Valentine Decorated Hand Towel

I’m rather excited to share this project simply because it somewhat justifies the many, many projects I have pinned on Pinterest….   :)

 

Very hard to see, but I have eyelet lace on each side of the Valentine fabric.  I used a 2.5 inch strip of fabric, folded down and ironed the top and bottom edge a quarter inch, tucked the eyelet trim under and used a zig zag stitch.

I saw the tutorial for Dressed Up Hand Towels and loved the method she used.  I purchased the same towels, though I’m not sure I would use them on future projects as I found my fingertips trying to stick to the fabric.

This went into the mail to somebody special to me as a surprise Valentine.  I got the most wonderful email response and it really does make it worthwhile when the people you care for are excited by the things you do for them.  

And I’m thinking I need to make a new board on Pinterest for things I’ve actually tried!!!

{WIP} Wednesday

Today’s projects are all about fabric!  It’s also a great opportunity for me to check my list for packing.  You see, this weekend I’ll be going on a retreat with friends and I’ll be sewing my little heart out.  Either that or I’ll be eating and talking… 

 

Progress!

Apparently I really am one to take my time and savor the process.  I first showed the fabric for this American Girl Doll dress on August 31, then it sat for a while before taking a ride to a friend’s annual New Year Craft Day where I did actually cut out the pieces as shown above.  I adore the Hayden Dress pattern and it will be the first thing I work on this weekend.

 

 

I mentioned the Bloggers Block of the Month on October 12 and I left the zippy bag in the photo to show that I really have cut some of the pieces out, but no sewing has been done.  I’m hoping to get a little further on this one over the weekend.

 

New Projects – Always New Projects…..

This will be project #2 for my weekend, mostly because it should only take a few minutes to finish.  It will be a Valentine Tea Towel and I’ll be using this tutorial, which proves once again that Pinterest is more than just another pretty face to me.  :)

 

 

And last, but never least, I’ve had this pattern and fabric for quite some time.  I plan to make the pajama bottoms for Brooklyn and am thinking a white t-shirt with moon and star applique.  Cute, no?  It will involve getting measurements, but I’m thinking that’s doable.

 

** I’m linking to Freshly Pieced for her WIP Wednesday Series.

Orca Bay Mystery–Fabrics Are Ready!

So here I go again, starting a new project when really nothing has been finished in a while.  Sometimes though temptation is just there and you have to go with it.

Bonnie K. Hunter of Quiltville fame is starting a new mystery this Saturday (y’all still have time!!!) and I succumbed to peer pressure and pulled fabrics for it.  I’ve never done one of Bonnie’s mysteries, but I have seen many examples across the interwebs and they are absolutely stunning.

This mystery is called Orca Bay and Bonnie shared the photo that was her inspiration.  She’s also given out the fabric requirements and that’s it so far.

 

3 Bolds and 1 Neutral – and I should have posed these fabrics a little differently for the photo.  The tans are my neutral and the azure blue, hot pink and blacks are my bolds.  Very, very excited about the colors, which all came from stash!  I will admit to shopping with a friend recently and buying a few tan fat quarters, but since they didn’t have time to sit and marinate I’m calling it all from stash.  Justification – that’s what we do!

Fat Quarter Fabric Gift Bag

Sometimes it’s not so much what you’re giving somebody, but how you give it.  And sometimes how you give it is the entire reason for the gift!

I saw a tutorial for a fabric gift bag made from half a fat quarter and couldn’t wait to try it out.  My original plan was to make these bags for all the girls that went on a recent retreat, but unforeseen circumstances kind of paralyzed me as far as crafting went and I didn’t get them done.

I did manage to finish one of them though and as luck would have it a dear friend happens to adore halloween, so gift it I did!

 

Too cute!  I’m not kidding when I say it took so little time that I swore I must’ve left out a step.  The only thing I will change from the tutorial when I make more is to use my serger on the inside of the bag.  Using that method will cut even more time off the total.

 

This is what the bag looks like when it’s finished, before it’s stuffed and posed.  The ribbon is actually sewn into the seam, which means any time you use this bag it’s ready to go – no more looking for something to tie it with!

 

And since I couldn’t possibly give her an empty gift bag I did some of the old standby “pretzels dipped in melted candy coating chips”, then topped with seasonal sprinkles.

 

** Linking to Fabric Tuesday, Get Your Craft On, Sew Cute Tuesday, Too Cute Tuesday, Handmade Tuesday

Burp Cloths using the Embroidery Machine

My sister-in-law is down this weekend because we have a baby shower to attend!  My cousin’s son is expecting their first (a boy!) so there will be much rejoicing.

I wanted to share the burp cloths that my mom made because I think they are so cute. 

