Bits & Pieces

Bits and Pieces is Moving!

2009-12-24T10:59:00.002-07:00

I've decided to simplify my life and combine this blog with my family blog which can be found at http://theabcs.wordpress.com. Come on over and see what's going on!

Santa's Treasure Sack Finished

2009-11-19T22:15:00.004-07:00

I got all the bells sewn on to Santa's Treasure Sack. Still loving it!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!

2009-11-09T15:51:00.006-07:00

So, it's been a while! I noticed the last post was about the project I taught LAST FRIDAY--and was posted FIVE MONTHS AGO! I've completed a myriad of projects since then, but thought I'd share a few that are in the works right now....

This is going to be an advent calendar...if I can figure out how to make the trees into pockets and get them sewn onto a white background. It worked in my head, but is a little trickier in reality.

I'm also working on Santa's Treasure Sack:

I just have to add some jingle bells and voila! Done! MUCH BIGGER than I remembered it being when I saw the sample at Quilt Market. But I love it! (I just have no idea what to do with it).

Travel Ironing Mat

2009-06-07T23:21:00.003-06:00

I put this travel ironing mat together as a make and take that we are going to be teaching at the Utah Valley Quilt Guild quilt retreat at Aspen Grove in November--I'm really excited about it. I've seen these before, but they roll up--which seemed hard to transport to me. This one is the size of a fat quarter, but folds up to fit into your bag easily. It's got reflective material on the back and Insul-Brite in the middle. I'm excited to start using it. Why haven't I made one of these before?

More Bags

2009-06-07T23:09:00.004-06:00

With the help of my good friend Natilie, I've got two more fun bags (OK--Natilie did more than just help--she made the ENTIRE Buttercup Bag. Thanks Natilie!)

First, the Schlep Bag:

Got the idea from a friend, found the free pattern online. It was confusing, but once we got it figured out, it turned out pretty cool. I've got a link to the patterns and some tips here.

Second, the Buttercup Bag:

I LOVE this bag!! It is small and cute, and I am in love with the fabric. It is called "Wonderland" by MoMo, who designs for Moda Fabrics. I'm in mourning that we didn't get this in our store (the salesman must not have shown it to me--I can't imagine that I would have passed it up!) I had to buy it elsewhere. Ssh!! Don't tell anyone!

You can find the pattern here.

2009-04-21T23:38:00.004-06:00

Loving the messenger bag and apron I made a couple of weeks ago...

Challenge Quilt

2009-03-25T01:20:00.004-06:00

Here are the partial results of a Challenge that is going on over at Just Sew...It's taking much longer than I expected, but I am loving the results. What do you think? I'd like it to be about 4x the size it is so far--may take a few decades, but I'll keep plugging along.

Is This Really Buggy Barn??

2009-02-22T22:46:00.003-07:00

Linda and I recently finished this quilt as a gift:

It's a Buggy Barn pattern, and it's different than their usual style of stacking, cutting, shuffling, etc. It's a traditionally pieced quilt, and we made a LOT of half-square triangles for this one. It was hard to find the motivation to finish it, but the end result was gratifying. It was hard to give this one up!!!

Are These Cute Or What???

2009-02-10T08:26:00.003-07:00

Natilie recently discovered a fun new website from Moda. It’s the Moda Bakeshop, and they have all sorts of fun projects that use layer cakes, charm packs, sweet rolls, etc. My favorites right now are the Pennie Pockets. We’ve got some hanging in the store, and I’m in the process of making several. They are quick, easy, and so cute! They make up in about 30 minutes (less if you do it assembly-line style) and are great filled with your favorite treats. Who wouldn't want to find one of these hanging on their door for Valentine's day?

A Forgotten Project Finshed

2008-12-01T22:30:00.002-07:00

Remember this quilt? Well, here's the finished product. I love the way it turned out. I don't quite know if it's a table runner, or a wall-hanging, or something else entirely, but I had a great time experimenting!

