My Itty Bitty Quilts

My School Bag

2010-10-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

I have a whole stash of tote bags, each with a different purpose. I have one for my Sunday School material, one for volleyball, and since as of the end of September, I am a student again, I needed one for school. I had found this funky fabric at Ikea in the spring. I knew it would make a super cute tote for someone! I used a no-whale corduroy for the pockets and handles and lined it in a chocolate brown solid. Filled with school books, it's a pretty heavy bag, but it makes me smile :)

Blogger's Quilt Festival!

2010-10-29T15:32:00.001-07:00

DQS8finished, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

I'm sharing with you a little doll quilt that I completed this year, using all fabrics from my scrap bucket. I had made a large lap sized Merry Go Round Quilt last fall and I wanted to challenge myself to a mini version. It was really a lot of fun to put together. I just loved matching up all of the fabrics! I was able to practice a new-to-me quilting technique because it was such a small size. Hope you enjoy and have a jaw-droppingly good time looking at all the gorgeous quilts!

Back to School I Spy

2010-09-25T16:01:00.001-07:00

Back to School I Spy, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

My youngest went off to Kindergarten this year. I'm caught somewhere between *sniff* and Yay! Well, anyway, each child needed a nap mat. The teacher sent home a note saying that they could simply bring a towel for a mat, but there was no way the son of a quilter was taking a towel for a mat :) I saw this great I Spy pattern written up by Kathy Mack of Pink Chalk Fabrics for Craft Hope. I knew that I wanted to make one, but I made a few changes (as usual!) Check out the great FREE pattern!
Quilted in an allover stipple using variegated thread. I "enveloped this quilt and backed it with Minkee. I'm not thrilled with the result. As you can see the edges are pretty wavy. But little guy likes it and that's really what it's all about. I have a feeling it won't help him nap, though, in a room full of kids :)

Sewingmamas.com Summer Doll Quilt Swap

2010-09-25T15:37:00.001-07:00

SMSummerDQS, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Here is the little quilt I did for my partner on the www.sewingmamas.com doll quilt swap. I saw a mini Trip Around the World in an old (at least 20 years!) quilt magazine and sketched out a version in my handy dandy graph paper notebook, adding it to my to-do someday list. Just a few weeks ago, I saw that the super talented Red Pepper Quilts had done one of these in stunning primary colors. LOVE! Well, that quickly moved this project up from the TO-DO to the MUST-DO :) I was pretty sure that I didn't want to just cut and piece all those little pieces so I used a very thin fusible web and ironed on all the squares (cut 1 1/2" each), then sewed the vertical seams first and then horizontal. I used some of my favorite bright summery fabrics all framing that one little Heather Ross mushroom.
I quilted this little one in an all over diagonal pattern and bound with a solid red.
The quilt is in the hands of my partner now and I think I might need one for my wall, too :)

A fantastic giveaway!

2010-06-12T07:51:00.000-07:00

Amy, from Amy's Creative Side Blog is having a ton of fantastic giveaways. Definitely check her out. I would love to win this!

Recess Mini Quilt

2010-05-31T04:46:00.001-07:00

Recess Mini Quilt, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Happy Memorial Day! And a huge thanks to all those who have faithfully served our country in the armed forces. Most of you are volunteers, some of you were drafted, but you all gave of your time and energy to make our country a GREAT place to live!

I was really going to sleep in this morning, but my puppy and my bladder had different ideas! Anyway, it's so nice to be up before the crew and enjoy a few peaceful moments before I need to be making my potato salad and apple pie :)

Above is my most recent finished project. I have a spot at the end of my hallway that has displayed seasonal quilts. The problem is, I only have a fall and winter one that fits. The empty space was bothering me so I picked up this Shnibbles pattern (LIttle Bit O' Country, I believe) and found some leftover Recess charm squares and went to work! It was a quick, fun project to do and I couldn't be happier with the brightness it adds to the hall!

Bloggers Quilt Fesitval!

2010-05-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

I just love the Bloggers Quilt Festival! Thank you so much Amy for your inspirataion and continued willingness to host it. If you would like to see all of the other participating blogs, just click on the button :)

My quilt this time around is a queen sized bed quilt for my very own bed. You know the old tale of the shoemakers children going without shoes? Well, my dear hubby has been asking for a time for one of my quilts for OUR bed. *Of course, the pup had to get in on the action!*

I put it off for so long:
A. because we have moved SO much thanks to the Army
B. I couldn't decide on the appropriate colors
C. I don't love making large quilts

Now, we are settled though, and I had no more excuses. Our bedroom walls are a sagey green with white trim. Dh really likes more traditional fabrics and patterns so we decided together on the fabric line Glace by Moda. It's really a Christmas line, but really it had so few obviously Christmas prints that I knew it would be just fine.
Pattern is a disappearing 9 patch. Quick and easy!
The best part about this quilt, though, is that I had an opportunity to visit my sister over Spring Break and quilt this on her mid-arm. So fun! I made tons of mistakes, but it was so much easier than straining my muscles trying to quilt this on my home machine!

Have fun visiting all the quilts and blogs!

Links to some of my Paducah favorites!

2010-05-11T15:01:00.000-07:00

Ok, I can't post the pictures that I took here on my blog, but I so want to share some of the beauties we saw at the AQS show in Paducah. So, take the time to follow these links. I think you'll be inspired.

Captivated- I think this might have been my favorite. I love the traditional blocks incorporated in the pictoral design.

www.mariaelkins.com/index.php/quilts/captivated/comment-page-1/#comment-17

Or maybe it was this one...

www.denisehavlan.com

This next one was a winner at the Lancaster show and displayed in Paducah. I would LOVE to make something similar someday.

www.picassaweb.google.com/sacredspacefiber/AQSLancaster2010?feat=directlink#5453692163450428546

Where Fabric Grows on Trees. This is a little one. The details were so well done!

http://www.ihqs.org/images/2010gallery/1000_Full.html

I wish I could share

2010-05-11T14:49:00.000-07:00

with all of you all the lovely quilt pictures I have from the AQS show in Paducah, KY. There were some absolutely jaw-dropping quilts! Alas, they are not mine to share. You'll just have to make the trip sometime :) We did notice a huge trend toward the art quilting and extremely detailed machine quilting. There were actually very few traditionally pieced quilts.

A little disappointment in the vendors at the quilt show. The fabric vendors were heavily leaning toward the Civil War type fabrics, which are lovely, but I just don't work much with them. I saw NONE of the new lines of fabric, surprisingly enough. I did have a blast at Hancocks of Paducah. In their back room, it's a fabric frenzy with flat folds at $3.96 a yd. Fun, fun, fun. Most of the ladies I was travelling with didn't like the crowd in there, but I had a blast!

Not a lot of actual quilting going on here. I just finished up the costumes for Suessical and that took a bunch of time. I'm glad to be able to cross that off the list and get back to some fun projects :)

I did sew up this tote for a door prize for our Ladies Spring Fling. (Fabrics ala the craziness at HOP)

What to do with leftover blocks?

2010-04-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

I found a GREAT idea over at Modify Tradition! I used 12 1/2 " Quatrefoil blocks to make.....Ricebags with removable/washable covers :) These will be gifts for some of my favorite quilters, who all happen to be related to me. We are off to Paducah on Wednesday for 4 days of quilty fun! Don't look, Joy :p

Elizabeth's FQ pack from SewMamaSew

2010-04-10T06:58:00.001-07:00

Elizabeth's FQ pack from SewMamaSew, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

So, I recently decided that I was going to make a picnic quilt for my cousin and his bride-to-be. He has two young boys involved in sports and I figured they would be spending a bunch of time sitting outside watching ball games :) I was checking out her gift registry and saw that her basic house colors were grey, brown, and green. I don't know the bride very well, so I wanted to go with the colors I knew she liked. I'm just planning to do large simple squares. Anyway, I saw that Elizabeth from Oh, Fransson had put together a FQ pack for SewMamaSew and it was just perfect! I went to order it and the site said Sold Out :( I thought I would just look for something similar and I saw the pack again in another section of the store and this time I was able to order it.. Hmmmm...not sure what happened, but I'm tickled! Not only was I able to order it, but the package was here on my door step in 3 days! Way to go, SMS!

2010-04-08T13:56:00.000-07:00

I have been in a bit of a sewing slump, therefore a blogging slump. I did need to get a few things done, though, so today I set aside the time to get re-acquainted with my sewing machine. My aunt picked up these vintage blocks at a flea market somewhere. I think she even got them for free. She found sashing and border fabric and pieced the top, then asked me to quilt it. I mulled around a LOT of ideas. Researched how quilts from the 60's era would have been quilted. I realized that this quilt very well could have been tied. I knew I wasn't going that direction, so I began to think of doing the Baptist Fan pattern, or maybe Clamshell, then I thought of cross-hatch quilting. I hadn't done any of these on a quilt larger than a doll sized, so they all were a bit intimidating! I finally decided that my good 'ol stipple would work swimmingly on this quilt and as soon as I made the decision, my mind was free to get to work on it. I'm pretty pleased with the results and now I have a little extra cash for the trip to Paducah!

