Merry Christmas Kristy.

If you remember my sister requested a duvet, my parents bought the fabric, and I made the duvet. Merry Christmas.
So, I finished her duvet quite awhile ago but it's taken me way to long to get her pillows done. But I finally finished them all and they are awesome.


I was inspired by a quilt on purl bee. I didn't use solids. I made my own pattern and made this pillow. :) It needs a 15" insert. It is identical on both sides and uses all 4 of her Amy Butler Fabrics. I installed an invisible zipper.

I was inspired by a tote bag, but I can't find the site. This just has the applique on the front and a patterned back. It's my first applique too! It is 16" and has an invisible zipper too. I used Anna Maria's super circles. I still think I need practice.

I merged 2 tutorials for log cabin pillows and modified them to make them my own. I used the pattern I'd used this summer for the back- I think it's called an envelope back. I quilted it using a zig-zag stitch following the seams of the log cabins. I found a new pattern for the front, using 4 log cabin blocks then I added a few borders to make them larger. The back was quilted using zig-zag stitches on the diagonal.

I made one pillowcase using this tutorial. It was pretty easy. My first french seam! It seems big, so we'll see if she has to buy a bigger pillow. I used the scraps left from the 2 accent fabric, and the rest of the Gray lace.
They and my sisters valentines are on their way. :) "California here they come!" Merry Christmas Kristy Ann. I love you!

More Ice and Snow

The ice on the trees is kinda sad- lots are broken etc. but they are so beautiful.




So I'm finding it super ironic that now that I have a job I have enjoyed another week at home crafting.... :) Oh, well. Louisville has had a psycho ice/snow storm and so there has been no school since Monday. Lots of the city is without power. As I mentioned I spent a few days cross stitching, knitting, and hanging out with Britton while he played video games- His work had no power either.
When he went back to work yesterday I got into full sewing mode. I
I am very thankful to be warm and have electricity. The whole subdivision doesn't get plowed and I have gotten stuck in the cul-de-sac at least twice. Seems silly to me- I grew up where 6 inches of snow didn't stop traffic. The girl at the Meijer Starbucks recognized me today.... It's been my escape the last few days.

Macho coffee cozy

Another friend from our new small group has a birthday tomorrow. (He's married to the girl who got hobo chic gloves for her birthday.) He is working on his masters and is a Starbucks nut. I figured a cozy would be perfect. I am still perfecting making them more manly.
I used the satin stitch on my machine to stitch his last name. I covered a button with the interior fabric and I used a hair elastic for the catch. I think it's cute and I like how it matches the card.

Happy Birthday Chris!

Snow/Ice Fun

So I had a good first day, but the irony of my week is that I only had a first day. We have had a crazy ice storm that most of you have heard about. So I think tomorrow will be my third snow day. :) I am ok with it, but I would really like to be making money so we can move out. Britton had 1/2 of yesterday and all of today too. So it's been nice to hang out.

I finished 2 more sets of chic gloves, one a "commission" :) and one for a girl I love. I am starting a cross stitch project and valentine presents. I need to finish Kristy's pillows and I need to get a pattern figured out for my chairs. I hope you are enjoying winter. I am - It helps me to appreciate all the other seasons. Plus after living in Vegas a little snow is nice. Hope you are all staying warm and safe. I am very grateful that we have power... lots of people here don't.



I think Matt liked his pillow. I am pretty proud of how it turned out.

Happy Birthday Kelly Jo!

Happy Happy Birthday to my baby sister. (It was yesterday but I had to wait until she had her present and I had time to post) Here are my wonderful sisters and I at my rehearsal dinner. Kelly is on the left.
Here is she and I being silly a few christmases ago.
Same Christmas, I think - annual line dancing trip.
In honor of my fabulous sister's #21 I made her a clutch out of my In Stitches by Amy Butler book that I got for Christmas. It's a good thing I started this and the pillow before New Years. They both took me a long time. I am satisfied with how it turned out, but not thrilled. The fabric I picked I really like and I think it's totally Kelly. It has pockets for her checkbook, calculator, pens, lipsticks, cards, and cash. My hubby included a new starbucks card for her. (We are addicts)The zipper sticks a little on one side, but I had to install it 5 times, even with help from the expert friend at work. It also has a few rough places but it is cute and I know how do do ruffles, harder zippers, and more pockets, etc.



I hope she likes it. Happy Birthday my dear Kelly!
We have always said when she turned 21 we would go skydiving, so the countdown until sometime this year when we are all together is looming. :)

Sonic

Yes I am insane. I had this idea before Christmas to make Britton's boys something using the pixels from their favorite characters in 8/16 bit video games. (For those of you not married to video game geeks, that means characters from early Nintendo/ Sega games). I plotted them out on graph paper and quickly realized this was not a project that was going to happen before Christmas. So then it became this years birthday presents project. Matt's birthday is January 27 and he loves Sonic the Hedgehog.
I don't know why everyone is celebrating at the end of April but I have 3 significant people in my life born on January 27. I also have quite a few other birthdays to celebrate this month.
I counted and cut 1" squares and used 1/4'' seams. I sewed the squares together in pairs then rows of 6 or 8. Then rows together in pairs and then groups of 6 or 8 rows. It ended up being a HUGE undertaking. :) I think its almost 1,100 squares. I started chain stitching around new years while we were still house sitting. Here are some squares and my lgsm case and my chirstmas lights i refused to put away with the tree. :) (I find the tree putting away one of the most depressing events of the year.)
I think he turned out great though. I hope Matt loves him.

