Happiness is..
After spending all weekend tracing patterns and anxiously awaiting for Monday so that I could pick up my wool fabric from the cleaners, I discovered that I won't be able to sew up Simplicity 3631. Why? Because I am SUCH the math genius. Sometime in between tracing patterns and waiting for Monday, I had added the following up in my head: 2 3/4 yd + 1 yd = 2 3/8 yd ... WTF? yes, WTF.. I got so excited to have something new to wear to a work event on Friday that I had imagined that I had extra fabric to make the skirt in addition to the jacket I was originally intending on sewing. I would have made a suit! I was so excited about that possibility that it made the wait to pick up my dry cleaning unbearable. So this evening I picked up the wool and proceeded to work on cutting. I started out by cutting off 1 yard for the skirt. I looked at the remaining fabric and thought to myself, wait a sec, this can't possibly be 2 3/4 yards. I ran back upstairs, checked the card and realized, rather reminded myself, that I only had 2 3/8 yards. The SADNESS! I must have had a huge brain lapse! Even if I didn't decide to make the skirt, I still wouldn't have had enough to make the jacket!
So as I'm simultaneously feeling sad and pissed at my wonderful math skills, I remembered that I had a gem waiting for me in the dryer..
Beach Stripe Quilt
Pattern: my own, based on 10" and 5" squares and 5"x10" rectangles
Fabric: Alexander Henry's Beach Stripe, symphony broadcloth and country classic solids
Size: 40 x 40"
Recipient: CJ
Why yes, it is another baby quilt. I tell you, they're popping out all over the place!* This quilt was made for my good college friend's little boy who made his appearance this weekend. I swear this would have been done before he was born! His shower is happening this weekend, but HE wasn't supposed to happen until next month! So welcome to the world little CJ!
This quilt was supposed to be based purely on 10, 5, and 2.5" squares. I played and played around with all the pieces and finally decided on something. As you can see, there are rectangles and no 2.5" squares. The design changed and I'm pretty happy with it. There is one little boo-boo in the layout, can you spot it? I caught it early on that I could have fixed it, but decided to keep it that way, partially out laziness and partially as a "design element" (which do you really believe?).
Some of those 2.5" squares show up on the back. And to be honest with you, I like the back a lot better than the front. But that's the good thing about this quilt, instead of having a plain back, you've got a design on both sides so you can flip back and forth depending on your mood.
I learned two things while making this quilt. Painter's tape is your best friend when quilting a geometric motif. I basically quilted 5 square spirals, one in the center, and one in each quadrant of the quilt. Then I quilted diagonal lines on the corners of the quilt. Detail here.
I also learned that you shouldn't use dark colored thread to sew your pieces together. I used green thread to piece the quilt together. Bad move. While you can't see the green show through the yellow from afar, it's definitely noticeable when you look right it. Quilting tip of the day: When piecing fabrics of different colors, use thread that matches the fabric with the lightest color.
And because I'm always amazed at the pre and post wash transformation, here are some before and afters. Click through for links to see each individual photo.
* I've got three more friends expecting little ones (three little girls, one in November, December, and January). More cutting and piecing to come. At this rate, I'll never get my own quilt done!
So as I'm simultaneously feeling sad and pissed at my wonderful math skills, I remembered that I had a gem waiting for me in the dryer..
Beach Stripe Quilt
Pattern: my own, based on 10" and 5" squares and 5"x10" rectangles
Fabric: Alexander Henry's Beach Stripe, symphony broadcloth and country classic solids
Size: 40 x 40"
Recipient: CJ
Why yes, it is another baby quilt. I tell you, they're popping out all over the place!* This quilt was made for my good college friend's little boy who made his appearance this weekend. I swear this would have been done before he was born! His shower is happening this weekend, but HE wasn't supposed to happen until next month! So welcome to the world little CJ!
This quilt was supposed to be based purely on 10, 5, and 2.5" squares. I played and played around with all the pieces and finally decided on something. As you can see, there are rectangles and no 2.5" squares. The design changed and I'm pretty happy with it. There is one little boo-boo in the layout, can you spot it? I caught it early on that I could have fixed it, but decided to keep it that way, partially out laziness and partially as a "design element" (which do you really believe?).
Some of those 2.5" squares show up on the back. And to be honest with you, I like the back a lot better than the front. But that's the good thing about this quilt, instead of having a plain back, you've got a design on both sides so you can flip back and forth depending on your mood.
I learned two things while making this quilt. Painter's tape is your best friend when quilting a geometric motif. I basically quilted 5 square spirals, one in the center, and one in each quadrant of the quilt. Then I quilted diagonal lines on the corners of the quilt. Detail here.
I also learned that you shouldn't use dark colored thread to sew your pieces together. I used green thread to piece the quilt together. Bad move. While you can't see the green show through the yellow from afar, it's definitely noticeable when you look right it. Quilting tip of the day: When piecing fabrics of different colors, use thread that matches the fabric with the lightest color.
And because I'm always amazed at the pre and post wash transformation, here are some before and afters. Click through for links to see each individual photo.
* I've got three more friends expecting little ones (three little girls, one in November, December, and January). More cutting and piecing to come. At this rate, I'll never get my own quilt done!
