Wool on Sunday #5 - On A Christmas Wednesday

Merry Christmas all you lovelies!

Still no baby but I managed to finish this scarf for my brother-in-law just in time. My joints are aching - these last days I've retained water in my hands which I hadn't before and the power knitting probably didn't help - but I'm happy.

It's a simple as can be k2, p1 pattern but I've made it more interesting cause colour changes and vertical stripes!

Happy holidays!

Wool on Sunday #4

Dang, I'm sure glad that I decided to bind my Winter Baby Girl Quilt the other day. Knowing that I can add my hand quilting whenever and yet already be able to hang it prettily over the crib has freed my mind so much. I've been able to get other things done - crafty and non-craft related - without feeling guilty. For instance, I knit up a hat for my sister that she asked for in return for her "small to medium craft project of your choice" birthday voucher.

She picked Armour Love as a pattern and a beautiful blue wool. I've been sporting the dark grey version since last winter and we only decided to make the brim a little tighter. The pattern is a really quick knit with very pretty and comfy results. The diamonds do look a little like Christmas trees, don't they?

Thus, I'm able to put a second parcel under the tree for her. Very pleased. I've got another knit project on my hands as we speak which might be ready in time for Christmas, too, or not. If not there's a plan B. If yes the babe still keeps us waiting.

Happy knitting & sewing!

TGIFF - More Cushion Covers

I'm preeetty sure I said I'd put my sewing machine away for the season not too long ago, didn't I? Ah well, humbug. On Wednesday my colleagues called on a secret mission. You see, another colleague is expecting a little boy with his girlfriend, just a few days after I'm due, and just like they got us a little something they were looking for something for them.

They'd been thinking along the lines of a onesie and a t-shirt with some cute applique like "little brother/big sister", only they couldn't find something they liked which got them wondering whether I might not applique something onto bought clothes if they got me the fabric and utensils. I gave it a thought and said I could.

When I got off the phone I got thinking some more. I don't have any experience with applique. Would it turn out well enough? Is "well enough" enough for me? They'd have to buy the things. And get them to me before I could start. Do I even like working with things that I didn't choose?

So I called them and proposed to make two samey yet not same pillows from my ample stash if they sent me batting. Whilst they deliberated I already pulled my fabrics and got playing - like we do. Shortly afterwards a courier brought me batting and a gift card to make up for my stash expenses.

for the baby boy

for the big sister

So yeah, I whipped up two sibling pillows in two sessions on Wednesday and Thursday and sent them to the office on Thursday afternoon. Hope they'll be well received.

Happy sewing!

Winter Baby Girl Quilt #12 - Binding

Thank you for all the input on my last Winter Baby Girl Quilt post. I followed my guts and your assurances and bound the quilt on Saturday, applied it to the front after lunch (see above) and sewed it down by hand all evening. That was a looong session of approximately 4.5-5 hours but worth it and very calming.

I feel much better now that I can just fill in my hand quilting whenever I've got time and still have the quilt appear finished before little one's arrival - more pictures will follow sometime. It's also freed time for other things I need to finish before Christmas, like some knitting.

Little one, however, appears to want to stay put where she is for as long as possible. Neither doctor nor midwife expect her delivery before Christmas and wouldn't be surprised if it took longer. Can't say I'm thrilled but of course we'll take it as it comes.

Happy sewing!

Sunday Stash #24

So much for last week's resolution...

I really shouldn't have gone checking out shops with my good friend Conny but these 4 metres of gorgeousness were basically a steal and are just perfect for the next project for my baby girl. Okay, so they sparked the idea in the first place but I won't let that rain on my parade. In 2015 I'll be making an I Spy/Solids quilt for the little one. And would you believe it, I picked my usual palette and added that dainty lilac without anybody physically forcing me! Me, of all persons, choosing a girly colour? Yep, Conny was surprised, too.

Conny also gave me these I-can't-believe-how-cute-they-are onesies and hat that she made herself. I absolutely adore them and wouldn't mind a pyjama with the print for myself... Can't wait to put them to use once the baby's big enough.

