Quick Gifts

Okay, I'm a copy cat. I saw these coffee cup cozies and had to make some. Bought refillable coffee cups for $2 each. Used scraps leftover from different quilts. Found some buttons and elastic hair bands that were not being used.

These were so quick to make. I made three last night and two after school Thursday-before returning to school for PTA. The plan is to gift them to the office staff and some coffee lovers I know.

Also, I had to do something quick and quilty. My appliqué is not going well on the finish I am hoping to have complete by Thanksgiving. I remember why I don't do appliqué. I have a hard time seeing the light colored fabrics. More on that in another post. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nine Years Later...Working on a Finish

In 2005-06 I participated in a Saturday Sampler Class and made the blocks for this quilt. A week ago I started putting the blocks together. Why did they sit so long? I blame it on the appliqué that goes around the central block. I got stuck and put the blocks away. This is my last unfinished quilt or WIP. I have cut out the appliqué pieces and made up my mind that I will finish putting the top together this weekend. Then I can quilt it over Thanksgiving break.

The photos are basically the same. The top one taken without flash.

The bottom one taken with flash.

I learned one thing about my piecing skills as I put this together-I have definitely improved over the last nine years. Many of these blocks were smaller than they should have been and very wonky.

I am much better at sewing, cutting, pressing, and trimming than I was at the beginning.

How about you? Can you tell you have improved?

Finished mob cap

Well, I hope to get this posted to join Amanda Jean's Friday finish group. I made this mob cap as the last piece of a Mrs. Claus costume to wear when I tell stories at Christmas.

This is the back view. 

This shows the ribbon tie in the front. It was very easy to make. Just cut two circles. Sew together. Turn. Topstitch around the edge.

I didn't have any elastic so I used ribbon to gather it. Just sewed two parallel lines about 2 inches from the edge. Cut slits for the ribbon. Threaded the ribbon and adjusted it to fit my head.

Hope I'm in time to join the link!

Mrs. Claus costume for Christmas

Use your imagination for this post. Imagine a white ruffled blouse with this green skirt and holiday apron. 

I am making a white mob cap to wear to cover my short hair. I think Mrs. Claus might wear a cap like that. My plan is to wear this to the children's party at church and tell stories or lead songs. Then on the last day of school before Christmas break I may wear it and read or tell stories in the kindergarten and first grade classes. We'll see. 

Bloggers Quilt Festival

Elmo is the star of this quilt. I tried something new - rectangles instead of squares.

The front has solid red alternating with blue tossed Elmo rectangles and yellow tossed Elmo rectangles. The quilting is just stitched in the ditch except for a little echo quilting around the central Elmo.

The back features some of Elmo's friends from Sesame Street.

The binding is the same stripe as the third border.

I am proud of how well these mitered corners turned out. It was the first time I tried mitered corners.

This is my first time to participate in the Bloggers Quilt Festival. Love the idea. Love looking at quilts online. Enjoy!

Trying to link to the Bloggers Quilt Festival. Hope this is it.

amyscreativeside.com/bloggers-quilt-festival

This is the link but I have been unsuccessful adding my link to the bloggers quilt festival page. My url is too long for the space. The deadline is tomorrow and I won't have any time to work on it.
Oh, well. Maybe next time. 10/30/14

Elmo quilt finished & infinity scarf

Woohoo! Elmo quilt is finished. I borrowed ideas from several quilts I've seen around the interwebs.

There was fabric left over, so I made an Elmo pillowcase.

This is the back. I hope my friend likes it. The Elmo figure was part of a Sesame Street panel and I hated to waste it. So here are some of the other characters. She wanted the back to match the Dr. Seuss quilt I made for her grandson but the white wonky dots was out of print. This is the yellow version.

Here is it rolled up.

And rolled a little better. The binding is the same stripe as the border.

First time to make mitered corners. Very pleased with the corners.

Okay, a blurry shot of the label. I don't wear my glasses when I'm taking photos.

A little infinity scarf made from some of the fabric I bought in Italy. 

This is how it looks with two loops. Imagine how cute it will look when I wear it. The fabric is cotton voile and I have enough to make another scarf.

Long Week End Finishes

Last week end was busy. I made my second batch of muscadine jam. It is yummy. I finished the top and backing for the Elmo quilt and pin basted it. Photos when I finish quilting it. I was inspired to use the Elmo scraps to make a matching pillowcase. Which led to these pillowcases. 

I bought this cute fabric but didn't have a quilt in mind. I thought my little grandson might like a new pillowcase so I put these together. One is at his house and one at ours.

More sewing projects on the to-do list. Costume for Mrs. Santa to use when storytelling is in the planning stages. I'm itching to make some wide open zipper bags. And there are quilt blocks waiting to be sewn together.

How is your to-do list?