For myself

I wanted to make some sort of cute basket or something to store my pearl cottons in, and I had a bunch of Loulouthi scraps leftover from this, so I sewed them up and made another basket. Unfortunately, it didn't quite turn out how I imagined, and I may not use it for what I originally wanted, but I still think it turned out cute!

See, a little deep for a cute way to store and also display those yummy colors, but it'll work for now!

Mail day

Is it wrong that I just wanted to roll around, clothing optional, when I opened my mail and saw THIS(!!)? I've been eagerly awaiting a couple of packages, but none more than that one from Pink Chalk Fabrics with my Kona Color Card. Something about seeing all those colors lined up, neat and orderly, and LABELED for all eternity, now in my possession. Great day, I'm just sayin'.

Also, I finished lilSGT's bean bag chair! I used the tutorial at Making It Fun, and the fabric is Michael Miller Kids: Honk Honk (aqua), Plaidsportation (black), and Lunch Box Plaid (yellow). I love how it turned out, and so does the kid (though no decent photos have happened yet with him playing/sitting on it!)!

Finally!

Well, she did it, she tied the knot! Which means I can finally show what I made for my friend and her husband! So far, it's my favorite quilt I've made (though my brain thinks I've got this great idea, even though I have no idea how to make it come into fruition, so we'll just see), and she claims to like it, so yay! She didn't, however, say how her husband felt about it, and this after I tried so hard to include enough masculine color in it to appeal to them both. But alas.

The Front, Amy Smart's Chrysalis Lattice Quilt, using Joel Dewberry's Aviary 2 instead of Chrysalis

The Back. My absolute favorite.

The pillow covers. I didn't want to ship them stuffed, so Mom got some forms and did it for me! Thanks, Mom!

And that's it! It is a very simple and straightforward quilt top, nothing fancy, but great for showcasing your favorite fabrics! I used straight line quilting, about a quarter inch on either side of the seams. I added the strip of purple at the top to make it big enough to fit a queen bed, in case my friend decides to use it that way. It isn't necessarily meant for such, but I wanted her to have the option. I just wish I could have been there to give it to her in person!

A finished project

I made some cute little storage baskets for lilSGT's toys. The pattern/tutorial is in the sidebar at Making it Fun, one of my favorite new places for amazing tutorials. Seriously, check out the list on that page of tutorials - I couldn't even tell you how many of those I've downloaded already, but it's a LOT.

Fabric is Dan Stiles Marine for Birch.

On a side note, does anybody know why my pictures are so small now? Before I lost my way from here, pictures were fine, but now they are so small and I don't know how to fix it! So, help! Thanks!

Hooray for quick projects!

So, I finally figured out that if I do quicker, more simple projects, I feel much more accomplished. Like I'm making more progress, getting more done. Such a simple trick, and it lets me use way more yummy fabric, in a bigger variety of ways, than just making quilts would! Plus, no aggravation of trying to drag a huge quilt through my weensy little machine to quilt the top (gotta be my least favorite part!!). So, win-win!

I made my first Gum Drop Pillow (Amy Butler) today. I decided to bring some color into our living room, because up until now, it's been brown, beige, brown, black, and brown. Did I mention the brown? So, I chose brighter fabrics for these (hopefully I'll get a couple more made), and then I am hoping to do the Loulouthi Tiles quilt-a-long, hosted by Rachel at Stitched in Color, to brighten things up a bit. You know, when I get to it.

So, mission accomplished - color! These pillows are incredibly simple to make, the hardest part was stuffing it with the filling. It's hard getting it in there evenly and if you didn't notice in my pictures, I strategically angled the pictures so you couldn't see exactly how lopsided mine turned out! :) This one pillow ended up taking two 5 lb boxes of filler, and there still could have been room for more! That's a lot, and also a lot of money, so I don't know that I'll be exactly rushing to make more, but eventually I will!

Progress

Well, I've gotten a couple of things done over the last few days. I finished the awesome wedding gift (can't wait to share it!), and then I took a long long long break from sewing, and then I made this sewing machine cover for my friend, Susan's, birthday:

Then I made my moms laptop sleeve:

And today I whipped up this apron from a kit I got while in Oregon:

It's reversible!

In other news, two days in the last week have had lower categories leaving the airport, so maybe, just maybe I'll get to make it home for my friends wedding. My fingers are crossed!

Updated: I totally forgot to give credit!! OK, the machine cover is from Empty Bobbin, with only minor adjustments on my part. The apron is by Mary Mulari,and I got the kit at Stitchin' Post in Sisters, OR. The laptop sleeve was from Sew Spoiled. oops!

Laptop sleeve

I made this laptop sleeve for my new laptop yesterday.

I was amazed, first, that my old sewing skillz were still hidden deep inside me somewhere, and second, how quick this came together. If I'd had all the things I needed at once, it easily could be done in a day. Oh, and if there weren't toddlers and husbands to distract me! Not that I'm complaining, once SSG T's leave is over, I'll be scrounging for free time!

The pattern is by Sew Spoiled, though I'm pretty sure I purchased it through Pink Chalk Fabrics.