Hayden

In a few short months, I'll need to update the "About Me" on my blog. I can hang on to the 50 something for just a little while longer, but wife and mother will need to be changed to wife, mother, and grandmother!
Woo Hoo! Yep, a little grandson is on his way!

My sewing room looks a little different now. Minky, ribbon, flannel, cotton chenille, etc. One of the first things I pulled from my stash was this Tiny Toon fat quarter pack which I bought a few years ago just because I thought it was cute. I've pulled it out over the years, stared at it, and put it back in the closet. Finally, a project came to mind for Baby Hayden and this is what evolved.

I used the stitch in the ditch method to quilt the floor mat sized quilt, stitching around each block. For the binding, I cut the backing fabric larger and brought it to the front, turning under the edge and stitching.

With the leftover scraps of fabric, I made little soft blocks and balls. I added ribbons to the football because, apparently, taggie toys are good for babies.

Then, of course, we had  to have taggie blankets. This is just a small blanket, about 15" by 15" for Hayden to hold and feel the different textures and grasp the ribbons. The black fabric is minky and the print is flannel.

My grandma sewing is somewhat on hold now because I still don't have my Bernina embroidery system back from the Bernina repairman. I drove 75 miles last week to pick it up, brought it home and it still doesn't work. I drove the 75 miles to take it back and now I'm waiting for my phone to ring with the message that it is working perfectly and I can pick it up. Needless to say, I'm getting a little frustrated!

Kwik Sew 3612

I just wanted to share a fun little bag which my American Sewing Guild Neighborhood Group made a few weeks ago. This bag is made from 8 fat quarters (or 8 pieces 18"x18"). It makes a very roomy tote for carrying sewing or knitting projects, a trip to the beach, or shopping. For my tote, I used my stash of boxer short fabrics.

Next, I plan to finish up a jacket from my Goodwill fabric stash and get it photographed. What have you been sewing this summer? Garments? Accessories? Gifts? 

Baby Gift Basket

Baby are such fun to sew for! I have a new great nephew and had lots of fun putting together a gift basket for him. I found the cutest fabrics for a baby gift at Whittle's Fabrics. (I went to the actual store in Chalybeate, Ky., not sure if they are available on the website) The tutorial for the structured fabric basket can be found at Sew4Home, one of my favorite websites for sewing project ideas.

I couldn't find cotton chenille or a good quality terrycloth for the burpcloth/towel. I bought a nice, soft towel and cut a generous size which can be used as a towel or to cover Mom and Dad's shoulder for burping. The appliques are from Planet Applique. I love their appliques, so well digitized and easy to embroider.

Check out the little snap on the bib. I once bought these colored snaps in quantity from Snapsource when my girls were babies for all those little outfits that snapped in the crotch/leg area. I just happened to have a bright yellow that matched perfectly. Snapsource has a handy little tool to make attaching super easy.

I found a tutorial for this flannel-lined changing pad here.  It has a little pocket for diapers, wipes, etc. and fits in the diaper bag for travel.

The changing pad fastens with a button and a ponytail rubber band. Be sure and use a flat button so that it doesn't poke baby!

 

The new mommy knits and sews beautifully and blogs about it here.  Check out all of her adorable baby blankets, sweaters, knitted toys, etc.

Purse Accessories

After sewing lots of journal covers and wallets for family and friends, I decided to make myself a matching set. The journal cover is from Quilting Arts and can be found here.

I use the wallet to organize my coupons from local stores. The tutorial can be found on  A Spoonful of Sugar's blog.

The business card holder was created by Craftycupboard. It is the perfect size for holding my gift cards.

I found the buttons in my stash. I bought them about 20 years ago when J. C. Penney carried fabric and notions. They were marked down to 10 cents per card! I used ponytail elastics for the closures. They come in lots of colors and are so much more fun than plain white elastic.

What are your projects for the new year?

My Christmas Sewing Gifts

I had a very special, sewing-themed Christmas this year. I received all the sewing items that I had on my Christmas list and a few more!  My daughter hand picked these fat quarters for me and tied them up into  special little packs. She knows how much I love fat quarter packs.

She also bought the little rotary cutter that I have been wanting to try. It is a pretty nifty little gadget but it is very sharp. I nicked my finger with it the first time I took the cover off. I think it will prove to be very useful for small, detail cutting.

Now this gift was a surprise from my daughter. She makes coasters with small tiles from the home improvement store. She also featured them on her blog. She used an assortment of sewing-themed scrapbook paper which she purchased at Hobby Lobby. She told me that these coasters are to used in my sewing room to sit my sweet tea on. She knows how much I love sweet tea. By the way, my other daughter gave me an assortment of lotion, shower soap, etc. called "sleep - night time tea" from Bath and Body Works. It is supposed to calm and comfort like tea before bedtime.

My husband bought me the photo book I had ask for, a subscription to Threads, Pants for Real People by Palmer and Alto, and a cute little sewing book that he found at a local bookstore which was going out of business. (Well, actually, I pointed him in the right direction.)  I have started reading the pants fitting book. I am determined to fine tune a pants pattern soon so that I can finally have great fitting pants because I certainly cannot find any ready-made pants that fit!

The decorations and the Christmas tree have been packed away and it's time for some serious sewing! What are your sewing plans for 2012?

A Little Christmas Gift Idea

I love collecting fat quarters, charm packs, etc. I don't usually have a project in mind. I just like to admire them sitting on my shelf until I run across a project I'd like to try. I'm assuming other sewers (or sewists, I'm not sure which it is) like to collect them also. These fat quarters are for my ASG sewing friends. We meet once a month to sew and to talk about sewing.

I cut the fat quarters from the M'Liss collection at Hancock Fabrics. To make the tags, I sewed buttons onto card stock.The eyes are french knots. I glued the red card to the green tag and punched a hole at the top for the ribbon. You could add a hat or scarf but I chose to keep it simple.

What are your favorite Christmas craft ideas?

Little Weekend Projects

It's a rainy, dark, gloomy Monday, my favorite kind of day to sew. It is not, however, a good day to take photos of my weekend projects. I have this book on my Christmas list but, apparently, it won't be available until after Christmas. That's okay. It looks like it will be worth the wait.

Last Christmas, I made new stockings for my family. They were velveteen with embroidered cuffs. My daughter and her husband had a new kitty named Louie so I made him a small stocking with the scraps. This year, they have another kitty named Mia who, of course, needs a stocking. I still had enough scraps left for one more little kitty stocking. Cats love Christmas, too!

Louie

Mia

I found this canvas tote bag in the clearance department at Hobby Lobby for $2.99. The machine embroidery design was a free download for members from the ASG website. Now I have a nifty little tote bag to carry my supplies to my monthly ASG meeting. I need to get back to Hobby Lobby and get more of these totes before they are all gone.

I found these cute little fat quarters at Tuesday Morning, seven of them to be exact, for only $3.99! I have no idea what I will make with Tiny Toons fabric but I could not resist. Any suggestions? Tuesday Morning is close to Hobby Lobby and I try to run in occasionally because you just never know what little treasure you might find there.

What are your favorite rainy day crafts?