I did not think this would happen so quickly

Haha, no... don't jump to conclusions y'all.

It started when Noah asked me to fix a pair of his pants. I got out my sewing machine and sewing kit (some people have frilly sewing baskets, I use an old tool box)

Then something happened. What started as an innocent fix-it project turned into this:

And this:

And this:

Of course, in order for all this to happen, you need this:
I packed up my sewing stuff, quilting tools, fabrics neatly in bins last September, thinking it was possible I wouldn't be pulling it out again for months??.... years??

But, I'm so glad that I've had the desire to jump into a new project (which has now become 3 different quilt projects, of course) and that Ethan is a relatively easy baby who will play with his toys on a blanket for a few hours in the evening while I can fuss over design, layout, piecing, etc.

I was inspired by this stacked coin quilt, and am hoping to do 3 different quilts based on this design.


So, while I didn't think I'd be quilting again this soon... it feels good to be back in the swing of things.

Duvet Cover

So what do you do when you're out of ideas to pass the time and are 39.5 weeks pregnant? Make something, I guess.

I made this duvet cover last night.

I had an old plain white one that wasn't going to cut it anymore, so I deconstructed it, and used part of it for the underside. I used a large piece of fabric I got at Target for the top. I was really hoping to get it done in one night, and I got pretty close. I finished the last little bit and did the button holes this morning. So start to finish was within 24 hours, which isn't bad for me! I also bought one pillow case that matched the fabric (one was all they had, so it works out alright, I guess). The nice thing is that the fabric matches the sheets and curtains we already have, so I think the total cost on this project was under 14 bucks.

Alright, baby... only 3 more days till your due date. What are you thinking in there? Are you going to be early, on time, or late??????

Craft time!

Seeing that I wasn't thrilled with how my last quilt came together, I decided to put the sewing machine and fabric away for awhile (not to mention that it helps our dining room table stay clean). I've been wanting to make something to put on the wall for Ethan, so I decided to make this cute little elephant.

I was quite happy with how it turned out, but there were two problems: 1) I still had an extra wood board and lots of paper, and 2) I felt like I could have done something a little more challenging because the idea and even the template was completely stolen from Martha Stewart online.... So, I decided to make another one, this time creating my own design. It was a little tricky, but completely worth it. I hope he'll like it!

Summer Quilting

Summer has always been a time when I find some fun fabric and embark on a new quilting project. Undoubtedly, I take my sweet time and finish some time around December, or even longer. The last quilt I made was a project 3 or more years in the making. I just never had the time or space to dedicate to working on it, and so right around New Years 2008, I was able to put the finishing touches on that quilt (the red and cream one) and ship it off to Minnesota... as a gift for my dad and step-mom. I hope they enjoy it.

So now, thanks to our fabulous dining room table, I can spread out and not have pins, cutters and mats in harm's way.

So, this spring, a fabric store went out of business not far from my house. There was a ton of closeout fabrics and store displays. There was even an entire couch set... which I thought about asking if it was for sale too. Anyway, here were some finds...

A vintage metal chair with an oilcloth seat. I'll use it in my classroom next year, but for now it's on our patio.

Some brightly colored fabrics. I thought they would work well for a not too girl-y baby gift... or we'll just see down the road what happens.

I found four other fabric designs that I decided to make into a quilt for a friend... this is the first time I've started out on a project without knowing what I want the finished product to look like. I'm not using a pattern and I don't even know if I'll put all 4 together in the same quilt. Maybe I'll make 2 quilts, I'm not sure. So far I've made blocks of squares that look like this:

and this:

I'm putting this project on hold however, because we really need curtains in our bedroom, so I'm working on that. They're not anything special to brag about, but I'm happy with how they are turning out. Maybe I'll post a picture once we hang them and paint some walls.

Baking Bears

I meant to post this awhile back... but time has escaped me. We've been really busy lately. After graduating, there was a flurry of activity. Friends in town, Graduation weekend, followed by my birthday. Then more friends in town, the 4th of July, and then a wonderful trip to Maui. Now that we're back, I'm working a short teaching job Monday through Friday for the next 4 weeks. Then I'll go straight to my new permanent teaching job. It's a good summer, but very busy!

So back to my original point... during the last few weeks of school, I was able to do some substitute teaching at the school I spent a lot of time at this year, which was so much fun. My first grade classroom from student teaching also wanted to celebrate my birthday! That meant I would get to bring treats in and see all of my students for one last time before school let out for the summer. I decided to make cupcakes, but wanted to be a little more creative than using the box mix and frosting I had in my pantry already... (a friend of mine did something similar for her son's first birthday party) here is the result:
















They are supposed to be bears... I think they turned out pretty cute! All of the kids really liked them. They also liked picking off the candies and altering the bears faces.
Besides chocolate cake and cream cheese frosting, I used:
-Brown sugar crystals
-Jelly Beans
-Marshmallows
-Milk and carmel chews
-Chocolate chips