I did it!

I just had my first Craft show with some of my American Girl Size Sewing. I have wanted to do this for a while now. It was so much fun! I am already planning for the next one!

I also have opened my ESTY shop called Ardently Admire- a quote from one of my all time favorite books. I have some of the dresses that I made for the craft show for sale there also.

Tomorrow my job is to send an email to Liberty Jane Clothing and get everything all linked up!

Doll quilt Swap 9!

I just got my partner for DQS9. I have looked at her blog, and at her flicker, and am deep in thought as to what to make. As usual I have an idea of what to make, but I am not sure if it fits my partner's taste.

My partner like traditional patterns, but I think she is my partner because she likes one of my quilts that is NOT a traditional pattern- I don't think I do traditional patterns...

I am going to make something that I have been thinking about- and that I would want in my sewing room- yes I am going to make one for me too.

I finished the pincushion swap that I am in. I am going to wait until next week to send it out so that it does not get to my partner too early.

Soccer Season Ends

Soccer is over for the Tiger Lilies, but I had the best ever season! My soccer players were the best, and the parents were very supportive. It makes me want to coach again next year!

I made AG soccer outfits using jerseys from a previous season, they turned out so cool...it has made me think about re-purposing all kinds of clothes....

DQS7

To my swap partner: I will love what you make. The favorites that I mark in flicker are often things that I want to make for other people so that might not give you the best ideas... please make what you want to try...stretch yourself and that will be the best quilt!

I do love moose, and so does my little one. I play the cello and the violin. I am going back to teaching 8th grade math in September. I sew because I like the challenge, I sew what I can't buy...time and love...

I found this site while looking for comic book cells for my son. I am going to use the color wheel template to make a small color wheel quilt. I need to draw the template and add the seams etc.

Oliver+S 2+2 Blouse, 2nd try

I finished my short sleeve version of the Oliver + S blouse.



I found that I needed to move the fabric patch up a bit on the front of the shirt. When the bottom of the piece is closer to the gathering it is easier to sew evenly. If you look a t the picture you can see the blue mark below the patch.

I also sewed down the seams 1/8" in the direction that I wanted them to lay. I used an overcast to finish off the edges before I sewed the pieces together.

The best way to contact me is through my flicker account, if you wold like the pdf pattern.

2+2 Blouse

I have bee working on making a 18" doll pattern to match the wonderful Oliver+ S 2+2 blouse. The pattern went together very nice.

I worked on the front of the doll pattern first. I needed a way to make the small patch at the front of the blouse small for the doll size. The pincushion caddies that I have been making uses foil to make a nice circle for the bottom of the caddy. I thought that this might work for the small patch.

First I cut a piece from a recycled cereal box a scant 1"x2 5/8", then I cut the fabric 1 1/2"x 3 1/8" (about 1/4" larger on all sides) and put them on top a piece of foil that was approximately 1/4" larger an all sides. Then I tightly folded the foil on the long sides and then the short sides.

Then iron it. The foil is very hot after and needs to cool before taking the little package apart.
After taking the cardboard out I used wash away wonder tape to tape the patch down before top stitching it.It worked great. I am going to try making the patch this way for the next girls size that I make. For me the corners came out better that turning the fabric.
I am still working on the pattern for the doll size, but it should be done soon. I need to round the bottom of the shirt. I am going to make a Bitty Baby pattern also. My daughter just got one and she asked if this shirt was for her baby Emma doll.

Pin cushion caddy

Free is sometimes scary to me. I often feel that I get what I pay for. I printed out the pin cushion caddy pattern a while ago, but did not make it. I found the pattern again and decided to toss the pattern or make it. So I gave it a try.

The directions are good, but some of the measurements are off to me. I do not under stand why a pattern would say to sew something with 3/8 seam allowance and then "if they don't fit well together, you may need to adjust the seam allowance" WHAT! There are eight seams to adjust! Then another part of the pattern has a 1/2 seam allowance but it has an interfacing piece that is 11 1/2, and a base piece that is 12. If these measurement are correct then there is not enough of the base piece for the seam.

My try at this is done, and I have two nice pincushions, but they don't look much like the picture example on the pattern instructions.

Found a new thrill

I finished my first ever hand sewn garment. It is as if I did not eve now that something could be made without a sewing machine. I have already started on my next project or two. I can't wait to make a jacket and a dress. I just need to find patterns that I like.

The plain quilt?

Yesterday I finished this quilt to give to one of my daughter's friends. I was going to just make a small doll quilt, but then I had all of this fabric, and since my massive clean up I actually know where it is.




When I finished the quilt I washed it to get the horrid glue from this batting that I will never buy again (but at least I used up what I had).

When I spread the quilt out to take a picture of it, I mistakenly asked my son "What do you think?"

He said "it is very plain"

"Thanks Kid"... I replied, not sure if the steam from my head was visible.

Quilts to make list

There are so many quilts that I want to make:

Dresden Plate doll quilt like this.

Eclipse from fun quilts.

Snippets tutorial is here.

Zig Zag Quilt from Purl Bee.

Amish Zig Zag here.

This amazing pillow or something like it.

This will look great in the front room.

Just found this spectrum doll quilt, and there is a link somewhere on this blog to a doll quilt wall and how to make a doll pillow and pillow case...need to find the link but it disappeared...

Valentines Day Skirt

I managed to make a skirt for Paige to wear to school on Friday. I did not decide what to make until the day before at about 1:00...I am just glad that it went together so quick...She was very excited about exchanging the Valentines. When she got home she poured over her box for hours, reading each one.

The most important Part of the skirt to her is the pockets.

Color Wheel Quilt #1 Done

This went together very easily. It looks like it would be difficult but it is really not. I think the most painful part was the three hours in the fabric store pulling all of the bolts from the wall and then looking at the clerk when I came up to have it cut. I bought 1/4 of a yard of each...yes it was all on sale at the time...I did use a bit from my stash, and there were a few that I bought that I did not use.

I have started the next two together. I am going to add a border to one of them to make it into a bed quilt.

Color Wheel Quilt Top- Now on to the Quilting

I just finished the first of what will be three color wheel quilts. I have not decided what I am going to do for the back, if it is just going to be white, or if I want do do something else... the pieces for the color wheel part of the other two quilts are cut out and ready to go.

Doll Friends- soon to be parted

I just finished up the second of my Matryoshka dolls. The pattern is from a magazine that I found at Jo Ann's. The original is in felt, but I did not have red felt. The pattern does not turn out like the picture so I fiddled with it a bit and got better results the second time. I might try it one more time to get it just right.