Baby Showers & Mobiles

It's been busy around here! We had future grandparents visiting among two baby showers. It is pretty clear that this kid is well loved by lots of people around us :)  We received many necessities...diapers, bottles, books, clothes...but I'll be honest, the best was an owl cake from our local bakery, SugarBakers, which my sister so kindly "sent" from 1,500 miles away because she couldn't be here in person.

I also received a lot of support for my love of Hideaway.  One friend made us this wonderful set of three paintings inspired by objects found within the Hideaway line. Part of the decor at another shower included the adorable bunting found in this photo as well, made out of, you guessed it, Hideaway!

I even got some extra shapes, pre-backed with wonder-under, to add to some of our plain onesies.

I loaned out the remainder of my Hideaway stash, part of which became this set of wet bags for our on-the-go cloth diapering.

And while I'm hiding away, here is a close-up of the mobile I made for Little One. It is inspired by the Pixar movie "Up" (which we love - old men have a special place in my heart) but with a Hideaway theme. I just made a small model of the Fredricksen house out of mat board, covered it in fabric scraps with glue, and hung it from an embroidery hoop. I added extra strings coming from the chimney to attach balloons, but they are hung with thin thread from the hoop to keep them "floating." This is the back of the house, technically. It kept spinning away from the photo :)

I think that about wraps up our nursery (which also happens to be part unused-dining-room in our one-bedroom apartment). Since it's only part of a room in a rental, there really isn't a whole lot of decorating to do!

Cameo Journals

You may not know this about me, but I dabble in paper crafts. Mostly just making journals and hand-drawing cards for loved ones, but I've been putting some items up for sale in my shop. I just finished my favorite journals yet - octagonal Cameo journals in pink and teal.

  

Architecture school taught me one very good lesson - precision Xacto cutting. I definitely employed that skill for these journals :)

Hop on over to the PieceGardenStudio shop to check out more details!

Triangle Quilt Finish

We spend Labor Day with the same close friends every year, some of whom we only get to see once per year for this one [awesome] weekend before we all head back to our respective corners of the country.  One of our friends has been going through some tough life things since last year, and I wanted her to know how much we've been thinking about her and how much we love her... so I made her this quilt.

(it's fun to have two willing quilt holders :) )

Our yearly weekend is spent at the lake, complete with crazy fun tubing, skiing, and kneeboarding, bright blue skies with epic sunsets, and tons of laughs. I think the colors in this quilt pretty well capture the vibe. I used 11 different Kona solids to achieve the look. This was my first pass at pulling fabrics...I later added the yellow and pale pink.

You may have seen me tease this quilt on Instagram a couple of weeks ago.  I was inspired by this triangle quilt from Happy Together, but I used a few more colors and made mine a little bigger.

I used a gray & white swirly fabric for the binding, something I have had in my stash waiting for the perfect project for years. The backing is a cotton/poly blend teal color.  Quilting is just wavy lines horizontally across the quilt.

Triangle Quilt
Size: 56" x 60"
Pattern: Inspired by Happy Together
Fabric: Assorted Kona Solids

Newborn Crochet Letterman Sweater - Pattern

I shared this vintage-style V-neck Letterman sweater here on Friday.

Today I thought I'd share the pattern in case you (1) love to crochet, (2) love little babies in old-man clothes, and (3) wanted to make your own!  It is pretty straightforward, worked from the bottom up, with seams around the armholes and finishing rows at the neck and waist.

Newborn Crochet Letterman Sweater
This pattern is for personal use only. Please do not sell finished items or reproduce any portions of the pattern. Feel free to link back to it here, though!

Hook size: G
Gauge: 4 dc = 1"

Ch 66
Row 1: dc in third chain from hook, continue 62 dc across (64 dc, first chains count as one dc), turn
Row 2-7: ch 3 (counts as first dc), dc in each st across (64 dc), turn
Row 8: ch 3, dec, 59 dc, dec (62 dc), turn
Row 9: ch 3, dec, 57 dc, dec (60 dc), turn
Row 10: ch 3, dec, 55 dc, dec (58 dc), turn
Row 11: ch 3, dec, 53 dc, dec (56 dc), turn

beginning of right chest panel (a)
Row 12a: ch 3, dec, 8 dc, dec (11 dc), turn
Row 13a: ch 3, dec, 6 dc, dec (9 dc), turn
Row 14a: ch 3, dec, 4 dc, dec (7 dc), turn
Row 15a: ch 3, dec, 2 dc, dec (5 dc), turn
Row 16a: ch 3, dec, dec (3 dc)
finish off


left chest panel (b)
Begin thirteen stitches from the end of row 11 (shown by the green stitch marker in the photo below)

