Quilt Show and Class

I had a wonderful time at the quilt show yesterday.  I didn't have a lot of time to check out the quilts and I only took one picture.  The above quilt was probably my favorite in the show and it was made by Sayy B. Rowe.  It is called "Crazy Patches: Four Seasons".  The program states

       The "Four Seasons" center block tree is set on point and framed with a triangle of crazy patch corners.  Fabric choices, designs and embellishments were selected to reinforce the individual seasons.  Source: A Calendar and Quilt Book 2002, Piecemakers, :Piecemakers Times & Seasons Crazy Patches: Four Seasons". Machine pieced, machine appliqued, hand embroidered,  embellished, hand quilted.

I wish I had taken some close ups of the quilt.  I would love to try to make a quilt like it someday.

And here is what I spent the most of the day doing.  I took a Hawaiian quilt class with Faye Labanaris.  I really wanted to learn needle turn and I thought it would be  nice to take a class where I didn't have to lug my machine.  I really find handwork so relaxing even though I didn't get the needle turn right off.  I kept trying to "finger turn".  I picked a simple orchid pattern since it is my first one. I didn't do a Hawaiian border on mine.  I am unsure if I really wanted mine to look like a traditional Hawaiian quilt.  I thought maybe a scrappy border would look cute.  Any thoughts?  It is suppose to be a wall-hanging but since it is my first needle turn project (first one I will finish anyway) I thought maybe a tabble topper would be better.  Then I can put a vase on the mistakes.

I really enjoyed being in a room with other quilters.  I need to take more classes. 

I am linking up at Freshly Pieced: WIPs Wednesdays.

Happy Friday

I should really be making dinner but I just felt like I was going to burst with happiness because I am in such a great mood.  I was going to post on facebook but I always imagine my friends rolling their eyes and going "oh please, another post about baking and quilts and cute children"  So it is a good thing I have a blog and can spare all my friends. 

First I need to update you on food.  I am about to make a really yummy dinner (easy Summer Vegetable Pasta and the Italian bread is already made).  I haven't made it before but I know it is really yummy because it is from Cooks Country and all their recipes are delicious.  I can't share it because you have to be a member to access recipes.  I signed up for the two week trial free membership planning to cancel my membership after the two weeks (because I am cheap not because the website isn't awesome - it is).  But I forgot to cancel.  It is only 35 dollars and I think it is worth it.  Cooks Country has product recommendations and ingredient brand recommendations too. And they test their recipes over and over again.  They also give a nice explanation about them too.  This recipe I made last week from another favorite food website and it was very tasty.

Last time I wrote I had all these plans of making tons of stuff for kids clothes week.  Well the heat here just made it so hard to sew.  It actually made me feel like I hate summer.  And I am not a person usually bothered by the weather.  We have AC in one bedroom but the rest of our home was so so hot.  And the sewing I did while sweating did not work out.  I messed a yoke up so bad (almost last step of one top) that I had to scratch the whole top.  And a pair of pants that I made first to go with the top ended up with a stain.  So now I am just working on an outfit for Luke.  I have a new plan so I don't rush and so what I make is better quality.  I am pretending everything I make is a gift.  So before maybe I would mess up a seam but you wouldn't be able to tell if my child was wearing it, I would leave it. Now I am fixing it.

And a little quilting update.  Tomorrow I am going to the Maine Quilt show.  I think it is my 5th time going.  It is my first time taking a class.  I am taking a needle-turn Hawaiin quilt class.  I still have to buy the fabric but I am hoping to make something like this

This  quilt is from the book Denyse Schmidt: Modern Quilts, Traditional Inspiration.  The class is all day with a two hour break.  I plan to look at the quilts during the break.  I won't have a lot of time but I will try to take pictures. 

And now for the adorable thing my adorable son did.  Today he was pretending to make his own shirt patterns.  It killed me.  Happy Friday!

Bucket Hat for KCW

I could have named this the guilt hat.  I have been making lots for Stella lately and not so much for my little man.  He's been asking me to make him something.  I am going to make him an outfit too but I am waiting for the fabric to arrive.  I already had the fabric for this hat in my stash and the pattern is in Oliver and S Little Things to Sew.  The shark fabric I bought last summer at Joann's.  I am not that crazy about it but Luke is really into sharks right now and I new it would make him happy.  The lining fabric is bungle jungle by tim and beck.  I asked Luke if he liked it.  He response was that he thinks it should have a zipper so it can be a lunch bag.  Maybe next time.

