Candy Coated Quilt in progress

After all the stress of last week with our son I finally was able to get a little sewing done.  Have I ever mentioned that truly sewing is my stress reliever?  I actually debated on bringing my machine to the ICU because there was plenty of room and otherwise I was just watching cable T.V. I just needed the repetition of sewing some straight lines and seeing some progress.

I now have 5 rows done for my candy coated quilt and the remaining strips all cut out.  9 more left to sew together.  That is 1/3 of the way to having the top finished. Yeah!



Each size strip is packaged in a gallon ziploc baggie and marked.  I'll just keep plugging away and break out this project when I need some mindless sewing.

Here's a couple other versions of this quilt to check out.
Freshly pieced
Sew Me Something Good
One more from Darci at Stiches&Scissors

Prom Dress--Finale

Well, my intention was to post some more sewing pics of the girls and their dresses, but it turned into quite the week last week for our family.

The Reader's Digest version:

• Tues. night take son to ER for broken arm--both bones right forearm.
• Get admitted at midnight because they couldn't get them both in place.
• Wed. afternoon surgery on arm--2 plates.
• Complications arose with his blood pressure and by 2 a.m. on Thurs. morning we were transferred by ambulance to Children's hospital and admitted to the Pediatric ICU.
• Find out that his kidneys are different sizes and this is probably the cause of his high blood pressure.
• Tests indicate all appears to be fixable at least in the long term.
• Mon. finally get moved out of ICU to regular room--hope to be sent home on Tues.
• Broken arm = blessing in disguise.  Not sure we would've found this problem any other way.

Soooooooo....after all that I was not around much to help the girls.
Unfortunately I ended up finishing the dresses for them because that was less stressful for me than trying to walk them through the remainder and still get them done on time.  Mostly it just meant me putting in the zippers and attaching the skirt lining.  They were O.K. with that.  Seriously, after all our time and effort I didn't want them to not be able to wear their dresses to the dance.

So here they are in all their glory.

My daughter with her design.




We just added a pretty little brooch that we found at the fabric store to attach to her ruched piece.
It seemed to add a nice touch without being too over the top for her.

BFF with her purple and black concoction


She bought her flower at Jo-Ann's in the hair/jewelry section.
We took off the clip part and hand sewed it on.
Then added some ribbon to hang down too.

All the girls together.


And again with my friend Amber who was nice enough to do hair and make-up for them all.
They all said they had a fun time.

Details:

• Turquoise bodice fabric HERE. 3/4 yd. 
• Simplicity 3878 for skirt pattern.
• Simplicity 1797 for bodice pattern
• My daughter opted for no tulle under her skirt once she got it on.  Decided it was fine just the way it was.
• I think both girls spent under $50 each for their dress materials and embellishments.  Yeah!!

Article here about various Mormon Proms held around the country.

And another article here.

Go here to see the original inspiration dresses.

New church dress

My youngest daughter has needed some new Church clothes.  I am tired of her wearing the same ratty-ish t-shirts with her skirts.  (I have plans to make new white tees for everyone.) This dress I made from some of the thrift store fabric pieces I found within the last month or so, and since it is blue she was more than happy to let me make her a new dress.



Details:

• Pattern Simplicity 3513
• Made this pattern before--you can see the dresses here.  I think the turquoise blue one I've kept because it is just too cute and I can't part with it yet, even though no one in my house can wear it.
• Michael Miller thrift store fabrics for about $6
• Made size 10 with added band on the dress hem.
• Didn't put elastic in the sleeve hem.  Made a little band to gather the sleeve onto instead.

• Added piping to the neck facing for added interest and contrast.

Candy Coated beginning

I decided to cut into the Civil War print fabric stack of fat quarters that I found at the thrift store and see if I would like it for the Candy Coated quilt pattern from the book Sunday Morning Quilts.

I may not quite have enough to do the quilt exactly like the pattern, i.e. I may have to eliminate a row or two,  but I'll know better on that front once I get all the pieces cut out.  It is going to be close.

For now this is how it is looking after completing the largest width row.





