The Prettiest Teacup » Crafty Goodness

what i’m working on wednesday

Andria Kay Olson — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:29:24 +0000

Here’s what I have going on:

The assignment for my next Modern Quilt Guild meeting is to make a name tag. I came home and pulled out some scraps to try my hand at little English paper pieced hexagons.

These are half-inch hexies. I wanted to do quarter-inch but I thought I should start out a little bigger as I have never done them before. I used this template generator for my hexagon shapes. I will square these up, embroider my name on it, and bind it off. These little things are wildly addicting.

I need to bind the the first quilt I made. None of the corners matched so I ended up hand tying it instead of machine quilting it. Part of it was already tied with grey wool but I couldn’t find that particular ball so I finished it with aqua. I have noticed it might be a little slippery because some of the knots are untying.

I don’t know what I was thinking because this beast is 89″ x 98″. Huge. I want to bind it in grey but Kona ash is out everywhere I have physically looked for it. I think I’ll just have to order it.

Most importantly, I have to finish this quilt for Evelyn. I started this last February and things screeched to a halt when I started running into puckers with my quilting. Now all of the quilting has been ripped out and It is going to be re-basted.

But this time around I want to do different quilting than what I originally planned. I started with a spiral in each circle and then I was going to do a sort of elongated clover pattern where the corners meet. Now I am thinking I might do an all-over loopy bubble pattern or swirly waves. I’m not sure but I better decide soon.

And speaking of the girl, I have been searching like crazy for mermaid birthday party ideas. Just like I did when I was little, Evelyn has developed a slight obsession with all things mermaid. I once took a Chicken of the Sea can of tuna out of the garbage and hid it under my bed because of the mermaid on the label. No, it wasn’t washed out. We don’t have that brand of tuna in the cupboard so I think I’m safe there.

But all of these projects have to wait a little bit as I finish up editing on pictures of this little cutie.

Isn’t she a little doll?!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

quilt bundle challenge

Andria Kay Olson — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 06:01:01 +0000

The Fat Quarter Shop is a great place to do a little fabric shopping (or a lot). They have fat quarter bundles that are designed by crafty blog celebrities that are so pretty. I have always thought about how fun it would be to design my own bundle.

Well, now Laura at Quokka Quilts is hosting a competition for anyone to design their own fat quarter bundle. Dream come true!

Here is my entry. We can have twelve prints and three solids. I honestly put together about five bundles but this is my favorite. I think I will be buying these (plus some others I had to leave out) for myself. You can definitely tell I am looking forward to some warmer weather already by the colors I chose. Popsicles, beach towels, and pools. Hmm… maybe I’ll call it poolside.

Crazy Pants!

Andria Kay Olson — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 00:28:53 +0000

Okay, so these are not made out of the fabric that came in the mail. Even better- they are made out of a vintage thrifted pillowcase. I wanted to try out my template first on fabric that didn’t cost $9.50 a yard.

The waist came out a little small because I tapered it instead of going straight up. And they are a tad too long. The little Junebug had her first appointment since being five days old (oops, forgot about that two-week visit) and she is only in the 25th percentile for everything- length, weight, head circumference. She is still wearing newborn size clothes.

She is mon petite chou-chou.

Amazon Day

Andria Kay Olson — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 16:38:26 +0000

I love pulling into my driveway and seeing that Amazon box on my doorstep. This time I got four great books that I am looking forward to perusing when I get a moment.

The colors in Jane Brocket’s The Gentle Art of Domesticity are amazing and make me so excited for the warmth of summer.

From my Mother’s Kitchen is a collection of simple comfort foods that look so good, especially the smoky sausage and bean casserole. I love a good hot dish.

Because I am so excited about getting back into sewing, I got Heather Ross’s Weekend Sewing. That and the fact that I have enough of the beautiful orange fabric on the front of the book to actually make the skirt. There are lots of cute projects for little ones (bloomers!) and great patterns for momma clothes, especially the kimono dress which should be good for nursing a babe.

A Year of Mornings is for pure inspiration. I love the calmness and simplicity of the images- they are little bits of breathing room and make me want to get better at photography.

Alas, no reading for me as this is what my kitchen table looks like at the moment and it is a good indicator of the state of the rest of my house. I would like to clean and read but kissing baby toes always comes first.

How could you not , especially when one sock always seems to disappear leaving them ripe for the smooching?

For the Squirrel Lover

Andria Kay Olson — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:10:33 +0000

Just in case you still need to get me a gift, here are some suggestions:

The last one is a gold dipped squirrel heart. All of these beauties are from Loved to Death. I would also accept an entire stuffed black squirrel. I’m honestly not that hard to shop for and I don’t ask for much. I’m just saying.