I picked my Mom’s gift a few months ago when I agreed to make some gifts for an event this summer. As with all new projects, I’ve learned (after many, many failures) to do a trial run on a pattern, especially one you’re making yourself. What better way to experiment than as a Mother’s Day gift? Worst case scenario, I figured I could always pick up a last minute gift at our local greenhouse.

Luckily, it didn’t come to that. Mom got fresh flowers and a brand new jewelry roll. It did take a fair amount of trial and error, but in the end, I came up with a quick and easy pattern, ready to make seven more in time for June:

The hardest part was figuring out how to sew the pockets. I wanted them to be lined patch pockets with a zipper. I figured there would be tons of tutorials out there, but there wasn’t one that met my exact criteria. So I’m hoping to make my own tutorial to share in the next few weeks. Let’s just say there are a lot of half finished pockets in my scrap bag right now.

In the middle is a roll filled with batting to store rings, watches, etc. I initially used a magnetic snap, only to discover that rings didn’t fit over the snap. After I had completed the whole roll. And topstitched. Sigh.

The size of the roll is perfect to tuck into a carry on or your suitcase. I’ll be getting my first travel product review when my folks return from their trip to Ireland in a few weeks! Check back in the next week or two for a tutorial to make this jewelry roll and pictures more completed rolls!

The warmer weather was just the push I needed to complete my second Sew Liberated Schoolhouse Tunic. Last time, I went with a patterned quilting cotton for the fabric. Now that I know that I love the pattern, I picked a dark teal linen blend. The best part about this pattern is the time it takes to complete. An hour to cut the pieces, two or three for sewing.

I made the same pattern adjustments this time as last, and I added a few. First, I cuffed the sleeves. Then, in the front, I only used one large box pleat instead of two. I’m still really interested in added buttons to the top, but I was pretty committed to finishing in one evening, so the buttons will have to wait until next time. Also, I think I’ve decided to cut this pattern down one size next time. I ended up with about six free inches in the seam above the skirt. Thank goodness for darts.

I added two darts. Each is 12″ long, 3/4″ of an inch wide when folded. It ended up taking three inches out of the waist, just the right amount. So it’s hanging in my closet right now, waiting for the perfect spring/summer day. Even if that means I have to wait until July.

When I moved into this place last summer, I was a little short on time and a lot short on couch pillows. So a trip to the fabric shop and a cut up new bed sheet later and I ended up with these. I was pretty happy with the results at the time. However, as the months rolled by and our two brown dogs spent a lot of time shedding and drooling on said pillows, I realized a few things. The new pillows have to be easy to remove and wash, made of a more sturdy home decorator weight, and of course, patterned to deflect from the fur that accumulates between washes.

I love the combination of colors on all three fabrics, a deep yellow, tan, brown, and wheat. Set against our deep red couch and chairs, it’s a wonderful change.

I tried to keep it really simple with the pattern for these pillows. I bought a yard of each fabric and cut long rectangular lengths with the selvage at each end. Gotta love the selvage: built in seams. Then I folded the fabric once in the length of the pillow and again on top of itself to leave the opening half way down one side of the pillow. This way, even if the opening gaps a little, you still won’t see the actual pillow. Then simply sew down the two sides, turn right side out, and shove your pillow inside. No ironing, no buttons, no velcro, pillow cases in an hour.

I wasn’t the only one checking things off the project list this weekend…check back later this week to see what else we got done. What are you doing to get ready for spring?

The whole pattern, start to finish, took maybe two or three hours. The construction and instructions are extremely straightforward and you end up with a nicely finished piece. The sizing was exactly as measured, which I hardly ever encounter. I usually cut patterns several sizes larger than my normal size based on the measurements on the pattern and end up swimming in the result, but this fit great. It’s a little too short to wear without tights, so I think I might add a few inches for some summer versions.

I did make a few adjustments to the pattern. They call to have a little gather at the shoulder. I rarely wear tops with a gathered shoulder so I cut the sleeve out as they said, set it in without the gather, and I think it still turned out pretty well. Also, the pattern called for two smaller pleats in the front. I made one pleat that covered the same amount of fabric. I’ve seen photos where the two pleats looked lovely, but who wants two box pleats on either side of their torso? Not this girl.

And one more shot because I so rarely succeed at sewing clothing:

Now that I’ve gotten a hang of the pattern, I have some plans in the works for different versions. I’d really like one in a black and white or navy and white gingham like this one at mmmcrafts.com. I’m also day dreaming about a white linen version with some retro thick lace or crochet trim along the bottom. This will obviously be a disaster because two dogs are part of this home. Brown dogs. And who am I kidding? I spill stuff on myself all the time. Maybe it will be gray linen. Or navy. I’m also pretty sure I would not regret a voile version for summer time either. I just need a few more hours in the day. Is that so much to ask?

As I mentioned in my last post, I gave hand quilting a shot, and I’m really happy I did. I ended up using my embroidery hoop as a guide and stitching large circles in no particular order to quilt the three layers together. Although the end result wasn’t perfect, I’m really happy with how it came out. And so are the dogs.

And then came the binding. I’ve heard that this can be a difficult part of quilting, and I definitely see why. I may or may not have bunched up a few spots on the bottom to get all three layers to go evenly together. Still, with rock bottom expectations, the only way to go is up. I found a great tutorial at Crazy Mom Quilts.

As I mentioned at the start of this quilt project, my grandmother made a one of these quilts for most of her grandkids. So as I moved through this project, I tried to keep her crafting attitude in mind. As far as I can remember, Gram never got worked up about following crafting “rules”. Don’t have time to hand stitch the binding? Machine sew that baby. Don’t have any heat rated batting for pot holders? Learn to get the casserole out of the oven before your fingerprints burn off. Don’t have the patience set the Christmas Tree up straight the traditional way? Nail that tree right to the floor.

As it turns out, the finished product is a bit like a scrapbook covering my life to date. A t-shirt for every phase. All the schools, boats, teams, places, events, and things that have gotten me to this place. And of course the Tugboat Emily shirt is right in the middle. That one might be my favorite.

I ALSO bought new embroidery floss and a giant embroidery hoop. Anna Maria Horner inspired me to try out hand quilting. Now, I completed enough sewing projects at this point to know that I will regret the choice to hand quilt my first quilt at some point during this project. Who are we kidding, I will probably regret it at many points. But it looks so lovely when Anna Maria Horner does it.

And finally, I know this is a little overdue, but some pictures from New Years. We stayed in this year, made a great dinner, and drank champagne. We even made it until midnight. The dogs were not as excited:

Happy New Year!!!