Blizzard Weekend Crafts

Mother Nature has a evil sense of humor.  We got a major snowstorm over the weekend.  A blizzard actually.  At my house, 2 1/2 feet of snow.  On the shoreline, up to 40" of the white stuff was dumped.  Snow started Friday morning and ended Saturday mid-morning.  Roads were shut down.  Needless to say, we've been house bound for the last few days.  I guess Mother Nature felt that she needed to make up for the lack of snow that didn't happen last Winter.  Of course, LAST winter is when we could have used the extra $$$ for Disney.  Chris hasn't been home very much the last few days.  He's plowing again for some businesses and condo complexes so he's been off doing that.

I gave in and had to get out of the house today.  Ran some errands and took Amelia out to lunch.  We were out for a couple of hours.  It was nice.  Don't know if she will have school again tomorrow.  While the main state roads are pretty clear, the banks of snow along the roadway make it very difficult to see the traffic and the town/side roads are terrible.  Mine included.

To help pass the time on Friday, we did a Valentine's Day craft. Now you may know (because I've said it often), I don't really decorate for the "off" holidays. Christmas is pretty much it over here and that's only a decorated tree and maybe another do-dad here and there. But I thought it would be fun to do something in red and pink for Love.

Last year? Year before?  I can't remember, Melissa posted about a very fun ribbon loop wreath for Halloween.  Oh it was so cute.  I hunted down a few of the tutorials and even went out and bought loads of ribbon and a wreath.  And it still sits undecorated today.  But that will soon change!  I gathered up supplies to make one for Valentine's Day and here is our version.

Isn't it cute?? There are lots of tutorials out there and different techniques. After studying the different ways of creating the loops, I went the hot glue gun route. While sewing the loops together and then gluing them on the wreath seemed faster, I didn't care for the overall 'flat' look of the ribbons on the wreath. I really liked the more fuller, rounder feel. So out came my glue gun and much swearing. I tried not to burn myself but with hot glue it never fails not to happen.  I took my wreath one step further and made curliques out of the 3/8" ribbons and stuck them in, here and there to help fill in the holes.  I'm very happy with it and already planning my Easter ribbon wreath and then another for late Spring/Summer.  And of course a Christmas one but I have time for that.

Enjoy the rest of your day!
Jen :)

Love to Be Mine

Sweetwater's Label Crew for February; too cute!  I don't have many Valentine themed fabrics hanging around and what I do have wasn't enough so a trip to my LQS was in order.  Unfortunately, they too didn't have a big selection but I picked up 4 that coordinated and set off to work.

Over-sized mug rugs. Punk picked "Be Mine" so I'm left with "Love".  My heart has a bit of a straight edge at the top.  Not sure what happened there.  I'll be bringing it to work for the month of February. I have no idea what Punk is going to do with hers. I'm sure it will end up somewhere and I will rescue it and put it in my sewing room for safe keeping. The Label Crew project for March is another one I will be doing as soon as it comes out. It's featuring their newest line "Noteworthy". I can't wait to get it!

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Number 8

I have resurrected Swoon!  Block 8 is done.  I can't believe I ignored it for so long because it only took me 30 minutes to finish getting it together.  I did have to do some un-sewing as soon as I was done with it because I had sewn one of the sections upside down.  Oh I was soooo mad!  I un-sewed and put it down for the night.  I quickly threw it through the sewing machine the next morning and all is well.

FQs for block 9 (last block!) have been pressed and they are ready to be dissected.  I solemnly swear that the next time you see Swoon, it will be a completed top!

Enjoy your day!

Jen :)

Touch of Class

I have a few of Heather Mulder Peterson's pattern books and I was looking through one of them a couple of weeks ago.  I also had some yardage hanging around from HMP called "Cottage Charm"; one of her older fabric lines.  I decided to put everything to good use and get it out of my stash.  Time to start using what I have instead of hoarding it for "some day".

Here's my version of Touch of Class from Heather's Livin Large book.  The patterns focus on using more of the larger scale prints that are out there but what I was using didn't have a super large print but I think it came out okay.

One thing that I changed was the appliqued flower in the corners.  I wasn't crazy about what was used in the original so I just did a simple daisy type applique.

I need to get better at reading finished sizes because this table topper is pretty big!  Now I need to figure out a backing and get it quilted.

Enjoy your day!
Jen :)

Tripping the Scrap Fantasic

Scrappy.  It's not something I gravitate to.  I like order and coordination.  If you read my previous post, you know that I got rid of a lot of scraps.  They were just cluttering up my sewing room and my head.  Valuable space needed for something else.

