Found : :

Yesterday while rummaging through my collection of scrap holding vessels in search of more yellows to add to my new Autumn Sun quilt work in progress, I uncovered this long forgotten baby quilt project that I started more than a year ago! Discovered again at the most perfect timing, as my sister Catherine who lives far away in Hawaii just delivered a healthy baby boy during the night while all of us on the East Coast were fast asleep!



I referred to this baby quilt planning blog post to refresh my memory on where this one was headed, but already I'm considering a completely different direction, hmn? I do know that my love for this Reminisce inspired Pure Element solids bundle and the super cute & cozy FanFare flannel by Rae Hoekstra for Cloud9 Fabrics combination is definitely still there! Look how pretty!



After etsy order duties, turning these into a finished woodland celebration quilt for my new, baby nephew is priority number one!

Happy sewing!
♥  Maureen

An ABC Quilt : :

Last week I had shared my big plans to finish up my ABC Quilt by this past Friday night, since I was leaving early Saturday to attend the baby shower in Philadelphia. I wasn't sure if it was possible then, but I was willing to do just about anything to make it happen! I can't believe my quilt plans were shared here just a little more than two weeks ago! My brother and his wife, who are expecting in September, had come for a weekend visit in early May and had mentioned that they thought an Alphabet quilt would be nice for the baby, but that they hadn't found any they really liked enough to register for. I was excited right away about the idea of an ABC quilt and so we decided it would be my gift. That week I was super busy will lots of Birthday Crown orders, so I hadn't gotten the chance until several days later to pull the fabrics and draw up my rough sketch. I took lots of pictures to share here that day, and then the next day I was surprised with little Miss Penelope! Who, in all sorts of wonderful and exhausting ways, has completely taken over any pre-Penelope plans I had. So, up until last Tuesday I had just fifteen blocks for this quilt finished! This meant that from last Tuesday-Friday, I would need to make fifteen more blocks (the first fifteen took me two weeks), quilt them all, make all my letter appliques, applique them all, piece my quilt top, make the backing, baste, finish the quilting, make the binding, and bind! All with time to spare to take my photos for sharing here today and as a tutorial I'm really excited to put together later this month!

I can't even tell you how thrilled I am to have finished!!



Having such limited time nudged me into doing some things that I otherwise would have never done that turned out to be so wonderful! Like quilting outside while the kids played in the sprinkler!! Something I plan to do as often as I possibly can this Summer!



And rather than piecing together an extra large, wonky log cabin block for my backing like I had originally planned to do, I decided to make my life easy and chose to go with this large piece of Loulouthi Stockings print that I had on hand instead. I love it!!



Here's a close up of that colorful print, along with the Dark Citron Pure Element binding I chose!



While I was piecing together my quilt blocks, of mostly Riley Blake fabrics & my Little Apples by Aneela Hoey stash, I had already decided that I would take the finished quilt photos at this pretty red barn right outside of town.



I thought the red applique letters, made up of a Riley Blake Little Red Riding Hood print, would really pop!



Once we were there we started walking around and everywhere we turned there was a new place to take a pretty photo! This one is one of my favorites, I had to share it on Instagram right away!



David & Anne love the quilt, thank goodness!! Actually they've decided to plan the rest of the nursery around the quilt, which completely overwhelms me with joy! And, also means a pillow or two might have to be made by September!! This is definitely one quilt I plan to make again. It was really fun and I'm so excited to share the how-to soon!



A few project notes, since I'm always too excited when I share a finished quilt post to usually remember! -- Finished quilt measures 50"x60," it's made in the quilt-as-you-go method I share a tutorial for here, I used the iron-on fabric adhesive Heat n Bond Feather Lite for easy applique, and Aurifil 50wt for all my piecing quilting, and binding, the fabric notes can be found in this post. I hope to have the tutorial finished this month, so stay tuned!!

I have so much to blog about this week, I've really gotten behind with the new puppy, and so much to do today, including a little chat with the amazing Pat Sloan on her radio show!!

Happy quilting & Happy Monday, friends!!  ♥,  Maureen

A Patchwork Letter Baby Quilt : :

I finished up my simple patchwork baby quilt for my new nephew Liam late last Thursday. This was such a quick and easy blanket to make, I can't wait to have a reason to make another!



