Madmen in Blue Boxes Quilt

I've made two versions of this quilt and I'm not sure if I've really gotten the pattern nailed down yet.

It's a wonky log-cabin design and I think the off-grain lines are what cause the problem.

From Minus Minions

I start with 4"x4" blocks of this amazing Doctor Who fabric from Spoonflower. I cut small slivers off one or two edges, then border with blue, sliver off edges, then border with white. After I've made all the blocks, I square them up, making some off center, then sew the blocks together.

The effect is all very "wibbly wobbly, timey-wimey", so to speak.

The first was made with poly blend broadcloth and I had some puckering issues. I wonder if the angles, combined with the more slippery fabric, made it easier for things to shift around while quilting.

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I used a low-loft batting, which made it a perfect thickness to turn it into a quillow.  I embroidered a TARDIS on the pocket, of course. I found a close-up picture online, then traced it onto the paper side of freezer paper. I used my iron to adhere it to the outside of the design--with something this intricate, I didn't want the design to slip while embroidering.

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I absolutely love the design. It's simple but effective. 

I wish I had used a thinner batting on my next attempt because it's a little too thick to fold up neatly.

The quilting turned out better, although it was a bit scrunched in places. It's all Kona cotton and I like how it got crinkly after washing.

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It's not perfect and I need to think through the design more. I like how random and different each block is, but making pattern pieces might work out better for me. It might be time to put this design away for a bit and noodle over how to make this better.

Browncoat Love Quilt

I have a new fabric addiction: Spoonflower. It's a great website where anyone can upload fabric designs that can be printed on cotton, silk, wrapping paper, etc. It's like vanity publishing for fabric. 

I found some great "Firefly" fabric that I had to use (That's "Firefly" the Joss Whedon tv show, not the bug). Really, who can resist Nathan Fillion and Morena Baccarin in small cartoon form?

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I also found fabric with lots of quotes from the show

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And some fabric with the Chinese symbol for "serenity" (the name of the ship).

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I added a dark red, dark brown and cream to balance out all the patterns.

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Next up, Doctor Who and the TARDIS. Maybe I can make something that's bigger on the inside...

Peter Pan Quilt

A good friend of mine is in the process of trying to add a new member to her family, which means daydreaming about the nursery (i.e. pinning ideas on Pinterest). She's decided to go with a "Peter Pan" theme, a fun, whimsical theme that suits either gender.

Me, being me, decided to make a quilt for her, one that could be used as a wall decoration, place to crawl around, or even for snuggling. I found a great one with 5 panels--the Big Ben clock, the Darling children flying, Peter Pan flying, Captain Hook and the Indian Chief in the clouds, and, of course, Tinkerbell. I found coordinating star and stripe fabrics and one with famous phrases from the book.

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I quilted around the shapes in the main panels, stitched in the ditch around the stripe sashing and sewed alternating stars and hearts in the blue rectangles. 

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The back is a thick knit in two shades of blue and I used a thick batting for extra protection from bumps on the floor.

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My friend loved it! Time will see how the future little one reacts to it.

Monster Cookies

Halloween treats are a bit tricky for little kids. How scary is too scary? How much sugar do can they eat before they go completely crazy? How much food coloring do you want them to eat?

I signed up to bring in treats for The Belly's Halloween party at preschool this year and started going through my Pinterest board, to see what I'd pinned, then promptly forgotten. Her older sister was looking over my shoulder and declared I should make the Ooey Gooey Monster Eye Cookies. They're cake mix cookies, with a good dose of cream cheese for extra chewiness, and fun colors and sugar eyes. I found a set of the smaller eyes and we did a practice round. Just to make sure, you know?

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I wasn't crazy about the cream cheese flavor, but I think that's just a matter of personal taste. They were a big hit at the party. Just the right balance of fun and spooky. You can find the candy eyes at craft stores (and even Target) so it's a great recipe for a monster-themed birthday party or for one of those days you need a smile.

