Grand Baby Quilt

A good friend of mine just became a Grandma for the first time and what's a quilter to do? Make a baby quilt of course.

The pattern is from the Spring Quilt Along, you can find the info here. The pattern is by Kate Spain and the fabric is from the Grown With Me line.

Here's a pic of the back of the quilt, I just love how the pattern looks on the back.

Here's the original quilt I made during the Spring Quilt Along. This was my first successful QAL, the first one I finished 100%.

I think this is going to be my go-to baby pattern for this year. I think it's a good way to keep track of which baby in a family has which blanket. This way if I forget which blanket I made for each baby in a family there won't be any duplicates, since there will be a different pattern used every year.

Till next time

   

Terrain Stepping Stones Quilt, My First Finish Of The Year!

If you are looking for the Nifty Notions Ruler giveaway click here. Hurry the giveaway ends today!

This week was very exciting for me, not only did I work on 4 Valentines Day projects but I finished my first quilt on my 2012 Finish-A-Long list! It's my Terrain Stepping stones Quilt.

I finished the quilt top in November before Thanksgiving, so I guess technically it didn't take that long to make since I don't stop piecing until the quilt top is done. That keeps me from being confused. Besides it was a fairly easy pattern. If you want the pattern its available here for FREE!

I knew that I wanted to make a small lap size quilt to put over my legs when I am using the computer. We have hard wood floors and my feet get cold. I also knew I didn't want it to be too heavy and bulky so I decided to just back it in flannel with no batting. And its the perfect weight, its over my lap right now keeping me cozy :)

Like many of my projects this one had lots of HSTs, which you know I am craizee about! I know I am weird, but I like the challenge of matching them all up.

I decided to just quilt in the ditch around the different shapes, big squares, little squares, diagonals and diamonds.

The hardest part for some reason was hand sewing the back of the binding on. It was only 2 thin layers and my needle kept going thru the front so it took forever to hand sew. I think I need to learn to machine sew binding on.

Today is another big quilting day. I need to put the borders on Tyler's quilt and quilt and bind my Valentines quilt.

Speaking of Valentines Day, next week I have decided is V week here at Craizee Corners. I have a bunch of V-day projects to show you and maybe a great giveaway too! If you have a V-day project you would like to share let me know and I would be happy to show it here.

Come back tomorrow to see who the 2 winners of the Nifty Notions rulers are!  

Stepping Stones over the Terrain

If you are looking for the Nifty Notions Ruler giveaway click here.

Today I have another quilt top to show you that used half square triangles (HSTs). I started this quilt in October during the Kate Spain Designer Select Month. I just finished it this past Saturday night at Sit and Sew at The Berry Patch. It was fun letting the gals there help me get the layout just right. Then I took the top 2 rows off the design wall to sew together and made a big mistake. I sewed the top row under the bottom row (no turning it over didn't help) so we had even more fun figuring out how to fix it.

Even though I used a different technique to make the HSTs it still worked with the layer cake pieces. Instead of a 4 7/8" strip I used a 4 1/2" strip. This quilt was just scrappy enough for me to feel comfortable and still experiment with different fabrics. This quilt only had 64 HST, 4 for each block, so it went pretty fast. I found that making 1 or 2 blocks at a time was the best way to approach this pattern.

What I love about this pattern is that the white squares are the pronounced part so the HSTs are kinda in the background, even though they are there...does that make sense? Sometimes I think my brain is scary.

I have seen the project sheet for Good Fortune and the quilt has a similar play on squares so I will be making a sister to this one eventually.

Tomorrow I am guest blogging at QuiltJane...Want It, Need It Quilt! Be sure to check that out! I need help naming the block I posted about so please help me.

Have you tried using a HST ruler yet or are you waiting to see who the winners are of the ruler sets before you get one? You have till Saturday, November 19th to enter. (Click here).

Saturday at Quilt Market

Yesterday you saw how busy Friday was at Quilt Market, Saturday was just as craizee. I did want to mention for those of you thinking about going to Market next year that on Friday the floor with all the booths and vendors was not open. I had no idea and if I didn't have schoolhouse to go to it would have been a wasted day, well except for spree.

