greenclogs

patchwork - the gift that keeps on giving

You know what's awesome? That I didn't have to log into Typepad this time because it hasn't been 7 years since I last blogged. By the way, that's a bouquet made by Annika from flowers in our back yard. LOVE. 

I think we're getting into a groove around here. Less unpacking (although there are still about 6 boxes left to unpack) and more making is happening, which makes me pretty happy. 

The studio and I are getting to know each other at naptime as well as with a baby playing on the floor just maybe making a huge mess of the embroidery thread. Or maybe she's insisting that I hold her so that I am cutting strips and piecing them together with one hand while I hold her on my other hip. Or maybe she is nursing while I quilt pillowtops with one hand. Just maybe. I should call these the one handed pillows.

 

I'm a big fan of the log cabin pillow and have made many of them. The ones that have been on my couch are sad and tired and well loved. They needed replacing. I based the new ones on the Color Story pillows in Modern Log Cabin Quilting: 25 Simple Quilts and Patchwork Projects. I didn't mean to pick exactly the same colors, but I did and I love them. Mine are 18" square and are stuffed with 20" pillow forms so they're nice and fat. We use our pillows, so starting out overstuffed is a necessity. I backed one of them in red and one in grey because I was 1" shy of enough red fabric. Oops. I like that they are sibling pillows and not twins. I'd say 2/3 of the fabrics are the same in both.

I have a strip-pieced pillow from the same fabrics waiting to be finished and I plan to make some potholders and a couple more pillows from the remainder of the strips. This is what I really love about patchwork and quilting - that the fabric seems to keep on going as you make more and more, smaller and smaller projects. Cutting off the amount you need leaves you with a smaller piece for something else. I'm going to work this pile of scraps until I have taken it down to nothing. I'll probably have 4 pillows and 4-6 sets of potholders from about 1.5 yards of fabric scraps and strips (okay, and 1.5 yards of backing fabric). Pretty fabulous, if you ask me. 

Maybe by then I'll have red/blue/yellow/grey worked out of my system. Or not. After this, it's time to tackle the Big Quilt Projects that I have on my plate. And I am not making a new quilt for my couch to match these pillows. Nope. Not me. Even though it needs it. So maybe. 

A side note about the white couch. I used to think people with children and animals who had white couches had a touch of the Crazy. We needed a new couch for the living room because I sold our big one rather than moving it. I was happily searching for a groovy vintage couch that would go with the house but two things happened. First, I realized that any vintage couch in my price range could potentially have unsavory issues or need recovering sooner than I was willing to take on that kind of project. Second, I found this couch in the As-Is department at Ikea for a smokin' deal. It was in perfect condition. The slipcover was machine washable. My friends have sworn by the washability of the cover. It was cheap. Sold. And I have to say that I adore my white couch. It brightens up my living room and really is that washable (tested out the washing with muddy dog prints - thanks Luna!). It's a perfect canvas for quilts and pillows. Ahem. Since I need an excuse to make more quilts and pillows. Overall, I have to give it two thumbs up. I guess I have a touch of the Crazy. 

Tomorrow (or soon) - the garden. Here's to having stuff to blather on about. It's good to be back, blog. 

soggy but inspired

Dang. It's been rainy. Duh, I know. It's March in Portland. However, it's been record setting in its wetness - 29 of 31 days in March were rainy and there were 23 days in a row of rain that basically started when we got here. Crazy. But, Phoenix has already hit 100 degrees and I'll take rain with a fire in the hearth and wool socks and warm comfort food over turning on the A/C already any day of the week. 

Despite all that, we've gotten a lot done. Jeff built us 2 raised beds and we have filled them with veggie seeds (I hope they don't drown). Peas are planted, as is rhubarb. There are potatoes in their fancy trash can. I have an herb bed. There are strawberries. The man has been busy. I'll try and dodge raindrops and get some photos tomorrow, because who doesn't want to see photos of big boxes of dirt, right? 

We've explored some new spots in the city and eaten great pizza, discovered even better beer, and found some of our new places. We've made new friends. Annika took a drawing class at Collage, which is a very dangerous place for those of us who love pens and papers and paint and things. Very dangerous. I have spent some quality time at Bolt familiarizing myself with the inventory. Stash sewing has to happen before I indulge in a meaningful way, though.

This weekend was super fun and friend filled. Melissa and clan came over for food and fun. Kit thinks that Manny is pretty much her superhero and she follows him everywhere. Hopefully he won't tire of her too quickly because she would be a very sad little girl. We left the menfolk and the kids to fend for themselves and headed over to Modern Domestic for Susan Beal's booksigning. Her new book, Modern Log Cabin Quilting: 25 Simple Quilts and Patchwork Projects is lovely and really inspirational. It has great instructions for new quilters and a wide range of projects for different skill levels, so there's something for everyone. It was so inspirational that I quit futzing around the house pretending to put things away and snuck up to the studio during Kit's nap to make some more pillows. My existing log cabin pillows are a couple of years old and, umm, well loved. They need to be retired. 

I'm dying to make that cover quilt, but seeing that I have a few other quilts in the queue, I had to look past it for the moment and take on a project that can be completed during a couple of baby naps. So, pillows it was. I picked fabrics from stash, and mostly from the scrap bin, in red, yellow, light blue and grey - unintentionally the same color scheme as the pillow in the book. Last night I put together my piles of fabric strips, and today I started sewing. 

Pillow top # 1 was pieced during Kit's nap. I have enough strips left to do another pillow, and then I think I'll take the remainder and sew them up into potholders and coasters so that I use up all of the scrap and don't add anything back into the overflowing bins. I'm going to spend 1-2 hours a day trying to whittle down the scraps and make some useful and pretty things to have on hand for gifts, etc. This book is fabulous for me because I love log cabin piecing. I could have most of my quilting fabric be cut into long strips and be totally happy. After I finish off this batch of strips, I need to move on to some summer clothes for the girls. There are some cute Oliver + S patterns calling my name and July is right around the corner, right? Maybe they want some skirts with log cabin pockets. I think they could rock the look and start a trend.

Oh, I almost forgot! We're starting our new little chicken flock. Meet the girls. Zelda, Rose, and Buffy the Slug Slayer. We love them already.

Funny how I don't blog because I think I have nothing to talk about and then I start talking and I run off at the mouth. Oops. Guess I should sit down and do this more often. 

 

moving on to patchwork

A couple of weeks ago, Ansley emailed me to ask if I could make oven mitts for her, in exchange for some of her beautiful soap. I've been playing around with them, so I was excited to make a pair for her. 

I had already traced a mitt pattern, so I added a patchwork strip to the bottom. These ended up being quite long - they go midway up the forearm. I like that for reaching into the oven, but I may shorten them a bit in the next iteration. I chose the patchwork fabrics to coordinate with the mitt print, which is from Alexander Henry's Everything but the Kitchen Sink line. I found it in the clearance section at the fabric store in Cannon Beach, and sadly have had no luck in finding it anywhere else. I think it's perfect for this kind of project, so I'm sure the rest of it will be popping up here and there. 

The mitts are reversible - here is a shot of one side. 

And the other. 

I hope she likes them. If not, she can send them back to me and I'll happily put them to use.