SNOW DAY ...SEW DAY

A snowy day here in Minnesota and we are staying out of the elements.  It was the perfect excuse to clean up the cutting table and get to work on a set of jumpers for E & A.  It's a blessing to have these two little granddaughters so close by.  I have had the fabric for a while but had misplaced the pattern I planned to use so the project has been on the to do list.  Luckily, I made it to Jo Ann Fabric  during the latest pattern sale and picked up a couple simple ones so I could get the project underway.  With the snow today it was the perfect excuse to get going.  Because I had the fabric before the pattern I did not have quite enough fabric for 2 jumpers but by putting a seam at the center back of the larger size I made do with what I had.  The fabric is a thin wale corduroy so I had to take the nap into account or I might have been able to avoid the extra seam.  I added the rickrack as an afterthought as it was in the pile of trims and matched perfectly.  The second one is cut and ready to sew but I better cook supper now as I am sure the hubby will be hungry when he gets in from blowing snow. 

Fat Quarter Bag

Another stash busting project completed!! Just a small bag that will hold a small knitting project.  Seems like I never have enough bags or maybe I have too many projects!  I used the pattern I found here.  It's a quick project and makes good use of the fat quarters that are stacking up around here.  The instructions were well written and there are great illustrations included for us visual learners.  Check it out.  This would be a really easy gift for all your knitting friends. 

Jar Quilts

Just a bit of stash busting that I would like to repeat. This is a sample jar quilt I made to try out an idea I saw on Pinterest.  I used a strip quilting technique using a muslin backing with a light batting and stitching down the strips, quilting as you go.  I did add a few quilting lines for accents.  The buttons are closed with loops of elastic stitched into the bias trim.  I am sure I have a stash of fat quarters that would make a whole set of these cute jar quilts.  One set for the kitchen to hold everything from coffee beans to sugar cubes and one set for the sewing room to organize all those little accessories that are waiting for the perfect project.  This sample was sized to fit a pint jar but you could use any size jar so I guess that makes this a good recycling project too.  You could paint the jar lids to coordinate with the fabrics you choose. Lots of ideas to expand on this project idea when I have more time. 

Bicycle Pillows

Stash busting has been slowed down due to "life" happening.  I have managed to make some pillows form an original drawing by Sylvia that I have converted into machine embroidery using the software for my Viking Husqvarna embroidery machine.  I think they turned out really cute with the addition of some freestyle hand embroidered flowers in the baskets.  The additions of the flowers makes each pillow unique.  The linen look fabrics are from my stash, so there is a little bit of stash busting going on.  Now we need to find a gift store near a bike trail that would like to carry our bicycle themed creations.  When our girls were growing up we spent many weekends camping near our favorite bike trails in Minnesota and Wisconsin and riding our bikes so this theme brings back many memories.

Busy Bag #3

They just keep coming around here. This bag literally cost me $1. I got some paint swatches with perforated circles you could punch out. (They are BHG from Wally's). I bought a $1 pack of clothespins and hot glued the punch out onto the end of the clothespin. I also wrote in the names of each color to help with name recognition. It's all tucked neatly in another drawstring bag. We've got a growing collection!

Busy Bag #2

I have another busy bag to share with you. This is a matching pattern/sequence activity. I grabbed some blocks we don't use and set about creating some pattern cards. I made a template and left the colors blank if you're interested in making some cards of your own. You can just fill in with markers/crayons to match whatever blocks you choose to use. Again, I used a simple drawstring bag for storage.

Busy Bag #1

Amidst the craziness that characterizes our life right now, my mind has been turning to the next stage confronting us: Preschool! Eliza is now 3 and a half and we are planning to homeschool. I believe she would benefit from some preschool activities, though, and am turning my attention to that. I've been busy making busy bags the last few days. There are TONS of great ideas out there, and lots of them are at very little cost.

This bag is a number matching one. She gave it a test drive today and it was a big hit. You can download my template here for cards numbered 1 through 12. (I jumbled the numbers so you can print on different colors of paper like I did). We used buttons from the stash, but round pasta or cheerios (at snack time!) would work great too. If my math is right, you'll need 78 to fill all the cards. Obviously, this should be supervised since it contains small pieces.
The bag was made from about half a fat quarter I had in my stash. It measures about 8 x 8" and is just a simple drawstring bag.