Saturday morning I had breakfast with the 4 great gals I was sharing a room with, well the word room might be a tad bit underestimating what it was. It was more like a mansion in the hotel. We had 2 bedrooms with 4 beds altogether (1 was in the living room so that was kinda 3 rooms to sleep in), 3 bathrooms, a living room and big conference table that would have fit 10 people around it and 2 bar areas. So rooming with Laine, Jacqueline, Tiffany and Cara was very enjoyable. We all got along great!

After breakfast I had a few meetings. I had a wonderful meeting with Kerri from Brewer Sewing. I can't wait to share the news with you, but I have to get all my ducks in a row first. Then I met with Thomas about this upcoming fabric line Flock. I love Flock, it spoke to me.

After those meetings we walked around the floor and met some great people. I learned a lot about thread and pearl cotton from the folks at Precencia. For instance did you know that the size 16 will fit in your machine with a 50 wt bobbin? The gals at Precencia sent us home with 5 different weights of pearl cotton to try. And I picked up the Precencia thread for the thread-off I will be having soon. I'm just waiting to get the other thread and then I will be asking for volunteers, but more on that later.

At another booth I saw the cutest baby diapers. They are made with very soft fabric and are completely washable. I can see every parent and grandparent who sews making these for the little ones. I can't remember the name of it but I will find out and post it when I do.

Another fun part was chatting with some of the fabric designers. The Moda area was huge and so much fun! I meet so many designers...Kate Spain, Aneela Hoey, Betz White, Lucie Summers, The Sweetwater gals, the Blackbird Gals, Ann Sutton, and my all time favorite designers Barb and Mary from Me and My Sisters. I spent quite a bit of time chatting with the Me and My Sister gals and even showed them a pattern I have been working on specifically for their fabric. Then they totally surprised me with a set of their yet to be released patterns! I can't wait to make that bag from the pattern. The gals that were staying with me already have put in orders so I had better get going on them lol.

The Andover, Hoffman, Island Batiks, Canvas (a part of Benartex), Riley Blake and Robert Kaufman booths were also great! I was glad that Jacqueline was there with me because I only got her 1 of the Lorax kits at Spree and she was able to pick up the rest. I also was able to pick up a FQ set for Laine that I knew she really had wanted. Thats how the weekend was for us. When we saw something that we knew someone else wanted we weren't shy about picking it up. When I got back to the room Laine had a suitcase of Aurifil thread waiting for me, which was so sweet of her.

I have to admit some of the fabric took my breath away. I am especially looking forward to seeing Summersville in person, it's so different and so me! And the swag we got from Moda was great. They had mini charm packs of a lot of their upcoming lines. Here's a pic of all the ones I got.

They are Tend the Earth by Deb Strain, Stitch by Betz White, California Girl by Fig Tree, A Walk in the Woods by Aneela Hoey, Meadow by Blackbird Designs, Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket, Reunion by Hometown and A Stitch in Color by Malka Dubrawsky.

I spent the rest of the afternoon meeting other fabric designers, manufacturers and distributors about my patterns. Several agreed to send me fabric to make a quilt from one of my patterns for them. So I would say the trip was a success! I got a lot more feedback, and positive feedback at that than I thought I would have gotten. The hard part for me is going to be keeping my mouth closed until the pattern is done, but I do wish I could show you all the patterns right now :)

The only bad part of Saturday was that Tiffany lost her wallet, but we tried to keep her busy to take her mind off of it. And guess what, she got a call yesterday that the cab driver found it!

By Saturday night I was exhausted so I hung out with some of the gals I was staying with. So that's was my Saturday.

As for Sunday, that was kinda uneventful. I was leaving at 11:30 for the airport, which didn't give me much time. I did go to 1 book signing, which was fun. Next time I will plan on staying until Monday so that I can check out all the book signings. If you get on line early enough you can get a coupon for a free book at the book signing. Then it was off to the airport and home. While I was ready to come home, I feel like there was so much I missed. But there's always next time. That is if Hubs lets me go again after how much this trip cost him in fabric :)

And the answers are...

How did you like the quiz? I didn't count, but I am pretty sure a few of you got a 100!

