world do people have the patience for pinning?!? Am I missing a secret to it?

The finished quilt measures about 50"x50".