Quilt Top, Take 2 (and some other notes)

I listened to ya.

And to my gut, really.  I knew I’d like the quilt, but I knew I’d love love it if I changed things up a bit.

Pattern:  Wild Thing, by Camille of Thimble Blossoms

I had one of you kind souls send me border options in picture form, all fancy and all, and it kicked me in gear.  Thanks, Rita.

(One of Rita’s totally awesome suggestions, above.)

But in the end, I just went with one border, just to save time.  I have one yellow whirly-thingy touching the border, but it is no biggie to me at all.  I actually had two, but I did a switcheroo with another block and now it is happily residing inside.  Anyway, I can’t stop looking at it now for the fact that it is perfect to me. 

The border I took out is going to be a border on the back.  To save money (ahem), I am going to do a solid Kona background, so the little floral border will make it just interesting enough that it isn’t boring, ya know?  That was the main reason I chose to pull it out altogether.  To put it on the back!  And, the binding will be a solid.  Purple, maybe, since those purple flowers/leaves in the fat border are so pretty.

***I just looked over at my quilt, where my girls are finding stray threads and pulling them off.  The baby just snipped into my blue border with my thread clippers.  Luckily, binding will hide it.  Gee Whiz.***

In other news, I am done cutting fabric for my parent’s quilt.  Here’s the gist of what it will look like.  The upper left block is bland, I know.  I’m working on it.  So, do you get it?  They’re cyclists.  And I’m going to quilt it with “spokes” coming out of the center of each block.  Rockin, right?  Gotta piece these curves first, though.

Ok, more news.  Meet the newest member of our modern family:

It’s a Mid-Century Modern coffee table I picked up at Goodwill for $20.  I happened to have cash (as per my thrift guidelines) and snatched it right up, preg belly and all.  Literally, I carried it to the front register half in my cart, half out.  I love it so… I had to protect it.

And, this morning: (same quilt-clipping kid)

It’s a good thing it wasn’t a Knoll original or something.  I’d have flipped for sure.

And this, my friends, is why we don’t have nice furniture.  If you are observant, you’ll notice our chair in the background is missing an arm rest too.  And I still don’t have knobs on our dresser/tv stand.  Someday, someday.

Snazzy New Thread Holder

If you recall, here is the Before:

And here is the After:

Isn’t she a beauty?  I tell ya, my husband is sure glad this little project is done.  Because, you see, he did it (actually, he painted it but isn’t that the biggest part?)

Mike hates spray paint.  I do too, but his feelings run a little deeper than mine.  I can’t do the fumes right now as I am pregnant (hey, it is a good excuse!) so he had to spray it.  I watched through the patio door and would frantically wave my arms if he was spraying with the can too close.  I’m sure it was funny to watch from the outside.

We painted the outside blue, and the inside white.  Lucky for us, the owl-loving previous owner had left a great white ceramic knob that we re-used.  Thank you!

And I’m so glad we did it that way.  More complicated and uses a lot more painter’s tape, but I like how it is brighter now.  It showcases my thread wonderfully!

I was all done putting my thread in and about to hang it on the wall, and decided that the white interior was good, but not quite good enough.  I dug through my 12 pieces of scrapbook paper (seriously, I don’t have much) and found the perfect polka dot in yellow.  Do you believe in crafter’s fate?  I just cut it to size and slipped it in there.  It isn’t even glued in.

Anyway, I love it.  It is up on the wall, and now it begs to have something gracing it on the left side, in the big empty space next to it.  I’m off to brainstorm.

Fabric Confessions

I am sure you have wondered what my fabric stash looks like.  I’ve seen some pretty impressive collections out there, and mine pales in comparison!  But when I look at what I have, I realize all the intended projects that remain to be done, and it is a little embarrassing.  So here it is:  my stash.

I actually have a cupboard below these shelves that has my flannel and my apparel fabrics.  There isn’t much (although, I do have an abundance of boyish flannels.  Good thing I can use it soon!).  But I can tell you what each piece of fabric was intended for, or what it is from since some are just large scraps that I just put back on the pile. 

Today, that stash has increased significantly… tee hee.  I won a giveaway from Jennifer Paganelli and received this large bundle in the mail:

And I’m working on a quilt for my parents that requires quite a bit of fabric, so I just finished picking up the rest of the fabric that I need (I had an overabundance of masculine prints, so I had to find some feminine ones for my mom).  I have a hard time paying full price for fabric, but I really needed to get this quilt started, and bit the bullet!  It is going to be for their anniversary and probably Christmas too ;)  I showed them the fabric this weekend and now I am more anxious to start.

