2010 Reflections + 2011 Predictions

It has been a great year! I thought I would reflect a bit by filling out the survey from Sew Mama Sew. I also added a couple collages of my favorite things I made this year at the end of this post!

Looking back on the sewing scene of 2010, what trends stand out in your mind?
I noticed lots of the red/aqua combo, hexies, munki munki, mug rugs, and traditional patterns paired with modern fabrics.

Munki Munki Jane by Lollyquiltz

What were some of your favorite things? (Trends, fabric collections, patterns, blogs? Whatever you really loved.)

Trends- love the red/aqua combo, linen, hand quilting and stripey bindings!
Fabric collections- I loved Nicey Jane, Modern Meadow, Bliss, and I adore anything my Anna Maria Horner, so much so that I have not yet cut up my huge stash of her stuff because I don't want to "waste" it on the wrong design! I am also quite smitten with Heather Ross and her many whimsical prints.
Patterns- I usually work from inside my own head! Inspiration is everywhere.
Blogs- many listed on my side bar, more under my profile, and even more yet to be discovered! So many talented people!

What was your very favorite fabric collection or print? (If not listed above.)
If I HAD to pick a favorite, I would say.....all things AMH.

What was the best thing you made in 2010?
Whatever I am currently working on tends to be my favorite! In general sewing, I would have to say my favorites were my messenger bags or my ballerina bags.
In quilting, I put my heart into each of those babies, but my favorite would probably be the Nicey Jane quilt I made for my best friend Samantha.
What is one of the best things you saw that was made by someone else?
Soooo many great things! But here is the quilt that kicked off my obsession with quilting (and my AMH hoarding spree) this spring, by Ashley at Film in the Fridge:

What do you think 2011 has in store? (Again, trends, fabric, patterns, etc.)
I predict....I will spend way too much money on fabric again in 2011!! I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of my Sherbet Pips! And I am sure my favorite designers will not disappoint. Just when I say "NO MORE FABRIC!" something comes out that is too awesome to resist.
I also think there will be more and more "art" in quilts. But I know I will never lose my love affair with the basic square :-)

Anything you’re ready for the sewing world to get over?
I think as an individual, if you love it, go with it, even if the rest of the world doesn't! Everyone needs to find the inspiration that stirs up that excitement within! Sometimes the simplest patterns are most striking, and, unfortunately, some of the most intricate and difficult things are kinda ugly ;)

What’s on your sewing agenda for 2011? What are you excited about? What would you like to learn more about?
I am still new to the sewing world, and can't wait to learn more! Each project I try to incorporate something new, to keep learning and exploring techniques, and to push my limits. I definitely want to get more in depth with my quilting, and have about 10 different quilts in my head right now (and the corresponding fabric already bought!). I also would like to make some more clothes for my daughters, while they will still let me. I am looking forward to the Sewing Summit in October in Salt Lake City, and hope to meet many other bloggers there! I am also gearing up to learn more about knitting in 2011, and am looking forward to branching out. I love all the yarns out there, and am sure I can develop a yarn fetish with very little coaxing :-)

Here is a review of some of my favorite things I made in 2010!

My quilts of 2010 (12 in total):

1/2. Twin quilts set 2 3/4/5. Twin quilts (+1) set 1 6. Nicey Jane quilt 7. Feminist boy quilt 8.The Ugly Quilt 9. McKinley quilt and pattern 10. Disappearing 9 patch 11. Wheels strip quilt 12. My first quilt

Favorite sewing projects of 2010:
1. rainbow spool pouch 2. best tree ever 3. Scottie dogs 4. wedding hoop 5. pillowcase dresses 6. mail organizer 7. Mini-Monet ornaments 8. Messenger bag 9. Camera case 10. Artist bag 11. adventures in knitting 12. ruffle neck dress

Here's to a great 2011! I also want to thank each of you who have been following along on my journey, and for all the support and encouragement you have given me! This blog has truly been a place for me to relax, have fun, share my passion, and get some wonderful positive energy in an often negative and draining world. You guys fuel me up! Thanks so much :-)

Cuties

I love to make things for other people. I feel like in this day and age, when life is so full and busy, spending time says "love" much more than spending money. Not everyone views "homemade" that way, and fair enough- I don't love every gift given to me, either. But it does warm my heart when a gift I have made is received with excitement.

