Tag Archives: ooh baby

Wonky Log Cabin Quilt!

April 26, 2015 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , 77 Comments

OK. It’s another quilt. Yeah. I know. Send help!! It’s an obsession!

wonky log cabin quilt | Ginger Makes

This is a gift for one of my dearest friends, one of the very first people I met when I moved to New York. She’s expecting a baby boy next month, and I’m just so excited to meet him!  So when I saw Miss Make‘s wonky log cabin tutorial, I knew I wanted to try it! I like that it’s a free-form way to build a quilt and that you don’t really need to be precise. Plus, the end results are so cool!

These quilt blocks came together really quickly, especially because I had help! My friend Carrie came over to help, so I cut and stitched and she pressed all the seams open- man, I wish I could always sew with an assistant! We came close to finishing the blocks in one afternoon! Piecing is a blast when you can chatter away the whole time! Anybody wanna be in a quilting bee with me? 🙂

wonky log cabin quilt | Ginger Makes

The quilting part went much more smoothly on this quilt, thanks to the suggestions in The Practical Guide to Modern Patchwork.* I bought curved safety pins and they made a huge difference. And instead of trying to stitch in the ditch, I quilted 1/4″ from the seamlines inside each piece to kind of emphasize the irregular shapes created by the wonky log cabin process. It looks much better!

The only trouble I ran into with this project is that I found I needed more fabric than Devon suggested. I picked up an extra 3/8″ yard of fabric from the get-go and needed to buy another 3/8 to get the blocks to the correct size. So maybe grab a bit more just in case if you follow her tutorial.

wonky log cabin quilt | Ginger Makes

Picking out coordinating prints was so much fun! My friend tends to wear lots of grey, so I wanted to start with grey and add in some soft color, but not go nuts with bright colors (always my first impulse!). She and her husband love cats, so I wanted a kitty print, and when I saw the dignified lion, it really made me laugh to include it with the kittens! Here are the fabrics I used, if anyone is interested:

I really liked making this quilt, mainly because it was fun to make something for a dear friend with another dear friend, but also because it’s so stress-free to construct quilt blocks this way. If you’re looking for a way to try out quilting but you’re worried about accuracy, you should really give this a try! C’mon, do it!! We can be quilt-obsessed together!

wonky log cabin quilt | Ginger Makes

*Before I forget, the winner of the Practical Guide to Modern Patchwork giveaway is Laura! Congrats!!! Also, I just realized I never announced the winner of the Girly Style Wardrobe giveaway! It was Raquel from JC… I sent her the book ages ago, but forgot to mention it on the blog! Hope you’re enjoying the book, Raquel!

Congratulations, Vicki Kate!!

January 22, 2015 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , 106 Comments

Hi, guys! I have a special post for you today! I’m taking part in a virtual baby shower for the lovely Vicki Kate, and am thrilled to do so! Annabelle Bumps organized it, and I thought it was the best idea! Vicki Kate is so sweet and always has a kind word at the ready… she’s really been a great friend to me over the last few years. So I’m really excited to help welcome her new baby into the world, whenever s/he decides to arrive! If you fancy taking a peek at the other gifts, hop on over to see the other participants’ posts!

I wanted to make something really special that could work for either a baby boy or a girl, so I had the hardest time deciding what to make! But the moment I spied the Hazel Hedgehog II quilt pattern, I knew I wanted to give it a go! HEDGEHOG!! It’s so cute I was motivated to QUILT, people! I found Elizabeth Hartman‘s blog a while back when Amy sent me the link to this adorable whale pattern, and even though the lengthy instructions for that pattern scared me away, I’ve still kept an eye on her blog. This giant, single-block quilt felt achievable, even for a newbie. There’s another version of this hedgehog shape that makes a more traditional quilt with smaller blocks, if you’re not lacking in the skills/patience department like me! It’s really cute, too. OK, here it is… don’t judge me too harshly for my shoddy work! 🙂

Hazel Hedgehog II | Ginger Makes

I went to City Quilter to pick out fabrics and came away with an assortment of American Made Brand cotton solids (I’m pretty sure this is light aqua, dark aqua, dark sky, light grey, and navy). I thought the colors would be pretty for either a boy or a girl, but I wasn’t quite sure what they would look like sewn up. It’s a little tricky to visualize what a quilt will look like… takes practice, I guess! In the end I like the colors together… phew!

Hazel Hedgehog II quilt | Ginger Makes

I chose this fabric, an Art Gallery Fabrics print, for the backing. It’s so easy to find coordinating prints in a quilting shop… so many fun bolts to choose from!

