Feels Like Home

Stripey Binding!

2011-02-04T13:12:00.000-08:00

I Rediscovered Crocheting...

2011-02-04T13:06:00.000-08:00

...and who knew I could actually do it! I had to consult my trust pal Google Search several times for clarification, but I actually followed my first pattern ever! I had saved a link to this heart garland a year ago, but I couldn't figure out how to read the crochet pattern. But I figured it out! And it turned out cute!

I'm beginning to think that a garland really helps the holiday along!

closeup of hearts and pompom

Sarah's Springtime Quilt

2011-02-04T12:45:00.000-08:00

My friend Sarah recently had her birthday and I decided, last minute (very typical of me), to make her a cute little quilt. I know she loves green, and since it has been so blah here lately I decided a spring-y flowerpot quilt would be perfect! Flickr is a great place for inspiration, so I found a picture of a quilt that looked easy and pretty fun. It had the cute 3-D daisies on it, so I found a link for fabric daisies I had saved and got to work!

measures about 15" x 18"

Cute fabric daisies -- you could really make one to match everything because they are so cute!

It turns out that not only does Sarah like green, but she is a polka-dot girl! Bonus!

Lime green binding -- you can't go wrong!

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

I Won Scraps!

2011-02-04T12:37:00.000-08:00

Quite a while ago (last summer-ish) I won a box of scraps from Jodi. I love other people's scraps -- the possibilities are endless! I had so much fun rifling through the box admiring the different little pieces!

Oooooh, what's inside?!

Crammed full of such fun little scraps!

The red paisley in the bottom of the picture was my favorite piece in there!

I've already used these scraps for skirts for the girls, coasters for my SIL (that actually never got sent....oops), and I've made a ton of string blocks from the skinny strips which I hope will be a fun string quilt, all from scraps! Thanks so much, Jodi! I love them!

This Makes a Quilting Mom's Heart Proud

2011-02-04T12:33:00.000-08:00

Chelsey, laying out her very first quilt, a gift from her dad

Super Ry to the Rescue!

2011-02-04T12:25:00.000-08:00

What little boy wouldn't want a super hero cape?! Well, it has been over a month since I gave this to Ryan and he has worn it about five times for about thirty seconds each time. I guess he'll grow into it? Hmmmm. But it was really fun to make! (Pattern here)

He picked out green for his favorite color...

...and Lightning McQueen because it's Lightning McQueen!

Denise's Quillow

2011-02-04T12:17:00.000-08:00

I have never made a quillow before but I did have a pattern I saved from an old Love of Quilting magazine that I just knew would come in handy someday! My MIL Denise watched our kids while we had a wonderful trip to San Francisco for the AAP Conference last October. While she was staying in our chilly house she discovered our old quillow in the closet and loved that when it was unfolded there was a pocket for her feet to stay warm in! I told her I would definitely have to make her one, and here it is:

I thought this fabric was so cute, and the flannel, called "Boysenberry," seemed to be just right for this quilt!

Here is the quillow in pillow form. I thought it turned out really cute!

Merry Christmas, Denise!

Homemade Christmas Presents are the Best

2011-02-04T12:07:00.000-08:00

I love making these snowman ornaments (my original design).

felt snap clips (ideas found here and here) for four sweet little nieces

yo-yo Christmas trees (idea found here) for two wonderful grandmother-y women!

Harvest Quilt Put on Hold...

2011-02-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

The center is done -- just have to decide about the borders!

Meanwhile, the scraps were so pretty I just kept piecing them into little 2-in strips. I'm thinking a table runner! (More details upon completion of both projects)

Candy Corn Bunting

2011-02-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

The more buntings I make, the more I realize that they are pretty cute (and cheap!) decorations

for holidays! For Halloween I made a cute candy corn bunting, which I realize now I did not get a decent picture of, but this black light one at our Halloween party is pretty cool!

