Luminous Quilts

Mixed up Blocks

2012-01-22T22:16:00.000-06:00

Found this great site icanteachmychild.com and this fun quick project. I had it in mind for the 3 year old but our 5 almost 6 year old thought it was a little more interesting. I made mine with pictures on both side to make it a little harder to solve. If I did make them again I will try to glue/modge podge the pictures to the blocks for durability. Over all a fun use of building blocks.

I think the block size is about 1.5" x 2" so the pictures need to be sized just smaller than that to fit. We just used Microsoft clip art and typed in the animal categories we wanted for this set. This would be a fun baby shower gift...we maybe a toddler who no longer puts things in their mouths gift!

mixed-up

back together again

jumbled pile!

This is one of those projects that I found, pinned and made in less than 30 minutes. I should make a board for that!

Midnight in Austenland

2012-01-22T21:55:00.000-06:00

Not at all sewing related but I am excited to read this new novel by Shannon Hale due out in March 2012. Midnight in Austenland. It is a sequel to Austenland. A fun read. She had written several YA novels that are fantastic. My 10 year old daughter is even reading the Bayern series and that is something because she doesn't like to read!

Here you can read Shannon Hale's words about the new book. Just looking over the books she has written I have read 8 of the 11. I have enjoyed every one of them. Which is quite something. I do love fairy tales, Jane Austen and a strong heroine so that covers a lot of ground.

Anyway, Night Writer is hosting a giveaway of the new book and it ends tomorrow night at midnight (that being the 23rd of January.)

She asked for the comment of what is one thing that you would love to do but keep saying No to for any number of reasons. Well for me there are a lot of things but in a wild dream I think it would be fun to be a fabric designer. Crazy? Yes, but we can dream.

Oliver's Quilt

2011-12-14T13:31:00.008-06:00

I have been gone for a long time. Not because I haven't been doing crafty things but I find getting the posts up so tedious that I gave up. But his quilt for my cousin's first baby made me want to share. I love this quilt. It was adapted from a quilt in a magazine (McCall's Quick Quilts, October/November 2011) The sock monkey is an obsession. I decided that I needed to make a bunch, as in 16! So far I have make about 10. The ribbon ball was made using scraps from the quilt. The book is our favorite. We first read it on our honeymoon is Seattle WA and I have Scott a copy for our first anniversary and he got me the bunnies! We still have them on the shelf with our books 13 years later. The bib is a pattern taken from one of our old bibs. I made a template out of craft paper and one out of freezer paper. I like the freezer paper because I can iron it directly to the fabric and I don't have to pin to cut it out!

Another reason I quit was photos. I am stunned by the staging and photos some people take. But, I'm not them and I'm just happy to document the creations that are made in the house and are usually given away. And, I have been seriously distracted by Pinterest. I mean how could I not get lost in all those amazing ideas in one place! The monkeys are actually from a pin. So I am making some of the things I find!

The label on the back is solid grey and it's kind of a fun shape for a label. I think I would make it smaller next time. The backing/binding fabric is from Hobby Lobby. I think it is a Brother Sister design.

Blogger’s Quilt Festival: Spring 2011

2011-05-17T11:09:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my entry in the Blogger's Quilt Festival! I can't believe it is already here again. I really don't know where the time goes. I have no skills in getting buttons in the post but it is on the side bar!

We have dear friends that have been waiting for eight years to have a baby and this past March they were blessed to adopt a beautiful baby girl. Her colors for the nursery were eggplant and lime green! So awesome! I have had a piece of purple paisley sitting in my stash for a few years just waiting for the perfect project. The fabric was given to me by my mom who passed away in December 2009 from cancer. I thought what better place to use this than to welcome a long awaited baby into a loving family. I know she (Mom) would have adored this quilt.

I had all of the fabric in stash with the exception of one. The light green lattice was a new purchase just for this. Just a little extra pop.

The quilting was inspired by Film in the Fridge diamond quilting. While I strayed far and left some a little farther than I planned I love the way it turned out. I love how quickly it came together. I haven't made a quilt in two days in a very long time. AND I didn't have to stay all night to do it!!

I wasn't able to go the baby shower (actually a big party) because of family commitments at home. She loved the quilt and I am thrilled. In spite of all the imperfections it will be used and loved and washed and dragged around and that is perfect.

Part of the process of this quilt was drawing out the quilting in the order to quilt the lines. It changed after I started and I added more to fill in a bit. While straight line quilting is fast it doesn't mean that all the lines will actually be straight! Getting in a hurry to get this in the mail I would occasionally blink or get distracted by one of the kids. Imperfection makes a handmade gift individual and I've learned over the years that I'm okay with imperfections. If I wasn't I would never make another gift or meal or anything else for that matter! I had to mentally go through the process several times before I was ready to put the needle down. I really love it. Because the proportions of the quilt were a little different than the drawing I had to adjust as I went along. A good learning experience. Thank you Film in the Fridge for the inspiration to keep it simple! At first I didn't understand why she had drawn the lines in different colors. But it became clear very quickly that it was necessary to know which lines went where!

And just a couple more pictures of the quilting.

Project: Simplify Hot Spot #5: Choose Your Own Adventure

2011-04-09T00:25:00.000-05:00

I decided to tackle the linen closet and the bathroom drawers and cabinets. I could have picked anything on the list of suggestions as they all need to be done. This was an easy place to start.

So to begin: the linen closet. The in between of seasons is challenging. All winter we have pulled things out and shoved them back in. Too hot one night and cold the next. ugh.

Before:

All emptied out. So nice!

Stuff that may not belong:

After:

Next was trying to tackle the drawers and the medicine cabinets. Being able to find things in the mess is not the best way to organize. Now, they are organized and we can't lay our hands on the right thing!

Before in the hall (kids) bathroom:

After:

Notice one empty drawer! I wonder how long before daughter notices all the empty wrappers and garbage are gone :) This room didn't take too long but ours...

Master Bathroom drawers before:

Drawers after:

Medicine cabinet before:

The pink bucket usually has the cloth diapers but I spared you and just washed them! I didn't think it was too bad but there was SO much stuff in there. I tossed three grocery bags of junk (expired or never used or garbage) out between here and under the sink.

After:

Are you ready? Under the sink is scary. It was organized at one time but....

After:

I put a lot of the extra things (a whole shoe box full) down with the rest of the food storage.

On another note not bathroom related I did finally get some of the things put into the household binder. I have 11 categories. Is that too many? What did I forget? Goals, schedule/calendars, birthdays, Christmas, Food Inventory (including menus, grocery list etc), Home maintenance, Garden/Yard, Home ideas, and budget/finances.

And one final finish for this week, I recovered the umbrella stroller we have had for 10 years. I could have just bought a new one but I had everything to redo it at home. Besides, we love the height of this one. Tall enough for both of us to push. I may be brave and post more process pictures. Any tutorials I found said "simply take it apart (the cover) and use it as a pattern, then reuse the piping and belts" Voila! More or less true but I would have loved a tutorial. I'm a visual learner. I ended up with 4 extra screws. Hmm.

tickertape quilts

2011-04-03T05:38:00.001-05:00

We had a double party to go to last month and it coincided with the ORBC of Ticker Tape quilts. We had another snow day so it was the perfect chance to play. I dragged out the scrap bins and gave the two oldest kids the chance to design their own quilts to give. They laid out the designs and I did the quilting. William made one two but I literally haven't made anything since we did these in February.

