A Big Quilt for My Sister

For a few years, my sister talked about the quilt she wanted, and I began to take notes. Teal. Grey. Orange. Modern, not traditional old quilt patterns. Noted. I love making quilts for my family! 

My sister had a big birthday (number, not party) early in the COVID shut-down. I told her my present to her would be her quilt and that it would not be done until it was done. She told me that she wanted it to be a surprise. So I have been keeping the quilt off social media, where we both hang out, and the one time I went down to North Carolina with her and her husband, I sat in the back and quilted and she chose to keep her gaze forward. I think that was a hard time for her, but I could not bear to sit empty-handed on such a long drive with such a big quilt to finish. The quilt also traveled with me by car to upstate New York, to the beach a few times, and camping where it picked up some dirt and smokiness (I washed it when it was done!). 

This is a large queen-sized quilt. I pieced it in rows, slipping four-patches in every other row, and a little piecing on the back. I machine quilted long lines parallel to the row seams. Then I hand-quilted with black perle cotton down the middle of each row, stopping to outline the little four-patches. I adore striped binding, and I do really like my decision to have that as the only pattern on this quilt. 

I finished the quilt a few days before Thanksgiving, and my big kids helped me get photos of it.

Not only were we all happy on Thanksgiving being inside and so very normal together, but then I got out the quilt to give to my sister. So much joy! 

I started her quilt in April 2020 and finished it in November 2021. I already know what my next quilt will be: entirely sourced from my overflowing piece bag. 

Two Blue Dresses

In January, deep in covid-cautiousness, my sister got married. It was a delight to dress up again and celebrate!

Phoebe was the flower girl, although as soon as she said "flower fairy," the title stuck. My sister said we should choose whatever dress we wanted (I have the best sister and she was never, not even for one second, a bridezilla). I had a delicious deep dive on winter flower girl dresses, developing a vision that suited all parties: dressy but not out of regular church-wear, wintry but not black or white, flexible with whatever other colors appeared at the wedding. . . 

I used a simple Prussian blue cotton from my stash. I found a gorgeous net sequin fabric for the overskirt at JoAnn's as well as pink satin to line the bolero. For cold weather, she wears the bolero. For warm weather, it's a sundress! I wanted to give Phoebe as many chances as possible to enjoy wearing her dress, but wanted it to look appropriate in any season. At that time, I could not predict when we would be going out in nice clothes again and I did not want any more nice clothes hanging sadly in our closets, especially the handmade ones. 

 I thought I could just gather two rectangles of the net fabric into a black ribbon and tie the overskirt on at the sides, but it ended up being too heavy so I basted it onto the waistline for the wedding. 

Phoebe and I are both so pleased with this dress! She has indeed worn it in all its iterations since January.

The second blue dress is a school uniform dress. I added some light blue topstitching to liven things up.

It has a deep hem, so I'm planning to let it out as Phoebe gets taller. I love Peter Pan collars and here with the puffed sleeves, it's such a charming retro look. 

I had all the supplies in my stash! When my older kids were starting school, I laid in a supply of fabric that would work for uniforms. Our district currently does uniforms until 6th grade and I think that is just right: let the little kids scramble into a prescribed uniform, let the big kids define their own style as they fledge into adulthood.

Phoebe is really the only child I sew for any more. I feel like I live with three other adults and a child! In fact, Genevieve turned 16 this week, oh my word. Such is the speed of life....

Phoebe is Four

Phoebe has been celebrated for several days now.  She is just a delight, especially when we wonder aloud who would need a present? Or what are these cupcakes for? And let's have a party just because, right? And when Phoebe remembers all over again that it's her birthday, she bubbles over with joy.

Yes, darling, let's have lots of joy. Let's remember the first few moments of your life, your wondering eyes and calm.  Let's see again the sweetness of your brother and sister meeting you for the first time.

We need this joy to counterbalance, to season, the pain of other dear ones who are sick and dying.  And I do believe there is joy for them on the other side of death, but for us who stay here? Oh, that is hard. Phoebe asked me the other day: "when is Uncle Ron going to come back to life?"  Getting Jesus and Easter and our loved ones all stirred in together.

Joy and pain.  The contrast that makes the patchwork of life.

 Let's look now at the Phoebe's birthday cupcakes - made and decorated by Genevieve, shared with preschool friends and then later with grandparents.  I don't have a good photo of the layer cake I made for Phoebe - it's from Smitten Kitchen Every Day and I highly recommend it.  Easy to make and one of the best-tasting cakes I've had in a long time. It was a yellow cake with fudge icing, and Phoebe requested "pink and purple" ice cream, so we had strawberry and raspberry ice cream to go with it.

Happy, happy birthday, darling girl! Many happy returns!

