Super Santa, Frog...What? Finish Up Friday!!

This past winter, after hearing so much about the Scrappy Trip Around the World Quilt on all the quilting blogs, like Red Pepper Quilts,  Film in the Fridge, Crazy Mom Quilts, and of course the thousands of beautiful photos over on Flickr. I KNEW I'd end up making one eventually! 

So, I opened up the AWESOME tutorial over on Quiltville Quips and Snips and sat down to cut piles and piles of 16"x 2.5" strips from fabrics that I really had no other use for. According to the tutorial, you just use what ever you've got and it's all supposed to work it's self out when sewn into blocks and then into the finished quilt. In other words, the fabrics are not supposed to match or coordinate, you just randomly grab and sew. I had doubts...because I have ALOT of fabric that does not go together and so much novelty prints from when my kids were smaller. So, when do Santa, Superman and frogs go together? Don't even point out the florals, plaids, chevrons, ice cream cones, cupcakes, polka dots and butterfiles...

But, I thought what the heck, I'll give it a go.

The photo above shows about half of my dining room table, that was COVERED in these piles. 

This was the first block completed, a trial run I suppose. I like the way the randomness works it's way out in the end and I thought a red diagonal stripe in each block would bring some sort of coherence throughout the quilt. So I went with it!

I spend one day cutting, another day sewing strips together and cutting. Mostly in the evenings, I would sit and undo the strips according to the tutorial, making the stair step pattern shown.

Piecing the blocks together was really fun. I spread them out all over the floor and let the kids design what they wanted to. In the end, we all agreed on the diamond shapes.

I made a scrappy binding out of the strips left over and quilted in outline stitching along the seams. I still have lots more strips to sew, so maybe I'll make another and just keep adding to the pile as I go. It was a fun quilt to make for beginners and advanced quilters alike!

I hope you like the final result! I love it and it's turned into the BEST couch quilt! Everyone fights over who gets it, but it's big enough to share :)

You can find the free tutorial HERE! Have you made one? Share your links!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Vintage aprons, a few favorites from my collection...

Sometime, maybe 8 years ago, I was thrifting with a friend at a really old, almost gross thrift store. One of those thrift stores that you just can't stand, but they have the BEST stuff, and the BEST prices. Anyway, we had gone in for a "Fill a bag for $5" sale...and fill bags we did! We filled bags with all kinds of vintage finds, fabrics, Pyrex, old Corelle dishware and so many more things to list. I had tossed a few old half aprons and some embroidered linens in the bag because I liked the fabrics, and they were unique.

When we were home and were going thru our treasures, it was then that I noticed that they had been hand made, some even hand stitched. Every apron told me a story! Odd shaped pieces were sewn together to make a pocket, snippets of zigzag, and even the little stains on the front. Quite possibly stains from a little one wiping their mouth or hands on their momma's apron. I fell in love with those aprons.

From then on, searching for aprons was my goal while thrifting.

Here are a few favorites from my collection...

That little lady at the end showing off her skivvies, is currently for sale in my Etsy store!

As far as care for the aprons, I really don't do to much. I hand wash them once I purchase them and lay them out to dry. Thrift stores, garage sales and even purchases off Ebay can have odors or dust that needs to be cleaned off. I do not however try to get out the stains. You could very gently, use something like Oxyclean maybe, but I personally think that small stains just add to the character of the apron.

Once they are cleaned and dry I give them a quick press, then I either fold them for storage or display them in the kitchen or my craft/sewing room.

Do you collect vintage aprons? Linens? Housewares? Let me know if you'd like to see more of what I collect...I've got lots to show :)

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Knitting a 3S Shawl and new Etsy listings

For the last 2 months it has rained almost everyday here in the Augusta area. We've been feeling a little shut in, a bit soggy, and, well...a LOT bored. In the evenings, when the rain clouds block the hopes of evening sun, I get that feeling of autumn and long days. I'm a fall and winter girl at heart. Sure, I love a warm sunny day, but I looong for snow days, chilly breezes and cozy sweaters. 

My faithful side kick in the evenings have been my hexagons, but for a change of pace I picked up my knitting project that's been in the works for along time. Once I completed a row, I was back into the ease of the pattern and the relaxing, almost meditative movements. This is why I love knitting.  

Just before we moved to Georgia, I picked up two new yarns from my local shop, both Cascade Heritage paints, Green Opal and David's eyes. I was planning to make socks, but I came across a pattern on Ravelry, Amy Meade's 3S shawl (free download on Ravelry) and got started on it with the Green Opal color way. I loved it so much! The pattern really show off the colors and the subtle changes in hue. I decided to start another in the David's eye's color way, but I couldn't get it finished before the move. 

