Still Quilting ...

It's been a while since I've blogged much, but I've always got projects in the works! 

Every now and then, I realize that I should start a blog series on the topic of "Quilts I Forgot to Blog About!" Or, better yet, "Projects I Forgot to Blog About," since there are plenty of not-quilty projects that are always happening. 

Anyway, just to get started, I thought I'd share some quick photos of my recent and current projects. (After all, where does one start to blog again after an 18-month break?!) Pictures are important to a blog post, so here are a bunch. Any of these may turn up in a longer post soon, but this will be a good way to get back to it. 

In no particular order, here are some quick looks at things I've been doing in the past few months.

Quilts remain a perennial favorite. Each of these projects was special and fun, and I finished all of them in the past year. (Two of them were started long ago, and two were started and finished in just a few months.) I'm hoping they'll each become a blog post soon, but for now, here are some sneak peeks:

 

 

Crochet projects have kept me busy. There's a crochet group at my church, and we always have several charity projects going. Here are a few of the things I've worked on during the past few months ... a few baby items and lap-sized afghans. It's a great way to put my yarn to good use!

 

 

As always, there are plants ... some early spring flowers, a few vegetables, tiny succulents in pots, and some summer blooms.

 

 

 

 

In other news, I usually have some knitting going, and now and then, I remember that I started a massive cross-stitch project two decades ago ...

 

So, that gives you a quick glance at the crafty, quilty stuff I've been up to. As I said, I'm hoping to update the blog more often than I have lately.

In between quilt-y things

Sometimes, my sewing is not very blog-able, but it's helpful and necessary.

Things like hemming shorts & jeans are (relatively) quick and easy, but don't make a very pretty blog post. Adding elastic to a kid's garment's waistline makes for a better fit, but a rather dull blog-mention.

Pocket-mending is not very photogenic, but it's pretty handy. Recently, I bought my teenager a great pair of pants in a hard-to-find size -- brand new, for just a dollar! (I love deals like that!)  But the pockets were only 2" deep. For those pants, good pockets were a must, so I un-sewed and re-sewed the pockets into a more useful size.

 

I love being able to stitch useful (even if "boring") things.

Work-In-Progress Bags

Several days ago, I had some time to sew, and wanted to do something "different" but not too hard.

I remembered the Work In Progress Bags that Amanda Jean at CrazyMomQuilts made, since she mentioned them in a recent post; I'd seen the info about her pattern, and loved the concept.

Since I've had a nice scrap of clear vinyl lying around, and since I've wanted to try the idea, I thought that would be fun. Not having the pattern, I thought I'd just do my own thing, and try to get a similar result. Or wait? Did I win a giveaway for that pattern? No, it was Amanda Jean's "Trees" pattern that I won, I think.

Anyway, soon, I had a couple of similar -- but different -- results that I was happy with: flat vinyl bags, with zippers and fabric edges.

This storage method is a lot more classy than the ziploc-bag + grocery-bag storage system these projects were in before.

Funny story, though: the next time I checked my Quilt Patterns file on the computer ... YES, I own the Work In Progress Bags pattern! I DID get it in a giveaway from Amanda Jean, and I'd forgotten I have it! Hahaha!

So, one of these days, when I get some more vinyl, I'll have to try to make these the "real" way!

Kitchen linens again!

It's not very glamorous, but so practical: kitchen washcloths made from a tablecloth!

Because making 38 kitchen washcloths is one of my favorite ways to use a thrifted $2 cotton tablecloth!

Raggedy Ann ... From the attic!

Occasionally, my husband's parents find fun things in their attic that they don't still need. If they think I might use them, they pass them along. A few years ago, they gave me a couple of preprinted Raggedy Ann doll/dress sets ... the kind that are preprinted on fabric. I kept thinking that one of these years, my girls or I might sew them. 

I finally took the time to finish up a Raggedy Ann doll!

I had some extra sewing time one weekend, and worked on that orange quilt project leader-and-ender style, in between getting this Raggedy Ann doll and her clothes sewn.

I had fun trying out a new tiny-rolled-hem presser-foot for the hems on the little clothes ...

It's about a 20" Raggedy Ann doll, so it was small, but still, I was surprised to get so much done in one (long) sitting!

