FF: Gypsy Wife Quilt.

My Gypsy Wife Quilt is complete. It's been such a long-term project that it honestly feels odd to have it done! 

I thought I'd been working on it for over two years, but come to find out, it hasn't been quite that long. I bought the pattern in February of last year.

The first time I saw the pattern, I knew that I wanted to make it and that I wanted it in AMH fabrics with a handquilted finish. I don't always have such strong feelings, but this quilt definitely did that for me.

This pattern...wooboy. It was an effort of love, let me tell you. And since I handquilted it, it took about a kajillion years to finish. So now I have a new system for measuring my love: if I'm willing to make someone a Gypsy Wife quilt, it means I love them A TON. (That being said, I have absolutely no desire to repeat this pattern. Ever.)

The handquilting took forever, but it was totally worth it. I mostly straight line quilted it using perle cotton, but occasionally I got fancy and tried something else out.

When I got ready to back it, I pulled some of my favorite fabrics from stash that hadn't found the perfect project. Some AMH prints I hadn't wanted to cut into, some Kate Spain, Lizzy House, Alison Glass, and I can't remember who designed that yellow print, but that made it in there too. It's a total mish-mash, but I love it.

I had pieced some HRTs incorrectly for one of the blocks, so I used them to form a diamond and added it to the back. At some point I'll add a label. One of these days....

The binding is a fun stripe, also by AMH. While my original plan had been only AMH fabrics plus a few solids thrown in willy-nilly, I expanded that to include a large number of other designers, including a precious bit of Tula's Parisville line.

With that project finished, it's time to move on to clearing out some of the other WIPs I have waiting. (And maybe even start a new quilt or two??)

This is my first finish off my Q4 FAL list. After sitting on that list for what feels like a year, I can finally cross it off, woo!

Finished Diane Kimono Dress.

I finished a dress. And just under the wire as I plan to wear it this evening for my anniversary dinner. (Eight years, woop woop!)

I used AMH's Social Climber in Gold from her Hand Drawn Garden collection. I bought 1.5 yards at Crimson Tate almost a year ago, originally intending to make a skirt. (But this is so much better.) When I bought the AMH, I also picked up some Tula diamonds from her Acacia line. I just really liked them and wanted a bit in my stash, but when the two fabrics were cut and stacked on top of each other, I knew they were supposed to be BFFs.

I made the Diane Kimono dress from Sew Serendipity. As you can see, the pattern comfortably fits my third trimester belly, and I have a bit of room to grow. In hind's sight, I wish I had gone with a longer contrasting hem--I used the 1.5" option because that's all I had fabric for, but I think I would like the 3" or even the 5" a bit better. I used the fuller skirt option because, as you can see, I need a fuller skirt to accommodate Mr. Fava.

Kay, the designer behind Sew Serendipity, is super nice and awesome. My raccoon dress was made using her Naomi pattern, but I can't wear it comfortably right now, and I really wanted a fun dress to wear until I've returned to pre-Fava goodness. And since the Naomi was fairly easy to make for an inexperienced dressmaker, I emailed Kay to see if she thought any of her patterns could fit a preggo like me. Kay wrote me back ASAP and recommended this number. Thank you, Kay! Added bonus: this dress is actually the same size as my Naomi dress, so I should be able to wear it post-Fava as well.

Another bonus? This dress matches perfectly with my favoritest shoes ever. Of course, the four inch heels aren't anything I'm up to tackling for long periods of time in my unbalanced state, so I'll be wearing flats tonight, but later, you best be believing I'll be wearing these glorious shoes with this dress.

The worst part of sewing this was turning the drawstring tube right side out. (Seriously.) This dress doesn't take all that long to make, but that part took me FOREVER. (There is probably a faster way to do it, but I did what I could.) Thankfully, I had a friend over for tea yesterday, and I spent the bulk of our visit trying to pry the narrow bit of fabric out into proper fashion. Next time I make this dress, I will make the drawstring differently. But yes. There will be a next time. Though not any time soon. Oy. I have a lot of quilts to finish first.

