Twirly Skirt – DONE

Yay!  Remember this post?  I finally got around to doing this twirly skirt tutorial, from Erin.  It was so easy, and it came out very cute.  It was a winner in this household.

I finished this last week, but today was the first day it was worn, so I finally got a picture.  It’s at the end of the day, so don’t mind the strawberry on the shirt, or the fact that a seam is on the front…do you know how hard it is to photograph kids????

She told me she wanted to wear it to school so she could show all her friends her skirt that I made.  Sure enough, her teacher told her right away how much she liked her skirt, and Corinne’s answer “My mommy made it!”

The skirt passes the twirl test, big time. 

 

I love the look on her face on this one.

If you have a daughter, you should really try this tutorial.  It was so easy.  I will probably make another.   Maybe one for me…

A baby girl gift in waiting

My friend, Missy, had her second baby recently.  I was ready with some handmade baby gifts – more burp cloths and appliquéd onesi’s.  I love the bugs on these.   How perfect for a baby girl!

Too bad two sonograms were WRONG!  She was surprised to deliver a healthy, bouncing, baby BOY.  Woops!  Congratulations and welcome to the world, little guy.

My handmade gifts were not what she needed!   I guess I’ll keep them handy for the next person I know who has a baby girl. 

Sorry, Missy, give me some time and I’ll give the little man and the big brother a sweet little gift. 

A baby gift – Onsies and burb cloths

My friend Julianne is about to pop with her second baby girl.  She loves handmade things as much as the rest of us, so I thought I’d make her a gift for her new little one. 

What infant doesn’t need need onsies and burb cloths? 

These were a great, quick gift to give.  She loved them.

I love the way the owl came out.

Katie’s Block

My first quilting bee block!  Katie wanted a block that was based off of Denise Schmidt’s Project Improv.  OK, I took the challenge,   did some flickring around for inspiration and I came up with this.

I hope she likes it.  I really wanted to try a diamond within a square, and I am happy with the way it turned out...I really like that it's off center.   I was a little challenged in doing this because I normally lean towards for a balance with the colors and patterns.

I was surprised at the time it took, so I am really glad that I only had to do one!  I also used just about every scrap that Katie gave me, and added 3 other fabrics of my own…I can’t help but wonder if her strategy was for us to really work with the scraps to get more of an improv look??!!!

Katie, I will have it in the mail to you this week.  I really hope you like it!

Squares

It’s been a while hasn’t it?   I’ve been busy with life, work, and that always leaves little time for crafting.  I got some time in recently, though, and did some more work on Nathan’s quilt.  I am feeling a bit of pressure with timing on finishing this.  He’s over 2, still in his crib, and about to go into a big boy bed.  I have GOT to get this finished!  I am hoping I finish this before the bed is in his room.  We still haven’t bought the bed, so I think I still have some time.

 

 

This is going to be the front.  It’s going to be reversible.  Remember this post?  I decided to go with adding the extra gingham.  I was very happy with it, but something was still missing.  I felt I was copping out of doing a real quilt.  And, I had made all those squares of strips!  Well, after lots of market research (aka viewing all kinds of other’s peoples quilts on flickr and other blogs), I came up with a layout and design idea.  I wanted to have some feeling of lots of fabrics, yet, also showcase some of the really cute fabrics that I purchased for this item.  I am going to use a white sashing between each square. 

I am hoping to make some progress on attaching all the pieces together this week.  We’ll see.  It’s a very busy week. 

Opinions, Please!

I redesigned the quilt for Nathan.  I just didn’t like the way the squares were turning out.  I really loved this, and thought I could use the fabrics I had to make a version of it.  However, I really didn’t like the way my fabrics were turning out.  I think it is because my fabrics contrast so much, and the design would do better with fabrics that blend better.

So…I went back to my original design before I thought I’d try a bunch of squares.  It’s not done, but I am so much happier with it.  I really wanted to showcase the cute fabrics I found for this, and the little squares was not cutting it! 

So, now, here’s my dilemma.  I am not sure…do I repeat the blue gingham between the white and red fabrics or not?  I can’t decide.  Without it, it’s going to be about 82” long, so it can take a little length.  What do you think?

Please comment with your opinions.  I really could use some input here.  I haven’t asked my husband yet.  But, I know, if I ask “should I add the gingham”, I’d get an answer like “what’s gingham?”  or “sure”. 

Patchwork dishtowel

Last, but not least, the patchwork dishtowel.

This really came up becuase of my guilt of not giving my parents a handmade gift. Well, they got one.

