Rag Quilt

I have been inspired by the numberous rag quilt tutorials on the internet and Pinterest, in particular. I have been so intrigued by the look, supposed ease and quickness of it that I had to try it. I picked up some of this gingham at a local fabric store right before Memorial Day. I was thinking of making something for my boy who loves everything patriotic that I thought this color scheme for his quilt would be perfect for summertime. 

All in all, with the cutting, sewing and more cutting, it took me about three nights to finish this. Of course, it took me a couple more days to embroider this little image and personalize it for my guy. This was definitely a project worth trying and I will make one again.

Striped quilt

I finished this striped quilt and busted through my fabric stash. I had been perusing Pinterest like nobody's business and am so inspired by all of the quilts that I have seen. I am learning a lot about quilting, and enjoying this whole process of making them. It is quite fun and since I'm not a serious rule follower when it comes to sewing, knitting and the like, I am finding my way of piecing these things together quite relaxing. I do believe that these creative ventures should be relaxing and not stressful. So you have a crooked line or two, no biggie. An accidental mis-cut piece, not a problem. 

I used this method for the binding, which was much easier than adding the binding, and snipped some fabric off the sides to make that happen.

The back of the quilt is some leftover sear sucker. After washing the quilt, the sear sucker has softened so much it makes for a cozy warm weather covering.

I didn't use any particular pattern. I drew up a rough idea before I started to get the number of fabric pieces I needed. I then I added a couple of strips here and there too to even it out. I used 12 pieces of 45" x 2.5" inch cream fabric pieces and 12 pieces of 45" x 3.5 inch patterned pieces. I added two 3.5 inch pieces of cream and patterned pieces to the top and bottom to give the quilt some symmetry and did the same to the sides as well. The total size is 70" x 60".

 Since I am new to this craft, I find it interesting that in some of the things I've read about quilting, apologies are made for the ease of certain quilts, or the simplicity of some of the modern methods. I definitely appreciate the intricacies of the beautiful artwork of some quilts, admit that I will probably not every make one of those kinds of quilts. But, I don't really get it - I'm sure I'm missing something, but with today's world being as it is, isn't simple a good thing, especially if you're a working mom who just wants to sew for her family? 

tag along

Another Wee Wonderful doll to "tag along" with my little girl to her grandmother's house this week. Her name is Louise. She's tough and apparently dirt resistant. She's been dragged along to the playground, zoo, beach and elsewhere this school vacation week without much harm to her pretty dress and perfectly placed hair :) 

Elena being comforted by Louise during a very suspenseful part of Peter Rabbit!

A pair of aprons....

...for my little helpers around the kitchen. Although I haven't been able to get a picture of my two wearing these, they have already been put to good use.

Frank: "Mama, why do you like to cook so much when you're a nurse at your job?"

Me: "It's good for our family and we get to eat healthy, yummy meals. I like to do both things."

Then he says, "I want to help cook more!.... Mom, I wonder what I'm going to look like when I'm seven."

Oh, the stream of thoughts of a six year old! Nevertheless, two new aprons came from this conversation, and a meal or two have been excitedly aided while wearing them.

 They are reversible, a simple little project to use up some left over fabric. I used an old apron that Elena had received from her cooking class at school as a pattern and sewed them right side facing, reversed them and then topstitched around, sewing in the ric rack and ribbon for the ties.

A quilt

I made my first quilt. It was fun and tedious at the same time. I enjoyed the process for sure, and am excited to work on learning some new skills. I am, for the most part, quite pleased at how it turned out.

"Whose it for?" asked Elena.

I said, "It's for all of us"

 "Yay!" she shouted "Frankie, Mama made a quilt for us!"

"Yay!!" Frankie shouted, "what's a quilt?"

Don't look too close - there are many imperfections and some straight out mistakes. But still quite nice, I think. We needed some springtime around here. These calico prints were the perfect mix for a spring quilt; floral and colorful. It's perfect for the season that is coming our way.

Brian

For my boy....

Frank: "I'm going to name him Brian"
Me: "Ok, why Brian?"
Frank: "Because I like Brian"
Me: "Do you know any Brians?"
Frank: "There's a boy at school who's name is Brian and he could do a spilt. But my doll is not named after him, even though he could do a spit too."
Me: "Oh, I see"

Pattern is from this book. I loved the author's suggestion of using old clothing from your child for this doll's clothing. What a great keepsake!

This is where Brian sleeps at night, yes, that's an old scotch box, a perfect doll bed actually!

"He sleeps here, next to Blue Dino. The Dino Tito Greg won for me at the amusement park" Frank says, placing everything just so each night. Frank tells me that Brian is waiting for a friend. "One that you're going to make for me, right Mama?" Who says boys can't play with dolls? Of course, I say, I will make anything for you my boy...