By Liz, age 9. She wanted it to be a scene. She she did the cutting and layout. I love the frog in the pond and a butterfly too.

Here is the back of the quilt.


The backing. He wanted something cheerful and fun.

Made by my 7 year old son. Love that he wanted every last inch filled up!

Project: Simplify Hot Spot #4: Pantry and Fridge

2011-04-01T22:57:00.002-05:00

I had to start with this photo because it is a huge job finally done! So much unnecessary paper in boxes. There will be more to do but that was an 1 1/2 hours of shredding. Poor machine. Now on to the Hot Spot of the week.

Simple Mom is awesome and had us do the pantry and fridge this week. The challenge was working around the kids this week during spring break. It took longer than it should have but I wrote down everything we have that is food related. Not sure when I'll catalog it all but its a start and I found things that we need to re-stock. I made notes on most of the photos so click to read them if you wish.

Fridge Before.

After. Cleaned and re-organized. AH.

In the basement we have the beginnings of long term food storage. I love the space but it can get unruly too. Before.

After. Rounded up the vitamins to one box, the cleaning supplies to one area, and generally re-grouped all of the items we have. It's time to get some more cereal and a few other staples.

Noticed more food on my way back upstairs. The canning we did last year and the canning supplies.

I forgot the before picture here but it was a mess. Everything is nicely contained now and labeled in the spice cupboard.

The beast...The pantry before:

After!! I want a new shelf on the top right to house some more items.

My newly freed beans all beautifully labeled. I had all of the jars in another cupboard. Don't know why I was hoarding but they finally came in handy!!

Love how it all turned out. So much work! Now to just enter all of the food items and make a food inventory that will work for us will be the really challenging part! Maybe by this summer.

Project: Simplify Hot Spot #3 Kids Clothes

2011-03-31T00:25:00.001-05:00

This project wasn't too bad just time consuming because it involved the kids trying clothes and getting rid of some of them that don't fit or they never wore anyway. SimpleMom is awesome!

This is #3 sons dresser who is 2 1/2. On the right is all of things for fall. On the left are the things he can wear now and through the summer.

#2 Sons dresser. He is 5. A collector of things, actually they all are! We sorted and tried on and we even got the bottom drawer to be empty with all of the organizing. The top drawer is still his "stuff" drawer.

#1 Son dresser. The top drawer is a mess of stuff still but the clothes are all organized!! The bottom drawer has the things for fall.

These are the Sunday clothes. I culled these down to one suit each and two white shirts. Their other button up shirts are now folded in the drawers with the rest of the shirts.

Daughter's dresses an the school spirit shirts. We actually cleaned out her things a while back. Still a lot of dresses but it is more manageable now and she actually wears the things hanging her.

Consignment pile!! Not sure if it is worth the time but we'll see.

Thrift pile.

Pile made by said 2 year old while I had to attend to something else. Grr.

Processing the 8 under bed boxes. One for each kid, one shoe box and three--3!--with baby clothes. Two of which are mostly girl clothes. Did I mention that she is now 10! So, they are culled a bit better and a large box is filled to send to our newest niece.

Coats. Coats and hats, scarves and mittens galore. We both come from cold/wet places and we have amassed a pile of coats. They are now confined to the one big box with hats etc. in the top box. I may have zipped these a little early. Spring came but we keep having some chilly days with north wind.

Kids cubbies. Current shoes and spot for their book bags. I really need a 4th cubby but this was free and does work wonders with containing school things.

The coats all nicely washed and ready for spring. This was a jumbled mess. In between seasons is challenging at best. They now have a wind breaker and a fleece hanging here.

Technical Difficulties

2011-03-28T22:06:00.002-05:00

Part of why I don't blog more is technical difficulties. I know it is user error but it is SO frustrating. I walk away wondering how did I screw up the formatting on the post so badly! So, more posts in progress for some future date. As for now I'll keep working on Hot Spot #4: Pantry and Fridge.

Boo.

Clean Mama printables giveaway

2011-03-22T20:22:00.000-05:00

I received an email today from the How Does She? gals that made me happy. I have been pondering how to get a home management binder together and have been looking around.

Lo and behold.....Clean Mama is offering a $50 gift certificate to two lucky winners! There are three ways to win. Check out the post and enter yourself to win some great home management tools.

Good Luck!

Christmas gifts

2011-03-21T10:16:00.002-05:00

I know this post is ridiculously late. It's been in limbo draft land for weeks. Here are some of the things I make for my sister and her family and my brother in law and his wife.

A needle book made of felt. With buttons to fix a suit they have.

Placemats and napkins made with one of favorite fabrics.


Book bag with library card pocket (the owl face.) It is also	reversible.

Here is the bagged stuffed and ready to ship!

I made the monster for my nephew and the hand bag from a favorite shirt whose sleeve were way too tight! The little flower is a pin.

More placemats, napkins and flower napkin rings and coasters. I love how these turned out. The flowers are on clips that can be removed from the black satin rings.

Homemade fun and tastiness

2011-03-20T11:14:00.000-05:00

We made homemade paint and playdoh. But the thing they loved best was the Oomlick (cornstarch and water.)

And then I had the great idea to make a volcano using our newly made playdough and the usual baking soda and vinegar mixture. That was a lot of good messy fun. All sorts of things were consumed in the lava floe!

Then to top of the day of play I made mini apple pies. Oh. My. Yum. I am still working on this as this batch came out great but subsequent ones not so much. I've even tried silicone pans but to no avail. :(

Project: Simplify Hot Spot #2: Paper Clutter

2011-03-18T23:28:00.001-05:00

This here is the catchall in the kitchen. My action box will go here once I get it off the desk. Love how it looks and with the little cherry trees made last week at preschool. It makes me happy.

Ah, my nemesis! I was so hoping for a different task to do this past week. When I saw this challenge I thought, huh. I have paper everywhere and then there are those 10 boxes in the basement and the file cabinet...Overwhelmed much? YES.
My mother wrote a short story where the main character was in charge of teaching the babies what they would need to know in life. Only instead of teaching line upon line he tried to show them all the water they would ever drink etc. Which confused and overwhelmed the babies. I am like Zebulon, I see a task and everything it will take to do it and then become frustrated because there is no perceived progress. I couldn't just do the loose papers around the house. I had to do ALL of the paperwork that is lurking in all its various locations!
It wasn't until yesterday, after dragging everything out earlier in the week, that I finally had a plan to deal with the chaos of paper. I made piles. LOTS of piles with categories: Action, recycle, shred. Those were the given ones. Then I had to add: to be filed (or recycled/shredded), gardening, emergency preparedness, church, school, art, manuals and warranties, medical, craftiness, household, keepsakes (photos, certificates and the like) and one for Scott to deal with. Seriously? Yes. So, I now have manageable piles (boxes actually) to finish sorting as time permits (this summer most likely!)

