A Geranium Dress for Vanilla

One of the perks of taking a three month blogging hiatus is that I actually have a few things to share with you! This whole, I'm moving soon business has been taxing to say the least, but I've managed to get a few things finished, including this super cool Geranium Dress by Made by Rae for my Vanilla Bean.

This green and white print came from my grandmother's stash, as did the gingham lining. I'm fairly confident they were purchased at the same time, and for the super high cost of eighty-six cents! I don't know when my grandma purchased these lovelies, but my daughter is rocking some sweet threads, let me tell you.

It's obvs not perfect, but I am so pleased with how it turned out. The buttonholes aren't *perfectly* spaced, but I like to think people will be so enthralled by my adorable daughter that they won't even notice the buttonholes.

Speaking of perfect, it looks as though I was totally bomb at matching those stripes and pleats from the skirt with the bodice. Between you and me, because we're friends and all, it was a TOTAL accident in cutting. But like, I'm not complaining. It looks fierce.

I also finished up these stuffed pups from the Woof Woof Panel by Stacy Iest Hsu. The little pups are done too. I was watching a friend's kidlets when we suddenly encountered a quilt store in the wild. It wasn't my neck of the city, so I kinda sorta dragged three young boys into a quilt shop. (For the record, they were extremely well behaved.) We saw these pups stitched up, and the oldest boy suggested I make the pink one for Vanilla and the blue one for his baby bro. It was a most excellent plan, so of course I agreed.

July. (So far.)

This month has flown by, and oy, I've been busy! There hasn't been a lot of sewing time, and I've neglected to blog, a state that probably won't be changing any time soon. With my fourth year of homeschooling on the horizon, I've been knee deep in curriculum choices, co-op decisions, and training to be a substitute tutor at our co-op. We start in less than a month! I've also been hard at work editing my second book, which is coming along slowly but surely. You might think I'd be exhausted, and I am a little, but I'm also oh-so excited, especially now that the most stressful bits are hopefully past.

I did sneak in a bit of sewing, including this super cute sunbonnet for my daughter. Of course, Vanilla wants nothing to do with it, probably because it's a bit too big, but hopefully she'll love it soon. The fabric is leftover from a dress that was made for my niece. Using scraps always makes me remember good things.

I also finished up a pinafore and have fabric cut for a second one. This was my first time sewing with rayon, and while it wasn't the easiest to work with, I made it through! It is definitely not the best fabric to use for a pinafore, but it is super soft and comfy. It just doesn't do much to retain the shape. This pinafore is lined in a yummy shot cotton. Next up, we'll see how a voile and quilting cotton combo work out!

And I've finished up two Star Wars pillowcases for my big boys. Of course, Fava is now asking for his own Star Wars pillowcase. I should've anticipated this, but honestly, I didn't think a two-year-old would be that concerned about a pillowcase. Alas, he is, and back to the store for more fabric, but this time, enough for two as my nephew needs one as well!

But I think more exciting than those finishes are the fabric pulls I've had the delightful pleasure of assembling recently. This is for a Patina quilt from Tula Pink and Angela Walters' book. I'll be making it for my niece, and it's a big one! I better get cutting.

And the start of the fabric pull for my Magnolia Mystery quilt. I need a bit more lime, but I think it's a fun blend. Thankfully I had a big piece of that black batik chilling in my stash.

Finally, some yummy Alison Glass for the Coast to Coast Traveling Bee, which is on its last rotation. A couple of people have actually gotten their quilt tops back already, and if you've been following me on instagram, you'll know I've put together a few blocks. You also might know that my quilt top is done, and it's a beauty!

I feel like I have so much more to share with you, but that'll have to do for now as it's bedtime and two little boys are waiting for tuck-in service. Goodnight, y'all.

Vanilla's Baby Quilt

Those of you who follow me on instagram are probably already aware, but Vanilla arrived last week! My strategy was to eat so much food on Thanksgiving that she was pushed out of the womb. I am thrilled to report that it worked! And lucky for me, I (mostly) finished her quilt, just in time.

The adjustment from a family of five to a family of six has been relatively painless, and the challenges have been expected ones. I look forward to seeing how Vanilla continues to fit into our family.

As you can see, I didn't get around to handstitching the friendship stars. I may revisit that at a later point. Or not. I think I'm going to wait and see how different my life is with four kidlets before making a firm call on that.

