Way too much cuteness

Sorry for my recent absence.  The past two weeks have been work work work…but not the kind I’m excited about. 

Another member of Sew Mama Sew’s forum suggested recently this book.  After perusing the images of it at this shop (the previous link said that the item is sold out, but I emailed her and said I was interested and she very quickly listed another copy), I decided the clothes looked far too adorable to pass up.  Japanese craft books are pricey, but this is the first book that really looked like I could make everything in it, so I neatly justified the cost, especially since it has 26 patterns!  I’m excited to get going on these projects:

Can you handle all the cuteness of the little purse?  Nathan thinks I’m crazy.

I guess these are all more girly clothes.  There are boys’ clothes in there too (like the little linen suit), I just really loved these.

Volunteering (or quilting is more intriguing and simpler than I thought)

Today the sewing store where I bought my machine was having a sew-in to benefit Firehouse Quilts who makes and donates quilts to firehouses, hospitals, battered womens’ shelters and so forth to give a little bit of comfort to the people who are in those kind of situations.  I went because I’ve really needed to get out of sewing in my own little room and meet some people and learn some new stuff. 

Everyone is working hard.

I pieced together my quilt which ended up being really quite easy, once I figured out the instructions and then I was able to quilt it on the longarm machine (for an idea of how big this sucker is, you can scan through this video) which has to be about the most fun you can have with sewing power tools. 

I quilted little loops all across my top.  After looking at the back (which has these spring green bunnies on a pale pink background), my teacher deemed them “bunny ears.”  I’m pleased as punch with how everything worked out.  I’ll add a binding and drop off my quilt sometime next week after my music teachers’ conference.

Sewing lesson!

I have been most looking foward to today.  My sister-in-law just bought a machine and today we put together a tote bag from Bend the Rules Sewing which I bought her for Christmas along with a little notions kit I put together.

This is the pretty box I decoupaged (somebody needs to bring that craft back–it’s so fun) to fit all the notions:

 It was nice to take a back seat and play the role of teacher for the day.  I realize that actually teaching music has forced me to do what I thought was completely unnatural for me (and was definitely at the beginning)–which is to teach and to do so more instinctively.  I still feel like as a musician, my brain is wired to perform and not as much to teach, but perhaps I could teach something else.  Who knows?! 

Here is her bag.  I think it looks great, particularly because it is one of her first projects.

It’ll be perfect for my nephew to cart around his toys in.

Rescue

Today, feeling rather motivated to go to the thrift store, what with it being half off all but white tags, I came across this beautiful find.

It’s an entire quilt top, stitched by hand by some amazing woman I don’t know.  I have no idea what this fabric is, but I do know that my great-grandma had hoards of it all around her house.  It has a crepe sort of feel to it.  I felt a little guilty that I purchased the whole thing for $4, knowing how much love and work went into making this, but I decided that it needed a place of honor.  So “in my spare time,” I guess I’m throwing a quilt onto the project pile. 

I think I shall listen to La Rondine while I work a little more on my yoyo quilt.  I haven’t heard it since the production I saw in college that was put on at my school  (the orchestra of which I was sadly not assigned to that semester–it is a great sadness in my life that I have not played any Puccini).

Zakkattack

In my women’s prayer group, we draw a name every year for each of us to be responsible for the festivites of one person’s birthday.  I drew my friend Vanessa, who has the first birthday of the year on Jan. 9th.  We celebrated last night with a savory galette des rois that I made with a filling of bacon, cheddar, eggs, asparagus, and parmesan–all of which Vanessa loves.  We played the find the treasure that you traditionally do with a galette des rois. 

There was talk that the contest may have been rigged so that the birthday girl would get to wear the sparkly glittered crown that was the prize for finding the bean in your slice of the pastry.  I admit nothing.

I checked out Zakka Sewing at the library and saw this adorable pattern for little potholders that have a wee pocket to hold your spoon for coffee.  Being a lover of lattes (or leche con cafe as I like to say given the amount of milk Vanessa likes in her coffee) and having just moved into a new house, I figured she would like these very much.  Being a library book, I approximated the pattern from the book on grid paper. 

 

I also made her a little coin purse to house a gift card to a home store.  I’ve decided that it is so incredibly fun to make these little personal things for people.  I’m so grateful to be able to give something from my heart to someone else and I’m even more grateful that I’m able to do this because my sweet husband let me buy a sewing machine in the first place.

I also made the little houses because I made a cape a while ago for myself from S.E.W. Sew Everything Workshop that didn’t end up fitting me very well (too wide in the shoulders even after I took the pattern in and it made my hips look bigger–who wants that?).  Vanessa saw it and LOVED it, so I decided it would be a good birthday surprise for her.  I think she liked it.

All in all, we had a very fun night celebrating our friend.

The second time around

This I made from Amy Butler’s Nappy Bag pattern.  I bought the pattern last year for my sister-in-law’s diaper bag I made.  It was the very first project I made with a pattern and the first bag that I ever made.  In retrospect, that was a little crazy.  This bag came together much better and quicker than K’s did.  I like the first one…I just have more sewing experience now, so things were easier this time.

I love the big wide strap on this bag.  It does have a lot of room for baby stuff.  This bag is for a friend at church who is having a boy at the end of March.  She has her shower next week, and since I’m off work until Monday, I thought I’d get it done now.  I’ll also make the changing pad that comes with this pattern minus the carrying bag.  The lining if you didn’t notice is from the pajama pants I made from the thrift store sheet.  It was perfect for this project–it was a good weight and the lining requires a ton of fabric for this bag.  Besides, what else can you do with a huge sheet remnant?  I added a button to close plus I stitched a little lanyard in the lining that you can clip your keys onto to help eliminate the purse black hole.