Gift set for Mason :)

A small gift set I did today as a special "order" - I hope the recipient likes it!  I have leftover scraps of each of the fabrics (and some other fabrics that I didn't end up using) so I can make some extra bits and pieces (a simple dog stuffy comes to mind) but I wanted to get this part done and sent right away :D

Baby set completed, ready to pack for mailing :)

Here's Croc, the taggy-ish stuffy I made for Daniela and the bun she has in the oven - it matches the other pieces I made to send ...

quilt, bib, taggy and stuffy - I hope she likes them!

A bonus gift - several themed bibs ;)

One more item for Daniela's set ...

An infant sized bib backed with the light green chenilley fabric ... and with tags that match the taggy I made a few days ago ;)

I got the crocodile pattern photocopied and enlarged today so I'll work on it tomorrow :)

My first attempt at a teacup zipper bag (pattern is from Pretty Little Purses and Pouches, but there's a freebie here - it's just not in English :D)  I need to work on my handle - this one is a tad too long, and a bit on the skimpy side - the cording doesn't fill out the fabric handle enough.  I need to find a tutorial to help me improve my handle making skills :D

Fabric shopping ;)

Hubby took me out to a couple of quilt stores in Toronto today - I had some specific "themes" to shop for, and did manage to find some of what I wanted!  We'll head Stateside soon to look for the rest of the goodies :D

This is for a set of bibs and taggy blanket.  The 3 fabrics on the right are from Sew-Sisters in Toronto, and the chenilley fabric and trims are from Fabricland :)

Golf fabrics - the blue (top row 2nd from left) and green (bottom row, far right) are for lining, and the golf prints are for zipper and gift bags.  I need another fabric in a solid or TOT blue to break up the prints - I forgot to pick it up. The golf fabrics are from Cock-a-Doodle Quilts in Toronto :)

Doggy prints for ??? - they'll be worked into a future project - both are from Sew Sisters :)

Some of my Oh Cherry Oh (by Moda) charm squares for a future project - I'm thinking they'd be cute for a project for a little girl, especially if I get a metre or two of the one of the prints to use as the main fabric - or - can you see 4 squares patchworked together (with some pretty trim) to make the front of a bib for a little girl ... with the bib backed by white (or pink!!!) chenille - yummy!! 

Yep - a fun day shopping - thanks Dennis!!

You turkey!

LOL this project puts a smile on my face - this is for a lil guy named Mason (he doesn't read my blog, so the secret is SAFE!  HA!!!) - I hope he enjoys it ;)

My version of a "taggy" blanket :)

I made this little guy to go with the quilt I finished yesterday - it measures 15" square (plus the ribbons) - these are really fun and easy to make!  I backed it with the same minty green chenilley/minkee-y fabric I used for the quilt.  Here's a tutorial for the project that outlines pretty much how I made mine, and she even uses the same backing fabric I did, only hers is white, lol.  I think I'll go a little bit smaller next time - maybe 12 or 13" square :) 

Tomorrow's To Do list - an appointment with my nice dermatologist, and a crocodile stuffy!

The flimsy isn't so flimsy now :)

The flimsy from this post is now a completed quilt measuring 42" square :)

No tucks in the back but a few of the quilted sections are a touch droopy, lol.  Hopefully the recipient will have the quilt on a baby or in a crib, rather than hanging on a quilt design wall ;)

A few small finishes, and a "flimsy" ;)

Quilt top (flimsy!) for a bun that's almost done cooking in the oven ... to be backed with a minty green minky-type fabric - I have enough fabric left in these prints to make some small gifts to go with the quilt - I'm thinking a taggy blanket, a pair of slippers (if I can figure out how to make them, lol) and a crocodile stuffy :)

./insert mini rant:  I HATE BLOGGER "formatting".  I can't get it to post the proper text beside the proper photo, and "wysiwyg" formatting is BS, because wis is definitely not wig.  BLECH.   ./end mini rant

A few small finishes - the Halloween fabric was a large scrap given to me by Nancy ... and I made these zipper bags to use up the last of this pink floral fabric - the flamingo bag is lined with the same floral. 

Sailboat quilt finished :)

Sailboat quilt finished tonight - it's in the dryer right now :) The backing is red/white/blue stars on a white background - all the colors that are in the quilt - very pretty!

Here's the next little quilt I'm working on - a baby quilt for an expectant niece :D  The backing is minty/limey green chenilley/minky type fabric - I got it at Joanns during our last trip - I hope it's as nice to sew as it is to touch - it's sooooooo soft!

Ladybugs and a sailboat :D

This is what I made with the "extra" (small) sailboat block :)

Here's the ladybug book thong (bookmark) I made @ Nancy's house today - I got the ladybug beads and findings @ That Bead Lady in Newmarket (Ontario) - the black, red and crystal seed beads were "stash" :)  This little guy measures 13" long - it's even cuter in person than the photo shows (imnsho!) :)

Come sail away ...

come sail away with meeeeeeeeeee :)

I decided not to add the r/w/b border as I didn't have quite enough for the border and backing.  That's OK - the quilt looks quite lovely as is, if I do say so myself!  I don't know if I'll have time tomorrow to sew (doctors appointment in the morning, visiting a friend in the afternoon) but hopefully I can at least get it sandwiched and basted!  It really does look quite pretty, and I'm glad I reverse colored a couple of the blocks for fun - especially the first block of the last row, lol.

