Quilt Action Shots - Part I

It seems like just yesterday that I was sending off my first baby quilt to San Francisco, anxiously checking the post office website for delivery confirmation and just busting with excitement for my friends to receive their surprise present. They did receive the quilt but had to wait a couple more months and then one very long week past the due date for their bundle of joy. Luckily, Henry arrived safe and sound. Here is the man of the hour, clearly enjoying his quilt and generally being charming and adorable.

Knitted Baby Blankets - Part II

Lunden Designs products are huge in Europe! It's true, all the fabulously adorable babies have Lunden baby blankets. This blanket was made for my little friend Kes, who lives in Amsterdam. When I generously offered to take Kes off his parents' hands, I was politely told to go get my own baby. At least I can take comfort in the fact that Kes gets to stay warm this winter cuddling in this lovely wool-blend baby blanket. As you can see, this versatile blanket is good for both playing and afternoon naps.

The pattern came from Debbie Stoller's Stitch 'N Bitch knitting book, a great guide for teaching yourself to knit. I picked a thicker yarn that yielded a much larger blanket than described in the pattern so Kes could use the blanket for years.

Knitted Baby Blankets In Action - Part 1

Long before there was quilting in my life, I knitted baby blankets for my friends' babies. Now that the babies are born and growing so fast, it is such a wonderful feeling to see the baby blanket in action. The yarn for this blanket was a very soft wool blend painted in different blues and greens.

Here are some pictures of little baby Lucas enjoying his blanket on a leisurely Saturday afternoon. As you can see, the blanket is not only comfortable, it is also quite tasty.

Quilt For A Big Girl - Part II

So I spent yesterday afternoon trekking around SoHo looking for the perfect fabric to back this lovely little quilt. I went to one of my favorite fabric stores, Purl Patchwork on Sullivan Street, because I knew they would have just what I need. I decided on this gorgeous, pale rose pattern for the back, instead of a solid color. It is delicate and feminine, but with enough detail to be a great reversible side.

Ever since I learned that Simplicity did not make a compatible walking foot for my machine, I really started looking at my machine with new eyes, as if it had betrayed me and now all I could focus on was its faults. A little time trolling on the internet led me to a great deal on a Brother machine that came with all kinds of great quilting feet. The old machine is in a box; the new machine is all fired up and the rest you could say, is history. I tried out the elusive walking foot last night and it was everything I wanted and more. I quilted this little baby by sewing in the ditch, a fancy term for following the seam lines. I only quilted the vertical seams and did not quilt the short horizontal lines. Keeping the back of the quilt nice and visually simple seemed like a nice contrast to the fun and busy front.

Here are some pictures of the completed quilt for my little friend. I am waiting to give it to her after her little sister is born so I will just have to wait for action shots of the quilt and its new friend.

A Quilt For A Big Girl - Part I

I know a certain three year-old who is about to get a new baby sister. It is an exciting time but it also comes with a lot of changes, so I wanted to make something special for my little friend. I also had a lot of great material that would be perfect for her bedroom. Most of my material was patterns so I supplemented the group with a pretty fresh solid pink. The material were all made up of pinks and browns, so I added three little squares of a bright, fun pattern of birds and flowers. I chose the garden path quilt style, or at least, that is what I think it is called.

Here are some pictures of the quilt in the making.

Some recent developments

The day job has really cramped my style lately, both in sewing productivity and posting new pictures.

So on that note, here are some of my more recent creations.

My First Quilt

My wonderful friend is just weeks away from delivering her first child. Since I have already knitted a couple of baby blankets, I wanted to try something new. The entire quilt is built around some adorable fabric that is baby blue with little goldfish on it. The fabric has been sitting patiently in my collection waiting for me to be inspired. Who would have guessed that all it would take would be for my friend to get a bun in the oven. With the leftover squares, I made matching blocks stuffed with all natural cotton. Here are some pictures of the quilt and the blocks. I can't wait for the live action shots of the little guy posing on his first quilt.

My New Love

Here is the first picture of my favorite new bag. I picked up the material months ago after falling in love with the delicately embroidered flowers on a cream linen background. I lined it with rich, dark chocolate silk. It is nice and spacious and can carry everything I need for a day away from home.

The Perfect Bridesmaid Gift, Part II

Here is another little number I made for the bridesmaids of a friend's lovely wedding. The bride picked out the exterior fabric and requested the shoulder strap. They turned out so pretty and the shoulder strap is now going to be an option for all clutches.

There's a new girl in town...

with a brand new style. Allow me to introduce my newest style, the City Bag. I am not sure if the name is going to stick; we'll just have to see how it rolls off the tongue. I made this little number for a friend in grad school who needed lots of room to carry around her personal branch of the New York Public Library. This little lady is 17" long and 16" wide with one wide strap. The exterior is a thick pink cotton/denim and the interior is pure happiness and sunshine.

Home Economics

So my new favorite thing to do is to make custom throw pillows. I helped my coworker add a little unique decor to his new apartment by making these pillows. The pattern is from reprodepot, the silk is from one of my favorite Garment District stores and the inserts of from Bed Bath & Beyond. All and all, the materials run about $20 per pillow.

The perfect bridesmaid gift

My friend and bride-to-be suggested that my purses would be perfect as unique gifts for bridesmaids. I was lucky enough to be commissioned to make purses for an Alabama bridal party. I am still waiting for pictures of the purses in action, but here is the petite clutch I made for the maids and the wee purse for the flower girl.

The Messenger Bag

Never one to neglect the fellas, I whipped up this sexy messenger bag in April. The exterior is army green with subtle pinstripes and brown, ultra-suede accents. It is lined with camouflage. The prototype has also held up to months of grad student abuse without a rip or tear.

Welcome

Well hello. What a surprise, meeting you here like this. Since you are here, care to see what I have been up to? Sure you do.