I used a flour sack - they really make the best dishtowels because they leave no lint behind, and they dry so fast.

Red Flannel Scarf

One of my dearest friends, takes time out of her day for every holiday, birthday, etc. in this house and mails us a hand-made card.

She needed a handmade scarf.


She needed the fun pom-poms on the end. Yes, she did.

Chalkboard Placemats

Four Chalkboard Placemats.

These were just too easy.
I found some chalkboard cloth from a local independent sewing store. It was so wide, I had enough to make these 4, and I think 2 more.

Instead of binding them (I need to improve my binding skills), I cut the back larget than the front and "self-binded" them with the fabric from the back.

I added iron-on vinyl to the backside fabric before sewing the pieces together. I wanted them to be completely wipe-able, so they could be taken into restaurants, get a little dirty while you wait for your food, and then be completely wiped down clean with a baby wipe.

They have been successful in my house so far. I made 1 for each of my kids, 1 for my nephew, and one for my niece.

I used the cutest fabric for the boys'. It's got a small town on it, named "Smallville", roads, buildings, etc. I thought this would be nice for the boys as they could take in their small cars and "ride" the road while we wait.

Another Toothfairy Pillow

I really enjoyed making the first one of these, and this was my second. These log cabins are fun to make. They so satisfied the need to do some patchwork.

It was a perfect timing gift, too! This was for my niece, who, right before Christmas, showed me how she could wiggle her tooth with her tongue.

Emmeline Apron

It was time for me to make my mother-in-law a nice handmade gift. (My own mom got one at Mother's Day). I thought she would love the Emmeline Apron.

What a great apron. It's wide, and reversible, and very flattering (the image below was taken by a 4 year old...sorry it's not better.)


I would have made another for my own mom, but my sister wanted to do it. I also thought of making another for my sister, but she then requested the knitting needle case.

I may make myself one of these one day. I think it's much nicer than the store-bought one I have.

The start of a new item

The first cut is always the hardest, isn’t it?  Right now it’s a mess, but this combination of fabrics will eventually turn into a quilt for my little guy.  The design?  I think I am working it out as I go.   I’ll keep you posted.

Handmade Holiday: Knitting Needle Rollup

My sister requested a crochet/knitting needle case for Christmas. She's become quite the knitter lately, and has stated that her knitting needles are getting out of hand.



I found this tutorial from Angie. I thought she did a great job sharing how to put this together. I was able to complete this project from start to finish in about 2 hours, maybe 1.5. I was surprised that I got it all done in one sewing session.

I paired the case with some Alpaca wool I picked up on this trip. She can make some very nice warm socks.

Toothfairy Pillow

Toothfairy Pillow, originally uploaded by KathyMade.

The toothfairy pillow #1 is done. I am very happy with the way it turned out. Corinne loves it, too. It means so much more to me since she helped me make it.

She loves the Alexander Henry circle fabric the best. I love the Amy Butler Coriander in combination with all the other colors.

Of course, we have a few years until it's really used as a tooth fairy pillow. For now, it's a great memory.

Special craft time

Nap time, bedtime, those are the times I can get any crafting done.

Nap time might be dwindling with my oldest...that will be a sad day.

This weekend she "couldn't fall asleep" after many tries. So....I had her join me. I was making a toothfairy pillow for my niece, who is about to start losing teeth.

Like it? I was inspired by Stephanie, and Katie. Ever since I saw these, I had an overwhelming desire to try some patchwork. I also knew I wanted to make a tootfairy pillow to hold lost teeth and toothfairy treasures. Why not combine the ideas? See that squre in the middle? It's a pocket!

My helper loved the idea of it. She wanted one for herself, even though she doesn't really understand what it means to loose baby teeth since she is NOT a baby.

After showing her how to hold her hands and guide the fabric, and after letting her push the pedal while I guided the fabric, and after her picking out the next strip of fabric...how in the world can I give this item as a gift? Looks like I am now making 2 toothfairy pillows.

My quilt is done!

MY QUILT IS DONE!

I have finally finished my quilt. I have actually been done for about two weeks, but was awaiting the right lighting to get the picture. I am really happy with the way it turned out. I stitched in the ditch for all the rows. I did some free motion quilting on the white part. I was trying to go for an all over meander in that area. It's definitely not perfect (hence, no pictures of the back), but I think it came out well for a first "real" quilt.

I learned how important a good quilting area is around the machine. I also don't have an extension table on my machine and I think I'll be putting that on my Chrismas list this year so I can improve. I think quilts of all sizes can make great gifts, given some time and pratice. Who wouldn't want to warm up in something that was handmade in love?