My first set of twin quilts went to a very dear friend's boys. When she was pregnant, I asked if I could make quilts for them, and she was so excited! She was involved in the fabric selection, design and redesign (x3). She even modelled the entire nursery around the quilts, and hung them on the wall when they were complete.

They recently had professional photos done and decided to use the boys' quilts as a backdrop for the photo shoot. I was so touched! The photos are in-CRED-ible! They were taken by the extremely talented May Arason-Li. I will definitely be calling on her to photograph my children, so that I can pull out sweet pictures like this when they are driving me nuts in real life :-)





Aren't these boys the most precious things ever?? Or at least in close competition with their crazy-cute Big Sister!

"Japanese Dinner" twin quilts

Phew, I finished! Here they are, Twin Quilts, Take 2!

I had so much fun making the Riley Blake Wheels twin quilts, and it was fun to start fresh with a totally new design for this set for another pair of good friends who also recently had twin boys. Like the "original" twin quilts, I wanted to make something coordinating, yet individual. To do this, I decided to use the same colors, but vary the design.

For the first quilt, I used a Bento Box design, framed by white sashing. For the second, I used the same concept, but in circles instead of squares. Due to the round shape, I named these "Mixed Sushi Rolls" as a nod to their square cousin. Together....a nice Japanese dinner :-)
I used entirely blue and green solids (inspired by this quilt), just purchased from my local quilt store. I love love love this color scheme! I threw one print into the mix on each quilt top just to catch the eye- the square patterned Monaluna Mingle for the Bento Box quilt, and some Amy Butler Sunspots for the Sushi quilt.

To further tie the two quilts together, I added a patch of squares on the sashing on the Sushi quilt, and then circles in the same region on the Bento Box quilt. These patches in the sashing were mirrored on the backs. I even pieced in some of the patch material in the binding to give the illusion that it wraps around, resembling a tab. I personalized the quilts in these squares and circles with hand stitching in bright orange.

Aside from that small detail, the backs are otherwise identical.

I used the large scale Michael Miller Megatropolis print on the backs, which is funky, bright and fun. This print was actually the inspiration for these quilts....planned the back first, a little "backwards", I know! I bordered the print on either side by blue solids. The print is trimmed by strips of black dots that match the binding. I love this fabric and its soft little grey dots, just picked it up at my local quilt store. I think the black adds a bit of maturity to the quilt and grounds it, as well as really complimenting the Michael Miller print.
Quilting was a true lesson in frustration. I had originally intended to do the Sushi quilt in free motion curves, and the Bento in straight line boxes. Turns out my Bento Boxes were a little more wonky than I had planned...don't know how/why things don't line up when I cut them precisely, and use a 1/4 seam foot to piece, but hopefully down the road, experience will help with that. Anyways, the wonky factor made it very difficult to sew straight lines, because it either looked straight against the front and crooked on the back, or vice versa. More than a few cringes during this one! The vertical lines looked fine, but the horizontal ones were looking shabby, especially since the back panel did not seem to line up (looks like I suck at basting, too!). Anyways, ended up tearing it all out (ugh.), which took about SIX hours. In the end I decided to do free motion stippling for both to better camouflage the glaring errors! Oh, how I long to be a straight line goddess like Rita at Red Pepper Quilts! But I think it all worked out for a reason, the quilts better suit this randomness. This was only my second go at free motion (I also did it for the other twin quits) and I was much more comfortable and consistent (that is a very relative statement!). Funny thing is I realized after I was done that I had forgotten to drop my feed dogs...how did it even work?? Who knows, but I am happy with how it turned out. Especially once washed- so nice and crinkly!

