Big things, small things and finally a winner

Posted on May 18, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

Eight weeks post baby, I was sure I would be back on my A game. I must have blocked this stage from my memory or something. You see, I seem to makes babies whom are affectionately termed “high needs.” I call them “high maintenance.” They are all good until you set them down. Then they do this:

Think I’m kidding? I’m not. Every read every book … er … in the book, but the solution to avoiding this poor, sad little face is: hold the baby. All. The. Time. Usually, the holding occurs in the form of a baby carrier so I can at least have my hands free. However, having a human attached to you makes sewing difficult. Not impossible, but definitely more challenging than usual. If she is sound asleep and I set her down, she wakes up. Sometimes within minutes, sometimes within the half hour, very occasionally, I might get a full hour. We co-sleep because it’s the only way anyone will get any sleep. She must be touching another human or she lets you know about it! I’m confident that this daughter will grow into a confident, independent child as her older sisters have, but for now, progress in the sewing room is slow.

Add to that we’re suddenly moving half way across the country. In three and a half weeks! Needless to say, I have a lot on my mind right now.

But hey, I have a winner from the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day! Send me your address, quick, so I can mail this to you before I pack!

When I do get a moment or two to sew, I’m working on my project for Moda Bake Shop. The motivation is there, the means are not. Little by little, I’ll get there.

Presently, I am still hoping/planning to lead the Road Trip Quilt Along next month. In light of my new life situation, though, I may have to postpone it. I’m going to try the quilt in all solids, the colors inspired by this dress my daughter wore for some recent family photos.

And! I got Brian’s quilt back from my friend who long-armed it for me. She did an all-over leaf pattern, which fits perfectly with the nature-inspired colored scheme.

Now I just have to bind it. I was going to go with something more subdued, but I really like how this bright green (at the top of the photo below) looked.

So, that’s what’s going on with me. What are you working on in your sewing space? Do you have any awesome packing and moving tips you’d like to share?

Giveaway Day in Shades of Gray

Posted on May 6, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

It’s Giveaway Day over on Sew, Mama, Sew. If you haven’t heard of this event before, well you’ve been living under a rock. Seriously, if you like sewing, crafting, or just handmade goodness, get yourself over there and check out the hundreds of blogs with something to give away this week!

Thanks for stopping by Sewing by Moonlight. Things have been pretty quiet around here as I’ve basically been on maternity leave from this blog space. I miss it, and I especially miss my nighttime sewing sessions, but with a six week old, I’m just beginning to come out of the sleepless newborn haze. I hope to get my sewing and blogging time back soon.

In the little time I’ve been able to sneak in with my sewing machine, I’ve been working on my first project for the Moda Bake Shop. With a white background, it doesn’t fit in with the May “color pop” theme they have going on over there, but it should work nicely for the June “baby and bridal shower” theme.

When that’s finished, I will finally publish the long ago promised paper piecing pattern for the book I used on the Nancy Drew tote.

In June, I’m also still planning to begin my Road Trip Quilt Along here on Sewing by Moonlight. I LOVE my Road Trip Quilt from last summer, and I’m looking forward to creating another great series of state tutorials. This year, I’m planning 12 states in 12 weeks instead of 16, and this is an imagined road trip since my family will not be traveling across the country this year. You can find the plan for the 2013 Road Trip Quilt Along here. The blocks will look something like this:

I would LOVE for you to join the Road Trip this summer. So, please, subscribe to Sewing by Moonlight in your favorite reader or Like Sewing by Moonlight on Facebook to stay up to date and learn when the tutorials are posted!

And now for the Giveaway. I love gray as a neutral. I think it looks great with just about any color. For you, a fat eighth bundles of some of my favorite grays, and because I can’t give you just gray, a fat quarter of one of my favorite prints from Amy Schimler’s Fly Away line.

To Enter: Leave a comment below. Tell me what makes you come back to a blog: writing, inspiration photos and finished projects, tutorials (what types), works in progress, etc.

