Making More with Less

Making Your Bias Binding

2012-02-14T08:40:00.001-08:00

I am happy to present this video to you. It's certainly not the greatest video ever made, but maybe it will help you make your bias binding. For bibs, blankets, sleep sacks and more. Tomorrow I will post another video about applying the bias binding you've made.

I just watched the video and I'm not sure what happened but there is some voice overlap? Anyway, this is the second time I made the video and I'm not doing it again.

Have a wonderful day!

Alisa

Bib Week - Bibs Galore

2012-02-13T07:28:00.000-08:00

Today starts bib week on our blog! The past few weeks I've been busy sewing up bibs for an order and also for the abundance of babies born and expected to be born in our church. Below is a mosaic of some of the bibs I've sewn up.

Other things planned this week - a couple of video tutorials, some bibs from Suzanne and hopefully Friday I can feature some bibs made by you! If you would like to send me photos please send them to gordandalisa at gmail dot com. Have a great week!

A Quilt for Jenna Lynn

2012-02-10T09:13:00.000-08:00

Last month my brother and his wife were blessed with their second daughter - Jenna Lynn. I love her name! And I so wish I could hold her in my arms but that's not going to happen soon since they live across the country from me.

I asked my s-i-l if she would like a quilt for Jenna and she said she did. Yeah!! (Have I ever mentioned that I have very talented sisters and s-i-l's who make their own quilts already.) Last summer when they were out visiting, we were talking about quilting, scrap buckets etc. and Linnet said, "I'd love a quilt from your scrap bucket," insinuating that she liked my scraps (or maybe that I have way to many?.. not sure.)

So that's what I did. I picked through my scrap bucket to come up with a colour scheme for a girl that didn't include pink or purple. That wasn't a request, just a challenge for myself.

I used my friend Rebecca's Baby Go to cut out the tumblers so the cutting was easy and the piecing was easy too. It was a fun quilt to make. The backing is a leftover piece of a sheet that I had used to back another quilt. And the binding was not a scrap but a recent purchase.

My favourite part. Do you see her name in the quilting?

I can't wait to see this little girl in real. But I'll settle for a photo of her under or on the quilt. :-) For now.

Linking up to Finish it up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts and to Sew & Tell at AmyLouWho.

Placemats

2012-02-08T13:26:00.000-08:00

My parents got these in the mail yesterday so I can post them now :) A set of place mats using scraps from this, this, this and this. Wow - some of those go way back already!

The main fabric is an Essex cotton/linen blend.

I used this method for the squares and it worked marvelously! Perfect matching corners...

The back...

I hope they get lots of use Dad and Mom!

Miscellany Bullet Post

2012-02-07T15:45:00.000-08:00

Definition of MISCELLANY

a plural : separate writings collected in one volumeb : a collection of writings on various subjects

: a mixture of various things

• It's 13 degrees (Celsius) today. Two weeks ago it was -15 degrees. I dug around in my garden and enjoyed the feeling of spring.

• I took photos outside today of some bibs I've made. This is what it looks like when I take photos.

A leftover piece of wainscot panelling, an old kitchen chair and sticky tack. I should have painted the panelling with a matte paint though...

• Suzanne and I have dubbed next week "Bib Week" here on the blog. Nothing huge, just bibs and how-to's all week. I've even made a couple of videos. Tried to anyway. Not super professional but they might help you out. Feel free to pass it on.

• If you have some photos of bibs you've made feel free to email them to Alisa. I'll make a post with some of my favourites. If you've made a bib from my pattern I'd really love to see it.

• I have three sick kids right now. Zachary was sick on Saturday and Sunday. Just waiting for the last one. Hopefully Gord and I don't get it. I washed my hands so many times that I have dried out skin.

• I'm looking forward to my annual quilt retreat in a few weeks! I plan to work on Zachary's quilt.

• Benjamin is turning 11 next week. I even plan to make him something for his birthday. Not a bib.

• Did I mention the weather? I get energy from the sun, especially when it's not expected. Here in the Lower Mainland we have some months with no sun.

Paint colour suggestions - please!

2012-02-01T09:39:00.000-08:00

I would love your input for a paint colour for Sebastian's room. We weren't going to paint it (it's a light cream right now) and I'm not totally sure we are going too but it could really use a paint job.

So...using his quilt (in post below) as inspiration what colour would you paint the walls?

Thanks!

Sebastian's Quilt

2012-01-30T08:54:00.001-08:00

I made this quilt before Sebastian was born but haven't posted it yet (although it's been in a couple posts) because I hadn't finished quilting it yet! I put the binding on after I quilted the straight lines but not the squares. Last week I finally took it down to my sewing room and finished it off and gave it a wash.

I used the Alphabet Soup line along with a few other blue and orange prints and the solid green from my local Fabricland. I had a hard time choosing the solid and didn't really love the green at first but it has really grown on me over the months and I actually really love it now. The pattern is Modern Baby Quilts by Elizabeth Hartman.

I just love striped bindings!

Look how much difference 4 months makes!

4 weeks

4 months

Dutch Boterkoek

2012-01-27T09:16:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Suzanne and I have Dutch ancestry? In fact Suzanne's husband is a Dutch guy. He can even speak the language (Suzanne and I can't.) Even though we don't speak it, we like to eat it. Dutch baking that is. Yum!

Dutch Boterkoek

2/3 cup soft butter
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder

Mix the butter, sugar, almond extract and egg well. Add the flour and baking powder. Spread into a greased 9 inch round baking pan (can be a pie plate if that's what you have.) Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Cool, then cut into 12 wedges. Enjoy!

Yes, they are totally posing for me. And loving it!

Snow Days and Small Things

2012-01-24T17:30:00.000-08:00

Last week my kids were home from school every single day. Yup, every single day. We had snow, snow, snow and then ice rain. 68 cm of the white stuff and this week it's all gone, except for the piles.

It's kind of odd. I like having my children home on the weekends and during Christmas Break, Spring Break and Summer Holidays. But somehow when they are home when their not supposed to be it's not as much fun. I had to do some introspection on that one and I think I know why. When they have school holidays I usually prepare myself mentally and also plan for some fun things to do. I don't expect to get my housework finished perfectly or have time to sew or do other projects. But when it's unexpected I'm not prepared and thus I don't like it. Terrible isn't it? Or do you understand where I'm coming from? Anyway, it wasn't a terrible week, just a little boring for the kids (we obviously didn't go anywhere) and not very productive for me.

Little Miss Carolin posing for me.

I did manage to do a bit of sewing between putting on snow clothes, taking them off, putting them on, taking them off again.

Change pads for the church nursery. This fabric has been in my stash for quite a few years. I got it from my s-i-l. It was left behind in a house they moved into. I love the blue and yellow combination. It's cheery!

Bias binding. I've said it before and I'll say it again - I love it!

Bibs - I have to make 8 for a gift shop and a whole bunch for baby gifts. Pattern here.

Scraps make great bibs.

Terrible photos, but I made the quilt block that's been sitting in my pile for over 6 years into a pillow for Melissa's bed.

She loves it!

The end.

Best Granola Ever

2012-01-23T21:26:00.000-08:00

This is the best granola we've ever eaten. The recipe is from a friend a couple of years ago and I've been making it regularly ever since. (Thank you Heidi!)

Best Granola Ever

Mix together in a big mixing bowl:
4 cups oats (I use the large flake)
1 cup wheat germ
4 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2/3 cup sliced almonds
2/3 cup coconut
2 tsp cinnamon

In a sauce pan mix:
1/2 cup maple syrup
6 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons water
2 tsp almond or vanilla extract

Bring saucepan mixture to a simmer over low heat. Drizzle over oat mixture. Stir to combine. Pour onto a greased cookie sheet. Working a handful at a time, squeeze to form small clumps. Bake for 30 minutes. Stir in raisins if desired. If not adding raisins, still stir it up. Continue to bake about 15-20 minutes until golden. Let cool completely and store in airtight container. When it comes out of the oven, it may seem soft yet, but it will become crunchy as it cools.

Enjoy!

A Quilt For Life

2012-01-18T17:28:00.000-08:00

Last March, at my yearly quilt retreat, we collaboratively put together a baby quilt for our local pro-life society. It was quite fun to see it come together. Those who wanted to could bring a block along and one of the quilters (my sister-in-law) put the top together at the retreat. My job was to quilt, bind and deliver it. I had wanted to do it right away but life got in the way (sold house, appendectomy, packing, sprained ankle, moving, unpacking, summer holidays...) In September I wanted to finish it up and get it delivered but I couldn't find it. That's right. I could not find it anywhere. How could I have just lost a quilt top? I was just going to have to make a completely new quilt instead. And soon, as I couldn't very well go to this years retreat without having finished that up!

But last week when I was cleaning out my sewing room I found it! I was very happy to say the least.

I quilted and bound it up on Saturday. This is the first time I've done a machine binding that actually looks really good and professional. I might even do a little tutorial on it.

I really like this quilt and I hope it makes a mom (and baby) happy! Every child is special and is known by a loving God.

Plus Quilt

2012-01-17T15:16:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to make a plus quilt. I've had one in my Flickr favourites for years and I finally made one. It was such a fun quilt to put together, though trickier than it appears.

You know you are a blogger when you go outside in the frigid cold to take photos of a quilt. We haven't had this much snow in quite a few years and today we are sitting at -9 Celsius. Nothing like Suzanne's -29 or anything, but still kind of cold to be out taking photos with no gloves on.

