Christmas Charm Pack and Patchwork Stocking

I had this idea that I would make a Christmas stocking for my new baby girl this year.  My mom made our stockings growing up and that always felt special (although I found out recently that she used a kit).   Since I've been getting into quilting, I though that I could quilt a stocking. So I promptly went online to find Christmas fabric. Since it was to be such a small project, I wanted a charm pack, so that I could get lots of different fabric for very little money.  Sadly, I didn't like the majority of charm packs that were available in Christmas or winter themes.  I wound up deciding on Dear Mr. Claus (Moda).

I didn't realize when I ordered it how retro it is, which I love, but doesn't really fit for a baby girl's stocking. I tried some layouts, and then decided I didn't like any of them for her.

This was the closest I could get to something I wouldn't mind for her.

Instead, I bought this stocking kit to make: 

I still really wanted to use this fabric though, so I made myself a stocking!  (I just had a store bought one before.)

My new patchwork Christmas stocking

I lined it with a Kate Spain fabric, and used her fabric for the cuff.

Simple neutral back.

Second Quilt - "Oh, Deer" fabric by MoMo (Moda)

Ok, now we are caught up to today.  I have been happy with my first quilt, but it's really busy and didn't have the modern aesthetic that I really wanted.  So I spent the last month scouring the web for better fabrics.  I found a site with Japanese import fabric (including Echino) that I'm getting quite obsessed with, but it was on the expensive side.  I, instead, opted for "Oh, Deer" by MoMo for Moda.

I love the colors and patterns and the quirkiness of it!  I realized I needed to be careful, though, because it is super-busy.  So I also got some plain white, brown and green.  I opted for the 5" charm packs, because, well, I'm lazy.

Here's the end result, I'm super happy about this one!

And here's the back.  I didn't have enough fabric left to go all the way across like I did with my last quilt, but I wanted to have something on the back other than just a seam.  I'm "meh" about the back, but love the front.

I also made this one a little bigger for better couch snuggling.




Oh, and I'm eyeballing this for my next one.  I have a lot of green and purple in my living and dining room, so I'm thinking this would look nice.  Also, I'm semi-obsessed with bird prints lately.

Better pictures (update: 5/2/13)

First Quilt

I'm going to go back a bit and post about my first quilt which I finished about a month ago.  The whole thing started when I realized that I wanted a throw or afghan for my living room that was not a magnet for tree-parts that my dogs like to drag in the house with them.  My current throws were these super soft cuddly fleecy blankets, that while wonderful at the store, soon turned into a collection of dirt, twigs and dead leaves.  I had the idea that a quilt would be a perfect throw because it would be easy to shake out and stuff wouldn't velcro to it.  Then I realized three things: 1) quilts are crazy expensive, 2) I don't like most commercial quilts (I'm not much for pastels and flowers) and 3) it is really hard to find afghan sized quilts.  While searching for a quilt online, I stumbled upon an amazing blog: http://www.filminthefridge.com/ and this amazing quilt:

(This is not mine (I wish), click on it to go to that blog)

But that seemed like it would take an attention span greater than mine.  Then I saw this quilt:

Also not mine...

Thus began my new obsession.  I LOVE this quilt. This is my inspiration for quilting.  Notice there are no flowers anywhere in sight on this quilt.  It's funky and stylish and modern.  So, I went to Joann's and bought some retro seventies-ish fat quarters and began my first quilt.

Here is the end result (note: it is not nearly as amazing as either above quilt, but I'm still quite happy with it):

(This is mine!)


Edit (5/2/13):

Here's a better pic, now that I have a better camera:

A new blog...

Hi and welcome to my blog.  I decided to start a blog because I want a place to post all of my projects. I say "projects" and not anything specific because very few hobbies hold my interest long term.  I get distracted by new shinies all the time. At the moment, I am getting into quilting, but I have no idea how long I will be enamored by this craft.  So welcome, and pardon the nonsense that is sure to follow!