Here's the answers

1. D. All of the Above - Plus Michael's Craft Store and lots of quilt shops.

2. C. Honeysuckle

3. A. Forest Floor

4. B. She repaints her rooms a lot, although I loved your guesses

The last question I asked was a fun one, but wasn't in the quiz. I asked Kate if she could pick a Designer Select FQ kit for Good Fortune what would it be. Here's what she chose

Pond Garden in Zen (27100-19)

Dragonfly in Zen (27107-19) and Harmony (27107-13)
Raked Sand in Tea (27105-15) and Waterfall (27105-17)
Lantern Flower in Reflection (27102-27)
Lucky Bamboo in Harmony (27106-13) and Tranquility (27106-16)
Sakura in Harmony (27101-13)
Yoshino in Tranquility (27104-16)
Pagoda in Waterfall (27108-17)
Fan in Tranquility (27103-14)

And last but not least my Mr. Random picked #23 when I asked him to pick a number so the winner of the Good Fortune charm pack provided by Kate Spain is

Lee Ann!
#23

Congrats Lee Ann and thanks everyone for playing along!

A Special Thanks to Kate Spain, all the guest bloggers and Fat Quarter Shop for making Terrain month a success!

How well do you know Kate Spain?

As you know I went to the International Quilt Market in Houston this past weekend. The entire experience was wonderful (well besides for 1 woman who was a bit rude, but that didn't ruin my time) and exciting. On Saturday afternoon I found myself at the Moda area, I would say booth, but it was more like a block, where the designers had their own areas to chat with attendees. I met many of the great fabric designers, but the first one I met was Kate Spain. It was funny watching people be awestruck by just meeting her, which I have to admit at first I was too, but then I realized that she is a person just like us and calmed down so I could have a conversation with Kate that I would remember.

Kate was very down to earth and truly appreciated the visit. I totally adore the new line...it has great colors and will mix well with any Terrain you have left in your stash. I had missed the mini charm packs of Good Fortune, but I did get a fortune cookie!

A few weeks ago I sent Kate some questions to answer so lets see how well you know her.

1. What store is Kate Spain products available in?
a. Fat Quarter Shop
b. Crate and Barrel
c. Costco
d. All of the above

2. What is your favorite flower?
a. Daisies
b. Roses
c. Honeysuckle
d. Tulips

3. When choosing fabric for the Designer Select Fat Quarter kit, for the Fat Quarter Shop, what was your starting fabric (ie what fabric was it built around)?
a. Forest Floor
b. Fern
c. Seedpod
d. Aster

4. Which is true of Kate?
a. She is a pilot and loves flying planes
b. She repaints the rooms in her house a lot
c. She is a Dallas Cowboys fan
d. She went to elementary school with Sandra Bullock

How do you think you did on this quiz?
How would you like to win a charm pack of Good Fortune?
For a chance to win just answer the questions in a comment below. And this time you do not have to be a follower of this blog!
And while on the subject of blogs, here's a link to Kate's blog The Drawing Board.
This is a short giveaway...come back tomorrow to see the answers and see who won.

My Terrain Projects

As you know I am in the Designer Select FQ club, it's a Fat Quarter Shop exclusive. I find it very exciting when I get the email that the package has been shipped, so excited in fact that I don't even mind the charge to my card, it is well worth it. And I am over the moon when the package comes!

One of the reasons I am doing this series is that I wanted to make sure I made something with the FQ kit each month and this is keeping me honest :) I find myself loving the fabric line so much that the past 2 months I made more than 1 quilt with that specific fabric line.

I recently got the Scrap Basket Sensation Book and fell in love with the quilt on the cover. It's called Picnic. When I look at this picture I see flowers so that's the direction I decided to go in.









Here's the quilt that I made with the Designer Select FQ kit. Although I could have done the whole quilt with the fabric in the kit, I fell in love with some of the oranges and pinks so I picked up a small amount of yardage for this. I know I kinda broke my 'only use the FQ kit for the project' rule (well besides background fabric), but I couldn't help myself.  What do you think?

And if you guessed this fabric for the backing then you are right! It's called Terrain Mist Stonecrop. I just love how the purple and orange work together and how the green cools it down a bit.