This is A LOT of quilting for me. I know this is like regular quilting for many people, but for me, oh man. This is crazy town. And I have to say, for the first time maybe ever, I really enjoyed all of that quilting. I really enjoyed the thought process. Maybe it's an instance of finally feeling like I kinda know what I'm doing? Or maybe it's just that I cherished every part of the making of this quilt?

This quilt is scrappy down to its core, but I made sure it had some cherished favorites. OOP Tula and AMH, shot cottons, even some batik scraps. The backing is a Heather Ross strawberry print with a couple of scrappy strips to bring it up to size. Not gonna lie, I was pretty pleased to use up some of the gypsy wife strip scraps that have been sitting in my scrap bin for ages. I hoarded this HR print for ages, originally planning to make myself a skirt, but it's a much better fit for this baby.

Has this quilt made my top five quilts of all time list? Um, yes. For sure! I adore how this quilt turned out. A wild explosion of pattern and color and randomness with a hint of order--even that description doesn't quite make sense! But these are the best sort of quilts for me.

This is finish #3 from my FAL list. Admittedly, I'm a wee bit behind where I wanted to be, and I can't see myself making much progress over the next month, but I also kinda expected that. Vanilla will be my big finish for the quarter.

FIP (Friday in Progress?)

I'm calling this Friday in Progress, and sadly, Friends, I have little to report. Vanilla is apparently quite snug in my stomach and wants to stay put, a fact with which I am finally coming to terms--but I have been busy with lots of baby prep and even some resting. My freezer is full of ready-to-cook crockpot meals, everything for baby is laundered and put away, our homeschool is planned through the end of the year, and I've knocked a few other annoying tasks off my to-do list. I haven't felt a huge rush to nest this pregnancy--with Fava, I decided one weekend that our dining room table had to be completely sanded and repainted because there was no way I could bring a child into a home that featured a table that chipped--so I've been taking it slow. Which is good. Because walking slowly seems to absolutely wind me at this point.

And for some reason, my motivation to sew has been zapped. I picked up my middle son's big boy bed quilt from the long-armer, and I love the way it turned out. The boxy design is maybe larger than I expected, but I actually like that about it. I've yet to trim this bad boy or even start work on piecing the binding, but I do know I'm planning to bind it in the lime solid we used. My son is sooooooo excited for it to be done, and he's asked if he can sleep under it every night once I've finished. That does a mama's heart good.

I attached the binding to Vanilla's baby quilt, but I've gotten little done on the handsewing front. (I'm one side down as of this morning!) I really need to step on this, especially since I'm still planning to handquilt those friendship stars, but even as I type this, I'm yawning. Maybe something about that quilt just makes me sleepy?

I have been making some knitting progress on my mama's shawl. I went up a size in needles after my other shawl turned out too small, but even still, I think this is going to run on the small size if I just stick with the pattern. Thankfully, this one looks like it will be a breeze to just add rows until I'm content with the length. I'm enjoying the pattern and the look, and I'm thinking I might knit up a second one after I finish this one, but with much larger needles.

That's what's going on around these parts. How are you? 

Vanilla's Quilt in Progress

After what I think was a successful spray basting session--or at the very least, what I hope was successful--I've commenced the quilting on Vanilla's baby quilt. So far, it's involved seven different types of thread, three different sewing machine feet, and by-the-seat-of-my-pants creativity.

I cannot get over echo quilting. I just can't. So that's what I spent a lot of my start doing, and let me tell you, it involved a lot of quilt turning around those NY Beauty wedges! I would do a bit at a time to make sure my back and shoulders didn't punish me later. (And even then, I spent some time with a heat pad and/or ice pack, but that could also be the whole, eight months pregnant thing.)

The straight line machine quilting came along really nicely, and I love this shot from the back. I didn't think to snag a picture after I added the FMQ in two of the corners, but I added a triangular meander to two opposite corners.

And then I jumped right into handquilting the center, as I haven't completely decided what to do with the friendship stars just yet. I'm using perl cottons, which I adore--I love the chunky texture and uneven stitches up against the machine stitched bits.

The center portion of the medallion is now complete, and you can see I did some infinity loops in the first border. I need to figure out a plan for the other borders, then attack!