My 1 year12quilts month! Woohoo!

2010-03-27T06:36:00.001-07:00

Mermaid Quilt finished!!, originally uploaded by ritapizza { mochistudios.com }.

This quilt was my inspiration. I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. A huge thumbs up to this quilting bee and especially to ritapizza for her fantastic finish!

I also happened to have a few layer cakes of Tula Pink's Neptune line hanging around just waiting to be used and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity. I'm sending each participant 7 layer cake pieces along with a 2 1/4" strip WOF.

I spent some time on Flickr looking for quilt blocks reminiscent of the sea and found quite a few. Snail's Trail looks a lot like waves to me. Marinier's Compass, Storm at Sea, Geese in the Pond. I could go on and on.

Just look at this gorgeous Storm at Sea by quiltedoma...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27027073@N04/4103894530/

In a nutshell, my "guidelines" are:

1. Be inspired by the sea.

2. Use the Neptune fabric only (if you must add one fabric to make your vision complete, use a solid-ish white)

3. 12 1/2" Pieced blocks- no applique this time

4. One or two blocks, whatever works :)

5. Know right now that I will probably be thrilled with your idea and execution, so relax and have fun!!!!

I really can't wait to see what the group comes up with!

On my Sewing Room Floor

2010-03-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

Well, it WAS on my sewing room floor. I had the first two rows sewn together and got called away from the the project and although I meant to finish up this weekend, unexpected company came and there went the weekend plans! Did I mention that we have a 7 month old lab puppy AND a 5 year old little boy, both of whom felt it was their duty in life to mess up the carefully laid out blocks. *sigh* So, I picked them up, all out of order, and put them back in the UFO pile. I WILL get to it soon! I plan to make this a quilt for my daughters double bed. I'll wing the borders as I go, so who knows what the finished product will look like :) I promise I'll share, though!

A pair of doll quilts

2010-03-04T15:35:00.000-08:00

First up is my doll quilt for DQS8. Based on my larger sized MerryGoRound quilt. I used a 1 1/4" strips this time. The trickiest part of this was definitely the binding. I *almost* cut the edges off straight so I wouldn't have to mess with all those corners, but I just knew I wanted to show off the hexagon shape, so I went ahead and did the hard thing :) As it turns out, it's my least favorite part of the little quilt, but at this point, I'm not re-doing it!

Next is the doll quilt for my Sewingmamas partner. It was really a winter themed doll quilt swap, but I just loved the color scheme of my first mini, so I stuck with that. Besides, my partner mentioned that her daughters play room was decorated in these colors. I was completely inspried by Oh, Fransson's baby sized quilt. Ack,my colors are kind of washed out. Oh well, it's already packaged up!

Quilting Bee Blocks For February

2010-03-03T16:45:00.000-08:00

Rene had a great concept this month. Improv crosses, red on white. I was excited to start, but I was stumped for so long on what I wanted to do. The day I SHOULD have had the blocks in the mail, I sat down with my trusty graph paper and sketched out some ideas. As soon as I put pencil to paper, I began to trust the whole process. I suppose the whole idea of improv is to just start sewing, but that worries me a little :) I felt better when I could see where I was going.

Sew and Tell Friday!

2010-02-05T14:42:00.000-08:00

Yes, I can sew non-quilty things! I actually have quite a large stash of garment sewing fabric, especially knits that I need to bust through. I'm participating in the stash challenge over at Sewingmamas and working hard at sewing up some of my favorites. I'm getting to the point where I'd rather be quilting but I just hate to see this cute fabric go to waste and selling it too much of a bother, so stash busting it is for the month of February!

First, up some undies for my dd. A Kwik Sew pattern, the number is escaping me, but she just loves the fit on these and unfortunately she's now in the largest size :(

Next, a few pairs of simple fleece lounge pants for the littlest guy. He is so into soft clothes and he was thrilled to wear these!

And finally, an easy peasy way to bust through the knit scraps....washcloths! These are way more fun to use than the boring, plain washcloths you buy at the store, just ask my kids:) Knit tops with terry backs.

This is the first time I've participated in the Sew and Tell Friday. How fun! Now go check out the other entries at amylouwho!

Tutorial Oilcloth Bowl Covers

2010-02-05T06:16:00.001-08:00

So, I have these really great wooden bowls that I absolutely L-O-V-E. They can go in the fridge, in the microwave, in the dishwasher. You can drop them on the floor and they literally bounce back. I ordered them from King Arthur Flour years ago and they've just been my faves. Here's the problem, though....plastic wrap absolutely will not cling to it, even aluminum foil struggles to stay in place. Well, about a month ago my LQS got some lovely Anna Maria Horner Oilcloth in stock and the light bulb over my head flashed on as I remembered the plastic bowl covers that my mom used to use. These are SO easy to do, you probably don't need a tutorial, but hey, it was easy enough to take pictures of the process, so here ya' go! And seriuosly, I'd choose YOUR ChexMix over all the other ChexMix's if they came in a bowl with a nifty cover. Yup.

Oilcloth Bowl Covers

Supplies:

1/2 yard oilcloth- this should cover 4-6 bowls, depending on size

1/4 " elastic (or around that size)

Pinking Shears (optional, also. I just like the look :))

Mixing bowls

Instructions:

1. Take the mixing bowl you would like to cover and place it, rim down, on the wrong side of the oilcloth. Trace around the bowl, adding 2 inches. I used my ruler and marked 2 inches about every 3 inches and then "connected the dots"

By all means, measure and use a compass if you can find one of the 15 you know your family has SOMEWHERE in the house.

2. Use your pinking shears to cut out the oilcloth along that line. Then mark a line 1 inch in from the outside edge. This will be your sewing line. I really just eyeballed this.

3. Now we need to measure for the elastic. Measure the circumference of the line you just drew and multiply that by 2/3 and then subtract 1 inch. For example: if your circumference measures 33" then 2/3 of that would be 22", subract 1" and your elastic measurement will be 21".

4. Mark your elastic into quarters and do the same for your oilcloth circle. This will help you in getting the elastic sewn on evenly.

5. Sew on the elastic using a zigzag stitch, stretching the elastic to match your marks.

Place the cover on your bowl and admire your work! Thanks for looking and as always, feel free to ask any questions!

Or dis? or dis?

2010-01-26T17:46:00.000-08:00

My now 13 yo used to ask this when she couldn't decide between two different things. I love her! Now I'm in a quandary. I just can't decide which color scheme I like better for the doll quilt I'm making for DQS8. I'm planning on doing a miniature version of my Merry Go Round quilt, if that helps. What do you think? I wish I could show you my partners flickr faves, but it really needs to remain secret. Suffice it to say, I think both would fit her style. I hope....

The Sleep-Over Quilt

2010-01-24T15:33:00.000-08:00

I was pretty excited when my LQS asked me to start sewing some samples for the store! I don't get paid or anything, but I do get free fabric and a pattern and I get to keep the finished project when she's done displaying it.

Here is my first project. It's called the Sleep-Over Quilt and it's a simple project to put together. It's basically 24 layer cake squares, sewn together, quilted and bound. Then some pockets are added to the outside. The quilt folds into the large pocket and the two smaller ones are to tuck in a toothbrush, pj's and any thing else you might need for a sleep over.

And here's the pattern. Easy Peasy, great directions. I would make the handles a bit longer next time, though.

Another Christmas Party!??

2010-01-07T14:28:00.001-08:00

Quilt Party09giftbasket, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Yep, one more to go. This one is actually a re-schedule from mid-December. We were hit with a snow storm and had to cancel our 3rd Annual quilting group get-together. There was NO WAY we could squeeze it into December, so January it is!

We each had a challenge to use a specific FQ, in this case it's the holly berry, and make a gift for someone. You can use as little or as much of the fabric as we choose. (One year, I used just 1 sq. inch! )

Here is my gift this year. A hot pad, a tea towel and a White Chocolate Scone Mix in a fabric bag. I sure hope one of my quilting friends loves it!

Projects 2009

2010-01-02T14:39:00.001-08:00

Projects 2009, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

I thought I'd share some of my favorite quilts from 2009. I just had to throw in my Amy Butler Weekender in there because it was so much work and I LOVE to use it. I'm so glad I took the time to make it :)

Merry Christmas to all!

2009-12-24T06:24:00.000-08:00

I'm looking forward to this wonderful few weeks, celebrating the birth of my Savior, with my family. I'll see you all after the new year!

