There is something so perfect about a simple patchwork square quilt. It seems like an unwritten rule for children’s books illustrators that if there is a scene involving a bed, it is covered with a patchwork square quilt. They are like the chicken soup of quilts. Their entire purpose is for comfort, love, and well-being. To make one is a simple process. There is no difficult cutting or piecing. There is some room for creativity with the choice of colors and layout of the squares, but you can just as easily throw them all into a paper bag and pull each one out at random.
My goal over the next couple of years is to make a patchwork squares quilt for each member of our family. I thought I would start off my 2012 quilts with a patchwork quilt for our youngest. It was a good way to ease me back into quilting after the rush of the holidays. Also, he is the only one in the family who does not have his “own” quilt yet.
When I saw the Hideaway line by Lauren and Jessi Jung for Moda, I knew it would be perfect for his quilt. The colors are bright and cheery, just like M. I thought it would be sweet enough for him for now, but also something that he could keep forever and never “grow out of”. I picked up three charm packs (packs of 42, 5″ precut squares) and then added in enough Kona solids in Banana, Robin Egg, and Rich Red, to make a quilt that was 12 x 14 squares (a total of 168 squares, the 126 charm squares plus 42 solids). For the back, I decided to keep it simple and used the green clocks print also from the Hideaway line. For the binding, I took a lesson from Rita at Red Pepper Quilts. I love her bright and bold patchwork quilts, and she frequently binds them with black and white striped binding. I didn’t have stripes, but I had this fantastic polka dot print from Lecien and I think it was perfect.
I used some Pellon cotton batting that was a Christmas present (I told everyone I wanted batting, basting spray, and thread). The quilting was pretty simple, I used wavy lines like in many of my other quilts, going over each seam. I think it gives enough texture without taking away from the loveliness of the squares. After washing and drying, the quilt came out looking perfect and crinkly. The kids couldn’t wait to snuggle up under it to do stories.
Sometimes I sew because I want to feel creative. Sometimes I sew because I want to challenge myself and refine my skills. Sometimes I sew because I want to make something very specific and special for someone I love. This was a case of the last reason.
Just like I did the “wet summer” post (comparing how wet it was Summer 2011 versus Summer 2010), I thought I’d show a winter scene. It was an exceptionally wet Summer and Fall, but Winter has thus far been devoid of snow* (not counting the snow we got in October).
Last year, January 27, 2011. The ducks and geese were keeping one section of the pond clear, and the snow was piled 2 feet high.
This year, January 16, 2012. Our pond only froze completely within the last week or so (last year it was frozen by mid-December) and there’s not a bit of snow to be seen.
And because the kids got new ice skates from their grand parents for Christmas, we went out to test the skates on the ice today at lunchtime.
*I wrote this post on January 16th. Wouldn’t you know it, it ended up snowing overnight into the 17th. It’s not all that impressive, just a couple slushy inches of snow, but our drought is officially over.
I am currently filled with gratitude. As many of you know, it has been a relatively difficult couple of months for us. We had two major weather events hit our neck of the woods this fall (Irene and the Halloween snow storm). Luckily, the worst that happened to us was some power losses and major inconveniences for a few weeks. I had my first ever health “scare”, finding a lump in my breast that thankfully turned out to be benign. And then, while traveling to see our relatives over Christmas, our car broke down on the interstate in the middle of the night. After a tow, a hotel, and a mad dash by Mike to several car rental agencies, we made it on time to our family, a little more frazzled than normal, but at least we were together. And, while I know there are so many families in this country and the world who are far less fortunate than we are, and I am eternally grateful for all that we have (most notably, three vibrant children, family that love and support us, and the best friends that anyone could ever hope for) sometimes you just feel worn down.
So, in light of this, the random acts of luck and kindness that I have received over the past few months have been ESPECIALLY and ENTHUSIASTICALLY appreciated. It feels so amazing to be given something just because. It feels lucky to win a giveaway. And the connections you can develop from these chance occurrences are sometimes, most times(!) even better than the “stuff”.