I put some of my favourite prints in this quilt and I really love it! Not sure what I am going to do with it though as my brother and his wife just had a baby girl last week. I'll show you what I made for her after they receive it.

I backed it with this sweet green gingham that I found at Quilt Essentials in Abbotsford. If you are ever in that area, you need to visit them. It is a gorgeous shop in down-town Abbotsford, BC. I went over Christmas with my sister and it was a very pleasant time indeed!

Anneke's Messenger Bag

2012-01-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

A messenger bag made by Anneke! She did all the sewing on it except for putting the lining and bag together. She made the embroidery back in the Spring with plans to incorporate it into some unknown project. I'm really proud of her!

We used this great tutorial from Zaaberry for the bag.

We added a pocket inside and a magnetic snap to keep the flap closed. The jean fabric is from an old skirt of mine that no longer fit and the stripe is from my stash.

Look who I found hiding inside... I couldn't find him when I was taking pictures the other day :)

A close-up of the embroidery. I think I have a blooming sewer - yay!

Alisa Comes Clean

2012-01-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

All right, I've taken photos so the whole world can see. I have so many WIP's it's weighing me down. I'd really like to get some of these finished and out of my sewing room. I also have to admit that I gave away most of my orphan blocks (those that didn't make it into a quilt or 20), an unfinished table runner that's been sitting around for way to many years and various scraps that I'll never use. Ah, that feels good! Now onto the WIP's that I should finish.

Several unfinished bibs.

A bucket hat, cut out.

Remember when buntings were new and exciting. About 5 years ago. That's when I cut this one out. Pretty pathetic, I know.

Remember when I did a series on sewing with knits. A year and a half ago. This is a half finished shirt from then. I made a mistake and then didn't finish it.

Cut out a dress for Melissa last fall. I'll be happy if this fits Deanna now.

A reusable shopping bag that I wanted to personalize.

Several baby balls cut out. I haven't finished them because I ran out of the polyester stuffing. I'm planning to buy a bag of it next week when I'm at Joann's.

Handkerchief Quilt. Started this probably 3 years ago. I'd like to get it finished for this summer to picnic on.

Not technically a WIP I guess as it has only been thought about. I have this piece of fabric I'd like to make a pillow with to match the quilt I made last year.

Found this in my cleaning up. I made a quilt for Melissa over 6 years ago in all purples. This block didn't make the cut. I'd like to make a little throw pillow for her bed with it.

Besides what I've shown you, I have 3 baby quilts in progress, fabric for Zachary's twin-size quilt, 2 items of clothing to re-purpose into other clothing and about 7 items on my mending pile. And ideas for oh about 11, 186 more items. If feels great to have that all confessed. Now on to other exciting things.

I joined my first bee this year. And I am so excited about it. This month it is Leah's turn. She chose a randomly pieced block and sent the fabrics to us. I made this one and also a small one with the extra little bits. I'm not much of a random quilter, but it wasn't too hard to come up with something. Hope you like it, Leah!

As I mentioned, I've been tidying my sewing room. I've just finished folding all my half yard and larger pieces. These piles sure make me happy!

Even colour coordinated somewhat!

These are my FQ shelves in organizational progress. I've got a box and a bag of stuff ready to give to the BFM Thrift Store. Feels good!

How about you? Do you dare take an account of your WIP's? Do you have deep dark secrets in the sewing room too? :-)

A quilt for my Midwife

2012-01-10T17:52:00.000-08:00

I finished this quilt just before Christmas and hope to give it to my midwife this week. The grey/green colour combo comes from the new birth center that she is opening and I love it! They grey is Kona charcoal and the prints are a variety of fabrics from my local quilt store and stash.

This was such a nice project to tinker away at after coming home from the hospital with Sebastian. A little bit here and there while letting my thoughts go back to his beautiful birth and hospital stay. Many prayers were thought and even a few tears shed while making this one!

I made the label fit into the quilting on the back and I love it almost as much as the front! :) The backing is a sheet I got from a friend a couple years ago - makes for a nice soft quilt!

This picture is a little more true to colour.

Linking up with

Sewing with the Kids

2012-01-08T17:48:00.000-08:00

The kids are back in school today after a two week break. Over the holidays (and here and there over the past months) we were able to do a bit of sewing together!

One day Anneke had a friend over and we made headbands together. This was her friends first time using the sewing machine - she was pretty excited. The felt flowers are made using this tutorial and the pattern for the headband is here. We attached the flowers using my new snap pliers :) (Yes, after Alisa raved about hers Kamsnaps had, and still has, a sale so I bought one too - I love it!)

The girls had fun picking there own fabrics from my scraps. The middle one is my favorite.

excuse the wrinkled backdrop - I quickly grabbed a receiving blanket and snapped the picture as A's friend was leaving

Tessa also got to sew for the first time! She sewed up her froggy that we had ready to go for a long time. Anneke sewed hers quite a few months ago and I had made one for Sophie so this was long in coming for Tessa. She loved the fact that she could sew but now I have to watch her because she thinks she can go sew by herself!

I couldn't find Anneke's froggy for the photo shoot :)

Template for the froggy is here

And lastly Tessa and Anneke made this simple scarf for Sophie. So easy but very cute!

One more picture because I just love it!

Sewing Room Happenings

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

After a major sewing slump in November and December I am now happy to be in my sewing room puttering away on all sorts of fun things! It certainly helps that I've been staying home quite a bit.

I've wanted to make a 'plus quilt' for the longest time. I've had several in my Flickr favourites for a few years and now one on my Pinterest board too. This one is baby size and I will show the whole thing when I am finished.

I borrowed my friend's Go Baby Cutter to cut out these tumbler shapes. This one is also baby sized and I LOVE it! All from my scrap bin. I'll show you this one when it's finished too. :-) (PS - Rebecca is having a great giveaway - click here to see it!)

A cover for my dad's new ipad. I have such a hard time giving or making things for my dad. When he got an ipad recently I instantly knew I could make something for him. And he likes it! And uses it! Yeah! I actually forgot to take a photo of it before I gave it to him so Gord took a photo of it when he stopped by there.

A quick little pouch to go with a birthday present.

Love using my zippers!

So that's how it's going in the sewing room. I hope to get back in there today to start quilting my baby quilts. Fun, fun!

Goodbye 2011...Hello 2012

2012-01-04T16:18:00.000-08:00

2011 wasn't a very eventful crafting year for me with my year filled with a pregnancy and a newborn baby but I did do some. I'm looking forward to finishing my two big quilt tops this year!

This is my first time trying to make a picture mosaic and for some reason the 3rd picture will not show up so here that one is. From last March and still just a top...

Blessings for 2012!

A Few of My Favourite Things

2012-01-02T16:34:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd pick a photo from each month of blog posts in 2011. Just for fun!

January
Went to visit Suzanne. Highlight of my month for sure!

February
Finished Quilt for my s-i-l, Karen.

March
Rainbow Zig Zag Quilt

April
String Quilt Finished. My kids made this with my help. We gave it to Dylan, their cousin.

May
Quilt for me! I love the fabrics and pattern. It's a big one!

June
Not much sewing in June. Table Runner for Gord's niece and fianace.

July
So happy to spend time with Suzanne and her family again!

August
Getting my new home organized and nice.

September
Not too much sewing happened in September but I definitely saw my share of apples this month!

October
You Colour My World Quilt for my other s-i-l Karen.

November
I made four sleep sacks for two nephews, a niece and a friend's baby.

December
A month of the sewing slump. I did manage to get the puppet theatre done for the girls.

Thanks for reading along on our little blog. We like sewing and it's fun to share too! Wishing you all a blessed 2012!

Alisa

A Blessed Christmas To All!

2011-12-24T12:56:00.000-08:00

Enjoy your day tomorrow, praising God for sending His Son to earth as a baby for our salvation!

Alisa

Suzanne

We're So Proud

2011-12-23T10:47:00.000-08:00

Our little sister, Karen (she's 19) made this fantastic quilt for her boyfriend for Christmas. She did a really good job on it and we are so proud of her. She's also made various other things this year too, but this was her big, big project. We love you, Karen! (And not just because you sew.)

Pattern is from a quilt-along at I Have to Say

Quick Change Trousers

2011-12-21T12:26:00.000-08:00

I made these pants from Anna Maria Horner's "Handmade Beginnings" book one Saturday. Sebastian has this beautiful vest but had no pants that matched. They are made from an old pair of his Daddy's pants and a too small dress shirt. I love it when things are so thrifty they're free :)

I don't think he'll wear them this way but this is the lining.

Book Winner and a Jane Market Bag

2011-12-16T10:36:00.000-08:00

Thanks for entering the giveaway for Easy Greeting Gifts. There can only be one winner though and it is #21 - Saraccino! Congratulations! I'll be emailing you for your mailing address.

I made this Jane Market Bag recently. It is a great pattern. The only change I made was to add a piece of hard plastic into the bottom of the bag. It is not a very photogenic bag though. It is quite floppy, but that is because it is meant as a grocery/shopping bag and not a tote as such. It is quite like the cloth grocery bags from Superstore.

Inside I used a linen that has been in my stash for 15 years. I bought it it Brazil when I was 18 years old. (And yes, that makes me 33!) I had a skirt made for me and I've had the leftovers ever since. I have been trying to use up what I have and this time I used my precious linen. I still have some left though.

Again, my photos are uploading the wrong way. Does anyone know why this is happening? I never have had this problem before...

I made a little pouch to go with it. Taken from this pattern but changed. It's a great pattern by the way. This was made for gift exchange we had with our family a while back. It's a game in which one can steal your present from you. (It's a fun game!)