This should be finished in about 50 more rows...and I'm looking forward to it and the weather to wear it in!

On another note, I've finished up a few small sewing and quilting projects, and I've got a new listing in my Etsy shop!

This cute little mug rug is now available for purchase, and I'll be adding in a few more along with some other projects. Wouldn't this be an awesome gift to a teacher! I'll be adding in a few more in the next few days. As the summer winds down, the season for holiday gift giving will be right around the corner!!! 

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!!

How to: Mason Jar Pantry Storage

I'm not sure exactly if I saw this idea first on Pinterest, or somewhere on a blog but, the idea if using Mason Jars as pantry storage was definitely something I had to do. 

This was a project I did with the kids a little more than a year ago, and I still use this system today. The only thing that's changed, is that I now use this idea in the freezer and the fridge too. The Mason Jars were a cheap investment to make, especially when you compare pantry storage containers, which are mostly made of plastic anyhow.

I purchased two packages of jars, both in the 32oz and the 16oz sizes. Each package came in a set of 12 and cost about $10 a pack. I also purchased two 64oz jars and a few in-between sizes as needed. 

Mason Jars or recycled jars

Painter's tape

Chalkboard paint (they have chalkboard labels now)

Sponge brush

Chalkboard markers, or chalk









First, start with clean, dry jars. 

Then, decide how large of an area you will need for your chalkboard. If your using a chalkboard peel and stick label, skip all the painting steps, and just stick your labels on and get right into using your chalk. 

I chose to eyeball it, but you could use a strip of paper or a post it note as a template. Then, tape off the areas you do not want painted. Make sure your tape is smoothed and secure to the jar, because the jars have lumps and bumps and your paint will run under the tape if it's not secured. Once your happy with your tape, using a sponge brush, brush on a thin coating of chalkboard paint. Let this dry, and apply up to 2 more layers if needed. I chose to remove my tape while my paint was still wet.

Let this cure overnight, or follow the specific curing directions on your paint bottle. 

After the curing you can use either the chalkboard markers or the regular chalk, I chose the markers, because they were brighter and gave a cleaner edge to the writing. 

I let the kids do the labeling, and they got pretty creative! My son put some really heartwarming notes on my jars, and it was fun to get them involved. Here's a close up of my jars...and their sweet notes :)

I found that the chalkboard marker did not wash off easily from the paint, which ended up being ok since I was refilling those jars with the same product anyways. But, I had to be careful not to submerge the jars in water, as the paint will peel off an it is NOT dishwasher safe. The paint will create a mess inside of your dishwasher! I learned that the hard way! It's best to wipe out or gently hand wash as needed. 

Have fun with your Jars and find places to use them all over your house, not just in your kitchen!

On another note, you can now find my blog on QuilterBlogs! Be sure to stop by and check out what Quilters are blogging about today! :)

Hello!

Hello!

Not much to say today, but I thought I'd share some of my WIP's! I've been piecing my pinwheels very slowly, some are over a year old. But, I'm enjoying hand piecing my hexy's while I watch tv in the evening...and they are coming together quickly! Enjoy!

Scrapper's Delight, from Sunday Morning Quilts!

The other day I was digging through a mountain of fabric scrap...truly, go buy some from my Etsy store, I've got plenty to share! I wasn't sure how to put all these pieces together. This past Christmas, my wonderful husband gave me the book Sunday Morning Quilts by Amanda Jean Nyberg and Cheryl Arkison

I flipped through the book until I came upon the pattern for Scrapper's Delight. It was hard to choose just one pattern! I'll be back in there for another go soon after I'm done with this one...I'll still have scraps to use. I've followed one of the writers of this book, Amanda Jean Nyberg for a few years, and she's a great inspiration! If your not already a follower of Amanda's blog "Crazy Mom Quilts" stop by and check it out. Anyway, once I got started, these 4 blocks came together in no time flat! 

All I did was reach into the scrap pile for appropriate size pieces, square them up and add them in. I trimmed and squared and pressed as I went along. I probably broke many unknown quilting rules along the way, but I don't care. They came out fantastic. I hope to make as many as I can before the beginning of school in the coming weeks. I'm not sure how much time I'll have to sew once we're on our new schedule.  

Have you sewn anything from this awesome book yet? Share it if you have!