Fat Quarter Frenzy Project

2008-12-01T22:26:00.002-07:00

Each month at the store, we have a new project using fat quarters. Customers choose their own fat quarters to complete the project. It's been gaining popularity each month. I think this month's project turned out really cute, if I do say so myself. It's a patchwork notebook cover that I adapted for fat quarters from a pattern on the Craft Apple blog.

Recipe for Friendship Quilt

2008-12-01T22:21:00.002-07:00

Here is a quilt I made with Mary Englebreit's Recipe For Friendship line. Very bright and cheery. I hope to make another with her new line, Baskets of Flowers, that is coming out in February--it's more pinks than reds--then each of my girls can have one.

Aprons Abound

2008-11-09T21:45:00.004-07:00

Aprons have been really popular lately--we sell a lot of patterns and fabric for aprons of all kinds. I hadn't tried my hand at making one until this past week, when I decided to make one as a gift for a friend. In the pattern book, it said once you sew one, you will be hooked. I know several people who have made one, then another, then another.......While it was an okay project, I have to admit it is a little too close to sewing clothes for me--I'll probably stick to quilts, thanks. But it did turn out kind of pretty:

And I know (because someone very nice made me one) that it's fun to have a pretty apron to wear when you are slaving away in the kitchen. So, if you love making aprons, don't let my lack of enthusiasm dampen your desire to sew them--we'll keep the fun fabric and patterns stocked and ready to feed your addiction!

Recipe for Friendship

2008-11-09T21:26:00.003-07:00

Sew, I actually HAVE been sewing a lot lately, but never posting--running a store takes a lot of time and energy. Being a Mom takes even more. Between the tw0, by the time I have a chance to sit at the computer I am usually in a half-asleep state that doesn't allow me to complete a coherent sentence on the computer. Also, though I continue to carry my camera to and from the store daily, I never get it out to snap pictures of all the fun projects we've got going. Someday soon....

In the meantime, last week Morgan asked me to make matching skirts for her and her little friend who just moved. The friend was coming back for a visit and Morgan wanted to give her "something to remember me by." I told her to think of something, and the next day, she said, "Mom, I've got an idea. You could make us matching skirts--you have those really cute skirt patterns down at the store." My first instinct was to groan inwardly and think of how little time I have, and how MUCH time this project would take. My second instinct was to remember how Morgan observed the other day that I make all kinds of things for the shop, and nothing for them. My final thought was that this was something that would make her very happy in a moment when she has been feeling kind of sad (it's hard when a good friend moves away). So I opted to spend my day off (and into the night) sewing skirts. Of course, I couldn't make just two--I had to make three, because Madison couldn't be left out. I used some fabric from Mary Englebreit's Recipe for Friendship (I've also made a quilt out of this--so bright and cheery--I'll post a picture soon). I thought I could do the three in an hour or so, but no luck. However, the next day, there were three very happy little girls wearing skirts that look like this:

I didn't end up using a pattern. It seemed easier just to cut and sew without trying to do anything fancy. I think it turned out pretty well--and the girls are happy. All except for the fact that I didn't take them all shopping to buy matching shirts--you can't have it all, girls!

Just Sew is Now Open!

2008-10-05T21:33:00.002-06:00

And things are going well. Be sure to check out pictures of the shop here.

Spellbound

2008-08-12T23:33:00.002-06:00

Here's a top I just finished making as a sample for the quilt shop--it's made from Maywood Studio's Spellbound fabric. I love it! The pattern had a few issues, but once I got those fixed, it went together very nicely.

Love This Girl

2008-08-07T22:33:00.002-06:00

Look at the fabulous dress form I found for the quilt shop--I think she'll be great with a hip bag slung over her shoulder or an apron around her waist. I'm so excited!

Excitement is Building!

2008-08-05T07:08:00.003-06:00

Here is a sneak peak at some fun samples that my amazing friend Natilie has been making for the quilt shop. I am so excited for everything to be falling into place. I think it will be great fun. And the fabric I have been receiving is amazing. Can't wait to share it with everyone!

