tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2199606457564243152024-03-05T12:47:01.781-06:00The Type B CrafterTaya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.comBlogger157125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-63522453160696552802017-02-09T19:50:00.001-06:002017-02-09T19:50:26.082-06:00Instagram DestashHosting an Instagram Destash starting next weekend. Will be auctioning off 14 Tula Pink OOP/HTF bundles. And selling a bunch of FQ bundles - low vol, rainbow, misc.<br />
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Trying to cut my stash by half because I haven't done much sewing in years. But I'm keeping a little bit because I still have hope :)<br />
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<span id="goog_987509187"></span><span id="goog_987509188"></span>Follow me <a href="https://www.instagram.com/halfstash_destash/">@halfstash_destash</a> on Instagram!<br />
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<br />Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-91210539979066921722015-01-12T15:19:00.000-06:002015-01-12T15:19:00.772-06:00Baby Quilts in Progress<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/16002710336" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Racing to get the stockings done before Santa arrives! by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Racing to get the stockings done before Santa arrives!" height="400" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7578/16002710336_3a3bc1d09f_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here's a tiny update from the peanut gallery!<br />
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I did manage a tiny bit of Christmas sewing and got stockings finished for my husband, daughter and myself just before the actual holiday. Thankfully my daughter is too young to know that something is supposed to be inside of them on Christmas morning!<br />
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In retrospect, maybe I should have made my daughter's red but the letters are fused and appliqued (though not really well - I need a lot of practice turning those corners!).<br />
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I am the proud aunt of what seems like a million nieces and nephews! And in Feb-April of this year, I'll be adding three more lovelies to the set. So, I thought I had better start getting some baby quilts together.<br />
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I have four options for baby quilt pattern.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/15827662299" title="Baby quilt WIP. Boat pattern from @teaginnydesigns by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Baby quilt WIP. Boat pattern from @teaginnydesigns" height="640" src="https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8589/15827662299_1b4868ea26_z.jpg" width="640" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/16216487882" title="Chevron baby quilt by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Chevron baby quilt" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7578/16216487882_092da172f8_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/15599490943" title="Baby Quilt #2 in progress by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Baby Quilt #2 in progress" height="640" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7566/15599490943_125dccfb55_z.jpg" width="480" /></a>
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The fourth is yet to be determined but maybe a tumbler quilt or maybe two really large shoeman's puzzle blocks (a la Denyse Schmidt). We'll see!<br />
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I once again tried my hand at paper-piecing and once again proved that I am the world's worst paper-piecer! The LOVe blocks above are about 16x22 altogether and are from a <a href="http://www.sewmamasew.com/2012/02/true-love-love-mini-quilt-pattern-tutorial/">tutorial on SewMamaSew</a>. They would have been very easy to improv, but I'm trying to get better at PPing. Alas, even these simple blocks brought me aggravation.<br />
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The paper boat looks pretty good, except there was one piece that I sewed three times, maybe four? And I just could not get one tiny little corner to work out, so I fudged it. I'm super good at that. It's something about sewing the pieces on the proper angle, right-sides together and then flipping it over and having the proper coverage. I honestly do not have good spatial relation/manipulation skills. Oh well.<br />
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I have a couple divided baskets and poolside totes on the to-do, so hopefully I'll have a little time this week to sew something!Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-11004268634547121702014-09-10T20:31:00.002-05:002014-09-10T20:31:53.208-05:00Selvage Placemats<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/15014892230" title="IMG_7816 by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7816" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5568/15014892230_1f0e7637a7.jpg" /></a> </div>
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We were in need of some placemats and I decided to take some time last week to make some.<br />
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I didn't want to do anything pieced, I wanted to keep it fairly sensitive. And I thought I'd try to use up my selvages. I had been collecting them for a while and I have seen some amazing projects (especially at the <a href="http://selvageblog.blogspot.com/">Selvage Blog</a>). I Googled for inspiration and found some great ideas. I settled on this layout.</div>
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One of the greatest things about this project - minimal pressing! I keep my selvages in an oversized plastic tub that had cheese puffs in it. So, they were scrunchy and had to be pressed, but otherwise, it was just sew, sew, sew!<br />
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I separated them out by color, as much as possible. I looked at both the printing on the selvage and whatever remained of the actual pattern, for the color. I ended up with enough for four placemats. I did three color family ones (blue/aqua, pink/red/neutral, and citrusy colors) and one random leftovers.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/15014793329" title="IMG_7807 by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7807" height="212" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3888/15014793329_9e58e6933f.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/15201233102" title="IMG_7804 by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7804" height="213" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5581/15201233102_83e43b6c59.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/15014917640" title="IMG_7806 by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7806" height="213" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3902/15014917640_34d4fab159.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/15015033548" title="IMG_7805 by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7805" height="213" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3908/15015033548_970cc241ac.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>
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Most placemat patterns seem to be 13"x17." I decided to go bigger and these ended up at about 14"x19," but it would have been better if I had made them a couple inches smaller. There's a reason most patterns called for 13"x17"!</div>
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I sewed the first one "wrong" in the sense that I was making more work for myself. So you can see that the pink/red and the random one are a similar layout and the blue and the citrus one are similar. The red/pink one was the first one that I did and for some reason I tucked each strip underneath the previous. I'll blame it on my left-handed brain. Sometimes I just do things backwards. And, for the center strip, I had enough of the print to put right sides together and fold the strip back down towards the batting. So for the bottom two, I worked from the center out and for the top two I worked from the corner in.<br />
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Even with the size issue, I am super happy about how they turned out. And who knows, maybe they will shrink a little in the wash.</div>
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So, I was able to purge some fabric and I was able to use up some materials I already had and that is a win-win-win situation!</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/15015007908" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_7809 by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7809" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3906/15015007908_81df0d7297.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-39336507591216395342014-08-29T13:00:00.000-05:002014-08-29T13:00:00.207-05:00A {Fabric} Weight on My Shoulders<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14867620349" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Plastic bag bag by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Plastic bag bag" height="400" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5594/14867620349_53ec433590_c.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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So... I bought some fabric. The giddy, pleased-as-punch euphoria has since passed, as it always does, and as I look upon my fabric empire, I feel simultaneously overwhelmed and underwhelmed. Clearly, I have a self-control issue. I'm a fabric manufacturer's dream! I also have some on pre-order that will come in next month... After being pretty good for a while, I have fallen off the wagon. And since I have not sewn much in the last two years, the purchases are completely unnecessary. What is the solution?<br />
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Stop.Buying.Fabric.<br />
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Easy. Right?<br />
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Anyway, moving has also opened my eyes the the sheer volume of what I have and how I would feel about having to move it again (I really wouldn't). I definitely have fabric that needs to be re-homed. I have a gorgeous stash of batiks (my first quilting love). And while I don't want to get rid of all of them because I'd like to try my hand at some watercolor quilts in the future, I do not need a whole 20 gallon bin full (ok, it's about half full, the other half is a sad attempt at a quilt-as-you-go braid quilt that needs fixing).<br />
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I also just have some random pieces from swaps or grab bags or odd purchases, that just aren't my favorites. I don't want to keep things that I don't really love. And while there is something to be said about <a href="http://www.stitchedincolor.com/2014/07/purge-along-this-summer.html">working with the non-favorites</a> to change them into useful items, I think I'd prefer to use my limited sewing time to work with fabrics that I really inspire me.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/15069571831" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="First purge attempt by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="First purge attempt" height="375" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5573/15069571831_ec69e1272b.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Here's the first purge. Pretty good. The batiks, minus the 48 strips are about 16 yards. So, I'd guess that's over 30 yards total there! (Barely a dent, alas....) I plan to donate to <a href="http://greenbaglady.blogspot.com/p/fabric-donations.html">Green Bag Lady</a>, who takes scraps 3"x18" (for handles) and up. And I'll also be sending some to <a href="http://margaretshopechest.com/ways.html">Margaret's Hope Chest</a>.<br />
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I've seen a lot of successful destashes on Instagram and I've bit the bullet and joined on the off-chance that I go that route. I don't want to open an Etsy store just to de-stash and I'm not sure how many crafters really look to ebay for fabric purchases. A lot of successful Instagram destashers are bigger-name bloggers with a legion of faithful followers. So, I don't know if that route would work well for me or not. I've looked at <a href="http://www.freshlemonsquilts.com/?p=3616">Faith's suggestions</a> and Allison has a <a href="http://withinaquarterinch.com/podcast-2/">whole podcast</a> about it, both of which are very helpful. On the other hand, I've done a bit of destashing right here on the blog, which went ok. I suppose a multi-pronged approach would work best. We'll see. Once I get the donate piles out, I'll have a better idea of what might be de-stashed. I may just decide to donate it all - less work for me and a good deed to boot!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/15031347046" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Plastic bag bag by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Plastic bag bag" height="400" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5577/15031347046_0a352e40cf_c.jpg" width="300" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14867689310" title="Plastic bag bag by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Plastic bag bag" height="400" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3876/14867689310_cfd5ac6b75_c.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
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All I know is that it would take several lifetimes to get through the fabric I have with the projects that I've been doing (shark bag last week and this 1-hour wonder - the plastic bag holder - this week). The bag holder is a really fun, easy, useful project. There are a ton of tutorials out in the blog-o-sphere. I looked at <a href="http://www.incolororder.com/2013/03/quilted-grocery-bag-holder-tutorial.html">Jeni's tutorial</a> and <a href="http://www.genxquilters.com/2011/03/grocery-bag-dispenser-tutorial.html">Anne Marie's</a>. In the end, I used what I had on hand and I think my rectangle came out to be about 19.5" x 28" before I made the tube.<br />
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It hangs in our kitchen, hence the toaster fabric. (I do tend to bring re-usable bags to the grocery store, but I still get produce bags and we also solicit from family members for dog walk bags, so we always have quite the stash of plastic bags). This is way classier than the larger plastic bag they were in!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/15072654915" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="On the design wall by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="On the design wall" height="400" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5562/15072654915_6d891568c2_z.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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I've decided to ease back in to quilting by working on quilts that are already in blocks. That way, I can tackle some UFOs and still get some sewing in each evening. Here are my triangles on the wall (again). I've got about six or seven projects of various ages in blocks, though at least three require trimming (blech!). And I need to make a Christmas stocking before mid-September. So that should be enough to be getting on with :) I'm excited to get some of these older projects checked off the list!Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-36363373517846199522014-08-21T10:13:00.002-05:002014-08-21T10:13:39.131-05:00Shark Week<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eXaAK-rCvc7eD7i0SXWCIyn1reM5LuLYTtvn-T9z_bWKlFCjbEcbGwhOXFmbcQIP5vKBMYcs00kKC82hEmZ9sZHJsGwb3ZnVLwxFixkqV8o_a7F4afhsXxPym3G5d6OE1scqBw331erk/s1600/IMG_0854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eXaAK-rCvc7eD7i0SXWCIyn1reM5LuLYTtvn-T9z_bWKlFCjbEcbGwhOXFmbcQIP5vKBMYcs00kKC82hEmZ9sZHJsGwb3ZnVLwxFixkqV8o_a7F4afhsXxPym3G5d6OE1scqBw331erk/s1600/IMG_0854.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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We are not fully unpacked, despite being at our new place for about three weeks. Unpacking with a toddler is a much longer process than unpacking with an infant: they tend to stay where you put them!</div>
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Even though we have boxes around, I was still able to get in some sewing time (yea!). I made this little pencil case for my nephew who is turning five next week. I'm going to stuff it with some gummy fish or sharks, instead of pencils :) I used <a href="http://www.patchworkposse.com/2014/08/shark-pencil-case-tutorial/">this free pattern and tutorial</a> from Patchwork Posse. I made a couple changes just based on what I had. I used fusible fleece for the interfacing for the body of the shark and then some Pellon Craft Fuse for the fins. I don't have pinking sheers, so I went ahead and sewed the fin pieces right sides together and turned them. If I did it again, I might enlarge the fin pieces a little bit to facilitate the turning. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPhjtlJx3QIfen1LNSGWz11rSdbdt5aN2eFhmhyphenhyphenX8Bw1Q7FJjjIYQQF7VFAt1TooJHRPZmCpp75XeMc2yCp0aMuLwS2KqfcwScJWL8njnCVR4x6qdSygTXBSYQQfT5Cb7h02o9dZyHa7B/s1600/IMG_0853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPPhjtlJx3QIfen1LNSGWz11rSdbdt5aN2eFhmhyphenhyphenX8Bw1Q7FJjjIYQQF7VFAt1TooJHRPZmCpp75XeMc2yCp0aMuLwS2KqfcwScJWL8njnCVR4x6qdSygTXBSYQQfT5Cb7h02o9dZyHa7B/s1600/IMG_0853.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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The zipper was a big conundrum. Firstly, mine was a bit longer than the 7" the pattern calls for. The tutorial notes that you may have to finagle and do some hand sewing to fully install it and I had to do the same. But before I made one stitch, I sat for a long time trying to figure out how to get it in. And then when I started, it was a bit of a mess. If I make another one, I think I will try to insert the zipper first, the way you would make a simple, rectangular zippered pouch.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPNr4mQZvefI12O7fxLVbWBTjPH7j_tnkSI3jF_TtXTgL-Zk9dtEBglfHmEnL4KKcdZNRFMmdWqmoWGnzFFkcik4ZtIQn0g91YZUiQyN6fYLMq0Lp9vNLsXXx0gb-uIkIAyFIYp_5jJAY/s1600/IMG_0855.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPNr4mQZvefI12O7fxLVbWBTjPH7j_tnkSI3jF_TtXTgL-Zk9dtEBglfHmEnL4KKcdZNRFMmdWqmoWGnzFFkcik4ZtIQn0g91YZUiQyN6fYLMq0Lp9vNLsXXx0gb-uIkIAyFIYp_5jJAY/s1600/IMG_0855.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I also got started on my Washi muslin. I've had the pattern for a while and the fabric, but neither the time nor space to get things rolling. I found this Lisette cotton lawn at Joann's on the 50% off Red Tag shelves, so it was only about $2.50. Perfect for a (possibly) wearable muslin. And it if doesn't work out to be wearable, I'll just cut it up and make something for my daughter.<br />
