Baby Kate's Quilt

I'm rather tickled with the latest project to roll off the machine.  It's always fun to get to work on a small project in bright spring colors!  My neighbor just had her third baby girl in less than four years.  She has her hands full!  In an effort to get to know her a little better, I thought it would be fun to put together an over the top GIRL quilt.  So, I pulled out the sweetest, brightest, most feminine colors I could find.  This is an older Moda line....Spring Magic, I believe??

I designed the quilt myself based on the types and amounts of fabrics that I had available.  Of course, this design begged for straight line quilting, which always gives such a clean and classy look, but I did add some stippling in the vertical striped border, just to add some interest.

I backed this one with a solid piece of yellow micro-dot.  I normally piece my quilt backs and add a hand embroidered label.  Since I had not done that here, I felt the back was just too plain.  I went to bed last night wondering what I could add to give it a personal touch.

Then it hit me.  So I got up, turned on the lights, grabbed a needle and two lengths of embroidery thread, then crawled back under the covers to stitch this little lamb. I knew if I didn't just get up and do it I would lay awake thinking about it, which probably would have taken twice as long.  :-)

(I know.  I have quilting sickness.)

I pieced together odds and ends to make a scrappy binding, which also gives some extra color to the back.  I just love polka dots, and the micro dot seemed like a great fit for a little baby.

I did a running stitch to make a circle around the little lamb, which served as the perfect guide for this quilt's verse, which is from the book of Matthew.

But Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me...For to such belongs the kingdom of heaven."

The little label made me very happy, and compensated for the simple backing.

My favorite part of the quilt is this little monogrammed panel on the front.  Emma loves fairies right now, so that was my inspiration in choosing this little design to embroider.

It washed up beautifully, and is completely soft, crinkled, and cuddly.  It is all bundled up and ready to swaddle a mighty adorable little baby girl.

Thanks taking a look at my latest!

In a Zip!

I decided to send a care package of goodies to my college freshman and her room mate, who happen to have birthdays just a few days apart.  I used Randi's tutorial to make fun zipper pouches.

The thought of properly installing a zipper has always given me a case of the vapors.  But when I saw Randi's tutorial, it gave me hope that even I could accomplish this.

And as it turned out, I was turned on to zippers!  Once I started, I was hooked.  These little pouches are sincerely addictive.

Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that they make such great stash busters.

I even decided to "go green" and use color coordinating zips.  Fancy stuff.

I filled them with fun trinkets, including these bird nest pendants that I made.

There are great tutorials on you tube to learn how to make them.

Such a fun little treat to sneak in the mail, and the girls loved receiving them!

Thanks, Randi.  Mission successful!

A Mouse House

So much for my dazzling idea to host a week of blogging leading up to Valentine's Day.  My confident plan was immediately followed by out of town guests, broken pipes, sick children, etc. etc.

Life happened.  And so did March.  :-)

Moving right along....

I have accumulated a few projects during my break from this space.  This first idea was one that my Mom shared with me. She saw it on a blog somewhere.  I'm notorious for not keeping track of the cute things I see, so I apologize that I can't link back to give the original creator credit for this cute idea.  I'm not the one who thought up this concept.

It's a very cute way to repurpose an Altoid peppermint box.  You just jazz up the outside...

...cozy up the inside...

...and create a little someone to live there!!

How clever is that??

It's the perfect size to throw in a purse or diaper bag to have a quiet activity during church.  Young kids just love anything in a miniature size.

I gave this to my four year old for Valentine's Day, and she has spent hours fiddling with it.

She plays and plays and then tucks her little buddy under his covers, whispers something sweet, 

and closes the lid!  :-)

The end!

Bloopers

I've got my Valentine craft on this weekend.  I've been able to finish up a few projects that have been in the works and I'm feeling pretty chipper about that.  So much so, in fact, that I thought it might be fun to host a little Valentine party this week.  I'm calling it LOVE LIVES HERE.  Each day this week I'll show a little Valentine project, and I even have one silly tutorial to share.  So tune in.

Meanwhile......

I was completely motoring on a Valentine table runner Friday night.  Full speed.  Pedal to the metal and loving the roar of the walking foot.  Paying way more attention to the episode of House Hunters than to my work, apparently, because believe it or not I quilted AND TRIMMED the entire thing before I ever bothered to flip it over.  And once I finally did this is what I saw....

