My first actual quilt...a super long term UFO

The weekend before last I took the kids up to Cooperstown to visit my cousin Amy and her parents (you can read more about them on my Mother's Day post). The weather actually cooperated, and it was a lovely 80-ish and sunny. I love going there because I really relax. This is me lounging, while Ally enjoys the pool with Auntie Amy.



Amy's mom, who is my Aunt Pat, is a crazy accomplished quilter. So I dragged my sewing machine and my first quilt top with me, thinking with Aunt Pat's guidance, I would swallow my fear of quilting and binding and just dive in.

This quilt top mind you, has been done for at least a year. The pattern is from an easy quilt magazine, I'm not even sure which one. But it's made with Mark Lipinski's Califon, the first designer line I ever fell in love with.



Of course, I forgot to bring my batting, so we had to make a lightning fast last minute run to a quilt store (as it was closing at 5 pm on Saturday!) to get some batting. I used this great green stuff that is made from recycled plastic bottles, and I actually really love how nice and heavy it makes the quilt feel. The top is about 42" square.

Aunt Pat helped me with the spray adhesive and get everything nice and flat. Then she said "Go ahead and baste it. Starting from the center, out into eighths." So I did. BY MACHINE. You can see what my not-so-smooth quilting looks like. It's not perfect...but I do like the look of the curved quilting stitches.



Of course, when she saw me she said "Oh, I meant by HAND. That's going to take you forever to rip out." I may actually have seen a tiny smirk when she said that last part.

Can you say UGH?? It took me a full hour and half to pull out the basting stitches. But it's done. And because I saw some of his amazingly gorgeous quilts at Market, I asked Scott from Blue Nickel Studios what his preferred binding method was, and he sent me a tutorial.



So my longest running UFO is slowing becoming an "FO". I have the binding started. I'll post pics as soon as the quilt is done. But I'm proud of getting this far.

Stay tuned!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

The two winning entries were #3, Ellie from Craft Sew Create and #51 Chris M from sew_caffeinated!

Congratulations!

Please send me an email to restitcherator@gmail.com with your full name and mailing address and I'll get you prize right out to you.

Thank you so much, everyone, for the follows, and great comments.

Quilt Market Part 2 - Including a GIVEAWAY!

One of the highlights of my trip to market was the opportunity to act as "camera girl" for some interviews that my roommate Bari J. did for Boutique Cafe. She interviewed some fabulous designers, including Pat Bravo, Lizzy House, Amy Butler, and more! The first was the amazing and very gracious Pat Bravo, here is what some of her booth looked like.




Pat designs up to four lines a year, has an amazing pattern line, and her new Grab 'n Sew kits. Talk about prolific!

I was lucky enough to be invited to the second (annual?) Cake Party hosted by Lizzy House as well. Everyone had cake to celebrate her mom's (Cherri House) new book City Quilts (among other things!). It was a great little gathering, with not one cake, but FIVE! I had carrot cake.



Above are Melissa Averinos of Yummygoods and Jana of Izzy & Ivy Designs.

This is the Melissa's friend Unicorn, taking a quick snooze while we all ate cake.



And in this photo are Lizzy, Betz White, and Patty Young...all enjoying cake and nice mid-afternoon chat.


Here are some adorable owls from the Bunny Hill Booth.


I loved these letters that say "SEW WHAT".


These are two pictures from the adorable notions area inside the Riley Blake booth. I LOVE me some rickrack!! Wow, talk about eye candy!




This is a shot from the amazing Kokka booth. I adore the Sleeping Beauty print by Heather Ross on the bag to the left.




These are some of the amazing display quilts that were part of the exhibits in the center of the show. They were part of a series of quilts (I think in a competition) about doorways. These just really spoke to me. The two in the second photo are clearly of Venice, and reminded me of my honeymoon.





Last but not least, I enjoyed an amazing tapas dinner on Saturday night with this group of ladies.



I'm on the far left, then there's Violet, Betz, Bari, Brooke, Michelle and Gina (Cloud 9), then Cherri and Lizzy House (in the center front).

In honor of the amazing time I had at my first, of what I hope to be MANY quiltmarkets, I have two giveaways. Both were part of my wonderful scores at Sample Spree. To enter, you can:

1.) Follow my blog!
2.) Follow me on Twitter (@restitcherator)
3.) You can reply here with your favorite quiltmarket memory, or
4.) You can reply here about why YOU want to go to quiltmarket.

You can have multiple entries, just email and let me know what you did. I'll randomly pick two winners from the entries a week from tomorrow, Monday, June 7.

The first is Pieces of My Heart Pattern and Charm Pack (& more) by Sandy Gervais! It comes in a sweet little Moda drawstring bag, and the pattern is for a 25" x 29" quilt called "Oopsie Daisy" and the bag has everything you need except the thread and backing fabric!



