What I have Been Up To

Nick and I found out about an awesome sale at a grocery store. We bought 87 boxes of cereal- each box cost 10 cents a piece- a few varieties were 50 cents each. A sale like this seems to come around about every 6-12 months- so we take advantage of it when it comes around! We eat a ton of cereal, and I am not about to pay $4 a pop for something that lasts us both about 3 days..... We also got 48 bags of specialty Chex mix bags for about 25 cents a piece. We always brown bag our lunch, so it's nice to have a fun snack to tuck in with all the fruits and veggies we pack.


So things like this tend to take up my crafting time after work- I have also been dealing with the fatigue of pregnancy- it's all I can do to get through the work day most times at this point. I shocked myself this past Monday when I actually sewed for 4 hours- that was the pace I was going at pre-prego-ness. I managed to sew up 12 burp cloths, complete a portable changing pad/diaper case, and nearly complete the Birdie Sling I have been working on for a while. Pictures of those things are coming soon..... But meanwhile, I wanted to share some adorable handmade baby gifts I have recently received.



These sweet sweaters were knitted by a friend of mine. The picture doesn't capture the "apple green" of the first sweater. I love them! For my birthday, my sister-in-law sent me these CUTE bibs she made from the pattern found in Amy Karol's Bend the Rules. My fave is the third one on the second row- I am a sucker for fruit-themed patterns for some reason.

Finally, Missy also made this adorable Ruby Doll. You can find the free pattern here. I absolutely love her- hopefully I have a boy, then I won't have to share her.
More posts coming soon!

Latest project and awesome yard sale find

Hello everyone! Sorry it's been a while since I posted last. Things have gotten busier with having Nick back in town. I am not sewing as much because it still feels like a novelty to have him around and we have been having fun playing board games, going on dates, going to yard sales, and keeping up with our "side business" of selling books, music, and movies online. I think I am also sewing less because I have entered the fatigue zone of the third trimester where it's not comfortable to sit or stand too long and a full day at work zaps most of my energy, thus I am less productive in the evenings. But I have a zillion things I want to do! They include:

• Using up a lot of my batting/stuffing that I have loads of from yard sales (Nick forbids me to buy anymore but I can't resist, plus it's funny to see the look on his face when I show him yet another bag of polyester stuffing). I really want to make lots of burp cloths and pillows. I really need to get going on this because of the need to clean out the craft room soon!


• I started another Amy Butler Birdie Sling with a friend of mine. All the pieces are cut, I just need to attach the interfacing before I go to her house tomorrow to hopefully finish it up.


• I have a few purses that need the hole in the lining sewed up, or magnetic snap closures inserted (something I couldn't do without Nick's help because those suckers are not easy to install).


• I really want to finish the quilt that I showed started from the previous post because I am itching to have something new for the bed.


• I want to make more baby stuff for myself: burp cloths, bibs, a portable changing pad, nursing cover, etc. I am even debating a simple curtain to go with the boy/girl sets I have made.


• I need to put binding on the boy/girl quilts I recently received back from the longarm quilter- I am thrilled with her work and can't wait to make the blankets complete!

I could probably make a very long list of the free online tutorials I want to do, but researching that out is a project in and of itself.

We had our last sewing group before the summer recently and it was a huge success. A friend of mine did an awesome job organizing everything and we had the highest attendance yet. We made breakfast themed felt food and it is adorable, easy, and very affordable. Here's the set I came home with:

I came home with at least 30 unfinished strawberries, just because there was a lot extra. I find it relaxing to make them while I am watching a movie or something (each one takes about 5 mins of hand sewing). This activity was such a hit, I think it would be fun to do "lunch" and "dinner" themed felt food in the future.

Finally, here's probably the best crafty yard sale find I have found yet:

Isn't it gorgeous? I know the picture is not great, but it will do. I am thrilled! The fabrics look like they are from the 1940's - it's in impeccable shape, no stains, tears. It's ready to go. I am going to get some backing for it on my next Marden's trip and just get it done. The most shocking thing about it is that when I found it, I told Nick- hey, I don't care if this is $20-$30 (which would be a steal in and of itself, but it is a lot to spend in a yard sale when we mostly spend a dollar here and there) and then the lady sold it to me for $1.50!!!!! I couldn't get my money out fast enough!

I hope to be posting more soon....

Working on.....

I recently returned to a "UFO" project- a queen sized quilt made up of Erin McMorris' Park Slope line. Years ago quilting was the only sewing I did and it feels nice to get back to it for a little while. I started this right before I found out I was pregnant, so I dropped it to start making the baby stuff. Now- I have the perspective that I not only need to make lots of the baby stuff, but do as many projects as I can, given the time constraints I will soon face with a newborn.....

Bumpers

I finally finished the project I've been procrastinating: Bumpers for the boy-themed nursery. The fabrics I chose aren't strictly masculine- but it's really cute in my humble opinion. Making this set was much easier than the first set I did, I guess it helps when you know what you're doing. I will model the nursery stuff once I set up the crib- which I am delaying as long as possible (craft room is soon to be baby room - which presents the problem of not knowing what to do with all my fabric, batting, etc.)

More Blocks

Quilt Block Exchange Completed!

Remember this block I did back in September/October? Well, I finally got it back along with 15 other blocks done by guild members. I am really happy with what everyone added. I won't include all of them in one post because there are too many.

Vintage Apron

I was asked to help the young women in my ward to make aprons for the upcoming pioneer trek activity. I made this from Amy Karol's Bend the Rules sewing book with some vintage fabric I had in my stash. It took me 3 hours to make. I already helped the girls start their aprons- they all did a great job. We will be finishing them in a few weeks.

