Cute Little Bullfinches

I was inspired by Svetlana's blog post to make these cute little bullfinches. She made twenty of them all at once and they were so cute I couldn't wait to make my own.

So I dug out my scrap basket and found the right sized scraps to fit the pattern pieces and before I knew it, I had a dozen of them ready to sew. It was fun to pick out the ribbons for the tail feathers as well.

After looking at the version Svetlana made, I decided to use fabric instead of felt for the beaks which is also what was used in the original instructions.

Since I started my recovery from neck surgery, these little projects are so nice. They are manageable without causing me much pain and they fill my time so I am not so bored since I can't really do much. And I am so happy with the results, I can't wait to make some more. The original instructions and pattern to make these little cuties can be found here.

I can't wait for my granddaughters to see them, I think they are going to be attracted to their bright colors.

Wonky Star Quilt - Completed

I made this quilt from a photo I found on Pinterest.  I didn't have any idea how large the quilt was in the photo but I was inspired by it enough to dig out my scraps and make my own version.

I cut 24 three-inch squares of fabric for each block all in the same color tones. Then I cut 1 three-inch square of white for the center of the star.

After I laid out each block, making sure the white square was not on the edge, I cut three-inch strips of white fabric for the points of the stars. From each strip I cut the strips at random angles and sewed them to the squares surrounding the white square.

It was fun to start each block to see how many scraps of the same color families I could pull from my stash. By the time I got to the last block, I had run out of colors and had to shop for the fabrics to make the salmon block.  For the back, I took a leftover scrap from each of the blocks and sewed them to a white strip of fabric then sewed the strips together at random. I decided the binding had to be something black and white and simple. I think it really complements the many colors in the quilt quite well.

Quilts for Kids - Christmas Holiday Quilt

I took this beautiful set of Christmas panels from the fabrics donated to our Quilts for Kids group. Even though it didn't seem like a great candidate for a child's quilt I thought I would give it a whirl.

I cut the panel apart and arranged the 5 pieces into a logical assortment then took some measurements to build borders around each panel piece.

I added a complimentary border to it and finished it with a white backing, using the last strip of border fabric from the front as an accent.

It turned out to be a quick, cute little project that has some whimsy for the holiday season. Maybe an older child will like this one to cuddle up in.

What's on the design board?

If you're one of those wonderful people who are following my blog you know that I started this thing called "what's on the design board?" a few months back. My plan was to take a photo of whatever is on the design board on the first day of every month with the hopes that each month there would be something different on the board. I see this sort of as a way to push myself to make progress on projects. But last month I failed to post a photo as there was nothing on the design board.

Here we are starting another new month and yes, that design board is still empty. But I do have a reasonable explanation.  In fact it is a design of sorts or more like a redesign. I had cervical spine fusion the first week of October and this photo is the x-ray of the fused vertebrae in my neck or as my surgeon would call it, my progress report. He says it looks great. I'm very glad he says so.

So for November, this is as close to something on the design board as I can come.  Luckily, I'm feeling like I might just have the energy to make December's post a little more interesting. Or at least a little more colorful.

Little Girl Apron Skirts

I've been in the mood to make little girl skirts lately.  I have so many pretty little prints that I could probably make at least 20 different skirts.  However, in an effort to use up some leftovers, I've decided to try out a new tutorial using the leftover fabric from some baby quilts I made last year.

The skirt tutorial I found is adorable.  I love when tutorials have multiple sizes and since I have two granddaughters, that means I don't have to do any calculating myself to adjust a pattern. So I made a size 2/3T and a size 4/5T as a start.  I will have the girls try them on before I make any more just to make sure I have the right fit.

Here are the finished skirts.  They were quick and easy to make and I hope my granddaughters like them because I sure want to make plenty more. The tutorial for these can be found here.

Oak Creek Legion Post Craft Fair

A long time ago I agreed to rent a booth at the Oak Creek Legion Post's craft fair. At that time I made an assumption that said craft fair would be held sometime in the middle of September just like it always is.  So when I got the admission form I was surprised to see that the date of this year's craft fair as October 18th. So I never completed the form. In fact, I pretty much forgot about the entire thing.

A few weeks ago I got a call from the craft fair coordinator wondering if everything was ok since she didn't get my application yet.....AND she saved me an awesome space.  Rats!....the reason I never filled out the form was that I expected the fair to be held in September - before I had neck fusion surgery - not 9 days after that surgery.  Out of guilt I filled out the form and sent in my 20 bucks to pay for my saved spot.

Lucky for me, I had lots of inventory. I didn't really have to worry about rushing to make stuff, although I do admit it would be nice to have a wider selection of some things. So I did what little I could before surgery but was comfortable enough to attend as is.

After surgery my daughter and daughter-in-law volunteered to run the booth for me.  What a nice bonus. So my husband drove my display racks and inventory to the fair and set them up and the girls set up the craft items. I basically gave them instructions on using the credit card reader, my discounts and where the sale bags and business cards were and they were off and running.

It was nice that they didn't really need me because I sure was not ready to work the fair. In fact I think I will be laying low for some time.

Trick or Treat Bags

I've had some Halloween-themed fabric hanging around my sewing room for ages. Since I wasn't sure how ready I would be to sew after my cervical fusion surgery, I didn't really plan on doing much of anything, let alone sewing. But lo and behold, I found the energy (either that or the Vicodin is working really well) to make something smaller than a quilt. I found these cute trick or treat bags and an online tutorial to go with them so I thought I would give them a try.

I dug out my Halloween prints and my fusible interfacing and got started on some trick or treat bags. The instructions were easy to follow and even though my lack of strength made it a little difficult for me to work with all that interfacing, I must say it was totally worth it.  These bags are exactly as described, they close up nice and when you open them up wide, the sides stand up nice. I can already picture how nice it will be for the people in my neighborhood to easily toss candy right into the bag.

I hope my granddaughters like them. Unfortunately, the fabric combinations look much better (like they actually go together) in natural light than they do in the photo. I found the tutorial for them here if you would like to make some too.

Mini Superhero Capes

 I've been so busy making these little capes.  I got a request to make 25 of them with the letter 'I' for Innovation on the cape.  After delivery, I had to make 25 more.  When I got that order I made a large version so the facilitator of the project could actually wear it. And what do you know? He ordered 20 more!

So I finally remembered to take a photo of them before delivery. My next big project is prepping for a craft fair. It will be nice to work with a different color fabric for a little while. :)