Fall is Here

Joy, Joy!!

My fall swap quilt arrived today from Luisa of Lisbon, Portugal. OK, OK..not a true blind swap in that I knew my quilt was coming from her. I had no idea what it would look like though, or that it would be so incredible. It's different from anything I would make, but so much in a style I love. The appliqued leaves are cut from a pattern that makes the leaves look like they have veins. I think my picture is upside down, oops! So lovely. Many thanks!!

Fit for a Princess, but in a slump

Sometimes I just dread sewing. That is now: Halloween. The boys need their costumes and I am dragging my feet at starting them. It is such uninspiring sewing; I hate it. The crush-pane that Captain Hook's coat is being done in is slippery. In a word, a Pain to sew. I have mostly finished the shirt for Peter Pan, but it lacks pizzazz. Maybe next week my kid will nap and I'll be focused to sew.
On another front, the Christmas dress for my daughter is gorgeous. Sometimes I just amaze myself when I can sew without making huge mistakes, and have it look like this. The collar has a lovely entredeux edging that I did with a wing needle. I am still testing out some of the decorative stitches my new machine has. This one I like.

Sophie's Christmas Dress

It's coming of mere scraps that I have left from anothe rproject, but it's going to be very sweet.

It's not a girl!

My friend had a baby boy so I was forced to put away all of the great pieces of pink fabric that I had pulled out for her quilt. I was really looking forward to sewing for a girl...so much more frilly and fun. Maybe I just wanted her to have a girl so she could experience the sheer joy of a girl, knowing that she's not planning to have any more kids and she already has a boy. Back in April I found this awesome lamb fabric (and she LOVES sheep), and not knowing if it was a boy or girl, I got pieces of the cloth in both pink and blue. Looks like the pink is destined for another project. A long sigh, and I was off to finish her gift. It's a quilt, but it is smaller so it could either be hung on a wall, as she did with the one I made 2 years ago for her first baby, or it could be used for a carseat/stroller.
Here's an interim picture - quilting and binding are not quilt finished. It is modeled after a quilt I saw at Darcie's blog (though not sewn quite as well).

On another subject, my Hungry Caterpillar quilt is done!! It's donner than done. It's ready to go. I love it. Oh wait, I just remembered it needs antennae on one of the caterpillar, but essentially done.

Baby Fairy, Where are You?

Dear Baby Fairy,

I am not sure where you are, if you exist, or what you may look like. But I really need you right now. My good friend & former colleague is 39+ weeks pregnant and I need her to birth this kid! Yes, this post does come of selfish motives. Sure, sure...she wants the alien out of her too, but I have a legitimate concern.

This is the weekend. I get "unlimitted" (choke, ha ha) sewing time on the weekend. As any of you know, my weeks are rather hellish with chasing a nearly walking baby, my pain-in-the ass middle kid that prefers jumping in bed to sleeping, and the rigors (choke) of a new job. But, again as I said, it is about me, not the about-to-pop mother to be. I have plans for potentially making her something for the baby, but I can't until it shows us it's gender.

I can hardly fathom this still being pregnant at 39 weeks. Mine could practically crawl by that point. Actually, the 3rd one was born right at 39, but the 2 boys came out 1&2 weeks before that. They knew the meaning of "The lease is up: Come out!"

OK, so I have actually started sewing something but I can only do small parts of it without knowing more. I knew the gender of all my kids in advance. It was one of those secrets in life I saw no need in having. It was convenience being able to get clothes & the nursery ahead of time. I know that she is reusing her older child's nursery. I just really don't want to be confined to the boring blue and green again...(boo hoo!>...-just kidding LCC). The nursery is very beautiful. As a mom of a little girl, I so hope she has a girl so that I can sew with some PINK! Oh, yea...I mean so that she has the joy of a little girl & a boy!

So, baby fairy, please....and I am begging because I do not get adequate sewing time during the week...Please make her belly start contracting!!

Smocking Complete

Here's the front of Sophie's Christmas dress...very old fashioned; I love it. Sure hope that there really is enough scraps of this fabric now to make up the dress!

My Baby will be Darling for the Holidays

I had a little material left over from the dresses I have mostly finished making for the neighbor girls. So I have decided to whip (this is where you choke a few times and laugh loudly) one up for Sophie. She only needs about a yard of fabric, maybe a touch less since this is wide. That of course assumes that I don't have to cut anything out twice :-) !!! The dress will be smocked on the bodice. The sleeves will be the creamy heart-floral like the under dresses for the older girls are. I just don't have enough of the red. I will also do a ruffly crinoline-style bottom for the dress of the cream floral, maybe with ivory eyelet too. She'll be pretty and fancy for Christmas, or Valentine's Day depending when this gets finished.

