Spectacular Softies Contest entry: hipster doll

It has been entirely too long since I have posted here. I will just leave it at that and move on to a most recent finish, my hipster doll for the Sew Mama Sew softies contest.

When I heard about the contest, I knew I wanted to make something. I have made softies and dolls before, but I wanted to challenge myself to make something new and fresh for this one. I came up with the idea of a hipster doll, and I knew I wanted him to have a shaggy beard, arm tattoos and glasses. Then the skinny jeans and plaid shirt naturally followed.

My husband took the doll with him to the local coffee shop for hipster cred. He loves an artful cappuccino from fair trade sourced growers.

Kicking back. That furry brown hair shed a lot while I was working, but is soft and has a great bushy look.

Under the steam-punkish lamps. Hand and arm for scale.

Closeup of his sick tattoo documenting his travel to the best places you probably haven't been. I drew these with a fine point Sharpie on the arm fabric, with a cardboard backing so it wouldn't bleed through.

I couldn't resist the glasses, which I drew freehand on black felt and added white floss accents.

The buttons on his shirt are from a Columbia shirt, the local Portland outdoorsy outfitter.

My husband also took him to work, because an architect is quite the hipster job. All his coworkers loved him. Which really proves the point.

Closeup of the other arm tattoos. For this side I went for the more graphic adding tattoos as life goes on look, instead of the arm sleeve.

I had a blast making this guy (whom my husband named Trevor after spending the day with him). It was a great challenge and I would not have undertaken it without the prompt from Sew Mama Sew. The other submissions are so incredible too! There is so much great creativity out there, go check it out! #6weeksofsofties

Curious Nature Hexies

I'm excited! I finished my son's Curious Nature Hexies quilt this weekend and I was so happy to hand it off to him so he could sleep with it. Well, that didn't work out so well, he still wants to sleep in a Snuggie blanket that is huge and too hot. Oh well.

I'll go ahead and share to enjoy the finish with you instead!

 Slouchy couch photo

Pieced name on the back 

 Quilting detail- a nice star ended up in the middle of each hexie...

 and around the Y seams where they join. Serendipitous, because I did not plan it at all! I quilted 1/4"(ish) from each edge of the hexie, and ended up here.

 Machine bound, as always. Apparently this is not the norm, but this is the back where the stitching shows, and I think it looks just fine. And much easier than hand sewing the binding on.

 Quilting detail on the back panel, on Kona Coal.

 Embroidered label, same font as my mom's quilt (and same floss).

 A less slouchy front shot...

 and a full frontal. (Get out of the gutter.)

The pieced back- I do love a pieced back! Used leftover yardage from Curious Nature by Parson Gray (generously provided by Free Spirit Fabric), and some Kona Coal and Snow.

Quilt stats:

Name: Curious Nature Hexies

Edited Size: 56" x 47"(Whew, I was way off! Sorry if I confused anyone!)

Fabrics: Front and back are Curious Nature by Parson Gray, with scattered Kona solids

Binding: Kona Charcoal

Pattern: none, used machine piecing for hexagons technique from Lady Havartine

Quilting: Done by me on a borrowed Bernina, using Aurifil

Completed: September 2012

Linking up!
 

Oh, and one more thing...

I love independent pattern makers, and I love giant stars. So I had to share a giveaway from May Chappell, who is giving away Amy Butler 5/8ths and her Designer Star quilt pattern to a lucky person.

http://www.maychappell.com/2012/09/11/is-it-time-for-a-giveaway/

Moda Bakeshop's new contest (or, finding new projects to make)

There is a new contest from Moda Bakeshop (as you may see above- I borrowed this jpeg from their site. I think that was the point of it.)

I love a lot of projects there and get a lot of precuts, so it is a double bonus. There are great projects on there, including many I bookmarked long ago (pre-Pinterest) to make. Then I saw this Isosceles Picnic Quilt by Penny from sewtakeahike. Love it! Here's my type-A list of whys:

1. I love the colors, the bright punches of solids with the more toned-down prints from Pezzy
2. I love the triangles. And there is a template included!
3. I love the size. Nice and big. Who wants a tiny little quilt to picnic on? It's like you are not planning on napping too. Get real.
4. I love the fact that it folds up and has handles to carry it. Now if it could just fold automatically. {sigh} I wish that for a lot of things.
5. I love that this is a free pattern from a talented designer, and that Moda is making a fun game of checking them all out. No really, I do.

http://www.modabakeshop.com/2012/03/isosceles-picnic-quilt.html#.UFVMtZOXRBk.pinterest

New cutie booties, and some fabric treats!

