2018 Quilt Round-Up

One of the things I enjoy most about year-end is reflecting on the things I did that year. Of course, setting goals for the year ahead is always fun, too, but of all the crafts I made for 2018, I was really proud of myself for making and finishing four quilts! Three were baby gifts for my newest nieces and nephew, plus the Halloween Haberdashery quilt I made in October.

Halloween Haberdashery (Witch Hat) Quilt

Baby Girl Quilt #1

Baby Girl Quilt #2

Baby Boy Quilt

The best part about making quilts for me is picking out and piecing all of the different fabrics. The designs for the three baby quilts were all made up on my own, while I did use a pattern for the hat blocks on the Halloween quilt. I've learned a lot of new tips and tricks since starting my journey of self-taught quilt-making and am proud to say I conquered my fears of free-motion quilting! (YouTube really can teach you just about anything!) 

Now that it's 2019, I already have plans (and fabrics) for more quilt-making in the New Year. Plus, maybe I'll finally finish the quilt I started for my Mom years ago. Here's hoping!

What's up, witches?

It wasn't the best lighting situation when I snapped these photos on a rainy day recently, but I had to share my latest witchy creations, Agatha and Kitty! These poor dollies had to wait a long time before they got their hair and hats. I tried something new for Agatha (the witch with the orange hat), creating her hair by sewing a knitted rectangle of purple yarn to her head. I like the way she turned out! Both dolls stand around 16 inches tall from hat to toes. 

Agatha

Kitty

Well, I was going to link to the posts of my other witch dolls creations from over the years, but it seems I've never posted any of the other witch dolls that I've made besides Winnie! I will just just go ahead and upload past Halloween dolls I've made here, too.

Esmerelda

Minerva

Elora

Luna, Esmerelda, and Erwina

I hope you find these dolls as BOO-tiful as I do! Happy Craftoween!

Hello, October!

October is one of my favorite months of the year! It probably has a lot to do with Halloween being my favorite holiday and Fall being my favorite season. I can't wait to bust out the Halloween decorations and make our house feel festive. In the meantime I've been working on the Halloween Haberdashery quilt pattern as part of a quilt along being hosted by the pattern's creator: Melissa Mortenson at Polka Dot Chair. I have made three quilts in my life and all three of them were given away as gifts. This quilt is one I'm making just for me!

A friend of mine asked if I thought this quilt would be good for beginners and I told her that it probably is not the first thing you should ever sew, but if you want to expand your skills, it is a really good project. So I'd rate it intermediate skill level, or beginner plus. Each witch hat quilt block is pretty involved with all the cutting and sewing, but there is something so satisfying with seeing the finished product. 

If you are a beginner with quilting, I would recommend getting a wider cutting mat than the one I have (pictured below). Find a 50% off coupon to make it cheaper because cutting mats can be expensive. I also really love the clear acrylic rulers. I already had a small square one from a baby quilt that I made, but used a coupon to get this one for the Halloween Haberdashery quilt project (it's 8 1/2 inches by 8 1/2 inches).

You can check out all of the quilt along posts on Instagram with #halloweenhaberdashery. Happy hallo-crafting!