past presents [aka aprons i made]...

Here I am - blogging; astonishing really... Between two full time jobs, a part time job, technical issues, and a variety of other things [known as life] I have sadly neglected my blog, as well as my online persona. So let's give this a try - really, I have things to blog about, heck, I even have pictures edited of things to blog about :D Let's ease back into this, a few pictures, brief descriptions, nothing fancy...

I like aprons. I like to wear them. I like to make them. I like to gift them. The folks in my FCS classroom [I am long term subbing currently] think aprons are a strange, foreign concept reserved for black and white pictures of grannies. I however, know better - they are clothes savers and even fashion statements in their own right. Above is the one I made [for myself] that I wear when we cook in class. I love those crazy veggies! The Emmeline Apron is easy, fabulous, and reversible! This one has a Sweetwater floral print on the back.

Yes, it is another Emmeline Apron [I actually made 3]. This is my best pal Jordan - she works at a coffee shop and needed an apron [though she decided she didn't want to bleach it up, so she doesn't actually wear it to work...]

Nope, I don't know what pattern I used to make this apron for my sister's housewarming gift. I think it's super cute with a vintage vibe.
Well, that wasn't so difficult - hope to be back online Friday with some more things to share! Thanks for sticking with me :D

lovely baby twisters...

I've said it here before [and, you guessed it, I will say it again] I enjoy a good baby quilt. They are such great, personal gifts that last AND I get to try out some new patterns and tools in a relatively quick-finish project. Without further ado - Baby Miah's new quilt!

Though I have had my very own lil' twister for months, I have never found the opportunity to put it to work. Quilts made with this tool have been popping up all over the place with great result. You get a complex look with a little less complexity. My only issues: 1) I found it awkward to cut around all sides of the template, my arm/wrist just doesn't bend that way + 2) there is a lot of fabric wasted. I also worked on my machine quilting skills... kinda :) I chickened out and didn't use the walking or darning feet - I just used a wide stitch length, a lot of basting, and my regular 1/4" foot. Except for having to turn the quilt a little too often, I think it was smooth sailing and looks pretty good.

This project made quick work of a Lovely charm pack that I won in the Blogger's quilt along. I hope Baby Miah will have many happy memories with this quilt. What are you thoughts on quilts as gifts? [or any handy crafted gifts] How do you decide who will get something from the store or something from the sewing machine?

harry potter power...

I am admittedly mostly Harry Potter ignorant... I have not read the books, I have not seen all of the movies, but sometimes things you aren't an expert in can make for great bonding experiences. I met my friend Jordan when she was in high school - now she, on the other hand, is a die hard fan. She pre-ordered and waited in line for the BOOKS [and then read them each in a day]. She introduced me to this mythical world. I'm still not a reader, so we watched a couple of the movies together. We went to see the latest release in theaters - she watches excitedly, I lean over and ask who the heck is that character and why are they doing that. [For Christmas my brother got me all of the HP dvds, so soon I will be in the know!]

I thought nothing could be more fitting than an HP purse. Here is my own take on it! The inspiration came from the paper piecing pattern I found designed by Jennifer Ofenstein and then enlarged. I love how the subtle colors take this purse out of the pre-teen accessory category.

This is my first attempt with the 'no tools required' plastic grommets. They get my seal of approval! Especially helpful is the little template that comes with the set so that you can cut just the right size opening. I used some fusible fleece to give the top more stability.

Best part of making handmade gifts is seeing them enjoyed!

framed...

Continuing on with the parade of Christmas gifts, I made these for the moms - my mom and Derrick's mom. I have really gotten into anything with an adorable little face recently. Kawaii is a Japanese word that means cute - and those little smiles and big eyes certainly are cute! I love this line on the wikipedia page: "In some Asian and western cultures, the Japanese word for cute (kawaii) has joined a number of other Japanese words borrowed by overseas Japanophiles." The term 'Japanophiles' makes kawaii seem like some disease or jailable offense.

I bought some cotton tea towels by Paperchase at Borders that inspired this project. [These towels will never see a dish - I picked them up purely for the fabric :] I continue to stretch my top stitching muscles; I'm so glad that the sketchy look is in.