The other quilt I am working on with Terrain is Stepping Stones, which is the Terrain Project Sheet. That pattern can be found here for free. It's in the 3rd row down in the center of the row. Here's my layout for the quilt. When I get home from market I plan on finishing this and quilting and binding at least 2 quilts before I break into my Market goodies, but we'll see how I do with that plan. This quilt is the perfect quilt for a layercake.

So there are my Terrain projects. I also made a few goodies for some friends with some leftovers, but I can't show them or I will spoil the surprise.

What did you make with Terrain or what do you plan to make with Terrain?

See you after Market!

Another Guest Blogger...Kate from Needle and Spatula

Today Kate from Needle and Spatula is here to show some awesome Verna, 12 Days of Christmas and Central Park projects. She thinks that she needs a Kate Spain support group so we can all support each other with our addiction to these fabrics! I guess our first step would be to join the All Things Kate Spain flickr page :)

Thanks so much Sha for having me here for Kate Spain month! When I heard you were doing this, I was so excited to join in since Kate Spain is one of my favorite fabric designers and also such a nice person (as anyone who has read her blog or interacted with her on twitter knows). I am just an all-around big fan! I'm glad that everyone reading this is a fabric junkie too so I don't sound so weird gushing about how much I love a fabric designer.





I first saw Kate Spain's fabrics when I was searching online two years ago for fabric to cover a guest book that we were having made for our wedding... I hadn't delved much into online fabric stores before (believe it or not), and I kept coming back to look at the fabrics in her then-current line, Verna.

Photo by Heather from Creatively Kept

Our wedding colors were green and blue and I finally decided on this fabric, and I love how it turned out! (Heather from Creatively Kept did a great job - I totally recommend her if you are in the market for a handmade wedding guest book or baby book).  Funny story - we actually unintentionally got the matching Kate Spain verna paper plates and napkins from Target for the day after our wedding brunch, and realized later that they matched!  I'm not kidding, I really am drawn to her designs.

Then last winter, I was looking for holiday fabric to make some placemats and kept coming back to the cute 12 days of Christmas fabric... once I realized it was also a Kate Spain design, it all made sense why I couldn't resist it and I went ahead and bought some up (which I still have to actually make into placemats - hopefully this year).

(Don't you love those fa la la's? And the adorable ornaments??)

Then came my serious love affair... Central Park. I really adore this fabric and bought up a bunch.

First I made a baby quilt for a friend using the green, turquoise and purple prints. I also used quite a few coordinating prints from my stash - I love how well these prints play with the fun dots and other patterns that I threw in there! (You may notice that I snuck in some of the same Verna print from our wedding book).

Next I made a drunkard's path quilt top using the orange, yellow, and green prints from this line, and again throwing in a number of coordinating prints from my stash which I think play well here. If you like the Drunkard's Path design, come check out the Drunkard's Path Quilt-Along that Kristie from OCD and I are hosting right now - there's still plenty of time to join in!

Here's some close-up shots of the blocks so you can see the lovely Central Park prints:

I confess, I was hoping to have finished this quilt to show off to you, but I was laid low with a serious cold this weekend so I only made it as far as basting the quilt. But at least I can show you the cute pieced back I made last week for this quilt - I actually love simple quilts so I think something like this would make a great quilt top too!

I haven't managed to get my hands on any of Kate's most recent line, Terrain, yet but I sure hope our paths do cross someday! And I am sure I will be making a few more Kate Spain quilts in any case, since I still have enough Central Park left for another quilt if I stretch it (I think)... plus, since Verna holds a special place in my heart, I bought up a few charm packs of it that I could still find earlier this year - I'm hoping to make them into a special picnic quilt or maybe a lattice quilt in the future.

I mean - look at these gorgeous fabrics - how could I not snap them up when I found them?

Thanks again for having me Sha! It's great to get to share with all of you, and know that I am not the only Kate Spain fabric addict out there - maybe we need to form a support group!

That was great Kate! Now I want to go try to find as much Verna as I can get my hands on!

Today Melanie from Above All Fabric is here to show you some of her wonderful projects that she made with Kate Spain fabric. From quilts to PJ's it is clear that she loves Kate Spain fabric as much as I do. 




