Weekend Finds

I am in love with thread. I don't think I can have too much. A lot of these threads are "vintage" e.g. wooden spools.

These fabrics were found at Woburn's "That Fabric Place." I wish I could afford to shop there regularly - but nothing is cheaper than $10 per yard. But sometimes it's worth it to splurge- I get tired of the selections at Wal Mart and Joann's.

Sock Zebra

I had a hard time letting this little guy go- I was very pleased with the way it came out. Enjoy it Missy!

One-Hour Bag

I had a lot of fun making this purse. You can find the tutorial here. I am kicking myself for not looking into doing such a pattern sooner because following someone's directions, rather than trying to wing it on your own, is very easy!

I decided to spice this bag up by doing some bead work:

I just got ahold of a long beading needle, some seed beeds, and I set to work. It was fun and quite addicting.

I also learned how to make fabric covered buttons:

The process was very easy- you can get a kit to make buttons at any craft store.

Here's the inside of the bag, it has a little pocket.

This bag definitely took me longer than one hour to make, but it wasn't too time consuming. The fabric I used is from Uganda- one of the many pieces I bought while there last summer. If I had to do the whole thing over again I probably would have made the bag deeper and chose a lining that matched the outer fabric better. But overall, I am quite happy with it!

Mother's Day Present

I made this little guy for my mom. It's got the coloring of the Cheshire cat, don't you think? His legs look like they have muscles.... but I have to say that getting the stuffing to stay smooth is not an easy task.

Baby quilt

Here's a baby quilt I made for Ian, the son of my BYU freshman roommate, Melinda. I found the pattern in the 2008 Fons and Porter EasyQuilts Spring magazine. Congratulations Melinda!

Odds and Ends

Nick helped me make this sock dog for his mom for her birthday. He stuffed, I sewed. I was pretty pleased with the way it came out.
Finally! A cute pattern that is boy-oriented. I had to get a bunch of this cute astronaut-flanel from Joann's a couple weeks ago. I made burp rags for one of my visiting teachee's who just had a baby boy.
Last night I did something I rarely do: I actually bought a book at a store instead of getting it at the library or a yard sale. Of course, I had a 40% off coupon, so it was pretty reasonably priced. I am really excited about this book- it's quite popular on all of the crafty websites/blogs out there. Hopefully I will be able to use it soon and learn how to make some new things.

Free Stuff

So- I was going to write a post about how some people shouldn't be parents (inspired by my work in counseling children and families). But I don't want to think about work right now.

Instead, I want to implore all of you out there to take advantage of the rebate offers at CVS, Walgreens, and Rite-Aid. All of these things you see pictured are products I got for free (within the past 2-3 months) by doing the drugstore rebate programs. I don't think I have ever spent money on toothpaste, tampons, shampoo, or hair stylers because the stores constantly give them to me for free! Each store does it a little differently, but the concept is the same: you buy the product, send in the receipt, and later receive a refund check. In some cases, instead of getting a check, you get a coupon of "extra bucks" that you can use like cash on your next purchase.

I have been busy with a lot of crafts lately that I plan to post this week. I attended a quilt show at my former middle school this weekend and really enjoyed myself. I talked to a sewing machine vendor who assisted me in falling in love with a $2,500 Pfaff Grandquilter...... I can dream, right?