I love leftovers...

After finishing the top of Emily's quilt I was feeling inspired and wanted to finally make something for myself. In that same moment I also realized that it was March and my Christmas table-runner was probably a little out-of-date. The leftover fabric from the quilt made a wonderful spring table-runner for the living room : )

It wasn't "given away" so it doesn't get a number... but I'm still proud of it!

Ok, so I partially fail...

OBVIOUSLY the "once a week" thing was a little too ambitious. But I will post what I've been doing recently. I should also mention that I have given away lots of farm fresh eggs to co-workers but haven't posted pictures of them. I'll let all those eggs count as #s 5-10. We also figured out that brown and green eggs make for much more interesting results when decorating eggs for Easter.

 

I am also done with the top of Miss Emily's quilt and it is being quilted as we speak. I can't post a photo yet though, or she might see it! So we'll have to wait until the wedding in May to count that one.

However, I WILL post a cute little quilt I made for my new niece Alice. Technically she's my second cousin, but niece sounds much better! Her mom (my cousin and best friend) wasn't into super-girly stuff so we went with some nice bold colors and cute fruit, owl and lady bug prints.

#11 - Quilt for Alice Mae Whalen, born March 25, 2011

#4: Snow Days are an awesome time to start a new project!

Well I got lucky and started this whole thing when I had 2 and a half snow days in a row. There are 3 feet drifts outside and I'm in my basement sewing and planning all of the 52 projects I'm going to make this year :)  Today I made these veggie-themed pot holders. They are for my brother's birthday that is coming up. I was definitely a stretch to find some "manly" fabric since I couldn't go to the store in all the snow.

#4 - Nick's birthday pot holders

I'm trying to get ahead of myself here so I can start on my best friend's quilt in a few weeks. It's going to be a big project - but totally worth it. She's getting married in May so I need to get all this baby stuff and birthday presents over with so I can devote some time to my next masterpiece. Who knows - I might like it so much I'll have to keep it :)

Emily & David's future wedding quilt.  I should add that this project was funded by my mother  :)

Another someone getting comfy on a future project.

#1-3

So here are the projects I'm cheating with. One of my favorite things about making things for people is thinking about their personality and giving gifts that fit their own personal style. Both of Joe's sisters are pregnant with baby girls so I decided to make them each a quilt that (hopefully!) fit their personalities. Katie's is a nice elegant quilt with muted greens, browns and pinks. Annie's is more on the funky side with bright colors, and plaid. It was also the first rag quilt I've ever made - that was an interesting experience - but it turned out pretty cute. I don't have photos of that one because I already gave it to her last weekend. I'll post photos of the baby and her quilt when she decides to come into the world!

Project #1

Project #1

Project #3 is a traveling changing pad for Joe's cousin who is also having a baby girl. Her baby shower is this weekend. It was the first thing like this I've made and I think it turned out pretty good! Next time I think I'll make it smaller so it would fit in another bag easier and be more compact.

This was my first experience with magnetic snaps - hopefully they don't fall off!

Portable changing pad - when folded up.

Unfolded - with pockets for diapers and a small wipes container. I used minky so it'd be nice and soft for the little one's tushy!

One project that will be coming up is my cousin (and best friend's) baby quilt. She is ALSO having a baby girl. There will be baby girls all over the place this spring!

Julie and Julia had a profound effect on me...

OK, so I know I've been needing a project. And not just a one-time project, but one that will keep me busy for awhile and give me something to do besides sit around the house and watch TV - however appealing that may be. So after a combination of 3 baby showers in one month, watching Julie & Julia (GREAT movie!) and a post on facebook about spreading the love of homemade goods... let's just say I've found my calling.

My mission is to create one homemade item per week (52 items throughout the year). I'll use this blog to post my progress and of course photos of all the items I am creating and giving way.

I'm going to cheat a little bit and count the 2 quilts baby quilts I just got done making :)

Every time I look around, someone has gotten comfy on my projects... so if you get a gift from my I suggest washing it before using it if you're not a fan of dog hair :)