HELLOmynameisHeather

I like it a lot

My kids are the best appreciators.  Both of them.  They have their foibles, but they know how to appreciate a handmade present.  I like this.  I'm not sure how we got there, but I like it a lot.

My mom made a sweet little blanket for Chloe, with help from Chloe's big sister, Haley (8 years old).  Isn't it pretty?  Haley was so excited. 

So, as I was laying the blanket out to take a picture of it for them, in trotted Charlotte with a sprig of jasmine.  Her freshly-picked bouquet was quickly abandoned for the rapture of a soft new blanket. She climbed right up onto the table to demonstrate, wiggling, giggling & swooshing her hair about.

So adorable. 

When I sew, Charlotte hovers around eagerly waiting for the finish line when she can hop away with whatever-it-is, to her imaginary world.  Makes me crave sewing.  More sewing.  I could sew her a whole new world if I had the time.  And she'd love it all, whatever-it-is.  I love that about her!

Earlier this week Charlotte packed up my new handbag (still had a couple of pins in it) for the movie store.  She had been waiting & circling till it was off the machine.  And she had a plan.  She quickly filled it with all the necessities and we were off:  Ariel, Snow White, a sash from one of my shirts, sunglasses.  She was looking pretty hip too.  Comically hip.

Every teenager working there heard all about it, "This is the purse that my mom made.  I like it."   "My mom made this.  Look, here's my Ariel." "Look what mama made."  "See my purse?"

Elijah's the same way.  When I make him a new pair of pajamas, he grins and saunters about.  Maybe sauntering isn't exactly the right word, but he definitely swaggers or something.  And big hugs.  Very big hugs.  I'm thinking he could use some new pajamas here soon.

∆   ∆   ∆ 

So, Quilt Market is next week.  And it sounds like I might have some sample yardage coming in.  It was accidentally shipped to Heather Ross, but we've got it sorted out, I think.  If I can pull it off before Market, I'll put together a snappy preview for you.  Waiting for that box though.

And I'm looking forward to meeting so many of you this weekend at Blissful Living.  If you can't stop by on Saturday, definitely come by some other time.  And there's a well-loved mexican cafe along the same downtown corridor (Mangos) and a handful of fantastic antique shops. Make a day of it.

Outshined

Familiar, I know, but I thought Elijah's doll blanket deserved its own post.  He really sewed it by himself and saw it to completion, asking me every day to show him how to do the binding.  We were swamped with family in town there for a while and let's just say, he was impressively patient.  He really wanted to know how to do that binding.  He even learned how to do perfect little corners.  All of those pieces and details, and that long wait for binding directions, then he handed it over to me with ten minutes of hand-stitching to go (tacking the binding down) and said, "Here mom, you can finish it." 

Ha!  I'm mightily impressed that he made it that far.  Elijah, here's to your stick-to-it-ed-ness!  It's a rare ten-year- old boy who will put so much tender thought into a handmade gift for his little sister.  What a guy!

Oh, and I was looking back over the other doll blankets I made last Spring and saw this mention of Shear Genius.  I forgot to tell you guys that I had an elevator conversation with the winner of the show while I was in Vegas last month.  He consequently missed his floor and had to take an elevator back down.  Whoops. 

I have a lot of little asides like that that have backed up on me lately.  I think a catch-up post is in order.  Bits and bobs of random info -- before it grows stale.  Hmmm.

Domestic Therapy

Solved.  Out with the old blankie, in with the new! 

Last week was rough.  Long work days, big happenings.  Come Friday, it was due time to fill up my patient little children with love and attention -- and have a major break from work.  Charlotte and I left the house for the day and pretty much wandered around town, with nothing on our agenda but togetherness.  We had a good time.  The highlights -- Charlotte found herself a rubber ducky that lights up in water and I had a fascinating discussion about dreadlocks with the produce guy, Ronnie. Isaac took Elijah camping that night and I handled babysitting duty by myself -- cookies, popcorn, movie, songs, etc.

On Saturday, I still needed a break, so Charlotte and I headed out again.  This time we met up with my sister, Julia, at Goodwill and wandered once more.  I left with three books and a plastic toy couch. Random.

At home, when Charlotte was napping, I crossed paths with her blanket and "Perfect!" -- it was high time to finish Charlotte's Drag-Around Sue.  I completed the machine-quilting at nap time, spent the evening with Elijah, then attached the binding late at night.  Isaac and I took a chance on some obscure movie and I sat on the couch for the first time in months -quite literally- and stitched that binding down.  It was exactly the weekend I needed.  A bit of domestic therapy, including several rounds of reading, nestled up with my baby girl and her "fancy" new blanket.