Seeing as today is my kid's last day of school before Christmas Break I will probably not be around much on our blog. I'll probably pop back in once more before the end of the year. Till then, Alisa

Caramel Popcorn

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Every December I make a few batches of Caramel Popcorn. It is so, so yummy and very easy. This tastes way better than anything you can buy. One of the kids would like to make this for her teacher.

Caramel Popcorn

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter or margerine
3 tbsp corn syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp vanilla
10 cups popped popcorn

Combine the first 4 ingredients over low heat until butter is melted. Cook without stirring for 3 minutes. Add baking soda and vanilla. Stir well then pour onto popcorn and mix evenly until coated. Bake for 15 minutes at 300 F. Break into pieces when cool. Try not to eat the whole batch in one sitting!

A sleepsack from Aunty Alisa!

2011-12-13T12:44:00.000-08:00

This came in the mail last week for Sebastian!

It's already been christened with a good spit up so it's wrinkly from the wash :)

It fits him perfectly right now but he's a long little guy! Hopefully he'll be able to wear it for a while.

Notice the beautiful blanket he's lying on? That's another gift from a good friend. I love the texture!! Thanks again, Annette!

Thank you Aunty Alisa!

If you want to enter the giveaway click here

SMS Giveaway Day - Easy Greeting Cards Review

2011-12-12T12:45:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I won a wonderful giveaway at the WileyCraft blog. It was everything I need to create some super cute gift bags. The project is from one of their new books, Easy Greeting Cards. I am not normally drawn to paper crafting but now that my kids are getting older we like to do these things together. I also got a copy of the book to review and I am also going to give one away!

My girls hard at it, making their bags.

They took the idea from the book and then 'made it their own.'

All of them together. We are going to bake cookies for their teachers and wrap them in the bags.

Melissa's bag

They wanted a pose all together!

Mine. I really deviated from the original. What can I say, I don't like following instructions?

The original picture from the book.

I tried everything to get this photo the right way, but it just won't listen to me. I though I'd post some of the cards I like. I am drawn to the cards with buttons, ribbon and stitching.

The stitching! This could be a neat quilting idea too...

Again, sorry about the sideways photo! I love this card!

Neat Valentines idea for the kids next year!

This card is so simple, but so effective! I can see myself using this design for sure.

I mostly dabble in fabric but this book really appeals to me. Many of the cards can be made without specialized tools, just some paper, glue, scissors and ribbon. It's a great book for older girls and teens too.

Would you like to have your own copy of the book? Just leave a comment on this post for a chance to win one! Or buy one.

For another entry follow both our blog and the WileyCraft blog and let me know in a comment.

Have a wonderful week!

ETA - I'll pick a winner on Wednesday night

LTTS Puppet Theater - Nearly Finished!

2011-12-06T22:14:00.001-08:00

Nearly finished the Little Things to Sew Puppet Theatre. (Is theatre spelled wrong in the book, or am I just spelling it the Canadian way?) I wanted to enter it into A Little Gray's Puppet Theatre linky party which is over tomorrow.

This project wasn't too difficult to do and my husband feels part of the project because he bought the tension rod and the dowels for me. Nice guy, isn't he.

I used some 4 inch charms to brighten up the front. I didn't really want to do a house so this is what I came up with. I'm not totally loving it, but it's too late to change it now. I was thinking that I could made another front for the bottom section to snap on to it for different scenes.

I'm not quite finished stitching all of the charms on yet. You can see the pins I'm sure.

Now to find, or make some puppets. Where can I find reasonably priced puppets?...

Thanks Jessica from A Little Gray for giving me the push to get this started and finished!

Moments in my sewing room - I'm quilting!

2011-12-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

And loving it!

I'm having trouble with it pulling a bit with the straight line quilting. I've lowered the presser foot pressure...anything else I can do to help?

A Couple of Wreaths and a Winner

2011-12-02T13:58:00.001-08:00

A couple more wreaths. The top one I actually made last year but I put a new bow on it this year. I love it!

Besides the ribbon, this one is made with all thrifted materials. I picked up the vine wreath a few months ago and the ornaments just recently. The photo isn't superb but you get the idea. It's hanging in my family room.

And now for the winner of the Kamsnaps Snap Pliers....

#29 - Anne

Anne has a blogger profile but no email address. Is it my friend Anne? Or another Anne... :-) Just email me if you are the one!

And now I'm off to finish a gift for tonight!

KamSnaps Review and Give-away - Now closed

2011-11-27T20:09:00.001-08:00

Today I am happy to review the KamSnaps Snap Pliers and Plastic Snaps!

As you know, I like to make bibs. I even sell my bib pattern. I have made many, many bibs and all with a metal snap that had to be pounded in with a hammer. Often the snap wouldn't work properly and I'd have to redo it, sometimes over and over. I've even ruined a bib trying to get the snap in. My friend Rebecca had a KamSnap Pliers and Plastic snaps. I had my doubts that a plastic snap would work well in my bibs, as they are 3 layers thick but she offered that I try it out and I am so glad I did!

So, so easy to use! And so professional looking too. I have had a 100% success rate with these snaps and I am now having fun using them in all sorts of applications.

KamSnaps is a great company to work with. They shipped my snap pliers and snaps right away. They offer free shipping for US orders of $28 or more and on Canadian orders of $35 or more.

Not only that they give away a free set of pliers for every 100 newfacebook fans & Twitter followers. For every 1000, they will give away a snappress!

http://www.facebook.com/kamsnaps & http://twitter.com/KAMsnaps.

Check out their blog where they constantly hold giveaways and post the latest sales and announcements: http://kamsnaps.blogspot.com/.

Soother straps are a fun and easy baby gift (or a baby gift add-on). KamSnaps also sells the clips that I used to make mine.

Are you new to snaps? KamSnaps has a comprehensive Getting Started page on their website. Check it out if you are wondering about something snap-related.

They also have a great tutorial page which has a bunch of diaper conversion tutorials as well as a few other handy ones, such as this roll up tote which would make a great grocery bag.

I ordered the plain snaps but KamSnaps has an abundance of other fun snaps to play with too! They offer star and heart-shaped snaps in many colours. They sent me a few fun ones to play with, which I did. But I gave the bib away before I took a photo of it. Oops. It looked very cute with the red star snap!

The engraved snaps are also super cute. How about a VW Beetle in Gray?!

Or a turtle in Red?

Take a look at the many choices for engraved snaps, including Ooga Booga.

Now on to the give-way!

KamSnaps is offering one of our readers a coupon code for $20.95 good for the purchase of a snap pliers! Shippingis free within the US on orders of $28+ and Canada of $35+.

Residents from any country may enter.

To enter, let me know what you would use your snap pliers for. Would you make your own diapers? Pouches, bibs...? Let me know!

There are also 5 additional ways you can enter. Please leave a comment for each one you've done.

- like KamSnaps on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/kamsnaps

- follow them on Twitter http://twitter.com/KAMsnaps

- publicly follow their blog http://kamsnaps.blogspot.com/

- add the button to their website or blog (button can befound on the bottom right sidebar of our blog http://kamsnaps.blogspot.com/

- join the KAMsnaps.com mailing list (left sidebar ofkamsnaps.com). They never share email addresses with anyone else.

Hope you all have a wonderful week! I'll leave the give-away open until Friday 12:00 Noon, PST.

A Wreath and a Winner

2011-11-25T14:59:00.001-08:00

I picked this twig wreath up at the thrift store a while back. This week I got to work with some fabric and the hot glue gun to come up with this. I'm pretty happy with it! (Inspired by this one on pinterest.) It isn't actually hanging on my front door though, I just put it there to get a photo of it. It's in my living room in close proximity to my table runner.

Anyway, on to the winner of the give-away. Thanks so much to everyone for entering and for the new followers. We don't actually want new followers just to make us feel good inside, really. But having a good follower base will allow us to do some product and pattern testing and let you all know about it too!

The winner is #11 - Sian, who is just getting back into blogging after a hiatus. Congratulations, Sian and I'll email you shortly!

Come back Monday for a review and give-away for Kamsnaps!

My friend Rebecca is hosting a give-away at her blog today.

Moments in my sewing room 2

2011-11-24T09:05:00.000-08:00

Two out of nine blocks done! It's making me happy :)

And this is what's been keeping me busy this week. Three girls with the chicken pox. This was taken before they got all their spots. We're over the hump now though and they're feeling much better!

The Give-away is still open. It will be open until Friday sometime. Go here to enter!

Flurry Table Runner

2011-11-23T09:42:00.001-08:00

A while back I bought a few charm packs at Pink Chalk Fabrics. The other two were to make gifts with but I bought one charm pack for me. And I love the bright, happy colours! (And if you are from the Fraser Valley you understand why I need bright colours in the winter.)

Charm Pack is Flurry by Kate Spain. I made this table runner at the Quilt Till You Wilt we had in early November and I'm enjoying it already.

The Give-away is still open. I'll keep it open until Friday sometime. Go here to enter!

Give-away - closed

2011-11-21T16:04:00.001-08:00

I promised you a give-away, didn't I? Sorry to take so long to get to it. I didn't forget!

I cut up some of my stash to bring you this happy fat quarter bundle. You can tell I like dots. And bright colours.

Suzanne and I love to sew and create. We like to blog about it too. Blogging keeps us motivated to keep on making and finishing what we start. It's also fun to connect with others who like us, dream of what we are going to make next while falling asleep at night! :-) We especially like it when others are inspired to sew and create too. We love comments and answers to our questions and opinions. It is certainly fun! So thank you for reading our little blog.

