Quilting

A Bushel and a Peck

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

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!!

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...

It's so fun to tease!

Vintage Denim Quilt

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

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

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?

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

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

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

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

I Finished One For Me

This pattern was from a Relief Society meeting several years ago where we could buy patterns from www.pineneedles.com for a reduced price. I finally made one for me!

Table Runner for Teacher Appreciation Week

The PTA President asked for parents to donate items for the Teacher Appreciation Week luncheon raffle, so I thought since I had so many little scraps and I really wanted to try string blocks, that I would donate a practice project. Using scraps equals a free present!

The only problem was that I loved it and wanted to keep it when it was finished!

(But I guess that is how you should feel about all gifts.)

Quilted vertically in 1/4-inch lines

Backed with yellow check from a sheet at the thrift store.

Project cost: $1.05. Now I can't wait to make one for me!

Baby Quilts for Project Linus Part 1

Our service project for the Relief Society March Birthday Party was, of course, tying quilts! A lady in our ward donated fabric and I pieced together six baby quilt tops. All in all, with other fabric donations, we tied 10 quilts to give to our local chapter of Project Linus, a program that provides quilts for those in need, whether it be babies or teenagers, homeless or battered. A good project that turned out really fun!

Panel quilt front

Panel quilt back

Baby Girl Disappearing Nine Patch

Small squares

Best part: I kept the scraps for my little projects I love to do! (Such as the table runner in the next post...)

Baby Quilts for Project Linus Part 2

Dragonflies

Baby Boy Disappearing Nine Patch

Baby Boy Bugs

Thoughts

One year ago today I was sitting in the emergency room with a sewing machine needle stuck in the tip of my finger, feeling so frustrated with myself that I wouldn't be able to finish Jason's Match Day quilt by Match Day. Two little scars and a little bit of residual tenderness are all I have left from that day. Here's to careful sewing and the hope that this little incident is never repeated.

First Aid Kits for Relief Society

I cut out 30 of these babies, then I sewed these 14 together.

At the RS meeting we sewed Ziploc bags down the middle and covered it with bias tape (which I also made).

Projects like these are why I can't find the time to finish my Amish Stars quilt. I'm happy to report that the top is finished, though!

Ryan's Birthday Car Mat

I saw the idea for this at emilys-little-world.blogspot.com and knew that Ryan would love it. A nice, quiet toy for church? Bonus!

(Apparently the pictures are too big for one post.)

Car Mat Part 2

Happy to report that both Ryan and Lightning like it!

A Quilt for Dennis

This quilt is for our friend Dennis, our next-door neighbor who recently found out his cancer had returned after being in remission for almost a year.

The best part is that using scraps made this quilt very inexpensive. The sad part is that I still have a ton of plaid and blue scraps.

Bias binding -- I love it!

The Finished Amish Star Blocks

Miss Bunny's Blankie

Emily's Bunny was in need of a blankie.

And a pillow, too, of course.

Just look at that smile! I think she likes it.

And so did Emily!