Get a Clue Nancy Drew Quilt

This quilt was my final finish of 2015. I cut, pieced, and had this thing sent for quilting in just under a month! The fabric I used is a Layer Cake of Get a Clue Nancy Drew for Moda Fabrics. It is out of print and I am so glad that I snatched this up on Ebay when I did!  

My mom has been collecting Nancy Drew books for years, so I just had to make her a quilt with this fabric. This quilt was my Mom's Christmas gift this year, and she had no idea that she was going to be getting it! I love surprises! 

The pattern is Framed by Camille Roskelley, it can be found in her book Simply Retro. I adore all of the patterns in that book, and one of my 2016 goals is to make every quilt in it.

The quilting on this was done by Sarah at Crinklelove. Her turnaround time is FAST! I sent this quilt to her the week after Thanksgiving, and it was back to me by December 21st! I had her quilt it in an all over Books design, and I think it turned out just perfect for this quilt.

One of the things I love most about quilting is giving them to the people that I love most! So far I have made 2 quilts for my Dad, 1 for my Mom, 1 for my Sister, and 1 for my Nephew. I still have a bunch on my to-do list so that everyone can have one someday! 

Last but not least is a video of my mom opening her quilt on Christmas! I loved seeing the look on her face when she saw what it was, and of course William helping her open it.

Must Make List Continues into 2016

So at the beginning of this year I created my Must Make List of Quilts.... well the year has come and gone, and only a couple of those quilts were actually made. The year was busier than expected with going from working fulltime, back to being home fulltime, and other serious personal stressors.

Quilting and sewing took a back burner during all of that, but now that things have settled I can get back to working on these and other projects. Several of them are already in progress, or at least have fabric pulled for them. While others are simply an idea waiting to take shape.

• Valentines Heart quilt via this tutorial from Cluck Cluck Sew. - Fabric cut, waiting on background fabric to arrive. 
• Cluck Cluck Sew Touchdown quilt.
• Swell quilt made with Kate Spain's Solstice collection. - Needs basting, quilting, and binding.
• Moda Modern Building Blocks - Top complete
• Nancy Drew quilt for my mom - Done! Needs post. 
• Jeff's Quilt
• i heart you quilt, pattern by V and Co.
• Tula Pink City Sampler
• Modern Buzz-saw quilt for my dad - Finished, post coming soon
• Makers Tote by Noodlehead
• Meadow Quilt - One block cut
• Cambie Dress by Sewaholic
• All of the quilts from Simply Retro by Camille Roskelley 

This list is meant to be something that is every growing and changing. I already edited out a few quilts that I have now decided I don't want to make because sometimes you just fall out of love with a pattern. I am hoping to finished 1 quilt a month in 2016, wish me luck! 

What are your sewing goals for 2016?

Welcome to Project 48, An Epic Quilt Sampler!

One year
Two quilters
Twenty-four quilty friends
Forty-eight blocks

About Project 48

After much behind the scene planning and preparation, it is exciting to announce that Linden from Vine Lines Quilting and Crystal from Raspberry Spool are partnering up to deliver Project 48. Project 48 is designed to be an epic year long quilt sampler, with four 9” blocks delivered each month in 2016. Each month will focus on a different theme, where Linden will create a traditional style block and Crystal a modern interpretation along with two guest versions. The series will be offered free of charge in 2016 to all those who sign up with their email address. Each week, subscribers will receive an email with the instructions to the block and information on the guest contributors including contact information and many more tips, tricks and extra tid-bits along the way.

Sign up before 31 December 2015 and become a VIP member to Project 48. As a VIP member, you can expect some early sneak peeks and an exclusive ebook for preparing for your sampler.

Membership to Project 48 is free, all you need to do is click HERE to register.

Best of all, you will receive an email every week letting you know when the next block is ready!

Its going to be amazing. I am really looking forward to being a part of this amazing group of quilters! Are you in?

Modern Buzz Saw Quilt

Back in June I finished a quilt for my dad, but I never got around to taking pictures of it before I gave it to him. Thankfully my amazing husband gave me a new camera for Christmas, and I was able to get pictures of my dad's quilt while we were in Austin for Christmas.

The name of the pattern is Modern Buzz Saw and it is from the book Fabulously Fast Quilts by Amy Smart. The book is fantastic, and is filled with 12 patterns that all come together really quickly using pre-cuts or yardage.

I knew this pattern would be perfect for my dad because he owns his own construction company, and has a garage full of tools. Plus he's had his fair share of run-ins with a buzz saw... What I loved about this pattern is that it looks very complicated, but it actually came together quickly and easily.

