Film In The Fridge

I had been lamenting the fact that I enter many blog giveaways, but never seem to win anything. Well, it seems my luck may be changing. I was overjoyed to find out that I had won a $50 shopping spree at Bee Square Fabrics for Diane’s 1 year blog anniversary. Needless to say, I spent it immediately!

If you haven’t checked out her site yet, you should. Diane has a nice selection of fabrics, including many that I hadn’t seen elsewhere. I love the search features, especially being able to search by color. In order to make my credit go further, I ordered a few sale fabrics, and then selected a few half yards of fabrics I hadn’t seen in person.

How cute is this one?

Diane sent me a little square of this one, and if I were to make a little boy quilt, I’d want it to include this print.

As usual, I don’t have specific plans for any of these yet, so for now they’ll join the others in my stash.

Merry early Christmas to me… Thank you Diane!!

I became a bit obsessed with my ‘creative therapy’ project (thanks Amy, I like that!). It was supposed to just be a little distraction, but since I had all the fabrics pulled out, I thought I should continue with it.

After I posted yestserday, I spent a little time on Flickr looking to see if anyone else had made a quilt using these fabrics. I came across some very similar log cabin blocks, and not wanting to look like a copycat, I decided against using the log cabin blocks for the front of the quilt. (Note to self - check Flickr before starting a quilt project!)

Instead, I decided to go with one large log cabin-ish block as the entire top of the quilt. I started with the center block, using a piece of one of my favorite (now out of print) fabrics, bird on a ball in ivory.

Then I worked out from there, adding pieces along the sides, to give it a bit of a modified log cabin look. I realize that the mix of colors and patterns may be a bit too busy for some, but right now I’m really liking it. I have a few of the new prints on order, so I’m going to set this aside for now until I have those to add in.

This design seems to work quite well with these prints, since they are larger-scale. Creating one large block allows me to use larger pieces of the fabric so you can really see the pattern of each. I’m thinking that my small log cabin blocks from yesterday will show up on the back of the quilt…

So, while these may look like they could be part of a gift, I can’t lie. They’re not. This is just me procrastinating again. My list is long, and I’m running out of time (isn’t today the last day to order online with regular shipping? Oi!) but I needed a bit of distraction so I started in on these log cabin blocks.

I love Etsuko Furuya and I’ve been collecting different prints on and off for a while. I love the colors, patterns and especially how they can be combined to create an entirely new pattern. If you’ll recall, I pieced together a few other prints and stretched them over a canvas to create some art for my office. I often look up from my computer and glance over at them, and perhaps this is what prompted me to start another similar project.

I’m not sure what I’ll use them for, but for now I’m enjoying making them and I like looking at them. I don’t know how they’d work for a quilt - that cotton canvas may not be the best fabric for quilting… I might just try it anyway though.

Ok, back to the gifts…

to me!

My sister gave me this beautiful package this morning. I love it when the wrapping is as wonderful as the gift inside. (She does have an advantage, working at a store that sells such lovely paper products!)

Inside, I found this wonderful letterpress calendar

This beautiful calendar is made by Linda & Harriett out of Brooklyn, NY. I love the unexpected design for each month, such as these cute cake stands for March -

The best part about this is that Whitney remembered how much I liked a calendar I saw that was framed, so she had a mat cut for this frame (off-center… my favorite!) so that I could insert the current month’s page and hang it above my desk. I can’t wait for Jan, 2009!

If you’re still looking, this might make a great gift! (and it looks like Linda & Harriett is giving 20% off through 12/19 if you use the code ‘friends’)

I’m overjoyed with mine - thanks Whit!!

How exciting to find a box of goodies in the mail today! I won these vintage sheet pieces over at For the Journey. Since I knew that Dallas was splitting them up to provide sets for several others as well, I wasn’t expecting such a large variety - wow! Thanks Dallas!

I had a great time taking out each piece and thinking of all the possibilities. Of course, I’m thinking of a quilt - no surprise, right? I remembered that I also have this one lone sheet, which I’ll probably add to this collection. Maybe the backing?

I’m thinking it will have to wait until after Christmas, but who knows…

For now I’ve started cutting fabric for another project. I just can’t help myself!

