Cleaning behind your...

Remember how your mother used to always remind you to clean behind your ears?

Here is a friendly reminder to clean behind the plate of your sewing machine.  Go, now, it will only take a minute or two!  Unless of course you are like me and have to make a trip to the fabric store to get a screwdriver small enough and get distracted by the fabric...

How often do you maintenance your machine?  What do you do?  If you have a self oiling machine (like me) do you still oil it?  Why doesn't my owners manual tell me all these things?!

Before

After

WIP Challenge (Week 3)

Pictures are worth a thousand words, right?  Here's what I got done this week:

Hooray for another item that can be checked off the to-do list!  The pattern for this quilt is from Oh, Fransson!  She has the greatest (free) patterns! 

WIP Challenge (Week 1)
WIP Challenge (Week 2)

Link up for the first time or continue to link up to show your works in progress!

(I'm also sharing on Amy's Sew and Tell.)

Vintage Goodies

I'm on the look out for vintage sheets for a vintage sheet swap (sorry sign ups are closed) I am taking part in.  If I know you and see you would you be on the look out too?  Colored backgrounds are highly sought after and my deadline to mail is May 12th.

I found this strawberry sheet earlier in the week (full size for $1.99).

Tonight, I ran to another near by thrift store and didn't find any sheets but took a quick glance down the sewing/craft aisle.  There were two bags of notions for $0.90 each and I decided to go for it even though I couldn't exactly tell what was in the bags.  I got home and opened them and it was like Christmas!

Left Column: A zipper, tape measure, pink blanket binding, white hem facing, lavender elastic.
Middle Column: Eyelet trim; 3 brown, 1 orange, 1yellow bias tapes; 4 yellow, 1 red, 1 green and 1 light blue rick rack packs.
Right Column: 1 large navy button, 5 blue buttons, 5 pearl buttons, pearl snap fasteners with attaching tool*, more yellow rick rack, white, green and blue seam bindings, and dark blue bias hem facing.

Will I use all these things?  Probably not.  I don't even know what they are all for...
Was it worth the $1.80? oh yea!

* My husband was even excited about this because he loves pearl button shirts.  Not that I know how to make shirts...

Happy Sun Plushie

My sweet little niece is in the hospital so, I made her this plushie to take to her tomorrow.  I loosely used this tutorial from Chez Beeper Bebe.  I also inserted a "rattle" made out of a plastic Easter Egg, duct tape, and popcorn.  It actually makes a great sound!

Meanwhile...
Me: Sam, do you want to make a card for Mary?
Sam: yeah, I'll make her a play-doh one.
Me: Oh, I'm not really sure how to do that.
Sam: Don't worry Mommy, I'll show you!

We decided it would be best just to take a picture to send to her.  But then, Sam decided to color a more traditional card as well :)

WIP Challenge (half way to Tuesday check in)

If you still want to take part in my WIP challenge it's not to late to sign up!

I've made some headway on my to-do list already!  Knowing that I have promised to write in on Tuesday with my progress is a good motivator (that and it's been raining here the past few days).

I finished my Quilts for Kids quilt. I don't love the binding but it's the only thing in my stash that sorta matched (there is a black outline on all the fairies and flowers).  I mailed it too so, I can completely cross it off of my to-do list!

I cut lots of 5 in squares yesterday (some of the nearly 200 were already cut) and planned a lay out for the boys I Spy quilt (I plan to add a border or two, too).  I've also started to sew some of the strips together - aah progress!

Spiderweb Block

Today I did a lot of fabric cutting as part of my WIP Challenge (sign up if you want to join me!).  I had lots of scraps so, I decided I would practice the spiderweb block or, rather, try it for the first time ever.  I love this block and have even signed up for a swap (you can still sign up for this too) of them.  I found the tutorial super user friendly but I do have a few questions if anyone has ever made them (see below).

When do you remove your paper?  I removed them before sewing the four triangles together but had issues with a few stitches coming out (see top right corner).  I also want to play with my stitch length to see if that helps the paper come off easier.

