ellyn's place

Valentine's Day is coming

2012-02-12T19:49:00.002-06:00

My online scrabble buddy and good friend, Helaine, sent me these awesome Valentine's Day suckers and some peppermint bark for the holiday! yummy! Check out the Valentine suckers, made with little candy canes, melted chocolate & sprinkles! Awesome.

truth be told, I took these pictures several days ago. The candy stash has diminished since then. Just sayin....

Today Ally prepared Valentine goodies for her friends. Chocolate dipped strawberries and pretzels....

Don't they look yummy too? Lucky for me, they are all tied neatly in cellophane bags ready to deliver. No chance of Mom taking a nibble. This is a good thing!

What are you doing for Valentine's Day this year?

a quilt finish

2012-02-09T14:32:00.003-06:00

First off, I have to ask. Is there a website you all use to edit your photos? For free, I mean. Because I have been using Picnik to edit mine for months, but now they are shutting down. I guess if you use Google+ it will be available there, but honestly, I do not need another social media site to keep track of (sorry Google+, I'm sure you're wonderful). I don't have a fancy camera & I'm not a fabulous photographer, but Picnik has always allowed me to make my photos look good. What to do? Hoping you all have the answer.

Anyways, today I finished up this sweet baby quilt...

I used Villa Rosa Designs "Gypsy" pattern and a layer cake of Moda's Berenstein Bears fabric. I love how colorful and happy it turned out! Also, this is the first decent sized quilt that I have quilted myself on my Janome. I used straight lines, on the diagonal, 1 1/2 inches apart and I think it turned out pretty good! I do think if I am going to attempt to quilt anything bigger than this I need a quilting machine with a bigger throat. Hmmm.... maybe it's time to start researching? I mean, I love my basic Janome, but there are some things I could do better on a different machine.

Here's the back of the quilt:

Who knew that I would get such a sunny, gorgeous day to take pictures in the middle of February? This is my kind of winter...

ticker tape blocks 13 and 14

2012-02-06T10:40:00.002-06:00

so, the colors for our February ticker tape blocks were assigned on Friday, and by Saturday afternoon I had them done! mint green and pale blue. Not two colors I have a lot of in my stash I must say. This took some digging and some imagination.

several bluebonnets fabrics made it into my pale blue block. And I love the pencils!

Mint green was tough. Some of mine are very pale, others a bit dark, but I think it works altogether.

Ten more blocks to go...

another UFO finished

2012-02-01T16:13:00.002-06:00

I've been working every day at tidying up my sewing space. I'm totally reorganizing the space, switching things around, so it's taking a while. One thing that bothered me before is that all of my fabric was in plastic tubs in a closet where I couldn't see it. So, little by little, I am folding and sorting my fabric and putting it onto my bookshelves (which means that my magazines are all piled on the floor waiting to be sorted into the plastic bins, but I won't show you that mess!)

Here are my shelves so far.... While I am cleaning, I keep finding unfinished projects tucked here & there. Instead of storing them away, I am trying to finish them up as I go! Today's project was a birthday gift LAST YEAR! I did do all the piecing a year ago, but since then it has been waiting patiently for me to quilt and bind it.

Here's my problem. I need to take a machine quilting class. I love piecing but have never really learned what to do next. I have a walking foot AND a darning foot, I know the basics, but I need to learn more. Well, I have decided that I should just barge ahead with some of the smaller project and straight(ish) line quilt them on my machine. I'm really happy I went ahead and finished this one up in time for Valentine's Day!

The pin cushion is for a swap at The Quilt Asylum in a couple of weeks and the basket is from my basket making days. I just thought it looked cute for the photo shoot. Wow, it's only Wednesday & I have already finished up my "One Thing" for the week! What are you working on?

this and that

2012-01-30T11:41:00.003-06:00

Yesterday my very first birthday gift arrived in the mail! My birthday isn't until Sunday, but Maria must have mailed this extra early because it came all the way from Australia... Look at those adorable buttons! Hats on a hatstand... not sure where they will end up eventually but for now they are pinned up on my inspiration board making me smile. The owl is a sweet cross stitch kit, so cute! And some labels for future quilts... even the card with the bright beach scenes made me smile! Lucky Maria to be enjoying summertime where she is (not that I can complain! It's been a very mild winter in Texas.) Thank you Maria!

Meanwhile, I've been stitching away. All of my blocks (98 of them) for the upcoming block swap are finished, tucked neatly into their ziploc bags. And this morning I finished up the borders on my Birdie Stitches Quilt...

I opted to go with three solids. The big polka dot I had bought was just too busy, so I will use it on the back of the quilt. I like how the pink, lime green and royal blue frame out the quilt. Thanks for the suggestion, Joellen, you were right!

Sorting and cleaning continues in my sewing room. I promise to take some pictures when I get it all neat and tidy. Amazing how much of a mess I can make when I clean. Sheesh...

Happy Monday Friends!

Crumb blocks

2012-01-28T13:45:00.003-06:00

Yesterday, Joellen & I took a liberated piecing class at The Quilt Asylum. We learned to make crumb blocks. And I made 18! (yes, I did enjoy this method very much!) Don't worry, I don't intend to sew them all together like this! That would be a tad busy, don't you think? I haven't decided if I will sash them and put them all into one quilt (maybe something a bit modern?), or maybe break them up & make some mug rugs from them? For now they are stacked neatly in one of my recently emptied scrap drawers in my ever evolving sewing room.

You might be wondering what, exactly, a crumb block is? Well I was prepared to explain it all to you here, then I saw this awesome post on Knitty Bitties with a tutorial for crumb blocks! Timing is everything! Jodi from Pleasant Home had linked to Knitty Bitties yesterday as part of her scrappy January event. Why recreate the wheel, I say! So head on over & read their posts. Go on... I'll still be here when you get back...

Pretty cool, huh? And imagine doing this with a group of ladies! Many of us dumped all of our scraps into a big community bucket so we had more to choose from (no, I didn't take a picture of the bucket. yes, I did take my camera. Baby steps people). There was lots of laughing, lots of sewing, and yes, lots of crumb blocks made! The really cool thing is how different everyone's blocks were. You see, with liberated piecing there are NO RULES! Blocks could be any size (mine are all 6 1/2 inches), pieces could be any size... you get the picture!

Some of my blocks were mostly polka dots...
Joellen was making all of her blocks 3 1/2 inches with tiny scraps, then sewing four together to make 6 1/2 inch blocks! They were so pretty I had to try one that way...

wow! That one block took a long time to make. You know me, fast is better.... but I'm glad I tried this once.

Be watching for these crumb blocks to appear in a finished item somewhere down the road...

Apple Cinnamon muffins

2012-01-23T19:41:00.002-06:00

I haven't had great luck with gluten free baking. That is, until now! For Christmas, my hubby gave me both of the Babycakes cookbooks. Today I decided to try out my first Babycakes recipe. Apple Cinnamon muffins. Yum!
It required a trip to Whole Foods this morning (oh darn!) for ingredients like agave nectar and different kinds of apples. The book actually has you roast the apples in the oven before you make the muffins. You should have smelled my house during this process! Heavenly.

The muffins turned out perfect! They are moist, flavorful & not all crumbly like so much gluten free bakery is.

If you want to try one, you better get over here QUICK! They are not going to last.

Now, to get someone to take me to New York City so I can find the Babycakes bakery & indulge! Until then, I'll just keep trying out their recipes. This one is a winner!

Baby Blankets in the shop

2012-01-20T13:23:00.003-06:00

Looking for a baby gift? I've restocked my etsy shop with blankets... These are big (about 42 inches square) snuggly (2 layers of cotton flannel) blankets... not chincy little blankets like you buy at the store. I even know a few toddlers and bigger kids who are still attached to my blankets. And I just couldn't resist some of these adorable prints. Like, dinosaurs for instance...

Or whales....

Jungle animals are all the rage right now. Here are some pink ones for the girls...

And some on green flannel for the boys...

The sun is shining in Texas and it is warm & beautiful! It doesn't feel like January at all. I know some of you are getting buried in snow today where you are. Stay warm & be safe.

productive day

2012-01-16T18:45:00.002-06:00

Since Ally didn't have school today, we decided to go shopping. She needed a pair of scrubs for the HOSA competition that she qualified for at school.... look how cute she is! Ready for the working world I say... This afternoon she helped me take a couple pictures of the cross quilt outside. It was kind of a gray day, very cloudy, but good enough for pictures. Can you see Ally's fingers up at the top?

I also finished up a UFO today. I had pieced this mini quilt top before Christmas (the kit was a Christmas gift, thanks Joellen!) so today I quilted it and bound it... I love the colors.

It feels good to have a finished project already, and it's only Monday! I wonder what else I can get done this week?

One week one thing.... week one finish

2012-01-12T15:12:00.004-06:00

Lots of people are jumping on the "One week one thing" challenge this year. The Quilt Asylum blogged about it here and I decided to give it a try. Anything to start checking things off my list! So this week I challenged myself to finish up the Cross Quilt that I started way back in October for the church youth auction coming up. And today I finished up the final stitches on the binding.

I wanted to take a picture of it right away to share with you. It's a beautiful sunny day in Texas (a bit cold but sunny) so I headed outside with my quilt & my camera. Only one problem.... man is it windy out there! For the life of me I could not get the quilt to stay up on the fence and by the time I have a helper to hold it for me it will be dark. So I came back inside and tried to take some pictures with the quilt laying on the carpet. Lexi found that most entertaining. I snapped about 20 pictures of the quilt on the floor and they all came out crooked & wonky. What I really needed to do was stand on a chair so I could get directly above it, but given my recent knee surgery, I thought my sweet hubby might frown on that plan. I really didn't want him to come home & find me in a heap on the floor (at least I would have had a quilt to keep me warm, right?) This is the BEST shot I got.

Not good. So finally I draped it on the couch & took this shot (with my phone no less! so at least you can see how it turned out...

Most of the binding is stone colored, but I was a bit short. Mom suggested I make one strip of some of the other solids from the crosses so I did. I you look there in the bottom left corner you can see it. Great idea, Mom! Thanks. I really love the way it turned out and I hope it raises lots of money for the kids at church.

Today I am thankful for my church and for the sunshine...

Ticker Tape... halfway done

2012-01-09T16:18:00.003-06:00

Two more ticker tape blocks got finished today. Gray (this picture makes it look a little bluer than it really is)... And khaki brown...

Not colors that I had a lot of in my stash, but fun to do because they were out of the box for me! So we are halfway done with the ticker tape blocks, 12 blocks finished!

This is going to be a very large quilt. Maybe I should have made my blocks smaller? They are each 14 inches square (finished size). That will make my quilt 56" X 84" without any borders! Ah well, too late now. It is what it is...

Today I am thankful for friends to sew with and rain.

back to the sewing machine

2012-01-06T15:40:00.002-06:00

Wow, I really missed my sewing machine! I made it that pretty new cover, then had knee surgery the next day. Since the surgery was on my right knee, I have been hesitant to drive... both my sewing machine and my car! You'll be happy to know that I have persevered & am now driving both!

This morning I picked up fabric for sashing and borders for my Birdie Stitches blocks. Then I came home, cut & stitched on the sashing... What do you think? I really love the bright pink. However... here it comes... I am not very happy with what I bought for my borders. That makes me sad, because I had this vision in my head, but when I lay this topper on top of the border fabric it just doesn't work the way I thought it would. Boo. So I am rethinking it, but hey, I got the topper this far! Yay me!

