Oh, 2017. You dumpster fire, you. So much stress sewing. So little blogging. Here are some of the things that I made:
Giant Quilt Sampler for my Grandmother
It was my Grandmother’s 89th birthday this year. My grandmother taught me how to sew, and has been my biggest cheerleader when it comes to all of my projects. I wanted to honor her with a quilt. When Lilian plays with her 2nd cousin at grandma’s house, they invariably end up piling all of the quilts (and believe you me, grandma has a stash of them) on the dining room table and “camping” underneath. So, I made a camping themed quilt for them to use. In honor of all the sewing that grandma has done over the years, I decided to make a sampler. I used the The Quilt Block Cookbook
This was a massive amount of work, but I’m really proud of how it turned out. (The fabric is all from Rae Ritchie’s Trail Mix line. Grandma has it prominently display at her house. I think she kinda digs it too.
Sister Quilts
Kristian has a really good friend (now he and his wife are my good friends!) who had a daughter about a year and a half after Lilian was born. I was too exhausted to make her a baby quilt. So, when they told us that they were going to have another baby, I decided to make two quilts at once. The pattern and fabric is the same, I just arranged the stripes differently. I really love how the navy blue and pink look together. Our friend loves the Rifle Paper Company, so I used a bunch of her fabric (plus some supplements from my stash). I also made the mom a coordinating mini quilt.
I love making quilts for tiny babies, but it sure is lovely to give a quilt to a three-year-old and have her drag it off to play with it! Quilts are made to be loved, right?
Mini Quilt for My Mom
I dipped into my fabric stash (it’s rare, but it happens!) to make this mini quilt using Aunt Grace vintage reproduction fabrics. I think this one is just so sweet! As you can see from the photo above, I really love this heart pattern. (It’s from the Quilt Petite book by Sedef Imer).
Yet More Pocket Pillows
I know, I know. I make too many of these things. But they’re so easy, and the kids all seem to love them so much! I made this set for one of the teachers at Lilian’s preschool. She wanted to give a special present to a couple of the girls who were also graduating to kindergarten (I’d already made a few of these for teachers’ children). She tried to pay me for them, but it was my pleasure to do something nice for someone who was so kind and caring with my child. Plus, you know, any excuse to make a pocket pillow!
Coffee Cup Cozies
I don’t know, these might be the new pocket pillows. If anything, they’re even easier to make. Plus, you get to bust out a hammer to put the snaps in. I make these reversible, which means I get to pick two fun fabrics. I buy reusable cups, put names on them using my Cricut cutter and vinyl, and then cozy it up. They’re super adorable, and they encourage people to bring their own cup when they get coffee. That’s a win-win in my book! I made a ton of them as Christmas presents. Lilian even put the names on a bunch of them for me. That child is either a crafting prodigy, or it’s just not as hard as I make it out to be. :p
Mermaid Quilt for Lilian’s Doll
I made a larger sized quilt for Lilian back in 2016. I thought I’d whip up a little mini one for her dolly using some of the leftover scraps. It ended up taking for freaking ever, because I vastly underestimated the extent to which I over-complicated this thing. There was… a lot of hand quilting involved. Lilian packed it away, because it’s “only for camping.” I don’t even know what to say about it.
Tiny Tree Skirt
My grandma made tree skirts for every single one of her grandchildren (all six of us). And then some (there was at least one pet-related incident). Lilian begged me and begged me for a tree skirt for the tiny pink tinsel tree that she puts up in her room. So, I bought some fabric that’s similar to our tree skirt, and then reverse engineered a tiny version. It’s not quite an exact match, but I got it pretty close. And I finished it in just one night! Isn’t nice when an “easy” project actually ends up being fairly easy?
Sasquatch Train Case
We call my Dad Sasquatch, because he has a shaggy beard and a pony tail. I made this for his wife. Which makes this both a gift hand-made with love, and an elaborate troll. It really is relevant to my interests. The pattern is the Crimson and Clover Train Case from Sew Sweetness. I think the directions for this pattern could be a lot more clear, but I’d already made one of these for one of my sisters, and it was a lot easier to sew the second time around!
The Thing With Feathers Pillow
I’m a sucker for this poem by Emily Dickinson (gee, I wonder why…?). I made this pillow using a panel from Hawthorne Threads, plus a border made out of scraps, and pom pom trim. It should have been a relatively quick sew, but I kinda winged the construction, and then I made a couple of math errors. Oops.
I’m currently working on a large-scale project that’s taking up most of my sewing time. Here’s hoping I have at least a few things to show you after 2018!