priority mail

the little wolf flannels are done. i worked on them yesterday, start to finish, from the cutting to stitching, serging & ironing, purposefully staying away from cyberworld to do so. i don't like to keep children waiting. they'll go in the mail this am.

thank you all so much who share this space with me. your comments on my previous post are most dear and mean more then you know. your support & presence, even should some time have passed between posts, make me feel always welcome and as I've a place here among friends. it's a safety net, a quiet corner where i may come any time i need interaction of creatives that centers me. rock out! peace out!

boy things

pattern: main panel - McCall's M5551; ties - Simplicity 2824
fabric: six color desert camo twill & moose country - designed & produced for jo-ann's
other materials/notions: none
date completed: 24February2009
a gift for: robert. 9 year old nephew

a reversible little chef's apron!

i had a pattern piece cut out on my own, but decided i wanted a designed pattern to compare sizes as i've no children with whom to work with in person. i was pretty darn close in what i thought should be the measurements, mine just a bit more narrow. wow!

i intended the camo to be the "front" but like the novelty print, moose country & wildlife trek, a whole lot. it's nice that he can use either. robert likes to help when you're cooking, frying and flipping the pancakes or waffles, always has since he was a wee one and had to stand on a chair. i made a messenger bag & apron for his sister. thankfully my sib finally sent me the measurements (yes, i asked over a year ago, but we won't fuss about that!) so i can now send him his own special package of homemade goodness. i'm a bit more comfortable with girl things as that's what i know best, being all sisters in my family. but, this was fun & i hope he'll like it. he's sweet & sentimental that way.

there's also to be a pair of pj pants for him...


...from this soft & warm wolf themed flannel. i'll start on these next to have things in the mail asap.

and the pieces are all cut out, including the canvas & peltex 70, for the large betty shopper by amy butler i've mentioned before for my other sib.


balance. i'm having to learn balance for what are now life's circumstances. making time for my sewing is super important. maybe i can sneak up here in the darkness of night when i can't sleep? if i close the door, no one will hear the machine chirp, chirping? :D

playing with color. practical bag

pattern: practical bag by grand revival
fabric: solé by valori wells for free spirit. paisley. cornsilk & agapantha. key lime
other materials/notions: none
modifications: none other then alternating fabric & panels

a fun, easy-to-make bag to get you back in the sewing swing of things should you need to do so like i did. roomie & uncluttered, perfect for a quick run to the bakery, grocery for light, bulk items or to carry extra towels and a change of clothes to the beach or the pool (i've had beach on the mind lately!).

because this bag is not cut on the fold for a full front & back panel...you cut 4 separate (8 total for exterior & lining) giving you center as well as side seams...i decided to alternate my coordinating fabric, front to back, inside and out. pretty cool! if i were more inspired & focused on sewing time, not on the bazillion other things going on i should be worrying about, i would have chosen four fabrics, total, to do a different lining.

but, i like it as is. it's super lightweight, has no canvas, yet is sturdy with 1/2 inch seams. super easy to carry around. you could use a home dec if you needed to carry heavier objects, but nothing too thick for the corners and turns that could get bulky.

and as most of us carry individual zippered bags and such, you could use it as a purse without worrying about those small items getting lost. i really like it, me who likes pockets and folds, each thing in its place. it could be the vibrant color. i'm also not a paisley person, but when its retro like this, i can be!

nope, it's not my four seasons. spring bag. it's just a practical play bag!

the weekend is almost here and valentine's day. do more then celebrate another hallmark occasion. laugh & love, giggle & skip. life is good for the people & beauty surrounding us!

stashed. a few of my favorite things

i've not had a chance to sew or continue with my lap quilt these past days, preoccupied with life circumstances and occasions. to soothe the soul, i need but browse my stash, feel some fabric to put things back into perspective, those things that are creative abilities that defines a being.

and as i've self-imposed a ban on all fabric and book buying in observance of these dismal economic times, i'm so grateful for what i've accumulated in my stash and on my bookshelves that I may continue to live my sewing dreams and read to my heart's content.

these fabrics, i believe, i have not shared with you before. they'll look familiar, however, as i think you've come to understand something of my character and person :D

and lest you think i have disappeared from blogland, i knew i needed and wanted to post today, this brilliant blue sky, glowing sun friday.

some michael miller. kiwi. pod vine & ditz


marcus brothers. al fresco by michele d'amore. big bold flowers on green & scribbles on aqua


michael miller. orchid. dot-tastic, purple. carnival bloom & huevos


michael miller. clementine. boho blossom & far out floral


prints charming for marcus brothers. two young street. hugs and kisses black and blue & red


alexander henry. cinzia. chocolate, black, soft pink & prints charming for free spirit. follow your imagination


happy weekend to all. and there will be some sewing next week if i have no clue what it is!

lap quilt. thank you!

a quick note...thanks to all who have so kindly commented and given me your preference and suggestions regarding my lap quilt border. it looks like i'm back to "square one" as tee wasn't wild about either pattern or the fabric combination, wanting something brighter and with more contrast. funny guy. no sweat. i have another idea. nothing wasted, nothing wanted as i can always use the squares and triangles in another project. such is the beauty of piecework and quilting!

enjoy your super bowl sunday, whatever your preferred activities may be today.

lap quilt. preliminary border

this border is kickin' my butt.

first, i thought i'd do connecting triangles of the blue and green tie dye, like i used in the hourglass, for the four corners. and i'd cut strips of the same two around all four sides.

i didn't like the color match against the "leaf" and "marble" batiks i used to border the blocks.

so i decided to connect triangles of the leaf and marble. i like it much better. but how do i lay it out?

