Alec's Accolade Quilt with a Modern twist

A few months ago my good friend Alec's mom commissioned me to make her son a memory quilt. Which I was so excited to do because A) He's one of my best and dearest friends and B) I LOVE MAKING QUILTS! The quilt would be made from his old t-shirts that were plays he'd been in, art he'd drawn for various events or places and movies and festivals he'd made and been to. A fraction of what he has accomplished let me tell you. I really don't want to toot his horn because living in LA his head has been known to swell, but seriously folks, this guy has done and made a lot of artwork over the years that is nothing short of amazing. So back to the quilt...

When starting a new memory/t-shirt quilt the first thing I do is cut the shirts and lay them all our in a timeline order by rows (and there is always a lot of changing around here).

Layout of shirts

The second thing I do is measure the shirts and create a layout on paper. Sometimes getting everything aligned can be tricky because of sizes, keeping them in order, and making it the size requested (although some quilts I have done had no finished size requirement). But when things are in correct timeline order and add up like this...it's AWESOME!

Layout on good old paper... OMG!

The next step is to trim each row and add sashing to make all the shirts the same size. And then sew each row together and add the drop (if there is one) and the top is done! Wish it was that fast. 

Then I made the back, which for this quilt I wanted to be a cool design in case he had a chick over he could flip it from the t-shirt side for a more distinguished look. Although when I told him my thinking here after he received it he wanted to show off the t-shirt side. No matter, two cool sides are better than one! I was so happy to make this for him and I am even happier that he loved it so much. My job here is done :-) 

Here are the pictures he took of the quilt at home in his place...

The T-shirt side with a drop (fit for a queen)

The back and modern twist 

Here he wanted to show how it matches his plants :-) 

Here are the pictures I took of it at my home before I sent it off...as you can see Charlie is in the picture to show scale. And I just noticed how perfect it is the Charlie turned withe the quilt, what a cutie!

Front

Back

Each custom quilt is outfitted with yours truly ;-)

I have really loved each and every quilt I have made, but they keep getting better and better! Quilting is my passion, my hobby, my job, my outlet for creativity...and here you can see why. Quilts are fun and always made with love. Thanks for viewing!

Ta Ta for now!

Getting ready for The LOLA Show!

The LOLA Show is a fabulous Lawrence tradition that comes 3-4 times a year featuring handmade gift artists and I have the new pleasure of being one of them! For the past month I have been sewing up a storm getting ready for the show. Trying to come up with new items as well as replenishing the things that have sold in the past. While getting ready although it can be stressful finding the time (what with a baby and all) I LOVE what I do!!! Last night while whipping up a couple of recycled T-Shirt quilts I kept thinking "I LOVE sewing!" and that makes me "sew"happy :-) Living the dream. Seriously.
So, BIG thanks to many a sitter and a wonderful husband!

Here are a few peek's at what will be at LOLA tomorrow...

Fringe Tea Towels & Cloth Napkins

Japanese Canvas Print Market Tote Bags

Recycled T-Shirt Quilt

iPad & Kindle Sleeves

                           

                          Amy Butler Embellished Tea Towel

My lazy assistant

                           

Tagging & Packing Up!

All ready to go! 

Please come by to see me and the other vendors tomorrow at the Spring LOLA Craft Show. Treat yourself or someone you love with a handmade gift.

There's a hole in the....dress!

This gorgeous dress came to me today for a very important customer of a very important customer. There was a small hole in the embroidered tulle overlay that was sent to be fixed. Well, my very good customer was not pleased and called me. Happily I accepted the job and love things like this! I went to Stitch On and picked up the best matched thread which turned out to be a Rainbow Tweed cotton/wool/acrylic mix thread and went to work. I delicately created a leaf over the hole and voilà! This isn't life changing work here folks, but if I can make my customers customer happy I have done my job :-)

Stitchouse Blog open!

WhenBrokeGetCrafty is good for home stuff, cooking, and feelings, but I thought my business should have its own blog. Here it is! I will be posting updates on the biz, quilts projects, and my road to becoming a professional quilter!

Stitchouse is a seamstress for hire business since 2011. You have a project, I'll try to see it through for you! My past customer projects have been anything from simple alterations to a hat quilt. I've done stocking, pillows, embroidery, and mending like Mrs. O'Brien from Downton Abbey. It is only the beginning of my dream job...a professional quilter. I started Stitchouse because my husband and I were starting a family and wanted me to stay home with the kids. We had our first child last year (Charlie), and although its hard to get any work done (because we are busy having fun) I have managed keep a steady business. Stitchouse has acquired some really excellent customers and relationships along the way.

As a seamstress though, my passion for fashion design has evolved into quilting design. The world of Modern Quilting is new and exciting to me. I look forward to the day Lawrence has a Modern Quilt Guild of its own! In the spirit of modern quilting I want to show you what I have been working on.

Recently my husband and I have changed our entire house around to combine our offices and give our son his own room, which pushed our bedroom into my old office. Our new room is a blank canvas in which to redecorate! Where to start? A quilt of course! I have been toying with ideas for months and have a quilt board a mile long on Pinterest, but none were exactly what I wanted.

Here is what I have come up with that I am really liking so far (and the colors are just guidelines, the real fun will be picking out the fabrics to make it come to life).

 Layered Blockhead
(title to change...)

I know it is fairly simple, but I love the illusion of color layering in quilts. It is also a bit more on the traditional side of modern. Not sure its what I'll stick with, but for now, its a keeper.

Ta Ta for now!