Ideas and Inspiration: Quilts

I have been thinking about tackling a quilting project. I am accumulating fabric to make a queen-sized bed quilt, but I think need to practice some smaller quilts/blocks first. I have found some really cool (and free!) resources on the internet. Here are a few:

Half-Square Triangles Pot Holder Tutorial from In Color Order

I started making these right before exams. (Not a good time to start a project...) I have finished one of the quilt blocks and just need to sew together the last four pieces of the other. I will post them soon!

 Block of the Month Class on Craftsy

This Craftsy class is free! I learned from the lovely ladies at the Artisan's Square Sewing Forum that when you first register for Craftsy, you can purchase as many classes as you like for $25 each. That is a huge discount!

 Modern Block of the Month from Sew, Mama, Sew!

This is what made me first get interested in quilting. I always thought of quilts as very old fashioned. These blocks are anything but old fashioned!

I spy school

Images clockwise from top left are from: the bookfair, Maybe Matilda, Sweet Potato Chronicles, Target

I have not posted in a little while because I have been overwhelmed by school! I signed up for too many classes this semester. Thankfully, this is the last week. Only a few exams stand between me and more time for sewing. Since I have been consumed with school lately, I thought that I would share some school related goodness. 

 

Book Fair Kit and Book Fair Button from the bookfair on Etsy

This Etsy shop was created by Kate of the amazing blog Scathingly Brilliant. When I saw the Book Fair Button with stickers that you can apply as you finish your books, I laughed out loud. Children of the 80s-90s, how much did you love Book-it? I got my free pizza every single month!

Lined Paper Tee Shirt Tutorial from Maybe Matilda

 

Sandwich Sushi from Sweet Potato Chronicles

I should make myself more bento style meals because I am a grazer. And they are just too cute. (My Love tells me that I eat like a child. I guess this confirms it...)

 

Red Stripe Washed Backpack from Target

Sorbetto Top

 

I recently stumbled across the *free* pattern for the Sorbetto top from Colette Patterns. I immediately went looking for the perfect fabric. I wanted something bright and cheerful for spring and also something that was silky feeling. I found this orange, pink, and brown ikat fabric in the clearance bin! I was so excited about it until I was getting it cut at the store. The lady in line behind me commented on all of the stripe matching that I was going to need to do. I hadn't thought of that! 

Needless to say this took me much longer to make than I originally anticipated. I looked at a lot of websites to find a way to match stripes correctly. The best resource that I found was from the Sewaholic blog. The post is here. It contains a lot of pictures and clear explanations. I did okay for my first striped garment, I think. On the sides, the seams are not perfect, but they are close enough that it is not distracting. One thing that I did not think about when I was cutting the fabric was the position of the dart. I should have made the dart inside one of the large stripes. Live and learn.

 

The fabric is very sheer so I also bought lining fabric to go underneath. I just cut out the pattern pieces from both the lining and the top fabric and pinned them together like they were a single fabric piece. 

 

I used French seams on the inside. It makes the inside look so much more clean! I found a good tutorial on French seams on the Coleterie blog. This is by far the prettiest inside of anything that I have ever made.

 

Looking at the pattern, I could tell that the top was going to be short, so I added two inches at the bottom for a little more length. I am not particularly tall (5'4") and I think that my torso is fairly short, but the top was still much shorter than I normally wear. I have worn the top both with jeans (untucked) and with a skirt (tucked in) and I am definitely more comfortable with it tucked in. The top is also a bit tight in the armholes. I am planning on making another Sorbetto top because I really like the style. Next time, I am going to add 0.5" to the top of the pattern to give me more ease in the armholes and several more inches at the bottom for length.

With all of that said, this is my favorite piece of clothing that I have sewn for myself!

I spy Easter

Images clockwise from top left are from: A Thrifty Mom, Seychelles Footwear, New York & Company, Brach's, sissyprint 

 

Easter Chicks Deviled Eggs DIY Recipe from A Thrifty Mom

My sister is the deviled egg maker in the family so I sent this tutorial to her the minute I saw it. As expected, Grandma requested that she bring deviled eggs for Easter dinner on Sunday, so hopefully the family will appreciate these as much as I do.

Pansy sandals in fuchsia from Seychelles Footwear

What great colors for spring.

Colorblock Dress with Pleated Skirt from New York & Company

This dress reminds me of a dyed Easter egg!

(Side note: I do not recommend wearing the sandals above with this dress. That might be a bit much...)

Jelly Beans from Brach's

I am glad that Easter is nearly here because I need to cut back on my jelly bean intake. It is much easier to do when the store shelves are not full of them!

 

Easter Peep Notes from sissyprint

This is free to download at sissyprint. I am going to print them out for my love to find around the house on Easter morning (like an egg hunt that he doesn't even know he is in.)