 

Mom uses her embroidery machine and finds the most darling little patterns.  I love that these are so unique and the dragon is just too cute for words.  For those of us without an embroidery machine (insert sad face here) I’m sure we could come up with something cute to applique in place of the embroidery.

 

Mom sews on a strip of ribbon and then does a satin stitch at the burp cloth edge.  Simple and it really makes it so special.

 

Close up photos of the embroidery:

Minky Monkey Pillowcase

Isn’t this CUTE???  While looking through Pinterest I found a tutorial for a Minky Pillowcase and just knew I needed to make one for Brooklyn.  The tutorial is so well written and easy to follow.

I found the fabric at a local quilt shop and it was kind of funny because when the gal cut the fabric and then looked on the bolt to get the price she said “WOW!”  I felt the need to explain that I was making a pillowcase for my granddaughter and knew that in addition to having the fun of making it I would also have the fun of giving it to her. 

 

This was some seriously cute fabric!  And there is nothing in the world as soft as minky.  I decided to make this pillowcase travel pillow size because that just seemed like the right size for a four year old.

 

It took no time at all to sew this and I used the serger since I didn’t want all those little minky snippets to get all over the place when Brooklyn took it home.  Really I think the only reason it took as long as it did to sew it was that I kept stopping to stroke the soft fabric.  :)

 

I gave it to her this weekend and she loved laying on the floor and playing with the toys.  She kept telling me how soft it was!

Since she likes this I might even see what other minky fabrics they have and make a second one for her.  Grandmas get to do stuff like that you know. 

 

Linking to – Get Your Craft On, Take a Look Tuesday, Topsy Turvy Tuesday

WIP Wednesday

I think one of the problems I have with keeping up with and actually finishing some of my projects is that I just have so many things in the works!  I walk into my room in the evening to do *something* and relax and really too often I can’t even remember what I’m working on or ready to do next.  SURELY this will help keep me on my toes!!!

 

I am seriously in love with this yarn!  I bought it at The Loopy Ewe when mom and I were up there in April for the Spring Fling. We were actually the first group to get to visit the store and oh my word it was like yarn overload – how in the world is a girl supposed to choose among all those fabulous options?  I did pretty good though since I went armed with a list of projects and this was one of the skeins I bought.  It’s Malabrigo (mmmm……) Sock in the Prinavera colorway.  absolutely gorgeous!

It’s going to be a Melody Shawl (though mine will be a scarf) just as soon as I can locate the project that holding my KnitPicks needles hostage!

 

This will very soon be a DARLING dress for my new American Girl doll!  I just got her and her entire bedroom set last weekend from a friend whose daughter doesn’t play with them.  I am BEYOND thrilled and pictures will be soon.  It will all stay at my house and when B comes to visit I am certain that she and I will have so much fun playing!  And fortunately I still have Lynne’s Samantha doll at the house so that there will be two to play with.  ~ very happy sigh ~

 

This will soon be what I am hoping will be something to keep me organized with my crafting!  I have some awesome friends that I don’t get to see nearly often enough, so I whined and sniveled via email that maybe we could at least share pictures of our projects. Or better yet post a challenge every now and then so it’s sorta like we’re working together – only apart.  This will be the first challenge project and I’m beyond thrilled with how it looks…in my mind. 

Brooklyn’s Felt Bat Man Mask

There’s no secret that I love the internet. I love all the inspiration and ideas that can be found and sometimes, something will strike that I have to make right that minute.

That’s what happened with the Bat Mask – the minute I saw it I knew I had to make one for Brooklyn.  It didn’t even matter that she might or might not know who Batman is – the mask should be fun!

 

Since the pattern was downloadable at Living With Punks I’m going to say it took 20-30 minutes total, start to finish, to make this mask.  The part that took the longest for me was finding my thread since my sewing area isn’t quite organized yet. 

 

She put it right on and thought it was rather grand.  The cutest part was that she insisted on cleaning her nose first (maybe that’s only super cute if you’re the grandma???)!

 

I loved that she was this tickled … and that the mask was upside down!

 

 

We did manage to get it on the right way so that we could get a picture.

And then she took it off and scampered off to play with her cars.  I had started out with visions of making several masks in different shapes as part of her birthday present, but she wasn’t really impressed so I don’t know.  But she did look quite darling and they are super fast to make, so I highly recommend this easy project!

 

** Linking to Sew Cute Tuesday, Whatever Goes Wednesday, Sugar and Spice, We Did It Wednesday, Look What I Made, Hoo’s Got Talent?, What I Made Wednesday, Inspired By You Wednesdays

A Gathered Zippered Clutch for the Opera

So as I’m getting ready for us to go see The Blue Man Group it hits me that I really don’t want to mess with my purse.  In addition to worrying about where it is I have a little problem with setting my purse on the floor after seeing a special on 20/20 or one of those shows – I just can’t do it now that I know about all the germs.  The problem though is that there are things that I simply need to carry with me!

