Sneak Peek: My Lap Quilt

I've been getting back into the groove of making quilts after a few years away from the hobby, and after lovingly cranking out multiple baby quilts for expectant friends, I decided to make something for myself. Here's a sneak peek of my lap quilt in progress. Stay tuned for more.

Pillow obsession...continues

My husband and I needed a break so it was off to Music City for a little rest, relaxation and roaming. After spending a day downtown, we decided to venture out to Cool Springs where I quickly descended on their Joann's store and cleaned them out of mitten clips for pacifier savers. From there, it was onto Franklin. Thanks to the volume of country music stars in the area, Franklin is a quaint, restored and adorable little hamlet outside of Nashville. We parked the car on a side street and headed down to the main area of town which included a street lined with boutiques and shops not to be missed. After a little window shopping and the creeping awareness that lunch might be the only thing we could afford in Franklin, I stumbled across the winter white sale at Lulu. I would have bought the whole store out if I could have, but I settled for a set of wool and velvet pillows featuring a brown, cream and grey plaid. Birdie, our dog was curious about the interest I was suddenly paying the couch and snuck into the photo.

I Need An...Elephant

I wanted to make a very special gift tag for a friend having her second baby boy in the spring. Instead of just a flat tag, I found this cool 3-D elephant free for download that she can keep after the shower and add as decoration to his room. I can also imagine these as place cards at a kid's carnival-themed or zoo-themed birthday party. Just so you know that whimsy isn't relegated to children here, its twin will be sitting on a shelf in my office...maybe i'll write on it things I shouldn't forget! Download this grey/blue elephant  for free at Curiosity Group. I would recommend printing it on card stock and having a glue stick handy as there are small bits and it made it less messy.

Baby Pacifier Saver

I don't know what the official name for this is, but I call it an easy and inexpensive baby shower gift. I was inspired to give this pacifier saver a whirl after a friend was sharing how her son loved the pacifier from the hospital and she couldn't find another at the store. She was so worried that he would lose the one pacifier that worked, she was considering bribing the nurses to get another. I remembered my sister mentioning a how-to on pacifier savers on How About Orange, one of her favorite blogs. After a little experimentation, I've come up with my own two color version.

Materials:
2, 11 inch lengths of grosgrain ribbon (3/8" wide)
1 mitten/suspender clip
Sew-on Velcro
Fray Check
matching thread
sewing machine or lots of patience with hand sewing

Instructions:

The modifications I made for my version are
1. Cut 12-inch lengths of each ribbon color and use fray-check on the end cuts.
2. Pin and sew them lengthwise together, I tried to run it down the natural seam of the grosgrain ribbon.
3. Pull ribbon through mitten clip, fold over edge to make it tidy and sew down.
4. Fold opposite end over to make the end tidy and sew down.
5. Add velcro to the pacifier end.


For instructions using one 24-inch length of ribbon, visit How About Orange blog. Her ribbon is gorgeous and her directions are easy to follow.

Tote with dots

My younger sister Emily tied the knot this past November in East Tennessee with Jen and I (along with the groom's sister Jessica) as her attendants. At the rehearsal dinner, Emily presented us with our bridesmaids' gifts. Monograms were the star: a monogrammed lunch bag for Jessica, a monogrammed apron for Jen, and this fun monogrammed, polka-dotted tote for me. I love the scaled-down size; it's perfect to contain and transport whatever I'm knitting at the moment, and the big grey polka dots are always in style.


Bag: thirty-one gifts