Baby Quilt: Pink and Green

Some friends are expecting their first child any day now. Amy made all the bedding for their daughter so when it came time to make her a gift I knew just the colors and fabric to use.

The animal print on the back of the quilt is from the same line as the fabric she used for the bedding. For the front I just used fabrics I had in my stash. Some of the fabrics are from Anna Maria Horner, some are from Denyse Schmidt, and the rest I just picked up here and there and don't remember the names of. I used the same pattern as these quilts.

The binding I made from some leftover Kona solid. I really am enjoying sewing binding on by hand. It feels like a few moments of peace to create something beautiful.

Flannel Patchwork Ball

Yes, I know it is March so please excuse the next couple posts. Last Christmas I wanted to make Shane and the girls each a handmade gift instead of buying gifts and I wanted to share them here too.


Up first, is the littlest Mulholland, Violet. I made her a little patchwork ball. The pattern is from Seams to Me by Anna Maria Horner. It is all hexagons and pentagons sewn together. I thought it would be confusing and that I might have a lot of taking out stitches and resewing but Anna gave clear, concise instructions and diagrams. It was so much fun to make. I used a bunch of her different flannels which made the ball super soft and cuddly. I think half the time Vi uses it for a pillow.


As you can see not all my corners match up very well but luckily Violet doesn't mind.

Baby Quilt: Pink and Orange

One more baby quilt to share. This one is also for a friend who is due in about a month. These fabrics are Anna Maria Horner prints that I had in my stash along with some solids.


Like I mentioned before I want to keep trying new things with each quilt so I decided to add a little hand embroidery for the quilting. First I used my sewing machine to 'stitch in the ditch' and then used thick embroidery floss to add detail. I just tried to do some straight stitches around different portions of the patterns in each piece. It really added a handmade feel to the quilt. I think in the future if I decide to do this again, I'll try to add even more.


The pattern is the same as this first quilt. I really love this pattern because it is super quick and so fun to pick out prints since it is designed for six fat quarters. The back is an Anna Maria flannel and I tried my hand at making and attaching binding again. This time the binding went much better and I feel like I'm understanding the process much more. I think my favorite thing about this quilt is the colors. I must confess that I wanted to keep it. I hope little Alli loves this quilt to shreds.


I have one more baby quilt finish that I'll share once I get pictures of it. And since I have more friend's expecting there will probably be more quilts to come this year. I really love making this size quilt. It is just fast enough to feel satisfying and keep me interested in each individual project.

Baby quilt: Pink and Black

Here is another baby quilt for yet another friend about to have a baby, a little girl. I had all these pink fabrics already and the black and white came from my mom. She probably had the black and white check since I was a little girl. The pattern is from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones. I really like how easily it all came together.


My goal has been to try a little something new with each quilt since I'm such a beginner still. So this time around I decided to tackle making and attaching binding. It came out alright for my first try. I think the fabric I used was a bit thin and something a little sturdier would work better. I used the same check fabric for the back and since it is a bit thin I added some cotton batting so it would be a little warmer. Hope you enjoy Baby O.

Blue Crocheted Granny Square

This was a wedding gift for yet another wedding this past year. One of Shane's closest friends from college was married a week after my sister. This blanket is just a giant granny square with a couple different shade of blue and some cream too. I liked how simple yet soothing it looks. It is a perfect size for a lap blanket.

I also made another one of these for our landlord for Christmas. It was a dark hunter green and this same cream color in big large stripes. Of course, I was finishing it up right until we gave it to her so I forgot to take a picture.

Appliqued shirts

A few months ago I made these two appliqued shirts for a couple of our favorite little boys.


This penguin was a birthday gift for our friend Ryken.


And this little owl onesie is a just because / surprise gift for a cousin's son.

I do love making these. They are easy, quick, and it's fun to use fabric from my stash. I hope to make some more this year. I also have some other ideas to applique these little birds on some other projects. Do you have any fun ideas?

First Quilt

I have been wanting to make a quilt for years and finally worked up the nerve to give it a go. This first one was for a close friend who had her first baby this past November. I used this super easy and fun pattern from Kate at Two Little Banshees, which uses six fat quarters for the quilt top. It was a great first pattern for me. I love the colors and fabrics. The back is a flannel from Anna Maria Horner. The front is cottons and mostly from her too. I learned a lot on this first quilt and know there is a lot of growing and practice still needed but overall I was happy with how it turned out. It definitely has given me the inspiration to make more quilts and do more sewing in general.