Btw, you should really check out Conny's pattern shop, Santa Lucia Patterns, if you're from Europe and in love with Indie clothes patterns but don't like ordering and waiting for them to arrive from overseas.

Happy sewing!

TGIFF - Whale Cushion for the Nephew

Sorry for the terrible pics but it got done in time, is ready to be wrapped up until Christmas, and had to be shared - N's whale cushion. Inspiration courtesy of Oh Franson - I made up the block as I went but next time I'll definitely buy her pattern and save myself the math trouble.

Happy weekend and happy sewing!

Linking up with TGIFF which I haven't done in ages, this week over at Quilt Matters.

Winter Baby Girl Quilt #11 - Hand Quilting

This is going to take forever - even hand quilting is tiresome at this stage, 38 nearly 39 weeks - but I do love how it's turning out. I'm actually considering to bind this baby now and continue just add in my quilting. Good idea? Bad idea? I just don't know right now. However, ready at little one's arrival? I sincerely doubt it now, not that it matters that much.

Either way, working with the silk thread is a blast. I love how it highlights the piecing of the top and looks somewhat like children's drawings on the backing. Obviously this is due to my not quite accurate stitching but the effect is wonderful and I'm embracing it rather than stressing myself.

My first action was to quilt the outline of my stars with a grey thread as to give the quilt some stability. This way I can drag it around now and it won't fall apart as soon as a line of hand quilting gives up (if that should be the case sometime, hopefully not before 20 years hence...)

The plan is not to highlight all stars as intricately as the big one but we'll see where inspiration takes me. I'm done predicting too much with this quilt and just taking things as they come - but there will be snowflakes! Stay tuned.

I'm also currently binding my nephew's whaley Christmas present. I'd called it a quick fix, right? Haha, well, the top was. Then it took 3.5 weeks to touch it again and put in a power session taking care of the backing, quilting and binding. In love with it, though. Can't wait to show you.

Happy sewing!

Sunday Stash #23

Look at my pretty Black Friday hoardings from the Fat Quarter Shop (gee, I adore how they pack our parcels, always so yummy)! I decided that I needed graphic prints that would go with the selected Cotton and Steel bundle I've made my mum give me for Christmas (still so long til it's back in my arms!) but that would also work as fillers and background fabrics in general. Hence, lots of yellow-golden and blue hues, some Remix and ever so beautiful Art Gallery prints.

Sensible me also got yards of these beauties. Perfect for backgrounds, backings, binding - I know these will come in handy.

Of course I couldn't resist buying half a yard of utterly cute and kid-friendly. A girl's gotta some have fun when she's so sensible with the rest of her fabric money. Okay, I admit it, it was all fun, though sometimes tough to pick and choose, but don't tell anyone. The Cloud 9 snails won out against two Marine Too organic prints by Birch fabrics, Whale Love and Angel Fish, both of them still absolutely gorgeous but I've already got quite a few maritime prints for the Maritime Baby Girl Quilt.

And that's it for 2014. I'm set, no more pre-baby buyings - the yarn on it's way here doesn't count because it'll become a gift for the sis. Cognitive dissonance, you're saying? Lalala, I can't hear you, lalala.

Happy sewing!

Winter Baby Girl Quilt #10 - Basted!

December? Really? Wow. Well, good on me that I spent November being all serious about my Winter Baby Girl Quilt because I'm certainly quilting on borrowed time. Only 3.5 weeks until the due date and babies do tend to show up earlier in our family...

I finally finished assembling the top and backing and have basted my quilt today. Quite a feat. Let me assure you that cutting and pinning curtains on the floor at 28 weeks is definitely-entirely-utterly different from basting a quilt on the same floor at 37 weeks. Huffpuff, I had to go much much slower with some serious breaks and boy am I glad to be done with it. No more of this until after the baby.

Since the front is a rather busy nightsky of stars and snowflakes I kept the backing simple. It should make a nice canvas for the quilting and hand quilting I'm planning. The simplicity does appeal to me and I think a quilt with just one big, intricate star on a darker background with tons of handquilted tiny stars and snowflakes above the trees would also look absolutely stunning.

