Oh, Baby Wet Bag

I was on such a roll finishing up the Baby Preppy the Whale quilt for my friend I decided I should also make her a little bonus gift.  I went browsing in a high end baby boutique to get ideas and spied a cute little Wet Bag with a hefty price tag.  Obviously, I can make my own;-)  This is sized to hold wipes, a diaper, and a spare outfit and has a waterproof lining for keeping those accidents contained.  It's perfect for those times when you want to be prepared but don't want to drag your entire diaper bag around and so much classier than Ziplocks!

This bag is loosely based on the technique used in the Gathered Clutch Tutorial by Noodlehead.  I've included my own measurements and some additional directions so you can adapt it to make your own.

Cut the following:
(2) 8 1/2" x 11" laminated cotton or oilcloth for lining

(2) 8 1/2" x 11" quilting cotton for exterior (whales)

(1) 8 1/2" x 9" quilting cotton for exterior pocket (whales)
(1) 8 1/2" x 10" quilting cotton for pocket lining (orange)
(2) 2 1/2" x 3 1/2" quilting cotton for zipper ends (orange)
(1) 9" zipper

Seam allowance 1/2"

Make your pocket by aligning the exterior pocket and pocket lining along one 8 1/2" side, right sides together.  Stitch along the edge with 1/2" seam allowance.

Press seam towards the lining and fold over wrong sides together matching bottom raw edges.  Topstitch along the top edge of the pocket.

Follow the Gathered Clutch instructions for making the end tabs for your zipper and installing the zipper.  STOP before sewing all around the edge!!!

Add your pocket to the front of the pouch aligning the bottom raw edges with the exterior right sides together.  Pin or baste your pocket in place.  Be sure to OPEN your zipper before continuing!

Now sew all around the edge leaving a small hole in the side of the lining for turning.  Turn your bag right side and stitch the hole closed.  Remember NOT to iron your laminated cotton.  

While I was at it I whipped up some coordinating burp clothes.  These OsoCozy diapers are much nicer than the Gerber cloth diapers and are perfect for gifting.  

Can't wait to meet the new kid;-)


Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Thar She Blows!

Just in time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival I finished this Preppy the Whale mini quilt.  I have to admit when I was asked to make this quilt I was unenthused...  been there, done that and grey?  How blah!

I pulled these fabrics and then it sat until guilt and the baby's impending arrival finally motivated me.  I don't know why I waited so long, once I actually started this went together in an afternoon.  Despite having 16 different sized pieces per block these whales go together quickly.

The quilting was also a breeze.  I love these wavy organic lines!

Orange isn't really my color but I thought it added the perfect pop for the binding.  Now that it's finished I'm a little sad to send it off but I know it will be a lovely addition to my friend's new nursery.

With my freshly polished toes for scale:-)

A huge thank you to Amy for once again organizing the Blogger's Quilt Festival!!!  I've entered this in the Small Quilts category.  For a whale of a good time check out all the participants:-)

Quilt Stats:
Finished quilt is 20" x 26"
Pattern: Preppy the Whale by the fabulous Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson!
Fabrics: Kona Nautical, Just Color by Studio E, Sunkissed by Sweetwater, Little Apples by Aneela Hoey, Foxfield by Tula Pink, and Textures by Angela Walters.  Binding: DS Quilts.  Backing: Riley Blake Multi Houndstooth.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Cotton Select
Thread: Aurifil  Light Grey Green (2847)

W.i.P. Wednesday: Momentum

I've been trying to keep my momentum going and actually finish some of the things I started at Quilt Camp.  I'm totally loving this Tula Pink Houndstooth quilt!!!  I've finished piecing all the blocks and now I'm just working on sewing the rows together.  It's a little tricky keeping all the blocks going in the right direction but once I get them stacked up correctly I can chain piece everything quickly.

Sunday I realized I didn't have anything to work on at my daughter's gymnastics meet so I quickly basted my Preppy the Whale mini and got quilting.

Binding on and ready to tack in plenty of time to take it to the meet...  not too difficult since we had a 7:30 check-in.  Not quite done despite the fact it was a very late night.

And I even managed to add another ring onto my La Passacaglia.  With Memorial Day weekend looming I should have plenty of time for hand work.  Let's hope I can keep it going.

Still sewing along with this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Enchanted

Another long overdue retreat finish.  This started on my list for Q1 of the 2015 Finish Along by On the Windy Side but looks like it's going to slip to Q2...  better late than never;-)

I fell in love with these Alexander Henry prints the minute I saw them at Quilter's Way but it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to do with them.

I've wanted to make something from Modern Minimal ever since I met the adorable Alissa Haight Carlton.  While we don't exactly share the same aesthetic, I love the idea of this basket weave quilt.  Rather than using solids, I thought this would be a fun way to showcase these novelty prints.

