Pinterest Challenge: Bath Apron

I've had this Martha Stewart Bath Apron on my brain ever since I first saw the pin.

I was sure I'd make it as part of Welcome Baby C Package. Then I was sure it was impractical. And back and forth I went.

Well, with an episode of 'Land Girls' left to watch after my Improvised Jungle Blocks play I thought I'd at least give it a try.

Unfortunately, until I have a better model, or another photographer around, that's the only picture I have.

After reading the comments on the site, I deviated from the original pattern in two ways. First, I added waist ties, more in the style of a traditional apron. Secondly, I made a bit of a pouch of the fabric. This was partly to bring the length off the ground (for me anyway) a bit more, and partly because I like to use things with pockets. I figure at the very least it would give the wearer somewhere to stash a toy or wash cloth or something, though it might also work to help catch baby's feet when drying her off.

Momo didn't seem too thrilled in helping me test that last part though, so I'll have to wait until Baby C's parents get back to me on whether this project is a dud or a winner. I did warn them they'd be my test subjects for a few projects - and probably more over the years since I keep pinning baby clothes patterns...

To Quilt or Not to Quilt

So far my quilt making has more or less been constrained to various odd-sized baby blankets. I've been arguing with myself for months as to whether or not I should take on a larger quilt in celebration of a different milestone.

Why Not Quilt:

• Size - the quilt would be Full size, if not Queen. That alone is intimidating. 
• Cost - I can manage the cost of the materials if I stretch purchases out over a couple months, but I'm worried about the quilting. If I can find a way to do it myself, this becomes a Time issue. If I can't, paying someone else to do the quilting for me puts this project beyond what I can afford. 
• Time - I do have 7-8 months to work, but quilting it myself (whether by hand or machine) would eat up a lot of that time. And it's never certain how many free hours I'll have in a day until after 9 p.m. that day. 

Why To Quilt: 

• I want to. 

There's really one reason why I make any item:

I came across the concept of a Ring Warming Ceremony for the first time during our wedding planning. Basically, the wedding rings are passed through the guests, giving each guest a moment to say a silent prayer/blessing for the marriage before the rings are used in the ceremony. In a way, each hand made item is a bit of a Warming from me to the recipient. Even when I'm rushing to finish, I'm still trying to pour the hopes and dreams I have for the recipient into something tangible. I'm remembering the quilts I had growing up, the costumes and picnics and games they played rolls in, wondering if the one I'm working on will have even a moment of being as important. I wonder if the recipient will ever touch it and know that someone spent hours thinking of them and how special they are. It's my own little Warming Ceremony, even if the recipient is unaware that's what's happened. 

It isn't really a question of to quilt or not to quilt. When I read my own reasoning for why I want to, how can I say no? Even though I'm terrified of the size and scale of the project I'm about to commit to. 

So, the real question is: What pattern do I make this commitment to? 

This is for a wedding and a marriage. It's for artists. Unlike baby quilts where I can use the nursery design, favorite animals, or something in the shower invite for inspiration, here I'm a little less inspired. No, that's not true either. I'm intimidated by two of my three pieces of inspiration. Mario Cart Rainbow Road. Van Gogh's Starry Night. Tie Dye. I'll let you figure out which two of those are more intimidating. 


The color story has been clear since before I admitted to myself that I wanted to do this. Rainbow colors in dark gray/black fields. The good news? That can be applied to a number of patterns. The bad news? That can be applied to a number of patterns.

Here are my favorites so far. (Prepare to be awed by my incredible Paint skills. I know.) 

Inspired by the Moda Bake Shop Avignon Picnic Quilt 

Inspired by Use the Loot: Rainbow Quilt 

Inspired by Blue Elephant Stitches: do.Good Stitches Rainbow

Inspired by Oh, Fransson! Sparkle Punch and  wonky stars 

See what I mean? Lots of options... but none of them feel quite right. Or is that just me? 

In a few minutes, maybe I'll change my mind, but at this moment, I'm torn between either the first one I shared or the last one. I like the stars, but I've never done stars. And I'm not very good at finishing when I've bitten off more than I can handle. 

Progress

Improvised Jungle Blocks Quilt

Not quite sure where I'm going with these yet - whether I'll square them up or not. I'm hoping the plan for these will continue to grow as I play with layouts and determine a sash fabric. Sadly, I can't get my hands on any yardage, so it's precuts and stash to make this happen...


Wonky Stacked Coin Quilt

Finished - unless I decide to re-do the binding. Headed to Baby C in July.

April Showers/May Flowers I and II Quilts

Both are quilted and ready to wash

Pansy Patch Project

Some progress. All the pieces for the pansy faces are cut, and some of the petal pieces are sewn together.

Half-Square "Procrastination" Quilt

Needs: basted, quilted, bound, washed. Batting in on sale next week, so I'm hoping to wrap this up in the next week or two. 

Monkeys and Bananas Quilt

Finished and given away! 

Teddy Bear Blanket

Finished. Headed to Baby C in July. 

Terry Cloth Bibs

I have snaps, just haven't quite figured out how to attach them yet...

Welcome Baby C Package

I think all I need to do is finish the bibs and package everything.




Looks like I'm nearly out of projects... which is odd, because that's not how I feel at all! I do have several waiting to be started including two quilts and something to cover my sewing machine when it's not in use. All on the plan for this weekend and next week - assuming things go as planned (haha).

My 6th Quilt: April Showers/May Flowers II

I was so pleased with Aprils Showers May Flowers I that I immediately started a second. I used the same set of pre-cuts, and the same disappearing nine patch pattern, but this time I added a border from some lager pre-cuts (picked up on clearance at the same time).

The additional border brought the quilt to 38 by 38.

