silhouettes

A great deal of my Christmas presents this year have been handmade. One because I loathe shopping in the month of December and two because we are watching our budget. Budget has become somewhat of a dreaded word around these parts.

So yes, handmade. I am always unsure of how my gifts will be accepted.

These are no exception.

I made doggie silhouettes for Grandma and Grandpa. Drake is on the left and Godiva on the right. Godiva was harder than Drake, she is a yorkie pup - can you tell ?

Grandma and Grandpa love their dogs and I wanted something special to show that.

This project did not cost too much. I got the frames at Michael's, buy one and get one free. Then I found some profile photos of the dogs that I enlarged to 5x7 and the cardstock and paper was already in my stash.

It's my hope that these gifts will make Grandma and Grandpa smile when they open them.

BDU Christmas

SSSSssshhhhh ! Don't tell. but I finished this quilt and it's going under the Christmas tree for Ryan. I think this one might very well be one of my favorites from this year.
I made it using some of Ryan's old BDU's and K-9 t-shirts.
It's not a ginormous quilt. I think I made it more for display than anything else, although any of the boys are free to use it if they want. Using the stretchy fabric from the t-shirts was a little challenge, but I managed.
The hardest part was the binding. Once you double over the BDU material it becomes very thick. I should have taken that into account (but of course I didn't....) I just went slow on my machine and it came out okay.
One more project done. Right now there is only one quilt left and I am hoping to get to it soon.

Gavin's birthday quilt

Gavin's birthday quilt. I have had this idea in my head for awhile and started gathering fabric here and there that I thought would work well.

I knew I wanted to keep it on the smaller side, little larger than his toddler bed. I knew I wanted it to be loud and vibrant, much like Gavin's personality.

I made sure that I got the number 3 in the blocks as much as I could. See the little blue 3 up there on one of my favorite blocks ? 3 is a pretty big age for a little boy, don't you think ?

I also deviated away from my usual whiteness. I love the results. I will admit I was worried, VERY worried, but instead of ripping it all apart I kept going and going and I am glad that I did.

The big brown and white polka dot backing came from a curtain panel I found on clearance at Walmart. Being frugal I thought " that's a bargain" and I scooped them all up. So now the back of Gavin's quilt also matches his new curtains. I am good like that - eh ?

The finished size ended up being 45" by 57", which is perfect in my opinion. It's big for him now, room for him to grow into and then it can still be used when he gets older.

Which you know isn't going to happen, right ?

They should stay babies for longer. That's what I think.

[ winner ! ]

Miss Jessica Rogers with her poop scraping comments !

Thank you to all who participated, I wish I had quilts to give you all ! Your comments were fantastic and I enjoyed reading them all.

Join me in wishing Jessica congrats on her winning comment !

[ drawing ]

First ever quilt giveaway - 2009 edition.

************COMMENTS ARE CLOSED**********

The give away has ended, the winner will be announced later this afternoon.

Finally !

This "surprise" has been in the works for a few weeks now, and I have been really excited and trying really hard not to spill the secret too soon.

Now that we are all moved into our new home, I figured what better time for my first ever quilt giveaway.

Up for grabs is this really wonky, really pink, really fun block quilt. Each block is unique in the fact that it's off kilter, and completely different from any other block. Go ahead, look ! No two blocks are the same. Different can be good.

The quilting was done by super talented Lisa Stallings, of Lisa's Creative Quilting Studio here in Felton, Delaware.

The top was made entirely from fabric scraps of different projects. The back was made from a fabulous Ralph Lauren flat sheet. Quality thread count right there folks !

The finished size of the quilt is 54 inches by 67 inches . All the materials are 100% cotton, and the batting is warm and natural, the best of the best.

You like it ? Here are your chances to WIN IT !

Yes, I yelled. I am excited !

In fact, I am even more excited, because I am offering THREE separate ways to win the quilt.

You ready ?

First off, you can enter on my Facebook* page by leaving your comment in the comment section of the quilt giveway note.

Second, you can leave a comment on my family blog,Blogged by M in the comment section of the quilt give away post.

Thirdly, you can leave a comment on my sewing blog Oh' Brother !, in the comment section of the quilt give away post.

You can enter ONCE on each of the THREE separate web pages, however, each of your comments (entries) must be different. Again with the whole different thing.

I like individuality.

Each comment must be something wonky, weird, or just plain different, that either happened to you, something about you, or something you once did. Each of the three entries (if you so choose to enter three times) must be different.

Clear as mud ?

Make sure you leave your name, or a means to identify you. No anonymous entries.

'Fess up to your weirdness.

The contest will run for one week only. Sunday October 25th 2009 to Sunday November 1st 2009.