I did the smocking different from the last few projects. At first I was unsure because the diamonds were very simple, maybe even bland. But then I took a giant leap (as recommended here) and added the bullion roses (thanks EST for directions!). And then bland is very Baby-Beautiful. I do like the simpler smocked bodice.


I still have a trillion bullion knots to finish, and a bottom wavy border, but I think you can get the idea where this is going. ...very vintage baby

Other Progress

There has also been tremendously painful and slow progress on the dresses I am making. By that I mean, it is like 2 steps forward, 900 steps back. Makes me cringe at the thought of working on them, but I know I need to get them finished. Both now have finished bottom hems with ruffle, bindings on the pinafore arm holes are finished. This should read "Some dumb bozo put them in once and did a quilter's seam allowance. For kicks her 5 year old son tried on a dress, and she realized the arms were too snug at the pits. The Bozo stood back, rumpled her nose, said a few obscenities, and realized the mistake. Bozo proceded to cut off bindings and start over". The dresses going under the pinafores are making good progress too. 15 of 16 buttons and button holes are complete. And sleeves w/ unfinished cuffs are set in too. There may be collars but Bozo keeps forgetting to wash the material.

On another project (yes, the unfinished list does go on...)
The Snuggly Hungry Caterpillar quilt is looking AWESOME. Pictures will come soon, promise. It's mostly all quilted, all by hand. Needs a few things here and there and it's done. I'm still pondering how to bind it - namely what color(s). Have to procrastinate somehow.

Last Friday my mother andI started another quilt for the project Linus book-blanket challenge. I'd been wanting to do a quilt with her all summer, but it never happenned. She's supplied my dining room (ha ha - that's the pit of a room that has fabric strewn everywhere) with lots of fun materials, but I haven't done too many quilts this summer. I designed a very simple blanket of a bunch of fishy fabrics. The book is Curious George goes Fishing. She's adding a fleecy George onto it. It'll be cute.

More Other...
Still pondering a couple more winter quilt projects. Need to get some good train materials for my son's new bedroom - 3 year old appropriate.

Oh well...dream time is over since the baby is awake from nap and I have work to claim to need doing.

Fall Quilt

All done except for the label...

The hearts are supposed to look like falling leaves as the title of the quilt is Falling in Love with Autumn.
...and the back sans label.

A hippie?

You Are Grass Green

Down to earth and a bit of a hippie, you are very into nature and the outdoors. You accept the world and people as they are. You don't try to change things. You are also very comfortable with yourself, flaws and all. Optimistic about the future, you feel like life is always getting better.

What Color Green Are You?

Fall Quilt nearing Completion

Here's the back...I love the corn fabric, but couldn't find a good place for it on the front.

And the front, in all of it's fuzziness. It needs a little more quilting. I ran out of inspiration. A binding and a label, and voila...it will be ready to mail to somebody.

Making Progress

I am actually quilting now!...

A Sneak Peek...

Can't reveal who it's for, but here's a quick (and not so clear!..) look at the progress of the Fall quilt thus far. Still needs borders and quilting. It is really prettier than the picture shows. Hopefully the recipient will think so too.

Hungry Caterpillar has something to eat

Here's the back...
close up...you can see all of the foods the caterpillar eats.
And the front is mostly pieced together. Still needs a red outer narrow border, feet on the big caterpillar, butterfly (it's in appliqued parts awaiting a patient seamstress to sew them to the quilt) and a face on the fuzzy & fat caterpillar.
Good progress the last couple days. Phew... I really ready to be doing the smocking of Sophie's Christmas dress but this must be finished in 7 weeks so I need to have it ready to hand quilt in the evenings. A seamstresses work is never done...

Book Blanket Challenge

Our local Project Linus chapter is hosting a Book-Blanket Challenge this fall. The idea is to select a children's story and design a quilt around it or one of it's characters. The quilts will be given to children at Barbara Bush Children's hospital between Thanksgiving and the end of December. It's a great thing, and gives me chills every time I think about it. It makes me sad to think that it could be my kid in the hospital. It's sad to think of any child there at Christmas.

So, here's the story I have chosen. It's fun and bright and genderless. Perfect.

Several months ago I sketched this as the concept for the quilt. Very informal, could've on a cocktail napkin!

Here's a few of the panels. None are really finished, but they are coming along well.

There's nice bright sun with most of a caterpillar appliqued onto it. Hungry Caterpillar won't be too hungry until I add his head! The sun has these satiny reys that will be knotted when it is finished. I have tried to add several tactile items. Upper right is the coccoon. It's fleece, and has a little stuffing in it.

The Hungry Caterpillar ate one green leaf... He's embroidered in this scene.

Hungry caterpillar hasn't got his eyes and antennae yet, but he is big and fat! A great variagated green fleece, with looped satin ribbon. Love the lollypop material that I'm using as the border.