And if you’re so inclined to come back to this blog, follow me and then leave a second comment telling me that you do.

Works in Progress: No List

Posted on April 17, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

In past Works in Progress posts, I often posted The List of projects currently in the works. I’m going to put that on hold right now. I have a newborn. I need to focus on just one thing at a time. And this week, it’s my project for Moda Bake Shop. I currently have a pile of 300-and-some squares with little triangles sewn to one side. I have close to 200 more to complete. Then, it’s time to trim the extra white, iron the pieces, trim the squares back to 2.5 inches and make a quilt. Whoo-hoo!

Five little zippered pouches

Posted on April 8, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

A couple weeks before Aurora was born, some friends hosted a brunch for me. Because this is baby #3 for me, I was really humbled that they still wanted to have a baby “sprinkle” in my honor. It’s always nice to have a reason to get together with your girl friends, I guess! I decided to make them each a little hostess gift.

Because I decided on this project late, these are simple, “no frills” zip pouches. Just outside, lining, and a fun colored zipper.

They are each about 8 x 4.5 inches, if I remember correctly, so they will work well for a little wallet or cosmetic bag or a place to keep smaller items in a larger bag.

I tried to choose the fabrics that reminded me of each friend, or that I already knew they liked. I hope they enjoy their little bit of handmade fun!

The Road Trip Ends (Finally!)

Posted on April 5, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

I am beyond thrilled to finally have finished this quilt. For awhile there, I was convinced I would never finish it. The process was long. Though only a twin sized, this is the largest quilt I have quilted on my home machine and I was using this project to learn free motion quilting, so I was definitely taking baby steps toward the finish.

Since this is the quilt from my Road Trip Quilt Along, each block represents a state, so I quilted the state names below each block (can you see it?).

This is one of my favorite quilted blocks. I love the look of the flowers and half flowers, and I feel like I was finally getting a grasp on free motion quilting by the time I quilted this block, so it looks nice and even as well.

The back is pieced and includes a lot of my scraps from working on the Quilt Along blocks, as well as a couple of rejected blocks.

I did a nice back and forth loop on the border (inspired by Amylouwho on instagram) with flowers in the corner. I love the stripe-y yellow and gray binding.

I am so proud of this quilt and the fact that I used it to learn free motion quilting. It’s reassuring to see my physical progress. I definitely need lots more practice, but you can see how far I’ve come. Below, you can see some pebbling I did in one of the first blocks I quilted on the left, and on the right, the same pattern in one of my later blocks.

This quilt has taken residence in the living room, and in addition to a quilt, it has already been an elevator, the ocean, a hideout, and an animal home. I am sure it will be well-loved by our family!

More fun finishes from the quilting world at Crazy Mom Quilts and Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday.

A lovely year of finishes: for Brian

Posted on April 4, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

I have been meaning to play along with A Lovely Year of Finishes, and here we are, ~~month #3~~ month #4 (I really did write month #3 first. shit. where has the time gone?!) of 2013 and this is my first goal post (that’s goal setting blog post, not the goal post from the end zone). Though, if one finishes a goal for the month, it’s kind of like a touchdown, isn’t it? I’ll go with yes!

I started a quilt for Brian ages ago. I wanted to be finished with it before baby girl #3 arrived. Well, she’s here, so that didn’t happen! I wanted to be finished before Brian moved into his new house. He moved in this week, so that didn’t happen either.

However, the top is finished. And so is the back. And the whole quilt sandwich is off visiting a friend with a long arm who has offered to quilt it for me. So, assuming I get the quilt back in time my ~~March~~ APRIL! (I did it again) goal is to bind it and mail it off to Brian.

The question remains: to hand sew the binding or to machine sew the binding? What do you think??

The 39 Week “Work in Progress”

Posted on March 26, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

I understand things have been quiet around Sewing by Moonlight. I’m thrilled to tell you about the “Work in Progress” that took 39 weeks to complete!