Row 12b: ch 3, dec, 8 dc, dec (11 dc), turn
Row 13b: ch 3, dec, 6 dc, dec (9 dc), turn
Row 14b: ch 3, dec, 4 dc, dec (7 dc), turn
Row 15b: ch 3, dec, 2 dc, dec (5 dc), turn
Row 16b: ch 3, dec, dec (3 dc)
finish off



back panel (c)
Begin in the stitch directly after the right chest panel ends (shown by the green stitch marker in the photo below)

Row 12c: ch 3, dec, 27 dc, dec (30 dc), turn
Row 13c: ch 3, dec, 25 dc, dec (28 dc), turn
Row 14c: ch 3, dec, 23 dc, dec (26 dc), turn
Row 15c: ch 3, dec, 21 dc, dec (24 dc), turn
Row 16c: ch 3, dec, 19 dc, dec (22 dc)
finish off

sleeves (make 2) - contrasting color, if you choose
ch 17
Row 1: sc in second ch from hook, sc across (16 st)
Row 2: ch 2 (counts as first hdc), hdc in next two st, *2 hdc in next st, hdc in next two st* 4 times, hdc in next st (20 hdc), turn
Row 3-10: ch 2, 19 hdc (20 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 6 hdc, dec, 7 hdc, dec (17 hdc), turn
Row 12:  ch 2, dec, 5 hdc, dec, 5 hdc, dec (14 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 3 hdc, dec, 4 hdc, dec (11 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 6 hdc, dec (9 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 4 hdc, dec (7 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, 2 hdc, dec (5 hdc), turn
Row 11:  ch 2, dec, dec (3 hdc)
finish off

Attach the sleeves to the sweater body, and finish the sleeve seem from armpit to wrist.

Neck finishing rows - contrasting color if you choose
Pick up stitches around the neck from the chest panels, sleeves, and back panel.
Row 1: ch 1, sc in same st, 2 sc, dec, *4 sc, dec* 4 times, 2 sc (26 sc)
Row 2: ch 1, sc in same st, sc, dec, *3 sc, dec* 4 times, 2 sc (21 sc)

Waist finishing rows - contrasting color if you choose
Pick up stitches around the waist
Row 1: ch 1, sc in same st, *dec, 4 sc* 10 times, dec, sc (53 sc)
Row 2: ch 1, sc in same st, 52 sc (53 sc)

Attach your letter of choice, and you are all set!

a thrifty new clock

Last week, I saw this clock on Pinterest. Then I was introduced to the local thrift store. Some time perusing the aisles led me to this beauty:

I was really just looking for a base with clock components in decent shape. This one had no price tag, a broken glass overlay, and a missing corner on the frame. I finagled a $2 deal.

Using the clock from Pinterest as inspiration, I grabbed my can of spray paint and my mega-fan of Duron paint chips. A couple hours later, I ended up with this piece.

I really like it, and I must confess that part of that 'like' is that I only spent $2 on it (the paint was left over and I got the fan for free).

Still not much sewing, and I can't see it returning with cheap crafts like this one on the horizon!

WiP Wednesday: The Sewing Space

If you are just swinging by, my husband and I just moved to Maryland. First thing on the WiP list this week was to get my sewing space set up.  It is really a built-in desk space that is our shared computer-craft nook, but we'll see who ends up using it more...

     

Ta-Da! It's functional! I would like to point out the spool holder that my dad made me for Christmas. It is a gem.

Some things I have left in their boxes, waiting for them to find their natural place in the room. They might end up staying in boxes indefinitely, who knows.  Getting this done yesterday and this morning allowed me to actually SEW today! First time in a month or so. Yikes. 

I needed a small dish in which to put my often-worn jewelry. Having it strewn about on various counter tops just was not working. I had seen a dish like this one in one of the many blog posts I ran across. Of course, that was before my participation in Pinterest, so I cannot track it down now. (i.e. I do not claim to be the originator of this idea.) [**Found it, and its accompanying tutorial, at Sew In-Between)

I used Cloud 9 Nature Walk that I have been hoarding for months (literally, it made the trip from Atlanta to Maryland, back to Atlanta, and now back to Maryland).

As for other WiPs... I am currently reserving my monetary resources for one large project: reupholstering two antique chairs that are finally out of storage. That means the fabric, muslin, batting, foam, buttons, paint+supplies, stays, nails, staples, etc.

Therefore, I have tabled all projects that would require purchasing anything (like batting...). That pretty much knocks all quilts off the list, and makes way for many a stash-busting / scrap-only projects, of which I have zero. Give me five minutes on Pinterest, though, and I will have a list a mile long :)

I apologize for the lack of process talk. Unfortunately, there just isn't any! Check out everyone else's progress, link your own, and say hi to Lee over at Freshly Pieced!

First Official Finish in Maryland - Bike Rack

The good news: we made it to Maryland, along with all of our things. Phew! 

