Happy Halloween

A little spiky haired monster wants to wish you a Happy Halloween. He is a little sad that it has come so quickly this year (and that he is not going to see the next one).


This little one didn't have enough hair to wear it like his buddy. He found a good solution: the ever popular comb over.

Enjoy the day. I am sure that I will.

A Garage Sale Find

Back when I was still in college, I would often go garage saling with my mom and sister. One day, I found two table runners. (I only have pictures of one of them.) They are both linen and hand cross-stitched. Looking around for interesting things to post about, this caught my eye. I am guessing that these are at least 50 years old, but probably older as the lady who sold them to me was old and said that her aunt (or mother or someone closely related to her) had made them. It goes to show that you never know what you are going to find when you are hunting (as we call garage saling and thrifting).

Wonky Star

After cutting my vintage sheets and pillowcases, I just had to put together this wonky star. I really want to make a whole quilt like this, but it will have to wait. In the mean time, I can look at this pretty piece!

Giveaway Winners

That is right I said winners. As I started to cut my vintage pillowcases, I decided to see how many and what prints I had in my vintage sheet collection. Much to my surprise (not really), I had way more than I should have! I cut into those too! So I have two prize packages. The first winner will get her pick, and the second will get the other package.
The first package is:


11 vintage sheets cut at 1/2 a yard by the width of the sheets. (I think most of them are twin size, though a couple are a larger.)

The second is:


2 vintage pillowcases and 16 fat eighths cut from the pillowcases I showcased on the giveaway post.

The first winner is 5: Liz B. said...

This is a wonderful collection of vintage linens! I love quilting with them, it's such a nice "green" thing to do! Thanks for the chance at your giveaway, you're very generous!

The second winner is 20: katevet said...

Great fabric! would love to use them to make baby clothes for my little one!

I will send you an email so that I can get your address and your choice Liz. I can not get your contact info katevet, so email me at notyetvegan(at)yahoo(dot)com with your address.

Thanks to all of you who entered my giveaway.

Playing with Pipe cleaners

My kids LOVE pipe cleaners. They are happy just to carry them around, but also love making things with them. We made glasses. Then we attached a mustache. Finally we added a crown, and all were set! Who knew that these little fuzzy things could produce so much fun!

Secret Project

How can I post regularly on sewing projects when all I have been working on is my secret project and my zig zag quilt? I am sorry, but hopefully I will work on something more intetesting soon! Don't forget to enter my giveaway.

Thoughts on Charitable Giving

Thinking about posts ideas and with some good ideas from Cath at ChunkyChooky, I wanted to mention a charity that I am personally attached to. The charity is called Unique. They do research on rare chromosomal disorders, keep a database of people with disorders (to help provide info to them), and many other things. The organization is located in Great Britian and has been useful to my family. Our second daughter has a rare chromosomal disorder that is providentially mild. It took over a year to diagnose (not a long time considering, how long others have had to wait for answers), and the results were unusual. She has a disorder that only 2 other people in the world have (based on what we have been told). It has been interesting, frustrating, and very rewarding.
What is your favorite charity?
(And don't forget to check out my giveaway.)

Outside

We love to play outside! Today not much sewing has gotten done, but my kids and I enjoyed some time outside.
Don't forget to check out my giveaway.
Have a great Saturday!

Feeling Like Fall

I love this feeling of fall. Here it has been much colder than normal the last several days, but it is starting to get to a good temperature for playing outside again. These apples along with the smell of cider, really brings home the fact that it is late October. What reminds you of fall?

One More Example

I am really having fun making these blocks. This is the one that I converted from a 6.5 x 12.5 to a 6.5 x 18.5. I like the diagonal pink in it! I am not so sure about the tiny strip on the right, but overall I am happy with the block.

Giveaway Time!!!

*The Giveaway is now closed*

I am so excited to be able to host a giveaway! I have wondered what others would like and what I could offer. I finally settled on some fat quarters or fat eighths of vintage pillowcases coming to a least a total of 1 yard, but probably more.
Here is a preview of what I have and will cut for the winner (click on the pictures to get a bigger, closer look at the pillowcases).

Pinks/Reds:


Yellows/Oranges:


Blues/Greens:


To enter, leave a comment letting me know what you would like to do with the vintage fabric. Post about my giveaway on your blog, and I'll give you an extra chance. Just leave a second comment with a link to your blog entry. That is it. I'll use a random number generator to find a winner next Wednesday (Oct. 28th).