The fabrics I used were from a fat-quarter bundle of Hammer and Nails by Peter Horjus that I found on Hawthorne Threads. Then the background fabrics I used were Essex Yarn Dyed Linen in flax and olive.

Thanks to my amazing Janome 8900, I was able to get this twin sized sucker quilted in just a couple days. I probably could have gotten it done faster but my family needed to be fed lol. I quilted it in an all over stipple with lovely 40wt Light Khaki Green Aurifil thread, number 2900. I love how the quilting disappears into the olive colored Essex Yarn Dyed fabric.

My backing for this quilt was this amazing print from the Hammer and Nails fabric line. Aren't those emblems just amazing?! I love the retro feeling they have, and I didn't want to be distracted from their beauty with a seam down the middle. So I decided to match the design so that I could hide the seam.

You can see in the picture below where it is not quite 100% lined up, but from a distance it looks like all one piece. Would y'all be interested on a tutorial on how I did this? I know that I will definitely be matching more of my backing fabrics from now on, and I would love to share how I did it. (Hint: it is easier than it looks)

What I love most about this quilt is how much my dad loves it. His mom was a quilter, and he always tells me how proud she would be of me if she was alive today.

Craftsy Year End Sale

Did you end up with a pocket full of cash after Christmas? Want to spend it on something awesome for yourself? Then head over to Craftsy for some amazing deals on your favorite crafting supplies! 

#ad You can take advantage of Craftsy's end-of-year clearance sale and get amazing deals on fabric, yarn, baking supplies and more for a limited time. All Craftsy supplies are up to 75% off now through 12/31!

The popular stuff goes fast, so grab the deals now before they run out! I have been eyeing a few of their quilt kits for a little while now, and I just might have to get one or two of them! 

Last Minute Gift Ideas from Craftsy

#ad Need a last minute, affordable gift for the holidays? Craftsy offers online classes in a variety of hobbies. Give the gift of learning this season with a Craftsy class that you can watch anytime, anywhere. All classes are discounted through Saturday, so shop now!

I have enrolled in 16 Craftsy classes over the past few years and I love them. The very first class I enrolled in was the Block of the Month Class taught by Amy Gibson of Stichery Dickory Dock . It was the class that taught me how to quilt, and the class that got me hooked on quilting!

Holly Jolly Tree Skirt

For the past few years we have been using a 4 foot tree that Jeff and I have had since before William was born. It is super cute and small, BUT... This year is the first year that we have decided to have a full sized 7ft. tall Christmas tree!!!

I knew I wanted to make a Tree Skirt, and I have had the Holly Jolly Tree Skirt by A Bright Corner in my pattern basket for a little while now.


So over Thanksgiving weekend I headed out to my absolute favorite local quilt shop, and picked up some Christmas fabric that they had on sale for Black Friday. I used 3 prints from Jingle by Kate Spain, 2 prints from Holly's Tree Farm by Sweetwater, and 1 print was a half yard I had in my stash.

The pattern is very straight forward and easy to understand, and I was able to get the sections cut out and pieced together in one evening.


I used this adorable Santa fabric from Joann's for the backing, and I made sure that the seam from where I pieced it was towards the back. That way I could flip it over and use either side if I wanted to. Like always, I quilted with Aurifil thread in an all over loopy pattern. This "quilt" is only the 3rd or 4th one I have done on my new Janome 8900, and I fall in love with my machine more and more every time!


Because of all the angles on this hexagon quilt, I made bias binding using another print from Jingle by Kate Spain. I machine stitched it to the front, then hand sewed it to the back.


I adore how this turned out and I love how festive it looks under the tree. I also love that it is not a traditional circle tree skirt.

Here is the tree and everything looking super festive! Whenever my blogging gets sparse, then you can always find me on Instagram for daily updates on what I am working on.

A photo posted by Hilary Jordan (@youngtexanmama) on Dec 6, 2015 at 3:48pm PST

UpCraft Club - Quilted Projects for Halloween

Hi everyone! Today I am sharing some awesome quilted projects that you can make for this Halloween over at UpCraft Club! Go check it out :D

UpCraft Club Contributor - Better Than Basic Bag

I am very excited to announce that I am one of the newest contributors over at the UpCraft Club Blog! Today I am sharing my version of the Better Than Basic Bag, so head on over and take a look. Be sure to learn more about UpCraft Club HERE.

Urban Scandinavian Sewing Bloggers Book Tour

Today is my stop on the Urban Scandinavian Sewing Bloggers Book Tour! The book tour runs for two weeks through Monday, August 31, and I, along with several other talented sewing bloggers, are going to share Kirstyn Cogan’s new book, Urban Scandinavian Sewing, available for purchase at C&T publishing and Amazon.