I have yet to start on the butterfly that will be on the central part of the quilt. It again will have tactile items, like nubbly antennae, pieces of it's wings that move/crinkle, etc, and lots of color. Here's a sneak peek at the fabrics going on the back. Anybody know where I can get cheese, pickle or sausage fabric???

Holiday Dress Making, Part III

OK, did I mention that there were 2 sisters?? Here's dress #2...
I have already completed the 2 front pinnafore sections that are smocked. They are similar to the other dress's but not exactly the same. The piece below is just a rectangular section that will attach to the smocked bodice piece. It will eventually be cut using the bodice pattern (to curve for nect & arm holes).

Smocked bodice #2 with mini-piping sewn at the top.

Same piece, now with the top of the bodice rectangle added. It's now ready for cutting. But I haven't done that yet! Next post...
OK, onto the trimmings. I got this fabulous 1.625" eyelet from Ebay at about a third the going price. Saw it at Joann's (heads turn...Oh God, she shops at Joann's?) for $3 a yard. I got nearly 14 yards for $10. Only problem is that it was white and I wanted ivory. So...I tea stained it. The result was exactly what I wanted. Good recipe to remember: 1 standard tea bag per cup of boiling water. Let steep 30 minutes. Allow soak of 30 minutes. Then rinse/soak with cool water. The color difference is subtle, but it makes all the difference when it is next to the ivory color of the under-dress.
Oh, have I mentioned that I have hardly sewn a seam that I haven't ripped out. I'm darn near ready to toss these dresses out the window. I was going on someone else's measurements for lengths. Very trusting person I am! The pinnafore had lovely pleats (2) around the hem like the purple dress I did recently. I held it up to my son, who is 4-5 inches shorter than the girl it is for. The dress hit mid-calf on him. I croaked! That's where I wanted it to be on her! UGGH...So I ditched the pleats and gained 2" of length. Best compromise I could find short of strangling the measurer! Seing as she's family, that would not have looked good.

Swapdex

Please note that http://www.swapdex.blogspot.com/ now is a site available that lists available swaps.

New Blog Page

For those of you interested in participating in the Four Seasons Quilt Swap (FSQS-fall), I have established a separate blog page: http://fourseasonsquiltswap.blogspot.com/

All future updates and information will be posted here.

Four Seasons Quilt Swap - Quilters & Sewers WANTED!!

I have been so intrigued with the blog swaps I have seen lately that I am soliciting sewers and quilters for another. I have canvased other swap lists to formulate an initial list of crafty people to whom this link was sent. I've seen your work and it's awesome. The creativity is beyond my imagination. I hope this project is something you all will consider.

About me...I will coordinate the project. I have sewed since I was a girl (ahhh, dare I say 30+ years), and made quilts for the last 20 years. I have dabbled in many creative endeavors from scrapbooking to embroidery to smocking as well. As an engineer in my pre-momma days, I have the organization to keep a project going and to get it completed. Being a mom hasn't stiffled my sewing & quilting; I just lost the room I used to use due to baby #3. As my hubby says, I don't need a sewing room since the dining room has been converted with cloth. Just this year I have completed 25 quilts for Project Linus, and several quilt tops awaiting quilting.

Here's what I propose for the first swap...
This is the Four Seasons Swap. If all goes smoothly, over the next year we can collectively create a quilted project for each season. With Summer approaching it's end soon, let's begin with Fall.

Create a doll-sized quilt depicting your interpretation of fall. There are no design guidlines; use your imagination and you cannot go wrong. Keep the size between 12" x 12" and 18" x 18", with rectangular or square being OK. It may be for a wall or for a table (as in a runner or centerpiece). Please use prewashed cotton or cotton blend materials if possible. Embellishment with anything that sews on is great (ie., trims, ric-rac, buttons). Please no glue though. Specify to your swap partner how quilt should be washed. The back of your quilt should include a personalized label with the name you selected four your Fall quilt, the date and your name, at a minimum. The quilt top may be pieced, applique, or whatever floats your boat. Consider possibly a pieced quilt in fall colors, or something depicting fall, or a quilt for one of the fall holidays, OR WHATEVER SAYS "FALL" TO YOU!

August 18, 2007 - The deadline to commit to the swap challenge. The quilt must be completed by September 30, 2007 and mailed to your swap partner. Depending on the response, the registration may close.

If you are interested, email me msolomo1@maine.rr.com . Please include your full name, mailing address, blog URL if you have one and whether you are willing to ship internationally. Note: your last name & address will not be given on the internet, only to your swap partner. I encourage you all to indicate some of your preferences to style and color so that you may be matched with an appropriate partner - both in what you like to make & what you like to receive. If you do not have preference and would rather be surprised, that is great too. By August 27, I will email each of you with your swap partner's information & quilt requests. I encourage you to post pictures of your quilts on your blog, as the person that you are making it for will not know who you are until it is mailed/received. I will also set up a group share on a photo site for these pictures to be viewed.

