happy list

a collection

of the little things that have made my week

(started here)

...

guilty pleasure

because sometimes

there is just no resisting their magical deliciousness

fabric

and the purr of my sewing machine

inspired
and it feels so good...

while sitting on the back steps

late one afternoon

my hearty succulents

finally got re-potted

this moment

snapped by my husband-

long after i'd fallen asleep 

cuddled up to the sweet smell 

of my favorite girl

and

let's be honest- it was a looong, dark winter

with looong, dark roots

which really-

was no good for anyone.

so, with a quick trip to NYC

the blond is back

and
spring

has me feeling

a little more

like

me

again.

blanket for my boy

 

on my last trip into the city

i picked up a selection of men's shirting fabrics

to use in a baby quilt 

for my little guy-to-be

  

free moments have been spent 

planning and cutting

...

determined to have it finished

before his arrival in early august!

winter sewing class update

my little seamstresses continue to blow me away

with what they produce (and often design themselves!) in our weekly classes

this winter, we started with a biggie:

twin-sized quilts for their very own beds

the girls designed the layouts

picked the fabrics

 

cut, pieced and sewed the tops

hand appliqued details on the backs

 

sandwiched, quilted and bound

 

these beauties

 all on their own...

at 10 years old? yeah... impressive.

...

one-day pom scarves 

quick valentine's lovies

saturday morning yoga pants

...

to welcome spring

we are working on a quick easter project

and then onto

sundresses!

charlie x 2

i pulled these fabrics together

back over the summer

when two sets of friends had baby boys

both named

charlie!

i had long-loved david walker's boys will be boys fabric line

and decided to make the kiddos 

stroller blankets

half-finished they'd been buried

until the weekend

when i finally finished and photographed

phew! 

charlie (x2) will have his quilt before his first birthday!

i'm a total sucker for kids with accents

have you seen this #1 youtube video?!

CHARLIE!

custom color wheel

after seeing the results of our crafting weekend last winter

blair, of design studio b

contacted me to see if i might be able to make her a queen size version

...

at long last, it was delivered to her last weekend

and she snapped these pics before a cozy fall nap

i just how her photos of it have such a moody and fall-like feel
paired with her garnet hill flannel ticking sheets
her bed will be glorious!

thanks, blair... so glad you love it!
...

getting the quilt off
left me with renewed inspiration
to start sewing again...
i can't wait to dive into my stash!

quilted coasters

really, i promise
it didn't take me 4 months
to finish this project:

just 4 months wrap, gift and then photograph.

this weekend, in little compton for father's day
gave me the perfect opportunity to snap some photos
of the quilted coasters
i made for my mother-in-law's birthday gift

and, i have to say,
they look just as lovely as i'd imagined they would
in their home by the marsh.

one set for the living room


another for the kitchen/dining room

...
i was inspired by the coasters in denise schmidt quilts
but mine ended up being totally free hand... for better or worse.
i used a combination of quilting and upholstery weight fabrics
and am now totally obsessed with robert kaufman's quilter's tweeds...

twin quilts

i know you had a peek at my giraffe baby quilt that i whipped up at our crafting weekend

but when i first eyed that adorable giraffe print

i bought double.

i loved that it was modern, yet whimsical

and totally gender neutral

so i wanted to challenge myself...

twin baby quilts

one for boy, one for girl

and though it seems like everyone is having babies at the moment

no doubles.

but i still went ahead with the plan...

this for sweet baby jane in california

and this for a little mister who should be arriving any. day. now. in this neck of the woods

i adore how perfectly complementary they turned out

and really hate to part with them...

good thing they are personalized

making it slightly more socially unacceptable

to keep for myself

weekend in the woods 2.0

last year, amidst mortgage paper work and packing

i took off

to my dear friend amanda's lake house in the woods

relieve some stress

with crafting, girl talk and food.

it was just so wonderful

that we decided to make it an annual event...

last weekend,

loaded down with sewing machines, irons and fabric filled boat 'n totes

eight ladies

made it through the snow

to nourish our souls

with craft

cooking

and talk of a fabulous book

and, yes!

it was a success...

i arrived friday afternoon

and got right to work on a simple, modern, spontaneous

baby quilt for an old friend's new baby girl

backed in a one piece of this favorite giraffe print

and the babe's name appliqued in felt

...

saturday morning i was up early

to tackle the mac-daddy

of quilts

purl's famous color wheel

and i did it!

(well, minus the hand-stitched binding)

not bad for a day's work, huh?!

...

sunday morning we all gathered 'round with our loot

for one last group picture

pretty impressive, i must say!

amanda, i cannot thank you enough for hosting and planning.

ladies, it was wonderful to meet you all!

until next year...

photos courtesy of orchardcove

to elise with love

remember the family baby shower

we threw for a california cousin late last summer?

i asked family members to each decorate a quilt square

which were strung up on a clothesline at the party

and then i incorporated them all

into a simple, sweet quilt

for

little miss elise!

we hope she will think of all her relatives on the beach of the east coast anxiously waiting to meet her!

far far away

long long ago

i started my

far far away quilt

i actually finished it in a respectable amount of time

but wanted to get a sham done before i took pictures

and that... took awhile.

i had bought a fat-quater set with each print from heather ross' far far away I

from which i cut the squares for the top.

for the back, i used anna maria horner's pastry line voile in water (just girly enough)

i pieced a strip off-center on the back of the leftover bits from the top...

i included the "far far away" from the selvedges because i thought it added to the whimsy...

at long last...

a peek at the corner of "tay's room"

(which is also my home sewing room)

i am so pleased- the quilt reminds me of rainbow sherbet!