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The Bestie Quilt #1 – Lone Star Farm Quilt

by Andrea | Jul 1, 2017 | DIY, handmade, quilting, Sewing

Quilts are made for many reasons, and yet I think the common thread that all quilts have are their purpose. I really don’t think that purpose is primarily physical warmth. When I make a quilt for someone, I have an emotional connection to the person and I want to communicate my love for them. In other words, I have “all the feels”… Usually the gifted person has blessed my life or they are dear to me in some way that needs commended or they are a tiny human, soon born to a momma whom I love… and the opportunity to creatively express what a gift they are to me is a quilt.

BESTIE QUILT

My first bestie quilt is not for my first bestie. I’d have to say she is my first mom friend and cultivated my love for sewing in a way that nurtured my creativity. She spent many hours helping, teaching, and encouraging me through the early days of marriage and first baby and hard trials and happy young days. She taught me how to “pick a chicken” when money was tight. She taught me to laugh when my kids made messes, and to just throw away those underwear when I was traumatized at potty training my first daughter! She even showed me how to iron my seams to the dark side….Haley carried on the tradition my mother began of “the older woman teaching the younger woman” how to be a worker at home from Titus even though she wasn’t much older than I. I’m so thankful God placed her in my life.

FABRIC AND PATTERN

It’s been a long time since we’ve lived in the same town, but she is often on my heart and in my prayers. One winter evening as I was gazing at my fabric piles, I felt the urge to make her a quilt. In fact, it seemed ridiculous that I had not done it yet. As I began pulling out the fabric, I knew exactly what she’d want and how I wanted to lay it out. I challenged myself this year not to buy anything new but to persevere and make quilts with what I have. I have so much. It always feels good to use what you have.

I chose to merge two separate collections of farm and canning prints by Riley Blake Fabrics and some denim chambray from AGF. I patched in a few pieces from Joann Fabrics as well that I have had since God only knows when….

The pattern began as a lone star quilt block, but then I carried out it’s border with half square triangles to make the star burst out and featured the center using the chambray as contrast. The quilt was a lot of fun. While I sewed, it was a great opportunity to reminisce, pray for Haley and to finish several books on audible! In fact, I have a link from Amazon for 2 free audible books here if you want to grab it! I enjoyed the last Harry Potter novel, tried to listen to Fantastic Beasts, but it was too tedious, and ended with Missional Motherhood by Gloria Furman.

Fun facts about Haley’s quilt:

-At the last possible minute as she was pulling out of her long farm driveway in Illinois to leave for Arkansas for a week, her postman pulled in to deliver the box. Phew! PTL! She took it with her in the car.

-I tried quilting tiny lines close together for the first time…loved it!

-I used red pearl cotton to hand quilt the chambray sections.

-Ruby Jane loved this quilt, and probably thought it was hers. She helped me photograph it. Why does it have to be so difficult to photograph quilts?! I need help.

I have a few more bestie quilts already in the works, but first I’ll be working on my #4 daughters quilt. She is getting so big and it’s time for her twin size quilt! Her 6th birthday is in a week!

Here are some links to the fabrics and batting I used! Annnnnnd lots more pictures below!

Finishing My First Quilt From 1994

by Andrea | Jun 17, 2017 | handmade, Home Decor, quilting, Sewing, Uncategorized

I started this quilt in 1994. It was the summer of my 7th grade year….Alanis Morissette was singing Ironic on my boom box cassette player. My cut offs were totally grunge and my mom was sponge painting the hunter green walls in our guest/sewing room. She taught me to quilt and I was hooked. For some reason though, life got busy when school started up again. The quilt top was left pieced but unquilted in the sewing room closet. I enrolled in 8th grade, got my Jennifer Anniston layered look and headed off to school with plaid flannel and dr. martens.