Natilie--you have outdone yourself! I can just see a little Halloween Witch LOVING the trick or treat bag! And the onesie gown is too cute for words, and the Pajama Pants--I want a pair!

Onesie Gowns

2008-07-30T23:18:00.006-06:00

Here is my first attempt at copying some baby gowns made from onesies that I saw in a magazine. They were quick and easy, but I'm worried they will fit more like straight-jackets than gowns---especially the stripey one. I'll report later, after they've been used once or twice by the recipient.

Randomness

2008-07-15T15:52:00.006-06:00

I have had a charm pack of Moda's Flutterby line sitting in my cupboard for several weeks now. In the spirit of one of my new idols, Crazy Mom Quilts, I decided to do something out of the ordinary for me--utter randomness! Honestly--I didn't even look through the fabrics at all, except to split them up and arrange them for this photo:

After the photo, I separated the charm pack into six piles (again, didn't even look at them individually), and cut three 1 1/2" strips from each square. I then cut 2 inches off each 1 1/2" x 5" strip.

To perpetuate the random theme, I jumbled both piles up,

and chain-sewed the pieces back together several times--trying not to even think about color combinations except to make sure that two like colors never touched each other (can this still be counted as random)? It was fun to discover the fabrics as I went along--sort of my own little mystery quilt, I guess. I had intended for this to be a table runner, but I think it is evolving into a small quilt. Here is what I have so far:

I've been playing a lot with the arrangement. I'm going to put them on a brown background--we'll see how the finished product ends up looking--a mystery all around. Sometimes it's fun to just create without a lot of thought. I've been doing a lot of heavy duty brainwork lately (Click here to find out why) and it was lovely just to relax and sew!

What do you think???

Vacation Mini-Book

2008-06-26T16:04:00.004-06:00

Remember the Vacation Book I was planning on working on during our trip? Well, I actually did work on it quite a bit during the amazing amount of driving that we did. After we got home, all I really needed to do was a little bit of journaling and then add pictures after they got developed. I'm actually quite happy with the finished product--it's just a jumble of stuff--but I love the memories. The only problem? I stuffed way too many pictures in it, and now my rings are too small. I'll need to get some that are a little bigger.

Dear Jane Progress

2008-06-15T23:05:00.003-06:00

Spending 30+ hours in the car in one week, one would think I could finish more than 6 blocks, but hey, six blocks is six blocks. I think they are turning out well. These are mostly applique. The two blocks that I pieced in this set are hand-pieced, which I enjoy, but it's not my method of choice simply because of the time factor. I'm excited to try some of the machine-pieced and paper-pieced blocks. I cut the background squares for the applique blocks a little larger than the 5" finished size I needed because I know applique sometimes causes a block to shrink a little. I will trim them down before piecing them together. I wish I would have thought of this when preparing the hand-pieced blocks. I would have cut those squares a little bigger as well and trimmed them down after completing the applique on them. I think they actually turned out REALLY close to the right size, so I won't redo. Anyway, hooray for getting started!

Travel Ambition

2008-05-28T23:12:00.003-06:00

Here's another take-along project for the road...I want to do a travel album like this one using these supplies. I love the idea of having a book ready to fill up with memorabilia and journaling as we go. I'm planning on getting it prepared and ready ahead of time, so the rest should be fairly easy. Also hoping to take some photos that are DIFFERENT than the same old same old ones we've taken the past two times...wish me luck!

Birth of My Baby Jane

2008-05-28T23:04:00.003-06:00

I have been dying to get started on this quilt for some time. In preparation for the upcoming 30 hour road trip we are about to embark on, I have been preparing some blocks to take with me. I think this is a perfect take-along project. The blocks are small (4 1/2 inches finished) and there are a lot of them that can be hand-pieced or appliqued. It will give me something fun to do in the car. I'll share my progress after we return....

P.S. In case you are wondering why the "Baby Jane" title, the author of this book calls all reproductions of this quilt Baby Janes.

