WIP Wednesday - And now for something completely different...

Too tired to sew? Can't decide how to quilt that pesky WiP? What's a very pregnant soon to be momma of twins to do? Screenprint two dozen onesies, of course! I know, I know... it's not exactly quilting and this is a quilt blog. But I also love to use my Yudu. I've even done some quilting/Yudu projects and would love to do more.

I've been having some technical difficulties with my machine for a while and I'm just so darned pleased to have it up and running again. For those of you who don't know much about Yudus, I'll give you a quick primer. It's a device that allows you to make professional level screens using light sensitive emulsion and then use those screens to print anything you'd like on fabric, paper, wood, etc. If you can create it on your home computer and make an overhead transparency of it, you can screen it on fabric. Fun, huh? I won't go into all the steps, but here are the basics of how to print something once you have a screen made.
First apply your ink... I use primarily Yudu or Speedball brand inks.

With the screen not touching your item to be printed, flood the screen with ink using a sharp edged plastic tool. The open areas are going to be what show up on your printed item. You want to make sure you fill them with ink.
Then pull the tool over the flooded area, pushing the ink onto the fabric under the screen. Sorry, no pic of this step. It's too tricky to hold a camera and pull ink at the same time. But, voilà! A finished printed onesie!

Onesies are a little trickier than big people sized t-shirts because you have to position them so carefully. That said, I normally can only do one image per screen for t-shirts. For onesies, I can fit three in the same space! Here's a sampling of what I made today...

Cute, huh? They won't all be for Double Trouble. I plan to tuck a few away in the present box for future baby shower gifts. I have about a million more ideas, but may run out of time (and energy!) before they're done!

I'm linking up today with WiP Wednesday @ Freshly Pieced and Let's Bee Social @ Sew Fresh Quilts. I hope they don't kick me out for lack of quiltiness this week! ☺

J

P.S. If you're interested in screen printing, but some of these links offer DIY techniques on a simpler scale to achieve similar results. Warning - I haven't used any of them!
Technique using an embroidery hoop, organza & Martha Stewart decoupage glue
Technique using a freezer paper stencil
Technique using embroidery hoop & pantyhose

You can also check out Speedball Art for info on their screen printing system. They've been around forever!

***We will now return to our regularly scheduled quilt blog!***

Oh Baby!

I so enjoyed making some presents for Q-B's new grandbaby (read about that...) that when I heard that a friend in far off Ontario had a little girl this week, I got to work. I really like to wait until I know if the little monster's a boy or a girl. Neutral fabrics are fine, but sometimes just not as much fun!

First off, some burp cloths. I made two different sizes this time. The ones I made last time seemed a little small... given how much can come out of a newborn at burp time. One set is 10½ by 18½ and the other is 12½ by 18½. I've been in love with this owl fabric for a while... just one of those buys you make on impulse. The only con about it was that it's pink... I don't usually work with much pink. But the lime greens, teals, and oranges are right up my alley! You've probably spotted an Amy Butler print in the pile as well... I don't limit myself to "baby prints." And babies never seem to say a thing about your fabric choices, even if they're not really into bold prints! ☺

 I used old t-shirts as the backing... I've got to save some more in case of more babies!

 

On to the taggy blanket... my cousin paid some crazy price for one of these in a local baby boutique. Just two 13 by 13 squares sewn together with ribbon tucked in the seam. Hers was backed with flannel.. I managed to find some minkee fabric in the scrap bin. Babies love texture!

 Add in a custom onesie from the present stash...

And all that's left is to get this little prezzie package in the mail this week!

Working with that pink owl fabric got me going... I've had a little pile of fabrics that I pulled from the stash sitting in my studio for months, but I just didn't know what to make with them. Off I went to my copy of Block Party: The Modern Quilting Bee, and found the Wonky Roman Stripe block.

June - Wonky Roman Stripe Block - Kristen Lejnieks

I scaled mine down to a 5 inch finished block and didn't "wonk" the strips quite as much.

When I got my February Kona fat quarters in the mail, I was a little disappointed. Pinks? What am I going to do with pinks? I guess I answered that question, albeit a few months later! I used (from lightest to darkest) Candy Pink, Bright Pink, and Pomegranate.

Guess I've got another baby quilt to quilt this week... that makes three! 

Any suggestions on how to quilt this, loyal readers?

J

Baby time!

No, this isn't an announcement, readers! Just the theme of some sewing I've been doing lately!