Liam's Mama was thrilled, however I'm still waiting on his reaction! This one really likes his sleep! He is such a sweet boy.



Now this blanket is not perfect, I know, but I love the bright colors and how soft and cozy it is. Just as a good baby quilt should be! I quickly pieced together 4" squares of chartreusey-yellow-greens, aquas, black & whites, and red-orange fabrics from my fabric stash. One of my favorite color combinations!



I did add a layer of batting in between the pieced front and red & white chevron back. For that I simply basted the finished front to a piece of batting slightly larger than the quit top and stitched in the ditch (in each square seam) traveling down the quilt. Since my patchwork isn't perfectly lined up, with this method I didn't have to worry about the quilting showing off that fact, since you can't really see those quilting lines. I added the backing, sewing together my pieces right sides facing, left an opening for turning it out, and then I added one final stitch all the way around the very outer edge. Easy!




The offset "L" is my very favorite part! To add the letter I used Heatbond lite, ironing it on, and then stitching around it with black thread. So many of you have been sending me emails on how I applique, it really is that simple!



In case you are wondering about the fabrics that make up this baby boy quilt, they include some oldies from my stash and also some recent purchases like this Fruit Punch Organic Bundle, several colors from this QuiltCon Bundle, this Echo print, this Maya print, and this Dumb Dot in Citron. I love these color for a baby boy!



How about you, what are you working on these days? Have you finished anything recently??

Patchwork for L : :

Yesterday, we finally had ourselves a good stretch of sewing time. Which meant I finally got to work on that baby blanket for my new nephew and on this months Bee Blocks, which I'll be sure to share next. Pulling a pretty stack of fabrics from my shelves is how every project begins for me. This part is always so fun!



For this baby blanket I wanted to keep it simple, using patchwork squares of chartreusey-yellow-greens, aquas, black &whites, and red-orange. I cut them into 4" squares to make for quick piecing and blanket making, and to keep the patchwork to scale with the large Riley Blake Chevron print I'll be using for the back.



Of course I wasn't alone, two of my usual "helpers" joined me. My little Owl Artist, who is demanding I either make a pillow with an owl on it to match this blanket or that I make an owl doll, which is something I have actually been wanting to do for quite sometime! She's got good ideas, I tell you! And, her sketches are pretty good, too!



Please ignore the mess above! You can tell I have been busy, which is when my sewing room really suffers. It's the last place that ever gets straightened up around here! Maybe my second "helper" will lend a hand? Ah nope, I think that she thinks, this little quilt should be for her! She does look pretty happy with it!



In Lily's defense, I think the "L" may have confused her a little. I'm hoping sweet, baby Liam enjoys this quilt just as much, just as soon as it's finished, and after another good washing!



My husband and I are headed to Lake George in upstate NY for the weekend and when I get back I plan to completely re-do my sewing room! I received a very, VERY special delivery from Janome this week, that deserves a much more beautiful space. If you follow me on Facebook, you might remember my little plea to Janome a week or so ago?! I was, at the time, being completely silly and day dreaming of owning a new Janome, since my machine is slowly puttering out on me. Well...all I can say for now folks is that dreams really do come true! I am living it these days, FOR SURE! I'll share all the details just as soon as I can!

If you're looking for my Chevron FQ Bundle Giveaway, click here! I also have a new Fat Quarter Shop Giveaway beginning tomorrow morning, continuing throughout the weekend. This one will have THREE winners and is so generous! Here's a peek!

♥ Maureen

Two more : :

In addition to making my new Sketch Stitch Pillows to send my sister, I wanted to try a couple other fun, new ideas. I am making most of these pillows to be layered on a daybed in baby Sylvia's room (who will be here in late June) -- We're all so excited!!! It's all about color and anything goes!

Here is my very first attempt at a round pillow. Originally I was going to add petals, similar to what I did with my Patchwork Flower Pillow, but decided rather to stop with the circle. The fabric I used three times is a Heather Baily print, the others I'm not sure. I just pulled a few bright, contrasting prints and gave it a go.

And, for the fun of it I had to make an S Pillow, just for baby Sylvia. It's definitely not perfect, but it was a lot of fun! I left both ends open for easy stuffing and closing them up went a little wonky with the stitching, hopefully Sylvia won't mind.  Of course now my own children are asking for their letters K, J, and H -- which seem much more difficult than the S, so we'll have to see.

