baby girl turtle quilt

super catchy blog post name, right?  but regardless, i'm back and ready to share more things!  another baby quilt request came from my aunt in the middle of a major project (more on that coming soon!) and i just couldn't say no to getting one done in time.  it was to be for a little girl, and the theme of the nursery was frogs and turtles.  while wandering joann fabrics, i found this super cute turtle print but had NO clue what to put it with.  bought a yard and a half and then headed home to check pinterest.  nothing.  then i remembered a collection of baby quilts posted on craftster by "mistress jennie" i commented on, and it was perfect.  i followed her tutorial listed in her post, and came up with this simple, but super cute baby quilt!
i pulled different prints and colors from the turtle shells to make it more than just straight lines of solid colors.  without the turtles in between, it looked very circus-esque for a while.  ha!
the amount of fabric i bought for the turtles worked perfectly for this pattern, since it used just enough for the front, and left me a perfect sized piece for the back.
good job, quilt holding sister, aileen.
i found the perfect binding for this quilt. the fabric was off-white, and had little polka dots on it to tie in with the other fabrics having prints and the turtle shells.
i quilted it following the seam lines, since i didn't want to get too crazy all over with the prints that were already happening.  i used a light yellow in order to have it coordinate but not be extremely obvious :)

musical triangles version 2.0

i, for one, find it very interesting when two quilt patterns are done multiple times in varying colors, and how extremely different they turn out.  i personally have done it with the amy butler daisy chain, oh frasson's catvent, and now the triangle quilt along pattern.  this one i find especially interesting, because the theme is SO similar, and the quilts look exactly the same.  case and point, this music themed triangle quilt.
i like this pattern because of the simplicity of it, and of the two from last year, it was totally my favorite.  something about the repeating pieces, lack of border, and all around simplicity just worked for me.  so much, it has really made me not like block quilts right now... ha!  compared to last year's version of this quilt it looks so much different, and yet has the exact same theme to it.
last year's quilt was definitely more dark fabric with hints of light ones mixed in, and this one ended up being the opposite.  i cut out the triangle quilt first before the other just to ensure i would have enough fabric pieces.  when i was pulling in a few other fabrics here and there during the assembling process, i thought it was going to be more black/gray pieces all over, but i was totally wrong!  not in a bad way wrong, though!
because of the backing fabric, the quilting isn't as obvious as it was last year, but i think that's a good thing. had there been this crazy busy back with crazy noticeable quilting, i think my eyes would have gone crazy! basically, i followed the edges of the triangles with my walking foot top to bottom creating a diamond shape. and no chalking was needed. hip hip, hoorah!
the same binding was used for this quilt as the amy butler one from the week before, just without a border.  i just really like this quilt... a lot.  someday, i might actually get around to making the one i have planned for me :)
i like to save the best for last in this post.
i actually had someone there at camp with us that week (my sister) that i could make climb up on a giant rock and hold this quilt up there in all it's glory.  i just had this vision to include some DMMC ambiance in with this quilt, and it just worked perfectly!
happy friday, y'all :)

music themed amy butler daisy chain

hello readers!
it's officially that time of year again :)
last friday wrapped up week 2 for donner mine music camp, and yet again we were at it with a donation quilt to raffle off for each week.  i say we, because the purchasing of the fabric is 75% my mom, 25% me depending on who is where and when.  we're still stashing fabric throughout the year (and have already begun on next year's stash.  ha!)  anyways, just as i did in previous years, i rolled week 1's quilt pattern to week 2 for this year, and then pulled a new pattern in for week one.  this year, i went with the amy butler daisy chain, which i have done twice before and LOVED, and think it turned out fantastic.  here's your first full look at it.
we had this fabric on the back laying around, probably purchased to do the back of the quilt in it's entirety.  alas, it was too short for one, and not wide enough for two, so i had to get a little creative with the backing and border it off to make the entire huge piece work for both quilts.  so this year, both quilts have a cozy flannel backing.
the front was crazy to piece, using scraps from last year, new pieces found throughout the year, and deciding which other pieces just didn't work.  i threw in a few black on black/white on whites from my pudge cat quilt, and that seemed to help break up the chaos of it all a little bit.  usually when i make a quilt with this pattern, i skip the 5" strips because it just seems too huge to take up that much space with one fabric.  as you can see in the above photo, that strip with the music instruments in a row would have TOTALLY not worked had it been chopped any smaller.  it totally made the quilt that much better (and helped use up more fabric.  ha!)
the actual pattern for this quilt calls for 3 borders of varying widths.  since this was intended to just be a lap quilt, i used scraps that were actually removed from a tshirt quilt my mom made for aileen last christmas.  the strips were the perfect width for a slight border to frame off all of this quilt.  i was looking for a different black print for the binding, but when i couldn't find it, this one worked perfectly.  it also reminded me a little bit of whole notes, adding in to the music theme.
tagged!
these quilts seem to have a great reaction once they go up to camp to be raffled off.
this year, the woman who won this quilt sent the camp director's wife a photo of it on their bed already, thanking them, my dad (he sells the raffle tickets at the concert) and i for the great quilt and camp experience.  always love to hear a happy winner :)

