Author Archives: Margaret Muirhead

First Quilt: Step 4

Posted in Sewing, Stuff to make by

Brigit, I’m so glad you’re metaphorically holding my hand through this quilt project. Of course, I wish you were actually here because I’d find a way to get you to make the quilt for me. Ask any of my family members: I’m good at getting people to do stuff for me.

But I did the work myself and have crippling carpal tunnel to prove it. I cut out 728 4×4″ squares over the weekend. Before I began, I was beguiled by the the term “self-healing cutting mat” that’s mentioned in all of my quilting books. It sounds so New Age, right? But 728 squares later, my cutting mat is anything but healed. It is rather gouged, in fact. Apparently I don’t have a light touch with the rotary cutter.

Next purchase: Three hundred safety pins! My god.

Fabric Store Field Trip (First Quilt, Step 3)

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I can’t bring myself to actually buy fabric for my first-ever quilt. Putting down hard cold cash is such a commitment. And entering a fabric store as the guileless, eye-batting quilt virgin that I am, I may end up with a real schmuck (yards of polyester? cordoroy?). So, I’m settling for a noncommital trip to the fabric store–a lunch with the fabric store, not dinner.

One thing I learned: fat quarters don’t have anything to do with Mardi Gras (I imagined Fat Tuesday plus French Quarter). They are quarter-yards of fabric, usually 18″ x 22.”

Some things I still don’t get: Brigit and other quilters out there, what do you use for backing? And where do you buy it? My pattern recommends unbleached cotton muslin, but I’m not sure that makes sense for my quilt. What do you suggest?

Batting–where do you buy cotton batting? Is poly just too grody? (And is that how you spell grody?)

Quilt Colors! (Step 2)

Posted in Sewing, Stuff to make by

A month or so ago I resolved to make my first quilt–something that still seems like a sin of hubris. The Audacity of Quilting! So here I am, taking my second, wobbly step. I have a pattern (the Ollalieberry Ice Cream Quilt by Alicia Paulson of Posie Gets Cozy). To avoid the real next step (fabric selection), I sneaked in a half-step: palette!

For a long time, I’ve loved the colors of Ray Eames‘s Crosspatch fabric design (this is a sketch of it, from 1947). The fabric lends itself to quilt inspiration: all those little squares.

Inspired by Brigit’s origami paper sketches, I cut out squares of Benjamin Moore paint chips and played around. Very satisfying–I highly recommend paint chip collage. If only quilting were that easy . . .

The quilt calls for a mix of patterns and one solid, so this is a generalized color scheme not an actual one. I think I’d like the solid to be pale gray and the patterns to be pink/red/orange. Brigit, what do you think? Should I stick with white as the solid? I like all the pretty flower prints that Alicia uses in her quilt but know they wouldn’t fit into my house–so I’m guessing I’ll end up with brighter, geometric patterns.

Next step: fabric store.

Andy Warhol Soup Cans

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New limited-edition Campbell's tomato soup cans with art and sayings by artist Andy Warhol are seen Aug. 24, 2012, at Campbell Soup Company in Camden, N.J. Campbell plans to introduce the special-edition cans of its condensed tomato soup bearing labels reminiscent of the pop artist's paintings at Target stores starting Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012.

Fellow Warholians, will you join me for a trip to Target this week? Campbell’s is selling its soup in Andy Warhol-inspired cans, available at Target for 75 cents! In four color schemes, no less. Do you think the soup will keep if I never ever open the cans? Or should I poke a tiny hole in the top and siphon out the soup?

Tooth Fairy Chest of Drawers

Posted in Kids, Paper, Recycled materials, Stuff to make by

After some not-so-patient waiting, my almost-seven-year-old lost his first tooth. To celebrate, I made him this Tooth Fairy chest. The Tooth Fairy was tired of all those sweet little pillows! She wanted furniture. 

 a drawer for the tooth

 a drawer for the note to the Tooth Fairy

 self-explanatory!

If you are an extremely attentive reader of this blog, you may have noticed that I’ve made this matchbox chest of drawers before. But hey, I repurposed it so it counts. The how-to is here. Also, if you are looking for some excellent Tooth Fairy literature, check out April and Esme, by Bob Graham–the best of its genre, I promise.