Geometry Quilt

I finished my first quilt of the year (too bad it's almost July)! I have had this quilt on my mind for a long time, and I decided it was time to make it happen. Now that my baby boy is in a "big boy room" (insert ugly crying tears here), we moved my rocker into the living room. And in the house of a quilter, all furniture must have a unique quilt on it.

This quilt has many names depending on who you ask. Some call it 3D blocks, tumbling blocks, rhombus cubes, etc. I call it my Geometry Quilt. Geometry is the only math that I'm good at, so I wanted to combine a pretty geometry concept with quilt math and make a perfect piece for my living room.

                  

                                          

I made my own template for the cube, using a 60 degree diamond and triangles. I figured out a way to strip piece the blocks and eliminate the horrible Y-seam that comes with sewing cubes. If you look very closely, each of the teal diamonds is actually two triangles sewn together. This allowed me to piece the columns, then sew them together using a straight seam. 

I used solid Kona cotton for the grays and white, and a tiny teal dot for the tops of the cubes. I LOVE a striped binding, so I was happy to find this white and charcoal fabric at Hobby Lobby. 

                 

I usually straight-line quilt my pieces, but I couldn't do that with this design. Instead, I opted to do a meandering straight line. I have done meandering curves before, and this was definitely more difficult. I like the overall effect, because it's intentionally messy, but keeps from breaking up the pattern. 

I am going to enjoy snuggling up under this baby. It adds the perfect pop of color and pattern to my favorite rocker-glider. I still find excuses to rock both babies in that chair, whether it's in their nursery or not.

Ruffle Pants for Back to School

It has been a LONG time since I was able to sit down, sew something, take pictures of it, and blog about it. With kids, graduate school, and work, my opportunities to sew and create are rare these days. But I did want to share two outfits I made for baby girl for her back to school wardrobe.

When I created the Meghan Ruffle Pants pattern two years ago, I had to bribe baby girl to put them on for me to take pictures. I was certain she would love them, and she hated them. Fast-forward to kindergarten, when all of her friends are wearing LOTS of ruffles. Now, she wants the pants. So what's a sewing mama to do??? Of course, sew up some ruffle pants and make matching shirts!

Her first look is perfect for football season, with our precious orange and purple to help us cheer on our Clemson Tigers! I shortened the length of these pants from the original pattern, because she likes them a little more capri-length than touching the floor.

These pants sew up in less than an hour, and with only about a yard of fabric per pair, they are inexpensive to make! If ya'll have been reading Grits and Giggles for a while, you know I don't like outfits that you can only wear once, or with one other item. Hence, my reversible patterns such as the Bradshaw romper and Kaileigh Knot Dress. So although both of these pants match her new shirts, they also match other tops in her closet as well, so she can mix and match for the weather and her mood that day.

So head over to the shop and grab your ruffle pants pattern. Your baby girl will have a closet full of ruffly goodness in no time!

While you're here, I want to send a HUGE thank you to all of my customers. Grits & Giggles Pattern Shop has sold thousands of patterns on Etsy and Craftsy since opening just a few short years ago. 

Congratulations!

Oh my....where have I been?? Busy, that's where. Life has taken some major twists and turns since I last posted, with changes to careers, family and education. 

Although I don't have time to post about lots of craftiness and "mom" things anymore, I had to take this opportunity to congratulate my husband on a major life accomplishment. He has finally earned his bachelor's degree!

He was the first in his family to earn any kind of degree with his Associates degree several years ago. After years of working full time, raising two kids, and going to school, he has earned his B.S in Business Management. It was a long road but so worth it for him to further his career!

We all enjoyed being there for him along the way, and at graduation as well. 

Congratulations Matthew!! We love you!!

Back to School Supplies

Sometimes I find products on my favorite shops and websites that I didn't even know they had. The stationary at Treat was a wonderful surprise!!

    With lots of colorful and personalized options, you're sure to get some amazing back-to-school accessories and essentials for a great price and of great quality!