Wrapping yourself in the Word of God

The concept of this quilt began with the idea for a text fabric with scripture for the content. Text fabric has become extremely popular in modern quilting, and I loved the idea of a scriptural text fabric to give more meaning to the words on the fabric - where reading a piece of the text fills you with God's Word, rather than some peculiar gibberish.

As I continued to swirl this idea around in my head, I couldn't help but chuckle at the very literal manifestation of the expression to "wrap yourself in the Word of God". How wonderful would it be to literally snuggle into a quilt with the words of your Creator when you are feeling low? Or to sit with it in your lap during your daily bible time or during prayer? A quilt that embodies both the love and comfort that goes into making someone a quilt, along with the love and comfort of your God?

After searching for a while, I was rather surprised not to find a plethora of scriptural fabric in production already. In fact, I couldn't find any that were continuous blocks of text, only individual verses or phrases scattered across the fabric. So I decided to go a more personal route and use Spoonflower to custom print the quilt back with the favorite book of the Bible of the recipient, which in this case was Romans. Using a copyright-free translation of the Bible, I fit Romans into precisely 4 yards, which I pieced into a 72" x 88" quilt back. (Link to the fabric on Spoonflower here:  http://www.spoonflower.com/fabric/2438444)

For the front I settled on modifying the New Wave quilt pattern by Elizabeth Hartman to look more like mountains, instead of waves. Growing up and living in Colorado, I was always most impacted by the greatness of God when surrounded by the Rocky Mountains - away from all of the things man built and surrounded by nature. I know the recipient of this quilt also has a special place in his heart for spending time in these same mountains, so it seemed like a good fit.

I selected a palette of white, grey, and navy to imitate a mountain range fading off into the distance, as well as to keep it masculine and modern. I used predominantly solids to keep it clean, but did use one print to add visual interest. Above you can see what my original plan looked like, and below you can see the design once it was completed.

For the quilting I chose to reinforce the mountain concept by adding white snowcaps and some organic wavy lines in a matching thread color, after anchoring the piece by quilting alongside the horizontal seams.

Overall I was very pleased with the outcome, and it definitely passed the snuggly test. :-)

I have been thinking about continuing some work on the scriptural text fabric idea, perhaps at a smaller scale as the text for this particular project was on the large side. What do you guys think - would you want to see text fabric created from biblical text?

<3 Kelsey

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

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

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

Pillow Talk Swap 8

The mailing deadline for round 8 of The Pillow Talk Swap is today, so naturally I just finished my pillow right before midnight last night. I'm pretty sure this is my favorite pillow I've made yet.

Despite being so under the gun to finish, I did actually start a couple of weeks ago. This star pattern is called the Lonestar, and I made it by hand-sewing 200 diamonds together using the English Paper Piecing method.

I then machine appliqued the star to the background, and did a little straight line quilting for interest.

I love the Flea Market Fancy grey seeds that I used for the background - I'm already starting to fret I didn't buy enough of the reprint and this is the first I've used of it.

I sure hope my partner likes her pillows big - I put one of our king-size pillows inside for these pictures!

If nothing else, I know at least someone approved:

Hope you are all having a fantastic summer. ;)

<3 Kelsey

P.S. Linking up to Amy's One Thing, One Week Challenge.

A few favorites...

A few favorites to brighten up your day. :)

1. Somerset Star Pillow, 2. Pillow Talk Swap 7 - Finished, 3. PTS7, 4. Pillow Talk Swap 7, 5. PTS7 all finished!, 6. innocent crush kaleidoscope quilt, 7. Mug Rug Swap Round 2 for Emedoodle, 8. Pillow Talk Swap Round 7, 9. Will these work partner?, 10. Granny Square Table Topper, 11. Not available, 12. Not available, 13. swoon back, 14. Spooky & Splashy Goldfish Mug Rug , 15. Quilted, 16. 241 Tote

<3 Kelsey

Pillow Progress

It's time for round 7 of the Pillow Talk Swap, and since I will be moving next month, I wanted to get a jump start and not procrastinate on this one. I was inspired by this quilt by Red Pepper Quilts. It is just so colorful and modern, I couldn't resist. :)

I pulled these fabrics mostly from my stash, with the exception of the two black and white prints in the bottom right . I had to buy those two special - apparently I rarely sew with black.