Several years later, I got married and my mom packed that quilt into my moving truck with me as we set off to rural Illinois. I was pregnant with our first child and the nesting of our home was in full swing. I got the quilt out and started working on it again. Slowly hand quilting here and there. I just never really stuck with it. I think part of it was because I didn’t like the style of the quilt. I never would have picked it out for my home now that I was a sophisticated newly wed hoping to decorate my farmhouse in trendy style. I put it away and purchased a Shabby Chic Quilt from Target!

After Illinois we had a long string of frequent moves and the quilt got moved about and lost in storage for several years. Fast forward to the most recent summer of 2016. 22 years after starting the quilt, I was mercilessly getting rid of everything I could because we were moving across the country for medical school and I did not want to haul anymore junk around for the rest of my life. I’m not a minimalist, but I decided we would sell everything and keep our moving expenses down.

Despite my ability to get rid of tons of fabric and unfinished projects, I could not let that quilt go. I told my mom, I would finish it. She offered to take it home with her and keep it safe while we moved across the country. She set about quilting it for me this past year and in May she brought it out and we finished quilting it together. I bound it with some Ralph Lauren plaid sheeting I had been hoarding for about 8 years. It was finally done!

I love it because it is finished and it represents the beginning of my love of quilting. Do I love the colors and composition? Probably not as mush as I did in 7th grade! But I still love yellow and it’s a cheerful addition to our slowly growing collection of family quilts. It only took 23 years to finish!

This is the year I finish all the quilts I’ve started over the years! I am excited to get to work on the next one!

QUILTING MUST HAVES:

I tried out a new set of refill blades for my Olfa rotary cutter while I finished this quilt up and I have to tell you about these puppies! They were super sharp and came in a great little case. And the price made my jaw drop to the floor. You get 10 for less than the price of an Olfa 2-pack! Try them!

Also my 2 1/2″ strip die for my accuquilt cutter. I love it. It makes the binding go superfast.

This rubber thimble is my new favorite for hand quilting! Super comfy. It’s the best.

How To Magically Make More Time (for sewing) Part 3

by Andrea | Mar 16, 2017 | Baby, DIY, handmade, Home Decor, quilting, Sewing, tutorials

Here it is friends. This is the LAST post in my Magical series. The people who need this post, won’t want too hear it… Honestly everyone is able to do this, at least for a season. You will have lots of excuses why you can’t, but if you love something, you will make the space and time for it.

To make more time for sewing you MUST LEAVE YOUR SEWING MACHINE OUT AND SET UP. You must find a space. You must make your kids share a room or have them eat outside on the deck or sew in your bedroom or even train your baby to go to sleep with the sound of the sewing machine whirring near her crib….all of these things I have done at one point or another. We have lived in a slew of tiny houses and apartments off and on over the years and the key to getting stuff sewn was and always is leaving my machine out.

I want to encourage you to “Just Do It” Nike doesn’t consider sewing a sport, but if they did I would totally be sponsored. HAHA.

Right now I am very fortunate to have a nice finished room to sew in. I share it with the girls so that if there are moments during school that I can sew, then I can! Here are a few creative ways to leave your machine out if you don’t have a sewing room.

THE PLASTIC STORAGE BIN
Just get a bin with a lid and shove it in there and slide it under the kitchen table. If it’s already there then you will be more likely to use it. Here is good one.

THE NOOK
There is always a place for a sewing nook. Get a nice wooden or sewing specific folding table, that way if you have company or need the space temporarily{ for something less fun than sewing }you can move it and put it back up easily. When my husband was in seminary we lived in the campus apartments. SO FREAKING TINY. Someone had left a wooden folding table in our apartment so we used it for that.

THE PLACE YOU DONT LIKE
Is the basement your sewing lair? Do you hate it so much? Is it watery and smelly and dark? Just set up your supplies and organize in such a way that you can have your project out and ready to grab easily so you can bring it up to the kitchen table for the afternoon or evening.