So, would you like to play with these fabrics?

Leave me a comment. Just say 'Hi', or if you feel like it leave me a link for your favourite tutorial.

Comment a second time to let me know if you are a follower of our blog.

Comment again if you've spread the word about our giveaway.

Please, please put your name and email address in the comment if you are anonymous or don't have your email address in your blogger profile.

Moments in my sewing room

2011-11-15T16:10:00.000-08:00

Not much time here for sewing or quilting but I did start a quilt so I have been spending a few minutes at a time in my sewing room! It's very exciting to be playing with fabric again!!

Birthday Party Messenger Bags

2011-11-10T21:58:00.001-08:00

Today was Melissa's birthday party with her classmates. She didn't really want to play too many games so I was racking my brain for what we could do. Last night I was doing some online 'research' into what I could do with these girls and I read an article about a mother who had a sewing party for her 9 year old. I figured I'd give it a try....

I did take photos with the girls faces too but I didn't think I should publish them on my blog.

If you had talked to me while we were in the middle of it I would have told you that I would never do it again. But as we got closer to the finish line they were more excited about it and when we were finished they were thrilled. One of the girls didn't finish her bag but she just didn't feel like doing it and I wasn't going to make her. Melissa gave her the one she had made. (She's sweet that way. She didn't want to see her go home without one.) So, I'm not sure if I want to tackle another sewing project at a birthday party. It was worth a try though.

And a photo of the birthday girl in action. I think this shot is so funny. She's blowing so hard because she doesn't want any candles left burning. For every one left that's how many boyfriends she has, or so they say. I'm happy to report that she didn't have any left burning. Good girl.

My beautiful 9 year old. I love this girl so much!

Pattern was a free tutorial by Amy of Diary of a Quilter

Sleep Sacks

2011-11-08T15:09:00.000-08:00

This week I've been working on sleep sacks. I've used the pattern from Anna Maria Horner's book Handmade Beginnings. If you've been reading this blog for any length of time you know my love of bias binding. I love how it adds so much to the sleep sack. I also got to give my new snap pliers a workout. I've been having fun with this project!

I bought all of the fabrics for these at Joann's in Bellingham. The flannel was on sale for 2.99/yard. So affordable and much less expensive than up here in Canada.

Colette, do you still read our blog? Which one would you like for Danielle?

Toddler-In-The-Hood Jacket

2011-11-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

I loved Zachary's Baby-In-The-Hood Jacket so much that I decided to make a larger one. The pattern is from the book Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner. It only goes to size 2 so I made it a little larger and longer.

The fabric is a dark gray denim on the outside and a heavy plaid cotton for the lining and accents. I think it's a decorator weight fabric. I've had it in my stash for quite some time so it was good to use it up!

Do you know that it's very difficult to take photos of Zachary? He never ever stands still. So it took 28 photos to present you with these 5 mediocre photos.

The coat is meant to be for church and going out. When I showed it to him he said, "Nursery?" (That's where he goes when we are in church.) So it must look like a church coat to him.

And on this last photo you can see the view down our street. Snow on the peaks! Crisp cool mornings and sun! The forecast was for rain and showers all week, but if this is rain then I'm happy!

I'm pretty sure my kids had a conversation this morning something like this:

Carolin: Hey Zach, Mom looks pretty busy today. She's got housework and stuff to do. It's going to be a pretty boring day for us, I'm sure.

Zachary: Yep, I think you're right. We'll have to make our own fun.

Carolin: What should we do?

Zachary: I think we should start by ripping Ben's light off the wall again. It's no fair that he should have a light by his bed anyway.

Carolin: That might work to get Mom's attention. We could also pretend to be colouring nicely and then dump out the whole drawer of pens and pencils.

Zachary: Good one, Carolin. While you are doing that, I'll rip apart a library book and try colouring on the floor.

Carolin: That should get her attention. While she's cleaning it up we'll go downstairs for awhile.

Zachary: That should work. Then we'll play with some of the girls stuff while we're down there.

Carolin: I know just what we can do down there. I've always wanted to dump out all of their beads....

Ever have days like that? I'm so glad I can walk out of the door tonight at 5:45 to Quilt Till You Wilt with a bunch of other like-minded individuals. Mostly moms like me who probably have their share of stories to tell too. I'm looking forward to it!

Quick Naptime Project

2011-11-03T16:12:00.000-07:00

I made Zachary super happy with this pillow case. Easy, fast and fun!

Suzanne and I have posted over 300 times on this little blog. And we are almost at 200 followers! Thanks for reading. It's fun to share our sewing projects and sometimes a bit about our lives. When we reach 200 followers I'll do a bit of a giveaway. That's a hint. :-)

Before and After

2011-11-02T15:05:00.000-07:00

This was a fun project! The skirt and shirt are hand-me-downs from my niece. It's a cute outfit but by the time it would fit any of my girls I'm not sure they would wear it. I LOVED the fabrics in the outfit though.

So, I set out with my scissors and an old pattern to use for sizing and turned it into a cute little dress for Carolin.

I used the existing neckline, sleeves, buttons and buttonholes and the tiered skirt, though I had to shorten the middle tier.

I don't know about you, but I find re-purposing SO very rewarding. Especially when it works.

(My niece liked what I did to her outfit.)

The End

2011-10-31T08:54:00.000-07:00

of the great PJ sew down of 2011. Total was 6 pairs of PJ bottoms, 4 sets of PJ's and 1 nightgown. We are set for winter! And the greatest thing? Every last bit of the fabric was from my stash!

My girls are the same size so I made 4 pj pants for the 2 of them to share.

The only way to get her to stand still long enough. "Show mommy how old you are."

He doesn't know how old he is, I guess.
The red stripe was necessary so I could get a pair out of this fabric.

And the short sleeves were necessary on this one. So glad to use up all these fabrics!

Have a good week! I'll be back with a few more sewing projects later this week. DV.

Bloggers Quilt Festival - Alisa

2011-10-28T18:31:00.000-07:00

For the Bloggers Quilt Festival I've decided to re-publish a post from May of this year. This quilt is the favourite I've made in the past year. It now resides in my living room and it's sure a cheery quilt! Thanks for stopping by. Come again!

***

This past Monday our family headed out to "The Ranch" for the day. It was a holiday and we were celebrating my b-i-l's birthday. "The Ranch" is a 100 acre piece of land my b-i-l and s-i-l bought about 5 years ago. They've slowly been turning it into a really unique place to live. They raise organic chickens, turkeys, pigs and now llamas too! My kids (and us) love going to visit. We just can't get out there often enough. (It takes about 1.5 hours to drive there.)

It was a wonderful relaxing day and the perfect place to take photos of my newly finished quilt.
Of course I couldn't find my camera at the moment so my s-i-l's snapped the photos for me. They are really super sister-in-laws even if they call me a quilting dork. That dog is Rusty. How nice of him to pose for me.
Carol even got out a prop for me. I told you, I have great s-i-l's.
The back. I was not planning to have that strip in there but I didn't have enough of the flannel. Now that it's done, it does look fine.
A very old out-building. I love it!
And, just to be really cool, on the back of Charlie (or is it Badger?) When I told my husband I was taking my quilt along to take photos of it at the ranch he though I was a little weird. "What are you going to do, take a photo of it on the back of a horse?" Well, yes I think I will!

Quilt Stats

Size: 72 x 84 inches

Fabrics: mostly Freebird by Momo as well as some solids and near solids from here and there

Pattern: from Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner

Changes: I changed the construction of one of the blocks. She instructed the quilter to applique squares on squares. I figured out the measurements to piece it instead. Easier and saved on fabric.

This quilt is one of my favourites to date and it is in use already. My husband likes it because he fits under it.

I'm just adding two more photos. These were taken in our back yard and I find them a bit more true to the actual colour of the quilt.

I have to share!

2011-10-26T13:14:00.000-07:00

We received two beautiful handmade gifts this week! I give a lot of handmade gifts but don't often receive them so this was very special!

A little vest with cabled owls across the front:

And a set (also owls!) with a hat that'll go with the sweater or vest! This was from my friend who I made this quilt for.

Thank you Vanessa and Laura!!

Bits of my life in pictures

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Multi-tasking at it's best... Having coffee with Alisa via phone, nursing, and Sophie reading with me.

Book character day at school. Robin Hood and Kate Wetherall from The Mysterious Benedict Society (Highly recommended books btw).

Our two (?) redheads :)

Enjoying our beautiful fall weather!

Our little guy with the quilt I made for him.

I'll post pictures of his room once I have it all put together.

You Colour My World Quilt

2011-10-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Made with love for my sister-in-law Karen (the other one.)

Karen picked out the fabrics herself which made this quilt a little more challenging, in a good way.

I didn't follow a pattern, just squared up each block at 15 inches. This made for fun, relaxing piecing. I had planned to do straight line quilting but I decided to meaner quilt it. The brown floral is flannel and I found that on some seams it was starting to fray. Hopefully by meandering it the seams stay where they are supposed to and won't fray any more.

We bought about 10 yards of fabric. I had just enough for both the front and the back. There is only a small pile of scraps left. That is such a good feeling.

I call this quilt "You Colour My World" because it is, well, colourful. And because Karen is one of those people that colours my world. She's not only my s-i-l but a great friend too.

This quilt is my entry for Stitched in Color's "Celebrate Color' contest this month. I really, really wanted to get it done in time and I did!

Linking up to Sew Modern Monday.

