Baby Boy Hats!

As I mentioned in my last post, I was asked to make a few baby hats to be given as a shower gift for a baby boy being born in November. I finished two so far and forgot how fun and easy baby hats are to make. I always try taking photos of my hats so that they reflect how cute they really are. But the pictures just don't cut it. They need a cute, round baby head to be put on.

Sooo....guess who I know who has the cutest, roundest, most adorable head in the world? That would be my grandson Blake! He made a fabulous model and looked darling in the hats. I'm thinking he may need his own set of hats this winter! Wouldn't you agree?

I think my next hat will have a Christmas theme!

A little of this...A little of that!

I've had a busy couple of weeks...ALL very good though! We have successfully gotten Meagan and Ryan into their new home! Yeah! It's a bit of a drive but not a bad drive. Of course anyone who lives in the Chicago area knows that there are only two seasons - winter and CONSTRUCTION! And it doesn't help that the operators are on strike so all of the roads are partially done. I guess this means that the road construction will not be done by November, which is when they promised. So guess what comes after November? WINTER - the other season! Oh well, what ya gonna do? It felt good to be able to help them out! And I LOVE their house and the neighborhood they moved to! Very, very nice! So, in between moving Ryan and Meagan and spending time with the grandbabies, I did squeeze in some random projects! I've done some crocheting, knitting and wool felt when I've had a chance to sit down!

Here are the cute dish clothes that I have been making. They crochet up very quickly and make great gifts. They're a fun little project to take with when you need something mindless and quick to work on! They are just double crochets and are made in cotton so they are great for doing dishes. And when they get worn out and ugly, just throw them in your bag of cleaning rags and us them more. Perfect. You can pick up the Sugar and Cream or Peaches and Cream Cotton Yarn at any craft store and Walmart. It's super cheap and they make really cute little gifts. I used an "I" hook and chained 26 stitches. You just do double crochets until it looks square. There are tons of patterns for dish clothes but these are just very simple and fast!

My son-in-law's cousin asked if I could knit some baby boy hats for her to give as a shower gift to a little boy due in November. I love knitting baby hats so I jumped at the chance to make up some really cute ones. Of course there are tons more patterns for little girls but I think she will like the ones I am making. Here is the first one I finished. I did it in stockinette on circular needles but every time you make a color change, you do a row of purl to give it the ridge in it and some interest in the pattern. And since the baby is due before the holidays, I thought I would make a stocking cap in red and white stripe so he has a hat to wear for the holidays.

As you all know, I love wool felt. But half the problem is getting it ready to stitch. That to me is more work than actually stitching it. Here is my next wool felt project. It's from a book called Summer Gatherings and it is a beautiful Welcome banner. The preparation is alot but I can't wait to get it all pressed down and ready to go. More photos will follow as I get the pieces cut and fused to the background. If you love wool felt, you must check out the Primitive Gatherings website. This book was written by the owner and they are located in Wisconsin. I have a trip planned there next month!!! Fabulous stuff!

This is the pattern in the book that I have to trace onto Seam a Seam 2 and then fuse to a background.

These are the pieces traced and fused . Next step is to cut them out!

Here is one flower cut out and ready to be fused to the background.

I wondered what I had done all week but after typing this, I think I did alot!!! And because my post is titled "A little of this...a little of that" I thought I would end with pictures of my beautiful Rose of Sharon bushes (Apple Pie Gal's request). They started out as little tiny sprigs that someone from work gave to me. And this is what they have grown up to be! The white one is where mama bird and her babies live right outside my office window!

I hope everyone has a great, productive week!!! Off to do another hat!!!!

We have babies!

Remember my post from a couple weeks ago when I was marveling at how I watched a bird outside my window building her nest? Well, today I opened up my blinds and was able to snap a picture of the new additions!!! You can see a couple of them with their little mouths open, waiting for Mom to bring them some food! They are so cute. I am so happy that that have a great home to live in. Mommie bird picked a great spot for these little ones. She found my beautiful Rose of Sharon that is somewhat protected under the overhang of our porch. I just love watching them raise their little heads watching for their mommie to return!!!