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Vogue 8942: The Frog Purse

  Sometimes I'll make something just for the experience of making it. I know I probably won't use or wear it, but something inside me told me to sew or bake or cook it, regardless of the benefits. This is one such project.

I know that I am most likely too old to carry off a frog purse. I also like my clothes and every day accessories streamlined and easy to wear. None the less, when I saw this Vogue frog purse pattern, I knew I had to make it. Just like the frog quilt from a few months ago.

The pattern has a lot of pieces, especially small pieces, but they slide together fairly easily. If you do decide to make this, or the owl version, use denim (or other sharp and strong) needles. I broke at least three universal needles trying to sew through a zipper tape/interfaced wool/tri-folded suede sandwich. Also, as you can see a bit in the second picture, my suede tended to fray, but the pattern doesn't call for encasing the raw edges, so either break out the Fray Check or serger, or choose a fabric that won't fray easily.

Time will tell if this cute guy gets any use. It has three pockets in addition to the main opening, which is always a bonus. Maybe I'll take it for a trial run when the weather gets colder. Wool houndstooth, even in frog form, is not made for 90 degree days.

Ottoman Slipcover, aka lemonade out of lemons

 We have some nice, club-style leather furniture in our family room: a loveseat, sofa and chair set. I got The Boy a somewhat-matching ottoman a few years later. We have some red suede throw pillows for accents and it all looks really nice and cozy.

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However, the ottoman got worn and developed a rip in the top. There was a suggestion for a slipcover and I got right on it. I figured, "Hey, how hard can sewing a basic slipcover for a cube be?" (Cue evil laugh from sewing gods.)

I measured and made some sketches. After some rudimentary math, I left the girls with a babysitter (since The Boy was out of town) and headed out to thefabric  store. I found some red suede that looked like it would match the throw pillows and some dark brown cord trim to tie it back to the chair. I was all ready to sew five pieces of fabric into a simple geometric shape. It would be a cinch! Yeah, no.

I soon realized I hadn't bought enough fabric (or a few notions for another sewing project). After a little sulking, I figured I'd just order fabric from Fabric.com, enough to start the whole thing over. Well, a few days later, I got an email from them saying one thing I'd ordered was out of stock and did I want the rest of my order or to just cancel the whole thing? I saw this as a sign, packed up the girls and made the quickest fabric store visit I could.  

Unfortunately, I got the wrong color of red suede fabric, more of a cherry red than a dark red. After a few choice words in my head, I decided to just make it work. I cut the fabric into strips to make a tone-on-tone stripe. And it actually looked really good! I had a bit of trouble with the cording, breaking a few needles along the way, and accidentally sewing it around a side instead of the top, but I worked though it.

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I'm honestly surprised by how well it turned out. Granted, I can see all the little imperfections and know how long it took to make, but I'm pleased overall. It really looks nice with the dark furniture and light carpet. Just the right touch. 

Soot Sprites

  I'm a sucker for animation and the girls have inherited this trait. Somehow we introduced them to The Secret World of Arietty, which led to  Ponyo, which led to My Neighbor Totoro, which led to Spirited Away. If you haven't seem them, I highly recommend a trip to the library to check some of these out. 

There are these little fuzzy creatures, called Soot Sprites, in Totoro and Spirited Away, that crack my kids up. They scurry around on spindly legs and have large, saucer-like eyes. Basically, like spiders but much cuddlier. I found a tutorial and decided we needed to have some of our own.

They're insanely easy and cute. I'd bought some stuffing, fuzzy black fabric, black cording, white felt and black beads but didn't get around to making them until one day when we all had a bit of a cold and I thought the girls needed a bit of cheering up. 

I highly recommend dipping the ends of the cording in glue, modge podge or clear nail polish to keep them from fraying. I had to do some emergency amputations of two soot sprites after quiet time that day.

This has been one of my most re-pinned Pinterest entries, and it makes me very happy to think of all these little guys hanging out around the world.