Generally, I'm not into making mini quilts or anything less than snuggle-able. Seth, my husband, radiates heat like a human furnace and keeps the thermostat on arctic blast year-round. Consequently, burrito quits are a critical survival tool in my life. On a side note, I feel that "burrito" should be added to the list of standard quilt sizes. It sounds far more enticing than a throw. But I digress. 

Mini quilts, while not part of my usual project list, have been serving as sources of near-instant gratification when I need a mood boost.

In May, I joined my first quilt swap in the form of Schnitzel & Boo's mini quilt swap. My partner listed coral as her favorite color and also cited red and aqua combos as something she enjoys. Aqua and turquoise dominate my stash, but I had to acquire some more reds/corals for the project. The final product is this wonky star mini, with some echo quilting. This was the first project I quilted on Brienne, my new machine, which is my way of saying "Please forgive the mistakes!" 

Thanks to #thegreatfabricdestash on Instagram, a huge pile of Heather Ross prints have joined my stash. Some of them were used to make The Treasure Box quilt, but I still had a lot in need of a worthy project. After reminding myself of Quilt Dad's words of wisdom (use your favorite fabric instead of hoarding) I started on an impromptu wall hanging. 

Heather Ross's illustrations have the uncanny ability to make me smile no matter how many times I've seen them. That may sound a bit trite, but bear in mind that I'm one of those people who runs about 25% grouchier than the general population. My name, Felice, means "happy," and my family has always joked that I should have been named Grumpy instead. Characters like Grumpy (from Snow White), Tinkerbell, Grumpy Bear, and Oscar the Grouch were featured heavily on childhood gifts. My unofficial resolution this year is to be more positive and upbeat, so having this mini hanging on my wall may make that a easier. The finished size is 23 x 26".

My older brother, Stephen, texted me recently with the request that I make him something quilty for his birthday in September. I agreed, mostly because it had been my plan anyway. I picked the rolling stone block because it reminds me of electron clouds and covalent bonds. Umm...what? The backstory here is that Stephen and I attended the same university (with him being two years ahead of me), where he got his degree in biochemistry/molecular biology and I got mine in studio art (I disappoint my parents). I did have to take a chemistry class at one point, and electron configuration was about the only thing I really got a firm grasp on. So this is my attempt at something sciencey for him. It's a 24" square wall hanging with some serious scatterbrain quilting. Seriously, don't try to figure out what I was aiming for. I don't have a clue either.

I have to put my "be positive" resolution aside for a moment and share the negative side of making this mini. Quilt-opedia...I'm talking about you. 

Stylish Dress Book: Dress T & F

Yoshiko Tsukiori's Stylish Dress Book has been both a blessing and a curse. On the positive side, I haven't purchased any clothing since Patty loaned me the book about a month ago. The negative is that I can't stop making dresses! 

The third dress I made after dress Y and E was dress T, the style I had wanted to start with, but worried would be too difficult. Looks like I made a good call on that one! It was the most challenging of all the dresses I've made so far (the count is up to 6 right now, including two that I have yet to photograph).Turning the collar facing was fiddly, especially at the center point. I had the same problem with my crazy cat lady dress. The sleeves were frustrating, but I'll admit it was my fault. I have a hard time walking away from unfinished projects even when I'm mentally exhausted. It's like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I just can't stop! Thanks to my persistence, I sewed a sleeve to the bodice inside out, not once, but TWICE. Ugh. Learn from my fail and know when it's time to take a break!

As with my previous two dresses, I took in the side seams about an inch on either side. I also cut the skirt shorter than the pattern indicated. Since I'm only 5' tall, a typically short skirt goes a long way on my frame. In fact, a quick Google search shows that most people have worn dress E as top with pants or at least paired it with leggings. Without any alterations to the length, mine hits me right at the knee! Judging by the pattern, dress T was going to hit me mid-calf, which is not a flattering look for a short chick like me! 

Dress T was followed by dress F, a simple tunic top with open sleeves and ties. On a recent fabric shopping trip with Patty, I scored some lovely Domestic Bliss fabric by Liz Scott in the clearance bin. The bright and cheery colors seemed perfect for this relaxed dress. Sewing dress F was relaxing too...well...the bodice anyway. The sleeves were a chore. For some reason the instructions have you sew the top and bottom seams before hemming the open edge. It practice, it feels backwards and complicates the process. I made one sleeve as instructed and made the second one my way (bottom seam first, hem edge, sew top seam) which felt more natural. 

I didn't need to take in the side seams on this one because the style was less tent-like to begin with and I intended to wear it with a belt anyway. I need my waistline, thank you! As with all the dresses I've made from the Stylish Dress Book, dress F is divinely comfy. Ladies, be honest: being stylish is nice, but being stylish and comfy is heavenly! 

Costumes are Coming

Both my husband, Seth and I are huge Game of Thrones fans. Now that season four is all wrapped up, we feel the familiar emptiness of waiting for the next season to begin. This time however, we have a little something to look forward to that may help the time go by faster: Texas Renaissance Festival.

One of the benefits of living in Houston is being so close to the Texas Renaissance Festival every fall. We went twice last year, including our first time in costume. I was a mushroom, and Seth rented a costume. He couldn't decide what he wanted to be in time (and my sewing skills weren't that strong), and was a bit bummed to have to rent his outfit. We decided to get an early start next year so we could both go in cool costumes.

We were interested in going as characters from Game of Thrones, but daunted by the complexity of the costumes. Armor? Yikes! Jon Snow? Too hot for Texas! Thankfully Seth got a new favorite character this season with a much more manageable costume. As soon as Oberyn Martell was introduced, Seth's costume might as well have been written in stone. 

I went to Jo-Ann's last week during a good fabric sale and got lots of supplies. They even had this cool snake-skin material for $3.50/yd! I've started working on drafting the pattern for his robe, and so far it has been rather simple (except for getting Seth to put up with all the fittings). For the suns on his robe, I'm going to try to do the embroidered parts on my sewing machine and use the metal studs for the center.

I know which character I plan to be, but I'm keeping it a surprise until I actually start working on it. :)