Bertie III

2011-02-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

This is version III of "Bertie," based on a pattern from Love of Quilting I have saved for several years! I made the first two for my mom's and my sister's birthdays and delivered them last July while actually in the same state as them. (That only happens approximately twice a year!) I did finally get mine done in time to show it and my Noah's Ark quilt at the Mormon Trail Center Quilt Show. That was a fun time! Ryan is my little quilt buddy, and he at the age of two definitely can appreciate beautiful quilts! I was pushing him along in his stroller and his cute little voice kept saying, "Oooooo, that cute!" I'm not too worried about making him too girly with the way he loves balls, cars, and choo-choo trains!

measures approximately 12.5" x 18.5"

Noah's Ark Stitchery -- Finally Done!

2011-02-04T11:31:00.000-08:00

One day I stumbled across a beautiful stitchery blog and immediately knew I wanted to make Lynette's BOM Noah's Ark stitcheries. I had so much fun using her patterns! She has a Flickr group for this project, and perusing through it gave me the inspiration of how I wanted to finish it off. It turned out great! But I do want to give most of the fabric-choice to credit to my awesome mom and sister -- three sets of eyes picking out the fabrics worked so much better than just mine alone!

measures about 15.5" x 18.5"

The rainbow is by far my favorite part!

And those little kangaroos... so sweet!

Birthday Outfits

2011-02-04T11:25:00.000-08:00

I saw the idea of birthday skirts and shirts somewhere online and thought it would be fun!

Quilting

2010-09-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

A Bushel and a Peck

2010-08-13T16:40:00.000-07:00

Jason has such a cute great Aunt Barbara. He's told me many times about how she used to rock him and his sisters when they were little and sing this cute little song to them. So, when I saw such a cute stitchery pattern at a quilt shop one day, I knew I needed to have it. The sweetest part is how fun it has been for my kids to have their great-great (awesome) Aunt Barbara rock them and sing it to them, too:

Happy Birthday, Barbara! I hope you like it!

A Baby Gift for My New Nephew

2010-08-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

All babies love ribbons... and blankies... and ribbon blankies. So I made a little set for my cute sister-in-law Kim, who is about to have her first baby, a little boy. I have made a few of these lately for friends and family having babies (and of course I forgot to take any pictures!), and I think I liked this method, my third attempt, best. I used actual strips of fabric to make the "ribbons" and I love, love the matchy-ness of it. These fabrics are all from Hobby Lobby. The pattern for the ribbon blanket and matching ribbon block are from modabakeshop.com. My cute friend Danielle gave me the idea for the soft fabric chain. Her son Ryan (such a cutie!) was gnawing away on in one day and I thought it was such a good idea. It turned out to be a way harder project than I intended, for some odd reason, but the result was so fun!

Good luck with everything, Kim -- I hope that little guy gets here soon!

Ahhhh! It Finally Came!!

2010-06-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

So I'm playing along with Spring Fever BINGO at

the-quilt-shoppe.blogspot.com's blog called In Stitches. Every morning I check to see if any more of my words are chosen. I've been pretty lucky so far: 19 of my words have been chosen, just looking for six more. Every day I comment on that day's blog, entering myself in a daily giveaway. Tuesday, June 15, BINGO Day 14, is the same as the previous 13 days. I scroll down, looking for the words for that day when my eyes freeze on this:

There may have been some serious squealing at this point!!

It came today! My teasing husband made me kiss him first before he would give it to me!

Look how cute!

A fun note

Some serious eye candy. (For those who like fabric, that is!)

I now have the perfect pink, white, and red heart fabric for a cute, cute Valentine runner I really wanted to make last year but didn't get around to it! Eeek! I LOVE getting free things! Thank you so much to In Stitches! Happy sewing to you all!

p.s. I didn't win BINGO, but this made the sting of losing a little better. heehee

What I'm Working On...

2010-06-24T13:52:00.000-07:00

It's so fun to tease!

Vintage Denim Quilt

2010-06-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

I have a new picnic blanket!

