Kitty Cozy

My kitty cat sits under the bed atop this zip-top sheet container.

A few days ago, when I pulled it out to switch out the summer sheets, I discovered that the poor kitty had thrown up on it. It took a while to clean it properly and let it air dry, so while I was waiting, I whipped up a quick cover.

Essentially, I just used a King sized flat sheet we've never used, and folded it triple so it was one long piece. Then, I folded that in half the other way, and seamed the sides.

I was able to put it on the sheet container with the fold in the back and the open edges up front, and the kitty loves his soft, and easily washable, new bed.

Altering dress

Between rounds of Sock Madness, I attended a formal weekend event. In preparation, I purchased a formal dress from the Thrift Store - only $11! Unfortunately, while it fit nearly perfectly, the shoulders needed to be taken in, as they often do on my clothes.

Well, a night's work later, they were fixed. I had to rip open the seams of the shoulders, creatively hem the mesh, cut out the satin and re-seam the top of the shoulders, and then hand wip stitch back up around the outside.

It was generally more complicated than I thought it would be, but I was pleased with the result, and I was able to wear it without pins or bulky folds that weekend!

Little House QAL - Block 7 - Little Town on the Prairie

It's been quite some time since my last Little House QAL update, but I am, finally, continuing on. I finished the rest of my blocks up through block 7, and I did everything except the applique for blocks 8 and 9.

And here it is! Block 7!

Grayson Andrew - Quilt #4

This is the fourth quilt, and it's the last of the quilts for the next generation! With this one done, I was able to gift all four to the kiddos on Christmas!

This was the completed version of Grayson Andrew's quilt top. Again, I used a jelly roll, and bound it with extra strips. I quilted in the ditch again.

Here's all four hanging outside my parent's house. So exciting! And the best part is that they all loved them!

Pattern: Jitterbug from Pam and Nicky Lintott's "Layer Cake, Jelly Roll, and Charm Quilts" book, with an adapted border. I made the border 2" squares, mostly patterned, instead of 2x4" rectangles, alternating patterned and white.

Little House QAL - Block 6 - The Long Winter

Today I bring you Block 6 of the Little House QAL. As has been the case with all the others, I've actually been making multiple blocks, and we'll see how they all get put together at the end, but I'm delaying a mention of more details for the sake of the pattern designer.

Little House QAL - Block 5 - By the Shores of Silver Lake

Today's post brings you Block 5 in this journey of the Little House QAL.

However, on an unrelated note, happy Stitches West, everyone! As this is published, I am likely finishing up my purchases at the amazing Stitches West, to be detailed in a later weekly post!

Little House QAL - Block 4 - On the Banks of Plum Creek

As we move along, I present to you this week Block 4
of the Little House QAL!

Little House QAL - Block 2 - Little Farmer Boy

Taking a step back in time, I bring you Block 2 of the Little House QAL, which I had put off due to some fabric decisions. Here I present to you the finished product!

Little House QAL - Block 3 - Little House on the Prairie

You might have noticed that I skipped Block 2 on this one - I'm still trying to decide on fabrics!

In the mean time, here's Block 3 of the Little Houe QAL!

Little House QAL - Fabric Change

Original Fabrics

A few weeks ago, I posted about starting the Little House QAL, and I left you with a picture of the fabrics I had ordered.













Well, I absolutely detest the base color on the right - according to the website, it was a deep brown, but it's certainly black in person. So, I ordered a replacement color - a brown with green speckles. It'll be a different effect, for sure, but I'm optimistic.

However, because I ordered this new fabric, I wasn't able to complete block 2 in time, since the fabric hadn't arrived yet. Instead, I leave you with this fabric update.

Little House QAL - Block 1 - Little House in the Big Woods

I've finished Block 1 of my Little House Quilt-Along. This block was posted on the class, and I'm not sure how much I can post about it, since it is a paid class, but I will say I'm excited to see what happens next! 

We made two types of this block, and different amounts of each type (again, I'm avoiding saying too much!).

Stay tuned for next week!

Little House QAL

Last year, I updated you as I participated in the Sophie's Universe Crochet-a-Long, put on by Dedri's blog over at Look At What I Made. I loved it. This year, I'm participating in something similar - A Quilt Along, put on by Ebony Love at LoveBug Studios. This will be the biggest quilt I've ever made, by an order of magnitude, and I still haven't the faintest idea how I'm going to quilt it.

