Sungglies for the Babes

I love making snuggly little baby quilts for all the new babies. They are all just simple large blocks with sashing and cornerstones and backed with minky. No batting or binding and then quilted on the diaganol. Super easy but oh so soft and sweet. I started making this style of baby quilts in Hawaii because they are lighter weight than a traditional quilt and at one time 9 of us were having babies, so I could not afford the time or money to make everyone a traditional baby quilt.

This pink and zebra green was for my friend Tara's new baby, Coral. I love the sweet little polka dots.

This orange and blue one was for my friend Ashleigh's new little guy, Elijah.

This one is a bit larger and was for my sister Maggie's new baby boy, Colby. I really loved the striped fabric and the blocks look all together.

Creature Report, Creature Report

Okay, I admit it, the title of this post comes from the cartoon Octonauts and as I typed it I heard the tune in my head. Sorry....what can I say - I have kiddos.

But I thought it was appropriate since I am posting about some creatures I made for Christmas gifts. The snake and slug are from my patterns my friend Shelley designed and the elephant is from a Valori Wells sewing card design called Elsa the Elephant.

Kind of funny to make a slug, right? Except that I grew up in the PNW where slugs are a daily occurance. And I just happen to have a sister who, in fact, ate one when she was 2. Yeah, really. Gross! I'm not sure if I actually remember that or just the story of it. Anyway, Em has been gone a few years, but my brother named his daughter after her, so I when I first saw this pattern I thought how appropriate for Emily's namesake - Emilee Pearl - to have a slug to remember her by. This way the story of Emily eating the slug will never be forgotten. And the slug is awfully cute, for a slug. I really like how the flower with the bling in the center dresses her up a bit.

What new baby doesn't need a snuggly snake? My brand new nephew Baby Colby definitely needed a snake. It turned out a lot longer than I anticipated, but I think it turned out cute. The photo isn't great and I wish I'd gotten a better shot.

My niece Dorothy loves elephants. She has since she was little. So when I was in WA last summer and I saw this pattern and fabric, I knew just I had to make one for her. I think she's a sweet little elephant. And Dorothy seemed to love her, too.

In the bag....

Trying to get caught up on some projects I've finished the last few months. Here are three bags I made for gifts. The pattern is my friend Shelley's Infinity Tote design and I love how they all turned out.
This is the largest one I made. I made it as a diaper bag for my sister Maggie. It is huge, but she says it is perfect for all the stuff she needs for her little guy. I added a bunch of additional pockets inside for bottles and sippys and stuff like that. Maggie recently visited and brought her bag along with her. I love seeing things I make being used. It makes the time and effort worth it.

This one was made for my dear cousin Jenny for Christmas. every year we draw names for a gift exchange with the cousins on my dad's side. This year I got Jenny. I gave her some options and she chose a bag. All she asked was that it be bright and happy. Pretty sure I accomplished that. This is a medium sized tote, but still has plenty of room inside.

This beauty was made for my dear friend Erin back in Hawaii. She loves blues and oranges together and when I saw this bird fabric I knew exactly who it was made for. The photo doesn't do the fabric justice. It is really beautiful. I have enough to make one for myself, but I don't see that happening anytime soon.

Sewing Summit 2012

I miss Hawaii. A lot. But there are benefits to being on the mainland. Like being 2 1/2 hours from Salt Lake City, where they just happen to hold an amazing sounding event called The Sewing Summit. This year is only the second year of it and it sold out in 10 hours! They only sell 250 tickets so it is a small event, but the classes and teachers they have lined up are incredible. Thanks to a hefty tax refund this year I get to go! I was even one of the lucky 50 to get a $50 dollar discount by being in the first 50 to register. This will be my first trip away from the boys, but I think they'll be fine with Cory for a few days. And this mama gets to sew and learn new things and sew and learn how to make a better blog and sew and make new friends and sew. I'm reaching way outside my comfort zone and going by myself, but there are lots of others who are doing the same and I think it will be fine. Just have to get a roommate lined up and I'll be good to go.