New Project Alert! Gross Quote Alert!

I love this fabric!  I love it so much that, in the immortal words of Tracy Jordan, I want to take it behind a middle school and get it pregnant.  What?  Not really.  OK sort of.  LOOK AT IT!!!!

So cute, right?!?!?!  It's the green Castle Peeps by Lizzy House.

LOOK at this adorableness:

I'm going to make a quilt for my son using these fabrics.  This will be my first non-crib sized quilt!  Yes -- I'm movin' on up to TWIN SIZE!!!!!

The challenge for making a bigger quilt will be in the actual quilting process.  Keeping the quilt contained in the sewing machine while you try to sew the relevant part can be difficult.  I recently found out about these handy-dandy items called quilt clips.  You roll the quilt up then clip these in to keep your quilt contained like a rolled taco while you are quilting.  Like this:

I gotta get some.  Might be worth it to finally visit Rosies (A HAPPENING PLACE!!!) to pick some of these up!

Rear View

For the back of Charlotte's quilt, I wanted something a little more fun than just a solid piece of fabric.  Also I didn't have a piece large enough.   But, I did have a bunch of leftover strips.  So I pieced a bunch of the strips together....

And now the back of the quilt will look like this:

It needs to be ironed, but it looks pretty cute right?

Even after making this, I still have a lot of the patterned strips left over.  I really made a lot of strips.  I'm thinking about making a cute coordinating pillow with them.  We'll see!!!!

Swatch Watch

The fabric swatches I ordered from Tonic Living for my bolster pillow project have arrived!  Here they are in all their glory:

I am very happy with them!  The images from the web site were very accurate in terms of color.  But it is always nice to see the fabric in real life.

For the sofa, I am loving the Boteh pattern:

Here is how it would look against the sofa -- I think it looks rather dashing:

I'm thinking of backing and piping the pillow in either a charcoal or dark green solid, but I haven't made up my mind yet.  Actually, I love this fabric so much that I am considering getting a bunch and making a set of drapes out of it.  I know what you are thinking:  That is crazy talk!  You just made drapes!!!   I don't know.... I don't want to make new drapes (the process was rather arduous) but I just might!  WHAT?!?!?!

Moving on.

For the bedroom, I am super loving the Magnolia fabric:

It is sooooo pretty.  Like a watercolor painting.  I would have to get a solid white duvet, but that would be easy.  PROJECTS ARE FUN!

So, what do you think?  Do you like this whole pillow thing or hate it?  Tell me!!!!!!!

Wonky Blocks

Well, that was fast!  I have now finished the front of the quilt.  I'm pretty happy with how it turned out!

For the front, I decided to alternate the direction of the blocks and only add sashing strips around the outer edges:

It looks pretty good, right? 

However, when we get up nice and close, we hear the whomp-whomp of the sad trombone...turns out my seams do not line up.

My seams never line up!  That is my number one failing as a quilter.  Oh well.  I, personally, think that wonky seams give my quilts a homey, lived-in look.  Also, I should cut myself some slack...this is only the third quilt I've made.  So not too shabby, considering!

Progress Report!

I finally made some good progress on the baby quilt for Charlotte this weekend.  I'm really happy with how it's turning out, and I'm relieved that I have enough fabric to finish it considering I had two failed attempts prior to this one (remember the WALL-E people???).

Here are the completed squares:

Now, when I piece these together, I think I'm going to turn every other one sideways for some visual interest.  Also I'm not sure if I'm going to add more sashing or just sew the squares together.  Decisions!  I am just sort of free balling this, so let's see what happens...

I also have some ideas for the back of the quilt - I think I am going to add some fun touches instead of having a solid piece of fabric!

Updates to follow!

Hot Hair

Do you ever get a hot hair?  A hot hair is when you have to do something RIGHT AWAY.  Right now, I have a hot hair about the oversized lumbar pillows I posted about yesterday.  I just gotta make one!  I spent most of last night scrolling through fabric web sites while watching TV (I really like that new show Happy Endings FYI).  I picked a bunch of fabrics that might look good in the bedroom and on the sofa and ordered swatches.  I also ordered swatches of a bunch of solids to consider for the piping and backings of the pillows (at $1 each - why not?). 

All swatches are from Tonic Living.  I'll post pics when they arrive so we can compare the website image to the actual fabric.  I find that is helpful.