See how cute it looks on the grass...

or on our new picnic table!

Closeup of the quilting (1/2" from intersections, on denim only) and the stripey binding

This quilt was also made from fabric from my stash. A long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away) we had a free swap table at an activity for the ladies at church. Someone left this gigantic piece of floral fabric which no one wanted, so I grabbed it, thinking I could find something to do with it. It's been like a thorn in my side ever since, moving two different times with me because I couldn't waste a 10-yard piece of fabric, no matter if I could find something to do with it or not. (I'm trying to get over my pack-rat tendencies...) One day I had it against some old jeans and noticed it looked good, so the "vintage denim" theme was born! The binding is a little "out there," but I love it now that it is all put together. It may be intended for a picnic quilt, but so far has been snuggled in the house, waiting for the blasted rain to end so the grass is dry enough for a picnic. This quilt is a perfect summer weight for warming my cool feet but not overheating my whole body!

Specs:

60" x 79"

6 1/2" denim squares -- you can cut 18-20 per pair of adult jeans

2 1/2" sashings and borders

Pink and Yellow Quilt

2010-06-24T12:51:00.000-07:00

Finally a finish to post!

This quilt came about out of -- you guessed it! -- scraps. I used the yellow check I found at the thrift store matched with some white scraps on hand and two floral yardages I had no idea how to use. The pattern is a disappearing nine patch, one of my new favorites since there are so many placement options. I liked this placement because a secondary yellow whirligig pattern appeared. This quilt is so wrinkly from being folded, waiting for the sunshine that never appears here in the Midwest. Finally a sunny day to snap some pictures!

Straight-line quilting 1/4-inch from intersections

Yellow bias binding -- I absolutely love plaid bias binding!

A closer view of secondary whirligig pattern

A closeup of a corner, the floral border, and the quilting

Specs:

68"x53"

5" nine patches

5 1/2" borders

The Finished Dollhouse Roof

2010-06-22T15:37:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting a dollhouse for the girls forever and I finally scored one at a rummage sale! The previous owners had of course slapped stickers all over the roof and colored all over the whole thing with crayon and pen. Well, trusty old Magic Eraser erased the markings, but could only do so much magic with sticker marks. So I determined a new roof was in order!

The finished product!

Quilting roof scallops

Bias tape to finish the little roof pockets

Closeup of the finished roof back

The finished roof front with scallops

Fun project, but much more in-depth than I thought it would be. And can I just say I followed Fons and Porters instructions on curved binding exactly and I must have done something wrong because it was so frustrating trying to make the curves miter. But I'm happy with the end project!

Now to find a place for it....

What Have I Been Up To?

2010-05-09T08:43:00.001-07:00

Two big quilts and a never-ending stitchery project.

Report: quilting is done on both quilts, binding is sewn onto both quilts (awaiting hand-sewing), and only one square left on the stitchery. Pictures to come!

My New Easter Garland

2010-04-06T09:09:00.000-07:00

The finished project

Easter Bunny Day in action

When I realized that my kids didn't know what real Peeps were, I had to buy some! Realization: they love them, and I have outgrown them.

I found this idea at www.vanessachristenson.com. Another plus was that I found out painting on fabric is actually pretty fun! Project cost: $1.67. What a great project!

I Could Just Eat These Up

2010-03-30T14:24:00.000-07:00

Who couldn't use a Peep garland for Easter?! (Best part? This one is calorie-free!)

Paint taking SOOOO long to dry!

My Christmas Present Finally Finished

2010-03-30T14:12:00.000-07:00

This was Jason's Christmas present to me, and I love it! The original design is called "Homespun Stars" and is an Amish woman's design. The original pattern was nine stars set in a 3x3 grid, but I really wanted a runner, so I pieced together an extra star. Which was no easy task -- the kit was none too generous on fabric allowance!

The final layout

I love, love, love the colors!

The back is a little crazy and a lot of fun!

The place of honor