The Polkadot Chair

A fun idea for Senior Pictures

2012-01-26T10:10:00.000-05:00

My sister in law is the photographer for her daughters Field Hockey team. She came with a great idea to make a banner with "Class of 2012" to use for photos of the seniors this year.

She enlisted my help to make the banner and I was happy to help! I love a good project, and she had an awesome idea.

The banner was simple, I just used various blue fabrics, cut them to 10"x10" then into triangles using my ruler and pinking blade for my rotary cutter.

The banner to be double sided - I put my nieces name on the other side so that she could use it later.

To do this I just put 2 10"x10" fabric squares wrong sides together and cut them at the same time with the pinking blade. I then just stitched around the edges about 1/4" in. I then sewed the banner pieces to a piece of bias tape and stitched some extra ribbon to the ends.

The lettering was done with felt and just ironed on (I didn't stitch through it).

If you want to make one yourself, Traci of Amazing Mae has a great tutorial on her site.

About Perfection...

2012-01-24T16:24:00.002-05:00

via instagram

Forgive me today, I'm going to wax a bit poetic...

This year for Christmas I bought my 10 yr old daughter a sewing machine. I couldn't resist the aqua blue hello kitty one I found online. I told myself it was mostly for "her" *wink* and added it to my cart.

It's been a great little machine, I set her up in the basement with my box of fabric scraps and a few sewing kits that we picked up at the local craft store.

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Christmas Albums DONE!

2012-01-23T03:09:00.000-05:00

A few years ago I decided to jump in on Ali Edwards 25 days of December. The idea was to document each day in December to show how your "everyday" life runs leading up to Christmas.

I finished my '80 and '09 albums about 90% and I had to skip '10. This year I picked it back up again. I just finished my 2011 album along with putting the finishing touches on my '08 & '09 albums.

All 3 years albums

I thought I'd share a few pages from my 2011 album with you. This year I decided to keep it simple and just do a 3 ring binder for the album with divided page protectors.

The divided page protectors helped the album come together very fast. I didn't have time to work on it in December, but was able to finish it in a just a few days in January.

I just kept a word doc on my laptop and wrote down what we did each day. That along with my instagram photos saved me. I was able to go back though December and document what we did most days.

After I finished up I sat and looked at all 3 albums and could not get over how much the kids had changed in those 4 years. It's crazy, they grow so fast you just miss it everyday.

Great Handmade Christmas Gifts

2012-01-20T02:17:00.002-05:00

Thanks to everyone that linked up to my Handmade Christmas Linky Party!!!

I really really LOVED looking through all of your creations. I truly have a passion for all things handmade whether it's sewing, crafts or food. I loved seeing how much time and thought you guys put into the gifts you gave for Christmas.

Here are a few linked up from the party...

The most visited link:

This amazing dollhouse at Let's go Fly a Kite

a few others:

Adorable hand painted princesses at Crafty Cleverlings

Wave Quilt at Our Busy Little Bunch

Lots of fun handmade gifts at Goddess in Progress

Spiderman Quilt at I'm Johns Daughter

Snuggly Bricks Quilt at My Sew Called Life

Pinecone Elves at Nesting in the Bluegrass

Coffee Cozy and other gifts at The Crafty Polkadot--- hmmm wonder if it would fit my Diet Coke can :)

Drawstring Bag & Other gifts at Canoe Ridge Creations

Bike Quilt from the Crafty Cupboard

There were also LOTS of other items that were all wonderful!!! Thanks so much to everyone that linked up from flickr- for some reason I can't "use" those photos here to feature... but make sure you click through- toots2u made 4 Quilts!!!

For the little red haired girl

2012-01-18T06:52:00.000-05:00

My sister has little kids. I take full advantage of this and love to make things that my kids are too "big" for. She was smart to have kids 2nd, if only for this reason *wink*.

My sister has wanted to name a baby Ruby since she was in high school. Her first two kids were boys, then her 3rd came along after a long and difficult pregnancy, a girl. Ruby was finally here.

Ruby has lived up to her name, she's an adorable little red haired girl.

For Christmas this year I made her a little doll and matching quilt. I got the idea for the quilt from the Pretty in Patchwork, Doll Quilts Book.

I raided my stash and pulled out every fabric I had with a red haired girl on it.

Most ended up being Heather Ross prints.

I made my first dresden block (which came out much bigger than I thought it would, I need to read up a bit more on dresdens).

It was fun to tackle a mini quilt, lots of instant gratification of a project that is done quickly.

I also made dolls for her boys- more on that next time :)

Our Family's Favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies

2012-01-16T14:42:00.002-05:00

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I LOVE LOVE LOVE Chocolate Chip cookies, they along with Rice Krispie treats are my biggest weakness when it comes to sweets. I'm not much for candy, but give me a good cookie and I'm in heaven!

