Verna in progress

I'm making a quilt out of Verna for an undisclosed recipient. I finished up the quilt top tonight.



Any suggestions on how to quilt it? I'd like to do some straight-line quilting, but my walking foot and I are not friends. Perhaps it's time to mend that relationship... Of course, I could just stipple it. Thoughts?

Huh.

If you notice a few extra wrinkles on my forehead, it's because I had to concentrate extra hard while watching this movie.

I don't know...I'm glad I saw it, but I can't necessarily say I enjoyed it. It was mostly strange and complicated. Maybe I'm not smart enough...

We saw some good previews though. I'm guessing these will be more my speed.


'Cause Ben Affleck? Missed ya, bud.


And if this movie is half as funny as the trailer, it will be worth the price of admission.

You better check yourself before you wreck yourself.

Birthday shirt

Luke is turning 3 this weekend, so we're having a pirate party. I made him a shirt for the occasion.

Probably the hardest part was finding a plain (no pocket!) red t-shirt. I finally ordered one here.




I had lots of leftover fabric, so I made a pirate bunting using this easy tutorial.


Hard to photograph, but you get the idea.


I found this unfinished pirate ship birdhouse at Michaels for $4. My nephew and I painted it.


And here are the invited my super-talented friend Mary Elizabeth made. Argh!

We got a pirate bounce house for the kids. Unfortunately it poured down rain for the first hour of the party, and then the power went out, so the kids didn't get to enjoy it. (BUMMER!) I think they had fun anyway...

Space boy

Luke has a birthday this weekend, and I wanted him to have a handmade gift. I've had this pattern from Wee Wonderfuls for a while, and this was a good excuse to use it.


He fits in nicely in Luke's robot/space room.


Space boy comes with removable goggles in case he wants to moonlight as a bandit.

A few more new additions in the robot room:

Robot decals from AllPosters.com


And I finally got these cute robot prints framed and on display. They're from Stephanie Fizer, my favorite Etsy artist.

And with that, I'm calling Luke's room done!

Play ball!

Have you heard of Quilts for Kids? I heard about it on Teaginny's blog. It's a really cool organization that, in partnership with Downy Touch of Comfort, provides quilts to kids with serious illnesses. There are lots of awesome organizations similar to this one, but Quilts for Kids makes things a little easier (and more affordable) for the quilters. If you go to their web site, you can request a quilt kit, and they send you everything you need to make a quilt (except for the batting). I requested my kit, and they sent me a package with fabric and a pattern to make this quilt.


The organization collects discontinued (new) fabric for the kits. I probably wouldn't have picked out this fabric on my own, but I imagine they can find a baseball-loving boy who will like it. (Hope so!)


For the backing they sent me yardage of this baseball print. They don't send fabric for the binding; they suggest using leftover backing fabric. Instead, I used this bright red.


I was really worried about washing this quilt--most of the fabrics came precut, so I couldn't wash them ahead of time (not that I would have...I'm lazy like that). But I threw a Shout Color Catcher in the machine, and it came out just fine.




My little guy thought it was pretty cool.

I really like this organization, and I'll definitely try to make another quilt for them soon.

Check out more projects on Amy's blog!

Wrap-me-up Puppy

I finished knitting up this little guy just in time for a birthday party for Luke's best bud.



The pattern (from Susan Anderson's Itty Bitty Toys) calls for a knitted blanket for the puppy. I sewed a little blanket for him instead. It's 6 inches square. One side is white flannel; the other is a square of David Walker's Oh Boy fabric.


I followed the original pattern for the little bobble-and-loop closure. I hope it holds up to a 3-year-old! Luke followed the puppy's progress carefully and has requested one for his birthday too. I suppose I can accommodate that...

Pinwheel Sampler Finished!

I'm a little late, but I finished Rachel's pinwheel quiltalong.


Thanks for your encouragement on the border. I was really considering taking the easy/fast way out and skipping the border. I'm so glad I added it! I fell in love with this version on Flickr by pas681 and decided to follow her lead with the checkerboard border. I added two rows of 2.5-inch squares to both sides of the quilt.


For the binding, I just used leftover scraps of Hope Valley.


I'm thinking this is my favorite block.




For the back, I added a row of 6-inch pinwheels.


I have to admit I'm pretty much in love with this one...

Check out more finished projects on Amy's blog.

iSleeve

My friend Leah is super crafty and a bit of a techie. She had a birthday recently, and I made her an iPad cover using John's tutorial on Moda Bake Shop.


I picked out fabrics in colors that remind me of Leah. I free-motion quilted it and lined it with a soft flannel.



Sadly, I don't own an iPad myself, so I didn't have one to model the sleeve for the photo. The closest I could come was a copy of Pigs Love Potatoes. Sigh.

Backseat Saints: Winner!

And the winner is...