I shrank the original block design down to 5" blocks, and my final pillow will be 3 x 3 blocks, with 1" sashing in between.

With the first four blocks done, the feel of the pillow is finally starting to come through. Hopefully my partner likes where I am heading!

<3 Kelsey

 PS. Finishing these blocks was my goal for the One Thing, One Week Challenge over at Amy's Creative Side, but I didn't manage to finish them all since I got sick on Thursday. But I am still pleased with my progress, even if it wasn't as much as I hoped.

Lord of the Kindle

Today I'd like to share another project I made as a Christmas gift for a family member. My husband and I got my Dad a Kindle Touch back in October, and he has still been carrying it around in the box it came in. Clearly, this needed to be rectified. :)

My Dad had loved The Lord of the Rings since before I was born. We went and saw every movie opening day when I was in High School. We've read the books countless times. We both still play a Lord of the Rings based online video game.

So when I saw this pattern for a paper-pieced Gandalf quilt block, I knew I must use it to make my Dad's Kindle cover. I didn't use any particular pattern for the case itself, but followed pretty standard procedure for making a slim carrying case.

Of course I ran out of time to photograph it before Christmas, so both these pictures and those from my last post are curtesy of my parents. :)

I used fusible fleece for the batting (that stuff is great for bags!) and did some simple straight line quilting on the front, with a velcro enclosure.

<3 Kelsey

Pillow Talk Swap 6

Here is my pillow for Pillow Talk Swap 6. I don't want to give away too many details about my partner since it is still a surprise for him/her, but suffice it to say, I'm pretty sure they like Parisville, so the whole design was based on how to feature that line.

Here was my original design as I first brainstormed:

But as I was sewing, I felt like this was getting too busy. Plus, I was running out of fabric. :P So I presented two alternatives to the group to see what people liked more:

I felt like I liked the way the left side looked more, but then it lost the chevron effect it had in the original and began to look more like log cabin quarters. I also thought the solids on the right might give the eye a place to rest, though I think that they weren't big enough to really have the effect I was picturing in my mind. Turns out the internet was divided, so I just went with the one that I felt was most aesthetically pleasing.

So, without further ado, here is my first pillow for PTS. Please pardon the fact I didn't have a pillow form and have just shoved a regular bed pillow inside folded in half. 

I kept the quilting light with a little hand quilting around the cameo with perle cotton. There was already a lot going on without adding to it.

Major accomplishment this project: my first Y seams! I had never had to do these before. Going slow and precise seemed to be the biggest help in getting these right.

I sure do hope my partner likes it. Off to the post office!

<3 Kelsey

Pretty Little Pouch

I signed up for the most recent round of the Pretty Little Pouch Swap on Flickr. My secret partner loves Mendocino, and I wanted to create her a pouch featuring the fabric. I started sewing after this line already became hard to find, so I had to turn to other Flickr members for help. Luckily, I was able to swap for and was outright given some scraps from some very generous ladies in the { DESIGNER } Fabric - Stash - Swappy - Poo Flickr group.

Soon after settling on Mendocino, I thought it would be awesome to embroider a mermaid around the zipper. Turns out I am not the first person to think of embroidering a Mendocino mermaid (Aneela Hoey used it in this hoop), but I loved the idea enough I decided to go ahead anyways. At least I thought of it independently. :)

This is my first time using a zipper in a project. Of course, I never do anything half way, so it is an invisible zipper with lining. I am quite pleased with how it came out.

I lined the bag with Giant Octopi in brown. I liked the contrast form the light colored outside, and it should hopefully hide any stains from anything stored inside. :)

Now I just need to get together the extras and some packaging and it will be ready to ship! I sure hope my partner loves it as much as I do - this is definitely the hardest item I've made to let go of yet.

I am entering my pouch into the embroidery category in Celebrate Color.

<3 Kelsey

Linking up to sew & tell, So Creative, and:



 

Friday Night Sew-In Results

Unfortunately, I don't have any fun progress or finish pictures to share for this FNSI. I spent my sewing time this week testing this pattern for Sewplicity. I'm not sure yet if I'll be allowed to show pictures, but if/when I can, I'll be sure to post it here. If you missed it, I did post a sneak peek yesterday.

