February 20, 2017

Kids lovie blankets, placemat size - a tutorial

By    4:30 AM // 1 comment
In my last post I showed you some pictures of the new lovie blanket I recently made for Jammer to replace his beloved but very worn out Peanuts gang ones from when he was a baby.

I'm sure that many of you want to know how I made it so that you can make some too for the littles in your life.  This is really quick and easy and you will be whipping them up in multiples before you know it.  So here goes.

I started with 2 half yard cuts of no pill fleece fabric.  This will result in 2 identical lovie blankets.  Sunshine wanted some new blankies too so we went to the local fabric store where she picked out this cute pink hedgehog print (she loves, loves, loves hedgehogs) and this adorable pink owl print.  You will also need 1 package of coordinating satin blanket binding.
Start by trimming off the selvage.  Then stack the two fabric pieces together and trim all sides at the same time to create 4 rectangular pieces.  By trimming them together they will be the same size.  Exactly what size doesn't matter as long as they are the same.  You can certainly end up with bigger or smaller blankies by using different size rectangular pieces.
Pair up one fabric each for the top and the back and pin your satin blanket binding in place.  Sorry the color is a bit off in this photo.  I was making this in the evening.
None of this is at all difficult and the hardest part (though it really isn't tough) is getting the corner miter seams pinned just right. 
Take the whole project to your sewing machine and using whatever straight, zigzag or decorative stitch you like, stitch it down....work relatively slowly so you can make sure you are catching both sides of the blanket binding as you go.
This is the stitch I chose to use for this blankie.  After I stitched around the entire blankie I went back and stitched the corners.  My kids prefer them this way instead of hand stitching them closed as I do with quilt bindings. Either method works just as well.
And there you have it.  One new lovie blankie measuring 21" x 17".  All that was needed to be done was to give it a quick wash to make it all soft and snuggly.
As I mentioned in the beginning, 2 half yard cuts of fabric will create 2 identical blankies and here is Sunshine's new matching pair.  If your kiddo is the type to only cherish one lovie, then you might want to get more of the same fabric and make a few extras.
This has become my favorite go-to new baby gift and every one that I've given has been greatly appreciated.  I hope that you've enjoyed this little tutorial and will add this idea to your list of kiddo gifts to make for those littles in your life.

February 17, 2017

New kiddo lovey blankies

By    7:59 AM // 5 comments
One of the things that inevitably comes with having kiddos is the fact that those kiddos usually have lovie blankets.  Most kids pick one of their crib size blankets as their favorite one to snuggle with. When Jammer first came home I knew that it was only a matter of time before he had one too but I did not love the idea of carting with us everywhere one the size of the typical kiddo blanket. 

At the time I didn't sew really so I asked my BFF Lisa to come to the rescue and she created a lovie blanket that was just perfect.  Over the years I've had many compliments from other moms locally that are the best solution to the problem of those bigger ones they've had to deal with themselves.

Lisa made Jammer not one but two placemat size blankies with a great Peanuts gang fabric that, as you can see, he has loved to death.  This is just one of the pair.  The other one was in worse shape and has already been packed away for safe keeping so as to not damage it further.
The fabric has been completely worn away in many areas and although he originally wanted me to try and fix it, in the end after talking it over as to the possible options to do that, he decided to leave it as is for the memories and pack it way safe and sound too.

Somewhere along the way Lisa also make him this one featuring his other favorite character of the time Curious George.  This one isn't as old and was in better shape plus it was made with fleece fabrics not cotton so it held up better and only needed the binding re-attached.
Jammer just turned 10 and although some will say that he's too old to be still using blankies, he does mostly when he's not feeling well, which thankfully isn't too often.  So that he will have some new ones to snuggle with I took some new Peanuts fabrics that I've been saving just for this occasion to make a few.
The first one was completed quickly and he was thrilled.
Here's a view of the back.
Would you like to know how I make these?  I thought so.  I've made a couple of new ones for Sunshine too and will be posting a little tutorial for them very soon so stay tuned.