When Sha asked who wanted to be part of Kate Spain month, I knocked people over to get in the front of the line. ;-) Kate Spain Designs + me = ♥♥ l.o.v.e. ♥♥ Seriously! And it appears I'm not alone!



Hi! My name is Melanie and I love Kate Spain fabric. (Along with all the other things she puts her designs onto!) And honestly, I don't want help. I'd like to keep on lovin' if that's alright with you!



As it so happens, I will be giving some quilts this Christmas that feature Kate's fabric. This fun quilt is actually a Sudoku board. 9 fabrics from her Central Park collection. One of each in each row, column and square. The back is minky and it's just so luscious. (Plus I love that I didn't have to piece a back! Yay for 60 inches wide!!!) I know the person I'm giving this to will love it!



And here is a terrain quilt top that practically put itself together. :-) I used this awesome free pattern from Moda's Bake Shop. It requires one layer cake and two charm packs (I sell both!) It's currently away being quilted. I can't wait to get it back!! I will certainly share it again on my blog!

Now to be honest, I actually usually sew children's clothing, not quilts....and Kate's fabric is amazing for that as well! These pajamas are made with her wonderful (seriously....WONDERFUL) flannel.



These will be available as a kit by the end of the week (with just the pants as an option as well!) And let me tell you...everyone NEEDS new jammies for Christmas! That is a fact!

Alright, alright - I'll get to the real stuff! Here is a video for you on how to make a blanket that binds itself! The minky is awesome for these- or flannel! Oh....I should make some with that wonderful Terrain Flannel!!! In the video I used a print from her Central Park collection! Too cute!

Magic Binding Blanket

(You can download the PDF here.)

I'm so glad that I'm not alone for my love of Kate Spain fabric! I hope you'll visit me soon!!! I have some pretty big things that will be going on over the next 2 weeks! So check in with me. :-)

Oh yeah...you can find me on.....
my blog
my shop
flickr...which will continue to have lots of Kate Spain projects, I am certain!
Plus on twitter and facebook too!

Thanks Melanie for sharing those great ideas and the video. I think I will attempt to make some PJ bottoms soon, sometime after Quilt Market :)

Speaking of Quilt Market, if any of you are going please let me know, I would love to meet you.

 

My New Mr. Random

The time has come to giveaway 4 yards of Terrain from The Fat Quarter Shop! 
Yes you heard me 4 yards!
I love how generous Kimberly has been to all my followers! 
And 4 yards is a lot of fabric, and it will make an awesome quilt!




But first a story...

A few minutes ago I was sitting in the living room watching a movie with my wonderful Hubby. Since I have that dreaded apple disease, (you know the one that permanently attaches an electronic devise to your body?) my IPad was with me. Since the movie wasn't interesting me I decided to write this post. So I looked to see how many comments there were and said to my Husband "Pick a Number between 1 and 144". Usually he would want to know why (its the mathematician in him I think), for instance maybe it was something for some math equation...wait that's me were talking about? No he would never think that :)

Anyway he just thought for a second and said 137. Then I realized that I usually use Mr. Random.org but I like my Mr. Random better...hes a lot cuter and makes a better margarita than that other Random guy. Let's face it the old guy is kinda boring, just sitting there like a lump on a log. He doesnt even get excited to pick a number and getting a pic of him is more difficult than it should be. And like I said I think he's a cutie! Here's a pic of my hubby Tim with our 2 sons, Tyler and Bryan. This was taken last Christmas Eve while we were waiting for the homemade pizzas to finish cooking (that's our family tradition).

So the winner is 137 who is...Tiffany!

Tiff I have emailed you!

Sha :)

Here's Heather...

If you are looking for the Fat Quarter Shop Terrain giveaway click here.

Welcome Heather from Fiberosity to Craizee Corners today! Heather is a 'Jack of All Trades' when it comes to the fabric arts. Heather is also a twitter friend of mine, and is a wealth of knowledge. Every time I ask a dumb question on twitter she seems to know the answer right away and points me in the right direction.



Hi, I'm Heather and I blog at Fiberosity.com. I'm a Kate Spain groupie. Seriously. I think I'm beyond the 12 step cure. I see bolts of Central Park at a quilt store and feel sorry for that lonely, unloved fabric. I want to adopt it. To show it how lovely it could be living in my stash.