So, what do you think? Should I choose another solid to frame this out? I think with all of the polka dots & bright colors, a print is just too much. Such a dilemma!

Granny Squares

2012-01-03T14:03:00.005-06:00

Gratitude turns what we have into enough.

Knee surgery, round two. Last Tuesday Dr M scoped out my other knee. This time I knew more what to expect. I was ready for a few days in hubby's lounge chair. I had my projects ready. The basket full of granny square supplies was next to my chair. It's amazing how many grannys you can finish when there is nowhere you need to go, nothing you really need to do.... they pile up pretty quickly!

Time off your feet also gives you lots of time to think. To reflect. And to appreciate. I am thankful for my hubby & my kids, who waited on me hand & foot, steadied me on my trips to & from the restroom, kept my water filled, hooked up the ice machine & loved me even though I got a little cranky (hey, it happens!). And I am thankful for the physical therapists who are already pushing me, for increasing mobility and range of motion and patient friends who drive me here and there. I'm up and about again. A little slow, but I'm moving. Life is good.

27 granny squares.

Happy Tuesday.

A new year

2012-01-01T09:00:00.001-06:00

Last year for the first time I chose a word for the year. My word was "Trust" and it was appropriate. Throughout the year I worked hard at trusting God, and it paid off. I learned a valuable lesson and despite many many challenges, 2011 turned out to be a great year. And I am so thankful! Which is what lead me to my word for 2012....
Gratitude! I just ordered this necklace from The Silver Diva's shop on Etsy. I love it's simplicity. I have not ordered from this shop before but I can't wait to receive my necklace! Somehow it made a difference wearing my word around my neck last year. It was a great reminder!

I have also created a Gratitude Pinterest board for myself. I have already added several great sayings & ideas for the coming year. For now I will leave you with this thought, which is my goal for 2012.....

Start each day with a Grateful Heart.

That's my plan. Do you have a word for 2012?

Just in the nick of time...

2011-12-31T10:51:00.002-06:00

This year I tackled my very first block of the month! I have always resisted these because I was afraid I wouldn't finish.... but when I saw the first Birdie Stitches block in January, over at Little Miss Shabby, I was instantly hooked! If you have been following along here on my blog this year, you'll know that I was determined to get each block done in the month it was released. A couple of times I even got the block done on the very first day of the month! And then November came along. And went. Oops!

So, this final week of the year I am back in the lounge chair recovering from another knee surgery (no pity party needed, it forced me into some much needed down time!). I had my Birdie Stitches box ready next to the chair & as soon as the anesthesia haze lifted I set to work! November block done...
And.... December too! I did it! Hooray for me. Now I know, technically this is still a work in progress, but it will be high on the list of 2012 finishes as soon as I get fabric for the sashing, border, back & binding.

I have more WIPs this year than I have EVER had! I don't know if this is good or bad, but here are the projects I have started that WILL be finished up early in 2012:

1) Birdie Stitches (blocks done!)
2) Cross quilt (at the quilter)
3) Ticker Tape quilt (bring 'n brag block of the month, continues until August)
4) Christmas jelly roll race quilt (topper done, I need to share that with you!)
5) Wall hanging (topper done, a Christmas gift from Joellen, I need to share that too!)
6) Wool felt Christmas table topper (oops, this was supposed to get done last year)
7) Another table runner (topper done, birthday gift from Annie, oops, that should be done by now too!)
8) Tunic for me (just needs buttons)
9) Holiday Stitchalong (no rush!)

So there you have it.... I will try to update you on a regular basis how these are finishing up. Looking forward to seeing what all of you will work on in 2012! Happy New Year my bloggy friends.

Year in review - other stuff!

2011-12-30T09:15:00.001-06:00

Here are some of my other favorite things I made this year. Lots of little clothes, many for Mackie and some for new babies that arrived this year... 1) Mackie's elephant dress 2) baby outfit for Carlie

3) Mackie's fourth of July dress 4) Summer dress or Mackie

I really enjoyed doing the swaps at The Quilt Asylum this year. Here are some of the things I made for swaps:

1) pillow swap 2) tablerunner swap

3) pincushion swap 4) tote bag swap

And, I made quite a few "kitcheny" things this year!

1) placemats for Jordan 2) apron for Joellen

3) apron for Mackie 4) apron for Mom

Most of these were not blogged because they were gifts. Whew! I got a lot done this year (and there was more I didn't share the last few days). I hope 2012 is equally productive. Fingers crossed!

Year in Review... Bags and wool felt

2011-12-29T17:23:00.002-06:00

As usual, my crafting was heavy in the bags department this year! Here are a few of my bag finishes: 1) Ipad bag 2) diaper bag

3) Hexie bag 4) polka dot bag

I self published my third bag pattern this year too! You can get the Town Square bag pattern in my etsy shop.

I have also developed quite a fondness for wool felt! Here are some of my favorite felt projects this year.1) Hamster 2) sunshine clip (pattern available here)

3) pin cushion 4) cookies

My first pattern published in a magazine was this year too! My watermelon clip was published in the summer issue of Craftsanity. What a thrill for me! I have several more pattern ideas brewing for 2012. Stay tuned!

Year in review... quilts

2011-12-28T17:02:00.000-06:00

I like to go back over my accomplishments at the end of each year! TodayI will review my completed quilts for 2011. Here are the biggies..... 1) Busytown quilt 2) Denyse Schmidt snuggle quilt

3) Sudoku quilt 4) Sherbet Pips quilt for Diane

5) tshirt quilt 6) doll quilt swap

7) Storybook quilt 8) prayer quilt

I had a lot of fun with quilt backs this year! Big splashy fabrics and pieced backs.

I also experimented with scrappy bindings. Fun! I will be doing more of those. My cross quilt will be my first finish of 2012. It is at the quilter now! I also plan to finish up my Birdie Stitches quilt and my Ticker Tape quilt next year. It's great to have several projects already in the somewhat-finished stage!

Sewing Machine Cover tutorial

2011-12-27T08:23:00.008-06:00

Thanks for all the positive feedback on my new sewing machine cover! Would you like to make one too? Let me share how I made mine.

Basically what you are going to do first is make a mini quilt to cover your machine.

You'll want to measure your machine to get the right size. First, measure across, the widest part of your machine. Mine measured 16 inches. I decided to add an inch and a half to allow for a generous cover. It worked out well for me. So the finished width of my cover will be 17 1/2 inches.Now take your tape measure up and over your machine. My measurement is 27 inches, table to table. So now we make a mini quilt.... mine will be 17 1/2 inches X 27 inches but you make yours to fit your measurements! I did mine using the "stitch and flip" method. Lay your backing fabric face down on a flat surface (your backing should be a couple inches bigger than your finished quilt in all directions) and lay a piece of low loft batting on top. Now find the center and lay your center strip face up there. This piece will be on the top of your machine...

I chose to add some solid strips on each side of the center. Mine are 1 1/2 inches wide (finish to 1 inch). Lay one along each edge of your center strip, right sides together. Stitch a 1/4 inch seam, flip your strips open and press.Now add your next strip the same way (I flipped one back so you can see how they are laying on top of each other before sewing).Keep adding your strips until your quilt is the right size. Be careful if you have directional prints like I did. You want the bottom of those strips to be toward the bottoms of your quilt (yes! Your quilt has 2 bottoms!)When you get it all stitched and pressed the way you like it, trim it even and add your binding, just like you would to any quilt (I have a binding tutorial here if you need some tips).Now we're going to sew on some buttons! Come on, I got all those beautiful buttons for Christmas, you knew I was going to add some, right? I chose buttons in two sizes. You will need five larger ones and five smaller ones...when you add a button, sew a small button on first then stack a big button on top of it and stitch. This gives your buttons depth and creates hooks.Here is where your stacks of buttons should go (see the arrows?). Four sets go at the edges, 6 inches up from the bottom. One set is off center, about an inch down from your center strip. Wondering what that button stack is for?It's to hang things on, of course! See, I hung my little scissors there yesterday so they don't get lost...Now we're going to create 2 elastic "scrunchies" for the sides. You need 2 strips of fabric, 4 inches x 8 inches. Fold these in half lengthwise and stitch to make tubes. Flip these right side out. Now tuck both ends in 1/4 inch and press.

Now take 2 pieces of elastic, 1 inch wide X 3 1/2 inches long and sew loops on each end. I made my loops out of 4 inch strips o fabric, but cording would work well too. now, using a safety pin, thread your elastic pieces into the tube. and stitch everything securely inside on both ends.Aren't these cute hooked over the buttons on both ends of your machine? Let me know if you make one for yourself! I have a flickr group where you can share your pictures. If you want to make it in the same fabric I used, I got mine here. I'm sure the nice ladies at The Quilt Asylum would love to help you out.

My new project

2011-12-26T17:05:00.003-06:00

Click here for the tutorial that goes with this post!

Right after we moved to Texas nine years ago, I bought myself a new sewing machine. I had been sewing for years on a machine I bought when we were first married for $100. And, it came with a $50 gift card to Joann's! So I sewed for 15 years on a $50 machine. Not bad huh?

So, when the time came, I looked at all kinds of machines and ended up with this awesome Janome. It's a mechanical machine, no computer, with minimal fancy stitches, but it does everything I need it to do. It even has a needle down feature, which you don't find on too many mechanical machines! When I bought the machine, it came with a hard plastic cover, which is great for hauling it places, but not so great for everyday use. In order to put the cover on, you have to remove all the cords for the electrical connection, the foot pedal, etc. It's kind of a pain so I never use it at home. I know, I know, I really should cover my machine. But I use my machine just about every day & I'm not willing to go through all that hassle. Sorry.

I've been wanting to make a cover for my machine for a long time. I've pinned a bunch of pictures on a pinterest board for ideas. Then, when I found this fabric (called Sweet on NYC by Pixie Pops) the wheels started turning in my head & I knew what I wanted to make!

I'm really happy with how it turned out! I even added some of the buttons that Ally put in my Christmas stocking. It took a few tries, but I finally got the sides the way I wanted them too... do you like it?

I'm putting together a tutorial for you, so you can make one for your machine too. I hope to have it for you later this week....

Update... the tutorial is here!

What are you sewing lately?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T18:42:00.003-06:00

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! Ours started last night with a beautiful Christmas Eve candlelight service.

The first thing we do at our house is open our stocking gifts. Santa filled my stocking at Hobby Lobby this year! I may have shared with you before, now that all of our children are older we exchange names and fill each others stockings. It's lots of fun! Ally had me this year. Does she know me or what??? Steve was feeling under the weather today. But he was a good sport anyways! I think he took the "Where's Waldo" shirt a little too literally!

Check out Ally's favorite gift.... an anatomy coloring book! Ok, maybe it's not her favorite but she sure did like it a lot!

And hubby loved his new cordless drill.

It was a fun day, very laid back since some were not feeling 100%. And we all missed Leigh Anne, but she got to spend the day with Grandma & Grandpa in Arizona so it's all good! I hope you all got to celebrate the birth of our saviour with people you love too!

Coming up this week, a review of some of my favorite projects from 2011! And a fun tutorial that I worked on today... thanks for being a part of my bloggy world!

time out for a cake...

