Dusty but not forgotten!

 So I have not forgotten about you my dear blog!  I just became a very busy single mom!  However in the last while, have been carving out time to be with my machines again and get back to my love of sewing. 

However this journey has taken me to new places.  Taking on custom work for people, jumping into both cloth and embroidery and masks for these masking times.  It is amazing how a skill set can be developed and evolve into this huge love and passion.  My daughter is certainly enjoying the side effects of my love, and has start dreaming and asking for specific items!

So may it is time I dust you off blog, and start blogging about my new journey's and creations.

A Weekend Worth of Work :)

Alright, so I had a little success focusing on sewing this weekend :D

The first item I did up is to hold the door latch for the nursery room.  So that I can sneak in quietly to check on baby.  Mostly though, so that if Roxy Dog decides to barge in during feeding or nap time, it wont make a noise.  Yes, she has a knack for making doors open.

Second I made a travel change pad clutch that is full waterproof.  Just give it a good wipe to hold you over until a wash is possible.  I just have to seal the needle holes by zapping it in the dryer for 20 minutes.

 The bonus is I built in a little pocket to keep some wipes and a diaper tucked.  Likely to come in handy if just going for a walk with the dog but want to be prepared for an emergency diaper change :)

Not pictured here is a nursing cover I made.  It just slips over my head and fully covers me, front and back.  Will help to keep my back side warm in the winter, and help to keep the cover in place when at the park and there is a breeze.  Imagine a garbage back with a hole for the head, similar idea, just out of pretty fabric and mad to fit better :)  I inserted a triangle of fabric to make it wider towards the bottom to allow for movement.  It was that, or go spend money on a stretchy fabric.  I opted to use what I had in my stash!  Picture to come soon, when I feel like being in a picture :)

More baby additions :)

So this morning I started these curtains, that strangely look like the crib skirt :)  I took a break in the middle to take some little boys fishing, but they are finished now!  I was nervous about having the lines match up, pheeew!

This is a mobile I bought, and used to pull the nursery colors from.  However where it is now dots, it use to be stripes.  In the end, the stripes just weren't doing it for me anymore.  So I replaced those parts on it :)  Voila, now it matches everything else!

Baby Stuffing it up!

Ok, some of this stuff has been here and done, but I just hadn't done the thread trimming on them. 

These are my light weight gauze swaddle blankets, just in case I visit someone that likes to heat their house lots, or I go somewhere tropical (hahahaha).

These are my blankets I made for baby that are just standard flannel.  I am figuring between spit ups or dog stealing the blanket, I could go through a few of them.  I made them bigger than standard size, just so that they can be more versatile.

Wipes, yip, everyone needs those.  Figure I am washing diapers anyway, so why not a wipe.  Otherwise I will just have a garbage can for disposable wipes.  Some are double side for bum wipes, some are single sided for face/hand wipes.  (mostly for later on when those are needed more)

My personally designed crib skirt.  First thing I think I actually went and sketched out and made on my own.

I even fastened it to the crib spring area....with paper clips! Yip, cuz I had them floating around all over the place.  So when I drop the crib down, I can just paper clip up the fabric to where I need to and voila!

Ok, this was a Pinterest find that I made.  It is my foot stool for my chair in the nursery.  Ryan actually sat on it last night and it help his weight (much to my surprise).  I can thank my friend Marcia for the paint color.  She gave me the can 2 years ago of a mis-tint for her house.  The color works perfect in my nursery and I have painted a few other things out with it.  YAY

And the best part, remove the lid and the inside is storage.  I opted to put books inside and since it is on wheels, I can just roll it around if I need it elsewhere :)

A quilt of Love

So, I should have posted this long ago, as it was a wedding gift for May 4th, 2013.  However, time hasn't been on my side, but I am getting to it now.  When I finished it the month before the wedding, I had to forget about the quilt, so that I wouldn't post pictures and ruin their wedding gift.

A long day of work goes better with come coffee!

My husband's best friends said they were getting married, and I knew they would appreciate a quilt.  I knew this because his wife to be crochets and knits some pretty amazing things!  So I asked them if someone was to make them something, what kind of theme would they pick.  I listed a few and they came back to me with "Rustic".  Now that can be interpreted in some weird ways, plaid, deer, orange and shot guns, or vintage or however else you personally might view it.  So I did my best to make something I loved, that fell into their chosen theme.

It started with HUNDREDS of little squares I had to cut out (yes there is an easier faster way, but this was made from scraps, so no short cuts here), sew them together, twice and cut them in halft.  That is how I made my squares composed of 2 triangles

Once I had those, I had to press them flat and start laying them out on my bed.  I had to figure out where each one was going so that I did't end up with all of the same fabric in the same area.  Once that was done, I had to mark them so I didn't mess up the layout and sew the squares together to makes Rows!

Obviously next came pressing those and putting the rows together.  After I had to go visit the amazing Aunt Liz!  She has the Long Arm that allows me to free motion sew the quilt together.  However, I wanted the quilt to have a story, so I only sewed the squares in the middle by machine.  A decision I would soon realized would mean lots of time spent free sewing on my little machine.

If you notice, the pink note on the machine.  That's for me!  My machine wont sew unless the needle is down, this one will let you go for miles and mess up your quilt.  I obviously learned that the hard way on a previous quilt.  It is a bugger and a half to take out that mess!

 So the story in my head, was the meandering sewing in the middle is just crazy life, and all that goes on in it.  The maroon border was a wave, resembling the ripples in life and relationships.  The next border is the thin blue, I did it in looping circles, to resemble the couple coming together, finding each other and the continuing relationship.  The Stars in the tan border, and the most time consuming of all of them, was to resemble the sparks of their love and marriage.

Lots of tracing to make sure the stars looked like stars!

The last border was the thick blue one, which was more looping circles, resembling the unity of their marriage and how many more things are to come for them and complete their life together.  In my head, that is how I justified each style of boarder I sewed.  I believe most people just sew what looks good and cohesive, but I needed something more.

Aunt Liz made an embroidered label for the back, so the couple will know where it came from, but more importantly, so they can always remember their wedding date and year!

 This was my second queen size quilt and likely the most intense quilt I have done yet.  I hope it isn't a sign of things to come, as this took the bulk of a week to just do the finishing work on.  But I love the final product, and the best part is, so does the couple.  I hope it keeps them warm for years and that they continue to enjoy it :)

That's a SNAP!

So this whole process has taken 2 months, but only because of some family visiting, family illness and than a 2 week vacation for us.  So, I finally found motivation upon the return from vacation and I am done!  24 Diapers ready to go!  This is a sample of all of the colors/patterns I did up.  The yellow one was the very very first diaper I did, it was a learner for sure!

I can only hope that this last as long as I expect on the child.  I certainly don't know if I will have energy to make another size later on....but I am a bit of a pro at it now, so maybe it wont be so bad....ha!

 I can honestly say it was cost saving to make them, but unless you enjoy spending your time sewing, not time effective.  Me, I enjoy being able to say that I made these.  However the soakers for the middle, I can't make cheaper than a local lady is selling the homemade ones for.

 I decided to have fun with the liner, knowing they only get stained anyway!  Who really wants to see old poop stains, when you can use something that kinda blends it in and is WAY more fun :)

What a HOOT

There were such fun to make!  They are for my Nieces who are learning to eat from place-mats   I figured what would be more fun that each of them having one they wanted to use each meal!  The wings are fun little pockets for the utensils....or to hide food they don't want to eat maybe?!  I think they will enjoy getting these for their birthdays next month!