Project du jour (or rather du mois)

I had the honor of making a baptismal gown for a cousin of mine. I am so anxious for pictures of him in it but I wanted to share with you a picture of the actual gown (And the reason for my negligence of the blog lately). At a later date I will share the process of making it with you with it's glories and challenges.

Time to begin the next project!

After a little sewing hiatus, it is time to get back into it... My next big project is a custom baptismal gown for a soon-to-be-born cousin! 

In's and Out's of Quilts - The Literal Version

I recently finished making a quilt for my soon-to-be-born niece, Annette Marie... She is of course going to be the most adorable little baby you ever saw (Pics to come =D). And every baby needs a nice soft blanket to play on the floor, cuddle in bed and every other daily activity of the smallest of human beings, so I made her a little quilt and I took pictures of the process. They were all taken with you in mind!

Since this was my first quilting project I chose a very simple pattern which was Amy Butler's "Amy's Lotus Brick Path Quilt" (You can find it here: http://www.amybutlerdesign.com/products/free_patterns.php)

Next: FABRICS!!! I tried for the longest time to find the fabrics I wanted to use but lacked the creativity (And partly the selection) to pick out 11 different fabrics that would work together... So I used fabrics from a collection called Gypsy Caravan by Amy Butler. At first they looked kind of funny together but the finished look was adorable.

Next was the cutting out:

And more cutting out... ;)

The next step was to organize it how I liked it. It was really fun and I focused on mixing the large prints with the smaller prints appropriately. (It is kind of hard to notice because of the busyness of the fabrics but every other "row" across is a larger print vs. a smaller print.) After that I collected all of the pieces very methodically, lengthwise and from bottom to top. They were then labeled which row they were from left to right. (It was a more of a science than I thought =P)

After sewing at a 1/4 in for a long while and gobs of seam ripping (although it did go quickly) I finished the quilt top.

The next step was to find the backing which was a flannel from the same designer.

And then more cutting out, to be followed by more sewing! But this time it was the beginning of the end. It was time for the padding, backing and quilt top to be put together... First came the padding which I laid on a flat surface and smoothed out as best I could; next the backing went back side to the padding; and the quilt top went right side to the backing. You then sew all the sides leaving a 12" hole so that you can turn it right side out. 

 I then contented myself with a few hours of just sewing lines... First was the 1/4in border around the blanket which also closed the 12" hole; I used a pretty decorative stitch for the length and a straight stitch in between the rest of the blocks.

And here is the completed blanket... 

 Ready just in time for my sister's baby shower! <3 you, Kitty and Annette!

Commuter Biking...

Doesn't it just sound terribly pleasant? A nice little ride around town... maybe even the country. Well here is the loveliest bike out there for a lady to do some city biking.

Her name is Poppy (Even though she could very well be renamed "Lucretia") and she is made by a company who still manufactures their products in England called Pashley.

Brown Paper Packages tied up with strings...

This was too pretty to not share and I am not able to share pictures of my latest project just yet... But we will unwrap the mystery package in a few weeks.

In the meantime, I have been filling an order for a custom baptismal gown for my aunt's first baby. We have been going through the process of customizing it to make the perfect little gown. We have decided on a lovely simple pattern with a Peter Pan collar and pleats in the front which we will add lace to the bottom. Keep your eyes open for pictures of the gown in the making... =)

The Southern wife's must-have...

This cookbook is a must for every Southern girl. It has plenty of Southern recipes that should be fun to try at any point in your Julia Child adventures. This cookbook has everything from Mama's Sausage-Pecan balls to Coca-Cola Baby Back Ribs; from Burgundian Honey Bread to Meme's Blackberry Cobbler... Something for every good Southern boy or girl to enjoy! It should be simple enough... after all back in the day Mema did have all "them fancy cookin' gadgets!"

And be sure to tell everyone after dinner, "Y'all come back now ya hear!"

4th of July Festivities

I am only about a week late but I wanted to tell you about my 4th of July projects. I wanted to wear something fun for the festivities and so I decided to make a dress. The decision was easy for material because this red mattress ticking popped out. It made an adorable, vintage looking dress.

And then my second project was a lovely sheet cake from Martha Stewart... It was very fun but like most Martha Stewart projects it was a challenge. If you plan to try this out Allow yourself a full day to try this out. Here is the recipe... And here is the final result! Lots of work but it was well worth it!

Amy Butler Happiness

Have you ever heard of Amy Butler? She is one of the most talented fabric designers... all of her fabrics are full of color and imagination. Now don't tell me you couldn't do with more brightness in your life?

Here is a free pattern of hers for pillow shams... Of course you can use any fabric but you know you are tempted to use something like this Pink Trumpet Flowers fabric from her Love Collection.

Baptismal Gowns and Sewing Excitement!

I bought a sewing machine to give me another option for clothes for myself but it has blossomed into much more. I have made myself busy with sewing related activities since I bought it the end of last month... In the last week I have completed a baptismal gown; been to a sewing conference; and enjoyed a creative rejuvenation for future projects!

Here are pictures of the baptismal gown for you all to enjoy! 

The Ventures of Sewing

My latest venture has been sewing and it has been quite fun! I am working on a cute dress at the moment made with a blue fabric with white coral on it. I will post a picture when I am finished.

But I wanted to share with you this beautiful fabric I saw yesterday while shopping. I think I am going to find a cute retro pattern to make with this fabric. Vintage Vogue... watch out! (Sorry about the string... I wasn't originally intending to share but it was just too pretty.)

Birthday Bouquet

Here is a beautiful bouquet that arrived for the occasion of the 103 birthday party of a friend... it was too pretty not to show you!

Customized Prettiness = eShakti

With a little bit of prompting, I am sharing my first musing with you! A fabulous online store I just found: eshakti.com. So enticing, not only because they have some gorgeous coats and dresses but you can customize the clothes to how you want: type of collar,  3/4 length sleeves, long skirt, etc. Also, they will take your measurements and create a piece to fit you! In short... Fabulous!