2011-12-21T16:32:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since Ally decorated a cake! Her good friend Chloe's birthday is coming up, and the girls are celebrating tomorrow. Check out this masterpiece... Look closer at the top! Ally did this with a stencil. Chloe is a horseback rider.

I think she will be very pleased with her cake!

Busytown Quilt

2011-12-20T14:45:00.003-06:00

You probably remember my story about the busy town quilt. Well, the baby who will belong to this quilt is due to arrive any day! I picked it up from Connie the super quilter while I was in Arizona and spent the last day or so stitching on the binding. It's done! Just in time. The Auntie to be just came by to pick it up.Oh yes, Steve is home! Do you like his new shoes? Here's the back of the quilt, pieced with some of the fat quarters I didn't use on the front.

I hope baby arrives soon & loves her new quilt.

did you miss me?

2011-12-19T08:20:00.004-06:00

Sorry I have been missing in action. We had a little bit of celebrating to do last week. Leigh Anne graduated from Arizona State University on Thursday! As if graduating wasn't enough, she received the Moeur award, ASUs highest academic honor! This was on the big screen at the arena: She (and her best friend Jordan) wore very high, very fancy, very sparkly shoes for the events

Leigh Anne also gave the student address at the Cronkite School of Journalism Convocation on Friday! Of course all of this required much celebrating, a party thrown by Jordan's awesome parents. And cake.

We had a wonderful time! So proud of you miss Leigh Anne! YOU DID IT!

Now, on to Christmas!

Dinner is served

2011-12-12T21:36:00.000-06:00

On Saturday night, hubby and I hosted a group from our church for dinner. I love getting out my Christmas dishes, gold chargers and all, and setting a pretty table for special friends! It was a progressive dinner, so there were several groups of people dining at several different homes. The fellowship committee had suggested we all serve soup.... which did sound delicious. But, alas, hubby would have none of that! We love to cook together.... so we made our stuffed flank steak again, with roasted asparagus and rice.

and yes, it was as delicious as it looks!

Peace

2011-12-11T21:23:00.002-06:00

When the todo list gets so long I don't know where to begin, my head gets stuffy and I can't seem to get off the merry-go-round of life, it's time for a break. Even though I have gifts to wrap, suitcases to pack and yes, even some shopping left to do, tonight I am crocheting granny squares and drinking lemon tea.... There is no plan for the grannys. And I had absolutely no intention of beginning another granny blanket. But, the other night at our sewing group, several gals were crocheting and sharing tips, and yes, teaching grannys. And I couldn't get them out of my head. And so it begins....

And how can anyone be anxious with a view like this in the next room....

Oh wait, we must pull back on that shot! Lexi has a new favorite resting place...

Peace on earth. Or at least at ellyn's place. I hope you are finding some peace this Christmas too.

pincushion fruitbowl

2011-12-11T08:29:00.000-06:00

Remember when I made the little pear pincushions? I said I was going to make some pineapples too. Well.... They were just as fun and easy to make. Maybe easier because the leaves are felt, just cut and stitch in, no finishing edges, etc.

I wonder what other funky fruit pincushions I could make?

Goodies from far away

2011-12-10T08:52:00.002-06:00

Yesterday as I was walking out the door to meet my sewing group "Seams like Sisters" for a little holiday gathering, hubby walked in with the mail. And I had a package from Maria in Australia! I opened it up right away of course! Look at this wonderful mini spools quilt she sent for me to hang in my sewing room! I just love the strip pieced spools and the darling sewing border fabric! Maria also included this adorable fat quarter. Christmas Kookaburras! Who knew?

I don't know if I will ever be able to cut into this beauty! Maybe it will become a pretty Christmas pillow for my couch so I can enjoy it in all it's splendor? I think that would be best.

Thank you so much Maria! You really know how to make a girl's day!

candy sleighs

2011-12-08T14:04:00.003-06:00

Last week at Bring 'n Brag, one of the ladies showed us how she made candy sleighs for Christmas gifts. update! The lady who showed us the sleighs is Lois. Thanks Lois! Joellen and I decided we needed to make our own!

They were fun to make. We made a dozen of them in about an hour and a half (plus wasted time driving around town looking for Christmas ribbon!) I think it was much easier doing them together so we had extra hands. One person to hold while the other one glues... especially for the first step! First you glue a kitkat bar to two candy canes to create the base. We used hot glue and ran a strip of glue down each candy cane.

Next, attach 10 mini hershey bars on top, with just a drop of glue for each. You stack them in a pyramid, first 4, then 3, then 2, then 1, like this:

After all the glue is hard and secure, glue ribbon around your "packages" and a bow on the top. That's it! so cute and fun and your recipient can keep it as a decoration or take it apart and eat all the candy!

some of our finished sleighs

I think you should all make some. Come on. You know you want to!

2011 ornament swap #1

2011-12-06T15:22:00.003-06:00

This year I am involved in four different ornament swaps! The first one is an internet swap. Lindsay from Lindsay Sews organized this first one. I was paired with Lizette. Yesterday I mailed her ornament off to her. When I got home from the post office these TWO ornaments were in my mailbox from her! They are handstitched on wool felt, which you all know I love. And get this! The little round one is decorated on BOTH SIDES!

Thank you Lizette! They are so lovely!

my ticker tape stack is growing!

2011-12-05T20:58:00.002-06:00

Blocks nine and ten are done! Navy and pink.... I really enjoy doing these and can't believe we're almost halfway done! This is going to be one huge quilt with 24 blocks.

And I bought some fabric the other day, just LOVE this line! I had no idea what I was going to do with it when I bought it, but now a new pattern is brewing in my head...

I can't wait to show you what I'm planning! Maybe it will be a tutorial here on the blog if it turns out the way I hope it will. Not sure anything will happen with it before Christmas, to be honest. You'll just have to stay tuned!

ornament factory

2011-12-02T08:00:00.002-06:00

Remember last year when I went a little crazy making ornaments? Well I am back at it. I got a late start this year, so there are not as many, but I'm still cranking them out... I have several swaps coming up & some that need to find their way to the post office soon... sew sew sew! Hope you are keeping busy with your crafting too...

Sewing for Christmas

2011-11-28T14:58:00.003-06:00

Blogging is so hard for me this time of year. So many of the things I am working on are Christmas gifts for people I love. And most of them pop in here to see what I am up to.... thus ruining my surprises! But today I finished up something I can share with you. Leigh Anne asked me a couple weeks ago if she could have her Christmas stocking. The one I hang on our mantle every year. The one that goes right in the middle, right after mine & her dads, but before her brother & sister's. Nope, I couldn't part with it. It doesn't matter that she is all grown up, lives far away from us and can't be home for Christmas this year (boohoo!) So, instead of sending her the stocking that Santa has filled for her at our house year after year, I made her a brand new stocking to hang on the mantle in her sweet apartment! What do you think? I think it turned out very happy.

I will be taking it to her in a couple of weeks when I go to see her graduate from college! What??? How in heavens name did that happen already? I looked back and my very first blog post here I was crying the blues about her leaving for college, and now she is DONE! Don't worry, there will be many pictures of that special event & I will share them all with you here. Meanwhile, back to the sewing room I go! How is your Christmas sewing going?

pears

2011-11-21T12:57:00.003-06:00

Yesterday Happiness is Quilting had their Market Review party. They did it different this time... with stations set up throughout the store where you could watch demos for new products. It was really fun! I picked up a few patterns, including this pear pincushion pattern... It's by Sewn into the Fabric, a new one on me. But it was easy to make (obviously! I have already made three of them!)

Honestly, they are a little fiddly & fussy to make. You see, they are quite tiny. Even the pattern says Size: little. That amused me. This next picture puts it into perspective. You can see how tiny they are next to my sewing machine:

Awesome little Christmas gifts! And they only took some little scraps of fabric, felt & buttons from my stash. I stuffed them with crushed walnut shells to give them some shape & weight. Oh, and I bought the pineapple pattern too. I'm sure I will have some of those to share with you soon!

odds and ends

2011-11-17T16:57:00.002-06:00

Lots of little projects going on here lately. It's that time of year! I've been working on some felt ornaments... Sorry I can't show you all of them, but some are for secret swaps!

I've also been crocheting a bit. A skinny scarf for Ally in colors of her choosing...

That was such a fun patten to do, I decided to make another. Perhaps for a Christmas gift? I'm not sure yet who the lucky recipient will be. Maybe I will even make a few more. We'll see!

Tomorrow I plan to reevaluate my project list and choose my next project. Leigh Anne has requested a Christmas stocking for her mantle.... maybe that's next? Stay tuned!

Cross Quilt Top Completed

2011-11-13T16:14:00.002-06:00

I finished my cross quilt top. I'm really happy with it. What do you think? In my mind this qualifies as my first "modern quilt". I am anxious to get it quilted. Ahhh it feels good to finish up a big project.

Ticker tape blocks

2011-11-09T15:42:00.003-06:00

Two more ticker tape blocks done. That's eight so far... 1/3 of the way done! Orange and black, these colors would have made sense in October, but they were our November assignment. Works for me. This is kind of turning into an eye-spy quilt... can you find the ducks? the ghosts? car? penguins? LOL

Next month, pink and navy. I just wanted you to know I'm still here.

goodies for a friend

2011-11-05T18:23:00.002-05:00

A while ago I shipped a birthday bundle off to my friend Maria in Australia. I didn't want to share them here until I knew she had received them. Well today is Maria's birthday (Happy Birthday!) and she posted a picture of the goodies on her blog, so I know they arrived! You really should go check out her blog, Life on the Block. She makes such lovely things and has a beautiful garden too!

Anyways, back to the goodies. In September we had Quilt across Texas & I picked up a charm pack of the special Moda fabric that was designed for the shop hop. Since Maria made me an Australia mugrug a while back, I thought she should have a Texas mugrug for her sewing space! And, I made another "hoop". I am enjoying doing these with bits of fabric, felt, embroidery floss... on Maria's I even added some beads and a charm...

It's so much fun to share with friends all over the world. What have you made lately?

No more braces!

2011-11-04T07:03:00.003-05:00

This is how Ally left for school yesterday.... Beautiful, isn't she? And this is Ally now....

Look at those gorgeous straight teeth!

Sorry no creative posts lately. I've been focussing on one of my 3 best creations (Ally!). I promise more crafty posts soon. Oh and before I leave you, had to show you this cute photo of Daddy creeping Ally's photoshoot....

Until next time...

nineteen

2011-10-29T09:38:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Son! photo taken last summer on our great baseball trip

Hard for me to believe that it's been 19 years since this awesome boy arrived in our lives! Who knew that that little, blond haired boy would grow into such a handsome, wise, and fun young man! Ok, I knew he would... but I'm his mom! I'm supposed to think that, right? It's so hard being far away from your kids on their special day.... glad he has his sister nearby and a football game to enjoy this afternoon! Happy Birthday Steve!

Busy Town Quilt

2011-10-25T21:37:00.003-05:00

When my kids were little (we're talking 15+ years ago) and we had our very first PC, they had a game with the Busy Town characters on it. I'm pretty sure the graphics and the animation were very primitive, but at the time it was quite extraordinary! They all loved that game, Steve would play for hours building roads.... I think Leigh Anne liked the bakery best. They sorted recyclables, collected trash... and all the while this crazy little song played in the background... I can hear it in my head even now. Yikes!

