Reunions!

I love reunions, and as cheesy as it sounds, I thought Sweetwater's Reunion fabric was perfect for this baby quilt. I had sworn off making quilts for friends this year, but recently decided that was more of a guiding principle than a hard and fast rule :)  A few days ago, a friend and I threw a baby shower for our friend Janell, who happened to be my RA from my freshman year at Brigham Young University. Small world, eh? How could I resist making a quilt for a baby boy we can't wait to meet!?

The quilt is inspired by Holly's recent "Two of a Kind" quilts. Thanks, Holly!  I love the herringbone binding, and had fun with the graduated spacing of the quilting. After scrambling because I didn't have the right amount of any of the solid fabrics, I decided that I just need to split bolts of 6 or so different grays with someone. I am forever running out of neutral solids.

The binding is a navy herringbone from Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow. It is an absolute favorite print. And I finally decided that absolute favorite prints need to be used instead of sitting in bins.

The back. I thought about ironing it before photographing (it has been folded for more than a few days), but opted not to. But I might start rolling my quilts...

A Fabric Store in My House

At what point do you just tell your friend, "Come over to my house. It's better than a fabric store"? My friend Danelle and I are doing a quilt for photography swap, and its been a lot of fun to send pictures and texts and ideas flying back and forth. She picked a pattern and came over today to look at fabric... and our daughters tried to establish alpha female status. Awesome. I can't wait to get started.

As for my WIP pile, not a lot of progress. BUT. My mom agreed to bind the Pocket Full of Sunshine quilt I'm making for my son if I get it done by the time she gets here (June). Sold!  And, I've worked hard not to let my current projects become long lost WIPs. I can live with that.

Purse Palooza!

Announcing Purse Palooza 2012!!

Have you heard about Purse Palooza? Sara at Sew Sweetness wants to get you sewing a new purse for summer, and I'm excited to be a guest blogger. I have even pulled out my pattern. Planning ahead, eh?

Sara's free tutorial: The Underwater Stripes Bag

Here's how it works:  Every weekday in June, 2 guest bloggers will share a purse sewing pattern review. The review will contain detailed information about what we thought about the sewing pattern, modifications we made, what kind of interfacing we used, and more. If you are like me and have only made a few really simple bags (or perhaps none at all), I think this is going to be useful and fun!

And! My friend Kim from My Go-Go Life is acting as Giveaway Fairy Godmother. I have been in Kim's house and witnessed first hand her stash and her style. You can bet she is going to have gathered some awesome prizes as  THERE WILL BE A GIVEAWAY EVERY WEEKDAY IN JUNE! 

I hope you make a purse (or 6!) as part of Purse Palooza :) Keep reading if you want to see the list of bags (and bloggers!), official rules, sponsors, and prizes up for grabs.

