Last Minute Easter Decor

I was having guests over last night and realized that my entryway was still decorated for Valentine's (although, it was completely buried by mail so...). I needed to jazz it up for spring and so I pulled out my favorite grass pots. Then thinking Easter I put a pink and gingham baby blanket under those and some pewter candlesticks in between to balance.

It still needed some color, so I ran to the felt drawer in my craft room and quickly cut some egg shapes. And finally tied some bright tulle around the pots. I've had these pots for ages and never thought to tie something around them.

 

The eggs were plain when my guests arrived, but after they left I went to my sewing machine and in less than 10 minutes had added some fun decorative stitches to them.  I tried to arch the stitching lines to follow the curve of an egg, but was less than successful on some of the lines.   But I think they turned out great for how unbelievable easy they were.  And it was fun to use some of those stitches that I will probably only ever use on little projects like this!

Linking up at: Feeding Big and more and Skip to my Lou

Scraps... and an attempt at free motion quilting

When I made quilt #2 for QFK I had some pieces left over from my strips.  I decided to sew them up with some heat resistant batting to make some artistic hot pads.  I have to admit, every time I see them out on my counter top I love it!

Now, don't get me wrong, I know they are FAR from perfect... but the colors and the movement fit me so well I don't mind the imperfections.

I thought that the project would be a good way to try out free motion quilting... it didn't go so well. :(  But I will try again at some point. I'm sure there is a way of doing it successfully on my machine, this just wasn't it.

So for hot pad numero dos I just stuck with a simple X. Easy peasy.  I think I'm getting better at doing binding too so hooray for that!  Its amazing what a little practice can do!

Going Batty for Halloween

Those of you who know me, may know that Halloween has always been at the bottom of my list of holidays...

This year, for some reason, I'm getting in the spirit of things and sewing up a storm!  I think its all the cute ideas out there and then I made the mistake of falling in love with designer fabric...

I found some great Halloween fabric on etsy and the first project I made was this Bat Mobile I found on one of my very favorite sewing sites Sew4Home.com

I have a couple other projects from their Halloween collection that I'm working on and will share soon. You should definitely check out their tutorials no matter what your sewing level is. They have so much (SO MUCH!) great info available!

These bats just make me smile.  Rather than using all different fabrics for each bat, I have the bats with polka dots on one side (from Riley Blake's Costume Clubhouse line) and just plain black (kind of with a water color-esqueness to it) on the back side.

I can hardly wait to decorate for Halloween now!  Aren't they adorable and they were quite easy to make.  The hardest part was sewing up the opening where I stuffed them... luckily I don't think anyone is going to look too closely at them!

Fabric Pumpkins & Faux Embroidery Floss Tutorial

I recently found a tutorial (that I can't for the life of me find again) to make these sweet pumpkins.  She has a pattern for a free download and you can print it in 5 different sizes!  I opted to just make these three since I was using scraps of fabric.  I LOVE how they turned out and how they look on our half wall between our dining room and family room!

The light big one is just some random fabric that I found in a remnants bin.  I've used it in all sorts of projects, from baby #5's quilt to a child's apron and I had just enough to make this cute little pumpkin for my patch.

The smallest pumpkin is left over scraps from the fabric I used to cover a lamp shade in my bedroom. It is one of my all time favorite fabrics (it better be at the price I paid for it!  Thank goodness for 40% off coupons!).

And the dark bigger one is actually a napkin I found at Pier 1 several years ago.  I love it!  And I think it makes the perfect fall (and even Halloween) decoration with the sparse trees and the birds!

Faux Embroidery Floss Tutorial
I embroidered the leaves with a light colored thread... I don't have DMC floss hanging around my house, so in an effort to mimic the effect I:

1. Cut a LONG piece of thread
2. Fold it in half
3. Put either the two ends or the folded end through my needle (I found with my small eyed needle it was easier to do the two ends)
4. Fold it in half again, so the two ends and the folded end are together
5. Make your knot and begin sewing!

I have a great, unique way of making a knot that almost always results in a perfect knot at the end of the thread with no leftovers hanging out... I'll do a tut for that soon.

Making the Pumpkins

I'm going to keep looking for the tutorial I followed so I can link it here and you can use her pattern... but until then if you just can't wait to make one yourself you basically just cut a leaf shape or a really narrow eye shape.  Think, an oval with points on either end.  

Layer your fabric as thick as your scissors will allow... you need 7 shapes cut out altogether.

Sew them together point to point, like your making a beach ball until they are all together being sure to leave a 1 1/2" opening in the last seam.