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I did make a muslin of the bodice first because I thought I would probably have to add an inch or so, as other people have done. I also thought that the darts hit a bit high for me. Unfortunately, since I am not great at sewing garments, I over-corrected. I added two inches to the bodice length and I moved the darts about an inch and a half down. Now everything is a bit too low. Live and learn.<br />
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In the next incarnation, the darts will have to go up a bit and I think adding that one inch to the bodice would be sufficient. I used <a href="http://blog.megannielsen.com/2012/09/how-to-alter-bust-dart-height/">Megan Nielsen's tutorial on moving the dart</a> and aside from moving them too far, it was pretty easy to to do. Because this is a white print, I have a very thin layer of white voile underlining the pieces. The neckline and hem are not finished, yet. But I managed to do the arm holes. Because I underlined and this is a test garment, I thought I would use the opportunity to practice my bias binding skills and bind the arms and neckline with bias tape. My husband gave me a bias tape maker for my birthday. I gave it a whirl and I like it so far. I think it pays to take time to starch the seams and really prep the strips. But it's really nice to be able to make 100% cotton binding (instead of the cotton/poly mix from the pre-packaged Wright bindings). This lawn is pretty stretchy on the bias, so a little starch might have been helpful. Again, this has been a pretty good project to learn on.<br />
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I tend to shy away from making clothes for myself because fit is so important for adults. Kids can use room to grow and change. But it's such a crapshoot each time I start a project for me and then, even if I take the time to make a muslin, it's not a guarantee of success. In the time it takes to trouble-shoot fitting issues with a muslin and then produce an actual piece of clothing, I could have quite a few blocks made or even a whole quilt. So, I never get in the practice and experience you need to become a decent garment maker. Oh well. My beautiful lawns will have to wait.<br />
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I'm so happy to have a little space to create, again. It is in no way organized, yet (especially since we haven't fully unpacked), but after dumping everything out, there's just enough room for me to actually make something.<br />
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<br />Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-40375780970748875232014-07-29T08:56:00.002-05:002014-08-06T10:40:54.014-05:00Oh {Wonky} Christmas Tree!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14772702952" style="text-align: start;" title="Trees and trunks by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Trees and trunks" height="425" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2938/14772702952_3deab6b88b_c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I finished a project! I know, I'm as surprised as anyone. This is probably the first quilting project I have finished in two years, which was probably a baby quilt. And this one is even smaller! </div>
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It's Christmas in July - a wonky tree wallhanging requested by my stepmom. Well, she requested a Christmas wallhanging and this is what I decided to do. I was going to add in a little triangle Santa at the bottom. But then I figured that the trees alone could be wintery and Christmassy, so she can leave it up thru the winter season (which in Minnesota is quite a long time!). </div>
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I think it's about 22" x 34". I really wanted to make three hanging loops, so it would hang lower, but I couldn't come up with a way to do that that I made sense to me... So, I went with a very thin sleeve. I didn't tack it down to the back because I didn't want the top of the hanging to sit above the rod.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14586370009" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Oh {Wonky} Christmas Tree by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Oh {Wonky} Christmas Tree" height="640" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3838/14586370009_9913a6e81a_c.jpg" width="425" /></a></div>
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In typical me-fashion, this started out as one thing and ended up as another. I wanted to do this as a paper-piecing project - precise and crisp. Then naturally, because I am not precise and I am not good at following directions, things went wrong pretty quickly. The original plan got scrapped and wonky won the day. But, I like the visual interest of the wonky trees and trunks. So, it all worked out. </div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14586302430" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Wonky Trees detail by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Wonky Trees detail" height="267" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3895/14586302430_e5427076a4_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I thought long and hard about the quilting. I am a terrible free motion quilter. Terrible. I know it's about practice, but having the right tools and the right set up is also important. I'm in the midst of moving house, so I definitely don't have any of those things, which I'm sure affected this attempt. But all my other attempts have been pretty abysmal as well. Also, I broke my walking foot a couple years ago, so straight-line is a bit challenging. I looked at other people's beautiful swirls and snowflakes and other intricate designs on their Christmas tree quilts and knew that those were pretty far outside my abilities. But I really didn't want to ruin the whole project with crap quilting.</div>
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First, I tried some free-hand square-ish motifs at the the bottom. They do not look great, but are ok. Then I used my regular piecing foot (feed dogs up) and made the triangles between the trees. That actually worked out pretty well. I think the feed dogs helped keep the stitches more even.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14586366219" title="Wonky Trees detail by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Wonky Trees detail" height="320" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5557/14586366219_a24f14d9c3_c.jpg" width="213" /></a> <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14773016685" title="Wonky Trees detail by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Wonky Trees detail" height="320" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3845/14773016685_d5de198882_c.jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
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I added a wonky star at the top for interest. I actually started to machine quilt the main negative space in large concentric triangles on the sides, but that quickly got away from me, as my basting had shifted somewhat and as I got closer to the center, there was too much excess fabric bunching up. So - my friend, the seam ripper came out. Then, I spritzed the wallhanging with a little water and gave it a press and the holes pretty much closed up. I was very relieved since I don't plan on washing this one and there were a ton of holes!</div>
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Since I had been so disappointed with my efforts to FMQ, I decided it would be a good idea to hand-quilt the remainder of the negative space. I'm not really sure if it turned out to be a good idea, but I figured I could do that better than using the machine. I never really got the thimble/rocking motion down, so each of these stitches is exactly that - one stitch at a time. Not efficient, but ultimately effective.</div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14773008455" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Wonky Trees detail by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Wonky Trees detail" height="267" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3851/14773008455_c397328627_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I intended to hand-quilt the trees, as well but then I decided I liked them plain. I think that the star and the hand quilting give it a slightly folky feel, which detracts a little bit from the more modern/contemporary feel that I was going for. But overall, I am pretty happy with it and I hope that my stepmom likes it.</div>
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To end on an up note, I think that this is probably one of the most successful machine bindings I have ever done. Maybe because it is such a small project. There is one tiny blip on the right side that I can see and that bothers me, but not enough to unpick it and re-do it. With a little pressing, it hangs fine.</div>
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So many ideas and designs floating around my head. When we move I will be able to have a dedicated corner in a room to sew, so I hope that I will be able to get back into it and check a few things off of my list!</div>
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Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-77672560826459174872014-06-11T11:40:00.004-05:002014-06-11T11:40:45.306-05:00Sewing Again<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14418480563" title="Shorts by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Shorts" height="427" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3884/14418480563_55d711f9f7_c.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I have started to do a little bit of sewing lately. I've found that with my limited space, the biggest problem is finding a safe place to iron. My 15 month old is not walking on her own, yet, but she is a wicked-fast crawler and she's into pulling stuff down and throwing things. So, ironing, while she is awake is not really safe. And then I have to decide if it's worth it to pull all the sewing stuff out after she goes to bed and then try to get it back away before I hit the hay.<br />
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But I was on a little kick a couple of weeks ago and I managed to eek out a few projects.<br />
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First, my daughter needed a few pairs of shorts now that it's decided to be spring here in Wisconsin. (Took long enough!) I used <a href="http://cailamade.com/summer-shorts-free-pattern-and-tutorial/">this pattern and tutorial</a> from Caila Made. I printed out the 18 month size and did the cuff-length legs, for longer shorts (oxymoron?). I finished the edges of the seams with an overlock stitch. I broke my actual overlock stitch foot, so technically it's a "special overlock" stitch and it seems a little looser but I think it still gets the job done. Then I did a sort of flat felled seam for all three seams.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14211723370" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Flat felled seams by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Flat felled seams" height="267" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2905/14211723370_c291dcd2bb_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The pink cross-hatch is a cotton poplin and the other two are twill. They were 50% off red tag at Joann, so each pair cost about $1.25. Here they are in action:<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14396938182" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="New shorts! by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="New shorts!" height="400" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3869/14396938182_723d349f87_c.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
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I would say that they could use a little more room in the bum area for a diaper. And if you use cloth diapers, you will probably need to modify them quite a bit to fit the bulk. But they work really well despite that one thing. I forgot to put a little tag or ribbon in the back, but so far daycare and Dad have managed to figure out the front from the back!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14375175566" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="AMH Piece a cake dress by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="AMH Piece a cake dress" height="400" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3843/14375175566_c4f017cec5_c.jpg" width="267" /></a></div>
Last weekend, my mother-in-law had a pirate party for all the grandkids. I had wanted to try out Anna Maria Horner's <a href="http://www.janomespecials.com/annamaria/projects.html">Piece A Cake dress</a>, which is a free pattern and tutorial on the Janome blog. And it looks kinda pirate-y! The largest size is 12 months. But my kid is a teapot ("short and stout" - she's in the 16th percentile for length/height!) and I literally just put away the 9 month clothes about two weeks ago. So, with a flowy dress, I knew that 12 months would still fit her.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">I love this fabric so much and I'm so happy with this dress! I have attempted slightly more technically challenging patterns before, but it's the combo of the fabric and the shape that I just love. This is a really simple dress and yet, I had to give it the total Type B treatment because I made it out of a </span><a href="http://typebcrafter.blogspot.com/2013/01/traveling-handmade.html" style="text-align: center;">previously-made item</a><span style="text-align: center;">. It was a nursing cover and I made it out of this Tula Pink print because I loved it so much and didn't want to cut it to pieces (yet!). But I hardly ever used the cover. So, I decided make it into something else. I used an existing seam for the bottom of the dress, so it might be a little shorter than the pattern calls for. And then I didn't have enough for the total length of the sleeves. I also didn't have the time or inclination to make or buy the proper, single-fold bias binding. But I had a package of double-fold binding. With a little finagling, I made it work for the casing. I don't like that purchased binding is cotton/poly and it's a little itchy, even after you wash it. But my daughter didn't seem to mind. I think I'll make her a pair of </span><a href="http://annamariahorner.com/knick.knack.knickers.AMH.pdf" style="text-align: center;">these knickers</a><span style="text-align: center;"> to go under the dress, too!</span><br />
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I made this modified <a href="http://oliverands.com/product/OLV-OS016IC.html">Ice Cream Social dress</a> back in May. It's a 12-18 month and I had initially cut out the pieces and intended to make it for my god-daughter. She is 3 years old now... So, my daughter got it instead :) It's definitely a bit roomy on her, but with a long sleeved shirt and some leggings, it might get some use into the fall.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14418472793" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Ice Cream Social Dress by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Ice Cream Social Dress" height="267" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2895/14418472793_abe89ae5e0_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14394944121" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Ice Cream Social Dress by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Ice Cream Social Dress" height="267" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2940/14394944121_1b65a3edfa_c.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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I made this pattern for the first time several years ago and I didn't take a single picture of that process and it resides with a different niece (who is now also, three years old). But, I am not a garment seamstress quite yet (this post notwithstanding), and I had trouble with the notch and figuring out the pockets for that version and I didn't have enough fabric to make the wide band/sashing around the bottom. So, for this one I omitted the notch, did some simple patch pockets and just extended the pattern for the printed fabric to the length of the band.<br />
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I also made two muslins for myself. I scored a woven rayon print from fabric.com for about $2/yard. I'd never tried to sew with rayon before, so I thought it would be good practice. First, I made (but did not photograph) what I hoped would be a wearable muslin of <a href="http://april-rhodes.com/products/the-date-night-dress-simple-slip-pdf-download">the Date Night Dress</a> by April Rhodes, back in April. It's still hanging in the closet, unfinished. Again, I need bias tape and to do the hem. I hate bias tape - making it, anyway.<br />
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Next, I've been looking for a pattern to make woven maxi dress out of some cotton voile I have. I know that the <a href="http://www.shopwiksten.com/product/tank-top-dress-sewing-pattern">Wiksten tank</a> and the <a href="http://shop.grainlinestudio.com/product/tiny-pocket-tank">Grainline Tiny Pocket tank</a> are really popular. While Googling tank patterns, I came across Megan Nielsen's <a href="http://megannielsen.com/products/eucalypt-woven-tank-dress-sewing-pattern">Eucalypt tank and dress pattern</a>. It is super simple - no darts, four seams, and then just finish the open edges. The neck and arms aren't finished on my muslin, but I did try my hand at a rolled hem at the bottom and it worked pretty well with this type of fabric. It was a little challenging for me to move around the bigger curves, but I think that will get better with practice.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14211705790" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Eucalypt muslin by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Eucalypt muslin" height="400" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2909/14211705790_f534cfbf76_c.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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The pattern itself has an option to do a front center-seam, as well. I didn't do one but because of the design of the stripes it looks like there is one. A lot of people noted that the armscyes were a bit low and Megan did a <a href="http://blog.megannielsen.com/2013/06/tutorial-raising-the-eucalypt-armscye/">tutorial on how to raise them</a>, but I think I might where a tank under the dress anyway, so I am not going to bother trying to alter it. I think I may need to try my hand at grading out around the hip area, but I like the fit through the top. Who knows when I'll actually get to sewing up a real version. But maybe before summer's out.<br />