Valentine Flowers

My favorite go to easy valentine is my flowers. I cut out hearts and then attach them to a floral stem wire by poking a hole through the corners of the hearts and through a loop at the top of the wire. I made these for the scrapbooking department at work. I think they turned out super cute, and they are so cheap and easy. I have always just used construction paper before but scrapboooking paper worked great. I recommend using styrofoam or oasis foam if you are putting them in a vase so they arrange more easily. They are cute individually for coworkers, friends, etc, but they are great in a vase for you or a secret valentine.
On another note I will have to start planning for Valentines for this year!!!! I GOT A JOB! Praise God! I start Monday as a Special Ed Assistant in Kindergarten. I am thrilled. (This also means we can soon move back into a place of our own, which I am very excited about.) I better get to work on the kitchen chairs :).

Knitting- hobo chic

So I knitted my first real project, using a pattern I MADE UP!!! :) A friend from work helped me with figuring it out. But it really worked. I made myself fingerless gloves. They were super easy. I knit 40 stitches and then knit 20 rows, then i mattress stitched up the seam, except for the thumb. It took me a little while to help me hide the ends, but I am learning.
We started going to a new small group on Thursday nights. (which we love and has been super encouraging.) My new friend Andrea's birthday was yesterday- I quickly made her some. I added some bows to hers. They turned out super cute (and someone else ordered some :) ).

I also whipped up this card using my scraps (and a pack of clearance wedding invitations from target.) I Love Target. I love how it turned out and can see making more in the near future.
She seemed really pleased. I hope she had a great birthday!

Kameron's Kitchen

I made Kameron these napkins for her birthday in December. She decided they were too cute to be napkins and also decided that we needed a crafting day together. (a cheap one! :) ) She decided that she wanted to use the napkins as cafe curtains in her kitchen. We stocked up on button kits, mini clothes pins and satin ribbon at the craft store and got to work. She did her stuff and I worked on this months chaos (birthday presents and trying to finish pillows/art stuff to go with Kristy's chrsitmas duvet). They turned out amazing. I had extra scraps she used to cover buttons. She painted the clothes pins using extra wall paint and then glued the buttons to the clothespins. We hung the ribbon at the top of the windows and pinned the napkins up. They look awesome and help finish the adorably already charming kitchen.
Yea for crafty girls!!

2009!!

Sasha (the dog) wants to be wherever you are.... I call her stalker dog. She sits wherever you where sitting, etc. This was noticeable to an extreme on New Years Day. Britton was playing his new Persona 4 for PS3 and I was using my new!!!! :) Sewing Machine to work on a Duvet for Kristy. Check out the dog hanging out with my Singer. Silly Sasha!


These are not posed, she really is that weird :)

So I made a deal with Kristy and my Mom. Kristy decided in the middle of Dec. she wanted a new duvet. I would sew and mom would buy- Merry Christmas Kristy! :) She picked 2 great Amy Butler fabrics and I photoshopped some pattern ideas. We decided to use gray on the outside so we didn't have to buy as much designer fabric. I found them reasonably online and they shipped here, arriving right before Christmas. I was excited because they are so pretty.

I was going to get some gray kona cotton after they arrived, but nowhere in town was carrying gray, or enough, so I moved on to looking for a flat sheet I could use. I finally found some I liked at my 2nd Target, but It was expensive and only came as a set in full or larger. I ended up buying the queen size bed skirt. I tore it out and made it work as the borders on each side. On one side I had to use some black in the corners. It turned out fine though.
I got to use "the vine" stich on my new sewing machine to topstich the sides of the top edge.
I think I am most proud of the 5 buttonholes!!! I made, and the 5 adorable buttons. Welcome 2009! I am going to try to track the new things I tackle.

finishing 2008

Here are some of the magnets I made "the boys" for Christmas... They have been Britton's friends since early high school. Some were our groomsmen and now are taking turns being in each others weddings :) (Congrats to Matt and Heather who got engaged on Christmas Eve!!)
I had been saving bottle caps for awhile for the unknown.... I used them to frame 1" circles cut out from some of Britton's old video game magazines. I cut out a bunch and then sorted and picked according to individual interest. I coated the circles in mod poge and then placed them in the bottle caps. I covered them with embossing powder and baked them at 250 degrees until the powder was clear. Then I glued magnets to the back. They turned out cute. I'll have to make more using circles that are cuter :) I already have quilt a few bottle caps from our Christmas party and New Year's Eve. These are Matt's magnets.

I HATE the day after Christmas... I LOVE Christmas and am always sad to move on... :) This year I had a Boxing day present from the Dog we're house sitting for. She totally randomly bit me. It scared me to death and hurt, but we've had more than a week to make up and be friends again, which is probably good. I am still nervous of her in the bedroom (which is where I was when she jumped off the bed and bit me, but my bruise is starting to look better and my arm isn't tender anymore.
We got sushi with some of our friends and then hung out New Years Eve. (We tease some of our friends for making a face in all their pictures on facebook, so we spent a good part of our evening taking pictures trying to make the funny face- obviously I can't do the face)
Here's Kameron and I in a more normal pose.

And Happy New Year!!!! :) I am looking forward to what 2009 brings! (Hopefully at least a new apartment, maybe a 1/2 marathon, a trip to San Fran, skydiving, and my first full size quilt?)