Give up on the ideal places you see on blogs and pinterest and give yourself the freedom to enjoy your sewing time. Sewing has been such a great way for me to lose myself and relax. I listen to a book on Audible, pop my headphones in my ears, and start making! Just do it!

Here is a picture of my non pinterest worthy sewing space. I sure am thankful for it and I get so much more sewing in. My plans for it include painting the cabinet a bright happy color, but then I wouldn’t have as much time to sew….the struggle. 🙂

Happy Sewing Friends! JUST DO IT!

-Andrea

Not Your Grandmas Cheater Quilt!

by Andrea | Feb 6, 2017 | DIY, Graphic Design, handmade, quilting, Sewing, tutorials

Welcome to the blog today! Several months ago I designed a fresh take on the old cheater quilt. After testing it out, I’m finally ready to share the whole process with you. Ever heard of Spoonflower? The company offers an amazing service that I’ve been wanting to take advantage of for years. So this is my year! I’m doing lots of things I’ve never done before. I’m seizing the day – Carpe Diem! Or perhaps I’m seizing the year? Carpe Anno! Spoonflower Fabric allows customers to upload a design to their website and have it printed on fabric. {They also offer wallpaper and wrapping paper.} If you aren’t a designer but want a custom piece of fabric you can shop the Spoonflower fabric site with thousands of designers from all over the world to find your perfect piece! They operate a bit like Etsy in that, you can look at each designers shop, not just the designs themselves. So I invite you to look at my Spoonflower shop and buy a modern cheater quilt to start with!

I love the idea of cheater quilts, they are fast and fun! Sadly, though, most cheater quilts are very ugly and outdated. In fact, I haven’t really seen a good cheater quilt until Spoonflower hosted a contest last year on them. It got me thinking about it. I wanted to incorporate some of the tried and true quilt blocks from the past and yet I wanted a modern airy feel to the cheater quilt. I chose a squash blossom pattern, enlarged it on a grid big enough for one yard of fabric, used half square triangles to construct the pattern and quilting lines. The panel is available in two color ways of cheerful, calm solids.

My Peachy version contains a few shades of grey, pale peachy pink, and a light smoky blue on navajo white. This design is great for a modern baby quilt, but also finds it’s home amongst cozy couches, and master bedrooms. You can make a large quilt out of several yards/panels. I included a border on two sides to help you implement this concept.

I hope you catch the cheater quilt bug…. You can buy it in my Spoonflower shop and whip it up in an afternoon….

Here’s a shot of the Teal Colorway panel. I’ll be sewing it up soon. It has dark and light teal, mustard, and navajo white.

Vintage Puff Quilt

by Andrea | Jan 19, 2017 | quilting, Sewing, tutorials

Interested in puff quilts? I saw some very ugly ones last summer and I haven’t been able to get them out of my mind ever since. This Vintage Puff Quilt happened because I have a problem. When I can’t get to sleep at night I lie awake and solve design problems in my head.

PROBLEMS

Problem One: Most puff quilts are ugly. I wanted a puff quilt that was not ugly.
Problem Two: Most puff quilts are pieced squares, therefore time consuming. I wanted to make a beautiful puff quilt quickly. {Like in a day or less.}
Let’s face it, I wanted to make a puff quilt just to spite these glaring problems. It also occurred to me that children would love these. The texture is so fun! I have lots of children, therefore I must make one. My children don’t really have a huge need for blankets, seeing as I make so many quilts already….and I come from a family of talented quilters. So I still lacked a little in motivation even after I had solved the afore mentioned problems in my head.
I was thinking about the puff quilts in Mary Poppins one night at the end of Jane and Michael’s beds and it occurred to me how lovely they would be as a gift to someone starting a home.
Well, my lovely sister in law decided to grow up, move out of her parents house and turn 21 so I finally found the proper justification to indulge myself in a puff quilt making marathon.

It’s quite simple, really. I hope you’ll be encouraged to make one soon once I reveal just how easy and quick it really is.

