I've moved....

Over to Typepad! Come check out the new site.... www.kristenunraveled.com

Yo Gabba Family

Yo Gabba Family, originally uploaded by kirbyloulou.

My cool trick is making costumes....

(and cursing while doing so)

(and taking on too many projects)

(and barely finishing in time for Halloween)

Broken Coins Quilt Top

Broken Coins Quilt Top, originally uploaded by kirbyloulou.

This is destined for a baby born earlier this year. I never thought that pink and orange could look so Fall together, but this is perfectly seasonal!

Announcement!

Hello everyone! I appear to have unintentionally taken the summer (eh, and fall) off of blogging. However, although things have been quiet on the blog front, in the real world I have actually been quite busy and have a very exciting announcement. Alissa and I are writing a book! As many of you know, Alissa and I co-host an online quilting bee called Block Party. Our book will focus on the online quilting community and our little corner of that community called Block Party. It will be published by C&T Publishing and will include contributions from all of the members of Block Party. Since joining Flickr and starting my blog I have been continually amazed by the inspiration, support, and creativity present in the online quilting community. Finally, I have found crafting friends. People who understand the need to go to all five quilt stores in the Myrtle Beach metropolitan region while on vacation because maybe, just maybe, one will have a bit of Flea Market Fancy left over; who understand the want, the compulsion, to stay up all night finishing ababy quilt the night before the baby shower; who can talk fabric lines like other people talk about television; and who can appreciate the beauty inherent in a finished quilt. I am so happy to have found all of you and so thrilled to be sharing this project with all of you and the other eleven women in Block Party. The book that Alissa and I have imagined will capture all of this wonderfulness. Rather than just a book of patterns, we will bewriting a “how to” book that will be also be all about the virtual quilting bee and the incredible sense of community that we have found online. We will be celebrating the creative process and attempting to capture the amazing nature of these group projects -- that what is created by the group is so so much better than each person's individual block. I haven't even gotten to the best part yet. We are inviting all of you to be in the book too! We will be switching our Block Party Blogover to a quilt along and will be including some of the quiltalong blocks in the book. We hope that many of you will join in. There will be more details coming along soon so please keep an eye both here and over on the Block Party blog. Thank you all for all of the inspiration and support and for sharing in this process with us. I can't wait to see what all of you come up with! -Kristen

I need this....

Single fold bias tape at the touch of a button!!!!

(via http://ihaveanotion.blogspot.com/2009/04/here-it-isthe-new-binding-machine-by.html)

Hop on Spot.

All Done! From the start, this quilt was destined for the soon-to-be born baby of a friend of mine. They don't know whether the baby is a boy or a girl, so I chose bright, gender neutral colors -- turquoise, orange, and yellow. The quilt is so happy and cheerful, just like the mom to be! I bound the quilt in orange and white seersucker. I love the hint of texture this gave the quilt, and you can't beat the diagonal stripes. The back was pieced from some thrifted ikea fabric printed with orange birds, and some turquoise print from Joann's that I mysteriously bought yards of. I hand-embroidered a label, which I think is the first time I've done a label by hand. I love the hand-crafted touch this adds to the machine-sewn quilt.

Doll Quilt Swap Six

Received... I received this beauty from emma louise. Emma was inspired by a William Morris design, "The Strawberry Thief." The handiwork is even more impressive in person. The handiwork is flawless, and the colors are so beautiful. I can't wait to hang this on the wall of my sewing room. Emma lives in Australia and blogs at http://sampaguitaquilts.blogspot.com/. Run on over and check out her many, many lovely quilts. She is so inspiring and I am thrilled to have recieved this gem. Thank you Emma! Sent... I was inspired by men's summer dress clothes, cotton paisley, chambray shirts, and linen suiting. The paisley is a wonderful liberty that ginger monkey sent me a while back. The recipient has not yet received this one, so I'm keeping the name under wraps.

Lovely...

I am swooning over the dinnerware from Bauer Pottery, both their own line, as well as the reissue of the American Modern collection. Like fiestaware, but all grown-up and sophisticated.

I've been....

Sorting...   ... all of your scraps. thank you for your generosity. still working on the project. Meeting...   ... Heather Ross. truly as sweet as she seems from her book. Quilting...   ... hop on spot. even more finished than it looks here. Buying...   ... lots of fabric!

Catch up...

Once again, I let my swap obligations pile up. I took the opportunity this weekend to catch up, and I feel so much better. These are all off to their recipients, yay!

I have always loved the multi-colored oval and rectangle print from American Jane, but did you know these come in monochromatic colorways as well? Maybe I should say "came," because I can't seem to find these anywhere! They were part of the "Building Blocks" collection, but there must not have been much of these produced because they are nowhere to be found. Anyone have some they want to trade?

