Anchors Away Everyday Skirt

Could I get any preppier?  I managed to score a couple of yards of this fabulous Out to Sea Anchors Away one of the times it came back in stock at Hawthorne Threads.  I'd been planning to make a skirt with it but never got around to it.  Last Friday Hawthorne Threads posted this adorable one on their Instagram feed and I decided the time had come.  

I made my first Everyday Skirt with Chambray last year and it's been in heavy rotation ever since.  Lisel + Co patterns are so clear and easy to follow, this is definitely a go to favorite.  My only complaint is that it runs big so I decided to size down on this one and made a Medium.  I still cut the hem line at the XS line and used the standard 2" hem for my shortened stature.  I also went with a single length of elastic in the back waistband this time.

I love how polished this skirt is!  The flat front waist band looks tailored while the gathered elastic back makes it comfortable and easy to slip on and go.  

And also pockets!!!  I added a pop of hot pink for the pocket lining.  This goes together so quickly I was able to make it in an afternoon and be ready for cocktail hour at the lake.  Expect to see me wearing this everywhere:-)

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

W.i.P. Wednesday: Scrap Happy

This is the last full week of summer vacation so we've been trying to make the most of it but I've still managed to sneak in a bit of sewing...

The binding is on my Walk in the Park quilt and just needs to be tacked down.  It's been too hot to even think about sitting with a quilt in my lap but with football season about to kick off there are sure to be some cool evenings at the field in my future.

In the meantime I'm putting what's left of my Central Park scraps to use to make a coordinating pillow.  My vision was for a rainbow of monochromatic stripes.

 And then I realized the rectangles were perfectly sized to try out my new Mini 60° Triangle ruler from the Quiltcon 2016 Triangle Quilt Challenge.

I've got my rows cut and I'm ready to get piecing once there's a break in the action.

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

W.i.P. Wednesday: Lazy Days of Summer

It seems like it's been forever since I've just been able to hang out in my quilt studio and sew for fun.  With my slipcovers finally finished and my La Passacaglia prepped and ready for our next road trip I decided it was a good time to tackle some UFOs.  Last fall I pieced together this Out to Sea Penny Patch for Audrey's bed in Maine.  Of course by the time the top was together we'd closed up the house so I couldn't see it on the bed.  This summer I tried it out and decided it was too small and needed another couple of rows.

It was really fun to revisit this pattern.  I stuck to my all stash rule but I got to add some new nauticals that I collected over the year.  Here it is, bigger and better than ever.  I even managed to come up with enough stash to put together the back but then realized if I was going to baste it I either needed to buy more safety pins or quilt something from the TBQ pile.

Since there's nothing quite like quilting during a heat wave I grabbed this Central Park Garden Fence.  I'd already quilted all the center flowers but I wanted to quilt something in the printed areas to make the brick path pop.  In the end I went with a free-form feather that fills the space.  This was a new pattern for me.  They're not perfect but I'm pretty happy with the effect.  

And after a quilting marathon I'm on the very last square...  now to slap a binding on and finish this up!

Keeping cool with this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)

Giving Them the Slip

I finally finished the slipcovers and for about 5 minutes my living room was clean:-)

When we bought our first house friends gave us these couches after Goodwill refused to take them.  Structurally they were fine but after a few years with kids the white covers were more multi-colored.  We had just moved and were desperate for furniture so I happily snagged them and made the first set of slipcovers.  They held up well but the sun and kids had taken their toll and it was definitely time for a refresh!

Slipcovers really aren't hard and there are a ton of great resources that explain the process.  You can see all my favorite tips on Pinterest.

Making all the box cushions, 12 total, really got tedious.

And then there was all that piping...

And the zippers.  It's a lot like making a Weekender (or 12;-)  I overgrammed a bit to keep myself motivated.

And because I'm a total glutton for punishment when my husband suggested it was also time for the window seat cushion to be redone I made one more box cushion.  In total I used 30 yards of fabric, almost 70 yards of cording, and 7 large spools of thread (with 2 thread emergencies!).

Now that they're done I'm thrilled with the end result.  I took me an entire day of picking up threads, dusting and vacuuming but my studio is clean again (which will only last for 5 minutes).   My machine and I are both off on vacation but I can't wait to get back to some "real" sewing!

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

My first finish for Q3 in the 2015 Finish Along hosted by On the Windy Side.

W.i.P. Wednesday: And So It Goes...

This summer my sewing time has come in two flavors, slipcover sweatshop and hand sewing road trips.  This week is more of the same, prepping La Passacaglia cogs before we hit the road again.  This really is the perfect summertime project.  Nothing big and heavy to haul around and it's easy to pick up and put down.

For my 3rd cog I dug deep into my Tula Pink stash for this fabulous Hushabye owl.  This print holds so many choices for fussy-cutting!

More Hushabye for the next rings...  I love the way it almost looks like lace!

We're packing up again so I'm prepping my next ring.  For this one I'm mixing in some Nicey Jane, it was bound to pop up eventually:-)

Here's my progress so far.  It's hard to know where each cog is going to end up in the final arrangement so I may need to add more pieces when it all finally comes together.  I love it so far!

Keeping up with this week's W.i.P. Wednesday:-)