Buttons and Other Things

These aren't buttons, but these mystery objects will become important in another blog (I hope) when I use them in a craft project that has been in the making for quite some time.  But today's blog is really about these:

I finally got the horn toggle buttons I had been waiting for in order to finish the Estes Vest.  I'm sure everyone is tired of hearing about that unfinished project.  I assure you, it will soon be completed.

With that online purchase, I also ordered some other wooden buttons (just so I could get free shipping -- I am a sucker).  I already have a project planned to incorporate the tiniest of these.

Pot Holders

It is my mom's birthday, and I had the priviledge of spending a few hours with her today.  I knew I wanted to give a hand-made item, but until three days ago, I was kind of stumped.  Then it came to me: pot holders.

So all that experimentation with foundation piecing came to good use.  These are 8 inch squares with double inner layers of medium-weight cotton batting.  Once again, I was loving my #10 foot when I did all of the quilting.  I chose to bind them like a quilt -- even hand sewing the binding on the back.  If I had to do over again, I would choose a different method of finishing  -- probably machine stitching using bias binding.  I do so love to hand stitch binding (most people hate this task, I know), but it just isn't practical for this project.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Barefoot Roses Baby Quilt

I think I just can't stop making baby quilts.  Or maybe it is that people keep having babies.  Anyway same pattern, different fabric.  This is from Tanya Whelan's Barefoot Roses line that was out a couple years back.  I had bought a bunch of the fabric for my stash thinking someone I knew would have a baby girl.  Now finally, someone is -- my neighbor.  I'm usually not too into the super floral cabbage rose look, but I really like these prints. 

So why the blue border?  A few reasons --  I think I had to balance the floral prints with something a little less overly girly.  I also think that many little girls look so wonderful in blue that it is a shame it is so difficult to find blue for girls unless you make it yourself.  And lastly (and probably most importantly), it is a tribute to Josephine who was one of those very girls who looked stunning in blue.  Perhaps this color will always remind me of her.

I have heard a lot of dabate recently on whether or not to pre-wash fabrics before sewing a quilt.  I think most people now are of the opinion that they prefer not to and then do a final washing after it is all finished to give it that "old fashioned, well loved" kind of look.  Certainly if one is using pre-cut charm squares, you really cannot wash these.  I personally prefer to wash the fabrics that I can (those that are not precut) because I find that unwashed fabrics have that slippery coating that causes an annoying amount of shifting during the sewing process.  Even if the fabrics are pre-washed, the washing done after completion is going to cause a fair amount of slight shinkage that will give one that same desired "old-timey" look, especially within the inner layer, whether using batting or flannel.

Painting Models and Other Wooden Craft Things

Most of the crafting that went on this summer involved things that Rudy and I could do together.  A while back, he had really gotten into a simple wooden model someone had gotten him for Christmas, and so I searched high and low to find more for his birthday.  I found these at Michael's Craft Store for (would you believe!) $1 each.  They come with the pieces, paint, glue, a brush, and sand paper.  Rudy needs help just with the glueing and then he spends (I am not kidding) hours meticulously painting.  These were the best deal for a lot of reasons.  I will confess that before I found these, I paid more than six times more for other ones that were not as nice.

I was inspired after finding some acorn caps on a walk to scour the internet to find some little clothespin dolls we could dress up and paint.  As a child, my brother and I spent one summer absorbed in that very craft, although we were considerably older than Rudy.  I found these instead and am so excited to see if Rudy gets into it.  The size of these dolls will be better for his little hands to work with.  I found them here at this site that has all wooden craft supplies -- what a super find.

Back from a Summer Hiatus

If you have bothered to check out my blog again, then I thank you.  I took a little break there, but life still continued on.  You see our ducks are now fully grown.  They are such fun to watch, although not too bright -- maybe that is what makes them fun to watch.

Our tadpoles did indeed turn into frogs.  The dime in the picture is there to show scale, of course. They are (hopefully) happily swimming about in the pond, although I have come to know that the food chain is fierce around here.

We have also had two separate broods of blue birds hatch and fly away.  The whole lot of them and their parents return to our blue bird feeder to eat (meal worms which Ed raises).  And so the cycle of life continues . . . .

So what have I done craft-wise?  Hmmmm . . . .  well, I'm almost finished with the Estes vest.  Beyond that, I've had a lot of great ideas swimming around in my head.  Maybe with Rudy's return to preschool some of them will get past the in-the-head stage of development. I hope to keep you posted more regularly.