4 Days...

Including today.  Yikes.

I have been meaning to blog all week...but life happened.  I have been working a bit more this week than normal (yay!) and haven't finished my handmade gifts (oops).  
I am almost finished with my space invaders quilt:

 This is the last pic I took of the back...not where I am now, promise.  ( You can see a previous post here)

My Virtual Quilting Bee quilt just needs to be basted, quilted, and bound. (sorry no pic...you can see previous posts here and here)

I just need to baste, quilt and bind my Chirstmas Zig-Zag...but it has the lowest priority, so it may not get done until 2014. 

Pre-border

post-borders (IG photo)

The crochet stockings are all granny-squared, but now I have to stitch the grannys together...somebody tell me I can do all this by Tuesday.  (deep breath)

That being said.  I have been busy.  We made holiday crafts with the babies and toddlers at work:

I made Christmas cookies for my father's work cookie exchange (I may have kept a few):

I like sprinkles...can you tell?

I made infinity scarves for gifts (I may have kept a few of those too):

I used silky fabric from JoAnn's.  2 yards - cut at the fold and sewed it together in a tube.  Super quick...once I figured out what I was doing.  The silky fabric was pretty horrible to work with...but the scarves turned out nicely.  Next time I might try cotton voile.

I also made Alcohol Ink Coasters:

Only two of them matched.  I was having so much fun making new colors palates.  ;)  So I gave the matching two away as Christmas gifts already. 

Also, my Wonky Star Pillow got featured on Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday post this week! Thanks Heather and Meg!

So that was my week. 
Now I just have to finish a quilt top (today), baste and quilt two quilts (by Tuesday), bind two quilts (by Thursday - whoop I get an extra day), and finish those crochet stockings (you know... last week, lol).  I am so glad I have a mother to rope into helping me at the last minute!

What was your week like?  Ready for Christmas? Or just ready for a break?

 XOXO -
  Katelyn

Hang your Stockings and say your prayers, cause Santa Claus comes tonight...

Well not tonight, but soon!  After I made my sister's children stockings last year, one of my best friends asked me to make stockings for her children.  Of course I said yes.  However, I decided that instead of doing different patterns in red and green, like I did with my niece's and nephew's (see photo here), I was going to get patterned Christmas print and piece it in simple squares.  After finding Amy's stocking tutorial, from Diary of a Quilter, it was so much easier than when I made the others!!  I had my mother embroider the kids names on them, and just love how they turned out!

of course, I was not without snafus -  I did sew the loop on backwards once and had to take out my stitches and redo it. 

But really they turned out nicely.  I would recommend the tutorial (mentioned above) to everyone.

I quilted a crosshatch through all of the squares

The back of the stockings

Fabric: Joy by Kate Spain for Moda
           aqua and red solids from JoAnn Fabric and Crafts

I purchased the fabric before Christmas last year and have already told Lesile that if she has more kids his/her stocking will not match, cause I may have used the rest of the fabric on a quilt.  opps.
Now that's four stockings down...two more to go.  Next time - crochet.  Let's hope we see them here, finished, sometime next week!

Happy Holidays!!
 - Katelyn

Wonky Practice

So I mentioned several weeks ago that I wanted to make the Sparkle Punch quilt (you can read that post here).  The pattern mentions practicing the wonky stars first, if you have never done anything wonky before.  Well, I hadn't.  But I couldn't just practice. 
I got out some red and green fabrics from my stash, some cream solid I had been given, and I got to work.  It was so much fun seeing the stars come together.  I ended up chain piecing after sewing the first few stars individually and the process was so much faster.  I made it into a pillow cover to replace my cathedral window cover for the holidays.  I made the envelope back out of the green I had left over from my mother's quilt.  And let me tell you - that stuff just keeps on giving.  It's like magic, or dust - I always find more, even when I think I have gotten rid of used the last of it.

 Fabrics: Mostly Moda Oh Deer, 1 Moda Joy in green (top right), 1 Heather Bailey in Green (middle left), Riley Blake - red with apple (middle right), and Moda Basic Grey PB&J (bottom right). 

The picture of the back didn't seem to want to take without a flash.  But my favorite star uses this print too:

Looks totally different, right?  This is what the green looks like in person.
I love this star - cutting that red and white on the bias, just made it!!
It was also so nice to get to practice my free motion skills on this pillow cover.  I need all the practice I can get.  But it is so difficult for me to take the time to do that.  I always feel like I should be making something.  So I have decided I am just going to go for it.  My quilts will have my quilting on them - even if I don't like it.  lol

Looks good with my newest pillow acquisition, right?

Now I just need to finish my the Christmas quilt I have been working on...but it is not looking like that will happen before Christmas since the backing fabric has still not been shipped.  Can you believe it is only 15 days till Christmas?!?!?!  I am so excited and freaking out at the same time! 

XOXO - Katelyn

Holidays are here again....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  I mean the trees are up... yes trees (there are two minis, one 4ft, and one 9ft).  They all have lights, and no ornaments.  opps.  I'll get to it.  promise.
I have many WIP still...and all of them have to be done by Christmas.  I see all of these people on Instagram excited to begin their Christmas sewing and I feel so slow.  I've been working on mine forever.  lol.
Last year I literally worked until my family walked in the door.  I did, however, get the stockings completed for my sister's children.

And the year before that I didn't finish my mother's quilt until February...
This year I have goals.  Grand plans.  I have two completed quilt tops (to be blogged later), one one more top to finish, then I need to quilt all three.  Though...I only have the backing for the one I'm not done with yet.  Curse JoAnn's and them putting their fabric on horrible sale when I have a way better coupon.  I have four stockings down, two more to go.  Then I have some fun scarves to make for holiday gifts.

