Crayon Roll-ups...

I have discovered a new quick but cute gift for the kids in your life...Crayon Rolls.  I made several of them for Christmas gifts and all of them were much appreciated.  They are really simple...I used place mats, lined them with an appropriate fabric and then used buttons and hair elastics for the closure.  Here is a picture of one:

This is for a friend of mine's little girl who loves Dora..in fact, she picked out the fabric I used on the inside and asked me to make her something out of it.  I hope she likes it when I give it to her!!

My sewing room...

Ever since I started quilting, I've wanted a sewing table that allows you to lower your machine so that you are quilting on a perfectly flat surface. However, the expense of those tables really shocked me so I've been keeping my eye on Craigslist, ebay, the local want ads, etc.. for a used quilting/sewing table. Last week, I finally found one after over a year of looking. A lady in a town about 60 miles away had a Horn Quilters Dream table that she no longer needed. The table was a 2002 model but in like new condition and less than 1/3 the price of a new one. I very quickly agreed to buy it and it is now in its new home and I love it!

As a result of the new purchase, I had to reorganize my sewing room. We use the room that is supposed to be the office in our house as my sewing room. It is a very good size and has a nice closet which works wonderfully for storing fabric and supplies. With my new sewing table purchase, I now have 2 sewing centers in the room and lots of room for shelves to store fabric, projects, etc..

This is my new sewing table...I would have preferred a wood grain finish but for the cost and shape that this one was in, I was not going to complain that it is white. It actually has another extension on the right hand side that can be folded out and provides a place to put a serger or another small sewing machine. I am not using that right now but it is very nice to know I have that option.
I wasn't crazy about putting it in front of the window at first, but I actually really like it now as I can open the curtains, get great natural light and see what is going on outside. I am very pleased with my new table and glad I was patient and waited to find one that was 'used' rather than paying the new price.
Here is a better look at the sewing area. It is perfectly flat and really helps with no catching the fabric and throwing my sewing lines off. Love it, love it, love it!!

I use alot of open shelving in my sewing room so I can see what I have and where it is. I struggle with keeping it neat but right now, I am pretty happy with how it looks and how easily I can find the fabric I need, see what I have and store finished items. Below are 2 different storage areas in my sewing room. I also have a small printer station.














I also like my closet..it was set up for an office when we moved in with alot of shelves which works perfectly to store fabric set. I have way too much fabric but I can't resist buying more when I see a beautiful print.
And finally, here is my 2nd sewing center. It uses my original sewing table which is a very inexpensive one I picked up at Wal-mart for about $90. It has held up very well and is amazingly sturdy for the price. I've had it for about 4 years and it has served me well and will continue to be a good work center.

More Christmas quilts...

My niece and I picked out some fabric about 2 years ago and spent a weekend making the top. She picked out the fabric, layed out the squares in the pattern she liked and then handed them to me as I sewed them together. We finished the top in a weekend as it was a very simple 10 inch square design. 2 years later I finally put a back on it and quilted it. I gave it to her for Christmas this year and she was very happy with it. It is simple but cute and extra special because we picked it out and made it together.
I am working now on a quilt for a good friend of mine who is moving. I am still making very simple quilts but I love them. I plan to try a more complex pattern in the next month or so, on a small scale for a baby quilt.

New year..new goals!!