So, quilting. It’s so different from garment sewing! I spent 2.5 hours cutting out the blocks and 3.5 hours piecing the top, with the latter being much more fun than the former. I think I made some mistakes in my measuring and cutting because I had to trim some pieces down to get things to line up correctly. Oops! It took me forever and a day to mark the lines to quilt on… I couldn’t seem to get them evenly spaced or straight! In the end I have (semi-) horizontal lines about 2″ apart. I really struggled with the quilting part, though. My walking foot didn’t really seem to be up to snuff, and I struggled to get even stitching (the top layer kept getting dragged across the quilt, despite using tons of pins and sewing verrrrrry slowly). I spent hours seam ripping and re-doing the quilted lines, but in the end, they’re still pretty wonky. Also, the grey thread I picked to quilt with doesn’t seem right now that I look at the finished thing. OK, just don’t look too closely, Vicki!!

Hazel Hedgehog II quilt | Ginger Makes

Poor wonky hedgehog!!!

I used a double-fold binding (cut from my fabric) that I stitched on by machine, wrapped around to the back, and slip stitched in place by hand. I used this tutorial to figure out how to miter the corners… it’s confusing to think about, but easy enough to do once you sort it out. I used a cotton batting from Steinlauf & Stoller that has a really pleasing feel… the quilt is really squeezable!

I’d never really considered quilting before, mainly because I don’t have the patience or precision, but also because I have a huge stack of handmade quilts both made for me by my mom and inherited from my great-grandma and my husband’s grandma. I had lots of fun making this, although, honestly, I don’t think I would undertake another quilt before figuring out why I had such a hard time machine quilting. Honestly, it would have taken me less time to quilt it by hand! I spent so much time fiddling with the tension and seam ripping quilted rows with less than stellar results. Maybe, just maybe, if I figure that out, I’ll work up the nerve to make that whale quilt. 🙂

Hazel Hedgehog II quilt | Ginger Makes

Vicki, I hope you like this and that your wee one does, too! Please forgive the messiness! And keep an eye on your mailbox… it’s winging its way to you! All the best to you and your family! Much love, and congratulations!!!

Better-Late-Than-Never Baby Dresses!

October 2, 2013 By in Uncategorized Tags: , , , , 108 Comments

Friends, I’m gonna let you in on one of my ugliest, dirtiest secrets. I hate sewing things for babies.

I can feel the searing rays of your judgment! But let me explain– baby clothes are fiddly to make, fit for about 10 minutes, and are the object of more puke than toilets in a freshman dorm. It’s a lot of work for very little payoff! Plus, many babies are showered with so many tiny outfits when they could probably use a big box of Pampers much more than another cardigan!

But, when old, dear friends have babies, even the grumpiest baby grinch is occasionally tempted to dabble in the world of tiny clothes, hence these little dresses. I knew that I wanted something pretty and sweet, but I didn’t want to go completely pastel for these dresses. I found a nice compromise in these beautiful 100% cotton shirtings from Mood Fabrics NYC. The combination of gingham and stripes is cute for a tot, and the fabrics are much more soft and luxurious than you usually see in children’s wear. Another benefit is that cotton shirting is tough enough to take a beating in the laundry.  Plus, it doesn’t take much to make garments this small, so you can get a little fancy with your fabric. I had just over half a yard of each fabric and was able to make two dresses.

I used Made By Rae‘s downloadable Geranium dress pattern, which comes with about a zillion options.  I opted for cut-on cap sleeves and a pleated skirt. The bodice is fully lined, and I turned and stitched the center back seam and used French seams on the sides (I’ve heard that serging can be too scratchy for sensitive baby skin). The bodice has a back button closure– not sure how easy this is to get babies in and out of. Any feedback, moms and dads?  This was really easy to put together, although the directions were a little complicated to follow as they jumped back and forth between the different views, so I occasionally lost my place.  I’m sure someone more organized than myself would have no issues with this, though.

Although I wasn’t eager to make these, I found myself smiling as I stitched on the adorable buttons (a gift from Marie that I’m so glad I saved until now!) and put the finishing touches on the dresses. There’s just something so sweet about itty-bitty clothes! I really like how these turned out, and I caught myself planning future versions in blue, yellow, and gray combos. But before you think I’ve turned into Santa Claus overnight, you should probably know that I made these in the 12-18 month size… because it’s been a while since these little girls were born. Better late than never, right?

What’s your opinion of homemade baby gifts? A sweet potential heirloom? Better saved for older kids who are interested in what they wear? Tacky? Treasured? What’s the nicest handmade baby gift you’ve given or received?

