Hipper than a hipster diaper bag

Last weekend I was finally able to gift this messenger bag-style diaper bag to a friend of mine who is expecting her first baby on Halloween!! The baby shower was the most fun/least awkward baby shower I have ever attended. I'll share some pics from the shower in another post.

You may recognize the circle appliques. I attached the fabric using my no-fuss no-raw edge applique tutoriolito which you can find here.

The outside of the bag is a sturdy gray duck cloth. All the linings and pockets are prints from the modern quilts fabric line. I think the design of the bag is so much fun for a little kiddo and is not girly so dad will have no problem toting this bag around.

This bag has lots of pockets for storing all kinds of baby stuff. Four inside the bag, a divided back pocket and side pockets to boot!

I started by stuffing the bag with some essentials. Burp cloths in Modern Quilts and blue terry cloth and Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder. You know if you use those both in the same night you had a good time!

 Here is everything all together. I hope little baby Cods (my nickname for her - not her actual name!) will enjoy finding goldfish in the bottom of this bag for years to come.

I'm linking up this week with Crazy Mom Quilts and TGIFF hosted this week by Quokka quilts!

Catching Up - August Beach Trip Rundown

In late August, after hubs finished the Step 2 exam - that killer 8hr exam in your 3-4 year of medical schoool - we went to Dauphin Island to relax.

Dauphin Island is a beautiful barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico just off mainland Alabama.

We went to Fort Gaines and shot cannons at the Union like real Southerners.

I only wish our gulf views weren't marred by oil rigs. I didn't realize there were so many just off shore.

We went to the Estuarium and saw all the snuggliest of sea creatures:

There was lots of wildlife outside too!

So many birds including herons, terns, pelicans and gulls. We saw skates and hermit crabs in the water and lots of fish.

But most importantly I got to put my toes in the sand...

And this gif is just for you, Ms. Stitching and Bacon:

It's been a while...

Oh Hai! I'm back. I lost my sewjo for a spell there but thankfully it was only temporary. Here is a finish from about two weeks ago. Another Zakka Style messenger bag. This one is for my aunt Kathy. She is a kookie geologist who lives on a farm and owns goats and alpacas. I aspire to grow up just like her!!

Ostrich fabric appliqued on the front is perfectly fitting. My mom commissioned this bag and she said she and Kathy are the two old birds.

The body of the bag is yarn dyed linen in denim. The inside is lined with birds and the bees fabric. The pockets are a dinosaur text print (Geology rocks!!) The inside flap is a honeybee print that I wish I bought more of.

The strap is a home dec fabric that has an underwater scene on it. I like that the turtles and fish peep out from the sea fronds.

It is a good thing I love making these bags. My mom commissioned another 5 from me.

I hope I didn't lose too many readers in that dry spell.

My Unfiltered Sewing Space

Jennifer at Ellison Lane Quilts organized a studio spotlight series showcasing the creative spaces of some talented sewists/bloggers. I don't have a dedicated sewing space yet but I have lots of ideas for what I want in the future. For now I just sprawl out all over the house. My supplies are creeping into every nook and cranny of storage space. It is happy clutter.

Where do I sew? At the dining room table. DUH. It's not like I would actually ever eat there.

 I make my chair comfy and happy with my VOLE pillow.

 Where do I press? On the ironing table in the middle of the living room/dining room/probably fire escape route common area.

I recently redid my ironing board cover. To see the atrocious state it was in before click here (totally SFW).

My trusty iron wears his battle scars with pride. But he never scorches or spits.

Where do I cut? On the foldout table. It's not just for beer pong anymore! I took it out "temporarily" when I had a few friends come over for a crafternoon and it just stayed out.

I have two giant cutting mats that are just slightly bigger than the table which gives me a huge surface for cutting.  On top I store some of my notions and fabric that is slated for particular projects or stuff that I just got and want to pet. My TI-89 calculator is always at arms reach so I can do some sophisticated quilt maths. I also store (some of) my scraps under the table.

Sorry I didn't clean it up for you. #honestsewingspace

Where do I store stuff?? Wherever I find space. I store batting, interfacing and stuff I don't use on a daily basis in the guest closet. I took over the left 3 drawers of the banquette next to my "temporary" cutting table. They are stuffed with fabric organized by color.