Thanks so much for all the sweet pillow feedback you gave me here and on my facebook page, I really appreciate it!

Flower Stitch Pillow

During my week away I gratefully found a little time for some unplanned sewing projects. The kind where you just sit down, start cutting, begin piecing, and then soon you have something. These are my very favorite kind of sewing projects -- all pillows, all different, all for my sister.

This is my Flower Stitch Pillow.

I cut out flowery shapes from my felt scraps basket and started layering them on a large piece of soft wool felt.

Using a charcoal thread, I stitched on the details just like on my other Sketch Stitch Pillows. This is quickly becoming one of my favorite things to do! I really enjoy it!

The wool felt is thick enough that you don't even need a stabilizer. LOVE that!

I finished off the pillow in this fun print, actually from Jo-Ann's (I went looking for the new Denyse Schmidt -- my closest store didn't have it, of course) but I really liked the color and feel of this fabric so I brought it home instead. After all, I couldn't leave a sewing supply store empty handed, goodness no!

For now it has a nice home on my favorite chair.

I have four more finished pillows to share, each very different from the next -- so, be sure to stop back!

something for baby : :

Yes, can you believe it -- after all those pillows I finally have something different to share! And no, this is not for my baby.Sigh. I recently found out that my sister is expecting a baby this June, a little girl in fact, and I am so excited that she has asked me to make many of the little things that will be needed for her first child -- I am honored and totally up for the challenge! Right away I remembered this post I had seen on AMH's blog a little while back for her little luxury receiving blankets. On Sunday I found a little time to make one.

Anyone who has worked with these fabrics will tell you that the quality of Anna Maria's voile and flannels are just beautiful, so to have them paired together for a cozy blanket for baby is complete perfection! When fabric is this gorgeous sometimes it is best just to do the most simple of projects. These little receiving blankets are a perfect example of that sweet simplicity.

Since I am still fairly new to sewing when it comes to many skills and have not yet learned to make bias tape, I knew after working with the fine, slippery voile that my first time shouldn't be with this fabric. I decided to use a pre-made bias tape = bad idea! I am really disappointed with that decision. The color looks great, but the feel of the stiffer cotton trim is too rough when compared to the softness of the flannel and voile. I may even redo it, I'm still deciding since my concerns were confirmed yesterday when I stumbled upon this blog post. I may just forget the trim altogether and do the same technique I used on this blanket, one of my very first sewing projects, yikes!
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Anna Maria sells project packs for these blankets, complete with all the directions and materials you'll need, including voile for the bias tape. I knew right away how these blankets were made, so I didn't think a kit would be necessary but now I am kind of wishing I would have bought one for the bias tape instructions alone.

I am hoping to have something to send my sister each week for the baby and will no doubt be sharing those projects here. Since I, regretfully, wasn't sewing yet when my children were babies I would love to hear some suggestions on what handmade items you would have or will appreciate for your babies? I have a couple more blankets, of course more pillows, bibs, and a few play things on the list, along with hoping to find the courage to do a little garment sewing for this little one, as well. Your input will be so very helpful - thanks!

And, happy March to all! ~ Maureen

Purple Stitch Pillow : :

This project is the result of a little experimenting with reverse applique that I started over this past weekend. To my surprise and delight, I was asked to put together a project for the July issue of an online sewing magazine, using an alternative fabric to the typical quilting cotton. I knew I was going to use felt and right away I started scribbling down ideas. I have been interested in the process of reverse applique ever since I read this blog post and saw the work of  Natalie Chanin. Without doing any research I decided to just give it a go -- I immediately loved the outcome!

For the front I used a beautiful quality wool blend felt in this smoky purple shade and one of my favorite prints from Kate Spain's Central Park collection for the fabric layer. The back is a cotton I have had for quite some time. I am not sure where it came from, all two yards of it, but it sure is sweet, isn't it?

I am going to enter it into this months Blogger Pillow Party, as well as The Great SMS Pillow Contest. My husband has declared this pillow his favorite one yet -- so I already feel like I won something! It is for an old friend whom is expecting in June and has painted the walls of the nursery purple. I hope she likes it, too!

Happy Creating! ~ Maureen