Hearts and Sloths

Of course, Phoebe's preschool is going to do valentines.  Phoebe and I took some time one day to make valentines, and I used what I had on hand: construction paper, lace and rick rack, and a red stamp pad (borrowed from Genevieve - she has a serious craft stash!). 

I first tried hot-gluing the trims to the hearts, but it was tedious and fraught with glue-strings. So I put an old needle in my sewing machine and sewed those babies up. 

I used Phoebe's thumb in the red stamp pad to make little hearts on each paper heart. To be frank, that part didn't go well, and I should have stayed with my policy of letting my kids design and execute their own little projects.  But Phoebe does love the resulting valentines, and even put her own "P" on each one. 

But in general, Phoebe is confused about what exactly is happening with these valentines.  We'll see how it goes at preschool today and what she comes home with!

In keeping with tradition, I made a little valentines' carrying bag for Phoebe (Ben's bag, Genevieve's bag). Luckily we had a plain yellow bag in the bag cupboard, and I just picked through my piece bag to make some fun hearts.

I also made Phoebe these mittens recently, and they are a scream. Phoebe and I had a serious artistic discussion among the bolts of fleece at Joann's Fabric.  I told Phoebe she could pick a fleece that wasn't too light and would go with her red winter coat.  She studied the bolts, we pulled out a number, rejected the ones that wouldn't work, and ended up with this mint-colored fleece. I love seeing my kids develop their personal taste!  The lady at the cutting counter admired the sloths and Phoebe looked at her reprovingly, "they're kitties!"

I used the Purl SoHo pattern, although I sort of free-handed a child-size paper pattern.  I made a test mitten and had to adjust the dimensions. 

However, even when the sloth mittens were made, they needed some tweaking.  Phoebe said her hands were still cold, so I made a second pair of mittens and inserted them inside to make lined mittens.  Also, the mittens were literally falling off Phoebe's hands, so I put some elastic at the wrist to help them stay on. 

Now, finally, the mittens do what they're supposed to do.  And they make me laugh every time!

Happy Valentine's Day to you all, in whatever way you celebrate or not. 

Bright Things I Made

I recently spent hours uploading 2018's photos to Shutterfly, partly to make a surprise project for someone who is probably reading this blog post.  So that's a secret.  But it's so trippy to zip through a year in photos - the events I've forgotten, the details, my children who used to be small, the things I've made.

So here are some things I made that I fully intended to blog, to put on The Record.  Bonus:  they are bright! Perfect for winter when we must make our colors while the natural world sleeps in grey, white, and brown.

I made a new batch of handtowels and aprons (Simplicity 1221) for a shop that promotes young Mennonite makers (I am still young, see). 

I am particularly proud of that little zing of yellow rick rack with the calico and gingham.

 Also, I love yellow and pink together, particularly these strong shades.  I didn't have enough for the belt, so I pieced together the feedsack calico.

I love mixing fabric so much that I like to piece even the toppers for handtowels. Also, I have not forgotten that I owe my readers a handtowel tutorial. 

Also, I made a beautiful cake for Christmas day; well, it's presented as two rectangular cakes.  It's the petit fours cake from Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant Unfussy Favorites. 

There was some difficulty and swearing involved as is normal for fancy cakes, but oh my word, this cake was beautiful in every respect.  Those are almond paste holly leaves and berries that I colored and formed with my own stained fingers.  On top of ganache, which covers a triple layer of delicious almond cake sandwiched with raspberry jam. So, so delicious.

Hope your winter day has some brightness in it!  Around here, it's terribly cold and I just found out that school is canceled.  This is frustrating to a person like me who makes it a priority to get proper clothing for my family so they can get fresh air in any weather. I'm sure I'll be sending them out to sled!

The Homemade Christmas Gifts

It has been a good Christmas, complete with a new baby born to my brother and his wife!  I knitted him a wee cap back in November.

I also made my sister a Nola Cloche.  She had admired mine, and dropped copious hints that she would love one (and a quilt, too - she has let the universe know that she wants a Margo quilt; the universe is listening, honey).

 I had to rip out a large section of the hat when I was making it because somehow I miscounted stitches or added stitches or something.  But my knitting has progressed far enough that I can fix some mistakes, so I'm extra-gratified that it fits her (and her guy!) so nicely.

And I made him some hotpads, too.  We drew names for Christmas gifts, and I got his name.  In typical guy fashion, he only had one boring gift on his wish list. Since he's an amazing cook, I made him some hotpads to go with the boring gift he was expecting.

I am deeply grateful to all the wonderful adults who teach and care for my kids.  I made two dishcloths for Phoebe's preschool teachers - I still intend to do something for the other teachers.  No law that says gifts and notes of appreciation can only happen at Christmas, so I'll aim for January.

So that's some of the homemade Christmas goodness On the Record.  How was your Christmas?