Things That Make My Heart Sing

2011-10-21T14:57:00.000-07:00

Or I could call the post "My Ordinary Life." Either way they are both true.

Sometimes I feel that this blog isn't a fair representation of what our lives are like. To be honest I spend way more time in my kitchen than in my sewing room. And, I like cooking and baking just as much as sewing. Today I took some snapshots to show you what my kitchen looks like at least once per week (usually twice.)

Gingersnaps

My helpers.

Unedited photo of what my kitchen really looks like.

Cinnamon Buns on the rise. These ones aren't for us though.

Pasta sauce simmering.

Music to listen to.

And that, my friends is what makes my heart sing. A warm house, healthy and happy children, baking in the works and supper on the go. God is good.

Don't get me wrong here. Things don't always go well. Hard things happen and are happening. But God is good in allowing wonderful, everyday things to happen too.

KCWC Days 5 & 6 ...

2011-10-17T11:09:00.000-07:00

... looked more like this.

This is me.

One of the gorgeous views.

My gorgeous sister-in-law (one of the Karens!)

View of the Black Diamond Ranch.

Gorgeous, crispy morning.

God's handiwork.

Yup, those are frosty mushrooms.

Coldwater River.

Cows. Wow, what a caption.

Alpacas.

The other three s-i-l's.

And yes, I did do some sewing too. Finished this nightgown for Carolin.

Great times were had. And a lot of eating and relaxation too. Looking forward to doing it again! Thanks so much s-i-l's for being so great!

KCWC Day 4

2011-10-13T21:27:00.001-07:00

Today I continued to sew my way through my pile of cut out pj's. Again, I would have liked to get more accomplished but it wasn't to be. I sewed up this pair of pj's for Zachary and a pair of pj pants for Benjamin. Ben is not a willing model these days, especially if it means going outside into the light to get a photo taken. His are matching to Zachary's pants. They like that.

A few years ago I received a few boxes of fabric from one of Gord's aunts who sewed alot when she was younger. In the box was about 10 metres of this fabric on a bolt. I've made 3 complete pairs of pj's from it and now these 2 pairs of pants. Benjamin is tired of this fabric by now but I am determined to sew from my stash and use this stuff up.

The stripe is a knit that I bought a couple of years ago at Fabricland for $2/m. So, very thrifty pj's. I like them and so does Zachary. In fact he didn't want to take them off and proceeded to bike in culdesac with them on. I wonder what the neighbors think?

Thanks for following along on my sewing journey! Kind of boring sewing, but blogging about it is keeping me motivated. Thanks for the comments! I'm going to continue sewing along this week but I'll not be posting. I am going away for 2 days with my sisters-in-law to 'the Ranch' for a fun weekend of crafting (for me that is sewing), chatting, quading, walking, enjoying the great outdoors and each others' company. I am looking forward to it!

And Suzanne, I'm looking forward to chatting on the phone with you next week. :-)

KCWC Day 3

2011-10-13T09:11:00.000-07:00

Not as much as I would have liked to get done, but three pairs of pj pants. Not the most glamorous fabrics but all from my stash. That's exciting!

Meet Sebastian!

2011-10-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Our little Sebastian came into this world on Monday, September 26 at 5:30am.

He was born at home while the rest of the family was sleeping. The kids woke up shortly after to a new baby brother. It was so special!

So excited to have a little brother!

That same afternoon he started to have trouble breathing so we called our midwife who took us straight to Emerg. He came down with Group B Streptococcus Sepsis and was on antibiotics for 2 weeks. By the end of the first week I was feeling pretty ill too so I spent a night in the Emerg and found out the next day that I also had GBS in the blood. So, there we were, both on IV antibiotics in the hospital. Not where we expected to be but where we needed to be.

Nice hat!

It was a long and tough two weeks but our Heavenly Father carried us through. Praise God for the health care that we have here so we could be looked after so well and can be home now together as family of 7!

KCWC Day 2 Cut, Cut, Cut!

2011-10-12T09:28:00.000-07:00

I cut out 6 pairs of pj pants and 4 sets of pj's. That's alot of cutting! I did it on my kitchen counter with the kids playing around me.

This stack of fabrics is ready to be made into Sunday outfits for the girls. Black and white. So boring, but that's what they wanted. I think they'll turn out cute.

Today I would like to sew all day but I have to do some groceries and make supper too. Why does that housekeeping stuff always get in the way? :-)

Kids Clothes Week Challenge

2011-10-10T20:13:00.000-07:00

This week it's Kid's Clothes Week Challenge over at Elsie Marley. I really need to get going on a few things for my kids fall/winter wardrobe so I am joining in.

My list looks something like this:

- Sunday dress for Melissa
- Sunday dress for Deanna
- Sunday dress for Carolin
- 2 pairs of pj's for Zachary
- 2 pj bottoms for Ben
- 2 pairs of pj's for Carolin
- 3 - 4 pj bottoms for Melissa and Deanna

Totally not going to happen but it's good to have a list and get going at it right?

I'll check back in tomorrow and let you know what I've accomplished so far. If I don't check back in, it means I haven't accomplished anything. :-)

Do you have lots of sewing to do for your kids? Why not join in?

PS - Today it is Thanksgiving Day. Today I am thankful that Suzanne and Sebastian are finally home from the hospital. Yeah!

Zach's Pack

2011-09-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

Zach's Pack is not very photogenic. So I'll apologize up front for the terrible photos. I think if I had used a stiffer canvas it would not look like this. Anyway, it looks better in real life, you'll just have to trust me on that.

Pattern is the Penguin Backpack from Oliver and S Little Things to Sew. This book is one of the best pattern books I have ever had. Easy to follow instructions and fun projects that are easily customizable.

I decided to add piping as I've seen on other backpack patterns. It was surprisingly easy to do.

Recycled strap adjusters.

Fun zipper pull. I picked this zipper up at the thrift store a few years ago. So glad I did.

When I finished the bag up, Zachary put it on and immediately walked downstairs toward the garage door saying, "Bus, bus." He thought he could go on the bus if he had a back pack. So funny!

Backpack in action. If he can't go on the bus, then this car will have to do.

I'm linking up to A Little Gray's Backpack Link Up. Check out all of the other Penguin Backpacks.

BTW - Suzanne had her baby on Monday morning bright and early! Everything seemed to be okay but that afternoon he wasn't doing too well. Sebastian has Group B Strep Infection and is on antibiotics in the hospital. He'll need to be in for about 2 weeks. I am sure she will post some photos when they are both home.

'You Colour My World' Top Finished

2011-09-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

You Colour My World Quilt in progress

Even though I haven't had too much time in my sewing room lately I have managed to finish this quilt top! It has been fun piecing with colours and fabics that were chosen by someone else. I'll post more when it's all finished. No promises on when that will be though.

A Little Project

2011-09-22T18:59:00.000-07:00

I finally finished this hair "thingy" holder for in the bathroom. I had everything for it a couple months ago already except for the spray paint. So this week I picked that up and finished it off. Our bathroom is the 70's green which I really don't mind but pairing it with another colour is hard so I just went with brown. It's a hit with the girls, especially Sophie, who this morning was very determined to wear the red flower (I tried to persuade her to pick something pink as that's the colour she was wearing but she wanted nothing to do with that!).

I'm due this week!

2011-09-20T16:02:00.000-07:00

This pregnancy has flown by for me and gone very well! I can't believe that any day now we could be holding our new little one in our arms. We're looking forward to it very much!

Here's one last picture. I haven't taken very many but thought I'd better before it's over. I'm wearing the skirt I made way back at the beginning. At the time I wasn't sure whether to keep one I bought or use this one and I'm happy to say I returned the bought one and have worn this one a lot! It's one of my most comfortable pieces along with this shirt that I've been living in :)

And a sweet pic of me and our youngest for not much longer! :)

A special quilt for a special little girl!

2011-09-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

I have a friend who was a "due date buddy" with me. I'm due on Thursday(!!) and she was due tomorrow. Well, after a complicated pregnancy and lots of uncertainty, she had her little, itty bitty, girl at 33 weeks 4 days! She did amazingly well and came home only 2 weeks later. This quilt was made for her.

Inspired by this quilt.

And here she is...about 6lbs already!

Random Bullet List

2011-09-16T09:00:00.000-07:00

* Made these cookies a few times. Very good. Too good if you know what I mean.

* Suzanne is due in one week. One week! She's ready and excited.

* I turned 33 earlier this month. I had a great birthday. We had friends over and played Party Bridge.

* My little sister bought me a Kona Color Chart! I was excited to say the least.

* I also got a really beautiful basket from some of my sister-in-laws. I've drooled over them many times and now I have my own. Love it. Thank you girls!

* Both of these gifts were not on my birthday list. They were things I had mentioned in the past that were remembered. That's what makes them so special.

* Made salsa with another sister-in-law. It has just the right amount of bite. Yummy.

* I have these apples waiting for me. To make into apple sauce, apple pie, apple crisp. And we'll eat some just like that too. From my parents' tree.

* This guy. He keeps me hopping. We're toilet training. The last few days he's been getting it! Imagine.... no kids in diapers. Wow!

* Insomnia. It's taking a toll on me. I am not very energetic because of it. Anyone else deal with it?

* Rain. We just had a light shower. We haven't had much rain lately and the sound was music to my ears. I must be a west coast girl through and through.

One room done!

2011-09-12T07:00:00.000-07:00

The other week I called Alisa to tell her that I was finally getting somewhere on Lukas' and Sophie's room and coincidentally she was working on her girls room at the exact time I called her :) Do things like that ever happen to you?

