Baby quilt update v.2

I’ve finished all the quilt blocks and here they are laid out in rows. Now I need to start sewing my rows together. I just love how the fabric combinations turned out! As usual of course, my squares aren’t going to line up perfectly. I wonder if I will ever be able to manage that?! The pattern has you make the squares bigger than necessary, and then you trim them all up to 8×8. Of course, I somehow was not able to manage this, and some of my squares aren’t exactly 8×8, hence the squares not lining up perfectly. I’m not sure what I did wrong! Ah well, it’s handmade and doesn’t need to be perfect. I’m planning on making a second quilt with the sage 2D Zoo fabric, so maybe I’ll see if I can improve on my technique on the next go-around.

We had a pretty significant snowfall last night. Well, I don’t think it’s too much accumulation actually, maybe 10-12 inches, but it’s blowing like crazy out there. Half of our windows are covered in snow which makes it pretty dark in here! Hubby was out at 5am snow blowing the driveway so he could go to work, and he said the drift out in the middle of the driveway was at least 4 feet tall. It was too big for the massively large snowblower that we have, and he had to actually pull out a shovel. Manual labor! Gasp! I’m just glad that I don’t have to do it. We are having a snow day today, which would normally equate to some crafting with the kiddos, but I’m really behind at work, so instead I’m just going to have to try to keep them busy while I get some work done. So, off to do that!

Baby quilt update

I’ve been busy working on the baby quilt. I have all my fabric cut and I’m ready to start piecing. If only I could find the time! My boys are on vacation this week, and I’m trying to work while also spending time with them, running errands, having playdates, etc. The problem though is that I have this great craft room upstairs, but it’s a bit far removed from the other areas of the house, so it’s hard to keep an eye on the kids when I’m in there. So, I tend to only work in there at night or on weekends when the hubby is home. I was able to cut all my fabric out on my kitchen island while the boys were playing which actually worked perfectly because of the counter height. I’m going to have to always do that in the future now! I also bought one of those square cutting templates which made the fussy-cutting of the inside quilt squares super-easy! I can’t believe I’ve never bought one before now. It was only $5, LOL.

The cutting instructions in OhFransson’s quilt pattern were great. So far, I’m really enjoying the pattern. I can’t wait to get started on the piecing! Maybe tonight. Here are the fabrics that I’m using. I’m using a solid-ish yellow pattern as the outside squares of the Alexander Henry 2D-Zoo fabric. I love that AH Bird Seed fabric!

Baby quilts

Sorry I have been so MIA. Not a ton of crafting going on recently. I’ve been busy with that job-thing. But, heck, without the job-thing, the crafting-thing would have to be sorely curtailed! I did find a very fun looking baby quilt pattern while blog-surfing last week. The Simple Modern Baby Quilt by OhFransson on Etsy. I just love it! And I especially love the cute applique. I’ve reviewed the pattern and purchased my fabric, and I can’t wait to get started on some baby quilts for friends.

My main fabric is going to be Alexander Henry’s 2D Zoo, which I bought in primary and sage from Fabric Closet on Etsy, along with a bunch of other cute half-yards and fat quarters that will hopefully all coordinate.

The fabric arrived extremely quickly, and it’s already washed and folded and ready to start arranging and cutting! I’ve been looking for an excuse to buy that 2D Zoo fabric forever! I also got some Sandi Henderson Farmers Market which is just as cute as her Ginger Blossom line, I’m happy to report (but you probably all knew this already). I am hoping to get started on the piecing this weekend, so I’ll keep you updated. I need to run to my local quilting store to find some solid-ish fabric to coordinate with the 2D Zoo. Thankfully, our quilting store has a great selection, so I’m not too worried about finding something.

Flickr and cute sweetheart purse pattern

So, I was browsing Flickr this morning and came across a group called “Made from Recycled Sweaters.” I got Betz White’s book, Warm Fuzzies, for Christmas, and this was right along those same lines. I have all these great Goodwill wool sweaters upstairs in my cedar chest just waiting for a project!

I just love to browse Flickr. You just never know what you are going to find. So, while browsing through this new group, I came across the cutest little heart-shaped purses made from recycled sweaters, designed by Betz White! She was selling the pattern as a pdf in her Etsy shop. I just couldn’t resist. I’m not sure if I have any sweaters that are appropriate for this pattern, I’ll have to check out my stash. And I’m not sure who I would make a cute little heart-shaped purse for, but they were just too cute to resist. (I have a little, crafty-addiction, as you can probably tell.)