the official pudge catvent post

here it is, friends...
the moment you've all been waiting for.
in reality, it's more than likely primarily the moment i've been waiting for, because it means that this beast is DONE.  alas.  no more wip photos here, there and everywhere in between.  but that's all groovy.  because....
taa-daa!
100 pudge cats, all buddy buddy like on a quilt just for me.
only took about 5 months in to the new year to get it done, but better late than never, right?  i have to say, despite the one crooked side that really doesn't show in these pictures (yep.  i'll state flaws in my quilts.  adds in some uniqueness to each one), i am very pleased with this quilt.  everything came together rather well, and the pink noses are probably my favorite part.  but i'm also a little biased to my pink nose grump cat.
this one here is the most elroy-esque in layout and such, and i still have YET to test out the glowing bits all over this quilt. should have done it right after i took all these pictures. oops.
so since the back is one solid piece, i decided to forgo the entire photo of it, and show off more kitties!  the thread is variegated black, white and gray, which blended in well with the front and back without being too "in your face" in contrast to the kitties.  this was round 2 with my walking foot, and it went a million times better.  though, i opted for chalk lining everything instead of using the guide, so that will take some practice.
i love this little yarn ball looking gray.  when i saw it initially, i bought yards and yards of it for this quilt.  good thing i did at the time, because when i was it the store last weekend, i saw none of it at all!
i attempted to lint roll this quilt, but there was no use. it took one layer off, but then i think it attracted even more as it hung there. my kitties became more realistic. look at that fur texture! amazing!
i'll wrap things up with this almost calm looking elroy.
you'd think he'd be a little bit happy that he has a gang of 100 friends now.
whatever elroy.  i'll just keep loving you, and you'll just keep being grumpy about it.
punk.
to the rest of you, happy friday!

nerdy themed ruffle apron

some how, some way, my sister got a job at joann's this past holiday season.  they must know that we need the discount, and i was just too much awesomeness for them to handle when i applied a few years back.  besides, it has become apparent that the crafty world of joann's has begun to rub off on this sister of mine, and has inspired her to do some crafting of her own.  anyways, it was at her request that i make her an apron (since she doesn't sew) so that she doesn't have to wear the generic ones the store has.  knowing my favorite apron tutorial (which she has modeled three times now) i knew what i was going to make and just needed the fabric for it.  at one point it was going to be avengers themed i believe, but then this fabric was available in stores and we decided to go with it.  in case you weren't aware (or forgot) my sister is a physics major, so this overly nerdy themed fabric was perfect for her.  the polka dots were a good off set to separate the print without getting too crazy all over the place.
i managed to make this apron in an afternoon, after another cryptic "i made cookie dough..." texts, i figured i may as well get her fancied up for the last few months of working at joann's before she leaves for college.  it was so crazy to sew something that didn't involve quilting.... it went together quite quickly in one afternoon :)
it has been decided that the only flaw in this apron pattern is the lack of pockets.  which i suppose is really only a problem if you're trying to put a walkie talkie and/or a handheld somewhere instead of in your hands.  perhaps i'll have to revise this for the next fabric store employee i make this apron for.
workin' it
i've had some serious thoughts about making a few of these (generic enough) and offering them up on etsy.  i suppose i'll have to see how my summer looks after the next few days as i finish up finals and transition between school year to summer camp/dance recital/wedding season time.  but there you have it!  aileen's nerd-a-licious themed apron to love and squeeze and call her own.  and for kicks, here's a few links back to the previously made ruffle aprons:
green with envy
airplanes & postcards
nursing themed