Finished them off with little labels hand stitched onto the back:
Can't wait to deliver these to two very adorable little guys.....hope they like them! I will take payment in the form of snuggles, please!

Sharing with my friends at Quilt Story and Sew and Tell!

A Nicey Jane quilt for Samantha

Looking for my giveaway? Click here, until October 5!

If this wasn't going to one of my very favorite people, I don't think I could part with it....
But there is no better feeling than making a gift for another crafter, who understands the work put into it, and responds with the appropriate squeals and exclamations!! Samantha and I have been bosom buddies since basically the first week of dental school in the '90s, and have bonded over school stress, vacations, breakups, weddings, 3 babes a piece, and many-o-crafts over the years. She lives in Toronto, so we don't get to see each other often, but she is the kind of friend I know I can always count on. We have already declared that when we are both 95 years old widows (bless our wonderful husbands, we will have surely worn them out by then!?!), we will move in together and craft and drink wine and eat cupcakes until our time comes :-)

This is the second quilt I have made with Nicey Jane- the other is for me, and is stuck on the back burner at the basting phase for the moment while I work on things for everyone else! I like this one better. The bold prints on this line are softened so well when in smaller squares, with the neutral grey and white.
I have never done a squares quilt before, and I love the look of this. Didn't realize how hard it is to match up all those corners! I did, most of the time.... It was all the more critical with the quilting I wanted to do, with the single diagonal lines over the grey squares and double lines, 1/4 inch apart, over the patterned. The back was left rather simple. I wanted it to be a nice backdrop to highlight the quilting. The white thread looks great against the grey.

I used the striped Welcome Road fabric for the binding, and love it! I think I will be hoarding more stripes from now on....

I decided to do something a little special with the quilt label, so I used my circle cutter (addicted to that thing!) and made a little flower, and centered it with an inscription. I put a funny friendship quote ("Friends are like bras: close to your heart and there for support") and a few words, then hand stitched on the lot with Perle 8 thread. The edges are raw and again frayed up nicely in the wash. The quilt is lap sized, measuring 60" by 65", which is ample for my shrimpy-barely-5-feet-tall friend! It was so nice to be able to give it to her in person this past weekend at our reunion. Here we are holding it up among the beautiful Banff Rocky Mountains!


I will be sharing this quilt over at Quilt Story, Sew and Tell and A Crafty Soiree (which also featured my reversible bird bib- thanks Malia and Katie!).

The twins are here....and so are their quilts!

After 39 weeks, followed by 2 days of labour, one natural birth and one c-section (S., you are my hero!), two cute little bundles of love have finally made their way into the world!

And, at long last, so have their quilts! So, without further ado, here they are:

Evan's quilt...... ......and Sam's quilt! I loved working with the Riley Blake Wheels line. The fabric had a great retro feel to it and strong colors, which made them feel so rich. Evan's quilt was made as a strip quilt, with a vertical strip intersecting the horizontal, like crossroads! I used a chocolate brown color as sashing and binding to add to the "man factor." For Sam's quilt, I modified this quilt design to allow for rectangular blocks, to best suit the fabric for fussy cutting these cars.I opted to use the Wheels blue dot fabric as a base, and paired it with the same chocolate brown sashing for continuity with his big bro's quilt. I was striving for 2 complimentary quilts, but with individuality, just like these boys. The backs- I will abandon all modesty here and just say....I rocked it!! :-) I couldn't take a picture that did these justice. These turned out even better than expected. At some point in the process I came up with the idea of the stop light, using each of the lights as a way to record the birth information- name in the red light, date and time of birth in the yellow, and weight and height in the green. I love how these are now embedded in the quilts as a keepsake. I hand stitched these in brown embroidery thread (though I wish I had used a slightly darker brown), using the same method as I did for the Mckinley quilt. I used a circle cutter, then attached the embroidered circles using Heat and Bond, with some stitching around the sides with Perle 8 thread. The edges are raw, and I love how they frayed up a bit after washing. Quilting- my FIRST go at free motion. I was so scared! But I knew the design of the quilt called for it, so I sucked it up and went for it. This is where I was glad I had a "third" twin quilt.....remember how I didn't like one of the originals, so I made another? Anyways, the third quilt became my guinea pig. During the course of it there were many s-sharps uttered, tons of spikes and loops in the stippling, and let's not forget that basting/puckering fiasco.....Up close it kind of looks like crap (to a quilter's eye), but when you look on it as a whole, the imperfections kind of fade....that is what I love about quilting. So, not bad for a reject. For the second/third go round at free motion on the "keeper" quilts, I tried out 505 spray adhesive for basting, and it was a dream. I know it adds cost, but in the end I will pay a premium for my sanity! Not a pucker on any quilt since (I have used it on 4). My free motion vastly improved as I went, and I can honestly say I enjoyed it by the end. I love how the stippling adds that puckered feel, and the brown thread looks great highlighted against the blue solids on the back. Some people have asked me what I intend to do with the third quilt. Well, when I started quilting back in the springtime, it was in response the the amazing Quilting for Babes program started by my friend Kathy at Magnolia Designs. Baby quilts were made and donated to the NICU at the Children's Hospital from all around the world. I had planned to make 3 to donate, in gratitude for the health of my 3 gorgeous kids. I donated 2 "girl" quilts (my first quilt, plus another), but had yet to contribute a "boy" quilt.....so, here it is. Hopefully it will give some joy to a family who is in need of comforting.

In other twin news....2 more twins have just arrived to another good friend of mine. Yes, it is true. Something in the water up here?? And boys again. So that means...."Twin Quilts 2" will be coming to a blog near you (er, right here, actually). New designs, but (hopefully) equal Awesome Factor. I'll give you a hint: I will be using the stack of blues and greens.....

Linking up at Sew and Tell and the Crafty Soiree and Quilt Story Fabric Tuesday :-)

"Feminist Boy" baby quilt

Note: Don't forget to enter my "New Blog Design Giveaway" here.

Yes, there is a story behind the quilt name!

A good friend of ours, who incidentally introduced my hubby and I 17+ years ago, had finally settled down with a lovely wife a few years ago. Both busy professionals, they started trying to have a baby, and as sometimes happens....well, it wasn't so easy. They had suffered several miscarriages, when finally, B. changed jobs, and things came together for them. She is certain that it has to do with leaving the stress of her prior job. They are due with a little boy this fall! Both from families with mostly females, when asked how they would deal with a boy, B. replied, "No matter, he will be a feminist regardless." Knowing them, this is certain to be true :-) Thus, the name of the quilt!

I used mostly Joel Dewberry Modern Meadow fabrics for this quilt- I absolutely love this line! The colors are fantastic, and a great go-to for a masculine quilt. I added a few solids, as well tried something new by adding some fabrics of texture.
I am terrible with the names of fabrics....the white is velour-like, and the corduroy is extra soft- I used this for the binding as well.

I also added just a single square of red (non-cotton, kind of suiting-type?) material to both the back and front, just to draw the eye.
As another first, I tried out some hand quilting using my Perle 8 thread in conjunction with some machine quilting at 1/4 inch from the seams. I loved hand quilting! I found it very therapeutic to sit and stitch. I just did some random lines, using colors coordinating with the quilt, and again just a touch of red. These added a bit of something to the front, but where they really shine is on the back:
I used a dark navy solid for the back, which really highlights the hand quilting, and pieced it with with some squares. I love a pieced back, it is like a bonus, a happy surprise. Of course, this quilt has lots of "character" (i.e. crooked and uneven stitches!)......best admired from afar :-)
In another quilting update, the twin quilts (plus 1) are complete! Just waiting on those babies....at 38 weeks already! Their Momma is a trouper! Here is a preview....the full reveal when these little guys finally make their debut, so I can do the finishing touches!

p.s It is Sew and Tell Friday at amylouwho again today....go check out the great accomplishment of the week :-)