The bad news: the sewing machine has yet to make an appearance. 

You can imagine, therefore, that this post has nothing to do with sewing, but, nonetheless, everything to do with a big finish, I promise!

First I will let you in on a little secret: I have an addiction to power tools. One of my most prized possessions is the 9.6V Makita handheld drill, which is older than I am, that my dad gave me when I flew away from the nest (no worries, he has and needs six others. I mean really, who wants to change from drill bit to drill bit mid-project? Not this girl, and not her dad either. That's how you lose bits).

Anyway... A couple of months ago, I drew up these plans for a rack to put our bicycles on. I knew that I wanted our bikes to have a place in our new home, but I could not find anything commercially available that seemed like it would last a while, looked like it would fit in aesthetically, and didn't cost a ridiculous sum of money.
 

My mom and dad gifted us (err...Sean?) the materials to make the rack as part of Sean's graduation presents. Some 4x4 pine posts, a single 2x4 in pine as well, and birch veneer plywood for the shelves. 

While we were in Minnesota for Christmas, my dad and I worked on making the components for the rack, and I finished the assembly once we got to Maryland. Here are a few in-process in-pajama photos, just for fun :) I love working with my dad in his workshop. So much fun.

routering the shelf supports


demonstrating the concept to my brother-in-law and Sean


laughing about something hilarious I'm sure


setting up for routering the second beam


almost done!

There were a few bumps. Like when we routered along the wrong line for shelf #2 (from the top). You can see it is a little crooked in the photo above. One of these shelves does not have the same vanishing point as the other ones, for you drawing folks out there :) Also like when we had the wrong blade on the table saw. No, you should not use a plywood blade to cut down a 2x4.

And here is the semi-finished product. Maybe I lied at the beginning of this post. I still need to iron the veneer onto the shelf edges, and it also needs to be stained a dark brown. The problem is I have to stain on the balcony, and I can't stain when the temperature is steadily below 50 degrees. But it works, and we are using it with pride, so it is a finish in my heart :)


it works!


it really works! no bikes have fallen over! (it looks crooked, but the bikes just angle down to the left)


the shelf is straight again!

So that's it! Now you know something new about me: I love power tools. And I love my dad.

Now back to getting rid of the boxes and setting up my sewing space  :)

Drapes in progress

Drapes? Is that an old-fashioned term? Curtains? Whatever you call them, I'm currently trying to awesome-up our old drapes into something for our new apartment (moving day, T-27 days).

Back two apartments ago (or about 7 months), I had tried to inexpensively decorate our 'industrial' styled apartment [cheaply exposed ductwork and concrete floor]. It was a fun place, but definitely not our style. Anyway, in order to make our first-floor loft a little more homey, we purchased eight panels of curtains from Ikea on sale. They are/were just plain thin tab-top cotton drapes, but they did the trick. Here's what one looks like strung on our current vertical blinds.

I kind of / really wanted to class it up a bit. This next place will be home for a while, and I want it to look that way. I am using the eight basic panels to create four mega-gathered-drapes, with horizontal gather lines every 10 inches and rod pockets in place of the tab top. Here's a glace of what that looks like...

I finished the first panel (of four) today. Yep, it took the better part of two days. But hey, spending all this time on them really solidifies their long-term place in our home, right? And they seem a bit heavier and thicker...good for those chillier climates.

Finish photos to follow at our new place :)

happy halloween!

"Who needs a broom when you can just Zip?"

home management book

Linking up to Quiltstory's Fabric Tuesday today...head on over there to be inspired by everyone's projects :)

Sean and I have been trying to get a good groove going in our first year of marriage. Part of that process is simplifying our life together, and, to go along with that, we designed our home management book.



Made from the last remaining AMH Innocent Crush fat quarter with a piece of the leftover Timtex from the blossom bag. We modeled the pages after one that we saw in Tsh Oxenreider's book, Organized Simplicity. 




I sewed the paper directly to the binding using the longest stitch length my machine offers, and it worked perfectly. These stitches show on the outside of the notebook, but I like the added detail. I included a couple of pockets to the inside covers just in case.



Thanks for stopping by!
Mary

process, practice, pillow

For a brief moment as I was finishing this pillow this morning, I thought to myself "This sucks. There's no way I'm going to share it with anyone."



Don't get me wrong, I still don't love it, but it is all about the process, right? And this is my process in learning what the heck I am doing with a lot of things. A BIG thank you to the folks that offered advice last week on FMQ! I practiced and practiced on scraps, but I wasn't taking it seriously enough. So I whipped up a pillow to practice more using Elizabeth from Don't Call Me Betsy's tutorial that she shared on Sew Mama Sew's blog. I improvised a bit because I didn't have long enough scraps.