Then I remembered seeing the Gathered Zippered Clutch all over the blogs right now and decided Bingo! – there’s my answer!

 

I pulled from my fabric stash everything except the zipper, which required a quick trip up to Hancock Fabrics.

 

I followed the Gathered Clutch Tutorial and couldn’t be happier with the instructions or with how it turned out.

 

There were no instructions on how to add the strap, so I actually had to wing it, which is something I’m not the best at.  In case anybody needs measurements for it, I cut the fabric for my strap 3” tall x 13” wide and sewed it in at the very end when sewing the sides together.

Some notes and thoughts:

• I only had lightweight fusible interfacing here and it definitely needs the medium weight to make it more sturdy
• I didn’t add the divider pocket or card holders, then saw afterwards that she says if you don’t have either of those to add fleece or canvas to make it more sturdy.
• Really for my needs – Lip Ivo, ibuprofen, cuticle cream – I didn’t need a clutch quite this big, so the next one I make will probably be smaller.  Personal choice.  :)
• This was the first sewing project I’ve done since starting the room rearranging in our house and it took far longer to find all the necessary tools than to do the sewing.  I do see how this could be completed in a bit over an hour if you are set up.

A last note on the fabric – I was thrilled to actually use some fabric I had on hand, though I admit it sometimes scares me to cut into my fabrics.  I do love these fabrics and I know that once I cut into them they are gone – isn’t that silly?  But now that I’ve done it I’m so tickled with actually using what I had that I know I might be on a roll now.

 

This is what I cut into and I’ll bet I’ve had it for probably 10 years (and yes, I know the fabric is dated, but I still love it).  At around that time I used to belong to a fat quarter club from somewhere online that would send a coordinated packet of 8 fat quarters once a month or every other month.  I probably did it for a year and every one of those packets is beautiful – and I have no idea where they are from.  So any fabric sellers out there take note – be sure to put your company name and url on your tags so we can return and buy more!  :)

 

** Linking to Get Your Craft On, Show Off Your Stuff Sewing and Crafts, I’m Lovin’ It, Show and Share Day, Sew and Tell, Get Your Craft On

Crayon Tote Bag

This is the little tote bag that I made when I went on retreat. I bought the pattern online, but I can't find it right now - I'll edit this post when I find the pattern information.

Anyway, it's just the right size for a little girl to carry her coloring books and crayons. When I saw the idea I just fell in love with it as it seems so practical to grab this tote when you're on your way to a restaurant or on a car trip or something. Keeps things all together that way.

It's also the very first time I've ever done any meandering quilting. Step one of the pattern is to make the 'quilt sandwich' and do the all over quilting, then put the tote bag together.

I made this for B's 2nd birthday, which is in July. Now look below:

This is Brooklyn Sunday night carrying her new tote bag! We all went out to eat for Loni's birthday (more on that in another post) and it just seemed like the perfect time to give this to her.

And you know, all a girl really needs is her crayon tote bag and sippy cup and she is ready for just about anything.

Good times...........

Handmade Gifts and Games With the Families

Wanted to share the tin of Christmas treats I took the neighbors this year. Each house got a tin and a handmade Christmas card. Our neighborhood is going through some changes right now and we're getting more families with young children and babies on the way. One neighbor has a son the same age as Brooklyn. They are all very delightful, but I do admit it makes me feel old...

This pillowcase is one of the gifts we gave to Keith's mom. We saw the KIT at a local quilt shop and thought the fabric looked just like her. She's a very happy person, always laughing and she adores all sorts of bug fabric, including butterflies.

I worked on this and of course made an error, which meant I got to use my trusty friend Mr. Seam Ripper. Finished and so happy with the results. The funny part was when she opened it she thought we'd gotten her some butterfly fabric. Keith pointed out it was a pillowcase and she smiled and set it aside. The lightbulb came on later and she asked if I made it, then she got it back out to look over more carefully. She was stunned and amused to hear that I had used a pattern for a pillowcase and this started quite a discussion between my mother-in-law (a quilter extraordinaire), sister-in-law (who made exquisite tote bags for each of us - note to self: need to post a picture) and I about whether or not patterns are necessary when quilting or if it's better to wing it. We all were laughing quite a bit at the different way we each approached this.


This year we finally got back to playing games again. The picture above shows mother-in-law, Loni, Lynne' and sister-in-law Rhonda while we were playing Cranium. LOADS of fun and it was interesting to see what each person's "gift" was as far as charades, drawing, singing or spelling. Keith and I were talking about the games after we got home and we remember when the kids were little and we'd visit his family we'd always play games until the wee hours of the morning after the kids went to bed. Not sure when we got away from it, but after playing at Christmas I realized just how much I miss it.