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And I joined up with the <a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/mfsg">Monthly Fabric Swap Group</a> again in May with a much better outcome :) I participated in November and sent my package off but did not receive one in return :( The lovely <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/oneygirl/">Leona</a>, who runs the swap offered to send something from her own stash, but I didn't think that was fair to her! So, I just chalked it up to - life happens. In May, I got this wonderful package from <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/63090151@N04/">Jacqueline</a> (another Wisconsin gal). I'm interested in trying out that Frixion pen and everyone needs chocolate when they're sewing :) This is a fun swap, especially if you are trying to hold off on buying fabric but still want to add new things to your stash.<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14113807259" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="MFSG May package from Jacqueline by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="MFSG May package from Jacqueline" height="400" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3825/14113807259_42166d9fe8_c.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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So, there it is. A monster post of the things I've managed to over a 2+ month time period! I'll see if I can get another post in before we move house on Aug. 1. It's always good to have goals, right :)Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-17654186037785376332014-05-17T15:11:00.001-05:002014-05-17T15:11:16.919-05:00For the Win!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyMaO8KdP0V_sjMZ12TLE1L6yiNaZFlx6oaeZi8RaJUVuqfT-pNnab-kDodlIZx9lb0sJVGLyluHYAGJwotDijlhqEu5Dns28mlLZzUT9Ak7liSTAujdc1sKK2nfUPp_04ks5aQKsJ3Ho/s1600/MayGiveawayDay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTyMaO8KdP0V_sjMZ12TLE1L6yiNaZFlx6oaeZi8RaJUVuqfT-pNnab-kDodlIZx9lb0sJVGLyluHYAGJwotDijlhqEu5Dns28mlLZzUT9Ak7liSTAujdc1sKK2nfUPp_04ks5aQKsJ3Ho/s1600/MayGiveawayDay.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
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Thank you to everyone who stopped by my blog and to those of you who entered to win! It was a really fun learning experience. I learned that I need to play around with Rafflecopter before I try to use it again. And I learned that my blog template is somehow resistant to every effort I tried to number my comments (CSS, html, etc.). Beth from the blog <a href="http://helloquiltylady.blogspot.com/">Hello Quilt Lady</a> made a valiant effort to help me (thanks, Beth!), but alas, no numbers. So, I decided to do it the old fashioned way - I picked a random number and counted. I'll play around more with my blog template and see if I can be ready for next time.<br />
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More importantly, I learned that quite a few of you are making (or have made) plus quilts or string blocks recently. There was a lot of love for the half-square triangle and paper piecing. A lot of quilters chose their first quilt as their favorite. For others, it's always the last project they worked on. A lot of people mentioned that they were really proud of a certain project and then said, "even though it's not perfect," or something similar. Personally, I think technical perfection is overrated (notice the title of this blog...). It's nice to have a goal and good craftsmanship is a worthy one, but we're all learning and growing. A project that you give your time to, that you put your heart into, that is cherished and enjoyed - that sounds like perfection to me! Let's encourage one another!<br />
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(I tried to reply to comments and then I just got over-run, so I stopped :) But I read them all and visited any links that you shared.)<br />
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Without further ado (sorry for so much of the fore-going "ado"!). Drumroll please...<br />
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The winner of Giveaway #1 - the Joel Dewberry Heirloom fabric is #164...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLAtZ8_v2XsJ_Ox5QV4Kq4M3Eojav1eHUp84LEqlYKlbV75N0OiLZIqD9DCA1PDakh74WHu1MmGj-0p7j3nxbhi91bgNdT4jTnul0qUz0PoahOxZgGCkuzsINjX7wkE_4vpoObe1Y4jtz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+10.12.30+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLAtZ8_v2XsJ_Ox5QV4Kq4M3Eojav1eHUp84LEqlYKlbV75N0OiLZIqD9DCA1PDakh74WHu1MmGj-0p7j3nxbhi91bgNdT4jTnul0qUz0PoahOxZgGCkuzsINjX7wkE_4vpoObe1Y4jtz/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+10.12.30+PM.png" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"><b>Selleck</b></span></div>
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The winner of Giveaway #2 - the Waterfront Park bridges fabric is #123...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bHzN2VxSQCQu_ZkOjZxR5HNmkaPD3Cx8VFXZK2U117a1brTG6ulopcH1z4Lj6_YIG4iiqcJ-y9-gKqLvDQBYmTjc8_5cB8-ATnfMg6_9bNEG0MxUJB0aiMxfvHsJZDpaROzOK3GkzV0K/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+10.03.20+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bHzN2VxSQCQu_ZkOjZxR5HNmkaPD3Cx8VFXZK2U117a1brTG6ulopcH1z4Lj6_YIG4iiqcJ-y9-gKqLvDQBYmTjc8_5cB8-ATnfMg6_9bNEG0MxUJB0aiMxfvHsJZDpaROzOK3GkzV0K/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-05-16+at+10.03.20+PM.png" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Catskill Quilter</span></b></div>
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I have emailed both Catskill Quilter and Selleck. Thanks again, everyone! Hopefully, I'll run things a little better next time :)<br />
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Happy sewing! Make something beautiful!<br />
<br />Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-65340380742324994962014-05-12T15:27:00.005-05:002014-05-14T20:31:10.463-05:00SewMamaSew Giveaway Day Giveaway #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/9942582764" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Waterfront Park for swap by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Waterfront Park for swap" height="333" src="https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3706/9942582764_4dcaa2760f.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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(***Edited - I removed the Rafflecopter app since the number of entries was not tracking with the number of comments. I will just pick a number at random (with the help of a trusty assistant or random.org) and count my way to the winner :)***)<br />
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Hey there Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day blog hoppers!<br />
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As the title says - this is SMS GD Giveaway #2 for my blog. <a href="http://typebcrafter.blogspot.com/2014/05/sewmamasew-giveaway-day-giveaway-1.html">Please see post #1 for the other giveaway.</a> This is the first time I'm doing a giveaway and I have a feeling that I'll do something to mess it up, but you take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have...<br />
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(Did you shout "the Facts of Life?!" If so, that is awesome. If you didn't, well, that's totally fine, too. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Facts_of_Life_(TV_series)">Facts of Life</a> was an American sitcom from the 80's. George Clooney even had a role on some of the later seasons, long before his Academy Award days.)<br />
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Anyhoo, I decided to do two giveaways because I couldn't figure out how to do it in one and in the interest of full disclosure, I wanted to let people know that I had previously listed these five fabrics in some Flickr swap groups but didn't get any takers. But I still felt like there was <i>someone</i> out there who might really want to use them in their projects. And I thought I might be able to reach that person thru this giveaway. So, if that person is <i>you</i> - please enter! I like all my fabrics to go to homes where they are loved and cherished :)<br />
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These are five half-yard cuts in navy, grey, black, yellow and off white and they come from the <a href="http://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/shop/collections/waterfront-park-violet-craft.html">Waterfront Park</a> collection by Violet Craft for Michael Miller.<br />
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Please leave a comment by May 16 at 10:00pm CST and tell me about your <b>current favorite pattern or technique</b>. My apologies, but this is open to<b> US addresses only</b>.<br />
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Best of luck! Can't wait to read your comments! Check out more giveaways at <a href="http://www.sewmamasew.com/">SewMamaSew</a>.<br />
<br />Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com164tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-19672478474953311792014-05-12T15:26:00.000-05:002014-05-14T20:31:19.222-05:00SewMamaSew Giveaway Day Giveaway #1<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14168036121" title="Sew Mama Sew Giveaway by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Sew Mama Sew Giveaway" height="427" src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5153/14168036121_354618b8f4_z.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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(***Edited - I removed the Rafflecopter app since the number of entries was not tracking with the number of comments. I will just pick a number at random (with the help of a trusty assistant or random.org) and count my way to the winner :)***)<br />
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Greetings! It's SewMamaSew Giveaway Week (Can I get a "woot woot!"? - how 'bout just a "woot!"? It is Monday after all)!<br />
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Welcome to my blog! If you poke around, you'll notice that there hasn't been a lot of activity here for the last year, as I had a baby and consequently, my sewing space disappeared :) But I'm still an avid fabric and quitl/sewing inspiration collector.<br />
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I have been really lucky to win several giveaways in the past (actually, I just one one two weeks ago from Anna's awesome <a href="http://www.noodle-head.com/">Noodlehead</a> blog) including a couple SMS giveaway day and I wanted to return the favor to all you fabulous fabric-aholics, fabric connoisseurs, fabric aficionados out there.<br />
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I've never done a giveaway before (so sorry in advance if I muck it up!). I really use this space as a sewing journal, to document the projects I'm working on and make little notes for myself, in case I revisit a pattern or idea. And as I mentioned, there's not a lot of activity on here at the moment - though I hope to change that when we move to our new place in August!<br />
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Please enter by May 16, 2014 at 10pm CST. Just a comment will do ya - <i>Tell me a project that you are really proud of or that is a favorite that you've made</i>. Share a link if you've got one. C'mon - toot your own horn and we can all share in a Mutual Admiration Society! My apologies, but this is open to<b> US addresses only</b>.<br />
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On to the fabric!<br />
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I hate to call these "scraps" because I don't want to give the impression that they are schnibbles or snippets. These are legit pieces of fabric! They just aren't full, proper "cuts." So, they are scraps in that sense and because I've used them in a couple projects.<br />
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Like this one:<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/12705386835" title="IMG_7206 by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7206" height="266" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7384/12705386835_a483af689b.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Or this one:<br />
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/6905200022" title="Patchwork Chevron blocks in progress by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Patchwork Chevron blocks in progress" height="400" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7223/6905200022_f46c30da52.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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Both are still UFOs. The incomplete zig zag above is a <a href="http://www.modabakeshop.com/2012/01/patchwork-chevron-quilt.html">Moda Bake Shop pattern</a>. I have all the blocks done and packed away somewhere. They just didn't all fit on my design wall (which is a flannel-backed vinyl table cloth!) I believe I cut 4" blocks instead of using 5" charm squares. It's hard to remember, since it was a couple of years ago! (Do you have any projects like that?!) I'm sure I wrote it somewhere on this blog - I'll have to take a look!<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/14171331065" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Sew Mama Sew Giveaway by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Sew Mama Sew Giveaway" src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2920/14171331065_fcb0a88c75_z.jpg" /></a></div>
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All fabrics are from the <a href="http://freespiritfabric.com/core-pages/gallery.php?gal_id=386">Joel Dewberry Heirloom</a> line from Free Spirit Fabrics. I'd say that most of the pieces are bigger than a fat eighth and maybe around a quarter yard. Some are selvage to selvage, some have one selvage and a small number have neither. There are 17 total prints and I would estimate about 4 yards of fabric. The orange, yellow, aqua ones above are between 6"or 7" by at least 40".<br />
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<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/13984681069" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Sew Mama Sew Giveaway by Taya, on Flickr"><img alt="Sew Mama Sew Giveaway" height="427" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7414/13984681069_1690a2ba52_z.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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These are wider cuts - closer to 13"-14.5" by 33". I think one is more like 13" by 29".<br />
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These are lovely fabrics. The colors are great - I love the oranges and the pink/garnet prints are really saturated. There's a good mix of really bold graphic prints and more delicate florals to balance it out. I've really had fun working with them and I hope someone else enjoys them too!<br />
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I have a second giveaway posted <a href="http://typebcrafter.blogspot.com/2014/05/sewmamasew-giveaway-day-giveaway-2.html">HERE</a>. (Bridges fabric from <a href="http://www.michaelmillerfabrics.com/shop/collections/waterfront-park-violet-craft.html">Waterfront Park</a>.)<br />
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Good luck!! I look forward to reading about your awesome projects!<br />
Check out more giveaways at <a href="http://www.sewmamasew.com/">SewMamaSew</a>.<br />
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<script src="//widget.rafflecopter.com/load.js"></script>Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com252tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-59026408692941380762014-02-26T00:00:00.000-06:002014-02-26T09:16:57.956-06:00Triangulating<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/12705386835/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_7206 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7206" height="333" src="https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7384/12705386835_a483af689b.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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While I am on my sewing hiatus, I've been planning and scheming all the projects I'd like to do this year. I think this year is going to be the Year of the Triangle for me. Hundreds of HSTs figure prominently in a lot the projects. Thankfully, I have my trusty Big Shot and several different HST dies. I think that in the past, the idea if piecing a bunch of HSTs and having to trim them down and clip all the dog ears kind of turned me off. But since I have efficiently trimmed my 680 HSTs from the last post, I am rarin' to go!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/12705346095/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_7210 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7210" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3690/12705346095_1319a71c80.jpg" height="333" width="500" /></a></div>
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For this WIP, I cut 170 isosceles triangles using the Wonder Triangles Quilt Sense ruler about a year ago. The ruler also comes with a half triangle ruler to make the triangle into a square block. I used it to cut the ends of the rows. I wanted to make the quilt 13 full triangles across and 14 full triangles down, so I needed to cut a few more. Most of the prints are florals from the Heirloom line by Joel Dewberry, but I added in some text and geometrical prints. These are the fabrics I pulled (the text print at the bottom right was part of the original group of triangles) for the additional triangles:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/12705540943/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_7207 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7207" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2842/12705540943_ba79d903e3.jpg" height="333" width="500" /></a></div>
