Friday, January 26, 2018

tiny dresden party week three

Just one hoop finish for week three of Quilty Obsession's tiny dresden party...
I was getting tired of chain stitch so I switched to a feather stitch for this one and I really love it.
I also love the variety of aqua/blue sequins in the center
one more week to go!

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

improv play

Since one of my goals for 2018 is to explore improv quilting more, I pulled out one of my awesome Christmas gifts from hubby and set to work!
I love Victoria Findley Wolfe's Modern Quilt Magic book. So many fun things to try. I started with these little scrappy improv squares. I pulled out my low volume scraps and whipped up four of these tiny squares. Each one is only 1 1/2" square! So little and so addictive.
Soon four became eight...
and before I knew it there were sixteen.

I had a great time making these. Now they have been set aside for a future project. If you're looking for a fun book to push your limits, I highly recommend this one.

Monday, January 22, 2018

mod gingham baby quilt

A few months ago, a good friend of mine found out she is going to be a grandma for the first time! She was sure the baby was going to be a girl (just her gut feeling, based on absolutely nothing scientific) so when I got an idea in my head, I drew it up in pink and white.
and then, low & behold, the ultrasound showed that baby is a boy! Luckily, I had not purchased fabric or started to sew yet (although, truly, how tragic would it be to have an extra baby girl quilt on hand?) Off I went to get blues and white...
When I first posted this on Instagram, My mom asked me if the other blocks would have different words on them. I was confused. Then I realized she thought this was just one small block. Nope! This is the whole quilt, 40" square. I can see why she thought it was a smaller block though.
I backed it in flannel to make it cozy and Diann worked her long arm magic on it with some bubbles. I love the way it turned out! It arrived at my friend's house today & I'm happy I can share it with you. I hope baby gets lots of use out of it!

Monday, January 15, 2018

Tiny Dresden Party week 2

The tiny dresden party continues over on Instagram! I shared my week one finishes here. I was having so much fun making embellished hoops I decided to keep on making them! Two more finished for week two....
As before, my dresdens are smaller than 5 inches. I love adding chain stitch and sequins...
And this one has an aqua sequined center and tiny black beads at the dresden points...
All of the colorful sequins and tiny beads were creating a mess in my studio. Not that I'm a neat-nick or anything (confession, I'm NOT) but they were making me a bit crazy and needed to be reigned in. Hobby Lobby to the rescue! Check out these tiny jars.....

Perfect for tiny embellishments. Twelve jars come in each cute little case....
which snaps securely closed. Each case was only $3.99. So of course I bought several. Two are already full...
still working on perfect storage for my embroidery floss.....l

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Tiny Dresden Party

Deidre over at Quilty Obsession has introduced  a fun sew along over on instagram #tinydresdenparty. You'll want to check out all of the amazing things being shared on that hashtag! So much fun. The idea is to create dresdens smaller than 5" diameter & make things from them. Always the rule breaker (in sewing anyways, I'm totally a rule follower in life), I have been making tiny dresdens from my solid scraps.
These all measure 4 1/2 - 5 inches across. Crazy! Also, I didn't want huge holes in the center of my tiny dresdens (although many over on instagram are fussy cutting fabulous large circles for their centers).  I made myself templates using my various dresden rulers. I simply extended the narrow edge of the templates, continuing the same angle, until the bottom of each wedge was just over 1/2". This way when I created my dresdens, I ended up with small holes in the center.

Tons of instagramers (is that a word?) are putting their tiny dresdens on pin cushions or pouches and they are so cute! I decided I wanted to put mine into hoops & add embroidery and embellishments. I chose the rainbow dresden for my first week's hoop
After I appliquéd my dresden to a black grunge background, I filled the center hole with tiny black sequins.
I added some chain stitch lines to match each wedge and then, because I simply couldn't leave well enough alone, I filled the negative space with more tiny black sequins.
I love this in a 7 inch hoop. And yes, I decided the hoop needed to be black. Did I have any black paint? No. Sharpie marker to the rescue! I only had one hoop this size, so I'm waiting on an Amazon order to continue this project.

Stay tuned for more tiny dresden hoops to come.

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

What to wear Wednesday - The Hudson Pant

In an effort to keep myself accountable to my goal of sewing more garments for my wardrobe in 2018, I've created new blog feature. What to wear Wednesday will be a frequent (first I typed weekly, but who am I kidding?) topic here at ellyn's place to keep you up to date on patterns I'm sewing, what worked (and didn't!) for me and the like.

So what am I wearing today? One of my many Linden Sweatshirts that I chatted about here. The Linden  is a Grainline Studio pattern and has quickly become one of my favorites. My closet is currently overflowing with them.... no doubt you'll see more of them popping up here on the blog down the road. And my pants? A new discovery, The Hudson Pant by True Bias. This is the first pair of Hudson's I've made and they are a big win for me! (there might be a second pair all cut out and ready to sew on my cutting table. maybe. probably.)
In these cold winter days of couch lounging, waiting for healing, watching The Crown, the Hudson pants are a perfect fit. I was worried that the bands at the bottom of the leg would not accommodate my fancy leg brace, but miraculously they do! So, with a long top, I've even been able to wear these out of the house with shoes. Big plus!

I had never used a True Bias pattern before, and I was very impressed. The attention to detail is fantastic.... trim on the side seam pockets, stitched down wide elastic band, drawstring and previously mentioned ankle bands. Despite the extra details, the pattern was easy to follow, and a quick make. I used a double knit from Joanns which sounds like old lady fabric but is so cute & was a great weight and stretch for this pattern. I made the size that matched my measurements and it fits perfectly. I did take about 2 inches off the length, next time I will make them about an inch longer, but this pair is perfectly wearable. Seriously, I wear them nearly every day and need a pair in every color.

What's your go to garment pattern this winter?



Monday, January 1, 2018

2018 Word of the Year

Happy New Year friends! Boy am I ready for 2018. Don't get me wrong, I had much to be thankful for in 2017. We kicked the year off with a big party for my awesome dad's 80th birthday, hubby and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary with a California baseball trip, there were family weddings, babies to celebrate, trips to awesome places and wonderful things to create. But the year ended on a difficult note for me, with surgeries, complications and frustration. I'm ready for healing and a new beginning! Who's with me?

My word for 2018 came to me a couple of months ago. At that time, a big international trip was planned for this coming summer and I was beyond excited. More on that at a later date, as the trip has been tabled for now. Maybe 2019? I'm hopeful. But still, the word remains!
Already my journey for 2018 looks different than I had planned but that's ok. God has things planned for me and I will stretch (literally! Ha!) and grow in ways I never knew were possible. I plan to finish 2018 stronger than I've ever been.

Oh, and there are still plenty of trips planned which will be part of my journey! Beginning with Quiltcon next month. I'm really looking forward to that!

I don't really do "resolutions" but I do have a couple of sewing goals for the coming year:

1) Expand my handmade wardrobe and try some new garment patterns. 
2) Experiment more with improv quilting.

Do you have any big plans for the new year? Do you choose a word? Do share!