I don’t do as much custom work as I used to. I’m happy to to do an embroidered eye quilt in a different colorway or whatever, but I’ve stopped taking most orders that are way far off my usual product line. I don’t like to seem cranky; it’s just that, for me, it’s not cost-effective. I’ve found that the most time-consuming aspect of my business is designing new product, and, in my experience, customers don’t want to pay me for the extra 3 or 4 (or more) hours it would take to, say, fit earflaps onto an eye mask. (No, that it not a request I’ve ever gotten.)

But sometimes, an opportunity comes along that I just can’t pass up, and I make an exception:

This is Trogdor, embroidered in black thread on a red hankie. No, I’m not going to get rich making this kind of thing, but man, was it fun.

This quilt is about to be a gift. My oldest friend is going to be a dad.

I remembered to label the quilt, but forgot to name it!

I guess I will call it “Baby Rows.” Or “Rows Garden.” I’m getting punnier as I get older. And check out my houndstooth addiction!

I think it took me as long to design this quilt as it did to make it. Well, the top, anyway. Since it’s only about 36″ wide and 41″ tall, and it’s a special shower gift, I hand-quilted it. All I really knew was that I wanted a row of houses. But only one row!!! I don’t know how I come up with these bizarre restrictions I place upon myself, but they always seem important at the time.

But, I have to say, my weird and annoying instincts pay off more often than not. I can look at this quilt and say, “Okay, that’s exactly what I wanted.” Even when I didn’t know what I wanted.

I’d put together a tutorial, but anybody who’s ever made a quilt before should be able to puzzle this one out on her own. Blocks and sizes are as follows:

From top to bottom:

9 4″ four patches
4 9″ anvils
3 12″ houses
12 3″-wide rectangles (they’re 4″ tall)
4 9″ Dolly Madison stars
9 4″ four patches

If you take all the staring and rearranging I had to do to get to this point, there really is nothing to it. And, believe it or not, this is a stash quilt, from beginning to end. I started with about a yard and a half of the flannel you see for the backing, and just went from there.

I know it helps that I have a big stash, but, still. It was so much fun putting this together from my leftovers. Most of them aren’t even really “kid” fabrics, which goes to show that a little novelty goes a long way.

I’m thinking or revisiting the concept of different rows of a single block again soon. I’m so used to seeing huge grids of the same block over and over again in traditional quilts. And while I love that look, I can see why some people find it sort of fussy/monotonous. I think row groupings are a great way to make traditional blocks a little more dynamic and adventurous.

That said, I’m off to work on some log cabins and Carrie Nation blocks. Cause a girl can’t get too crazy….

Now that we’re just about hitting the halfway mark on the first month of 2009, I’m feeling pretty pleased with myself for having finished a quilt:

Not TOO pleased, as it’s a gift for a wedding I already attended. But done and late is better than… what’s a really crappy wedding gift?

As if you couldn’t tell, this is a one-patch made from a bunch of Kona cotton charm squares cut into quarters and joined up with muslin. Except for the border, which is made from Kona cotton charm squares cut in half. Easy peasy.

I’m resisting the urge to snuggle under it, as it’s not meant to live here.

Even if it looks as though it wants to.

Two and a half weeks ago, I decided I’d had it with our current apartment. Which is a nice way of saying, when Hambone asked me when I wanted to put up the Christmas tree, I threw a tantrum than only a scan of Craigslist could squelch.

Within a few hours, we’d found our new home. We move in Saturday.

There’s a lot to be done, and I, unfortunately, am in that weird limbo between wanting to get everything ready to go and still needing some of the stuff I want to pack.

Last night, I said, “To hell with everything! Let’s QUILT!”

And quilt I did:

I’d pieced these rows of charm squares (well, halves of charm squares) sometime last summer, and got frustrated when I couldn’t seem to get them to line up in a random enough way.

I promptly lost a couple of those rows, and, also, I’m over caring if they match too well. As I’m sure you noticed. Sewn in a group of four, the whole thing seemed squat, so I added a quarter of a border and moved right on to quilting.