Like so many of us the computer area is a dumping ground of sorts for everything and anything. I have bills, class work, files, stationary, plus all the usual computer (x2), printer and the scanner I am borrowing for a bit to scan the artwork. It may not look tons better but I can find things and the kids aren't knocking paper of the back of the couch. My file box is newly empty. I have no idea how long it has been since that happened....probably 4 years ago when we moved in!

This is my magazine dumping ground. Church on the right and others on the left. I cleaned and dusted the book case behind, though I didn't sort through that. The books are a whole month long sorting! Now there are only the current month of magazines out. I find that if I sit a skim through my magazines as they come in and sticky note any articles or recipes etc. that I want to come back to I am more likely to use them. We also use them for collage projects and making gift bows.

As I was cleaning out a box of "current" paper work I found this article! The irony was not lost on me.

This is still a huge work in progress but in spite of my biting of way more than I could realistically do in one week (and still shower and feed the family) I've made progress. I would love to have one box per child but the size of said box has yet to be determined!

I would love the hot spot next week to be the pantry and food storage. Could that be arranged?! Please?

Art Time

2011-03-18T09:24:00.000-05:00

We did these after I saw this post and this post by That Artist Woman. She has some amazing projects to do with kids. This first photo is of Elizabeth's (she did spring), then mine and then Ian (we did fall). The last one is of William's.

Hot Spot #1: Before and After

2011-03-11T08:19:00.000-06:00

Behind the door is our closet. It's size lends itself to MUCH clutter and accumulation. So I tackled my half this week and was amazed at how many clothes I have.
Before:
11 Dresses, 3 Blazers, 17 skirts, 48 shirts, 11 pants, 17 sweaters and cardigans and two totes of socks and other random clothes. Whoa. I had no idea how much I had stashed away.

Here is my half before.

Here is what I pulled out. A bed full of clothes and two totes and a bunch of stuff that doesn't belong but got there by space default. It is still stacked in our entryway (kids clothes both too big and too small, picture frames, tripods, bedding, hammock, empty shoe boxes, books and birthday gifts.)

I really like how the empty closet looks though maybe a little bare.

After:

Here is all the the clothes back in and re-folded. There is still a bit much but some of the pieces will probably go in the next round but I wasn't quite ready to part with them yet!

After count:

8 dresses, 1 blazer, 7 skirts, 35 shirts, 4 pants, 15 sweaters and cardigans.

This was used for baby blankets and and the like. It now houses my sweaters, cardigans and running and gardening clothes. I love how tidy and contained they are now.

Here is what I purged out. Three boxes of clothes and three pair of shoes.

Here is another after picture with everything back in. I got down to one tote. The kids clothes are on the right and some seasonal jackets. My husbands newly folded t-shirts, gardening clothes and sweaters (you're welcome!) are on the top right.

Here is the final stack. Some random toys, linens (selling on ebay) and a box of kids books that I purged last week.

Overall I would say this was a success. I am moving on to the linen closet but I am taking pictures as I go!! It all has to fit back in there. I hope it only takes one day and not three like the wardrobe did.

Project: Simplify Begins Hot Spot #1

2011-03-07T08:22:00.000-06:00

This is going to be a rough few weeks but Tsh at SimpleMom has picked the perfect starting place....

Our own wardrobe!

Behind this door lays a LOT of stuff and soon it will be a whole bunch cleaner. Come back Friday to see my before and after pictures! I may even be able to get Scott involved!!

Come and join the party of organizing and decluttering our lives at Project: Simplify.

Here's to a simpler life!

Oh, and you will see these Project: Simplify on both blogs.

No Plan = No Action

2011-01-13T10:13:00.000-06:00

Side one

I have decided that not having a plan for my life is leading to a serious lack of action. I feel like this little guy.

I have been watching Scott get it together on paper, as in returning to his Franklin planner to get it all done. As much as I like my iPhone (actually love it but mostly it is a distraction) I need a return to physically being organized. I need to be away from the computer or I get lost in blogland and surfing and have not one bit of self control. As a result I spend all my time looking and wishing and not DOING anything constructive or productive or useful. I am behind on my on-line class (just started but can't get logged in), my calling (assistant camp director for the ward--EEK), and my service at the kids school (Box tops for education, labels for education and MCR). Not to mention the creative pile that is my shared sewing room (another post for that.)

Okay enough venting, then to quickly mention the remaining monsters shown below and then to run from the computer!
I was surfing one day and came across the super cute fleece monsters. I knew that I needed to make some for the kids. I gave them on Christmas Eve with the blankets they are laying on. Ian wanted a two-sided monster because he couldn't decide on one eye or two!

This is side two.

Elizabeth really wanted to use this leopard print. Then it had to have hot pink hair and boots. A nod to a good friend of ours. She also has eyelashes!

William wanted a really big saber tooth smile and one eye


Spencer got to have the super monster with a mask and a goofy, toothy smile.

I clearly have issues. This post has taken over an hour! Kids, phone calls and emails. Oy.

Photo of the Day

2011-01-10T21:32:00.000-06:00

A birthday gift for a friend. We made the bow out of an old magazine and the box out of scrapbook paper. Contents: one small loaf of whole wheat bread and one large chocolaty brownie.

Birthday gifts and a farwell

2011-01-05T10:01:00.000-06:00

I haven't blogged in forever. This and other posts have been waiting for three months for me to get back at it. I love to look at other peoples creations and wonder how in the world they have time to post and create. I just create. Above is a dresser I bought at a yard sale and repainted. Then added some decals that I picked up on super clearance at Target. They have since be removed and added to the wall of EJ's room but that is another post. The mermaiden is from wee wonderfuls. I found it via purplepetunia and then Martha Stewart. The one with blue hair and a great little quilt I made for a 5th birthday party gift. They were a big hit. EJ wanted her mermaiden to have hair flowing sideways. Right. So we fiddled and re-drew the pattern and finally made flowing hair and seashell dress. The large flower in the right is a pillow case I made for another birthday. The mom asked if I could make a second one. The fabric is out of print and I can't find it anywhere. So I had to say no but if anyone out there has some let me know:)

This next three are of a block I made for an aquaintance that had cancer. She passed away this past fall just after the finished quilt was delivered to her and her family. She was amazing in so may ways. I really wanted to keep it for myself which was good and it made it a real gift to her.

I knew I wanted to make a tree. The block size was supposed to me 5"x5" I think. I made mine 10x15. I found this fantastic book and used part of the poem. All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant. The poem is wonderful and the artwork is amazing!

Back of the block shows the details of the quilting a little easier.

Front of the block. I also used fabric pastels to add some detail and extra color.

This last photo shows the texture of the trunk. I love the way it turned out. I made it out of fabrics that I used in a quilt for my mom and that I picked up in Canada about 5 years ago. It added even more meaning to the quilt as my mom passed away from cancer 13 months ago.

Blogger's Quilt Festival Fall 2010

2010-11-04T20:55:00.005-05:00

I am so glad that I saw this happening again! I have been very absent from blogging this year. Thank you, Amy, for hosting the great Blogger's Quilt Festival again! I love seeing everyone elses amazing work. It is always inspiring.