A brief interlude, if I may. I am a huge giver. Anyone who has come to my house knows that you can’t leave without something. Eggs, meat, veggies, soap, flowers. We often have more than we need and love sharing. Now that I am sewing, I have been giving tons of handmade gifts to friends. New baby bundles, quilts, pouches, bags. I have done several giveaways on this blog. If I am being totally honest, I am kind of addicted to the feeling I get when giving something to someone else. It just feels so darn good. But, I am not a great “receiver”. I always felt very awkward opening gifts that I was given in front of other people. Birthdays, showers, they all made me so anxious when it came time to open the gifts. I don’t really know why. But, I know how good it feels to see the look of delight and gratitude on someone else’s face, and so I want to do the same. It is hard for me to do this without feeling like I am bragging or showing off, but I desperately want to acknowledge the wonderful gifts that have found their way to me recently. Additionally, in the spirit of paying it forward, I will be sending handmade items to the first three people who comment on this blog post. International commenters are welcome. Not yet sure what I will send, but I hope it will be as well received as what I have gotten lately!
First is this adorable handmade notebook from Suzanne who blogs at Girl For All Seasons:
She had done one of these Pay It Forward post on her blog and I was lucky enough to have one of the first three comments. Aren’t these amazing? You should check out her blog, she has recently taken up print making and her work is very graphically striking. So, thanks, Suzanne, for paying it forward, and now it is my turn to do the same!!!
I had SUCH a blast taking part in the most recent SMS Giveaway Day event. It is honestly more fun for me to host a giveaway than win one. But, I had the good fortune of winning not one, not two, but THREE different giveaways.
The first was this bundle of fabric from the talented Mo Bedell, fabric designer and blogger at Lime Gardenias. Her most recent line is called Mechanical Genius and it is perfect! Bright, vibrant colors, and great geometric prints. Totally my style. I can’t wait to set sewing with these. I can think of about a million projects to make for my boys!
AND, when she heard I have a little girl and loved the tiny piece of her Party Dress line I got in a swap a while back, she was generous enough to send me a stack of these lovelies as well. So. Amazing.
The second giveaway prize I won was from Joanna who blogs at Applique Today. I won this lovely little kit that I can use and make a lovely little appliquéd tea towel! I think her fabric choices were fantastic and I can’t wait to make this and use it next year at Christmas. Joanna has a fabulous blog with tons of great tutorials, a must see!
AND THEN, just when I thought it couldn’t get any better, I got an email from PAT SLOAN. If you don’t know who Pat Sloan is, or listen to her radio show, you must not be a quilter 
. She is great, has such a fantastic point of view, and has the best interviews, hand down. I got this bundle of goodies from her, including an autographed copy of her book, some cool ear buds, a charm pack of Bella solids, and some Aurifil thread. AMAZING.
So then, totally out of the blue, my good friend Miriam sent me some fabrics from her stash. She knows I love geometric prints and I have already put some of these into use lining an iPad sleeve and boxed pouch that I sent to a good friend. Thanks Miriam, this trip down the rabbit hole gets better and better
And finally, I was at work the other day and one of the grad students who has been to my house to sew had a surprise for me. She had spent some time living and working in Ghana. She had gotten a ton of fabric while she was there. Theses were extras from a completed project. There are a few yards of each print. They are stunning and I can’t wait to use them. I am thinking bags or pillows (or both!).
Seriously. My cup is running over and the love and gratitude I am feeling is enough to make my heart burst. And so, I must pass some of this good energy one to three lucky people. Just leave a comment, any old thing you want to say. And I will make something to send to you. And maybe it will come on a day when you REALLY need it. Just like these goodies all came to me at a time when I needed to feel loved and lucky.
xoxo
All of my favorite sewing-related bloggers have recently been posting their “Blogger’s Choice” Fat Quarter Bundles. Quokka Quilts is hosting an event where regular bloggers get to create their favorite bundle of 15 fabrics from the Fat Quarter Shop, similar to the Designers Select Bundles that they feature. The FQS has invited some of the most prominent sewing/quilting bloggers and designers to create custom bundles and it is really amazing to see what fabrics they put together. The Fat Quarter Shop is a great online resource for ordering fabric and patterns. I was lucky enough to win a $50 GC as part of the 100 Quilts for Kids event this past fall and it was nearly impossible for me to choose which fabrics to buy and I certainly went over by just a *tiny bit*.