Lovely

We had a beautiful Easter holiday, filled with family and friends, good food and lots of candy! I think of the people in our lives and am thankful beyond thanking words for all we have been blessed with. With good weather and the sun finally warming up this place, we were out and about searching for eggs and climbing trees.                                                                    

                         

Above is Flowery Bunny (aka Miss Maggie Softie), pattern is found here. I fell in love with this bunny when I first saw her here. She waited patiently Easter morning, hanging about with Easter baskets filled with fun stuff for the kids. I had been wanting to practice more hand work, this bunny is all hand sewn, and not as hard as I thought it would be. It was a very enjoyable project that did not take more than three nights to work on. Ok, I was up late Saturday night to finish her for Sunday morning but she was well worth the lack of sleep. I did, for a brief minute or two think about keeping her for myself, but then my husband convinced me otherwise. It's good thing he did, as she's been so loved since.

My mother and father in law work so lovingly to always prepare great food and spirits for the large crowds that are welcomed into their home and I am grateful for the memories we always make there. I made a specific effort to take some family photos, which I know I will be glad that I did.

taken by Ellie 

Felt Bunny softie

Here's a quick felt bunny that is easy and fast to whip up for Easter. Joe Handsome and Violet Pretty are sure to brighten up your Easter basket for someone special! Who could resist these softies whose names were given by a special 6 and 4 year old!

Feel free to print out the easy pattern pieces and directions on 8x11 sized paper and sew away. You could get the pattern here. 

Place them in an easter basket, or let them hop to it and hide some Easter eggs! 

Sleepover pals

I received the book "Wee Wonderfuls 24 Dolls to Sew and Love" by Hilary Lang a year or two ago as a lovely gift from my very thoughtful husband and little ones.  When I received it I was so excited and so charmed by each and every project. I made the mermaiden project in the book, but I was so distracted by little voices at the time, that I put the book away, knowing its projects needed a bit more of my uninterrupted attention. Away it went on the craft book shelf, waiting until the attention would be available. That was then. Now, here I am with growing kids, and a re-kindled desire to make these little softies! It's always so bittersweet to me to realize how quickly my kids grow and change. How their attention span lasts a little longer and their interests change and grow as they get even a few months older. 

There are so many projects in the book that seemed so difficult when I first received it, but now I realize are really quite simple without a lot of fuss. It's a gorgeous book, full of clear instruction and tutorials.

Elena has slept with these every night since I made them for her, wrapped up in their sleeping bag. She picked out the fabric herself and chose their hair and eye color too. She was very excited about her very particular wishes for them that I, of course, was so happy to oblige! What a fun project we did together, me and my little helper!

PS. I forgot to share their names!  Julia, Rosa and Elise

A proud creator

A lazy rainy morning gave us the perfect opportunity to hang out with the sewing machine. We started with sewing some fabric scraps together and an hour later here we were! Oh bless his little heart, a proud mama sang! All the excitement between him and I was definitely palpable, so much so that lil sis entertained herself happily while we sewed away. We made bookmarks for cousins, friends, lil sis and himself. It was a great way to use scraps of fabric. 

Above is a favorite of his that he has used many times since it's creation!

knitting needle case

I was inspired by this post and beautiful blog which then encouraged my purchase of this set of circular knitting needles from Brilliant Knitting on etsy. I have used them for a couple of projects now, with great results. They are smooth, the grip on the wire is strong and flexible, and they are available at a very reasonable price.  You get 15 needles, size 0 to 15 at a certain length, I got a set of 24 inch needles for just under $25, and am thinking about purchasing the 36 inch set! Really great value!!! I had thought about getting an interchangeable set, but found the reviews for many of them to be less convincing. With so many needles in the set, I wanted to find a way to organize them. There are some beautiful needle cases on etsy and elsewhere online.

With plenty of great ideas and inspiration, here is what I came up with:

There are two rows of seven pockets each.

No longer am I digging through a drawer or bag to find the right needle size!

simple summer dress

I had made this dress for Elena last summer, and was pleasantly surprised to see that it still fit her. I used one of her A-line shaped dresses to make a pattern. The front and the back are the same size and shaped pieces.

When making the straps, I made three different button holes to be able to adjust the size. 

Here she is a year ago, same dress!

Look at her now, one year later - what a difference....

skirt turned dress

This little number was a skirt of mine that was headed for the Goodwill. After sitting in a pile of old clothes for a couple of days, I had just the right plan for it. 

I measured around her chest and cut the skirt to her size.

Added some straps....

And there you go, in less than an hour, a twirl and some summer comfort!

Everyday summer shorts

For the past couple of summers, I have made shorts for my son - they are so very easy to make, and once you get going, you can make a number of pairs in just a few hours. I often use a current pair of fitting shorts to make my own pattern and go from there. They are great to lounge in, play in, sleep in, and whatever else your little guy or gal may want to do!

 

 

You could find some great tutorials on how to sew these up here, here and here. These bloggers have done an awesome job of walking you through each step of making easy garter waist pants or shorts. Enjoy!