Once upon a time I found a lovely fabric at a booth at a quilt show. It caught my eye through the herd of people. Little people ice skating. Lovely colors. Stunning graphics. So perfectly holiday I wanted to start singing "Jingle Bells". I hadn't heard of the line (I know, I know, where *had* I been?). I bought enough to satisfy my immediate needs. And then I found it online. And then....and then....

The line was 12 days of Christmas by Kate Spain. Loved it. Gushed over it. Couldn't cut into it. Until I saw Central Park. I almost fell out of my chair, I couldn't order fast enough. I treated myself to a fat quarter bundle to pet for my birthday. I won't even start on Terrain. I really admire Kate Spain as a designer and although I might seem a bit unhinged sometimes, I'm not a dangerous stalker, I promise. There are several reasons that I drool over her fabric. To start with, her color palettes are wonderful. They appeal to me. I often can't chose a favorite. The color ways of her fabrics cross over the whole palette through the fabric line. Her supplemental designs that compliment the main prints are whimsical, but yet appeared structured and precise. And she doesn't do plain stripes which irritate me. I can never cut them precisely and well, I avoid them.



Today I'm finally going to cut into my scraps of 12 Days of Christmas. I love high heeled boots and have created them in several different sizes and shapes for the holidays. I have a size that fits a bottle of wine, a size that just looks lovely hanging on my coat rack and last year I created a mini size to put on presents or just have fun with! And its a perfect size for scraps (which is all that is left of my beloved 12 days of Christmas, luckily I have a full set of fat quarters of Flurry!) Notice that I didn't cut into Flurry yet, I couldn't bring myself to sacrifice any of my fat quarters.



Here is the basic pattern. This is drawn on 1/4" graph paper, the kind that most office supply stores sell. Feel free to improvise your shape a little bit. You will need 2 of the body, and 4 of the cuff and also a little 1"x4" scrap for the hanger loop.



First, trace your pattern. If you want to do a bit of embellishment, like some hand embroidery, I highly suggest you do it before you cut out the pattern. Yes, I do trace my patterns in sharpie. Yes, I have sharpies in my sewing studio, don't you?

If you want some great tutorials on embroidery, I learned everything I know from Bari J at We Love French Knots. She is super nice and answers all kinds of idiot/beginner level questions. Trust me, I've tried to annoy her and haven't yet.



Cut out your pieces and sew the stocking bodies together, using 1/4" seam allowance, leaving the top open. Clip curves really well! Then turn right side out, gently using a chop stick or other pointy object to push out the heel and the toe. Gently. Not that I have ever stuck the end of my pointy object through the tip of the heel or anything. Nope, never happened.



Grab the 1"x4" strip of fabric. Fold it lengthwise and press. Then fold in the long edges to the center and press again. Then stitch along the edge to finish. Or, you could omit this whole singe the finger situation and grab a nice little length of ribbon. It's your choice. I always think the fabric will look cute until I am blowing on my fingertips as they get close to the iron. Suddenly, ribbon seems just fine.



Take the two pairs of cuffs and sew 1/4" seam along one short side. Press open.



Place the cuffs together, matching seams. Sew along the bottom edge only. Clip corners.



Open up the cuffs, and matching right sides, line up the short sides and bottom seam. Stitch along this side. You should now have a little circle cuff with only the top edge unfinished. Clear as mud? I hope so.



Place the hanging loop in the cuff as shown. Baste it in place, matching raw edges.



Fill the stocking/boot body with fiberfill. I use my finger and the fat end of a chopstick to work the filling into the toe and a bit into the heel. Don't overfill, but provide enough to give a nice look. Place the raw edge of the cuff INSIDE the boot, with the raw edge of the boot top showing. Stitch along the edge of the boot top a couple of times or zig zag. Fold the cuff down over the raw edge and voila, you are done!

Thanks Heather for that fun tutorial! Check out Fiberosity for more great ideas!

And don't forget the Fat Quarter Shop Terrain giveaway ends as soon as I finish the 2nd Terrain quilt top I am working on. I only have 2 more seams for each block and then I will sew the blocks together and be done! It will definately (hopefully) be done today. So hurry and get your entry in!

Sha :)