Cherilyn and Jake

I know it has been a while since I blogged so get ready for some catching up. While I haven't been on here much I have been creating and making new stuff. I'm looking forward to sharing them and getting some feedback too. So without further delay...

(Photo property of Cherilyn)

Congratulations (belated though it is) to my sister Cherilyn and her new husband Jake. They were married this past October. Cherilyn is my only sister whom I love dearly and Jake is a wonderful husband for her. He really brings out the best in her and for that I love him too.


I made them this crocheted blanket for their new home together (yes it is an old picture because I forgot to take pictures of it completed). It is something you may have seen a glimpse of all the way back here. It was definitely a labor of love but I think it will be a nice blanket to cuddle under for a movie. It is big enough for two to use for just such an occasion. This is my first attempt at a chevron or zigzag pattern. I really like the look of these and think I might make one for our home too. I'm thinking a bunch of bright colors. Maybe something for on Violet's big girl bed since it will probably take about that long to make. :)

Black and White Throw

Here is a black and off-white crocheted blanket for a friend. It is a large granny square crocheted in a soft yarn. These are so quick to make and I always love how they turn out. I have a few more crafts and crocheted projects in the works so I'll share more soon.

Mother's Day Craft

Sydney and Violet made these little pendant necklaces for their Grammy and Oma for Mother's Day. Well, mostly Sydney and Mommy made them. I saw the idea over on The Crafty Crow and thought it would be a great project for Sydney. We just added little Violet's fingerprint too. Now both grandmas have a pendant with the girls' fingerprints. I will say it turned out a bit too big to wear though so these necklaces may become Christmas ornaments.

Happy 29th Shane!

The man I love turns 29 today. I struggled with what to get for him. He means so much to me and another Blu Ray or book just seemed sort of....not enough. In the end, Sydney picked out a record for him (his newest hobbie) and along with a couple small gifts we each made him something. Sydney used some clay that bakes in the oven and made him a pencil holder for his desk. I decided to make him this crocheted yoda to sit and guard the pencil cup. The pattern was a little confusing to me so I sort of changed some things as I went, but that may be because this was my first attempt at any sort of animal or doll. I am happy with the way it turned out and I look forward to trying other creatures in the future.


Shane, I love the way you love me and the girls. You are such a wonderful man of God, an amazing artist, and of course, an amazing father. May your birthday be filled with lots of laughter and fun, and may the Dodgers win today for you! ;)

Care Package

Here is a crocheted lap blanket for my grandma who recently had hip surgery. It is a big granny square and made mostly of Red Heart Soft yarn. We love getting handmade gifts, and unexpected gifts in the mail are always fun, so I thought we would pay it forward. Sydney made a potholder from a loom to include. She is getting really good at making those little potholders.

Cherilyn's Washcloths

My sister just bought her first house and I wanted to give her a little something to celebrate. As you know I have decided to try and make more handmade gifts this year. I've desired to try making washcloths for awhile so I thought this would be a good opportunity. I used some 100% cotton yarn I already had in my stash and just started crocheting away. It took a couple tries to get a size I liked but I think these turned out well.


The stitch is just a simple double crochet except I crossed them to make little X's. Basically, I would skip a stitch and double crochet into the follow stitch, then for the following double stitch I would work into the one I had skipped. I will definitely be making more in the future and will be trying different patterns too.

Hexagons

Marissa and I started making these large hexagons for a blanket before completely understanding how we were going to put them all together. It all turned out okay but that middle section keeps bugging me. I think in the future I would change it just a bit. The hexagons were fun to crochet and Shane kept teasing that I was making a giant doily. In the end each one was probably four feet across. The whole blanket all together will fit a king-size bed I think. This was made for a dear friend who was married this past Sunday. Sydney was their flower girl.


Victoria and Gary we hope you enjoy the blanket for years to come. May God bless your marriage abundantly!

Another Blanket in Progress

Even with the other three blankets in progress I started another one this past week. This is a hexagon shape in burgundy with rose pink stripes. The plan is to have four large hexagons and then use triangles to connect them all. I am not sure exactly how it will work out yet but I have a visual in my mind. We all know that sometimes it takes a little trail and error to get something in our minds out into the world so I will let you know how it goes. Like the previous WIP's this one is for a gift too.