I have been getting my fill of paper piecing lately [still working on my New York beauty quilt]. This scene is collage of a couple different patterns found in the book Down In the Valley [a REALLY great source of paper pieced templates!] Derrick's mom's style is primitive, so I coffee stained it and baked it in the oven to give it a more distressed look.

I love how the red border gives it the look of being matted - completely coincidental, the finished piece was a little too small when it was completed.

Another little perfect-for-the-holidays project I made was this little headband. I am over the moon for all those little hair flowers that are popping up everywhere. This fascinator was easy enough - a purchased head band, some faux flowers, a feather, glitter, and a couple of buttons. I arranged and hot glued them onto an oval of wool felt. Great [simple!] accessory for a fancy dress party.

owl be watching you...

Part of what has kept me off the grid is that much of my crafting energies were focused on top secret Christmas gifts. We had a spa/relaxation themed gift exchange for work. I whipped up this little owl sleeping mask. The inspiration for this mask came from a crochet version. Since the only thing I can do with yarn is knit a very simple scarf, I made my version using wool felt and backing it with terry cloth [from a washcloth].

I made a little net bag to hold some goodies from Bath & Body Works. I hope my exchange partner enjoys it!

Even Sophia likes to be a little night owl...

one. two. tree...

Is it really March? No, it can't be - it was just January! My life in the spring is chaotic and overwhelming. Crafting and blogging are two of my sanity savers and it has been hard to get either of them into my schedule lately. [so, basically, I'm without sanity = crazy] I shared my block for the February swap with you here. I liked the challenge of being able to design my own tree and worked on several variations before deciding to send the one I did. I decided to turn the blocks that stayed with me into pillows [my current obsession :]

::tree #1::
This is my first attempt at needle sketching - I drew the pattern onto white duck cloth, then stitched over it with black thread, twice. I like the sketchiness of it [my mil said it 'looks french' which is good :] I raided my scrap box for the leaves and the little patchwork border. This guy is available in my etsy shop.

::tree #2::
This is like the primitive relative of tree #1.

The tree and the leaves are hand-stitched [I used a buttonhole stitch for the leaves]. Then I coffee stained the center panel. I already have a home in mind for this pillow.

Overall I really like how they turned out - I got to use my piping/cording foot and add my twill tape labels to them. They both have envelope style closures so that the pillow form can easily be removed.

note: can we say 'HELLO SUNSHINE!!' Finally the sun has seen fit to shine on Ohio and I am lovin' it! yeah vitamin d [I love when people talk about how hard the winter is because they don't get enough vitamin d from the sun - while I will give you that the sun is a source of vitamin d, the average Ohioan can stand outside all day even in the summer and still not get the amount of vitamin d that the body needs]

easy-peasy quilt [tutorial]...

Hot off the presses, this little number has found a new home. My friend Anna is getting married in December and I whipped up this throw for her and her future hubby. Handmade is best for two reasons: (1) it is a unique gift made specifically for someone, crafted from the heart (2) being on a limited budget, I am able to gift something really nice for less than I would pay in the store (and with better quality). As mentioned previously, I don't quilt, so it's knotted, but I like the look. Though a simple project, I thought some of you out in the blogosphere might enjoy a short little tutorial with some helpful tips along the way. Without further ado, here's the recipe:

Easy-Peasy Quilt Tutorial
Finished Size: 60"x70" (10" Blocks)

Ingredients * 1 yard each of 4 coordinating fabrics
* 1/2 yard for binding
* 3 1/2 yards for backing
* 2 yards batting (or enough to fit)
* Perle Cotton or crochet thread for knotting

Directions
* Rotary cut each of your 1 yard cuts into 3 - 10.5" strips

* Cut each strip into 4 - 10.5" squares
[hint: I took some [not all] of my strips and sewed them together in pairs along the long edge. Before unfolding, I cut them into 10.5" pieces. Now when you open up the pieces you already have 2 blocks sewn together. Not sewing all of the strips together allows you more chances to vary the random pattern of the finished block layout]

* Layout your blocks in 7 rows of 6 blocks each
[hint: take a photo of your layout, this will save alot of time when you can't remember which piece you liked where]

