Quiet Books - A Finish and WIP?

Even with the extremely cold weather we have been having this week (I'm talking negative double digits!), I've still managed to somehow keep the Little Bear entertained.  While he was entertained by either emptying all my kitchen cupboards within reach or by making his dinosaurs tromp through some playdough, I managed to make some pretty good headway on two quiet books on my project list.  They aren't done and won't be for a while since I haven't made even half of the pages I have planned.  And I know it's Friday and which is customarily the day when finished projects from the week are posted.  But I couldn't resist sharing a small sneak peak of what I do have done on them thus far. 
Back in 2012, I made my first quiet books - 3 of them (one for my son and one for each of my two nephews at that time).  You might remember me blogging about it here. Well since then, I haven't had a chance or time to made another one until now.  And now I'm making two!  One is going to be for a special little girl's 2nd birthday.  I'm loving the chance to play with pinks, purples, flowers and lace for a change.  The second one is for a dear friend's son's first birthday later this year.

I'm using some similar page designs that I used in the original quiet books I made, but I'm also switching out some pages for some new ideas to make each book special for the receivers.  I have all of the pages cut out (10 pages plus the covers) and thus far, I have the covers and the first three pages completely done for both books with work started on pages 4 & 5. 

One fun thing about making a new version of a project I made some time ago, is I've been able to see a real improvement in my designing and sewing skills. Hurray!  I guess practice does make perfect - or at least an improvement which is all a girl can hope for anyways.
Stay warm my friends! 

Some New Finishes

This past week, the winter cold germs finally caught up with us.  Little Bear and I had low fevers and sniffles most of last week so there was a disproportionate amount of snuggling, Curious George watching, and Popsicle eating going on around here.  As a result my sewing machine was quieter than normal, but I still managed to pull together this lovely tote bag to carry my sewing machine in: 

In a few short weeks, I will be one of the few lucky ladies who gets a chance to attend and be a part of Pink Castle Fabric's Spring 2014 Camp Stichalot!  I can't wait to have a chance to learn from some amazing sewers, and to have uninterrupted sewing time!  Plus, it counts as my mini vacation before we have two little ones running around.  
I combined this tutorial from Amy Kathryn with this tutorial from Pattern Pile, plus inspiration from this bag by In Color Order and custom measurements so the bag would perfectly fit my sewing machine.  I used heavy interfacing to give it some solid structure and I sewed the straps all the way to the bottom seam so there would be no chance of them ripping off.  I also added two outside pockets (between the handles on each side) and a zipper pocket and pencil patch pocket on the inside to hold my sewing accessories I might want to take along with my sewing machine.  I couldn't help myself with the fabric choices - it just seemed appropriate to use scissors and measuring tape prints to make a sewing machine bag. 

This tote bag was a bit of a beast to sew together because I used such heavy interfacing, but overall, I'm very please with how it turned out.  It probably wouldn't have taken that long to put together on a normal week, but with us being sick, I only worked on it for a few minutes at a time.  But I managed to finished it before week's end.  Now I can't wait to actually use it!
Yesterday (Sunday), I more than made up for my lack of sewing productivity of the previous week.  It helped that I was feeling much better and my dear husband was around to help out with Little Bear.  I managed to whip together a special gift for my mom's birthday coming up this Saturday which I will share in a post next week.   I don't want to ruin the surprise for her. 
I also made two more sleeper sacks yesterday.  My husband laughs at me because I have been timing myself on how long it takes to make one of these since I have made so many of them recently, but it's good stuff to know, right?  Anyways, I'm averaging 46 minutes per sleep sack from the time I lay it on the counter to cut the pattern out, to the time I pull it off my sewing machine completely done.  I call that pretty fast work....even if that is in theory because in reality, I don't get 46 minutes of uninterrupted time...it's more like 4-5 chunks of 5-15 minute intervals!  These two sleep sacks are being packed up today and sent out to California for a possible amazing opportunity for my Etsy shop.  *Fingers Crossed!!*  I'll keep you all posted on if anything actually happens from this.  And if nothing happens, I'm still in love with these two - I think these two prints are my favorite prints I've used thus far in making these sleep sacks.  Don't they just make you wish to snuggle with a little one in one of these?