Show and Tell! Figgy Pudding Table Runner

2009-12-17T18:06:00.001-08:00

Figgy Pudding Table Runner, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

I was so excited that I not only had enough fabric from one Honey Bun to make all 5 of our families Christmas stockings (check them out a few posts down), but I had enough to make a table runner to match! I also had a few bits left of the tone on tone FQ's and really just added borders until I was out of fabric :)
I was loving the results......... until I started quilting it. I thought this might be a good opportunity to experiment with sketchy pebble quilting because it's a small project. Let me tell you, it takes a LONG time to pebble quilt! My circles were a little, ahem, "sketchier" than I wanted and I didn't like the white thread on the chocolate brown. I did, at one point, decide to take the stitching out, but that lasted about 10 minutes and I realized that was near impossible and I forged on.
We'll chalk this one up to live- and- learn and you know now that it's on the table, I'm warming up to it :)

Please take the time to peruse the other Show and Tell's hosted by Piece N' Quilt!

2009-12-17T03:51:00.000-08:00

About 6 weeks ago, I participated in a scrap challenge over at The Handmade Dress. Remember these candy canes?

The goal was to make a project using scraps without buying anything new. I was right in the middle of the crazy craft show rush, but I took an afternoon out to make them. I think I needed a break, anyway :)

Jennifer from the CraftSanity podcast was the judge. I was pretty excited to hear this. I LOVE her podcast! Anyway, the news is.....I WON! I was pretty honored because there were some awesome entries. Thanks, Samantha for hosting and Jennifer for judging. Samantha gave me a $25 GC to her store and here is what I chose....

I've had my eye on that Miss Madeline pattern for a loooooong time. Alas, my 13 yo daughter is not interested in wearing it, so it sat on my wish list. I chose the little girl size so I'm able to make baby shower gifts. I can't wait to try it out!

Dear Santa,

2009-12-16T12:20:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure if I needed to be naughty or nice this year to receive a package full of Grunge, but I can show documentation to prove either one :) This is what I would just LOVE to see under my tree! Just think of the uses!

Basic Grey Grunge Basics-just a little 1/2 yard of each would be fine.

And if it isn't asking too much....a little more Figgy Pudding. a Jelly Roll, really. I can't get enough of that stuff. Besides, it matches my living room oh, so well.

If you'd like to write your own letter to Santa, I hear that Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber can make sure that he sees it :)

Family stockings with a little how-to

2009-12-09T06:47:00.001-08:00

Family Stockings, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

And here is the whole lot of them and as I promised I'll give you the low down on how I made them.

This is not a tutorial, really and I'm assuming you understand basic sewing terms and instructions :)

I started with a HoneyBun of the Figgy Pudding Line by Moda. And 5 quarter yard cuts of tone on tones from that line.

I sewed the HoneyBun strips all together and ended up with a piece of strippy fabric about 41x 45".

I found a stocking shape that I liked (I used one from New Noel) and figured out how big I wanted the contrasting fabric at the top for the "cuff" (It's not a cuff at all) I printed out the family names on my computer and used that to determine the size. Then I cut out the stockings from the stripped fabric, minus the "cuff".

I cut out the "cuffs" from the contrasting fabric, then used fusible web to attach the letters and used a small zigzag in white to stitch them down.

Next, I sewed the appliqued "cuff" to the stocking body. It was at this point that I decided to add the heel and the toe, so I went back to my fusible web and drew those shapes. Then appliqued them on using matching thread, also with a small zigzag.

I then used spray adhesive to attach the stockings to some Warm and Natural. I quilted these with just a straight stitch down each strip. I debated a LONG time about this, but I'm happy with the results. Then I trimmed them.

At this point, I used the stocking to cut out two pieces of lining. (I just used a plain white)

After they were quilted I cut out rectangles of Warm and Natural and backing fabric just slightly larger than the stocking. (This is my new method for sewing layered, shaped things together. A little wasteful, maybe, but I don't have any trouble with my seams catching everything in) Then I layered batting, backing right side up, stocking right side down and pin. I sewed around the stocking, all but the top, trimmed and turned right side out.

Now I sewed the lining pieces together, leaving a 4" opening for turning.

I needed a tab for hanging so I cut 5 pieces about 3" by 8". Folded in half lengthwise, opened up, folded the edges to the middle and ironed, then folded in half again. You know how to do this :) Top-stitched and tacked, using a zigazg stitch, onto the outside of the stocking facing DOWN.

Next, I slipped the stocking inside the lining, right sides together and sewed around the top. Flipped the whole thing out through the opening in the lining. Stitched the opening closed by machine and voila! Done!

I don't know if anyone will be inspired to try this, but if you have any questions, as I'm sure I didn't make this super clear, feel free to ask!

Oh, there was also enough of the stripped fabric left over to make a table runner. It's pieced and ready to be quilted. I think I'll save that for Holiday Show and Tell!

And the Winner Is....

2009-12-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

sarah in the woods!

sarah in the woods said...: Lovely! Thanks for the opportunity.
I'm making a forest-themed advent calendar. Love the mushrooms!!

I'll have to check out your advent calendar. Sounds wonderful!

I'll be getting in touch with you and thank you all for visiting my little blog :)

New Stockings for the Family aka I LOVE Figgy Pudding!

2009-12-05T17:27:00.000-08:00

I've had this lovely Honey Bun of Figgy Pudding, along with some coordinating FQ's since June. I knew they were destined to be Christmas stockings and yet, with the Quilt show and craft show, I had to just set it up on my shelf. Nope, I couldn't even leave it out to gaze at, lest I toss my then current project and immerse myself in it's yumminess. Finally, this week, I could get out that bag and get started and to tell you the truth, I didn't want to quit! Stay tuned for more FP projects along with some basic instructions on how I put these together. I just couldn't wait to show you a peek :)

Tomorrow is the last Giveaway Day! Check the next post for info :) You could win this......

Yippee! It's Giveaway Day!!

2009-12-01T19:06:00.001-08:00

and the gift I'd love to send one of you is one FULL, YUMMY YARD of Heather Ross Mushrooms on white!! To enter the give-away, just leave a comment and let me know something that you are making this Christmas season. I love handmade gifts of all sorts and always ready for some new ideas, so inspire me! The winner will be drawn at random on December 6 and I'll have the fabric in the mail to you in plenty of time if you'd like to use it for gifts :) Oh, and for my one non-fabric loving reader (Hi, Jude!) if you comment and win, I'll send you something nifty that you don't have to sew into anything :P
Please leave a way for me to contact you in your post. Thanks for visiting and go visit the other giveaways sponsored by www.sewmamasew.com

And yes, I was just playing with the super macro setting on my camera. A photographer I am not...

Kid's Stuff

2009-12-01T04:57:00.000-08:00

Floppy Frogs

Boxy Bags

Burp Cloth Sets

Wristlets

Coloring Totes

Chenille Bibs

Nope, no clever title. I just wanted to show a few of the kids' things I've been sewing. Some of it was for the craft show (which went really well!) and some of it is for gifts.

***Check back tomorrow, it's GIVEAWAY DAY!!***

More baby quilts and no babies

2009-11-30T05:39:00.000-08:00

Inspired by this Moda Bake Shop tutorial.

I'm not sure why I feel compelled to continue to sew baby quilts. I guess I like the size and MAN, all the cute fabrics and color combos! I tell myself it's great to have some on hand to gift when the occasion arises. Yeah, let's go with that...

From the Moda Bake Shop tutorial.

Sorry for the yucky pictures. A new camera is still on my wish list....

#23

2009-11-20T06:19:00.000-08:00

I've still been busy sewing, sewing, sewing for my upcoming craft show NEXT weekend! If my mom and sis weren't helping me out, I think I'd be having a nervous breakdown right about now. I've done a few shows with my handmade soaps and stuff, but this is my first show that I've sewn for. It's SO hard to know what people might buy and how to price it. I have given myself a deadline of next Tuesday and whatever hasn't been completed by then is not going to be done this year. That will give me time to wrap, label and just enjoy the holiday weekend.
I wish I had a picture to post of some of the goodies, but they'll be coming soon :)

In the meantime, check out this giveaway!

It's a Block Party!

2009-11-10T07:47:00.001-08:00

BlockParyMosaic, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

1. String Blocks, 2. Forest Pillows, 3. Strips and Bricks Quilt - Quilted, 4. Fishy Quilt, 5. Beaded Curtain Quilt - Kaffe Fassett design, 6. Hello Betty, 7. Kathy's VQB Block (I think), 8. nettieblock, 9. anchors away, 10. neptune hexagons!, 11. In the shop, 12. color wheel

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to be a part of an online Quilting Bee! I've been drooling over many other bloggers creations for each other, but I've never been able to take a part. I was mulling over the idea of inviting a few friends to start my own, but when I saw that the Block Party blog started a flickr group, I rushed over and found many Bees starting up. I've had the chance to check out my fellow quilters blogs and flickr sets and I'm even more stoked! I think we have an excellent group!
I spent a little (too much) time on flickr this morning whilst the little guy watched Little Einsteins and created this mosaic of recent faves :)

Scrappy Candy Canes

2009-10-30T15:31:00.001-07:00

Scrappy Candy Canes, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Yeah, I have A LOT to do to get ready for the upcoming craft show, but instead of doing anything I HAD to do, I did something just for fun :)
Samantha, over at the handmade dress, is having a little "use your scraps" game. Hmmm...I might have a scrap or two (thousand) I wanted to come up with a project that used my tiniest pieces and here is what I came up with. I must have Christmas on my mind! I think the traditional red/green is my favorite, but the maize and blue one might be a close second (Go Wolverines!)