Never fear, though, those aren't second thoughts. I'm still chuffed with how this quilt is turning out. Seeing it basted - quilts immediately look so much more substantial once the sandwich is done, don't you think? - has given me another huge boost and I can imagine it finished in time. But not tonight. I think I'll cut into some fabrics for cushions for a change and will keep the quilting for tomorrow.

Happy sewing!

Sunday Stash #22

Uh-oh, going shopping with a fully-blown nesting instinct is no good idea, even worse when the shop you're visiting has a 25 per cent birthday discount. Then again, supporting the brick and mortar down your road and getting some exercise at nine months pregnant surely is a good thing. I mean, I also won't have the time or frame of mind for a while and it's always good to have a replenished stash, too, right? (Shhhh, I'm not even talking the Black Friday online order that sneaked in yesterday which totally fulfils the same purpose, just like the Cotton & Steel order I handed over to my mum to give me for Christmas.)

Anyway, if you're in Berlin - the Nähkontor is a lovely little shop that also offers classes. Go check it out.

I got some pretty dotty prints and a Cotton & Steel print I didn't order and that hasn't been handed over to my mum.

Beautiful, cutesy FQs and fabric scraps - just look at those mummy and baby animals. Not a chance that hormone-me could have left it behind in the cold world store. I'm also proud to have added some yellows and prints on white because I don't usually stack up on these colours.

Could you believe they had two spools of the perfect silk thread for the Eggplant Kona in my Grecian Waters HSTs? The thread I'd ordered online and showed you last week is a beautiful shade and would have worked fine but this is a match made in heaven! Kismet!

I also got some old snap-fasteners - they sell old notions, presumably from clearances, for a lot less than the new shiny ones and with the little one on the way they'll come in handy for makings - and some essential solids. They're not as drapey and soft as Kona but will work fine for the pillows they're meant for and the white was much needed for the big snowflake in my Winter Baby Girl Quilt.

It was quite a lot to carry home. Told you it was exercise!

Happy sewing!

Winter Baby Girl Quilt #9 - Assembling the Top

So I did it, I made a new snowflake using Shape Moth's beautiful paper pieced "Snow Cristal". This time around I avoided the mistake of cutting away my seam allowance and I made the block so much prettier, too, by using different fabrics for the different tiers. I still like the idea of a white snowflake against a dark background but it simply wasn't working for this particular quilt.

Just look at the difference a proper seam allowance makes! The new block is lying all flat and wrinkle-free.

This block has given me a huge boost and I've finally decided on my layout. Not only that, I've even started assembling the top as evidenced by our bed.

Time for a break now because the bump is getting in the way and demands a period of rest but I'm sure to sew up at least another column today. Whoop whoop.

Evening update:

Happy sewing!

Winter Baby Girl Quilt #8 - Layout

And the journey continues.

It's not that easy to put all my blocks together in a well-balanced way that pleases me. It took me probably an hour to come up with these variations. The first one isn't so good because there are two irregular stars next to each other.

In the second one the faulty snowflake (still to be re-done) is too dominant and the snowflakes are too close too each other.

I think I like this third layout best but the big snowflake is still too prominent. Maybe I should rather make a third one from parallelograms if my scraps allow for it, maybe I should consider re-doing the big snowflake with some of the beige fabric and not just my teal remnants. I'll give it a pondering. What's your take? Excess blocks aren't problematic. They'll be relegated to spicing up the backing.

Happy sewing!

Sunday Stash #21

I've acquired a few goodies to share on here over the past weeks and - shocker - most of them aren't going to be stashed and forgotten but are necessary for ongoing projects! Such as Gütermann silk thread for accent quilting on the Winter Baby Girl Quilt as well as yardage, quilting and silk thread for my Grecian Waters HST quilt. I set my mind on silk thread after stumbling upon this gorgeousness on Pieces of Contentment.

I'm so so excited to work on this project once the baby quilt is done!

Lastly, I also found this pretty print and bought two metres for some cushion-y goodness in the future, a cheap end of  bolt cut, and snap-fasteners to replenish my stash after making baby's first dresses.

Happy sewing!