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I initially bought the orange and aqua print in the bottom row to add. But once I saw it with the rest of the set, it didn't quite seem to go. The aquas weren't the right shade, either, so I ended up going with these two from Lucy's Crab Shack:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/12705828974/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_7209 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7209" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3680/12705828974_a41bb361f2.jpg" height="333" width="500" /></a></div>
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So, here's an example of the mix - before and after:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/12705878004/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_7204 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7204" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3765/12705878004_5272a90f0d.jpg" height="425" width="640" /></a></div>
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I was a little worried that the new triangles wouldn't work with the original mix, but I like them. There is a lot of variation in the oranges, so the new prints fit right in. The Whimsy text print doesn't totally go, but I didn't cut too many and I think it will help keep the eye moving in the sea of aqua, orange, and yellow. I love how it's coming together and I can't wait to do a little bit of piecing on it!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/12705867564/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_7205 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7205" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7432/12705867564_b9aaee4a3d.jpg" height="333" width="500" /></a></div>
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I'm linking up to Lee's WIP Wednesday over at <a href="http://www.freshlypieced.com/">Freshly Pieced</a> for the first time! Mostly, I'm a lurker and have just read about other people's WIP but now I'm joining in!</div>
Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-76725580165849751022014-02-04T15:13:00.001-06:002014-02-04T15:18:34.064-06:00Drought and Creative Reawakening? <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/12309653356/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="3" HSTs by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="3" HSTs" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2813/12309653356_f24ddd142f.jpg" height="333" width="500" /></a></div>
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I have been having a complete sewing/creative drought. (Those HSTs up there are from... maybe 5 years ago!) I have not sewn a single stitch since... I can hardly remember when. I think I had to rip and re-sew a seam on one of my Boppy covers after my daughter was born late February of <i>last</i> year. Then, I was busy doing baby stuff, and then we moved. So, even though my daughter is old enough that I might be able to sew a little bit, we no longer have the room for sewing.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/12309063255/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="Sizzix Big Shot by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Sizzix Big Shot" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7357/12309063255_81ac101aaf.jpg" height="333" width="500" /></a></div>
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I gifted myself a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sizzix-657900-Cutting-Embossing-Scrapbooking/dp/B00BWJCCI6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391450117&sr=8-1&keywords=sizzix+big+shot">Sizzix Big Shot</a> for Christmas and I have been playing with it a little bit (I believe Sizzix is marketing a new one that is called the <a href="http://store.scrapbook.com/sz-659500.html">Fabi Personal Fabric Cutter</a>, but I believe it is the same thing as the Big Shot). So, if memory serves (and usually it doesn't), my good intentions for all those HSTs above were to fashion them into a quilt a la <a href="http://imagingermonkey.blogspot.com/">Katy's</a> <a href="http://imagingermonkey.blogspot.com/2010/04/goosey-goosey-gander.html">Fat Geese quilt</a>. But you know what they say about good intentions...<br />
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Here's where things went wrong. Firstly, I used a method for cutting HSTs from the <a href="http://www.modabakeshop.com/2009/09/lap-quilt-in-jiffy.html">Quilt in a Jiffy</a> tutorial from Moda Bake Shop. Back in the day, I whipped up a couple of quilts using this pattern. I figured - why not do it with 5" charm squares? So, I had three (maybe four?) sets of charm squares with a variety of white/off-white/beige tones and I paired them with what I think are some Annette Tatum fat quarters that I cut into charm squares. Little did I know that "low volume" quilts would be having their moment in the sun when I finally got back around to to these guys!<br />
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So, the MBS tutorial basically has you put two squares, right-sides together. You sew around the four sides and then cut the square diagonally through the center twice (take a look at the tutorial, it will make more sense). Then you press your HSTs open and go on your merry way. So part of the problem is me - my roving 1/4" seam, my impulse to cut more layers than I ought to in one go, and another part is that you are now dealing with a lot of bias edges and despite the fact that charm squares are industrially die-cut, there are still some wonky ones in each bunch. All those things together conspired to create a boatload of inconsistent HSTs. And I had hundreds of them. And they all needed to be dog-eared (which I did at some point, but I think I blocked it out because I cannot remember doing it, for the life of me!). And I pressed the seams to the printed fabric side.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/12309055455/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="Fat Geese quilt HSTs by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Fat Geese quilt HSTs" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5531/12309055455_096e90dc3b.jpg" height="333" width="500" /></a></div>
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I did try to put a few pairs together, to create the fat geese but I found out pretty quickly that all of the afore-mentioned problems meant that the quilt was going to be a hot mess. (Having pressed the seams to the side, my machine had a little trouble going over the bulk of fabric that met at the point of each goose...) So, I abandoned them.<br />
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Several years ago, I got them out again and decided I would give them a little starch and press the seams open. Oh, it was so many seams... In the end, I still had the problem of the inconsistent 1/4" and away they went again.<br />
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Enter the Big Shot. My initial thought was that I would use the dies to cut my scraps into useable bits. So, to that end, I got a 3" square, a 4.5" tumbler, and a 4.5" HST die. I also decided to get the 2.5"strip die (there are two strips on the die). I know, I know what you're thinking - "you can't cut squares or strips?! Should you be quilting?!' But, let's not judge. I had my reasons. Anyway, in one of Katy's recent posts, she mentioned that she uses her <a href="http://sizzixukblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/01/squaring-up-half-square-triangles-with.html">Sizzix to square up her HSTs</a>. Lightbulb! The Big Shot can handle up to 8 layers of fabric at once (I may have inadvertently pushed that "limit" a couple of times).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="HST in desperate need of squaring" src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7406/12309491974_906195ff0d.jpg" height="213" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Desperate need for squaring up</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/12309046565/" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;" title="IMG_7065 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_7065" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3794/12309046565_9c7796bd30.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perfectly square!</td></tr>
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So, even though I can't sew right now, I've been cranking out perfectly squared-up HSTs and it suddenly seems that this perpetual UFO, is now a WIP once again! Not sure when I'll get to sewing. But it feels good to be working with fabric again. I've been having dreams about quilting and I've been looking over patterns and getting ideas on Flickr. I did try to participate in the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/mfsg/">Monthly Fabric Swap Group</a> in November. But alas, no word from my partner. However, I must note that Leona runs a great swap and she even volunteered to step in for my AWOL partner. But, I still hopeful. Am I delusional? Maybe. I went back and looked at some of the blocks in the bees that I've been in and realized that I'd made some blunders on a couple. We all make mistakes.<br />
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Wow, so I had a lot to say - I have blogging diarrhea (bloggarrhea?) Does this mean more blogging? Not dure. (I also write a weekly one for the out-of-town grandparents and even that is hard to keep up!) But I wanted to say that I'm still here, dreaming of quilts, trying to stay creative, always inspired and enjoying other people's creations!Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-81088651254666070292013-05-22T13:53:00.000-05:002013-05-22T13:54:17.125-05:00I Won!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8761308446/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="IMG_5238 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="IMG_5238" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3711/8761308446_1bc5f89752.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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I am so lucky for many reasons. But I was especially lucky in this season's <a href="http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2013/05/giveaway-day-is-may-6/">SewMamaSew Giveaway Day</a>, which has morphed into giveaway week with so many fantastic giveaways. I love finding new shops and blogs.<br />
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This year, I was fortunate to win 10 fat quarters of my choosing from <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/ellascottage">Ella's Cottage</a>. Leigh Ann writes <a href="http://ellascottage.blogspot.com/">a blog</a> and runs an etsy shop from Prince Edward Island in Canada.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8761296302/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Giveaway Day Goods by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Giveaway Day Goods" height="333" src="http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5325/8761296302_0056eb584f.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Here's the loot:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8761302842/" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Giveaway Day Goods by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Giveaway Day Goods" height="500" src="http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3703/8761302842_6ae3d3063f.jpg" width="333" /></a><br />
Bag of Chips Jelly Red</div>
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Bag of Chips Picnic Blue</div>
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Scallops, white on red</div>
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Scallops, white on orange</div>
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Scallops, white on lime</div>
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Scallops, navy on white</div>
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Raspberry Jam Jelly Red</div>
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Raspberry Jam Picnic blue</div>
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Happy Go Lucky dots white/aqua</div>
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Hip Fab Fluffer Nutter<br />
[This is the list of fabrics on the left, but in reverse order. Too lazy to switch it around or re-order the list :)]</div>
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And if that weren't enough, I was also lucky enough to win Rachel's giveaway at <a href="http://snippetsofsweetness.blogspot.com/">Snippets of Sweetness</a>. She was giving away a copy of <a href="http://ayumills.blogspot.com/">Ayumi's</a> book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Patchwork-Please-Colorful-Projects-Stitch/dp/1596685999/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368903897&sr=8-1&keywords=ayumi+mills">Patchwork Please!</a><br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8789598670/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="SMS Giveaway Day by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="SMS Giveaway Day" height="333" src="http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2831/8789598670_86f30c5d4b.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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She was also giving away a collection of snippets (see what I did there!) in the form of a charm pack with lots of goodies in there.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8789596416/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="SMS Giveaway Day by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="SMS Giveaway Day" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8418/8789596416_e8340bcd63.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Not a ton of sewing happening here. I finally got the binding sewn on the front side of my churn dash quilt and I attempted a fully-machine sewn binding, but I am terrible at that. It takes so long and I always manage to miss the back so many times. So I'm ripping it out and will do it by hand. Pretty soon my little one will be able to actually use it! </div>
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I'm also going to sew a couple more Mendocino sundresses, as they seem to be pretty good for nursing. I'm always on the lookout for nursing-friendly tops. I'm so glad it's finally warmer so I don't have to be bundled up so much.</div>
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Looking forward to sewing some more or at least getting some more pieces cut for my WIPs.</div>
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Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-77003056903686282452013-04-03T16:22:00.000-05:002013-04-03T16:22:32.322-05:00I'm Down with OPP!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8616590197/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Toy made by my aunt by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Toy made by my aunt" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8126/8616590197_55fcb2c39c.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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OPP - that's Other People's Projects :) I haven't been able to do much - no surprise, I'm sure. At about three and half weeks, I sewed three seams together to finish up my second Boppy cover and I had rip one out and re-do it. I also managed to get in a little fabric shopping and snagged some much sought-after <a href="http://www.unitednotions.com/fcc_comma.pdf">Comma</a> and I've been dreaming and scheming about what to do with it, but that's about the extent of my creative endeavors. I guess that's how it will be for a while, anyway.<br />
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The baby received a couple of amazing handmade gifts that I'd like to share. First, my aunt out in the DC area made this amazing toy/ball:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8617696032/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Toy made by my aunt by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Toy made by my aunt" height="400" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8519/8617696032_1c3eee797d.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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I've seen tutorials and patterns like this, but I have not been brave enough to try it out. My aunt is a very experienced quilter and she made two of these - one for my daughter and one for my new nephew - and even she said, "next time, I'm making a quilt!" So, I know they are pretty challenging.<br />
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The baby really loves it. She's starting to track things with her eyes and of course she really responds to things with high contrast. I'm sure she's going to love it even more, as she gets older. Maybe I can find a way to hang it over her bed or changing table...<br />
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Next, my cousin made this incredible elephant quilt:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8617695194/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Quilt from my cousin by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Quilt from my cousin" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8529/8617695194_efe995ed96.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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The picture of the whole quilt doesn't show the ears very well, but the are 3-dimensional - they come out of the quilt blocks, like flaps.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8616590359/" title="Quilt from my cousin-detail by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Quilt from my cousin-detail" height="212" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8103/8616590359_79ea7fffa9.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8617696954/" title="Quilt from my cousin-detail by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Quilt from my cousin-detail" height="212" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8114/8617696954_afd3bf61d7.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's adorable! I'm thinking about sewing a sleeve on it to hang it up. That will look much better than the painters tape!<br />
