Rae's Quilt: Fabric and Label

Thought I would drop in and show you the very beginnings of that picnic quilt I am making for Rae (no, not that Rae), the head of the crazy department where I work for my day job.  I not only owe my career to Rae, but she has also been a source of personal inspiration over the 10 years I have worked for her.  Anyway, so she is retiring this month and I am making her a picnic/lawn/nap sorta quilt as a gift.  Since this is my very first quilting endeavor (excluding the doll quilt I designed a couple of months ago--and the simple quilts I made for the Binky Bunnies), I thought I would share the process with you in more detail than you might care to know.

So, here is the stack of fabrics I purchased for her quilt.  Bright pinks often show up in Rae's wardrobe so I wanted to feature that color.  I also printed a label with the happy wishes on some fabric and will sew that on latter (full disclosure: making the label was part of my further procraftstination to actually get started with the real process of making the quilt).  In further madness, I actually drew up my own quilt design (pretty basic, but still...) and worked out the  measurements for the pieces and am working from that.  I know.  You can call me stupid later when I come to you sobbing because I have no idea what I am doing and am left with nothing but a quilt shaped mess of fabric.

Lazy Daisy Dolly Quilt

I've been wanting to design a doll quilt for some time--so here you go.  It is my lazy daisy dolly quilt.

It's super simple to make--just a basic quilt sandwich and then the flowers appliqued on top.  Of course, I used those repro feedsack fabrics which I love--and the top is actually just part of an old uber-soft pillow case I had laying around.

This pattern will be part of the set of springy projects I am putting together.  They might be available, maybe, sometime next weekend--barring outbreaks of illness in my family, any natural disasters on my block, or unexpected bouts of laziness which might overtake me.

Just a Prototype

Hi.  I'm just a prototype so don't get too used to me or anything.  Probably won't be around here much longer once she takes off my ears and rips out my seams and reconfigures me into some other sort of bunny she likes better than me.  Not that I care.  I mean, can you see the view out the window behind me?  This is what passes for springtime in Minnesota.   Guess that's why I have a winter hat even though I am a symbol of spring and Easter and rebirth and all that.  Whatever.
Catch you on the other side.

Recycled Crayons

Inspired by this tutorial on Homemade by Jill, last weekend I bought two enormous bags of used crayons at my local thrift store for about $3.00--and this was what resulted...

My favorite?  The crystals and rocks set you see above--it is the natural history nerd in me.  All in all, those two bags of crayons yielded about 28 sets of molded crayons with 9-10 crayons per set.   Made some tags up and they will be up for sale in my Etsy shop sometime this month--as well as selling some at No Coast.

Of course, this makes it all sound easy--and the melting of crayons and pouring them into molds is simple--but peeling the paper off crayons is pretty damn frustrating and labor-intensive since old used crayons tend to be pretty stuck in their wrappers--but about halfway through Mr Beeper stepped in with an industrial box-cutter and just started slicing all the crayons right out of the wrappers in a fraction of the time like a crayon-shelling ninja (thanks, babycakes!).   I melted all of my crayons in a stainless steel kitchen bowl placed in a pan of boiling water on the stove, and this cleaned up fine with hot water and soap (albeit a little messy).  Just be careful to not get any water in your melted crayons as this will cause them to harden with a grainy texture rather than being all shiny and happy and new looking.   And in case you were wondering, all of my molds came from Bake It Pretty (about $2 apiece). 

I highly recommend this--especially if you can find old used crayons since it is an awesome way to recycle unloved crayons (if you cannot find any at your thrift store, ask friends--who does not have a stash of these?--I admit I raided some of Beeper's older fat crayons he longer uses to add to the pile).  Beeper loves them and has already selected a set of the animal crayons for himself.  And me, I am already thinking about the future valentine's favors that might result...or who might appreciate these for Christmas amongst the little people I know. 

Matchbox Monsters

Little itty bitty dotty boxes on the window sill.  Wonder what's in them? 