We had to do some moving around of the kids in preparation for baby. This will be the first time we can have a specific baby room and I'm kind of excited! So we picked up a used bunk bed and moved Sophie out of her crib and into Lukas' room.

Lot's of pictures as the room is small and hard to take pictures in (especially with the sun shining in the window)...

I made a valance for the window and curtain for the closet with leftovers from Lukas' quilt.

A covered bulletin board so he can display some of his artwork and crafts...

This is a painting Lukas made this summer. I love $ stores - $2 for a nice sized canvas!

Lukas' top bunk. He loves to look at the map and flags! You can often find Sophie snuggled up here with him in the morning. So cute!

Here you can see Sophie's bed on the bottom with the bight quilt. Not quite long enough for the bed but the colours work so great with Lukas'.

A very crooked picture but the only way I could get one with all the coordinating fabrics on :)

It sure feels good to have it done!

Here's a picture of what the room looked like last summer before any of this was started...it's come a long way!

I thought maybe I'd be able to get Tessa's quilt quilted and have the two older girls room put together in the next week but with the way my machine is acting I'm not so sure! Maybe I'll just quilt it with straight lines... I think the baby room will get done after he/she arrives :)

Anyone with a Pfaff Expression 4?

2011-09-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

I need some help!

I've loved the machine so far but I can not seem to free motion quilt with it! I tried it for the first time a few months ago and had a lot of trouble with the thread snapping every time. It was just a little table topper though so I persevered and got it done despite rethreading all the time.

Now this past week I got Tessa's quilt basted (with the help of my cousin - thanks!) and thought I'd get a good start on it. But it's been nothing but frustration! I've broken two needles and my thread keeps breaking. I've cleaned the machine, tried different needles, switched threads, played with tension and pivot height. I'll be bringing it in this week but I really wanted to get this quilt done before our baby arrives.

Anyone with this machine experience a similar thing? Any advise?

Back to School

2011-09-09T10:11:00.000-07:00

So this week was back to school for our kids. Summer goes by too fast for me but they were excited! Tessa started Kindergarten this year and she loved it!

How is that I'm making 3 lunches already?? It feels like we were just sending Anneke to school for the first time!

Tessa's actual first day of school was Thursday. Here she is all excited and ready to go!

And, a couple of Sophie who gets to have a few (hopefully) days at home by herself with me before the baby comes. Probably nothing new but I discovered that shoelaces and beads are a great craft for a 2 1/2 year old! They're easy to put on, don't fall off that easily and...she was busy with it for almost an hour!

So True...

2011-09-07T11:10:00.000-07:00

My mom found this at a thrift store and gave it to me for my birthday. Pretty good find, don't you think?

New Fabric (and a Pencil Pouch)

2011-09-02T14:59:00.000-07:00

This past week my s-i-l's and I took the big trek out to Bellingham to shop at Costco and JoAnn's. We do not have a JoAnn's in Canada. Too bad because it's a fun store to shop in!

My s-i-l picked out fabric for a quilt for herself. One floral print and the rest solids. I'm excited about this one! Beautiful fall colours.

And a new pencil pouch for Melissa. It's fun and satisfying making small projects with cute fabric.

On Being a Mother

2011-08-29T16:24:00.001-07:00

Being a mom often means putting aside our own wants in favour of our childrens'.

Today it meant helping my girls finish their doll quilts. Even though I'd much rather have had my own time in the sewing room.

One day they'll be gone. Moved out or married. I have to teach them and love them as much as I can right now. And it's the last week of summer vacation.

One last photo for those who like to see photos of our family. Benjamin took this photo. There's a water spot or something on the lens but I still just love it! Getting tossed back and forth is sheer delight for Zachary and you can see it on his face.

Have a good week! Spend time with your little ones before they head out the door next Tuesday.

Corners of my Home: The Girls' Room

2011-08-26T15:58:00.001-07:00

One of the things we liked about our new home was the room that would be our girls' bedroom. It was just perfect for them with two parts to it and a bathroom too. It is also light and airy with several windows. I've had fun making it cute for them. I am not a home decorator by any means, just making my house a home.

Looking into the room from the doorway. Carolin sleeps on the bottom and Deanna on top.

I bought the rug at Ikea. It likes to slip around the floor so I bought some anti-slip material to keep it in place. I just finished the window toppers the other day. I made them from the curtain that was hanging in front of their closet in our old place. As you can see, the centre panel is different than the outside panels. It's the way it had to be using the old curtain. Does it look funny, or is it a design feature? :-)

Closer up.

Looking toward the other section of the room. Kind of neat, isn't it? That's where Melissa sleeps and beyond that is the bathroom. The flower lamp is from Ikea too. The rug by Melissa's bed is from there too.

I love this picture. I bought it from A Little Sweetness. I just love her work. I bought some notecards from her too and intend to frame one of each to hang beside this one. The frame used to be brown. A coat of spray paint made it pink.

I decided to hang my quilt in here. I love it on the white wall. Melissa's bed needs some work. It has quite a few different coats of paint on it. Gord's Grandpa made this bed, along with another identical one, many years ago for Gord's sisters. We'd like to keep using this bed but I think it needs a good sanding and painting. One day.

The mirror and shelf were a garage sale find. The were white and got a coat of spray paint too. I love spray paint. It's so satisfying to make something ugly or worn into something beautiful with just a coat of spray paint.

And this wall hanging. I've shown it before, but here it is again.

So, that's the nearly completed girls room. The bathroom needs a paint job. Now that you've seen the room, what colour should I paint it?

Sometimes I Make Dresses

2011-08-24T09:25:00.000-07:00

And don't take photos of them for a couple of months. What can I say?I finished Melissa's dress at the beginning of July and Deanna's sat around half finished until the end of July.
I'm glad I made them though. They've been wearing them every Sunday since. They are simple and cool, yet modest. (I won't go into a rant right now about the clothes one can buy for young girls. Maybe later.)
Pattern is Burda 9703. I've made this one three times now. I like it when I can use a pattern more than once.
And, all three girls together.

Sometimes I Make Pie

2011-08-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

Though I've never made Peach Pie before. It was yummy!

And sometimes we go camping. This was the first time by ourselves with just our kids and it was fun!

Fires at night. Smores, popcorn, sausage. Mmmm.

Tuckered right out. Slept from 5:30 until 7:30 the next morning.

A really neat waterfall we hiked to. It was a very scary, unmaintained trail, but worth it I think.

There were several owls flying around the campground each night.

No, these weren't at our campsite but we drove out to them one day.

Smiling at the camera man.

She didn't know I was taking this picture. She's talking to Deanna.

Our whole family. Is this good enough for the Christmas card this year? :-)

My man. He makes breakfast every morning while we are camping. Pancakes, bacon and eggs. Mmmm.

We camped at Mable Lake, BC on the recommendation of several friends who love it there. We loved it too! We spent 10 days relaxing, reading and completely enjoying God's creation. He made many beautiful places in this world and we're thankful when we can discover and enjoy them.

BTW... We were completely 'unplugged' there and I loved it!

Tessa's quilt top is done!

2011-08-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Now here's hoping I can get it quilted and bound in the next few weeks!

She's so excited to have her own quilt :)

It's been a long time....

2011-08-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

...since I've posted anything on this blog! We had a wonderful time visiting family in July and then had company here at our place once we were home. It's been a busy and fun summer so far - hard to believe that the kids go back to school in a few weeks and only a couple short weeks after that we hope to meet our new little one!

Before we left for BC I finished a new bag for myself. It's Amy Butler's Frenchy Bag pattern.

I really like how it turned out. I used canvas from Fabricland (which seams to be thicker that what I've seen in the quilt store) instead of interfacing and I love the feel and weight of it.

Instead of making two dividers inside I made one and added a zipper pocket.

And a few pictures from our summer...

Mount Robson

Cousins

the 3 sisters

Lots of holding kittens

An elk on the way home

Learning to knit from Oma

Bibs All Around

2011-08-03T08:34:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been making a lot of bibs. We've had several babies born in the last month in our church.

I've also had the opportunity to make 8 bibs for a local gift store. That was pretty exciting!

Bibs are an excellent way to practice different types of quilting. They are small, so easy to maneuver under the machine. I had fun with that.

I used my own pattern, of course.

I'm finished with bibs for awhile now. That's a lot of bias binding. :-)

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Zippers Galore

2011-07-30T14:28:00.000-07:00

I bought one hundred 9 inch zippers. Crazy I know. But they were crazy cheap too. With shipping (to Canada) they came to only 34 cents each.

I bought them at the Zipper Store on etsy. They were shipped super fast.

If you'd like to buy some here's a coupon code for you. ZIPUP10P for 10% off your order. Have fun zipping!

Baby Boy Quilt

2011-07-29T16:27:00.000-07:00

My friend Rebecca and I collaborated on a quilt for our friend M's baby boy to be born any time.

This will be a pretty special baby for them. After 2 girls and an 8 year gap they are having their first baby in Canada! We are looking forward to seeing him.

I am linking up to Amy's Sew and Tell today!

Sister Sew Night

2011-07-27T06:44:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful few weeks, Suzanne and family have gone home again. Here's a few pics of us on one of our sewing nights.

Our 'little' sister, Karen. Isn't she cute? She's making a quilt for her boyfriend. (She is younger but she's taller than both of us.)

One of the quilts Suzanne was working on. This one has been in her WIP bin for quite some time. She's looking forward to getting it finished.

I was working on bibs. I'll post about those another day.