OOPS.

My backing extended a good four inches past one side of the runner and didn't even cover the other side.  How could I have completed an entire project without noticing????????

Since the machine quilting was already done (and looked dashing from the front, I might add), I didn't want to add another row of stitching.  Of course, this backing was some random remnant from two years ago and finding more would be impossible, so I pilfered through my trash can, rescued some discarded trimmings, joined them, hemmed them, and got busy hand stitching them to the edge of my backing.

SHEESH.

On the bright side, I'm rather proud of myself for staying in the game on this one.  When I first realized my mistake I sat completely confounded, drawing long, hard sips from my Sonic sweet tea straw, trying to come up with a feasible solution.  Too often, when I hit a major road block on a project I "set it aside for later".  It's the crafting equivalent of a graveyard.  But this time I stuck with it and I'm glad I did.

Then, I was on to my BIG project.  The one that was intended to be quick and easy.  Fast and fun.  One should never, ever start a quilt with that mentality!!!  It's been nothing but bloopers from the start on this one.  Yesterday, I added to my list of troubles and woes when I realized that, no matter how I cut it, my backing was too small.  So, after my second third fourth trip to the quilt shop for a solution to the problem, I pieced my backing, and when I flipped it over I saw this.

Right side up birds fraternizing with upside down ones.

Grrrroooooar.

"I've spent so much time on this I should press on and make it right."

But.

"No one is going to notice the back since I intend to hang this on a quilt rack anyway."

But.

"I can spend an hour fixing it or a lifetime of regretting that I let it be wrong."

But.

"I should save the time and move on to another project...I'll accomplish more that way."

Anyone else hear quilting voices in their head?  Am I the only one??

So.....guess what I did??

You'll have to come back this week to see the finished project and find out the answer.  :-)

Y'all have a great day yelling at the TV and eating finger foods.  And if you decide to spend some time quilting....learn from me and pay attention to the back of what you're doing!  :-)

Hopping Down A Rabbit Trail

I always have a hand project going to keep me busy on car trips, at baseball practices, in the doctor's office, and so forth.  These projects don't ever move along very quickly because I don't usually get them out to work on here at home.  However, we had some family movie nights planned this weekend, so I settled in with my current embroidery endeavor, which is a Crabapple Hill pattern.

My color in these photos is completely wacky.  I should retake them all tomorrow in proper light.  But well intentioned plans like that have a way of never getting done, so I'm sharing the ugly pictures with bad color.  :-)  These are actually done on white fabric, not blue!

I originally bought all the DMC floss as instructed on the pattern, but I quickly abandoned the official rules in favor of picking whatever colors pleased me at the moment.  That way, I don't have to think (or plan) too hard.

I have three blocks completed so far and am working on the fourth.  There are five blocks total in this set.  I have not fully decided if I will construct a quilt to be displayed at Easter or if I will make a spring table runner for the dining room.  At the rate I go on these hand projects, I have plenty of time to decide!

I've also been stitching a label for my latest quilt backing.  This is for my Bliss quilt.  My original plan was to embroider a gnome by the little house, but now I'm thinking about leaving the empty space so I have more room to write.  In truth, I'm eager to finish the label quickly so I can get this layered and on the machine!

Hope everyone's week is off to a great start!

Neat as a Pin

Happy Little Cottage made one, and I am grateful to her for providing the link to the tutorial, because the minute I saw hers I became a green eyed monster.

I simply couldn't imagine getting on with my Valentine quilt until my pins had a new, happy, Valentine-y place to live.

This was amazingly fun to make.  And addictive too.  I can see why Happy Little Cottage couldn't stop at just one.  I'm happily flirting with the idea of making a cathedral window pillow.

Someday.  For now, it's back to our previously scheduled Valentine quilt.

A question for those of you who love making pincushions...

What do you like to stuff them with??  I used crushed walnut shells and fiberfill in this one.  I'd like to know what others find works best.

What I'm Loving This Week

I have two quilts going at once right now and I'm loving it!  My Bliss top is ready to be layered, but first I need to piece the backing.  I also started an impromptu Valentine project which has been a lot of fun.  I love piecing patchwork...simple, rhythmic, therapeutic.  I also love being awash in a sea of reds and pinks.  Just makes me happy.  And who doesn't need a little Happy on a Monday morning?  :-)