Why, hello there little monster.  Time for a nappie change?

Shhh...back to bed now for you and your little beastly friends....nightie night.

Yes, another project I have been at work on as part of that other project I cannot tell you about quite yet...vague enough for you?

Possibilities

Don't you just love the endless possibilities represented in a stack of freshly washed and ironed fabrics?  All that potential, neatly folded into dormancy, just waiting to be unleashed.  A little bomb of creativity waiting to explode into what will be.  Or for the Harry Potter loving amongst you, an Erumpent Horn on Xenophilius' wall, not yet detonated.  For now, the little stack and I are exchanging knowing smiles whenever I pass, flirting brazenly, our courtship.  Our time will come, my pretties, soon.

Binky Bunny Options

This is the Baby Binky Bunny designed by Larissa over at mmmcrafts.  I made this one back in December as a gift for my niece's daughter, sweet Lily.  I also made this one for dear Mimi for her 2nd birthday, and then made this one for a Toy Society drop sometime thereafter.  And now, with Miss Bean's 2nd birthday coming up, I want to make one for her too. (actually, I wanted to make her a full-sized rag doll version of my Bitty Bebe with all the accoutrement but just do not have time to get it designed and sewn up this week--but the rag doll version is coming, trust me, since I have been thinking about it nearly every single dang day for weeks now...).  I have also had Larissa's latest Baby Binky Bunny accessories pattern lurking in my to-make pile for a few a months so I figured I would toss that in as part of Miss Bean's gift.

So today I began to select fabrics for the bunny and its patchwork binky...um, except I ended up with 3 different sets of fabric options and now I cannot decide which it will be.  Don't you hate that?  That over-abundance of inspiration?  The excess of options?  The ensuing indecisiveness?  

Here are the fabric options as they look today (binky quilt options on left, bunny fabric with contrasting ear fabric on right)...

(brown/green/yellow/blue/red binky and brown corduroy bunny)

(pink/blue/yellow/lavendar binky and raspberry wool tweed bunny)

(red/green/yellow/blue binky and buttery yellow corduroy bunny)

Can you give me some help here?   Which do you think it should be?   

(and did I remember to tell you thank you for all the great suggestions of things to make with the plant-dyed felt?  Because now I have a whole list of ideas that grew from your suggestions--more to come on that.  And thanks too. You guys are the best)

Children's Sewing Kit Prototype--Tutorial WIP

I made this for Matilda for her 7th birthday--a children's sewing kit. Matilda is, perhaps, the biggest fan of all the stuff I make and has declared before that she wants to be a plushie-maker like me when she grows up--so I am always happy to make a little something for her. But then Carrie, Matilda's mom, was complaining to me that there were no good first sewing kits out there for children that did not contain gross synthetic crap that only offered an artificial sewing experience that did not really teach you anything about sewing--which bugged me for half a second only to quickly morph into thinking about possible designs for a children's sewing kit.

So, this was what emerged--whipped up quickly last night. Yes, please try to ignore all the design flaws--there are plenty. But this was fine for a 7-year-old who wants to learn to sew. I also included a few simple hand-sewing projects for her (not pictured)--a little flower bracelet, some small animal plushies, and a little notebook and colored pencil holder--all made from wool felt since it is an easy non-fraying material to work with.

I like the notion of a children's sewing kit, no question (and so does Beeper since he told me he too wants his own so he can make a vampire doll and a Superman doll). And I do plan to make another one of these--since now I know what I would change and fix in the initial design (like ironing the fabric before I cover the box pieces, which I was too lazy too to do last night, apparently)--and then I will put it out here as a tutorial for all of you, if you care or want to make your own or something like that.

Quilt Anxiety

Look at this stack of fabrics. So lovely it almost hurts my heart. They are from the Good Folks collection from Anna Maria Horner. In a fit of ardor, I purchased fat quarters of the entire collection--all 24 heart-wrendingly beautiful fabrics. You see, I came across Anna Maria's blog (her home is too devastingly lovely) and then her fabrics and then I was in love and knew I had to have a quilt made from these fabrics for our bedroom. But, I don't quilt. Not that that deterred me, as you can see, from purchasing the fabrics.

