Fuzzy Chickens Made to Roost

Our grandprincess loves the funky ceramic chickens perched on the top of the hutch in our kitchen, and always wishes she could get her hands on them. 

Thanks to the stuffed chicken pattern I found on aokcorral.com, she’ll soon have some to carry around! 

I used fleece, and did stitched eyes to replace the buttons and fused sportweight fabrics for the beak, comb, and waddle instead of felt to make these kid-friendly and washable.

Trees, Trees, and More Trees

I can post my 2nd tree quilt of the season, since my daughter and son-in-law received and opened it today! 

I wanted to do a different look for this one using the same pieced trees as in the one I posted earlier this month in These Trees are Off the Wall!










This quilt is more modern, I think, with the wide stripes, no border, and edge-to-edge machine quilting (free-handed waves done while using the Brother Dream Machine's Muvit walking foot). This was a much faster quilting technique than hooping and quilting with embroidery designs, and I think it's just as attractive, just different.  I love it.  

Most quilters run their quilting lines much closer together.  But as long as I knew I was within the spacing specifications required by the batting I used,  I decided to invoke artistic license.  I felt these wider lines were in keeping with the scale of the overall design.

I used a flannel sheet as backing for some cozy cuddling.

These Trees are Off the Wall!

You might remember the view on my design wall... the beginning sprouts of these trees I shared in October in Growing Christmas.

After each hooping, I could have the machine do a scan
so that I could place each design correctly.  I could
move, pivot, and even resize the design, as needed.

I’d wanted this gift to be wrapped around its recipient by Thanksgiving weekend to be used all through the holidays. I’m happy it’s now ready to send, though, and I had the best time making it! 

It was quilted in the hoop, and it was truly my decades-long dream to create my own designs in order to do so. The ‘snow drifts’ and some of the tree fills were free-handed on the screen, and for some, I combined and/or altered built-in shapes from the Stamp page and others in the machine's Design Center. 

Just a sampling of the fill designs I created
and saved on the machine. 

I was even able to include a personal note on one of the trees in my own handwriting, and create a cat outline, so his kitty would feel welcome to cuddle. So fun!! 


This Dream Machine 2 truly is AMAZING. And so is my tool-and technology-loving hubby for knowing how much it would help me create and talking me into it. 

Growing Christmas

Inspired by a pin from moderndayquilts, a great project to combine my fallish and Christmas moods, I have trees sprouting on my design wall!

My Kiddos are Ringing my Neck

From when I was very young, I remember loving a ring my grandmother wore.  It was a simple design with 6 stones of different colors, mounted in a straight line.  Each stone represented each one of her children... my dad, my aunt, and my 4 uncles... using their birthstones.  So since I was little, I dreamed of having a ring like that.

I have kept my eyes open, and there are very few options on which to display 8 stones, especially anything with the simple, clean lines that I'd want to wear, and in a ring.  I began to consider other options.  One day, I think I'd like a ring that has 8 smallish diamonds, mounted in a row, to wear on top of my wedding ring stack.  But I'm not seeing anyone interested in buying me diamond jewelry anytime soon, so I decided it was time to gift myself.

Thanks to Bluff's Edge Handcrafted Jewelry, I found an answer.

Alicia, the designer/artisan/owner of Bluff's Edge, and I have never met, face to face, or even actually talked.  We have had written discussions through the Gardenweb Kitchen Forum and on email for years now.  I helped her by making drawings of her kitchen, discussing options, and giving opinions

(I always love to do that!) when she and her husband built their family home.  Like with a few others from the forum, we began to talk about our families and other aspects of our lives, and really feel like friends.



I was so excited for her (and a little envious) when I found out she was making jewelry, and was planning to start her own business.  

Source: Bluff's Edge Etsy Shop

When I saw a photo of the necklace she could personalize with special words or the names of loved ones, I contacted her and we started discussing a design for my own "mother's necklace." 

Source: Bluff's Edge Facebook photos

The original necklace she showed was a single ring with 4 words or names.  But she also had a double-ring design that wasn't personalized.  I decided I wanted a mix of the 2.
















The 4 oldest princesses and princes are named on the top ring, and the younger 4 are on the ring that hangs below.  








Since I sang them all "I'll be Loving You Always," when they were babies, I had that inscribed on the back.  "I'll be loving you..." on the top ring, and "...Always" on the bottom.

I chose a long (30") chain for good scale and balance with the 2 ring-set, and a casual look I can wear everyday.  




It may sound pretty hokey, but I almost teared up putting it on for the first time.  