Just for those of you who love vintage sheets and pillowcases, this is a picture of my favorite one.

Crocktober

A great Crockpot recipe! Just thought I would share since it is crocktober.

Pulled Pork Tacos
2 cups Salsa
2 Tbs Chili Powder
2Tbs dried Oregano
2 Tbs unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1 tsp salt
1 2.5 lb Boneless Pork Butt or shoulder (or pork loin), trimmed of excess fat
Corn or Flour Tortillas
Cilantro Sprigs
Sour Cream
Lime wedges

Combine Salsa, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, and 1 tsp salt in a slow cooker. Add the pork and turn to coat. Cook covered until meat is tender and pulls apart easily, about 4-5 hours on high or 7-8 hours on low. Shred pork and stir into cooking liquid. Serve on warm tortillas, with cilantro, sour cream, and lime.

More Sample Blocks

I had so much fun with the first couple of blocks that I made, that I made a couple of more. The first one is a 6.5 x 6.5 inches and the second is 6.5 x 12.5 inches. I didn't really like the second one as much as some of the others, so I decided to make it into an 18.5 x 6.5 inch block. (I don't have a picture of this new one yet.)

This one resembled a chair to me, maybe that is why I wanted to change it!


This one was in my mind during the making of the first several blocks. I had to put it together.

November Sample Blocks

I decided to ask those in my Quilting bee to make blocks of multiples of 6 (adding a half inch seam allowance) and made up of strips of various widths. As I didn't have a clear picture of what I wanted, it was hard to decribe to others. I made these three sample blocks on Friday to give some idea of what I was thinking.
This rectangular block was the first I made and I love the triangle in it. That is where I started making this one, the rest kind of happened. It measures 6.5 x 12.5.


Next I wanted to make a 6.5 in square block and just started putting some of the scraps from the previous block together and this was the result.


The last block was a little bit more interesting as I had the idea to incorporate the fan shape. Once I got it fairly square, I cut it to what I thought was the right size (12.5 x 12.5). I looked at it in respect to the rectangle and realized something was wrong. I had cut it to 9.5 x 9.5. That is was necessitated the strips on the left and top of the block. This block reminds me of a sunset for some reason. I guess the rays fanning out through the clouds. Any way, I am fairly happy with the results of this one.


Here all three are laid out together. I hope to make at least one more 6.5 x 6.5 inch block. These were really fun and almost completely improvisationally done.

Yet Another Bag

I had so much fun making the first two bags, I had to work on another one to work out a good size. This one is 1.5 times larger than the happy little bag, and .5 time smaller than the selvage bag. It is really girly, but I think I like that!

Selvage Bag

After making the little bag for my niece, I decided to try to make one for me out of selvages. It took me much longer than I expected, and it is much bigger than I was planning. (Yes, I know. I measured and should have know how it was going to turn out.) The bag is a great library bag and I have already used it for that purpose.
(Don't you love my 1970's wallpaper?!)


Here is detail of the main body of the bag and some of my favorite selvages.


Here is the detail of the strap. I decided I wouldn't be satisfied with the bag if I didn't use selvages on the straps. I think it looks great!


Have you ever worked with selvages? How did you do it?

Selvages

Selvages have been on my list of things I wanted to use ever since seeing this amazing dress! After making the happy little bag, I decided that I would make one for me with selvages as the main fabric. Here is the work in progress. If you want to see more selvage projects there is a blog devoted to them.

The List is Amazing

It is amazing how many things I have on my sewing to do list! I have so many ideas that I want to do, so many unfinished projects that I started and haven't been motivated to finish, and so many tasks that just need doing. The last couple of days I have completed a few of these tasks.
Our laundry basket is a side by side cloth bag that is divided in the middle. About a year ago, one of the girls thought it would be fun to get into one side of the laundry basket. Instead, she fell onto the divider and ripped it about half way down. Looking at it, the fix seemed easy enough, but I had to wait until there were no clothes in it and then disassemble the frame (not that big of a deal, but my accuse anyway!). Finally this week, I sewed it up! Yeah, that one is off the list.
My husband has been asking me to make him a book mark for his Bible. It was really easy, but again, I had to find the stuff, wait, then hand sew. All of which I don't do well. But I couldn't put it off any longer, so I finished it up on Tuesday!
About a month or so ago, I bought the girls a Curious George duvet cover from the thrift store. It was made from the original "goes to the zoo" prints of flannel and was obviously hand made. The girls loved it and wanted to use it as a picnic blanket. I wanted to sew it closed so that they didn't hide trinkets in it. Finally yesterday I took the buttons off and sewed a zig zag stitch around the perimeter. The girls LOVE it! Another one down!
Three things off the list about 25 more to go! Am I patient and diligent enough to pursue this list without starting something else? I think not. Just look at these great airplanes! I have to make one, or two, or three. Who cares that I don't have any idea what I will use them for. They are too cute! And what about the wonky stars? I want to make those too. One day, I guess they can be added to the list, just not yet.