Hello! I hope all had a great end of 2010 and are looking forward to a happy and healthy 2011. I did pretty good of sticking to my goal of making most of my major Christmas gifts for friends and family. I made 3 quilts..one for my Mom, my sister and my nie
ce.
Here is the one I made for my Mom. It is Christmas fabric on one side and a complimentary non-Christmas fabric on the other. I thought it would be festive but usable year round that way.
Here is a picture of the non-Christmas side.
I used Fruitcake fabric for the Christmas side and Panache for the other side. My Mom loved it and I had fun making it so it was a big win.
I also made my sister a quilt. I used the same scheme with hers, Christmas fabric on one side and regular fabric on the other.
The Christmas side shown above used Kate Spain fabric. I believe it was called Holly Jolly. The 'regular' side below used the Basket of Flowers fabric. I think I really surprised my sister and was glad that she liked it.
In other quilty news, I bought a new sewing table for my "Merry Christmas to me" present. I've been wanting a Horn Quilters Dream cabinet for a long time but I couldn't see paying the price a new one goes for. I've been watching Craig's list, Ebay, etc.. A man my husband works with has a wife who sews and they recently re-designed her sewing room and she no longer needs her Horn cabinet so I was able to buy it for a very very reasonable price! It is just like new and I am very happy to have it. It is the first sewing table I have had where you can lower your machine and have a flat sewing surface and I love it.

New items...

I've enjoyed my days off from work!! The fall weather has arrived and I enjoy the cooler temps alot! I spent a good bit of today doing some sewing. I've started making a new item, hooded towels. One of my friends has 2 toddlers and she mentioned the other day that they had just about outgrown the ones that you get for infants and she wanted to find some larger ones so they could wrap up after a bath and cover their wet heads. So I found a simple pattern on the net and made a few today. Here are what they look like...
They are hanging by the hood off my ironing board. I had a hard time finding a good way to photograph them without a model. I also made this one with some space themed towels..so cute for a little boy!

These were really simple and quick to make. I'm adding them to my list of "home-made" Christmas gifts for all the kids on my list. I can also applique and embroider them for some added personalization.

I also did a few fabric beads this week. Here are pics of one of the necklaces I made. The center bead is a fabric covered wooden bead. The 2 longer beads on the end are pure fabric beads. These were made by wrapping fabric scraps around a straw and coating with mod-podge and allowing to dry. I 'm playing around with other fabrics but I am pretty happy with this first attempt.

Fabric beads..take 1

Well, I spent a couple of hours this afternoon learning to make fabric beads. I have to say that my first attempts were not that great but after about 2 or 3 beads, I started getting the hang of it and they have turned out pretty cute. The oval beads which are simply fabric wrapped around a straw and coated with gloss mod-podge are turning out really cute. The wooden beads wrapped in fabric are actually a bit more difficult..takes a bit of trimming and work to get the fabric tucked into the holes and neatly overlapping near the ends but I've done about 3 of those and each one looks better and gets quicker. It is a good use of my very small scraps which is nice! I'll post some pictures tomorrow after they dry and I can string some on a cord for a necklace...

Where has September gone???

Well, the sewer problem is resolved and I'm catching up on laundry and cleaning as a result...it's amazing how fast clothes/sheets/towels accumulate for just 2 people.. It is also amazing how you take for granted being able to do laundry, shower and just use water in general. I'm glad it is fixed and with no permanent damage or major damage to our home.

I haven't sewed much but am getting my Christmas gift list ready...I'm going to try and make all of my gifts this year. I'm taking some days off next week and will start on my list then..

I've found 2 new things I am going to try..one is hooded towels for babies/toddlers. I found a really easy pattern that uses a towel and a hand towel to make a really cute and useful hooded towel..I can then applique and embroider to decorate it. I'm going to try on of those next week for my friend's 4 year old.

I've also always wondered what to do with my small (2 inch or so) scraps. I can't bear to throw them away and I'm not patient enough to make a quilt out of small scraps like that. Maybe one day I'll have the skill and patience to do very small, scrappy quilts but I don't know. Anyway, I came across a tutorial where you use the small fabrics and make fabric beads. I'm going to try that this week and see how it goes. I'm interested in 2 types...one is completely fabric, oval and tube shaped (you use a straw to form them) and the other uses round wooden beads which you cover with fabric. I have some really cute fabric so I'm hoping this turns out to be a good use for them..it would also help with my "homemade Christmas" goal if I could make a few fabric bead necklaces!

The weekend has flown by and I need to get ready for work tomorrow...hope everyone had a great weekend!