This year I am planning to make a pair of quilts for two of my nephews. With them in mind, I set to making my bundles. The rules were simple, pick out at least three Kona cotton solids and then 12 other fabrics. Then, once you are done, make a mosaic and upload it to the Quokka blog.
Here is the first bundle I picked out. It is full of warm tones and graphic prints. This is the bundle I am uploading to the contest (did I mention the winner gets their entire bundle in 1/2 yard cuts(!!!).
Here is the second bundle. I am not uploading this to the contest, but I really loved the contrast with the cooler tones.
I will probably end up getting most (all?!) of these fabrics anyway this year for the quilts, even if I don’t win. I think they would make some great stash staples, especially for those of us with lots of boys to sew for. This contest is open until 1/15 so it isn’t too late to make up your own bundle. It was really fun and I may do something like this from now on when planning quilts!!
This pouch has been getting a lot of attention on Flickr, especially after Jeni featured it on her blog during one of her Friday Favorites posts. I thought it might be fun to try to make a tutorial so that others can make one as well! This is my first official tutorial, and I would love some feedback. Please let me know if you find any errors or if there is something I can describe better. I am an organic sewer,and tend to follow basic rules as opposed to specific instructions, so this was a new way of thinking through things for me. As anyone who has written a tutorial will tell you, they are not as easy to write as they might seem
Materials Needed
- (20) 2.5″ squares (this is a nice way to use scraps up) in this example, I cut up a pack of (20) Echo by Lotta Jansdotter charm squares and had enough squares to make two boxed pouches plus an iPad case (!!)
- (2) pieces of solid fabric 1.5″ by 10″ for border
- (2) pieces of solid fabric 1.5″ by 12″ for border
- (1) zipper at least 10″
- (1) piece of batting 12″ by 14″
- (1) piece of fabric 12″ by 14″ for the interior
Now, here is the same info in Jamie-speak. Use what you have on hand. That random charm pack you only got one of? Chop up the pieces into quarters. Scrap bucket over flowing? Dig into it. Pick a contrasting strip of solid for the border (I had leftover Kona Espresso from a quilt border and I just ripped 1.5″ strips to get my border pieces). Pick out a cool zipper and as long as it is longer than your fabric piece, you are fine. I only buy 14″ long zippers. I can use them in garments and also in pouches. I love to buy assorted packs from Zipit on Etsy that way I always have tons of colors on hand.
There are four basic steps to this project. I will give you a basic outline and then if you want the full-on 46 picture annotated series, then please click here for my tutorial.
First, you make your patchwork grid by sewing your squares together and adding the border.
Second, you add batting and backing and quilt your piece using 1/4″ straight line quilting. Once trimmed, your piece should be 9.5″ by 11.5″.
Third, you decide whether your want a narrow or wide pouch and attach your zipper accordingly.
Finally, you stitch together your sides seams and box your corners. It really is that simple!
When you are finished, simply turn your pouch right side out and enjoy. I find having pouches this size to be very useful. I use one to keep my hand-sewing supplies with me at all times. I also use one to hold phones chargers and other small electronic gear. The narrow pouch would be great for some knitting needles or as a pen or marker case.
The narrow pouch is 9″ x 3″ x 1.5″. The wide pouch is 7″ x 4.5″ x 2″.
Here is the set of pouches I made from just the one charm pack and some scraps, and a few zippers. iPad case tutorial from Amber at One Shabby Chick.
Please let me know what you think of the tutorial. It is the first one I have ever written, so feedback would be great! I feel like I could have spent hours agonizing over how to write each step, but in the end, I thought I would just put it out there and let it evolve and grow as needed.
Note: The full-on 46 picture annotated tutorial is available here.