Here are the contenders for the bedroom pillow (note that the bedroom currently has pale grass walls and strange yellow curtains):

Option 1 - Magnolia in aqua

Option 2 - Ritzy in Robins Egg

I feel like the Magnolia will be the winner here - the Ritzy pattern reads as a tad juvenile.  But I'll wait until I receive the swatches!

For the sofa, the contenders are:

Option 1:  Boteh in Brindle

Option 2: Joy in Pearl

I'm definitely rooting for Option 1 here - but it will be important to check the grey colors against the sofa.  Grey can be a tricky color with different undertones, so we'll see!

Do you have a favorite?  Are you going to make a pillow?  Do you have a hot hair going right now?  Let me know!

Interesting Idea

I have been seeing these very large, rectangular pillows all over the place.  Such as this one on the bed:

(Source)

And this one on this green velvet sofa (LOVE) from Southern Living Magazine:

What do you think?  I think I love them!  I am definitely going to make one for my bedroom and maybe a pair for the sofa too! 

I'm thinking of making mine piped around the edges, with a floral/nature pattern on the front, and perhaps a solid velvet or heavy cotton/canvas back.

Projects like this are fun because you can splurge on an expensive designer fabric as you only need a yard or so.

Fun fabrics to consider:

How about this for a bedroom?

I am also loving this fabric for a sofa cushion - perhaps piped and backed with apple green or lavender velvet?  (Why am I so into velvet???)

So are you considering getting a lumbar pillow?  Let me know!

How To Be Annoying

Say things like:

- I wouldn't serve my kids jarred spaghetti sauce

- We don't use bottled salad dressing

- The vegetables from my CSA are sooo much better than these

The sad/great thing is that I have said ALL OF THESE!  AND MORE!!!

I have really gotten to the point where I like what I like.  And what I don't like, mostly, is restaurant food.  Especially since I am limited by a picky-vegetarian husband who "doesn't like" most vegetables (really???!!!) and a wily 5-year old.  There are only a few places where I actually savor the food; the other places are just somewhere to eat.

So other than:

- Hane (Japanese)

- Saffron (Thai)

- Con Pane (lunch/bakery items)

I would rather make it at home.  And if I'm going to make it at home, I'm going to make it myself. 

That is where this comes in:

Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

This book is amazing!!!  The "Five Minutes" claim is a little off, but it works and it works gooooooood.  I can make hot, crusty, chewy, DELICIOUS bread, rolls or pizza any night of the week.  AND - it forces you to buy accessories!  I now have a dough bucket, pizza peel and baking stone.  DOUGH BUCKET = FUN! 

Get this book!  Make your own salad dressing!  Let's be annoying together!

Mini Drapes

I made another set of drapes!  These were just some mini drapes for the kitchen window.  Not lined or anything.

Cute, right?

I like the fabric print a lot - it ties into the green leaf fabric on the dining room shutters, and it also looks good with the pale blue walls of the kitchen.

Kitchen curtain fabric (from Joanns):

Dining room curtain fabric (from Fabric Worm):

These took less than one episode of 90210 to make!  Don't you like it so much better now that the show basically ignores Annie and Dixon?  I like Naomi and the Nerd.  Also that Adrianna is so evil!!!!

Nobody Likes a Quitter!

Guys, I have reached an important decision.  I am giving up on the Doll Clothes quilt!  There are two main reasons:

1)  The person I am making it for (my sister) specifically does not like "country" or "cutesy" or "ye olde" type items.  This quilt was becoming all that and a bag of chips.

2)  I didn't like it any more either.  The "doll clothes" thing was so far away from my original vision (which was just simple, modern shapes) that I was starting to hate it, and I didn't want to work on it.  I haven't done anything on this quilt in weeks.  Unusual!  Usually I get a Hot Hair and work non-stop on my projects until they are done.  This one was just blech.

SO!  I am going to start over, regroup, rise from the ashes like a phoenix, etc. 

I already have some ideas about how to use the fabric I still have for this quilt (I do still like the fabric I got) and make something much more appealing.  Something a lot more like this:

UPDATES TO COME!!!!!!

Star Wars for SOPHISTICATED People!

I am working on de-babying my son's room.  He just turned 5!  I guess it is about time.

Step 1 is cleaning out his closet - I'm about half way done.  We donated his size 3T and 4T clothes.  He is officially out of T clothes!  I still need to go through a surprising large amount of baby bedding that is in his room.  There are like 11 receiving blankets and two stacks of burp cloths there.  Why?  Please don't ask me.