This is going to be a great gift to give. But, it does have special meaning to me, and I have become slightly attached to it. So have some others in the family.

A new cape!

No, I have not finished my quilt yet. I finished the stitch in the ditch quilting, now I have to move on to the free hand part...But, since the quilt is already late, I had to stop for a night and move on to fulfill an obligation. Way back in February, I made a Superman cape for a little boy for a birthday present (pre-blog days, so I don't have a picture). The mother liked it so much, she asked me in March to make a Batman cape for Halloween. So, it's been on my to do list since then!

This is the third cape I have made using this tutorial from Puking Pastilles. It's a great tutorial, a great gift, and such an easy thing to make and personalize!


This is a picture of the cape on my son, so it's long on him, but since the real owner is 4, it will be a great length!

Even the applique was easy!

Tools of the Trade

Remember, in this post, I mentioned that I had signed up for a quilting class? I loved the class, and learned a lot. In that class the instructor had us sandwich a mini-quilt. She taught me some great tips that I used in the past two weeks when I finally sandwiched the quilt top I referenced in my last post. She taught us the time-saving tricks of:

• Always leave your saftey pins open when they are out of the quilt, they should only be closed when they are in your quilt.


• Add all pins to the quilt, without closing, then when all pins are in, go back and close them.


• Use a tool, called a Kwik Klip to help close the pins.

In the past two weeks, I have sandwiched, and then re-sandwhiched that quilt top. The first one did not turn out so well. The back had all sorts of lumps in it WITH the pins in it. Which meant if I had gone ahead and quilted it, then it would have been a very sloppy back. So, out came the pins and back to the drawing board I went!

My tools and timesaving tips:

• Don't use painter's tape. Nope, it didn't hold down my backing enough. Hence, the lumps. I used Duct tape the second time, and it went much better.

• Who needs a Kwik Klip, when you have a Strawberry topper-cutter?

Seriously, I don't know what this little utensil is called, but we use it in the summer time to cut off the tops of strawberries. It works great in that aspect, but I found a new use for it with the quilt. It holds the bottom of the pin perfectly, so I can just push down on that safety pin and close it up.

With about 100 or so pins in this blanket, your fingers can get really raw trying to hold that little pin in place. This little tool was a big timesaver!

Tasks for this week: Get to finally finishing up this quilt!

Quilt top done

I have been working off and on all summer for a gift for someone special for our family, the lady who watches my kids while we work. She is so good to the kids and to her family. She had it hard when she was raising her own kids, and now she gives back to them by watching her grandkids while the parents work. We're not family, but we're close enough in my book. It was a tearful day when I decided to take my oldest out of that setting and into a pre-school.

I have finally finished the top to the quilt. I am planning on quilting it over the next two weeks or so, so I can finally give her the quilt. I had hoped it would be an end of summer gift, but life got in the way of the final finish.

Each hand represents a child had in her house this summer. The age group is very large, so the older kids helped with the younger kids. I hand embroidered each one's name under their hand.

When summer started and most kids were back to school, I asked her if it was too quiet. She said it was nice, but she did feel like a lot of her help left!

As for the fabric, I bought a jelly roll of the Flutterby line for the strips. The brown is croduroy. I am hoping the contrast in fabric type will work ok. I think it offsets the hands nicely. Anyone had experience mixing fabric types in their quilts? I'd be interested in knowing how it turned out.

McCall's 5369

I made a special dress for a certain someone who had a birthday party recently. It took me almost every night for one week straight, but it got done in time for the party, which was my goal.

I loved how it came out.

I realized, though, at the cutting stage of this dress, that I am not good at critiquing the patterns I choose to sew. I need to improve here. Had I realized that each ruffle would need to be hemmed, and then sewn on, I am not sure I would have chosen this pattern. It took a lot of time.

In the end, it was worth it. She loved the dress. She wore it with no problems, and I was ready to hear the "I don't want to wear that" argument. Nope, it was her party dress, and she knew it, and she loved it!

She posed so great, too, for my pictures! Wow, it's amazing that she has become such a sweet little person.

I had to add two buttons to the bag, rather than the one it called for. The dress, size 4, was WIDE at the top. The two buttons I added enabled the bodice of the dress to fit better. I think it came out looking just fine.

This dress, size 4 came out a little short on her, so she wore some small shorts underneath. If I did it again (which I won't - nope, this was a lot of time), I'd add one more ruffle for length. I ran out of fabric for that.