This was a snap to get through the machine. I should learn free-motion quilting some day, but, honestly, I have so much fun with straight lines and masking tape, I almost don’t see the point. I hand quilted a version of the birdie that appears in some of the pieces, and called it a day. (At least, a crafting day. I can’t seem to go to sleep without a couple of hours of obsessing over Battlestar. Only 36 more days!

Today the binding went on. What did I do with myself before procuring this hounds tooth? Seriously - I need you to check my blog archives and remind me.

And I really do need to clean, but… well, seeing as how it’s not too late in the day, I’m wondering if this is a feat I can pull off again. Like, now-ish.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’d started, and then quickly finished, the “Summer Breeze” quilt from Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts, but what I might not have mentioned was that I didn’t follow the instructions exactly.

That’s not even true. I followed them to the letter, until I didn’t.

If you own Joelle Hoverson’s book, you might be surprised to see the quilt laid out and covering so much of a queen-sized bed. You might also be surprised to see it made up of seven stripes instead of five.

Why seven stripes? No numerology here. I used them because I had them.

Here’s what happened: I cut the fabrics as I was instructed to do. The first phase of this involved folding a long cut of quilter’s cotton lengthwise and cutting into four strips. Those are the big strips of houndstooth you’re seeing in the photos. Then, I cut 45″ (or 42″ or whatever, the whole width of the fabric) strips from that and four other fabrics of varying widths.

Yes, I am being intentionally vague about measurements, because I’d really like for people to buy the book.

As you might imagine from the pictures, I mixed up the 45″-wide cuts, sewed them together in groups of four or five, varying widths and prints as much as possible, pressed the seams, cut them into chunks, and stacked them up to make the horizontal striped sections of the quilt.

The technique yielded a really cute combination of stripes. However, it also turned out to be way more stripe-age than I needed. I guess if I were really picky about fabric position, I’d have been happy with so much to work with, but I can’t imagine making a randomized, strippy picnic blanket is really a fun activity for the overly picky.

Plus, there was the fact that I was only about to use two of the long houndstooth pieces I cut. To be fair, the instructions do call for the remaining long cuts to be used as binding, but I determined the print was too busy for that, and used a dark brown Kona cotton with some of the leftover striped bits integrated in. So if you end up “going big” on this quilt like I did, make sure you have enough of something
to use for binding.

So, after a bit of head-scratching, I determined I didn’t have another use for the stripes I’d made, and added another column of those, as well as an extra houndstooth strip. My finished quilt is somewhere around 81″ square - small for my bed, but could make a good guest quilt, or fit a twin that sits high off the floor.

If I made this quilt again - and I may very well do so - I’d either proceed with the modifications I’ve just detailed (might as well go big if you can do it without any extra effort!) or make the original eliminate a few of the widest 45″ cuts. I’m sure there are almost infinite ways to make this project less of a yardage-eater, but that might involve more math than I generally feel like doing.

I’ve had a bit of a tummy bug for the past almost-week, which has been as annoying as you might expect, and VERY poorly timed. What’s worse than a whole day of feeling fine, capped off with fresh yuckiness in the middle of a new episode of Dexter? Ugh.

When ill, I am usually more than capable of keeping up my normal craft load - it’s things like trucking to the grocery store and the post office that I can’t manage. But rather than work, I’d typically prefer to balance things out by sewing up something that’s going to really excite me, like a new dress.

I spent Friday evening - and no more time than that! - on the Prairie Girl dress from Favorite Things. And I was so pleased with the results, I couldn’t wait to take photos, as you can see in this dark and grainy shot:

I kind of like that the quality is SO BAD. It looks like it was taken a gazillion years ago, and has since faded. Too bad my camera is less than a year old, and a tipoff to the photo’s modernity.

And, because my Mac is a better photographer than I am, here’s a quick shot of the top part of the dress:

The white tank top is mine. The pattern did include pieces for an optional sew-in dickey and slip, but I used heavy enough cotton that the slip was not required, and, in the interest of finishing up sooner, I decided just to layer the dress over one of several tops I already have.

I wore this very proudly to a party on Saturday, and then the weather turned cold. So pride comes before the fall, or Fall, even, after all.

After finishing three quilts in two weeks - while working full time - I’m not really amazed at people who can get so much crafting done.