I was very excited when I was asked to share my thoughts on Kirstyn's book Urban Scandinavian Sewing. The book is divided into 2 sections, Winter and Midsummer, with each section having distinct recipes and projects for that time of year. On my first flip through the book I was very pleasantly surprised to find recipes along with the various sewing projects! I love food, so recipes are always a plus in my mind!

When the weather cools down, sometime in Mid-December here in Texas, I am going to make some of this delicious looking Swedish Christmas Porridge.

Since I have been on the go the past few weeks, I haven't had time to make anything from the book yet, but I have definitely started planning out what I want to make when I get back to my sewing machine. I fell in love with this little Swedish Tomte Softie. Can't you just see an adorable little family of these guys sitting on your mantle during the holidays?

Overall I absolutely love this book and I am looking forward to making several of the projects and recipes! Be sure to check out all the other lovely bloggers that are a part of the book tour!

Here’s the schedule for the next two weeks:

WEEK OF AUGUST 17
Nicole from Modern Handcraft
Hilary from Young Texan Mama
Nicole from Snips Snippets

WEEK OF AUGUST 24
Jennie from Clover & Violet
Tessa from The Sewing Chick
Alli from More Please Thank You

Be sure to also visit Kirstyn’s blog, http://www.kirstyncogan.com/blog/ over the next two weeks, as she’ll be sharing round-ups of all the stops each week so you’ll be sure not to miss a thing!

Enter to Win A Copy of Urban Scandinavian Sewing!

As part of the book tour, Kirstyn is giving away copy of her book and a FQ bundle of her new fabric line, Urban Scandinavian, that is shipping to fabric stores near you next month, to two lucky winners!

Click the link below to Enter the rafflecopter giveaway, open through midnight, August 30.

 A Rafflecopter Giveaway

Less Than Two Months and Counting

I am very excited because our upcoming Disney Vacation is 2 months away! We have been planning this trip for what feels like forever, and the fact that it is so close makes me insanely happy!

The last time we went to Disney the 3 of us was November of 2012, William and I have been back twice since then but Jeff couldn't come because of school. I'm really looking froward to this trip because it will probably be the last big family vacation we go on as a family of 3.

A picture form our first trip in November of 2012

Airline tickets are purchased, park tickets are being purchased, Fastpass+ has been planned, and dinner reservations have been made! Next is packing, well making a packing list. Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about how much fun it would be to DisneyBound some of my outfits while we are there.

Mary Blair skirt

A few weeks ago, I put in a custom oreder for a skirts from Daily Sparkle. You can check out her instagram to see some of the amazing applique skirts she has made. The one I am having her make for me is going to have a Jungle Cruise Boat and a hippo on it! I think I might make a knit top to go with it.

I also got a skirt that has an amazing Mary Blair print from Pinup Girl Clothing. It is one of my favorite things to wear to work because it is so bright and cheery, which is a great contrast from my drab office. Jeff and I are going to go on a dinner date while we are at Disney (thank you grandparents!) and I will probably wear it that night.

I know most wouldn't consider a dress or a skirt an outfit suitable for a Disney trip, but I honestly am way more comfortable when wearing a dress or skirt. Comfort + cute = perfect combo :)

There are a couple of items that I am hoping to have the time to make before the trip. Number one on that list would be a dress polka-dot dress or skirt so that I can channel my inner Minnie Mouse. And I also bought a couple of shorts patterns when Indie Sew was having a sale. I recently went back to staying home full-time, so I should be able to get some of these things done before the big trip!

Monday Mini Madness

Three of the swaps I recently participated in wrapped up a few weeks ago, and I finally have been able to get this post put together about them! They all turned out super awesome and I am so tempted to make myself copies of each of them!

The first one is the mini I made for the #alisonglassminiquiltswap.

I used Elizabeth Hartman's Atrix Medallion pattern and made the center star. Oh so many diamonds! Thankfully her directions in the pattern avoid tricky Y-seams, but I did have a heck of a time getting all those points to line up... don't look too closely :)

I really want to make the entire quilt out of Alison glass prints now. I think it would look stunning! 

For the quilting, I quilted organic straight lines through each of the star points, then I echoed the star all the way to the edge. I think it gave it a great texture, and I am glad I did it this way.

The next Mini I made was for the #cottonandsteelminiquiltswap. This one I struggled with the most because I wasn't sure what I should make for my partner. I finally decided on making various blocks from the book Patchwork City. 

