One of the things I usually do is shop the after-Christmas sales. Last December I stopped by Hobby Lobby to pick up some wrapping paper for this Christmas, when I spotted this kit on clearance as well.
I kind of walked by it a few times, debating whether or not I should buy it. (It was either half off or more I can’t remember now.) For one thing, I wasn’t sure if I would finish it in time for Christmas! For another, my husband is usually the one who does the lights and decor for Christmas…I usually just hang the ornaments on the trees!
In the end, I decided to go ahead and buy it. I enjoy crafting and I love having handwork to do on the evenings we watch television. (I can’t sit still and only watch something. I feel like I’m wasting time.)
It’s coming along together a lot faster than I anticipated, so maybe it will actually be done and I can hang it up in the house come Christmas!
Estate Sale Finds
April 4, 2016
A couple of weeks ago I randomly stopped at an estate sale with my mom as we ran errands for the day. We saw some signs posted and decided on a whim to go and see.
The estate sale was for a woman who had so many crafts. It was pretty amazing to see all the stuff she had from woodwork pieces to paint to dolls and dollhouses to quilts and yarn and everything you could think of.
I found this embroidery kit, along with several hoops:
I also picked up a roll of 11 count fabric and three boxes of nicely labeled embroidery floss.
My mom picked up several skeins of beautiful wool yarn. All in all the total for everything was $50, which after examining the skeins retailed for $16.85 a piece. I’m pretty excited to have brought these home as I have some patterns waiting for me to work on.
I felt so many mixed emotions at the estate sale. On one hand it is so sad to see all these possessions being sold or thrown away, but I hope the previous owner appreciates that we will love her crafty treasures.
Finished My Sweetiepie ABCs Cross Stitch Sampler
March 28, 2016
Wow I’m almost embarrassed to admit this is my most recent completed fabric project! It’s been what seems like forever.
Oh well, here it is, My Sweetiepie ABCs Cross Stitch Sampler that I ordered as a kit is finally, finally finished:
I really got stuck on letter H and then again at T. My T is actually a little off-pattern because I was not going to re-do it again! I have memories of watching Daredevil and Jessica Jones while stitching this!
And, for the curious, here’s the back, with loose threads still needing to be snipped:
Usually once I finish a cross-stitch or embroidery project I ask my husband to help me frame it and hang it up. So, it’ll probably be another year before that actually happens! I’m planning on putting it in our children’s bedroom along with my other stitched pieces.
Cheerio Quilt (from Thimble Blossoms)
September 2, 2015
I’m excited to share my first finished quilt of 2015! I finished the Cheerio quilt last month. It was a pattern available in a previous issue of Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine and is now available through Thimble Blossoms.
In case you’re wondering why this quilt looks sort of familiar, it’s because it’s the leftover scraps from my Fresh Quilt! The fabric is Kate Spain’s Daydream collection.
I decided to go ahead and use almost every piece of scrap I had, including the little triangles. I randomly pieced them together, along with a scrappy border. I really love how the back turned out, though I did get a few comments asking why I would spend so much time on the back when no one would ever see it.
The short answer is that I really do not like holding onto scraps! All the little pieces make me feel messy and I worry about how to store them. I piece them onto the backs of quilts for my own peace of mind!
Though, truth be told, I almost lost my mind a few times piecing the back because some of the scraps got pretty small!
I ended up gifting this quilt to my sister when she came to visit from Hong Kong. I think I have gifter’s remorse in that I wish I kept it for myself! Ha! Oh well, there’s always another quilt…
Progress on #mysweetiepieabcssampleralong
May 13, 2015
I think I’m on track, but I’m going to fall behind soon on the stitchalong since the letters G and H are a bit more detailed.
Joining the Sweetiepie ABCs Stitch Along
April 24, 2015
Okay, so I didn’t even hesitate in ordering Alicia Paulson’s latest cross stitch sampler kit. I love her designs and this time it was no different.
I love it!
Envelope Pillow Covers
April 6, 2015
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to really sit down and do a little work on the sewing machine. Well, there is a quilt top in progress, but I had to put it on hold to work on a few other things.
For the last few weeks, we’ve been doing minor home improvements, and I thought it was about time that we updated our pillows. I don’t think I’ve updated them since we bought our couch, um, five years ago! (I’ve washed the covers, of course!)
I headed out to JoAnn’s this weekend and their home fabrics were on sale for 40% off. Since I had been looking for pillows off and on, but I couldn’t find a pattern that I loved to go with a rug we have on the way, I thought I would try to make our own first.
I came back with one yard each of Facette and Vica by Nate Berkus. You know it’s funny, but I am really intimidated by making non-quilt objects on the sewing machine. For some reason, my mind gets all tripped up when i think about dimensional objects like pillows, dresses, and the like!
Anyway, I tried two different tutorials. Both were straightforward and simple enough. I used this one for my first two pillows and this one for the directional fabric.
It took me one evening to finish three of the pillows and then a little bit of the next night to finish the fourth pillow.
The gray floral and the beige are ones that I already owned. I really love the ability to wash pillow covers, so that’s why I went with the envelope:
I spent around $24 for 4 pillow covers. Not too bad, huh?! I hope it doesn’t take me another 5 years to do an update next time!
Nursery Sampler and Thank You
October 31, 2014
I was in Barnes and Noble earlier in the month and spotted a magazine article featuring Jessica Marquez. As soon as I saw the alphabet sampler, I knew I needed to make this.
It’s in her book, Stitched Gifts: 25 Sweet and Simple Embroidery Projects for Every Occasion
.
I have so many samplers on my want-to-do list, but this just got pushed to the top!
I can’t believe we’re at the last entry for my 31 days series! If you’ve followed along, thank you for reading as I shared my to-do list. If you make any of the projects I’ve listed, please leave a note in the comments so I can see your creations!
(This post is from my 31 days of crafts I want to make. For more information, head over here.)
Moda Love Layer Cake Quilt
October 30, 2014
This quilt is simple to make with beautiful results. Sometimes, all I want to do is to create something quickly and enjoy it!
I spotted the pattern and now look forward to making it one of these days. I think the throw size would make a great gift too.
(This post is from my 31 days of crafts I want to make. For more information, head over here.)
Classic Dress Coat
October 29, 2014
I’ve made a few pieces from Sew Classic Clothes for Girls
(here and here).
I would love to make coats for both of my girls with beautiful colors and fabrics. I love the shape of the coat and the playful turn of the pockets.
(This post is from my 31 days of crafts I want to make. For more information, head over here.)