Not my normal choice of fabrics or colors, but overall I think I am going to like the look of this.  It is going to have a more manly feel, which is good.  Then the boys at my house will have something else to choose from.

Time out for some swimsuits

Maybe, just maybe, we are done with Winter around here.  It has been difficult do get in the swimsuit mode with snow still lying on the ground.  We are done with that now and it appears the weather is going to stay warm.

I spent a day or two sewing swimsuits this week.

My 2 youngest were invited to our 5 yr. old friend's b-day party.
Whipped up some pink/purple suits for her.  Should make the princess loving Miss F. happy.

Cut a 3" wide piece for the yellow attached skirt and then hemmed it with a double needle.

Hubby's youngest sister is having her first baby later in the summer--a girl.  They live in Texas, so of course they are going to need some swimsuits for her.

One of these for my SIL and the other for my friend's baby shower.

Both are size 1T.
Black skirt was about 2 1/2" cut strip--then hemmed it with a double needle.

Cut a 1 1/4" strip for the neck ruffle.
I like to have the ruffle almost double the length that you are attaching it to--makes it nice and full.
I attach it with a multi-step zigzag stitch.
This allows it to stretch with the suit and not pop some seams.



Front above and back below.  We love the little ruffle bums.
I also cut these strips at 1 1/4" wide. (Size 2T)
These were more like 1 1/2 the length of the bum.  I wanted it fuller, but it still works.



Another little purple paisley-ish version (2T)
Those little ruffle embellishments just change the look of the suit so much.

Enjoy your weekend everyone.
I'll be back on Monday with a Prom dress update.
They were sewing yesterday, will do some today, and again tomorrow.
We are down to 1 week and they have to get it done.

Prom Dress--Part III

The girls are deep into the sewing of their dresses.
I started them on the skirt and sleeves first.
That seemed to be easier sewing than putting the bodice together--which is how the instructions start.
I say let's start with some long straight lines to get their confidence up.




Daughter #1 pleased with her sleeves.

Sleeves are fully lined.
Showed them how to understitch along the sleeve hem in order to make sure the lining fabric doesn't roll out and show.  They did a great job and they look really nice.


They are working on the bodices pieces now.
Then we'll move onto putting it together and embellishing.

My daughter has decided she wants her tulle underneath the skirt with maybe a hint peeking out at the bottom.  I had to buy a bit more for her in order to do that.  She is super excited about the "swish" factor on her dress.  It is getting exciting around here!

Part I post--picking the dress.

Part II post--lay out and cut out.

Friday Finds

Before I get into the Friday finds I just have to show you what is happening at my house today---May 3rd people!!  We are getting snow!

About the only thing I can be thankful for is that in other parts of the state they already received 13 inches of snow in the last 2 days.  Are you kidding me!!  I just want to scream.  I shouldn't be wearing gloves and boots to do my errands in May.


O.K. back to the schedule....
I haven't done a Friday Finds in awhile so I thought I'd show a few things that I've acquired over the past weeks...or months.  It has been awhile.

• 2 yds. of  white and royal blue striped knit for $1.99.  I made a maxi skirt for daughter #1 out of this.  The stripes are super wide on this piece---7 inches.  We used pattern McCall's 6654 for a regular slightly flared maxi. Inspired by this pin.

• 1+ yds.of green and blue floral cotton print for $.99.  As I'm looking at this up close this isn't really floral but more four leaf clover-ish.  Hope daughter #1 doesn't mind.  I still think it will be a cute skirt.

• Some baskets for my master bath to use on some shelves that I have't yet put up.  2 rectangle and 3 square for under $6 total.  I'll already spray painted them white so everything will coordinate better.  And the pink check liners will be thrown out and replaced with nothing, or something better fabric.

• About 9 yds of royal blue swimwear/dancewear fabric for $7.50 for the entire bolt.  There is a flaw on one selvage edge that appears to be thru the entire bolt, but that is still a lot of fabric and I can work around it.  Daughters #1 and #3 will be in blue heaven.  I plan to make some swim team practice suits for my girls for the upcoming swim season.  Last year's suits probably need to be retired--a little too much thinning on the backside if you know what I mean.