The blocks in the book are all on the small side, so there is some tiny piecing that went into these babies. The top block finished at 8" and those navy lines were only 1/2" wide. The one below is all 1" finished squares! They were so much fun to piece, but it took a long time because I sewed really slow.

Here is the finished mini. I was so happy when my partner received it and loved it! 

Last is the mini I made for the #lizzyhouseminiquiltswap. This was one of my favorites, and I wish I had enough of each of the fabrics to make an entire quilt out of these blocks!

I used my friend Becca's book Modern Rainbow, and made a block from her Bubble's pattern. It turned out so much better than I had imagined, and I am glad I used my hoarded white Constellations stars for the background. 

I have a few more swaps going on right now and I am looking forward to getting them worked on and sent off to my partners! 

Avengers Quilt for Logan

At the end of March, my friend Brandon had a son but after 24 hours, he and his wife Hillary discovered that their little Logan had Tetralogy of Fallot. This congenital heart defect statistically only happens in 1 out of every 2518 babies born in the US and happens when a baby’s heart does not form correctly as the baby grows and develops during pregnancy.

My friend and his wife were incredibly strong through the past 2 months of staying in the NICU, surgeries, and the uncertainty of what would happen. Thankfully this past week little Logan was discharged from the hospital and is home. You can read more about their journey HERE.

When I found out that my friend and his wife called Logan their Little Iron Man I just knew I wanted to make him a super hero quilt. 

I used one of my favorite Cluck Cluck Sew patterns, and made the baby size version of it. It is bright and definitely perfect for a little boy.

I used Marvel Avengers fabrics from Camelot Cottons, and various other basics in the same color family as the main fabrics. The solid yellow is a shot cotton and it is so soft!

For the quilting I just echoed the seam lines with a yellow variegated thread from Gutermann that I had already. I've been bad recently with my fabric/thread spending, so I am trying to get back to not purchasing more than I am using.

I am embarrassed to say that this is actually the first quilt that I have labeled! I always either forget or I'm too excited to give something away that I just haven't done it in the past. For this label I used one of the leftover blocks, and I lucked out that it was one with the yellow solid for the center square.

I used Steam a Seam light to adhere it to the backing, and I also hand stitched the edges down just to make sure that it doesn't come off.

I love baby quilts that do not need the backing to be pieced. This is my favorite print from this collection from Camelot Cottons. My one worry was that the fabric was going to bleed since there is so much red, but to my surprise it didn't! I used 4 color catchers when I washed the quilt, and they all came out mostly white. Normally when I use color catchers with red fabric, they come out mostly pink to red.

This quilt is on it's way to Brandon, Hillary, and little Logan right now. I really hope they love it as much as I loved making it.

You can read more about their journey and Logan's recovery on the Go Fund Me page. Thanks for stopping by!

Dress Up Party - Pattern Review

**This is my post from the Sew Sweetness Dress Up Party Blog Hop. You can see it and the complete schedule of other posts HERE**

Hello everyone! My name is Hilary and I blog over at Young Texan Mama. I am excited to be here today to share my pattern review for Simplicity/New Look 6048. I have a strange love for big box store patterns because they are where I began my sewing journey.

I got my very first sewing machine as a Christmas gift when I was a freshman is high school. I didn't know how to sew at all, but I knew I wanted to sew and my parents indulged my desire. So I read the manual, bought a pattern and fabric from Walmart, and started sewing. I made some reallllyyy ugly things in the beginning, but I think I have finally gotten the hang of it after what is approaching 10 years of sewing.

So onto the pattern! Simplicity/New Look pattern 6048 is one that I bought on a whim because I liked the silhouette, little did I know that $4 pattern would become one of my favorite makes. I have made this same pattern 3 times, which is the most I have ever made a single pattern.

 I have only ever made View A of this pattern because I worry that the ruffle on the bottom of the skirt might read as juvenile, but I am interested in making a View A with the View B halter strap. I am thinking that will make a super cute dress for summer. 

I'm not the most adventurous when it comes to altering patterns, but I am a rebel and I cut the pattern in the size I need vs. tracing it to save for later.

If this is something you are going to do, make sure you check the finished garment measurements as well as your body measurements because there can be some discontinuity between the two.

For this dress I cut and 8 because the finished garment had a bust measurement of 34 which is my bust measurement. If I went off of just my measurements I would have needed a size 12 and that would have had a finished bust measurement of 36.5inches.

Below are my first and 3rd versions of the pattern. This top one is actually my wearable muslin that I made out of some inexpensive Hobby Lobby fabric. I have worn this dress so many times, and I am actually really surprised at how well the fabric has held up after several washes. 

