buzzville

Racing Quilt for a Nephew

And here we have the third quilt on the third day! You didn't think I could do it, did you?!? Just 2 weeks ago I learned that my nephew, who just turned 2, is obsessed with Matchbox cars. We hadn't yet purchased a Christmas gift for him, so I started thinking about a play mat that he could use to play with his cars. Since I didn't have much time to work on any complicated patchwork or applique, I started looking for panels that might work. I found a Matchbox Hero City panel that was perfect, and a coordinating construction vehicle fabric for the backing.

I added a piece of geometric blue fabric to the backing, and basted the pieces together. Then I used free-motion quilting to outline all of the roads and the mountain range along the top of the panel. I also quilted around the black border (between the blue and the scene). I used a bias-cut black and white check fabric for the binding, thinking it would look something like those checkered flags they wave at car races. The entire project was very quick, and it worked really well. It's the first whole cloth quilt I've made, and it was quite satisfying to have something come together so quickly!

The sun was definitely not cooperating for these photos, but here is the front:

and here is the back:

and here is a detail of the back:

I'm hoping my nephew will have fun driving his cars along the roads and having his own car races. I'll try to get some pictures if my vision becomes a reality!

I've got to run - we're *trying* to get to Denver today as we're supposed to be spending Christmas with family in Colorado this year. Think good thoughts for us as we hope to be on one of the first flights in once they re-open the airport! I'll try to post while we're away, but if I'm not able to, I'll be back on the 30th.

Happy and safe holidays to everyone!

Silhouette Quilt

I guess it's no secret that retro, Victorian style silhouettes have been pretty trendy lately. When I saw the Michael Miller line of fabrics featuring fun silhouettes (part of the black & white collection), I had to get some. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it yet, but I definitely wanted to get some before it was gone. The wheels in my head started turning... although the silhouettes have traditionally been executed on paper, why not try the same thing with fabric? Although none of the techniques I used are revolutionary, I thought I'd go through each step in case anyone is wondering how I did it.

I started by taking some digital photos of Brynne's profile. Once I got one I was happy with, I pulled it into my photo editing software, masked the background and made it white and filled the shape of her profile in black. I did some simplification of the image (especially of her hair), and printed out a copy to the size I wanted for my quilt. Here is the photo I started with:

I decided which way I wanted her to face in the final quilt, and flipped my printout the opposite way. I then traced the reversed outline of the silhouette onto fusible (I like HeatnBond Lite). I cut out the fusible outline about 1/4" away from the outer edge of my tracing. Next, I cut away the inside of the fusible outline - cutting to within about 1/4" of the traced outline. (This step means that your fused fabric will only have the fusible along the outline and won't feel stiff all over.) I then ironed the fusible to the wrong side of the fabric I was using for the silhouette - in this case a solid black fabric. I then cut the fabric carefully along the traced line on my fusible (remember - the paper is still on one side of the fusible). Now I'm ready to start assembling the pieces!

I removed the paper backing from the fusible and ironed my black silhouette to the background fabric - a solid white fabric. To complete the applique, I decided to use a very narrow satin stitch in black thread, so as not to detract from the silhouette. I appliqued the silhouette with some stabilizer ironed to the back side (to prevent any tunneling or other distortion). I then cut the white background fabric to size and added 2 borders. I used a mitered joint for the outer border (a black moire fabric) and a butt joint for the inner border (a black/white print reminiscent of a foulard).

My inspiration fabric from Michael Miller became the backing. The quilting is very minimal - an outline of the silhouette, and then in-the-ditch around each border. I added a hanger sleeve matched to the backing fabric. I used our class Bernina to embroider the details on the hanger sleeve in red thread. I'm not crazy about the look of this alphabet, and normally I would do a label at home using Bubble Jet, but because I wanted the hanger sleeve to match the backing, I couldn't use this method (the Inkjet inks won't show up on black fabric). I finished the edge using the knife-edge technique again. (Per some questions to yesterday's post, I tried to get photos of this, but since both fabrics are black, the detail was lost... I'll try to get something up that explains the technique!)

