10 cool sewn things

I have serious feelings for these Vintage Sheet Quilts from Pins and Thimbles. They are so, so, so gorgeous. I am currently (“current” meaning April 27, when I’m writing this post) trying really hard to finished that dagnabbed purple and green quilt so I can start another and machine-quilt it. I know, I’ve said wonderful things about hand-quilting. And I do genuinely like hand-quilting. But MAN. It takes so much time. I started this quilt last June and have finished hand-quilting three of fifteen squares.

Cathedral Window quilt blocks were the things that convinced me that I wanted to eventually get into quilting. They are just so beautiful and intricate. This Cathedral Window Tutorial from The Sometimes Crafter is great.

LOVE this Value Quilt tutorial from Willy Nilly.

These color-coded quilts from In Color Order are great. Naturally, I want to make one of them in each color and then fold them all neatly and make the most impressive blog post ever.

I really like the idea behind this simple quilt from Katie Did, and might utilize it for the next time someone I know has a baby shower.

Or perhaps this simple fat quarter quilt from Craft could work for a baby shower. Obviously, I’m in a quilty mood.

These leggings were made out of a t-shirt! Waaaaaaant! In lots of colors! From Andrea’s Garden.

I want so badly to make dozens of these skirts for myself, but we know my issues with shirring. From Instructables.

SERIOUSLY. THIS IS TOO BEAUTIFUL. From In Color Order.

AH! I’m not a huge fan of random pillows, but this pom-pom pillow is excellent. Want. Found via Craft.

10 cool sewn things

Gorgeous quilt block by Grumperina.

The lady at Grosgrain made this dress from a vintage blouse. Love it.

Found via Mr. X-Stitch.

Quilt block tutorial found via WhipUp.

TOO GODDAMN GORGEOUS. (Yup. It gets to be full-size with all-caps. It’s that gorgeous.) Found via Craft.

I’m not generally that into skulls as an aesthetic choice, but I dig these. Found via Craft.

WANT. Holybowie I love this quilt so much. Grey/yellow is one of my favorite color combinations, and I love traditional patterns in modern colors. From wise craft.

I will love Grady no matter what type of elementary-school-kid she grows up to be. But it would be particularly awesome if she became a kid who likes these lunch sacks. Because seriously, how awesome are they? Found via Craft.

This pillowcase pattern/post was made for the purpose of philanthropy, but, uh, it reminds me of how I need to make my own pillowcases. I think that would be the perfect way to extend the theme of my bed/living room (yup. 1-bedroom apartment means that my living room is where my bed is. It’s cool.) and simultaneously make a dent in my massive fabric stash. Found via Craft.

Little Birdie Plush tutorial from A Beautiful Mess. I want to make these not as toys for Grady, but as decor. Which means I won’t be able to make them until she’s quite a bit older, because using toys solely as decor would kill the poor girl.

Written April 22.

10 cool sewn things

The cutest toys on the web can be found here. I swear.

Someday I will be able to accomplish this. I will. (Did I ever mention that I once tried to piece little triangles to create letters that said “Vote for Granato”? No I did not because it was a HUGE failure. The piecing, not the election. Well, now that I think about it, the election was much much much much much more of a failure than the piecing. Anyway, the point is this: I suck at piecing little bitty things.) From Craftapalooza.

ARG. TOO LOVELY. From Posie Gets Cosy.

This isn’t my style, but … I dunno. I love it. I think it would be cool on the bottom of a lampshade.

Yup. Grady needs this. It’s made from a t-shirt!

Tile quilting. YARG. Via Wee Wonderfuls.

Obsessed with the color choices in this quilt by Stephanie Japel.

How to “easily” hand-sew a quilt binding. I have my doubts about this “easiness,” but I suppose we’ll see once I finish quilting that purple and green beast.

TOO PERFECT.

I love this. The colors are great, but I also think it would be amazing in a random smorgasbord of ridiculous colors.

Written Feb. 12.

10 cool sewn things

Three dresses for three girls from angry chicken. Pictures like this make me think I could be convinced to have more children if I could be promised a swarm of girls.

Anna Maria Horner did a long informative post about quilting which I should probably read, but it included this photo that is just impossibly beautiful – it make the words unreadable for me.

Heinously cute homemade dress from Wee Wonderfuls.

I don’t know where these darlings are from, but I love them. And they look like they’d be pretty simple to make.

Do you think Grady would hate me if I used the same reusable wrapping for presents each Christmas? It’s such a great idea.

Tender.

I love the stitching on the trunk. Ug. I am not in the mood to be excited about sewing – is it horribly obvious?

Girl’s shirt from Wee Wonderfuls.

I probably should have read a post like this one about hand-quilting before I started quilting my purple and green monstrosity, but, you know, I didn’t wanna.

I think Grady would like these fabric nesting boxes.

It all takes so much time.

So, I promised pictures. Here’s the best I can come up with:

The accomplishments of Summer 2010. I suppose.

I’ve finally begun to tackle my pile of almost-perfect clothing. Half of it is skirts that need shortening. That fuzzy sumptuous lump in the upper left corner is Winston’s groin. You’re welcome.

This image was supposed to be vertical, but I’m far too lazy to change it. I’ve pieced my first quilt, and begun hand-quilting it. The quilt is 5×6′, made of fifteen blocks with a fly-by-night border on two of the sides. I’ll give it a proper post eventually, maybe.

I love this fuzzylump. He’s such a jerk most of the time.

I’ve been on a hat-making rampage for a while now. I wish I were capable of working on one rampage at once. Anyway, this is a lovely bulky wool beret. It’s from a book, and I have no desire to link you to the pattern. I think I’ll make every hat in the book, so when that happens maybe I’ll let you know where it’s from.

This corner of my magnet board is pretty devoted to embroidery. Clockwise from the bottom left corner: a color-your-own Toulouse-Lautrec that I’d love to embroder (it’s so sensuous), a Bowie cross-stitch pattern, a beautiful drawing of a fox that local artist Jess Smart Smiley has given me permission to embroider, a drawing of feathers that I’ve been hanging on to for months, a swarm of jellyfish from a SpongeBob Square Pants book that I think would be great embroidered and hung in Grady’s room, my kitten calendar, a bunch of peacock feathers from a long-forgotten thrifting trip, a fedora, and the pamphlet for the International Peace Gardens. I know. I’m so interesting right now. Don’t let the excitement throw you into a panic.

Gross. Everything is gross. No more words.