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A Family Scrapbook, one month at a time

2012-01-10T06:51:00.004-05:00

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I'm sure that you guys have heard of Project Life. It's an awesome approach to scrapbooking pioneered by Becky Higgins. The premise behind it is that you document your daily life, one week at a time.

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Kirkland's Giveaway Winner

2012-01-09T05:08:00.000-05:00

True Random Number GeneratorResult:116Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Congrats to entry #116

Breanna Tinsley said...

Love the mirror! Would love to win!

Watch for an email from me!!

And thanks again to Kirkland's for generously offering to host this giveaway!

Cookies in a Jar- neighbor gift

2012-01-06T05:15:00.001-05:00

I feel like ever since December 1st I've been running a marathon. I was sitting down to blog today and I can't even remember what I've shared with you guys and what I haven't! I feel like I've been sewing and crafting non stop all month, and even for someone who LOVES it, got to be a bit much.

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Handmade Christmas Linky Party!

2012-01-04T06:59:00.004-05:00

Thank you so much to all of you that played along with my Handmade Christmas Quilt Along. I hope that many of you were able to give handmade quilts for Christmas (or other holiday) this year.

Okay... I'll admit about December 22nd I thought I had LOST MY MIND... wondering why I get myself into these crazy situations. At one point I said to a friend "I surrender, Christmas you win... I give up."

Honestly if it weren't for the quilt along and me telling the "blog world" I was making my kids quilts for Christmas, I would have just given up... Then the quilts would have gone to the "someday" pile and that would not be good. So for that I am thankful to this blogging community that I have here- some positive peer pressure is good sometimes.

For those of you that wanted to play along but didn't quite get them done, a friend of mine had a great suggestion. Instead of a Christmas gift, why not one for a birthday gift for your kids? That spreads out the work a bit along the year.

Now I try not to be one for excuses but I do have a very good excuse for finishing these at the last minute... I got a new sewing machine the week before Christmas!! I ordered it in November and got it delivered and all put together just in time to finish these quilts. It's just a sit down long arm quilter, (decided the one one the frame was too much pressure for me)... I'm proud of it because I paid for it all myself... I saved for 4 years, it felt pretty good.

I will also say that I have NEVER free motion quilted a quilt before, and I decided to quilt 3 of them the 3 days before Christmas on a new machine, and one had minke on the back. Yeah --- see why I questioned my sanity at one point?

Long story short (or shorter) the quilts got done all but the binding and were under the tree Christmas Eve. My kids were not even suprised at this point- they had all figured out what I was up to.

The quilting looks good to me and my kids but anyone with a trained eye, I'm sure would cringe.. but I figure you've got to learn somehow and quilting 3 quilts in 3 days is a good way to "jump in".

Now that you've heard my "life story" at least for the month of December... I'll move onto the quilts. To see the whole story you can click back through posts labeled "quilt along"... there I've got dimensions, fabric details etc.

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First up is my son's quilt- I think it's my favorite. I'm happy with the pattern. I decided to release it as a new PDF pattern in my shop. I won't be deleting the info about it from my blog, but if you'd rather just get it all the instructions in one place on one document instead of scrolling back though 10 blog posts, you'll be able to buy it in the shop by the end of the month.

My son said the pac man print is his favorite, I think it's mine too-- here it is on his bed.

Next up is my younger daughters quilt... simple patchwork- mostly Sarah Jane and 30's reproduction fabrics... I love the "vintagey" feel of this one.

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I just did a random piecing of the prints, in a few places I should have been more random- but overall I'm really happy with it... plus it's soft- it's got some Bonnie and Camille Ruby flannel fabric on the back.

Last up is my oldest daughters quilt. It was originally to be 12 14" hedgerow blocks... then I made 4 and could get them all the same size (still learning) plus they were getting really really busy- even with the white sashing I was worried it would be too much. I love to work with novelty prints but sometimes it's challenging.

So the week before Christmas I redesigned the whole thing. I used the 4 blocks I had then just "improv" pieced the rest of the quilt top. Thank goodness I got a quilt design wall- it was a life safer!!

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I went from absolutley hating this quilt to absolutely loving it by the end. All the white parts are moda pre cut basics, jelly roll strips, charm squares and one layer cake square. I used all the strips I cut for the blocks for a top and bottom border and tried to "ground" the quilt by putting the darker colors at the bottom.

She got her drivers license this year so I had to include the cars.. and she's been collecting elephants since she was little, hence all of the pink elephant print.

Okay now its YOUR turn...

-Did you have a Handmade Holiday?

-Did you follow along with our Quilt Along?

or

-Did you make gifts this year for Christmas or Hanukkah?

If so, link up your creations!!

Here's the rules they are simple (I've never hosted a linky party before, so here goes nothing!!)

