Sailboat Bag

When you find an adorable, sailboat-covered upholstery fabric there is only one thing to do;  make a messenger bag!

I'd been looking at this tutorial for a while, and this was the perfect time to try it.  It is wonderful!  Very easy to follow - great for an afternoon project.

I like larger bags, and this one has great pockets which makes it really nice and easier to find things.

My newest purse is definitely a winner!

Pencil Skirt Inspiration

I love pencil skirts.  Neutrals, bright colors, it doesn't matter...

 

http://www.studentswife.com/

http://www.kendieveryday.com/

http://www.extrapetite.com/

Now don't you want one, too?  :)

Quilt Kitty

Cats are very helpful on quilting evenings.  It's so inspiring to have an adorable kitty by my feet.  :)

My sister and I are officially halfway done with the quilting!!!

Elias's Blanket

Elias's blanket is ready to welcome him into the world, and I can't wait to meet the little guy!

This was my first time using a printed fabric for backing, and I love how it turned out!  I actually purchased this backing fabric because our local fabric store had only one blue flannel.  And since pink didn't really seem appropriate for this project...  But I love this flannel!  I'll definitely keep an eye out for printed flannel in the future.

Deciding what color to use for the running stitch along the binding was a hard decision.  Orange or yellow?  Then I realized I didn't have enough orange embroidery floss to make it around the entire blanket, so yellow it was!  Love it when hard decisions become so easy.  :)

Because I used the yellow around the perimeter, I chose orange for the message on the back.

Praise God for the blessings of children!

Puddle Ducks

For lunch today we took a dear friend to a local tea shop to celebrate her 10th birthday.  We had a lovely time, and after finishing our tea luncheon we popped in the quilting store.

I wasn't planning to buy anything, but then I found this delightful fat quarter that begged me to take it home.  I kindly acquiesced.  :)

The 3 little ducklings hiding beneath the mushroom are my favorite.  Now to find the perfect project for this fabric...

Just the Topping

I put together the top for baby's blanket, but wasn't able to finish as I had yet to purchase backing fabric...

But when I got a text this morning saying that little Elias had been born, I made sure a visit to the local quilting store was included in our afternoon errand-running.

So the backing flannel is in our dryer right now, and I'll hopefully finish the blanket tomorrow.  :)

Quilt, Quilt, Quilt!

You may remember that my sister and I are working on a quilt for our bed.  Well, we have finally made it to the actual quilting process and are making significant progress!

I just love looking at the back of quilts - all the tiny stitches making patterns on solid backing fabric.  And the white-on-navy makes it easy to see what you've already done!

We went ahead and painted our room "Nantucket Dune".  Yes, I choose a paint with a nautical name.  :)  But I also really love the sandy color.

I hadn't painted much before, so it was a bit of an adventure...  But now that the pink walls are gone, I'm very motivated to work on the quilt and finish my room makeover!