Pattern Review Schedule

June 4 - Sara @ Sewsweetness (tutorial: bag interfacing)              
Kim @ My Go-Go Life (Urban Jungle Bag)
June 5 - Meg @ Fashioned by Meg (Anna Maria Horner Art Student Tote)             
Lindsay @ Lindsay Sews (Posie Rosie Little Things Jane Market Bag)
June 6 - Kaelin @ The Plaid Scottie (Oliver + S Day in the Park Backpack)              
Colleen @ The Busy Bean (something from Amy Butler's Style Stitches book)
June 7 - Bree @ My Crafty Crap (Jenna Lou Designs Mabel Bag)              
Ayumi @ Pink Penguin (Signature Bag from Kumiko Fujita)
June 8 - Tamiko @ Patchwork Notes (Hexagon Patchwork Bag from Playful Patchwork)              
Jessica @ A Little Gray (Pat Bravo Verona Bag)
June 11 - Jessica @ Sew Crafty Jess (Amy Butler Spice Market Tote)                
Amy @ amylouwho? (V. and Co. Favorite Bag)
June 12 - Sara @ The Pretty Pickle (Charlie's Aunt Casablanca Clutch)               
Lindsey @ LRStitched (Noodlehead Envelope Clutch)
June 13 - Erin @ 2 More Seconds (Keyka Lou Bucket Bag)               
Caroline @ Sew Can She (V. and Co. Carry All Tote)
June 14 - Ali @ a squared w (bag from I Like Orange Too)               
Rachael @ Imagine Gnats (Jen Giddens Pocket Tote)
June 15 - Holly @ Bijou Lovely (Noodlehead Go Anywhere Bag)              
Katie @ There and Back (Sweet Pea Pocket Purse)
June 18 - Monique @ Sew Fun by Monique (Millie's Market Tote- Happy Home by Jennifer Paganelli)   
Katie @ Swim, Bike, Quilt! (Green Bee Scoop Tote)
June 19 - Jennie @ Clover and Violet (Lunch Bag from Pink Penguin)               
Joanna @ Shape Moth (Emmaline Bag)
June 20 - Jen @ Bettycrockerass (While Baby Naps Metal Clutch)               
Krista @ The Spotted Stone (The Sometimes Crafter Amanda's Knitting Bag)
June 21 - Katy @ The Littlest Thistle (Noodlehead 2-4-1 Tote)               
Terri @ Sew-Fantastic (In Color Order Lined Drawstring Bag)
June 22 - Elizabeth @ Don't Call Me Betsy (Amy Butler Weekender Bag)               
Sarah @ Fairy Face Designs (bag from the Bag Making Bible)
June 25 - Amy @ Sukie Don't You Know Who I Am? (Amy Butler Sophia Bag)                
Heather @ {House} of a la Mode (Retro Mama Granny Bag)
June 26 - Julianna @ Jednoiglec (Charlie's Aunt Kitchen Garden Bag)               
Jeni @ In Color Order (Bari J. State Street Tote)
June 27 - Kerry @ Very Kerry Berry (bag from Suzuko Koseki)               
Michelle @ I Like Orange Too (Left Bank Granny Bag)
June 28 - Kay Whitt @ Sew Serendipity Studio (tutorial: adjustable strap with metal slider)               
Amy Barickman @ Indygo Junction (tutorial: installing grommets/magnetic snaps)
June 29 - Melissa @ Bittersweet Designs (Bella Nonna Boutique Shoulder Bag)

Contest Rules

1. Check out all the purse pattern reviews throughout the month and get inspired to sew up a purse of your own!

2. Join the Purse Palooza 2012 Flickr Group.

3. Link up your completed purse to the Flickr Group BETWEEN JUNE 4th and JULY 11th. Your purse must be created and photographed between those dates; purses made prior to June 4, 2012 will be disqualified. The purse may be of your own design, or made from a sewing pattern.

4. You may link up to 2 views of the same purse. More than 2 photos of the same purse will be removed from the group.

 5. There is no limit to how many purses you may enter, as long as they were made between June 4th and July 11th, 2012.

The Prizes First off, there will be a team of lovely judges that will choose 1st through 6th place. ALSO, 3 randomly chosen winners will be picked out of EVERYONE who completes a bag! Some great chances to win!!  
1st Prize

* $50 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop         

* 3-pack of books from Martingale Publishing * $50 gift certificate to Zipit * $70 Pellon gift pack * fat quarter bundle and sewing pattern from Art Gallery Fabrics
 
2nd Prize

* fat quarter bundle and sewing pattern from Art Gallery Fabrics * 3-pack of books from Martingale Publishing * fabric bundle from Sew Fresh Fabrics * $30 gift certificate to Spoonflower  

3rd Prize

* fat quarter bundle from Art Gallery Fabrics * 2-pack of books from Lark Crafts Publishing * $20 gift certificate to The Quilted Castle  

4th Prize

* fat quarter bundle from Art Gallery Fabrics

 3 Randomly Chosen Winners $20 gift certificate to Pink Chalk Fabrics  





The Sponsors Thank you to all of the lovely and extremely generous sponsors! Art Gallery Fabrics // Artsy Crafty Babe // Noodlehead // Izzy and Ivy // Serendipity Studio // Martingale & Co. Publishing // Betz White // Sis Boom // Atkinson Designs // Mommy's Thimble // Lila Tueller // Sew Fresh Fabrics // Bari J. // C&T Publishing // Keyka Lou // Clover and Violet // Indygo Junction // Marie-Madeline Studio // Pellon // Pink Chalk Fabrics // Lark Crafts Publishing // The Quilted Castle // Fat Quarter Shop // Craft Apple // iThinkSew // Emmaline Bags // Bag Purse Frames // Zipit // Oliver + S // Ellen Medlock Studio // Charlie's Aunt Patterns // Spoonflower Grab a button, and let's get this party started!!