Anyways, I have a photo somewhere of friends of ours who came to visit often. Their daughter was our primo Ohio babysitter (she lives near us in Texas now!) and their son was probably about 14 at the time? Anyways, in the photo, he is sitting at our computer playing the Busy Town game and my kids are standing nearby, begging for a turn. I remember it like it was yesterday!

Well guess what? That teenage boy, now a grown man, and his wife are having their first baby in a couple of months! And when I heard there was new Busy Town fabric coming out, I pretty much stalked the Fat Quarter Shop until it was available. Seriously, I had ordered the fat quarter bundle within minutes of their adding it to the shop!

But here.s the deal. Busy Town fabric is pretty boyish. Lots of blues & greens. Lots of trucks & bulldozers. And, you guessed it, the baby is a girl. Well I pulled some oranges, purples & pinks out of the fabric, left out the most boyish vehicles and this is what I came up with...
I really love the layout, inspired by a couple quilts I spotted on Pinterest (much bigger & more elegant quilts! But I loved the layout). Here's a closer shot.... don't you remember the little Apple Car with Lowly worm inside?
So the top is done! I just need to put together a backing and ship it off to be quilted. What did you make today?

More Ticker Tape Blocks

2011-10-22T16:59:00.002-05:00

Lately I feel like all I ever show you is blocks for incomplete projects! I have several "block of the month" type projects that I am doing right now and very few complete finishes. The good news is that these will all wrap up at different times so I won't be trying to finish up many quilts at once. I hope.

That said, here is ticker tape block number 5, purple.... and number six, brown....

I do love the way these are turning out. Putting them together is kind of therapeutic in a way, like a jigsaw puzzle! I have no idea what I am going to do with the finished quilt but I have plenty of time to think about that! So, we are 1/4 of the way done, six blocks completed....

Next month is orange and black. I need to go dig up some scraps to contribute to the pile!

Go Rangers! (sorry had to slip that in there!)

Cross quilt block tutorial

2011-10-20T10:05:00.004-05:00

In my last post, I told you that I was making a cross quilt and I shared these blocks... I thought I would tell you more about the reason for this quilt. Every year the youth of our church hold a silent auction to raise money for their mission trips and other activities. The kids and I have had fun coming up with items to donate each year. Last year I made some doll clothes, Steve auctioned off three of his framed photos and Ally donated a certificate for a custom decorated cake. Every year, when donation time rolls around, I think, "darn, why didn't I make a quilt to auction off?" And it's always too late by then.... so this year I decided to start early so I will be ready!

I have been eyeing up some of the cross quilts popping up around blogland. Some are wonky crosses, some not, some print, some solid. I decided to use this block pattern that I found on Pinterest (have you discovered Pinterest yet? So much inspiration there!). I have been using more and more solids in my quilts and decided that this would be an all solids quilt. Well, kind of. Some of my colors are "reads solids" not true solids, but close enough! This is a huge stretch for me, the girl who LOVES prints!

I thought I would take you through the making of one cross block so you can make some of your own! Ready? Here we go....

First off, you take a square and surround it with a border. My squares are all 6" and all Stone Kona Solid. My borders (different colors for each block) are 1 1/2" wide. I played with different dimensions, and this is what worked best for me. After you get the borders on (top and bottom, then the sides) square it up (mine are 8 inch squares).

Now comes the fun! Using a ruler and rotary cutter, cut your block exactly into quarters...

Now you rearrange your blocks. Switch your left and right blocks (both top and bottom). Now move the bottom blocks to the top. Gosh that's wordy... play with it. Your final layout should look like this....

Stitch your top blocks together, and your bottom blocks together. Press your seams in opposite directions so they will nest in the next step.

Now sew the top and bottom together and square up your block! Mine all end up being 7 1/2" blocks. Now wasn't that easy?

Twenty blocks done here... more to go! I have a layout planned but it may end up changing so I won't share it yet!

For those who are following my knee saga (and thanks for your well wishes!) I am healing fine and getting around (slowly!) without crutches. There are some things I need at the store and my Hubby reluctantly gave me permission to go to the drugstore at the corner, no farther! So that is my big outing for the day. I hope you all are doing something fun today!

Here I am!

2011-10-19T08:47:00.003-05:00

Sorry I have been away from my blog for a while. I've been a bit foggy headed! Last Friday I had knee surgery. I've been having trouble with my knees for a while & it was time to get it taken care of! So I wrapped up in my quilt for a few days and learned how to use crutches (not very well, I might add!) During my more lucid moments, I worked on a stitchery project. The Sew Happy Me blog has been publishing a Christmas Sewalong block every week and I had printed out the first three before my surgery and got them ready to stitch. I have finished 2, started the third and printed the fourth....

And I drew up plans for a quilt for a new baby coming soon. Don't you love these Busytown fabrics? I got them from The Fat Quarter Shop last week. There's a story I want to tell you about this baby coming and busytown, but that will wait for another post....

Meanwhile, I have so many projects waiting to be finished. Like this tunic, which just needs buttons....

And a cross quilt that I want to tell you about! I have these 12 blocks done...

And strips cut for several more blocks....

It's time for me to get moving again! I have ditched the crutches (honestly they are more dangerous for me than helpful!) and will begin physical therapy this afternoon...

Oh, and one more thing....

GO RANGERS!

ok, that's all now. I promise!

Tote Bag Swap

2011-10-10T20:52:00.002-05:00

Tonight was our Tote Bag Swap at The Quilt Asylum..... There were so many beautiful bags! I would have been thrilled to receive any one of them. But I was really really thrilled to receive Trae's bag....

That's Trae next to me, and she made the gorgeous brown bag I am holding.... it's such a big, sturdy bag, in addition to being absolutely beautiful. The patchwork on both sides is so snazzy and it will easily hold all of my projects, even finished quilts. I love it! Thanks Trae!

Next up, ornament swap. I already have some ideas brewing....

another Birdie done!

2011-10-07T08:22:00.002-05:00

Ok, I have redeemed myself! Yes, the September birdie block got finished late.... but October is now done too! Whew. I feel better. I love the pumpkins! But the moon looks lonely up there... I didn't care for the stars around it so I left them off. I think maybe it needs a witch on a broom or something? Anyways, 10 blocks done! Two more to go.

A Hamster???

2011-10-06T11:16:00.002-05:00

Have any of you discovered the new craft magazine out of the UK, Mollie Makes? The sixth issue just came out in England, not here in the US yet, but I am watching for it! The first five issues have the most adorable projects in them! Mostly little projects that can be whipped up in an afternoon..... sewing & quilting projects, little felt projects, crochet... So the other day Ally saw a picture online of a little felt hamster & said "oooh I want one!" LOL really? A Hamster? Well, this is the only kind of hamster she'll ever have in my house, I can tell you that! Then I realized that the pattern was in the most recent issue of Mollie Makes. So yesterday I pulled out my felt scraps and made Ally a hamster....

Ally named it Jorge. Really? I pointed out that it is definitely a girl hamster (note the flower) but she insists on calling it Jorge the Hamster Whatever! Oh, and by the way, this hamster is less than 2 inches tall! Talk about a tiny hamster... it was fun to make & took me less than an hour.

Keep your eyes open for this cool magazine. I found it at Barnes & Noble....

Better Late Than Never! September Birdie Stitches

2011-10-05T11:59:00.003-05:00

Well, I finally finished my September Birdie Block last night! This is the first one I have not finished in the month it was intended for, but I'm only a couple of days late, right? I really love this block, I have no excuses for being late! It's lovely & it was fun to do once I got rolling. Wow, there are only three blocks left to finish! I have the October block all traced and ready to go. Now I am debating what color sashing to use to put the blocks together. I think I want to use one of the bright colors to tie it all together.... maybe a teal blue or the lime green (which seems to be appearing in everything I do these days! What's up with that???).

Ok, back to my sewing room I go. Hope you are all having a beautiful October like we are here in Texas!

Homecoming 2011

2011-10-01T20:42:00.004-05:00

Ally is off to the Homecoming dance. Where did this beautiful girl come from?

Swap tote finished

2011-09-29T10:55:00.003-05:00

You might remember I showed you the tote bag I made a couple of weeks ago. It was supposed to be my tote for the upcoming swap at The Quilt Asylum, but I wasn't happy with it. The straps were too long, the bag was too tall & too skinny.... blah blah blah. So I started over! I fell in love with the new Farmyard fabric line & decided to go with that...

Ah, much better! This one is perfectly proportioned. It has tons of pockets on the inside, and a hook for keys. I hope my swap partner likes it!

It's time to make Mums!

2011-09-24T15:33:00.002-05:00

I went back & counted. This is the seventh year we have made Homecoming Mums. We started doing it when Leigh Anne was a sophomore & now here we are, Ally is a sophomore! She actually did her whole mum herself this year. No help from mom. Well, except for the checkbook... Isn't it awesome? Homecoming is next weekend (wait until you see her dress for the dance! Adorable). This is our last year for red too. No HS junior would be caught dead with a speck of red in their mum. See, I know the rules!

I have chickens!

2011-09-22T14:28:00.003-05:00

Now, if you know me AT ALL, you know that they are not real chickens. I admire my farmer type friends who raise chickens, eat fresh eggs in the morning, etc. I am not one of those people. BUT.... check out these fabulous chickens that arrived today in the mail from Jen! I had admired the chickens Jen was making a while back, so we decided to do a little swap. Aren't they fabulous??? I love them all. The blue one in my favorite Denyse Schmidt fabrics (oh my, he matches my new quilt!), the snazzy red & yellow one (my 2 favorite colors!) and the sweet baby pink one, which Ally will try to steal when she sees it. I will NOT allow that to happen! I'm pretty sure they are supposed to be pin cushions, but no way will I ever be able to stick a pin in any of them! That just seems wrong, doesn't it? And now a picture of my chickens (who are momentarily unnamed) in their new home.

Don't they look happy? I just finished the stitched tree behind them and it seems like the perfect backdrop for my chickens. They are sitting right above my sewing machine where I will see them and smile every single day! Thank you Jen, I love them!

And yes, I have been sewing. However, many of the items I've been working on are for Christmas gifts so I can't share them with you here. Happens every year. I did make this snazzy polka dotted tote....

It was supposed to be for our upcoming tote swap at The Quilt Asylum, but I'm not terribly happy with the proportions of it and a couple other things. So, today I am making another tote! I promise to share that one with you as well. What is everyone else working on these days?

ticker tape progress

2011-09-17T08:43:00.000-05:00

I'm moving along on my ticker tape quilt. Four blocks done!

I am trying to imagine what 24 colors we will use for our quilt. So far, just primaries. Next month is brown and purple....

A new snuggle quilt

2011-09-16T06:36:00.001-05:00

I just finished stitching the binding on my latest quilt! It's a snuggle quilt for the couch. I made it because I was poked fun at for having our Christmas quilt out in June. I like the Christmas quilt (Mom made it for us) because it's big & snuggly. So I decided to make a big & snuggly quilt to take it's place when it's not Christmastime!

The fabrics are all Denyse Schmidt fabrics from Joanns, the first line that came out this summer. The white and the lime green are Kona solids. I just love the way it turned out! I even love the back....

