Well, I tried.

My first grader is going to a birthday party this weekend.  I asked the mom if the birthday boy had the Frog and Toad books, because Donald loves them, but coincidentally, that is what she bought for her son for his birthday.  So I bought another book by the same author, Owl at Home, to give.  But a book needs a bookmark, right?  I tried to make one that looked like an owl.  Please don't laugh.  Squint, if you must.  Turn it sideways and upside down and look at it from a distance.  Even if you don't think it looks like an owl, tell me it does.

Jason said it looks like 2 triangles and 2 circles.  Donald said, "I don't know...a bird, maybe?"  Whatever it looks like, it is what is getting wrapped up with the book.

I'm also giving some books to my nephew, so I wanted to make a monster bookmark for him. 

Perhaps my monster should have more teeth?  Bigger eyes?  I don't know.  I'm pretty underwhelmed with the result.  But nonetheless, the monster bookmark is getting wrapped up with my nephew's book.  I tried.

I'm not trying anything else for the next hour or so.  It is over 60 degrees and sunny, so I'm brewing tea and heading out to the porch to read!  Yesterday, 3 quilt fiction books arrived in the mail:
The Double Cross and The Devil"s Puzzle by Clare O'Donahue (the 3rd and 4th Someday Quilts mysteries),
and The Cat, the Lady and the Liar by Leann Sweeney (the 3rd Cats In Trouble mystery).    I may not get any sewing done in the next few days with these books to keep me busy.  Ah!  The weekend!

I need help

According to Random Number Generator, the winner of the giveaway is:

#9 Jan - "Oh I love give aways by my friends, cos I know they are always great things. Please enter me Erin, if I am allowed cos I am across the Pond of course. I wont be cross if I cant. I will still be your friend.  Happy New Year by the way."

Jan, I think I have your address already, but please send it again just in case.  Thanks to everyone for entering and for reading my blog.


I haven't gotten a ton of sewing done lately because I got it in my head to clean and rearrange my sewing room.  It would have been OK, if I hadn't gotten into the closet...I can't believe how much stuff I have!  I did take two pieces of fabric of questionable material to Goodwill, but here's the problem.  While at Goodwill, I thought I'd just peek around for some more pillowcases for more shopping totes.  Yikes!  I walked out of there with eight of them! (It's a sickness, isn't it, this fabric addiction of mine.  I felt like a hoarder bringing fabric out of corners where I didn't even know it resided yesterday.  And then I come home with MORE!)  

(there's only 7 shown, but that's because there are two of the solid pink pillowcases)

The only sewing I have done is to finally get the top and bottom borders added to my Birdie Stitches BOM quilt.  I'm stopping there for now.  I don't think I want more borders, but we'll see.  If so, I'll need to get more muslin as I've run out.


although now that I look at it, I should probably add some white on the two sides, just for balance

 What I should really do is use up some of my fabric as backings, sandwich up some of my quilt tops and do some simple machine quilting.  Some of my quilt tops have been languishing in a cupboard for years - it is time to make them full-fledged quilts!  And time to come to terms with the fact that as a hand-quilter, I will never finish all the quilts I want to finish.  I need to diversify.

Here's a question - how do you quilt a top with embroidery on it?  I'd love to finish up this Birdie Stitches quilt, but I am stumped.  The embroidered bits are about 8" square.  It seems like sewing over them would mess up the embroidery, but isn't that too big a space to leave un-quilted?  Help!  All suggestions are welcome.

Ironic

I had to laugh at myself yesterday.  Lately, I've been turning old pillowcases into reusable shopping bags.  Yesterday, I found myself MAKING a pillowcase!

This is my first ever pillowcase, using the Tube or Sausage method that I learned with this Missouri Star Quilt Company video tutorial.  EASY!!!  Why did it take me so long to try this?  It is for my darling niece to match the nightgown I made her this summer.  I just adore that pink owl fabric, and I will be so sad when it is all gone.

I have some books to send to my nephew, and I felt bad not sending something homemade to him.  How about a bookmark for his book?  Have you seen these Monster Corner Bookmarks?  I wanted to make him one, but out of fabric, not paper.  So I started playing around with fabric...

My first attempt:

I like it, but the bottom edge in the back is unfinished, just two fabrics fused together, and I'm afraid they might unravel. Back to the drawing board.

My second attempt:

After fusing the fabrics together, I hemmed the bottom edges before making it into a corner. VERY BULKY! I thought my sewing machine was going to revolt in protest! Back to the drawing board.