I'm participating along with a few friends from home, and I'm very excited to see how all of ours turn out!

Here are the fabrics I'll be using. I'm not sure how I feel about the one in the front - it's supposed to be dark brown, but it's definitely black - so I might be switching it out. Either way, the first post is today, and I'm excited to get started!

Updates:

• Block 1 - January 17
• Fabric Change - January 24
• Block 3 - January 31
• Block 2 - February 7
• Block 4 - February 14
• Block 5 - February 21
• Block 6 - February 28
• Block 7 - April 3

Owen Luke - Quilt #3

In keeping with the other two quilts I made for Ellie and Caleb, I bring to you the completed version of Owen Luke's quilt!

This was quilted in the ditch, and I added a few extra quilting lines, such as a diamonds running down the blue border and the completed diamonds inside each red square (even if the blue diamond lines were missing).

Over all, I loved how this baby came out!

Pattern: Snowball Sampler from Pam and Nicky Lintott's "Jelly Roll Sampler Quilts," with an added 2' border for extra size.

Sunshine Dress

This was another beauty that I made back in the summer of 2013 in preparation for a professional life. You see, I was trying to work in layers, and to use only a certain palette of colors, so that everything would go with everything else. That's a huge bonus in Rochester!

Well, I also discovered that with my strange body shape, most "professional" silhouettes looked terrible on me! So, I began making my own, in the colors I wanted, and the styles I wanted.

In fact, if you look back, most of what I make fits this profile.

Anyway, on to my sunshine dress! Using another pattern, I was able to make this from broadcloth, a thick one, and I just love the way it hangs!

Oh! And it has pockets!

Miss Frizzle Skirt

As a kid, I always loved the show "Magic Schoolbus," and later, as an adult going in to teaching, I wanted to emulate her creativity and spunk.

Before I began student teaching, a few years back during my original dry spell, in 2013, I sewed a few garments for myself to wear in the upcoming school year. Since these fit the criteria of a post (completed after I started the blog, and something I made), I'll post them now. If I'm not mistaken, these are the last flash-back posts I'll do.

So, low and behold, I present to you my Miss Frizzle skirt!

I used a McCalls pattern, and it took be about two days to get it done. I love this skirt! It fits so wonderfully and is comfortable. The only downside is that there's no pockets!

The wind was acting up quite a bit during this photoshoot, so forgive the nature of the pictures!

In real life, the skirt is actually very seam-lined. There are pleats built into it and ironed out every time I wash it, which I suppose is optional, and it's made with basic cotton fabric.

Camera Bag 2 - Soft Shell Case

9x12 fabric

As previously seen, I've been working on some camera bags for the photography class at my school. This next post gives you the instructions for the soft camera bags.

24x5 fabric

You Will Need:

• a piece of fabric (either 9x12 or 24x5, approximately. There is room for adjustments.)
• quilt batting scraps
• spray basting (optional)
• velcro dots



Step 2



Step 1

• needle and thread

Directions: 9x12

• Iron out your piece of fabric and lay your quilt batting on top. Spray baste if desired.
• Fold your fabric in half and quilt across. Your new, quilted piece should measure 9x6.
• Fold this piece in half again and sew down the open side and bottom with 1/2" seam allowance. Leave the top (pre-folded section) open. This will measure 4.5x6.
• Tie off the ends and trim. Turn this case right-side out. You should have a case that measures 4x5.5.
• Add a velcro dot to the opening and use as desired!

Directions: 24x5

• Iron out your piece of fabric and lay your quilt batting on top. Spray baste if desired.
• Fold your fabric in half and quilt across. Your new, quilted piece should measure 12x5.
• Fold over the bottom of the open skinny end by about 1/2" and sew. Your new piece should measure 11.5x5.
• Fold this piece in half again and sew down the long sides with 1/2" seam allowance. Leave the top (pre-folded section) open. This will measure 5.25x5.
• Tie off the ends and trim. Turn this case right-side out. You should have a case that measures 5.25x4.
• Add a velcro dot to the opening and use as desired!
  