Now if it would just cool down so we can use it! Earlier this week we had our 70th day this year over 100 degrees.... breaking the all time record of 69 days set in 1980. Honestly? It's September people! Time for a cooldown. Hope it's much more comfortable where you are.

shop update

2011-09-15T15:02:00.002-05:00

Finally! I have put lots of new items in my shop. Lots and lots of buttons... you can go look at all the buttons yourself, I won't bore you with them here. But I must say, the cherry buttons are my favorite! Which one is your favorite?

Another fun thing I have added to the shop is some tote bag kits! They include a copy of my Town Square Bag pattern and Halloween fabric and buttons so you can make a bag of your own.

If the kits are popular, I'll add some more for all of my patterns. So hop on over to the shop & let me know what you think!

Pattern review, dress for Mackie

2011-09-15T06:31:00.000-05:00

I gave you a sneak peak last week of the elephants I was sewing for Mackenzie's second birthday. Here's the finished product: This is McCalls pattern 6062 in a size 3T. There is another view in the pattern that is capris & a top....

I really liked this pattern! It went together very simply. I was able to use fabrics from my stash for the bodice, sleeves and sash at the waist. Only bought the elephant fabric and the green underneath. You can't really tell from this photo, but the green is an entire underskirt, not just the ruffle. It does make the dress a little bit heavy, but I would have had to line the elephant fabric anyways, so it's just fine. I will probably make this pattern again for her, next time maybe the other view? All in all, a very good pattern!

swap buddy

2011-09-14T07:05:00.000-05:00

Now that she has received her swap, I can share what I sent to Jen! I had fun making her this little hoop with her name on it. and a little Halloween mug rug! I stitch & flipped the strips just like I do when I make placemats.

Check out Jen's blog here. She makes some adorable things!

I took a little trip...

2011-09-13T06:53:00.003-05:00

Sorry I've been missing. I took a little trip... To Houston! My good friend Leigh Ann (yes my oldest is named for her!) lives there. I hadn't seen her in a long time and it was so good to visit, do some shopping, some singing (more on that in a minute), some eating....

Leigh Ann & I met 30+ years ago when we sang together in Up With People. Do any of you remember them? It was an incredible year. Leigh Ann & I were two of the babies in our cast, both just out of High School, 18 years old. Another member of our Up With People cast lives near Houston too. Charlotte and her husband came to have dinner with us on Friday. I hadn't seen her since we travelled years ago! What a wonderful visit we had.

Here's how Leigh Ann finally got me down there! Every year for the last few years she has invited me to come sing with her church choir. Each year they invite a different composer to come and direct a special concert of his songs. I always thought it sounded like great fun, but was never able to get away for the weekend. Until now!

A couple of months ago, Leigh Ann invited me to come this year. And then she told me who the guest composer was going to be. Ken Medema! Well... I had met Ken & sung with him and a local youth choir (in Ohio) in the 1970s! I just couldn't pass this opportunity up! So I went down and sang with nearly 100 others for the weekend. Check out this awesome choir:

That's Ken at the Piano. He did a concert for us on Saturday too. It was wonderful! So that's where I've been, but I'm home now & preparing some more crafty posts for you... stay tuned!

tshirt quilt

2011-09-05T16:00:00.000-05:00

I really enjoy making tshirt quilts! This one I just finished up for a customer... I made 2 of the borders a little wider and put in a cornerstone with her initial. I always like to do something to make them a little "wonky" if you will! And check out this beautiful fabric I found for the back...

Usually I do some patchwork with the backs of the tshirts on the quilt back, but I thought this fabric stood better on it's own. I hope she likes it too!

Lemon Cupcakes

2011-09-04T15:36:00.003-05:00

First off, a disclaimer. I am not, by any means, known for my baking skills! I could link back to some posts a year or more ago, when I was baking cakes for Ally to decorate for classes. You might remember that often I baked those cakes 2 or 3 times before I got them right. I will spare you the opportunity to reread them. Trust me, it was bad.

But when I saw these cupcakes on Pinterest, I had to try them! Gluten-free Lemon Meringue Cupcakes! Seriously? How could I not. Just so you know that all ends well with this story, here is proof: This recipe is not for the faint hearted baker! Honestly, someone like me has no business making these. None. However..... I decided to give it a go. First you bake the cupcakes. Simple, right? Umm no. Batch #1 overflowed the pan and turned into a giant cupcake blobby mess. Lovely. Cupcakes take 2. I cleaned it all up & made them again, adding less baking powder and baking soda (I had not realized that the gluten free flour mix I had used already had some of these in it!). These cupcakes came out great!

Next you make lemon curd with fresh lemon juice in the microwave. This step was surprisingly easy! After it cools, you cut out a well in each cupcake & fill it with lemon curd. I have to tell you, I was half tempted to gobble them up right then & there! But I didn't.

Next step, meringue frosting. I decided to bring in the big guns for this one. Ally actually made the meringue & piped it on top of the cupcakes. Then I took a kitchen torch (ok, it was one of those lighters you use to light you grill! but it worked) and browned the tops of the cupcakes. Look how pretty they are!

Ally said I needed a picture of the "ugly" cupcake! I would rather refer to it as the "lumpy bumpy cupcake" LOL!

I have tried them and they are delicious! So there you have it. I doubt I will put myself through this process again, but it was fun and worth it! I will be enjoying lemon cupcakes for a few days. Yum!

negligent blogger

2011-08-30T14:20:00.003-05:00

As my self-appointed business manager (Ally) was walking out the door this morning she said "umm, Mom? You need to blog today, it's been a while". Oops. When your 15 year old notices that you have been neglecting your blog it's time to get your act together! So here I am.

When I asked what I should blog about, she suggested I talk about her. Too funny. I guess I could fill my blog with Ally stories, pictures of her new pink cowboy boots, maybe even reprint a few of her English essays (nah, that would be ridiculous!), but that's not what you come here to read, is it? On to the crafty goodness...

Unfortunately, the things I have been working on most recently are surprises for peeps who sometimes read my blog... like these elephants I've been stitching up for a certain little person turning 2 next week! And some felty goodness going off to a bloggy friend who has survived earthquakes and hurricanes in recent days...

I have also been working on some fun stuff for my etsy shop! How about some fun decorative buttons coming soon....

These would be great on an art quilt, bag, scrapbook page... you name it! Also printing patterns & putting together some fun kits. There will be pictures of them soon and I'll let you know when the shop has been stocked.

Hope you are all enjoying some fun crafting too!

I'm back in sewing mode!

2011-08-20T14:42:00.002-05:00

I've been sewing up a storm since I got home! I made 4 matching pillowcases for our bed... I had been looking for the perfect fabric for these for a long time. Several years ago I made a green and purple quilt for our bed (you can't see that here, it's folded at the bottom of the bed) and I finally found great fabric in Arizona. Here's a closeup:

Also, the bring 'n brag girls at The Quilt Asylum are doing a ticker tape quilt along. Every month we get scraps in two more colors. In a year, we will have 24 blocks done for a quilt! The blocks due in September are red and yellow...

I decided to make my ticker tape blocks 10 inches square with 2 inch borders, so they end up being a 14 inch block. This will make a good sized quilt when it's done!

I used some of the scraps they gave us and some of my own (especially since this month was my two favorite colors! I had lots of scraps to add)

Have you done ticker tape before? The fun part is making the scraps fit, kind of like a jigsaw puzzle. Then you just stick them down with a glue stick to hold them in place and zip around them with a straight stitch, raw edges and all. I had so much fun doing these 2 blocks and can't wait to do the next 2.

Lots more projects to show you soon!

the same and different

2011-08-19T21:19:00.000-05:00

Do you remember my Sudoku quilt? It's been getting lots of use, lounging on the couch. I love it! Well I gave my mom the very same kit for Mother's Day and I couldn't wait to see her interpretation of it. I have asked her several times over the last few months what colors she used for sashing and borders, but she refused to tell me! "you'll just have to come and see" she said. So I did....

Isn't it beautiful! So different from mine.... and yet made with the very same kit. And even quilted by the same quilter, the awesome Connie. But even the quilting is so different. Mom's quilt has cool medallions in each nine patch and a neat border. So very pretty! Nice work Mom! I love it.

The long and winding road

2011-08-19T09:11:00.000-05:00

The road from Texas to Arizona is a long and boring one. It was a two day drive and we saw lots and lots of trucks.
And trains.

And sometimes, nothing. Just the road stretching ahead of us for miles and miles.

Luckily we had three drivers. It was Steve's first time driving on a long road trip. He pretty much drove the entire state of New Mexico. I think he was happy when his turn ended!

And I was happy to hop on an airplane and fly home instead of driving.

Choices

2011-08-17T19:04:00.003-05:00

I was going to begin this blog post by apologizing for straying from my usual topic of crafting and creating, but the more I thought about it, I realized this is about creating after all. It's about creating responsible adults, which I have been working at for 21 years now. This week I have delivered my two oldest, my ADULT children to college, and as I observed them settling in, I began to contemplate exactly how they suddenly became such responsible, adult human beings. What follows are my conclusions.

It all comes down to teaching our children to make appropriate choices. I believe this process began when they were very small, toddlers even. Would you like to wear the orange tshirt or the blue one? (Steve always chose orange. Still does). Nightlight on or off? (duh!) Once they mastered choices between two items, we offered more complex ones. What sport would you like to learn to play? What would you like to be for Halloween? (a ladybug? Really Leigh Anne? AGAIN?). We always offered only choices where we were willing to accept their decisions and respect them. Even if we disagreed.

Sometimes letting the kids make choices was hard for me! I remember literally sitting on my hands while 2 year old Leigh Anne tried over and over to put a puzzle piece in the wrong space. "Do you think it might fit better somewhere else?" I might ask. Her response was usually a look that said "really Mom? Are you doubting me?" I would sit back and wait for her to reach the right decision on her own. That was tough! But, looking back, I realize that it was a lesson better learned in the harmless world of puzzle-doing than later on when a bad decision would be more consequential, even dangerous.

By the time my kids reached the teen years, they had become very good at decision making and problem solving. Not perfect, mind you, but then again, are any of us? I think not. They were able to make good choices even when they were out of my sight. Did I cease to worry about them? No. But did I trust them to choose wisely? Yes indeed.

The other day I attended a gathering for parents at ASU. There was a dad there who currently has three kids in college. THREE! The gal moderating the event asked if he had any advice for the rest of us. He said "Trust your kids. Let them handle things. You've done your job, raised them to be adults, now step back and let them do it". Wow. Wise words he shared. I suppose that's why I started thinking about this. And I needed to write down my thoughts. For me. And for my kids.

I am home now. Although it was tough, I am comfortable leaving two responsible decision makers in Arizona. I trust that they will continue to make wise choices. They can call home anytime, and my husband or I will be happy to hear them out and help them figure things out. They know that. I have one more here at home who I can continue to steer and influence for a while yet. Ally makes good choices, just like her siblings, and soon enough she will be off making them on her own. I'm glad I still have a little time with her! I'm so proud of all three kids. They're incredible.

Gosh, it will only be a couple of years and hubby and I will be left to make some decisions of our own. It's hard to believe.

Ok, off my soapbox. Back to your regularly scheduled crafty goodness....

Doll Quilt Received

2011-08-09T08:32:00.005-05:00

As promised, here is a picture of the beautiful quilt I received in last night's swap.