I'm hoping to retry this in the near future, the paper piecing was so quick and easy! Here's a better view of the FMQ from behind.



Looking forward to practicing more. I need a better feel of the pace and tension (lots of ripping out!) and just in general, the flow. You'll notice a lot of inconsistency in spacing and loop size/shape :)

Here is the finished product with my matching postage stamp quilt (Dad note - remember dad? We talked about how the "postage stamp" is just a pattern style? Not real stamps. You can't mail anything with this quilt. Love ya!)



So there you have it. A pillow. Thanks for reading :)

Mary

happy anniversary hubs!

It's our dating anniversary. And the anniversary of our engagement. Two for one :)  It's the first anniversary that we celebrated as a couple, so it is hard to let our wedding anniversary completely replace it.



Made him this little gift. I had plans for it before I heard about "Put a bird on it," but it adds a little extra humor I suppose. All this needs is a hoop for a home, and we'll be all set. I used scraps from my most recent quilt, and muslin from my grandmother. She put a note on it saying "very high quality muslin, they do not make it like this anymore, do not burn!" She put that kind of note on a lot of things before she passed away. Lots of concern for burning :)

Anyway, that's the secret hubs gift. Happy anniversary, my love!

a home for hooks

It's Fabric Tuesday over at Quiltstory again! Everybody and their brother has one of these, but I still love mine!



More Modern Meadow! Did you read the post from yesterday about my grandma? Well, these were her crochet hooks. So precious, so old, so unique. They needed a special home, away from my own hooks, to be admired and used with extra special love. I laid them out on a fat quarter to gauge how much space each hook needed.



I settled on 1 inch, except for the biggest guy, who needed 1.5 inches.



In addition to the plastic bag full of hooks, they just keep showing up in random balls or skeins of yarn from her stash. Some of the hooks are now forced to co-locate. I have found 3 size E hooks from her, plus my own size E.

Have you made a hook or needle holder? What was your design or fabric like?

thanks for swinging by!
Mary

Marie's Legacy

Marie was my grandma. Check this out, and read the story that goes along with it. I will try not to disappoint :)



When I was young (before the bratty era), my grandma brought me to a local craft store (after much begging). I was wholly captivated by her moving needle and the precise separation of the floss, and I so badly wanted to join her. She let me pick out an embroidery pattern and floss, taught me how to iron it on, and walked through the process of making a little tea-towel piece of art. Of course, I could not, and still cannot, compare to her intricacy, but I learned as best I could.

In some weird way, I feel like it was her way to connect with me. I was the youngest grandchild, far removed from the traditions of the extended family, but we could meet at this crafty place (she also taught me to crochet). When she passed away this past fall, it was with heavy heart that I accepted her remaining stash, as I was the only grandchild that took up the 'craft' of crafting. On a lighter note, let me tell you, this woman knew how to collect a stash. When going through it all, I found the tea towel pictured above, only in quite a bit of disarray. Toward the end of her life, she had terrible eye sight, so bad that she could not really see the embroidery pattern. This precious little towel was just a mess of stitches every which way. She got so frustrated that she tucked it away before finishing it. It absolutely broke my heart to think of how lonely she must have been, not even able to do what she loves.



I meticulously took out the stitches (she would be embarrassed if I showed a before picture) and reused the floss (plus a little extra) to redo the pattern just as she had imagined it. So, here's to you, grandma - and yes ma'am, I will be sure that it gets used as a towel too, because that's what you would have liked.

thanks for reading :)
Mary (and Marie)

i spy something different

Linking up to Quiltstory's Fabric Tuesday today! I participated in an i-spy swap over at Obsessively Stitching. I love all the different patterns I got, but there were quite a few with similar things on them (like puppies or strawberries). I opted to make this.



I chose a bunch of i-spy squares with similar items and sewed them all together into bean bags. Then, I made tags that list things that can be 'spied' on the bean bags. All that together makes a fun little game, right? I hope so, anyway... The point is to pick a tag, then search the bean bags for what the tag lists. It is for my niece, but she may just have more fun throwing the bean bags around :)



Happy Sewing!
Mary

teeny tiny gift

My pal Josie got me some fabulous fabrics for Christmas (you can see pictures of the fabrics here). So nice, right? So I made one of these for her out of the fabric. (I got the original idea for this from this gal)



It is a needle case. In truth, I wanted one for myself too, but I also (1) wanted more practice sewing something little, (2) had tons of extra needles, and (3) knew that Josie was experimenting with putting tags in her handmades but she did not have a stash of needles. She is so awesome that she posted pictures of her case too (see them here). In her photos, I especially love her colorful knitting needles :) So fancy, Jo!



Of note: this was my first successful button hole. Big step, I'm in the big leagues now (HA!)

Share the love!
Mary