What fun! My baby daughter got this Raggedy Ann doll for her recent birthday.

I got this much done in that one (long) sewing session: (the doll + clothes, but no yarn hair) while also assembling this much of the center of that orange quilt top.

A couple weeks later, I stitched in the yarn hair. 

Black hair on a Raggedy Ann doll? Yes!

When I was little, my sister and I had a giant Raggedy Ann doll, made by our great-aunt. The doll's yarn hair was black. So, of course, decades later, when my sister made giant Raggedy Ann & Andy dolls for my older girls, she made them with black yarn hair. And, so, it only made sense, that the newest little doll have black yarn hair, too.

Knitting again ...

So, several weeks ago, I finished that pair of socks that I was knitting for a year or so ... And, of course, I love them!

Therefore, it made perfect sense to start another pair!

I enjoy the fact that this sort of project is very portable!

Friendship Bracelets

The other day I came across a bunch of extra embroidery floss I've got.

(Extra, as in, I already had a ton, and then I found oodles of NEW skeins of DMC embroidery floss for 10¢ each at a thrift store, and couldn't pass it up. So, yeah. I've got extra.)

So I suddenly remembered that it's been a while since my girls have thought of making friendship bracelets, and they might like reminding.

And I also suddenly remembered coming across this "20 kinds of friendship bracelets" blog post (thank you Pinterest), so I thought I might get the girls started on some of the easiest ones.

I had fun remembering how much fun I had as a kid making these. I had fun starting these off. And, I just might try some of those fancy-looking ones I've never tried. Hearts in a friendship bracelet? Cool idea. 

Fun way to keep hands busy while watching football with the family. Fun thing for the girls to do with friends and cousins.

Dinner Napkins ... and more little napkins

So, after the success of the little napkins project, I started thinking: If those were so easy, I could certainly make some regular-sized dinner napkins. 16 inches square. Serged edges. All cotton.

And if I had my choice, I'd pick some combination of blue and green. Maybe plaid.

Next trip to the thrift store, guess what? I found my blue, my green, my plaid, my 100% cotton -- all in one almost-new duvet cover. 

Enough for 16 blue dinner-sized napkins ... 

... and 16 plaid dinner-sized napkins ... 

... AND 4 plaid and 4 blue 12-inch napkins. 

Quick math: $10 duvet cover becomes 40 napkins. Again, I've got napkins I love for 25¢ each. 

Nice. Very nice.

And, again, with awesome napkins, one can do really fun things with table-settings! ("Restaurant Silverware!" the kids exclaimed, when I rolled the silverware in the napkins.)

My oldest daughter raised her eyebrows when she realized that I was making that many dozens of napkins. But actually, we're using them. 

And I'm loving the nearly-endless basket of napkins that now lives on top of the microwave.

THIS is one of the reasons I sew: To create something practical & usable for a price I love!

New Decorations!

I'm not a big decorator. And I'm OK with that.

But every now and then, a fun idea seems worth the trouble ... so, here's my latest Christmas decorating effort.

About a year ago, I read in somebody's quilt blog (can't remember which one!) that quilt bloggers sometimes decorate their walls with favorite fabrics in embroidery hoops. 

(Update: I found a couple of the links that inspired me: See some great pictures here, and a quick tutorial here.)

More recently, I heard that regular people like this idea, too, especially for Christmas fabrics, since the hoops look a little like Christmas-tree-ornaments. (Thanks for the inspiration, Sara!)

My new-favorite Christmas fabric that was leftover from the tree-skirt (see yesterday's post) made it into the biggest embroidery hoop. Add to that a couple of Christmassy remnants I'd already bought, and a couple of Christmas-colored fabrics that were given to me, and the rest of the embroidery-hoop frames were filled!

While not strictly a Christmas print, the one in the lower left is one of my favorites, since I love seeing cardinals in the winter, and since the house in the "picture" is a great representation of home & family, which are such a blessing.

I like the way this little set turned out. I'm enjoying my little fabric-collection decoration so much that I'm trying to figure out what to do with it after Christmas - Debating about maybe switching out the fabrics, to match the seasons ... Or finding more thrift-store hoops for another set of fabrics for when spring is on its way, so that I can keep this set for the Christmas box!