We welcomed our third daughter to the family 5 days ago. Aurora Diane was born this past Thursday at 2:41 in the afternoon. At 8 pounds, 7 ounces, she was nearly 2 pounds larger than her sisters were at birth! She entered the world gazing skyward, fully face first, and as a result, she was rather bruised and swollen her first day of life. She has fully recovered, and is beautiful and healthy with a full head of dark hair, amazing round baby cheeks, and the most elegant, tiny, long fingers.

Bruised baby, happy mama

Lucky guy, with daughter #3

The big sisters meet the new baby (Kaia crashed out in the background)

Sierra holds baby Aurora for the first time

Three sisters

Kaia is awake and gets to hold the baby. She’s thrilled with her “big sister” role!

First family photo

Perfection, at 5 days old

And now … back to sewing! But less sewing by moonlight for me for awhile. I can barely keep my eyes open past 9.

Paper pieced book pattern update + Giveaway winner

Posted on March 16, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

Last Friday, I had a giveaway for my Nancy Drew tote bag and I promised you a pattern for the paper pieced book I drafted for the tote.

I know I said it would be up this week, but I opened my file to tweak the seam allowances a little bit and discovered a much easier way to do the layout. The original had nine separate sections that then had to be sewn together. The new one has just three. More pieces in each section, but fewer sections. Anyway, I ended up re-doing the entire pattern. Now I feel like I should probably make one first to make sure it works out okay. I’ll try to have it up by early next week, okay?

Also, the giveaway winner is Judith.

She said:

Love your Nancy Drew bag! Great tutorial to follow. Thank you for sharing today.
Judith, Texas

Congratulations, Judith. I hope you enjoy your library tote; it will be in the mail next week!

This WILL be finished!

Posted on March 15, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

I am finally seeing the end in sight for Brian’s quilt.

My friend Brian, whom I’ve known for practically my entire life, lost his home in the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs last summer. Devastating, for sure, but there really wan’t much I could do to help him out from 1600 miles away.

What I can offer, though, is a new a quilt to give him something warm and snuggly from a friend for his new home. My goal was to have the quilt finished before his house was rebuilt (who knew it would take me just as long to make a quilt as it would to build an entire house). I made about half the blocks myself, and others came from friends from (literally) around the world.

When I asked for help from an online quilt group, I actually received more blocks than I needed for the quilt, so I used the extras in a pieced back (should have taken a picture of that!).

I had a friend offer to quilt this for me on her long arm (thank goodness, at 96 inches x 96 inches, this would have been bear to quilt on my home machine!) and she said she would probably be able to get to it this week! Last I checked, Brian’s move-in date was April 2nd, so there’s a chance this will actually be finished before then!

Nancy Drew Blog Hop: Library Tote Tutorial + Giveaway

Posted on March 7, 2013 by sewingbymoonlight

Despite the fact that I have known about this hop for months, March was suddenly upon me and a note in my inbox reminded me that March 7th was my day on the Nancy Drew Get a Clue blog hop.

Luckily, I had already designed my project and the paper pieced pattern I would use. And luckily, my husband is on spring break and could entertain our girls for a few hours today while I completed the project.

It seems that some of the other blog hop stops from yesterday were similarly inspired by the books featuring Nancy Drew to create a bag for books, but I do hope to give you a unique spin.

The fabric I ordered from Nancy Drew Get a Clue by Moda included a book cover panel and a charm pack of 42 5-inch squares. I also picked up some text fabrics because I thought those would play nicely with the whole book theme.

Make a Nancy Drew Library Tote

Supplies:

*Front and back panel of the tote: (2) rectangles, 14.5 x 18.5 inches. My panels are pieced, so some additional step are required. I’ll explain below.
*Lining: (2) rectangles, 14.5 x 18.5 inches. Do not use quilting weight cotton. We want this bag to hold books and we want it to last. The structure of the bag comes from the lining in this case, so use something heavy: denim, canvas, heavy twill, etc.
*Handles: (2) pieces of 1-inch wide webbing, 22 inches long.
*Basic sewing supplies.

