Doll Quilt Finished!

Doll Quilt, Complete
Originally uploaded by On a Whim | LittleWhimsies

Here it is mid-February and I haven't done much quilting this year yet. So I was happy to have the opportunity to make this little quilt. I had been wanting to make a "Whirlygiggle" quilt after seeing a number of darling ones on Flickr. Most notably, the one featured on the "Two Dogs and A Quilt" blog. It is really pretty. Now the person I made it for really likes pink and green, but I didn't want to copy the other quilt. And I had just received the green, yellow and aqua paisley fabric from eQuilter.com. I LOVE this fabric. So I wanted to try the whirlygiggle and I wanted to make a quilt in these colors...so this is the result. I used EQ5 to design the blocks and make the template. My finished squares are 2.25". It was really quite easy to do; the hardest part was keeping the pieces in order to sew them together! I mailed it off today and I'm hoping the person I made it for likes it...




Hopefully the sixth installment of the Doll Quilt Swap will be opened soon so I can make another little quilt. I seem to need the pressure of a deadline to actually sit down and make one.

WIP, Today's Progress

Yay! Some progress on my latest doll quilt. This one is a little gift that I thought I would have finished by now. I started cutting the pieces 2 weeks ago; but with the snow and the kids home 4 days and then a busy week last week, I'm just now putting it together. Tomorrow I hope to add the borders and get it quilted. Hopefully it will be finished by Friday - that's my goal. We'll see what pops up between now and then...


I had been wanting to make a pinwheel quilt for awhile; I've seen some really nice ones over on Flickr. So I pulled some fabrics and sat down with EQ5 and this is what I came up with. I'm liking it so far; it was pretty easy to sew together. The seam allowance are a bit fussy to press, but that is often the case with these little quilts.

Home Again!

Back to the real world. We traveled home over the weekend. Two whole days of driving! That is probably the worst part of living in Ohio; we are such a long way from the ocean. And I love the ocean. I'm always happiest by the sea. Our vacation was lovely. Sanibel Island was a very nice place to spend a week. The beach was beautiful with many, many shells. The water was very warm and very calm. It was very peaceful and restful. But now we're back and need to get back up to our normal pace of living. School starts on August 26, and we have a lot to do before then.

While in Sanibel, I visited a quilt shop called Three Crafty Ladies. It was a quaint little shop. I picked up a little kit and a pattern which I will have to add to my list of projects to do. Somehow it never gets any shorter... At the top of the list is my Doll Quilt Swap 4 quilt. The fabric is all there, I just need to decide on the design and get it made. I want to do something a bit different this time.

I've been checking out Flickr to see all the quilts in both the Four Seasons Quilt Swap and Doll Quilt Swap groups. I've seen many I would love to own. I don't know if the one I am to recieve is one of the ones posted or not. Our mail was held last week while we were away and it is due to be delivered today. Hopefully there will be a package containing a quilt in with the mess of magazines, junk mail and bills.

I also need to get busy and make some things for Etsy. I've got some ideas but they seem to take some time to develop into actual finished items. Realistically, I'm not going to have much productive sewing time until after school begins. My kids are growing up so fast; I'm going to just enjoy the rest of the summer with them and worry about my shops when they're at school.

Busy days

Well, I've not posted lately. I've not completed anything photo- or blog-worthy. I've been working on prototypes for things I hope to have in my Etsy shop soon. I've got a custom order I'm still awaiting all the fabrics to get started. I've been trying to catch up on some housework and yardwork, too. The weather has moderated a bit, but it is still warmer and drier than it ought to be. It rained today, so maybe the weeds will come out of the ground a little easier tomorrow. So much to do, so little time.

My oldest heads off to Washington, DC for the 8th grade trip next week. That is a source of anxiety for me. Such a large group of kids, such a busy city. We've taken the children to DC a couple of times and visited many of the monuments and museums, so at least there will be a little familiarity with the environment. The school tells me they've never lost anyone, yet. I guess this is supposed to make me feel better.

My little quilt has apparently not reached its destination yet. I do hope it eventually gets there. I would be very sad if it went to some package limbo, never to be seen again.

Progress!