A Place For Everything and Everything In Its Place

2008-05-28T23:01:00.002-06:00

I am loving having a cupboard to store all my crafting supplies in. It's so nice to have it at my fingertips so that when I am ready to make something, I don't have to go digging and searching. Hopefully this makes me use it more! I'm also hoping I can keep it organized and neat...

A Year Later...

2008-05-14T23:40:00.006-06:00

I participated in a Saturday Sampler at American Quilting that ended last June. It was a block of the month quilt, and although it was quite challenging, I really enjoyed making it. I stayed somewhat caught up, and last summer before we moved out of our house, I actually finished up all the blocks except for the embroidery on the snowmen's faces. That silly block has traveled around in my quilting bag with me ever since. I sewed with Alisa today and decided to work on it again. I got the black sashing sewn between all the blocks, then tonight I finished the embroidery on the snowmen while watching American Idol. After I finished that, I hurried and put the borders on and voila! The top is done. Now I just need to decide whether to hand quilt it or take it to someone for machine quilting...and then move on and finish the three other quilts that are in the same stage of completion---blocks pieced but not sewn together. It's easy for me to get to that point. Finishing is the hard part...

Roman Shades

2008-05-13T12:36:00.003-06:00

I've made some Roman Shades for the kids' rooms. I was copying some I saw from Pottery Barn. The boys' turned out okay, but they are a pain to put back up after you put them down--they don't fold up right for some reason. Thus, the boys never put them down--what is the purpose of them then??? With Morgan's I tried to let the shade droop down in the middle to form a scallop--didn't work. It just looks sloppy. So I'm in the process of trying to figure out what to do with it. Some projects just don't turn out the way you've envisioned, do they???

I'm In Love!

2008-04-30T22:08:00.003-06:00

After living without an island in my kitchen for seven months, I am so excited to finally have one again. I mean, look at the room I have for cutting fabric! I haven't been in a very creative mode lately, but I have been working on some roman shades for some of the kids' rooms, and I have just been LOVING being able to use my island for the measuring, cutting, and pinning. So nice to not feel limited by lack of space.

Help Wanted:

2008-04-21T21:26:00.003-06:00

I finished a "Little Red Hen" quilt about a year ago (the pattern is in this book). I've been trying to decide on what color of pillows to put with it to finish the look. I've gone back and forth several times and can't seem to make a decision. Does anyone have any great ideas? My furniture is black, and I do have a ceramic wash bowl and pitcher (made for me by Barry's Grandma several years ago--love it!) that has a really pretty blue in it--would you go with blue? Black? Red? Something completely different? This decision will also help me with curtains. Help me please!!!!

Scrappy Pinwheel Revealed

2008-04-05T22:47:00.002-06:00

This is a fun quilt that I have loved working on over the last couple of months. Morgan and I decided to do her room in red and white, and this is the quilt I made for her bed. I took it to my wonderful quilter, and she quilted it with red daisies. I scalloped the edges (first attempt at such a thing) and I think it turned out really great! Most importantly, Morgan loves it too!

Cathedral Window

2008-04-05T22:43:00.002-06:00

This is another overly ambitious project. Barry's Aunt was working on one of these when she visited a couple of years ago, and I fell in love with it. I decided to make two twin size Cathedral Window quilts for the girls' beds. Wow! What a lot of work. I ended up with two small runners, one of which is now at the foot of Madison's bed. Even though it is much smaller than I first planned, I really love it. When I finish the other things for her bed, I will post a picture of the whole thing so you can fully appreciate it too!

Yellow Brick Road

2008-04-05T22:39:00.002-06:00

Now that we've moved and I'm taking pictures of quilts in the girls' rooms, I remembered I'd never taken a picture of this Yellow Brick Road Quilt on Alex's bed. Actually I made two of them for the bunk beds. I hand-quilted the first one--stippled it. How crazy was that! Anyway, the second one was machine quilted. Much faster and easier.

Cards Again...

