Burgundy Buttons: Put a Little Pop in Your Project!

I just bought this quilt kit last night using the new sugar pop line from Moda! A big project to start off 2011!  The fabrics are all my favorite colors put together-love that! 

Burgundy Buttons: Put a Little Pop in Your Project!: "Liz’s debut line for Moda is popping with color and as sweet as sugar! Sugar Pop stems from Liz’s love for all things confection..."

Three quilts in almost as many days!

As soon as I was done teaching and home on Friday for Christmas vacation I got right to work on these gifts for my nieces!  I had already cut the squares of fabric and some batting so I really wanted to make sure I was able to complete these by Christmas!  I was inspired to make a rag quilt when I first came across roryunraveled through the blogging world.  She has a beautiful etsy shop here! I found some great directions at kevinandamanda.com.  I also found a great site with video tips here! 

The snowmen and trees fabrics are so adorable from the Riley Blake line and I purchased mine on etsy with great service here! I would definitely recommend a walking foot for your sewing machine as mentioned in the tutorials.  I purchased mine from amazon and as always had really fast shipping which I LOVED because it didn't delay me getting right to work.  I also invested in the small spring loaded scissors which was recommended and am thankful I did that.  It saved on sore hands from all the snipping!  I did have the help of my fiance with that work.  How sweet that the girls' uncle even had a part in making these quilts. ♥

I hope these will be treasured for years to come by all my sweet nieces! I'm linking to a few link parties.  Click on the buttons below to check them out!

With the leftover scraps I even made them each a pillowcase! I split apart a perfect pink Goodwill pillowcase I just happened to have and quilted the scraps together and pieced it together!

Here's a shot of the tags I added that I printed on my computer!

An adorable FREE download!  Check it out here!

Just found this cutie card for Christmas and it's FREE! Click here to head over and get your download.  Love the generous spirit of these crafty bloggers!

Mindy Gledhill - Anchor

This video is from a new favorite artist I've found thanks to world of blogging and social networks.  This song can bring tears to my eyes when I think of how grateful I am for Aaron in my life!  Another big favorite is listed on the sidebar in the lullabies called Hourglass and the other fave is All About Your Heart.  I especially love the NieNie version and the connection it has to her story while played as the soundtrack to this video.  Such an inspirational story there!  Here's ANOTHER link to a cute little funky version of an acoustic session at home.  Love the simplistic beauty of her voice in this one too.

First project on the new machine...

 After posting about my recent projects I realized I never showed the pictures of my first projects on my new machine in August.  The zippered pouches were one of the things that hooked me after seeing a tutorial on youtube.

My machine can also do embroidery so I was excited to try that right away!  I thought it was the perfect idea to make a set of dinner napkins for our neighborhood weekly dinner group...until I realized I would need SIXTEEN of them! I made them reversible and embroidered each one. I got smart and did them assembly line style after I got into a groove with the steps!  It took a lot of work but I loved the way they turned out!  I hope they last through weekly washings!

Birthday Bunting

Forgive the silly way it's hanging from a random ceiling hook.  It was the best spot that it fit for the photo at my house.  Hopefully it fit in a better spot for Jen!

I've been seeing TONS of fabric buntings in the blog world and was excited to give one a try!  I found some soft pretty fabrics at Joanns to make a happy birthday girl version. I knew my friend Jenny with three little girls with upcoming birthdays could get lots of use out of it!  I think it turned out pretty good for the first attempt!  Can't wait to make more!

**Update!  Here's a pic of the banner actually in use to celebrate THREE little sweetheart's birthdays!

Getting Ready for Gift Giving!

