crinklelove

My latest finish..

 

Today I'm getting this quilt ready to deliver, I always get a little sad to see them go. But it’s nice too, because I’m on to something new. That’s one of the great things about quilting, two of them are rarely the same and they’re all perfect in their own way.

 

This one is a custom quilt for my cousin. She had been looking for these specific colors for her bedroom redo, but came up short when looking for the bedding. We’ve all been there! I’ve been through my share of Bed-In-A-Bags and comforter sets. So, she was looking for something custom and asked me. Thanks, Molly!

I started this quilt right as we were buying our house last month. Yep, we bought a house. I didn’t tell you all that yet… more on that later. Anyway, it took about eight weeks to finish this quilt, which is the longest yet. However, I did get this quilt made, painted the new house, moved in it and completely unpacked during that time. So, I’ve been fairly busy.

 

 

I used all the prints in Joel Dewberry’s Aviary2 line in the lilac color way. Then I pulled in a couple prints from his Modern Meadow line, and finally one print from Urban Mod by Art Gallery Fabrics. For the binding, I used this one by Denise Schmidt at JoAnn’s.

 

There’s probably a pattern out there somewhere for a quilt like this or similar, but I couldn’t find one. So, I trimmed down the fat quarters, cut them in half and some in half again. Sewed them together with two rows of sashing, and stood back to admire it. I really love the way the fabrics pop in this layout.

 

 

The binding is one of my favorite parts of the quilt making process. So relaxing and of course, you get some cuddle time with the quilt.

 

 

And now it’s all packaged up and ready to go; stick around for another finish later in the week!

 

 

 

Sew, Mama, Sew! Fat Quarter Idol Fresh.

 

This morning I had a blast browsing all the fabric at Sew, Mama, Sew! for the Fat Quarter Idol Fresh Contest.

Here are the 12 fabrics I chose:

Fresh. by crinklelove

If you click the Fresh link above, it will take you to my set on Polyvore where you can see the designer and names of each fabric with a link to Sew, Mama, Sew's shop where it can be purchased.

And here is a link to my Pinterest board for the contest - which is the official entry. If you haven't entered yet, go for it.

That was so much fun!

Vintage Mug Swap–Sign Up!

Last year, I participated in two different mug swaps. I had so much fun! There were no specifics, you just mailed a mug. The thing is, shortly after that, I got into vintage dishes and started a vintage coffee cup collection. It's growing slowly but surely. I thought it would be fun to do a vintage mug swap since I know so many people who love them as well as I do.

So, here we go.

 

                             #vintagemugswap

 

  

Sign up – You do not have to have a blog, but Instagram is required. This is how you’ll get to know your partner. Also, we’re only swapping in the US this time around – sorry! 

Wait for your partner assignment – You will send to and receive from the same person. I will email you partner info on 3/3/13. So make sure you give me an email address you check on the regular.

Shop for your partner’s mug. This is where I’ll be really up front. Please don’t send junk. There is a difference between vintage/retro and just plain old. Give something you’d like to receive, and that’s hard to part with. This is what makes great swaps. If everyone does this, we’ll have success!

Check thrift stores, flea markets, antique malls, Etsy, etc. They’re everywhere. Here is a great Flickr pool of vintage mugs to give you some ideas. Search “fireking mugs” “federal mugs” or “Japanese vintage mugs” on Etsy to find some great ones.

Mail your mug to your partner. All mugs need to be mailed on or before 3/22. Don’t be late! Feel free to send extras in the package. Things like a mug rug, tea towel, flavored teas/coffees, etc. You don’t have to, but you can if you’d like.

Tell everyone about it. The more the merrier. Share it with your IG followers, blog followers, Facebook and Twitter followers. We’ll be using #vintagemugswap throughout the process, so share your photos with the hash tag so we can meet you!

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The form for entries has been removed. Sorry you missed it!
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Happy Swapping!

 

 

Iced Coffee–any flavor.

