Ahoy, baby!

Well, something happens when you hit a certain age--you're suddenly surrounded by babies!  So far, babies have been the most compelling reason for me to quilt.  I can put down everything else to crank out a baby quilt. 

 

 

 

If you know me personally, then you already know that my husband and I led a young adult bible study for quite a few years.  Now, (not counting BabySchep) the first baby from that group is coming soon:

Well, of course Baby Anthony is getting a quilt!  I was short on time, so I needed something relatively easy.  I remembered how much fun I had making the Big Top quilt for a friend almost two years ago, so I pulled out my 10 degree wedge ruler again. 

 

I constructed this quilt top in the same manner as the Big Top quilt, but with navy and off-white, as Baby Anthony has a nautical theme going on in his nursery:

It's making me dizzy!

Like before, I appliqued a circle over the gap in the center.  This time, I embellished the circle with an anchor made of felt. 

 

Almost done basting!

I machine quilted the sandwich on my 9960 using a walking foot and Aurifil 50wt thread.  That, plus a brand new needle made for smooth sailing. 

 

I attached navy bias binding, and started on the label.  I tried out Sulky's Sticky FabriSolvy for the first time, and it was a hit!  I typed up the label on my computer, and printed it directly on the sheet on my laser printer.  It simply peels and sticks, and you're ready to sew!

I used three strands of embroidery floss with a simple backstitch to cover up the printed text.  Even with the white stabilizer, the white floss stood out just fine. 

When I was done, I simply submerged the label in water, and the stabilizer disappeared!  Amazing.  I will be using this stuff a lot.

 

Well, here's the finished product:

 

 

Love that Happy Home print!

Label turned out pretty nicely!

BabySchep, at 5 months old, modeling the quilt for the camera.

I think this photo belongs in a catalog!

I made a matching drawstring bag with the extra backing fabric.  Here it is amongst the other goodies at the shower:

 

So what do y'all think?  I'm pretty pleased with the outcome.  Love the fabric?  You can pick up the Happy Home collection in my shop.  (My husband and I own the company!)  Want to recreate this quilt?  Get what you need here. 

 

Until next time, God Bless!

 

 

Sewing for #babyschep

It's begun!  The first of many, many things I will sew for my little one.  First off, I simply cannot believe that I'm going to be a mom.  We had our 20 week ultrasound this past week, so here's a peek at my kid:

So what did I make for baby?  The oh-so-popular 1 Hour Basket.  The pattern is free from Hearts and Bees in the Craftsy shop.  Here's my first crack at it:

This particular one went to my mom's house.  She seemed truly excited about it, so bonus points for me, right?  I made the first one using home dec fabric from Ikea, American Made Brand solid for the lining, and Pellon Thermoloam Fusible Fleece for the interfacing.  Not so bad!  The only tricky part is making the gussets--I've always had trouble matching the seams up just so.


My second go-round was specifically designed for the nursery, which I've chosen to decorate in a neutral jungle theme.

Yes, I made three!

 I chose a neutral home dec fabric from Ikea.  The lining fabric was from a mystery sale table at Fabric Warehouse, so I can't tell you what it is.  If you recognize it, let me know!  This time, I used Pellon's new Flex-Foam, and boy, was it fantastic!  I even managed to match up all of my gusset seams!  Woot! 

I even added a little label:

Of course, I picked the messiest one to photograph!

I'm not sure why my baby needs to know this was made by mommy, but whatevs.  These were quick and fun to make--I'll probably make some more in the future.  Until then, God Bless!

A Bag for Grandma Carol

You might remember that I didn't make it to my brother and sister in-law's wedding last July.  One reason why that was a bummer was I missed seeing this lady:

Grandma Carol and my Mark

Grandma Carol came down to see us this month.  The timing was great--Ohio was seeing double-digit sub-zero temps while she was here!  We had the privilege of hanging out with her for a few days, so I thought I'd mark the occasion with a handmade gift.  Check it out:



This is the Aeroplane Bag by SewSweetness.  You can buy the pattern at Sara Lawson's shop here.  It's a super-roomy zippered tote with fabric handles and two interior zipper pockets.  I really had a great time making the bag.

I opted to use headliner foam instead of Soft and Stable, simply because I had some on hand.  I quilted the patterned portion of the bag by machine by following the natural pattern of the fabric:

As you can see, I used my walking foot to do the quilting.  I actually kept my walking foot on for the majority of the bag construction.  I feel like it really makes the process easier.  Here's a close up view of the quilting:

Not too shabby, huh?  I used Connecting Threads' Essential Quilting Thread in cream, and it really agrees with my machine.  I was even so bold as to do all of my topstitching in a contrasting color!

I am thoroughly impressed with myself on this one. 

I did make one major boo-boo:

I completely mis-measured the Peltex for the bottom of the bag.  I ended up zigzag stitching two smaller pieces together.  It ended up being okay, though.  Overall, I though it turned out nicely, and Grandma Carol loved it, which is all that really mattered. 

What do y'all think?  I love it!  I've got a lot more coming your way, so stay tuned.  Until then, God Bless!