One of the Squares, Q-B, recently became a grandmother (woo hoo!) and that much loved little one will need some baby swag! Off I went to Pinterest to select some goodies!

 

First up, the tag-y blanket from a tutorial  at Made by Me, Shared with you. I even had some minkee fabric for the back. I followed the directions pretty closely... only I was lazy and didn't baste the ribbon tags in place first. Speedy sewist that I am, I just can't get into basting! I didn't need quite as many ribbon tags as directed either. My cousin's little one has a tag-y like this and he loves it! Given that it's only 13 inches square, it's more of a snuggly toy than an actual blanket.

 I also made a diaper and wipes case from a tutorial over at  Feed the dogs. It's meant to hold a couple of diapers and a mini case of wipes for those times you don't want to carry the whole diaper bag.

I also made a couple burp cloths from Made by Rae. I love that one side is quilting cotton and that the other side is a recycled t-shirt. I can totally see me saving t-shirts for these. Only I think I'd make them larger next time!








And now for the star of the show - the door shhh-er! It's a little pad that attaches to the doorknobs on both sides and covers the locking mechanism on the door. No annoying click when the little person has just drifted off to sleep. I'm plotting my own tutorial for this one! Coming soon to a blog near you!


Add in one custom screen-printed onesie and the swag bag is complete. Sewing for babies is a lot of fun. They love everything and, given the amount of spitting up , it's okay if they have more than one!

Thanks for reading!

J

Lazy Sunday...

All this week, I kept hoping that my little dream for this Sunday would come true - a day to myself to do as I pleased! I turned down a few things and made sure that little block on my iPhone calendar stayed blissfully empty! Time to sew! 

It all began with some green and gold strips... and a great reference book, Word Play Quilts by Tonya Ricucci. I bought this one a while back and have made a few projects. The improvisational method for making letters really makes me feel creative... I'm not just following a pattern, I'm creating something.

 Here's today's masterpiece... so far!

I know the colours are a little jarring, but it's a quilt with a purpose. It expresses my school's motto... and, of course, is made in our school colours.

 I just have to figure out if it's going to become one double-sided quilt or two separate pieces. Must consult the powers that be!

  



Since this project is stalled for the moment, I decided to work on something that was pure fun!

For the first time, I've combined my quilting with a little Yudu action. I made some cool t-shirts with Mr. Nephew & Miss Niece a couple weeks ago. I was so pleased with the print that I made a couple extras on white Kona... just in case.

Custom t-shirts - colour combos picked by the kiddies

 One of those screen print orphans turned into this pillow. I dove into my stash and pulled some funky lime, yellow, grey & black printed fabric (and a dash of Kona solids, of course!) I did a kind of wonky log cabin block to make a 14 1/2 inch square. I thought I might just leave it unquilted, but I was overtaken by an urge to push my limits in the free motion department. So I quilted each fabric with a different (and new to me) pattern... some worked better than others, but it was fun! And I only broke 2 needles. I ended up finishing it with a top stitch needle as that was all I had left in the tool box. Guess I'll be stopping in a my local fabric shop tomorrow!

There`s still a few hours before bed and, if I don`t waste too much time preparing and eating supper, I might just get in some more sewing. Christmas projects await!

Thanks for reading!

J

Baby steps...

It's been a while since my last post, but I have been sewing! It's just that a few of these little gems weren't for public consumption yet! I don't for a minute suppose that babies are reading my blog, but their parents might be!

 This one's for the brand new grand-baby of my husband's best fishing pal. It's based on a a photo from Flickr that I pinned a while back. I was pretty pleased with the fact that I just made it from a pic... very Q-D of me! It's made from scraps (all blues and whites) for a sweet little boy just three weeks old. It's quilted simply with the one-direction wiggly lines I've been partial to lately.

This one's for my newest little cousin (technically my second cousin). It's not your traditional baby quilt - not that I make a lot of those anyway! But these are the colours of his nursery and just what his mama wanted!I found the perfect pattern over at Sew4Home and decided to make it just like the tutorial - right down to the fabrics. So much fun sourcing them on-line and getting that fat envelope in the mailbox!

The quilting on this one is a total departure! I worked from the back, following the dark grey line. It looks really cool, and it's something I've never done before. Little Sammy will probably get a little something extra with his new quilty- some custom onesies made on my Yudu. Still haven't made a project that really combines quilting and screen printing, but I'm pretty sure I'll come up with one soon.

Though I haven't met him yet (his welcome party is tomorrow), I'm pretty sure he is a catch!

Thanks for reading!

J