i did pyramids of the marble.


the corners would not match.

alternating seems to work better. however, there's still the issue of the corners. maybe i'll do a solid square of the yardage seen in the bottom right which is to be the back?


it does help to have these photos to re-create. for some reason, it's easier to see then when standing directly over the top.

i'll gladly take any suggestions, to all you quilters out there!

and in the meantime, if i could make myself let this sit and begin something else, trust me, i would. ar. ocd. i can yet be some of both though time and getting older has certainly helped with that! but now, of course, my brain's fried with age. wore, slap out! :D

lap quilt. continued

life's been a bit maddening lately, but today i decided to step away from those things i can't control right now anyway and finish up the blocks and rows for my island batik lap quilt top. 5 rows, 20 blocks. the green rocks my world. now, i just have to decide on a 4 inch border, whether i'll do strips or squares and from what fabrics, these or two or three others i have to choose from. fun, fun, fun! doesn't freak me out anymore.

lap quilt. growing on me

yeah. with two rows done, i'm diggin' my first hourglass lap quilt. and i should have plenty of fabric to do a nice border, binding, the back. and then some. maybe one of those cute little doll quilts i've seen. a wall hanging? that would be good, too, practicing some other cut & element. i'll post now only when i'm done. or you might get bored here. :D and in the meantime, there are more projects, like, a valance. and a betty shopper for my sister.

lap quilt. first blocks

pattern: hourglass
fabric: island batiks (see previous post)

i think i've settled on some kind of design for my lap quilt. i'm going to stick with the hourglass...4 wide, 5 high...because i like it so much, repeating with these same fabrics, alternating the blocks. these are mad colors. i don't know what i was thinking when i bought them. the red probably won't get used unless i bring it into the border or if i piece the back. i've absolutely no red in my living room. there's a grape, too. that could go somewhere. you really don't know until you start sitting things, one next to the other, what works, what won't. i don't want to get too busy. this is enough for the mind to know as is, but i kinda like it because the hues are deeper, not super bright, even that green tones down nicely with what lies nearby. let's see how it looks as i continue to piece. you can't really mess up, can you? :D

four seasons. winter

pattern: market bags by portabellopixie boutique patterns
a pattern by sandi henderson
fabric: michael miller mod. black mod leaves & black mod patchwork
other materials/notions: canvas, 2 - 1 7/8" buttons. orange paisley & black paisley
modifications: extended straps by 5 inches. basted canvas to exterior & interior fabric. button loop & buttons for closing.
completed: 08January2009

phew! i'm totally loving this bag & was so excited about the look & feel of the mod leaves & patchwork that i decided to use a button closure to wear the bag in either print, not a magnetic snap that would be noticeable when reversed as completely dysfunctional.


it took some time to topstitch for the double canvas, but this baby is super sturdy. no matter how i turned it, i wanted the exterior fabric to have stability.

i decided to stick with the same pattern i used for four seasons. fall because i love the size, the shape and the ease with which i can get into this bag at the checkout, bank or anywhere i need quick access to cash, keys or phone. i also divided the pockets on the outside & in to hold my cell phone in one, the checkbook or a wallet in the other, for example, inside or out, without fear that either would topple out from a loose side. and with the canvas on the pockets, too, well, they lay nice & flat.

i've been using fall ever since i made it. now i've got this gorgeous winter. i can color coordinate and still have a hip bag i love.

the bottomline is...no matter your preference in fabric (i know mine tends to be a little...uhm...bold?), the color or design, you gotta love what is you and you have to enjoy what you make. when you do, the end result is pleasing as beautiful art! and then strut your stuff around town. don't be shy! :D

and now, maybe i should really get that christmas tree down from the living room. yikes!

make the cut

the island batiks i purchased back in september '08 for the lap quilt i want to make. i have no clue how i'm going to cut & coordinate. is there any sense to these designs and colors? but, at least i've actually taken them out of the drawer, sat them out, to touch, feel, to "peace" a pattern in my mind. :D

and in the meantime i'm ironing to cut the pieces for my winter. four seasons bag. it's a rainy day, perfect for quiet, sewing time.

2009. off to a good start

pattern: simplicity 9499 - a longer view d
fabric: a blue flannel purchased at a hancock fabrics in december 2007
other materials/notions: fusible interfacing for buttonholes, webbing, buckle
loungewear for: tee
completed: 04January2009

i've about 25 projects on my 2009 sewing list. tee's flannel shorts were first on that list. done! the new year is off to a good start. and as we'll yet have some colder weather, i'm really not horribly late or completely slack about dear tee's simple request. :D

pumped. practice hour glass block

inspired by these fabulous batik quilt tops (see here and here) and with this trusty book in hand as reference, i stole a little quiet time this morning as sadie entertained tee to practice what i have decided will be a block for my own batik lap quilt, the fabric which i have had on hand for months now.


these are not the actual batiks, just scraps from my stash in somewhat coordinating colors to practice, of course! i'm super pumped because i finally understood piecing triangles to squares and strips. and my points match up pretty darn good, too! yippee!

my plans are to have a 48" x 58" lap quilt...four 10" blocks across in 5 rows with a 4" border plus the binding (i haven't done the math...maybe it'll be a tad bigger then 4' x 5' for the width of the binding?). i'll alternate this hour glass with a solid block matching a 4-patch block (or something simple like that).

it'll take me a while to cut everything and i'll need to work on tee's flannels (no, i haven't done those yet!), but if i do one block at a time, when i've time, it'll be quite pleasurable and i'll know a great challenge...until i get to the actual quilting and binding, that is. I'm getting freaked again! :D