Crafty Christmas

Student teaching, while great in some ways, is not so great on the money front. As in, it doesn't pay anything.

As such, this Christmas is going to be a crafty Christmas! Luckily, I already had my brother and sister-in-law's presents bought (they're hard to make things for). And while my mom would be super happy to get something homemade, I really wanted to get her something specific. I'm not going to mention it here in case she reads, but it's great and she's going to love it.

L, my 1.5 year old nephew, loves cars. His third word, after Mama and Dada, was car. And so, I made him a Matchbox Roll from an old pair of jeans, a fat quarter of Patty Young's Flora & Fauna Dandelion in Lime, and some scraps. The road is black duck cloth from G's curtains, and yellow scraps are from my scrap bag. The tie is a sweatshirt hood string from an old sweatshirt that I don't wear anymore.

My step-sister K is extraordinarily hard to buy for. Her lifestyle is that if there's anything she wants, she'll just buy for herself. She loves entertaining and cooking; she's very modern, though, so most handmade items don't really fit her style. I've been thinking for a long time, and I decided that she'd really enjoy cloth napkins for when she entertains. I had a spare yard of Tula Pink's Hushabye Dragonfly in Aqua lying around, so I cut it into four squares that measured 18" x 18". The finished napkins are about 17" squared with the seam allowance, and it's quite time consuming doing it by hand, but I'm really quite happy with how they're turning out!


You can't really see the hems that well, but I swear they look good.

Pomp & Circumstance

As of this coming Friday, I am a college graduate. I apologize for being so utterly neglectful of this blog for the past few months; it was something that really couldn't be avoided.

There will be a post very soon about my crafty Christmas projects. Promise.

Remember How I'm Still Here?

Because I am.

Student teaching is really starting to get crazy. Performances are starting, lots and lots of rehearsals, and the little tiny bit of cash that I worked for all summer is now an even tinier bit of cash (why is life so darn expensive? someone please explain this to me).

Which means an after-school/ weekend job for me. Because being a full-time teacher who doesn't get paid apparently doesn't pay the bills. So, if I'm not really around a whole lot in the near future, please remember, it's not because I'm not here. I am. I just probably don't have a whole lot to talk about in my sewing world. Hopefully that changes, but I'm not holding my breath.



In other news, I have made some headway in my Little Folks quilt. I also bought some awesome fabrics because I have an addiction to buying really cute bits of fabric that are only 10 bucks a yard (with shipping!), so really, it's a bargain.

Also, an addiction.

Student Teaching...

... is plodding on. I come home every day exhausted and stressed out. Every single day I plan on coming home and doing some sewing to wind down. Every day I get my small sewing bag from my upstairs room and bring it into the living room in preparation. And every day I get sidetracked with the internet, or with baking.

I'm a stress-baker; needless to say, my high school classes are reaping the benefits. One class has had baked goods every class for the last 3 classes (homemade cinnamon buns, leftover cake, and giant lemon-blackberry scones)! It's a small class (4 kids!), which is why baking for them is kind of perfect. I don't need to make a big batch or use a lot of energy and resources to make sure everyone gets some.

Anywho. When I do get around to sewing, it always is such a relaxing thing. I'm really glad I decided to do the piecing of this quilt by hand instead of waiting until I can afford to have my machine fixed. I don't have a sewing area, so when my machine was working, I had to constantly be bringing it up and down stairs to be able to use it on a table. Sitting in front of the TV with my sewing in hand literally melts the stress off. I wish I did it more.

Silly lesson plans. Don't they know I have a WIP?

Hexagon Love

Hexagons are a trend that seem to be flooding the online quilting community. As a lover of hand-sewing, this seemed like the perfect project for me! I had some leftover Little Folks 2.5" squares, so I traced the hexagons from my computer screen onto paper, cut them out, basted the hexes, and sewed to my little heart's content.


I'm pretty happy with how it came out :)

I'm Still Here...

... but I'm currently student teaching.

For those people who don't know what that is: Student teaching is a form of an internship that is required in order to get a teaching certification in college. You basically are a teacher that's paying to be one. I'm exhausted, but getting through it.

I am sewing, but I'm sewing a big project. That will take a long time to finish. Because I'll be damned if I didn't decide that I'm now a hand-sewer when it comes to quilts.

I'll update with pictures again, soon. Promise.

So Maybe I Sewed a Little...

Summer's almost over, and my camp job is ending in just a few days. It was wonderful to be with kids again. Especially these kids. Oh man I love em.