I may not finish the quilt until after Vanilla arrives. I had an appointment a couple of days ago, and Vanilla is doing well. Oh, and she's locked and loaded and sitting really, really low. While I could still make it to my due date (later in November), it's highly likely she'll come before then. Given my history, and the fact that my three sons all came long before their due dates, it seems prudent to make sure everything else is ready to go. So we've been doing a lot of prepping around here. Laundry, carseat installation, laundry, hospital bag packing, trying to figure out a name, and MORE laundry. I keep thinking we're almost done--minus the tiny matter of not having a name picked out thing--but then I think of more stuff I need to do!

I'll keep you posted!

Vanilla's Quilt Top

Friends, hopefully by the time you're reading this, I'll have finished basting this bad boy using my latest acquisition--505 basting spray. Hopefully, the spray is good to me, and it revolutionizes my basting experience. We shall see. But first! Details on this lovely, which is finally done!

This was my original sketch for Vanilla's quilt, aka, #10 from the #30daysofquiltdesign challenge, and I'm not gonna lie, I still really love this design. Three-quarter dresdens in two corners? Fun blocks of color? Yowzas! This was going to be epic and just right.

Except, when I finished my friendship star border, I started to get worried. I really liked the dark navy of the quilt and the feel it gave to the top. I loved my original drawing, but I hadn't bothered to color anything in, just assuming I'd go navy/LV/navy/LV/etc. as I worked. And the more I looked at the quilt top, the more I started to think a thick low volume final border would significantly change the feel of the quilt, and in a way I wouldn't like. I didn't want to do it. I wanted my navy!

I stuck with my gut, and I didn't make the final border a low volume pièce de résistance. I split it into two thinner borders, one a thin low volume, and one a slightly thicker navy solid border--Kona Indigo, I think? And when I finished sewing that second border, I knew it was the right call. While not as flashy and skill-challenging as the dresdens certainly would have been, it finishes off this quilt top properly, at least in my opinion.

Besides, there is already kinda a lot going on with this top. A New York Beauty center...

...a round of friendship stars, two of which intentionally rotate in a different direction...

...and a backing pieced from Heather Ross' Briar Rose collection, the ever delicious strawberry fabric that I have been hoarding for just a wee bit.

So while I didn't follow my original plan exactly, I let this quilt take me where it would, and it was the right call. I have no idea how I'm going to quilt it. I love the idea of a mix of hand and machine quilting, but I may just machine quilt it for now and add in the perle cotton elements later. I do know I intend a scrappy binding using the warm colors in the top because while this quilt has a lot going on, I'm sure to pack in more. It's the Audrey way.

Vanilla's Symphony of Pink.

(I have meant to write this post for days. DAYS, friends.) Isn't this the sweetest little pink quilt ever? And given my love of pink, you might be inclined to think this beauty came from my own hands, but no! She's the clever work of my lovely Stash Bee 2016 hive. This is my third year hive mama-ing, and this year I almost feel unnecessary as my hive is mostly self-sufficient and awesome and stuff. And then they're super lovely and make a gorgeous quilt for my little Vanilla bean. The back is a soft flannel, and it has the most gorgeous embroidered label with everyone's name. When I received it in the mail, I totally cried, right in front of my houseguests, and when my husband saw it, he loved it too! I promise I'll get a shot of baby snuggled in her quilt when she arrives and send it on to you hive mates!

This quilt is so special to me, and I am so grateful to my awesome hive. I had grand plans to photograph it, but I'm hoping y'all will forgive me when I plead a giant belly and third trimester pregnancy and stuff. I promise, I'll only use that excuse for another few weeks. Then I'll start in on the new baby excuses! Just kidding.

Hard at Work.

My in-laws are descending in approximately 1-1.5 hours--that makes it sound horrible, but I'm actually really looking forward to seeing them as my in-laws are lovely people--and I realized there has been a bit of sewing since I last chimed in around these parts, and maybe you'd like to see it?

I finished piecing all of the blocks for Lito's big boy quilt, decided on a layout, sashed them, and then started considering border options. I considered a single fabric border, but I didn't have enough of any one print to manage that. Then I thought scrappy. And THEN I decided to cut out half blocks of a sort, and do a border of half blocks (without the fussy framed bit) with sashing, which I thought would look awfully smart.

And then I laid out the quilt on my son's bed, realized it was big enough in its current state and a 5" border on all sides would make it HUGE, so I'm axing the border ideas and leaving it as is. I'll bind it in the lime solid, and I'll back it with leftover fabric from the top as I still have quite a bit left! I waffle between sending this out to be long-armed and quilting it myself.

This is where Bun's baby quilt sits at present. I think this measures 24"? But I could be wrong.