On Sunday, I have an appointment with my very first quilting student. (I'm squeeing with excitement!) We're going to plot the project she wants to make and calculate fabric requirements with the goal of going fabric shopping on Monday. I might be more excited than she is. Okay, I'm not, but I think our excitement levels are pretty equal.

Have a happy weekend, y'all!

WIP: More GW Blocks.

Sooo...I'm pretty sure March is going to kick my derriere, and it seemed prudent to get a head start on my Gypsy Wife blocks for March. Yesterday I made my Pershing block and one of the month's six filler blocks, and man, that Pershing block made me stop and think. Fabric choices, fabric placement, getting the corners lined up, trying not to stretch the triangles, eep! But I really like the way it turned out. I'm pretty sure it's my fave block so far! (Not that I have a huge bundle to choose from, but still.)

(Speaking of the Gypsy Wife quilt, if you're interested in a copy of the pattern, why not enter my giveaway contest? It ends this Friday.) 

It's been a quiet quilty week here. Other than a start on my March GW blocks, I sewed up another strip for Anna's quilt. The gray is mostly Kona Coal, but I threw in a couple pieces of Kona Charcoal for funsies. Surprisingly, it showed up really well in this photograph, but the contrast isn't as bright in lesser light. The strip measures roughly 3" x 15". I've got a coral strip left, plus an additional section that I'm actually taking the time to draw up on graph paper. I know. Graph paper? That's just crazy talk coming from me. But the nebulous idea in my head should probably be committed to paper before I start blindly cutting.

It's not much, but it's this week's product! What have you been up to? I'm linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced!

SS: Gypsy Wife & Giveaway

Friends, I have so much awesomeness to tell you about. First, my Gypsy Wife quilt pattern and fabric arrived last week, and I've even made my February blocks for the QAL. (Also, can I just say that Modern Quilter is maybe my new favorite online fabric etsy store? I ordered Monday around lunch and had my fabric and pattern less than 48 hours later. How does that even happen?)

Then, as if *that* wasn't enough, February=blogiversary in the HPQ world, and that means awesomeness. (It also means a giveaway, but we'll chat about that in a minute.) It's kind of hard to believe that it's been two years since I started doing this, but then I remember the quilts I was making two years ago and the loads of quilting goodness that has happened in that space, and it feels like at least ten years. I'm so happy that in two years, I've met so many awesome people, made some super cool bloggy friends, and been able to participate in this truly amazing community. Thanks for sharing it with me, and thanks for being awesome readers!

To say thank you, I'd like to give each and every one of you a kajillion dollars, but since that's not in my budget, I'll have to settle for giving away a copy of the Gypsy Wife quilt pattern because I love love love that quilt and thought you might too. To enter, all you have to do is leave a comment, and it can be about whatever, really, but if you need a topic, tell me about your favorite crafty thing you've ever made. Ever. No pressure. For me, it's my baby niece's quilt. Or my raccoon dress. I go back and forth. Followers (old and new) get a second entry because you HPQ followers are amazing, lovely people and you deserve something for putting up with my shenanigans. I am a post office whiz, and international shipping rates aren't enough to put me off, so don't let your mailing address hold you back, got it?

If you are a no-reply blogger, or you aren't sure, make sure to include an email address in your comment. If I don't have a way to contact you, I'll have to pick someone else, and that would be really really sad! Frowny face! :(

I'll close the drawing on my actual blogiversary (or a close approximation since I started on February 29th). The winner will be chosen randomly. Finally, the spoils of this giveaway are provided by me because I heart you all so much! Good luck!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED. Thanks for playing along!

I'm linking up today with Sunday Stash, hosted by Mila + Cuatro.

WIP: Lots and lots of blocks.

This week, I have lots and lots and lots of blocks. (LOTS.) Between bee blocks and the Gypsy Wife QAL and trying to get back on board with my City Sampler blocks, whoa. I've been flitting from different fabric palettes like nobody's business, and my work area looks like an explosion of fabric--which in my opinion, is never a bad thing, but it does get in the way of forward motion on occasion. Today I need to regroup and clean off my table, otherwise I'll be adding the wrong fabrics to the wrong projects, which isn't the design strategy I'm going for.