Anyway. The summer wasn't totally sew-free. I did have to make felt patches for the kids I watched! Every camper gets a "cabin" patch when they come to camp, and it's the counselor's responsibility to make them.

Here are mine.

Can you tell I had a little bit of fun :)

Summer Break

I will not be close to a computer for the most part of the summer. I will also not have my sewing machine, so it really doesn't *quite* matter if I'm close to a computer.

So, don't expect a post or activity or pretty much anything from me for a good 2 months. Yup, that's how I roll.

I'm going to miss quilty blogs so much!!

All Quiet on the Sewing Front

Sorry there haven't been posts as of late. Subbing has kept me busy, and a healthy fear of cutting into and then sewing together my precious Little Folks fabric has kept me away from my machine.

I did start sewing together some rows of LF a few days ago. My machine promptly then decided to stop working (I think the needle threader hates me, as do all of the tension settings). While part of me is super disappointed, there's another part of me that would just rather be handsewing it all anyway. I'm much better at it, I get much less frustrated, and I think that the product lasts longer when properly stitched by hand (I'm going to research this soon, for proof of my theory). But then I remember that there are 118 blocks to that quilt. And I'm not so sure I'd like to tackle something like that. We'll see. I might take the machine in first to see how much it'd be to repair it.


One adventure I have partaken in! I want to have a pieced backing for this quilt, so I cut out (too many) 2.5" squares. Because of the overflow of those squares, I decided to jump on the bandwagon. I started a paper-pieced hexagon pillow that will match my beauteous quilt.

The hexagons are all basted and pieced; I just have to determine what size pillow this will be, and the general construction of the thing. I lurve the LF fabric all together; seriously, this square could not be any cuter. Pictures soooooooon.

Sneakery Peakery

I Won... Again!

Hooray!!! There was a lovely giveaway at My Three Sons that I entered, and won!

Angela was super sweet! I'm getting (about) a Fat Quarter of each fabric, and I'm so excited!! I'm in love with the goldfish fabric. And the dandelion fabric. Both of them (but I'm really partial to the goldfish fabric). I think it'll be perfect to use in a project for Logan (project undetermined at this point, but I may be thrust into action upon seeing it in person).

I'm so excited. Thank you Angela for this wonderful giveaway!!

A Sneak Peek

So, mostly days at college are way too busy to do any sewing. Also, I'm too poor to buy more fabric for a project. And I have absolutely no room to do anything. BUT.

I did win those FQs of California Dreamin. And I do have a plan for them. And now I even have a little recipient. So, tonight, I got motivated (slash I didn't want to do that paper that's staring me in the face).

Here's a sneak peek of things to come...



In other news, I have final thoughts on P&K's quilt. If I'm going to do this, I'm going to do it so right I can't even stand it. Throw to twin sized quilt, quilted by me, with high quality fabrics. If all of these small projects have taught me anything, it's that I'm not at a high enough skill level to tackle a job of this importance, and I'm not really in a place financially where I can get the kind of fabric quality that I'm looking for. So, for now, I'll have to wait on it. Maybe for their first anniversary, or for a Christmas present. We'll see.

Buttercup Bag!

It's done! I made it and it's pretty and I like it.

It's a little small for an everyday purse, but as a concert purse? Win.

Break's Done

My spring break is now effectively over. Well, I have today. But that's it. I think I did pretty well on my list.

1. The two curtains for G are all done, AND I even made him another one for the other side of the basement. They fit perfectly, and I think he is really happy with them.
2. I got my dress all finished up. I can't wait for summertime when I can wear it!
3. I have everything I need for the Buttercup Bag. Even though I didn't get it finished, I can blame that on not being able to print out the pattern, and at least now that I'm at school, I'm capable of having it done.
4. I planned out entirely the California Dreamin quilt. Mostly I'll be using the Morning colors, but there will be some Afternoon colors (confession: Afternoon is my favorite of the two, and I can't bear to part with 2 of the quarters). Since it'll be mostly pink, it's going to be a little girl's quilt. Now all I need to find is someone with a little girl.
5. I have rethought and reworked P&K's quilt. More on that to come.
   

Curtains!!

So, some of you may be wondering why exactly my step-dad would want curtains for his birthday. Let me explain.

My step-dad LOVES Corvettes. He owns a cherry red '77 that he has been restoring, little by little, for 8 years now. He works as a carpenter. He redid our entire basement, covered the ugly concrete walls in refinished, stained wood. We have a pool table, a foosball table, a mini bar, and a gym. And this basement is COVERED in Corvettes.