My third attempt:



I sewed the two fabrics right sides together (3 sides), then turned right side out and fused.  Nice neat bottom edge - I have found my method!  Although, why am I putting the ribbon loops in the corner?  While I like the decorative touch, they are unnecessary and add bulk in the corner.  I think I'll eliminate those from now on.

 But before I made a monster corner bookmark for my nephew, I was inspired to find some fabric that reminded me of water to make a corner bookmark to go with my giveaway of Riel Nason's book, The Town That Drowned.

Have you entered the giveaway yet?  If not, comment on my last post before I go to bed on Tuesday, January 3 for a chance to win the book and bookmark, the Urban Circus scraps, the travel tissue holder and the chocolates.

It's my last day of vacation, what am I doing on the computer?  It's back to the sewing room for me!

Ahoy mateys, there's a giveaway!

I had a couple of goals for yesterday - to finish another green pillowcase shopping bag, to put borders on my Birdie Stitches BOM quilt and to finish the book I was reading.  The shopping bag got done...

but the quilt borders didn't because a demanding little pirate shanghaied me and pressed me into service to make a Jolly Roger for his pirate ship.


I also finished reading my book.  I read Riel Nason's debut novel, The Town That Drowned. 

Some of you probably know her from her blog, The Q and the U, and all of her wonderful selvege creations.  She's made more Halloween quilts than anyone I've ever heard of!  So, from her blog, I knew she was clever and creative and talented, but reading her book has really solidified my awe of her.  It was AMAZING!

The setting was described in a way that I could visualize where everything took place.  The characters were believeable, complex and human and diverse.  The plot built up to a climax that had me forgetting to breathe and then sobbing out loud.  My nose ran for a full hour after finishing the book.  And while the book wasn't about quilts, they were weaved in here and there, fun details to remind me that quilting is her favorite hobby.  I highly recommend the book to anyone looking for something to read.  And to start things of, I am giving away my (once read, but otherwise new) copy of the book.  (because I'm going to buy 3 more copies for myself and family members and try to get them signed!)

Since I missed the gift exchange with my guild, I'm adding my gift to this giveaway - a bundle of Laurie Wisbrun's Urban Circus scraps, a winter travel sized tissue holder, and some Ghiradelli chocolates. 

To enter to win, simply leave a comment.  Be sure I have a way to get in touch with you.  I'll leave this open until the end of my first day back at work (Tuesday, January 3rd).  I'll need something to look forward to at the end of what is sure to be a LOOOONNNNGGGGG day! 

Happy New Year, everyone!

I knew it had been a while since my last post, but 17 days!?!  Wow!  I feel like I should have a lot to show for 17 days absence.  The pressure is on!

I made 3 shopping bags from pillowcases that I got from Goodwill.  I am anti-plastic bags, and avoid them as much as possible.  However, my stash of "green" shopping bags has been dwindling due to unforeseen calamities (the exploding groceries left in the car for 4 days, a carsick dog, etc.).  It was either buy some more shopping bags or make some.  What is the point of knowing how to sew if you can't make your own stuff?  I used the tutorial found here - very easy, quick, and I love that now all my shopping bags are unique!  Some great features of this pattern are that the bags are fully lined, machine washable, with boxed corners and a reinforced bottom.

I finished the Christmas quilt top.  I think the pattern is called Flurry, but the quilt in the pattern is so much prettier than this one, I don't think I can call it that.  Gonna need a new name.  Honestly, I think my version is hideous, but it used up some of my Christmas fabrics, and that makes me happy.  Sometimes quilts start to grow on me after I begin quilting them.  I am hoping this is the case for this one. 

I finished my Birdie Stitches BOM flimsy.  Well, kinda.  I finished the blocks and the alternate blocks and I sewed them all together.  However, I want it to be bigger, so I'll be making some borders, at least for the top and bottom.  I love all the color!

And on a whim, I also made a circle zippered earbud pouch. It was my first zipper, and was super easy. What is all the zipper phobia about?

I have 4 more days of freedom before it is back to work and karate and basketball and cub scouts and exhaustion. I'm sleeping in, eating lots, exercising, playing with the kids, reading, watching McLeod's Daughters, and getting quite a bit of hand quilting done. I don't want this vacation to end!

Orange Creamsicle Dreams

Do you ever have a string of failures so long that you think you should be banished from the sewing room forever?  That was me this weekend.  And it's my own fault.  This Saturday was our guild Christmas party, and I wasn't prepared with my gift to swap.  It was supposed to be small, something valued at $10 or less.  On Friday night, I wrapped 4 Urban Circus scraps (each less than a fat quarter but more than a fat eighth) together with a ribbon to start things off, but I wanted to add more to my gift.  I should make something, right?  I trotted down to the sewing room with my iPad and all the inspiration that can be found on the World Wide Web.

