Coraline models

I'll admit the downloading of pictures from the camera to the computer and from the computer to this blog drives me insane and is definitely the reason why this blog lacks post.  I will have to do better if I expect anyone to read this! 

I made another "Abbey Dress" for Coraline.  Same fabric as before but in a bigger size.  I added 1.5 inches to every dimension she lists in her pattern. 

 Coraline shows off the back of her dress and bloomers.

 The front of the dress.

The bloomers were a new pattern for me and soooooo easy to do.  I recommend it to anyone and everyone for its simplicity and cuteness factor.  Here is the link to the pattern.

 She was not interested in standing and showing everything off for me, so she is holding on to her pink blankie so she'll be still.  But you get an idea of what it would look like.

The completed outfit.

How on Earth

did this sweet, tiny little thing . . .

turn into this mobile, climbing, squealing, singing, dirt-eating, food-loving, gosh darn cute slightly bigger thing?

I'm telling you- this was the fastest 365 days of my life!  And I loved every minute (almost every minute)!

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl! 

New Toy

This new toy has been taking up my time lately!

A Brother CS-6000i sewing machine.

I'm so excited to actually own a new sewing machine (that has a LCD screen mind you).  Now, it is by no means the top of the line, but it is faster and has more options than my old one. However, my old one is near and dear to my heart, because I got it when I was 12 years old and it is a solid piece of Singer machinery.  I can't ever let it go.

My tension in the old machine kept getting wonky when I would quilt and I was getting so frustrated with it (who likes to pull stitches), but so far this new one has done a great job of keeping the tension steady.

What was kind of special about this machine is that I bought it with money I earned from selling my quilts on Etsy.  Money well spent. 

So far I've quilted (and sold) a quilt, made a stroller blanket (to be added soon to Etsy) and made a dress for Coraline.  Time and money well spent.

Appliqued owl quilt

What a pretty quilt this turned out to be!  A sweet mommy-to-be contacted me because she wanted to have something special made for her little girl.  She picked the fabric and told me what she wanted and this is what I came up with. 

I love how the appliqued owl on a branch turned out.  

This quilt style of basic squares is turning out to be quite popular- probably because of how well it highlights the fabrics. 

This is another larger quilt (47 x 47).  I'm loving this size quilt- it's so thick and luxurious feeling.  It will certainly last through toddler hood and a little beyond.

Alright folks, onto the next quilt.

A fine day indeed . . .

It's a good day to be a mother.

My loves got me a fun basket filled with little treats.  And my mom left a little surprise on my door.  Everything was food or food related.  Wow, my family knows me well.

This is my first Mother's Day.  This year has been wonderful.  Who knew being a mother would be this great?!  Little Miss C has rocked my world (for the better, of course) and I am thankful she has.  I wouldn't trade a single day with her.  I hope the next year is just as great! 

Love her.  And I love Grant for making it a special day for me! 

Garden Adventure

We've been having some beautiful weather here lately.  A friend and I decided that a visit to a garden was in definite order.  And wow, Duke Gardens is beautiful!  I have wanted to go for awhile and it definitely did not disappoint.

 They have some of the most interesting flowers.  This one looked like a firework.

 Miss C enjoyed herself.  She wanted to pick the flowers, naturally.

 I let her eat a leaf instead.

We got to sit down and let the girls play on the grass while the grownups got to enjoy some pineapple tea.  It's the small things that make me so happy!  A beautiful day with friends and sweet (but not too sweet) pineapple tea!  Perfect.

It's a Hoot (again).

I love the look of stacked coin quilts.  Super easy to make and a fun way to highlight fabric colors.  I have found that this fabric line is very popular on Etsy (this is my third quilt with this fabric).  I have just enough fabric to make another quilt and will be making a special order quilt with it as well.  If you like it, you better hurry and get it because I'm finding that shops are starting to sell out!  It's the "It's a Hoot" fabric collection by MoMo for Moda.  

This line has so many fun fabrics that are perfect for the backs of quilts. 

Here's another great one!  Cute little owls in trees.

Stacked coins.  Can't get much easier than this!

This one is in my Etsy shop.

Happy Easter!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.  We had pretty weather over here and were able to celebrate with both Grant and my family.  It was a busy day for us, but Miss C did pretty well.  She got to wear not one, but two pretty Easter dresses!  Lucky girl! 

Family picture. 

Her first (and only) egg!

Fast and Easy Pillows

Pillows are one of the easiest sewing projects to make, but I have always made mine with loose batting and, consequently, they usually turn lumpy pretty fast.  I had come across an envelope style pillow tutorial and put it in the back of my mind for the next time I needed to sew a pillow.  Well, I finally got a reason to try out this new style.  My friend wanted me to make matching quilts and pillows for her soon-to-be-here nephews (twins) with an owl theme.  Perfect!

I appliqued the owls onto the pillow case. 

It's hard to see the envelope part of the pillow in this picture (towards the bottom), but it's there.  I also wanted to add a little color in the back so I added the yellow and orange fabric. 

This is the cleanest, neatest, crispest (word?) pillow cover.  I followed her math using a 14 x 14 pillow.  Oh my goodness y'all (that's the southern speaking), it's so tailored looking.  I will always do pillows like this from now on!

Hope the tutorial helps someone! 

Chic Baby Quilt

My blog is turning into a quilt show!  I'm sure most of you don't mind though! 

Here is a special order I did for Alex and her very soon-to-be-here baby boy.  She picked the main fabric and we were able to find a nice fat quarter bundle on Etsy.  Most of the fabric is from Michael Miller's Retro Mod collection in Lagoon.  I adore this fabric and this may very well be my favorite quilt so far! 

(the colors *swoon*)

Alex wanted a simple design with lots of white so it would be easy on the eye and highlight the fabric.  Wow, the colors just pop against all that white.  This was the biggest quilt I've made so far- 49 x 48 inches.  It's real thick and luxurious- perfect for cooler weather. 

(love the simple design)

(back of quilt with a line of charms running through it.  Simple and fun.)

I'm loving it!