i made a quilt. it only took forever.

about 8-9 months ago i pinned the following quilt:

Pinwheels in the Park by: SewMamaSew

i decided i was going to make it.

"but, barbs," you might say, "you don't have much experience sewing." true. but i figured it was all straight lines. how hard could it be?

there was blind enthusiasm. i didn't understand a lot of the terms in the pattern, but i thought i would just take it step by step.

first, i bought my fabric:

this is a bad photo, but shows the colors. yellow, gray, white, black. in various patterns of flowers, dots, and paisley.

next i cut the pieces out. so far, so good.

then, i made the pinwheels (no picture), twelve in total. this part was pretty easy too. i felt real confident after that part was all done. quilting, it turns out was a cinch.

oh, wait.

after that it got much harder. i hadn't bought enough white to piece in between the pinwheels. when i went to the fabric store, i couldn't find the exact shade of white that matched. frustration.

after a lot of putting it down and taking weeks at a time breaks. i finally got the front made. phew! then it was time to sandwich the top, batting and back pieces together and quilt.

arg! i hated every moment of this part. in typical barbie fashion, there were tears and exclamations of how i hated sewing. aaron pushed me on. he made me a martini to sip on while i plowed through it.

ok. hard part done, right? the next part said "use your preferred binding method."

oh. ok. yea, my preferred binding method.

i didn't have a preferred one (or any one). there was a lot of youtubing. i found out (horror of horrors) that i had to actually hand sew the entire binding in place.

i finally got done today. it isn't perfect, but it is amazing to me.

and now i can finally knit without thinking "you should really finish that quilt". also i can start another project. one that might not take me 9 months. like a skirt. or a headband. or something like that.

domesticity, thy name is barbie

this sewing thing is getting easier. i whipped up this apron from the sew everything workshop by diana rupp (click for larger image).

debuting my apron, and making pumpkin pancakes.

the whole thing took about 8 hours, and the hardest part was creating the pattern (the book tells you the dimensions). i have yet to find sewing pattern paper here, so i used freezer paper. it works, but it's a bit of a process. i'm starting to learn that sewing is a lot like knitting in that the finished item usually costs more to make than to just buy (the fabric for the apron was about $30), but creating the garment is fun, and it's nice to have a one-of-a-kind item afterwords.

1960's coasters

oh dear readers, are you tired of the blogs about all of my hobbies? how much sewing, knitting, and running can you read about? we will find out.

my second sewing project was a gradual increase of difficulty, but i wouldn't say it was hard. and it was also a very worthwhile project for our house. aaron and i have been cursing non-stop at our coasters (which, i insist we use). once the condensation from the glass goes to the bottom of the coaster, it sticks to the glass and then falls off. causing water to go everywhere and thereby becoming pointless. cloth coasters would not do such a thing. viola!

i can not believe i am blogging about coasters.

the pattern is from sew retro, which if you know anything about me, is right up my ally. and, yes, the colors are to coordinate with the living room, and the office.

oh, if mrs. boyle could see me now

as i'm sure you know by now, aaron bought be a sewing machine for my birthday (june 2, only 98 shopping days left). it arrived in december, and we made it operational in january (we had to buy a transformer to get it to work here).

here it is in all it's glory:

in my new sewing nook:

i never would i have ever guessed that i would not only own a sewing machine, but be this excited about it. i do not come from a long line of seamstresses. in fact, the only time my family even saw my mom use an iron, we had to take a polaroid of it. it is a cherished memory.

i do not have a good history with sewing. in my high school home ec class, we had to sew a garment using a pattern. i had my doubts about my ability, but i plunged into it. a week or two later, i asked mrs. boyle, if anything could be done to save my jumper. she quickly looked to make sure no one was within earshot, and gently told me that i should just throw it away and she would give me an "a" for effort. fail.

there seems to be so much to learn. it's overwhelming. but i am determined. after all, knitting was intimidating to begin with, and now it easy, relaxing even. my first project went really well. splendidly, really.

it is a much needed pin cushion. much needed, because the only pin cushion i could find here was $45 and magnetic. i like this one much better than a stupid tomato anyway.  a few other mending endeavors have went nicely as well. i have fixed a few shirts and a pair of pants. however, my second main project, a tote bag, didn't go extremely well. in fact i sewed a pin inside it and can't get it out. oops.

mainly i have the most trouble with the exactness of it (which is why i am not too good at baking as well, also and exact science). the measuring, the cutting, sewing straight. 1/4 inch seams, 1/2 inch seams, 3/4 seams. so precise. i need a lot of practice.

right now i'm taking fabric scraps, cutting them into 3 inch blocks and sewing them into strips. if you look closely, or not even closely, you can tell that these two strips to not measure up to create a checkerboard effect.

i need a lot of practice before i can begin making my own clothes. although, i've been reading sew retro, and it's an incredible inspiration. it combines my love history, vintage fashion, and sewing. pluse it includes a few patterns. wish me luck as i practice and learn.