But I did finish one of my projects and gave it away already.  I am a member of the Memphis Area Modern Quilt Guild and we had a meeting (and holiday swap) last weekend.  I made a Christmas themed mug rug:

 

*Please ignore the mess...I should have cleaned.  but I am trying to create instead. ;)

I wanted to make it reversible and practice my FMQ at the same time.  I love it.  The mustache tree was SO MUCH FUN!  I used the Silhouette Cameo to cut out the different sized mustaches and star from my fabric (backed first in the silhouette sewable interfacing).  Then I appliqued them on using a zig-zag stitch. 
I want to make something else using that technique now... what, I don't know. 

Then at the swap (dirty santa style - there was stealing) I ended up with this beauty:

Jenny made it - those tiny Postage stamp sized greens really make the pillow extra fabulous!!

Sorry the pictures aren't so lovely.  It is rainy/icy and pretty gloomy here.  But that just means more time for sewing, right?

Well, after next week's final...Dum, dum, dum.

Have yall finished your Christmas decorating, making, and gift giving?

XOXOX- Katelyn

Happy Thanksgiving!

This post is finding itself out late today.  But I couldn't resist.

Thanksgiving is always a wonderful time...food, friends, family, pumpkin, pecan, apple.  ;)

That being said how a few thanksgiving craft ideas?  Something fun to do with kids and a reminder to be grateful.
I made these Thankful turkeys with my class a few years ago:

Here is a quick how-to:

Gather up some supplies:
two different sized brown paper circles (didn't measure)
various sized different color paper strips
small red ribbon for wattle (I used a red fabric scrap)
sharpie (use crayons, magic marker - anything dark)
Tape (I used strong crafters tape, the kids used glue)

Then start making your turkeys:

add the wattle before gluing/taping the head and body together

glue/tape the strips of paper like this

I would write what you are thankful for on the belly before attaching the "feathers"

This is how I attach the "feathers" to the back - just see what looks right to you

Then you have a cool Thankful Turkey that can be put on the wall, fridge, or hung up some where from the loops on the "feathers."

Here are a few more activities I found on pinterest:

Paint Chip Turkey

Thumbprint Turkey

Foot/fingers Turkey

Thanksgiving Tree

Remember to eat lots, take naps, and don't let the dog eat your pie.  Now I'm off to make V and Co's pretty apple pie.  Yum.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!

    Love,
      Katelyn

There's scrappy...and then there's scrappy

At least that was the reaction of one of my friends when I posted pics of these doll quilts on Instagram. 

I didn't to waste any of my Oh Deer! scraps from my virtual quilting bee quilt.  So I saved any scrap that was at least an inch in width and length.  Then I tried to put them together.   It was awful.  I have never done improve piecing before - I am a planner.  I have never worked with scraps before, esp. that small.  I will never do that again.  It took SO much.  I thought I had tons and would be able to make more than two doll quilts, but I could barely make one.  I had to pull out much larger scraps, that I was saving in my scrap bin - though after this fiasco, I'm not quite sure what for.  lol
In the end I like the one with the bigger scraps better.  I have learned my lesson. 

tiny scraps

bigger scraps

I quilted these with a free motion meandering stitch...at least I tried.  It was good practice and I think I may be getting there.  The backing and binding are solid brown.  I love how the binding seems to contain the craziness. 

These are going to be for my two oldest nieces for Christmas.  I hope they enjoy them.  
That's 2 gifts down and 8 to go...
Only 41 more days till the deadline...and lots of family fun!

I'm linking up to Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts, Fabric Tuesday @ Quiltstory, and Needle and Thread Thursday @ My Quilt Infatuation.

 - Katelyn

Busier Than Ever

Is that a word?  Busier?  Oh well. 
I may have forgotten about adding corner triangles to my virtual quilting bee blocks...like before I even started making them.  So when Amy posted the next step in the quilt...I panicked.  Square-in-a-Square?!?! My blocks were already (can I use the word busy one more time?) lively.  However, after much deliberation I realized that I had enough fabric left over and thought it would look fine. 

I do love them!! 
I am planning on calming them down a bit with solids.  Amy has posted the Boarders and Sashing instructions now...so here is what I have planned:

Cream for the sashing, Red Birds (from the Oh Deer line) for my corner squares, Kona Corn Yellow for the first little boarder, and Kona Peacock for the bigger 2nd boarder.  I'm thinking solid brown for the binding and for the backing...what do you think?

- Katelyn

It's Fall Yall!

Well kinda.  The high today is only 63, here in the land of the Delta Blues...that's a little chilly.  So I'm getting ready.  I have a super simple fall wreath put up (got to make it with some wonderful ladies on Wreath Night at church).

Some fall fun in decorations:

Isn't that wooden turkey awesome??  It was hand carved by a member of my church!

And then of course my homemade banner:

I had so much fun putting together this simple banner.
 I used the silhouette to cut the letters from card stock and heat embossed metallic cooper embossing powder on them.  Then I used a (previously torn up) thesaurus for a fun look on the leaves - also cut with the silhouette.  The leaves were then sprayed with different glimmer mist colors to get a "fall" look. 

I cannot wait to try out some new fall recipes...And more fall crafting fun! 
Sadly, school is kinda of kicking my butt.  I have several tests, and so many other things coming up super quickly.  SO...I might be here a bit less.  It is certainly cutting into my crafting/sewing time.  Wish me luck!


Happy Fall!

 - Katelyn