Cat in the Hat Quilt #2

My progress is a lot slower with this second quilt.  I was planning on having the top done this week so I could buy the back fabric.  I started getting sick yesterday so I haven't had a chance to finish it because I just don't feel good enough.  Sitting at the sewing machine feeling nauseated for hours doesn't sound like much fun right now.  I have only gotten 5 quilt squares with their boarders sewn. I know doesn't sound like much but hopefully I will feel better tomorrow or Friday to work on it.  I really want to get this one done so I can start on my next quilt. :)  I'm so excited about the next one.  Once you see it you will love it.

Scripture Case

Seems like I am always able to find the flaws in tutorials or patterns.  I always run into the problem where something says to measure a certain way and I measure the exact way and it still doesn't turn out right.  I was making this scripture case for my son's 8th birthday.  I had to put it away for a little while due to being frustrated.  Amazing how much a clear mind can help you fix a problem and then you just get it done so quickly.  It only took me a few hours total to make this.  Due to the frustration and wrong measurements on the example I was looking at it was longer than I had anticipated.  It turned out pretty good.  I even put a pocket on the inside that wasn't on the instructions I was looking at.  I ended up having to add extra panels to certain parts to even make it work.  It looks good to me because I am the one that made it. LOL. I wanted it larger than the scriptures so that he wouldn't have to struggle getting them in and out.  I also wanted it larger because the pocket is on the inside.  I didn't want to put the pocket on the outside because I didn't want stuff to end up falling out of it.  I am satisfied with my final product but I think I may end up using some fray stuff on the edges on the inside since I don't' have a serger.  Hopefully someday I will.

P.S.  It may look crooked because of the first picture but it really isn't.  The one side was just pulled all the way up where the other side was laying down before.  Didn't want you to think I am a totally incompetent sewer and put a picture on the internet of something crooked.  It isn't crooked. lol

Scrapbooking Adventures

I had my scrap booking night the other night with my friend and my mom (whom I usually scrap book with).  We had a good time.   I really enjoy this paper pack and I look forward to making lots of cards and another layout with it.  I got 2 of the paper packs so I would have enough to do what I would like.  It is CTMH Stella paper.  At first when I saw it in the new idea book I wasn't sure if I really liked it but the more I saw ideas of other people's projects the more I absolutely loved it.  I look forward to doing more with this paper.  It is hard to see the true hues of colors in the pictures, sorry.  It is so hard to take good pictures inside unless you have an amazing camera especially in a room that has no window and just mostly lamps for lighting.  I hope you enjoy this layout as much as I did.  The inspiration was from CTMH Workshop on the Go layouts.  ENJOY :)

Striped Pencil Skirt

I made this pencil skirt the same day that I made the ruffle/petticoat skirts.  I just hadn't put a picture of it on here because I wanted a picture of it on rather than just on a hanger.  If I would have taken a picture with it just on a hanger you wouldn't be able to see the shape as well. This skirt took me about 15 min to make.  I made one seam right down the middle of the back.  This skirt I made out of a stretchy more lycra type fabric so it doesn't flow as I had originally planned on it being before I found some fabric I liked.  I really like the color of this fabric.  It is a pinkish/purple and white stripe fabric.  I got a really good deal on it too so it only cost me about $4 to make. It is very comfortable to wear.  I had fabric left over so I may end up using it to make a little dress for my little girl.  Who knows we will just have to see.  I have a few other projects in mind that I want to do right away before I make stuff out of my scraps.

Bread Day

I realized that I have never posted about my bread making yet. I stopped buying bread well over a year ago now. (The only time we eat store bread is when it is free.)  It is nice to not have something so unhealthy with all the preservatives going into the bodies of my children.  Whenever I do eat store bought bread anywhere else I can taste a chemical taste in it.  It is kinda gross to me now.  I learned a lot of my tricks of bread making from my grandmother.  She makes pretty good bread.  I have come to like the taste of mine better because I changed a few of the things from her version to something I like a lot better and my kids will eat even though it is healthy.  I talked to my sister in law one day and she liked the idea of making bread of her own so I showed her a bunch of my tricks and basic bread making.  There definitely is an art to bread making you have to get everything just right. I love how light and fluffy my bread is.  Wheat bread can become so dense and heavy.  I might be bias but I do like my home made bread better than any others I have tried. I did a little variation today of the usual bread I make.  My favorite is whole wheat. I grind the wheat myself.  This time I did more of a honey oat version of my same old home made wheat bread.  It was delicious.  I hope the rest of my family likes it as much as I did.  I usually make lots and freeze it because we go through it so fast but because of not having preservatives in it, it can mold easier so I keep it frozen.  This time I only made 4 loafs.  I have to make rolls for a function tomorrow so I figured I would just make more tomorrow. 