Now I can't wait to see them grow and take off on their own. Isn't that the role of a Mom? To give your babies the wings to fly on their own? Aww, I think I have a tear in my eye as I think about raising my three little babies and watching them grow into wonderful adults with great spouses in their lives. I wonder if this Mamma birdie is as proud of her babies as I am of mine?

Can you tell I like WOOL?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I LOVE hand work. I love sitting at my sewing machine and making beautiful things...but I love when I get to the binding or something that requires me to sit with a needle and thread. That is why I love working with wool. It is relaxing, rewarding and very enjoyable. One of my favorite stores is Primitive Gatherings. I have never been to the actual store yet but have purchased from them at the Quilt Show in Rosement as well as online. They dye their own wool and it is beautiful. They also have fabulous patterns and books. It is a must see!!! This little table mat is one of their kits. If you ever plan on trying wool felt, the best way to see if you like it is to buy a prepackaged kit that comes with the instructions and the wool. They have a large assortment of kits to get you started.



The colors in this table mat are beautiful. You could even substitute the squares with colors pertaining to a certain holiday. Use reds, greens and creams for Christmas or orange, rust and gold for fall.



Does this picture show my passion for wool? I think so! These are just a few of the pieces I have worked on. Some of them will become pin cushions. Others are waiting for me to decide what I want them to be!!

These cute little candle mats are fun to make up as well. They are made by Bareroots and are adorable. They are the perfect size for a small votive candle. Some stores sell them in a kit with the wool included.

I also made a wool wall quilt where every block was a different flower. It took alot of time but the end result was worth it. It's one of my favorite pieces!

This is a close-up of the daisy block. Each block was accented with french knots in some way, which really gave them dimension.

If you've never worked with wool, I suggest you give it a try. There are many great tutorials out there on how to do the buttonhole stitch around it, how to prepare it, etc. There are also tons of patterns from the very easy to the very hard! Pick something fun and simple to start and I can guarantee you that you will be hooked!

Half Square Triangles - You are so pretty!!!

I recently participated in a half-square triangle (HST) exchange with my daughter-in-law Diana. The theme was patriotic given the time of year. The rule was to sew a light and dark fabric together on an 8 1/2" x 11" piece of paper with grid marks and sewing lines. They then get cut apart into these perfectly stitched HSTs. Each sheet yielded 8 HSTs. I made a total of 21 sheets so I ended up with 168. It's fun to get them back and see all the different color combinations that were used. It's a great way to get lots of variety for your scrappy quilt. Let me tell you though...the cuttimg apart and tearing the paper off of them is not the most exciting thing to do but the end result is worth the pain of it. Below is a picture of my HSTs with paper on them and my little scrap container to catch all the paper that is torn off of the blocks.

Here they are all pressed and ready to go! Since the color theme was patriotic (blues/reds/tans/golds), I decided to sort them into two stacks...one red and one blue. That way I could alternate them when I sewed them into blocks.

I chose the Depression Block for my quilt. When you use a light and dark on your HSTs you get a fantastic layout of color that forms a diamond in the center.

Here is a sneak peek at what this beautiful quilt will look like when it's sewn together. I can't wait to finish the rest of the blocks.

Don't get me started!

Sewing is like reading a good book. Once you start, you can't stop!!! My entire week felt like sewing was involved in some way every single day. It started out with an all day sewing marathon with my daughter-in-law Di. First things first....we set up our sewing machines in my living room so that we could "spread out" and boy did we. I think we covered every square inch of dining room, living room and entry way!!! But when you have a sewing marathon, it's important to have everything out and ready to go! So here is my trusty Pfaff Performance 2054 ready to work it's magic.

And here is Di's brand, spankin' new Janome Memory Craft 6600. It even cuts her thread for her! It is fabulous and is very lucky to have found a home with Di! She is a master sewer and master sewers want the best!!! It purrs like a kitten when it sews...but then so do Di and I! :-) Can't help it! It makes me "hoppy."

Here's Di working at her machine and using our trusty painter's tape to sew a straight line. What would we ever do without our painter's tape. Best invention of all times. Helps you sew a straight line and doesn't leave residue on your fabric! Perfect!

Here is the living room set up with our machines and our Sew Ezi tables. Best sewing table you could ever own!