This is the first time I am doing KCW.  I want to add a button or whatever they are called to my sidebar (not sure that is what it is actually called).  I just have to figure out how.  I didn't really plan on doing KCW.  I was going to work on my book quilt this week but Sunday I started thinking how I do have so many fabrics and patterns for kids clothes.  There aren't too many weeks left of summer here in Maine but I decided to go for it anyway.  Monday is the only day I work in the summer and it is a long one so I'm not sure I actually got an hour of sewing in yesterday (even though I was up at 4:30 to try).  I should be able to the rest of the week.  Today it is so hot at my kitchen table but I made myself finish the hat.  Hopefully it is cooler the rest of the week. 

New Dress

I love finding new to me blogs that I love and going back through their archives and seeing so many beautiful handmade items.  I was delighted when I found Floating World Views this past year.  I saw so many things I loved but I extra loved her Amsterdam dress .  I ordered the fabric right away and waited for it to get warm here.  I tried the paper fan dress pattern last week with different fabric and this week decided to make my own Amsterdam dress.  I love how it turned out.

The fabric is Heaven and Helsinki by Patty Young.  I couldn't find where they were selling it right now.  Sorry.  I trimmed the skirt part of the paper fan pattern to 10 inches long and then added the house border to the bottom.  I did all french seams and still managed to get it to fit all together.  I added baby ric rac around the center seam.  

I am knitting a little summer sweater that will look very cute with this dress.  I wish I had finished it up by now but I had put it on hold while I was getting caught up on my Woodland Sampler.  I am almost caught up with the sampler and  I will show pictures soon.  I really want to keep making Stella dresses but I really should make something for my Luke and work on some of the many quilts I have not finished.  Hopefully I will get back to my Patchwork Please book quilt so I can get back to the Zakka Along 2.0.  I am still waiting for my linen fabric to arrive from winning last week.  I can't wait.  And I am getting some Briar Rose with my gift credit that I won.  So many crafty things to look forward too!

edited to add -  Does anyone else have more adds lately with blogger?  I noticed today and when I had typed gift c a r d above instead of gift credit (I am spacing it so it doesn't do it again) - it linked it to an add.  Sorry if you clicked on it.  I am hoping it doesn't do it the way I typed it now.

edited to add (7/13/13) - We went sailing today.  I was too busy being sick on the boat to take pictures but I took these after:

7/16/13 - I am going to link up at Better Off Thread's Sew Cute Tuesday.

Paper Fan Dress

Well this wasn't exactly the idea I had yesterday but it evolved in to this dress and I am so happy.  We are going to a community event tonight and Stella wearing a new dress will make it much more fun.  I used the free Paper Fan Dress pattern by Anna Maria Horner.  It was quick and easy though I still managed to make mistakes.  I put the button holes on the wrong side on the back so I had to have them on both sides of the bodice but you can't really see them.  However that was a little maddening.  And the ric-rac is because I didn't like my topstitching but I love the ric-rac.  I think it makes the dress.

I hope to get pictures of her wearing tonight.  It definitely looks cuter on.  It was so fun to make a dress for Stella I really want to make another.  I think I should do the tea party dress next.  I just have to decide on fabric.  This is such a fun time of year to sew clothes. 


Edited (a few hours later) - Here are pictures from this evening:

Apron -Zakka Along 2.0 Week 4

I was waiting to take better pictures of this apron. I really want to try for my blog pictures to look nice.   But I am not sure when it will stop raining.  So here is my apron (modeled by the hubs) that  I made for week 4 of the Zakka Along 2.0 (using Patchwork Please! by Ayumi Takahashi).  I finished it Sunday.  I wanted to be able to link up Sunday so I could have a chance of winning and I didn't have time to blog so I just put the picture on Flickr.  And I am glad I did, because I won!!!!!!!

I was working yesterday, taking a break at Dunkin Donuts, eating a gross sandwich, and drinking a frozen hot chocolate (there aren't a lot of options for a quick bite in the town I work in) and I read the email from Lindsey that I won.  I really had to hold back from telling the people who worked there (the only people there beside me) that I was a winner.  I was so excited it almost made my sandwich good.  So I won a gift card to Pinked Fabrics and a 1/2 yard bundle of linen from Robert Kaufman. 

Next,  I am planning on making the placemat for the Zakka Along 2.0 this week and I want to make a dress for Stella.  I have so much fabric and so many patterns but I can't decide on a combination that I am excited about.  I don't want to make it unless I think it is going to be really really cute.  I thought I would start today but I have basically done nothing today (other than take care of my kids).  We always change out of our pjs and shower or take baths but not today.  Maybe I'll do the dress tomorrow if I figure it out.  Well I just had an idea as I typed.  I will share later.