 New cutie booties! With a great fish print (though I have no name for it- anyone know?)

 Special bottoms picked for their lack of slipperiness (that's a word, yes?) from a stash of architecture fabric samples.

 Nice velcro closures on the flaps, trimmed to ovals.

 The flounder on the side flap of one bootie.

 Check out that cute pair of booties.

Details you say? Of course. I have had these earmarked since my son was a baby (NB that was 2.5 years ago...) in the Little Stitches for Little Ones book from Amy Butler. Never got around to them, and my son needed some slippers for preschool.

I tried to adapt the pattern for him, size 8/9, but the pattern only goes from 0-3 months up to 9-12 months. Quite a bit smaller. So I eyeballed about twice as big as the 9-12 month size, and it looked about right.

But you never know until you sew it up right? Interfacing and 1/2" seams eat up a lot of size room. So they did not fit, Not even close. I think I may have managed to make an 18 month old size. Luckily I know some little ones who will grow into them nicely. 

And I found another pattern (also adapted) for my son's slippers, and this time they fit! Likely because I only had to enlarge a 7/8 pattern one size. Still- victory!

Linking up!

And I got some lovely organic fabric from Monaluna, all wrapped up so cute with baker's twine. Adorable.

This is the Fox Hollow collection- I love the coordinating solids! I can't wait to make something with these cuties.

I got it from a giveaway via Meryl at My Bit of Earth (I need to get a header like hers- I love it! So simple and pretty).

This is my favorite, called Family Fox. The colors are so cool, and the graphic very cute. Silver foxes! Genius!

Thankfulness (for sewing gifts)

So much good luck coming my way lately, I have to share and let people know how they can get some of their own!

 Big box from Michael Miller Fabrics' blog, Making it fun...

 1 yard cuts of all the entire Heaven & Helsinki collection by Patty Young, all colorways!

 I can't wait to work with this, it looks like so much fun! I am thinking some skirts and shorts for my son and my niece. And a quilt. And maybe a tablecloth and napkins? I have a lot to work with here! Amazingly generous, thanks so much to Patty Young and to Michael Miller Fabrics!

 Next up, a fat quarter bundle of all the new solids from Bella Solids, from Shruti at 13 Woodhouse Road, for the 2012 Bella Parade.

 A Coats and Clark prize pack from Rachelle at The Tip Junkie (I used the yellow spool for Owen's Airplane quilt)

 A stack of rainbow solids from Michael Miller Fabrics' Cotton Couture line from Bloomerie Fabrics

And finally, from a lovely evening at Modern Domestic with Denyse Schmidt- a Hope Valley FQ stack from Bolt, a lovely Aurifil spool in orange, a notebook, and a Modern Domestic sewing time punchcard!

So much thanks to give out! So much good karma and generosity in this virtual world- and the real one!

WIP Wednesday- airplane quilt finished!

Works in progress- only two major quilt projects in the works, otherwise it is all just trying to find a part-time job and get my son ready to start preschool!

 An embroidered label (yes, however poorly done!) and dedicated to my soon-to-be-born nephew

 Front view with new yellow binding

 Detail of the name in the airplane's trail

Scrappy back

Quilt stats:
Named Owen's Airplane
40.5" x 42.5"
Pattern inspiration from Sarah Jane and Amy Smart's quilt for Quilt Market
Fabric is DS Quilts Collection from Joann's, some solid blue and white and green print from my stash
Quilted in straight lines with King Tut variegated thread

Now that it is finished it is off to my sister in law to give to her at her son's birth. So excited about a new nephew and about finishing this special gift for him. I am proud of this piece.

And now I can start quilting my son's quilt! I have been putting it off because I want to quilt it at Modern Domestic on their gorgeously smooth Berninas, but that will take a day or two up north.

Anu suggestions? I was just thinking about following the lines of the hexies, but slightly off, so I am not stitching in the ditch. It seems busy enough without busy quilting.

New to dos:

Make a pillowcase with label for my son's preschool nap mat

Woo hoo!