Baby Burp Cloths: Link to Tutorial

Thanks to the evil that is Chuck E. Cheese, the whole family got a nasty cold while attending a birthday party there. I voted not to go since Carson gets sick EVERY time, but the husband thought we should so he could have some fun. Trust me, a couple hours there is not worth the week of misery. Never again are we going there. I am just glad that I am over it before the arrival of our daughter who should make her great debut by next Friday at the latest!

 

Speaking of our little girl, I came across a wonderful tutorial via Pinterest for burp cloths. I figured I might as well give them a shot since I had leftover flannel from a rag quilt I made awhile back and being on a budget, it's better to create than spend money, right? You can find the tutorial here.

 

Butterflies have always been my favorite, so of course I would use it for our little girl :)

 

The burp cloths are basically two pieces of flannel sewn together. I used designs on one side and solids on the other. Below is what the front and back look like.

 

These were super simple to make! I don't have a serger, so I used a zig-zag stitch.

 

Another little project I created for her is this crocheted dress using left over yarn and embroidery thread for the butterflies. You can find the pattern for the dress here and the pattern for the butterflies here. This is definitely a piece that we are keeping forever.

 

 

I have a few more things on my 'to create' list for this little girl before her big arrival. Hopefully I can complete them all and still have time to share them with you!

 

For The Seahawks Fans!

Given that today is a big playoff game, I thought it would be a perfect time to share my recent creation for a Seahawk fan in my life. Do you have one in yours? I have a few and unfortunately we are not a Seahawk family, well, until my Uncle married one! (Love you, Aunt Karen!!) My husband is a Vikings fan, I have been a Jaguars fan since they were created and the rest of the family is mostly Raiders fans.

The story behind this creation started when my Dad visited and attended my sons 3rd birthday party, noticed all the crochet laying around the house and commented on how I should "knit him a sweater." Silly Dad, I crochet! Anyways, since I wasn't about to attempt to make a sweater, I decided that a blanket is just as warm and cozy. Not to mention, I made it in his favorite team colors, SEAHAWKS! I used the same ripple pattern from the exchange gift in my previous post and I think it turned out pretty good.

 

Gotta have that fierce green in there!

 

The whole sha-bang!

 

 

I don't think it turned out too bad and it's good for some team spirit! Hopefully he will like it.... and hopefully everyone is enjoying the big game right now (if you are a football fan, that is). 

Another Crocheted Blanket!

Been absent again (naughty me!) and once this little bundle arrives, I am sure I will be absent for a little bit again. I constantly think about this blog, what to post/share and I just do not have the time/energy for it lately. This should all change in due time, please be patient with me :)

On to a positive note, I have a new creation to share with you. Well, not so much new since it was a White Elephant exchange gift for the family Christmas party, but like I said, I have had many ideas in the works for here and this is where I am going to start.

I have decided that making blankets is something I might do for awhile since they always seem to be such big hits. Plus, I like putting thought in to my gifts. In case you don't remember, here is the blanket I made for last years gift exchange.

This year, I took a different approach and decided not to follow a basic crochet pattern. I kind of made it up as I went a long. I knew that I wanted to do circles in squares and then stitch them together separately to created an edging to each square.

Here is the whole blanket. I literally finished it a few hours before the Christmas party!

 

Notice the raised stitches bordering each square?

 

Finished it with a basic scallop edging, because every blanket isn't complete without an edging :)

 

 

Like my usual self, I was worried the whole time about people liking it, the colors, the concept while I was creating this little masterpiece. Thankfully, it was enjoyed by all and the person who picked it already has a blanket I made for her in her home! You can see that one here.

 

 

If you are interested in the pattern I used to make this, please let me know and I can type it out in another post. Thank goodness I wrote it down! I have extra squares for a possible second blanket!

Long Time No See!

Well, hello there blogging world! Long time no see seems fitting since I have been M.I.A for about 5 months now. Bad blogger! Bad! *slaps hand* Please forgive my absence and I will definitely try harder with my participation.... I know, I have said this before. At least I have somewhat of an "excuse" for the lack of my presences and let me explain to you.....