I encourage all of you to please spread the word about this to friends & family you may know that may be interested.

Please note I will be on vacation August 18-25, and will NOT be email accessible.

Making a Smocked Holiday Dress, Part II

OK, this may be a little out of order. I haven't yet got pictures of how I take the rectangular smocked panel and make it into a bodice front. Patience...I will ge there. But I think you can see how a piece of the checked material is attached atop the piping. Then I go to the "actual" McCalls pattern and mark where the smocking will be cut. Not until I do a couple rows of tight machine stitching (small zig zag) over this line, do I actually cut through the smocking. I added a lightweight cranberry bodice facing and piping around the neckline. The sleeves are finished with a narrow rolled edge hem like would be used on a quilt binding. A one-inch, interfaced button placket runs the entire length of the dress. That still needs to be added.

Poor quality picture - this is the actual dress material which is underneath the pinnafore. You can see how the greens in the smocking coordinate nicely. I have also added a narrow green piping on this dress. Again, more and better pictures soon. The dress does not have sleeves and collar yet!

Motto for the Day

No one actually expects the stamp collector to mail letters with his stamps. No one expects the coin collector to use his coins in a vending machine to buy a soda. So why does everyone expect me to use my fabric collection to actually sew something?

I am not a fabric-aholic. I am a fabric collector!


Btw... thanks mom for the fishy quilt fabric this week. You too, Debby for all the many scraps!

Making a Holiday Smocked Dress

I'm making a smocked holiday dress for somebody. It's this dress. It's got cute ruffles, eyelet and smocking.

I chose a 100% cotton pink/red searsucker plaid for the pinnafore from this store. I did the last project with a 50/50 searsucker, and clearly like the lack of wrinkle better, but this resembles candy-cane so it'll be cute.

Step one...
Cut 2 bodice fronts. They're just rectangular pieces with a width 3 times the max bodice width and length from mid chest to knee. They're 3:1 ratio for the smocking. Don't know if it's easy to see, but next step is to draw gather threads every half inch or so. I should get a real pleater machine if I do much more of this! This step is quite time consuming, but given the cost of pleaters, does a decent job. Just have to be very consistent to make each pleated row the same.

Step 2...
Draw gathers to desired 7" width and knot off each row.
This next frame shows where I actally started the first row of smocking too.

Voila! The first panel is finished (there are two, ah!...). It's a little free-form...no pattern used. It has highlights of the kiwi green that is in the dress material. Haven't uploaded a shot of that yet! I am also adding bullion knots (or eventually flowers) in deep red. She showed me how - her smocking is GORGEOUS!! Thanks!

Step 4... I made a mini-piping to put at the top of the bodice where it attaches to the upper bodice. Apparently I haven't a picture of that step.
Stay tuned...

A First Party Dress

A Party dress for Sophie...

I'm making a dress for her 1st birthday. I used to sew a lot more clothing than I do now. I was frugal; who needed to spend $50 buying something that I could make from nicer material for $15-20. Then I got a high paying job and money was often more trivial than my time.

Different world now. No extra cash. Lots of time (ha ha)...in between watching the 3 kids that is.

The lavendar dress was done 6 years ago for my neice Alyssa. It was my first attempt at smocking & making clothing for something very tiny. Those little sleeves are challenging for large fingers. None the less, I think, despite the lousy picture quality, it was nice for my 1st attempt. My daughter looked so cute in it when it got handed down to us to wear, that I decided I wanted to make something special for her. I have made fleece suits for my boys, but those are easier. Use the serger, nothing is too fitted or detailed. No glory in the outcome either.

Sophie's dress is close to finished. It lacks one sleeve (fabric is re-ordered because I underestimeated needing to make 4 sleeves before I got it right!). It is hand smocked, and that part is gorgeous. Hope the closeup does it justice. Yoke and skirt front are all one piece. Collar is Egyptian cotton and has a lovely sheen. Also added fancy scalloped stitching. Should interface better next time. The skirt has 2 pleats and is nearly 55" around. There is an ivory cotton underskirt with 2.5" lace all around it. Very fancy!

I can hardly wait to start on one for her for Christmas...

Project Linus

As many of you know, I am making quilts for Project Linus. It's a non-profit organization that provides handmade quilts, blankets & afghans for children of all ages if they are in the hospital. It also includes premies, and some special cases of children that have lost homes due to fire, etc. So far I have 6 completed and a couple more in the works.

Last week I sent an email to several requesting any and all assistance with supplies, fabric, batting, etc. Many thanks to those that donated or purchased cloth. It will definitely go to good use. I will still need more. If you are itching to clean out your sewing closet somehow, consider the benefit to a child of having a snuggly blanket when he/she is sick. If you are interested in donating, please let me know.

I will upload blanket pictures soon.