It was made by Kathleen and I just adore it! Look closely at the center of the bottom flower...
All those gorgeous sequins and beads hand stitched on. So pretty and sparkly! I will be hanging it on the wall of my sewing room so I can see it every day. Thanks Kathleen!

As usual, my camera did not make it into my bag last night. When will I learn to take it where ever I go? Three years of blogging, (yikes, I missed my blogaversarie! It was last week...) you'd think I'd have that down. So, I am waiting for group shots to be posted by The Quilt Asylum or my buddy Joellen, then I will share them with you.

Our next swap is tote bags, in October. I have already been scanning Pinterest and Flickr looking for inspiration!

update: See the whole group and our quilts on The Quilt Asylum blog here.

Doll Quilt Swap tonight!

2011-08-08T08:34:00.004-05:00

Do you remember this little sneak preview I gave you a while back? Well here is the finished product! A doll quilt for the swap tonight at The Quilt Asylum:

The challenge was to use circles in the quilt somehow. It could be polka dot fabric (now aren't you surprised? I didn't choose that option!), yoyos, buttons, a circle shaped quilt, whatever we wanted! I decided to applique my circles. After quilting the background, whole quilt style, I hand appliqued the circles & the scissors on top and hand embroidered the details. I also added some bright buttons just for fun. I decided to use "create" and "sew" as my theme, thinking that it is something all of us in the swap have in common, our love for creating.

Something new I tried, I used Karen Buckley's Perfect Circles templates to make my circles. They were fun and easy to use. You cut your circles a bit larger than the template you want to use (1/4 inch all the way around will do) then run gathering stitches around the edge. Place the plastic template in the middle of your circle (wrong side up) pull your gathering stitches tight. Then you head to the ironing board, spray your circle with spray starch and press it flat. Loosen the stitches, remove the template and WOW! you have a perfect circle. Pretty cool.

I can't wait to see what the other gals in the swap have created. I promise to come back and share some more with you tomorrow.

handwork

2011-08-07T08:34:00.000-05:00

In case you thought I'd been slacking off, because of a lack of crafty postings lately, I thought I would share what I've been doing! I have the whole gang home for just a few more days. This means 1) I am enjoying time with them while I can! and 2) my sewing machine is taking a little break so Leigh Anne can use the sewing room for a bedroom.

One thing I can work on while we watch tv or visit is my hexis. I had seen some on Pinterest with embroidery in the center & decided that made me happy..... I'm not totally sure what these hexis will become in the end, but I sure am having fun playing with them! The other handwork project I've worked on is my August Birdie Stitches block. It's done! I really like this one (please note, my ironing board is also taking a little break from me!)

Do you like to do handwork too?

Trip to Children's

2011-08-06T08:32:00.000-05:00

Here's Ally and key members of the team at Children's who helped her return to wellness. They are holding just a few of the puzzles that Ally brought to give to the kids at the hospital.

15! How did that happen?

2011-08-05T10:26:00.003-05:00

Today my Ally turns 15! Crazy! This past year had lots of firsts for Ally. My brother & his family took her camping & fishing (ummm Ally? The worms are for the FISH!) She flew to Ohio alone (first time flying alone!). Her main motivation was to spend special time with her smallest cousin, Mackie...

I don't go on & on here on the blog about difficult times. But today, now that we're past it, I will share with you.... in January of this year, Ally learned to walk again! She had spent more than 2 years unable to walk unassisted because of a nerve disease called RSD. After 2+ weeks at Childrens Hospital here in Dallas, lots of intense therapy & sheer will power, Ally was able to put her RSD into remission & walked out with no limitations! Hooray!

Today, at Ally's request, the whole family is heading down to Childrens to bring a huge stack of puzzles to the kids there, and to visit with the team that helped Ally accomplish so much. It's going to be a special day.

And now my sweet, determined girl has so much to look forward to! Sophomore year of High School..... along with her academics Ally will take theater and dance! Learning to drive.... it's going to be another big year for her!

Happy Birthday Miss Ally!

Groovy Nametag Holder

2011-07-29T10:53:00.003-05:00

Have you heard about the Groovy Girls Clubs springing up everywhere? They were created by Terry Atkinson of Atkinson designs. Many quilt stores are starting clubs, using her curriculum. Lucky for me, The Quilt Asylum is one! Actually, they had a club last year but I wasn't able to fit it into my schedule. When they announced it was starting again, I jumped right on the bandwagon and signed up for all six months.

Monday night was our first meeting. What fun! The room was filled with returning Groovys and newbies like me. We got pattern tips, recipes, and a free pattern. The pattern was for this name tag holder..... I've been seeing the selvage trend growing & it was fun to try it out on a little project like this. At the bottom is a clear plastic pocket where you slide your name tag. Guess what I did? I slid the blank paper in to see if it fit. Then.... I stitched the binding on and STITCHED THE PAPER INTO THE POCKET! Geez. I could tear it out, but it would be messy. So I have cut another and will just slide it in front.

Here's the back of this sweet little holder...

If you look closely, you will see that there is a zipper pocket on each side (our instructions included an easy squeezy method to put in the zippers). There is also an open pocket on the back. Plenty of space for a drivers license, cash & credit card & even a cell phone & car key. What else could I possibly need?

I only changed up one thing from the pattern. It had you tie the ends of the "strap" (which is an extension of the binding) to hang it around your neck. I made mine a little longer and stitched the ends together. This way I can wear it as a sling bag.

If you have the chance to join a Groovy Girls club I say Go For It! Great fun.

create

2011-07-28T13:39:00.003-05:00

a little sneak peek of a project I'm working on..... and a suggestion! Create....

catching up

2011-07-25T12:21:00.004-05:00

It's been a busy week here at ellyn's place. First of all, last week, Marie Bostwick paid a visit to The Quilt Asylum. Have you read Marie's books? You really should. We had a little sit-n-sew and Marie read us part of the prologue to her latest book, Threading the Needle. It's the fourth book in her Cobbled Courts series, a wonderful series about women, friendship, and life. Oh, and a quilt store.... of course! After she read, we had some time to visit, throw questions out, munch cookies, you know, the usual things we quilters do! I have met Marie several times now and she is just as sweet as can be. Thanks for coming, Marie, and thanks to the gals at The Quilt Asylum for always throwing a fun party!

While we were there, I was cranking on my July Birdie Stitches block. I'm so proud of myself for keeping up with these blocks! Block 7 done, and it makes me happy!

Ally has been sick with a sinus infection and Lexi is always by her side. Even sharing her special minky blanket with her....

So I have had time at home to make some special little presents for friends. A couple of pin cushions....

and my first mug rug, finished this morning....

And some other treasures that I will share with you soon! Back to the sewing room I go....

Giveaway winner

2011-07-22T11:47:00.002-05:00

Wow it's Friday already! How did that happen? This week has flown by. I've been busy in the sewing room & promise to show you some finishes soon. I've also been cleaning out my kitchen cabinets (don't know what got into me!)

So today is the day I promised to draw a winner for the "Trim Explosion Giveaway" As always I turned to the random number generator and the winner is:

True Random Number Generator Result: #2 Powered by RANDOM.ORG

And #2 is my friend Melissa! Melissa said: "How did you know about that closet in my front hallway? LOL What a fun giveaway - count me in the draw! I know, I know, I don't sew but I use a lot of ribbon and lace on my layouts and I've been wanting to try some ric rac for a while (just haven't bought any)!Hope you're staying cool in your sewing room!" Well, Melissa, I am happy to help you out with some trim for your layouts. Speaking of which... you all need to go check out Melissa's awesome blog, she does amazing work!

Off I go to email Melissa & fill a box with treasures for her. Have a great day!

finishes

2011-07-17T15:40:00.005-05:00

Have you entered my 300th post giveaway? You have until Friday. You can do that by leaving a comment on this post.

Meanwhile, I've been zipping through projects lately. I made these place mats for Leigh Anne's friend Jordan, back in AZ: I really enjoy making place mats like this. I just stitch and flip the strips, using a quilt as you go method. I've made several sets, but none for me. Hmmm... I need to fix that soon!

Leigh Anne saw pictures of my new top and asked if I would make one for her. She liked the fabric too, and asked me to make it in the cobalt colorway. I ordered it from Fat Quarter Shop on Wednesday and it was here on Friday.... I love how prompt they are! It stitched up quickly, especially since I had made one before.

It's hanging in my nice clean sewing room, which will transform into a bedroom for Leigh Anne two weeks from today! It will be great to have her home for a little while.

So that's what I've been up to. What are you making?

300th post. I have a problem...

2011-07-15T12:34:00.002-05:00

I haven't blogged in almost 2 weeks! There are several reasons for this. First of all, I've been very busy sewing, several different projects in various stages of completion. Second, I knew that the next post was going to be number 300 (this is it!), I wanted to do a giveaway but I wasn't sure what I wanted that to be. Third.... oh never mind. You get the picture. I'm full of excuses.

So this morning I went into my sewing room ready to tackle my growing list of projects and it was such a mess I couldn't even think straight. I started by cleaning up my work space. Then I sorted my projects, prioritized them, even finished one up that only took a few minutes! One upcoming project required some bias tape. Had not noticed that when I bought the pattern. Surely I have some bias tape somewhere in this room, right????

I opened up the box where I toss all things trimlike. Do you have one of those closets where you put orphan items? You know the closet I mean, the one where you open the door a crack, shove the item in and slam the door shut quickly so everything doesn't come tumbling out? You do have one, don't you? Please tell me I am not alone. Anyways, this is what my trim box is like. It's a rubbermaid container with a snap on lid. Whenever I have scraps of trim leftover from a project, I open the lid just a crack, shove the trim in and quickly close it. Extra ric rac? in it goes. Ribbon? in the bin. Cording? Bias Tape? Piping? Yup.

I have to tell you, when I opened that box this morning my newly cleaned sewing room became a jumble of tangled trims. Yikes! I sorted them all out (yes I did find the bias tape I needed!) Here's a sampling:

Cording, bias tape, piping.... Ribbon, lace, even some beaded trim...

And ric rac. I found MORE after I took this picture. What was I thinking when I bought all of this? Surely I had a purpose for it. If I did, it eludes me.

And then I had an epiphany! I went to the pantry and found an empty shoebox. One lucky blog reader who comments on this post will win as much trim as I can stuff into that box! Be careful when you open it! You might have a trim explosion like I did today! No, really, I promise to put them in there neatly! And who knows what else might wander into the box. Tell me what you see that would be useful to you.... are you a ric rac girl? polka dotty ribbon girl? I will do my best to accommodate you.

I'll leave the giveaway open until next Friday, July 22 then pick a random winner. So tell your friends (or, if you're greedy & want a better shot at it, keep it a secret!).

Now back to sewing I go. Hope to have some fun things to show you soon.

New top for me! Pattern review

2011-07-04T12:44:00.000-05:00

I got a new shirt while we were on our trip. Well, no, not exactly. I bought a pattern and fabric at Spool in Philadelphia. And I MADE myself a new shirt when we got home! It's Kwik Sew 3848, a basic tank pattern with 2 views. I made view B, a pullover version. View A has buttons down the front, pockets (which I would probably leave off) and gathers in the back. I think I will make this again in view A. It was very clear & simple to make. I used a Kaffe Fassett fabric, very soft & lighter weight than quilting cotton.

