My Little Pony Masks

I hadn't planned any Halloween projects this year. And then I came across some really cute masks on Pinterest. They were adorable. I knew my granddaughter would love them. So there was no way I was going to skip Halloween projects after all.

The beauty of this project is that there are plenty of free patterns online. Although some of the cuter ones were for sale, I could still take the free ones and alter them so that they would be cuter too! I downloaded two versions of the masks. Coincidentally, Jo-Ann Fabrics had felt on sale; 3 for 99 cents - what a bargain! Just what I needed to make masks.

I printed the downloaded templates and cut them out. I wanted some better stitching on the masks so I had to figure out a way to make them thicker. I ended up creating a bigger base piece to sew the hair and horn on. After I finished the first mask I decided to make another. On this one I tried to "free-hand" stitch the eyelashes. That turned out to be a bad idea. Oh well...good enough for a one-time use.

Pinkie Pie Mask

Quilts for Kids - Toy Story Quilt

I used the Dottie pattern by Cluck Cluck Sew to make this quilt. The only thing I did differently is that I have one less row than what the pattern called for. I was working with donated fabric and I wasn't certain how many blocks I would get. I ran out of the orange-striped fabric after the 36th block which meant I was going to have 6 rows of 6 blocks instead of 7 rows. So in a way, it worked out pretty good.

I used the rest of the Toy Story fabric on the back to tie together the forest green backing with the colors in the focus fabric.

The quilt was free-motion quilted. I really like this technique because it looks good and goes very quickly. It does use a lot of thread though so I have to remember to wind plenty of bobbins before I start. This was a fun pattern and I am certain I will use it again.

Weighted Pin Cushion and Thread Catcher

I wanted to make a thread catcher for my travel machine. I decided to use the instructions from Elizabeth Hartman's tutorial over on her blog, OhFrannson. The thread catcher also has a weighted pin cushion to hold it in place.

I used some cute fat quarters I picked up at my local quilt shop, Elmwood Fabric Gallery and I keep a ziploc bag full of scented rice in my sewing room for just such projects. I couldn't wait to get started.

The project took me less than two hours to complete. It probably would have been even quicker if it weren't for the hand-sewing parts. I always seem to be a bit putzy when it comes to hand-sewing. I like how I can detach the basket part from the pin cushion for easy storage in my Tutto bag. And I like the little pockets to hold my scissors. Here is the link to the tutorial I used.

Meet Ruxin

This is our new kitty, Ruxin. We rescued him from the shelter just today. So far he seems to be adjusting very well to his new home. He is four years old, which apparently makes him less desirable as an adoptee. Personally, I prefer them past the kitten stage so he's perfectly fine for me. I am so glad he picked me out to be part of his life today.

He doesn't know it yet, but he will be spending a lot of time in this room.