This and That and a Few Other Things Too

I have a bit of an attention problem when it comes to crafts.  First I can't focus on anything except trolling my favorite blogs looking for ideas of things to make.  Then I can't decide what to work on first.  After I get started, I inevitably find something new to try, and before I know it, I have a dozen projects in the works.  So here's a sampling of what I've been up to in the last few months -- some are successful finishes (insert pat on the back) and others are still works in progress.

1.  Drawstring project bag for Emily (our sister whose crochet critters have been featured here on the blog)
I've made many of these lined drawstring bags from the pattern created by Jeni of In Color Order.  This bicycle and bunting combo is one of my favorites.

You can see more of these bags that I've made here.

2.  Quilt blocks to contribute to a baby quilt
For this project, I received instructions to use aqua, orange, and pink in blocks for a gender-neutral baby quilt for a member of the Indy Modern Quilt Guild.  The block on the left is what I ended up with after my plan went, well, not wrong, but pretty far off-track from what I originally envisioned.  The block on the right is called Birdbath from Elizabeth Hartman's book The Practical Guide to Patchwork.  I particularly like how the birdbath block turned out, and I'm thinking there may be more of those blocks in my quilting future.

 

 



3. Birthday pillow for a friend

A few years ago I made this Friendship Braid quilt as a housewarming gift for a friend.

 

I cut my own 2.5-inch strips for it and still had a lot of them left, so for her birthday this year I decided to make a coordinating pillow.

4.  Baby bibs galore
I've been making lots and lots of baby bibs lately -- like burp cloths, you can't have just one.  Every so often I pick up some new cute flannels and whip up a few more bibs for my gift stash.

 

 

 

 

 

5. Felted flowers

I attempted the felted flowers pattern from Aesthetic Nest, and when it turned out well, I just couldn't stop making them.  After felting, I add a pin back to the big flowers.  I think they'd make nice accents on winter coats and bags, so plenty of my friends are getting them as gifts this Christmas.  The small flowers are great tree ornaments, so those may be going out the door as gifts as well.

 

before felting

after felting