New Quilt: Hop on Spot

All the blocks are done... These look way more complicated than they really are. I was inspired by Dioramamama's tutorial for easy curved piecing. Her tutorial was easy to follow, and these blocks came together very easily. I pieced one giant, long strip from all the orange, yellow, and aqua fabrics that I had in my stash. I then followed the tutorial, using pieces of the long strip for the center of the circle. The only trouble I had was removing the freezer paper, but eventually I realized that I was probably using too much glue. I can't wait to see this one come together.

Show Your Sewing Space and Stash

A few weeks ago, when my sewing room was actually clean, I took a few pictures of my sewing room. This coincided with Sew Mama Sew's Show Your Stash, so I figured I would post my answers to the questions along with the pictures of my room. Here is my sewing room (the pics on flickr are annotated): Here are my stash answers... What do you usually sew? I almost always sew quilts, but occasionally I will also sew clothing for my daughters. When you shop for fabric, what size cuts do you usually buy? (i.e. If you see something beautiful, but you don’t have a use for it right away, how much do you buy?) I used to buy a lot of fat quarters, but now the smallest I will buy is 1/2 yard cuts of prints, and 1-2 yards of solids. With fat quarters, I often find that I run out of a favorite print much too quickly. Do you buy on impulse or do you go out looking for something you need? Both. I build my stash on impulse, then fill in the holes with desperately needed solids, tonal fabrics, or monochromatic prints. Are you a pre-washer? If you are, do you wash your fabric before you need it, or only when you’re ready to use it? I always pre-wash red prints and solids. I have had solid fabric bleed on me more than once, and it just isn't worth the risk to me. With prints, I think there is a little more leeway, but I still try to prewash. Do you iron it? Yes. How can people not iron??? How do you sort it? (color, print size, collection, etc.) Color, but also by size. I keep larger cuts of prints in a separate stack. I also separate out non-cotton fabrics, such as linen cotton blends and upholstery weight fabrics. Do you have any special folding techniques? No, I prefer not to have raw edges sticking out. How do you store your fabric? On a shelf. What tips do you have for building up a well-rounded stash? Buy the colors that you aren't drawn too. Keeping my stash sorted by color allows me to instantly know what colors I need. Also, don't buy fabric that you aren't in love with. Because of my impatience I have spent way too much money on fabric from JoAnns that I don't even really like. I wish I had bought quality fabric online, and just waited for it to come in. When do you say enough is enough? When my paypal is empty :-( What are some of your favorite stash-busting projects? Scrappy quilts. Do you have a current favorite print in your stash? I am really obsessed with early Amy Butler right now, especially Belle and Lotus lines. What’s your definition of the perfect stash? Bigger!!!

Giveaway Winners...

Hello everyone, Thank you so much for entering! I can't believe how many people entered. Using random.org, the following winners were picked: Malabrigo: AuntyM, who said she would "Love the Malabrigo" Liberty: Allison, who said she would love either, but would "extra love" the fabric Winners, please e-mail me your addresses, so I can get these goodies in the mail. There is still more yarn for sale, so e-mail me if you are interested! Make me an offer... all prices are negotiable. kristenunraveled AT gmail.com

Fabric & Yarn Giveaway and YARN SALE!!!!