The second is Me and My Sisters Desgins pattern set (including THREE designs!), and fabric to make a pattern called "Happy" shown as #6 on the pattern booklet. It also has the fabric to make the whole top and the binding, and comes in a Moda drawstring bag. It's a nice size lap quilt at 44" x 53"!!



I can't wait to see all of your entries! Good luck, and thanks for sharing my first Quiltmarket experience with me.

My first Quiltmarket...set the bar HIGH

I literally do not know where to start. Somehow, between sheer grit and determination, and the stars aligning, I not only went to Spring Quiltmarket, but it more than exceeded my wildest dreams. I met so many Twitter friends, bloggers, fabric designers, pattern designers, quilt designers, shop owners and all kinds of wonderful people. Without exception, they were warm, friendly, open and a lot of fun to be around.




These are pictures of the winning multiple booth by Michael Miller Fabrics. It was like walking into a magical snowy land of glittery gorgeousness. This was the home of the super gracious and lovely Sandi Henderson, whose new book "Sewing Bits and Pieces" I bought and she signed for me.




It was also home to Patty Young, and her new line "Playdate".



I attended my first Sample Spree, and with people lining up a full four hours ahead of time, it made the Filene's Basement Bridal Sale look like a walk in the park. I will say *blowing on fingertips and rubbing them on my shirt* I DID manage to get all THREE colorways of Lizzy House's new line Castle Peeps, AND a fat quarter pack of Oliver & S's new line for Moda. That's right. BOTH of the things I wanted. Some of the hardened Quiltmarket pros were impressed with my skills. All that shopping has to come in handy somewhere right??

I have so much more to share....but I had the time of my life. I made connections. I got great information, and insight. Best of all, I have new friends. My roomie, the fabulous Bari J. was there to promote her new line "Country Lane", which is simply to die for. She answered my endless questions, she introduced me to EVERYONE, and she even put up with my constant tweeting and bumping into her while we walked. She was recently featured in Better Homes & Gardens Quilts and More with a designer feature AND an adorable project. Check it out!




I have loads more to come, and some super awesome pictures to share. So sit tight, and check back...I'll post a few times this week.

I will go to bed tonight with visions of fabric and thread in my head. Just how I like it.

Ode to Mothers

It's amazing how very different I feel and have felt about Mother's Day at various points in my life.

When I was little, it was a time for making cards, and picking flowers, and generally being as artsy as possible. Pulling out all the glittery, glamoury stops to tell my mom and grandmothers how much I love them.

When I got pregnant, I was THRILLED at the thought of just getting to BE a mom on Mother's Day. The idea of breakfast in bed, or being treated like a queen for a day held such appeal.

Now, with older children, I am in yet another completely different place on Mother's Day. I feel like I have the best of both worlds. I have the perspective of some time with motherhood, and a true appreciation for what it takes to be a good mom, and the joy and fulfillment that can bring. And almost as importantly, how incredibly grateful I am to have such wonderful women in my life, to show me how to go about being a good mom.



This is a picture of me and my family up on a mountain ( I think in VT) where we used to go blueberry picking every year. I labeled all the people so you can tell who's who. Credit where credit is due...I'm pretty sure it was my Uncle Phil taking the picture.

As an Ode to Motherhood, I'd like to offer the following.

My Mom - sacrificed a lot for me...in so many ways, at so many points. She gave me an incredible work ethic, but now, more importantly, I realize what that REALLY means. It means that I can be truly independent, self-sufficient, and not have to muddy the waters of my relationships by relying on other people financially. I am free to enjoy people for who they are, and what we mean to each other, without baggage. She taught me to stick up for myself. Without question. And if that means dazzling people with $10 words all strung together, then so be it. Plus...all that other good mom stuff, like good manners, giving to other people, even when you have just enough for yourself, and how to make a mean super-neat bed.

My Nonni - told me time and time again, "you can do anything if you put your mind to it". She taught me to drive. She bought me those ridiculously expensive Jordache jeans. She taught me that chocolate chip cookies and hugs can pretty much comfort any woe. She taught me a love of hand made things. I had hand made sweaters galore, many that I still have and wear now. She taught me super cool phrases like "I'm busier than a one-armed paper hanger" and "pain in a bucket!". I think I get my love of clutter and chocolate from her. Which makes her that much cooler.

My Aunt Pat - inspired me to reach for lofty goals. She became a doctor when she had school aged kids I
(I know! right??). She was my mom-away-from-mom for countless summer vacations, and holidays. She taught me an appreciation for how wonderful a family meal can be ("What, you don't like my cooking??") I'm sure that my sense of humor somehow came from her. We love the same kinds of movies (The Princess Bride). She is just generally happy, and always insanely busy. But smiling. And loving and living life to the fullest every moment. On another note...Aunt Pat is a seriously amazing seamstress and quilter. She is in great part responsible for my wacky love of fabric, and sewing. It's her hand me down machine that I got started with I got back into sewing.