WE ARE EXPECTING!!

Yay, for baby #2.... booooo on the comatose morning sickness, a.k.a ALL day sickness, that lasted for 2 months or more. Whoever decided on the phrase "morning" sickness, clearly hasn't been pregnant. We are due on Valentine's Day with a healthy, sweet little girl and have yet to decide on a name. Who knew that it would be so much harder to come up with a name the second time around?? So, here she is, making her big debut:

 

 

Don't think I have been absent on my crafty-ness while being gone, I have just been absent from sharing. Again, bad me! My husbands cousin has welcomed her own little girl in to the world, and of course, my motto is that every baby needs a blanket! From me, obviously. Here is her one of a kind blanket that I have made for her:

 

 

I also am making a couple of onsie dresses to send to her. I got the tutorial from Jessica over at Running With Scissors. You can find her tutorial here. I will be sure to post those once I get them finished. Procrastinator, I know...

My cousin is also expecting her first baby boy in January and I have just completed her blanket for her new bundle. I absolutely LOVED making this blanket. Not only because it's special since it's for my only cousin who is like a sister to me, but because I tried something new with an old pattern and can't get over how well it turned out. I am thinking of possibly making another one to add to my future Etsy shop.

 

 

Next, would be a blanket I am making for the family Christmas party. They do a White Elephant gift exchange every year and last year I made a blanket that was a big hit. So, I decided to keep the tradition going and make another one this year. Different design, of course. Here is what I have started so far:

 

 

See, I have been busy! I also have a scoodie pattern in the works, as well as a quilt that was special ordered for a family friend. I can't share the details of the quilt just yet, as it is a Christmas present.

There you have it, all the things that have been in the works for the past few months. Hopefully, that makes up for the large amount of time that I have been absent ;)

DIY: Up-Cycled Toilet

As you know, we are re-doing the bathroom in the master bedroom and in it, use to live the wretched pink toilet. Well, with a little hosing down, paint, stencils, sunshine and free time, I turned that ugly toilet in to a somewhat decent planter.

Now, I have asked around and my Grandma was NOT the only one with a toilet in her backyard... in case you were wondering where I got the idea from. There are MANY things about my Grandparents old house that I think about and miss often. I am kind of excited to be able to revive one of the many things I loved about their backyard.

Goodbye pink! Hello pistachio!

You can kind of see how I stenciled a design in lightly with a pencil (left photo). I then used acrylic paint to add different colors and details.

The front of the tank..........

Both sides on the bottom have a design.....

And of course, our family name and little critters around the rim!

With a little touch of everyone on the back of the tank!

The final touch to the whole project was spraying it down with a finishing spray and adding some plants!

And there it sits in its final resting place! I need to add something different in the top of the tank, but I love the white petunias and the whole project in general. You can never have too many planters!

Tutorial: Scrappy Patchwork Pillow Cover

If you are the faithful follower, you know by now from my post here and here, that I am really excited about pillow covers! With Rae Gun Ramblings tutorial for a simple pillow cover as my inspiration, I have been sketching away and making some creations of my own. I have 4 more pillows to cover, so if I am successful, I shall be able to share those with you too!

There are just two things that I must share with you before I get in to how I made this cute little creation.

1. I am warning you in advance that I am NOT a professional quilter. I think the only class I ever took was in Middle School and have some how retained those basic skills. So, please forgive me if you are a professional and squirming at how I threw this together, or even at my explanation of the process.
2. Please excuse any horrible photography. Due to being a Mom to an amazing 2 year old, my crafty time (and photography) takes place during the day AND night.