I've finished my GW blocks for February. Yum, yum. AMH was the right choice for sure. (Linking up with the February GW QAL Link-up at Riddle and Whimsy!)

I've polished off blocks 58-60 for my Tula Pink City Sampler quilt, and I'm excited to do more.

This dresden is in the mail today for Stash Bee, and seriously, I think this block tried to break my spirit. (But I prevailed and conquered it! Ha!) Envision: two fabric store visits, a borrowed sewing machine, dirty fabric, and no previous applique experience. Woo! And my husband was precious and suggested I make an entire quilt of these bad boys. No, thank you. I'm good with the one.

And I've finished off some of my work on Anna's quilt and feel decently happy with these blocks to give more than just a peek. I'm only about halfway done (maybe) with my portion of the quilt, but I'm having a lot of fun putting it together.

Finally, here are the blocks I've received so far from my month in Stash Bee. I think this quilt is going to be really awesome when it's done! The plan is to sash it with funky colored cornerstones, then add 1-2 borders. I don't usually do a lot of borders, and I'd rather not sash the blocks because I love them side by side like this, but I need to get the quilt a bit bigger, and I'm not keen on making more blocks. So alternative plan it is!

Hooray for lots of blocks! I'm linking up today with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced. As you can see, I've got a lot of work in progress! Happy Wednesday!

Gypsy Wife Pattern.

I tried to hold out, I really did. I told myself I didn't need a QAL this year, I have enough going on with two very different bees and the other projects I need to finish. I also have a couple of non-quilting, non-crafty projects that will be soaking up a substantial amount of time this year. (More on those soon.)

But even with all of the very good reasons why I shouldn't start another complicated quilt, I couldn't help myself. This morning, I bought Jen Kingwell's Gypsy Wife quilt pattern, which I have been ogling since I first saw it on Lily's Quilts several months ago.

I'll be making mine with AMH fabrics because the moment I saw this quilt, I knew I wanted to make it with AMH. (I'm using my fave prints from Dowry and the entire True Colors collection. Fat Eighths, I love you.) And I am super duper excited, even if I do not have time for this. At all. I will be sort of participating in the QAL, but I told myself that I don't have to finish it with everyone else. I want to really enjoy the making of this quilt instead of trying to fly through it.

So let's talk. Are any of y'all joining in the Gypsy Wife? What fabrics are you using? Are you participating in the QAL?

SS: Crimson Tate Edition.

On Friday, I had the amazing opportunity to drive to Indianapolis with my quilting sensei, K and visit Crimson Tate. Oh, Friends. It was glorious. Ready for lots of pictures?

Upon stepping into the shop, it took me about two seconds to confirm that the drive to Indy was totally worth it, and I will do it again the minute my wallet allows it.

Do you see those glorious walls of fabric? O.M.G. (Also, the Crimson Tate team is beyond sweet. They didn't just tolerate my shrieks and squeals and need to touch the fabric, they practically encouraged it.)

And do you see this? It's like they knew I was coming and hung up pink goodness just to say, "Welcome, Audrey."

And this. Oh, Friends. That's Acacia. Like, in person. Not just a bolt or two from the collection, but all of them. I practically wept. To see Tula in all of that glory? It was amazing.

And now, for my favorite part of this post: the goods.

Melody Miller, Lizzy House, Lotta Jansdotter, Anna Maria Horner. Yum.

AMH and Tula? Yes, please.

Teagan White? Mmmhmmmm.

And some mirror balls, Heather Ross, and a blue shot cotton, just for good measure. I may have purchased a couple of other things as well, but they're a secret for now. Shhhhhhh!

As if this haul wasn't enough, I returned home to more fabric. But that's another post. Thanks Heather and David for taking such good care of us at your store! I'll definitely be back! Today, I'm linking up with Sew E.T. for Sunday Stash! 

FF: Baby Quilt Top.

