Little aprons...

 One for Charlie, one for Ruby, and one for Levi.  Too cute!

Henry's crayon wrap...

...one of the little things I made him for Christmas.

Aunt Katie quilt #2...

I have another niece or nephew on the way. Baby Brooks is due near the end of January. Yeah! So, of course, another Aunt Katie quilt was in order...

I can't wait to meet the little one who will get to use this!

A little blanket...

I love making these little blankets. This one is for a friend I grew up with. She's having her first baby boy in January!

Growth Charts...

For Mother's Day I made my mom, Sharon, and myself fabric growth charts. I used a white sheet for the front portion, felt for the back, and then made binding out of various fabrics for the edges. They are simple and plain, but when they get filled up with the names of special children they will look perfect!

Crummy picture, but you get the idea...

A crayon roll...

A birthday gift for a 4-year old girl...

Henry's Car Cozy...

We are celebrating Christmas with my mom's side of the family this weekend in Fresno. The adults are all participating in a "dirty bingo" style of gift exchanging (i.e...you draw numbers, pick a gift, unwrap it, if someone else wants it they steal it, etc, etc.) This game will be fun for the adults, but it's not exactly good for the kids. So, parents were asked to bring their own kids a wrapped gift and place it under the tree for them. I made Henry a car cozy and stuffed it with matchbox cars. I love it, and I hope he will too! (I used this pattern & last year I made one for Ryan for Christmas)






I still may use freezer paper stencils to number the car pockets, but that may come after I give it to Henry.

My advent calendar...

I kept this calendar because it was the last one I made and required some extra piecing due to the fact that I was only planning on making 3 calendars, not 4. Pocket #'s 5 & 19 were pieced so that I could use a dark green print in the calendar and the binding used every last inch of my red polka dot fabric. Because of these things, I decided it was best to keep this one for myself. I think it still looks pretty cute though.

A few additional notes on the calendars:

• Instead of using applique or embroidery to make numbers for the pockets, I took the easy route and printed them off on fabric printer paper and then ironed them onto the pockets. If I was only making 1 calendar I would have used embroidery, but for 4, I knew the printer was my best option.
• I machine quilted each calendar by stitching around each pocket. I really like the way it turned out.
• Each calendar is held up with a dowel on the back and then hung using a piece of ribbon.
  

A very fun project...but I'm glad that they are now in the hands of their new owners and not draped over my sewing machine.

A baby shower gift...

A thank-you banner...

I can't get enough of these things!

A wedding gift...

Shelly & I made this Christmas set for a wedding gift last week. We were a bit bummed that we didn't get to keep it for ourselves, though. That's the trouble with making gifts sometimes...you have to actually give them away.

Table Runner:

Tea towel:

Pot holder:

A housewarming gift...

Very fun!

A baby shower gift...

...with a bunting theme. Pinks, greens, & reds...what a delightful color combination.

A mousepad...

I used the (very simple) instructions from this book.

2 Wedding present aprons...

I had no fabric to match the body fabric, so a patchwork waistband & ties it had to be. I quite like it, actually.

A tea towel for mom...

A patchwork tea towel for each of our moms on Mother's Day. I love patchwork!



And my mom modeling her towel:

Felt Playhouse (finished!)

I did it! I finished Henry's 1st birthday present. I'm feeling pretty proud of myself right about now, this was a lot of work (fun work, but work none-the-less). To complete the playhouse I took my four panels and sewed them together to make a slipcover for our card table. This way it is easy to pull out when Henry wants to play, and equally easy to put away when he doesn't. I can't wait to give it to him on Thursday! (Felt Playhouse inspiration found here).

Full home tour below:

FRONT:

TOP:

Flowers in flower pot (with pipe cleaner stems):

Mailbox (I still need to make Henry some felt mail):

GARDEN:

Corn:

Apples (secured to tree with velcro):

Carrots:

WINDOW/ANIMAL PANEL:

Drawn curtain:

Owl:

Bee (for my Wee Bee):

Bird (silhouette found here):

Baseball panel (with baseball card pockets):

I have plans to make Henry a harvest basket, but his rocket bucket will have to do for now.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HENRY...on Thursday!

Picnic lap mats...

...these were given as a wedding present, and I have to admit...I secretly wanted to keep them for myself. They turned out super cute, and now I think I just might make a set for my family! These are picnic lap mats. Basically they are rolled up placemats with a pocket to hold your eating utensils. They protect your clothes from crumbs and spills as well as making your picnic feel completely special and unique. I used the pattern from Lotta Jansdotter's book, Simple Sewing, and was completely happy with my result. My mom gave me 4 pairs of my dad's old work jeans, so I used that as the outer fabric, along with a patchwork strip to keep things interesting, and the inner fabric was a neutral striped linen. I thought the old jeans added a nice touch and brought a healthy dose of durability to the project. Very fun. There will be more of these in my future to be sure.

Baby Shower gifts...

...for a dear friend. (Thanks to Shelly for her leftover scrap of guitar fabric!)