This quilt started as a small idea, two teachers retiring and somehow involving all of the students. I donated the time and material to make this quilt (and the next) and the PTO helped to cover the cost of a long-arm quilter to do the hard part! I had a short time frame, I think it was about a month.

Orginally I thought I would have each student do a 6" block but that was simply too daunting to prepare and sew with the time I had given myself. I chose a garden theme because it lends itself well to childrens creativity and both like to garden. I love this quilt because of it's long garden rows spaced by a great batik grass. Then surrounded by water/sky.

The garden spaces are made up of two classes each and the last row with the thank you block. It was great to watch the children put something in the garden and show their love for these teachers. It was great to work with the fabric pastels. I've used them on a couple of projects since then.

This was a great exercise for me to give over the creative license to the kids and even more to hand over the quilts to be quilted by someone else. My friend did a fantastic job and worked fast to help me meet the deadline. I could see myself getting carried away with the quilting and that would have taken away from the beautiful art.

Wrapping up the quilts I used the extra from the backing (there was a lot!) and made cases for them. We hung the quilts up at school for a couple of days for the kids and teachers to see the final project. They loved how it all came together and so did the recipients. Lots of love shared and tears shed.

Quilts at Last

2010-10-25T22:11:00.003-05:00

I finally completed the quilts that were requested almost 2 years ago. Life happened and they were worked on, planned, designed, redesigned, and finally came to life. I had the opportunity to deliver them myself to my nieces and nephew in Montreal.

The trip might get some post time as it was a great time with family in a beautiful, bustling city.

I hope these quilts bring joy to their hearts and a smile to their faces when they use them.

Diapers!

2010-09-27T17:08:00.004-05:00

So I guess I should say it's been a busy summer and the thought of trying to blog all the fun things we've been doing is too much. I have lots of fun things to post if I ever find the time!

So SR is 2. I am on my last box of Huggies and I've had enough of paying for diapers. I decided to try my hand a making my own cloth diapers. I have most of the supplies for this at home. I did have to buy the PUL and velcro. This is the first one. I used this pattern from Wee Weka. It needs a little more tweeking with the placement of velcro etc. As far as a pocket diaper goes it seems to be alright. I might try some other types as I go along. The only type of PUL that I can get locally is white so I added a layer of calico to make it cuter! The inside is lined with a microfleece that I have had for ages and didn't know what to do with it. Turns out its great for cloth diapering!

I will hopefully be able to order some touch tape and try it's superior sticking power. The insert (aka soaker) is three layers of cotton batting wrapped in two layers of flannel. We'll see how it does. I will be trying out microfiber (wrapped in flannel) to see if it really is better at absorbing.

Cloth diapering. What do you think?

More Aprons

2010-06-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

These aprons are reversible. Note to self: dress better when you are being photographed and said photo will be posted!These aprons are LONG overdue. I think part of the reason is that I just hadn't found the right fabrics (or that is what I am telling myself!)

The vintage orange and white button on this one was a find in a bin of old buttons.
And these shoes were a "vintage" find for free! Too small for me but perfect for my friend so into the box they went with the apron.

Now this apron has a bit of a green organic feel. As in nature-like. The green button on this one is bigger than an inch and I had to wrangle the buttonhole to fit. Not my strong suit.

The Hedgehog is the first made of fleece animals from this book. This friend collects and adores these cute critters. While not as expert as her marvelous creations I am happy with it.

Using "Leaving Gee's Bend" in the classroom

2010-05-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

A friend said her son's 4th grade class had used Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham as the basis for an Alabama history project. They read the book and had parents help in the classroom teaching the students to hand piece a 9-patch quilt block. The blocks were then pieced together into a quilt (actually each student ended up taking their own home. I will make them into a quilt.)

I am loving this idea and the teacher said that would be wonderful.

My concern is about the book. Have any of you read it? There is a small bit about childbirth and I am a little worried that it might offend some students/parents. Any thoughts on this? I am hoping to be able to have several parents read the book (it's a fast read) and get their feedback.

Now to get a concrete plan together so the our teacher can work it into the class plan.

Finished Teacher Quilts

2010-05-25T08:03:00.001-05:00

I think these turned out better than any of us expected. The teachers were floored and thrilled and they cried a little too! Definitely a sign of a great gift!

(wrapped and ready for delivery)

I did turn them over to Meg to quilt. She did a great job working around the art work and had them done super fast. Thank you!!

The colors held fast except that a mild detergent or maybe none should be used. There was some little fading of the colors but more so on the signatures. I had intended to go back over them all again but forgot and ran out of time.

We also hung them up in the hall for the last two days of school so the students could see how it all came together. They loved seeing their art worked into a quilt. That puts me to mind of another project (more on that later.)

Without further ado, here they are.

Blogger's Quilt Festival--Spring 2010

2010-05-24T00:14:00.007-05:00

I have been out of the blogging loop for a few weeks and just now see that we are up again for another fantastic round of quilt inspiration with the Blogger's Quilt Festival Spring 2010!

Thank you Amy for organizing us again!

I have had a hard time choosing a quilt for the round. One of the beauties of blogging is its journalistic effect. I had to go back through all the older posts to see what I had made. I have chosen my Dad's quilt that I made last summer.

I have been quilting for eight years and haven't made him one yet. So this is it. I chose batiks because he spends his winters in Mexico and I wanted something cheerful and fun. This is also one of the quilts that I made with the Old Red Barn Co. quilt along last August.

I adore this quilt. I've never really worked with batiks before and their vibrancy really gave the quilt the feeling I was going for. The back is by far the biggest departure for me. I love the way it turned out. The only thing I would have changed is that I wish I had made it one row wider. It is just a bit short for their bed (which I had only intended it as a throw!)

Teacher Retirement Quilts

2010-05-10T09:38:00.006-05:00

This year we have two teachers retiring and I wanted to do something special for them. I was inspired by this quilt. I used the fabric pastels and so far they seem to be holding up. Once I ironed them they stopped smudging and seem set. I'll know for sure after I was them.Do not buy them on line. Your local craft store most likely carries them. I found them at Hobby Lobby with the t-shirts and fabric markers. They were $3.99 for the 15 ct and I used a 40% coupon.

My original idea was to have each student do 2-6" blocks with a garden theme (flower, butterfly, bird, tree etc.) Then I got to thinking about how much sewing that would mean for me. 137 blocks x 2. I only had a week to get the blocks done and the quilts made. I know that with 4 kids there was no way for me to get it done. So I opted for large panels. The first one I did 14x70 and had two classes share the panels and sashed them with "grass" in a green batik. On the bottom panel I made a large label of sorts.

For the second quilt I had more of a raised bed garden idea. The smaller panels I did one for each class (12x25). I like the way they turned out. The backings are simple white with a pieced strip. I'll post the finished product when I get them back this week.

I've sent them to a friend to quilt for me. I have never done that before and there is a sense of giving something up by not actually doing the quilting myself. I know they we be great but it was an interesting feeling I had not expected.