Wendy P! Wendy actually lists Between, Georgia, as one of her favorite books in her Blogger profile, so I'm glad this book will be enjoyed in its new home.

I'm glad I introduced some of you to a new author! I hope you pick up some of Joshilyn's books. They're great summer reads.


Wendy P said... 12
I love her books too! Thanks for tipping me off to her blog. Signing up there too!

I wanted to get this book for my birthday, but winning it a month early would be super! Fingers crossed!
June 22, 2010 4:56 PM

Read it: Backseat Saints (A Giveaway!)

So it's no secret that Joshilyn Jackson is my favorite author. I love all of her books: gods in Alabama; Between, Georgia; and The Girl Who Stopped Swimming. Between, Georgia, is my favorite, but they're all awesome. I tell everyone I know to read her books. (Seriously, read them. You won't be disappointed.) I'm a loyal reader of her blog (read it too, it's hilarious) and consider myself her close, personal friend stalker.


Here we are at her last book signing in March 2008 with my son and Stephanie. Don't we look chummy?

Anyway. Her new book, Backseat Saints, just came out (and it's already on the NYT Best-Sellers list!). I missed her book signing last week when I was on vacation, but my friends report she was awesome. I ordered a signed copy and picked it up today.




Here's the part where Katie gets pushy.

I haven't started reading Backseat Saints yet, but I'm so convinced of its inevitable awesomeness that I got an extra signed copy to give to one of you.

Just leave a comment on this post (any comment will do, but make sure I have a way to reach you), and I'll pick a winner at random on Saturday morning.

I understand this is a companion book to gods in Alabama, so you might want to (re)read that before picking up this one.

(Did you notice how many times I used the word "awesome"? That's how you know I'm serious!)

Pinwheels in progress...

So I fell a little behind on Rachel's quiltalong. But I'm getting caught up! I have all of the blocks made and sewn together.



Rachel's pattern suggests adding a thin cream sashing around the whole quilt, but I've been seeing some really cool borders in the Flickr group. (Like this one. And this one. And this one!) I feel like this quilt has a lot going on already, but I love the look of these borders. What do you think? Add a scrappy border or leave it alone?

Fabric sale this Saturday

Remember the fabric sale I went to? I scored the great designer fabric at $4 a yard? Well Hollywood Baby is having another sale this Saturday (June 12). If you're in the Birmingham area, you should consider stopping by. The details are on their Facebook page.

Hollywood Baby Fabric & Sample Sale
Where: 280 Snow Drive, Suite 3, Homewood, AL 35209
When: Saturday, June 12 from 8:00 am to 11:00 am

FABRIC & SAMPLE SALE...this SATURDAY, JUNE 12th. 8AM-11AM. Fabric-$4/yd. Samples-70% off. GREAT SELECTION & GREAT DEALS!! Spend $100 & you will be registered in a drawing to WIN a $50 GIFT CERTIFICATE to use at a Fall/Winter 2010 Hollywood Baby trunk show!!! MORE SELECTION this time! We're making a run to our manufacturer and will bring back bolts of fabric from this past season to sell! Don't miss out!

It's probably a good thing I won't be able to go this time...

A few good recipes

aka See? Sometimes I cook!

Justin has been lamenting the inferior quality of store-bought salsa. I came across this recipe for Restaurant-Style Salsa from The Pioneer Woman and figured it was worth a try. It's delicious. Definitely the best salsa I've made (wait...have I made salsa before?). Possibly the best I've eated. It's definitely spicy enough to make your nose run a little. If that's not your thing, you might cut back on the jalapeno or use mild Rotel. Oh, and this makes A LOT of salsa. Plenty for a party.

Tonight I made Tequila-Lime Chicken (sans tequila cause I'm not about to buy a bottle of alcohol for a recipe), and it was really good. This is another recipe from The Pioneer Woman. Seriously, if you need dinnertime inspiration, check out her blog. We grilled the chicken breasts and then sliced them up and ate them on tortillas. Very good. Super easy.

And for dessert...
I've been thinking about these Pudding-wiches for a while. My mom used to make them for our family reunions in the summer. They're kid-friendly and couldn't be easier. I have a batch in the freezer and Luke and I have been snacking on them this week. I used sugar-free pudding and skim milk, so I imagine they're not too horrible for you.

Pudding-wiches
1 1/2 cups cold milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 pkg (4 serving size) instant pudding and pie filling
24 graham crackers, broken in half

Add milk gradually to peanut butter in a deep narrow bottom bowl, blending till smooth.

Add pudding mix

Beat slowly on low speed of electric mixer till well blended, about 2 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes.

Spread filling on 12 cracker halves, top with remaining crackers.

Freeze until firm.


Mmm. Frozen peanut buttery goodness. I think I'll have one now...

