Flannel Receiving Blanket

Thrifty Gift Maker Week 5
This week's project is brought to us by a fellow blog and chat buddy, AuntBekky.
Which expectant mom wouldn't LOVE a hand-made flannel receiving blanket?
This is a great gift to have on hand for those baby showers you aren't quite prepared for?
Go to AuntBekky's blog for the instructions, complete with photos.
Thanks for the help!
You have allowed me a thoroughly lazy day, sitting around in my jammies and chatting with my DH and dog & cat. Now. to find someone to cook for me...

Travelling Pinholder Kit

Welcome to the 4th week of the #QuiltChat's Thrifty Gift Maker projects. Keep the fun ideas coming, they will be added to the list.
(If you are not a chatter, but would like to be, just click Here.)




This week is a Fun With a Glue Gun project: Travelling pinholder kit (or something... you tell me a better name!).
Very fast to make... about 15 minutes if you haven't had coffee.


You will need:
One Altoids tin (or similar)
One refrigerator magnet (make sure it is strong enough to attract your pins)
Glue Gun
Bits of fabric, stuffing, and batting







#1 Make a pincushion to fit the top of your Altoids (or other similar) tin:
Cut a bit of the fabric about 2 1/2 time longer than the opened tin. You will make this into a little pillow full of fluff. Sew it, flip it, stuff it. And if you the type who doesn't like wispy bits of fluff to poke out, then finish the opening you added the stuffing through.


#2 Glue the bits of batting to the top of your tin.


#3 Glue the pincushion (the little pillow you just made) to the top of the batting.


#4 Glue the magnet inside the bottom of the tin, magnet side up.


#5 Ta-Da!
You have a little travel tin that you can be sure won't open and spill out your pins! NOT childproof obviously.


#6... I think mine looks unfinished, maybe it needs a bit of cording or lace or ricrac along the edge...









Send pictures of your finished project to sarkarnor@quiltchat.com and it will be put in the photosite for Show & Tell!

Princess Moment Achieved

I can hear the words from my childhood...

"Waiting won't kill you."

I suppose not. It didn't this time.

And I got my pretties :)

Love!

My Temper Tantrum

I have been patient.
I have been good.

When I have been to the quilt store recently, I purchased only those fabrics necessary for the quilts I am currently working on. I did fondle the delicious Amy Butler fabrics. And all those stunning strawberry pinks, and chocolatey browns with swirls, and the key lime greens you just want to eat.
But I was good.
I looked, I fondled, I loooonged to buy them. But I was good. I bought none of them, I only admired them from afar.


But tonight...
I found quilts I must have, I must make!

Like this one, or this one at the delightful, whimsical Hambone and Jennicakes...
Or this one at Beth's...


I was inspired! Excited!! Elated!!!
So I decided I was going to go and buy those fabrics.

I was going to fill that need for those amazing fabrics. I was going to feel that simple, guttural, lusty pleasure. The one you get when you know you are naughty and you just don't care.

The store was closed!

How is that fair! Where is the justice?
Why should I have to wait 16 hours?
Why can't I have my fabric!!!
(insert temper tantrum)

...tonight, I find solace in other vices.

Saved!

I have been Saved... Errrr I have been Saving, I should say.

I had one of those lets-stop-by-the-thrift-shop just because moments. And I found SCADS of needles! Just look at all of these- even a nice long hook. :)

Then I stopped by a Tuesday Morning and found bins full of yarn :) All sorts! This super yummy variegated blue is a 100% wool I found for under $4.

I am itchy to go back to and pick up more... there was a whole bunch of choices. Wonder if any of my friends need to supplement...

Now... any ideas for getting the price sticker glue off the needles?

Thread Catcher Bag & Pincushion

Thrifty Gift Maker Week 3
I hope all you chatters are having fun with the start of this group of projects- we have LOADS more ideas. So keep checking each week, and send me any ideas you may have.
And if you don't chat, you should!
http://www.quiltchat.com/
I will be there at 7 pm EST Sunday and 10 am EST Monday.

This week we are making a combo Pincushion with Thread Catcher Bag.

#1
Make a Pincushion
I decided to make one that I found at abyquilt blog- it is a really fun-to-make pincushion that is chock full of inset seams.
You will stuff the bag with fluff like normal, but before you do you need to decide how you will attach the strap that connects the bag to the pincushion. I have seen buttons used, or simply sewing the strap to the bottom. I chose Velcro, so I added that bit of Velcro into the bottom of the pincushion before stuffing.

You will also need to add some weight to the bottom of the pincushion- a rice filled beanbag works just fine.
... Sew two 3 inch squares of fabric together, leaving one side open to pour in the rice. Whipstitch that side together after you add the rice. Put that into the bottom of the pincushion, then stuff with fluff like normal.