Make the pieced front and back panel

Begin with a book cover from the fabric panel. This is cut to 10.5 x 14.5 inches.

For the opposite side, I made a paper pieced book with text fabric and solids that coordinated with the Nancy Drew fabric. Come back next week and I will show the tutorial for the paper pieced book and give you the PDF pattern to make your own!

Select 14 of the charms and cut them in quarters to makes 56 2.5-inch squares.

Using a 1/4 inch seam allowance, sew the 2.5-inch square together in strips of 7. You will have eight strips. Attach these strips along the edges of your front and back panel pieces.

You now have the front and back of your library tote. Each panel measures 14.5 x 18.5 inches.

Place the two pieces right sides together. Now that we are constructing the bag, rather than piecing, increase your seam allowance to 1/2 inch. Beginning at the top of the bag, begin sewing along one side. Back stitch 4-5 stitches and continue stitching along one side. Stop 1/2 inch from the bottom of the bag, leave the needle down, lift the presser foot, and turn the bag a quarter turn to stitch along the bottom of the bag. Repeat, stitching up the other side and back stitching when you reach the top edge of the bag.

At each bottom corner of the bag, mark 3/4 inch in from the side seam and 3/4 inch up from the bottom seam.

Pull the front and back panels away from each other and align the bottom seam with the side seam.

Sew across the corner of the bag along the line you just drew. Add another line of stitching about 1/8th inch further down. Trim off excess fabric.

While your bag is still inside out, fold the top edge 1/2 inch toward the wrong side and press.

Turn the bag right side out.

Make the lining

Remember, you will be using (2) rectangles 14.5 x 18.5 inches of a heavy weight fabric. I I used denim for this project.

Find the center of the wrong side of each lining piece. Mark a 1 inch line 2.5-3.5 inches from the center and 2 inches below the top edge of the lining.

If using synthetic webbing, seal the edges by quickly passing a match along the edge. Align your webbing pieces with the lines you just drew and pin in place. Be sure your webbing does not get twisted!

Attach the straps to the wrong side of the lining using an x-box. This will ensure your straps will stand up to hauling books around and will not rip from the bag.

Place your two lining pieces right sides together and sew along each side and the bottom with 1/2 inch seam allowance, as you did with the outside panels. Remember to backstitch at the beginning and end of your stitches.

Again, at each bottom corner, mark 3/4 inch in from the side seam and 3/4 inch up from the bottom seam. Pull the front and back away from each other to line up the bottom seam with the side seam. Sew along the line you drew to create the boxed bottom of the bag.

Fold the top edge toward the wrong side and press. If you are using synthetic webbing do not touch the iron to the webbing!!

Assemble the bag

Slip the lining into the outside of the bag with wrong sides together.

Align the top edge of the lining with the top edge of the outside of the bag and pin in place.

Edge stitch very close to the top edge of the bag. Repeat a second line of stitching about 1/8 inch below the first.

Finished!

Giveaway

Do you want to win this super cool, super sturdy library tote? Just leave me a comment and let me know what sort of handmade bags you would be inclined to buy.

For another chance to win, be a follower of this blog, or become a follower and let me know in another comment.

For a third chance to win, Like Sewing by Moonlight on Facebook and leave a comment saying that you do.

Giveaway will close Friday, March 15th at 9PM EDT.

Don’t forget to come back next week for the paper pieced book pattern!

Go check out the other stops on the Nancy Drew blog hop today!

Simple Sew

Sewing By Moonlight (you are here!)

Beaquilter

Pat Sloan’s Place

A Stitch In Time

Judith Handmade Treasures

Gingersnaps Fabrics and Quilts