Izmylov

Posted in Fabric printing, Kids, Stuff to make by

Onesies: what haven’t I done to those tiny T-shirts? I’ve embroidered, tie-dyed, and appliqued them. Once I put one on my cat. What can I say? They’re appealing and make great baby gifts. This time, for my friend Megan and her baby-to-be, I personalized some with fabric paint and freezer paper stencils.

Izmylov (is my love) is a faux Russian name that Megan loves. No worries. She didn’t really name the baby that.

I stenciled onto freezer paper and cut out the letters with an X-acto. Then I ironed the freezer paper onto the T-shirt (shiny side down) and painted in the letters with fabric paint. The freezer paper adheres so nicely to the fabric that the lines come out clean. After the paint dries comes the fun part: peeling back the freezer paper! (You will gasp at your own craftiness.) Don’t forget to heat the fabric paint with an iron at the end. This will help avoid laundry meltdowns.

It was so easy, I made one for everyone.

Hot off the presses! Megan’s latest addition:

Bunny’s wardrobe

Posted in Kids, Knitting, Sewing, Stuff to make by

I have to confess that I adore my daughter’s bunny rabbit. So when she asked me to make Bunny a new dress, I was only too happy to oblige. The dress is made with Mary Flanagan wool felt, which is more flexible and cozy than other felts. Bunny looked so cute in her new attire, who could blame me for suggesting that she might need a cardigan for the chilly days ahead? Pretty soon Bunny had a sweet little cardi made from koigu premium merino. Most of the supplies came from my favorite store–purl soho (www.purlsoho.com/purl). Oh, and Bunny is sitting on a doll’s quilt I made using a left over block from my very first quilt. 

Origami paper sketches

Posted in Paper, Sewing, Stuff to make by

I use origami paper (in solid colors) all the time, for cards and wrapping gifts, mostly.  But, I recently came up with the idea of using origami paper to test out ideas for quilts, and it is immensely gratifying.  All those late-night musings–what about a cross pattern? I wonder, instead of sleeping–I can now take for a quick test drive without touching my sewing machine. I try not to think or fuss too much when I put these sketches together–hoping for a happy inspiration. I haven’t found my perfect pattern yet, but here are some basic house top patterns with a cross in the center, for a little more interest, plus a fancy stripe. The crosses seem to make people think of disaster, but I still kind of like them.

Year of the Quilt!

Posted in Things to see by

I don’t think it’s an official astrological sign (although perhaps nicer to be born in the year of the quilt than, say, the rat), but it really is a lucky year. The American Museum of Folk Art in New York City is displaying highlights from its amazing collection of American quilts. Now until October 2011 you can see Masterworks, which indeed they are. If you ever wondered what makes Amish quilts so special–besides their bold graphic designs and rich palette–stand up close and marvel at the tiny(!) perfect stitches. To the amateur quilter (me) it might be worth remembering that these are museum pieces, lest you get disheartened, but there is much to inspire. Hands down, my favorite is the slashed star quilt. Its cranberry, gold, and teal stars on white are a geometric wonder, and the design is complex without being fussy. The site has a slide show of the quilts if you can’t get to NYC.

http://www.folkartmuseum.org/masterworkquilts

Slashed Star Quilt

Freedom Quilt

Map Quilt