I find that I often hold the rings, and even thread my fingers through them.  I love wearing my kids around my neck and holding them in my hands throughout the day.  The day is just not quite right if I forget to put my necklace on!

There is a cool, custom, metal tag at the clasp,
and the items arrived in a very cute, custom gift box.

This Christmas I am going to try to stick to buying gifts made in the USA. Items from Bluff's Edge Jewelry would certainly fit the requirement, and be special and beautiful, too.  If you might be interested in a gift for a loved one (or yourself!), Alicia is already urging potential customers to order early.  She needs time to get all holiday orders done, while also preserving family time.  

Tell her RHome410 sent you!  --If you order, I don't get a cut,  I am just excited for Alicia and love my necklace!

I ordered these earrings from Alicia, too.
She showed copper ones with rust-colored stones or beads
on the Bluff's Edge Facebook page.  Since those aren't really my
colors, I asked if she could do silver with black.  They're wonderful!

Write31days.com

 

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

We had a baseball tournament break after the trip to Pullman.  It was perfectly timed... The weekend of GrandPrince's birthday was free of baseball, and open for partying!

In add to the fun, Princess Bossy flew in from her state far away to attend...and stay for a good visit.  Unfortunately, Prince Helium had to stay home and work, so we missed him.  

Also, unfortunately, but not as much, the princess' flight was supposed to arrive the night before the party day, but the airline cancelled the flight that day!!  Instead, she had to rebook for party day, and I was picking her up at the airport just as the party began, so we were a bit late.  We were glad that the important festivity events, like cake and presents, waited until after our arrival.



The little man loved his party and appreciated each one of his gifts.  Since one of his first words was "fish," and he was excited by anything fishy, his cake was a shark, with cupcakes on the side, decorated as colorful, littler fishes. 

Sassy and Steadfast also celebrated their wedding anniversary that weekend, and, of course, Bossy and Helium did the same 19 days later.  Can you believe it's been 3 years since the 2 weddings?!

Princess Bossy was on the porch for a phone call from
her hubby.  It turned into a terrific, through-the-glass game.
You may be wondering what's on his Onesie...
Princess Artiste and her boyfriend took photos of themselves
 and transferred them onto the shirt for his bday gift. -- The front
shows them with their eyes covered, the back has them uncovered.
"Peek-a-Boo!"  So cute.

❤

Write31days.com

Sewing Room Put to Use... Easy Peasy!

I accepted the challenge from a fun and clever group of bloggers to join their latest endeavor... Mission Possible: The Last Tuesday Challenge.  These are the same bloggers who hosted Imagine the Impossibilities, which prompted the building and full completion of the very useful set of built-in bookshelves in our dining/homeschooling room.


The challenge for the last Tuesday of this month was "It's a Cinch: Easy Peasy Tips and Projects."  

I've been wanting to share this for awhile... It's a favorite quick sewing project and gift idea.

Prince CuddleBunny about 2 weeks ago...
Ok, it only seems like it to me!

When Princess Bossy was born, we were given a bib that had been made from a small hand towel.  It had had a hole cut in with ribbing around it, like a t-shirt neck.  It was so easy and quick to pull on and off, so was a favorite bib...  But its one layer was too thin and overall, it was kind of small, so I worked to create an improved version.  


Bigger and a little thicker, I found this bib design to work well for my kids well into the toddler/preschool years.  It was great in the car for slipping over their heads while they enjoyed a drink or snack, and it protected the seat belts as well as their clothing.  


I also sold them for a few years in children's boutiques and consignment shops.   For selling, I got a little fancier with lace trim, and even a tuxedo version for boys.  (I know it's unbloggerly not to have a photo, but I can't find one!) But it was the plainer versions that were most popular and they go together much quicker.  For the time and expense, I can give a new mom an extra bib, instead of doing the unnecessary trims.

When I sold bibs, I ordered full bolts of terry cloth fabric.  This is expensive and bulky to deal with.  In the last few years I discovered the ease and economy of using clearance sale bar towels.  Even more recently I found shop towels at Costco, 60 for under $20...So about 33 cents each.  Also, when we cleaned out my in-laws' house, there were lots of old towels in decent shape that no one else wanted, so I thought they'd make fun and colorful bib backs.  So, maybe Goodwill, or other thrift shopping, could be a good source.


For the fronts I use cotton print.  I'd previously tried poly/cotton blends when I fell in love with some fun prints, but that doesn't absorb as well.  Also, since the cotton terry cloth and all cotton fronts tend to keep shrinking a little over time, they stayed in good proportion to each other, while the poly/cotton fronts didn't do the same and ended up looking sloppy.

