Crumb Stars

I've been obsessed with crumb quilting lately, and after some back-and-forthing about what to do with the crumb blocks I've been sewing, I've settled (for now) on doing a version of Jaybird Quilts' August Stars pattern with my crumbs.

This is a picture of my test block, which I'm pretty happy with. I have a different navy fabric I'm going to use "for reals" but this gives me a rough idea of what to expect. I didn't want to cut into the other fabric until I was more sure, because I only have one yard and it's not something I can get more of. (It's a Japanese import I got at Britex Fabrics in San Francisco several years ago.)

Here are some more crumb blocks/ "made fabric" for the project. It's blocky because I don't love using triangles in these, at least not yet. Maybe that's something to work up to. 

This all started because my scrap bin was literally overflowing and I needed to get it under control. So I sorted out all of the smaller pieces and put them in a separate bag, where I can dip in and use them more efficiently. So far so good!

2020 Reading Roundup

How many books read in 2020?

I read a sad 54 books in 2020. Waaaay down from last year's 71. I attribute this to Covid; no commuting after March meant no subway books, and no audiobooks. 

How many fiction and non fiction? 35 fiction versus 19 nonfiction. No audiobooks after March meant a steep decline in that category and the nonfiction I read at home tended to be longer books than the fiction.

Male/Female author ratio? 29 female authors versus 23 male and 1 nonbinary (that I am aware of).

Diversity? Of 54 authors 19 were people of color and 8 books covered LGBTQ themes.

Favorite book of 2019? 

I loved Piranesi by Susanna Clarke, Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker and Funeral Diva by Pamela Sneed.

Any that you simply couldn’t finish and why? Always.

Oldest book read? 

August Folly, by Angela Thirkell, originally published in 1936.

Newest? 

Sure, I'll Be Your Black Friend, by Ben Philippe, due out later this year.

Longest and shortest book titles?

Shortest title: Meaty, by Samantha Irby
Longest title: My Autobiography of Carson McCullers, by Jenn Shapland

Longest and shortest books?

Longest: The Lying Life of Adults, by Elena Ferrante
Shortest:  The Famous Magician, by Cesar Aira

How many books from the library? 

None! For the fifth year in a row I did not read a library book.

Any translated books?

I read books or stories translated from Spanish, French, Italian, Korean and Swedish. This year I read the fewest translated books in probably the last 15 years. Weird.

Which countries did you go to through the page in your year of reading?

I went to Colombia, France, Italy, North Korea, England. Nigeria, Ireland, Sweden, Scotland, South Africa, Russia, Kenya, China, New Zealand, all over Polynesia, Argentina, Thailand and several fantasy worlds as well.

Most read author of the year, and how many books by that author? I did not repeat a single author all year.

Any re-reads? 

The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, by Carson McCullers. I last read it in high school; it definitely held up. One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. 

Favorite character of the year? 

Giorgio Pellegrini from Gang of Lovers.

Which book wouldn’t you have read without someone’s specific recommendation? 

The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula LeGuin. My husband recommended it.

Which author was new to you in 2020 that you now want to read the entire works of? 

Kristen Arnett

Which books are you annoyed you didn't read? 

Lampedusa by Steven Price.

Did you read any books you have always been meaning to read? 

No. I was sort of picking from the shelves at random.

Bookish Events in Marie's Life: 

There were no bookish events in my life except for my job. I continued my job which changed and changed again over the course of the year. I pivoted from a part time paperwork job to a fulltime ecommerce position, rode the waves we experienced as a business and washed up on the post-holiday shores exhausted but happy and grateful.

Books I'm Looking Forward to in 2021:

• Outlawed by Anna North
• Grotesque by Natsuo Kirino
• Lampedusa by Richard Price
• Luster by Raven Leilani

Read with Me Quilt

This is a library quilt I made for a family friend based on Moda's Read With Me tutorial from the Moda Bake Shop. I can't find the link to the tutorial/pattern anymore- sorry. 

I chose what I thought was a fun, girly color palette and had fun selecting scraps and fats to use. I love to read and sometimes people ask me when or if I'm going to make a bookshelf quilt; to be honest it's not the most exciting thing from a piecing point of view, because it's just strips but it was fun to do as a gift.