I'm feeling a lot brighter today.  I've thoroughly enjoyed sorting through my photos of Charlotte with her new accessory.  What a happy reminder to check my priorities and count my blessings. 

Look at how delighted she is, from head to wiggling toes!  My kids are the best appreciators.

Drag-Around Sue

I'm whipping up a drag-around blanket for Charlotte.  She's getting pretty attached to a thread-bare quilt I made in high school and I can't have that, can I?  Not with a bunch of Freshcut in my shelves.

I'm not doing anything elaborate.  Just a big piece of this fabric, with a couple of borders around the edge.  The goal is soft.  Soft, soft.  So, the fewer seams the better and it must be tied or loosely quilted.  Otherwise, I'll never get her to make the switch.  I'll do a trickier, pieced quilt next, but for now I'm all about replacing that other blanket.  If I can happily toss this one in the washing machine when needed, with no guilt, then it's just right.  It does have a fun bias ruffle for a border though.  You'll see.  It keeps the blanket from looking too much like the cheater quilt that it is.  Oops, did I say that?  Cheater quilts are great.  And crazy-big prints make cheater quilts easy.

So, then Elijah caught on and decided to make Charlotte a doll blanket as his first attempt at the sewing machine.  His design.  His stitching.  No quicky, drag-around blanket like mom's either.  This one would have a tricky, pieced border.  And, wow, he did a pretty amazing job of it.  I only babysat that first row of stitching and all of the cutting.  He kept his seam allowances in check and hung in there until the top was pieced.  It looks like he's ready to expand beyond hand-stitching.  Lego skills come in handy.

One Apple Down

Guess what today is -- my blogiversary.  Yay!  And no standard cupcake photo will do.  Why not an apple?  That makes sense.  A party apple.  Sure. 

Now just watch me make sense of it with this next photo.  See that bitten apple? -- one year down.  And those other apples ?-- more years to come.  Now that sounds poetic.  Nevermind I took the party apple photo today and the quilt photo months ago.  I got the urge to carve a "1" in an apple and I went with it.

Do you remember when I sent this quilt top off to be quilted?  Here's the result.  One tease fulfilled, how many more to go? 

I designed this quilt as my first go at the Freshcut free quilt pattern for Free Spirit's site.  I love the large fields of fabric, with little pops of red mixed in.  I didn't think a photo of this quilt would translate too well at low res on the internet, so I folded it up and designed a different one for Free Spirit.  Thank heaven too, because the flat photo of the quilt (below) doesn't do it justice.  The colors are all wonky.  This apple photo is much more kind to the fabrics.

Oh, and look up.  Way up.  I'm watching you now.  Dare I be so bold as to put my own face in the banner?  How many ways can one say, "HELLO, my name is Heather," with a photo?  Well, that's one sure way to say it.  Hello, it's me.

Now for the requisite profundity that accompanies all blogiversaries... just a dash...

Wow, what fun!  The blog.  A conversation with the world.  A great escape.  A meeting place for destined friends.  A window in...

I have yet to hang curtains in the main living area of my home.  There are no blinds there either.  Almost every time my mother visits, she wonders at my ability to live with "the world watching."  I assure her that if my neighbors are bored enough to watch me make dinner, then I'm happy to be their entertainment.  I guess a blog can be similar.  I show up fully-dressed and respectably-behaved and if folks want to see what I'm up to, then I'm happy to share.

Far better, I've made some amazing friends and been granted some incredible opportunities.  It's true, you never know who's reading. 

To all of you, announced or lurking, thank you for stopping by.  Thank you for your encouragement and support.  Thank you for peeking in my little window while I make marshmallows, knot thread and blow bubbles.  Even the simplest things are more fun when shared with friends -- this includes carved apples.

xo--Heather

Give Away the Pattern Instead, Right?

Ay, ay, ay.  What a week!  What...a...week.  I just wrapped up a big ol' beautiful photoshoot with an amazing magazine around 10pm tonight, not including time to unpack a-dozen-or-so tupperwares filled with goodies and supplies. 

Unpacking will have to wait though (sorry, honey), as it's time for me to go pack my suitcase for Spring Market.  My flight leaves in a just a few hours.  What am I doing blogging at the expense of much-needed sleep?  Good question. I'll think about that tomorrow.

I'm looking forward to sitting still on a plane.  And I'm sneaking off to the Theatre on Saturday.  Thoroughly Modern Millie.  Yep.  I'll get to sit still for that too.