Pillows, Apron, Babies

2010-05-10T08:43:00.004-05:00

Finally decorated the newly covered couch with a fun throw pillow. I've made another one since in the same colors but wavy lines. Maybe I'll get a picture of them when I make more throws. I took on the invisible zipper for this pillow using these directions. If you want to see the whole couch you can see it at our family blog.

Yet another apron. You will see many of these this year. Last year our birthday gift was a pillowcase and this year it's aprons. We chose lizards for the birthday boy. Maybe I should make one for Ian whose 7th birthday is Wednesday....Hmm. Yep, probably should do that.

Also this past weekend there was a baby shower for a girl. I have done a lot of boy gifts lately so it was a nice and welcome change to make something girly. A diaper clutch. Two reversible bibs. A bird (link is on the left) to chew on and a ribbon ball. The kids want me to make many more balls for them to play with. This was a quick toy to make. I was just doing a test run but next time I will add more ribbons and maybe in all the seams.

Two More

2010-04-19T20:37:00.003-05:00

I just finished two more aprons. One for my nephew who just turned 7. He asked me last fall to make him a pirate quilt! I am too far behind to oblige that request and came up with this solution instead. Pirate ships on one side and cute pirates on the other. You can't see it in detail but the button is an old brass one. Very fitting.
The second apron got a bit of an overhaul in production. I mean I made the ties for the waist the full 45" width so the kids can tie and untie it themselves. I think this will be used all the future aprons. It was a last minute gift that worked out perfectly. The birthday boy loves frogs!
These take about one hour to make if I don't have machine troubles or get interrupted by any of the 4 kiddos.

You may ask: Do your kids love their aprons? I will have to say I haven't yet made any for my own kids! Maybe I'll make them for the kids for Mother's Day.

School Lunch Napkins

2010-04-19T17:12:00.003-05:00

Inspired by SMS. Here is the link to a cute snack set pdf. I don’t know about you but I get tired of my kids clothes (shirts especially) coming home a disaster. So these napkins will be used at school. The goal is to make 5 for each of them, one for each day. They have to bring home the dirty one in order to get a clean one!

This is a fast project. It took me longer to pick out the fabric than it did to sew them up.

I made my napkins double-sided. The square ones started out 10x10 and finished at about 9 1/2” square. The rectangular ones are cut from a fat quarter divided into fourths (about 9x11). I think next time I will cut them 9 ½” square to start and end up a little smaller but square. The look of a rectangular napkin is throwing me off!

Then in the middle of this quick craft session I had to make a mini pressing board. My 4 year old bumped into the iron and burned his hand. I am think this board will help in keeping it more out of reach. I think I might have to make some more of these fabric boards and hang them! This a made with a scrap of Michael Miller fabric layered over two layers of flannel and a layer of polyester batting. I hot glued the two cork boards together. I wasn’t sure about using a spray adhesive on a something that would get hot. This was inspired by Oh, Fransson TV tray revamp.

Crochet Hook Storage Bag Tutorial

2010-03-23T09:18:00.009-05:00

I did this thinking it would be easy and quick. It was but I see now writing this out that I should have taken more pictures. More step-by-step would have been good. Though not many people will see this so I guess my deficiency at this first attempt will be okay.

I started this project with 2 fat quarters. With the right sides together sew using a 1/4" seam allowance leaving a 3" opening. Trim the corners and flip right side out. Press making sure the opening is nicely lined up. Top stitch around the outside edge. I had my needle set to the far right and ran the edge of the fabric along the inside edge of the presser foot.

Here it is flipped and top-stitched. Next you will need to fold up the bottom 1/3 to accommodate your hooks. Sew pockets about 1" apart all along the width of the fabric. I left the last two wider to accommodate scissors etc.

Next you will fold down the top part to cover the hooks. This will keep them from falling out. Fold it down and pin. Then top-stitch the whole side shut.

Finally you will need to add a ribbon or yarn to tie the whole case closed. At first I put tie right in the middle of the case. That didn't work. It has to be almost all the way to one end. I think it was about 3" from the end. Secure it down with some stitching. Roll it up and tie it with a bow!

Newest projects

2010-03-15T10:00:00.002-05:00

It has taken me way to long to finish this little baby quilt. I had the top finished in November but I was out of town and then the funerals. I finally got the backing and the binding on and a label! The recipient loved it (well his mom did!) It is a wee quilt. I forgot to measure but it was probably 30x40.

I was inspired by a blog to make a needle book. I think it was SMS a couple of months ago. I love this dainty little creation. It was quick which is about all I have time for right now.

Marching On

2010-03-07T15:29:00.006-06:00

While I haven't done much in the way of crafting in the past month we have been busy with school projects. This is IA's submission (1st grade). He picked the dot by Peter H. Reynolds. We love this book and it's sequel ish. He has written and illustrated many books. We also love the Judy Moody and Stink books by Megan MacDonald. We spent about a week working on art. Each making our own dots or "no dots". These are all his own work.

This is EJ's book fair submission (3rd grade). She chose heartbeat by Sharon Creech. We love this book and every other one we have read by her. We love her imagery and lyrical style. Bloomability is one that I really enjoyed but EJ hasn't read yet. She had a lot of fun leaving her footprints and painting this apple.

The other obsession is Box Tops for Education. I am the school coordinator and each month I am coming up with new ideas for rewards and challenges to keep the students excited. February was the Love Your School Challenge.

Here is my one sewing craft for the whole month! My sewing room is train wreck but it is on the mend, the machine is serviced and I just might get back on track.
I made this apron for a 1st grade party my son went to. Here is WH modeling it for me. Brown cordoroy with guitar fabric. The birthday boy is taking guitar lessons. This will be the gift for this year. Aprons. A mother at the party asked if I make them to sell. No. But I might. She said "Call me!"

So my question is how much do you charge for a custom child-size apron? I like the idea but there are so many things that stop me from doing business. Thoughts?

February--Where did it go?

2010-03-07T15:22:00.002-06:00

I am not sure where the 28 days of February went. It was a blur. We had a snow day with 4 inches! That is a lot for Alabama especially in February.

We made bookmarks for class Valentines. The kids personalized them on the back side then I laminated them. We may do this again next year with some variation. These ones came from a Microsoft template.

We had a birthday. WH turned 4! Lemon cake with lemon pudding and whip cream. Yum. Anyway, his dimple and smile help him to get away with much too much.

January Goals

2010-01-24T21:00:00.005-06:00

I have broken up the year into what I hope will be manageable goals. I have tons of things to do but find myself getting weary of deadlines. So, in the next week I need to finish up some projects to stay on target and not fall any farther behind.

I need to make 5 aprons and bind 1 baby quilt and one week.

Somehow the time will magically appear right? Between the full time job of SAHM and a class at college and various service projects I'm sure there is time. This sounds like I need some serious time management and no iPhone play time!

I've also added one more twin quilt for the year that has to be done by June. Sooner if possible. Picture this in blues and greens and one in yellows and oranges. Good times.