* Sew the 6 blocks (each row) together
[hint: PRESS. I used to avoid the iron for as long as possible, it seemed like such a time suck. But then I met Row... steamy, hot... wait we are talking about an iron here, no need to be alarmed. To be clear, my friend Jordan bought me a Rowenta smooth glide iron as a wedding gift and I LOVE it. Pressing during the process makes for a better outcome. After sewing a seam, press the seam without opening it up. Then open it up and press the seam to one side. Repeat this for EVERY seam]

* Pin the rows rst (one row at a time). Make sure that your intersections line-up. Sew the seven rows together, continuing to press as you go.

* Piece the backing: remove the selveges of your backing fabric cut a 75"x43" piece (43" is about the width of your fabric after you remove the selveges). Cut 2 - 20"x43" pieces; sew these two pieces together end to end (you now have 1 - 20"x86" strip). Sew the 20"x86" piece to the 75"x43" piece; trim the excess from the 86" piece so that it is even with the 75" piece. (you now have a 75"x63" piece)
[hint: you may be asking yourself, 'self, why do I need a 75"x63" backing when my quilt is only 70"x60"?' I find it easier to trim your backing to exactly fit your quilt top once the 'quilt sandwich' is made. This is helpful because I am not a perfect cutter or sewer!]

* Make a quilt sandwich: lay out the backing wrong side up, place your batting on top of that, then your pieced top right side up. Voila! quilt sandwich. I use basting pins to hold my quilt together - starting from one end and working up, pin the basting pins where each of the blocks meets another one (where 2 or 4 points intersect)

* Trim the backing fabric and batting about 1/8" from the quilt top on all four sides

* At this point you pick your quilting option. Again, I don't quilt - so this comforter is knotted. Take the perle cotton or crochet thread and thread a needle that accommodates it. Pull the thread all the way through so that the 2 ends meet. Removing one pin at a time, knot the quilt where 4 corners intersect. A square knot is the most widely recommended knot for tying quilts. Here's a video!

* Prepare the binding strips: Cut 7-2.5" strips from the binding material. Here I will refer you to the best online tutorial I have seen on binding. Heather Bailey has great illustrations that are easy to follow along with.

Enjoy your finished quilt!

pinky & the giraffee...

Welcome (soon) baby girl K! My friend Aimee has been a great source of comfort and encouragement this summer. Their family of 3 will turn into a family of 4 in September with the addition of a little girl.

I enjoy baby quilts - a sense of accomplishment without a major undertaking because of their small size. I like to think of this quilt as an altered ufo. I used a charm pack (Moda: Sanctuary by 3 Sisters), backing, and binding fabric that had already taken up residence in my stash. I was so proud that the only new purchase for this project was the pink polka dot (which is FABULOUS by the way)!

The little giraffe is fused using wonder under, then finished with a buttonhole stitch. I think hes cute! I hand quilted around him to give the block a little pop.

A source of pride: nearly perfect mitered corners on the binding! They are super easy once you get the hang of it and it makes such a difference in the finished project! (a little Marlene tip :0)

I had to add a tag. This is a small piece of rug binding and a sharpie pen. I'll be taking a look at tags later on - there are so many options to add your signature to handmade items! Finished size is approximately 36"x40" - which means a yard is the perfect size for backing!

happy squid-day to you...

To celebrate Aaron's birthday, I wanted to give him his very own squid... Well, not a real squid of course, but a Squid USB cover. Since the unfortunate death of his ipod (moment of silence) he has been in need of a portable drive. I think this 4gb jump drive will be perfect. As an added bonus it sports its very own, handmade cover. He is constructed from teal wool-felt. I simply hand stitched his body together and then turned him rso. Then, with some scissor snips and a few tugs, I formed his tentacles. The eyes were a little bit of a challenge, I tried several iris variations, but ultimately decided that plain black eyes were best! The USB drive just slides in under the tentacles and is ready for use. I had to leave him a note: 'hope you don't get ink all over your laptop!'

note: I must confess, this is NOT my original idea. There is a great artist on etsy who creates these charming guys...