Ok, let's get started!!! Here is everything that you are going to need:

• 25 - 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" squares in various colors
• 30 - 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" rectangles in white
• 6 - 16 1/2" x 1 1/2" strips in white
• 2 - 2 1/2" x 15 1/2" strips in white (sides of block)
• 2 - 20 1/2" x 2 1/2" strips in white (top and bottom of block)
• 1 - 19" x 14" in white
• 1 - 19" x 11" in white
• Ruler
• Rotary cutter
• Thread
• Pins
• Sewing machine

I worked this pillow cover in sections due to not being too sure how it was going to turn out. First, I cut all the squares and rectangles that I needed to make a cover for a 20" x 20" pillow. I used 5 (five) different colors with 1 (one) of each color in every row. You can kind of see my test strip in the background below.

Cut and ready to go!

Next, I pinned all the white rectangles to one side of the colored squares.

After pinning all the rectangles to the squares, I played around with a layout making sure to only use 1 (one) of each color in every row, up and down and across.

Using my handy test strip at the top for a guide, the picture above is what I came up with.

Now that I had a general idea of what I wanted, I started sewing all those rectangles and squares together. One helpful tip I found while blog hopping one day, was to continuously sew, leaving a gap between squares, and separating them at the end. This helps avoid having to start and stop multiple times. Genius! (Like I said, not a professional, so I am sure this is common knowledge in the sewing community)

Notice how I started with the purple, continuing to sew a gap, adding the blue, sewing a gap and adding the orange? I continued like that, stopping at the end of each row. You can keep sewing through all the pieces if you wish, I preferred to stop at the end of each row so I could keep better track of my layout. (Not that it really worked....keeping them in order that is :) )

Next, using your scissors and handy iron that has been on in the background, (I probably should have made note of that earlier...) snip your corners and press out your seams.

Because the white was really thin and pretty much see-through, I pressed the seams towards the colored side. However, always feel free to do whatever works best for you.

After I pressed all 20 seams (you would have 25 if you didn't make a test strip), I pinned the first rectangle and square group to the second, and pinned the third to the fourth of all rows, leaving the fifth piece as the final attachment to the strip. Keep grouping and sewing the pieces together like you can see below.

You should end up with something like the picture on the right, ending with sewing the fifth and final group to the strip.

Below is all 5 strips sewn, pressed and ready for the next pieces! Notice it's slightly uneven?? Yep, that's what I was trying to tell you....not a professional. I am hoping when I add all the other pieces and put it on a pillow that you won't be able to notice!

See my sneaky little helper?? He always wants to know what I am making..... Love him!

Alright, now back to work!

Using 4 of your 6- 16 1/2" x 1 1/2" strips in white, pin to the bottom of your strips with the colored squares and sew in place. Pressing the seams when done.

Below are the first two rows of colored squares with their strips attached. Now, sew the first and second row together. Doing the same with the third and fourth rows.

Once completed, it should look like the picture above. Next, sew those two pieces together........

 then, add the fifth and final strip to the patchwork block.

Sew the last 2- 16 1/2" x 1 1/2" strips to the top and bottom of your patchwork block. 

Next, sew the 2 - 2 1/2" x 15 1/2" strips to the sides of the block and the 2 - 20 1/2" x 2 1/2" strips to the top and bottom of the patchwork block. (See below) Once sewn together, press your seams and trim the edges to make an even square.

Take your 19" x 14" and 19" x 11" pieces and sew one on each side of your patchwork block.

Ending up with something like the picture below.

At this point, it's basically like Rae Guns, one piece of fabric, tutorial. You are now going to finish the right and left sides. Folding over the finished side of the longest piece, pinning and sewing, to create a smooth edge. This will be the exposed piece on the back of the pillow cover.

Next, fold the 19" x 14" piece over the front of the patchwork block and pin in place at top AND bottom.

Fold the 19" x 11" piece the same way and pin in place. The 19" x 11" should lay over the top of the 19" x 14" piece.

(If the picture below is confusing when comparing to the one above, it's because I flipped the piece upside down and then took the picture. Sorry about that!)

Finally, sew the top and bottom of the pillow cover, flip inside out, shove a pillow in there and then..... TAH - DAH!!

Would you believe it took me longer to write this blog post than it did to make this pillow cover??

If you end up making one of these creations for yourself, I'd LOVE to see how it turned out!