Below is my 3rd version of the dress made with Alison Glass Handcrafted. For this version I cut the skirt differently than called for in the pattern so that I could make sure and utilize the border on the fabric. I love the finished look of it, and it didn't take too much extra fabric.

My favorite version of this pattern is my second one I made with my friends fabric collection Emma's Garden. I was able to get some great shots of me in this dress because my sister was nice enough to come and help me take pictures with her fancy DSLR camera.

The great thing about this pattern is that it works well with several different scales of fabrics. Often times you need to really pay attention to the scale of the pattern on your fabric when it comes to choosing what pattern to use, but (so far) I haven't found that to be an issue with this pattern. It can really work with any scale fabric.

Overall, this is a very beginner friendly pattern. This pattern was the first time I inserted an invisible zipper into a dress. The directions are very clear and walk you through every step, plus you can't beat a great pattern for only around $5!

After writing this post I am itching to go and make another version of this dress because I just love it so much, plus I can almost sew it without consulting the directions.Thank you so much for having me today Sara!

--Hilary

Dress Up Party - Sew Sweetness

Hey everyone! Head over to Sew Sweetness today for my post for the Dress Up Party - Pattern Review Round-Up.

Me Made May - Week 1

I have to be honest and say that I am kinda shocked that I was able to make it an entire week wearing something that I made! So here are the garments/outfits I wore for the past week.

*Waring: there are some pretty terrible selfies here lol*

Friday 5/1/2015

I had almost forgotten that today was the first day of Me-Made-May so glad I got on insta before getting dressed lol. #mmmay15 this dress is actually my wearable muslin of Newlook pattern 6048.

A photo posted by Hilary Smith (@youngtexanmama) on May 1, 2015 at 4:49pm PDT

Saturday 5/2/2015

Me made may day 2 is the #summerconcerttee by @dixiediy. I got this pattern as part of the @patternparcel. #mmmay15

A photo posted by Hilary Smith (@youngtexanmama) on May 2, 2015 at 7:58am PDT

Sunday 5/3/2015


Monday May the Fourth Be With You aka Star Wars Day


Tuesday 5/5/2015

Me made day 5! #mmmay15 dress is the @byhandlondon #kimdress and fabric is @patbravodesign #etnofabrics for @artgalleryfabrics

A photo posted by Hilary Smith (@youngtexanmama) on May 5, 2015 at 3:52pm PDT

Wednesday 5/6/2015


Thursday 5/7/2015

This past week has been so much fun and I am loving wearing the things that I have made. It is such an amazing feeling when someone compliments my outfit and I can say (probably too excitedly) that I made it! 

Before starting Me Made May I didn't have any intention of actually wearing something me made every day because I didn't think I had that many things to wear but I am so stoked about it that I seriously want to make all of the things! 

So what do you love most about wearing your handmade garments? 

Friday Finish - Dear Watson Bag

Today I am excited to share with you my most recent finish. It is the Dear Watson Bag by my real life friend Felice Regina! We're HMQG peeps, and I cannot even explain how crazy talented this girl is! When she asked for pattern testers on her Instagram, I emailed her right away.

I knew I didn't want to purchase any fabric for this, since I am trying to work through what I already have. So after a few days of pulling random big cuts of fabric out of my stash, I finally found a winning combination. My Avengers comic book fabric and an amazing champagne colored leather.

The thing that I love the most about this pattern is the versatility that it has. The pattern comes with the options to make either the more challenging view A, or the more beginner friendly view B. I started out with view A, but as the bag progressed I decided to change up the straps to better accommodate the leather I was using.


I really love how the straps turned out, and the changes I made worked well with the pattern over all. I like the option of having the shorter strap for daily use (I've already been using this for the past week as my daily purse and it is perfect!). I haven't used the longer strap that much yet, but I am planning on using this bag when we go to Disney and I know the cross-body strap is going to be super useful!

I didn't add interior pockets because I simply wanted to finish the bag, but Felice walks you through a fantastic method for putting in a zippered pocket and a slip pocket for the interior. When I make another bag like this for my sister, I am going to include the extra pockets in the interior.

As you can see, there is plenty of space for all your goodies. For me this is a good "mom" purse because it has plenty of room for when William decides he needs me to carry something for him.

Speaking of William, he took this last picture (hints the excessive blurriness) but I like that the picture gives you an idea of where the cross-body strap lets the purse hit when worn that way. I cannot say enough times how much I like this purse and this pattern.

Felice is releasing the pattern on May 2nd, so be sure to head over to her shop and get yourself a copy!