There has been a project taking over Instagram and blogland the last few weeks.  A Scrappy Trip Along (#scrappytripalong).  I was ignoring it for several reasons:
1.  It's scrappy - not for me
2.  I have plenty of other projects, old and new, to keep me busy
3.  Did I mention it's scrappy and not for me?

I was doing okay for a while there.  I really was.  Then I took a peek to see what all the ruckus was about.  Hmmmmm.  Block construction is simple enough.  Trying in vain to hold back, let me see how quick it is to get one block together.

Well, here it is... 35 blocks later.  5x7 layout.  It needs a border or two to make it big enough for my bed.  I'm thinking a thin, white containment border and a wider, maybe 6", print.  Not sure on the print because there is just so much going on in the blocks but my LQS has yardage of "Gypsy Girl" and I want to get some and use it.  Gypsy Girl backing for sure.

I'm happy to have this done and off my mind. I can now move onto putting the binding on my Easter table runner that has been waiting for its binding for over 2 years now.  But now I have a ton of 2.5" strips cut.  I MAY make another one for Punk because this one is MINE but hers will have to wait.  I'm kind of tired of sewing with all those strips and matching up seams to get the rows to line up right.  Just don't look to closely at it.  LOL.

Enjoy your day!
Jen

Call me crazy but..

Impulsively last night, I started cleaning my fabric bins.  I don't know why.  Maybe my brain said "that is IT!  Organize yourself before going any further!".  I have no idea.  But I started and found 3 baskets of scraps.  Little scraps, big scraps.  Bits of fabric... some from  my favorite lines and not so favorite.  Then I looked over at Amelia's fabric bucket; which I should have taken a picture of.  You wouldn't believe the mountain of scraps that were in there and I had a vision.  Get rid of them.  Throw them away and never look back.

I went through them and kept some of the bigger pieces for myself and Amelia.  Some went into my Granny Square container because some day I will finish those blocks.  The rest?  Well, here they are.

Well geez.  I wish I could show you but blogger isn't uploading my photos.  What gives, blogger??

I'll just have to tell you then.  I threw out 4 bags of scraps.  FOUR.  Call me crazy but I just couldn't hang on to them anymore.  I have a ton of projects started, another ton that I want to start and work on and all kinds of new fabric lines to go with said projects.  Scraps?  I won't do anything with them.

I feel like I broke one of the most cardinal rules of a quilter.  Throwing out fabric.  Don't throw stones.

It had to be done, my friends.  It had to be done.  And you know what?  I feel much better doing it.

Enjoy your day!
Jen

First Finishes of 2013

Howdy.  How is everybody?  Have a nice weekend?  We did.  No complaints.  Well I have my first finishes for 2013 to show you.  I need them for this upcoming weekend so I'm glad they are done and I can move on to something else.  I've already started cutting fabric for a new project.  I say that "softly" because I have no business starting on a brand new project when Swoon (and many others) are staring at me in the face.  But I can't help it.  I WILL say that this project is going to be out of my stash.  Except maybe for the backing unless I piece it.

Okay.  Enough babbling.  This coming Saturday I am attending my ceramics class holiday/Christmas party.  We do it after the hubbub of the actual holidays because of the hubbub.  No time.  This way, all family and other obligations are done and we can relax and just hang out.

I liked the ornament pillow that I made for another gift so much, I decided to make a second one (and I will be making one for myself sometime this year).

Now that the Christmas holiday is over, I made a second cover for the pillow so that it can be used in the Spring/Summer.

That's Miss Caramel in the picture.  She was sick over the holidays.  I'm so glad she is better.

I got the idea for the flower pillow... where else?  Pinterest!  Here's the link to the tutorial.  I modified mine to a smaller pillow.  But I sooo love it.  I wasn't crazy about it at first.  My spacing is a bit off between the flowers and the pink one in the center?  Yah, I don't like it.  But now that it is done and I see it with a pillow form inside, I NEED one for myself.  What I will do with mine is use embroidery thread to do the machine blanket stitch on everything. I think that's one of the reasons I wasn't like it.  The threads are thick on the applique.  I think the embroidery thread will look better.  Regardless, I'm not doing this over.  It is what it is.  This thing took me all week (and then some) to finish. 

the sweet backing

Tweet!

I finished my very belated birthday present as well.  Simple quilting.  I finished hand stitching the binding last night and buried all my threads this afternoon.  I am sooo happy this is done and can go to the recipient on Saturday.  Nothing like being 5 months late with a birthday gift!!

Enjoy the rest of your Sunday!
Jen