2008-03-21T09:49:00.003-06:00

I had hardly been able to enjoy the relief of having finished the teacher appreciation gifts and sent them off to school when Morgan came out of school with a piece of birthday cake in hand. I asked "What did you get cake for?" and she said, "Oh--today is my teacher's birthday." Hmmm...Panic....what to do? I do love Morgan's teacher, as does Morgan, and I wanted to do something for her, so I pulled out the trusty pack of white cardstock and my paper scraps and off I went. An hour later, they were cut, pasted, and tied up ready for delivery. AND I enjoyed the process--what more could you ask for in gift giving?

Is This Too Corny??

2008-03-17T23:55:00.004-06:00

Teacher Appreciation week is here again...along with the dilemma of what to give the teachers as gifts. I hate to always give treats, and two of our three teachers we've had before, so between birthdays, Christmas, end-of-the-year gifts, and teacher appreciation two years ago, the pressure was on to come up with something new. Here is what I came up with--flower seeds with a little tag that says, "Thanks for helping me bloom and grow." What do you think? I was even able to find these vintage-looking seed packets. I was happy, but the real question is, will it make the teachers happy?

I Love Making Cards!

2008-03-15T15:32:00.003-06:00

There is something rewarding about making cards. I think it is because when you make a card, or even a few cards, you can usually do it in one sitting. You still get all the joy of the creative process, but after an hour or so, you have a finished product. Not like quilting, which drags on and on. I love quilting and always will, but sometimes it's nice to create something that has more instantaneous results.

Two Projects Finished!

2008-03-09T22:21:00.002-06:00

I finally finished sewing the bed skirts for the girls' beds. Hooray for being able to check something off my list! I also went and picked up Morgan's quilt. It turned out really cute--now I just need to bind it. After I get it bound, I will post a picture of it for all to see.

In the meantime, I am dying to try this quilt. A lot of it is applique or hand piecing, and I think it would be an interesting (and very challenging) way to use up some scraps, try a bunch of different patterns, and have something small to carry around with me to work on while I am waiting for kids here and there. I showed it to my mother-in-law, and she is excited to try it too. We are going to work on it together, offer each other tips, etc. However, she already has two (maybe four by now) blocks done, and I haven't even started. Oh well. I will wait until after we move, as I have a lot of projects for the house that I am trying to finish. Also, most of my fabric is over in the storage shed anyway. It will give me something to look forward to...

My Progress is Slow

2008-03-07T22:28:00.002-07:00

Remember last week I said I had my work cut out for me, then listed a whole bunch of projects I wanted to finish?? Well, so far, I have a pillow sham half-made (I got frustrated and quit before I finished), and two bed skirts pinned like this one. I am making them with fitted sheets--putting the sheet over a mattress, then pinning and sewing the ruffle to it (thanks Natilie for yet another great idea). I need to get going if these things are going to be finished before we move! On a brighter note, my quilter called today and said she had finished Morgan's quilt. I will go pick it up tomorrow.

Family History Book

2008-03-06T22:48:00.003-07:00

Hey look! I actually have a project that is not related to sewing or quilting! I have been working on compiling a Sanders family history book that contains pictures, family group sheets, and short histories of six generations. Tonight I typed a history, and thought I would share a glimpse of some of the pages. It's been a lot of fun to put it all together. Thanks Natilie for inspiring me to do this! I hope to continue with the three other sides of our family. I've got one in progress already for the Childs side.

Wedding Quilt

2008-03-05T22:45:00.003-07:00

This is a quilt I made for my brother-in-law and his new wife as a wedding gift. Also a fun and fairly quick project. I finished this one in November, then sent it home with my mother-in-law, who quilted it, bound it, and brought it back when she came down for the wedding.

Disappearing Nine Patch

2008-03-05T22:37:00.002-07:00

This is a fairly recent quilt. I finished it in November 2007. It's a baby quilt I made for my very cute niece. I used some leftover 1930's reproduction fabrics. For this pattern, you start out with nine patches, then cut them and turn them to make a whole new pattern. It was fun--thanks Linda for the idea. If you would like a tutorial on how to make this quilt, you can go to http://quiltsatcs.blogspot.com/2007/04/disappearing-9-patch-tutorial.html.