Crafty Organization

In preparation for getting my new machine, I had started to organize my sewing stuff, which was split between being shoved in one side of the nursery closet in assorted boxes and bags behind the Rockband drumset, and the other half strewn all over my living room. The sudden appearance of my new machine and frame meant I had to finish. (And rearrange some furniture. :P)

So now, in my nursery closet I have all of the fabric not yet slated to a specific project like this:

The blue box on the right holds my non-quilting fabrics. Not pictured on the left are three neat boxes: one for patterns and templates, one for notions, and one with my yarn/crochet/knitting supplies.

Then in the living room, I have put together little bundles for each specific project I've bought the materials for. I also have a box for my fabric scraps, and an old comforter plastic thing (what are those called anyways?) for my batting scraps. It may not look as neat/pretty, but it's actually really great to have each project in a little bundle like that.

From top to bottom, left to right: My scrap bin. The first quilt I started that is still part way through being hand-quilted. This quilt has been done entirely by hand so far. Then a stack of fabric my dear mom bought me for Christmas to make a quilt for myself. I'm planning on doing the New Wave pattern from Oh Fransson! Then my apparel stack, including fabric for a Schoolhouse Tunic for myself and fabric for two sleepsacks for Paul. Down on the bottom I have fabric for a couple new receiving blankets, a half cut shirt I started before I was pregnant, but had to go on hold since it was sized for pre-pregnant me, some planned pillows, and some fabric for some curtains in Paul's Nursery. Yikes. I clearly need to get busy.

The right of this cabinet also has three drawers I used to store my frequently used tools: rulers, rotary cutter, scissors, thread, needles, etc. My box of thread makes me happy. :)

<3 Kelsey

Happy {Early} Birthday to Me!

Sew, I mentioned yesterday that I got distracted most of last week with an early birthday present from my husband. Without further ado:

And what is this hiding under here?

Now those of you who know me may be thinking, "Wait, but isn't your birthday in *March*?" Why yes, yes it is. "And isn't this January?" Yup. This wasn't always the plan. My husband is notoriously bad at keeping gifts secret. I almost always know what I am getting as a gift for any gifty holidays well in advance. So this is how it went down:

December
Hubs: So, for Christmas, I'm going to watch Paul so you can go to a quilting class.
Me: Ooo
Christmas passes
Me: I was thinking I might go to a Modern Quilt Guild meeting instead.
I go to the January meeting of our local modern quilt guild.
Later that evening...
Hubs: I still want you to take a class at our LQS.
Me: But I thought today was supposed to count for that?
Hubs: I want you to take it because I want you to get to try out the different machines they have. I'm getting you a new sewing machine for your birthday.
Me: flabbergasted
Hubs: I want you to get a nice one.
Me: Immediately gets laptop and starts researching sewing machines.
Me: Hey, look, our LQS is having a birthday celebration in two weeks to celebrate their birthday - all their machines are going to be 30% off.
Hubs: We should get it then then.
Me: Continue researching what I want all week. Long arm is out of price range, but looking to get something better than the 6.5" throat space my little Kenmore has. Also decide I really want a quilting frame and automatic stitch regulator. I see how much stitch regulators cost.
Me: I might have to get a stitch regulator for Christmas next year. ;)
Next Saturday
Hubs: I'm surprised you aren't going over to look at the machines and pick out what you want so you know for next Saturday.
Me: Gets dressed, goes to store to look.
LQS: You can get any of the machines at the sale price now actually.
Me and LQS: Go over what I'm looking for. I don't really want lots of fancy stitches. I just want a sturdy machine that can straight stitch with a bigger throat space. I don't mind loading my bobbins manually, etc. Two features I would enjoy: stitch up/down and a thread cutter. Keeping my Kenmore for clothing, zig-zags, etc.
LQS: Shows me Janome 1600, which is just about exactly what I want.
LQS: Calls shop owner to ask if there is a frame that came with it. There isn't, BUT, they just got a used 2 year old Viking that, I kid you not, is just about the exact same machine, with some different icons. Made by the same manufacturer. And it comes with a quilting frame AND an automatic stitch regulator for the same price as the Janome 1600.
Me: Falls in love. They place it on hold for me.
Me: Goes home, feeds baby, talks to husband.
Hubs: Go ahead and get it now, but you have to set aside some time to play Rift Beta with me next week. [a video game]
Me: Goes back to LQS and brings her home. :D