Have you ever tried phonebook pages?  I used regular computer paper and it worked just fine but I recall reading about using phonebook pages but I wonder if they would be strong enough.

Tackling the To-do List

This week I have been crossing off items on my to-do list! You probably don't care about things like: catch up on laundry, dust, clean the ceiling fans, etc. but here are a few crafty things I have done.

Finally, finished the Road to Spring quilt. It's been done except for binding for 2 weeks. Last week the binding was half way on. Now, it is done! I haven't decided what to do with it yet. I'll probably just donate it somewhere since the colors don't match anything in my house and I don't want to look at my first attempts at free motion quilting.

Remember when I gave away one of these reusable snack bags a month or so ago? Well, I never finished the ones for my own boys! All I needed to do was sew the outside and inside together. 15 minutes and they were done and the boys love snacking out of them!
I dug the Quilts for Kids kit out of the closet yesterday and have the top made and the layers sandwiched. These go together so quickly! I love these super girly Michael Miller fabrics that were in the kit too.
Mike and I are going on a mini road trip tonight so, I've been trying to get lots done this week!

Sewing Projects for Spring

Here are a few of the sewing projects on my to-do list:

Make an Eye Spy quilt.
- Thanks to the kindness of a stranger in Maryland, I was able to get a huge head start on collecting novelty fabrics. She sent a larger mailer envelope of them to me asking for nothing in return!

- I also found a swap where you send in 5 inch squares of a novelty fabric (or fabrics) and however many squares you send, you get that many back. For more information about it go here. Candace is the woman in charge and she was great at answering questions and I had my 122 squares back with in a week!

- I'm still collecting novelty prints so, if you have scraps you are looking to get rid of, send them my way :)

Organize this closet!

Make a Quilt for Kids quilt.

- The kit is in the closet... I have made another quilt for this organization and found it to be a great way to get some practice in and for a great cause! You can use your own fabrics or, you can request a kit (they will send you everything but the batting; the fabrics are even precut!). Be sure to check their website for specifics.

QUILTING newBEEs - April Blocks

April is my month to host the virtual quilting bee, QUILTING newBEEs. Yesterday, I sent out fabrics to the 11 other ladies to make blocks similar to these.
Most of the fabric is Debbie Mumm for JoAnn fabrics. This style of block is called a log cabin and is very simple to make. If you would like to see step by step pictures check out my flickr set here.

I'm looking forward to receiving all the other blocks that the ladies create and putting them together to make a picnic blanket for this summer!

Happy Birthday Nunny!

This week we have been working on a Birthday gift for my Mom. I made this pillow and the boys painted little birdhouses to go with it. For more step by step photos of making the pillow check out my flickr page.

"On The Road To Spring" Quilt

The "On the Road to Spring" quilt along I have been following is coming to a close (and hopefully winter is too).

This past week I tried my hand at free motion quilting on the machine for the first time. It's not perfect by any means (the stitches are a bit long and the free motion isn't so "free") but I am cutting myself some slack because I know it will take lots of practice to get just right. Yes, I am actually managing to put my type A/perfectionist side away for this.

I made up my binding using scraps from the quilt and plan to attach it tonight by machine.Speaking of the "Road to Spring" check out our half grass half snow backyard.

Sewing Seeds for Haiti (skirts)

I made three skirts the other night for the Sewing Seeds for Haiti project that Randi has going on her blog. I've been using Randi's blog a lot lately. She is the one that I got the reusable bag tutorial from and also the quilt a long I am following. No, Randi isn't paying me to plug for her blog, I just think you might like it too!

Here is what she says about the project: "My friends are Mennonite and so are the missionaries. They serve in a number of ways, but they do serve lunch to over 100 schoolchildren every single day (that was the number prior to the earthquake). Many of these kids are now without basic necessities. I am so excited that we are able to help in this small way of making skirts for the girls. "
Anyways, I made three skirts in half an hour and for less than $5! Using thrifted pillowcases made it super easy. I (loosely) followed these directions and made them according to Sam and Ray's sizes. My husband said that the blue one reminds him of a 1950's working woman and we both agreed that the red one is our favorite.
If you would like to put together a few skirts there is still time to send them to Randi. You can find more details here.

