Curves Made Easy (or at least easier)

I have two charm packs (one of them is 2wenty Thr3e! I just love that line!) that I want to make into cathedral window-like pillows, but without all that ironing and top-stitching. Not to mention the fabric waste. You know, easy-peasy piecing (except for all the curves and perfectly matching points)?

So I broke out my Robbing Peter to Pay Paul die from Sizzix for the first time and painstakingly pinned along each seam. And I finished a block. Yeah. I'm not posting a picture of what that looked like, and for good reason. Granted, I didn't try that hard, but it was way too time consuming for a four inch block (3.5 finished, yikes!).

Enter the Curve Master Presser Foot. Careful if you google it (ask me how I know). Thanks to Amazon Prime, my foot arrived in two short days.

And then it was time to play. I installed the foot, which was able to snap-on to my Janome without any of the ankle adapters that come with the package. Initially, I was a little worried because my needle comes down in sort of a strange place on the foot, but it seemed to work just fine regardless.I will try to get a picture to add for the visual.

And then I cut out all the little shapes in two seconds flat thanks to my Sizzix. Bonus points since one charm square can produce three of the half-oval shapes.

And I started sewing all those beautiful little fabric bits together.  It is going to take a little practice, and it won't ever be as easy as patchwork, but it is completely manageable. And the results are pretty great. This little block took me about 10 minutes from start to finish, isn't it cute?

Even though this worked really well, I have to shelve this project for now. My fabric diet is over (yay!) and I have some serious quilting to get started on. And I have some doll clothes (long story for another blog post) that need making ASAP. More soon!

Cannot Escape the Plush

I've been on a fabric diet, and I can't seem to stop making softies. Not that I'm complaining, but I swear this sudden deluge of fluff was unplanned. I promise to get back to quilting soon. I have my first all-solids quilt planned and can't wait to start!

But, back to this little foal (donkey? mule?)... My original inspiration came following the news of Moore's devastating tornadoes. I had really hoped to find him a home there, with a little boy or girl who might appreciate the comfort. Try as I might though, I couldn't find anyone who was able to find him a home -- which is completely understandable. Handmade toys are a bit of a niche thing. As it turns out, hospitals generally won't take stuffed animals either because of the infestation risk. Ah well, lesson learned.

At any rate, on the face of it, this seemed like a pretty easy project. The pattern came from Jill Hamor's book Storybook Toys Sew 16 Projects from Once Upon a Time Dolls, Puppets, Softies and More . (As an aside, if you haven't checked out her blog,  you should. The eye candy is amazing). The horse is my favorite project in the book. I just love his vintage look. In fact, I loved this horse so much that I decided to make a very similar horse in royal purple (Jill's was navy blue).

Well, as it turns out, I'm still a bit of a novice at toy-making.  I really struggled with this pattern, and there are quite a few imperfections in this guy. For example, you need to hand stitch the head gusset around the muzzle first (as seen in the top right picture in the mosaic) because that curve is a little too intense for a sewing machine to handle on its own. Not to mention the fact that I was also fighting the mane and ears that were tucked inside.  

Well, I'm too impatient for that kind of artistry. His crooked head just goes to prove that, ha! Luckily for me, his crookedness translated into "aw, the horse is tilting his head." Phew :)

I also decided (a little too boldly!) to modify the pattern and give him three dimensional feet (it calls for the legs to come together as a two-dimensional seam). I used some of the techniques outlined in Stuffed Animals: From Concept to Construction to draft his foot pads. You can see my template in the bottom right photo above (it's the light blue circle). Man, those little hooves were fiddly! The footpads were small and required sewing through 5-7 layers of wool in places. Not easy, but I'm glad I made my way through it... though only somewhat successfully. One of his hooves came out tiny and stunted, see it up there? He's been affectionately dubbed Nemo ever since. 

Nemo's legs are stuffed with cotton batting scraps to give him enough structure to stand on his own. The rest of him is stuffed with squishy wool. I'm happy to report that the firm stuffing job went a long way in correcting his stunted hoof. His mane is wool yarn, and his hooves are 100% wool felt. Nemo's saddle was made from Kate Spain's Good Fortune collection for Moda. His saddle includes a metal snap (new trick for me!), so it can come on and off as needed. 

As for his fate? My mom insisted on taking Nemo herself, so he's going to make a not-so-surprise-birthday-present for her tomorrow. I know he'll be loved there, and I'm pretty sure that she will take good care of him :)

And now I'm going to swear off curved seams and 3D construction for awhile. For real this time!

A Wombat for Grammy

It's been a very rainy week, and I didn't dare bring this guy outside for pictures. So I setup an  impromptu quilt-backdrop, and squeezed in a photo shoot just before we headed out for Grammy's 50th Birthday Bash.

Like Poppet, this guy is made out of contrasting corduroy fabrics - a paisley print and a solid leaf green, both from Kaufmann's 21 wale corduroy collection. His nose and claws are black wool felt, and he is also stuffed with wool for the best squish.

Oh, and he originally started out with three eyelashes on each eye. I'd blame the toddler, but it was actually me who got overly zealous when stuffing. Whoops!

Blogger's Quilt Festival

I thought it would be a lot of fun to share a quilt for the 2013 Blogger's Quilt Festival! If you're visiting from the festival, welcome! I'm hope you enjoy your visit.

I made this quilt top right after mother-nature dropped an amazing 30" of snow outside my window. I based  my design on the "Strip and Flip" pattern over at Cluck, Cluck, Sew. I used a jelly-roll of Simply Color by V&Co for Moda, and carefully arranged the strips to create a rainbow gradient that transitioned well between darks and lights. Once I had everything laid out the top came together quickly, and the piecing provided some much needed color therapy.

Inspired by the blizzard, I backed this one in the coziest white flannel.  And to keep it perfectly soft I quilted it with a serpentine stitch. It washed up so soft and fluffy, perfect for cuddling under during a monster nor'easter.

As it turns out, this quilt is still with me even though I finished it a few weeks ago. It will be leaving for its new home soon, but I was able to snap a few refreshed photos today. I think it's just as cheery in early spring as it was in late winter. :)

Quilt Stats:
Size: A nice lap quilt, 52" x 75"
Pieced and Quilted by: Me! on my Janome Horizon.
Best Category: ROYGBIV

I hope you enjoy the rest of the Blogger's Quilt Festival and thank you so much for visiting!