broken dishes quilt

I had this quilt top done in October and just got around to finishing it last week. It is machine quilted and I used the same linen blend fabric for the binding.

The pattern is from the Purl Bee though I changed it up a bit and made mine larger.
Some more details can be found here.

Sewing the blocks is always the fun part for me and I also like hand sewing the binding to the back at the end. It's the middle stages of quilting I am not overally fond of. Unless, I am handquilting with sashiko stitches and thread because that is my favorite type of hand quilting. Perhaps I would feel differently about machine quilting if I had another sewing machine that handles it better then mine does.

I have so many in the works projects so finishing up something big feels extra nice and is one way to make more space both in my craft room and in my mind.

It's all ready to take a spin in the washing machine to get fluffed up a bit..

It may be Spring on the calendar but I'm still piling the quilts at night.

liberty of london bloomers

Two new baby bloomers went into my Etsy store recently both size 6 months in Liberty of London prints. Perfect for the upcoming spring and summer and for us folk in my corner of the planet you know you can't wait! This type of garment is wonderful for this stage of development when they are just beginning to get a bit mobile. They are very comfortable as well as beautiful and can be both outerwear and/or covers under dresses.

wabi pattern

A new hat for me.

I dyed this merino wool with walnut some months ago and it came out this warm pink/brown shade. Not a color I feel could be achieved with anything other then natural dyes. I like it a lot. The pattern, Wabi. As I was using a thinner wool mine is a bit more fitted then the designers.

mae shawl

Mae Shawl knit in Quince & Co. Tern yarn, color: Stonington. I knit the small size Mae. I wish now I had gone for the larger size. This pattern was nice to knit starting from the bottom up with the edging and then working from the charts. Though it can be worn from either side I like it showing the reverse stockinette which gives more texture to the piece. I need to bring out the lace a bit more with another blocking.

trapeze dress in washed silk

I've been wanting to sew a silk dress for some time. About a month ago, I found the perfect washed silk in black at Mood Fabrics and ordered 3 yards. When it came I didn't even open the box as I originally thought I'd develop my own dress pattern but, was a little nervous about executing my concept. Then a few weeks ago while looking at the Merchant and Mills online shop I switched gears and decided to use the Trapeze Pattern. Chic, simple and comfortable I knew this was going to be a good staple in my wardrobe. Except... silk was not a recommended fabric for the pattern so I was presented with some decisions. I decided to leave off the front and back facings but kept the neck facing and made a small hem at the shoulders. I am happy with this decision and think it was the right choice for me. The sewing went perfectly on Tuesday leaving me with just the hem to finish up which I did by hand.

I love this pattern and will sew it again. I also purchased this pattern, a few fabrics and the notions seen below.

blue tutu

My girl has stuck with ballet for 3 years now and this Spring she will be in her fourth recital. I am a big fan of the ballet but, I have yet to take her to a professional performance. It is on my to do list for Spring!

She is in her blue phase now (new favorite color) and although she has a beautiful blue satin and tulle dress I could not resist another piece with blue tulle especially since I find the color so striking on her.

I made her this multicolored version a few years ago and it was sewn the same way.

shop news

Some new items went into the shop this past week. Here are two of them.

A baby sized toddler scarf in a pale orange/peach

A Nani Iro double gauze dress in size 12 months.

green skirt

Every year without fail I start to crave the colors of spring especially when it is (hopefully) so close. So, last week, I couldn't stop looking at this green linen and and had to turn it into a skirt for my skirt loving gal. Hopefully we will start seeing some signs here soon. It's been a long winter and they say March 17th is the first day of starting to do some planting outdoors. I'm hoping! The skirt is lined with muslin. Here she is actually wearing it wrong. The seams and tie lie on the side.

rainbow surprise

A classic, newborn sweater so tiny it seems impossible to fit anyone but, yes it can. The surprise is in its construction. I have knit this once before in gray alpaca sized up for a toddler with worsted weight yarn. I had really enjoyed making it and seeing it on my daughter. This one is knit with fingering yarn... so many more stitches. A lot of people knit this piece in variegated or striped yarn which is really not my thing but I thought I'd try it to see how the stripes worked out and I sort of like the ethnic feel to it.

The silliness factor really can only be pulled off by a tiny human.