For Baby Kate

I told you all last week about my best friend Amanda.  Her baby Kate was born seemingly healthy.  After a couple days Kate was losing weight and became jaundice.  What seemed like something a lot of newborns go through quickly turned into a very dangerous situation. 

Amanda and her husband were told that Kate was fighting a vicious virus.  In her current health condition they couldn't do any testing to determine what the virus was.  They were giving her several antibiotics to cover all possibilities.  All the knew for sure was that the virus was attacking  her liver.

They were then told that Kate was dying.  It would take a miracle.  Told to call all their family to come and say goodbye to their sweet newborn baby girl.  It was unbelievably heartbreaking.  Still grieving for my dad when I heard the news I couldn't bare it.  I was so sad and really angry.  I've been so angry feeling like we were "cheated" with my dad...and now my best friend losing her newborn baby girl??

Well they did all come to say goodbye to Kate..but there have been miracles.  A month later Kate is still fighting!!!!  She has an uphill battle but she is here and there is hope.  There is a high probability that she will need a liver transplant which comes with it's own set of health risks and problems.  But the hope (and belief) that Kate can go home and grow-up with her family is real.

The weekend Kate was born I finished her name blanket and quilt.  And a couple days later the morning Amanda told me the sad news I rushed to send her the gifts.  (Unfortunately we now live states away)  I just wanted her to have them.  If Kate only had a few days on the Earth I knew anything tangible would be precious to Amanda.

I started the star blocks this past Summer with no real plan.  When Amanda and her family came to stay with me over Thanksgiving we were talking about what type of quilt she wanted for baby girl.  I showed her the blocks and she loved them, so I took it from here.  They're 6 inch blocks, 1 inch sashing and then a couple of borders.  I just kept building this quilt each step of the way :)  We also made the name blanket with no name while she was here...and I added her name after Kate was born.

Kate is baby number 3 for Amanda and Ryker.  Their oldest daughter is the same age as my oldest son (6).  They'll probably get married one day because they love each other and fight with each other equally :)  Kalil has wanted a name blanket for ages and we've just never put one together.  Last week I sent this to Kalil, after all siblings need just as much love when all this craziness is around them.

I am so so glad that Kate is still here.  That she is fighting.  I am so happy that even though handmade things don't change the situation or lessen the pain, they can maybe bring some comfort to our hearts.  Making these things for Amanda and her family has probably done more good for me than them.  I can't wait to meet Kate and hopefully be able to hold her too!!

You can follow me on instagram (@quiltstorymeg) to stay in the loop or you can also follow Amanda (@rykerandamanda) to keep posted on sweet baby Kate.  I'll keep you all posted here as well.

Thanks for taking the time to stop by and read today :)

Sarah Jane horse dress for Sophie...

 Sophie's new horse dress. She couldn't be happier. Already planning to wear it again tomorrow.

How much do I love Michael Miller and Sarah Jane Studios fabrics? All the way

This print is from Sarah Jane Studios brand new Wee Wander line. Every new line she comes up with is just more and more adorable. I LOVE this line so much!

My Mom and I whipped up this cute little dress for Sophie. We used Burda 9504 pattern. Warning, we had a serious problem with the bodice. In the end my mom (who used to make tons of our clothes) was able to finish the pattern, not how they were asking us to. (I am still confused.)

But I do love this dress pattern so so much. My sweet Sophie will only wear dresses or skirts. That is all. I like the retro style of this dress, short, high waisted, collar, just love it. 

A little action shot..

She is such a doll to sew for. She was super happy, and is already asking for another. Oh fine. 

Custom Play Around Quilt

I (Meg) was commissioned to make this darling Play Around Quilt using Sarah Jane fabrics.  It was a joy!!  But really :)  We adore SJ fabrics so I was really excited about this project.

I used a lot of the same prints as in the original Play Around pattern.  The customer wanted the focus on pinks and as much green as I could include (there was only one print) to match her daughters room.

The top and bottom rows are fussy cut darling images from the prints (Children at Play line).  The middle three rows are embroideries the customer made.  She did an amazing job!!  They are made using SJ embroidery patterns.

Here are a couple of my favorites.  I wanted to show a close-up of all of them!  But I refrained...

I'm kinda bitter this isn't in my own quilt stack! I adore this line, the colors and the embroideries are over the top!!

And the super sweet quilting done by my aunt.  I love the sweet hearts on the border!

A simple polka dot on the back, it shows the quilting beautifully too!

There you have it!  So I hear the customer was quite happy and I hope that's true! :)

Our Play Around Pattern can be found here.

Thanks for stopping by! I hope you're all enjoying the holidays! 

Embroidery tutorial and ideas...

Today I did a guest post for Clover in Violet series, A Season by Hand. Welcome to Clover and Violet readers, we hope you like what you see.

 I decided to share an embroidery project that is twist on the norm. 

I embroidered right on top of a fabric I already loved. This is Sarah Jane's Out to Sea fabric line, and this mermaid is darling!

To start, cut the fabric piece about an inch and a half larger than the hoop you are using. 

Another tip is to add a circle of fusible white fleece to the back, this helps your stitches not show through to the front of your project. 

I started with a simple filler stitch for the mermaid tail...

I added some stem stitching to her hair, just pieces of her hair, not all. Then I did a handful of frenchknots to the starfish. The texture really stands out. You could be done here if you liked it. 

I decided to go on and "freestyle" the fishes. The same style of fish were in a different area of the print, so I basically just copied that idea and added the fish next to her. I really like them. 

When you are finished, pull tight, and use a glue gun and glue the fabric edges to the back of the hoop.

You are finished! A sweet, semi-custom, darling embroidery hoop art.

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial, and if you are new from Clover and Violet, we hope you come back more!