My husband fell asleep on Friday after work, so instead of date night, it was sewing night for me.  He works hard.  So I can buy fabric and play with it.  Anyway, I finished up my Wild Thing quilt top:

But after I finished it, I realized that the inner border kind of disappears into the outer border.  At least when looking at it from a distance.  Close up, it is easier to see the differentiation.  Obviously.

But I was torn enough that I bought some more Central Park yardage as a border option.  It is a good one, and would be awesome.  And then I started thinking about how I would have to unpick what I have and sew the new one back on.

So, the dilemma here is, do I love it enough to leave it in its imperfect state?  Do I bump it up a notch and go with the yellow?  Do I have that ambition in me? 

What do you think?  I’m definitely leaning towards “less work is more awesome” but I just am not sure.  Perhaps if I did different quilting in each border… we shall see.  What would you do?

Ok.  I need to go make cookies with the munchkin, as I promised her earlier, (curse this crazy humid heat!  I hate turning on that oven!) so tell me your opinion and I’ll mull over it later. 

Toodles.

Pop-Up Pleats Camera Strap Cover

I was lucky enough to be selected as a pattern tester for Kate of see kate sew for her new pattern, the Pop-up Pleats Camera Strap Cover. 

Which means I got a new camera strap out of it!

I thought I’d share. 

Go here for pattern info and more examples.

What kind of Blog is this, anyway?

Meet my new toy.  My Lifestyle Crafts Letterpress/Die Cut machine.  I know you are all shocked, seeing as I have a paper craft on this blog instead of fabric!  But I love this machine.  LOVE. 

I think I first told you about it after the Creative Estates Conference, and I have been coveting one ever since.  I entered every giveaway in blogland, seriously!  And then, the stars aligned and the Fates smiled upon me, and I WON one!

I’ve made a few thank-you cards, a Congrats card, and today I made a few You’re Invited cards.  I wish all of you could reach out and touch your computer monitors and feel this paper.  It’s heavenly.  Luxurious. 

The white background isn’t simply white- it is embossed with the same design as the blue print you see there.  A few turns of the wheel and wha-bam you’ve got a little bit of lovely on your card! 

The process isn’t perfect, but that is one of the things I love most about this.  It is imperfect, you can see, where I didn’t get enough ink on the little plate thingy.  I think it is charming that way. 

I haven’t used dies on this yet, mostly because I am not a paper crafter and haven’t needed to die-cut anything yet (and, I have another die-cut machine.  Which I haven’t opened.).  They have a new set out that might convert me to using dies, but I’m not sure yet :)  AND- the Home Shopping Network is running the Letterpress today until 11pm EST.  You’ll get to see its brain-child, Michelle Rasmussen, in action if you watch on the T.V. 

And, just so you know, Lifestyle Crafts knows nothing about little ‘ol me so this really is just my opinion.  On an obscure blog.

Which gets me to something I’ve been thinking about lately.  This here bliggity-blog.  What the heck is it, anyway??? It was originally intended just to bookmark great ideas, but then I discovered I was happier actually doing something instead of looking at what everyone else did.  T’was more fun.  And more fulfilling.

So I started documenting some of my projects in pictures.  My upholstered cornice (above) was pre-blog when we lived in Utah, as were the silk drapes on the table. That sewing machine died sewing those drapes, which led me to the Bernina I have now.  (Thanks, Craigslist and mom!)  Later came the blog as we know it, and I remember busting out a sparkling cider over my first 10 followers :)

My projects were mostly crafty until I got more confident with my sewing.  Then sewing kind of took over.  Then I learned the basics of quilting… and sorry to all you non-quilters, but it is super fun!  Now I blog about that too.  And you hear about my choir every once in a while too.

My Choir. Awesomeness.

So, I’ve been wondering how to classify this here crafty cupboard of mine.  Is it a Mod-Podgin’, Seam-Rippin, Quilt-Bastin’ blog in Soprano?  With the occasional lavishes about my L Letterpress?

