Kindle Cover

For Mother's Day this year, I subtly asked for a Kindle.  O.k., maybe I was not so subtle, but it worked and I am the proud new owner of a Kindle.  After submitting my request, I immediately started looking for covers to protect it.  It would have been easy to just order one from Amazon, but what fun is that and it wouldn't look any different from anyone else's.  After a few weeks of internet research, I had found a few that were close, but not exactly what I wanted, so I went out on a limb and decided to create exactly what I wanted.  Here it is!

This is the front cover of my kindle.  You may recognize the fabric from one of the dresses made for my youngest daughter.  I did not purchase anything for this project. 

The inside of the cover holds the Kindle securely and does not interfere with the screen or the buttons.  The front and back cover are lined with firm cardboard to give support to the Kindle and hopefully protect it from injuries.

I love how this turned out.  While I was putting it together wrote out the directions and took lots of pictures so I can put a tutorial on my blog, just in case anyone else wants to make one.  That is the plan for this week, work on the tutorial.

Heather

Ancient Block of the Month Finished!

This Friday and Saturday night I finally finished the Amish block of the month quilt that I have had in progress for 8+ years.  I worked out the math and remembered that I found out I was pregnant with my now 7 year old when I started this quilt.  The colors and solid fabrics are the only things Amish about this quilt.  It is machine quilted and the binding was machine sewn on. 

I do believe I like this quilt more since it is finished than while I was working on it!

I used painter's tape to mark a straight line around the border.  This always helps me to get a super straight line.

After using a ruler and getting the tape just where I want it, I follow the line with my walking foot.  How easy can it be?

Look at that corner, isn't it great?  I'm really impressed with this since I have only used this binding technique one other time.

This makes three quilts totally finished since the beginning of the year.  Not bad, considering I work full time and am chasing around all of my very active children when I'm not working.

I think I know what I want to conquer next, but who knows, I may change my mind when I start digging through my unfinished projects, patterns, scraps and other goodies. 

Off to my stash, maybe I can get started tomorrow.

Heather



Progress

Yesterday I went to the quilt show at Sauder Village in Archbold, Ohio.  It was a great way to spend a day! My mother-in-law, my 7 year old and I enjoyed the beautiful quilts and a fabulous lunch together.  Quilt shows are really good at helping to keep me inspired to work on the projects I have, fix problem projects or begin new projects. 

Today the sampler quilt, from what seems like a million years ago, was the project of the day.  The quilting is nearly finished and then it needs a binding.  That means that it moves to a different pile to wait for the binding to be sewn on and finished.

I quilted each of the sampler blocks 1/4 inch in from the seams.  I wanted to be able to see the blocks.

In the sashing and the cornerstone blocks I quilted 1/4 inch from each seam allowance.  It has a neat effect at the cornerstones where the lines intersect.

It looks really cool from the backside too! 

The pictures are a not quite what I wanted them to be, but my camera killed it's batteries, so I have to make do with my husband's until I get to the store. 

Overall a productive week, let's hope for a repeat.

Heather

Small Goals

My life is a series of small goals.  Without these goals I am sure that I would never get anything accomplished.  My goal for tonight was to turn on my machine and sew something.  With my busy life which is currently being consumed by track meets, it was a lofty goal.  My machine was turned on, I quilted a partial line on the quilt, decided that I didn't like the stitch I was trying and unsewed.  After all of this I was able to quilt 4 lines in a pattern that I think I will like.  I haven't decided how I will quilt the blocks yet, but I'm sure it will come to me as I work on the sashing.

Aren't they beautiful!

Goal for tomorrow:  Enjoy my family and celebrate Easter. 

Heather

Birthday Gift

Today I made a coloring bag for my niece.  My brother and his family are coming home next weekend for Easter and I wanted to send it home with him so that my niece can open it for her birthday.  Time has not allowed me to make gifts the last few years, but on pondering that idea, I have decided that I can spend a day shopping for that perfect gift or I can spend a day doing what I love to make something special.  Hmmm... go figure, sewing won that contest easily!  The bag I made is from a pattern by Clothesline Quilts.  The bag pattern is really easy to follow and it is possible to make two bags in less than a day.  My kind of pattern for the school year.

This is the bag I made today for my niece's birthday.

This is the one that I made this summer for my youngest, packed with crayons and color books.

Now I need to get back to my sewing so I can finish the other crayon bag.

Heather

Vacation

I have just returned from a vacation to visit my brother and his family in New York.  The traveling party included my 4 girls, my sister-in-law's sister and her daughter, making my car completely full of girls!  This gaggle of geese arrived at my brother's house and had a great time.  I met my new nephew and delivered his quilt, which I have not shown to anyone yet.  I made the quilt top for his quilt at the retreat I attended in January and finished the quilting shortly after.  When I was trying to figure out what to make for him, I came across the fabulous Dr. Seuss fabric.  This was perfect and meant to be his quilt!

I just love the border fabric.  It has many of the Dr. Seuss characters on it.

A close up of the quilting.  Not perfect, but cute anyway.

As soon as we were safely home I decided to work on a clutch purse for Francis to match the dress I made a few weeks ago.  I found the tutorial at the noodlehead blog.  Francis loved it and couldn't wait for me to finish it.  I don't think I have ever seen her so excited about a trip to Joann Fabrics.  She rushed right back to get the zipper for her purse (I forgot it last trip).  There was plenty of scrap fabric left over from the dress to make this without purchasing anything except the zipper.  The gathers are not very visible in the photo, but they add an interesting element to the front of the clutch.  Hopefully she will wear the dress and carry the clutch for Easter.

While in New York, I had to have a souvenir to remember my trip to Syracuse.  What better keepsake for a quilter than some excellent fabric?  I found a shop that I thought would be good, set the GPS and drove over there one rainy afternoon.  The shop I visited was Patchwork Plus, which I discovered had been featured by Better Homes and Gardens.  This was a wonderful shop and I left with a few things to inspire my sewing.  This morning I finished one of the projects I had planned for the fabric.  Genavieve has another dress for the summer.  I love how it turned out and amazingly enough I made the bottom contrast so that all of the tulips are facing the correct direction.

The model was being moody, so she is not in the dress but is excited to wear it to church tomorrow. 

Tomorrow is the last day of my vacation and there are so many projects I would like to work on.  I wonder which one will win?

Heather



I Made a $4 Dress

Yesterday I went to the store and picked up the ribbon to finish the fat quarter pillowcase dress found at Moda Bake Shop.  As expected, it took me just a few minutes to finish off, once I had all of the supplies.  I can't believe that I made an adorable dress for Genavieve for about $4.  This dress might be appearing in several patterns throughout the summer, since it was so economical to make. 

I couldn't have a happier model!

Once I remember to buy a zipper and get my machine back from the shop, the next project will begin.

Life is sew wonderful.

Heathr