Recently in Pins and Needles Category

Josiah has received so many gorgeous quilts, I just had to write a blog post to show them off.

It doesn't show up very well in the picture, but this one has really beautiful machine-quilting.  The non-picture squares have pictures quilted onto them that match the theme of the quilt - trains, motorcycles, etc.

IMG_3347
Originally uploaded by kerner

Brown bear, brown bear, what do you see?  My Aunt Bev made this one.  I love the colors.

IMG_3346
Originally uploaded by kerner

My friend Tiffany made this one.  I believe it's Heather Ross fabrics - it reminds me of the little rhyme, "snips and snails and puppy dog tails, that's what little boys are made of."

IMG_3345
Originally uploaded by kerner

Here's the quilt I made for him.  It's from a Moda (I think?) Happy Campers jelly roll.  We're using this for a backdrop for a photo shoot for each month - I think the squares will really show off how much he's grown!

IMG_3350
Originally uploaded by kerner

Last but not least, here is the embroidered wall hanging my mom made for Josiah's room.  Cute, huh?

And I do mean crafty in both senses of the word!

Some people in my house are beginning to suspect the kitchen layout design was really just a ruse to acquire an extra-large space for basting quilts. I choose to exercise my right to remain silent when such accusations are made.

Regardless, I am making excellent progress on the quilt for baby Kerner. I've got the quilt top and back basted together by hand and I may even start quilting tonight. (That depends on how long I procrastinate taking the dog to get her nails trimmed. We shall see.)

Momma reports that one-month-old Olyvia likes her quilt.

I hope this photo is not a sign of things to come (as far as sticking out her tongue for pictures)!

I'm finally getting around to starting a quilt for a certain baby boy who should be making his appearance this March. I'm using a Moda jelly roll (long strips of precut fabrics - 2 1/2 inches wide) in the Happy Campers line to make these squares, and for the pattern I'm following along with Oh Fransson!'s new Paintbox Quilt-Along. Each square measures about 7 1/2 inches square.

This is a bit more detailed piecing than I'm used to (I'm all about the BIG blocks and random piecing) but I think it's turning out pretty well. Although I realized after the fact that Baby Boy might not appreciate the flowery block, and I don't really like the fabric in the red one. So... I've got several more to make! (About 24 squares total, I'm guessing.)

The good news is that I can make 2 squares in 30-45 minutes now that I've got all the measurements down. Hopefully I'll be able to finish the quilt top and either quilt it myself or get it sent out to a quilter before the baby comes.

IMG_1367
Originally uploaded by kerner

The baby shower was yesterday, so it's time for the big blog-reveal!

My latest quilt is for a baby girl due in January (her momma is doing a good job of hiding her adorable basketball-belly in this pic). The parents-to-be love horses, so I decided to go with a cowgirl theme.

The two primary cowgirl fabrics are a pink Tumbleweed Tots print from Alexander Henry and I believe the white print is from Robert Kaufmann. To accent the cowgirl fabrics, I used red, blue, and pink fabric that looks like bandannas. All the fabrics except the pink Tumbleweed Tots were purchased at Hobby Lobby (which has a surprisingly good selection of designer fabrics, which are often on sale).

I'm still not 100% satisfied with my quilting skills, and I'd really love to learn to do free-motion quilting, but I love making these keepsakes for my friends and their kids.  It's so great to go over to visit and see my quilts in action - apparently they make excellent tummy-time mats/spit catchers. 

Next up (we're have a bit of a baby epidemic around here) is a paper doll-themed quilt.  Will I be able to finish it before my belly gets too big to fit in front of the sewing machine?  It's a race against time...!

Traditions can start out so innocently sometimes, can't they? Almost 2 years ago, the first couple in my group of friends at church announced they were expecting a baby. It was a very long-awaited baby, without getting into the medical details, so I wanted to do something really special. I decided I would make a baby quilt. Not that I'd ever done such a thing before, but who am I to let a little thing like that stand in my way?

As these things have a tendency to do, one baby in the group has quickly multiplied to several, and we are in the middle of a full-fledged baby boom among the "young marrieds" set at church these days. This cute little pink quilt is the first of several I will be making for babies that will be arriving in January, February, and two in May. (Not to mention whether I will be making one for my own little bug, due in March.)

I'll do a full reveal of Baby O's quilt next month after the baby shower. Until then, you can check out some of the other baby quilts I've made!

Zoe's Quilt

Hunter's Quilt

Ainsley's Quilt

Avery's Quilt

Benjamin's quilt (why yes, my nephew IS the cutest baby ever!)

My sister says I need to update my blog, so here you go!

I made this tote bag as a birthday present for a friend of mine that lives way too far away from me. I used some IKEA canvas-y fabric for the bag and heavy white canvas for the handles. (Special thanks to Miss Africankelli for the fabric! Can you believe I've never even been to an IKEA?)

My original design came out super small, so I kinda erred on the large side for my second attempt. I just made this up as I went along, which I'm sure is not the easiest way to do things, but I have a bit of a mental block when it comes to following sewing patterns. (Strangely, I can follow knitting patterns with no problem - does anyone else have that issue?)

*Quick topic switcheroo*

I need to take new pictures of the remodel, but it's been really overcast here and we don't have any lights in a good portion of the remodeled area. Construction started about a week ago and things are moving forward quickly. The yucky subfloor damage has been replaced and electricians are installing lights, smoke detectors, and new outlets.

So far the guest bathroom-turned-kitchen has not been too bad. Our friends have very generously accepted our offer to be their personal chef, and we steal all the leftovers to heat up in our microwave the next couple of nights. It actually works out pretty well.