While I'm gone, have at this free quilt pattern (follow link, then click "Download" under the quilt photo).  I should have posted about it a while ago.  It's the one I put together for Free Spirit.  I had fun laying out the instructions.  Heck, I had fun making the quilt. 

I'd like to make a big version too.  To keep.  Most of the quilts in my arsenal are ancient.  And not good-ancient.  More like high-school-ancient.  I have a bad habit of giving new quilts away.  Do they make a patch for that? 

Ms. Mimi's Roses

One more doll blanket and then we'll have ourselves a breather.  Mimi told me her favorite colors were red and yellow and green and white.   

I'm still sewing.  I stayed up way too late last night watching that new Shear Genius show while I did some hand- stitching on a fun little green and orange shirt. Now I'm too tired to decide what to do with myself.  I have four projects in the works that are each 90% finished.  I won't let myself start a new one until one of those is done, but I'm not in the groove. 

I think I'll go take a early evening shower and try to wake up.  Maybe I'll do my hair and try to feel civilized.  That usually does the trick.

Ms. Katie's Butterfly

Blue bear isn't very scary.  He dreams of blue-eyed butterflies. 

I'm finally fitting in some sew time with my fabric.  I'm prepping for a big magazine shoot in two weeks and am whipping up all sorts of fun:  dollies and kids' clothes, purses and tablecloths. Jona and my mom are helping me out big time.  And, Isaac set up a flat-panel TV in my studio to keep me company.

So, back to Moulin Rouge and thread-covered jeans for me.  I'll be back next post with one more doll quilt.

Tweet Dreams

Looking at that photo of Charlotte playing with her kitty doll (in my last post) reminded me of the treasure trove of Freshcut projects I haven't shown you yet.  Last October, when my sample fabric came in, I went into a creative frenzy and made up all kinds of fun projects to photograph for an inspiration book.  I kept the photos aside for a bit, hoping to put together an amazing website with all-new photography.  But, seeing as it's been nearly six whole months and my website is still on the backburner, why wait any longer? 

So, here's the quick little kitty who dreams of birdies - orange ones. This ruffled blankie is pre-doll-quilt-craze of '07.  The weekend I made this, I was miserably sick with Strep and could barely move.  The design of the quilt (being mainly applique) was majorly determined by my need to remain on the couch and my inability to pull myself up to the sewing machine.  The birdies hearken back to the ones I began to stitch on this blanket, but haven't shown you yet either (they don't have eyes yet).  Terrible, I know.  I confess all.

But there's hope.  I made up two more doll quilts last weekend at the impassioned request of my good friend's daughters.  I needed a break and doll blankies did the trick.  My point?  I figured I better show the original birdie blankie before posting its derivatives.  Isn't it tweet?  (Love those orange roses on the bed too.)

More blankies to come.

Garden Report

Ok, folks, here's the state of my Grandmother's Flower Garden quilt-top after last weekend's hexagonal fixation.  I made the flowers about three years ago on a trip we took to Jamaica to photograph a wedding. (Know anyone getting married in an exotic location?  We could use more trips like that.)

My many-hours' devotion this week have only produced the limited green border of which you see about half.  Tedious.  But, you know, tedious projects are perfect for grab-n-go vacation entertainment.

At the rate we're going, it looks like it may be a few more years before the next vacation, so don't expect much progress on this little blanket for a while to come.  My goal is to have it done by the time granddaughter #1 makes an appearance - in what, twenty years or so?  Oh my, is that why it's called a Grandmother's Flower Garden?  Is it impossible to finish one of these buggers before then?

Come to think of it, maybe a nice pillow will do.

Bind Away!

It's Tute time again.  I've put together a printable one-sheet on how to bind a quilt with continuous binding.  Please don't give your next quilt hokey corners, like I used to, just for fear of trying something new.  When my mom first offered to show me this technique, I completely blew her off.  It wasn't until I saw the glorious mitered corners that resulted that I got on board.  I've never looked back.

You can cut quilt-binding strips with the grain of the fabric or on the bias.  Bias-cut bindings are most-enduring if your quilt is to be used and laundered frequently.  And, a bias binding is necessary for quilts or projects with irregularly-shaped edges (scallops, rounded corners, etc.).  There's a neat trick for prepping bias binding, where you sew your fabric into a tube before cutting it into binding-strips.  This technique is not in my instructions, but here are some links to walk you through it:  here, here, and here. 

Instead, I show you how to attach a binding along the edge of your quilt in such a way that you can achieve glamorous corners too.  Remember - no fear!  And, feel free to print yourself a copy to keep handy for your next quilting adventure.

For the Continuous Quilt-Binding Tutorial, click here.  Or follow the "Bind a Quilt" link in my sidebar.