Category: Projects

Vintage Holiday blocks

Christmas, Quilting and Sewing



Tidy stacks of fabric may be pretty, but sometimes I prefer a messy stack.  Messy piles mean something good is happening, and something good is certainly happening with these!  They also remind me how beautiful the traditional Christmas color palette really is.

About a month ago I saw the Vintage Holiday quilt along starting up over at Fabric Mutt .  I went back and forth over and over again in my mind before deciding to jump in.

I’m so glad I did!  This quilt is turning out to be a lot of fun.  The blocks are simple and come together quickly, but even better than that, they’re turning out prettier than I thought they would!  The QAL started while I was still on vacation so I had some catching up to do, but it was easy to accomplish.  I find myself thinking about how fun it would be to make this in several different color schemes for different people I know.

This is what I’ve done so far.   Blocks 1 and 2:


Blocks 3 and 4:


Blocks 5 and 6:


Ironically, I was most worried about that last block, number 6.  I was afraid that the red on white print (Jennifer Paganelli) wouldn’t look right but I think it’s my favorite of the bunch!

These fabrics were pulled solely from my stash and it is fun to use them together.  Now I’m caught up and the quilt is already half made.  My kind of project!  I’m hoping to do more holiday sewing this year, some as gifts and some just for the joy of it.  I figure if I don’t start now there’s little chance of accomplishing anything so this quilt along comes at the perfect time.

Do you have any holiday projects planned this year?

Hopeful Homemaker

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They’re off!

crafts & activities, Musings on Life and Beauty



It has begun.  They got up, put on uniforms, donned backpacks and smiles.  We cooked a yummy breakfast, laughed, prayed and took some pictures.  As we stood for prayer I thought about how nice it was to have my husband standing on both legs again.  It gave me a sense of normalcy that has been scarce around here.  And then they drove away with their Dad to start another adventure.  After they left I sat outside on my back porch to read my scriptures and enjoy the cool air and sounds of the sprinklers in nearby yards.


They’re all a little nervous, some more than others.  One has been in tears off and on since Thursday.  I remind myself how resilient children are, how quickly they adapt to new rules and new settings and I feel confident that all will turn out well.


I purchased these little wood “conversation bubbles” a while ago from Pick Your Plum and they’ve been sitting in my pile of things to paint for months.  They got a few coats of chalkboard paint over the weekend and at last they’re in use!


I hope we have a lot of fun with them in coming months.  Someone was already enjoying them this morning:


I’m not sure if he is crazy nervous about first grade, or if he was just in an obnoxious mood, but this little guy was full of yelling and goofy all morning.  I’ve got my fingers crossed for him.  First grade is such a big deal, bringing a lot of exhaustion up front as their little bodies adjust to such long days.


We’re off for orientation at the high school and a long list of things to take care of.  It’s going to be a great year!

HH

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A tale of two plaids

Quilting and Sewing

A while ago when Emily Herrick debuted her first fabric collection, called Going Coastal, I fell in love with the plaid print in it.  I purchased a little of it ( used in this quilt ) and have been saving the rest for the quilts I want to make for my boys.


A year ago I purchased some down comforters for my two younger boys.  Their bedding was many years old and needed updating.  I found what I thought was a great orange stripe fabric and used it to make duvet covers for them.  They looked great, except for one thing.  The boys refused to use them, declaring they weren’t soft enough.  Now I have two unused “sturdy” duvets and two boys who still need something decent on their beds.  (I have an idea for the duvets which I’m hoping will come together this week.)

After searching high and low, finding nothing I like that I can afford, I noticed that Emily Herrick was coming out with another fabric collection.  It included what looked like the same plaid from her first.  Since I already have the comforters, duvets make sense, and my idea was to use a couple of yards of plaid fabric with a navy sheet to make new covers.  So I happily ordered myself four yards of fabric.

Except it’s not the same plaid.  (Yes, I know, never trust your computer monitor when it comes to color.  I was confident because it’s clearly the same pattern, only now I know the colors were re-worked.)  What was a very pale peach in the first collection has been darkened to a pink in the new collection, called Shore Thing.  The reds and blues have been darkened as well, pulling the print away from the green and orange feel that I was planning on.  In short, I like the new plaid, but not for this project, and the boys don’t like it either.


Strike two.  Such a bummer!  What started as an affordable, money-saving DIY project has now become something of a frustration.  So I went back to Google and started a new hunt for the original plaid from the Going Coastal collection.   I located it quickly and am now the somewhat befuddled owner of 8 yards of plaid fabric, four of which I really don’t need.  Brilliant, right?

Oh well.  Here are the plaids together, the plaid on the left from Going Coastal and the fabric on the right from Shore Thing.  I confess they don’t look very different in this photo, but unfolded over a large space they do.


The duvets will be made and I’m confident the boys will like them.  The big question is, what do to with the Shore Thing plaid?   I have thought of making a skirt for one of my girls with it, or some throw pillows.  I’ve wondered how it might look with the new Out to Sea collection by Sarah Jane which is coming out in the next few weeks.   I’ll have to wait and see.


Suggestions anyone?

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