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Oh, I also received my FQs from the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/textme/">Text Me Swap</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8541319268/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Text Me Swap fabrics by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Text Me Swap fabrics" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8519/8541319268_13db60086e.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Very excited to play around with these someday soon (maybe!).</div>
Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-67671310659684438232013-03-09T22:53:00.000-06:002013-03-09T22:53:11.796-06:00The Reason I'm Not Sewing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOel_fbGr9e7ztqhSf_-_bN9ZzTSfC-8PdXacEX05hETBXEo1VXQwWRIzLtmwmq0Hl38YR7PZrTt8wbHT0m4Bx9FAoKlDe3C8HccMkxWuQsGLnN_ImwHXg7v_6VIgaofFb5N8DdYcE4ghr/s1600/IMG_4837.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOel_fbGr9e7ztqhSf_-_bN9ZzTSfC-8PdXacEX05hETBXEo1VXQwWRIzLtmwmq0Hl38YR7PZrTt8wbHT0m4Bx9FAoKlDe3C8HccMkxWuQsGLnN_ImwHXg7v_6VIgaofFb5N8DdYcE4ghr/s640/IMG_4837.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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An adorable, amazing, delightful, life-changing reason.</div>
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My baby girl has arrived and I am in a haze of late night feedings and diaper changes.</div>
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And I wouldn't have it any other way!</div>
<br />Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-58518263219613217812013-02-18T18:19:00.004-06:002013-02-18T18:19:50.219-06:00Still Sewing and Scheming (and Gestating...)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8487652838/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Honeycomb #4 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Honeycomb #4" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8233/8487652838_daae212843.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I love the churn dash! Here are the fantastic blocks from the amazing ladies of Honeycomb 4. I'm still missing 2, but I hope they will come soon. I am planning on making this up for my baby. I got a fun Robert Kaufman flannel dot to put on the back.<br />
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I loved them so much that I decided I should cut into my precious stack of <a href="http://www.robertkaufman.com/fabrics/architextures/">Architextures</a> and make a new queen-sized quilt for my bed! Here are the first two blocks:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8487651132/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Churn Dash Blocks by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Churn Dash Blocks" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8518/8487651132_7b9677afae.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I'm using all of the fabrics, except the white cross hatch, and I'm using Kona white as the accent. I am making 12.5" blocks, rather than the 4-in-1 blocks that my honeycomb-mates made. 6" blocks are just a bit too ambitious for me to make a queen-sized quilt.<br />
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Amanda Jean has a <a href="http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2008/01/quilt-long-week-9.html">great tutorial</a> at <a href="http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/">Crazy Mom Quilts</a>. But instead of cutting four 2.5"x4.5" strips, I cut one 18"x2.5" strip of background and churn dash fabric, sewed them together and then cut the 4.5" squares.<br />
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I made up this little pouch today, from Anna at Noodlehead's <a href="http://www.noodle-head.com/2009/10/tutorial-lil-cutie-pouches.html">Lil Cutie Pouch</a> tutorial.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8486560435/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="Lil Cutie Pouch by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Lil Cutie Pouch" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8386/8486560435_893c1f50bc.jpg" /></a></div>
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I am going to put my cash, cellphone, id and insurance card in it for the hospital. I figure I don't need to bring and keep track of my full purse!<br />
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I just love this Anna Maria Horner print. I didn't remember to flip the other side, so it's technically upside down.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8487650136/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Lil Cutie Pouch-back by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Lil Cutie Pouch-back" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8382/8487650136_43a5c806b8.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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But I still love it. I only had an invisible zipper of the right size, so that's the one I made.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8486559645/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Lil Cutie Pouch by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Lil Cutie Pouch" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8241/8486559645_ddbf9d2945.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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The interior is a Moda Modern Workshop print, I think. I used it for the tab, too.<br />
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I also added some great hard to find Tula Pink prints to my Tula treasure chest. I swapped some Architexture prints for the three prints on the left. I never thought I'd get those fish!! Then I purchased the ladybugs from Etsy. I already had the brown and green, but the I am really excited to have the white-accented ones. I think except for a few Salt Water prints that I want, my collection is almost finished! (I'm not trying to get the every print from every collection, I'm just collecting the ones that I really want!)<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8487653522/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Tula treasure additions by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Tula treasure additions" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8105/8487653522_cab8f36dfb.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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No baby, yet. Getting very tired of being pregnant and very ready to meet this baby in person! Onward and upward!</div>
Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-80134084341026008542013-02-03T17:54:00.004-06:002013-02-03T17:54:56.821-06:00Weekend Sewing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8443172884/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Divided Basket-Diaper Caddy by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Divided Basket-Diaper Caddy" height="425" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8054/8443172884_1f0d1efc03.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Got a little more sewing done this weekend. I recently acquired the <a href="http://www.noodle-head.com/2013/01/divided-basket-pattern.html">Divided Basket</a> pattern from Anna over at <a href="http://www.noodle-head.com/">Noodlehead</a>. I love her patterns. I have the 241 Tote, which I've made several times, and I also have the Sidekick Tote, but I haven't had a chance to make that one, yet. Her patterns are fantastic and easy to use.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8442082693/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Divided Basket-Diaper Caddy by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Divided Basket-Diaper Caddy" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8335/8442082693_7c5bff363d.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I've been smitten with the divided basket since Anna first posted about her versions <a href="http://www.noodle-head.com/2012/12/basket-for-baby.html">back in December</a>. In the <a href="http://www.noodle-head.com/2012/12/another-basket-another-baby.html">post about the second version</a>, she mentioned that she was thinking of writing up a pattern for it, so I'm really happy she did and I was able to put it together before baby arrived. There are probably tutorials out there that make similar items, but I really like having the measurements, fabric requirements, and pattern pieces right in front of me. Plus, it's nice to support a home pattern maker.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8442083125/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Divided Basket-Diaper Caddy by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Divided Basket-Diaper Caddy" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8233/8442083125_64796cee12.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I've already loaded it up with diapers! I thought it would be nice to have a station downstairs in our apartment, as well as the more formal changing table/dresser we have upstairs.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8442081855/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Divided Basket-Diaper Caddy by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Divided Basket-Diaper Caddy" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8219/8442081855_108d0bd6fa.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Fortunately, everything I used, I had on hand. I did not have any fusible fleece, but I used some grey duck cloth that I had for making bags. I figured it had enough body to help the basket keep its shape and it seems to hold up pretty well. I didn't have any webbing to make the covered straps, so I just cut 1.5" strips of the duck cloth and covered it with the fabric I used for the interior. I love that little detail. I decided to go with the pocket option and to line it with the duck cloth instead of using the biasoption. (I also used the Amy Butler print for the divider.)</div>
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Also, a million years ago, I cut out fabric to make another <a href="http://typebcrafter.blogspot.com/2012/06/los-alamos-canvas-tote.html">Los Alamos Canvas Tote</a>.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8443172294/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Canvas tote by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Canvas tote" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8443172294_ce73584c56.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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And this weekend I finally put it together. It's a simple unlined bag. (Printed fabric from Ikea, black duck cloth.) I'm going to stuff this in my hospital bag for all of the stuff we will bring need to home from the hospital - extra diapers, "female stuff" :) Then it will transition to a grocery bag.</div>
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We're getting down to the wire. Part of me is ready for the baby right now, but if she holds on till Valentine's Day, that would be ideal! </div>
Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-57924569687310115532013-01-29T16:55:00.001-06:002013-01-30T11:30:57.130-06:00Traveling Handmade<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8427325693/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Nursing cover by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Nursing cover" height="425" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8493/8427325693_b60cf115d2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Last year when <a href="http://www.quiltcon.com/">QuiltCon</a> (Feb. 21 - 24, 2013) was announced, I was so excited. I hadn't been able to make it to either of the <a href="http://sewingsummit.com/">Sewing Summits</a>. So, I made tentative plans to go. I even told my mom about it (she's a quilter, but not necessarily plugged in to the online world of quilting or "modern" quilting). I've never been to Austin, but heard it's a fun town and I thought it would be a great chance to see some of my favorite quilters' work, up close and personal.<br />
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But then, something more wonderful happened: I discovered that I was expecting - on Feb. 21! So, no QuiltCon for this quilter. But I know it will be a great success, so I am looking forward to going next year, with my one year old in tow (or maybe I'll be ready for a little mom-alone-time by then!).<br />
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I've seen so many great <a href="http://sewingsummit.com/?page_id=1059">Traveling Handmade</a> posts from people attending the Sewing Summit and maybe we'll see some for QuiltCon, too. Then, I thought, "well, can still travel homemade!" I may not be traveling all the to Austin from Wisconsin, but I'll be traveling 25 minutes to the hospital and the infinite distance from being a non-parent to becoming a parent :)<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8427329499/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="car seat canopy by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="car seat canopy" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8499/8427329499_97643f326d.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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So, in addition to my <a href="http://typebcrafter.blogspot.com/2012/12/studio-cherie-duffel-simplicity-2247.html">hospital bag</a> and <a href="http://typebcrafter.blogspot.com/2013/01/moving-right-along.html">nursing pillow and burp cloths</a>, I put together a car seat cover and a nursing cover this weekend. I used <a href="http://madebythemamamonster.blogspot.com/2008/04/nursing-cover-tutorial.html">this tutorial</a> for the nursing cover from Made By the Mama Monster, but there are a ton of tutorials. I was going to use the Groovy Guitars print from Michael Miller but some of the tutorials suggested using a print more suited to mom, rather than baby. I actually agonized over which print to use and finally cut into my precious Tula Pink <a href="http://tulapink.com/collections/current-collections/the-birds-and-the-bees/">Birds and the Bees</a> print (see above). I have some silly mirror/self-portraits of me wearing it in my Flickr photostream and I used a few flannel leftovers for corner pockets.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8427329061/" title="car seat canopy-window by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="car seat canopy-window" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8375/8427329061_1438afb4cc.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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For my car seat, I used <a href="http://www.sewdangcutecrafts.com/2011/03/guest-blogger-peek-boo-car-seat-canopy.html">this tutorial</a> from <a href="http://www.wannabecrafty.com/">Wannabe Crafty</a> for the car seat canopy/cover. There are also a ton of tutorials for these, but I liked this one because it had little window.<span style="text-align: center;"> </span><br />
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I used a Michael Miller flannel print and I backed the canopy with minky in a lovely color called "Tiffany." It's a little lighter than the hippos, but that's the challenge of picking colors online.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8428419340/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="car seat canopy-window/minky by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="car seat canopy-window/minky" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8195/8428419340_31246565a5.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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Minky is a PITA the sew with. I've done it several times. But this time, I thought I had cut the flannel and the minky to the same size but when I started to pin, it quickly became apparent that they were not the same size. Or, the minky stretched out of shape. So, it could stand to have a couple inches or so towards the top. But ultimately, I am pleased with it and it should stand up to a Wisconsin February.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8428418470/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Car seat canopy by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Car seat canopy" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8493/8428418470_e8455e80bd.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Here are my <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/textme/">Text Me swap</a> fabrics already cut in fat quarters and ready to be sent! There are so many great fabrics in this swap and I can't wait to see what gets sent back. Anyone who wants to join in can - just have your FQs to <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42494546@N08">Jessica</a> by Feb. 15!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8428418024/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Text Me Swap fabrics by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Text Me Swap fabrics" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8471/8428418024_bb16c355cc.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-52165937843043323192013-01-22T16:25:00.000-06:002013-01-22T16:36:52.943-06:00Moving Right Along<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8406863760/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Boppy cover by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Boppy cover" height="425" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8053/8406863760_fb04991f26.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I got some baby projects checked off my to-do list! I used this <a href="http://www.vanillajoy.com/free-boppy-slipcover-pattern-and-tutorial.html">tutorial and pattern</a> for the Boppy cover. I think it could be a little more snug, but since I added the piping, I didn't want to go back and rip it out to fit it better. I used 1 yard from the <a href="http://cloud9fabrics.com/happydrawing.html">Ed Emberley Happy Drawing</a> line from Cloud9 fabrics, but since my fabric is directional, I probably needed more like 1.5 yards or so. So, I added some green Kona solid on the back (maybe Jungle?). I also have the lions and tigers, so I might fiddle me around with the fit a little bit, before adding the piping when I do that version.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8405771177/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="Receiving blankets by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Receiving blankets" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8355/8405771177_0fded8c3c5.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I made a couple fast and easy flannel receiving blankets from the awesome hightop fabric. I TypeB'd it a little because I left the selvedges, so I could keep the width. I did a proper hem on the cut sides, though. I just wanted them to be large enough for good swaddling.</div>