Thanks for reading our little blog! I have been doing some sewing but I haven't been blogging very much. Thanks for the comments too - they are fun to read.

All Together

2011-07-18T15:08:00.000-07:00

For those who know us a bit you know that Suzanne and I don't live near each other. Suzanne lives near Edmonton, Alberta and I live in the Fraser Valley, British Columbia. So you can imagine that we were really looking forward to being together for almost 3 weeks this summer. It gives us immeasurable joy to see our children playing together and getting to know each other better.

Today was painting day. I had picked up some wooden frames at Michaels a few weeks ago; one for each of our children. They were only $1 each. I have some cheap acrylic paints from the Dollar Store. We put paint shirts on all the kids so their shirts wouldn't get (too) stained and away they went.

We threw out a few ideas but they each did their own. Sometimes we (the moms) found it hard to keep our hands off and not help.

When they were dry I sprayed them with a craft varnish so they are all nice and shiny. I plan to put my kids photos in them and hang them up by the piano in my house. If I remember I'll take a photo when they are up.

Corn Syrup Painting

2011-07-13T16:24:00.000-07:00

Benjamin was bored so we did some Corn Syrup painting. At least this stuff is good for something. Tutorial found here.

Just posting this in case you need something to occupy your child(ren) with.

Right now Suzanne and her family are here! We are planning to get together and sew tonight! Yeah!

Benjamin's Pencil Case

2011-07-06T15:21:00.001-07:00

Now that it's summer holidays I've been spending most of my craft time helping my kids craft. Yesterday we made the big trek out to Abbotsford to go to Michaels and stock up on some craft materials.

Earlier this week Benjamin decided he needed to make a pouch. (After seeing my pouches. Just a little more 'boy' than those.)
Benjamin picked out all the fabrics, cut the 2" squares with my rotary cutter and stitched them all together. He also quilted it with fancy stitch. I put the pouch together.

He also took the photos so I could post it on my blog. He's my child that needs to be kept busy or he'll get very annoying in a hurry. At Michaels he bought some shading pencils and nice Gel pens for himself so that's what he's using his pouch for.

***

Painting is an outside summer activity for our family. That way all the mess stays outside and the table and sidewalk can just be sprayed off. Our new back yard is shady most of the day (unlike our old house which was south facing.)

Melissa bought a big paint-by-number project. Big for her anyway. But she is my persistent one so I think that she will get it done in good time. I told her that if she finished it I would frame it and hang it in her room.

Here is the other reason that painting outside is a good idea. He had fun though.

How do you craft in the summer? Do you slow down? Do you craft with your kids?

The Winner

2011-07-05T15:16:00.000-07:00

Thanks so much for all of your ideas for 10 year old boys. Some of them were really good ones that I can see myself making. Thanks!

On to the winner of the Ruched Happy Bag Pattern. It's #5 - Morgan! Amy will send out your pattern soon.

Ruched Happy Pouch Review and Giveaway

2011-07-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of testing a pattern for Amy of During Quiet Time. It's her first pattern and it's a good one. Let me introduce to you the Ruched Happy Bag. This is my first try at the pattern. It worked out very well. Except my zipper is a little wonky. That's my own fault because I used a repurposed zipper.

It was so much fun I thought I'd try it again. This time I made a slight change by adding a handle on the side. This one was for my s-i-l for her birthday. She loved it. And said she'd have to hang on to it tight to keep it from her girls. I think this bag would work well for a pencil case too.

Would you like to win your own pattern? Just leave a comment on this post and on Monday I'll randomly choose a winner. If you'd like you can leave a comment with ideas of things to make for 10 year old boys.

Happy Canada Day to all of our Canadian readers!

Welcome to my new Sewing Room

2011-06-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

Come on in! I'm excited to show you my new sewing room. I even have an extra chair in the closet and space at my table so we can sew together.

My cutting table. It's an old banquet table from our church. Very sturdy (and pink!)

My sewing desk. This is a freebie from a real estate office that went out of business. The chair was a freebie too. Bet you can't tell. :-)

The filing cabinet is full of fabrics. Knits, Denim, Flannel and thrifted sheets. On top of the filing cabinet is my mending pile and ironing pile. The closet has my batting an extra chair and the vacuum cleaner. Fat Quarters and small cuts are in the pop bottle crates. I love looking at those!

Beyond the filing cabinet is my design wall.

My ironing station. Under the table are my scrap bins and patterns.

My bulletin board and thread rack.

I feel blessed to have my own sewing room. It's upstairs so it has lots of light and I'm close to my family when I sew. And, in the winter I can actually sew without wearing shoes and a coat to keep warm! I've already been in there a little bit. I'll show you what I've been up to soon!

Riley Blake Contest

2011-06-28T16:58:00.001-07:00

Just wanted to let you know about a little contest going on at Riley Blake Designs.

The only thing I can't figure out is if is for this year or next. If it's 2011 then the apparel deadline is over. But there would be time to enter for the quilting deadline. I like Riley Blake fabrics alot. Many of them are great for kids.

Okay, got it figured out. It's for this year and the apparel winners are posted here.

6 Months and a Skirt for Me

2011-06-28T12:22:00.000-07:00

I had it in my head that I wanted a white tiered skirt for the summer. It was a fun experience even though I ended up going to Fabricland 4 times in total! I used a gauze fabric and lined it with broadcloth. The lining isn't tiered - just a basic A-line shape. The skirt is super comfortable. The only thing I'm slightly unhappy about is that the lining rides up around my hips a bit and get stuck under the skirt so you can see a white line if I don't straighten it out. I don't think it bothers me enough to change it though :) The lace was a later decision and I love it!

For the waist I dipped the front down 11/2" (probably could've done 2) and made a knit waistband about 4" wide. I ended up slipping a wide elastic into it so it didn't feel like it was falling off.

I definitely don't like self-portraits - can you tell?!? But here I am at 6 months pregnant :)

My camera is not very good and has a really hard time photographing white!

Last day of school!!

2011-06-24T08:15:00.000-07:00

And I don't know who's more excited - the kids or me! I can't believe another school year is done but we are so ready for holidays over here. No early mornings unless we want too, no making lunches and no schedule! I know that by the end of August I'll be ready for routine again but right now I'm ready for none :)

I copied one of Alisa's ideas and made pouches for the kids teachers and bus driver. I used a tutorial from Noodlehead but changed up the front on two of them. Very easy and fun to make!

And just a couple of pictures of what was going on here last week. It was wet and rainy so I had to spend some time in my sewing room :)

A new floor! So much nicer and easier to keep clean than the white carpet that was here!

Butterflies and Lady Bugs

2011-06-22T18:16:00.000-07:00

I finished Tessa's butterfly shirt so now I can show you the girls finished outfits! The skirts are made using a tutorial from Tanya at Grand Revival Designs and the shirts are freezer paper stenciled.

You can find tutorials for the freezer paper stenciling here and here. The one additional thing that I suggest is to put a piece of freezer paper under your fabric so that the paint doesn't bleed onto the back of the shirt.

Baby-in-the-Hood Jacket

2011-06-20T13:14:00.000-07:00

I made this quite a while ago for a nephew of mine. It's from Anna Maria Horner's Handmade Beginnings

It was a lot of fun to make and came together very nicely. Now let's hope he hasn't grown to big already it fits him this summer :)

Looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks T, Y and D!!

Teacher Gifts

2011-06-16T12:22:00.000-07:00

Every year I have intentions of making little gifts for my kids' teachers and that usually doesn't happen. Why I did this year I have no idea as I have never been busier at this time of year. Possibly because they are small projects and I need a little bit of sewing to keep me from being too frazzled. And, I haven't been getting out much.Melissa's teacher is getting married this summer so we thought some potholders would be a good gift for her. Now that I've made a few, these are super easy and fast to make.
For Ben's teacher I made a fabric box. We'll put a card and some chocolates in there. This is the first year we've had a male teacher. What do you think? Would you give this to a guy?
A free tutorial/pattern is available for this pattern. It is very well written and easy to follow. Highly recommended. These 'boxes' come in many sizes so you can make what works for you.
It sure is fun playing around with fabric scraps.
For Deanna's teacher we are giving her one of the pouches I showed you on my last post. We'll fill it with candy or chocolates and call it done.

Quilt Till You Wilt

2011-06-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

One of our local quilt shops hosts a Quilt Till You Wilt once per month. Rebecca and I have gone a few times and sometimes with another friend too. We were going to do it this month but I had to cancel out due to my husband working that night. (I was sad about that, believe me.) At the last minute my husband did not have to work and I got to go!! At this particular time it was really nice to get out. Really, really nice.
Thanks Rebecca, Jen and Ashley for the fun night. I know I acted like a goof but it's true, I don't get out much! :-) We paid for next month right away so I'm looking forward to it.
These photos are of the table runner I worked on while I was there. It was promptly given away to my husband's niece and her fiancee for their engagement.
It's good to spend time with the girls once in awhile. And quilting + friends = super fun!

Progress Report #1

2011-06-13T13:53:00.000-07:00

A list seems to be working for me! The girls skirts are finished. I'll post a modeled picture once I finish the stenciled shirt. I also fixed a couple of my tops and today I hope to get a start on my skirt.

So much to do...

2011-06-10T11:28:00.000-07:00

...but I can't seem to finish anything! So I made a list!

I've got way to many things on the go at once and too many things I want to do. Lists work for me when I do housework so I'm hoping to be crossing some things off shortly!