I’m amazed at people who can get so much crafting done and then photograph and blog it. Truly, I am just not there yet.

Just a quick shot of a quilt you’ve seen before. I wanted to show the backing, and the binding, which I fear have thrown my once tidy little top into a state of chaos, but the idea of taking the time to change them is enough to make me determined to love this as-is.

As is, and quite to death. Sometimes it’s nice to create a flawed quilt. If I am ever going to have the kids, dogs, and additional cats that I want, I might as well come to terms with the fact that all of the above a natural-born stuff-wreckers.

Exhibit A.

I also bound the “Summer Breeze” quilt, which I will photograph more thoroughly when it’s time to review the pattern, and - if you can believe it - The Total Love Quilt.

The Total Love Quilt is so unbelievably old that it was named after a line from that cute video game, PaRappa the Rappa. I think I started it in something like 1999, finished the top in November of ‘01, and hand-quilted from then until February of last year. We slept under it last night. I feel like I just graduated or something!

But lest I feel too accomplished, in characteristic Jennicakes fashion, having it on the bed has raised all sorts of doubts about its suitability for a sleeping quilt. For one thing, it’s thin, and I like a lot of weight on me when I sleep. For another, it’s a tiny bit short on all sides for our massively fat mattress. Not that I could have known that almost ten years ago, but looking at it now, I do wonder why I never considered making us a custom-sized bed quilt that would take less than, oh, a year or so.

And then there’s the kitty factor. She likes to play in bed, and I shudder to think of the effect of her claws on all my meticulous blanket stitching. She also drools something terrible, usually on things that belong to me, not her, and I have a terror of washing this quilt, given all the handwork and interfacing and the wear and tear it saw in its making when I dragged it through three states and four or five residences.

So mayhaps it is into the blanket chest with the TLQ? Ever since I made this baby quilt, I’ve been unable to sell it, because I love the colors too much. And it’s so simple to make, and could be quilted so sturdily….

I need to stop now, because my husband is going to read this at work, and do a little headdeskin’. Just thinking out loud, baby!

When we have to work on a project in a short amount of time, or if it’s a special gift for family, everyone needs to help out.

So Gus sews:

Hatbox watches….

and tells me all about what he’s doing wrong!

When we finish the top,

Jenn bastes,

Gus bastes,

and Hatbox tells us we are doing it wrong!

A vintage sheet for the back, I think.

Now with handmade pillowcases!

Goodnight!

This has been long overdue. After working 7 days a week for almost a month, I had today off. So here’s what I finished today:

- Blocks for the seeing stars quilt-along. I finished the first about a week ago, the second last night, and the third today, so I’m all caught up.

I almost tore block one apart and replaced the center triangles with red, so that each block would be two-toned. But I decided to wait, as I’m not sure that’s necessary. That’s the frustrating aspect of designing as I go - planning ahead isn’t really an option. Thankfully, Amanda Jean really knows what she’s doing, so this quilt-along doesn’t have many frustrating aspects at all.

I’m also proud to announce that I’m done with my cute skirt.

Man, this pattern was easy. I think the flat-felled seams took longer than everything else, put together. Not that the pattern mandated flat-felled seams. I just think they look awesome.

There was definitely a time, back when I was doing a lot of costumes for plays, when I was tempted to rush through garments in order to wear them as soon as possible. I’m happy to report that I’m over that - I mean, if I’m going to put the time into making myself something to wear, I might as well put the extra effort into making it really special. Hence the fancy seams and the bias tape around the hem, which were totally worth the effort. I can’t wait to make another version of this skirt.

And, finally, one of the perks of working in a craft room that is essentially an irredeemable trash pit is occasionally finding some near-finished gem and finishing it off then and there. I was looking for some sashing fabric for a few quilt blocks when I ran across this cheep cheep I had stitched on a square of cotton, like, three and half years ago.

Why the heck did I not finish it then? The hemming was such a minor task compared to cross-stitching a video game character, and plucking out the waste canvas. So I made short work of turning it into a handkerchief, which matches my new skirt.

I don’t want a summer cold, but at least now I’m prepared.