I started an online quilting bee.

Did you know that there is a such thing as virtual quilting bees? One of my goals for 2010 is to learn more about quilting so, I started one! I decided to call it QUILTING newBEEs since most of the members are new quilters. (And, in case you didn't know that newbee or newbie is a word, read this.)

Here's how it works: There are 12 members and we each take a turn hosting a month over the course of a year. When we host we send out fabric to the other 11 members along with the type of quilt block we would like them to make and then they send it back to us.

If you want to check us out you can go to our flickr group. We even have a cool icon that one of the girls came up with! And she turned it in to a fancy button for our blogs too so, whenever you want to see our flickr group, just click on the button!There isn't much in the flickr group yet but, I am hosting the first month (April) and will be posting a sneak peek of the fabrics I bought soon! If you are new to quilting, follow along with us to learn some beginner friendly quilt blocks (our group is full now but you could still learn the different blocks with your own fabric if you would like) or better yet start your own virtual quilting group!

Here's who is in the group: Me, Melissa, Judy, Nora, Trina, Brooke, Elizabeth, Susan, Cindy, Ruth, Leah, and Alek!

Letter Pp Giveaway Winner

Ppppppppppppp.....

(That was a letter Pp drum roll.)

And the winner is Carrie!

Carrie and I actually went to high school together. She graduated the year before me and we were on the yearbook staff together. She was the editor her senior year and then I was the next year. I think our English teacher, "Lew", would be proud of our use of alliteration. Neither of us live in our home town but we only live 20 minutes or so from each other and have failed to get together! We need to do that soon. Perhaps a zoo trip to see the penguins!

I think Carrie will get a lot of use out of a reusable bag since she has 1 year old twins!
Here is what you've won Carrie: A reusable bug bag, Pez (including the new chocolate ones), pencil, letter "P" (made by Sam), puppy stickers, post it notes and a penny for luck! I'll drop it in the mail this week (I already have your address).
If you would like to make your own reusable bags you can find the tutorial here. They go together quickly and are much cuter than ziplock bags!

Quilt Along - Week 3

I finished up week three of the quilt along I am participating in. This weeks agenda was piecing together the 200 pieces of fabric that I cut last week.

Here's how it looks as of last night at midnight:

Quilt Along: Week 2

I am following my first QAL (that's what the hip people call a Quilt Along). Yesterday, I cut 200+ pieces of fabric. It actually didn't take nearly as long as you would think. If you are interested in learning to quilt I think that this is an easy, beginner friendly one to follow.

Here is my fabric before I cut the 100 white squares.

Numbered Beanbags (FUN!)

Sam and I made these beanbags yesterday. I got the idea from Chez Beeper Bebe. (I made mine slightly larger than the pattern on her blog to accommodate some number stencils and fabric squares I already had.) They are so fun and we have been playing with them nonstop! The best part was the only thing we had to go out and buy were the beans. We used a large bag of Great Northern beans because they were the cheapest :)

The possibilities of fun beanbag games are nearly endless. I love that they have numbers on them and we can use them for all sorts of math games. I may have to add some math symbol (+, -, =, x, /, etc.) beanbags to the collection.
I think these have to be on the list of things to make as Christmas gifts for next year; I can think of a dozen or so small cousins and nieces that would love them!

Learning To Quilt

While working on the Blankets for Haiti project I have had several people mention to me that they do not know how to quilt but would like to learn.

Let me continue this post by saying, I am not an expert quilter by any means. I am very much a beginner (you'll see lots of imperfections in the photos). One of my goals for 2010 is to become a better quilter. I have found the blogging world a valuable place to find tutorials, patterns, Q&A's, and lots of inspiration. I've also checked out tons of books from the library and even splurged on a few quilting magazines.

If you have never made a quilt before I think this, "Me and My Girl Tutorial" would be a perfect first. The quilt was actually made by a mother and her young daughter using bandannas.

