Category Archives: Sewing

Doll’s sleeping bag

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At my house we spend quite a lot of time studying the American Girl catalog. A certain member of my household–who has been saving her allowance since January–was verging on the obsessive. So, I thought making something for the girls would be a welcome distraction. These sleeping bags were perfect. They capture the mini-perfection of the real thing. My daughter picked out the fabric, and even did a little of the machine sewing–thrilling! To make your very own AG sleeping bag click here: Doll’s sleeping bag. If you can sew a zipper and do some very basic quilting then you can make one of these in an hour or two. (I made matching pillows from the leftover fabric–two rectangles sewn together and filled with fluff.)

So cozy!

Weekend Bag

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I have to say … I can’t believe I made luggage. Not that I have tested this bag’s durability through airport security, but it looks impressive. The pattern is by Amy Butler, and I can recommend it if you have patience and strong hands. There is a fair amount of wrangling involved in making this bag, but the instructions are very clear and are easy to follow–in theory. The fabric is Jennifer Jones’s Outside Oslo, which we both seem to love.

In Which I Hereby Resolve to Make a Quilt

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These days everyone seems to be scripting a bucket list, a personal to-do tally of what they hope to accomplish before expiration date. You know, climb Kiliminjaro, run a marathon, plummet from a bridge via bungee cord.

Not me. No thanks. I hope never to plummet. My bucket list is safer & closer to home, and contains only one item: Make a g–ddam quilt! I blame Brigit for the inspiration.

(Photo reprinted with permission)

So . . . I bought the Ollalieberry Ice Cream Quilt pattern (pictured above) in downloadable pdf form from Alicia Paulson’s blog, Posie Gets Cozy. Am I deluded in thinking the rows of squares make it look kind of easy-ish? Here’s to the ever-hopeful. And if you’re not scaling mountains or marathon training, be sure to check out Posie Gets Cozy. Alicia’s photos and projects are beautiful.

Keep posted for the next installment of what I’m sure will be a death-defying adventure in quilting . . .

Triangle table runner

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For such a little thing, this project took me quite a while–all those teeny triangles. I also decided to hand quilt, something I really enjoy but only on a small scale. Can you see that the triangles are not perfect, or technically not triangles at all? I was so focused on getting the top points right and the rows aligned, I kind of forgot about the sides. I am starting to understand why Boo Davis, author of Dare to Be Square, only works with squares. I am pleased with the neutral palette. I decided to mix in some subtle prints, and they add some interest without making it too busy.

Bucket family

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Not Charlie Bucket and clan, but bucket hats. I made a complete set for all our noggins. It was my first attempt at sizing up a pattern (from the Little Things to Sew pattern) and it worked pretty well! I used Robert Kaufman Essex for all three exteriors. My husband declined a “fun” lining, so his hat has olive green in the crown only, but I did sneak in some green top stitching. My navy blue hat has Liberty Hot Pink Wiltshire as the lining. The Tana Lawn is so silky smooth it’s perfect for lining a hat. It would be excellent for a baby’s senstitive skin–plus you would only need a teense.