Happy New Year! The past two weeks have been pretty intense for our family, a fitting end to a very intense year. All is well, but does anyone else feel like they need a vacation to recover from their vacation? I have been enjoying reading all of the many posts around the blog-i-verse that are all about recapping 2011 and setting goals for 2012. As much as I want to do one as well, I just don’t think I have it in me. So, while I spend the next week cleaning, cooking, and getting our lives back to something resembling normal, please enjoy a big smooch from all of us via Big Momma, one of our two Dexter cows. When we first got her she was quite to bossy lady, but dare I say that she has begun to mellow just a bit and was so excited to see us back home that all she wanted to do was kiss all over us? Or, maybe I still smell like molasses from the million, billion cookies we have baked recently, your guess is as good as mine
PS-A little package of farm-made soaps and salves to the first commenter to correctly ID the quote that is the title to this post.
Wishing you and yours a very wonderful holiday season!
Last year, we made some awesome treats for the Holidays. It was such a hit (both the making and the eating) that we decided for another iteration this year…with a few adjustments. For instance, we had the wonderful assistance of our friend Amanda and our children being just that much older were able to enjoy things just that much more.
We ended up making marshmallow fluff (for use in the chocolate fudge), marshmallows, spicy and candied almonds, coconut bon bons and peanut brittle. We left out the ribbon candy (a simple hard candy) and chocolate covered cherries.
Marshmallow fluff
We started with the marshmallow fluff (or creme), which we’d need for the chocolate fudge–rather than using store-bought fluff. We made a double batch, which turned out to be not quite twice the amount we’d need for our quadruple batch of fudge (see below).
Fluff is a lot easier to make than traditional marshmallows because you don’t need to cook anything and it doesn’t take any gelatin. The basic recipe consists of egg whites, corn syrup, a bit of salt and powdered sugar.
Here’s the marshmallow fluff recipe we used, same as last year.
We used Alton Brown’s marshmallow recipe. It’s the best we’ve found.
Chocolate Fudge
The main reason we made the marshmallow fluff was to use in the fudge. We ended up quadrupling the fudge recipe, but even that didn’t use all of the fluff we made. Oh, well, now we’ve got two jars of fluff in the fridge for fluffernutters.
The quadruple batch was pushing the limits of our pots and pans. Luckily it all fit and the batch turned out to be the best we’ve ever made. It was close to 10 pounds of finished fudge.
We used the same recipe for fudge as we did last year, a pretty straightforward cooked budget which has given us excellent results.
Marshmallows
Marshmallows are only a little more difficult than fluff, in that you have to “cook” the syrup first and it also includes gelatin to make the finished product firmer. We plan to use these as yummy additions to our Holiday hot chocolates.
Spicy and Candied Almonds
Last year our spiced and candied almonds were very popular. We decided to go larger this year with double batches of each.
Here are the recipes for the spicy almonds and candied almonds, same as last year.
Coconut Bon Bons
My mom loves coconut and these treats are delicious. Think of it as a Mounds bar, but homemade and without the sodium metabisulfite. Granted, ours probably aren’t as shelf stable as the Peter Paul/Hershey product.
Here is the recipe for the coconut bon bons. We do have to say that we think we’ll make some revisions to the recipe in the future: perhaps the addition of coconut extract for extra flavor. They tend to taste “sweet” and not as coconut-y as we’d like.
Peanut Brittle
If it could be said that we have a tradition, it would be our brittle. We’ve been making it, with little variation, for many years. We use a lovely recipe of uncertain provenance that has turned out gorgeous results in our Calphalon stock pot time after time.
The recipe is recorded on pg. 31 of our personal cookbook of collected recipes (begun in 1997), transcribed here (this is the exact wording, I feel obliged not to alter things):
- 3 cups sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- ½ cup water
- Put in covered pot and cook on high heat
- Swirl, do not stir until reaches boil – approx. 5 min
- Bring to 230º F – approx. 2 min
- Add 4½ cups salted roasted peanuts
- Stir with metal spoon
- Cook until 300º F, stirring constantly – approx. 20 min
- 2 cookie sheets w/ sides sprayed w/ pam
- Stir in 4 tbsp butter, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 tsp baking soda
- Spread onto sheets, spread thin, allow to harden & crack
Later this week, my little brother will be flying in for a visit. He is in the Air Force and currently stationed in Colorado. We really miss him and wish that he were back on the East Coast, but we are very proud of him and the work that he does for our country. Earlier this year, I made a lap quilt for my little sister, so to balance things out, here is a quilt for him!