I will announce the winner on Monday, November 2nd (also happends to be my 10 year anniversary). The winner will be picked by a random drawing, not by how wild and crazy your entries were (although the wild and crazier the better, I love a good laugh.)

I will not respond to any questions in the comments section of the blog or of this note, if you need a question answered feel free to message me through Facebook, or my personal e-mail.

The giveaway is open to anyone, male, female, young and old.

On your mark, get set, GO !

* Although Facebook is listed as a means of entering the quilt giveaway I will NOT accept friend requests from people that I do NOT know, just based on gaining an additional entry. Sorry. I like weird, but not THAT weird.

BDU quilt

I made this top last night. For real. I think I need an intervention. I actually had the squares cut a long, long time ago and I was recently re-inspired to dig them out ( I had to find them first !) and re-start the project.

So I did.

Last night.

I was tired when I finally went to bed.
The squares are made from Ryan's old BDU's and favorite t-shirts. I loved it when he wore these BDU's. Ask him, he will tell you. I think he found it annoying how much I loved it when he wore this uniform. The stupid Air Force had to go and mess with a good thing and change them.
Jerks.

So that means I could cut them up and make this.
I have blisters on my palm and my sewing machine is really mad at me. No more ! We are supposed to be moving in less than 4 weeks and I am dilly-dallying around making more quilts, when I should be packing and stuff.

So the current tally is : One quilt at the long arm quilters, one about to go, and this one that I made last night.

Did I mention how tired I am ?

[ happy, happy ]

This quilt makes me happy. I cannot wait to mail it off to my beautiful niece, Tanner Grace for her 3rd birthday.

[sweet sixteen]

Remember this quilt kit that my mother-in-law bought for me ?
Remember how I wasn't really sold on the color scheme or the fabric placement ?
Remember how I added the white sashing around the border and liked it a little more ?
It came back from the long arm quilter earlier this week and now I can say that I really like it.
Alas, it's not for me to keep. I made it as a sweet sixteen birthday gift for a family member. I do however have an entire 2nd kit left over and can see myself making another one, not quite the same but similar...

[ labor day part 2 ]

Sometimes I love my sewing machine the most. Even more than my coffee pot. This is one of those times...
The top is completed on my "super secret" project. I like it so much it makes my fingers and toes tingle. That's probably not a good thing, huh ?
This is the last "sneak peek" you are going to get. I am horrible at keeping secrets.

[ labor day part 1 ]

Picked up these placemats at T.J Maxx. The green and white screamed "pick me ! pick me !" and so I did. Then I stopped at Joann's and picked some thread up and a 20. oz bag of polyester fiberfill....
...and I made me some new pillows. For the new house. I am holding onto two of the placemats to see if I can make a valance for the kitchen window, you know cause I am thrifty like that.

[ almost done ]

Aria's quilt is done. Another one that has been taking up space in my to-do pile. The front is made of up fabrics that I used in Myra's quilt, so Aria can be like her big sister. I also quilted it on the diagonal - see ? I used painters tape to keep my lines straight.
Love the back almost as much as the front. The little stripe of happy fabric. I am huge on polka dots, so the pink polka dot was a must.
These two quilts took me longer than they should of. I struggled with Chase's quilt, and I did not want to finish Aria's and mail it off and not have Chase's finished, so they both sat for awhile. ( Like just under a year - oops )
Now they are done and I can sigh with relief. Now I just wait for the quilts to come back from the long arm quilter and I am almost done with my pile.

I said almost.

Christmas Coin Quilt

Finished ! Finally ! This quilt was a real pain in my ass from start to finish. It doesn't matter now, it's done and ready for Christmas. I can picture the boys snuggled underneath on the couch in front of the fireplace, in our new house !
Which means my budget for quilting has been drastically cut. I have three quilts out at the long arms quilters right now, and one top that I have been putting together for a give away on my blog. That's it ! Once those are done I imagine I will be taking a long break. Not so much because I want to, but I need to.
I have been tossing around the idea to make some custom quilts for friends and family. My biggest concern is the price, by the time I have purchased the fabric and paid the long arm quilter the cost is upwards of $100.00, not counting my time (which I would not charge for) or the size of the quilt. Bigger costs more. Maybe, I need to think about it some more.

Christmas in the middle of summer ?

Be still my heart ! Look what came back from the long arm quilter ! Better than I had even imagined possible.

My Christmas coin quilt.

I picked it up on Monday and the quilter gave me some VERY helpful hints on squaring up my quilt and staying within that 1/4 inch seam allowance. Little things that I thought made no real difference on the overall construction of the quilt, but it does. Does it ever.

I have had it home for a few days and haven't even done the binding yet. Strange for me. Feeling that end-of-summer slump. Hot weather, bored kids, long endless days.

I dare say that I am ready for fall.

*gasp*