I finished this top a couple of weeks ago, and have been waiting for the right time to share it. I blindly ordered a stack of yellows, oranges, and pinks, and when they arrived, I yip yipped that they all went together well enough AND they were lovelier in person.

This quilt was so much fun to piece. I knew I wanted to piece rows instead of blocks, even if some of the rows are comprised of blocks. From AMH feathers to designing a pattern for paper pieced arrows to some traditional HST blocks to randomly slicing up a perfectly unoffending set of strips only to sew the pieces back together a la Elizabeth Hartman's Xylophone quilt.... Oh, Friends. This quilt has been fun.

I'm planning to machine quilt it and add in some hand quilting too. I certainly went random with assembly--why not add quilting to match?

I think my favorite aspect of this quilt is that it is a truly "me" quilt. So often, I make quilts based on what I think people will like, and usually, there is some "me" in there, but this quilt? This is ALL me.

I'm linking up today with TGIFF hosted by Em at Sewing by Moonlight and Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts.

WIP: Baby Quilts Everywhere!

Hello, Friends! Welcome to the Baby Quilt edition! Since I have eight quadrillion preggo friends/family members/people-I-have-to-make-quilts-for, baby quilts have taken over my life and my sewing workspace.

 

I've finished my log cabin blocks for Lito's quilt. I think I liked them better with just the gray and white borders, but we'll see when I've pieced the entire thing together.

I've started cutting my rainbow Northern Lights quilt. So far, so good. (The cutting takes forever because I'm being extra careful to be accurate, but I know it will be worth it in the end.

I've been piecing AMH feathers, paper piecing flying geese, and putting together churn dashes for Baby Boo's quilt. My next step is to add in a strip of Elizabeth Hartman. I was really inspired by her Xylophone quilt from her book Modern Patchwork, and I'd like a little bit of that in there too.

It's going to be a crazy quilt, and as I suspected, I'm already in love with it, and it's going to be difficult to hand over.

I need to baste a quilt top destined for my older sister and attach binding to my second 100 Quilts for Kids quilt. That's five active projects! Yikes! But I'll get them done. I always do! I'm linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced. And now I'm off to look at everyone else's lovelies.

WIP: Dress Edition.

This week, I started working on my dress for my sister-in-law's wedding, eep! Perhaps this wasn't the best event to jumpstart my dressmaking career, but it does seem like a typical Audrey move. "Oh, I have a really nice wedding to attend! Why not try to make a dress for the first time? Because that sounds like the greatest idea ever!"

The above reads like sarcasm...and it kinda sorta is...but I'm also kinda serious....

I'm making the Jamie Dress by SisBoom, and I've finished everything except the bottom hem and the strap attachment. Because my fabric (Anna Maria Horner Innocent Crush in voile, yum!) is so sheer, I opted to fully line the skirt as well as the bodice, meaning I had the audacity to make a change to the pattern, which seems like crazy talk to me because what the heck do I know about sewing dresses, let alone, pattern-modifying? (The answer is nothing, Friends. Absolutely nothing.)

There have been some really really really (times a kajillion) frustrating moments, but they were all of my own doing. I nearly gave up when I sewed my basting stitches yesterday before attaching the lining fabric to my skirt. Then, I nearly cried when I ripped everything out, attached the lining, sewed another set of basting stitches, and got halfway through the gathering only to have my thread snap. Oy vey, people! Dressmaking is hard!

I'm sure it doesn't surprise you that I went for a pink zipper. The zipper assembly was fairly simple, and while it's not *perfect*, it's close enough, and that's all that matters to me! I doubt anyone is going to come up to me at the wedding and say, "Your zipper isn't inserted perfectly. There is totally a millimeter of error right here." And if they do, I will stab them in the eye with my fork or stiletto heel, whichever is more convenient.

I need my dear sweet husband to help me get the straps figured out since I think that will be too much for me to do solo, but otherwise, this dress--for good or for evil--is in the bag.

I'm linking up with WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced. I hope to return to regularly scheduled quilty programming next week!