We also played Cranium and Uno Attack when we were at my mom's house and again, I don't know whey we don't do it more often. It's fun to just laugh and have a good time together.




While playing Uno Attack back at Keith's folks house James took Miss B over to great grandma's organ and let her play. I swear this child will end up doing something musical or dance because she LOVES music. The minute she hears it she starts moving her shoulders to the beat and it just makes me laugh every time.

Good times.....

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.
One generation will commend your works to another; they will tell of your mighty acts. - Psalm 145:3-4

Fabric Gift Bags

Like so many people I've become more concerned about my footprint here on earth.  A couple of nights ago while Keith and I were at Hobby Lobby (you just have to love a man that will go to hobby shops with you) I noticed that Christmas fabric was on sale 50% off.  We bought one yard cuts of three different fabrics and decided to start making some of our gift bags.  They are reusable and still so cute.

This is the first one and the gift is now under the tree.  All I did was fold under the upper edge half an inch and iron it, then stitched it down.  With right sides together I sewed the bottom and up the side, then turned right side out and it's done.  Mom described it as similar to a giant pillowcase and that's it exactly.  Keith and I went out and did a very small amount of shopping today and the number one stop was Garden Ridge to get some ribbon.  We put the gift inside and tied the top closed with a pretty bow.

And just like that a gift is wrapped in fabric.  :)

"For it is in giving that we receive." - St. Francis of Assisi

A Dress Made With Grandma's Love

Now that the gift has been opened I can show what I've been working on in the evenings - a little dress, bloomers and barrette for Brooklyn's birthday gift.

I remember when Lynne' was little the tshirt dresses were popular. Love 'em or hate 'em, they were sure easy and fun to do. A friend and I even taught a community education course on how to make them and we painted the tshirt. Oh the days of the painted tshirts - I'll admit that I do miss them.

Anyway, I saw somewhere online a dress using the same concept, but with a tank top instead of a tshirt. I found cute tank tops at Walmart that were made of stretchy fabric and the neck and sleeves were edged with matching lace. The fabric I used had little smiling suns and flowers and that was perfect since I call her my little ray of sunshine. side note: Lynne' did point out that I used to call her my little ray of sunshine and that is true. She would wake up smiling and smile through the day. Luckily I have room in my life for two little rays of sunshine. :)

Making the bloomers was funny because I tell you what, literally every single seam on them had a close encounter with a seam ripper. They turned out cute though and I laughed way more than I cried, so all is well.

The barrette, ah the barrette. I am here to tell you that any time you see any "boutique barrettes" at a craft show, buy them no matter how much they charge - they are so worth it! I read directions online, at the store, and watched videos on youtube. I won't say that it was hard to do, but me and hot glue guns have never gotten on well. And apparently this is not a skill that has improved with age because I still had trouble. I had little strings of that glue everywhere and to top it off, I kid you not, I even burned my lip with hot glue!

In the end I'm very happy with how it turned out and since I have more supplies and more styles I'd like to try I'm sure I'll do it again. Perhaps with an alternative glue source though. ;)

Good times......

Fabric for Brooklyn

Apparently as soon as you become a grandma your sewing gene is reactivated. I've been in the mood to sew for several weeks and as luck would have it a dear friend just went through her patterns and gave me quite a few baby girl patterns. I deemed it to be fate and headed out to Joann's on Sunday, 40% off coupon clutched in my hand. I bought the fabric and lining fabric for a darling little sundress and matching pants for Brooklyn. I realize that this time of year a sundress might not get a lot of use, but I figure she can wear a little onesie under it.

Unfortunately my math skills still aren't something to brag about and I ended up with 1/8th of a yard short. I figured surely I could skootch the pieces around and make it work, but no luck. Off to Joann's I went again on Monday and luckily they still had the fabric. Let me tell you that store is a madhouse on Labor Day weekend!!! The cutting table has a "take a number" system and when a number was called you'd hear a girly voice shout out with glee and see somebody run to the table. It really was almost as fun as winning the lottery!

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Last night was knit night at Starbucks. Some people herald the changing of the seasons by looking at the trees, but I think my favorite signal that a new season is upon us can be found in the new drinks at Starbucks! Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino - really it doesn't get much better than that. I continued working on the baby blanket and love seeing what others are working on - it's always very inspiring. Very pleased to hear last night that this group has decided to meet every week now. :)

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In Seattle you haven't had enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine while it's running. ~ Jeff Bezos

Pink and Green Tote Bag

This is the tote bag I recently completed for part of my Pink and Green Swap package. I had a blast making this and it reminded me how much I do enjoy sewing things like this. When it was complete and I was putting the package together it was a Shakespearian moment - "Parting is such sweet sorrow...." ;)

I am SO going to make another one for myself!