OK. I might have started to overflow into another drawer but it was a drawer that held all of our hats and gloves for winter and it is summer now. This is acceptable.

I also have the bottom half of this little bookshelf. It stores my smaller cuts of fabric, notions and craft books. I keep some of my favorite knickknacks on top. Most are from El Salvador where my hubby is from.

Washi map of Alabama from a good friend :)

I can't wait until I have my own dedicated space.When I do - you can all make me mini quilts so I can decorate. Thanks for stopping by to see my humble little space. Linking up with Elison Lane Quilts. Go check out all the other sewing spaces!

PurplesPlus {A Positive Finish}

Buenos Dias! Look what I finished over the weekend!

Yep this is my version of the Sew Positive pattern now available from Elizabeth at Don't Call Me Betsy. 

First a bit about my quilty, then a review of the pattern. I made a lap-sized version of the quilt which is composed of large and small plus blocks. I based my palette off of the mosaic print in the picture below. I used blue and purple and lime and mixed up the background with creams and browns.

 

A smattering of FMF, Parisville, bike paths, Jay McCarroll, Amy Butler and more.

 

For the back I used the Mercer print from Alexander Henry (I found a bolt and took the last of it from Joann's!) And I lime green moda solid (not sure the exact color). The binding is a blue/green shot cotton.

  

I free motion quilted with meandering rectangles. This was my first time doing sharp angles like this and my muscle memory kept fighting me to curve the lines. I think it turned out pretty well and I like how it emphasizes the blocky nature of the piecework as well as the wonky buildings on the back.

 

Pattern Review: This pattern was straightforward to follow and had a good number of figures and pictures to make everything clear. The way the pattern is written lends itself really well for a scrappy quilt design which I love!  She also gives you lots of tables too that tell you things like the number of blocks you will need for each size, cutting instructions based on size etc. I like tables. Tables are cool.

I would rate this design as confident beginner bordering on intermediate. It is not hard to piece, there are no tricky seams to match up, no dreaded y-seams or curves BUT, if you use directional prints and you care about the direction you do need to be mindful when piecing. I had to actually think when I was piecing the small plus blocks. Based on this, it is not an easy pattern to chain piece especially when you go scrappy.

I will definitely make this one again. I love the way the small pluses look and may have to make the baby version which just uses those. How much fun would it be to use this block for a quilting bee?

And now for something completely different:

Mr. Fish loves quilts. He approves of this one/ate it.

Om nom nom

You can find the pattern for sale on Craftsy and in her Pattern shop. You can also see more versions of this pattern on her blog today. It is only $6 for this week only. So go treat yo'self.

WIP Wednesday - The last WIP with the plus quilt I promise!

This week has been all about taking poorly lit nighttime photos. Let's take a look:

The Sew Positive quilt is almost done! (pattern by Elizabeth at Don't call Me Betsy). 

Last night Sarah at Stitching and Bacon and I had basting/quilting instagram party. It wasn't a competition but I totally won. I am trying out a meandering squares quilting design. It is so hard to break the habit of curves but I think it is looking swell.

I am embarking on a scrap vomit quilt a la I'm A Ginger Monkey. I have no idea how many 2.5" squares I have so far but they are filling up this box quickly.

 I also stocked up on some lovelies! Using up scraps means I can buy mores stuff.

Essex linen yarn dyed flax, natural, yarn dyed denim and yarn dyed black.  

Waterfront Park domino dots. Essential stash builders.

Waterfront Park birds. Also essential.

I am also working on a new baby quilt pattern that I hope to show you later this week. Linking up at freshly pieced.

ALYoF - August Goal

Ok August. Game on. I am going to make a kaleidoscope quilt out of oranges and blue. I've been wanting to make a Kaleidoscope quilt for a while now. I am not going to use templates - that sounds akin to torture. Should I paper piece? I also found this nifty way to piece them without paper piecing or templates but I am concerned I wont get the accuracy I am striving for plus it generates a lot of weird scraps of fabric. Any suggestions?

The blue is a Kaffe Fasset shot cotton (I seriously wrote Kotton first). The oranges are assorted prints from my stash:

Any suggestions on how to construct it would be much appreciated! Linking up with ALYoF :)