More Projects and Where I've been

2010-01-15T10:36:00.004-06:00

The two quilts here are by my two oldest kids. Liz (8) designed and quilted the little owl quilt (8"x10") and the patchwork is by Ian (6). The bibs and such were for baby gifts. The pillow case was designed by Liz and constructed by me for a birthday gift. Here is the pattern I used for bib guidance. Basically you take an existing bib that you like and trace it. You could add terry cloth or vinyl to make them more absorbable. I used velcro because it's fast but you could do a button.

I finally finished this apron for my sister, 6 months late. She modeled it for me. Lemon and Lime. My husband is into bowties right now. They are really expensive to buy so we searched and found a pattern on-line. Trying to find fabric the looks good in tie form is also very hard. So we started taking apart ties he had and that we found for $5 or less. The result is, he is now a master tie maker! He has made nearly a dozen.
I gave him his own sewing box for Christmas because we don't do well sharing tools! We made a muslin draft first just to be sure we had the size right. Then he chopped up his one of his mission ties. We bought one tie with a slide and used it as a template for length. Interfacing on both sides has proved good when using a light weight interfacing. He made one without and it is too flimsy.

If you would like to know where I've been or rather why I haven't posted in an age you can see our family blog.

A Couple of Christmas Crafts

2010-01-15T10:13:00.001-06:00

I just now have time to sit down and type (more in the next post). These are a couple of the things I did for Christmas this year. I asked my 3 y/o son what animal we should make for his 5 y/o cousin. He said a ladybug. This is what we came up with. I didn't put eyes on it because I was in a hurry and in baby mode it never occured to me to put googly eyes on. So my nephew called him the blind ladybug! The quillow was for the same nephew. He sees yellow best so I made a cheery side and a space side which is his obsession. Space that is. The pillow pocket was made from a scrap section from a quilt my son made. The story of fabric combination: the lizards are riding the hot air balloons up to outerspace. Love the imagination. The stockings I made a few years ago. I spent a long time searching for the right fabric. A good family friend made me the the burgundy one years ago before I went to college. I didn't have time to make a new one for the baby because of emergency travel. I made some pillow cases and a couple of other things but I forgot to take pictures of the aprons and pillowcases. I am now playing catch up.

Christmas CD GiveAway at Chocolate on My Cranium

2009-12-08T08:39:00.002-06:00

Chocolate on My Cranium is hosting a giveaway for a wonderful Christmas CD. Check out her blog to see how to enter. You have the chance for an entry for 1 of 4 cd's if you comment by Wednesday December 9th. If you don't win you can buy direct from the artist for less than $12. Her blog is It's All About the Baby.

I have tried for 20 minutes now to post a picture of the CD cover to no avail. I really need to improve my blogging skills. The songs I heard were lovely and unexpected.

Enjoy.

Joy in the New Year Challenge

2009-11-16T13:26:00.004-06:00

So I have put off joining this challenge hosted by Tallgrass Prairie Studio long enough. I may not get all of the projects done but it's worth a shot. Not much to do right! The challenge is Joy in the New Year. Trying to complete the unfinished projects hiding around our spaces and find a clean slate for the new year.

Wip's to complete by the end of December 2009:

1. Lisa and Angelica's quilts and pillow cases
2. Charlie citrus quillow
3. I spy blankie for Marcus
4. Pay it forward gifts
5. About 10 aprons
6. Dinner napkins
7. Unsicker baby boy quilt
8. Spencer's Stocking
9. Adam guitar quillow
10. Reupholster the wing back chair

Project update for 2009

2009-11-13T08:31:00.000-06:00

So, I've finished a few small projects but the the big ones that really need to be done are't quite there yet. I would love to add links to the posts for all of these but I may never get the post up if I do! The same for pictures with the post. Maybe the next one.

Projects completed....
1. Elizabeth's fairy quilt
2. Nephew's quilt (much past due)
3. William's Quillow
4. Project Improv blocks
5. Bushfire blocks
6. Rueben's quilt
6. Spencer's quilt
7. Trent's quilt
8. Leslie's baby quilt
9. Quilt for my Mom
10. Quilt for my Dad
11. Baby quilt for new niece or nephew

Projects In Progress...
1. Ian Flame quilt
2. Lisa and Angelica's quilts (triangles cut)
3. L &A Pillow cases to match
4. Pay it Forward gifts (still have one more to give...)
5. Baby Boy Unsicker's quilt
6. About a dozen others in various stages of completion!

Projects in the Wings...
1. Quilt for US!
2. Adam's Quillow
3. Bathrobes and slippers
4. Spencer's Christmas Stocking
5. Ian's twin quilt
6. Charlie's citrus quillow
7. Burbank Christmas gift
8. 10 Aprons
9. Small I Spy quilt

Baby Thomas' Quilt

2009-10-26T08:33:00.001-05:00

Our newest Nephew was born on the 8th and the package is ready to go out to him today. Here is the quilt and what I've included for the first time parents. The blocks are for his Christmas gift. These blocks are great. My 13 month old kicks these around and chases them. I added bells to these too. I made a little bag to put them all in. The great gift is the blocks all wrapped up. Then I had the kids paint a small (3"x4") canvas each in the blue and brown nursery colors. Then there is a bunch of goodies for a new wee one and mom too! Long sleeve onesies with ties sewn on (not the one I had orginally seen but this is good. I left my tie loose so he can chew on it), a bird (I added a bell and it makes a great chew toy), bibs (I need to make the neck bigger on the next ones), diaper clutch and of course the quilt. Pictures below are quilt front, back and the onesies.

Fall Blogger's Quilt Festival

2009-10-11T23:30:00.012-05:00

It's that time again. Amy at Park City Girl is hosting a fall Blogger's Quilt Festival. Get ready to be inspired and make new friends.

I was going to put the button (which is super awesome) right here but my skills at blogging are very slim. I really should stick with quilting production instead of typing about it!

I've chosen a quilt this time that gave me a very hard time. This quilt was for my In-laws and I asked for color samples for inspiration. It took me two years to find the right fabric and get the pattern sorted out. Did I mention it's King sized? I have friend in Nashville who has a long-arm machine at her in-laws and she was kind enough to let me spend an entire day working on the quilt. Her in-laws actually fed us dinner to because we were there for so long!

This quilt was designed using EQ5. Many, many drafts went into finding the right one to highlight the fabric and take my love of diamonds to a new level. The quilt is made in quadrants which made the assembly much easier than it could have been. It was essential that I labeled each fabric and where it would go when I was sewing the strip sets together.

An introduction to my life as a quilter and fabric collector can be found here. Hope you enjoy.

Art Project Inspired by Matisse

2009-09-25T20:23:00.003-05:00

I posted this over at our family blog but thought those who peruse this blog might enjoy this little viewing.

We used the idea in the listed post (see below) as a spring board. We painted our background on watercolor paper and it took us all day because we had to let the paper dry in between. For the fish we painted a sheet with various shades of yellow and orange and the striped fish were a tissue paper glued to cardstock. We also did one sheet for the goldfish bowls and then I cut it in 4 so we each had our own to work with.

I love how different each of our works are. That is the joy of art. Interpretation!

So with the kids all being home this week I thought it might be fun to do an art project following along with what they are doing at school. For the past couple of weeks they have been studying Henri Matisse in art class.