He mentioned to me earlier this week that he'd really like some black curtains for the basement. His 50th birthday is on March 15th, and I won't be there to celebrate with him. So it was only fair that he get his present early. He's very particular about what he wants, especially in the basement, so I told him ahead of time that this would be his present, and got his feedback at every step of the process. Here is the result:











Did I mention that he REALLY REALLY likes Corvettes? And that's only one wall.

I used black duck cloth from Joann's (G specified that the curtains shouldn't be able to let light in). They measure roughly 20" by 53".

Happy 50th birthday G!!!

Refinished Old Navy Dress

I bought this Old Navy dress at Goodwill for 3 bucks. It fit me pretty well, but the spaghetti straps do NOT work on a DD girl like me.


Also, the (absurdly long) straps that tied around the back seemed to only accentuate the fact that I'm not terribly skinny. They had to go. Here's what the dress started like (the bottom ruffle is my favorite part):


I decided that my first clothing attempt should be for me, but that I should use a 3 dollar article of clothing (you know, just in case). So, I cut off the ties, doubled them for support in lieu of interfacing, and turned them into straps. Result: much thicker, more appropriate straps.

Ahhhh. That's better.

And now I have a cute summer dress for days off at Wo. :)

Spring Break, Update

1. Half done refurbishing that dress. I'm pretty happy with the first side. There's a lot of by hand work, but if Mom's Christmas Quilt has shown me anything, it's that I know how to hand-sew well.

2. I have one curtain done for step-dad's birthday present. I cannot start the other until I know if the measurements for the first are correct, so I'm waiting on him.

3. California Dreamin' quilt is all planned. I think I'm going to start the cutting as soon as I have a proper mat on which to cut them. And a new rotary blade.

4. I have bought all I need for the Buttercup bag. All I need is to print out the pattern, then I can get started with cutting, piecing and sewing.

5. I started a little book for L. More on that later.

Dear Blogosphere,

How do I make my bobbin tension not get all tangly? I have an old Kenmore machine (a 14, I think?). I've tried EVERYTHING I can think of. Really. I've tried every single tension setting. I've tried all the different stitches with every tension setting.

Maybe I'm doing something really wrong. Maybe it needs to be cleaned and oiled. I haven't had it for very long; it came used from a garage sale, then sat in my step-aunt's kitty filled house. Maybe there's a whole lot of hair in my machine that I can't even see.

Help. Please Help.

<3 Meg

Spring Break. Woo!

My plans for spring break?

Job Interview, Dentist appointment, step-dad's birthday present (black curtains for the basement), California Dreamin' quilt top planning (I'm thinking about using the pattern from Amy Butler's book Little Stitches for Little Ones), a buttercup bag (I hope), and restyling a dress I bought at Goodwill (start rant: Ok Old Navy. I really like that you're making things in larger sizes for girls like me. But if you're going to make something bigger, please tweak the design? PLEASE? Because really, skinny spaghetti straps on a XXL bodice? That's not going to work. You won't get sales, I won't get a pretty dress that fits me well. End rant).

Yup, I think that'll keep me pleasantly busy.

Dear Mom (First Edition)

Twenty minute Simple Skirt Tutorial

Dear Mom.

Wanna help me with a 'speriment next week? We can go to Joann's and you can pick out a fabric, I'll get a yard of it and some elastic. Then I'll try to make you a skirt.

If it works and you love it, since you helped me jump into the whole "let's make some clothes" thing, you officially are allowed to ask for a new skirt anytime you want.

<3 Meg

I WON!

I WON A FABRIC GIVEAWAY AND OH BOY AM I EXCITED!!!!!!

I won a fat-quarter SET of Jenean Morrison's California Dreaming fabric, which is the very first fabric that I found online that I fell head over heels in love with. Oh man oh man oh man!! That's 4 yards of fabric!!! Beautiful FREE FABRIC!


I already have a plan for it. It's going to be SO GOOD! Mhm it is.

More Fabric for P&K

Just purchased this BEAUTIFUL FABRIC for P&K's quilt from an Etsy store called Whipstitch. I had previously bought some fabric there, and the experience was kind of so-so (10+ days of waiting for the fabric to arrive, plus a misunderstanding regarding the order). Long story short, I ended up leaving a polite, but honest review. I ended up pressing the negative button by accident; I meant to leave a neutral review, but had a headache and was trying not to look at the screen for very long.

The lady felt so badly that I had left a negative review that she offered to refund my shipping costs! I refused this offer, since I'm about 80% positive that the reason the fabric isn't here is the freak weather in the south right now that is shutting down federal buildings (including mail), and explained that hadn't meant to leave a bad review! I changed my listing to be positive, since she had been so accommodating for me. She was still bummed that I had only had a so-so experience, so she ended up giving me store credit!