It also meant I needed a little additional fabric for the back. A few leftover scraps from making the patches, and one of those larger pre-cuts came to the rescue. For being an unintentional back plan, I think it adds a little more whimsy to the back.

This is my first time attempting a label. I thought I'd give my new-to-me machine's letter stitching a try - although I've yet to run it through the wash and to be honest, I'm not sure the stitching will hold up to any amount of use and washing.

When it came to the quilting, I tried something different. I'm sure there's a name for it, but dash if I know! It's kind of like a spiral, but rectangular to match the quilt shape. It's fairly organic as I had no real plan beyond that and didn't take the time to draw any guide lines. I just started in the middle and wandered my way around to the edges. It took a little longer than I expected (nearly three episodes of Land Girls), and many of the corners have a bit more pull/pucker than what I wanted to see. If this had still been basted and awaiting binding (instead of quick turned) I suspect it would have had a little less puckering, but I probably should have been doing the corners a little differently (a single stitch at an angle instead of ninety-degree turns).

It's very difficult to see in the photos, probably due to the business of the fabrics - but it looks pretty good if I do say so myself.

Oh, here's a comparison close up that might show a little more of the quilting. April Showers May Flowers I on the left, II on the right.

So now what?

I'm not quite sure. I think one of the two might be joining the Welcome Baby C package. The Wonky Stacked Coin batting is very thin and light-weight and I want Baby C to have something heavier for colder weather as well. Both April Showers/May Flowers quilts are heavier and warmer - but they're also both smaller...

For the moment though, I'm just enjoying staring at them both - finally finished and as happy as I could have wanted. And honestly, even though I made two with the thought I could then give one away, I'm not sure I can bring myself to do it. April was hard, but looking at these reminds me that good things can come out of challenging times. Which is exactly what I wanted. But maybe they're a little too personal for giving away.

Shopping Splurge

The pre-cut area is so dangerous. It's almost always a better deal to buy the yardage... but there are so many cute fat quarter prints that I never see on the bolt. I get sucked in. Which usually means I walk around the store with the fabric in my hand, but decide against it at the last second.

Not this time. 

Land of Whimzie Safari Baby 

I'm a little obsessed. But I'm not the only one. When I said I'd put this aside for the next baby shower, my husband suggested we hold on to it until ours. We'll see. 

Six fat quarters won't go very far, but I'm devising a plan... 

Pinterest Challenge: Marshmallow Rolls

Crescent rolls again? Oh yes. With marshmallows, cinnamon sugar, and butter. 


If you're on Pinterest, you've probably seen these magic-looking rolls go by more than once. Sometimes they're called Hocus Pocus Rolls, or Resurrection Rolls, or Marshmallow Rolls. 

Although the recipes I looked at called for the large marshmallows, all I had were the little guys. Larger ones might have been a little easier to work with - for dunking in the melted butter and the cinnamon sugar mixture, as well as wrapping them in the dough - but the little ones worked alright.Wrapping up the bundles took a little coordination to keep all the goodies inside, but no worse than anything else I've wrapped in crescents!

Even when the bake-time was up, these felt a little under-done to my fingers. I pulled them out anyway and let them cool for a few minutes before trying them. When I did, I was happy to learn that they were cooked through. The flavors remind me of the best parts of a cinnamon roll - the marshmallow gives it almost an icing like flavor, and you know I love cinnamon. 


So, what's with the names: Hocus Pocus and Resurrection? The marshmallow more or less vanishes during the cooking process, which can be magical, or an Easter lesson. 

Whatever you're calling them, or using them for, these little rolls were clear winners around here.

These are not only joining the regular rotation around here, but they're also going on the list for items to take/bring to any holiday meals or parties. So easy and so delicious, this is exactly the kind of thing I love to have in my pocket for little events.

June Wrap Up

• Read 5+ books
• “Looks” Madeleine George
• "Gwenhwyfar: The White Spirit" Mercedes Lackey
• "A Night Like This" Julia Quinn
• "The Graverobber's Apprentice" Allan Stratton
• "This is All I Ask" Lynn Kurland   
• Pinterest Challenge: Avocado Ranch Dip, Red Velvet Cinnamon Rolls/Cake Mix Cinnamon Rolls, 
• Anniversary Date Renaissance Festival, one of my favorites. 
• List white car for sale
• Shelf over loveseat Progress - I picked up two different shelves but I think the bigger one is too big and the smaller one too small. I'm about to just go to get a Disc hanger instead. 
• Cut Pansy Patch pieces
• Take donations to Goodwill
• Finish April Showers/May Flowers II
• Back and baste Procrastination Quilt - Back is made, but any further progress is on pause until I get some more batting. Probably when it goes on sale in another week. 
• Birthday Package - Progress, but I don't think it's quite done. I've got a couple things, but I want something else a little more age appropriate - though I've been assured that for first birthdays empty cardboard boxes might be more appropriate than anything I could make/buy. 
• Welcome Baby C Package
• Snaps for bibs 
• Wash quilt, blanket, hooded towels, bibs, etc. 
• Add something else for the parents
• Finishing touches/wrapping

Some progress, but not as much as I'd like to see. Watching these monthly goals, you'd never know I go to Goodwill multiple times a month for work. But the things in my house just pile up in the living room. It's getting out of hand. Meanwhile, those costumes I kept trying to deliver and finally gave up on? Delivered - and to the person I was hoping would want them! 


This month was very unbalanced - I put in nearly all my work hours in either the first week or the last week of the month. So far, July is shaping up to be a similar schedule, so I've been putting some time into creating a more structured update schedule and work on fun projects schedule. I have never done well with schedules in the past, but I'm still hoping to get things spread a little more evenly across the month (at least the things I can control) instead of cramming eight projects into a single day off.