Works in Progress

Here are a few current projects I am working on with the crochet hooks. They are all various gifts so I won't share too much detail yet. I will try to remember to take pictures before giving them out to share with you.

A basic granny square blanket

A large ripple blanket in blue and cream

The beginnings of a basket weave stitch blanket

Day 8: White Envelope

Phew, I am caught back up. :)

Today's activity was a special one. Like I mentioned before we really want to teach Sydney that Christmas is about loving others and giving not just the commercialized version we see all around us. Today Sydney and I did a little white envelope activity for Shane. If you haven't heard of this before it is a really great way to teach kids about giving as well as a creative gift for somebody in your life. The idea is to give to somebody else or do something special to meet a need in your community or the world. Then you write down what you did and seal it in a white envelope and place it in your Christmas tree. On Christmas day, your recipient (in our case Shane) will get to open the envelope and read about what we did in his honor. I am excited for Shane to read our first white envelope!! No peeking!

Day 2: Mailing a gift to Zambia

We sponsor a child through World Vision for Sydney. It is a little girl in Zambia who is the same age. We really wanted to encourage Sydney to think of others. Having somebody the same age is a great tool to teach her about another country, culture, etc. It is also a great way to show Sydney how blessed we are here in the United States.

For today's Christmas activity we sent Ireen a small gift. Sydney helped pick out a few little gifts: a small notebook, gel pens, stickers, and a pack of hairclips. Since Sydney can not write yet, I wrote a letter to the little girl and Sydney drew her a picture of the two of them playing together. It was so cute but alas I forgot to take a picture before sealing the envelop. Whoops. This is a wonderful way to teach kids that Christmas is about giving and loving others. Plus, through sponsering you can use this to remind kids throughout the year to think of others!

Christmas Anticipation Day 1

Now that Sydney is three she understands fully that Christmas is coming and that it means lots of fun presents, food, and activities. I would love to make an amazing advent calendar for our family like this one or this one. But alas, it is December 1st and no such calendar is finished (or even started for that matter.) So last night we made an old favorite, a paper chain, to help her see visually the count down to Christmas. I have also decided that every day I will have a Christmas activity for her. The goal is to share them with all of you but I am not promising to get to it daily. I hate making promises I can't keep but I will do my best.

Today's activity was making her own Christmas cards for handing out. She made Christmas tree cards last year so this year we decided on Snowmen cards. This is pretty easy but here are a few steps in case you are interested in doing this with your little ones too.

1. First, we read a book about snowmen so she could see different pictures of snowmen and get different ideas for details.

2. Then I let Sydney pick out construction paper for the actual cards. I just cut them in half and then folded those pieces in half.

3. I assisted Sydney in cutting large and smaller circles for the snowmen.

4. Finally, I left her with all the cards, circles, scissors, glue, markers, and extra construction paper to assemble and decorate the cards.


Sydney says that this one has 'branch' arms, boots, a hat, eyes, a smile, and buttons. So cute!

P.S. I have misplaced our camera so for now you are going to get cellphone pictures. Forgive me...I am cleaning the house today and hoping to will turn up soon. :(

Family Weekend

I had a fun-filled weekend with my two favorite people: Shane and Sydney. On Saturday we went to a screening of Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa. It was super funny and Sydney laughed frequently and only needed one potty break. In our book that means it was a very successful movie. Later in the evening we went to a birthday party at Chucke Cheese. Shane nor I had been there since we were young and we now have a new appreciation for our parents taking us there. It was exhausting and over-stimulating to say the least. It was fun to get to know some of Shane's co-workers a little more though and of course Sydney loved it.

On Sunday we woke up early and headed over for the AIDS WALK. We met our fundraising goal thanks to awesome family and friends. We were part of the DreamWorks team so we rode a bus over to the walk and were treated to breakfast. We also were able to start at the front of the walk which was nice because there wasn't a huge pushing crowd of people. Walking with the DreamWorks team was super fun too and people along the route kept yelling about how much they love DreamWorks. Thanks to all of you who donated money and who were praying and thinking of us yesterday.

Us at the finish line.

On another note, yesterday was our dating anniversary!! Shane and I have been together for 12 YEARS! I still can't believe it. It seems like yesterday that we were marching in the band together at football games and asking our parents to drive us to the movies. ;) I love you Shanie!