I started this project Sunday, wondering if it would fit in the 20-minute time limit for the Easy Peasy Project.  I knew it might take a little longer than usual, as I haven't sewn in awhile, and didn't have things as ready as I otherwise might.  (Plus, I had to take pictures.) But I got a snapshot of my phone clock, so I could keep track...

Pullover Baby/Toddler Bibs

It's a good idea to wash both fabrics before sewing, so the major shrinking is done and won't affect the bib later.

Inspired by the luscious quilt made by Allison
for her new baby girl at Cluck, Cluck Sew, I decided to
go girly pink for my grand-niece

Remove any selvages from the fabrics, or in the case of towels, any hems or trims.  

I had an old one to use as a pattern.  You can use
scissors, of course, but I find it easier and more
accurate to use my rotary cutter and quilt ruler

I generally cut the tops and bottoms at 14" x 18" so I can get 6 bib pieces out of a yard of fabric.  

3 out of half a yard.  1 for now, and 2 ready for next time

If you're using bar towels, you'll have to adjust the bib size to fit them. 

Fold is at the bottom in this
pic.  You might barely see
the corner cut at an angle
 on the bottom right

Cut one piece of ribbing, per bib, at 4" tall and 12" long/wide.  

I cut on the fold, so cut a doubled piece at 4" by 6", snipping a small notch at one side on the fold so the center is pre-marked for later.

Out of the bib tops, I cut a 5" in diameter hole, centered about 2" down from one end.  Again, I do this with the bib front folded in half and leave little notches for easier placement of the ribbing collar later.

Running the foot along the edge as seam guide.
Couldn't make just one!  So you'll see parts of
2 bibs in the photos.

With the right sides facing each other, I pin, then sew with the needle centered and the foot running along the edge of the fabric, 
for about a 3/8" seam allowance.  I sometimes use the serger, just barely cutting any from the edge, to leave the bib as large as possible.

























Because the heft of the terry cloth makes turning out the square corners difficult, 
I either angle or round the outer corners on each bib.

Turn the bib right side out, through the 5" hole, pulling out the corners and making sure the bib is smoothed flat.  






At this point, you can pin around the outside edges for doing the top stitching, but I often don't, just straightening and smoothing with my hands as I sew.  

But I always pin around the neck hole, because it has a tendency to scoot as you maneuver the bib to sew around that circle.








Top stitch about 3/8 inch from the outside edges, 

Did you notice the kitty print is upside down?!  For that reason, this
bib piece has been left, unmade, for a few years.  I finally decided to make
it.  When the baby picks up the bib to look at it, they will be right side up
to her!

and machine baste around the neck hole, as close as possible to the cut edge.  You might want to use a narrow, but long zig-zag stitch here, so the hole isn't held too tightly when putting it on and off a child.

Always thought there should be
something cool to do with the
circles.  Haven't come up with it yet.

Now, finally, you can cut the terry cloth out of the 5" hole.






Fold the ribbing in half, right side in, and sew across the end, about 1/4" from the edge.  


Turn it right side out, and fold in half, lengthwise.




If you hadn't left little notches to help yourself when cutting the ribbing and neck hole, you can fold each in half now and make tiny clips to mark the top, bottom, and even sides of the neck hole, and center of each ribbing section.  

Right sides together, match the seam on the ribbing to the center back of the neck hole.  Next pin the center of the ribbing section to the bottom center of the neck hole, and do the centers of the sides similarly.

 

Using a shallow zig-zag stitch to allow stretching, stretch the ribbing as you sew, to match the fabric around the neck hole.  Finish that seam allowance with a wider zig-zag or with a serger.


Press all, and done!                                                                                                                                                     

Now... How long did that take...                                                                                                                                                                                                



????!!!!!!!!!  


No, the sewing did not take 6 hours, but I don't have the exact number of minutes.  Prince CuddleBunny decided to cut his own banana bread so as not to interrupt me that morning, holding the partial loaf in his hand, cutting toward that hand... so cut into the base of his index finger with our very sharp bread knife.  So after a near fainting spell and major panic (him, not me), off to Urgent Care we ran to get him glued back together.                                                                                                                           

My guess is that a bib might take me half an hour... So it doesn't suit the 20 minute limit.  However, if I get a few going at once, assembly-line fashion, I'm certain I could do three in an hour... So, ta-dah! 20 minutes each.  :-)


I am also excited that I FINALLY have something to share for Sew Cute Tuesday at The Creative Itch! 







And happy to celebrate the return of One Project Closer's link party at their new site, "The Better Half."