• 6+ yds. of turquoise stretch lace fabric for $3!!!  WooHoo?!  Daughter #1 will probably get a dress out of it--something pretty and flared at the bottom.  I plan on keeping the rest myself.

• 5+ yds. of navy fleece for $2.25.  I plan on making fleece long johns or sweats for the hunting/scouting crew. 

• Nine 1 - 2 yd. pieces of Michael Miller and Moda fabrics in various colors for $11.22.

• 23 Marcus Brothers Civil War Collection fat quarters for $7.49 = $.33 per fat quarter.  I am thinking of using these to make either the Sunday Morning (low volume quilt) from Sunday Morning Quilts or the Candy Coated quilt.

• 3 stacks of charm squares and a couple additional fat quarters for $11.22.  It appears 2 of the stacks are the same or possibly different colorway of the same. I think this is actually the equivalent of 6 charm packs. The 2 sets will make a fun Fall quilt.  The other group something for Valentine's season.

• 3 yds. of stretch denim for $3.  I had bought 2 other pieces at my favorite fabric store for $3/yd. So this will give us a nice amount to make shorts, or capris, or a jean skirt.

Wow, it appears I've gone a bit crazy on the fabric shopping.  Haven't done that in a long time.  Maybe this out of season Winter weather is throwing me off.  Anything to cheer me up....pretty fabric anyone!?

Quiltmaker 100 Blocks {Blog Tour}

*EDITED*  This giveaway is now closed.  Thanks for entering.  

The winner is Amy @ Crafty Shenanigans

Hi Everyone,

I'm popping in for a little visit here with Renae.  

It's good to see you all, again!

Today is my stop on the Blog Tour for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks (Vol. 7).

I was excited to have my block included in this edition. 

There I am, Block #652 on page 47.

Last year when I was in the throngs of quilt club block making I came up with this design.  It's not anything innovative or ground-breaking, but sometimes a little tweak makes all the difference.

After making a block for one of the ladies I decided that it needed a little extra punch.  So I chopped it down, added the white skinny strip and then added the framing border.  I love the addition of the skinny white strip.  In my mind that gives it the extra pop it needs.

 

Here is a little mock up of my block in and edge to edge design. 

Pretty cool, huh? 

You could definitely make this design in a million different ways.  I sure did!  

Here it is in brown and pink

 And purple and yellow.

And here is the quilt I made out of my red blocks.

 

As some of you may know, I LOVE red quilts.  I even have a pinterest board dedicated to them.  So this is my nod to my love of traditional red quilts.  All the blocks are made with the same layout, but as you can see value placement will changes the look of the block as well.

And now, for the fun stuff...

Would you like a chance to win a copy of the magazine??

I've got an extra copy (or 2) to send out!  All you need to do is leave a comment on this post.  I'll pick winners on Monday.  If you want more chances to win, hop on over to my new blog and leave a comment there as well.  The Quiltmaker Blog is also doing a bunch of giveaways, so make sure you stop there as well.

Thanks for letting me visit!

Emily

Amish Buggy Block Quilt

Sometimes I just need to sit down and sew.
That would be most of the last 2 weeks, though it didn't actually happen that way.

It had been ugly weather outside thanks to our lovely "Spring" storms.
Nothing Spring about it.
We are still in the throes of Winter here.
I actually saw a sign outside the vet's office that read, "We're having a lovely Winter this Spring".
That about sums it up.
One morning my kids hit the bus stop with thundersnow happening.
It was a little freaky to say the least---seeing flashes of lightning while it was snowing.
The record snow fall in April is a bit ridiculous.
We don't care about the records.
We all just want it gone.
Seriously, it is killing us.
You know it is bad when even the Minnesotans are complaining.
We're so done with Winter!

Enough complaining.......unless we get even more snow down the road......
Thankfully today we are going to hit 70.  The Hallelujah chorus sings in the background.  We can't hardly believe.  I'll be eating lunch outside today....just because I can.

I finished both the top and the back for the Amish Buggy block swap that Emily started last Fall.