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Then I took some of the soft fabric remnants/scraps I had lying around and turned them in to burp cloths! I was so happy to use up some of my larger clothing fabric remnants, which were too small to be turned into an actual article of clothing. I even made a couple from a thin cotton slip I took out of a dress (those are the white ones at the end).<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8405773199/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Burp cloths by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Burp cloths" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8358/8405773199_968bbd8df7.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I often use Cloud9 tutorial for <a href="http://cloud9fabrics.blogspot.com/2010/12/tutorial-contoured-burp-cloths.html">contoured burp cloths</a> for gifts. But I had a variety of sizes of pieces and so I just did rounded corners. (I wasn't even going to do that! My poor baby - everyone else gets the fancy burp cloths! At least she'll get rounded corners :)) These are to catch baby puke, after all, but they can still be cute!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8405771713/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Burp cloth by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Burp cloth" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8501/8405771713_9100e8a973.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
This is lawn and some upcycled sweatshirt material.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8405772273/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Burp cloth by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Burp cloth" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8088/8405772273_01fd38e936.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
This is some cotton sateen and cotton knit.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8405772715/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Burp cloth by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Burp cloth" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8079/8405772715_9ff422cb2e.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
This is lawn and flannel (I love this <a href="http://sarahjanestudios.com/blog/2011/05/introducing-children-at-play/">Children at Play</a> print for making a paper hat!).<br />
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Left on the to-do list: second Boppy cover; a nursing cover - fabric, notions, hardware ready to go; and a car seat cover (it's been so cold here in Madison!). Then, I think we're good to go with the homemade stuff.<br />
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My <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/12blocksofchristmasbee/">Bee a {modern} Swapper</a> churn dash blocks have started to find their way to my mailbox and they are awesome!<br />
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Here are a couple from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/73321350@N00/with/8397873973/#photo_8397873973">Heide</a>:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/73321350@N00/8397873973/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Churn dash blocks by Heide of chez zero, on Flickr"><img alt="Churn dash blocks" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8471/8397873973_fc53808388.jpg" width="375" /></a></div>
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Aren't they great?! I've received them from <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluebutterflydesign/">Whitney</a> and <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/69186990@N02/">Carolyn</a> already, as well. Can't wait to see them all together. Thank you so much Hive 4!!<br />
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I'm obviously a little crazy, because I also just signed up for the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/textme/">Text Me</a> text fabric swap - fabrics due Feb 15, baby due Feb. 21... <br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plum-patchwork/8383699611/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="textme by Plum Patchwork, on Flickr"><img alt="textme" height="276" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8354/8383699611_0fe20a64e0.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
But, how could I resist?! I can definitely cut up some fat quarters. These are the two that I picked out:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8402769198/" style="text-align: center;" title="Word Play cream for Text Me swap by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Word Play cream for Text Me swap" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8514/8402769198_f6a7fce5b5.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: center;"> </span><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8401678649/" style="text-align: center;" title="Word Play black and white for Text Me swap by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Word Play black and white for Text Me swap" height="320" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8401678649_e1dc5f789c.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
So, I have 7.5 yards! I'll keep some, but then I'll hopefully be getting back a really nice bunch of texty goodness. There are some really great prints in the Flickr group! It reminds me that I need to get back to my <a href="http://typebcrafter.blogspot.com/2012/04/i-didnt-wanna-do-it.html">Labyrinth quilt</a>.<br />
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I don't when I'll be getting back to quilting. It seems to be all baby, all the time right now and I doubt that it's going to get any better, anytime soon. I've also really been enjoying seeing the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/scrappytripalong/">Scrappy Trip Along</a> blocks and quilts. And the to-do wishlist keeps on growing :)</div>
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Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-27019653129784512022012-12-30T18:56:00.003-06:002012-12-30T18:56:35.584-06:00Studio Cherie Duffel - Simplicity 2247<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8328069948/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel" height="425" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8074/8328069948_5abe1b0c6f.jpg" width="640" /></a> </div>
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[<b><span style="color: yellow;">Caution!</span></b> Loooong, wordy post ahead!]<br />
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As I have mentioned numerous times, I have several projects to do for the baby. Fortunately, I have a little time (knock on wood!) and I needed to get the holiday shuffle out of the way before getting to them. A while back, I got it into my head to make my hospital bag (I don't know why!). I've had the Studio Cherie duffel pattern for quite a while. You can get the pattern from Cherie at <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioCherie">her etsy store</a> or buy it from your local Joann's or wherever you buy Simplicity patterns (<a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-5843-bags.aspx">Simplicity 2274</a>). I started about three weeks ago and let it sit over the holidays.<br />
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I had almost everything I needed in my stash. In the end, I had to buy a little bit of interfacing to finish it up, but that was it!<br />
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I did a lot of internet searching for reviews and tips before I started. I found the most helpful to be from <a href="http://blog.knottygnome.com/2012/07/not-so-simple-simplicity-2274.html">knottygnome</a>, <a href="http://www.incolororder.com/2011/08/travel-handmade-simplicity-2274-pattern.html">In Color Order</a>, <a href="http://sewchatty.blogspot.com/2012/06/weekender-bag-pattern-review.html">Sew Chatty</a>, and <a href="http://spontaneousthreads.blogspot.com/2011/11/overnight-bag-that-turned-into.html">Spontaneous Threads</a>. If you are interested in the pattern at all, definitely check out their posts and Google either "Studio Cherie duffel" or "Simplicity 2274" for other photos and a few blog posts. For what it's worth, here are my (very wordy) thoughts and alterations. Here's the finished product:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8328070658/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel" height="425" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8499/8328070658_e9ca613df6.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I don't think that this is a particularly difficult bag. But like most bag construction, there are a lot of steps and there's a lot of prep work to measure, mark, and cut out each piece of fabric and then likewise with the interfacing (if you choose to use it). I think it could be done in a dedicated weekend, but splitting it up over several weekends is nice, too. Also, people note that it's a large bag. And it is - it's a duffel bag. So, it's not a purse or a tote or even a big Amy Butler style shopper. It's like a big, gym-sized duffel bag. Except a lot cuter because you're using your own precious fabric!<br />
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<b><span style="color: red;">Pattern</span></b> (generally) - All the pieces, except for the pulls used in the pattern, are rectangles. So, you can cut out the pattern pieces if you like working with those or you can just measure the rectangles and use your rotary cutter. Either way, be sure to transfer all of the markings. Being lazy, I did that for most things, but I decided to forgo it with the end pockets.<br />
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<li>I cut all the quilted pieces about 2" bigger than called for, as suggested by Jeni (<a href="http://www.incolororder.com/2011/08/travel-handmade-simplicity-2274-pattern.html">In Color Order</a>).</li>
<li>I ended up doing something different for the pulls, so I didn't even need that particular pattern piece.</li>
<li>The bag is not lined and I chose not to add one. (<a href="http://blog.knottygnome.com/2012/07/not-so-simple-simplicity-2274.html">knottygnome</a> has some good tips if you would like to.) I did finish the edges by zigzagging them (I seem to have broken my overlock foot, but zigzagging worked out just fine). I finished the edges <i>before</i> I constructed the bag to avoid bulk issues. If you have a serger, this would be a great time to use it. I think it really finishes the bag nicely without using more fabric. </li>
<li>I added another folded pocket to the back/front (the pattern calls for one). And I added another zippered side pocket. The pattern calls for one. </li>
<li>I top-stitched the main zipper and the zippers in the pockets.</li>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8327020721/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8353/8327020721_0679f8ec52.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: blue;">Fabric</span></b> - Instead of having a lining, the pattern calls for printed fabric (for the outside of the bag) and "muslin" for the inside/backing. For the muslin, I used some 100% cotton pink broadcloth I had lying around. I like to have a lighter color for the inside of bags. I just think it helps to see everything inside when the bag is open. I also don't like to use anything too precious to me for the inside of bags. I might if I were making a swap bag for someone who has an appreciation for a particular fabric. But for the most part, I like to use a solid or a cotton print that isn't one of my super-favorite favorites.<br />
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I used quilting weight cotton for the outer fabric. I've been saving these Cosmo Cricket green cherries for something special! The pattern suggests home dec weight.<br />
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This is a very bulky part to go over, since it's the main body, the facing, the zipper and the pull. Just sew slowly!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8328073368/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8497/8328073368_9976854f13.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: purple;">Batting</span></b> - I don't keep polyester batting on hand, which the pattern suggests to help the bag keep its shape. Instead, I fused Pellon Thermolam fusible fleece to the outer fabric and used some lightweight fusible interfacing on the muslin/inner fabric. I thought between the fleece and the interfacing that the bag would have enough body to hold its shape and mostly it does, without being too stiff.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #38761d;">Quilting</span></b> - as noted above depending on how you are going to quilt your bag, it might be helpful to cut your front, muslin, and batting a little larger than the pattern. If you are going to quilt densely, you might need a little more wiggle room, as your pieces will shrink with tighter quilting. I did some organic lines, similar to the ones on the pattern. But I didn't mark them from the pattern.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8327014417/" title="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel" height="213" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8497/8327014417_203a99e3c5.jpg" width="320" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8328076378/" title="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel" height="213" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8495/8328076378_f975598d55.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: orange;">Pockets</span></b> - I interfaced all four pockets for a little more stability. I used what I had, which was Pellon Craft-Fuse.<br />
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This might seem slightly convoluted (photo below), but it will make sense if you've read the pattern: If you follow the pattern the edges of the zippered pocket connected to the zipper are unfinished. So, I added 1/2" to the long edge of the zippered pocket (both outer and inner fabric) pieces. Before pleating, I interfaced the muslin and right sides together, I sewed across the long edge of both fabrics. Turned them wrong sides together, pressed and basted unfinished edges. That way, the part that is sewn to the zipper is finished and stray threads won't get stuck in the zipper. Of course, this adds bulk to the end project. If you interface the pockets, don't interface the top 3/4" (where the zipper seem will be) to cut down on as much bulk as possible.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8328071218/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8352/8328071218_430988f844.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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This was the most challenging part for me because my end pieces (with the zippered pockets) were just a titch bigger than the ends of the bag. But I fudged and pulled and pushed and ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom - they're in there!<br />
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<b><span style="color: #0b5394;">Straps</span></b> - The pattern calls for a base layer of jute, which is really cute and I'm sure, quite sturdy. But I didn't have any, so I followed knottygnome's ideas for the straps (cut 3 strips 8"xWOF and make to strips of 62"; sew into a tube; fuse 3.5" of fusible fleece or interfacing to each tube and turn right-side out). I made mine out of Kona Snow and a print (a Dear Stella Basketweave). You could just as easily make narrower straps or use a ribbon, webbing, or cotton tape. Just remember that you will see the inside/back of the strap at the handle, so something finished would be your best bet.<br />
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<b><span style="color: #741b47;">Pulls</span></b> - Instead of cutting out the pulls from the pattern, I cut two pieces of 2.5"x4", fused lightweight interfacing them, pressed the edges to the center and then in half again to get a piece that was 2.5"x1". Then I added a D-ring to each. This way, I can add a shoulder strap later if I want.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8328079654/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8357/8328079654_e962731d12.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: #20124d;">Final thoughts</span></b>: Know thy machine. I actually only lost one needle in this process and it was at the very end. My machine doesn't like when I use jeans needles. It tends to skip stitches. So, I used a universal size 12 for the whole she-bang. It also does not like bulk, but it does have a setting to change the presser foot pressure, which is helpful. I previously broke my walking foot (yes, I am hard on my machine!), so I used my usual foot, which is a satin stitch foot.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8327019443/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simplicity 2274/Studio Cherie Duffel" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8222/8327019443_77a4ab2636.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I'm really happy with this bag. And I actually have fabric to make two more! I don't <i>need</i> two more duffels, but they might be good gifts for someone very, very special (this isn't a bag you give to just anyone!). But after next week's last pre-baby visit to Minnesota, I have to get back to the baby projects because she'll be here in no time!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8328069134/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Hospital bag by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Hospital bag" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8358/8328069134_9a01109846.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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Happy New Year to all! May your best sewing be yet to come!
Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-58466638980643240062012-12-20T12:16:00.000-06:002012-12-20T12:16:02.919-06:00Just Keep Sewing, Just Keep Sewing...<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8292025880/" title="Fish! by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Fish!" height="400" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8220/8292025880_a3e721b034.jpg" width="400" /></a> </div>
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Well, we're having a blizzard here in Madison, WI. Wish I had a snow day, but I'm a telecommuter, "so rain, sleet or snow..." (or more accurately, "morning sickness, nasty cold, or blizzard") I'm working! I'm taking a short break for shoveling this afternoon before the temperature drops and everything freezes, though!<br />
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I've been working on a few projects this past month. I made up a fishing game (<a href="http://typebcrafter.blogspot.com/2011/08/gone-fishin.html">like this one</a>) for my niece for Christmas. I just need to finish making the poles.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8291957540/" title="Fishing set for my niece! by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Fishing set for my niece!" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8351/8291957540_cf5a05d22c.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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The hardest part of the first fishing set was the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/6087808928/">stupid (but cute!) bucket</a>. So, I whipped up this decidedly non-fishing bag to hold the fish, instead.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8291956920/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Fishy bag by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Fishy bag" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8492/8291956920_569f8006e9.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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It's based on <a href="http://typebcrafter.blogspot.com/2012/06/ladies-who-lunch.html">this pattern</a>, but I just used up the scraps that I had, so the measurements are a little different. It will have a drawstring, once I scrounge one up. Might have to settle for yarn.<br />
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I am the final queen bee, bee mama, bee person - whatever you want to call it - for <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/12blocksofchristmasbee/">Bee a {Modern} Swapper</a>. And after much deliberation, I chose the very traditional churn dash block (but 4 minis in 1 block!) and asked for scrappy, modern fabrics. I made <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/galleries/72157632174251491/">a gallery of examples</a>. Can't wait to see what my co-honeycombers come up with!<br />
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Actually, I never posted Novembers blocks for Whitney - here they are:<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8238442659/" title="Ba{M}S November Blocks by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Ba{M}S November Blocks" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8060/8238442659_a48735016f.jpg" width="500" /></a>
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They were a little late, but they have safely arrived already. This is a non-paper pieced block called Wonky Pinwheels. Tutorial <a href="http://greenleafgoods.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/wonky-pinwheel-blocks-a-tutorial/">here</a> from Greenleaf Goods. I love the colors she chose and I can't wait to see how it turns out!<br />
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I've also been putting together my hospital bag. I'm using a pattern by <a href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/StudioCherie">Studio Cherie</a>/<a href="http://www.simplicity.com/p-5843-bags.aspx">Simplicity 2274</a>. Here's a little, in progress photo (this is the inside - just need to attach the sides!):<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8290878553/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Simplicity 2274 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simplicity 2274" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8215/8290878553_fbdcedda5a.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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It's been a multi-stage process, I think I began about two weeks ago. I have a post started about how I went about constructing the pattern and the various blogposts I consulted before beginning. I don't think it's a difficult pattern. But, like all bags, there are a ton of steps and there's a certain amount of bulk to work through your machine. So far, I'm pretty excited about it.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8291935784/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Simplicity 2274 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simplicity 2274" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8362/8291935784_b869a8f38d.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I have all my fabric washed and waiting to make receiving blankets and Boppy covers, but those will have to wait until after we celebrate the holidays. My husband has been practicing swaddling with a Mickey Mouse doll we got for free at Babies R Us and a hooded towel, so he's eager for me to finish up the receiving blankets so he can practice "for real." :)<br />
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Here are a few homemade goodies for the baby from my very talented family members:<br />
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My aunt in Texas crocheted the baby about 9 or 10 blankets of varying sizes and weights. This is just one of them!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabCU7LwIqvGiGOn6aGdnlo2aREoEH25rPpSadwQw0JQuOiZmWVNrox8duXwEn0KUZBEYpVwZMBSLGGdk4k1GBH0NPyNkTw1gx-kBZwiaDaHCOJ0972RK91_GKmF3-DPJAuVUxFRzq1Xtl/s1600/IMG_4466.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiabCU7LwIqvGiGOn6aGdnlo2aREoEH25rPpSadwQw0JQuOiZmWVNrox8duXwEn0KUZBEYpVwZMBSLGGdk4k1GBH0NPyNkTw1gx-kBZwiaDaHCOJ0972RK91_GKmF3-DPJAuVUxFRzq1Xtl/s400/IMG_4466.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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My Minnesota aunt made this lovely batik quilt:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY9xa34Cn-Ly5v4dOjuCZ5hQEPDTM9ZTZGZ2EhCazqWVwteX7cXioE0RjmNekPK8Rydfhyk3uN7UlPQJFUkyRG1g7qN3xi2N1ZQFo3_MUtkG_fN_Dkg3im2j1elWa2uNjMcEZEOTPISMp/s1600/IMG_4458.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicY9xa34Cn-Ly5v4dOjuCZ5hQEPDTM9ZTZGZ2EhCazqWVwteX7cXioE0RjmNekPK8Rydfhyk3uN7UlPQJFUkyRG1g7qN3xi2N1ZQFo3_MUtkG_fN_Dkg3im2j1elWa2uNjMcEZEOTPISMp/s400/IMG_4458.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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And my cousin made me a variety of burp cloths, washcloths, and this great changing mat with lime PUL fabric on one side (love it!).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUMCwI-jEiZ5b5TWomTTOXf37pXzUSVlvkrxIlj3CsuYeDKYSWVQGxlVp3whxg9FzAukZMQA7j7RP7v-XTTLsH3LYC3GsTPLl4oqQrHuaRFDsbsBOloc_vFsppIGvJazlqgjt-NF8x8bz/s1600/IMG_4439.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcUMCwI-jEiZ5b5TWomTTOXf37pXzUSVlvkrxIlj3CsuYeDKYSWVQGxlVp3whxg9FzAukZMQA7j7RP7v-XTTLsH3LYC3GsTPLl4oqQrHuaRFDsbsBOloc_vFsppIGvJazlqgjt-NF8x8bz/s200/IMG_4439.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2PCA1LxIvhDQlf_QOIhxa2IqbB11ZTK1i6FTd9eRzrha_EqqPR6WnVSlueVUEouuEBG0EsvxXR6jcTL5nligX6oFsQnzqOVvvXUeAQHqrLWFjW37yU235I4kQ8gp9GKBnsTt6ZziCOgvn/s1600/IMG_4440.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2PCA1LxIvhDQlf_QOIhxa2IqbB11ZTK1i6FTd9eRzrha_EqqPR6WnVSlueVUEouuEBG0EsvxXR6jcTL5nligX6oFsQnzqOVvvXUeAQHqrLWFjW37yU235I4kQ8gp9GKBnsTt6ZziCOgvn/s200/IMG_4440.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8HKKtVVNuc3Erl3Rp0pZujKrP0LPIsPCYbQVVH8nRGdKeoo5EdQDnyjqAFuj3cPMO7BcBuj_wruD-BL4MnjTpfEb6AFU00iejK2xtpXirud_L39E4KjWN3MHFZSFiWch1lzcyq2aoiHr/s1600/IMG_4441.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK8HKKtVVNuc3Erl3Rp0pZujKrP0LPIsPCYbQVVH8nRGdKeoo5EdQDnyjqAFuj3cPMO7BcBuj_wruD-BL4MnjTpfEb6AFU00iejK2xtpXirud_L39E4KjWN3MHFZSFiWch1lzcyq2aoiHr/s200/IMG_4441.png" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjgw6yBtoC1NTzF9HFaO6lD63yPoq_wZSkKLlw0bULsvp_29KVNocuG9tKM55yq9vIYPkNT6CAaXygvumLSVj3mETXkFQ5JZtniCTNzfCMgPZGy9q8kpa4JHPXJHf572qVDvR6IOcspHl/s1600/IMG_4443.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOjgw6yBtoC1NTzF9HFaO6lD63yPoq_wZSkKLlw0bULsvp_29KVNocuG9tKM55yq9vIYPkNT6CAaXygvumLSVj3mETXkFQ5JZtniCTNzfCMgPZGy9q8kpa4JHPXJHf572qVDvR6IOcspHl/s200/IMG_4443.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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The washcloths and pink burp cloths are such great ways to use up smaller pieces of fabric that you can't bear to throw away!</div>
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Happy holidays to everyone! Hope to have lots more fun things to share soon! </div>
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Out to shovel now...</div>
Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-64133592499819457902012-11-28T14:42:00.000-06:002012-11-28T14:42:18.167-06:00Baby Quilts and Mail Day!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8224186497/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Snowballs close-up by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Snowballs close-up" height="425" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8206/8224186497_17aaf63d42.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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We just got home late Monday night from 11 days in Minnesota. It's always like the circus when we come to town because we have two dogs and lots and lots of stuff. This time around we were celebrating Thanksgiving and we were also meeting our new niece and nephew. We also had some holiday cookie decorating to do with the older nieces and nephews and so many great friends to catch up with, as well. So, our car was especially overloaded! (The load didn't get any lighter on the way back to Wisconsin, either, as I was the grateful recipient of a baby shower thrown by my sister.)<br />
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Phew! I wish I had cleaned the house before we left :) Coming home to a messy house is never fun.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8225260702/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Snowballs baby quilt by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Snowballs baby quilt" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8341/8225260702_24bd5cfc61.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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This is the simple snowball quilt for my nephew. I did inverted Vs for the quilting (meeting in the middle). The blocks are 10" unfinished, to show off all of that fun fabric. I tried to do an X thru the center with the darker orange pieces and the darker blue pieces. I think I pulled a little on the binding, so that bottom right corner did curl a little bit.</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8225257232/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Snowball backing by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Snowball backing" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8485/8225257232_5f8bf68a02.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I used some Children at Play flannel for the back. I just love the rich orange color! I used a slightly thinner batting this time around. A 100% cotton, something I picked up at JoAnn's. I think it was a Pellon product. I didn't have any trouble and I think it actually shrunk less in the wash than it said it would. I thought it would be nicer, in case my brother and sister-in-law actually use it as a cover, in addition to a play mat and changing mat!<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8224183045/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Simple Math baby quilt by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simple Math baby quilt" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8480/8224183045_687f92ee07.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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This one is for my niece. It is from Elizabeth Hartman's <a href="http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/2010/09/simple-math-quilts.html">Simple Math</a> pattern. I was going to go wonky, like the un-sashed version in the pattern but my husband rightly pointed out that this particular family might do better with right angles! The pluses are different sizes, which is kind of hard to see. But I really like how it turned out.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8225253060/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Simple Math close-up by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simple Math close-up" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8480/8225253060_ea2eb7194a.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I did just a simple 4" grid for the quilting.<br />
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Here's the TypeB moment: I decided to use Ivory cotton sateen on this. I usually use Kona or Bella solids, which I don't think have a particular "side." Here, unfortunately, there was a definite side. Do you know how I know - once I got it all put together, I could see the differences in sheen. It doesn't show up in the photos, but it definitely shows up in person.<br />
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Ah well, inadvertent design choice, I guess.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8224181759/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Simple Math backing by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Simple Math backing" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8349/8224181759_108df5f74b.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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This is a flannel I bought from fabric.com. The colors work perfectly with Whimsy and adds a little more of a, dare I say... whimsical - element to the quilt. Babies love animals :) My brother really liked it and said he especially liked that it was an alternative to all of the pink they've been receiving.<br />