Want some tips?  Just let me know.

Cat in the Hat Quilt #1

I am so excited that I finished this quilt.  I had so much fun making it.  Like I said in a previous post it was my first time doing a quilt from a pattern.  The pattern I used was designed by Jocelyn Lai called The Magical Cat in the Hat.  It was such a fun pattern.  I look forward to doing my #2 Cat in the Hat matching quilt.  I also look forward to using many quilt patterns in the future.  I did change a few of the fabrics that were featured in the pattern because I found a couple that I liked a little better and one I just couldn't find in the store.  The pattern has you bind the quilt but I decided not to do that this time around and just bind it using the back of my quilt. I have done this with almost all the quilts I have made.  I am so impressed with how my hand quilting turned out.  I love this quilt and am excited to make mine. :)  Thanks for following along.

New Quilt

This is the first quilt that I have done with a pattern.  It has been so much fun.  I am working on hand quilting the first one right now (I decided to use the stitch in the ditch to not take away too much from the quilt).  You may say "First one?"......yes I am making 2 of them.  I had bought the fabric and when I was cutting it discovered that I had enough to make 2 only needing to buy  a little more of one fabric.  I love this quilt.  I am making this first one for my husband.  It may seem kiddish but I love it and don't think it is kiddish at all because we all have a little of kid still in us no matter our age.  In lieu of Dr. Seuss's birthday this month that was on March 2nd  I am making almost matching  Cat in the Hat quilts for my husband and I.  They are so fun.  I am just going to be doing different colored backs on each one.  My husband really liked the pirate quilt I made for my son and was a little jealous that I hadn't spent that much time on making something amazing like that for him.  I thought the pirate quilt was amazing but I am more excited about this one just because it isn't just squares on the front.  It was a pattern that took me a while to cut. (using rotary cutter)  Not too long to sew together.  Now it will just take me a while to hand quilt it.  I'm giving you some pictures of my progress but not the whole thing because I don't want to give the surprise away just yet.  You will fall in love with this quilt too.  I just know it.  The reason I haven't posted for a while is because it has taken me a little while to get to this point.  Being a mommy is a lot of work so I have to do these things in just the little spare moments I find.  Well here it is. :)

Ruffle Handbag

Yet another project I found online that I fell in love with. Of course sometimes I am bias and just love how my product turns out better than the one I get the idea from. I fell in love with these fabrics at the store and couldn't wait to get started. I have done 4 projects in the last three days. It has been awesome. It feels so good to make something yourself and like it better than something store bought. I decided to add some extra pockets on the inside of this purse. I wanted one with a closure for those special items but I didn't want to do a zipper since I still haven't tackled that one yet. I used snap buttons. I did a bigger snap button pocket on one side and 2 different size pockets on the other side. I still have enough fabric left over that I will probably make a mini me purse for my daughter. I love to match her, although, she probably won't like it as much when she is older. I can get away with it for now cause she is 4 1/2. She thinks I am a cool mom. I hope I am. :) I can't wait to use this purse. I hope people will notice it since it is different than anything you can buy at the store then I can take credit for making it. It feels like an accomplishment to make things. It is amazing that you can make something the same as someone else and it is so individual. I love it.

Petticoat/Ruffle Skirt & mini me

I found this skirt on another website and fell in love with it. I decided I would make matching ones for both my daughter and I. They were very time consuming. They took me about 8 hours to do but once I start something sometimes it is hard for me to put it down until I am finished. I started it yesterday morning and finished late yesterday afternoon. I wish I would have put the ruffles down just a bit but I think they are still just as cute. I love them. The one for my daughter is just so cute on her. I will post a pic later with both of us wearing them. I have to make sure I am picture worthy before taking a picture of myself. I am very weird that way. I don't like remembering how I looked on my frumpy or bad days. lol. I did make a pencil skirt as well yesterday and I will post that later as well. I guess it is ok to say that I am pretty good at gathering/ruffling after the last couple of days. :) I have another surprise project I am going to start tomorrow. You will love to see it when it is done.