True Up

2009-10-26T06:26:00.000-07:00

I'll admit that I have a REALLY long list of blogs that I regularly check. I could get so much more accomplished if I spent half of the time on the computer that I usually spend! I wouldn't be half as inspired, though. So, it's definitely a trade-off....so I tell myself.

One of those constantly inspiring ones is True Up. Have you checked it out yet? Fabric sales, updates, vintage swatches. If you get all swoony over fabric, you'll adore it!

And I'm not just saying that because they are doing a give-away right now. Well, that was my inspiration, but I promise I wouldn't say those nice things if I didn't believe them.

WIP- Prairie Points

2009-10-25T13:25:00.001-07:00

WIP- Prairie Points, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Just a little glimpse of what I'm working on currently. I haven't worked with prairie points before so it's definitely a learning process. Stay tuned for the finished quilt...

Fall Doll Quilt Swap

2009-10-24T06:28:00.001-07:00

FallDollQuiltSwap, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

I know, I know, I have shown A LOT of doll quilts lately! I've had a few swaps that I've needed to finish up, so that's what I've been busy sewing! This one is for a doll quilt swap at www.sewingmamas.com. I had seen a quilt similar to this on flickr quite a while ago and was itching to make something like it!
Just simple log cabin blocks framed in chocolate brown set in a taupe linen-look fabric. The taupe is super soft and I wish I could have bought the entire bolt of the stuff! Bound in one of my current favorite fabrics, chocolate dots on red from MoMo's Wonderland.
I quilted a swirl in each log cabin then finished it up with some organic straight line quilting.

Authentic Tote Bags

2009-10-17T13:22:00.001-07:00

AuthenticToteBags, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

I just loved this line of fabrics (Authentic by Sweetwater for Moda) as soon as I saw it. I couldn't think of any projects I needed it for, though, unfortunately. UNTIL, I saw it in a 54" wide home dec panel. I knew I NEEDED a tote bag (yeah, right) ok...ok...I WANTED a tote bag from it. I purchased a yard and was able to make two. I've sewn enough bags that I was able to just wing these. I'm keeping (and already using the one hanging on the door hanger) and the other I donated to a silent auction for our local Dig Pink event. Check out the link!

Goodnight Monkey Baby Quilt

2009-10-16T05:36:00.001-07:00

Goodnight Monkey Baby Quilt, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

My mom, sister and I are participating in a craft show the Saturday after Thanksgiving. I wanted to have a few simple baby quilts available, so I whipped up this little one last week. I was going to use charm packs, but I found a deal on a Layer Cake and just cut it into 4 pieces. Voila, 4 charm packs. I definitely saved some cash this way! I used two of my sets for this one. I just quilted it with a meandering stitch. Bound in red polka dots.

Blogger's Quilt Festival!

2009-10-09T07:24:00.001-07:00

I have to admit that my favorite quilt is usually my latest quilt. Keeping with that spirit....here is my entry for the Blogger's Quilt Festival! I loved the Festival the last time around. I was introduced to so many great quilts and blogs. Thanks Park City Girl for doing this again! Go check out the other entries.

***Thanks for all of your sweet comments! I used the instructions from the September/October '08 issue of McCalls Quilting Magazine. Check it out here. You can find a similar pattern at Pink Chalk Studio Mini Merry-Go-Round That pattern uses a Jelly Roll and a HoneyBun, but it's the same basic technique***

This quilt was made with 2 jelly rolls from the Recess line by American Jane for Moda. It was really simple to put together. No set in seams, whatsoever! (I don't think I would have attempted it if there had been!)

My little guy wanted his sock monkey in one of pictures. I was happy to oblige:)

The whole thing

2009-10-09T06:42:00.001-07:00

DQS7, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Ok, it's been almost a MONTH since I promised a full view of my DQS7 quilt! I had a ball with this one and I really hope I'll get a chance in the near future to do a full size of this.
I was completely inspired by the quilt that Malka designed for Sew Hip Magazine. First discovered it on Flickr, just look at this lovely one by Red Pepper Quilts!
I just loved it and I was stoked to find out my partner had it marked in her favorites!

Where did summer go?

2009-09-13T16:43:00.001-07:00

DQS7closeup, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

It's been so, so long since my last post, I know. The kids kept me busy all summer. It was cool here in northern Michigan. Not near as much time at the beach as I would have liked, and yet we managed to have lots of fun! Now we are back into the swing of school, volleyball, work, etc....

I have done some sewing. Here is a close up of the doll quilt I made for DQS7. Full picture coming soon.

Yet another Doll Quilt

2009-07-23T18:22:00.001-07:00

Summer Doll Quilt Swap, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

This one is headed to my sister. I've wanted to do a doll quilt swap with her for a while (selfishly, 'cause she's really good!) but it just hasn't worked out until this time.
This is the third time I've done a project with the Recess fabric line and I still haven't tired of it! I love the bright primary colors.
Hope you like it, Joy!

Heather and Denyse Score!

2009-07-23T18:12:00.001-07:00

Heather and Denyse Score!, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Ok, so, yesterday I went on a little shop hop with my mom and 3 of her sisters. We've been visiting a quilt shop a month in western Michigan and having a ball doing it!
We visited the shop on the hop and I got some more Wonderland and a little Sweet, had a nice lunch at a little cafe that actually had a Blue Plate Special! I couldn't help but order and it was delicious :) Then someone had heard of a shop that had just opened that COULD be on our way home. We thought we'd make the time ;)
The new shop wasn't very well stocked yet and I browsed the books and patterns for a while, but then I got to the back where the fabric was and lo, and behold, sitting on a shelf all by it's lonely self was Heather Ross mushrooms on white! Yeah, I finished off the bolt. Then I started poking through her FQ's and found a few more treasures, all for $2.25 a piece. SCORE!

DQS7 Inspiration

2009-07-20T16:18:00.001-07:00

DQS7 Inspiration, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

1. dqs6 received., 2. Thank You Karen!, 3. little house tablerunner, 4. little miss Norah, 5. Forest Pillows, 6. Plain Spoken, 7. Sarah's Tablecloth Quilt, 8. Doll quilt and doll , 9. Doll Quilt Swap I: received

I'm pretty excited to join the oh-so-inspiring Doll Quilt Swap! They are on round 7 and I've been drooling over the creations since it started. I came up with this mosaic to give my partner some inspiration. I realized a few things while I was doing this. I seem to like simplicity in quilts and my tastes are fairly eclectic. I love traditional. I love modern. Iove bright colors. I love browns, grays and oranges. I hope this helps a little!

Another Doll Quilt!

2009-07-16T14:58:00.001-07:00

Sewingmamas Summer Doll Quilt Swap, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

I've been waiting for a chance to use the adorable whirlygiggle pattern that's floating around bloggy land and here it is! My swap partner at Sewingmamas wanted this for her daughter whose favorite colors are pink and purple. I had plenty of pink, but couldn't imagine that I had near enough purple, but lo and behold, I had plenty thanks to the purple and green quilt I made for a friend this past year. Yay!

Here are some great examples of whirlygiggles on flickr! Enjoy!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kindredcrafters/3408263280/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30979645@N05/3322595689/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11799285@N07/3704111597/

Another Bloggy Giveaway

2009-06-22T06:01:00.000-07:00

Sure, I get an extra entry for blogging about this, but really, I love to share a link to a wonderful blog and especially a wonderful blog with a wonderful giveaway :) Too many wonderfuls?

Sheree's Alchemy

Check this out! A huge box of fabric scraps and she sews clothes so her scraps are bigger than us scrappy quilters

A LONG table runner without a long story

2009-06-20T16:31:00.000-07:00

I made this table runner for my cousin Keri and her new husband. They were married today and their ceremony was sweet and casual and my kids LOVED that kind of wedding! It was at a park with a river, playset and there was even a pinata!
Keri really likes 50's era stuff and her table is an antique mint green metal. I immediately thought of the Hello Betty line of fabric by Chloe's Closet for Moda. Just a really simple style, kind of fashioned after the one I made for our table using the tutorial from ModaBakeShop, but this one is obviously much longer, made to hang over the ends of the table rather than sit in the middle.

Isn't that huge red ric-rack fun? I picked it up at the Chicago Quilt Show.