Smocked Honeycomb Skirt

Have you ever worked really hard on something and just don't like the final result? That is how I feel about this smocked skirt. The one shown in the tutorial on the Victory Patterns blog is so cute! Why didn't mine turn out as well?

I adjusted the waist size several times and put the zipper in twice, but I still don't think that it fits very well. One reason is probably my lack of patience. Another is that the thread in the smocking keeps stretching. The pinched together sections were very tight when I first finished, but now are much looser. I knotted each smocked piece separately because I did not like the "pulled" then "slack" parts shown in the tutorial. Perhaps that is the problem.

Here is the final product. I may try belting it and wearing it higher on my waist. It saddens me to cover all of the smocking, but if I wear it more often, then it is a sacrifice I am willing to make. Or maybe I will continue to adjust the fit in the waist to make it more snug. 

In happier news, I have been doing so much sewing lately. I finished the shirt that I told you about last week and I have another (hopefully better) skirt in the works. I am also toying with the idea of making a quilt!

Patterns: one done, one to do

Today, I am going to the fabric store so I can start a new project. I am going to make the Sorbetto top from Colette Patterns that is posted on their blog, Coletterie. It is free to download. (Have you noticed that I love free?)

Picture from Coletterie

I also finished a skirt last week. It is the Smocked Honeycomb Skirt from Victory Patterns. You can find the tutorial here on their blog. I wanted to show you my finished skirt today, but alas, I have not had a chance to take pictures yet. Check back soon...

Picture from the Victory Patterns blog

I spy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! I hope that these things get you in the Irish state of mind...

Images clockwise from top left are from: asos, Beer of the Day, Gina's Skinny Recipes, Embellish, SeptemberHouse

Midi Dress in Watercolour Print from asos

Smithwicks Beer spotted on Beer of the Day

Baked Potato Soup from Gina's Skinny Recipes

The recipe uses cauliflower as well as potatoes to make it a bit healthier. I was quite skeptical about how it would taste because I do not care for cauliflower, but it was delicious! I will definitely make this again.

Rice Crispy Shamrock Treats from Embellish 

Shamrock Necklace from SeptemberHouse on Etsy

I spy sailboats

Images clockwise from center are from: Old Navy, mengseldesign on Etsy, cotton & curls, Frank & Gertrude on Etsy, Modcloth

I saw the adorable sailboat blouse from Old Navy (center of collage) and was inspired to see what other interesting boat related apparel, accessories, crafts, and  decor that I could find...

Sailboat Print 3/4 Sleeve Top from Old Navy

Bigger Boat throw pillow from mengseldesign on Etsy

 

Ok, so this one doesn't have any boats on it, but it is a boat neck top and it is a great way to refashion a shirt, so I couldn't resist: 

Refashion a regular neckline into a boat neck shirt on cotton & curls

Foldover Springtime Clutch from Frank & Gertrude on Etsy

An Open Coloring Book top from Modcloth

Coffee Cozy

Perhaps I am crazy, but I don't drink coffee. However, when I saw this tutorial for a Coffee Cozy posted by Jeni from In Color Order on Skip to my Lou, I had to find someone that frequents the coffee shop for which to make it. 

My friend Emily was the lucky winner! (I wonder if my friends like it when I give them homemade stuff or inwardly roll their eyes...) Emily requested a "jewel-tone" color palette. I always have a hard time matching fabrics because I will find one or two that I love and then have to find others that compliment it. Emily didn't complain so I must have done okay. (Side note: I do not know how to quilt, but I love looking at In Color Order because Jeni always uses such beautiful fabric combinations. I will have to use her pictures for ideas.)

This was one of the few tutorials where I followed the instructions exactly as written. The tutorial was really clear and easy to follow. I am very pleased with how it turned out!

I spy Valentine's Day!

Images clockwise from top left are from:  melt'm design studio,  Wild Olive, Modcloth,  rachelInk, and Hungy Happenings

Valentine's Day is tomorrow! I love these love-inspired things...

 My Love Ring by melt'm design studio on Etsy 

 Hand Painted Envelope on Wild Olive

Haute to Trot Dress on Modcloth

 Chocolate Bike Valentine Bike Love Card by rachelInk on Etsy

 Chicken Parmesan Hearts on Hungy Happenings 

I spy DIY dresses

Images clockwise from top left are from: Freckles in April, Tilly and the Buttons, zilredloh, and Prudent Baby

I am continually amazed by the talent of others! It is clearly seen in these great hand-made dresses. Look out some great DIY-ed dresses that I spied:

The Artists Only Dress on Tilly and the Buttons

The Most Flattering Shirt Dress on Prudent Baby

 

The Christmas Dress on Freckles in April

The “OMG One-Day Challenge?!” Pinafore on zilredloh