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When we got home, we had a lot of mail, mostly junk. But I also received this...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8225251480/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Full Moon Forest Hexie kit by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Full Moon Forest Hexie kit" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8345/8225251480_91758da490.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I purchased this hexie kit from the <a href="http://www.ihearttulapink.com/">i heart tula pink</a> shop. I rarely see the purple colorway of Full Moon Forest available for sale and I pounced on the chance to have some. Plus, as I get larger and it's harder to sit at the sewing machine for a long time, I like the idea of having some handwork to do. I haven't tried english paper piecing before but I'm excited to give it a try. The shop thru in a little flyer about the upcoming Tula prints. Very excited for <a href="http://tulapink.com/salt-water/">Salt Water</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8224176805/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Full Moon Forest Hexie kit by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Full Moon Forest Hexie kit" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8350/8224176805_88714720bc.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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I have an idea of what I want to do with them once I'm finished, but I don't want to give too much a way yet :)<br />
<br />Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-79921177097380980722012-11-14T09:39:00.000-06:002012-11-14T09:39:29.143-06:00The Grannies Are In!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8185208636/" title="NYGB Granny Squares Group 2 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="NYGB Granny Squares Group 2" height="425" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8060/8185208636_68f9ce06ee.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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Here are my untrimmed blocks from the Not Your Granny's Bee, Group 2. I made the pink and green block - the second one from the right in the top row.</div>
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I just love them! I can't decide which is my favorite. I am going to put white sashing between the rows. I can't decide if I should make two baby quilt (lots of babies in my family) or one lap quilt.</div>
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There are only two blocks that didn't quite make the "rules." (The two in the middle of the first column on the left). We were supposed to keep the center 5 blocks the same color. But I don't think that's a big deal. You can't really tell when they are all together.</div>
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I had a very <a href="http://typebcrafter.blogspot.com/2012/10/destash-for-diapers.html">successful destash</a> and I am so grateful to everyone who purchased some fabric. I'm so glad they all went to a good home. I have just a couple more items and I am going to put up the <a href="http://tulapink.com/2008/01/06/flutterbyfinally/">Flutterby</a> today.</div>
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This past week, I was a lucky aunt times two! I had a nephew born on Wednesday and a niece born on Thursday! I actually have quilt tops finished for both of them. I haven't made a ton of baby quilts, but I Just love these small 40x40 quilts - they go together so fast! Here's a terrible photo:</div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8185272762/" title="Baby Quilts in Progress by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Baby Quilts in Progress" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8343/8185272762_3d2762bd2a.jpg" width="333" /></a>
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The top quilt (still in blocks) was made from the Moda Whimsy fabric that I won on Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day and some ivory cotton sateen. It is for my new niece. The bottom quilt is for my new nephew and is made with Moda Lucy's Crab Shack with Kona Snow and is just a snowball quilt. It's such a simple block, but I really love it!<br />
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Can I just say, once again, how much I hate basting. Hate it, hate it, hate it. My husband had a piece of plywood or something that is about 50x50 and I was able to get the boy's quilt basted already, but man, do I hate basting (did I say that already?)! I hope to get the next one done today.<br />
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I broke my walking foot a while back. And my old trusty New Home doesn't really love quilting (not like my Juki in storage - she's the quilting bomb!), but I'm going to give it a shot with my regular sewing machine foot. Hopefully, I can finish it up before I return to Minnesota for Thanksgiving. I got a stocking to make before then, too. So much to do!</div>
Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-73172045317500772912012-10-29T17:44:00.000-05:002012-10-29T17:44:30.420-05:00NewsFlash: I've Been Sewing!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8136556047/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Cloth Napkins by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Cloth Napkins" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8468/8136556047_21de0b15fa.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I think my sewing mojo is coming back! I just got a ton of sewing books from the library. I cut out blocks for a baby quilt. And I even purchased some new fabric (not to replenish my stock from my destash, but as backings for the baby quilts I need to make!)! I think the greater the morning sickness, the lesser interest in sewing. Now that I'm feeling better, I am better able to focus on other things.<br />
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I whipped up a couple October birthday presents a couple weeks ago. My mom turned 60 and on the same day, my stepdad turned 59! My siblings and I got my mom a Kindle Fire and a gift certificate to Amazon. So, I thought I'd try my hand at making a cover for her.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8136588496/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;" title="Kindle Cover by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Kindle Cover" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8056/8136588496_dabb8657fb.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I've made Kindle <a href="http://typebcrafter.blogspot.com/2011/07/plethora-of-presents.html">covers</a> before. But this time, I decided to try one that was made out of an old book. I wanted to use a Nancy Drew hardcover. So, I cut out a piece of cardboard the size of the Kindle and brought it with my local to Half Priced Books. Unfortunately, I got my measurements a little wrong, so my sample was larger than the actual Kindle. I ended up buying a Pushkin book that had a cute cover under the dust jacket. But when I got it home, I realized that it wasn't wide enough, so I used another book that I had just purchased from the Clearance section, instead.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8136587986/" title="Kindle Cover by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Kindle Cover" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8043/8136587986_2e733baf36.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I googled around and found several good tutorials that I used as guidelines. I just wanted to see what it would be like if I tried to make it. So, I told her that she is, of course, free to buy an actual case that may keep the Kindle in there a little better.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8136557795/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Kindle Cover by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Kindle Cover" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8470/8136557795_bac3cb3fce.jpg" width="500" /></a> </div>
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I picked out a dozen of my favorite prints from the Dear Stella, It's a Shore Thing line and made cloth napkins for my stepdad. I used some cotton sateen and some cotton lawn scraps for the backing. And they made a really nice, soft counterpart to the quilting cottons.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8136556995/" style="text-align: start;" title="Cloth Napkins by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Cloth Napkins" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8466/8136556995_64f50e7e77.jpg" width="333" /></a></div>
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I also received my swap blocks from the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/notyourgrannysbee/">Not Your Granny's Bee</a>! I love them! I can't wait to put them together. What a fun way to get a variety of blocks but still use the <a href="http://imagingermonkey.blogspot.com/2012/03/strip-piecing-granny-square-block.html">strip piecing method</a>. I can't decide if should try to ask for more of these blocks for my month in the Bee a {Modern} Swapper group, as well. Or if I should just make these into a cute baby quilt...<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8136554453/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Not Your Granny's Bee swap blocks by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Not Your Granny's Bee swap blocks" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8049/8136554453_b0c2fd250d.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Here's a sneak peek of the blocks I cut out and pieced for one of the three baby quilts that I have due. </div>
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8136555407/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Baby Quilt WIP by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Baby Quilt WIP" height="333" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8048/8136555407_ba5c6a2608.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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Hopefully, this week I will be able to get the blocks cut out and pieced for one of the others, as well. We'll see how long this sewing jag lasts!</div>
Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-219960645756424315.post-87100669900962742162012-09-24T12:35:00.000-05:002012-09-24T12:35:11.876-05:00September Sewing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8019874137/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Ba{M}S-September Block 2 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Ba{M}S-September Block 2" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8458/8019874137_658cd681f2.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I had some sewing to get done this month and I'm happy to say, I got it all done. I had a non-shower/shower for two of my sisters-in-law who are expecting in the next two months. (This is the second baby for each, so it was sort of a celebration of moms and babies, without being a full-blown shower.) I managed to get a couple of cotton knit blankets made in the wee hours before attending the non-shower shower. Wanna see a pic. Oh, you can't because I didn't have a camera :( It's something like <a href="http://www.makeit-loveit.com/2011/02/knit-receiving-blanketknit-baby-hats.html">this</a> but I make them double-layered.<br />
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I also finished up 16 blocks for the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/notyourgrannysbee/">Not Your Granny's Bee</a> block swap. I missed the deadline but looking at the "blocks received list," I'm gonna give myself a pat on the back. I'd love to show you pictures, but yet again. I don't have any. Another lesson learned - when you're sewing under the gun, you're almost always going to make mistakes. And by "you," I mean "me." I sewed up my first set of 8 back in May or June - right when I had drunk the Kool-Aid and was all high on just-signed-up-for-a-bee energy. I followed <a href="http://imagingermonkey.blogspot.com/2012/03/strip-piecing-granny-square-block.html">Katy's instructions</a> to a T and ll was right with the world.<br />
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Fast-forward 4 months (four months?!), and I was feverishly sewing on September 14th at 10pm, trying to make the September 15 deadline. Did I re-check the directions? No, I did not. Did I glance at the 8 blocks I had already made for reference? No, I did not. Did I make the deadline? No, I did not. Did my blocks come out exactly as they should have? (Say it with me, now...) No, they did not. I defaulted to pressing my seams open, instead of pressing them to the side. As a consequence, my Snow blocks are nice and flat and my Charcoal and White blocks are a bit puffy. Blerg.<br />
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The seams notwithstanding, I love the blocks and I'm looking forward to receiving the others. Embarrassed to be the swapper who sent messy blocks, but I hope they will forgive me and use them anyway.<br />
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I was able to finish up my September <a href="http://www.flickr.com/groups/12blocksofchristmasbee/">Bee a {Modern} Swapper</a> blocks this weekend. Mosaic blocks take me forever! This time, I laid out my scraps and tried to make sure I'd have enough for a 12.5" square block with the sashing. Did I? No, I did not. (OK, I'll stop doing that now.) But I was able to find enough scraps to make them work. Mary asked for Mosaic blocks in fall colors.<br />
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<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/tayamg/8019871883/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;" title="Ba{M}S-September Block 1 by Taya@TypeB, on Flickr"><img alt="Ba{M}S-September Block 1" height="500" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8457/8019871883_aba67c28dd.jpg" width="500" /></a></div>
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I had only made one before (I mistakenly thought that I had made a pair of them, but the one probably took me so long I thought I had made two!). So, this time around, I figured I'd do a little more planning, cut my pieces a little bigger and it would all come out right.<br />
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Well... it was fine. It was a little better than the first time. No seam-ripping, at least. Hopefully the pieces aren't too big. Lots of old scraps in these blocks!<br />
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Onward and upward, as my professor used to say!Taya@TypeBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17292919002838026092noreply@blogger.com1