I picked up this lovely stack of solids last month at theDenyse Schmidt sample sale. I thought the colors were perfect for him, and I picked out some of the tans, browns, greens, and yellows. My brother is definitely a “guy’s-guy” and has an aesthetic that I would best describe as “old man’s study”. I really wanted to make a quilt that he would love. I based if off of the Pretty Square quilt by Denyse Schmidt. I was lucky enough to purchase one from her studio sale last year and used it as a guide (you can see it in the picture below, it is the white and blue quilt). I read all the time how hard it is to sew for men and I wanted to make a masculine quilt just from solids. Earlier this fall I made an iPad sleeve for Mike, and I thought it turned out really well and certainly had a masculine vibe to it, so I was confident I could pull off another creation.
My little sister came for a visit over Thanksgiving, and after we had all finished our meal, we cleared off the dining room table and started sewing. I cut out squares from the brown fabrics and then started ripping strips from the other fabrics to go around them in a wonky-log cabin style. My mom pressed the seams and even Miss C got in on the action. The only fabrics that were used in the quilt that I didn’t get from the studio sale were from two old work shirts belonging to Mike. They both had stains and since he no longer wore them, into the quilt they went! I know it is kind of a formality, but I try to incorporate a small piece of clothing into most of the quilts I make. It doesn’t always work, but when it does, I think it adds an extra bit of “home” to the piece.
We continued working the next morning, you can see my sister sewing strips around the squares while my boys made ornaments for our Christmas tree, lego candy-canes!
By the end of the morning, we had completed nine squares with two rounds each. This is a picture we took trying to work out the layout. And yes, that is Baby M’s little booty sitting right on one of the squares (it was clean, I promise!). Because this is how things get done in our house. Just out of frame is Miss M, I think the two of them were playing with wooden blocks and gingerbread men while we worked. And yes, my dining room table is a sheet of finished plywood on top of four legs from Ikea. We also use it as our craft table. Once a table cloth is thrown on top, you would never know it is covered in paint, glue, and glitter!
I had a bit of a dilemma when trying to figure out how big to make my squares. I knew I wanted to FMQ this piece, and I couldn’t make it too big because I use my little Brother sewing machine. So, I decided to add a thin strip of cream fabric around each block and then add in this nice tan fabric for some negative space. I think ideally, I would have added one more wide row of fabric around each square, just like in the DS version, but it just would have made the quilt too big. I am very pleased with how it came out. I used a blocky stippling pattern (I am sure this has a name, but instead of making smooth curves, I used straight lines so it looked like one gigantic maze). I only did this in the tan fabric, and then I had quilted the inside of each square. I really like the way the quilting turned out.
For the backing, I used a woven fabric that I got at the sample sale. It was the fabulous orange, brown, and red plaid. It is really soft. And I swear my brother has slippers that look exactly like this fabric, so I thought it would be perfect. You can see the contrast in the quilting here, as well as two puckers right in the middle. I am trying to remind my myself that the quilt will be just as warm, but you know how it is, I HATE getting puckers, even relatively small ones. The binding was a nice brick-red fabric and I think it gives the quilt a little bit of pop.
When I was thinking about this quilt, I knew I wanted to use colors that would represent our farm. I wanted them to be warm colors that would be soothing. I wanted this to be a quilt all for my brother. I think I nailed it. Here is a picture of me holding the quilt in our pasture, you can see our barn in the distance and the pond on the right, complete with geese and ducks.
I really like the way the quilt looked after it was washed, and I am definitely going to use the style of quilting again. It made the quilt super soft and nubbly.