Inspired (admittedly by the fabric AND the project) by Joy's Hope Scarf Along Tutorial I made these scarves last weekend!  I had seen the fabric earlier and was really close to buying it recently for Jenny's Birthday Bunting. I decided against it because I was having trouble finding enough coordinating prints that would show off the design well enough for the small triangles and letters.  When I  saw how Julie used the prints I rushed back to Field's Fabrics to scoop it up!  With lots of girls in the family I easily justified the $ by thinking about how many gifts I could get from the cuts.  With the leftover scraps I knew I could make the little zippered pouch to match! I think they're turning out so cute and I hope the recipients like them too. ☺

"new" cardigan

Inspired by all the sewing blogs I've been addicted to lately and a sweater a friend wore to work from Ann Taylor, I transformed a plain sweater into this cardigan.  Right after I bought it from Target I knew I probably wouldn't wear it much b/c of the way it fit as a crewneck pullover but I loved the color.  I slit it up the front and added ribbon around the seams.  I also made a ribbon flower that I attached with a pin but didn't realize that wasn't on yet in the picture.  I liked the way it turned out!

Corner House Blog Skirt Giveaway Link!

Just came across the blog Corner House with some adorable skirts that she makes to sell in her etsy shop.  Right now she's doing a giveaway to win one!  If you win you even get to pick the skirt you want!  Check out her blog here!Corner House

First Grade Book Love

I came across this book on another blog I just started following called creative literacy. I needed something to jazz up a rut in writing workshop so I used it the very next day with the youtube video!  THIS is the video that really got me into this book though! Adorable! I was a little hesitant the next day when I thought what if THEY don't like it as much as I did OR think it's too easy for them? Well, just as I had hoped they loved it right away! I heard them giggling in the beginning and they started singing along immediately!  JUST what I needed that day to pump up the inspiration again!  They also immediately got the idea (that I was going to plant in their minds ;-) ) that we could make our own versions!  We changed the animal and the clothing and I had a room full of singing busy writers!  They created the most adorable books and noticed such great details from Pete.  I'll definitely be adding this one to my classroom library...and probably giving it out for a few christmas gifts this year as well! Check it out!

Fat Quarter Apron

I saw a tutorial here on Prudent Baby to make an apron using a FAT QUARTER.  I have gotten several cute prints on sale for 99¢ at Joann's and was excited to try this cute pattern! Then they announced there was a contest to win a beautiful stack of fat quarters which was just the deadline I needed!  So I took a chance and sent these photos.  I thought it turned out pretty cute and hopefully someone in my family will also like it because it will most likely be a Christmas present. :-) I made the flowers as a pin so it could easily be removed and multiple washings wouldn't be an issue.  Simple, fast, inexpensive, and adorable....my kind of sewing project!

ohhh the things we do for fun...

We are teaching this to ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE kids next week...from Kindergarten to Fifth Grade! We ask ourselves, what were we thinking? But then the moment comes and it's usually all worth it! These are the memories of Quincy.  These are the moments that bond us together.  These are the activities that make us laugh and get us through the stressful times.  Sure they cause some stress of their own, but these are the moments that make us who we are!  This is just our 'tutorial' video for kids to watch at home and practice before the big fundraiser game with the Harlem Wizards!  Half-time entertainment at its best! :-)

If you are into inexpensive and fun sewing ideas you should check out this book! There are some really cute projects that you can try without the fear that you are going to ruin expensive fabric.  Start saving those T-shirts!

Quincy "Quaft" Night

When you work in an elementary school the little things bring smiles.  So sure we go a little overboard with the alliteration sometimes! This was just one title for this fun evening...the other one went something like Free Fall Friday Fun  making Fabric Flowers with Fabulous Female Friends! I had so much fun shopping for supplies and planning the projects to inspire everyone to join in on my new addiction. We made flower pins and clips and a few even left with a cute little scarf using ruffles and flowers.  I was so thrilled when the response was, "When are we gonna do this again?!" It was one of those great nights that we all feel like we don't have time for in the middle of the week, but they are so great for the soul. Thanks for coming girls!

Maize in Montana: Frayed Flower

Maize in Montana: Frayed Flower: "You'll need a strip of fabric, needle and thread, scissors, button and a pin back (can also use a large safety pin).Pick out some fabric you..."

hey jen renee: fabric flower tutorial

I've been addicted to reading blogs about sewing projects!  There are so many great ideas out there with helpful instructions and (the best part) color photos!  Check out this great post at hey jen renee: fabric flower tutorial: "So, you may have noticed the flowers this spring. They're popping up all over the place. Fabric flowers on headbands and hair clips and ribb..."