I keep some Dunkin’ Donuts coffee in my freezer so I can enjoy all sorts of flavors out of season. The Mocha Mint is one of my all time favorites. I’m going to keep this short and sweet and get right to the recipe today.

Iced Coffee
Serves 4-6

1 cup coffee grounds – any flavor
4 cups filtered water
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can 2% evaporated milk – I haven’t used anything else, but I’m sure regular milk would be just fine. I like the creaminess the evaporated milk gives and that’s why I use it.

Mix coffee grounds and water in a French press. Let sit 4-6 hours or overnight. If you do not have a French press, mix it in any container, but make sure you have some cheesecloth, or a very fine strainer you can pour it through later.

Mix both milks together, and refrigerate. Once the coffee mixture is ready, strain into a pitcher, stir in the “creamer”. You WILL NOT need to use all of it. I had about 3/4 cup left by the time it was sweet enough. You may use more or less. But, whatever you have left makes a great creamer for your morning hot coffee as well, so keep it in the refrigerator for that.

Mix thoroughly and refrigerate. Enjoy.

Woodsy Outdoors Quilt.

This little project was just what I needed to pull me out of that after-Christmas-funk I was in. I pieced the front and back in one evening, then it sat for a week before I basted and quilted it. I really had a hard time deciding on the quilting, but I went for it and am happy with how it turned out.

I love a pieced back, it just makes a quilt that much more special. I’ve listed this quilt in my Etsy shop, you can get there easily by clicking the link in the sidebar to the left of your screen.

Currently, I have three other quilts I’m working on. Check back soon for those finishes!

Tiffany Diamonds Quilt - for my sister.

Here's another Christmas finish. I made this "diamonds" quilt for my little sister, and it was quite fitting since she's a newly-ish-wed.

I learned there are lots of names for this type of quilt, but since I followed this tutorial, adding an extra row, I thought I'd settle on calling it a diamonds quilt.

About the quilt. It was so fast and fun. Really, you could piece it in a day. When I first started on the quilt, my sister didn't have Instagram and I was posting all sorts of progress photos. Then she called and said she was getting a new phone and would have Instagram, so I freaked out and deleted all the photos of her quilt so it wouldn't ruin her Christmas surprise. Whew!

Once I had it pieced, I sent it off to Lindsay at Eileen Quilts. A few weeks later, it came back to me so beautifully quilted and ready to bind.

Here you can see the beautiful quilting.

I have two quilts I'm quilting tomorrow, and one of them will be listed in my Etsy shop once it's finished.

Recently, I bought two charm packs of Sew Stitchy by Aneela Hoey. I wasn't sure what I'd do with them, but then I heard of a little baby girl who was born quite early. I follow both of her parents on Instagram, and they're an inspiration to me. The charm packs will be used in a quilt for her. I'm so excited to get started on it...a baby quilt! It will be my first one to be so small and sweet.
If you follow me on Instagram, you've heard that we decided to turn our master bedroom into a sewing studio & office. We are settling into the spare room quite nicely, and I actually prefer the small cozy space for sleeping. The studio is WOW, I'm in love! Just not ready to share it yet. We have begun putting it back together, and I can sew in there once again. But, we're waiting on a couple things to ship before the finishing touches are put in the room.

I plan to blog a bunch of photos later this week from our roadtrip to Kansas City in December. Can't wait to share those with everyone. Hope you have a great week!

 

Marmalade Star Quilt.

I waited until the last possible minute to start on my mom's quilt for Christmas. I had a fair amount of trouble deciding on a fabric, and Marmalade came out just in time. Then, I came across this video from the Missouri Star Quilt Company and knew my mom would love one like it.

 

It measures approximately 83 x 83. I quilted it on the Statler Stitcher at a local quilt shop. It was my first time using that machine, and it was grand.

 

 

I used 2.5" squares from a pack of Moda Candy for where the triangles came together.

 

 

This quilt came together pretty quickly, and was a blast to make. It made me really happy to see my mom open it up on Christmas day and wrap up in it.

Til' next time...

 

 

Birthday in Kansas City.