Step 2 will be to get rid of as many of his toys as is possible without him noticing that they are gone.  We will only whisper about this step.  He must not know about this.  He has not played with his Cars toys in 2 years?  However, if he sees me take ONE of his many Ramones he will insist that he LOVES CARS and NEEDS CARS and PLAYS WITH CARS ALL THE TIME!!!!!!   Call me if you want some Cars!  I can get them to you.  No questions asked.

Step 3 I did already!  I replaced some weird cartoon animal art and a scotch-taped up poster of rocks and minerals (?) with these awesome Star Wars location prints that look like vintage travel ads!  Futuristic silver frames from Ikea, natch.

I love them.  But, I must be frank: they did not get such a positive reaction from my son.  I forgot one important fact.  HE CAN'T READ!  I think he will like them a lot better in a year or so.

Small Change #2

New pillow alert!  I found this super awesome pillow on Etsy.  Loving it.  Perfect color (it is exactly in between yellow and green) and cute pixel-chevron design.

I know -- why didn't I just make a pillow?  I'll tell you why: zippers!  This pillow cover has a zipper.  I don't know how to do zippers yet.   Also, I'm a busy lady!  Do I have to sew everything?  I have future-quilt-plans coming out of my ears.  Someone wants me to make a quilt out of towels!  Yes, I'm using that old excuse: I'm working on a towel quilt -- no time for zippers.

Small Change #1

I made a small change in the bedroom.  Previously, I had a fabric print of branchy trees hanging over the bed.

I've had it for a long time so I don't really see it anymore.  But after seeing it in photos, it started to annoy me -- too busy.  So I spotted this sunburst mirror at a local boutique (AKA the Target by the Sports Arena).

It is a little small, but I like it!  What do you think????

Cute Attack

The Crewcuts catalog is just beyond cute.  I'm secretly glad I have a boy (their boy clothes are plenty cute) because if I had a girl, she would be wearing complicated layered outfits and sparkle flats and no-prescription nerd glasses every day.  Also, I would be broke.

While waiting for the waffle iron to heat up on Saturday morning, I told my son to go through the Crewcuts catalog and pick out his new look.  Then he actually did it!  He told me he really, really wanted these black and white sneakers:

Later that day, we were at the mall and saw those shoes at Kids Foot Locker ($10 less, FYI!).  We totally got them!

Here is my adorbs 5 year old with his new shoes:

Love this face!

Happy Mothers Day!!!!!

Oops I did it again

I killed another plant.  It is not my fault?  I don't know what I'm doing!

I am either over-watering or under-watering them.  One of those.  Plus the plants either are getting not enough or too much sunlight.  I'm sure that is the problem.  Oh well.

I did get this beautiful new orchid yesterday:

Thanks Trader Joe!

LAMPS

Remember this post?  Did you vote?  Of course you did!  The overwhelming winner (it got one vote in my mind) was the West Elm lamp.  So I got them!!!!!!  Here they are:

I love them!  But I'm not in love with the placement - they do not mesh well with the gallery wall.  Some tinkering may be happening.  I'm just waiting to see if inspiration strikes...  But for now they are doing their job (providing light) very well.  They just may be moving soon.  We'll see!  

Don't Buy Paper Garlands!

Have you seen these?  Have you heard about these?  Paper circle garlands!  Literally: circles of papers on string.  Here's a hot tip: don't buy them!  Make them yourself!

I made this one for fun:

Here's how:  Go to Michael's and buy a few sheets of paper plus a circular punch.  THAT'S IT!  You can figure out the rest, I promise.  (Extra hot tip: google for printable coupons before you go to Michaels!  You can always find a 40% off one somewhere.)

The colors I picked are yellow, teal, grey and green.  

Took 10 minutes?  Cost only a few bucks?  So easy.  Make one right now!  DO IT!

Quilting Difficulties

Hmmm.  I have definitely run into a bit of a roadblock on my newest baby quilt.  I wanted to applique some paper doll cutouts.  Unfortunately, my first two trials left much to be desired:

The "male" cutout (left) looks like one of the shapeless future-people from "WALL-E."  And the female cutout (right) came out with dimpled corners and exploded fusing.  Back to the drawing board!

After much soul searching and some light googling, I decided that the next-best-thing to paper dolls would be....  Wait -- can you guess?

Doll clothes!  I'm going to do dress shapes in different fabrics with different decorations (trim, buttons, etc.).  It might be adorable!  We'll just have to see.

More on this project to come!!!