Cute quilt finish from Sew paint it...

Darling finish from Marianne of Sew Paint It. Marianne does a little bit of everything, sewing, decorating, renovating, painting, you name it. Our kind of lady! We got this submission, and Megan and I both have a soft spot for Sarah Jane fabric. Just looking at this quilt makes me want to go play with my stash. Anyhow, Marianne did a little bit of everything on this quilt, applique, hand stitching, machine quilting etc. We love it all! 

I finished a quilt!  It is my boys quilt using children at play fabric by Sarah Jane and I am really, really, really pleased with it!

I finished it today.

The backing was a sheet I found and I love it.  It is so soft and lovely.  Love the design for my little boy too.

Diggers and tractors - just what little boys like!

I did machine quilting on this quilt and then hand quilted around the stars.

I love hand quilting because it is so soft and specially for someone.  It shows you care.

The machine quilting is 0.25" from each seam.

The binding is also a sheet, a plain blue one which was worn out in areas.  It is really soft.  I hate doing the corners!  I must find some tutorials on doing that better because there is definitely room for improvement there!

Sophie Sassy Pants and Fabric Tuesday...

SOPHIE SASSY PANTS AND THE SAILOR DRESS

I have told you a bit about my youngest daughter Sophie here and here.

She is my little firecracker pip squeak. She says funny things (not on purpose, don't you love 4 and 5 year olds for that reason?) Like "It's not Yucky Charms, it's Yummy Charms!" 

Also, one day I bought her a new dress (She loves dresses more than anything in the whole world). She was so excited and to thank me and compliment me she said "Thank you Mommy! You are not stupid anymore!"

She gives me more trouble and noise in the 10 minutes she is home from Kindergarden, than her little 3 year old brother Wes gives me the whole time she is gone. 

Sophie has been known to go up to perfect stranger girls at the park and say "My shoes are cuter than yours."  She changes clothes at least 5 times a day too.

However, she can be sweet too. We were playing skipbo as a family and I was out first and made a frown. She was so sad for me that she "gave" me her last win. She also always goes nuts with me about new fabric, just the response that I need that the older girls won't give me. She loves to snuggle me too.

She treats her little brother Wes like he is still a newborn infant who needs everything done for him. Always baby talking him and getting things for him. (I won't tell you how she treats her older sisters.)

And although she has plenty hand me down dresses from her 3 older sisters, I can't help buying her more here and there. She LOVES new (or used) dresses and shoes so much! She hugs them and hops up and down. Then she will put them on and pose like a princess while batting her eyelashes (how could you resist that?)

This was a sailor dress her mother in law made for  her by my request (I have an awesome Mother-in-Law) She had to combine a few patterns to get the dress, but I love how it turned out. Sophie wore it for the first day of school. (and many other days)

Do you have any silly stories of a 4 or 5 year old in your life???

On to FABRIC TUESDAY, what have you been sewing??? 

Fabric Tuesday #110

click here for more info

Ruffle Pillow and Embroidery Hoop Art Tutorial

 I got my second chance to work with some gorgeous Ruffle Fabric.  If you missed my Sweet Ruffles quilt tutorial where I used ruffle fabric strips check it out, turned out so fun!! I also share some tips on working with ruffle fabric if you're scared :)

Look at this fun collection for baby girl!!! And it was sincerely so simple to make (not including the quilt :)  

I am going to share how to make a simple throw pillow and embroidery hoop art, so let's get started!

Ruffle Throw Pillow

Materials Needed:

16" x 16" pillow form

1/2 yard of Ruffle Fabric

Cutting Requirements:

Two pieces of fabric 10" x 17"

One piece of fabric 17" x 17"

*adjust measurements for your size of pillow, generally 1" excess is the right size, if you have a much larger/smaller pillow form adjust accordingly.

With right sides together overlap the two 10" x 17" pieces for the back. IMPORTANT: Ensure your ruffles will all hang the same way.  Pin generously as ruffle fabric does stretch.  It is very forgiving however so don't be too intimidated.  No need to hem your edges, I told you it was simple!

Use a 1/2 inch seam and sew around entire perimeter of pillow.  Pull the pillow right sides out through the opening in the back.  You can hardly tell it's there with the ruffles!

Ta-da!  Love how this sweet pillow turned out, so feminine for my little lady!  This print is called Sunset Cascading, it's a beautiful combination of pink and coral.

Ruffle Embroidery Hoop Art

Materials Needed

hot glue gun

felt (optional)

marking pen

embroidery hoops

fabric piece 2" larger than the hoop

I used three sizes of hoops.  My 4" hoop I used a 6" square of pink mini ruffles.  My 6" hoop I used a pieced block (didn't it turn out cute??) I pieced a 4" block and added a border to make it 8" square.  Lastly I used a  9" hoop with a 11" square piece of fabric.

If you wanted to back the hoops with felt measure and cut that now.  Use the inside of the back hoop and measure out the right size of circle.  I opted not to add felt to mine, it gives a nice finished look so if you're gifting this project I would definitely back it.

Center and tightly screw in the hoop.  Take care that the image is centered and also it is centered to the top of the hoop.  Trim if necessary around the hoop with 1/4"-1/2" excess.

Carefully apply the glue to the inside of the hoop.  Work small sections at a time folding the fabric over as you go.  Careful not to burn yourself!

Again trim if necessary. If you'd like to add the felt to the back of the hoop you can do so now.

And now you've got some super sweet and simple artwork for your nursery!!  I am still working on the rest of the wall decor and will share the whole thing when I'm done.

I had no idea how nuts I'd go having this baby girl :)  It is so fun to go over the top and frilly, I'm loving it!  Thanks for stopping by and hopefully you learned something!!