-link up a craft (doesn't have to be a quilt) you made FOR someone, your kids, friends, family grandkids etc.. not just a craft you made a GIFT you made.

-I would appreciate if you would add my button to your post, but it's not required

-Link to blog or flickr photo

-No shop/store links

I'll be highlighting a few next week in a blog post! I'll leave the linky party open for 1 week.

$50 Gift Card to Kirkland's Giveaway!

2012-01-02T20:21:00.002-05:00

Okay, I don't know about you guys but something about January 1st makes me want to reorganize my whole house. I'm so ready to get the Christmas stuff put away and the house looking "simpler" again. You should have seen me last weekend, I was a mad woman packing stuff away and cleaning stuff out- I'm sure my family thought I was a bit crazy, but a New Year was coming up and I was ready for a fresh start!

Our bedroom and bathroom were my "victims" last week, next I'm moving onto the kids play room ---I hope I come out alive, you should see it in there!!

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Top 11 for 2011

2011-12-30T06:25:00.001-05:00

I can not believe that 2012 will be the 5th year that I have been blogging. It's crazy.

In honor of the new year, I thought I'd share with you guys the top 11 (since it's 2011) most viewed posts last year. (via google analytics)

1. Padded iPad Case

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Meet Mique of 30 Days!

2011-12-27T14:48:00.003-05:00

Happy Tuesday!!

Did you guys all have a wonderful Christmas? I sincerely hope so! Ours was very nice. The kids loved the quilts (even though they weren't bound yet *wink*)- even so, I think they still appreciated the thought. They have been dragging them around the house the past few days, so I'd better get them bound and washed today!

I've got one more interview to share with you before the New Year. Ironically this is a blogger that I've never actually "met" - but I feel like I've known her for years! One day our paths will cross and I'll get to meet her.

Mique runs 30 Days Blog, if you haven't stopped by then you should! She's got great crafts and recipes and is the very talented girl behind the Queen Bee Market in California.

Mique has also shared her experiences having a son with Autism in a very moving seires of blog posts, you can read them here. My youngest brother (now an Adult) also has Autism and I remember so many of the emotions she descirbes from our own families experience.

So now... Meet Mique!

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Handmade Christmas Quilt Along: Last Update

2011-12-21T15:19:00.001-05:00

instagram photo

I hope that you are all busy crafting away or spending time with those that you love this week before Christmas! I just thought I'd give you one last update on the Handmade Christmas Quilt Along I've been hosting.

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Tutorial: Easy Peasy Fleece Blanket

2011-12-19T18:28:00.004-05:00

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If you are looking for a last minute hand made gift, I've got an idea for you. These blankets are so easy you can make them in a hour! Plus they take only 3 yds of fleece (which you can find on sale this week) so they are inexpensive to make too! You've got time to whip out a few before Christmas! They are also great if you are looking for a project that your kids can make with you.

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Festival of Nativities

2011-12-15T16:07:00.002-05:00

I'm excited to share with you today the project I've been working on for the last 4 months. It's the reason behind all the guest posts this month and total lack of Christmas projects on this blog!

This is the 2nd year that I was involved in our church's Festival of Nativities, this year I was the chairman. Most of the time I kept thinking "am I even old enough to be in charge of something like this? They must have the wrong person". It was a giant undertaking with lots of moving parts to keep track of. This year I had a wonderful committee. I felt like the entire event was a true collaboration of everyone's ideas. I did not do this with out help, and these are NOT all my ideas, I just happen to be the one that is blogging about it.

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Meet Calli of Make it Do

2011-12-13T10:35:00.004-05:00

Today I get the pleasure of introducing you to Calli of Make it Do!

Advent Calendar Pattern

She's a twin mom like me, that I met at a blogger meet up in Utah a couple of summers ago. You may know her as she has been kind enough to guest blog for me a couple of times when I've been in a pinch! As you will be able to tell from her interview she is super sweet... and NO I didn't pay her to say those nice things about me. (I blushed a bit when I read her interview!!)

Meet Calli

Hi Everyone, My name is Calli. My blog is called Make it Do. I am so happy to be here on Polkadot Chair today. I DO wish I was sitting in Melissa's craft room on her polkadot chair with an embroidery in hand and time to visit. Melissa and I met at a blogging dinner a year and half ago and I felt immediately like she was an old friend. Since then I've felt like I've gotten to know her even better through her wonderful blog. Melissa is not only incredibly talented, she is super fun, funny and kind.

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Jewelry Giveaway

2011-12-12T17:17:00.002-05:00

Hello!

I hope that you have been enjoying the blogger interviews featured here.

I'm happy to report that 1) The Festival of Nativities is OVER and 2) We did not lose or break anyone's nativity set! It turned out beautifully but was a major undertaking. My only regret is that attendance was pretty low, I had lots of people working hard on it, and it's too bad more people could not have seen all the time and effort they put into the event. I've received many many emails with questions about the details of our event, so I'll be doing a proper blog write up about it later this week.