Something Special

2011-06-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

This is a cross-stitched wall hanging I made my parents about 7 years ago with all their grandchildren's names on it. I made it including the two rows of hearts on the bottom which were empty at the time and left a whole bunch of extra aida cloth folded up behind. Last summer I took it from my parents to add another row on because they were all filled (I just hadn't put the names in yet) and, Lord willing, by the end of 2011 all the new hearts will be filled too! Wow! We praise God for the gift of life and entrusting to us so many of His children!

It's definitely harder to make the time to cross-stitch with 4 kids rather than one! (I didn't own a sewing machine at the time I initially made it either!). I'm finally making some progress though and hope to bring it back to them in a month or so when we go to BC.

A detail of one of the hearts. They are all the same, I just used blue thread for the boys names and red for the girls. The heart pattern was from a book I or my Oma had. I changed some of the colours and made my own overall pattern.

*I should add that my Mom, many, many years ago made something similar to this for my Dad's parents and that's what inspired me to start this one.

Little Bits

2011-06-04T18:45:00.001-07:00

Just some little bits of sewing I've been sneaking in. And a few other bits too. Hope you are all having a good weekend. At the moment many of my fellow Canadians may be watching the Canucks. Right now it's 2-1 for Boston. Hopefully that turns around. :-)

Not sure if I've posted this bib yet. Just recently gave it to someone for their baby girl.

My brother and his wife just had a baby. I gave him the bib but I would still like to make something else. It'll be after the big move.

I tried my hand at a few little pouches. The one above is full of goodies for my sister who just turned 19!

I tried this box pouch using the tutorial here. The tutorial is good but I'm not sure I like this shape too much. The above pouch is actually the second one I made. I added a little handle to it.

Gave this one to another friend on her birthday. She even has a perfect use for it so I'm pleased.

A little dress and diaper cover for a sweet little girl who is turning 1. The dress is Simplicity 5118 and the diaper cover is from a tutorial at MADE. I just love a quick project that turns out cute!

Sports Day was on Friday! It was a beautiful day and the kids have so much fun! Just showing you the back of Deanna's PE shirt. After Benjamin losing 2 shirts in a very short period of time I decided to put our last name on the back of all the shirts. That way they can get passed down in our family but the name will stay the same. I used freezer paper to make a template then painted over it. The only thing is that I couldn't reuse the template over and over. It would just get very messy. So I had to cut out the template multiple times. Tedious! I actually did this project in January but haven't had the chance to photograph it until now. If you want to know how to make freezer paper templates you can see another tutorial at MADE.

Lastly, we are packing! The kids are having fun with the boxes. If you live local and have boxes, please let me know.

~~It's now tied 2-2!~~

They won!

Patchwork blankets made by Anneke and Lukas

2011-06-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

We started these blankets back in Spring Break but didn't get them finished. Anneke finished hers about a month ago and Lukas did a couple weekends ago when we had a holiday Monday.

They went through my flannel drawer and chose the fabrics they wanted. It was fun seeing what they were drawn too.

This is Anneke's. She didn't want anything to do with big prints and this is what she ended up with. Very soft and feminine.

And here's Lukas'. The funniest comment came from him as I was winding a bobbin. He said, "Wow...it sounds like a machine!!" We had a good chuckle over that one :)

I cut the squares for them. They had fun laying them out on the ground, figuring out what layout would work and they sewed all the squares together. Because it wasn't going to be quilted I topstitched about an 1/8" away from the seam lines securing the seam allowances. I also helped them pin the rows together and make the backing.

These are the backs. We just did it pillowcase style and then they both chose a fancy stitch to top stitch with.

We just did it pillowcase style and then they both chose a fancy stitch to top stitch with. Anneke used a flower one.

And Lukas chose turtles. They didn't work out that great, partially because of the layers and seam allowances and partly because Lukas was guiding it and it goes back and forth so much it's hard not to pull. I still think they're cute.

This was Lukas' first time using the sewing machine and Anneke's second. They did a great job!

Oh...and they've decided that if the new baby is a girl then it can use Anneke's blanket and if it's a boy then Lukas'. :)

Will you vote for me?

2011-05-30T06:34:00.001-07:00

My maternity top made it into the finals at A Jennuine Life! If you like my top can you take a moment and pop over there and vote for it?

Have a great week everyone!

Food Friday

2011-05-27T07:16:00.000-07:00

We are in the midst of birthday season over here. Three birthday's and three parties in 11 days!! Today are two parties and tomorrow is the last birthday for a few months. Here are the cakes...

This is Anneke's who requested a flower cake:

Here's Lukas' pylon cake. Yep...he's odd :) What kid requests a pylon? Nothing to do with construction but sports. He uses them to make nets for soccer and hockey.

And these are for Tessa who's party is today and we'll save some for tomorrow for her real birthday. These were the easiest and most fun to make!

And for the older two kids parties we opted for icecream "sundaes". They love piling up there bowls with all kinds of candies, fruit and syrup! Me...I go for the icecream, strawberries and bananas with some chocolate syrup...mmmm...

For the cakes I used a recipe from a friend and it worked out great! Cuts really nicely because it's a bit more dense but is still really moist and chocolatey. I'll pass it on to you here:

Classic Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour
3 eggs
2/3 cups cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 ¼ tsp baking soda
1 cup mayonnaise
¼ tsp baking powder
1 1/3 cups water
1 2/3 cup white sugar

Grease and flour bottoms of two 9” round cake pans. Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder; set aside. Beat eggs, sugar and vanilla in large bowl at high speed of electric mixer for 3 min or until smooth and creamy. Reduce speed to low, beat in mayonnaise until blended. Add flour mixture in 4 equal

additions, alternating with water, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350°F for 30 – 35 min or until toothpick comes out clean. Fill and frost as desired.

Quilt at the Ranch

2011-05-26T20:45:00.001-07:00

Quilt Stats

Size: 72 x 84 inches

Fabrics: mostly Freebird by Momo as well as some solids and near solids from here and there

Pattern: from Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner

Changes: I changed the construction of one of the blocks. She instructed the quilter to applique squares on squares. I figured out the measurements to piece it instead. Easier and saved on fabric.

This quilt is one of my favourites to date and it is in use already. My husband likes it because he fits under it.

I'm just adding two more photos. These were taken in our back yard and I find them a bit more true to the actual colour of the quilt.

Summer!

2011-05-23T16:06:00.000-07:00

Doesn't this just look like summer to you? I made it for my Opa and Oma who just celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary! Hopefully it brings a little sunshine into their house.

It's made out of a charm pack (I forget the line) and a blue solid and yellow gingham that I had in the house.

Today we enjoyed a rainy day off doing some crafting that I'll share with you later this week.

New Bag

2011-05-19T15:07:00.000-07:00

It was time for a new bag for myself.

I used the Oak Park Bag pattern by Loft Creations.

The pattern came together fine but I did find the instructions could have been more thorough. I've made lots of bags so it wasn't a problem but for a newbie it wouldn't be the best pattern.

The only thing I changed was to add an inside zipper pocket. For those things you don't want to fall out of your bag.

And for those of you who notice such things, no, I haven't been on my blog much lately. Besides selling our house and buying a new one I had to have an emergency appendectomy on Monday night. So, I'm not quite up to my usual speed at the moment. But, the sun is shining and we are having warm weather. If you live in the Fraser Valley you know how exciting this is.

Small Quilts

2011-05-10T19:03:00.000-07:00

This year I decided I'd make both my mom and mother-in-law something small for their tables. I even started over a week in advance which is really on-the-ball for me! Our family is blessed to have both moms very close by (and they truly are a blessing!)

For my mother-in-law I made a square table topper. I used a fat quarter bundle that I won a while back from Quilt Story. It's not my usual style but it was fun to work with.

I tried some new (to me) quilting on this one.

This is the runner I made for my mom. The one she had on her table I had made for her about 7 years ago and it needed a replacement.

It looks great in her family room!

I'm linking up to Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday!

Spring Top Sew-Along

2011-05-08T19:41:00.000-07:00

Made by Rae is hosting the Spring Top Sew-Along again and this year I have something to enter! I made this Perfect Maternity and Nursing Top by Meg Neilson.

This is my second attempt at sewing with knits and it went well. I had to make a few adjustments. The first is that I made the empire band way narrower (the pattern piece was about 4" wide) and I found the bodice to long for me so I shortened that a bit. I like it but I'm still having trouble with the modesty panel being loose and gaping. It almost feels to big or maybe it's just because I'm too small :) I may just end up cutting it out and wearing a cami under although I'm not really going to want to layer when the weather gets warmer.

A friend also made the shirt using different fabrics. Here's a link to her blog post about it: Lil Bean

I've also added to "A Jennuine Life's" Mother to be contest :)

New (to me) Quilting

2011-05-07T19:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's good to break out of my comfort zone and try something new.

These stars and loops were fun and easy. Much more fun than plain stippling or straight lines.

This quilt still needs a binding. My friend Rebecca and I put this quilt together the other night. It's for a special baby expected in July.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Food Friday

2011-05-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

Gingersnaps

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
more sugar

Mix together margarine, sugar, molasses and egg in your mixer for about 5 minutes. Add flour, soda, salt, ginger and cinnamon and mix thoroughly. Roll into 1 inch balls. Put about 1/2 cup of sugar in a bowl and roll your balls around in the bowl until coated in sugar. Then put on a greased cookie sheet. Don't flatten. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.

These are one of my favorite cookies. So very yummy and so pretty too! They are easy to pack in lunches and in the diaper bag. I got this recipe from my sister-in-law many years ago.