My cousin Amy - we've had a lifetime of memories. She has taught me what true friendship is. She has been there for me when I felt most alone. Best of all, she can keep a secret. Any secret. It's like having a sister, without actually having one. She has parented gracefully through things I cannot even imagine LIVING through, let alone parenting through. My admiration of her is profound. She taught me that sharing someone else's dessert is actually better than getting your own. She taught me that sometimes, if you can manage to make the best of a bad situation, go right ahead and do it. Even if other people might not agree with you. She just plain rocks.

Part of this is awkward, there have been SO many other wonderful women in my life. I wish I had photos of them all, and time to tell you my life story. But these four, they are the team I would want going into a fire. And they are the team I would want celebrating my life's finest moment with.

So go hug your mom. And tell her you love her.

Vacation Week Sewing Treat - Kyoko Dress

This is the week my kids have had for April vacation. Crazy late it seems to me. Everyone else has been on vacation, come home, and is back at school. My "day" job has been really busy (see my earlier post), so I couldn't take the whole week, but I did manage to squeeze in 3 days off. I knew I had only so much time, so on Tuesday night I cut...and yesterday, I dove in.

I've been saving some Meadowsweet from Sandi Henderson that I bought, you guessed it, from Melanie at Above All Fabric. I really love the color palatte, especially the orange and the lime...and for some reason, the plaid just SPEAKS to me. I decided to try it with Patty Young's Kyoko dress. My five year old is dress crazy, and I know how beautifully Patty's patterns are and how well they fit my peanut. The result was nothing short of stunning!



We ran a few errands this morning, and without exception, everywhere we stopped, someone commented on Ally's dress. Maybe she's used to it now...but she sort of smirks and says an exaggerated "Thhhank you!" Truth be told, I love when people ask me where I bought it. And when I say "oh, I made it for her" their mouths always fall open. *LOVE THAT*

One of our stops today was at CVS, where she got some new sunglasses. She didn't really want to pose, so her focus is more on Snow White on the arms of the glasses.





The pattern went together super smoothly. I would say maybe 2 hours of actual sewing and pressing time. I take forever to trace patterns, and cut them out. I also take forever to pin. I am mad-crazy over pinner. Mostly because I keep trying to NOT pin, and I have to "un-sew" because it's crooked.

The only challenge I ran into was in making the obi. I had another print cut, and was informed by my lovely daughter that it wasn't "the one". So I cut a second. Funny, I like her choice better than mine, but in cutting the second set, I rushed. And the two were not 100% equal on both sides (from my too-quick rotary cutting), so I had to go over some of the areas twice, because one side was narrower than the other and the stitches didn't catch the fabric underneath. *NOTE TO READER* this is not a short coming in the pattern in any way. The directions are clear, and actually really easy. I just tend to get ahead of myself.



I love when I start something, and it goes together this easily, and the result is so fantastic. I also traced this pattern, instead of cutting it, so I could use it again in another size. It was the first time I had used a tracing wheel. I love it when those "easy" tools work as well as this one did. I will be much more confident using it now, and will likely get a lot more use out of my patterns.

What do you think of my print mix? I'd love to know what you think works about it, or what you'd do differently.

Green Living Market Bag - by Bari J. Pattern Review

So, I am not quite meeting my goal yet, of blogging once a week. But hey! I'm posting more often than last year, and I'm actually starting to remember to take pictures of the things I make, which is a big improvement. I'm all about progress...not perfection.

My official Quilt Market roomie (*squealing with excitement*) Bari J. asked me to test another pattern for her. And FAR be it from me to say no to some fat quarters of yummy fabric and an early sneak peak of a pattern! I tested her Green Living Market Bag pattern that was one of the four in her first grouping of designer patterns.

This is how the finished pattern looks...and as a side note, this is my favorite style. The pattern is like a booklet (with pretty glossy paper) and the pattern itself is on sturdy white paper folded inside. It's also in a zip top bag. I'm sure this costs more money, but GOD does it make for longer lasting patterns, and easier storage.



The rest of the photos were taken by Rob, my photog extraordinaire. He actually puts the majority of his stuff right on Facebook...but I figured this was a shameless enough plug.




The pattern went to together really easily, and I love the ribbon to tie it together. It actually folds down into a tiny square so that you can either put it in your purse, or you can put a bunch of bags together to go to the store and not carry what looks like a tent.

My biggest challenge with the pattern was folding the pointed ends of the flat bottom up on either side. The only challenge was that the fabric was many many layers thick. So I actually used a denim needle, and sewed really slowly. It gave the bag a very polished looking exterior, instead of just the normal flat bottom.



I'm pretty sure my mom is getting this for Mother's Day, so mom, if you read this...sorry to ruin the surprise! It's a great bag to carry books, groceries, or better yet, I actually carry mine in my purse, so that when I stop in somewhere like the pharmacy, or even somewhere at the mall (*gasp*) I don't have to take a plastic bag.

Think green, and look super fashionable. Gotta love that.