Well, after a rather tedious day in the sewing room, I can report some progress on my autumn swap quilt. It's ninety degrees again today and it gets hot up in my little workspace. My little triangles wanted to twist under the feed dogs, which annoys me. But, at the end of the day, I have the center part of my little quilt together! Usually piecing goes a little smoother, but I guess I'm a bit out of practice. I think the result looks pretty good, though. Now I have to figure out the rest; I've changed my idea for the border. Enough triangles already! I've always thought I would applique some leaves and acorns around the border. I've got lots of sit and wait time coming up (swim practice starts soon!) so handwork is good way to pass the time.



I've been watching too much tennis on TV. The US Open is in the second week and some of the matches have been very good. My TIVO has been busy! But soon it will be over and there won't be much to watch until the Australian Open next year.

I've also been distracted by a doll. I saw these on the internet awhile ago and remembered them from my childhood. Well, I've become obsessed and finally decided I would not be content until I had one. It's the eyes I think, kind of like a sad puppy you want to bring home. My Blythe doll is on her way from Hong Kong and I'm already planning her wardrobe. And here I'd thought I'd finally grown up... Maybe if the clothes turn out, I'll add them to my Etsy shop. I really need to rationalize somehow...

Until next time!

Wendy

And They're Off!

First day of school! I saw my children off to school today and then rattled around the house most of the day. Weird, to be alone all day... I did some organizing/cleaning of my sewing room which always seems to be needed. I thought about what projects I need to get started on; I've a rather long list...

Anyway, I did take the time to clean and oil my precious Featherweight today. It was once my mother's. My father found it at a garage sale and brought it home. Yes, it was one of those once in a lifetime finds. It was a bit neglected and smelly, but my mother loved it. Since you don't get to take your Featherweight to heaven, it lives with me now. All the pieces are there, in the original case. Some of the accessories are pitted and rusty. It runs fine, after a bit of tinkering and oiling and sews a beautiful stitch. The machine smells faintly of mildew even after a couple of cleanings, which puts me off using it much. I'm not sure what to do about that. The case is not usable, the smell of mildew is overpowering. I've not put the machine back in the case for years, but the machine is still a bit stinky...



The fabrics in the photo are the ones I plan to use in my Four Season Swap quilt. I need to get them washed and pressed and ready to go. Tomorrow morning, I suppose. I've got the pieced design ready to go, I just have to decide on the applique part of it. I can get it all pieced first though. I've wandered around the other swappers' blogs a bit. Looks like there will be a lot of great doll quilts flying around the world!

Until next time,

Wendy

It's Here!

Oh Happy Day! My doll quilt arrived today from far, far away. Half way around the world it travelled, all the way from Australia! It is lovely--all hand stitched and hand quilted! In yummy colors that will go perfectly in my sewing room. And as if the quilt wasn't special enough, the package was loaded with goodies, too! My thoughtful swap partner, Samantha, included some very cute fabric with a back-to-school theme and the current issue of Australian Patchwork & Quilting magazine. What a treat for me. It's a wonderful magazine that I pick up at the fabric shop sometimes when I'm in the mood for a bit of a splurge! So, here are the photos:

Isn't it great! I had so much fun doing the Doll Quilt Swap II. I hope they do it again, I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Now I have to bake a cake - wheat, milk, and peanut-free, for my son who is having a birthday tomorrow. And wrap presents...

Better get busy!

Wendy

Summertime!

Well, I'm back from vacation. We went to Acadia National Park in Maine. I have never been to a more beautiful place. Absolutely breath-taking! We hiked and drove around the park, and wandered through all the little towns and harbors. We were there just before peak season, so the crowds weren't there yet. We went whale watching and saw 2 whales. That was amazing! Such enormous creatures! And best of all, it was still spring there! So I got to enjoy wildflowers, rhododendrons, azaleas, lupines and other spring flowers all blooming abundantly. That was an unexpected and lovely surprise. I took many, many photos. Here are a few.



Well, now that vacation is over, it is time for me to get busy and get some new things in my Etsy shop. I haven't listed anything new for awhile, but I have some ideas for some new things. I just have to figure out when I'm going to sew. My kids are keeping me very busy running them to swim practices.

I also got my partner's name for the Doll Quilt Swap. I designed a little quilt today, so now I can get busy and put it together. I can't wait to see how it turns out!

That's all for now!

Wendy