Spring Cleaning Quilt

I like to hoard. I call it "collecting" and that seems to justify it.

But I also love to use up my stash so I can start fresh. I also like quilts. I start planning them twice a year, as the weather dictates. In the fall, as temperatures drop, I start thinking about the quilt that I will snuggle with each night. In the spring, I'm thinking of a quilt to take to the beach and on picnics. Of course, they rarely get past the imagination phase...until recently.

After finally finishing my first quilt this past winter (the top had been done for over a year), I have made a second, and (almost) a third. Below is my new "Spring Cleaning Quilt." A chance to use up my leftover fabric scraps that I couldn't part with (the purple floral in the center front leftover from the backing of my first quilt). It was quick, simple and fun - just the way I like my crafting!

Here is my simple "recipe" (I like it better than pattern) for the Spring Cleaning Quilt. I cut my fabrics into 5"x5" squares and sorted them by color: white, pink, purple, blue, green, yellow. I then arranged them by color on the diagonal, in the order listed above. I made my quilt 12 blocks wide and 18 blocks long. So...216 blocks (hmm...it didn't feel like that many!). I sewed them together in strips with a 1/4" seam allowance. When I was done, I sewed the strips together. (Pressing inbetween, though I don't always...)

I cut a two inch wide strip of fabric for the borders and attached them with the 1/4" seam allowance. I attached the top and bottom borders first and then the two sides.

I think I could have finished the quilt yesterday if it hadn't been for the backing! I was planning on using the coral trim fabric because, all folded, it was heavy enough to indicate some serious yardage. Unfortunately, there was another piece of fabric folded inside...alas, not enough! So...I"m off to the store today to pick up something for the back, and then I'll tie and finish! (Not tonight, though. I'm taking the husband to the Black Sheep Bistro for a birthday dinner!)

Happy Spring Crafting!

Fair weather painting

There's nothing like painting outside...especiallly for the person in charge of cleaning up! I've gotten the painting easel out and set it up in the play yard. We're going to get out the birthday boy's new paints tomorrow while all of his friends are here, and after last year's party, I will be so thankful to have all of those painters outside. (Last year our kitchen was covered in paper - floors and walls - while five 2-year-olds "painted." Think smearing hands and feet in paint, rubbing it in hair, on moms, and one child eating it!!!)

On to the aprons! I've had this cowboy fabric for a while (pre-children) and the floral above is leftover from a quilt. It feels so good to use up some stash, and it makes room for more!

You know, I used to be an obsessive knitter. I would take a project with me to the grocery store in case the kids fell asleep in the car and I could sit in the parking lot and get some knitting done. I would rush through the dishes and picking up after the kids were in bed and then plop down on the couch to knit for a few uninterrupted hours. Husband, what husband? I could only see the knitting.

These days, however, I seem to be reaching for the fabric. It seems like I'm working on a new project each day. Yesterday was the kitchen rug, today the aprons. Oh, I just remembered I need to post a picture of my finished Lotus tunic!

I tried to get out my knitting this past weekend, and I only worked one row in what began as my totally amazing sweater project! I bought the pattern book, the gorgeous yarn, but now...ugh! I just don't know what's going on. There is nothing I want to knit.

So I just keep going with the sewing which, while far less conveinent, seems to be working out for me. Hopefully I'll be knitting again soon!

Kitchen Rug

What happens when you have two little children dripping milk on and grinding scrambled eggs into a spot-clean-only rug? I think you can imagine the funk. So I threw together this patchwork rug as a replacement. Inspired by the rug from Patchwork Style (but not patient enough to wait for a copy of my own) I forged ahead with my own method. I think it will do...

Dressing Her

What a wonderful thing it is to have a girl! The knitting, the sewing, the dreaming! I've been eagerly preparing for this first "real" spring since Christmas. The fruits of my labors are beginning to stack up, and I still want to make more! A simple shrug pattern in crazy yarn - perfect for Spring!

I've been making these Oliver + S Lazy Days skirts like crazy! It's a free pattern on their blog. My little sweetie is still fairly short, so a quarter yard of fabric makes a skirt! I love looking through hand-me-down ribbons to trim them with.

I've also been working on some dresses. I think I've gone through most of the Amy Butler fabrics at my local fabric store. I have one more fabric combo that I'm saving for myself. I'm working on the Lotus Tunic and hoping it will be finished to wear this spring/summer. I think I'm going to have too call in my mother for some expert advice...

And last (for now) but not least, is a little linen dress waiting for the snaps (in blue) to go on. The linen is from my mother - I think she even dyed it herself with some plant matter - and the trim is also from her stash. If you haven't seen any of her sewing projects, you can head over to her website, Trailfeathers, to see her amazing creations!

A perfect day - yarn and pie

Isabelle's Tomten Jacket: I can't wait to get started on this project! I knit one in blue/red and we are loving it! The manos wool is beautiful, strong and warm. I love how the soft blend of kettle-dyed colors blend together both in the skein and when knit up. You know how some yarn looks great in the skein and not so great in a ball/knit up? This does not do that! It's always beautiful!

I also received this fabric pie at the end of last week. An IOU I had given my father for last Father's Day. He will be the recipient of one warm Maple Oatmeal Pie this afternoon. I hope he has some vanilla ice cream!

Extra Child and an Easter Tradition

Today is extra child day. It may sound like more work, but our dear little red-headed friend is so much fun for the kids that it's actually less work to have an extra friend. So, Wednesday is my sewing day! Inspired by this post, I have decided on a new Easter tradition: pajama pants! I used the pattern from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones, which I have expanded to also fit my older child.

I love sewing for little ones. They aren't fussy about prints and styles. There's no negotiating to get them to try things on - just joy and excitement at their new pants/dress/sweater/hat/mittens... Such a good age!

Sewing for Easter

One of my favorite things about a holiday is the crafty preparation that comes in the weeks before the big day! Easter allows for such a range of fun crafts, and I have been taking full advantage!

I just finished these adorable chicks from http://www.myrtleandeunice.com/ which are fast, easy and so cute! You can find the link at the Whip Up website. I can't wait for the Easter Bunny to add these to his egg hunt in a couple of weeks.

I also made the Purl Rabbit which was quick and fun.

(Sorry, I forgot to rotate this pic before uploading!)

A couple of weeks ago I finished the Easter Baskets posted by Betz White.