feeling blue...

About 15 years ago, I picked up this ironing board at a yard sale.  It was a bit tired looking back then, so you can imagine what it looked like today!  I decided to help the poor little thing regain some self-respect, so I spray painted it a happy blue.  I am pleased to report that both she and I feel a lot better now about her appearance. Of course, we both know that looks aren't everything.  But we also know that a little color goes a long way toward improving self-image.  Just imagine life without lipstick! (shudder)

fleece bean bags

So if your cute little 14 month old grandson needs some bean bags, you quickly get to work!  Today I made five 5 inch bean bags in 5 minutes.  OK, it wasn't 5 minutes, but it felt like 5 minutes.  I took my 5" plastic quilting template and cut out 10 squares of fleece with a rotary cutter.  Next I stitched around the outside edges with a 3/8" seam, leaving a small opening.  Then using a funnel, I filled the bags 3/4th's full with some Israeli couscous (from Fresh & Easy).  After stitching the opening closed, I pinked the edges.  Finally I walked around the house calling "heads up" to my kids while tossing a bean bag at them.  They worked perfectly! *wink*

table runner

This table runner took about 15 minutes to sew - no kidding!  All it needs is a 1/2 yard (background) and a 1/3 yard (center) of two coordinating fabrics.  Sew the long ends (width of fabric) into a tube, wrong sides together. Press such that the background fabric wraps around to the front evenly on both sides (for mine it was about 1 1/2 inches on each side).  Fold the short unfinished ends, back sides facing, and stitch seam.  Turn right side out and press the triangle shaped ends to the front.  Sew on a decorative button at the seam ends, and you're done!

valentine's day cards

Today I stitched up Valentine's Day cards for my sons.  I chose cardstock colors that matched personalities and scrounged through my scrap bag for happy fabrics.  No lace, no rick rack, no pink (so missing my girls today!)

This easy project idea came from a post I saw a couple of years ago at The Purl Bee.  Using a cutting blade, I removed a heart shape from the folded card front.  Then I glued a piece of fabric inside which covered the cut out.  Finally, on the front I sewed a decorative stitch around the heart. Nobody complained that his was too girly, so mission accomplished!

dipped pretzel rods

Last night, I finally made some pretzel yummies that I'd been intending to make since Christmas!  I melted carmel bits, dipped in the pretzel rods, and let them cool.  Then I rolled the rods in warmed candy melts and immediately sprinkled some of them with "rainbow jimmies".  They taste just as good as Disneyland's version....well, almost!

domestic bliss boo-boo

Top photo:  pieced quilt top
Bottom photo:  pieced quilt borders

Fabric:  Domestic Bliss from Moda
Mission:  Use purchased charm packs 
(Note: a charm pack is a set of precut 5" squares of coordinating fabrics)


I love sales.  I hate sales.  After Christmas one of my local quilt stores had a 20% off everything sale which is rare in the quilt store world.  So I buzzed over to Fat Quarters and spent a little money.  Sadly, I did end up with one purchase regret.  Because I was determined to buy a couple of charm packs, I bought two in a fabric line I only kind of liked - just because they were on sale.  After I got home with them my challenge became to quickly sew the undesirables into a baby quilt before I shoved them to the back of a closet/cupboard/drawer and forgot about them. The "X" pattern in this quilt is a reminder to NOT buy something just because it's on sale and to NOT buy something just because you set your mind to it.
Lesson learned.

market bag

Last night was my "night off".  My husband and I have been trading every other Thursday evenings for more years than I can count.  It's nice to know that twice a month FOR SURE I am free to go and do as I please (well, for the most part).  Because last night was my Thursday, I went to JoAnn's Fabrics and bought myself some fabric to stitch up a little hobo type bag (I had recently purchased the pattern).  I came home, shut myself up with my sewing machine, and produced this bag.  The project was a nice break from quilting and gave me instant gratification... after a couple of hours anyway.

quilt blocks

These are quilt blocks I put together for a baby quilt I'm going to donate.  I love the print fabrics, but am not pleased with how the quilt pattern is turning out.  The white is so harsh, and I wish I had used a softer background fabric...maybe even a low contrast print.  There's a huge learning curve to quilting, and most of the time I feel like I'm in over my head!  Right now I'm taking a quilting class and am hoping that exposure to quilts will make a difference in my ability to compose one myself.  For now I'm thinking I  should probably seek out preassembled quilt kits until I get the hang of it all.....

modern churn dash/framed four patch

While my grandson was here for Christmas, his mother used the cowboy quilt I had made about a month ago. It measures 36"x36" and is a great size to use with a larger baby while in the car or stroller.  Because my daughter likes a more modern looking quilt, I made this one (same size, different blocks)  for her to use with little Evan 
on their daily trips to Target!

This close-up of the churn dash and framed four patch blocks better shows how I combined the fabrics.  I obviously didn't worry about making the print on the center square symmetrical, and overall it's not noticeable.  My machine quilting is sparse so that the quilt stays flexible and is better able to wrap around baby.  The back is blue flannel with green threads - a perfect match!

 

Chrismas tree trim

One last Christmas-y post......  A couple of years ago, I bought a roll of silver floral netting at Michael's for not much $.  I cut the width in half, and knotted the strips together.  This created a sparkly ribbon for our Christmas tree which has added a modern look to my otherwise traditional tree.  It rolls up quite nicely when you're done and doesn't mind getting squooshed when packed away until next year!