Trying to make this happen:

Applique + flower pattern:

Orimono Pillow via Anthro

...in quilt form. I'm thinking pinks, oranges, and yellows (for a little girl that will be joining the world very, very soon).  I love the colors in this fabric and I may use it as my inspiration.

Dear Stella/Play Date/Dotty Stripe- pink via Hawthorne Threads

Let the brainstorming & fabric selection commence!

Trying to make this happen:

World Map Quilt

A very good friend of mine is giving birth to her first child (a boy) at the end of this month.

{A little background: I have known her + 3 other wonderful ladies for almost 18 years now (omg).  I love them all dearly and I'm hoping to create a little tradition of gifting their children quilts at their births.  This is the second baby to be born among our group, and a third is expected in August, which means I should probably get back to quilting soon!!}

Anyways, I made her little boy this quilt using a combination of applique and quilting techniques.  This was my first time using applique, and I have to say I'm quite smitten:

The front:

The background is Birch Fabrics: Whale Watching in Shroom (found here), and the appliqued map is a Moda Bella Solids (sorry, not sure what color- this was from yardage I had in my stash, but here is a similar version).

The back:

Fabrics (from L to R): Patty Sloniger-Bella Butterfly/Sweet Spots in Green; Moda Bella Solid  (similar), Anette Tatum- Boho Chevron, Moda Bella Solid (similar), Khristian Howell- The Woodlands/Dream, Patty Sloniger- Bella Butterfly/Sweet Spots in Aqua, Moda Bella Solid (similar), Joel Dewberry- Modern Meadow/Herringbone in Pond, Robert Kaufmann Kona Solids (similar), Patty Sloniger- Backyard Baby/ Birch Forest in Aqua

I started out by printing a map (google searched until I found one I liked) on several pieces of  paper, which I then taped together.  This would have been much simpler if it were printed on a large scale plotter (which, ironically ??, I have access to, but didn't use).  Then I outlined everything in dark ink.

I created a light table, which I rigged out of a glass topped side table and a scentsy lamp, and traced the (backwards) map pattern onto applique paper.  (I simply followed the instructions per the package).

I ironed the (uncut) applique sheets on to the wrong side of the applique/blue fabric, and cut out the pattern using this pair of awesome scissors (and yes, they are laying on my new coffee table):

Seriously, if you are going to applique anything, invest in these scissors asap! They are magical. I found mine at Joann's.

I decided to machine applique everything to the whale print fabric (instead of hand stitching).  Needless to say, it took a few rounds of practice and lots of frustration. Tension is *key* in machine applique.

The islands at the top of America are my favorite. I almost decided to do away with all islands on the map, but I decided that I wouldn't be okay with it being geographically incorrect :)

The quilting was done in straight lines- I love how it almost looks like an atlas.

My quilting quality is honestly a work in process. I quilt (and sew) on a 1970's Singer, which I LOVE, but it doesn't have any speed control other than how hard I push on the presser foot. It takes a while each time I sit down to quilt to get a rythm going, so there are several areas with uneven stitches.  There were also many, many un-stitches made with my seam ripper. I'm hoping practice makes perfect, so that maybe I'll produce a product with mostly even stitch lengths.

The binding was pre-made, purchased at Joann's. I tried machine stitching it and that was an utter fail.  So, I resorted to hand stitching the binding.  So. Much. Better.

 The finished product:

I love it so much, I might be crazy enough to recreate another one of these sometime soon.

World Map Quilt

Fabric and Sewing Withdrawl

The good news?  We've finally put the house on the market.. as of yesterday!  I seriously had no idea that doing so would be so. incredibly. time consuming.  And stressful.

The bad news?  I've had to declutter my craft room so that it looks appealing to buyers.  Thus, my entire stash of fabric.. er, this one-

has gone into temporary storage (insert sad face here).   I'm also in the process of disassembling my sewing table and packing my machine away for the time being, *sigh*.

I have also promised myself that I will not buy invest in any more fabric until I make good use of the quantity I already have.  Although, this could also do with the fact that I'm actually running out of room to store the fabric, but whatever :)..... 

So in the mean time, with one quilt completed and in the hands of it's owner (Baby Hailey who arrived Monday!!!), I'm going to spend the next few weeks brainstorming and organizing some ideas for future sewing projects (including quilts). Oh, and I promise I will try my best to post pictures of the completed baby quilt some time within the next week.

One of the first (of many) projects that has been swimming around in my head is the Wedding Wheel Quilt that I'm planning to make from the left over fabric napkins I made for our wedding:

source

While browsing through flickr, I also came across these quilts I'd like to try:

Film in the Fridge

Badskirt

Hyena in Petticoats

I'm also scrambling to finish up this dress before my sewing machine gets packed away.  I just need to finish the neck line (with a bit of tweeking) and hem!

source

Depending on how much I like the style once I'm finished, I may want to make a few more of these.  Have I mentioned how much I love dresses with pockets?

I also picked up these patterns (also Simplicity) when JoAnns had there 5 for $5 sale a couple of weeks ago.  I'm on the look out for the fabric that I want to use for these patterns (so I guess my fabric ban will only pertain to non-clothing related purchases, hehe).

I'm hoping the next month will be filled with lovely, fair-weathered, spring days that can be spent enjoying the outdoors so that my sewing withdrawl doesn't become too overwhelming!

Fabric and Sewing Withdrawl