And that is how I got my birthday present two months early. :P

My husband is the best. ^_^

I used it to sew the Disappearing Nine Patch I talked about in my last post. It sews like a dream. ^_^

<3 Kelsey

P.S. And just to be fair, we got my husband his birthday present this week too. And his birthday is in { MAY }! ;)

Crafting 2010

While I don't have nearly comparable accomplishments to those making these out in crafty blogland, I still thought it'd be fun to see all of my projects for the year in one mosaic. :)

1. P5220014, 2. IMG_20100822_082240, 3. IMG_0174, 4. IMG_0214, 5. IMG_0318, 6. IMG_0368, 7. IMG_0536, 8. IMG_0535, 9. IMG_0531, 10. IMG_0532, 11. IMG_0624, 12. IMG_0614

crafting2010, originally uploaded by kelsey_rose.

Buttercup Purse

So I had fully planned out a gift for my sister-in-law. I found out what color she is into (turquoise), and bought a whole set of coordinating red, aqua/turquoise, and grey fabrics for it. Then, as a showed my husband what I bought, he said I should make her a purse. My sister-in-law and I have enjoyed purse shopping together in the past, and as soon as he said it I realized he was right. Too bad he didn't think of it about 3 hours sooner before I bought a bunch of fabric that is now just going to be added to my stash. Oh well. My life is so hard. ;)

I used two prints from the stack (ironically neither containing turquoise), and decided to use the Buttercup pattern from Made by Rae.  I was worried about the cotton being too weak for a purse, so I sewed in a layer of home decor weight fabric from my stash in between the exterior and the lining.

Doesn't it just look so cute hanging with all the stockings? ^_^

<3 Kelsey

One Thing, One Week Challenge 5

This week Amy of Amy's Creative Side is hosting another One Thing, One Week challenge. This was a short week for me as I was visiting my parents and away from my sewing machine until Saturday, but I was able to use the challenge to motivate me to complete a small, but important WIP. When my son was born I had made myself two pairs of pads for absorbing breast milk leakage using flannel on the inside, fleece on the backside, and a layer of Warm n Natural on the inside. I wanted to try them out before making more to make sure I liked them. Turns out I did like them, but it's two months later and I still hadn't gotten around to making more!

I decided to play around with a couple more different materials. I decided to use the fabric form an old pair of 100% cotton pajama pants that had finally torn beyond use. The cotton is old and worn, and thus very soft, so I thought it'd feel nicer against the sensitive skin. I also wanted to play with the inner absorptive materials. I ended up making one pair with Warm n Natural again, one pair with a pair of disposable breast pads inside, and one pair with a couple of outgrown diapers cut down to size inside.

Not the most glamorous finish, but an important one.  I will be trying them out this week and will be sure to report back which is the most comfortable after wear and washing, or if there was no noticeable difference.  :)

Kelsey

Linking up at:

Friday Night Sew-In

My goal for November's Friday Night Sew-In was to finish this set of four pillow shams for my mom for Christmas, but since she follows my blog I couldn't post about it until I had the chance to give them to her. We are visiting my in-laws this Christmas, so we had Christmas with my parents early this year, putting up the tree and opening presents the day after Thanksgiving. I'm only a week late. ;) Perhaps my tardiness can be made up for in the epicness of my sew-in - I actually pulled an all-nighter to finish these before my flight the next morning!

This gave me a chance to try piecing some more complicated blocks. I spent a while on the internet seeking inspiration for different blocks that would both look good in the fabrics I had purchased and would match the style of the couches.

This block I developed myself. I wanted to use this sort of pinwheel/star shape I had seen online, but wanted it to be a little more complex, so I added a border and turned it on point.

The pattern for the next pillow came from here. I think it may be my favorite of the set. It was the last one I made, so it definitely was the best constructed.

This was adapted fairly faithfully from here, with a slight change around in which pieces I made share the same fabric.

And last but not least, this pillow was taken from here.  This one was made first and has the most construction issues. The only real piecing I've done up to this point was just rows of squares set on point, so I had a bit to learn along the way here. :)

This is what the shams all look like on the back, and each is stuffed with a 16" pillow form from Joann's.

Overall I am quite pleased with the outcome. :)

Kelsey

P.S. The solid pink is really more of a rose than it shows in these pictures....but my flight left before it was going to be light again, so all I could get was night photos. :)