The quilt is designed to hang on the wall, much like a framed, paper silhouette would be displayed. Here is the front:

and here are some detail shots (excuse the fuzz from the batting - I didn't go over it with a lint remover before I took the pictures - doh!):

and here's the back with the embroidery in red:

This wall-hanging is destined to be a Christmas gift for one of Brynne's grandmas. I hope she likes it!

A quilt a day?

Ok, I know that most of you probably won't believe me, but I've been crafting up a storm here at chez buzzville, and I have 3 (yes, 3!) finished quilts to share with you. I know, I know... I probably should have suggested you sit down before you read that outlandish claim! My plan is to post a quilt a day for 3 days in a row, and get all caught up with what I've been working on lately. Without further ado, I'll share the first of 3 quilts:

You may remember me posting about the quilt that I've been calling the pixelated quilt. It seems like ages since I started it, and it really didn't take all that long. The delay was that my quilting teacher actually started expecting us to try something different... can you imagine?!? So, instead of working away on the pixelated quilt, I had to put it aside to learn some other techniques. But, I'm thrilled to say that this long overdue gift is finally en route to it's tiny recipient (and her mom!). Even though I know it hasn't arrived yet, I'm going to post it here because it might not happen otherwise!

The concept of the quilt is from this book by Yoshiko Jinzenji. Here is a picture of her version:

 

Her quilt was constructed using reverse applique, but I didn't think that reverse applique would hold up well as a baby quilt. So, I decided to approach it from a piecing perspective. I pulled out a piece of graph paper and a red pen, and I just began coloring in squares (pixels) to achieve a similar effect. I didn't want to copy hers exactly, but I did like the way the red was basically a border around the white. After a couple of tries, I came up with something I was happy with. I selected the fabric and pre-washed the white and red together to make sure there wasn't any bleeding. Can you believe that the wonderful, red Kona cotton didn't bleed onto the white at all?!? I then rotary cut the fabric into 1.5" strips, since my grid was based on 1" finished pixels.

I divided the overall quilt into 9 unequal "blocks", and proceeded to assemble the blocks one at a time. As the quilters out there can imagine, this quilt involves a *lot* of seam matching. The block assembly didn't take too long, but once the blocks were finished and it was time to join blocks, that's when the real headaches began! Trying to achieve perfection by joining 2 adjacent blocks and matching the seams every inch was incredibly tough. I ripped and stitched, ripped and stitched. Invariably, I would rip to fix one junction, and then the next time a different one would be off! I got to a point where I was relatively satisfied, and then moved on.

The recipient's mom helped to select the fabric for the backing, so that helped with the decision making. I decided that the only way to quilt this would be in the ditch, and I also decided to use the knife-edge technique rather than adding binding. (This is quickly becoming a favorite technique of mine!) The in-the-ditch quilting went quickly, and then I hand-sewed the knife-edge closing. Here is the finished quilt:

You can see that mine has more red than the original, but I also think that the original was a much larger quilt. It does hang pretty square, despite what the photo is showing... I always find it so hard to take pictures of quilts! I realized after I had started on the quilt that the color scheme (red/white/black) is perfect for a little baby and her developing eyes. The design is also a bit of a Rorschach test - folks in my quilting class were seeing all sorts of things! Here is a detail of the front to show how each seam had to be matched:

The back doesn't really photograph well from a distance - the pattern gets lost - but here is a detail showing the fabric and quilting:

Even though I pre-washed all of the fabrics, the quilt still got a nice, puckered look because I didn't pre-wash the batting.

I really enjoyed making this quilt. Although the pattern was relatively simple, it is unusual and modern. And, the difficulty of the piecing added a challenge that I appreciated. I hope that mom and baby enjoy this quilt!

peepish

Wow! Thanks everyone for all of the name suggestions for Kevin, and keep them coming! This is fantastic!

I realized today that I haven't blogged about an amazing new invention: Holiday Cookie Flavored Peeps! I know that my partner Mariko is largely considered the Peep queen, but she hasn't blogged this - so I have to!

