Giving Handmade

This past weekend we went to a birthday party.  Happy Birthday, Scarlett!  We had a great time!

I loved how Meg's apron dress turned out and wanted to make one for little Scarlett.

Of course, at the last minute I decided I needed to have a cute little bag to wrap it in.  I found this great tutorial for a reversible patchwork bag.  I see lots more of these bags in my future.

From T-shirts To Throw Pillows

My aunt, Andrea, visited a few weeks ago. She brought up a couple of her favorite old t-shirts and wanted me to make pillows out of them.

Side note: Have I mentioned "To Kill A Mockingbird" is one of my favorite books (I know so original for a southern girl). Have I mentioned the author, Harper Lee, was a Chi Omega at The University of Alabama, and I met her during Homecoming week.

I love pillows. I used this as an opportunity to learn a new skill - making and sewing piping onto a pillow. I searched YouTube and found some great videos on how to make your own piping.

I hope you like them, Andrea. See you later this summer!

If you think you might want to try these, prep the t-shirts by ironing on some feather-weight interfacing.

My Fancy Camera

Bob gave me this fancy camera for Christmas. To date, I've used it once.

On Christmas Day.

My goal is to spend the next few days figuring it out. I thought sewing had a lot of terminology I'd never heard before.

But Aperture?

Wish me luck. I'm hoping this DVD will help.

My Husband's Heart

My husband has a good heart. It's not sappy or romantic. It's not full of fear or anxiety.

It's just good.

Many times after we lost Ellie and Kate I wondered if he was angry at me. If somewhere deep in his soul he held me responsible for taking his little girls away from him.

He didn't.

I wish I could say I would've handled the situation the same. That I would've never questioned or wondered if he could've done something different to keep them safe.

Even when his heart was broken it was good.



Photo by Madolina

Quilts in Progress

I love quilts. I love that I (almost) know how to make something I can give to my kids and they can give to their kids.

I'm really great at starting a quilt. Finishing . . . not so much!

I have four in the works right now. I haven't finished one yet, mainly because I haven't learned how to bind them. I'm hoping to get help with that this week in sewing class.
Warning: This post contains multiple pictures of quilts. If you're not a fan, you may not want to read further.

This is my first quilt. I followed along Crazy Mom Quilt's quilt along to learn how to do it. It's called a sampler quilt - a little more traditional than I like, but I learned a lot of different techniques and patterns. I know it's hard to see the fabric, but it's very "girlie". It has lots of flowers, hearts and teacups. My hope is to finish it for Meg before she goes off to college.



These are the first of my 9 patch blocks for Crazy Mom Quilts: One a Day Quilt Along. The idea is to sew one block a day, but I've found it's easier for me to do a few in one sitting. Days can go by before I have a chance to get on the sewing machine, so I do it when I can.




So far this is my favorite! It is called a Disappearing Nine Patch. There's a great tutorial for how to do one here. I'm hoping to add more to this one to make it a twin size - not sure for who. The fabrics are from the Wee Play line.



This is a quilt for my nephew, Nate. It's more like a quilted play mat. It's the closest one to being finished - all I have left is to sew on the binding. I thought I was basing this one on the Disappearing Nine Patch, but when I reread the directions, I realized it's not. I like it anyway and hope he will, too.

Do Phases Have Time Limits?

People tell me it's just a phase.

The defiance. The back talk.

Please tell me it will end. I'd like to unclench my fists and release my jaw!