My quest for fabric has reached new low. I am stooping to selling off my yarn stash to fund purchases of fabric! In honor of this debauchery, I am going to be giving away a set of luscious Liberty print fat quarters and two skeins of Malabrigo. The Winner's choice. First, the Goods... 1. For Sale- 5 Vintage Knitting Books, 2. For Sale- Vintage Metal Knitting Needles, 3. For Sale- 3 balls cashmere luxury aran, 4. For Sale- 6 Balls Cashmere Luxury Aran, 5. For Sale- 4 balls cashmere luxury chunky, 6. For Sale- 16 balls Debbie Bliss alpaca silk, 7. Swatch of Chunky Blue Yarn, 8. For Sale- Over 1000 yards of Chunky Blue wool yarn, 9. 3 Balls Koigu KPPPM, 10. For Sale- Cherry Tree Hill Merino lace, 11. For Sale- 10 balls Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed, 12. For Sale- 10 balls Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed, 13. For Sale- 4 balls Rowan Linen Drape, 14. For Sale- Recycled Cream Wool Blend, 15. For Sale- 6 balls Takhi Baby, 16. For Sale- Over 1000 yards of handyed worsted yard Here's whats for sale: - 5 vintage knitting books, most using chunky or heavy worsted yarns. Very cool designs, especially that capelet! $12 (including shipping) - SOLD Over 40 pairs of vintage metal knitting needles in a large variety of sizes from teeny to large! Gorgeous colors and in great shape. Looks great in a vase! ($25 (including shipping) - 3 balls of soft cashmere blend yarn in a lovely wine color. $12 (including shipping) - SOLD Supersoft Cashmere blend yarn in a bright, springy green. Aran weight. $22 (including shipping) - Luxurious chunky cashmere blend yarn in a beautiful bluish purple. $15 (including shipping) - 16 balls of Debbie Bliss alpaca silk in a stunning wine color. Incredibly soft. $100 $85 (including shipping) (retail over $165!) - SOLD Over 1000 yards of a chunky/heavy worsted blue yarn. This was purchased at the famous School Products in NYC. It has a high twist to it, and a very springy quality to the yarn. The color is a greyish slate blue. I have wound three skeins, and one center pull ball. The rest of the yarn is on the cone still. If you've never knitted off a cone, you're missing out! $40 (including shipping) - 3 coordinating balls of Koigu Painter's Palette Premium Merino Wool. Full skeins, handrolled into balls. I've done all the work for you! $22 (including shipping) -Cherry Tree Hill laceweigh merino, in a brown/purple/green colorway. Very lovely, I think it may be the peacock colorway, but I can't be sure. $24 including shipping (retails for $40) -10 balls of Debbie Bliss Aran Tweed, Red with flecks of blue, grey, and yellow. All ball bands intact, I just took these out of the bag for the picture. Soft, almost felted yarn. $40 (including shipping) -4 balls Rowan linen drape. 2 balls cream, 2 balls sage green. The cream balls have lost their bands, but are unused. $18 including shipping (retails for $8/ball) -3 very large skeins of recycled cream wool blend yarn. Chunky weight, very soft hand. Probably a wool/nylon/angora blend, but I don't know the exact content. $25 including shipping -SOLD 6 balls Takhi Baby, 4 have already been wound into center pull balls. Pale lavendar/pink. $45 including shipping. (retails for $15/ball) -Over 1000 yards of very pretty handdyed worsted wool, wound into six large skeins. Purple, green, and blue color scheme. No two skeins are exactly alike. Purchased from an artisan dyer at a sheep & wool festival. $40 (including shipping) For more info & bigger pics check out the flickr set: http://flickr.com/photos/kirbylou/sets/72157614238557925/ E-mail me to purchase: kristenunraveled@gmail.com Now, drumroll please.....THE GIVEAWAY!!!! I will be giving away 3 Liberty Print fat quarters as well as two skeins Malabrigo: To enter, either: (1) Post a comment below, gets you one entry! Pick your poison... tell me whether you would like the yarn or the fabric. (2) Link to this page on your blog, twitter, ravelry, wherever! Let me know where you've linked to in the comments and I will give you five entries. (3) e-mail your knitting friends! cc me and get five more entries. Enter a comment or link before Friday. I will pick a winner this weekend, and post the winner on Monday. Fabric here I come!!!

Swap of sorts...

I am planning on making a set of scrappy baby quilts for the shower of a good friend of mine, who is having twins! (gah, two babies??) I've sorted through my scraps, and I have come to the conclusion that I simply do not have enough variety for my vision, especially not for two scrappy quilts. I haven't decided exactly what I will be doing, but I am looking for scraps that are at least 3 inches by 3 inches. Do you have any you can spare? What?? You have a whole bunch? I love you! If you do have some scraps you are willing to part with, I will, in return, send you a pair of fat quarters from my stash. Something lovely, I promise. Let me know if you are interested in the comments, or via email. xoxox Kristen

fear not

I am still crafting away, but... work is crazy computer is broken just returned from vacation. will post new craft pictures soon. i promise.

Whew....

I may have bit off more than I can chew. I am now involved in THREE quilting bees/block swaps. This may not sound like much, but two of them require two blocks each, so that's a minimum of five blocks a month. Even thought this is a little bit crazy, I love the bees. They give me a chance to use fabric I had not yet tried, learn new techniques, and work in other styles. Plus, I know that no matter how busy I am, I have to make time for a little bit of quilting. Unfortunately, the holidays really threw me off. Plus, in DC, the inauguration made everything crazy until only a week ago. Then, add in a new job, a barely sleeping baby, and a crazy crazy toddler, um, yeah. I was a little behind. Fear not. I am caught up. They will all be going out on Monday. Here they are, in all their glory. First up, Alissa's blocks for Block Party. If you want to hear more about these blocks, check out the Block Party blog. Next up, the January block for Sew Connected 2 Now the December blocks for the About.com Birthday Block Swap Finally, the About.com swap January Blocks What a relief to be all caught up!