<center><a href="http://www.sewsweetness.com/2012/05/purse-palooza-2012.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Sew Sweetness" src="http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab257/bluemerleboutique/resizedpursebutton.jpg"/></a></center>

Cosmic Improv

Last month, I was in a sewing rut and pulled out my Cosmic Burst + Solids stack late one night, piecing and cutting at random. It was therapeutic. It was fun.  I am thrilled at the outcome.

This quilt represents a departure from my normal style. Free pieced blocks. Negative space. A pieced-background where I literally pulled scraps out of my neutrals bin and went to town (undoubtedly inspired, at least subconsciously, by Amanda Jean's recent quilt). A light colored binding. A quilt sized somewhere between mini and baby. Randomly spaced organic straight lines in multiple colors.  

Thank you Mark & Cara Cesarik, for sending the Cosmic Burst. I've loved seeing this collection in its wide range of uses. For me, Cosmic Burst was more about color than pattern. I simply loved the vivid colors, and I hope this quilt reflects that. I decided I'm starting a gallery wall on my currently bare, very tall wall along the upper stair case. This will have a home there. J, I hope you like it :)

WIP post here

Spring Blogger's Quilt Festival: Old School Library

Welcome to the Spring 2012 Blogger's Quilt Festival, hosted by Amy Ellis of Amy's Creative Side! It's a great chance for those of us who aren't lucky enough to be at International Quilt Market & Festival (in Kansas City & this summer in Long Beach) to show off our quilts and admire each other's quilts!

I chose to enter my Old School Library quilt, named during a DC Modern Quilt Guild Sewing Day at a veeeeeery old school library basement in the District. It reminded me of the stacks in the basement, what can I say?

The quilt was made with the help of the very talented members of the Trust Circle of do.Good Stitches. do.Good Stitches is a bee that makes charity quilts for kids--I'm not currently in a circle, but I am happy to see so many people quilting for kids in need!  (Check out my soon to launch 3rd Annual 100 Quilts for Kids if you are interested in making quilts for kids in need!)  The tutorial for the block is part of the BOM by Handmade by Alissa at Sew Mama Sew.

When I make charity quilts, I try to try something new with the quilting each time. I have wanted to get better at turning corners for a long time, and this was the perfect opportunity. I got a lot of practice. Most of my corners are okay, a few are perfect, and a few, well. Yeah. Pretty terrible.

If you are a regular reader, thanks for indulging me in looking at one of my favorite quilts (again). If not, I hope you come back! 

Swimbikequilt on Twitter, Pinterest, and Flickr

Past entries here:
Fall 2011: Garden Windows
Spring 2011: Strawberry Patch
Fall 2010: Around the World (or at least the Metro Area)
Spring 2010: Community Gardens

Join me in checking out all of the great quilts! Thanks, Amy, for organizing such a terrific event! 

The Race That Wasn't

I was slated to do the Tri-Rock Annapolis Triathlon Saturday. I didn't, for a variety of reasons, most of them centering around my health and activity levels over the last month--the flu a case of tonsillitis I had trouble getting rid of.  It's always hard for me to make a choice when the choice isn't clear cut--something good for my health without feeling like I'm not wimping out. I hate the thought of wimping out more than just about anything. Saturday I tried not to be melodramatic, I cried a bit, and then I got over myself and was an excellent cheerleader for my best friend (and lots and lots of other racers.) I found a woman who liked to cheer and we yelled a lot of creative and hopefully funny/motivational/not annoying things to competitors a 1/4 mile from the finish. Congrats, Tricia, on a great race.

Next time, maybe.

The Swim

The Bike

The Run

Assateague Island National Seashore

We spent last weekend camping at Assateague Island National Seashore. We are not big campers here. The last time we went as a family was 2007, and with a 8 month old, it was a bit of a disaster. Fully confident this time that we would enjoy ourselves, we headed out on Thursday. A new, reliable car and the fact that we were going to be at the beach helped our enthusiasm.  We hit paydirt. The kids slept much of the way there and the entire way home.  Our cuisine was not fancy, but we were full. We might do a little more planning next time, and we fully intend to make this an annual May tradition.

Assateague is a barrier island famous for it's wild horses.   The kids were thrilled--we saw horses, deer, cranes and all sorts of other birds, fox (tracks), crabs, toads, and rabbits. "Can you believe, it mom? All of these animals here, in the middle of the wilderness?" The little one loved making tracks and footprints that we had to follow. I highly recommend beach camping at Assateauge--the only precaution? Sand is just as hard as dirt. Bring an air mattress.