I'm making friendship stars for the next border. I've got eight done, and I need twelve more. I think I have fabric cut for at least five of those? For some reason, these 6.5" blocks are taking an awfully long time to finish, probably because I was trying to be really good about making sure my directional fabric is all proper. Then I went and sewed one up spinning the opposite direction. The Instagram folks say I should keep it as is, and I'm inclined to agree because 1) I kinda like the idea, and 2) they're taking so long that I'm loathe to seam rip anything that doesn't absolutely require it.

HSTs and 2.5" squares and trimmings. I'll finish these blocks eventually, but I'm starting to think I won't have Bun's quilt or Lito's quilt done before Bun arrives. And if not, who knows when they'll be finished? But I don't want to worry about that, so I'm not going to.

We've started a new project at my house, one that doesn't involve fabric at all! We--and by we, I mean my husband as I don't allow myself to use power tools or any tools really because I always destroy things--are building bunk beds for our boys.

My husband is my complete opposite and is requiring that each board finished is absolutely perfect and uniform, which is totally a good thing, but means our progress is slow.

And due to a kajillion (maybe a kajillion and one?) kerfuffles with our tool situation--I'm not kidding, it's laughable all of the things that have gone wrong--he has resorted to using old school tools, some of which date from the 1920s. Hopefully the situation will improve soon, but as we're still waiting on a delivery that should have been here THREE WEEKS AGO, it's hard to say when.

My good friend and her kiddos are coming for a visit just as my in-laws depart, so I'm not sure when I'll be popping up in this space again. I hope y'all are doing super well!

Wordless Wednesday WIPs

Just a few shots of WIPs from the last week or so.

Maxaloones for Vanilla.

I sewed up another couple of pairs of Maxaloones this week, one for my soon-to-be-here daughter and one for my niece's upcoming birthday. They use a Lizzie House knit print and an Art Gallery knit solid--Strawberry Kiss, I think? I'm a big fan of this pattern. :)

Forgive my sassy son. He was so excited to see the pictures on my phone that it was *really* hard to get a picture of the back. And whether it be the softeness of these pants or that he really thinks they're cute, he's a big fan of them. These are project #8 from my Q3 FAL list, woo!

Changing Plans.

As y'all probably know, I have a daughter on the way. (Have I talked about this enough? Can you tell I'm extremely excited?) Of course, I will be making Vanilla a quilt. It will feature what is probably a more-than-healthy amount of hot pink because OMG, I can, so I will. I've gone through multiple ideas. It seems like all of the baby quilts I've made this year have started with one idea and come out as something much different. And while that's more than a little frustrating at times--especially when I've already cut fabric!--each change was the right change.

Yesterday, I started cutting dresden wedges for Vanilla's quilt. I'd decided to use my ginormous Tula Pink stash, and I'd planned to use Tula's True Colors collection for the background fabrics. (I was undecided on the center circles, but I figured I'd have a bit of time to figure that out.) I had a sixteen FQ bundle of True Colors, was going to make 16 - 12.5" blocks, and the quilt was going to be epic.

Except, I knew it was the wrong idea about thirty seconds into the cutting. I had cut maybe six wedges before I realized this was not the quilt I wanted to make AT ALL. Not even a little bit. I cut a few more wedges. My OOP Tula Pink waste grew. I cringed at the thought of how much unusable OOP Tula this quilt would involve. And if it was the proper fit, I would do it in a heartbeat. But it's not. So I stopped cutting.

I used my wedges from yesterday, cut a few more from my scrap bins, and I pieced this dresden plate, which I'm more than a little in love with. When I get a spare moment, aka, never because I have three kids, I'll finish this up as a table runner for a spot in my front entryway that's been begging for some color. (I think this fits the bill, right?)

And as for Miss Vanilla, well, I can't get this quilt I started out of my head. This is the quilt I want to finish for Vanilla. I enjoyed making Fava's medallion quilt so very very much, and just the thought of sketching out future borders for this lovely fills me with glee. I'll most likely have to restart it from scratch--that's a long story I won't get into--so it won't look quite like this, but dare I imagine...it will be better? OH, I THINK SO.

So that's where I stand on Vanilla's quilt. I reserve the right to change my mind again, if it's the right call. But I wonder--I can't be the only one that waffles between ideas. Are you the type that picks a plan and sticks to it? Or do you make decisions as you go?

I hope y'all have the MOST LOVELIEST of weekends.