A Bag for Emily

2009-06-17T10:22:00.000-07:00

Ok, so my dh has been in the Army for the last 6 years and as of today, he is officially done! This is great news for us because he's been gone for 4 of the last 6 years and that's a bit tough on family life as any military family knows. The difficult part now is finding a job, add to that, we live in Michigan. REALLY tough to find a job. This is all to say that money is a tad tight 'round here. So when my daughter was invited to a birthday party this weekend, I knew I needed to come up with something from my stash. A tote bag. Her friend is turning 13 and I know that can be a picky age, but I laid out a few different fabric combos and let my dd pick. Here is what we came up with.

70 Blocks Done!

2009-06-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

I finished up 70 blocks for the Nine Patch a Day sew-along! I thought I was going to have a bunch extra so I had the option of not using some blocks that are just not going to work. Oh, well. I'll lay them out on the white fabric and if I need to make up some extra, I'll do it.

Mod Sampler DONE!

2009-06-11T05:50:00.000-07:00

Yay! It feels so great to finish a project. I think I've said that before. I really enjoy the whole process, though. This was the quilt along from Oh,Fransson. She did such a great job walking through each step of the process. Check it out!

I've been wanting to do a quilt with pink and turquoise for a while now. I'm not sure why. It matches nothing in my house, but they are so bright and cheery AND I didn't have to buy much fabric. Always a plus, right? I will probably give it to my daughter for her room and she's excited about that.

As you can see, the borders are a bit wavy. That's because I put them on using the LAZY method. YK, just cutting them long, sewing them on and trimming them to the correct length. It just doesn't work well. Lesson learned. I knew better. I'm glad it's just for us so I didn't have to get out the seam ripper :)

Design Your Own Fat Quarter Pack Giveaway!

2009-06-09T16:38:00.000-07:00

We just love giveaways, don't we? Head on over to The Fabric Shopper and check out the great giveaway. You not only sign up but you get to spend time shopping and designing your OWN FQ bundle from Whipstitch on Etsy!

Mini Modern Dutch Quilt

2009-06-06T09:50:00.000-07:00

I think my favorite part of the quilting process is the last few handstitches on the binding. I just loe to finish a project. Especially if I like results :) This was a fun quilt to put together. I enjoyed working with these colors a lot. The reds, oranges, yellows and greens are what spring looks like around here.

I used a pattern from an old American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine and they were copying a full size antique Dutch Quilt. The traditional Dutch pattern was to have a center unit, usually a pieced star surrounded by small repeating blocks, often the hourglass or bowtie. Of course, I had to update the fabrics a bit, hence the "modern" in the title :) I also read that they almost ALWAYS used a red backing and binding. On this I was happy to oblige since red seems to stay at the top of my favorite color list. I used a cotton/linen blend for the setting blocks and Espresso Kona Cotton for the framed corners.

I sure hope my recipient likes it!

Patchy Fabric Card Tutorial

2009-06-04T13:33:00.000-07:00

So many of you sweetly commented on the fabric cards I made for the swap at SewingMamas and a few of you even asked for a little how-to. I had a LITTLE extra time this week so I thought I would put a tutorial together. Besides, I needed to add some boy cards to my stash so it wasn't too hard to take some pictures while I sewed them up. I'm sure there are tons of ways to do these, but this is the way I like the best after a bunch of trial and error. This project is such a great way to use scraps, even teeny tiny pieces.

1. Gather Supplies

Blank Notecards with Envelopes
Fabric scraps at least as long as your card, can be any width
Lightweight/midweight fusible interfacing
Glue stick"0"
Matching thread

2. Measure the front of your cardstock and cut a piece of interfacing the same size.

3. Cut your fabric scraps into 1"-2" strips at least as long as your card. I like to use 5 per card, but you can do whatever strikes your fancy.

4. At your ironing board lay the fabric strips on the fusible side of the interfacing in an order that pleases your eye, then fuse in place. Make sure at least some of every strip is fused so that when you take it to the machine they wont be moving around. Go ahead and give it a press from the back, too, just to ensure a good bond.

5. Trim the fabric to the size of the interfacing rectangle. Then take to your sewing machine and zigzag along each raw edge, making sure to keep your zigzag more on the "loose" side to be sure you are catching it in.

6. Now, take your glue stick and run a line around the edge on the back of your interfacing rectangle and glue it onto the cardstock. Then take your card back to your sewing machine and zigzag the fabric to the cardstock around the perimeter.

That's it! You've got a finished card. Wasn't that easy? It's even easier to sew up a bunch at once and use chain sewing techniques. These can make a great gift or just keep some to have on hand. Handmade is such a nice touch! Use your imagination and have fun.

As you can see, I "appliqued" one of the funky vehicles on the front of the tall card. If you want to do something like that, just glue your image down and zigzag around it after you've completed step 5.

Enjoy and let me know if you give these a whirl or if I have made no sense at all and you have a question, feel free to ask!

And the winner is........

2009-06-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

Aine!

Congratulations! Look for an email from me and a package full of goodies will be on it's way.

Thanks again, SewMamaSew, for a memorable week! I found some really great blogs, just what I need....

One A Day Week Three

2009-05-30T08:01:00.001-07:00

Yeah, I know it's like Week 5, but I got terribly behind with two out of state trips and a husband coming home after 2 years. It's been a bit busy :)

I think I'm still doing ok, though, since I've been shooting for 12 a week. I'm pretty close to on target.

I have to say that I just LOVE doing a quilt this way in between my other projects! I'm planning on continuing this after my nine patches are sewn. It really helps me use up those scraps and it's just so easy to whip one of these up. So, what's next? Any ideas for a simple block that will work well in a scrappy quilt? I've been thinking of improv log cabins.

It's Here! May Giveaway Day!

2009-05-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

I'm really excited to participate in SewMamaSew's Giveaway Day! It's been such a busy month 'round here and I really intended to sew something great, but alas time got away from me. I still have some cute stuff to offer so go ahead and leave me a comment on this post about one of my previously posted projects and I'll enter you to win a box of goodies including my handmade soap...

A beautiful 1 1/2 yard cut of fans with a hint of gold from Hoffman Fabrics...

And a Kleenex Pouch made from AH Mocca Line...

I will ship internationally and this giveaway will stay open until May 31. Thanks, SewMamaSew for hosting this!

Memorial Day

2009-05-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day has certainly taken on a new meaning since my dh has been a veteran. I can appreciate more deeply the sacrifices made by soldiers and their families. I think of the families who didn't "sign up" for duty, those who were drafted into war.

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you.

My sister posted this quote on Facebook and I hope she doesn't mind if I share it here. :)

“We all share the love of peace, but our sons and daughters must learn two lessons men everywhere and in every time have had to learn: that the price of freedom is dear, but not nearly as costly as the loss of freedom - and that the advance and continuation of civilization depend on those values for which men have always been willing to die for…” Ronald Reagan

I also thought I would share the quilt that I made for my husband during his last deployment. Thank you, Sam.

Table Runner....Done! And a WIP

2009-05-21T05:57:00.000-07:00

I spent a beautiful weekend with some old friend

s, well, they are actually quite young like me, but we've been friends for a long time. We shopped, and talked, and laughed, and watched chick-flicks. Perfect!

Before I left I finished up this summer table runner. I think I'm a little afraid to set it in the middle of my table. The first time it sees use, I can almost guarantee it will have some sort of tomato based stain on it!

And I thought I'd share just a peek of my Spring Mini Quilt. I think I'm going to call it Mini Modern Dutch. I'll explain more later.

One A Day Week Two

2009-05-11T05:32:00.001-07:00

One A Day Week Two, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Ok, so here is my set for week two of the nine-patch a day quilt along with crazymomquilts. I broke my rule just a little bit this week by using a Japanese Snow White fabric. It was just to cute not to add AND it doesn't scream novelty to me. I'm slightly worried about that Mango Orange. It is a bright, bright color. It's and Aunt Grace fabric, I believe and it looks GREAT thrown in a 30's quilt. (As a matter of fact, I read just this weekend that a 30's era quilt HAS to have some Mango in the mix to be authentic looking.)

Patchwork Cards

2009-05-05T13:18:00.001-07:00

CardSwap, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

I think almost everything is better handmade, don't you? Especially cards, well ...and quilts, and clothes and food :)
I joined a card swap at Sewingmamas and just finished up 5 sets of 5. Actually, each of these sets are the same. I just switched up the card on the top.

*I was also pleased to find a use for some of the Moda twill tape that I just can't bear to part with*

Overzealous...Who me?

2009-05-02T16:46:00.001-07:00

goodone, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Ok, so the deal was, ONE nine patch a day until June something or other. I couldn't help myself. I got into my scrap bins and couldn't stop!
I figure that there will be plenty of days when I won't get near my sewing machine, especially when summer is here, so I'm doing ok, really.