MATERIALS
2 flat twin sheets
2 bags stuffing, Fiber-Fil
Thread
Clear Quilting Ruler
Pencil
Sewing Machine

INSTRUCTIONS
1.) First, find two flat sheets or curtains. Preferably soft vintage fabric or just a high quality set with a soft hand. I used the vintage Shabby Chic Curtains from my first bedroom that I had been hoarding for a long time for this project. They were 60″ x 84″ roughly the size of a twin blanket. I had four, so that means I will be making another one very soon!

2.) Sew your sheets right side together on both long ends and one short end. You’ll need the fourth end open for stuffing. *Turn right side out. (CRUCIAL)

3.) Make a grid. You’ll be sewing a grid of squares to stuff and puff! Measure your sheet and divide into equal square sections. I used less math than you might think. An easy way to do this is divide your sheet in half then keep halving the sections. Mine ended up being 6.5″ wide. I measured across the shorter measurement, the width of the sheet. and marked each using a clear quilting ruler and a pencil. Once you’ve made a mark at each equal point, draw these lines vertically up the entire length of your sheet.
Now measure 6.5″ up and make a horizontal line. Continue until you have marked a grid of squares entirely over your whole sheet.

4.) Sew & Stuff. Sew the vertical lines starting at the bottom of your quilt. Sew only two-three squares up at a time. You can’t fit your arm all the way dow the entire vertical column of the quilt, trust me(*wink, wink) I know from experience. Grab a handful of stuffing. Put a handful in each colomn all the way down and sew your horizontal line across to secure your squares of puff stay put. Next stuff a hand full of stuffing down each vertical column again and sew your horizontal line across the quilt to secure.

5.) Just keep sewing and stuffing your way to the top. If your sheet doesn’t end up with a perfect square at the top (mine didn’t) that is OK!

6.) Finish the top seam. Fold the ends of your quilt down inside the quilt 1 inch. Pin and iron….Then sewed across. No binding. No lengthy finishing process. Whoo Hoo!

The whole quilt took me 3 hours. That’s all! It was a blissfully fun project! I hope you’ll make a puff quilt and share it with me! Happy Sewing! -Andrea

Easy Blanket Poncho Tutorial

by Andrea | Oct 31, 2016 | DIY, handmade, Sewing, tutorials, Uncategorized

Welp, I have fallen onto the bandwagon of trendiness this fall. I really hated ponchos back in the 90’s but I like the new blanket style ones that are on the very front display at Target this year taunting me with their plaids and tribally goodness like sea sirens to a sailor. I was at Joanne’s this week a couple times for ONE THING. I kept walking past this woven tribal fabric and I couldn’t stand it. I brought it home and promptly turned it into a blanket poncho. Even my 12 year old likes it. That’s saying something. It was my reward for finishing the fancy fox quilt for my daughter that took like 1200 hours.

If you’d like to join in on the poncho trend, I’ve made up a quick and easy poncho tutorial for you to follow. It takes 1 yard of fabric and about 20 minutes tops!

Did I to mention it’s CHEAPER?! You could make 3-4 of these for the price of a Target or Gap one right now! Can we say CHRISTMAS GIFTS?!!! If you purchase 1 yard of 60″ wide woven fabric for 12.99 and they have most of it 40% off right now, then you use your 20% off total purchase coupon….. well, you have yourself an amazing poncho for only $6.30! So hurry and get started! Here is the nitty and the gritty in an easy to follow downloadable image! I’d love to see your ponchos! Tag em #aldeasyponcho

EASY BLANKET PONCHO TUTORIAL DOWNLOAD

Here are some pictures of me and my 12 year old daughter trying it on….so it’s pretty versatile size wise but I have included instructions for a custom fit do you can make for ANY SIZE!!!! Happy Poncho-ing. Make all the ponchos!!!

-Andrea

Grace was my photographer and her Miranda impressions made it impossible for me to do anything but cheesy laughing faces. She’s pretty cute.