What? Me? Procrastinate? Never! Ok maybe a little…

So I started this quilt for my neice, like, a year ago.  Before she was born.  Her first birthday party is Saturday so I figured I better (finally) get it done.  It’s been sitting on my sewing table, neatly folded, waiting for binding this whole time.  Seriously.  I’m ashamed of my procrastination sometimes.  So here it is.  Pink, brown, and cream, and oh so cute!  I really like how this turned out and it was pretty quick to do.  You know, if I had done it all at one time like a normal person would.  The colors aren’t showing well in this pic.  The pink doesn’t blend that well with the cream background.  Well, to me it doesn’t.  Anyhoo… here it is.  Late is better than never, right?

A few months ago I started cutting fabric to make my own quilt but I got sidetracked with school, work, kids, etc., and haven’t been back to it.  I had to move the pile of fabrics to get to my sewing space today and it made me think that I really need to pick it back up.  I have more time this quarter, kinda, so maybe I can get in the mood to do it.  I’m really sick of my old comforter.  And frankly, I’m embarrassed that I don’t have a quilt on my bed.  I even looked at coverlets and quilts in stores to find something to do until I finished mine.  How shameful!  I couldn’t find anything I liked, at all.  That just further enforced my will to finish my quilt.  I just gotta start on it first.  Maybe tomorrow… lol.

Making progress

I have started sewing down the applique pieces.  I decided to use the “blanket stitch” on my machine because it looks similar to a style of hand stitching.  However, when I applique by hand, you never see my stitches. I think this will look fine when I get it all put together though.  I have 16 done, and 20 more to go.

Blanket stitching

Don’t look too closely at that stitching, it’s not my best work lol.  I’m still learning to use this function on my machine.  Once I get it all put together, those little flaws won’t stand out. I hope.  Back to sewing… I’ve got ONE week to get it done!!!!

Wow I’ve really let time slip by!

I’ve been super busy lately with school, Red’s softball, and Hurricane just being a busy toddler.  My sister’s baby shower is 2 weeks away and I never started on her baby quilt! Eeek!  I kept thinking “I’ve got time.”  Well, now I don’t have time!  These are the designs I drew up and played around with a while back.

Baby quilt sketches

Baby quilt sketches

I finally decided on this one, then started doing some math (these are the unfinished notes btw)

Final sketch and notes

I chose the background fabric, made my template, then chose the pink and brown fabrics (not shown.)

Template and background fabric

I’ve enlisted the help of Red to cut out all the pieces.  Now I’m trying to decide if I want to really push myself and try to get all this applique done by hand and still have time to hand quilt it (in TWO weeks!) or just go ahead and machine stitch and quilt it.

I’m thinking since I start a new job on Monday, plus finals, plus whatever comes up, I may need to go ahead and do it by machine so that I can get it done in time.  I’ll update with pics as I make progress.

Getting more wear out of the toddler clothes

Hurricane Leila is growing like a weed.  Like all kids do.  The weather has changed here and we won’t be needing those long sleeves anymore.  They won’t fit next year and I hate to throw them out.  So I decided to make short sleeves out of them.  I looked on the web and found a great tutorial HERE.  I did two of the shirts in this way.  Now, I’m no seamstress.  I can quilt accurately and can eyeball a 1/4 inch seam from 20 paces, but clothes…. oy.  The above linked tutorial was super easy to follow.  If I can do it, anyone can!  After the first shirt turned out so well, I dug out some more.

These are the two that I did following the tutorial:

Before

After

Before

After

I had these two shirts that looked like two shirts. All I had to do was unstitch the long sleeve and leave the top, short sleeve in.  Took 10 minutes for both shirts. Easy peasy!

Before

After

Before

After

Then there was this shirt.  One of my favorites.  It has a pair of matching black pants with a little ladybug at the bottom of one leg. 

Before

See that red ruffly part at the end of the sleeve? I really wanted to save that and incorporate it into the short sleeve.

Sleeve before

So I played around with it some and ended up with this.  I am very happy with the results and kinda impressed myself lol.

After

Sleeve after

Last, but not least, this shirt gave me fits.  I couldn’t get the sleeves to behave.  I don’t know if this knit is somehow different from the others, or what.  The bottom of the shirt is serged and frilly and it will not lay down no matter how much I iron it.  It curls up.  The sleeves wanted to act the same way after I cut them.  So finally I gave up.  They can just roll up.  The sleeves will match the bottom of the shirt.  It looks terrible in this pic, but I’m hoping after a couple wearing and washings it will be fine.

Before

After

So now Hurricane has a wardrobe to carry her through the Spring months.  Most of the shirts above have matching pants.  Two of them don’t, but no big deal, she has shorts to wear.  When the weather gets really hot, I may attempt turning her pants into capris or shorts.  That’s for another day.  I may just become a seamstress yet.

More Taggies

My step-sister is pregnant with her first child. She’s having a girl.  I will be making her some quilts, I just haven’t felt motivated to get them done.  I finally got all of my Spring Cleaning done yesterday.  I even cleared off my sewing table.  This morning, with nothing left to clean, I decided to do a little sewing.  I was in need of some instant gratification, so I thought I would whip up some Taggies inspired toys.  The first one I made came out so nicely, I thought I would make some more.