I originally picked up a couple of packages of these to send as gifts to folks overseas, but I had to try one for myself. Am I the only one who has tried these?!? They are *so* good! I'm normally not much of a peep person - kinda take 'em or leave 'em. But these actually taste like something (not sure what...), and it's really good! I went to look for more information on these bits of spongy deliciousness, and I discovered an entire Official Peeps Website full of tidbits. Of course, I was immediately drawn to the Featured Recipes and Crafts section.

I bet you didn't know that you can make a candleholder out of the Christmas tree-shaped peeps:

And, I think I have to officially throw down the gauntlet and challenge Mariko to make this (bring on the diabetes) holiday treat:

   

What do you think Mariko? Are you up to the challenge of making the Peep "Circle of Friends" Holiday Cake? I think your guests would love it!

and his name shall be

Almost a year ago we submitted an application to adopt a greyhound with our local greyhound rescue organization. It was quickly quite clear that we weren't ideal candidates because we have 2 cats and a little one - they generally like kids to be at least 5 years old. And so, I had just about given up hope on a greyhound in the near future. That's why I was so surprised to get a call last week asking if I'd like to meet a young pup (between 12 and 14 months old) who might just work out in our house. "Kevin" came over last Wednesday to check out the place and meet me and Brynne and our cats. The first meet went extremely well, and I was pretty sold on the cutie. Jerry was out of town for work last week, so we arranged for a second play date on Sunday. Kevin came over and spent most of the day with us - we played outside, went for a walk to the park, and had loads of fun. We drove him back to the rescue center last night, and we all decided that Kevin should join the family. Since we're going out of town for the holidays, we're waiting until we get back to bring him home for good. How can you resist this guy?!?

As you can see, he's quite irresistable and very comfortable lounging on our bed!

The only major hurdle is coming up with a name. I just can't do Kevin... doesn't work for me. So, I'm asking my blog friends out there for name ideas - we like creative and fun, but easy enough to call him. If we end up choosing a name suggested by a blog reader, we'll send a little goodie package out with some fun stuff! So - bring on the names!

superbuzzy interview!

I feel so silly about all of this - maybe a bit giddy?!? But, sweet Mary Jo from Trust Your Style is featuring an interview with Mariko and me on her great blog today! So, if you've ever wanted to know more about how superbuzzy got going, or goofy tidbits about me and Mariko, check it out!

last minute gift ideas?!?

I hope no one thinks this is too sneaky, but we've just updated superbuzzy with some really fantastic goodies! Here are some of my faves:

house kit

Shinzi Katoh short bag

yarn!

Shinzi Katoh trim

matryoshka patches!

As always, please drop us a line if you have a suggestion for the shop!

hi again!

Hope you all survived your Mondays! It's been busy around here... really busy! But, I was thrilled to have a really great family weekend that provided a bit of a break amidst the constant work and stress. We drove down to LA and fueled up for the day at one of our favorite spots in West Hollywood - Swingers. Then, I dragged Jerry and Brynne down to Felt Club XL on Saturday. What a zoo! On the one hand, congratulations to Jenny for gathering up such an amazing bunch of vendors - it was huge! On the other hand, a craft show of that size really needs a larger venue. I could hardly move amidst the throngs of people, let alone browse all the amazing handcrafted goodies. I got really frustrated, because it was such a great show, but yet there was no way I could enjoy myself and casually shop. The silver lining is that I finally got to meet the ultra-crafty goddess Heidi (hi Heidi!), and I snatched up one of her adorable chocolate milk dolls. Heidi is kinda like an OG (original gangsta') to me, so I was super excited to finally meet her - such a talented sweetie!