First, I tried some fabric origami to make an ornament - FAIL!

photo from http://zencrafting.blogspot.com/2008/12/fabric-origami-star-ornament.html

Then I tried to make a hexagon needle holder - FAIL!

(photo from http://mythreesonsknit.blogspot.com/2010/05/hexagon-needle-book-tutorial_1452.html)

OK, how about my (new) old standby, travel tissue cover - FAIL!

(How did I fail with this when I've already made so many and they are SO EASY, you ask?  I got carried away boxing the corners and made them into tall, narrow fabric containers.  They are still cute, but there is no way tissues will fit in there!)

I'm getting frustrated now - how about one of those cute little fabric tote bags that I made a couple Valentine's Days ago?

Where did I find that tutorial online? - - - fast forward a couple of HOURS, and I STILL couldn't find the tutorial.  Then, in a belated stroke of sanity, I remembered that they were called "baskets" not "totes" and I found the tutorial first try!  By now, however, it is so late that I can't see straight and would not be safe with sharp instruments.  Off to bed and I'll try again in the morning.

Saturday morning rolls around and I head down to whip up one of those little baskets.  An hour should be enough time, right?  Well, it SHOULD have been, but it turns out that 1) I am not looking at the same tutorial as before - this basket is different and bigger, but OK, I'll go with it, but then 2) I sewed the darned thing inside out and had to haul out the seam ripper for a workout.  By this time, the meeting is starting without me, so I gave up.  :(

On Sunday, thinking that maybe I've got the gremlins out of my system, I ventured down to the sewing room again.  I fixed the basket.  OK, this is good.  I made two travel tissue covers.  All right, maybe my sewing mojo is back.  But did I contine to ease my way into things?  Heck no!  I chose CURVES!!!

Truth is, it worked out.  While waiting for our take-out pizza to be ready, the kids and I wandered around Goodwill, where I found a twin flat sheet the color of an Orange Creamsicle that I was inexplicably drawn to.  What on earth could I make with that?  But somehow, it landed in my basket, along with a king sized flowered pillowcase.

A few hours later, after the pizza was gone and the kids were happily ensconced with a Christmas movie they've never seen before, I started sewing some Drunkard's Path blocks, no pin style.  And they worked!  Check out what I have so far:

(OK, the colors are off because it was midnight, but you get the idea)

I have no idea what I will do with it, or who would want an upcycled creamsicle-colored quilt, but the sense of accomplishment I got from sewing something without mistakes and for a whopping total of $2.50 for the materials, it was definitely worth making.  I stopped when I realized that I should have added the alternating strip of 2" squares to the other two sides before adding the outer border - I'll figure that out tonight.  But I tell you, last night I dreamed of Orange Creamsicles, which I haven't even seen since I was a kid. 




Yummmmm!

Are you joining the party?

The 2nd Annual Neighborhood Party over at Beth's LoveLaughQuilt blog, that is. There is still time to join!

I had a ball creating my block to send.  Nearly all the fabrics in my block have special meaning:

• Snake fabric - I live on Rattler Road.  There is a reason why my road is called Rattler Road, and it involves creatures with no legs.  Ugh!  But the view makes their presence worth it!
• Teacup fabric - I love, love, love drinking tea and coffee, hot when it is cold outside and iced when it is warm.  Yum!
• Basketball kids - Not only am I married to a basketball coach, but my boys both play basketball, not just in a league in the winter, but at camps during the summer.  Needless to say, I am the proud owner of a cushy stadium seat, and I get lots of hand sewing done in the stands.
• Bug fabric - I guess bugs are part and parcel of living in the country but, UGH!  I can't stand them, but they are everywhere.  In particular, we have lots of ladybugs (and to think I used to think they were CUTE!  Until they invaded my house by the thousands a couple years ago) and shield/stink bugs.  The stink bugs are now reigning supreme, as they apparently compete for resources with the ladybugs.  I'm not sure which I prefer...
• Tree from made fabric - I live in the country, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with 7 acres and deeded access to the George Washington National Forest.  Trees dominant my views, and I love them.

Besides the creepy crawly things, I LOVE where I live, I love my house, I love my life.  Won't you join in the Neighborhood party and share with us a bit about where YOU live?  Although, truth be told, I'm hoping to be one of the winners of a neighborhood of house blocks this year...