Fabric Finds

As requested by a friend- here's the fabric I bought at my latest trip to Marden's. This is the girly themed fabric collection by Henry Glass. Most of this is also Henry Glass with one Michael Miller and another Denise Schmidt.

Momo by Moda- a line that is now discontinued- so I had to snatch some up.

What I Am Working on Now

I finally am getting around to make the bumpers for the boy themed nursery. It was a hard project a couple months ago, but it feels like it's going smoother this time around. Nick and I both have a feeling that we're having a boy... so we will see. I have so much fabric and ideas for girly projects- I am definitely open to doing more boy themed stuff, but there is just not a lot out there!

Favorite Fabrics

I thought I would share pictures of two of my most favorite fabrics:

Healther Bailey's Peonies in Red- I have about 2.5 yards of it and I have at least two quilts planned from her PopGarden line- which will include heavy doses of this! This is one of the first contemporary fabrics I spotted as I slowly discovered the world of bright and beautiful fabrics. I have at least 5 yards of this, as I have a purse and two quilts planned with it. It's Timeless Treasures "I Spy."

Right now, this is my favorite fabric. It's the first Japanese print I have ever bought and I am definitely impressed- it's an adorbale design, clearly printed, and gorgeous, soft fabric.

Quilt Block Exchange

This is one of the last quilt blocks from the guild's exchange. I was amazed at the versatility of the blocks already completed- 2 cat themed novelties, chili peppers, Oriental, and a butterfly...... I added a flower theme.....

Amy Butler's Everything Bag

I showed this project in progress a while ago. The pattern is from Amy Butler's Little Stitches
It's a diaper bag. It was really hard to make mainly because of the stiff divider within the bag... I had to get some help with it. I think I might make a matching portable changing pad to go with it.

Mini Messenger Bag

For Christmas 2008, I received a very cool book- The New Handmade and it had this patern for a mini messenger bag. I am keeping this one for myself!
It's perfect for carting around the small essentials- it has a cell phone pocket on the side that you can't see in the picture. I made this bag out of Erin McMorris Park Slope line.

Keepsake Quilting Trip

It's becoming abundantly clear that I need to take photography lessons..... but anyway, I figured if I post an occasional fabric stash picture, it might make me feel more accountable to actually do something with my supplies rather than keep acquiring more. Soon after Nick left for DC, I consoled myself by heading to the famous Keepsake Quilting in Meredith, NH. The bundle on the right is my attempt to fold fabric like Keepsake does. Most of this fabric is from a certain line of fabric, but I can't remember what it's called..... It will make a beautiful quilt- the cherry fabric will probably be reserved for an apron.

Melly and Me Purse

I had a lot of fun making this purse. It's made from fat quarters and a quarter yard of Amy Butler's Midwest Modern fabric line. It's a present for a friend of mine.

Apples Quilt

This is the quilt I will use for a baby boy someday. I recently added the borders and will soon send it away to be quilted. When it is finished, I will take a better picture and post it.

Crafty Yard Sale Finds

Yard sale season has started again- I am excited but sad to see my Saturdays of sleeping in as a thing of the past.... A couple weeks ago, I was thrilled to get this vintage quilt top for only $6- it's in excellent condition with no tears, stains, or funky smell..... :) At the same yard sale, I found 19 of these log cabin quilt squares. They are already quilted with a backing, so I am not sure how I will put them all together.......

I forgot to take a picture, but I also was so happy to find a TON of vintage buttons for $8. It was a yard sale I almost didn't go to because viewing from my car, the sale looked like a ton of junk- but when I told the lady what I was looking for, she went back into her house and came out with a sack full of sorted buttons and another jar- full!

African Themed Cross Stitch

Here's another cross stitch completed, I just need to do the outlining stitches. The background with all of the leaves was a lot harder than I expected because it's reliant on shading.

Business Card Holder

I altered the pattern for the Bend the Rules Cashless wallet to make a business card holder. The fabric is Denise Schmidt Flea Market Fancy. I still need to put a snap on this little guy.

Charming Handbag

Here's the "Charming Handbag" I made for my swap partner (see previous post). It was an easy project. I really lucked out in finding ribbon that matched the lining very well.

Confession

There was another reason why I didn't post too much in late January and most of February. I had barely found out that I was pregnant and immediately started making the baby stuff! I know I am crazy, but I am pretty determined to not learn the gender of the baby until he or she is born. (Hey, there are only a few really great surprises in life). So I have until late Sept to make all of the boy and girl themed stuff.... Two of the baby quilts I have already posted pictures of are intended for that purpose.

Here's some burp cloths and baby bibs I made a while ago. The pint is really bright and busy, so it's hard to tell that I did an applique cherry on each one. It was a fun, easy project.

The picture below is a very time comsuming project that I am dreading to repeat for the boy themed nursery...... bumpers! They look like they might be easy, but they are a lot of work! I am happy with how they came out, they will model better when setup in the crib.

Sorry for the delay

My computer has not been working- it is torture to write one simple email because it takes FOREVER to boot up and can hardly handle logging onto Internet Explorer. I know that if I loaded my SD card from my camera onto it, it might combust. So, yes, I have been doing LOTS of sewing- but all the posts are going to have to wait till Nick comes for a visit next weekend. I will use his laptop to get my pictures onto here and schedule a bunch of posts.

I was able to get this picture off a Flickr post, it's from the Bend the Rules Swap. People from all over the U.S. signed up to make one of these "Charming Handbags" from the Bend the Rules Sewing book. This is a picture of the bag and "cashless wallet" I received from Jodi in Texas. She did an awesome job- it felt like Christmas when the package arrived.