  
  
  
   As you can see, there's plenty of room for adjustments. Play with it and see what works for you and your camera!
  
  

Camera Bag 1 - Hard Shell Case

As I mentioned last week, there was a need for some camera bags at the school I work at, and I volunteered to make a few. This is the pattern for the blue bag, with hard foam core as filling.

This pattern leaves a space approximately 4 inches by 2 inches by .5 inches for the camera to sit in, so adjust accordingly if you choose to make one for a larger camera.

You will need:

• 1/2" foam core
• (2) 3x5 pieces
• (2) 3x1 pieces
• (2) 4x1 pieces
• Fabric scraps
• Needle and Thread
• Velcro dots

Directions:

• Cut two pieces of fabric 9" by 5.5" for the outer shell.

• Then, cut two small squares out of the lower two corners, each approximately 1" by 1".  Your fabric will look approximately like this, a picture I got from a Fiskars Beach Bag Pattern.
• Cut two pieces of fabric 7" by 4.5" for the liner.
• Then, cut two small squares out of the lower two corners, each approximately .5" by .5". All four pieces will look alike, just of different sizes.
• Place each set with the right sides together and sew down the sides and bottom of each set with a half-inch seam allowance, as seen in the picture above. Iron the seams open.
• In each bottom corner, seam the edges together to finish the box, again with a half-inch seam allowance. I mention how to do this is my Carry-On Bag Liner Tutorial.
• Take an extra piece of fabric, at least 5" wide, and longer, and fold it in half the long way, so that there's a 5" fold. Sew down each side. Turn it right-side out, press open, and sew the open end to one side of the bigger section, with a 1/4inch seam allowance, so that when it's folder over, the "lid" will pop out.
• Iron the open tops of both sections over toward the inside. Only iron in about a quarter-inch over.
• Turn the bigger set right-side out and fill it with the foam core. The biggest pieces go on the sides, and then line each end with a 3x1 piece. Put a 4x1 piece on the bottom of the set, leaving one 4x1 piece out.
• Place the liner inside the foam core and pin the two seams along the side and one pin in the middle of each side. With a needle and thread, hand sew across the top of the pressed sides. In each corner, sew over more fabric of the outside section in order to make sure they line up. See picture to the right.
• Atatch Velcro dots to lid and body, and place camera inside. You will need to place the last piece of foam across the top to keep it steady.

Kiddo Camera Bags

At the school I currently work at, the art-department recently added a photography class, and got a series of discount digital cameras for the kids to use. However, since the cameras travel from class to class in a cement school, the wonderful art teacher was looking for some camera bag donations. I volunteered to make a few with what scraps I had, and present two design options to her, both of which will have pattern write-ups in a few weeks.

In the mean time, here are the two results. One is made with a hard foam core, while the other has a double layer of quilt batting.

Quilt Top #4 - Grayson

Well, I took a month off.

And it was wonderful.

I needed that.  I really needed that.  I remembered why I loved creating in the first place - the job of seeing something completed!  The texture between your hands!  I missed that.  Focusing so much on making things for Christmas and this blog really sucked a lot of the joy out of it these past few months, with everything else going on - knitting began to feel like a chore.

Alas, here I am, ready to return to the blog!  You must know that I still am mostly working on Christmas things, and so I'm still going to have trouble making my weekly post time because of that, but I feel much more ready to take on the challenge now.

The school year is underway and I'm back on my feet!

And so, without further ado, today I present you with my most recent quilt top, for one mister Grayson.  This is the final of the four quilts I'm planning to complete for the next generation, hopefully to present around Christmas, but since I know those little buggers won't see these posts, I'm gonna go ahead and show you!

I chose the "Jitterbug" pattern from another quilt book, also by Pam and Nicki Lintott, called "Layer Cake, Jelly Roll, and Charm Quilts."  This was my first non-scrappy style quilt, and though I like the way it came out, I still wish I had been able to find a good background color that wasn't white.

Well, hopefully I'll get to quilting these last two soon so they can be done in the next two months, but in the mean time, I'll be back to a mostly-regular Wednesday post! (This relaxation on the schedule is to keep my own peace of mind!)

PS: If I know you in real life, could you please comment on this post?  I'd like to know whose Christmas gifts I can post here and whose I can't!