2011: A very quilty year

Here they are: My quilts of 2011. I'm sure we can all agree that 26 is a perfectly reasonable number of quilts to make in a year. Moving on.

I don't think I could pick a favorite, but the Houndstooth quilt is definitely toward the top.

So, what does 2012 have in store? First on my list is finishing my do. Good Stitches quilt, and then I have some bee blocks to tackle. After that, I really want to finish up my Fabricland and Postage Stamp quilts. A few quilt-alongs have caught my eye (Megan and Jeni's Sparkle quilt-along is definitely a go).


I'd like to try some more hand-stitching. I embroidered this little bird for my mom (whose name is Robin), and really enjoyed it. (Pattern by Aneela.)

More generally, I'd like to slow down a little bit and be a little more adventurous with my sewing.

I've been away from my sewing machine for a while (my son asked me several times why I didn't pack it), so it's time to get reacquainted!

Merry Christmas!

From my family to yours.

Wrapping it up.

I had a few too many "fall asleep on the couch at 9 p.m. while watching Storage Wars" nights this week, so it was time to kick in to productivity mode.


I unrolled a Rouenneries honey bun to make this composition book cover (tutorial by V and Co).


Made PJ pants for Luke using leftover Batman flannel and Dana's tutorial.


Last year, I made a voile and velveteen Figure 8 scarf using Anna Maria Horner's tutorial. She used 18-inch-wide fabric, and it looks really cute in her pictures. It made me look like a velveteen turtle. After seeing skinnier versions popping up online (most recently by Krista and Angela), I decided to cut it in half and make two 9-inch scarves. Better. (Photo courtesy of the 4-year-old)


Finished up this little owl. (Pattern from the Holiday 2010 issue of Knit Simple.)


More of these.


And more of these.


And some Santa hat brownies for the preschool Christmas party.

*This post is bought to you by Diet Coke.

In print.

Those are my quilts*, all cozied up next to a cute pup. They were photographed for a little article on "The New Quilting Craze." For more, you'll have to pick up the January issue of Southern Living magazine.


*Except for the one on the bottom--that one isn't mine.

Spiky

I'm trying to add a few handmade gifts for Luke's Advent calendar. He loves dinosaurs, so I made him this little guy using the Dilbert pattern by Melly and Me. I used some leftover corduroy and scraps I had on hand. Turning the spikes right side out proved tricky, and my blanket stitching needs practice, but I think he's pretty cute anyway.


Luke says "spikysaurus" instead of "stegosaurus," and I love it. I think Spiky will be well-loved.

Run, run, as fast as you can!

My friend Stephanie has a raucous ornament swap party each year. This year, the theme was gingerbread men. I found this tutorial from Elsie Marley and couldn't resist.


My husband thinks I'm "disturbed."


I think it's pretty funny (perhaps that makes me disturbed?).


Reminds me of this...

Happy little bags

I didn't finish most of the items on my weekend to-do list, but I did make these little bags!


These are the Ruched Happy Bags. The pattern is by Amy of During Quiet Time (available here). It's a great pattern with clear, easy-to-follow instructions.


Shoot...kind of want to keep this one for myself.


Kind of want to keep this one too. Must. Buy. Zippers.


I think these zipper ends are my career-best!

Two more gifts marked off the list.

1 yard of ruffle fabric.

Vanessa of V and Co has posted some really cute tutorials using ruffle fabric, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it! Here's what I made out of one yard (it's 54 inches wide).

First, I wanted to try the ruffle tote. So I made two.


This one is for me.


The lining is my favorite Heirloom print.


The second one is for [name redacted]. The lining is actually purple in real life.


I made the flowers using Vanessa's Flower Corsage tutorial.

After making those, I had just enough fabric left to make a ruffle scarf.

Kindly excuse the weird self-portrait.
I had to fudge it a bit and cut my strips at 12 inches instead of 14, but it works just as well! Not bad for 1 yard of fabric!

The ruffle fabric is definitely a little different to work with. It's very stretchy, so cutting it accurately is hard. But that stretchiness also makes it very forgiving. If you can keep your ruffles out of your seams, you're in good shape. I'm interested to see how it holds up with use, but I'm happy for now, and I marked someone off my Christmas list!