I'm going at this with TRULY SCRAPPY in mind. I don't want to cut into yardage for this project, only use my scraps, so the colors are going to be all over the place. I like scrappy and I plan to make extra blocks so I can throw out anything that just can't play nice with other fabrics. The only thing I did limit was, I didn't want to use any children's novelties, like fire engines, rockets, etc...

I'm not sure why, but I seem to notice things a little more when I take a picture of my projects. Like, now I see that I have some polka dots going the wrong way in the first block in the third row. Will I change it? Ummm....probably not. I'll just call it whimsical :)

Oh, Happy Day!

2009-05-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

You know what makes me happy? Yep, fluffy mail! Even the kids are very familiar with my shopping habits. My littlest guy, age 4, came running in the house with this package, all excited, saying "Mommy, Mommy, let's open the fagrit!" The boy seriously has very clear speech and this is one of his last hold-outs and I'm selfishly treasuring it :)

Here is what was inside...

2 Tula Pink Neptune Layer Cakes
Some coordinating FQ's
20 beautiful yards of Moda White Muslin (on sale for $2.26 a yd.!) I love my LQS and try to support her, but I use a lot of this stuff and I couldn't beat the price.

Lots of sewing, no finished products!

2009-04-30T06:16:00.000-07:00

I really have been a busy little sewing bee. First of all, I'm working on costumes for our high school's production of Pride and Prejudice. I made all of the girls dresses and now, I'm working on altering the guys coats and pants to be somewhat period.

In the meantime I HAD to do some fun sewing. I finished up the top and back of the Mod Sampler Quilt Along from Oh, Fransson. Using these fabrics.

I also just purchased 5 charm packs of the gorgeous Wonderland fabric by MoMo. I fell in love with this fabric when I first spotted it at FatQuarterShop. I got busy right away and simply sewed the squares together. This is a quilt just for me to snuggle with. I'll show pics once it's quilted.

I LOVE my LQS and took a trip there on Tuesday and bought these fabrics for a simple table topper. I meet with a group of ladies on the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month and we often will work on a project together. Most of them are quite new to quilting and so we choose really simple patterns, which is fine with me!

And finally, a GIVE AWAY! Blog land just loves these and I certainly do too!

Head on oer to A La Mode and check our her Coin Give-a Way. Look at those adorable fabrics!

A Nine-Patch A Day!

2009-04-28T04:13:00.000-07:00

I'm so stoked to join this one a day quilt a long at crazymomquilts! It was inspired by a quilt that Amanda Jean had seen on Flickr. I, also, had this quilt marked as a favorite, on my to-do someday list. You know how that goes :)

Anyway, crazymomquilts is one of my top two favorite blogs. I LOVE what she does and want to go and directly copy her. (I usually don't, though) She mentions that swim notes (the creator of the inspiration quilt) is her quilting hero, well Amanda Jean is mine! It's just a quilty love fest all around and I'll be admiring here from the fringes :)

Oh, most importantly, I have two blocks already done!

Chicago Quilt Show

2009-04-25T10:12:00.001-07:00

FQ's from the Chicago Quilt Show, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Last Friday I had the cool opportunity to take a bus trip to the Chicago Quilt Show. A bus full of us left our little town in northern Michigan and travelled for about 5 hours to downtown Chicago. It was a long but really fun day. My only complaint is that I would have liked at least three more hours at the show and I should have brought my camera. DOH!

I didn't do huge amounts of shopping due to the fact that I already suffer from SABLE (Stash Accumulated Beyond Life Expectancy) but of course there were a few things that HAD to come home with me :)

I just loved the way that those top fat quarters were bundled and they were displayed so beautifully. The FQ's were .$.10 more at that booth, but I got suckered in by the packaging. And actually, some are going to be stocking stuffers and that's a great reason to splurge, I think.

I also purchased some jumbo rickrack in turquoise and red, one pattern, and purse feet.

Even though I didn't have my camera, I did snap a few pictures of the gorgeous quilts on my cell phone. I knew that there was no way I could remember those details of the quilts I thought I *might* duplicate someday.

A Trio of Doll Quilts

2009-04-21T04:53:00.000-07:00

Every season this past year, I hosted a doll quilt swap at Sewingmamas. We finished up our spring swap last month and I thought I'd share my creations.

First up, a simple little wonky nine patch. I used a charm pack for this but I can't remember the fabric line. I picked it up at Hancock's of Paducah a couple of years ago. Anyway, my swapping partner said it was for her little girls and they liked girly colors.

Next, a much more modern quilt. This was a bit of a stretch for me, but I love the results. I saw a quilt like this on Flickr a while ago and really wanted to re-create it. ETA: I thought I would add that the background is a chocolate brown, although it looks black in the photo. My thoughts on the color scheme of this quilt: I was inspired by a garden in early spring when the earth is dark and brown, then all of these wonderful colors just begin to peek through, the greens, yellows, oranges and reds.

And then finally, I thought one of the participants was going to be without a quilt so I whipped this one up. As it turns out, she got the quilt from her partner and now this one is either in my stash or ready for another swap.

Thanks for looking!

Stacked Coins Baby Quilt

2009-04-20T12:52:00.001-07:00

011, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

So, I have this friend, who I have known for about 17 years and we have been in and out of touch. As of two years ago, we now live in fairly close proximity and I had the awesome chance to go and see her at her baby shower! This is her first and long awaited little one. It was a privilege to make this quilt for her.
I used the free Stacked Coins pattern from the Moda Bake Shop blog. I think Amanda Jean from Crazymomquilts wrote this one. I used a Darla charm pack that I picked up on Ebay and some white tone on tone for the sashing. My only deviation from the pattern was to round the corners. I just used a regular old plate as my guide. I didn't even cut my binding on the bias, although I probably should have! It went together so quickly and I just love the bright yet soft colors. (They actually photographed much brighter than they are IRL.
As an aside, to have a really great blog, I know that really great photography is needed. Unfortunately, I have neither the equipment nor the desire to invest money and time into my photos right now. I'd rather be sewing :)

First Annual Bloggers Quilt Festival

2009-04-19T11:27:00.001-07:00

006, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

This is my current favorite quilt. Believe me, I change my mind often!
Check out the other blogs and favorite quilts at http://parkcitygirl.blogspot.com/
I blogged about this quilt a little while ago, so I'm sorry if you come across it twice!
I was a part of a 6 1/2" fabric square exchange on www.sewingmamas.com. Our theme was Amy Butler. That was probably obvious! Her fabrics are so dynamic and SO different, but I thought I would still put them together in the same quilt. It was an extremely simple top to piece. I merely cut my squares in half and then laid them out on the floor in a brick pattern until I was happy :) I knew that it needed a pretty calm border so I choose a solid light blue and a light green tone-on-tone check.
This quilt is going to be a gift for a long time friend. We don't get to see each other much anymore, but she still holds such a special place in my heart.
Thanks for taking the time to look!

A Comfort Quilt

2009-04-18T10:32:00.001-07:00

002, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

I made this quilt for a sweet friend who was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer for the second time. She has been through surgery and started chemo and I thought a quilt to snuggle up in just might offer a little bit of comfort during a rough time. I used the colors in her home as inspiration for the color scheme and threw in some soft and cuddly fabrics like Minky and Chenille.
I used the disappearing nine-patch pattern. How fun and easy. In case someone out there hasn't seen this pattern, I'll briefly explain what I did. First, you make a nine patch using whatever size squares you want to (I used 6 1/2"). I used a different fabric for each of the squares here. Then, you cut the nine patch in quarters, cutting right down the middle both horizontally and vertically. Then you arrange these new blocks in a way that makes you happy. I put all my large squares together.
Anyway, you are probably more confused now, so go ahead and search on Goodsearch for disappearing nine patch and you'll find a few tutorials.

My Weekender

2009-03-07T06:34:00.001-08:00

My Weekender, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

My favorite sister came up for the weekend a few weeks ago and she, my mom and I worked on the Amy Butler Weekender Bag. I had heard scary things about the pattern and so we thought we'd work on it together and then if we got frustrated, we could ask for help and most importantly, the bag wouldn't be tossed into the UFO pile :) Sister and Mom are both excellent seamstresses and we had a ball working on this.
Well, for the most part. It was just plain HARD to sew around and through all the layers of fabric and interfacing at times. I was pretty thrilled with the results, though.
Fabric is a birthday gift from said sister and it's Ikea home dec.

Rocket Rascals Baby Quilt

2009-03-04T14:42:00.001-08:00

Rocket Baby Quilt, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

This was the other project that I worked on during our 'sewing weekend'. It's for a young mom in our church having her second baby and first little boy.
I used mostly quilt shop quality fabrics with a few JoAnn stuff thrown in. I have to tell you that I think the quilt shop fabrics are worth the price. They are just better all around. In feel, in the way they sew and I KNOW in the way they hold up. Not that there aren't decent fabrics at JoAnns, but you do have to pay attention and their good fabric is the same price as you LQS, anyway :)

Have you checked out this blog?