My friend liked it a lot. That was gratifiying. Maybe I'll make something like it for me someday.

Kate Spain Layer Cake Link!

I finished this quilt a few weeks ago but it was finally gifted so I can share it now.

I made it with a layer cake by Kate Spain and some white yardage. The pattern is called Layer Cake Links and it's a free download from Fat Quarter Shop.

It didn't photograph all that well but it's very pretty in real life. It was fun to make and didn't take too long. It was a gift for a friend who brought my husband and me some meals when he was sick with what we think was COVID-19 in March. It was a terrible, scary time and it helped a lot to have someone helping me out!

The pattern used all but four of the 42 layer cake squares so there is very little waste. And a layer cake square is the perfect size for my favorite mask pattern; I made my friend a mask with two of the leftover squares.

Self-Explanatory

Nothing much to see here- just a cat in a basket of fabric, because this is what happens when I try to clean and organize my fabric.

Catfinity!

I don't know which of my Shirts No. 1 that I've sewed is my favorite, but this is certainly the most fun.

I made this with Alexander Henry's Catfinity fabric, which while out of print is not impossible to get a hold of on eBay. I had a yard in my stash and found more online so I could make the shirt. This is 100 Acts of Sewing again. There are other colorways in Catfinity- black and white, which is stunning, and a more autumn palette, which I'm not crazy about. If you go on Instagram and search for #catfinity you'll find a lot of garments and projects people have made with the fabric. My favorites are the smaller things- tops and purses- that show off the fabric really well.

I'm super chuffed with my shirt!

Dress Number 1

I finally made a dress!

This was actually a couple of weeks ago. I lost track of blogging- again! Anyhoo this is Dress No. 1 from 100 Acts of Sewing, made with Japanese linen I found on Etsy.

I bought two yards but they might have sent me a little more since I was able to cut the dress easily and the pattern calls for 2 1/4 yards. It was also wide enough that I was able to cut a Grainline Studios Willow tank out of it as well.

I really love wearing it. It's short- just above the knee- but so soft and swingy. I swear the fabric gets softer each time I wash it. I will say that next time I will cut the front neckline a little lower but other than that it's a great fit.

The fabric works just as well in the tank and I love the linen tank even more than the Tula version. The pattern seems to like a more drape-y fabric. I could wear either garment every day.

I have some Indian cotton to make a second dress and I can't wait. I've got a project on my machine that I need to quilt up, which should take a week or so, and then it's back to garments.

Grainline Studios Willow Tank in Tula Pink Seastallions

I think the title says it all but here is my Grainline Studio's Willow tank in Tula Pink's Seastallions fabric.

I love it! I had a little trouble with the darts. One came out great and the other is a little pimply. But overall I love this top. I made a medium which fits me nicely. I can see making more of this top and trying to dress version eventually. I think it looks nicer on me than it does in the picture- it looks a little tent-like and it's actually a nice fit in real life.

Next up I think is going to be another shirt, then I'll try my first dress. I love making clothes! Why haven't I been doing this for years???

BY Gets a New Dress

I finished another Shirt No. 1 (I'll show you later) and so of course I had to make my Baby Yoda a matching dress. 

This is the same pattern I used for her Kaffe Fassett dress, Frou-Frou's chemise scaled down. Turns out French seams are a great choice for double gauze! I had just about enough left over from 2 yards for BY's dress and even some scraps for face masks.

Anyway thought you might like to see Eugenie relaxing in her new summer dress. Have a great day!

Reccomended Reading: No One Is Coming To Save Us, by Stephanie Powell Watts

No One is Coming to Save Us, by Stephanie Powell Watts 9780062472991

A perfect choice for a quiet afternoon in your favorite chair and set in modern day North Carolina, Powell Watts tells the story of Ava and Sylvia, mother and daughter navigating family, change and the future. Ava’s lackluster marriage to underachiever Henry is falling apart as she makes what may be a final, desperate attempt to have a child. Then her first love moves back to town in a flashy mansion on a hill. Sylvia’s troubles are with the past and present, too, and with her troubled daughter. This is a moving, engrossing and character-driven story about family- the one you’re given and the one you choose, even when life doesn’t go as expected. It’s a lovely and honest look at being a woman, a wife and a mother and making peace with what is and what can be. 

Buy it from Bookshop.org.