Book sling project (yes, more robots)

I love this project from Penny Carnival. It's very easy and super useful. Plus it looks cute! I know I've sworn off of buying robot fabric, but I saw this new Beep Bots fabric and thought it would be perfect for a book sling. Resistance was futile.

I appliqued Luke's name on the sling using the double dots fabric from the same line. In hindsight, I wish I'd used a solid fabric so his name would show up better. Alas.


You just slide 4-foot-long dowels into the little pockets, then attach them to the wall using these cool double curtain rod brackets. I got the dowels at Lowe's. I picked up the brackets at JoAnn's because they were on sale for $4 for the pair.


Luke always ends up with a pile of books on his bed. Now he can keep them in a place he can reach.


Hmm. Looks like I've just about run out of things to cover with robot fabric....


I know my son looks like a studious little model here, but in the spirit of keeping it real...

Most of the pictures turned out like this.

Check out more finished projects on Amy's blog.

Read it: The Help

I realize I'm quite possibly the last person in the known universe to read this book, so I'll just pile on to what you've probably know already. It's a great book. Incredibly well written, with characters who will stay with me for a while. I loved reading the accounts of all of the different women, with Celia being my favorite.

Now, if I can just give an open memo to Hollywood: Please don't make the movie suck. I looked at the IMDB page. Reportedly Emma Stone has signed on as Skeeter (you may know her from Zombieland) and Viola Davis will play Aibileen. Bryce Dallas Howard will play Hilly, and Octavia Spencer will be Minny. Someone on the IMDB message board recommended Kristin Chenoweth for Celia, to which I reply, "Yes, please!"

Hey, if you like reading books, you should check out my sister's friend's Web site, Girls Gone Reading. She has lots of book reviews and an online book club, where you can discuss books like The Help.

Wee robot quilts

The robot obsession continues. This week I made these three mini quilts. I found the tutorial on Stardust Shoes and knew it would be perfect for Luke's room. (The link to the tutorial isn't working...I'll update if I can figure it out.)


The finished size of each is about 12 x 12.





Love the eyes on this guy.



I appliqued the shapes and then echo quilted around them. This was really fun and makes for a cool effect.




I loved making these mini size quilts. They helped me practice some skills, especially the binding and mitered corners. Pretty tidy, if I do say so myself. Also, they're entirely made out of scraps I had on hand. Bonus.


Satisfied customer.

Now I just need to figure out how to hang them...

Be sure to check out more projects on Amy's blog!

Confession

I can't quite explain why, but I've become emotionally invested in Bret Michaels's health saga. And when he came out to play "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" with Casey James on American Idol last night, dang it, I got a little choked up.



I mean, sure he's totally skeezy but he just won Celebrity Apprentice, and his daughter had a health scare, and the man just had a warning stroke last week people! Is it so wrong to get teary when he makes a triumphant return looking every bit the rocker he was 20 years ago?

If I sign up for the next season of Rock of Love, please stage an intervention.

Blogger's Quilt Festival: My Scruffily Quilt

It's time for the Blogger's Quilt Festival! I had so much fun participating last year, and I learned a lot. For the last festival in October, I posted Luke's robot quilt, which was the second quilt I made. Since then, I've finished five more quilts and have a few more in the works, so it's safe to say I'm obsessed! When I was finishing up this quilt, my husband asked, "How many quilts are you planning on making?" I think I responded with a blank stare.


Anyway. Here's my latest finish. I used the Scruffily Quilt pattern from the very talented Rachel of P.S. I Quilt (available at Moda Bake Shop).


The quilt top comes together very easily using precuts (a layer cake, charm pack, and jelly roll). I used Simple Abundance (LOVE). The edges are left raw, so when it comes out of the dryer it's nice and frayed.


I was unsure how to quilt this baby. I'd only stippled before, but when I saw this version of Scruffily on Flickr, I knew I'd copy her quilting. I quilted in the ditch along each large square, then stitched straight-ish lines around the medium and small squares. I can't sew in a straight line to save my life, so they came out a little wonky. I'm choosing to believe it adds to the scruffily nature of the quilt.


For the binding, I thought about using the leftover jelly roll strips and making a scrappy binding, but I figured that this quilt had so much going on that it could benefit from a solid frame. So I went with a brown (Kona Sable) binding. Best part: Now I have lots of leftover jelly roll strips for another project!

After much deliberation (with help from my workshop friends), I decided to follow Alicia's lead and repeat a few of the scruffily blocks on the back. The solid yellow is Kona Sunflower. I couldn't imagine a better name for that color!




I had some struggles with this quilt (it was a bear to baste for some reason), but I'm happy with the outcome. It's going to be 87 degrees here today, so now it's time to crank down the a/c, curl up with my new quilt, and check out the rest of the blogs in the festival! Okay, really I'm headed to work, but that sounds nice, doesn't it?