2009-03-04T14:32:00.001-08:00

RecessTablerunner, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

I just love it! www.modabakeshop.com Seriously cute (and easy!) projects using different pre-cut moda stuff. This table runner is one of the projects. Isn't it fun? So quick to put together.
I made it while at my aunt's house for a sewing get-together. There were about 8 of us and we sewed and talked and ate. I didn't have the pattern with me when I made it so, without even knowing it, I changed up the placement of it a bit. The picture was taken before I washed it, so now it looks even crinkly-er and better, in my opinion :)

Valentine's Day Already?

2009-01-06T11:13:00.001-08:00

011, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Well, not really, but I was taking down my red/green Christmasy stuff while I was sewing up this quilt. I couldn't help but think of chocolate and raspberries. Yum! The crew thought Raspberry Mocha might be a good name. I agree considering that the dark brown fabric is Espresso Kona Cotton.
The pink squares were all from another quilt square swap. (Can you tell I'm trying to sew up what I have?) I just hate to see all these squares sit around while I plan new projects. Too easy for me to do, though.
Alas, I see that this picture highlights a few of my stippling blunders. Oh well, I'm learning.
And speaking of stippling and machine quilting, I'm really excited about an upcoming class that I'm taking at the end of the month. Elsie Vrendenburg http://www.quiltsbyelsie.com/ local to me and she is teaching a machine quilting class at the LQS. I'm really excited to expand my horizons and better my skills. Seriously, she is amazing.

Mark's Firetruck Quilt

2008-12-27T08:59:00.001-08:00

mark's firetruck quilt 002, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

I bought this fabric as a kit at a wonderful quilt show in Nashville, TN. I loved the vintagey feel of the firetrucks and I knew it would be a great quilt for my littlest one.
Finally got around to finishing it a few weeks ago. I had the top pieced in the spring, then sent it off to my wonderful sister to machine quilt it (she has a mid-arm, but I'm not jealous or anything...) Then early this fall I sewed the binding on the front and the only left to do was HAND sew the binding to the back. I really dont' mind this process, but alas, it sat in my living room for months before I just picked it up and finished it. I'm so glad I did. Of course, I had to make a matching pillowcase :)

A Christmas present still sitting on my shelves

2008-12-27T08:54:00.001-08:00

006, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Ok, I made this lap quilt in plenty of time for Christmas, but alas, it is still sitting here on my bookshelves. Why? Well, I haven't labelled it. Seriously, of all the steps in making the quilt, why is this one holding me up?
All the fabrics in the field of the quilt are various Amy Butler lines. I participated in a quilt block swap at www.sewingmamas.com and ended up with a fantastic variety of 6 1/2" blocks. I used the free pattern on her site as my inspiration, but of course, changed many things.
I think the hardest part about this quilt was choosing the borders. I knew that they couldn't be too wild because of the busyness of the field. The blue is one of the Amy Butler solids and the light green is a small check from the City Girl line.
I chose to do a small stipple all over the whole thing. I adore the crinkly look, so I washed it and dried it before gifting. I also like to do this so the recipient isn't surprised and especially, displeased with the quilt after THEY need to wash it.

Floating Birdies

2008-11-18T15:52:00.001-08:00

009, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

This is for our winter doll quilt swap at www.sewingmamas.com. I sure hope the recipient likes it. I had another top totally done, but I really wasn't happy with it. I went downstairs to talk to my stash and these fabrics jumped up and said, "Pick me!" I really did want to use the winter bird fabric, but wasn't sure how to properly show them off. I searched all over flickr and the web to find SOMETHING, but had no success. I had to just draft something and it had to be simple. Here is what I came up with. The blocks are finished 3" set in 100% linen.

Long, Long time no see!

2008-11-01T15:34:00.000-07:00

Hi, friends! I really have missed the occasional blog post. Life is settling down to a just busy pace, rather than horribly, frantically busy pace. DH returned from Iraq about a month ago, so we are so thankful for that. The kids are busy in school with just the little guy at home with me now.

Here are some pictures of recent projects.

A trio of hoodies made with organic space dyed fleece.

A pair of chocolate velveteen skirts with just a bit of super cute japanese woodland creatures.

Ittybittybutterflyquilt

2008-07-27T15:34:00.001-07:00

Ittybittybutterflyquilt, originally uploaded by myittybittyquilts.

Hi, friends! Well, the move is over and while there are still many, many boxes to unload, I'm so thankful all of our stuff is in one house.
I thought I'd show you all the latest doll quilt for a swap at Sewingmamas.com. The theme was summer.
I used a paper piecing block from quilterscache.com. I enjoyed the process, but I really wouldn't want to do a paper pieced queen sized quilt or anything! I hand embroidered the antennae in brown. My very nice and talented sister agreed to do the quilting for me IF I hand sewed the binding down on her swap quilt :) I really don't mind machine quilting, but I was right in the middle of a move and I had no time or space to get out my machines.
For the binding I pieced together 4 inch strips from the various fabrics in the quilt. I love a pieced binding.

Four Patch Doll Quilt Sew-Along Part Three!

2008-07-02T13:41:00.000-07:00

Ok, the top is done!
Now go ahead and square up your quilt however you would like (I, of course, don't mean make it a square, but make sure all edges are straight and the corners are 90 degrees)

The next step will be to layer the quilt, batting and backing.

Take your backing fabric and cut it 2" bigger than the quilt top on all sides and then do the same with the batting/flannel.

Next layer your fabrics, backing right side down then batting then quilt top right side up, just like you want it to be when it's finished. Make sure your fabrics are all nice and flat but not pulled out of whack.

You'll need to make sure that your layers don't shift during the quilting. I use a basting spray for doll sized quilts. You can also use safety pins and pin all the layers together about every 3" or hand baste.

To hand baste just use really huge stitches, start in the center of your quilt and stitch outward to the perimeter. You'll kind of end up with a sunburst pattern.

Here is a nice walk-through for pin-basting. http://crazymomquilts.blogspot.com/2...ste-quilt.html

Now it's time to quilt. I used a free motion stipple on this quilt or you could quilt in straight lines with a walking foot. Whatever fits your style.
Whichever method you choose, it's best to start in the middle of your quilt (or start at one edge and stitch to the middle right away) This ensures that you don't end up with lots of extra fabric puckering in the middle.

To free motion in any pattern, you'll need a darning foot for your machine, lower your feeddogs and then start meandering. Make sure that you take a couple of stitches before you start moving your fabric. This secures your stitches.

Practice, Practice, Practice on a couple of layers of flannel!!

If you want to learn from the VERY BEST, watch this video. This lady wins shows and awards all the time for her awesome machine quilting.http://www.needlepointers.com/displa...s/tvt035.asp

Easier than free-motion (although a doll quilt is a great way to get your feet wet with free-motion) would be to do straight stitching. J
ust mark your stitching lines with a disappearing ink fabric pen, put your walking foot on your machine and follow your lines. If you don't have a walking foot, you'll just have to work a little harder at keeping you layers from shifting.

Once it's quilted, cut off the excess batting and backing.

Next we'll need to cut the binding. Cut about 90" of 2 1/4" strips of your binding fabric. I cut these on the straight of grain. Sew your binding together at the short ends. Place two binding strips at a 90 degree angle, right sides together and sew from top left corner to bottom right. Cut off extra fabric.

Now you have one long binding piece. Iron this in half lengthwise, wrong sides together.

Now, starting at the middle of one of the sides and leaving about a 4" tail start sewing the binding to the quilt, raw edges together, using a 1/4" seam allowance. Sorry about this fuzzy pic.

When you get to the corner, stitch up to 1/4" from the edge and remove from under your needle. Now take the fabric and fold it back away from the quilt. Then fold it back straight across the quilt, right where you want it to got next.

I'm so glad I have pictures. I can't explain this very well!

Start stitching again 1/4" away from the corner.

When you get to the starting point, leave about 4" in between your start and finish. Lay your quilt out flat and match up the ends of your binding and trim 1/4" up from the quilt. Open up your fabric strips and sew, right sides together, the two pieces together. Fold them again and stitch them down to the quilt. Please look at this link for pictures of this process. http://www.needlepointers.com/displa...inding-101.htm

Now take your binding and wrap it around to the backside and handstitch it down.

You're done! Don't forget to sign and date it somewhere!

Four Patch Doll Quilt Sew-Along Part Two!

2008-06-28T16:47:00.000-07:00

Ok,now that we've got our 4 patches sewn, we'll start working on the background.

Cut 6 -4" squares of the background fabric

Then we will cut the triangles for the sides:
Cut 3 -7 3/4" squares.
Cut the squares into quarters diagonally.
Lay these triangles around the edges of the quilt.