Vegas bound :)

Not me, unfortunately, but it's on my Places to Visit list!  Our neighbours are headed there so I whipped up a couple of bags for L - I hope she likes them! ;)

BTW --- Happy Birthday Jenn!!!  I hope you're enjoying your birthday dinner party :D

A bit of progress before bedtime :)

The first 2 rows assembled and sashed (and containing a major error that I fixed the fast way, not the right way --- shhhhhhhhhhh don't tell!) - I'm loving the rick rack water detail, lol!

A necessary evil when paper piecing - paper detritus!  Fortunately I used such a tiny stitch length (30 on my Singer - totally impossible to froggy stitch, lol) that the paper practically falls off :D

Nancy I think this sashing fabric will work just FINE ;)

I got the last of the sailboat blocks finished today - notice that 2 of the blocks have reverse sail colors (on purpose) ... and notice the little block @ the bottom right - he has a special direction in life ... ;)

Here's the sashing fabric we ended up with last night, and the border fabric I picked up @ Joanns last month.  They certainly seem to work well together!  Off to cut sashes! 

Sailing off the edge of the earth, lol

I think these boats are trying to find the edge of the earth!  ;)  5 more blocks done this morning - 4 more to make.  Tonight I'll hit the fabric store after yoga and pick up the sashing fabric, so hopefully tomorrow I can start assembling the quilt top!

My car fabric arrived yesterday - lovely service, as always, from QuiltFabricCloseouts.com - no affiliation, just a very satisfied repeat customer :)  One week from placing order to receiving fabric - keeping in mind I'm in Canada and I ordered from the States, that's a good turnaround time!  Soon I'll be able to start working on the car play mats I want to make :D  I guess I need to pick up some Hot Wheels cars to accessorize the mats, LOL!

Heeheeeeee!!!

I could have used these little peepee teepees when my boys were infants ... HA!!!  These are for our niece Daniela, whose bun in the oven should be done cooking next month :)  We don't know if she's having a boy or a girl, but if it's a boy, she'll be ready ... LOL!!!

Tutorial here :D

Book him, Dano!

Post topic ---> Hawaiian hula zipper bags (completed today) ---> lame, I know ;) 

Paper pieced blocks for a project I'm working on ... I need to make another 10 (or so) blocks - the patterns were free from the Quiltmaker website, but I think they've since removed them.  There's one more sailboat design that I'll also be doing.  And rick rack will be making an important appearance in the finished project ;)

A small milestone :D

I've been stuck in a weight loss plateau since mid-July but finally the dam broke, and at today's weigh-in I finally lost another pound (ok, 1.2 pounds, lol).  That takes me - BMI Calculator-wise - from obese to overweight.  HAHAHAHAHA I'm "only" overweight - how exciting!!!!!!!!!!!  

It's very handy being married to an electrician ;)

We're slowly redoing the paint/flooring/etc. in the house - in the spring we had some carpets replaced and the downstairs repainted - today hubby started new lights and fans on the first floor.  As you can see by the photographs, he had a shadow *ahem* *ahem* - not too ironic that the shadow is an apprentice wireman ;)

Hubby assembling the ceiling fan for the family room ... with shadow ;)

Hubby installing a hall light.  Shadow is out of photo range ;)

Hubby putting together another hall light fixture - I call this one The Worker and the Shirker - check out the stairs ;)

Bonus photo (a bit blurry because I took the picture through the screen) - our oldest son bbq'ing steak and chicken for supper ... his girlfriend Alex is sitting in the lawn chair, and Nick is wearing socks and sandals as a tribute to his dad ... ROTFL!!  As I've been informed, it's not possible to bbq without beer - who knew? LOL!

Halloween and Christmas :D

A couple more completions --- 5 gift bags ...

... and some Halloween bibs.  The two small ones on top are for the bun in the oven that's arriving next month - to go with the Thanksgiving and Christmas bibs already completed :D

iEggs and iTurkey :)

Egg cozies I made as a gift - tutorial available here :)  These were a bit of a pain in the a$$ to make because my free-arm was too big and I had a hard time doing the last seam.  I had to pull out the Husqvarna to use as it had the smallest bed of my several machines, lol.  I love how these turned out!!  The lining is the same fabric as the outside, and they're batted with Warm and Natural :)

These bibs go with the Christmas ones I made yesterday, and are part of a gift set I'm working on.  They're backed with brown chenille (which you can see peeking out behind the turkey fabric).  These put a smile on my face - TURKEY BIBS!  ROTFL!!!

P.S.  Congratulations California!!!  Well done :)

Bibs and bags :)

Finally some finishes - stash-busting Christmas bibs and gift bags :)

A wee bit of shopping ...

Hubby and I went to Buffalo this long weekend - partly as a celebration for our 25th anniversary (on Tuesday), but mainly because I love going there to shop @ Joanns, LOL.  Here are a few bits and pieces I picked up during our trip ;)

This is the fabric I chose for a baby quilt I'm making for an expectant niece.  The green fabric at the bottom is similar to minky - it's unbelievably soft - baby will enjoy snuggling on it!

The green fabric (back) is what I picked to go with the floral print.  The floral was given to me by a friend, and I cut it into 10" squares for a quicky donation quilt.  Hopefully there's enough of the green for the alternate blocks and backing :)

The train print is from a Hobby Lobby visit a year or two ago.  I found the blue stripe fabric yesterday to co-ordinate with it.  This will likely be a donation quilt so it'll just be a simple 1 patch with alternating train/stripe blocks. 

I think I need more hours in the day ;)

Cutest kids travel blanket tute EVER :)

This is one of the cutest tutorials I've ever seen - Kathy @ Merriment Design posted this, and I fell in LOVE :)  Project is now officially on my To Do list :)

Pics are Kathy's, and are posted with her permission - thanks, Kathy!