Since I needed to fussy cut the prints to highlight the design I ended up having to do my own math.  Luckily it came together pretty easily.  There is one partial seam in the middle but luckily Alissa has this fabulous tutorial on her blog to make it super easy:-)

For the quilting I or course turned to my good buddy Angela Walters.  I did bricks in the pink, grass in the green, and flowers in the floral print.

And it wouldn't be one of my quilts without some Nicey Jane and a striped binding;-)

The adorable daughter of my dearest friend spotted this one and claimed it for herself so I know it will be well loved!

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.

Quilt Stats:

Finished quilt is 48" x 55"
Pattern based on Basket Weave from Modern Minimal by Alissa Haight Carlton.
Fabrics from the Once Upon a Time collection by Alexander Henry with Kona baby pink and green tea.  Binding Slim Dandy from Nicey Jane by Heather Bailey.
Batting: Quilter's Dream Orient.
Thread: 50 wt. Aurifil in Arctic Sky (2612), Light Peony (2437) and Dusty Mint (2847).

W.i.P. Wednesday: Sewing Binge

As predicted this has been a busy spring and I haven't had much time to sew so I was especially excited when the fabulous Materials and Method proposed another Quilt Camp getaway.  Packing was a snap, I just grabbed all the projects I'd planned to work on at retreat but never got to...

First up was the stack of fabrics I'd pulled to make a Preppy the Whale mini quilt for a good friend who's expecting.  She's going with a nautical theme for her nursery so how could I resist.  I can't believe how quickly this went together.  I had the entire top pieced before cocktail hour:-)

This project was also intended for retreat but I didn't get my fabrics in time (Thanks, fabric.com!).  I am currently obsessed with navy and coral, the perfect combo for this ingenious Houndstooth quilt from Quilts from the House of Tula Pink.

If you're someone who gets bent out of shape about "wasting" fabric this pattern is not for you.  I love that what looks like a complex design is entirely achieved by strip piecing.  I probably would have finished this one also if I didn't have a no cutting after cocktail hour rule.

While I was playing it safe I started quilting these Sunkissed pinwheels.  Endless rows of straight line quilting with pivots every 4 inches go so much faster when you're laughing so hard you cry.  This quilt will never fail to make me smile!  Hopefully my sewing streak will continue and I can finish some of these up.

Sewing all the things with this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Off to the Races

It's the eternal question, do I make things so I can entertain or do I entertain so I can show off the things I've made?  Derby Day is one of my all time favorite celebrations...  of course I say that about all my parties;-)  I blame Pinterest, as soon as I saw these adorable bow napkins I was off and running to my stash for some seersucker to make these bow tie napkin rings.

Here's a quick tutorial in case you want to make your own...

Cut the following:

(1) 6 1/2" x 8 1/2" for bow

(1)  2" x 15" for strap
(1) 2" x 4" for cinch

(1) 10" strip of 3/8" elastic

Seam allowance 1/4"

Fold all 3 pieces in half, right sides together, and stitch down the long side.

Roll the seam to the middle of each piece and press open.

Turn the strap and cinch pieces right sides out keeping the seam centered.

Fold the bow in half matching the raw edges and sew together.  Roll the seam to the center and press open.  Turn the bow right sides out keeping the seam centered.

Use a safety pin to feed the length of elastic through the strap.  Stitch down each side to secure the ends leaving about 1/2" of elastic on each side.

Trim the elastic close to the stitching line.  Overlap the edges of the strap without twisting and stitch together to form a loop.

Stack cinch, bow and strap matching up seam lines.

Tuck ends inside one end of cinch and wrap it tightly around bow and strap.  Pin in place then hand stitch closed.  Catch the strap with a few stitches to prevent twisting.

Make a whole bunch so all your guests can be fancy.

Here's to another great day at the races.  Way to go American Pharoah!

Better than Lilly for Target Tote

So it turns out I am one of those crazy Lilly lovers who get up early for discounted Lilly.  Audrey and I were in line at our local Target before it opened on Pink Sunday but despite our best efforts all we came home with was this adorable juicer.

I was on a quest for the hammock but Audrey had her heart set on this Lilly for Target raffia tote.  After seeing them listed on eBay for $75+  (you can get real Lilly for that price people!!!) we decided we'd rather make our own.

Audrey hunted through my stash and found this fabulous Sevenberry Anchors double gauze that had the perfect drape for the bow.  We made a quick trip over to the Fabric Corner and picked out this coordinating Essex linen (orange) and Riley Blake Holiday Anchors print.  The total score was the Starfish button!

There are a million different ways to make a basic tote but this Totebag Tutorial by Skip to my Lou is closest to mine.  I cut my fabrics 17" high x 24" wide and boxed the corners 3" from the point to match the dimensions of the original bag.  I found these handles on Amazon and with Prime we had them in time to finish before heading back to school.  Here is an excellent tutorial by Sewplicity on attaching leather handles.

I love all the details on this bag but adding the bow was the finishing touch!

And there you have it, the better than Target Tote.  Bring on summer!!!

Linking up to the fabulous Finish it Up Friday by Crazy Mom Quilts.