Finished! Finally.

 On Saturday my quilt club met for 4 hours of sewing, chatting, and snacking.  I forced myself to finish at least one duvet cover.  Forced!  Turns out fighting enormous pieces of fabric under the needle of a sewing machine is not my favorite thing.  As I settled myself at my machine, accepting I was in for an hour of frustration I declared I'm going to sew this mother-fking thing if it kills me.  It was then suggested that this could be our Quilt Club motto.  Perhaps we would get it printed on T-shirts.  It would keep quilt club hard and close to the street just like it used to be. It was also suggested that I not be allowed to sew anything larger than a coaster.  Then it was downgraded to a book mark.  All good suggestions if you ask me.

 What was I thinking?  There is no such thing as whipping out 2 twin size duvet covers, btw.  Eva doesn't even like pink anymore (I blame 2nd grade!)  She was really sweet and appreciative when it was finished though.

 Now, on to Audrey's. Teeth clenched, sewing machine and ripper at the ready. Ugh. 

Have you ever started and finished a monster project that you pretty much hated every step of?  Share your story!

Photo Ornaments

Technically they should be called, Photo Ornament Ornaments. But that isn't very catchy. Each year I like to include a little homemade offering for the grandparents, aunts & uncles. Something small and something that incorporates pictures of the girls. So far it has always taken the form of a Christmas tree ornament.

This year I sewed the girls' photo onto felt cut into the shape of a Christmas tree ornament. I think the result is pretty cute. Here are the directions in case you'd like to make a few yourself.

Supplies

Use photo paper for your pictures. Computer paper is too thin.

Send me an email if you'd like the ornament templates. As you know, I haven't figured out how to add a pdf to my posts. ugh.

1) Trace your ornament template onto the felt. Cut out.

2) Glue photo onto felt ornament. This prevents it from slipping around while you're sewing it.

3. Sew around the edge of the photo. I used a straight stitch but you could use a zig zag.

4. Pin ornament onto a piece of felt. Cut a 4 inch piece of trim, fold it in half and place it between the ornament and the piece of felt.

5. Sew around the edge of the ornament. Leave a small opening for stuffing.

6. Cut the excess felt off. Be careful not to cut off your hanger.

7. Stuff ornament with desired amount of stuffing. I lightly stuffed mine.

8. Sew opening up. I did it on the sewing machine.

Here is a photo ornament from a few years ago.

Insert Tooth Here

Here is the tooth fairy pillow! Along with 2 more. Since I was at it, I made one for Audrey. Its tucked away, waiting for her first loose tooth. The other doll was made for a friend of the girls who turned 4 last weekend. This was a fun project. The pattern was easy and forgiving, just how I like 'em. The result is pretty cute. Thanks for the great pattern, Lauren Brandy!

P.S. Eva's tooth continues to wobble. Hasn't fallen out yet, but she's working on it.

Finally!

Exciting news here in our house! Eva has her first wobbly tooth! She has been waiting so patiently and it has finally happened. She complained that her tooth hurt and when I checked I confirmed that it was indeed wobbly! With the pure joy of a child she jumped up and said I'm growing up! Yes, I suppose she is.Now I've got to fast track my plans to make a tooth pillow. I mean I don't have to. I want to. My mom made one for me. I've done a bit of searching this evening to gather inspiration for Eva's pillow. I love the hand stitched pillow above from Stitchado. Don't you? It has a little pocket sewn onto the back for the tooth.

This one is great too. The mouth is the pocket. Clever!

And this darling Matyroshka Doll with a pocket for a tooth. Cute.

I've seen a few that hang from the door. Like that idea too.

Here's a tooth fairy doll with a pocket for teeth.

Martha Stewart has a very simple version as well.

What tooth fairy rituals do you have in your house?

Have a great weekend! I'll finish up my Ireland posts next week. Dingle or bust!

p.s. There was a huge thunder and lightening storm here last night. Eva and I watched a bit of it. Here are a few pictures of the action (not taken by me.)

Pillowcases

Hi all! Welcome to kids' week. I'm excited to share what we've been up to.

Pillowcases. So easy to make and very satisfying. They are a fun way to use those fabrics with big prints that you've been hording. I bought these fairy panels for the girls a long while ago (I'm the queen of best intentions) and only recently got around to making them into pillowcases. The girls are thrilled. Due to the ease of constructing these and their showy finished result, I think pillowcases would make a great gift.

I didn't follow a pattern, I just figured it out by examining one of our pillowcases. However, there are many great tutes in the blogosphere. Here are a few:

Film in the Fridge
Little Birdie Secrets
Lazy Organizer

Although I bought the fairy panels here in Luxembourg, you can easily find them other places.

