Kid's Activity Bag

The tutorial for this bag was featured on the Sew Can She blog in November. (It's actually a Nancy Zieman tutorial.) There are so many items featured on that blog that I want to make but can't seem to find the time.  This little bag took me less than 2 hours to complete which is a nice change of pace from quilt making. It requires 4 fat quarters but I found most of this in my stash where I just had to cut off a fat quarter.  I love how sturdy the sides of the bag are from the heavy duty stabilizer.  I think it will be a great little bag for my granddaughter Chloe to carry her little people around in.  I sure hope she likes it.

Christmas Tree Skirt

I wanted to make a Christmas tree skirt for a few years now and I finally got to it.  During the holidays it always seems difficult to find time for stuff like this but I am learning to cut out the unimportant and concentrate on just the simple most important things.  The ability to say no has helped me say yes to some really fun things. 

So I found this tutorial on the Sew4Home site and it was really easy to follow. The step-by-step instructions were perfect. Here is the link to the tutorial. The only changes I made are instead of sateen ribbon I made my own bias tape with a cotton print and instead of muslin I used some old white prints I had.  I did have to sew them together to make a backing large enough, but since it is never going to be seen, I didn't think it would matter much how the pieces looked.  I used some whimsical prints and added rick-rack to the bottom edge too.

Jeff's New Quilt & Those Felt Balls

This post was supposed to be about the amazing quilt my daughter made for her dad.  Since I took the photo in a place that is not very well lit, it is hard to see the yellow letters on the quilt.  But is says 'We love our Green Bay Packers'.  And it's true, we do love them. She did an amazing job between the piecing, the applique and the hand quilting, it was definitely a labor of love that took a very long time to complete. My husband really does love it.

However, I noticed that I got a good shot of the felt balls that I strung up for the holiday.  I tried to just take a shot of them just hanging there but between the shadows they created and the bad angles from not having enough room to step back far enough, it was pretty impossible to get a good photo of them.  So here, you can sort of see the Christmasy colors strung up over the dining room doors.

Off Track Quilt

I finally finished the off track quilt. I used a wavy-stitch that I programmed into my machine which I hoped would be a good contrast to all the straight-line strips from the simple boxy pattern in the quilt.  I had a little trouble matching the backing fabric.  I didn't care what color the back was as long as it matched any of the colors in the Domestic Diva prints.  I ended up with pink as it was the closest solid color that matched. I think the wavy-line stitching looks really cool on the solid-colored back. Since this quilt is a gift, I had to hurry and sew the label on so I could shoot photos before the sun went down.  I didn't even take the time to trim the threads before the shots.  Once I got the photos, I trimmed the loose threads, placed it in tissue, put it in a box and wrapped it up and it's waiting under the Christmas tree for its new owner.

Wool Felt Balls

I ordered these little beauties from Etsy last week and they came in the mail today.  I couldn't wait to touch them and see the vibrant colors up close and in person.  They sure are pretty.  This weekend the red, green and white ones will become a garland on the fireplace mantel.  All I have to do is decide what to use to string them with.  Should it be twine or embroidery floss or maybe some perl cotton?  Not sure yet but it will be fun to figure it out.

New Inspiration

 oI feel a little greedy about these books I got in the mail today. Yes, there are lots of them and I ordered them all at once. Such decadence. Yet I feel like I have enough to work with in these books that I will not have to order a pattern for anything. Ever. At least for all of 2013. And that is how I justify them in my mind.

The great thing about these books is that I paid close to nothing for them.  I did earn them but I did it through my Landmark Credit Union debit card.  I get points every time I use my debit card as a credit card.  When those point add up, I can trade them in for merchandise, travel credits and best of all, gift cards.  My husband has the same rewards points on his card but he only uses his card for gasoline and going out to restaurants.  I use mine for everything from groceries to clothing to paying other bills.  I have three times the point as he has.  And yet, I did not use my reward points to buy these books, I used his. I redeemed his points for a $50 and a $25 Amazon gift cards.  And he still has points left over.  It is an amazing no-brainer - it's like free money.  So between the Amazon gift cards, some leftover credits I had on my Amazon account and $26.43 cash, I got all these books. 

 

I feel a little like a squirrel hoarding nuts for the long winter's season.  I have plenty of inspiration on cold days to keep me going without leaving the house.  I can actually say I am looking forward to the long winter now that I have these babies.

 

Just so you don't think I am totally greedy, I am saving my rewards points to get a $250 Home Depot gift card for my husband.  He might as well enjoy the long winter too.

Poinsettia Table Topper

I got the pattern for this table topper in a quilting class I took at the local technical college 4 years ago.  I love the pretty reds against the white background.  I quilted it with white thread and at first I thought it was a bad decision but now that it's done, I like it.  This sure is going to be pretty on my kitchen table during the Christmas season.

Riff-Raff Runner - Christmas Kit

I picked up this quilt-as-you go kit on clearance last winter at Racine's Sew N' Save.  Nothing like getting a bargain when it comes to quality fabrics and patterns.  I loved the dark, rich colors in the sample on display and thought I could get it completed during the long winter months.  Unfortunately once I brought it home I realized that since Christmas was over, I had no motivation to do it.  So I set it aside hoping I wouldn't forget about it when winter rolled around again. But now here we are with a new Christmas season beginning and am I ever motivated!  I remembered that I had this pretty little kit waiting for me.  I even remembered where I stashed it!  Thanks to my new fancy sewing room it seems everything is nice and organized and surprisingly it is staying that way. There's nothing like spending a cold Saturday, watching college football and sewing.  It's also nice to take a break from quilt-making to do a project that can be completed in a few hours.  I am so glad I got this done, I even know exactly where I am going to put it to show it off.