Sunday, December 18, 2011

Christmastime is here...

So I thought I'd share a finish of a project I started forever ago :) I first blogged about it here...and finally finished up a few weeks ago. I followed a tutorial at Oh, Fransson! by Elizabeth Hartman, and although this project was time consuming, it was totally worth it!


Each square is a little pocket, so you can add a little treat for each day of advent!



(If you look closely, you'll see that this quilt, like everything else in my life, is covered in cat hair. Sigh).

Merry almost Christmas!

Friday, December 16, 2011

Giveaway Results

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to comment on my Giveaway Day post! This is my first giveaway ever, so I was really excited to participate, and it was fun to check out all the different and new-to-me bloggers who linked up at Sew, Mama, Sew!

The winner of my giveaway was Michell, who has chosen this little bag as her prize:
Michell, you will hear from my shortly via email! Thanks everyone!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Basket update

Here's what I've been working on in the basket studio:

This is one of a set of three glass canisters I'm making for the kitchen in the house I hope to shortly own (fingers crossed!!!)

And, because tinier is always cuter:






Happy crafting!

Monday, December 12, 2011

Giveaway Day!

Edit: Giveaway is now closed! Thanks for all the blog love!


Happy giveaway day! I've never done anything like this before, but I think it sounds like a fun idea...so thanks to the people at Sew, Mama, Sew! for organizing!


For my giveaway, the winner can choose from any of the zippered bags in the photos below. All you have to do to enter is comment and tell me which one is your favorite! You don't have to follow my blog to enter, but I'd love it if you did anyway :)








The giveaway will close on December 16 at 5 p.m., and I will announce the winner here on my blog and by email. If your blog profile doesn't have an email, make sure to leave it in the comments so I know how to find you!

Happy giveaway day!

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Penguins!

I like the remnant bin at Joann Fabrics because you never know what you will find. Sometimes, I pick something up and it remains in my stash for awhile, waiting to be paired with something perfect. That's how this blanket got made.

I have seen these little taggie blankets before, and the penguins matched perfectly with that super-soft pink backing. I used a tutorial here for guidance, and then adjusted based on how big my fabric was.

Anyone who has read this blog at all knows that I like to make things more than once. I'm really not sure why that is...perhaps its the same reason I like to reread favorite books, rewatch favorite movies...in any case, I made two!

One will go to my cousin's baby daughter who is celebrating her first Christmas this year. The second I will donate to a local homeless shelter.

So here's a question about taggie blankets, from someone who has no kids...what's to stop their tiny fingers from getting caught in the ribbon?

In other news, I have decided to participate in this year's Giveaway Day! Check back later in the week for details :)


Thursday, December 1, 2011

Zipper Pouches!

I like to organize things, so I think zippered pouches are great. For cosmetics, or hair elastics, or pencils...anything, really! So, I made a few.
 I always need help remembering how to do zippers, so I referred to this tutorial at SewHappyGeek as a reference, although I clearly didn't do the paper piecing part.


 These kinds of pouches are also great for carrying around the bits of smaller projects...for the past few weeks I have been doing some embroidery projects, which are very portable.
Like this one!
The free embroidery pattern for the little owley is from here. Adorable! And fun to stuff as a Christmas gift!

Saturday, November 26, 2011

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

So, I made some Christmas placemats. Mostly, I wanted to practice my quilting, so I made each one like its own tiny quilt, binding and all.
I tried out a different pattern on each one.



It was a fun project. I made some matching trivet/potholder things out of scraps too.


In the pictures, they don't look quite square...but they are, I promise :) Although I think my camera has something on the lens...

In any case, happy Christmastime!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Christmas Inspiration...

I like giving gifts, but I don't like the pressure to come up with the perfect gift for everyone I love all at the same time (that's why birthday gifting is easier). However, I've been cruising pinterest for inspiration...here are some great Christmas gift ideas!

For the chef in your life...







For the ladies...


For the home...












For readers...




Of course, I won't have time to even attempt most of these...*sigh*...but it's fun to look! I always think I'll get started on Christmas earlier next year...