I googled art projects using Matisse and came across this project. I loved the idea. It proved more complex and the kids were frustrated more than once during the day long project! Goldfish seemed like a fun idea during a rainy week.

Here is what we turned out.

William, age 3

Elizabeth, age 8

Ian, age 6Mom, age (well you don't need to know!)

Pay it Forward with a Craft

2009-09-19T17:23:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: I just wanted to say this project is still on. I only have one comment to go!
I originally posted this in February. But as September is wearing on we have had a week straight of rain I thought I would bring this post to the front. I am still working on my gifts. Life has a way of sneaking up and taking over the fun projects!

A friend posted this and I thought it might be nice to send out something to others. I get a little caught up in my own life sometimes.

Her words:"This is how it works..... The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a hand made gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. BUT, in order for you to leave a comment on this post, you must first post a "pay it forward" on your blog. (That means that sometime during this year you will send a gift to 3 people as well.) Get it? So, the first 3 people to comment on this post who have already posted a "Pay it Forward" will be the lucky ones! Good Luck!"

"I'm not into chain things (letters, sticker clubs, whatever), I won't insist that you do, too, but I'll send a little handmade something to the first 3 commenters. February is just that depressing. It needs a bit of joy. Crafty joy :)"

I have an idea of what the little somethings I make will be but a surprise it will be.

IBOL--Iraqi Bundles of Love Update

2009-09-12T08:01:00.002-05:00

If you heard about this project here or elsewhere I thought you might be interested in an update. IBOL guy just posted about the state of things. Current count for Bundles of Love is 1921! Lots more in the mail.

You all rock!!

IBOL Sundae

2009-09-10T08:29:00.002-05:00

While we didn't actually get to have the Sundaes on Sunday we did eat. And they were good. We included bananas, strawberries, caramel sauce, ganache and Neapolitan ice cream.

They were enjoyed by one and all!

The First (and Second)

2009-09-09T12:35:00.006-05:00

Carol over at a scot in tennesee featured me this week in her blog hop post. She asked that I talk a bit about the beginnings. This is the first quilt I made. It was for my BIL for his wedding. I began quilting back in August of 2001. The wedding was in the middle of September 2001. I had about a month to choose fabric, cut, piece and quilt. Squares should be simple right? For the most part I like this quilt. Love the colors. I did my best but lets just say I really should make them another quilt! I hand tied it during the reception! I think it was supposed to be queen sized but I'm not sure what the dimensions ended up being. I have learned a great deal since this first quilt. I am still okay with being imperfect in quilting. If I worried about perfection I would never get any quilts done.

This star quilt was started at the same time (or shortly thereafter) for my brother who happened to get married a week earlier than Scott's brother. I was unable to attend his wedding because I was going to fly out on 9/11. I would run through the emotions of not being able to attend and the awe over what happened that day but we were all there. There was no way for me to get on a plane let alone cross the border to Canada. This star quilt I jumped into head first like so many of my quilts. I thought stars? Diamonds? What can be so hard about this? Well it was a little harder than planned but I love the way it turned out. It was all strip pieced and I hand quilted part of it then ran out of time so machine quilted the rest of it. My sister and her husband came to visit from Banff and they took it and delivered it for me. I think the quilt hung on the wall for a long time. Their apartment had a dark wood paneled wall. It helped to brighten up the place.
I dove into quilting head first and have never looked back. I still love the creation process.

Projects in progress

2009-09-04T16:57:00.003-05:00

One of two triangle quilts I am working on for two nieces. They have been cut out and waiting for this step for far too long. I am very hopeful that I can get these twin quilts done before Halloween. It will be a big stretch to get big quilts done in a timely manner.

So I am in charge of the baby quilt for a new little nephew due in about a month. I am torn between making a simple square with sashing. Or a zig zag (or here) quilt. Any thoughts?

IBOL Packaged

2009-08-31T14:29:00.005-05:00

What I had to fit in the boxes. I made a little felt piece to hold some pins and various needles.

The empty and patiently waiting boxes. I was amazed at how much I fit in the boxes. Lots and lots of fabric and sewing notions will soon be making their way east.

I was wrapping up when I saw my birds left from last Christmas. So I stuck one* in each bundle as a little surprise. *(this one was made by a friend and stayed with me.)

The one I had originally thought to send turned into two and then three! I really hope they are received well and can be used. I could fill more boxes but 3 will have to do for this time.

IBOL--Iraqi Bundles of Love

2009-08-28T21:33:00.004-05:00

So I read about this a couple of weeks ago but let the time slip away. So here is my plug for this awesome opportunity for service. I just emailed the man in charge of this project and he sent me these links to give you the details.

You can either email him via a comment on his blog or email me and I'll pass the address along to you. These bundles must be mailed by September 7th at the very latest to arrive in time for him to deliver them.

Here is what he just sent to me:

I added some more to the site recently, on ideas of stuff to send -
like knitting stuff. But really, anything and everything gets put to
use here -- this, after Iraq was under sanctions for so long. Bigger
is definitely better -- bigger pieces of fabric, bigger spools of yarn
(send the whole bolt; don't sent the whole sheep). Green, by the way,
is a favorite color in this culture.

Other ways you can help:

1. Spread the word. This is a pretty rapid-fire project, running
about 6 weeks from start to finish (8 if you count delivery). Which
isn't much. I am trying my best, with the website and the emails and
all that, but it's a bunch. I can sure use the help with the word of
mouth stuff -- emails, blog links, Twitter, Facebook (IBOL has a
page), anything and everything.

OK, I ran out of steam after 1. I'll try to think of more. As long
as stuff is in the USPS as priority mail, not later than 07 Sept., it
should get here in time.

The general information is here: http://ibol.wordpress.com/what-to-send/

Information on how to build a bundle is here:
http://ibol.wordpress.com/building-a-bundle/

When all else fails, the frequently asked questions are here:
http://ibol.wordpress.com/faq/

The Facebook page is here:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Iraqi-Bundles-of-Love/114608201774

Flickr photos are tagged like this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/abuzavi/tags/iraqibundlesoflove/

Honestly, I think the IBOL Kitteh stuff is the funniest part of this
project: http://ibol.wordpress.com/tag/ibol-kitteh/

Green is good. Simple is good. Stripes work, too. Scissors are OK.
Ditto for needles. Fabric is far more likely to be used for clothing
than for quilting, but that's not an absolute. I'm keeping the
mailing address off of the web, as best I can, because after this
project is over, I pack me up and ship me home -- so, bundles sent,
say, in January would just be returned.

And did I mention that bigger is definitely better -- bigger pieces of
fabric, bigger spools of yarn?

Did I miss something? Let me know.

Quilts completed

2009-08-19T13:02:00.000-05:00

So it's been a long while since I last updated. I don't seem to be at all able to quilt etc. and actually find time to update a the blog about what has been going on. We took a family vacation to Washingtion state and Canada (Vancouver Island) to visit with my family. Lots of fun and two quilts delivered.

This first quilt is for my Dad. I have been quilting for eight years and haven't made him one yet. So this is it. I chose batiks because he spends his winters in Mexico and I wanted something cheerful and fun. This is also one of the quilts that I made with the Old Red Barn Co. quilt along.