Even though I measured carefully (both me AND the pattern pieces) the shirt ended up way too big. Sigh. Actually it is not terribly big in the side seams, but the armholes are very deep and the neckline is huge. I can't wear it without something underneath (thus the peach tank). Disappointing because the pattern cover did not indicate that the neckline is large. I am thinking it is sized properly for smaller sizes but for some crazy reason they assumed that if you make the size bigger you have to make the neckline & armholes enormous. Beats me. Anyways, I still like it & will wear it with the tank underneath. If I make it again I will add darts to the front before I do the facings. I think that will help!

Oh, I also chose to curve the bottom of the top instead of leaving it straight. It's a pretty long top, below the hip, so this looks nice.

On another note, I received these pictures of little miss Mackie, wearing her fourth of July dress & hairclip that I sent her. I thought I would share them with you on this festive day!

I just realized that this is my 299th blog post! Hmmm may have to dream up something special for the next one! Happy Fourth everyone. Enjoy your families & festivities.

Sudoku quilt

2011-07-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

It's finished! And I really love it.... The kit was a birthday gift from my pal Joellen. I had so much fun picking out the solid (stone, moda solid), figuring out the puzzle & stitching up the top. The squares are Central Park by Kate Spain. I decided to do a pieced back (loving that craze! Anybody else?) and, as you know, a scrappy binding. I think I like the back as much as the front!

I gave the same kit to my mom for Mothers Day & she says hers is done & hanging in her kitchen nook... but she won't tell me what colors she used! I have to wait until I go see her in August to see it.

This was great fun to do. Sorry it took me so long to get the pictures up. I teased you with the binding tips before our baseball trip. Believe it or not, I left the binding half done & finished it up after the trip! Not like me at all. Now all I need is some cooler weather so I can snuggle under my finished quilt. Not likely any time soon.

time out for some Baseball!

2011-07-02T18:29:00.003-05:00

Sorry if the creative posts have been a little lacking lately. I took some time out to take a trip with my guys! In celebration of Steve's High School graduation, hubby & I took him on a bit of an east coast baseball roadtrip! Here he is at Fenway in his new Red Sox hat.... We did squeeze in some historical sight seeing too. Lots of history on the east coast! We spent time in Boston, New York City and Philadelphia (saw all three city's teams play in their home ballpark). Then, we went up to Cooperstown for the Baseball Hall of fame

Here are the Red Sox playing at Fenway.

Anyways, not much crafting got done. I did finish these four hexi flowers on the road....

I know, pathetic, right? I have two excuses. 1) I am the navigator. It is difficult to navigate and sew at the same time 2) much of our driving was done at night and I couldn't see!

When we arrived home there was a package waiting from Lisa in Australia. Check out these goodies! I'm a lucky girl.

I had admired the pretty tea mug rug when she posted it on her blog, not knowing she was going to send it to me. Or maybe she sent it to me because I admired it? Geez, now I feel just a tiny bit guilty! Anyways, I love it and the fabric too! Thanks Lisa.

I also snuck into the most adorable little quilt shop in downtown Philadelphia. The girls at Spool were so friendly and their fabric & patterns were lovely! I picked up a shirt pattern & fabric. Hope to finish up my shirt tomorrow, then I will tell you all about it. Oh, and my quilt is finished too! I promise to share that soon.

Hope you all have gotten lots of sewing & crafting done lately! I'm working hard to catch up.

Mom's Button Tin

2011-06-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

What is your earliest sewing room memory? For me, it goes back to when I was a little girl. I remember Mom would give me her button tin and I would spill it out on the floor (gosh, I think she gave it to me! Maybe I just took it! Nah, surely she gave it to me.)
This was before I was old enough to sew, maybe four or five years old? I would sit on the floor of Mom's sewing space for hours sorting buttons. Mom will probably laugh at this and say it wasn't hours but minutes? But the way I remember it, I could play with her buttons for hours. Seriously! I would sort them by color, then by style, then by size.....

Years later I would give my own children my buttons to sort. Now I understand that this is a good way to keep a child busy so Mommy can sew! But when I was a little girl, I just thought it was a wonderful, fun thing to do.

About 10 years ago my Mom & Dad moved across country. They had a big garage sale back in Ohio to clear out some of the odds and ends they had collected in 40+ years of marriage. I asked my Mom if she was getting rid of her button tin.... and lucky me....
Mom brought it to me! So now I have a wonderful home for my buttons AND a constant visual reminder of my awesome Mom. Thanks Mom, for letting me sort your buttons.

A quilt for my sister

2011-06-25T12:30:00.001-05:00

I probably didn't pick the best day to photograph my latest quilt! It's been really windy here lately. And Lexi was trying to get in on the act.... no silly dog, this is not for you!

Finally, after snapping away for quite a while (with poor hubby hanging onto the quilt behind the fence! His arms were getting tired I'm sure) we got some great shots.

The first time I saw the Sherbet Pips fabric I fell in love with it and knew I wanted to make a quilt for my sister, Diane. The little girls swinging on the swings, scooting on scooters, playing & having fun, so reminded me of her when we were little girls. She was always on an adventure, whether it involved swinging higher than anyone else or hanging upside down on the monkey bars. I don't think I appreciated it at the time, but Diane has always been the brave one of the two of us.

Me? I was the one hiding up in the branches of the crab apple tree, reading a book. I didn't mind reading about other people's adventures, but I didn't really create any of my own.

So I made this for my sis. I hope she likes it! Even now, all these years later, she's on one adventure after another. And I'm so proud of her.

Here's the scrappy back of her quilt.... with a scrappy binding too. Now that was fun to do! But then I love doing bindings. I know not everyone does!

I wish I could have gone to Ohio with my quilt to see everyone there, including Diane. I sent Miss Ally instead! Because, well, she loves a good adventure too!

A bag for a friend

2011-06-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

I hinted that I was enjoying some hand stitching not long ago. Sometimes I just start playing with fabrics & thread and see where it leads me. This is how my hexagon flower looked when I was done playing: After I appliqued it onto a piece of recycled denim it really wanted to become a bag. Easy enough.

I sent this bag off to my friend Tracey in Ohio this week. I filled it up with some fabric & a pattern, haha, I hope she's not too mad at me for putting a project on her to do list? Wish I could pop on over to her house & help her make it. She does have my Ally there for a few days of entertainment, maybe Ally will help her sew?

Tracey is the kind of friend who would do anything for you. Thanks for always being there for me pal! And Happy belated Birthday. I miss you.

binding tips

2011-06-21T08:13:00.000-05:00

Let me make something perfectly clear. There are many many quilters who are so much more talented than I am! I love to piece tops but you will notice that most of mine are quite simple. No curves. Occasional matching points.... I'm getting more & more courageous but it's slow. AND I have not yet mastered machine quilting. Generally, I quilt with my checkbook.... there is an awesome longarmer in Arizona who has quilted most of my recent quilts.

That said, when I do complete my quilts, I often get compliments on my bindings. I don't know why, but binding a quilt is my favorite part (maybe because it is the final step? I don't know) and I seem to have mastered it. So I thought I would share some pointers with you here...

There are many awesome tutorials, on the web, in books, in magazines, for how to stitch on a binding so I will not duplicate those here. I do my corners just like all the books recommend. Nothing different. I usually just cut my bindings on the straight of grain, as my quilts (thus far) do not have any curves. If the edge of your quilt is curvy, you will need a bias binding. Otherwise, I find straight bindings to be just fine. I like mine 2 1/2 inches wide (before folding). Others like them narrower. To each his (her?) own I say! Whatever makes you happy.

Recently I have really gotten into scrappy bindings. I buy 3 or 4 fat quarters that coordinate with my quilt top & cut enough 18 inch strips to make a binding for my quilt. I join mine on the diagonal, mixing up the prints. The leftovers from the fat quarters are perfect to make a patchwork back. But I digress.

Tip number 1: Do not cut off the excess batting and backing around your quilt top before stitching on your binding. Stitch your binding on using your walking foot with the excess still attached. I find that this helps to prevent the layers from shifting. Tip number 2: joining the final binding ends. There are tools that help you do this. I have bought them all and mastered none of them. Not bashing the tools or their designers. I'm quite sure it is user error on my part! I typically do things "the old fashioned way", no tools involved. First of all, leave a 12 to 15 inch tail on each end unsewn. Overlap the binding edges.

Now trim the top binding piece so that the overlap equals the original width of your binding strips. So, if your bindings were cut 2 1/2 inches wide, these pieces should overlap 2 1/2 inches. If you cut your bindings a different width, use that measurement now.

Now open up your binding ends and lay them together like this, right sides facing. Make sure you don't twist the binding in the process! Draw a diagonal stitching line, just like you do when you join your original binding pieces.

Tuck your quilt out of the way and stitch your diagonal line. Make sure you have sewn it right and not twisted anything before you cut off the corners (learned this one the hard way!)

Your binding should fit perfectly now & you can stitch down that last bit on the machine.

Tip number 3: NOW you can cut off your excess batting and backing. Be very careful at the corners to tuck the folded edges out of the way. You don't want to cut through those folds!

Tip number 4: press your binding away from the quilt on all four edges.

Tip number 5: I like to use binding clips (the ones that look like hair clips) to hold my binding in place while I hand stitch it down. BUT... I only use four or five. I clip one section of the quilt, placing the clips 4-6 inches apart. As I stitch, when I get to a clip, I remove it and clip it after the last clip. I find if I clip the whole quilt at once a couple of things can go wrong: A) clips fall off and the dog eats them B) I wind up moving them all around & adjusting things as I go. So why bother? Just do it as you go.

Tip number 6:Now stitch the back of your binding down with an invisible hem stitch. This takes practice, but you will get better and better, faster and faster with time. First of all, do not cut your thread too long! 18 inches is plenty. I know it's tempting to make it longer, so you don't have to knot it off as often, but there is much less chance of tangles or knots with a shorter thread. Bury your knot in the batting like you do with hand quilting, take a tiny stitch in the fold of your binding, then a stitch through the batting, about 1/4 inch before taking another tiny stitch in the fold. Be careful not to poke your needle all the way through to the front of the quilt! I usually keep one finger behind the binding so I feel the needle if it goes through too far.

There you go! A lovely binding for your quilt. And just like everything else, practice makes perfect.

What's that? You want to see the finished quilt? Not yet! Soon, I promise.

well look at that!

2011-06-18T07:57:00.002-05:00

Rachel included my quilt shop house block in her Flickr Friends Roundup over at One Pretty Thing. Have you checked out One Pretty Thing yet? You really should, tons of inspiration over there. Go on, I know you want to!

waiting for the ups man

2011-06-17T13:33:00.000-05:00

quilt binding, ready & waiting for the quilt to come home from the quilter in Arizona today. A special quilt for someone I love. Can't wait to show it to you!

House block challenge complete!

2011-06-16T22:01:00.000-05:00

Last week I shared this block with you & told you about a challenge I had taken. I want to tell you what became of my block. First of all, it came to me in the middle of the night (does this happen to everyone? Please say yes!) that my house needed to become a....

The first thing I put on my block was this:

To which Ally said "right Mom, because all you old ladies ride your bikes to the quilt shop!" umm excuse me? Oh well, I quickly forgave her for her old lady remark. Someday she'll be old too & she'll understand the way we think. Maybe. I hope.