So here is the result of our first day of sewing. Two very cute Hobo Bags from a book called "Journeys" by Whimsicals. We have sewn their purses before and their patterns are cute and unstructured. Here they are finished up and ready to use for summer! The side tabs that are actually the handles have a piece of elastic and a button on the side. Very, very cute little bag...and very summery!

Our next sewing day was to make a "String Around the Collar" wallet by Tammy Tadd Designs. Di has become the master at this wallet as she has already made quite a few. She has some very lucky friends who have been the recipients of this fantastic wallet. Let me tell you it wasn't easy. But it wasn't hard, if that makes sense. Tammy Tadd's instructions are fabulous and extremely clear. But it requires lots of cutting and measuring so it was more time consuming than hard. But the end result is fantastic.

Di even added her own design element and put a key hook inside so that we have a place to hang our keys when we are shopping. Fabulous idea.

The pattern also called for an open pocket on the back for a cell phone. Di thought it would be better to have it close so we designed a different outside pocket with a flap. Bingo!!!!

Sooooooo...... since my machine was out all week AND my downstairs was still a mess from our sewing marathons, I decided to try making the larger hobo bag from the Journeys bag. I am in love with this bag and the unstructured way it hangs.

Next on my agenda for this week....clean up my mess, vacuum up threads, put away fabric, take all my supplies back up to my "real" sewing room.......then start my next project!!!! I know, it's an illness. But it's one that requires no medication but LOTS of therapy!!!

"I So Hoppy"

I had to start this post with the words that make my heart warm! It has nothing to do with sewing...yet everything to do with sewing! I will explain.

The other day my Mom (Addison's Great Grandmother) and I were sitting at Addison's little table in her bedroom doing puzzles with her. We must have sat there at least a 1/2 hour while Addison stood next to us working the pieces. All of a sudden Addie put her arms around me, patted my back and said "I So Hoppy." It was a moment that melted my heart. Just thinking how lucky this little Addie was to have both her Grandma AND Great Grandma sitting with her!

So how does this statment tie to sewing? Well, other than my wonderful family and grandchildren, sewing makes me "So Hoppy" as well. It is a love that I have had for almost 47 years. And what is even more special about this statement is that my Mom, who I was sitting at the table with and sharing a moment with Addie, was the person who taught me this special, wonderful skill. It was because of her that I sew. It was because of her that I think I'm pretty good at it. Maybe it was all those times she would make me rip things out until they were right. And for that reason, I put in a mean zipper!!!! She was also the one who taught me to knit, crochet, and embroider but that's for another post!! She is one talented woman and I know that she is "so hoppy" that she was able to pass her talents down to me.

I can't wait until Addie is old enough to start sewing with me. It won't be long. But in the meantime, my sewing apprentice is my daughter-in-law Diana. I really shouldn't even call her an apprentice because she has taken off with her sewing skills. I keep asking her if she has sewn her whole life and has just not told me...she is THAT good!!! Her work is something like you would see from someone who has been sewing..say 47 years!!!! It is phenomenal to say the least. If I could only get her to admit it! Whenever she makes a mistake, I always tell her that even experienced sewers make mistakes sometimes. Like the time I was quilting a piece of fabric and quilted a scrap to the back of it. Or when I pin a purse together wrong, or rip out a bad seam. Or mend my son Adam's pants pocket and sew it to the back of the leg so he can't put them on! It happens to the best of us. I always make sure to show her my mistakes so that she knows it has nothing to do with "inexperience!"

Here is a sneak peek at our latest sewing marathon day. The first two pictures will explain why Di and I make great sewing partners! See this table full of fabric? We were trying to decide what we wanted to make our purse out of. Now mind you we had TONS of choices. We just couldn't decide and stood there for the longest time trying to decide. We both looked at each other after lamenting forever and said "let's go shopping." So we headed to the fabric store to buy MORE fabric! We are sick I know!



Here is what we ended up with. Isn't is pretty? We both wanted something bright, summery and fun! And another thing we are alike in...we picked the same colors, only different prints!

Fabric chosen...check. Machines set up....check. Cutting board out...check. Ironing board up...check! We are ready to go!

Stay tuned................................................