Give one a try!

To keep them occupied

I've wanted to make these for the girls for quite some time. A friend let me examine hers so I could construct one myself. Here's the thing, I hate sewing on bindings so I figured out how to make one without a binding. Just sewed it right sides together, turned it right-side out and top stitched around it. Must admit, I'm quite pleased with myself. The girls are pleased too.

There are lots of tutorials online for crayon holders and similar items. Here are a few:
Felt Crayon Holder
Gratitude Wrap
Notebook and Pencil Holder
Crayon Roll

Bunnies!

My mom arrived with gifts in hand, of course. For me she brought this great calendar (that I'd seen on Ayumi's blog) full of simple, little projects. These darling bunnies from Crafty Carnival caught my eye and before I could stop myself I was at the sewing machine. Thankfully my mom stuffed these little buggers as this project reminded me how much I dislike sewing, turning and stuffing little teeny things. We persevered and out came these 3 cuties. Eva added the wings herself - paper and scotch tape. She's creative and resourceful, that one.

Love Note Pillows

I've been saving old jeans for a while now. Not really sure what I planned to do with them, but that didn't seem to stop me from obsessively tucking them into my fabric stash. Happy to have found a use for one pair, the pockets anyway. What to do with the rest?

I think the girls will really dig these - a secret little pocket for love notes. Come on! Who wouldn't want one?! Maybe I'll make a family set, so we can all send sweet thoughts to each other. Ha! Now to come up with a special Valentine to tuck into the pockets. Not loving the wide eyelet I used on the "love" pillow. I prefer the red trim. I am, however, proud of myself for using what I had on hand.

I didn't prepare a proper tutorial for you all. I made these in such a frantic rush of excitement. (Ya know how it is when you have an idea and you just can't wait to see how it turns out). Here are a few tips though. I wouldn't leave you hanging . . . On the back I used this 70s fabric I found on ebay awhile a go. Perfect, no?

Love Note Pillow

:: write your text on the pocket with washable marker or pencil. If you use washable marker, blot the ink with a sponge when you're finished to removed the any unwanted ink.

:: don't separate your embroidery thread, use it as is. If the thread is too fine it won't show up well on the denim.

:: Cut around the pocket, leaving a 1/4 - 1/2 inch border.

:: Place it on your fabric and pin heavily or fuse it with steam-a-seam. You don't want the pocket to be crooked on the pillow.

:: sew the pocket to the fabric with a straight stitch or zig-zag. Personally, I like the clean look of a straight stitch.

:: these pillows are 12X12. I found the forms at IKEA - they are called "Irma."

:: I didn't sew in a zipper or leave a slit in the back. Just left an opening large enough to stuff the form in and hand sewed the hole. I just can't be bothered with practicality when I'm excited to see the final result.

If you make one for your Valentine please let me know!

The *real* crafter in the family. . .

Cinderella, prince, step-mother, step-sister, step-sister and fairy god mother

Is turning out to be my oldest. When she gets an idea, that's it. She's doing it and not stopping until it's finished. That's how this set of Cinderella stuffies came about. I had some squares left over from her class hand print quilt and let the girls have at them with fabric markers. She started with her usual fairy picture, then decided it was Cinderella's Fairy Godmother, and then requested more fabric to make the rest of the characters from the story. Such a great idea, right? And all hers. Gotta tell ya, I'm lovin' the wicked step-mother.

To make the fabric easy for the girls to draw on, I back it with freezer paper. You can buy it in the grocery store (in The States, anyway.) After the pictures are finished, peel off the freezer paper. I cut the pictures out leaving a pretty large margin around them (well, as large as I can.) Lastly, sew, stuff (my oldest did the stuffing) and you're finished.

I know, I know this was supposed to be a post about Italy, but I had to break into real time for a moment. Don't worry, you'll get your Italy. It's all set to go. Have a relaxing Sunday.

SCRAPDOWN Project #3

Okay, ready for the next SCRAPDOWN project? I am. Although truthfully there are a few more bags inside me waiting to be made. How are your scraps? Are you using them up? Um, I haven't made any significant progress on the bags and bags of little scraps I have. But I have used up some fabric from my stash so that's good. For these next set of projects I PROMISE to use bag scraps. Exclusively.

So, with a renewed resolve ~ here is the next SCRAPDOWN project:

Things for the KITCHEN

I'm quite excited about the collection of tutorials I've rounded up for us.