But I keep falling back on the fact that it is just my little journal of projects I like, and projects I do.  To classify it as something makes me feel like I need to fit a mold, or keep up with the Joneses.  And that stresses me out and makes me not be me, so… this here crafty cupboard is just my blog. 

Thanks for reading my blog.  I hope we become great friends.

Dish Rug/Mat Thingy

I saw this quilted dish rug (with tutorial!) and thought to myself, “well gee, that’s a whole lot cuter than my huge plastic drainer!”

So.  You know how it goes.

Except I didn’t quilt it, I just sewed two 15” x 24” pieces together, one piece being cotton and the other terry.  I used a towel I had in my sewing room for reasons just like this :)

I did sew two lines around the whole thing to close my turning opening and just to give it a simple placemat-y look. 

I was glad I made this (so fast, by the way) because I had some hand washing to do this morning.  Yes, I do use my Pyrex- that bird one above is a new favorite!!

Anyway, this splash of yellow on my dark countertops makes me want other yellow things lying around.  I need to make some matching oven mitts and maybe some hot pads.  But then the thought of using my oven in this heat makes me want to cry, so perhaps I’ll just be content with this for a while :)  We shall see!!!

A Thrifted Weekend

We decided to hit up the 50% off sale at Goodwill this past Saturday.  Now I remember why I haven’t gone to those in a while…!!  It was packed full of people.  I’m pretty sure Mike had a minor breakdown milling through all those people who were madly packing carts full of junk.  Anyway, we went hoping to find some more Pyrex dishes, and although I did find some (didn’t buy it though. Gotta love it to buy it!) I also found this old thread holder.

And though the owl is… charming, I have a date with spray paint.  Inside and out.

I also found some knit fabric.  Very soon (as in, just after I hit “publish”) this will become a summer preg-o skirt for me.  I’m sure my girls will be jealous, as it does have butterflies on it, but I’ve been hunting for weeks for something to refashion into a skirt.  Looks like I’ll just start from square one! Not bad for $1 though.

Did you do any thrifting this weekend? 

A Violette Field Threads Pattern Review

One of my newest sponsors is Violette Field Threads, a fairly new PDF pattern Etsy shop with all things adorable and girly.  I was able to receive the Lucy Capri pattern to review, so let’s get to it!

The pattern is great for beginners, and pays great attention to detail, like top-stitching and obtaining nice finished seams. 

(the baby saw her sister posing and totally wanted in on that action.  Adorable.)

I used two different fabrics for each pair of pants.  The pattern gives yardage requirements for pants and ruffles separately, so this was easy!  Also, the pattern called for 1/2” elastic, and my girls prefer the 3/4” wide, so I just changed the elastic casing a tad too. 

The only problem I saw was the 2T size was a bit long for my taste, and since my baby is back in diapers (let’s not talk about it…) there wasn’t as much room in the bum for a diaper.  They fit the panty-wearing big girl (4T) perfectly, however.

Because of the ruffle on the bottom, I thought these would make AWESOME vintage-looking bloomers under a dress.  Can you imagine?  We at the Collette House like to make statements here and there so we used fun, colorful fabric.  These pants would also charm the daylights out of linen!

I also used the pattern to make a pair of PJ Capris with a knit.  I just didn’t bother with the ruffle, and the result is a goucho-looking pant that makes me want one in my size! 

Check out Violette Field Threads on Etsy.  They have some great patterns I am sure you will love!

Pillow Talk

The munchkin has an obsession with her pillowcase.  It is an older floral, one that my mother-in-law got for her wedding, or something like that.  Anyway, the munchkin is super possessive of it and fights ensue when someone else picks it up, touches it, or looks in its general direction.  It was time to stop that.

I knew the fabric had to be gooooooood if I was going to convince her to let go of her pillowcase.  And, it had to match the baby’s so they wouldn’t fight over it.  So, off to the far away fabric store I went.

And I found the perfect fabric.

Seriously, how could my brunette daughters not love this?  Castles, carriages, magic fairy princesses… plus glittery swirls.  Thank you, Timeless Treasures!!  There are blonde fairies and red-heads too joining the pillow party.

I showed the fabric to the munchkin, got her all excited about it, and then made two pillowcases later that night.  I was going to do just one fabric, but in the end threw on a contrasting blue.  Not as whimsical and cute, but it left more princess fabric to add to pajama bottoms in the future.

So, the girls love ‘em, we haven’t had fights, and the munchkin hasn’t even mentioned her old floral pillowcase since. 