Joseph Smith Memorial Quilt

2008-03-03T23:08:00.002-07:00

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith's birth, I made three quilts like this one--one for my parents (this one), one for my in-laws (I may post this one later), and one for me (still in progress). Each one of them is a little different, but I'm happy with the way they turned out. Each block is a symbol of part of Joseph Smith's life. If you are interested, let me know and I can post what each block symbolizes. One thing new that I tried on this quilt is the wavy edge at each corner.

Bunny Applique

2008-03-03T23:04:00.002-07:00

This is the first project our ward quilt group attempted. It was also my first applique project. I used freezer paper, from which I cut out templates, then ironed them to the right side of my fabric. I then cut the pieces out, leaving a 1/4" allowance. I left the freezer paper on the front of the pieces, pinned them to the right spot, and tucked the seam allowance under as I appliqued. It worked pretty well for larger pieces, but I had trouble with the smaller pieces. I have since learned several other applique techniques that work a little better for me.

Buggy Barn Stars

2008-03-03T23:01:00.003-07:00

As promised, here is a picture of the star table runner I made from a Buggy Barn pattern. We made this project in our ward quilt group. It was a little hard to figure out how to match up the corners, but with a little patience, I think I finally got mine to match up pretty well. Again, as with my other Buggy Barn quilt, this technique sometimes leaves you with color combinations that you may not be wild about. Maybe I just need to be better at choosing fabric that goes together.

We All Have to Start Somewhere

2008-03-01T22:45:00.002-07:00

Some time ago, my Mom found a few things she thought I might want and brought them to me. One of them was this lovely afghan--my first attempt at crocheting (I don't think the yards and possibly miles of chains that I crocheted prior to this really count for much). I remember spending the night at my Grandma's and having her teach me how to make "Granny Squares." I was so excited to be crocheting for real. She gave me a bunch of little balls of leftover yarn and I went a little crazy. I have, on occasion, thought back to this time with my Grandma with fondness and remembered my first afghan, but I had forgotten just how UGLY it was. Anyway, when I look at this picture, it makes me smile. My Grandma was such a patient soul to teach me how to do this. My girls are always wanting to be involved in my project-making. Maybe I need to be a little more patient with their attempts at learning my crafts.

I've Got My Work Cut Out For Me...

2008-02-27T14:04:00.003-07:00

Literally. This week I'm trying to finish a few projects for the kids' bedrooms. I have a quilt top for Dallin's bed sewn, with the back all cut and ready. I just need to get some batting and quilt it on my machine. I've got bed skirts cut out and ready to sew onto fitted sheets for the girls' rooms. I've got muslin cut out for some redwork stitching to be done on them to hang on Morgan's wall, and fabric cut for curtains and a pillow sham for Morgan's room. I just dropped a scrappy red and white pinwheel quilt off to be quilted for Morgan's bed. Lots to do, and time is running out for me to finish before we get into our new house. I always have lofty goals...we'll see how far I get. Lest anyone think I'm favoring children, I do have Alex and Madison's rooms almost all taken care of already....

Cute Pincushion

2008-02-25T22:56:00.002-07:00

I wanted to make a cute pincushion as a birthday present for a friend. My sister showed me one like this one that she had received as a gift. It was quick and easy, and I thought it turned out really cute!

My First Buggy Barn Quilt

2008-02-25T22:41:00.003-07:00

I had never made a Buggy Barn quilt before and was intrigued by the idea. My brother's wedding was coming up, so I thought it was the perfect opportunity to try. I went and bought the fabric--mostly all of one line to make it easy, and got started on a weekend when Barry was out of town. It went together pretty fast. The only thing that I didn't like about it was that some blocks ended up with color combinations that I wasn't wild about. Since making this quilt, I've also done some Buggy Barn stars. I will post them later. This quilt was quilted by my mother-in-law.