Top pre border attached.

With borders

Blue border cut 2" strips to finish at 1 1/2 inches.
Brown border cut 3" strips
I plan on binding it with the same brown.

The back.

The yellow piece is brighter than it is showing up in this picture.

Now to decide whether to quilt it myself or send it to Lynn.
I'm leaning towards Lynn out of pure laziness.

Working on the Kitchen

If you have followed our blog for awhile you know that we've slowly done some work on our kitchen.

Removing the half wall.
Removed the rest of the wall between dining and kitchen.
New flooring

Figuring out what to do with the remaining wall--double oven mock-up.

In the meantime it has looked like this.

An open utility shelf that was/is a disaster to say the least.
Please don't judge.
Older homes just don't come with enough storage.
And least of all when you have 7 people living in it.

Finally, since hubby has a new job, he commutes more and doesn't have as much time and we might move down the road, I decided we have to do something different.  We still might build in a double oven and cupboards, but until then I bought this.



Bought it on Craigslist for $100.
It was ready to use immediately, unlike some other entertainment units I had looked at that would've needed some shelves built in first. And when and if we do build something in this spot permanently I plan on moving this to my sewing room for fabric storage. (I will need to stain the bottom knobs to match them up.)

And for the moment here is sort of what I am doing with it.

Cookbooks
Small appliances
Markers and crafty supplies
Big bowls in the drawers
In the bottom drawer I put in baskets and fruit

Anything to get stuff off the counters and out of sight.
Still a work in progress, but much improved.

Prom Dress--Part II

Yesterday the girls came to our house after school to work on their dresses.

Next step was the lay-out and cutting.

I had to give a few instructions to BFF on how to read the pattern pieces and then made sure it was all pinned properly before I let her cut it out.  My daughter had to lengthen all her bodice pieces by 2 inches.

Both got everything pinned and cut in about 1 1/2 hrs--that's both the fabric and lining pieces.  According to my daughter it is slightly nerve-wracking cutting fancy fabric.  She didn't want to screw anything up.


Daughter #1 with the ruched turquoise for the bodice that made her so nervous.
It is $30/yd. fabric (before using a coupon) and so that is why she was freaking out a little.


BFF with her deep purple satin.
It is a gorgeous color that you can't really tell from this pic and the lighting.

Next time we start some sewing.
Fun times!
I think that I might be more excited for them than they actually are.

Details:

• Both are using the same patterns with some subtle changes.  The most humorous to me is that they are cutting out the skirt pieces the same length but they will fall at different lengths because my daughter is 6' and her BFF is about 5'5".  BFF wants hers to hit right at the ankles and my daughter wants hers a little higher, more tea length.
• Using Simplicity 1797 for the bodice and raising the back neckline a bit.
• Using Simplicity 3878 for the skirt.

Note:  Both girls decided to use this dress project as their Integrity value project for Young Woman Personal Progress--make and wear an item of clothing that conforms to modesty standards as outlined in the For the Strength of Youth Pamphlet.

Floral Circle Skirt in Blue & Brown

Here's a fun warm weather skirt that I just made for Spring if it ever shows up here in MN.  Found this fabric by accident as I was browsing for something else.  Loved it and decided to keep it for myself even though daughter #1 was eyeballing it rather seriously once I brought it home.  Sorry kiddo, this one is for me.

Already have a cute brown tee to wear with it.
Could also use this cream t-shirt if I wanted.
I wore it on Sunday to Church with a black sweater because we still have snow and it was cold.

Details:

• Simplicity 4236--this is also a good basic skirt pattern for a straight skirt--not quite pencil, but very close. 
• View C is not quite full circle skirt.  This pattern does have a full circle version to make.

• 2 yds. of 60" cotton fabric (I bought the last of this piece or I would've bought a little more)
• Added 2 inches to the overall length, only because that is as much as the fabric would allow.  I would have preferred about 4 inches added to the length.
• Used 1 pkg. of 1/4" double fold bias tape to finish off the hem.  I couldn't afford to lose any length at all when hemming..

• Finished length--25 inches.