Until then, while I regroup a bit (okay a lot), I've got a couple more interviews to share with you and a GIVEAWAY today!!

I hope that you all enjoyed meeting Leigh of Leedle Deedle quilts last week. Today she has graciously offered to give away a pair of earrings in her shop, your choice!!

leedle deedle designs

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Meet Natalia of Piece and Quilt!

2011-12-09T06:45:00.003-05:00

I'm so excited to introduce you today to Natalia of Piece and Quilt. Let me tell you this girl has MAD quilting skills!

She makes quilts and also has a long arm quilting business. She's an amazing long arm quilter. The level of detail that goes into her quilts is incredible

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Meet Amy of Amy Lou Who Sews!

2011-12-08T07:08:00.001-05:00

Hi!

Today I have the privilege of introducing you to another Amy... Amy W. of Amy Lou Who Sews!

I met Amy at the Sewing Summit. I sat down to talk to her and within about 2 minutes I felt like I'd know her for years! I'd linked up to her Sew and Tell party a couple of times and it was fun to finally meet her in person. She said she'd come visit me in Kentucky and I'm holding her to it!

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Meet Leigh of Leedle Deedle Quilts

2011-12-07T07:56:00.003-05:00

Today, meet Leigh!

I met Leigh at the Sewing Summit. She was kind enough to sit with me one night and show me how to make hexies. She even gave me a few of her templates and some fabric. She was so kind to share her knowledge with me!

Leigh blogs over at Leedle Deedle Quilts, if you haven't visited her before, stop by and say "hi" for me! She's got lots of great creative eye candy on her blog.

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Meet Amy of Diary of a Quilter

2011-12-06T12:44:00.002-05:00

Hi there!!

This is the week of our Church's Festival of Nativities. I'm running around like a crazy person and will admit I'm on the verge of tears most of the day! It's a major undertaking and even with my fabulous committee it's quickly taking over my life!! I'm doing my best to return emails this week, but please understand if I don't answer right away.

I'm so grateful that these wonderful girls you will meet this week agreed to participate in my little "Meet the Blogger" series. I hope you enjoyed meeting Allison of Cluck Cluck Sew last week, this week you can look forward to a post a day introducing you to some fabulous bloggers. Some that you might now and some that might be new to you.

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Handmade Christmas Quilt Along: Machine Quilting

2011-12-01T07:09:00.001-05:00

For those of you following along with our Handmade Christmas Quilt along I wanted to get the machine quilting portion of the Quilt Along going today since it's December 1st!

I will admit only 1 of the 3 quilt tops I'm working on is done, but I've got a good plan to get the others done by Christmas, hopefully you are further along that me!

Let me just say once again, I'm not an expert at machine quilting. This is just what I've "figured" out over the last 3 years from the quilts that I have made- all but one I've quilted myself on my home machine (it's not a quilting sewing machine).

Today I'm going to share with you what I think is the simplest way to machine quilt your quilt. It's easy, especially if you are a beginner or are in a rush as you only need to sew straight lines!!!

This is the method I am using for my son's quilt.

instagram photo.

I will still be posting photos of the progress on my quilts until the end of the month. With the final photos posted after Christmas (in the off chance my kids read my blog, so I don't ruin the surprise). This won't be our last Quilt Along post, but I wanted to get this up today in case anyone was ready to start quilting.

Okay let's start!

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Meet Allison of Cluck Cluck Sew

2011-11-29T07:50:00.004-05:00

Hi there!!

Today as part of my "Come sit in my Polkadot Chair" Interview series, I'm featuring Allison of Cluck Cluck Sew!

Last October at the Sewing Summit, I was VERY excited to take Allison's free motion quilting class. Free motion quilting had been on my "to learn" list for a while and I was a little excited (okay that's probably an understatement). Excited enough that I asked a MILLION questions, but Allison was super sweet and answered them all.

After I got to talking to her for a bit I found out that she ALSO has a family of Dentists! I thought I was the only one with a crazy dental family (well her family might not be crazy like mine). After that realization I knew I had met a kindred spirit!

Thanks so much Allison for agreeing to be interviewed today.

Q: Okay, to start... just the facts... introduce yourself. Do you have kids? How many? Where do you live? Where did you grow up?

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Come sit in my Polkadot Chair!

2011-11-28T06:54:00.004-05:00

In the last 3 years since I started my blog, I've had the privilege of getting to know many other bloggers. I love that you can meet someone you only know from their blog and have such an instant connection, like you've known them for years.

I live in Louisville, Kentucky... as far as I know there are not a lot of craft bloggers here. Other than some very dear friends that blog, I've not had the opportunity to connect with many other bloggers in real life.

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