Stormy Days

Can still yield beauty . . .

Dining Room Curtains

These have only been on my to-do list for months and have been sitting around partially completed, but after this last quilt, I was determined to finish them.  A couple of nights of pressing seam allowances and sewing twill tabs for the back, and my dining room curtains are done!  Of course, now it looks like I need to repaint the walls, among other things.  But hey, it's a step towards my vision, and my curtain rod isn't naked anymore!

No More Naked Couch!

Well, kinda.

It has one pillow now . . .

But the couch still needs a (drop cloth) slipcover, and the pillow needs a bunch of friends.

Size: 16 inches, made using this tutorial, simple envelope back closure.
Fabric is Premier Prints Suzani Autumn/Natural purchased at fabric.com.

Summer's Quilt

Warning: Lots o' pics!

Another baby quilt for a friend.  This was actually finished and gifted two weeks ago.  Once I got into the piecing I wasn't sure about it, but now I LOVE it!  Love the quilting, the bright colors, the backing . . . I'm so glad I made too many QST's by accident and get to play with this fabric again.

So here is . . . Summer's Quilt.

For more details on the pattern and quilting, see this post.

Quilting Flowers

Those blocks on my ghetto design wall?  They turned into a top . . .

Which is now being quilted . . .

Since the quilt was inspired by Oh Fransson!, why not the quilting?  The tutorial is here, and it’s been going pretty well.  Right now it’s about ⅓ to ½ quilted, and another couple of evenings should finish her up.  Because I’m not so good at free handing, I sketch out a couple of flowers, then quilt, then sketch some more.  I start with the circle, then divide into 6 equal sections (because I’m anal retentive like that), and then sketch the petals.  I’m excited to get this one done, because I have two other projects on the design wall already: a pillow from a block I made during a dedicated evening of play sewing, and another baby quilt from leftover QST blocks from this quilt (I made twice as many as I needed – eek!). 

Sam's Easter Outfit

This post is a bit late, but that's what happens when you're without a computer for long stretches of time . . .

Pattern: Simplicity 2671

Size: 18mos

The suit is made out of navy and white seersucker from fabric.com and trimmed with blue satin ribbon from Michaels (I couldn’t find any grosgrain that matched at the last minute).  The jacket actually fit him really well straight off the pattern, but the shorts were way too wide (he’s got skinny little hips and a tiny tushie).  I took the sides in, and they still were too big and kept falling down.  And of course there were no white dress shoes or cute dress sandals to be found, so Carter’s flip flops it was.

I had the shirt that I had bought at a yard sale or consignment shop, and since he has another white shirt I figured I could use one.  I thought I would have to shorten the sleeves, but I didn’t need to.  So I just added the snaps for the tie, and that was one less piece to sew and worry about.  I could even make more ties for use with other outfits.

He didn’t seem to mind the outfit at all, which meant it wasn’t uncomfortable . . . don’t mind the picking of the belly button; he’s fascinated with that thing. 

Isn’t he adorable?

Trip to Belle Isle

Belle Isle is an island in the James River in Richmond, Virginia.  It was used as a prison and for munitions manufacturing during the Civil War.  We traveled there a couple weekends ago on a drizzly day to explore.

 View of the swollen James from the hanging pedestrian bridge.  There's an osprey nest in one of the trees.

 Train coming through.

 Old Civil War era bridge support.

 Trail on Belle Isle.

 Ruins

 Below is a group of reenactors at the American Civil War Museum (at the old Tredegar Iron Works) doing a cannon firing demonstration.

Being a Civil War buff, I found the museum a little disappointing, but it was fun to visit it and read the markers on Belle Isle.

Clamshell Club - April 2011

I didn't do an update last month because I didn't have any progress.  This month isn't much better . . .

 I added 1.5 clamshells to the top.  Maybe I'll do better next month. 

I am still excited about this project; there has just been a lot of baby quilt sewing and house renovating-type projects going on lately.  After I finish the current one, I am sewing up some curtains, and then it is nothing but fun sewing - pillows, sundresses, quilts I want to make . . .