Here's a little extra info :) You can make this quilt in any size and to figure out what size to cut your side triangles, you need this formula:
Count how many side triangles you need. Then divide that number by 4 rounding UP to the nearest whole number. Then take your block and measure it across the diagonal. Add 2" to that measurement. That is the size you want to cut your squares.

Next we will cut the triangles for the corners.
Cut 2- 5 1/2" squares of background fabric.Cut into half diagonally.

Yep, there's a formula for this, too. Take the measurement of your blocks (not diagonal this time) and add 1 1/2".

Now we get our first glance of how it will all look together. Lay out the blocks and triangles on your work area. The triangles will overlap, don't worry.

Now, it's time to sew them in diagonal rows. Don't worry about the corner triangles yet. Take the top right diagonal row and sew the 4 patch and two triangles together. Make sure that you match up the bottom of the triangle to the 4 patch. I like to keep the quilt laid out, rather than picking up all the rows at once. It helps me keep things in the right order.

Continue sewing all the diagonal rows together. Next, sew the rows to one another, making sure that you match up the seams rather than the edges. You can see in the picture below that the points of the triangles stick out a bit.

Time to add the corners. Center each corner triangle, right sides together, using the center seam of the 4 patch to place it. Sew together. Trim off all of those little points sticking out.

The top is pieced!! Next post will be quilting and binding :)

Bibs

2008-06-26T16:49:00.000-07:00

Creative title, eh? Sorry, I'm plain worn out from packing and cleaning and hot weather.

Great day today. I ran 5k on my treadmill! I've been doing the couch to 5k program, hoping to run in a race on the 4th of July. I truly couldn't imagine being able to run that far when I started. I'm just so stoked....and a little sore.

On the crafty side, which has been very sparse lately, I whipped up some baby bibs for my cousin and his wife expecting their first little one.

Shopping with the kids

2008-06-22T15:21:00.000-07:00

So, on Thursday, I packed up the three kiddos and headed to Traverse City to do some shopping. With gas at (gasp) over $4 a gallon, I hate to travel that far, but we had quite a few things that we couldn't get closer to home. It is our closest Jo-anns, however, and I never fail to find a few minutes to stop in and look for some goodies.
I didn't NEED anything, but with all the red tag stuff 1/2 off, I managed to find a few things that came home with me.

First, I found this poly knit. I've had this Simplicity pattern for a while. Normally I don't even bother with Big 3 patterns, much preferring Kwik Sew, Ottobre, even Burda. This pattern had great reviews at http://www.patternreview.com/ and I really liked the shaping of it, so I want to give it a try. I was thrilled to find an inexpensive knit to try it on.

Next, I found this subtle dot on a dark sagey green to use as the background for my woodland animal swap squares. I think it will work nicely.

Finally, here is what comes of shopping with kids. My 3yo just HAD to have this. It was only $1.50 a yard....and it's cute....I just have no idea what it's going to be yet :)

2008-06-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

Four Patch Doll Quilt Sew-Along Part One
Finished Quilt size- 20" x 15 1/2 "

Ok, I'm going to do this in installments. There are quite a few pictures and I'll try to be as detailed as I can for those who aren't quilters. Those of you who are more experienced can just skip over all of my prattle Remember to have fun! It doesn't have to be perfect.

Select your fabrics:
Easy- choose 12 different coordinating fabrics. You'll need just one 5" square of each. Or just use 4 fabrics and all of the 4 patches will be identical.
Easier- -choose 1 fabric for a solid block instead of a 4 patch. This would be a great way to use a novelty. You'll need 12- 4" squares.

You will also need a setting block or background fabric. 1/3 yard should be plenty.I

t's time to think about what you would like to use for your binding and backing also. You'll need about 80-90" of 2 1/4" strips for the binding. That means two strips the full width of the fabric.

For the batting, you could use Warm and natural or any other thin batting OR flannel works really well in doll quilts, too.

The backing and batting pieces will need to be about 20"x 25"

Cutting and sewing the 4 patch squares.

Cut your 5" squares into quarters or 2 1/2" squares. Lay one square on top of another with right sides together and chain piece all of them into sets of two. (Chain piecing just means that you don't want to cut your thread between squares, just keep on sewing, keeping the pieces close to each other. It will save time and thread )

NOTE: If you are only using 4 fabrics, only cut your 5" squares in half and then sew those short strips, right sides together, to another strip. Then press open and cut in half perpendicular to your seam. This will save you a little bit of time.

Cut the threads that connect them and press open, pressing the seam to one side or press seams open if you prefer. Usually in quilting, if you press to the side, you'll want the fabric pressed to the side of the darker fabric. This way the darker fabric wont show through the front.

Take the sets of two and sew them to another set of two. Chain stitch these,too!
It's more important to match up that middle seam than it is to match the edges.

We'll do some trimming to get our blocks nice and straight. Now you have your 12 Four Patches!

We'll take them to the cutting board and square them up. Using the middle seam as a guide to mark your center, trim up the block to 4" Make sure you don't just trim the excess off of one side, but all four!

OK, that's all for part one.

Playing, playing, playing

2008-06-18T13:28:00.001-07:00

closeuphedgiedollquilt, originally uploaded by kelli_s1.

I'm still doing lots of experimenting with this blog. I need to try and figure out how to get my flickr photos to show up here.

A close up of the 9 patch hedgie doll quilt.

Why I named by blog Itty Bitty Quilts

2008-06-18T13:22:00.001-07:00

Simple really. I just love doll quilts. I love making them. I love receiving them. I love seeing the ones other people make. I make lots of other stuff, too, but this is my main pre-occupation at the moment.

Here are just a few of the doll quilts that I have completed in the last couple of months.

I created a sew-along for this doll quilt on sewingmamas.com. I might go ahead and post it here soon. We'll see.

These next two quilts were both for a quilt swap at sewingmamas.com.

Flickr Fun Meme

2008-06-18T13:15:00.001-07:00

Flickr Fun Meme, originally uploaded by kelli_s1.

I'm so excited to be actually posting something! I honestly don't know if I'll share this blog with anyone, or if I'll keep up with it, but here's a start, whatever lies ahead.

Here's what this collage is all about.

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.

b. Using only the first page, pick an image.

c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?

2. What is your favorite food?

3. What high school did you go to?

4. What is your favorite color?

5. Who is your celebrity crush?

6. Favorite drink?

7. Dream vacation?

8. Favorite dessert?

9. What you want to be when you grow up?

10. What do you love most in life?

11. One Word to describe you.

12. Your flickr name

My Itty Bitty Quilts

My School Bag

Blogger's Quilt Festival!

Back to School I Spy

Sewingmamas.com Summer Doll Quilt Swap

A fantastic giveaway!

Recess Mini Quilt

Bloggers Quilt Fesitval!

Links to some of my Paducah favorites!

I wish I could share

What to do with leftover blocks?

Elizabeth's FQ pack from SewMamaSew

My 1 year12quilts month! Woohoo!

On my Sewing Room Floor

A pair of doll quilts

Quilting Bee Blocks For February

Sew and Tell Friday!

*Tutorial* Oilcloth Bowl Covers

Or dis? or dis?

The Sleep-Over Quilt

Another Christmas Party!??

Projects 2009

Merry Christmas to all!

Show and Tell! Figgy Pudding Table Runner

Dear Santa,

Family stockings with a little how-to

And the Winner Is....

New Stockings for the Family aka I LOVE Figgy Pudding!

Yippee! It's Giveaway Day!!

Kid's Stuff

More baby quilts and no babies

#23

It's a Block Party!

Scrappy Candy Canes

True Up

WIP- Prairie Points

Fall Doll Quilt Swap

Authentic Tote Bags

Goodnight Monkey Baby Quilt

Blogger's Quilt Festival!

The whole thing

Where did summer go?

Yet another Doll Quilt

Heather and Denyse Score!

DQS7 Inspiration

Another Doll Quilt!

Another Bloggy Giveaway

A LONG table runner without a long story

A Bag for Emily

70 Blocks Done!

Mod Sampler DONE!

Design Your Own Fat Quarter Pack Giveaway!

Mini Modern Dutch Quilt

Patchy Fabric Card Tutorial

And the winner is........

One A Day Week Three

It's Here! May Giveaway Day!

Memorial Day

Table Runner....Done! And a WIP

One A Day Week Two

Patchwork Cards

Overzealous...Who me?

Oh, Happy Day!

Lots of sewing, no finished products!

A Nine-Patch A Day!

Chicago Quilt Show

A Trio of Doll Quilts

Stacked Coins Baby Quilt

First Annual Bloggers Quilt Festival

A Comfort Quilt

My Weekender

Rocket Rascals Baby Quilt

Have you checked out this blog?

Valentine's Day Already?

Mark's Firetruck Quilt

A Christmas present still sitting on my shelves

Floating Birdies

Long, Long time no see!

Ittybittybutterflyquilt

Four Patch Doll Quilt Sew-Along Part Three!

Tutorial Oilcloth Bowl Covers