Thursday, December 10, 2009

New fabric, new project...

I have been a bad blogger.  I just can't seem to find the time in the evenings to get on the computer.  I have so little free time between working full time during the day and taking care of my daughter once I get home that it's a wonder I have a minute to do anything else during the day!  But anyway...

I finally received my order from Joann Fabrics that I mentioned before. I ordered some new flannel at the $1.99 extended Black Friday sale price.  I ordered 3 different one yard cuts for PJ pants for my daughter or perhaps baby items for friends, as well as a bolt of Christmas/winter themed flannel to make matching PJ pants for me, my husband, and my daughter.

joann flannels

Is it just me, or does Joann's seem to have better and cuter prints these days? I think these are all SUPER cute!  Obviously the bolt on top is the Christmas Pjs flannel. I love this print! I can't wait to make our matching PJs. I apologized to my husband because I think the print is maybe just a TAD girly, but that's okay, he'll get over it.  The background is blue, right? :)

The three on the bottom are definitely new prints I didn't notice when I ordered my first batch of flannels a few months ago. I love them all, but especially the two on the right.  That green and blue diamond is especially fabulous and I'm thinking it would make a GREAT backing on a cool, modern baby quilt. I'm wishing I had ordered more than one yard!

The other item included in my purchase was this, a new magnetic pin cushion.

grabit

I've been wanting one for a while, and that want turned to need after last week I bumped my little container of pins while working one night and the ENTIRE package fell into my trashcan and pins flew EVERYWHERE. I had to sit there and pick them up and pick them out of the trash. No fun.  So the magnetic pincushion was added to the order!

In other news, I completed the next part of the gift for our friends, the parents-to-be (who are the recipients of the yet-to-be-finished pinwheel baby quilt).  It's a flannel receiving blanket.

receiving blanket 3

It's double sided.  It's hard to tell from the picture but the back side is a narrow green and white stripe.  I got the idea for the blanket from this tutorial from Chickpea Sewing Studio, although my dimensions are different (about 30" square).  Both flannels are from Joann's.  I topstitched around the blanket after turning right side out with green thread (actually two different greens, I just so happened to have two spools of green thread that matched the two slightly different greens of each side of the blanket, so I used one as my top thread and the other in the bobbin) with a wavy stitch.

receiving blanket 1

You can see the topstitching a little better in the photo below:

receiving blanket 2

I am now going to use these same two flannel prints to make a couple of reversible bibs as well as a set of burp cloths.  I also need to eventually quilt that darn pinwheel baby quilt so I can finish the whole lot up and send it off to them!  I'm just so nervous about quilting that quilt, my first 'real' quilt, and maybe messing it up!

I still haven't decided how to quilt the pinwheel quilt.  I don't know how to stipple, I've never done any free motion quilting before.  I know it takes practice and so I don't think I want to do it for the first time on this quilt (even if I practice first) and potentially mess up a gift. I'd rather try that on something I'm keeping for myself.  I'm thinking diagonal lines maybe, like a half inch on either side of the pinwheel seams? I just don't know. Any suggestions?

I'm also having serious second thoughts about my choice of quilting thread.  It's a Sulky Blendables, I think? Color 4108, American Antique.  Here's the sample photo of some stitching from the Sulky website.  The colors match the quilt colors, but I just wonder if it's going to be too distracting?



What do you think? Yea or nay?

Hopefully I'll have the bibs and burp cloths done sometime this week.  And then I've got to do the Christmas pjs to make sure they're done in time for Christmas. I don't know when I'm going to get to the couple of zippered pouches and tissue holders I was wanting to make for Christmas for a few family members...there's just not enough time in the day!

Hopefully coming up soon, the new STACKS of fabric I've been stashing up for the Frolic quilt (why am I so obsessed with making this quilt?), plus a few other things (hint: two fat quarter sets of Denyse Schmidt fabrics) *grin*

--Editing to add--I'm linking this post over at Amy's Sew & Tell.  Even though my project was super simple, it was a finish nonetheless, and for me, that's a big deal, since I get so few things done! :)

5 comments:

Marcia said...

Your pinwheel quilt is so nice. I too have difficulty quilting my quilts. I thought is was so very expensive to have them quilted, but it's a job to sandwhich and then stress over the quilting. Check with your local quilt shop. I had a baby quilt done for about $25. They sandwhich it, you just bring in the top and backing. You will still need to bind it. You'll be pleased with the results.

Leslie said...

such great finishes. the fabric is wonderful. i love your flannel blanket. we make them for all our new little friends and family. my kids call them lovey blankets

ktquilts said...

I am a novice machine quilter, but I have to say that thread would scare the batting out of me! If the pinwheel quilt is the baby quilt that has white background, that thread will be very noticeable. I like to match the color of the background myself to hide any possible mistakes. I make more than a few!!! Hope that helps. It is a lovely quilt. I love the recieving blanket too. Gives me some ideas for Linus Blankets!!

Blessings,
KT

Nina... said...

You did a great job! Love the flannels. Thanks for sharing! Happy holidays!!

Rene' said...

You did a great job. I love the flannel blanket. So cozy looking. Thanks for sharing.