#2
Make a strap to attach the 2 sections. The strap should be about 6 or 7 inches when finished. If you use Velcro, add that as you build the strap. Or if you decided on a button, add your buttonhole.

#3
Make two bags
One will nest inside the other so that you can have reversible Thread Catcher Bag. I cut two fabrics at 12 x 5 inches, folded right sides together and sewed along the bottom and one side of each, leaving the top open.
Turn one bag right side out and place the other inside so wrong sides are together.
Stitch a line about 2 inches in from the top. This will connect the two bags, as well as form one edge of a channel to add the next element.

#4
Rigid-Circle-Thing
You want your bag to stay open right? Well, this is the most challenging part (for me at least!) You will need to find something to keep the mouth of your bag open. Some ideas that have been floated: Piping for upholstery, the plastic stuff from Weed Whacker/ Weed Whip, some Zip Ties. I chose gardening wire. But whichever you choose, you will need to put that into that started channel, then sew on the other side of your rigid thing to keep it there.

#5
Binding
Add some sort decorative binding- to cover the raw edge of the top of the bag. I chose fabric in the same color as the strap.
Then add your Strap. Again, you could use a button or velcro. I decided to sew it to the bag.

#6
Put it all together!

And send me a picture of your project!

Have some suggestions to make it better? I would love to see Comments.

Quilts Being Used

Sometimes it is nice to have your work appreciated.

Stolen Meme

I have been popping off all round the internet and laughing as I read some of the Stolen Memes, like at H&B.
Funny Stuff!
So I eventually wandered off to Wikipedia and read up and said... Why Not?

How to do a Stolen Meme-
Go to Wikipedia
Type in your birthday Month and Day (no year)
Read and read and read.
Then post...
3 birthdays
2 events
1 holiday

3 BIRTHDAYS


1972... Sarah Grimke
American abolitionsist and feminist- one of the first American women to speak in front of mixed crowds of both women AND men (what a thought!)


1922... Charles M Schulz
SNOOPY!


1939... Tina Turner
I love sharing her birthday, who wouldn't!


2 EVENTS


43 BC - The Second Triumvirate alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus ("Octavian", later "Caesar Augustus"), Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Mark Antony is formed.


1922 - Howard Carter and Lord Carnarvon become the first people to enter the tomb of Egyptian King Tutankhamun in over 3000 years.




1 HOLIDAY


I had a really hard time finding something in Wiki for this date, so I branched out a bit and looked at some other things.

But the one I found most interesting was
1789 - A national Thanksgiving Day was set aside by President George Washington to observe the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.


Don't want to wait until November? Here is a Holiday for this week then!

PIF Exchange- Are you It?

OK....I read about the "Pay-It-Forward Exchange" first on Welsh Quilter's Blog and then I rambled all around the blogosphere, over and under and sent out some emails and chatted on Quiltchat.com and learned from one chat friend that another chatterfriend, Beth, had joined in.
And now I am part of it!

Here's how it works:
I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. (Whoever and Wherever!)
I don't know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week... LOL... but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise!
The only thing you have to do in return is Pay It Forward by making the same promise on your blog.

I really do plan on getting things out a lot earlier than July of '08... but I think I will keep it a surprise until you receive it!

Anyone else want to join in on the fun and satisfaction?

What Gets In The Way

Swooze posed the question, "What gets in the way of my quilty progress?"

I thought I would be all clever and say things like "I work sooo many hours a day". Or "I progress just as much as I want". Or something equally untrue. Then I thought about being honest and talking about how I get distracted by butterflies and like to chat online in #QuiltChat and that I value my sitting around relaxing time as much as many other things in my life. And that my dog needs a walk, and my husband likes to see me.

But then I thought about what got in-the-way of my quilty progress the past 24 hours, and I realized, it is Adventure!

Life is an adventure to me. I am always turning over new rocks, poking my nose into new ideas, haring off to see something I have not yet seen, driving hundreds of miles just because I haven't been there yet.

Life is an adventure. And it can be exhausting.

Exhausting... when I do things like I did yesterday. I drove 8 hours (from Olympia WA to Northport WA) to start on a new path that the Universe (and Chrys) has offered. Then I drove home!

But! I am now a proud possessor of a Floor Loom!

For weaving!

This is an Allen-made 42 inch counterbalance loom, which I just unstrapped from the top of a friend's car. (Two hours of sleep, but who is counting?) (And that is my clawmonster Louis Cat.)
Now... I just have to figure out how it works!

See, adventure!

Gifts from the Non-Quilter

So... I think my absurd sense of humor if backfiring on me...

Just look at what a non-quilty friend thought was important to save from someone's burn pile!

Note the delicious velvety and double knit quality. What to do?

Cat Cushions!

I just happen to have some shiny poly type fabric (another 'save' by a non-quilter) and have backed them in that.