As soon as the fabrics arrived, I tore into the box and laid them out across our bed, just to see how they would look if they were to be assembled in the aforementioned quilt--and , I think my heart sang when it saw all those fabrics together, against the backdrop of our dark gray walls. This is the quilt of my dreams--if only I can manage to make it a reality. And dear Chez Beeper Bebe readers, I am scared. I have never ever made a quilt, and what if I screw it up? Gods knows what sort of desperate state I would fall into if I ruined all that otherworldly fabric and worse yet, this quilt would never grace my bedroom.

So, I turn to all of you for your advice and assistance. Please tell me, where are the best resources for how to make a quilt? Books? Blogs? Other Resources? And if you are already quilters and know a thing or two about this elusive craft, what are your personal tips? What sort of batting is the best for this sort of project? What should I do for binding? What about backing it? I would be in a state of paralysis with all this lack of knowledge I posses on the subject, but dammit if I am not determined to make this quilt and have it in my bedroom.

So, let me tell what I am envisioning at this point: I want to make this quilt with big square blocks of the fabric (somewhat like pictured above)--because I think the fabric itself is the superstar of this quilt, and more importantly, I need to start simple or I will never have the gumption to make this. And I have this idea that I would quilt it by hand, quilting around varying bits of the patterns in the fabric--creating this sort of mosaic of quilted patterns. Is this a bad idea? Am I doomed for failure if I go down this path? What don't I know that I should? Please help me. I am so utterly clueless. I mean, I sew things all the time, but somehow this feels like I am about to attempt to build the the space shuttle in my bedroom--because it is that important to me.

Anything you can do to help will result in my eternal gratitude.

So Much WIP Around Here...

Lots of work in progress going on around here. This is why I am not over here, at Chez Beeper Bebe, quite as often right now...because I am tethered to my scissors and awash in felted sweaters and hunched over my sewing machine. And I'll let you in on a little secret: I am getting ready for a nice big shop update in early November. And one more thing--I have several tutorials I am working on to share with you--yep, that's right, you. Just because you are so worth it and because once I get an idea in my head like, gee, it sure would be swell to share a new tutorial every other week leading up to the holidays, the idea positively consumes me like a bad rash--well, my husband likes to say I am cursed with vision (and I know what he really means is that he is the one cursed with having a wife who has vision). Anyway...so that is what's up around here. Just in case you were wondering.

Eat This

Oh yes, more napkins for you. Well, actually, not really for you, but for your perusal. I decided to applique on a little message for these and I am digging the red letters on white linen (a Red Cross sort of effect--which appeals, at least for me).

And I was standing with my iron in hand, preparing to crease and press the edges so I could finish them, I realized I could just be lazy and leave them frayed and unfinished--therby picking up some extra time to watch another episode of Weeds. Frayed edges it was then.

Funny the things that drive design.

The Cloth Napkin Project: Some Ruffled, Some More Simple Fat Quarters

I know you have all been positively sitting on pins and needles, awaiting my update on the latest napkins I have created as part of my ongoing Cloth Napkin Project. I mean, how could you not be? Are napkins not the most riveting and enthralling subject? Well, let me keep you in suspense no longer...I made four of these pretty, ruffled yellow linen napkins. First time I've ever made a ruffle, if you must know. It was simple--provided you do not yank aggressively on the ends of your thread as you gather the strip of ruffle fabric into ruffles, because then the thread breaks and you have to cuss for a bit and go back to your sewing machine and once again sew that thread down the middle of your strip...speaking from experience, of course.