daffodils and kitty cats - quilt for baby elise

according to usps, this arrived a week ago... so fingers crossed it really did and this isn't one elephant sized spoiler post!
i've known leah for years.  essentially just as long as i've known amy, as they were two of the three people i became really close friends with upon moving schools and starting 6th grade.  through the years since high school, it's been a little bit of here, there and everywhere, but the three of us as well as our fourth franklin friend sara have occasionally met up and caught up like the good ol' days.  well, leah was a super secret keeper, and it wasn't until nearly the end of her pregnancy that i knew anything about it (thanks to instagram!)  i decided i wanted to make something for leah, as she's always commented on my quilty posts, wishing that she would get something someday.  well here's to you, leah!  leah had a baby girl this past march, and after some super stealthy ness, i came up with this little quilt for her baby girl elise.
leah has always been an animal lover, so using the catvent pattern yet again was of course, perfect.  one day, leah posted on facebook about how excited she was about elise's birth flower being daffodils, as it was also her favorite flower.  boom.  these cats needed to be in a daffodil field.  also, pink and yellow look fantastic together.  i've super liked that combo since i made the quilt for baby natalie last year.  it was a little iffy using white on a baby blanket, knowing how babies can be... but once it was all completed, i couldn't imagine using any other color that would make these kitties pop out like they do.
just like the cats are mixed up prints, the daffodils are also one of six different prints.  they have more geometric shape prints on them, while the pink prints on the kittens are all flower related.  well... there's one that looks like bugs, but i guess that's somewhat related to the theme, right?
i assembled all these cat blocks while i was in colorado earlier this month, and then began to get everything sewn together when i arrived home.  i also got to experiment with my new walking foot for this quilt.  there was only a minor oops, but things have since been perfected (so i think) and moved forward.  the backing fabric was something i found on ebay.  i like to go there for super random finds, and after a thousand different searches for pink and yellow fabric, i found this cute vintage piece with pink and yellow cats on it.  the best part was that it was JUST enough for this.  didn't have to do any wonky piecing or anything to make it work.  love it!
i really like the fun-ness of a scrappy border, and with all the patchwork-ness of the kitties, it absolutely had to happen.
still my favorite block. so of course, the pink version had to have a special appearance.
here's a close up of the super cute back fabric. and not only was it super cute, but it was also super soft.
and of course, the glorious "tagged to send" photo.  before sending it off, i included a few pairs of beaded socks for the little one to enjoy as well.  hopefully this kitty quilt made it to it's destination safely, as i secretly got leah's address from amy, and also didn't tell her she was getting mail.  i wanted it to be a super surprise.  guess we'll find out, right?  and just for kicks, here is 7th/8th grade emily & leah.  we were legit volleyball stars...
i may be over hyping our skills.  but seriously, check out leah's awesome mickey shorts.  i'm still a little jealous 13 years later...

kitten mini quilt swap 2015

i participated in my first instagram hosted swap this year, and it was quite the experience.  i have done plenty of craftster swaps, where you know who you are sending to/from and all that jazz.  this one, i knew who i was sending to but i had no idea who would be sending to me (i still don't, as i haven't yet received anything!)  the theme for this swap was a kitten/cat mini quilt, so of course i was easily swayed to create something kitty related.  when i got my partner assignment, i was super excited, as it was someone i already followed on instragram, and started to get some ideas from her likes as well as her fur babies.  i found this paper pieced pattern on craftsy, located the awesome retro backing fabric on ebay, and found some fantastic crosshatch fabric to create the gray tabbyness of the kitty.  alright, without more delay, here's the full piece!
loved this paper piecing pattern. everything went together quite smoothly, with the exception of the nose.  that had to be the trickiest part.  the pieces were so tiny!  i found the blue background fabric and the red swirl "blanket" fabrics in stuff that i had acquired from my grandma, and it worked perfectly to make this kitty stand out.  i went with a stitch in the ditch quilting around the kitty face parts and left it at that to not make things too busy.
such a nice kitty. sure looks like our cats. sleeping, sleeping, sleeping.
i just love the back fabric. these little kitties are red and blue cross hatched on them, which went perfectly with the front. the order i got from ebay also had the same fabric on a blue background... so i have more of these kitties to play with on my own time. yay! and i'm certain it will end up in my scrappy square quilt that has yet to begin... yep. some projects are all talk, no action right now.
it is perfect that there is a little kitty right above my nametag, but that's not what is really exciting here... would you look at that corner?! i don't think i have EVER gotten one to look so perfect in my life... hall of fame right there, folks.
with all the school and life chaos happening at the time, i lost track of time and didn't have a chance to make her any special extras to go along with her mini quilt like some people were. i still wanted my wonderful partner to feel special, so i found this cute kitty shaped pen at target, and i also ordered her a silly book that my parents also got me for christmas. i saw my first "how do dinosaurs..." book when i was last in colorado, and something later on popped up on amazon regarding this one and i just cracked up and sent it to my mom. i hope my partner appreciated this silly nonsense book, and that her kitties love storytime too :)
next swap theme?
who knows yet... i'm hoping for another disney round, that's for sure!