First quilt of 2009...

I made this quilt, called "Traffic Jam," for two dear friends of ours who are about to have a baby boy. The mom-to-be had her shower last Saturday, and the poor thing has definitely reached the "get this baby out of me!" stage. I was hoping that this quilt might brighten her day and help them feel ready for the new baby. This is my first "boy" quilt and I am very happy with the result. The quilt features a mid-tone solid grey, probably Kona, and pieced strips containing various primary colored prints, along with a few focal car prints. Some of the car prints are from purl soho and some are from pink chalk studio. As for the quilting, I quilted straight parallel lines in the grey "road" sections, and stipple quilted the patterned sections. My stippling is starting to improve, although I find that because I have to set my tension fairly high to keep the back looking neat, my thread often breaks while free motion quilting. This can be very frustrating, and often leads to a string of expletives on my part. Has anyone else experienced this? My machine has a scale from 0 to 9, and I have to keep it at about a 7 in order for the back not to look loopy. What do you keep your machine's tension on when free motion quilting? I bordered the quilt in a solid yellow, which I like, but do not love. It makes the quilt look a little less sophisticated that I wanted, maybe because the grey/yellow combo screams construction site. The back is pieced from a large piece of rocketship printed fabric from Purl, along with some other pieces from my stash. The white/red check is from Joelle Hoverson's Cake Rock Beach line.

Well said...

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. - Barrack Obama's Inauguration Speech As Joe can attest, one of my biggest disappointments and frustrations during the last administration was the rampant trouncing of civil liberties in the name of "freedom" or "terrorism." While I do not discount the need for safety and security, I have long worried (along with many others) that we might find, at the "end" of the war on terror, that we had left our core freedoms in the dust. I agree wholeheartedly with Obama that the rhetoric of the past eight years presented us with a "false choice." We simply cannot give up our ideals, especially in such perilous times. now, back to your (ir)regularly scheduled crafty postings...

Happy Inauguration!

Today I had the pleasure of joining 2 million other people to watch the inauguration. My heart swelled with pride as I watched Barrack Obama be sworn in. I have never felt more proud to be an American, more certain that something great is on the horizon, and more thrilled to be celebrating with millions. We watched from up high, on the rooftop of my lawfirm. Unlike many others, our day went quite smoothly. We had no delays, no trouble on the metro, and did not shiver out in the cold. It was perfect. here are some pictures: 1. Mom and I in front of the capital, 2. The Capitol, 3. The reflecting pool..., 4. Obama cupcake

You know you are obsessed with fabric...

When the only thing you can focus on during Grey's Anatomy is whether Erica's Hahn scrub cap is made from Denyse Schmidt's Katie Jump Rope fabric. And the answer is.... Yes!! See below for photographic evidence: Apparently, I am not the first to notice the magical meeting of awesome fabric with craptastic televsion. Happy New Year to all fellow fabric obsessors!!

Whew....

Finally, time to take a breath. We traveled for Christmas, which is always stressful with two small babies. Luckily, we had plenty of help in NJ. I gave only two crafty presents for Christmas, but alas, I did not take pictures of either of them! Hopefully I can coax some pictures from the recipients. For my sister, I made a lap quilt using some vintage house fabric I have been saving for a very very special occasion. I would say that moving to NZ is pretty special. I hope she likes it! For my two nieces, I made them each a set of doll bedding. The set included a quilt and a pillowcase, both made from the vintage sheet fat quarters I received from Elizabeth in the swap. We also got them the sweetest little doll beds. Taking a cue from House on Hill Road, I wrapped everything in brown paper and string. They looked so lovely under the tree.

At this time I wish I was the stay at home parent....

Joseph: annie is doing yoga she is panting like a dog like the woman on tv Sent at 10:21 AM on Thursday me: what are you watching??? Joseph: she changed the chanel to some crazy show and started impersonating the asian woman in front of the ocean me: um, video??? Joseph: sorry, it kind of freaked me out me: what was the asian woman? the yogi? Joseph: don't know, she was all painted and panting...it was surreal me: and annie was panting? Joseph: YES me: hahaha. Joseph: i know

November Block Swap blocks

For Deb, the Autumn Tints block in 30's prints: For Angelina, a Tuscon or Sonoran Desert inspired block:

Thanksgiving table...

We travelled to my parent's house for NJ. My mother, who is an excellent cook, did all of the food preparation, took care of the babies, and cleaned up after us all weekend. As a thank-you, I tried to set a lovely Thanksgiving table for our guests.