Patchwork Kitchen Mat

Recipe Card Cozy

Apron

Quilted Tea Cozy

Grocery Bag Dispenser

Craft Apron

Quilted Hot Pads

Patchwork Kitchen Towels

Patchwork Placemats

Slack Arse Oven Mitts

Please send in other great kitchen tutorials!

There are two more finished Charm Quilts! (Mine is still waiting to be quilted. Blush.)

This is Stacey's

This is Bridget's

Gorgeous!

We're off on a weekend trip. Nose to the grind stone when I get back . . . I swear. Scraps be damned.

Fabric Easter Baskets

Gave another tutorial from Pink Penguin a try. This is called a Fabric Basket. It also was a great pattern; simple and very forgiving. I think I'm going to use these for the girls' Easter Baskets this year. They each have an official Easter Basket that the bunny fills each year but they are a little on the big side. I'd like to try and reign it in while they are young. However, these baskets are a tad too small. We'll see. They are going to be the girls one way or another. I found that cute fairy fabric at Joann's a few years ago. It was in the remnants bin. I bought as much as they had. Glad to have found a use for some of it.

So, what are you serving for Easter Dinner? I'm making a traditional American Easter dinner - ham, scalloped potatoes, asparagus, and hot cross buns. Also throwing in a fruit salad for good measure. We're having some friends over who are also expats here in Luxembourg. They have 2 girls too. The weather is supposed to be sunny so it looks like the Bunny will be hiding some eggs in our back garden! I'm really looking forward to Sunday. Hope you've got a special day planned too. Happy Easter!

Added Baggage

Thanks to Audrey, Jennifer and my mom for helping me get the cinching thing right. I'm happy to report all of my bags, including my most recent 2, are cinchers! Here are the 2 new ones I made. This light pink one is for Eva. I used the rest of the sparkly butterfly fabric in the bag. I kept the bag in pastel pinks to keep with her current princess, fairy, ballerina, all 3 at the same time, magical, fairy tale phase. It's an entertaining phase, that much is for sure. Last week she looked at me seriously and asked, "Mom, do you think I'm graceful?" Where do they come up with this stuff?

Audrey's is a bit wilder and more eclectic. Hers does contain my favorite cat fabric of all time. You all do know I used to collect cat fabric? I made Eva an I Spy quilt using my cat fabrics. Tried to turn her into a cat person before she was even born. It worked. Only one piece left of this darling print. Audrey loved her bag ~ squealing and saying fank you mommy over and over. Ah, feels so good. There is no better compliment than when your kids like something you've made them. Don't you agree?

Pink Penguin has a flickr group for projects made from her tutorials. Take a look through it. There are some inspiring pieces in there. I also found another flickr group called, Nothing but Scraps. Good ideas to be found there too.

I'm still really into making bags. Have you made one yet? This one is really tempting me. Wouldn't it be a cute Easter Basket?

Pretty in Pink

It sure is. Another reversible patchwork bag, 2 more almost done. These are fun to make, people. Give it a try. I used 4 inch blocks for this one. It finished at 13.5 inches square. It's a nice size. This one is going to one of Eva's friends who is turning 5 at the end of the month. I'm going to put a few books inside. For the inside of this bag I used a piece of poly-cotton my mom gave me. I think it's from the 1980s. Isn't it sweet? It feels so soft, like a comfy nightie or PJs. I am having a slight problem, though. I can't get my bag to cinch. When I pull the cords it does nothing. Anyone know how to make the cords cinch the bag shut?

Get your SCRAPDOWN!

Ready for some fun? I am! I'm also ready to free myself from my many, many bags of fabric scraps. It's a joke that I've held onto these for so long. I even moved them to Europe. It's ridiculous. I tried to throw them away, just to move on, lighten the load. I ended up taking them out of the garbage and putting them in the pile of things to be moved to Lux. It's a sickness, really. So here I am scraps and all.

I thought that maybe some of you are in a similar situation. Maybe we could lighten our loads together. What I came up with is a SCRAPDOWN (not to be confused with a SMACKDOWN. There are no gigantic scantly clothed men in masks in a SCRAPDOWN.)

Here's the plan: Each month or so we'll decide on an item(s) to make that we'll each create out of our scraps. A quilt? Pillow? Bag? We can share our process and projects in a flickr group (and our blogs - if you have one.) Jump in for one project or do them all! I think it's going to be really fun. We may even get all our Christmas presents made along the way.

I'll announce the first project tomorrow! It'll be a super fun one, trust me. So, go look through your stash. Go uncover all the bits and pieces you just couldn't part with. Now is the time. I hope you'll join me.

Here's to letting go of our baggage!