Anyways, I worked very hard on my house/quilt shop block for several days. Adding little details here and there, a bird in the clouds, a quilt hanging on the wall (which I hear could be mistaken for a window. Either way, it works for me).

Sandy shared her house block tonight at Quilt Guild too, so cute! I promise to get a picture of it to share with you in the next couple of days. Diann seemed to enjoy our finished blocks (after we tortured her all night & wouldn't show her until Show 'n Tell which is LAST!)

Birthday Boy

2011-06-16T07:41:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday Honey! Thanks for being the greatest husband, friend & Dad to our kids. They don't make them any better than you.

Craftsanity magazine

2011-06-14T09:15:00.002-05:00

Have you ordered your copy of Craftsanity magazine yet? You can get a print copy or the pdf version. The link to order is over here at Jennifer's blog. I am impatiently sitting by my mailbox waiting for my copy. Inside the magazine you will find tons of fun summer crafts. Including.... ta da! My summer watermelon hair clip pattern! Isn't it fun? Perfect picnic-wear I think.

So hop on over there and order your copy. Come on, I know you want to! Ok.... commercial over. I'm off to my sewing room to work on my challenge project. Talk soon.

challenged

2011-06-11T15:33:00.003-05:00

Last night our small group had a sewing gathering. There was lots of laughter, snacks, music, crocheting, embroidery, binding stitching and machine whirring. And we had a new friend join us. Diann fit right in with our crazy bunch! She was making house blocks for a quilt out of a mixture of solids. After she finished 2 blocks Diann decided she didn't like them. At all. We all suggested ways to make them pop, black sashing, etc, but she was DONE with them. Tossed them aside & started making something else out of the rest of the solid pieces she had cut. Well I wouldn't let it rest. I kept telling her that something could be done to save those house blocks from the trash.

As I was packing up my stuff to head home, Diann pulled out the house blocks and challenged me to take one home and make something of it. Well! You know me. I love a challenge! So this block came home with me and I am already hard at work to transform it! You'll have to wait to see what I come up with.

What are you working on this weekend?

some days.....

2011-06-10T16:23:00.003-05:00

you just have to set aside the to-do list, put on some peaceful music & stitch. Today was one of those days.

June Birdie Stitches done!

2011-06-07T15:16:00.003-05:00

I finished my June Birdie Stitches block this morning. June 7! Not bad. This one had lots of stitching on it! At first I was a little overwhelmed by it. It's really busy! And really different from the first five blocks. Then someone commented that this is kind of like the label block for the quilt! That it documents the date and name of the blocks.... hmmm great thought! So I decided to add my first name. See it there, below the birdie's tail? What the heck, it's already busy! Why not make it more busy?

And when it was finished, I really liked it! Wow, six blocks done. That means we're halfway finished. I'm really enjoying doing this, and looking at everyone else's blocks too. Check out the flickr group. It's so cool how people interpret the block differently.

Have a happy Tuesday friends!

Quilt top finished

2011-06-06T16:27:00.002-05:00

I fully intended to share this quilt with you as I went along. However (go ahead & laugh Joellen! You know this is true) once I get rolling on a project there's no stopping me until it's DONE! Thanks to Joellen for saving me and giving me a strip of each fabric when I ran short. You can come over & snuggle under the finished quilt anytime you like! It's partly yours. It will live on our couch when it's finished, the designated snuggle quilt. So for all of you who have been badgering me to put the Christmas Quilt away, this is it's year round replacement. Happy?

This quilt top used 1/2 yard (plus a 3 1/2 inch strip!) of 6 different Denyse Schmidt fabrics that I got at Joanns. Plain white cotton borders on 6 1/2 inch squares of prints and lime green solid cotton squares bordered by the prints.... I was going to use all white, but I think the green adds another dimension to the quilt.

I finished the top today. It's about 60x70 inches without borders. It does need borders. I am thinking maybe a narrow green border & then a coordinating print around the outside? Not sure yet. And of course a scrappy binding, because that's how I roll these days. It'll be a while before you see it finished because I plan to take it to the quilter I love in Arizona when I take the kids to college in August. YIKES! Did you see what I just said? Take THE KIDS... plural! to college. Yup, Steve will be joining his big (little) sister at ASU this fall!

Ok, back to the sewing room! I have lots of projects going on right now and I can't wait to share them with you! I promise to share my Craftsanity project very soon.... happy crafting!

secret project complete

2011-06-02T20:34:00.004-05:00

If you hop on over to Craftsanity, you will see that Jennifer has the next issue of her terrific new craft magazine almost ready to ship! Lots of fun summer crafty ideas. If you look down a few paragraphs you'll see the surprise I've been working on. I have a project in her new issue! I'm very excited to have a sweet summer hair clip pattern featured, something every little girl will want to wear to picnics this summer. I'll post a picture for you as soon as Jennifer sends out the magazine...

Meanwhile, I've added another fun summer hair clip pattern in my shop. It's this bright & cheerful sunshine clip. And... it's a pdf file, sent directly to your computer when you order. So, no shipping charges and no waiting by the mailbox for it to arrive. Here's a picture of the new pattern which is available now:

Didn't Kelsey do a terrific job modelling for me? My plan is to introduce a new hair clip pattern in my shop every week this summer, so stay tuned! Meanwhile, you can get started on the sunshine while you wait for your issue of Craftsanity to arrive! What? You haven't ordered one yet? You better scoot on over to Jennifer's shop right away then! You won't want to miss it!

another little dress and pattern review

2011-05-31T08:00:00.002-05:00

Ally and I headed out to Joann Fabric yesterday morning, since the coupons were so awesome! We decided to make a patriotic little dress for Mackenzie. Ally is going to see her the end of June and she wants some little clothes to take along. This is what I ended up making... Yup! Bought, cut & stitched all in one day. It came out very cute. The pattern I used is Simplicity 4203. The Simplicity patterns were only a dollar yesterday! What a deal.

All in all I liked the pattern a lot. I made the view B dress, which is a lot fuller than it looks on the pattern cover. The skirt is actually two layers of ruffling. Not my favorite thing to do, gathering ruffles, but it went very smoothly. I wish the bodice had been fully lined (if I make this again, I will find a way to do that) but the facings went in nicely and I am happy with the end result. I'm planning to try out the other views on the pattern too. At first I had thought I would make a pair of little navy shorts to go underneath, but the dress is really quite long.... probably not necessary. I might make them anyways, just for kicks. Little girls are not known for being terribly ladylike in dresses, after all!

I also cut into these fabrics yesterday...

I'm going to stitch them into a summery quilt. I'll keep you posted on my progress! All in all, a productive Monday, don't you think?

Tablerunner for a swap

2011-05-30T10:38:00.004-05:00

It's time for another swap at The Quilt Asylum! Actually, the swap is in a couple or weeks but mine is DONE. I used a pattern from the book "Let's Do Lunch". This swap is Summertime Table runners. What do you think? Does this say "summertime" to you? I have always loved these colors. When I was 12 or 13 I did my whole bedroom in yellow and orange..... mostly yellow walls with one bright orange accent wall, orange shag carpet, a very graphic & bright comforter on my bed. My parents even painted my desk yellow for me! And yes, in case you were wondering, it was the 70s. Those colors were all the rage. Gosh I wish I had a picture of that room to share with you! (preferably a picture without dorky 12-year-old-me in it!)

My kiddos seem to have somehow inherited my color love. A few years ago, Steve came to me & asked to paint a wall in his bedroom Orange! What could I say? And when he moved into his sister's room a few years later, yup, you guessed it. Another orange wall! And then this spring, Leigh Anne informed me that the kitchen in her new apartment will be.... wait for it.... yellow and orange! I made her some pretty placemats in her new colors and somehow they got into the mail before I caught them with my camera. Maybe when she gets back to Arizona I can get her to photograph them for us...

So I hope my swap partner likes yellow and orange as much as I do. I think a big glass bowl of oranges and lemons would look delightful in the middle of this runner, don't you?

Graduation Day!

2011-05-28T18:57:00.004-05:00

Today Allen High School graduated more than 1200 seniors! Can you see Steve? He's the one in blue.... No? You can't find him? I understand. He's in the back row. Here he is with the lovely Cassie, also a new graduate.

And also with his best buddy since the fourth grade, Luke.

And his proud sisters. Ummm Ally? You've got a while before you get to wear a hat like that!

Way to go Steve! You rock.

So, I made a bag...

2011-05-27T20:13:00.003-05:00

I know, I know, this isn't exactly news. I mean, I make bags all the time, right? I even design patterns for bags so you can make them too. But when I saw the tote bag pattern in this magazine, I had to make it. It just looked so cute! Now, I rarely follow someone else's bag pattern exactly. Ok, I rarely use them at all! But I decided to make this one exactly the way they did & it just came out sooooo cute!
A friend of mine had asked me to make her a summer bag & her birthday was coming up, so I made it for her. I actually finished it a couple weeks ago, before my little jaunt to Arizona. And, I seriously considered filling it up with my stuff for the airplane & calling it MINE. But I didn't. Great self restraint, huh? I do think perhaps I will make another one for me. I'll add it to the list anyways!

What have you been making these days?

New Pattern!

2011-05-20T20:21:00.001-05:00

Wow, I just realized I promised you all this pattern before Christmas! It just goes to show you how life can throw you curve balls and change your best laid plans. Anyways, I'm sorry it took so long, but here it is! Finally. The Town Square Bag.... This is a fun, purse sized bag that I made using a charm pack and some coordinating fabric for the top, lining and handles. Of course it has pockets on the inside to help you stay organized. Here's another one that I made during the design process...

Much thanks to my pattern testers (who had probably given up on me by now!) Chris, Joellen, Tracey and Annie. You guys are the best. Would you love to make one of these bags? You can find the pattern now, in my shop. I've restocked my other patterns too. And if you make any of my patterns up, won't you add photos to my flickr group so everyone can see?

getting ready for graduation

2011-05-20T08:13:00.002-05:00

Last night was senior awards night, where Steve & his classmates were recognized for various scholarships and departmental awards. Sorry about the back of the head shot.... Now we are just a week away from the big event! Graduation! I decided to make some pillowcases as gifts for some of Steve's best buddies. His best pal since fourth grade is going to culinary school. So, I made him these...

And Cassie, Steve's girlfriend and beautiful prom date, is decorating her dorm in pink pink pink! I think these will fit in...

We'll be hosting a graduation party tomorrow since Leigh Anne will be heading out for her summer internship the day after Steve's graduation. More pictures to come I am sure!

Sewing for Mackenzie

2011-05-14T21:48:00.002-05:00

Remember the little dress I made to send to Miss Mackenzie? Look how happy she is with it!I love sewing for a happy customer! Oh, and a few weeks ago I sent her these overalls.... I saw the pattern on the cover of Sew Hip magazine & had to try it out. It was simple & fun to make & oh so cute! I think maybe she was a little tired in this picture. She doesn't look quite as happy to be posing for the camera. Oh well! I am not going to take this personally!

I've been off on a little adventure for the last few days. I flew out to Phoenix to see my mom & dad & meet up with my lovely firstborn, Leigh Anne. Then Leigh Anne & I drove her little car home to Dallas. Fun to take a road trip with her! Now, back to work...