I have really been enjoying the quick and easy to follow tutorials on the Missouri Quilt Co.'s site. Reading blogs like "Red Pepper Quilts" and "Oh, Fransson!" are also really inspiring. You may also want to peruse the posts from "Sew, Mama, Sew's" quilting month; they cover a wide range of topics and skill levels.

I've found that when it comes down to it plain old practice is what really works. I just finished up this quilt last night for Quilts For Kids. There are several patterns listed on the organizations website that are easy to follow. This quilt uses the "Four Patch Quilt Pattern". If you would like to see other quilts I have attempted to make, use the google search on my blog and search, "quilt" (I tried it myself and they all pop up).

This is by no means an exhaustive list of resources; there are lots of amazing sites, blogs, forums, etc. out there to venture to. If you are a quilter, what sites do you like to visit? Do you have a favorite quilting book? How did you learn? What new skill do you want to learn in 2010?

Blankets for Haiti - Part 3

The willingness of so many to help is amazing! Today I heard from a woman in Ohio who doesn't have a job but has "lots of yarn and needles" and another who went through Katrina and "remembers the kindness of all those strangers". God's provision is amazing as only He knows how big this "project" will become and needs to be. The kindness of so many keeps pointing me to God and his love for us. His heart is really being shown by so many of you.

If you have questions please read Part 1 and Part 2 of the Blankets for Haiti posts and then, if you still have questions, feel free to contact me. I am trying to check my email and blog more frequently to keep up!

One question I have gotten several times is if you can send more than blankets at this time. For now, I am only going to collect blankets. If I hear of other opportunities I will notify you of them (here on the blog) as they come.

Recap about the blankets:
Handmade. New. Clean. PIN FREE. Any size or style is welcome. Put lots of love in them.
I will be collecting blankets until Friday, March 12th to send with the team. Please message me for an address when your blankets are complete.

If you are local (Columbus, OH) area, some friends of mine (including my husband) are talented musicians and are putting on two benefit shows in the upcoming weeks. I'm copying and pasting the details from the Facebook invite I received:

Travonna Coffee House Haiti Benefit Show
STYLE: Acoustic, Pop, Rock, Low key, awesomeness.
DATE: Friday, January 29th
PLACE: At the Travonna Coffee House in the Short North
TIME: 7pm (come to get a seat at 6:30!!)
COVER: None: Donations for Haiti

Vonn's Jazz/Blues Haiti Benefit Show
STYLE: 18+, Jazz/Blues/Funk/Soul, Classy, Lounge style, cool cats.
DATE:Monday, February 1st
PLACE: At Vonn Jazz/Blues in Worthington
TIME: 7pm-11pm
COVER: None, just donations for Haiti if you feel led!

Blankets for Haiti - Part 2

Game on! If you are interested in making blankets to send with a team that is going to Haiti in March then go ahead and get sewing. I've already heard from others in Ohio and some in North Carolina.

I will be collecting blankets until Friday, March 12th to send with the team.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have. For now here are some questions/answers that I have been asked.

What are the details for the blankets?
Handmade. New. Clean. PIN FREE. Any size or style is welcome. Put lots of love in them.

Where do I send the blanket(s)?
I am in Ohio. Please email me.

Can I share this with others?
Absolutely.

Want more details about the team/trip?
See this post. I will update on my blog as I have more details.

Do I know exactly (i.e. name of the orphanage) where the blankets will be going?
No. The team plans to work with individuals in the Dominican Republic and then travel to Haiti to work at an orphanage. I will continue to update details as I know them. I realize the lack of specifics may make some uncomfortable and for that I am sorry. If you feel uncomfortable then please don't participate in this project but rather find another (see below for ideas).

What Church do the people that are going on the trip attend?
Mostly they attend Vineyard Columbus.

I'm looking for other crafty ways to serve. Do you know of any?
Craft Hope is creating an etsy shop where all proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders. If you would like to donate an item please refer to Craft Hope's site. It is not recommended to send items to Haiti unless you have a very specific way of getting them there due to compromised infrastructure. Most organizations are calling for monetary donations.

Do you believe in the impossible?
"There is no use trying," said Alice; "one can't believe impossible things."
"I dare say you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." - Lewis Carroll