here we go steelers, here we go!

Drew and I lived in Pittsburgh for a few years while he was in grad school and {without a doubt} the biggest thing we took away from the city of three rivers is our love of the Steelers!

No matter where we live we'll always be Steelers fans now.  Go 'burg!

Drew has been asking me for a quilt of his own to use on chilly winter days, so I decided to make him a Steelers quilt for Christmas.  It was really hard keeping it a secret in our little townhouse - a quilt isn't exactly something that you can whip up in a day and then hide.  I had to keep hiding all the fabric when I was done working for the day.  Not to mention how hard it was to finish a whole quilt while only working during naptimes. 

But I did it!  And I think it turned out really well.  I was so lucky to find the 'football' fabric in black and gold - perfect!
 

Go Steelers!

baby quilt

It's finally done!

Yesterday I managed to finish the baby's quilt that I've been working on for the past few months. A lot of that time was wasted because my sewing machine broke. This quilt was a lot easier to make than my first attempt. I don't have a specific idea of how it will be used right now. Mostly I just want baby bean to have a comfy quilt to cuddle with or play on.

My mom made me quilts growing up and they were always my favorite blankets to use. I want my baby to have those same memories!

I started small (since he'll be small), but will make something bigger if he wants one someday! The colors and patterns don't exactly scream "baby" but I like it.

Basically I'm just glad the thing is staying together and that the pattern looks (mostly) planned on purpose.

In other news, my first day at home was very productive! Although I am super tired today, so maybe I overdid it a bit. Yesterday I managed to:

1) finish the quilt

2) make + freeze 2 cookie doughs

3) run several errands

4) wrap Christmas presents

5) do 2 loads of laundry

Just 5 (or fewer) days until the bean arrives!

emily makes a quilt - epilogue

I think this wraps up my musings about the quilt. I'm very happy with the final result and definitely plan to make another one (someday).



Now that I have a better idea of what's involved I'll be able to take my time and be more precise with the cutting, sewing, and assembly.



In the meantime, I'm getting my snuggle on.



And so is Drew.

emily makes a quilt - part 2

This weekend I finally, finally had some time to keep working on my quilt! I had every intention of keeping at it through the week, but that just didn't happen. We had a few days of beautiful weather last week, so Drew and I hit the road for after work walks almost every day. I just couldn't bear to go down in the basement when the sun was shining and it was 60º outside!

Quilting is definitely a winter hobby around here.

Starting on Thursday night, I managed to get the last border attached.



This was really quite easy after doing the first 2 -- just a different width.

On Saturday I got down to business with the finishing steps. The first thing I had to do was piece together the backing. I decided to use a solid dark blue -- no patterns to match up!

And sew it to the front.



What's a quilt without some softness in the middle? I decided to use a polyester filling (it's lighter than cotton) with a medium loft. This is a quilt, not a comforter.



So far, so good.

My book recommended the "Quick Turn and Tie" method for beginners. That's me.

This basically required me to roll the quilt up and flip it inside out through a hole I left on 1 side.

Drew helped me with this part and we did it with minimal damage.

After we got it turned I had to HANDSTITCH the opening closed.

Oh, crap.

It looks a little bit like Dr. Frankenstein had a go at it, but at least it will hold. (I hope.)

I'm too ashamed to put photos of that part up, sorry.

Finally I just had to take some embroidery floss and tie the 3 layers together every 4 inches.

Oh my.

I was doing this on the floor for at least 3 hours.

I thought I might have permanently damaged my back, but don't worry, a little time on the couch with my new quilt and I'm good as new.



It only took 2 weekends and about 30 episodes of Felicity and I have a new quilt!



What do you think??

I love it!

emily makes a quilt - part 1

When I was a young girl, my Mom used to make me and my sisters dresses. These were actual clothes that we could wear (in public) and not be ridiculed. At the time this seemed completely normal -- moms make clothes for their kids. Sure, not all of their clothes, but a few special items, no problem.

Then I grew up and realized just how impressive this is.

Sewing (especially sized clothing) is hard! For me, at least.

My mom has a craft gene that she graciously passed along to my sisters. They all makes lots of beautiful things.

Crocheted blankets, handmade greeting cards/birth announcements/invitations, handbags, pajama pants, wreaths, dolls...just to name a few.

When I was in middle school we had a section of sewing as part of our home economics class. During that class we made (really basic) shorts, which involved sewing a couple pieces of fabric together, then threading an elastic band through the top to keep them up.

It took me so long to get the elastic threaded that the teacher actually gave me a hug when I was done.

I think she channeled a little Annie Sullivan that day.

Which makes me the Helen Keller of sewing.

I didn't get the craft gene.

*sigh*

Unfortunately for me, I was raised in a generation of children who were told that they can do anything, if they try hard enough.

Although I now believe this isn't completely true, it's ingrained too deeply and I can't let crafts win. I keep trying while thinking, believing, in vain, that 1 day I'll gain the upper hand and create something beautiful.

To date, my craft attempts (and failures) include:

knitting
cross-stitch
scrapbooking
sewing a bag

I did successfully make a wreath last fall, but it involved no glue or fasteners of any kind. I basically wound fake foliage onto a wreath base.

But hey, success is success and I'll take it.

Bolstered by this achievement, I decided to up the ante and re-entered the world of sewing.

I'm a realist and knew I should start small, so the other week I replaced all of the buttons on my winter jacket.

Sure, this is more repair than crafts, but who's getting technical.

Another success and the little girl who could (craft) in me is getting fired up.

I decided to take the plunge and ... make a quilt!



My mom made me a beautiful quilt years ago that Drew and I use all of the time. It's definitely our "go to" couch quilt.



I knew that the Log Cabin pattern was fairly simple -- just strips of fabric sewn together -- I can sew in a straight line! So I asked Mom about it and she offered me some advice and sent me a book that turned out to be my newest favorite.



Thanks, Eleanor, for leaving the "Dummies" out of the title. Although it is that simple.



I know the title says "Quilt in a Day," but really, let's pick our battles.

After 2 days of steady work, I've made some great progress!







So far I have all of the blocks made




and sewn together


and have 2 of 3 borders attached.


I don't want to speak up too soon, but I think this thing might really happen!

Maybe all of that "work hard to achieve any goal" talk wasn't just propaganda. Maybe the anti-craft curse has been lifted.

But then again, let's not count our chickens -- I'll let you know.