I've Had a Busy Summer

I decided to use my time off from school this summer to throw myself into creative mode and try to sell some of my creations. It has been an interesting few weeks as I have taken the time to explore and take chances. I opened a table at the local curb market and hoped that maybe I would sell a couple items this summer. I have found good company amongst the other vendors as well as a few extra bucks along the journey. The market will close for the season in a couple weeks and school will begin again. I will miss the time I've had to enjoy all my fabric but I hope that it will help me to approach this next year with fresh creativity.

Bitten by the Bug!

I think it is safe to say that I have been bitten by the quilting bug! Now when I look at fabrics my mind not only says "How would this look as a purse?" but it also says "How would this work in a quilt?"

I will be the first to say that my quilting skills are at the bottom of the novice scale. I have sought advice from my local quilt shop on many occasions. Once I had seen in a book directions for quilted potholders. I said to myself, "Self, this is a good way to learn a quilt block pattern!" And so the new adventure began. I will readily admit that my first attempts landed in the trashcan but with repeated practice I finally managed to get my points and corners perfectly lined up. (Thank goodness for that HUGE pile of fabric scraps!)


The next challenge was putting together the potholder. Again the trashbin was useful but in the end I finally managed to create something that I would be proud to give away or even sell.

Perhaps the bigger lesson I learned from this experience is that quilters and seamstresses do not think alike. When I found that I could not make the instructions from the quilt book work out I applied sewing strategies which worked much better for me!

Finally, after a visit with my Grandmother, Mom and Aunt they inspected my work and encouraged me to continue. This is the aspect of this venture that I will hold most dear. Family is so precious.

...... more quilt blocks to learn!!

My Daughter's Patchwork Quilt

Last September my daughter picked out a bunch of fat quarters and said "Mom, make me a quilt!" Needless to say I was overwhelmed. After several weeks of contemplating patterns and even asking her to draw out what she envisioned I finally decided on a simple patchwork pattern. I nearly had a nervous breakdown trying to keep all those pieces of cloth in order until I had made the blocks and stitched them together. Just before Thanksgiving I had to take it all to work where I could push my tables together and pin it together 'cause I don't have any place big enough at home. I hand quilted off and on all winter and into the spring. I would work on it for several hours while watching a movie one evening and then for the next few days I'd have to let my hands recover. I really wanted to have it finished before the end of the school year and I finally did it with a few days to spare! Whew - now I don't know if I want to try another one or not. But it was a lot of fun and I think I am addicted!

Pretty Paisley Purse

My sister-in-law's birthday was this past weekend which gave me a good excuse to go fabric shopping for another purse. She loves the purses I make for her because I put lots of pockets and pouches inside. She says I have ruined her because it is hard to find many purses in the stores with as many compartments. Funny - I feel the same way. I guess I have ruined myself as well!


So I found this beautiful turquoise-y blue-green fabric that had paisleys on it. There was a coordinating brown to go with it so all I needed was a third color to line it. I chose a deep red which was used in the paisley. I had enough left to make a sunglasses pouch to go with it. I was quite satisfied with the result and so was she.

I have given a lot of thought lately to the idea of making up a bunch of purses and trying to sell them at craft fairs and the curb market. I will have to spend some time this summer digging through my fabric stash and looking for more to make it happen.

Baby Blanket and Booties

I would be remiss if I didn't make an afghan for my new neice! I used lightweight yarns (size 3) to make this project. She will be born in late Spring so I didn't want a heavy blanket for the summer months. But don't be fooled - it is still warm! I was working on it on a couple of the 80 degree days we've had recently...whew!

I also made some little booties to cover the little tootsies. It is hard to believe that a newborn baby is so small, especially once your own baby hits the teen years.

These have been plesant diversions - thoughts of a summer visit, the love I have for my family and the prayers for the new little one in every stitch I've made. I pray for a safe and speedy delivery for my sister and strength and health for them both!

Sissy's Stylin' Diaper Bag

My friend suggested that I keep a photo album of all the projects that I make and give away. I had been thinking that I should have a way of keeping track of the things I've made so I thought, hey why not use this blog I created when I learned to make a blog for my class?


So the project that I have just finished is a diaper bag for my sister's fourth baby. It all started with a phone conversation in which she asked if I would try to make a diaper bag. She had a list of wants and needs as well as a list of dislikes. I guess when you've had more than one child you get a good sense of what you do and do not want. So after combing through my many purse patterns I found one that I could alter to make work. I added bottle pockets, magnetic snaps, a lining and an adjustable single strap.

Then I headed to the local quilt store to find the perfect fabrics. In the end, it really looks nothing like the pattern I used for the shape. Our wonderful "home ec" (they don't call it that anymore) teacher monogrammed the pocket in a demonstration to her class of how to use the embroidery machine.

I took the bag to work to show her and her students and found that several students were eager to learn how to make purses also. Maybe in some way this little project will inspire the creativity of one of our students who will make a lifelong career out of his or her creativity. Or maybe one of them will find a healthy and worthwhile hobby to enjoy for years to come.

I wish I could be there to see her face when she opens the package and sees it for the first time. The hours of thinking and labor that I put into this bag are so minute in comparison to the love I have for my little sister. She is such a good mom. As she uses it daily I hope that she remembers the love, prayers and encouragement I send her way.