ABC crewelwork kit

I’ve never done crewelwork before, but I couldn’t pass up the retro styling of this adorable kit (now sold out) put together by the lovely and talented Alicia Paulson and her hubby Andy. I think it will look quite charming hanging up in the powder room of my shop, don’t you think?

Buying the kit reminded me that I never did show you my first ever adventure in quilting, which was also made from a pattern by Alicia. The Ollalieberry Ice Cream Quilt pattern is a downloadable pattern and it’s a great quilt for beginners. I made a crib size for the adorable Ellie Jay, who is pictured with it below in a blurry iPhone photo. I forgot to take a picture of the whole quilt once it was finished, and it lives in PA now, so I guess I kind of missed my window. This will have to do:

The top is composed of 3.5″ squares of a variety of fabrics that I had in my stash. Mostly pinks, whites, and yellows, with a few reds and browns and random squares thrown in for fun. The back and a few of the squares are cut from material that I salvaged from Ellie’s parents former duvet cover. When they were getting ready to move cross-country I volunteered to drop the unwanted duvet off at Goodwill, but secretly stashed it with the intention of making a baby quilt from it for their little bun that had already been in the oven for a few months.

Making this quilt was so easy and fun; I couldn’t believe that I’d avoiding quilting for so long. I’ve been stashing pre-cut squares ever since, and I’ll eventually make another one from this same pattern. I also really want to try some log-cabin squares, so I’ve been hanging onto strips in a special scrap bucket too.

I really can’t wait for my crewelwork kit to arrive! Alicia recommends sitting on a nice comfy porch swing while sipping peach lemonade and stitching in the sun, but we don’t have one (or the 8-track player she suggests). Hopefully I’ll at least have my grass to relax on by then. And we have vinyl. That better be close enough.