Making kids happy makes for a deserving mom.  Visit Nixo Handmade and treat yourself!!

Triple Layer Maternity Skirt

Well, here’s skirt #1 to tide me over the next 20 weeks.  I picked up some gauze on clearance (50% off red tag, I love that sale) and a bit of knit for a waistband.  I saw Sabra rockin’ this skirt and decided that yes- gauze is the perfect material for summer. 

So I copy-catted her.  :)  I just used three layers of gauze in tiered lengths, and made it a bit shorter.  Gauze is super see-through, so the triple-layer was an easy solution for that!

I wore this two days in a row.  It is really comfy, but after two days my waistband was stretched out a bit.

I wore the waistband folded over on the first day, and unfolded the other.  Both were equally as awesome and comfortable. 

I know I’m not that big yet, but I am pretty confident this skirt will last until the very last day I need it.  It has plenty of stretch and room to grow. 

Eating for Two

All right, I think I ought to spill the beans to you, friends.  Don’t mind the wrinkled photo, my baby was so excited to see the pictures of the actual baby that she grabbed them and, well, this is what I’ve got.

I’m expecting baby #3 at the end of November.  Baby #3, since I am sure you are all curious, is…

a BOY. 

So, while I try to figure out what fun things I can make for a boy, I’ll be trying to get maternity skirts pumped out.  I’m no longer fitting into my pants/shorts (one pair of capris is still good, though!), and skirts are just so darn easy.  I hate maternity clothes… do you?

BTW, my BFF Kirsten is preggers too, but she is down and out with morning/noon/night sickness.  Go give her shop some lovin’ so she feels like she’s being productive while getting to know her toilet all too well :)

Shabby Apple “Ahoy” Dress Review

I know you have seen Shabby Apple popping up around blogland lately!  I’m here to let you know, firsthand, what it is all about. 

I was given the opportunity to review the Ahoy dress, from one of their new lines, Set Sail.  Cute, right? 

Now, I know what you are thinking… my legs are totally white.  Yes, yes, I know.  But lets ignore those pasties for a minute and concentrate on the turquoise treat I have on.  First, it was suuuuper light.  It is made of cotton lawn, so it is a really comfortable fabric to wear.  The lining on the inside is the same color as the belt.  Fun, huh?

The back is simple, but the front is covered in pleats!  The pleats on the bust area are all sewn in, so there won’t be any wonkiness going on there.  I wanted the pleats to have a little more limelight, so I switched the belt to have to bow on the back.  I like it much better that way! 

When I first ordered the dress, I made a note that the dress “FITS GENEROUSLY.”  There is a sizing chart on the Shabby Apple website to help with dress sizing.  I still ordered a size too big in the end (I’m just not busty enough!), and had to exchange it.

Let me just say: It took 4 days to get my new dress.  That included my shipping the wrong one back!  Isn’t that amazing??  Talk about convenience!  Sometimes people don’t want to buy clothing online because they can’t try it on first.  Shabby Apple made this super easy for me to exchange, and get the perfect size. 

So, here’s me looking awesome in my new dress, with semblance of a chest and a waist!  Thank you, Mr. Belt.  Unfortunately, my arms are still unquestionably long.  *sigh*

The dress comes comfortably to my knees.  I think any shorter would be a little too short for my wardrobe, but it was perfect on my 5’4” frame.

The dress does have a con, and it is that v-flap thing at the neck.  You can sort of tell online too, but it is a little loose, and puckers out a tad.  But it eliminates any need for me to wear an undershirt!  Hooray!

Also, it is a hand-wash only dress.  Just FYI!  I knew the second I touched the dress that it would have special wash instructions; it is that lightweight.  Summertime here in Arizona is… well, a bit warm so I am glad it is nice and airy!

Conclusion: I loved this dress.  I am excited to wear it more!  The color was beautiful and it looks awesome on me (once I turned that bow around!) if I do say so myself.  Can I say that?

Right now, Shabby Apple is having a Summer Sale, where nearly everything is 20% off.  Enter the code SUMMER20 at checkout and enjoy some savings!  There are lots of women’s dresses to choose from, as well as little girl’s stuff too.

Go check them out!  GO!

(And that is the last time you see me doing silly poses for a while.  K?  I’m slightly mortified at my dorkiness)