And in the spirit of full disclosure, I am not altogether entirely happy with these--yet. I think the width of the ruffle may be too much...it is reminding me of a 70's era bridesmaid dress or kitchen curtains my mom would have had when I was 5 or something...and these are a little more "shabby chic" than intended, but that I think could grow on me. I actually made the ruffle from an old white bed sheet that I cut into strips, leaving the edges unfinished so they could be intentionally frayed (mostly because I am lazy). I am somehow convinced that I could create a version of this that would entirely please me, so I am going to try to make a few more yet, this time with white ruffle on white linen napkins, making the ruffle thinner and little more discreet--less 70's prom tuxedo shirt-y, if you know what I mean.And then I also made 6 more napkins from some more fat quarters I purchased at Crafty Planet. These were a big ol' piece of cake to make since I just folded and pressed the edges, then sewed those in place. I do like the combo of patterns on this set--they contain about all my favorite fabric patterns: stripes, polka dots, chickens, daisies and cherries.

So, 10 more napkins complete. I am at 28 total napkins made right now. My goal is 40. 12 more designs for you to look forward to, dear Chez Beeper Bebe readers.

The Mathematics of Plushie Design

15 recycled stripey tees

+

1 backet full of reclaimed fleece

+

5 sketches of vintage-inspired animal faces

+

2 sketches of some sort of woodland doll creature

=

a new Beeper Bebe plushie design sometime this week?

The Cloth Napkin Project: 10 More

Not to bore you senseless, but I made some more cloth napkins. These were constructed in the simplest way possible--just turned the edge twice on 10 different fat quarters and sewed them in place. Given my goal of making 40+ napkins by end of summer, I felt compelled to make some quick progress. All the fabrics are from the Katie Jump Rope fabric collection by Denyse Schmidt--you can find them here at Sew Mama Sew. This makes 18 napkins in total DONE. So, you (lucky you, I might add) get to look forward to several more posts on whatever new cloth napkin attempt I am making...thrilled, I'm sure.

The Cloth Napkin Project

I am suddenly hellbent on making cloth napkins--not just a set, but a whole friggin buttload of them. And why not? I mean, we can lessen our paper towel useage, and cloth napkins are so much lovelier. They are what our grandparents used growing up, are friendlier to our earth, and are so, so much lovelier. So, I have this plan to make cloth napkins all summer--different materials, different styles, some simple, some a bit embellished. And this is where I began...I chose reproduction 1930's feedsack patterns (many of them from the Aunt Grace line--you can find some fabrics from this collection at Reprodepot--found here)--and ric-rac for the edges. I wanted something that actually did remind me of my Grandma Keller and all of her sweet sisters. I also chose to back these with some white muslin--just to give them a nice heft, and to make them a little sturdier which could be good for picnic use.And while I love the look of ric-rac, I also hate working on it because I always seem to sew it in wopperjawed. But this is the solution I found:

1. First, I bought all fat quarters for these (and cut the muslin to fit each). I sewed the rickrack on the front side of the fabric, a half inch from the edge, all the way around.
2. Then I pinned the muslin and the patterned fabrics together, right sides facing in, and sewed them together along the stitching where I sewed in the rickrack--leaving a 4 inch slot open so I could turn it right side out.
3. Then I turned it right side out, pressed it all neat and flat, and sewed around the edge again, about 1/2 inch in. Napkin done.

So, I have one set of 8 napkins complete...my plan is to make about 30 or so more so we can use our napkins with wild abandon and not worry about doing laundry every second. Yeah, I am serious about this cloth napkin business...

The Cure for Carl

This is Carl.Carl's human is Matilda. She cares about him deeply, feels he is very special, and they have been through a lot in the past 2 years they have been together. (WARNING: graphic photo follows below--may be disturbing to small children)As you may be able to see, Carl is in a bad way. Like, moving into critical territory--the shrunken woolen fibers are a chronic condition that I fear will only continue to deteriorate over time if left untreated. And that hole in the head? Well, it doesn't take a brain surgeon to tell you that requires some intensive care. Which is why we have no other choice but to take Carl into emergency surgery. He has a good chance of survival, but he may not be quite the same when he comes back out and. I only hope he will be recovered enough to join Matilda at her 6th birthday party on Saturday...