A Giveaway

As a part of blogtoberfest and to celebrate reaching 50 posts, I am going to host a giveaway. I will post details on the giveaway when I hit 50 posts (I am currently at 42), which should next week!

Fried Apple Oatmeal

I know, I know, another apple dish! When I do something, I tend to go overboard. Fortunately my family is eating it up, and loving it! This recipe was much easier than I thought and looked like a much nicer breakfast than just plan oatmeal.

Happy Little Bag

My sister and I got together to let our kids play. She mentioned in passing that she loved the bag my daughter was using. As I won it during the Sew Mama Sew giveaway day from Brown Robin, I didn't really know how it was made. As we talked, I examined the bag, and grabbed some fabric. Within the hour, I had all the fabric cut out. I had to wait a bit to go buy the rick rack, but other wise this was about an hour project for me. I LOVE the result! In fact, I love it so much I am working on a larger version for myself! I think the bag is about 12in x 10in.


The happy little pink elephant!

Apple Pie

My husband loves fruit desserts. He has gotten several recently! With apples in abundance, the kids and I made an apple pie with a lattice top. So pretty!

Chalktober

Home made sidewalk paint, kind of counts as chalk right? My kids love it as much as chalk and get as messy with it as with chalk, and when it dries, it looks like chalk!

Apple Cake with Caramel Sauce

Flour, sugar, oil, apples, a large mess, sticky kids, beautiful cake, ....


two attempts to make sauce correctly,


one happy husband, priceless.

November is My Month!

In my quilting bee, November is my month. After sewing up the block for Wendy, I decided that I needed to get on the ball about picking out my fabric. I really wanted to use fabric from my stash, so I picked out some black and white prints and some bright colors. I am not completely set on several of the fabrics, but for now it will do. Though, I might replace two or three of them in the very new future.
Note: I have changed out two of the fabrics that I decided didn't go as well as I wanted, but you will have to wait to see them. :)

Blocktober - Quilt Bee Block

Wednesday was quilt block day, and true to form, I am late with it. Though, I did finish this block on Wednesday. This block is for my quilting bee, Bee Addicted 2. It is 16x16 and made of vintage sheets. Wendy is going to cut the squares into 4 pieces and put them back together in a bento box quilt. It is going to be a good looking quilt and I am looking forward to seeing it finished.

Quick Scarf Project

A few weeks back, I bought a large t-shirt at Goodwill and turned it into a scarf using this tutorial. I had planned on using it myself, but my little 4 year old laid claim to the scarf as soon as she saw it! I quickly made another one for my 3 year old. I really like this easy project, and hope to make at least one more for myself when I get another t-shirt in a color that I like.

Wordless Wednesday - My Secret Project

Stalled in the Process

With Blogtoberfest going on, I really feel inadequate with how little sewing projects I have to show you! I really have been working on some quilts. Several were posted about earlier with two Toy Story quilts to finish for friends' birthdays and a baby blanket for a little boy who should make his appearance this month, but never really completed until now. Other quilting projects like my zig zag quilt has stalled in the process of piecing. I am about half way done, maybe a little less. I really like the excitement of starting something new, but I really don't like the follow through! I am working on that though, really. In addition to these things, I am working on a secret project that I am enjoying a lot, but am unable to share right now. All of this makes for a boring sewing blog. Sorry, I will try to pick it up!


The strips for my zig zag quilt coming out of the back of my sewing machine. I think this looks so cool!


Less than half of my stack of squares for my zig zag quilt. It is so monotonous sewing these into strips! I wish I enjoyed this part as much as the first part.

Airplane Blankie

I used the experiements with quilting techniques to make this little blanket. My sister would call this a face blanket. The backing is flannel, but I think I like it even more than the quilted front. The blue satin binding matches the airplanes perfectly. I really love it! It is going to be a present for a little boy due this month.