This first one was made from two round scraps of fabric and a bunch of ribbon pieces.  It’s stuffed with polyester batting and all the stitching is reinforced.  I also put a small piece of cellophane inside with the batting to make it crinkly.

I really liked the way it came out, but the fabric is boring.  So I dug out something bright and cheery.  I made this one in a heart shape.  Instead of stuffing it with batting to make it a “softie”, I left it flat.  I sewed a piece of cellophane in to make it crinkly.  I also reinforced all the stitching in this one.  Hurricane would have LOVED this one when she was a baby.  I wish I had thought of it then!

Fabric, Elastic, and Seeds, Oh My!

Once upon a time, I had an eye pillow that was full of something squishy and smelled very nice.  It helped ease me through many a migraine and stress headache.  However, after moving quite a few times of the past few years, I chalked it up to being lost.  I couldn’t find it anywhere.  I decided to make my own.  I had no idea what was inside it, other than lavender.  I was talking to my mom about it, and at the time I had purchased the eye pillow, I had also gotten a neck wrap for her, made of the same stuff.  She looked on the tag and it simply said “flax seeds and lavender.”  Seems easy enough.  I set out to buy some flax, lavender, and elastic.  Lord knows I have enough fabric on hand.  I found the things I needed, came home, and set right to work.  I couldn’t find a template online, and I didn’t have my old one to go by, so I tinkered with a design until I came up with one I like.  And here it is.

Stress Relieving Eye Pillow

It was so quick and easy, that I couldn’t just stop at one!

Stack of eye pillows

One package of the flax seeds gave me enough for 3 pillows.  Luckily, I had bought two.  I also have plenty of lavender left over.  I will be making a few more of these as gifts. I am really happy with the way they came out.  I was able to get 5 pillows from one Fat Quarter (18×22 in), one scrap piece of fabric, and with one package of 3/8 in elastic.  I’m really excited about these.

Later, I was digging through an old box that’s been in the top of my shelf since I moved here over a year ago, and guess what I found?  Yep, the old eye pillow.  It doesn’t smell nice anymore, and I like the shape of MINE better.  So I’m going to just stick it in a drawer and make myself a new one.

Mmmmm this smells nice!! (flax and lavender)

Fall Table Runner

I made this back on Nov 2nd but I just now got around to taking some decent pics of it.

Fall table runner

I left the center blank because I sit things on top of it.  A fall floral arrangement sometimes and I also have a decorative footed box that I sits in that center space perfectly.  It’s simple and I really like the way it came out.

Fall table runner

Fall table runner on the coffee table with the footed box on it

Fall table runner with floral arrangement (and Hurricane's feet!)

 

I have some snowman blocks that I’ll probably use to make some winter table runners as well.  When I can get around to it!

Checkbook Cover

I sat down last night to make a checkbook cover using this tutorial.  It’s simple and quick.  BUT it needs tweaking.  The checkbook cover came out a little too big.  I like mine to be tight around my checks and hold them together.  This one left some “wiggle room”.  It’s a little too long (length wise, where it folds over onto itself) but the width is perfect. So I’m going to play with it some more and when I get it perfected, I’ll post a tutorial of my own.  I am pleased with it for the most part and I think these will make GREAT gifts.  Since I was trying this out for the first time, I just used some scrap pieces to make it.  In the future, I’ll use a cute contrasting fabric for the inside.

checkbook cover

Checkbook cover, inside

checkbook cover, side view

My first Mug Rug

I’ve been drooling over “Mug Rugs” over on Flikr for a while now.  These are basically over-sized, quilted, glorified coasters. Or miniature place mats.  And I love them.  I couldn’t stand it, I had to make one.  Since today is my and Mr. Wonderful’s first (dating) anniversary, I thought this would make a nice homemade, heartfelt gift for him.  I realllllly wanted to free-motion quilt this, but I was worried I would mess it up.  Maybe on the next one…

The front is a simple string block using scraps from my stash.

Front

And the back is just a blue scrap and a white scrap done in reverse appliqué (another first for me.)

Back

I quilted it using my quilting foot and using the width of the foot itself for spacing.  Nothing special.  In hindsight, I should have used a darker color thread for the quilting.  It stands out a bit too much and takes away from the top, I think.  I fought with closing the binding quite a bit.  These small projects are a PIA.   It finished out at almost 9×7.  I say almost, because NOTHING I make ever comes out the right size.  It’s more like 8.75×7.25 inches.  So wierd.  But hey, not bad for a first attempt, huh?  I’m learning as I go.  I’ll do a better job on the next one, I’m sure.

Fall is in the air!

Cooler weather means the quilting bug comes out to bite me!  I always seem to do more sewing when the weather cools off.  I have to finish up all those pink blocks.  I never did pull out the Halloween Quilt to finish.  Maybe next year lol.  I have a Fall quilt top that needs finishing too.

It's FALL Yall!

It’s a smaller, wall-hanging size and I may just be able to get it finished in time to pack it away before pulling out the Christmas stuff.  Speaking of Christmas, I have a Christmas Tree wall-hanging top that I made a few years ago and never quilted.

Christmas Tree

Are you seeing the pattern here?  I Love Love Love making the tops, hate the quilting part.  I can’t afford to pay someone else to quilt them, so they sit folded in a box until I get around to them or come up with some extra cash.

Maybe I can get motivated to work on these soon.  Pinks first though!  Oh and I’m DYING to do a couple of other things, but I need to prioritize.