February 8, 2017

The new Danny ornament - 2016

By    4:56 AM // 2 comments
Back in December 2013 I wrote a post about my family's annual tradition of collecting an ornament to remember my nephew Danny who was killed in a car accident the week before Christmas 2005 and exactly a week after he turned 16 years old.

The post about the ornament that was chosen the following year is here.

This is one of the beautiful ornaments that we chose for 2016.  It is crafted from sea pottery and was created by Sue of Beachwoodstreet on Etsy.
  For the rest of the family I actually chose a variety of pieces.  Some are made from sea pottery but others are made from sea glass.  The one I chose for myself Sue said is rare as it is a piece of a plate that was in some sort of  bonfire that gave it the gray streak pattern.
 I enjoy finding handcrafted ornaments every year to honor Danny and I share his story with the artisans.  We now have a circle of crafters that have helped continue this tradition.

All of the ornaments still hang in my kitchen window every single day of the year and I love looking at them as I gaze out the window into our backyard. 
Although I forgot to post about the ornament chosen for 2015, you can see it in the lower right hand corner.  It is a celtic angel heart ornament made from heavy wire, again by Etsy crafter nicholasandfelice. This is what it looks like up close.
As you can see I only have 1 more empty section of my window.  I guess after that one is filled I will have to figure out how to rearrange them to add more in future years.

February 2, 2017

Daydream Frenzy quilt

By    4:33 PM // 3 comments
Sometimes I just want to sew and so I look for a quick and easy pattern to use.  This really helps when I've been away from my studio for too long and it helps to start the creative ideas flowing.

I recently came across the Fat Eighth Frenzy quilt pattern by Fat Quarter Shop and decided to whip one up with the fat eighth bundle I have of Kate Spain's Daydream.
Originally the only change I made to the original pattern was I planned to add 2 additional rows to make the quilt just a bit wider and to use up all 40 of the fat eights that were in this bundle.

I made the 1st row, was happy with it and so then proceeded to work on the rest.
 
In the interest of total disclosure, what happened next was because of of my own mistake.  I joined the square and the 1st rectangle for every row, trimmed them, took them to the ironing board and then realized that I had sewn them all going in the wrong direction.  A couple of not horrid swear words then flew out of my mouth, aimed at myself of course.

I turned the sewing machine off, flicked the switch for the light off and went to bed.  An idea on how to fix this would come another day.

And it did.  First I decided to leave the mistake as it was and take it even further by doing 2 things.....cut the 1st strip down the middle the long way to break up the overall color and pattern some more and on the next row (the one I initially screwed up) I added in some accent triangles, to bring in a lot more visual interest and to make the whole quilt a lot less simplistic.  What I saw when I put them together was definitely more my style.
To say that the thought of this quilt now being quick and simple to piece together totally went out the window at this point and I kept slicing and altering as my mood struck.  After planning out the color and pattern placement for the remaining rows I set to work.  This is section one.
Section 2 was constructed in the same manner, with some of the rows sliced down the middle along the entire length and other rows getting a few pops of color with the little triangles.  This is the completed 2nd section.
Then it was onto section 3.  This one went together exactly as the other two.  The toughest part of the entire project was just planning the placement of each print so as to mix up both the patterns and the colors.  I love the way this is quite a bit different from the original design but that one definitely provided the inspiration for my altered version.
Ta Da!  This is my completed quilt top.  I really like the way it turned out and can't wait to get it on the frame and quilted. 
While trying to take these pictures this morning I gave up trying to get a good photo of it completely flat.  You see....my "assistant" (the one with the fur coat and long tail that has the nasty habit of being my alarm clock at 4am every single day) kept walking and rolling all over it.  He doesn't get to go outside and is always really curious when I open the front door to let in the natural light for the photo shoots so he just had to test out the new quilt design too.
One thing I've learned about myself over the years as I've been quilting is that I like to look at a traditional block or quilt design and find new ways to break it up and change it up into something new.  I'm sure this won't be the last time that I decide to make a design a bit more "my own".
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