The sheep just couldn’t keep away from the photos! Here is our ewe Clementine right in the shot. She is a sweet girl and produces amazing lambs, so all is certainly forgiven
I love that this quilt was made using fabrics from the studio of the amazingly creative Denyse Schmidt and the closet of my incredibly talented and hard working husband. I love that this was a collaborative effort between my mother, sister, and myself. I love having made something very far outside of my personal aesthetic color-wise. I really think my brother will love this and I can’t wait to see him this week and give it to him!
Before I announce the winner(s!!!) of this giveaway, I must say a few words. I know your eyes are bugging out of your head from perusing so many blogs, so I will *try* to keep it short and sweet.
- I had 549 comments on this post. Wow. Thank you all for stopping by. So, I got it in my brain that I would respond to every one. And I did. I visited every link and every blog. All 549 of them. And I shed some tears, experienced some shivers, and had a few great laughs. Every one was so inspiring.
- Ya’ll are the most amazing bunch of mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, partners, ever. Hands down. If the love that went into all the projects you all made could be harnessed and turned into energy, we could power the world from now until eternity.
- I love how many of you sew things for yourself. Because you SHOULD. At least one thing every year. How else will you be able to show off your mad skills when people come to visit you.
- I am totally making a rag quilt. I want it to be huge and I think I will use every bit of flannel Anna Maria Horner has even released that I can get my hands on. I also want to make more kids clothes and toys. And a few new bags. And . . .
- I really need to learn how to crochet so I can make myself a granny square blanket. Or, find a friend who crochets but doesn’t quilt and arrange some form of swap.
- I now have 52 followers on Google Reader. This time last week I had 30. That is a 73% increase. I am glad you saw things here that made you want to come back. Without any incentive, or extra chance to win something.
- I also added a bunch of new blogs to my own Reader.
- A fair number of you also homestead and even more of you want to. Go for it, even if it just means adding a pot of herbs to your windowsill or some chickens in your back yard.
- This is the third time I have participated in this event. The first was only as an entrant. I can tell you that it is so much fun to host a giveaway, if you are thinking about doing it next time, I say go for it!
- Did I say you all are amazing? Thank you so much for taking time to come to my blog and share a piece of your life with me.
So, if it were up to me, I would give each and every one of you a little something. Alas, I cannot as the shipping alone would put us in the poor house. But, considering I had SO many comments and added SO many new subscribers, I am going to give out two additional prizes! They will be scaled down versions of the main prize and will include some fabric, wool, and notions.
Now, without further ado!
Winner #1, The Grand Prize:
Comment 333
Janet from over at Caribou Crossing Chronicles writes:
Serious envy of the lifestyle you have chosen for yourself! I’d love to have lots of animals. The project I’m happiest about this last year is the quilt I made as a wedding present for friends. I’m happy about it because it was completely not my preference in colour/fabric choice, but it was something they would like and because I completed it quite quickly and several days before the wedding, instead of my usual minutes before. Thanks for a chance to enter your giveaway.
Winner #2
Comment 402
Sparrow K. writes:
The project I am most proud of finishing this past year is the coat I made for my little boy. He’s two years old, and I hate how uncomfortable the store bought puffy coats make him. So I scored some vintage blue wool fabric and drafted a pattern for the most adorable coat ever. I even let him pick out the buttons (red). I wish I had pictures to show…
Winner #3
Comment 454
Leigh at Sleepytime Sewing writes:
I broke my wrist just as we were heading into the holiday season so in 2012 I hope to make all the things I wanted to make this year!
I will be contacting all the winners this evening. If you don’t hear from me this evening, please send me a message. If I don’t hear back from the winners by Monday, December 19, 2011 @ 10AM EST, I will pick new winners. I have heard back from everyone and the packages are all on their way!
Update! Wow, I won not one, but TWO THREE giveaways!! Thanks so much to Mo Bedell at www.limegardenias.blogspot.com and Joanna at www.appliquetoday.blogspot.com and Pat Sloan from www.patsloan.com! This is my first time of winning any prizes from SMS Giveaway day and I am SOOOOO excited!