I was also lucky enough to snatch up one of the incredible octopus pins from Art School Dropout... I've been trying to get one of these for ages, but they always sell out before I can get them. So happy to have my very own octopus! While I was trying to maneuver through the mass of humanity at the show, Jerry and Brynne escaped to the Craft: area where they provided little stockings, felt, glitter, gems, glue and other stuff so that everyone could embellish their own stockings. I felt once again as if I were meeting crafty (or maker) royalty when I exchanged business cards with Mark Frauenfelder, Editor-in-Chief of Make and Carla Sinclair, Editor-in-Chief of Craft! Mark asked whether or not superbuzzy is going to carry gocco supplies, and that really got me thinking...

After dragging Jerry and Brynne to Felt Club, we decided to head to Griffith Park to check out the newly reopened and renovated Observatory. For those who aren't familiar with the Park and the Observatory, they've become landmarks for Los Angeles, especially since the locations were featured in Rebel Without a Cause. We went not realizing that the Observatory was now requiring reservations to enter. However, we learned that there is a fire trail that leads up the hill right behind the observatory. I was sure Brynne wouldn't make it - the hike was very steep, and not terribly short. We set out at a slow, toddler pace, and we tried to keep her distracted with sights along the way. Amazingly, she made it to the top all by herself! We had no trouble getting into the Observatory once we made the hike, and the new exhibits are really wonderful. I'm especially crazy about the great architectural detailing of the building - it opened in 1935 and features wonderful Art Deco touches throughout.

amazing detail on the rooftop by the telescopes

mural inside the dome, atop the giant pendulum

James Dean and the Hollywood sign, of course!

We hiked back down the hill, and the skies were clear and crisp - so rare in LA!

It was late afternoon by that time, and we discovered a really cute little rustic cafe on our way out of the park. They advertised pie made on location! We all shared a slice of Shaker lemon pie, and Brynne had hot chocolate and I had a green tea latte. Such a nice ending to a day in the city!

decole goodness!

I've been lucky to meet Madeline through this blog, and to occasionally compare notes with her on the ins and outs of doing a Japanese import business. But, I've been such a slacker that I've always missed out on ordering stuff from Colorful Cute - that is, until now! I got the most amazing package of goodness in the mail today:

yes - hedgehogs!

mmmmmm - milk!

a complete tea set! includes teapot, strainer, cup, and lid!

and, of course, the incomparable little red riding hood!

Thanks Madeline! Such amazing goodies - and shipped super fast, too!

Now, you may be wondering why I'm buying Japanese cute stuff after just having returned from Japan. Well, there are a few reasons:

1. we were so busy doing superbuzzy stuff, we really didn't have much time for "fun" shopping - sad but true!
2. I was saving all the extra space in my luggage for bolts of fabric and stuff for the shop!
3. The cute stuff isn't all located in one place. We would see bits here and there, but we never saw the entire Decole or Cram Cream line in one spot. The best selection we saw was on the ground floor of the Yuzawaya in Kichijoji (thanks again Kat!) - lots of Cram Cream!

Now, that's not to say that there isn't the perfect shop for all this stuff somewhere, but if there is one, I don't know about it! Kiddyland is amazing - 5 floors of toys and cute stuff - but it was more focused on Sanrio, San-X, vinyl toys, licensed goods (lots of Ed Emberley, Miffy, Moomin, etc.), and stationery type stuff. Kiddyland is definitely worth a stop, but I wouldn't count on finding much Decole and Cram Cream there. I did buy cute stuff, and I'm terribly late in showing it all off (coming soon!), but I didn't see any of the stuff from Colorful Cute while I was in Japan!

Speaking of cute, is it really awful to have my daughter do our advertising for us?!? She doesn't seem to mind - really!

birthday wishes

This is just a little post to publicly wish my sweetie a super happy birthday! I think we have plans for sushi, something sweet, and surprise gifts (some from Japan!). He's such the perfect guy for me - growing old with him is something I look forward to. Happy birthday Jerry!

And, perhaps as a sweet treat for all of you, I've just added 3 (yes 3!) new Japanese craft magazines to superbuzzy: Cotton & Paint, Cotton Friend, and Craft Cafe! They're all full of fun holiday crafty ideas, so they might be just what you need for a little last minute inspiration! I don't think we'll keep up this "new items daily" thing, but it's kinda fun while it lasts!