My birthday falls two weeks before Christmas (this coming Friday, actually…) and as I was growing up, it was always a tradition to put up and decorate our tree on my birthday. One year, after I had moved to an apartment, my family surprised me with a Christmas tree. Of course at that point I didn’t have any ornaments at all, so they decorated it entirely in mini candy bars (those fun sized ones). Each piece had a ribbon taped to it and there was quite a variety hung from the tree. I found it to be quite perfect - a surprisingly fun decoration, plus a tasty treat!

Since then I’ve started collecting ornaments. We try to buy a special new one each year to add to the collection. Since we haven’t collected too many yet (despite much cajoling, my parents still won’t give up any of my childhood ornaments!), we’ve had to be a bit creative in creating our own handmade ornaments.

I knit these little hats

and was so pleased with how they turned out that I knit a little set - including these teeny little mittens hung on a string

My brother, the paper folding master in our family, made these little origami cranes using the instructions provided here. I used fishing line to make a loop for hanging and to attach a couple beads on the bottom to give them a bit of weight.

Not to be outdone, Morgan created this wonderful little Santa out of a styrofoam ball, some felt scraps, mini pom poms and a paperclip

And last, but not least, my sister, who really didn’t want any part of the craftiness, made this

I like the googly eyes jammed into the styrofoam ball. I’m not sure it will actually end up on the tree.

I have to add a few more links to my fabric chain, and then I think the tree will be complete. Now I just need to remember to water it so it lives until Christmas!

…so I made it a skirt.

(though perhaps I shouldn’t use the word ‘naked’ in my title, or I might find myself with visitors looking for something other than sewing crafts!)

This tree skirt is inspired by amandajean’s tree skirt, as seen here in her Christmas tree skirt tutorial. I love her log cabin blocks, but I just didn’t have the patience!

I grabbed all the fabrics I had in red, green and brown and created 7″ blocks, each using 2 fabrics. I wanted my tree skirt to be a bit larger, so I created enough blocks to ultimately make a square about 60″. (It looks like it shrunk a bit in the wash, and is now about 57″ square.)

My goal was to finish it on Saturday so that we could get the tree on Sunday… I didn’t quite make it, as I was still hand sewing the binding on Sunday morning, but I’m pleased to say that I got it finished and now the tree looks lovely!

Now I should get busy sewing so there will be some presents to put under the tree!

Thanks for all the comments on the last giveaway post! It looks like there are a lot of people out there who are pregnant or know someone who is! I’m not, and I don’t even know anyone who is (how about it, Kim?!), so I’m not sure why I was busy making baby blankets!

The random number generator selected number 39, Jody, who’s indicated that this blanket will be going to her 8 month old daughter. I’m glad to hear there’s a little one out there who will enjoy it!

I hope you’ll all check back - I’m sure there will be another little giveaway in the future… though maybe not until after the New Year… December really snuck up on me and now I’m feeling a bit behind!

And here’s what happens when I don’t feel like doing what I’m supposed to do…

I start a new quilt!

My to do list is quite long, but as per usual, I tend to dawdle when there are things I have to do… We’re thinking about picking up our tree this weekend, and I’m afraid it might have to go skirt-less, at least for a while.

In any case, I’m already thinking of this quilt as ‘a field of flowers’. Perhaps it will remind me of the nicer Vermont days during the long months of winter.

I couldn’t not be part of giveaway day, right?!

So… up for grabs today… one of these cute little handmade baby blankets as seen in the Last Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts book. I made these out of some super soft white flannel and trimmed each in a print from the now out of print, but oh so popular!, Denyse Schmidt Flea Market Fancy line.

They each measure approximately 30″ x 40″. The winner will get to select whichever one they’d like. You don’t have a baby? Sign up anyway - these make great gifts! And, if you want, you could even say you made it yourself… I’ll never tell!

I’ll select a winner using the random number generator on Friday morning. Have fun!

And if you haven’t checked them out yet, be sure to take a look at the other blogs participating in Giveaway Day - great prizes!

Edit: Comments are now closed - I’ll pick a winner shortly!

Be sure to check back tomorrow - I’ll be participating in the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

(Now I just have to figure out what to give away!)

until tomorrow…