And so, I bought this fabric for P&K's quilt:

It's from Tula Pink's line Hushabye, called Dragonfly in Aqua. I left the picture bigger so you could see the pretty design in it! It will be perfect in this quilt, I think. And I bought a WHOLE YARD OF IT! How much did I pay for a yard of this beauteous DESIGNER fabric? 2 bucks, plus shipping. Thank you Deb!

Shabby Apple Shakespeare Garden Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!

Shabby Apple Shakespeare Garden Dress GIVEAWAY!!!!

I wonder when it ends?

Pillow Factory Alphabet Down Filled Pillow GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Pillow Factory Alphabet Down Filled Pillow GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

New Approach

Two fabrics I ordered for P&K's quilt came in today (the floral print, from Amy Butler's Love collection, and the dandelion print). And look a bit different in person than they did online. I guess that's the problem with buying over the internet, through pictures. Both are beautiful fabrics. I love them individually, and will NOT have a problem finding something to use them in. But together? Not so much.

The Love print I got just isn't going to work for a boy's quilt. I really like the dandelions, but they're a bit brighter than I had thought they would be. Think less mustard-y colored. I'll make it work. As far as I know now, I'm still going to be using the dandelion's in Patrick's quilt. We'll see how the other fabrics work in with them. I just wish this brightness didn't make me timid to buy the Dogwood print; in the pictures, they go together perfectly. But I don't think this bright green will match the muted olive very well.

I think I'm just going to start over. Use the four-square fabric as a jumping point, and just go from that. But in person. I'll go to Joann's and just look for fabrics that are along the lines of the original quilt. Not an exact copy, of course, but probably similar. She already knows I'm doing it anyway :)

You're My Inspiration!

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I got into sewing. Unlike a lot of other quilters out there, my mom didn't really do a lot of sewing when I was growing up that I can remember. Counted cross-stitching, yes (I have a beautiful stocking to show for it, too). But not really sewing. She did some when she was younger, I know that. But, as she ran a daycare, she never really had time to do some real, sit-down for 3 hours sewing.

When I was about 7, I was obsessed with the series the Berenstain Bears. I loved them. I had a collection of the books. My favorite among favorites, though, was "Mama's New Job." That's the book where Mama Bear gets a job selling her quilts that she makes. I used to flip through those pages, mesmerized by the beautiful pages of quilts. In fact, for about 3 months, all I would tell anyone is that when I grew up I wanted to be a quilter. Which was an ACHIEVEMENT, if you knew me as a kid.

That book has long been packed away, now. Clearly, though, I had hit on something. Although my desire to have a job as a quilter has changed, 7 year old me was certainly right about one thing: I want to be able to consider myself a real live quilter when I grow up (in 20-30 years).

P&K Quilt

So, the other quilt that I have in mind is going to be a wedding present for my big brother. I already have the top planned, and I am working on getting the fabrics coordinated and bought. I asked my soon-to-be SIL what her favorite colors were, and this is the response I got:

fav colors huh? I love soft yellows, dark purples. I like blues but in smaller quantities. Def lighter shades of blues and teals than the dark shades. I like green a whole bunch as well as hot pinks and I guess it's obvious I like red hehe.

So, I've been working on getting fabrics that are manly enough to put in a quilt for my brother, but that fit those boundaries. I've decided to focus on green, with some purples, yellows, and blues. I'm having a hard time with the blues; everything I like has LOTS of blue in it, or has a beautiful dark blue color.

Here's what I have already ordered so far:













Here's what else I want to order:

I need about 4-5 more fabrics, if I stick with two of the above. I'm thinking the middle and the third; the middle is a more manly print, and I'm basically just in love with the elegance of the third (hey Mom, it's named Dogwood, and have it in a BEAUTIFUL blue that I almost bought to use for you later). The only problem I'm having is that it's alot of floral prints so far (do the dandelions count as floral?)

Here's the link for what I'm planning to do with these fabrics, give or take a bit. It's from Cluck. Cluck. Sew.

Thoughts?

Little Folks Quilt

I have some big ideas. As I said, I have two quilts in the planning stages. For both, I already have a top planned and am working on acquiring the fabric, little by little. One is for me, one isn't.

Since the one that isn't for me is going to be the one I'm working on the most in the next couple of months (maybe it'll be faster than that... we'll see), I thought I'd tell you about the one I'm going to be making for myself. Eventually.