Fill the bottom portion of the pumpkin with rice and then stuff the remainder with polyester fiberfill (or stuffing of your choice).

Hand stitch the opening closed.

Using the Faux Embroidery floss technique above wrap the thread around the pumpkins natural indents to accent the pumpkin-y goodness.  This part of the her tutorial was a little difficult for me to understand, but what I did was tie a knot at the top and the bottom of the pumpkin and pulled somewhat tightly.

Add a small circle to the bottom of the pumpkin (two circles sewn together then turned right side out through a snip in the bottom of the two). She suggests hand stitching them, but I used fabric glue.

Then make the stem and the leaves.  Hand stitch them on.  Stand back and admire your handy work!

Apothecary Jars

I made these adorable jars last year for the craft booth I did before Christmas.  I didn't sell as many as I made, so I have them all over my house.  I recently went on a little shopping spree for some fall fillers and ribbon and I love the way they greet me as I enter my front door!

Decorating for fall is one of my favorites!  I have lots of fun things to share in the upcoming days and weeks!

For Sale

I recently had a booth at a craft holiday bazaar. I am selling here, what didn't sell there. Let me know if you're interested in any of these items by emailing me at kim {dot} woodbury {at} gmail {dot} com

Thanks for the positive response to my "undertaking."  I decided that I would share close up shots of the items available in case anyone wanted more details.

Argyle Wreath: $22; 12" diameter, wrapped in jute with stripes of cream yarn.  Red and Green diamonds sewn together and then crosses wrapped with cream yarn.  A truly unique wreath!

Denim Blue Trapper Hat: $9

Non-Ruffle Apron: $12 for reversible blue and orange with pockets.

Non-Ruffle Apron: $10 for school bus, fully lined with no pockets.

Half Ruffle Apron: $11, fits size 2-5

SOLD! Full Ruffle Apron: $16 for reversible paisley/vines. Fits size 2-5.

SOLD! Full Ruffle Apron: $14 for big polka dots.  Stripes are on the reverse side, but its not truly reversible due to the attachment of the waist tie.

Tie Belts: $4; Big variety, boys or girls belts.  I can take more pictures, let me know if you're interested.

SOLD! Baby Apron/Bib: $10.  Lined with flannel so its soft against baby's skin if going shirtless.  I love the coverage this offers!  And the tie back allows it to fit like a shirt so baby is less likely to attempt pulling it off, and even if attempts are made, its less likely they will succeed.

SOLD! Fits a toddler too, just more like a bib than an apron.

Knitted bib: $5.  Great for the baby who doesn't rip his bib off, its so easy to put on!

Skinny Scarf: $8.  Perfect size for a child!

Ladybug hairclips: $4 for set of two.

Rudolph and Santa Trivets or Wall Hangings: $4 each

Cloth Diaper Burp Cloths: $8 for set of two.  These are super soft with such a wide panel of flannel attached to the center, super absorbent because they're intended to be diapers, and super cute with their charming prints!  A showstopper at baby showers!

The flannel is serged right into the edge of the burp cloth.

So you can see how wide a panel the flannel actually covers.

Cloth Diaper Burp Cloth: $4 single burp cloth.

Dolls: $18.  I can add a face if you want; simple dot or sleepy eyes with a slight smile and blush cheeks.

The one in the middle with black hair is SOLD!

Bon Appetit 9x13 glass dish: $12

Easy as Pie Pie Plate: $9

SOLD! Girl's Lap Quilt: $15.  Soft fabrics in bright colors will make this a favorite to snuggle with.  Tied.

Felt Ornaments: $8 set of 6.  These would make great gift "tags" for a teacher or neighbor gift.  All hand stitched with love. :)

Starlight Mint Yo-Yo Ornaments: $3.50 set of 6.

Rustic Yo-Yo Wreath: $22

Rugged Holly Berry Wreath: $22

Apothecary Jars: $40 set of 3 in alternating heights.  Fill them with candy as the seasons changed.  Top them with matching ribbon and you've got a great decorative piece!  Or you can fill them with whatever suits your decor: stones, pinecones, candles... the possibilities are endless.

Apothecary Jars: $15 each.  Can be etched, like the red center jar, for an additional $2.  These would be fun gifts as well, filled with candy, dry ingredients for your favorite cookie recipe, or hot chocolate!

Photographing etched glass is quite difficult to capture, particularly with a white background.

Burlap Wreath with Felt Roses: $22.  I think this wreath is so pretty and could be used for Christmas or Valentine's, anytime really.

Chargers: $8.  A discounted price from the original $10.

SOLD! Welcome Sign: $15 with tiles for 4 seasons (summer not pictured).