Sidenote: I discovered the hazards of photographing finished projects outdoors– my neighbor spotted me shooting these, and before I knew what was happening, I heard myself agreeing to make a dress for her granddaughter! Whoops!  Guess I better get used to making clothes for small people!

Ginger Made: McCall’s M6016, or The Tiniest Magnum P.I.

September 22, 2012 By in boy stuff Tags: , , 91 Comments

This is, hands down, the best thing I’ve ever made.

Rock the hula, kid!

Before you’re all, “Hey, girl, enough with the hyperbole!”,  just stop for a second and look.

IT’S A TINY HAWAIIAN SHIRT.

I can’t even look at this without laughing.  There aren’t many things funnier than babies dressed like strange adults.  I’d like to imagine this shirt worn by a baby with a mustache and chest hair.  Possibly a crime-fighting, convertible-driving baby with a mustache and chest hair.

This is a gift for one of Man Friend’s oldest friends, who just had baby #3.  She and her husband met while living in Hawaii, and all three kids have lovely Hawaiian names, so this seemed like a good gift.  I used M6016 and a cotton print I scored during a sale at Jo-Ann.  The pattern was super easy to put together  and everything went smoothly and uneventfully.  The toughest part was getting over my fear of making buttonholes!  I did a few practice versions, and while these aren’t perfect, it wasn’t anywhere near as tough as I thought it would be.  I was all worked up over nothing (story of my freakin’ life…)!

I’ll have to get pretty comfortable sewing for little boys– it’s recently been revealed that my due-in-January niece/nephew is in fact a nephew!  Anybody have any favorite patterns or projects to make for boys?  My previous go-to boy gifts, if you knit, are The Brown Stitch’s Chunky Monkey Vest and/or Linden Down’s Baby Sophisticate sweater.  What about you guys?  Other than PJ’s for Man Friend, this is the first item I’ve sewn for a dude!

In other news, I found myself completely overtaken by a fit of insanity and signed up for a 5K yesterday.  This may not sound very eventful, but as Man Friend pointed out, it’s doubtful that I’ve run a total of 5 kilometers in the last 10 years (I was a bigtime runner in high school, but realized that I actually hate running and haven’t done it since)!  Here’s the kicker– it’s two weeks from today!!!  Am I totally screwed?  People!  I know!  This is crazy, but it’s a benefit raising money for walruses!  WALRUSES!  I can’t think of a more hilarious reason to run!  And my dear friend and also-reluctant-runner, KristyWes, is doing it with me (and inspired me to sign up!).  So.  We’ll see.

What about you guys?  Any novelty 5k’s on the horizon? Have you tried anything new (or done anything a little crazy) recently?

Ginger Made: Chunky Monkey Vest

April 23, 2012 By in pretty knitty, Uncategorized Tags: , 26 Comments

Hold the phone… I finally FINISHED something???  I’m seriously in the middle of about five projects right now (sewing ADHD much?!?!), so with a little encouragement from Man Friend (“Um, wouldn’t it be nice to be done with one project?”), I got my act together and finished up this little vest (pardon the terrible picture– it’s been dark and disgusting the last couple of days).

This is the Chunky Monkey Baby/Toddler Vest from The Brown Stitch, and it’s a lovely little knit for the (tiny) men in your life.  It’s FAST– I knitted the thing in about two afternoons (the only holdup was buying and sewing on the buttons), so it makes a perfect last-minute gift.  I used the recommended yarn, Cascade 128 superwash chunky, which is reallly soft as well as machine-washable, so it’s ideal for baby garments.

I’m a bit late with this gift– the baby was actually born in January (oops!), but better late than never, right?  But his family is very near and dear to us– his dad is one of our oldest childhood friends, and I actually introduced this friend to his wife, so we’re extra fond of this little guy and his big brother.  His dad is a big fan of the Chicago Bears, as are Man Friend and I, so I sort of slyly inserted the Bears’ navy and orange into the color scheme.  He’ll be the dressiest little dude on game day!

What are you guys up to?  Did you have good weekends?  I had back-to-back parties Thursday and Friday nights, plus a friend’s concert Saturday night (he put together a band to play all of T. Rex’s Electric Warrior live… it was RAD).  I have one last crazy week at work before we wrap, so I probably won’t have as much time to sew as I’d like, but I’m really excited to dive into my projects next week!  I’m a bit behind on my blogroll lately, so please forgive my lack of commenting.  I’m looking forward to catching up soon!