This one is for my mum. She was one of the first to ever receive a quilt from me. A lovely bed quilt. But she needed a smaller throw over the knees type quilt. The requirements: small and light weight but soft and warm and thicker than the cotton quilt but thinner than a duvet. Not a tall order at all :) I knew that I wanted to use Minki dot for the backing and it had to be blue. The top was a little more challenging. Over the years I have sent her many Mary Englebriet journals. So when I saw this fabric I knew that this was the right choice. I also decided to use a double layer of wool batting and tied the quilt (actually my sister tied it for me!) I used satin quilt binding for the extra touch of cuddliness. The end result is great. She loves it.

This little quilt was made in a hurry for a baby shower. While I rarely make baby quilts anymore for shower gifts (just not enough time) I hated to go with nothing home made. I have been hoarding this darling farm fabric for at least 4 years. It was time to send it to a better home. I didn't have any extra batting on hand so I used two layers of cotton flannel for the middle. I love the way it turned out. If I had had more time (I think this took 2 hours to make) I would have added a little more quilting. I hope the wee baby enjoys dragging it around.

Eight years of scraps

2009-08-17T13:17:00.001-05:00

Seriously. I have in these three bins (and a little on the table) scraps from all of the quilting over the past eight years. I thought I was doing well keeping it color sorted in plastic bags in the bins on a shelf. As it turns out these scraps have bred. Well not really but it sure feels like it. Now that I am sorting and organizing I really need to get a handle on all of these scraps. I try not to buy new fabric well at least less than I used to and only for a very specific purpose:0

Any ideas short of throwing them all away?

Help!

Reorganizing the Sewing Chaos

2009-08-17T13:12:00.001-05:00

So.....

I don't really have anything to say for myself about the state of my sewing and crafting. I create huge piles and have multiple projects going on at the same time. The first 4 photos are of the sewing room pre removal of everything. You don't see that there is also the baby's crib and my daughters bed in this room too. The last 5 photos are of the mess pulled out into the entry way. I didn't think that the fabric looked that overwhelming. But as I have sorted and refolded all of the fabric 1/2 yard and larger I am left with the bits and pieces and all of the odds and ends that accumulate when one sews or crafts.

More photos to follow on the slightly more organized room and new desk (I love this monster).

Crafty Crow pattern

2009-07-15T13:34:00.004-05:00

Over at the Crafty Crow you can enter a drawing for a super cute apron pattern. I hope I get this pattern as I have about a 1/2 dozen or so people I want to make aprons for. Good luck.

Sneak Peek of Batik

2009-06-29T22:32:00.002-05:00

Well I am madly sewing quilts to take to Canada with me in 4 weeks. EEK! I have two to make. One for Dad and one for Mom. I am very excited about both and they are very different. I just finished the top for Dad. The colors are inspired by Mexico. A little bit of summer and warmth in the drizzly winters of the West Coast.

Old Red Barn....

2009-06-29T18:55:00.001-05:00

You really need to check out OLD RED BARN. She is hosting a sewing machine give away for a Janome 6600 machine. You need to post a comment and then we just wait until next Monday when the random number will let us know who wins. Yeah! Hopefully it will be someone I know...maybe me? Well I can always hope right?

I almost hesitate to make this post but...I like sharing good things!

Good Luck

A give away at Quiltin' Like Crazy

2009-06-24T14:03:00.003-05:00

Friends a fellow blogger is celebrating her first quilt sale by giving away a very cute bag. You can find out all about her craftyness and such at her blog. It's a frenchy bag with Amy Butler's Daisy Chain line. Super cute. Go look and enter. Good Luck!

PS if you tell her I sent you I can get another entry:)

P&C backing sneak peek

2009-06-23T15:08:00.000-05:00

I finally finished the backing to this baby quilt. I like it almost more than the front. It takes so much longer the piece a backing than to use one large piece of cloth. The result though is worth it. I hope baby Madeline will enjoy it. More pictures when it is finished.

Chocolate and Peppermint quilt top

2009-06-23T15:03:00.001-05:00

I am participating in the Old Red Barn Quilt Along. This is a quick quilt and I have modified it a little bit by adding some blocks that inspired the colorway. I am working on the backing right now and need to catch up and finish it this weekend. It is a smallish quilt that is going to a friend for her adorable new baby.

A short break

2009-06-07T22:56:00.002-05:00

Traveling for the next week...so no sewing for me.

SR and I are off to Brazil tomorrow for a week sans children. The kiddos are staying home in Florence with Auntie W. We are hopeful that all goes well in both hemispheres. More on the trip when we return and maybe a few pictures too. HAving never left our children for more than an overnight it's hard to say who is going to be more distraught about our absence. I have been giving the kids extra long hugs for the past few days. Storing up I guess.

Why Brazil you say? He is presenting at a conference and I am coming a long for the ride. I am having second thoughts but it's paid for now and the sitter is here. We also get to celebrate our 11th anniversary while we are there. Crazy.

TTFN

2 More finished!

2009-05-30T23:04:00.004-05:00

This my attempt at improvisational quilting. Using the Wonky Star pattern I drafted a quilt on EQ5. I a devil of a time piecing it but it turned out well. The quilting was inspired by this blogger. It is machine quilted with the walking foot from 1/4"-3/4". I really like the way it turned out. It is a monster baby quilt measuring 45"x60". The back is white except for the one yellow star.

This baby quilt is for my baby who is now 8 months old! Love the simplicity of the design and especially love the improvisational piece on the back. I might add more quilting later but for now it is finished. I fought and struggled with the loopy quilting on the border. My machine was having a very bad attitude and I finally gave up on it and used my OLD Bernina 717. It worked like a charm. This baby quilt measures in at 43"x49".

One project down...3 to go

2009-05-18T18:35:00.007-05:00

So this super cute pillow case was not on the list but birthday parties come up and I like to make something to go along with the store bought gift. EJ said her friends favorite color was yellow and that she really liked dogs. I let her pick out the fabrics from my stash and then I tracked down some dog appliques.

This was a fast project (faster without the applique). I think about 1 hour. All the seams are finished. I like french seams a lot and found several good tutorials/refreshers on pillow cases and french seams here, here, here, here and here. (I know a lot of links but each one offers something a little different.)

I could go into lengthy detail about how to make the pillow case but I don't want to bore you. Suffice it to say today I had time to iron/press between each step and I love how crisp the seams are. Lesson learned...Take time to press as you go!

Flaming quilt

2009-05-06T23:38:00.003-05:00

I have had this idea rolling around in my head since November 2007. Too long undone. My son's 6th birthday is in less than a week and this is for him. I am very hopeful that the machine (and my skills) will cooperate. I love the way they look so far! I am going to leave the edges raw and put a pieced border on it and may add some flames licking onto it. Now off to sew.

May Spring to Finish

2009-05-04T10:37:00.002-05:00

If you didn't get to play last month Tallgrass Prairie Studio is hosting another Spring to Finish. Just click the link on my side bar to find out how to participate.

I was only able to complete two projects last month and hope that I can get 4 done this month. We can always try right?