When Anna Maria Horner came out with her Little Folks line, I fell in love. I was brand new in the virtual sewing community and I fell in love with her use of color and pattern, especially in the Midnight colorway. And so, I decided that I would like to make a quilt for myself from her cotton voiles, as a memory of my first steps towards being a *real* quilter.

Here's what the Midnight colorway looks like:


I know. It's amazing. I already have two half-yard cuts that I got on sale, and a plan for my quilt top. It's going to be very simple, just normal blocks, quilted diagonally. I think I'm going to do the back in an interesting way, but I need to think about it a little more, first.

Ok Mom, what do you think? Like the colors and prints? Obviously I won't be getting the all fabrics for a while yet, but I like the idea of the plan.

Pocket Tissue Holder

Another small project that I made for my Mumma. This time I followed the tutorial on Skip to My Lou exactly as it said. It's not perfect (it can't quite fit a tissue pack in it), but it's cute enough to make up for it.

Like that fabric in the background? Yup, those are my sheets. I almost wish I didn't love them so much, then I could cut into them and make something cool (that is already the plan for the flat-sheet, when I stop using the set). Hopefully I'll be able to find a better background soon. That isn't the floor. Oh the small space I have to work with!

L's Crayon Roll

I made this crayon roll for my nephew, L. He is 9 or 10 months old and definitely can't use it yet, but I couldn't resist! Sorry for the bad picture; dorm rooms aren't exactly famous for their excellent lighting. I used a tutorial from Skip to My Lou, but I modified it to make it smaller, and so each crayon could have a special colored slot.

I think I'm going to try to wait to give it to him for his birthday in May; we'll see if I can hold out.

Mom's Christmas Quilt

This is (almost) the quilt that started it all. The first quilt I ever finished was a baby quilt for my nephew Logan. Plans for that one started as soon as I found out my step-sister was pregnant (September 08). I borrowed a machine, went out and bought a cute, gender-neutral kit, and made it. Didn't catch a picture before I sent it off, but I'll try to get one later. After I finished it, I had a bit of extra fabric.

And so, this quilt began. I ended up only using two fabrics leftover from Logan's quilt (a fairytale print that I have one scrap left of that I adore, and a green scroll-y print). The corners are leftover flannel from my favorite men's PJ pants that ended up ripping beyond repair. I washed the pants, then cut up the legs (which were HUGE) and saved the fabric. It's soooo super soft, too. All of the other fabrics I either bought or already had lying around. All this quilt takes is fat quarters, which I bought at Joann's on sale, so it really didn't end up costing very much at all. The colors aren't exactly unified or matching, but I liked the idea of using fabrics that I really loved, regardless of whether or not they "matched." The back (and the binding) is this beautiful brown print that goes well with our living room. Since the front is so busy, I wanted the back to be one fabric. Also, I was sick of sewing at that point. Everything is hand done. Hand pieced, hand quilted, hand bound. My fingertips hated me for weeks. The worst part was the binding. Figuring it would take me about a day to do, I started it the week of Christmas. 4-5 hours later, one edge was finished. Now, a day on Christmas break for me was about 10-11 hours, only 5 or 6 of which my mother wouldn't be home (yes, I slept in as late as I could; I'm in college, it's what we do). The clock was against me. After 2 nights of staying up until 3am to finish just one edge, I got it done.

I started this quilt in Winter 08, and finished it on December 23rd, 2009. It was just in time to give my mother for Christmas. She knew what the top looked like, but I managed to keep her from seeing it quilted and bound until Christmas morning (a great feat, let me tell you). I consider this my first quilt, since I did EVERYTHING on it (as opposed to the kit, which already have the fabrics picked out, the pattern laid out, and the proper cuts all ready). And I know she loves it, which makes those tedious hours all worth while.

An Introduction

Another blog for me to start and (hopefully) look after. But this one has a purpose!

After my step-aunt Gayle gave me a beautiful, not quite in working condition sewing machine that she had lying around, I have not been able to stop thinking about sewing! I've spent months staring at it, planning and getting fabric for two large quilts, and planning small projects to help me get rid of the (tragically small) stash that I have. I got it running a few days ago, and haven't been able to stop sewing since!

The reason for this blog is because after every single project I've completed, I've emailed my adoring mother with pictures to show her my newest creations. Supportive as she is, I think both of our mailboxes will end up suffering if I don't make a change! So, a sewing blog it is!

Now, let me introduce myself and my space. I am Megan, a 21 year old college student with not a lot of money, fabric, or room, but with enough innovative ideas and stubbornness to make up for it. I'm going to school to become a music teacher (hence the name of this blog). Here is my space:

Told you I didn't have much room! I'm making it work, though.