Pillow Talk Swap, Round 10

For this round of Pillow Talk Swap, I knew I wanted to use some Heather Ross for my partner's pillow. However, none of the Heather Ross I actually own fits very well into a full rainbow (an always popular choice for PTS), so this time I got to play with some more restricted color palette.

First I thought about some mermaids...

... but then I settled on some fishies.

I wanted to go for a sophisticated and modern feel, with a little bit of whimsy in the fish. I sure hope my partner likes this one, because I sure do. This will be a hard one to let go. :)

It finishes at a whopping 24" square. I actually don't even own a pillow form large enough to fill it out properly lol. But I hope you can get the general idea.

Next time: I finally finish a quilt that will stay in our household!

<3 Kelsey

Linking up to Show and Tell Tuesday

Echo Quilt

I created this quilt for a friend of mine based off of the Modern Stripes pattern from Frozen Knickers. The quilt is twin sized, and measures 68" x 80".

 

The fabric is all Echo by Lotta Jansdotter with Kona White. For the back I used big blocks of Echo, Kona White, and some Kona Medium Grey.

I wanted to keep the quilting simple to reinforce the horizontal stripes, so I did some stitch-in-the-ditch quilting every 2" along each strip.

In the end I really love how this quilt came together - it is one of my favorite quilts I have made so far. I wish you all could see it in person - it really is beautiful in its simplicity. I would highly recommend this pattern. :)

Today is the beginning of Blogger's Quilt Festival over at Amy's Creative Side. Be sure to head over and checkout al of the beautiful quilts in the festival. There are usually hundreds of quilts in the festival each time!

Linking up to Show and Tell Tuesday.

<3 Kelsey

P.S. Thanks to my Mom, for diligently holding up my quilt while perched precariously on top of a stool, waiting for the wind to die down enough to get a shot. :)

Homemade Journals

Today I'd like to take a moment to share a pair of journals I made as gifts. The first is in an improvisational style and used an unusual (for me) color palette of peaches and navy.

I did a little embroidery by hand in the mermaids hair to add a small textural element.

The second journal centered around the Goldfish in a Bag print from Heather Ross, using a blue, green, and black color palette.

The cover is made entirely from 1.5" squares, with the exception of the fish. Most of these fabrics came from my scrap bin. These journal covers are really a great way to use up scraps and get the satisfaction of a quick finish!

The inside front cover contained a little surprise!

I can't get enough of that moustache fabric - I think its absolutely hilarious. :)

Both journals were made using a free tutorial from Stitched in Color. These covers are great little gifts since they give you a chance to make something special and exercise a little creativity without overcommitting yourself - you can easily make one in a single evening. And since they fit standard composition notebooks that can be switched out, they can be used over and over again - a bonus if you go through a lot of notebooks!

Thanks for stopping by today. :)

<3 Kelsey

Celebrate Good Stitches

If you've been around my blog for a while, then you know the majority of my sewing for the last couple of years has been with do. Good Stitches, a quilt bee that makes quilts for various charities. Rachel from Stitched In Color, the lovely woman who started this group of quilters, is having an event to celebrate all of the quilts completed this year, including featuring some of the best quilts. Be sure to head on over and check it out and vote on your favorites!

<3 Kelsey

do. Good Stitches, May 2012

This quilt was started by the gals in the Faith circle of do. Good Stitches way back in May. I've been working on it slowly, but surely, ever since, and can finally call this one done.

This quilt is a bit more traditional, but I do love red and white quilts.

The block is called the "Ohio Star". Together with 6" sashing this quilt is about perfect for a Full/Double bed (show here on our Queen).

For the first time ever I ventured away from an all over FMQ, and quilted feathers in the sashing.

This will be my last do. Good Stitches quilt, at least for the forseeable future. I just don't have the time to dedicate to it any longer, as you can see by how long it took me to complete this one quilt, and I'd love to have some time to sew some things for my own family. I love what these women do, and look forward to seeing where they go in the future. They are a talented and compassionate bunch.

Hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving.

<3 Kelsey

P.S. Linking up to {Sew} Modern Monday.

My First Sweater

Today I have a knitting finish for you - my first ever sweater! As far as apparel goes it is certainly nothing special, but I intentionally was trying to pick a simple project to transition into knitting clothing.

The pattern is "Vested Baby Boy" by Scarlet Taylor, which I found via Ravelry.

I had a little difficulty with the neckline - when I first completed the collar, my son's head would not fit through the hole! That would be a bit of a problem. :) The traditional bind-off I used just had no stretch at all. So I undid the bind-off and used this method combined with a larger needle size to finish it, and now it stretches easily to come on and off.

I definitely want to work on my knitting to be able to make sweaters and socks for myself, there are some absolutely gorgeous sweaters on Ravelry that are crying to be made. I just need to work on my skill to be able to do them justice first. :)

<3 Kelsey

P.S. Special thanks to my little man who posed so nicely all on his own. :)

Fat Quarterly Issue 11

Today the eleventh issue of Fat Quarterly was released, and it includes my first ever published pattern! So if you are interested in the pattern for my stocking, or any of the other amazing patterns in this issue (and you should be - there are some fantastic ones!), then be sure to head on over to the Fat Quarterly website and pick up your issue!

<3 Kelsey