And one last finish for the weekend:

I finished up this cute set of plush blocks using some left over fleece I had from another sleep sack I made a few weeks ago.  I love the African Safari animals that are in this print and I can't wait to get them listed in my Etsy shop probably later this week. 
Now, I'm off to brave the never ending falling snow to mail a few packages, then I'll try to decide which project from my never ending pile to work on for this week - should I sew for our coming baby or for my upcoming nephew(s), or work on a few quilts for my Etsy shop, or work on the two felt quiet books I have all cute out, or work on the queen sized Irish Chain quilt I started a while ago?  mmmm.... Or I could end up doing something completely different!  Who know.  Either way, I promise to fill you all in on whatever I end up working on and hopefully finishing this week! :) 
Only 25 more days until Spring! 

This Is What Happens When.....

This is what happens when a crafty working mom with a toddler who didn't have the time to devote to sewing and crafting changes and becomes a pregnant stay at home mom with a toddler who has also moved to Northern Michigan during one of the worst winters on record....Well, this mom happens to be me and lets just say that I have spent considerable time over the past few months bonding with my sewing machine to keep myself sane during this ridiculously long and cold winter.  So although there have been considerable completed projects rolling off my sewing machines, I have been rather negligent on sharing these project with cyberspace.  So rather than bore you with all the little details, I thought that I might just have a post showing the projects I've been working on so we can get caught up.
So enjoy! :)

Remember the baby hats that I was working on back in August?  I know...it's been a while.  But anyways, the MOPS group that my church at the time was starting wanted to do something nice for the area moms, so between me, my mom, my sister, and a friend, we made over 200 of these baby hats and donated to the Buffalo Baby Expo for them to hand out to the first 200 moms through their doors.  There were so many cute little baby hats that we made...it was a little sad to give them all away, but know at least a few newborn babies this winter are being kept nice and warm by these hats. 

Back in September 2013, before we moved to Michigan, my family had a get together to say good bye to us and to also have a small baby shower for my sister who (at that time) was expecting her second baby.  I whipped together this set of bibs and burp clothes for her.  I just love the little dinosaurs and the lime green flannel I used for these!

For Little Bear's birthday, I wanted to make him something special.  I saw this ADORABLE puppy print flannel into JoAnn's and knew it would be perfect given his obsession with any and all things puppy related!  I got enough fabric to put together a rag quilt and matching pillow case for him.  He loves it so much that now, I'm not allowed to put any other pillow case on his pillow or else sleep won't happen.

 A long long time ago, I mentioned that I was going to make a quilt for Little Bear for when he moved into his twin sized bed.  Back in September before our move, I got the quilt top done, hurray:

 And then just in time for Christmas, I got the back pieced together, the quilt basted, quilted and bound!  We got Little Bear's twin bed set up just after the New Year and this quilt loves to crinkly and inviting on his new bed!   

 Also, for Christmas, I put together this cute floor cushion for Little Bear.  It is inspired by this tutorial from Living with Punks. 

One of my favorite Christmas gifts that I made for both sets of grandparents this year was this adorable "Grandkids" sign.  It seemed appropriate since the grandkid population on both sides of our family seem to be exploding! It was fun to delve into a different medium of crafty expression other than sewing and crocheting for a few minutes. 

I made a few other Christmas gifts, but alas this girl forgot to get pictures before I wrapped everything up and gave them away.  
Here is some of the latest Quilty Fun that I've been up to.  This quilt is going to be a queen sized quilt for our bed.  The top is done but I haven't worked up the courage to attempt to bast and quilt my largest quilt yet.  I purchased the fabric for this quilt some time ago, and finally I was inspired by a quilt done by Stichery Dickory Dock called "My Favorite Things" which is a spin on the classic Irish Chain Quilt pattern.

One of these days, I'll get around to quilting this beauty, but in the mean time, I do enjoy it when Little Bear decides to "help" me sew.  He was helping me sew together the above quilt top. Such a cutie! :)

New house equals new curtain!  I put together some cute new curtains for Little Bear's new room:

 And some nice put back curtains for the living room and dining room:

We got a new bench for the entry way in our home, and using a tutorial from Make It & Love It, I put together some matching chevron baskets to hold Little Bear's shoes, hats, mittens, etc.  They turned out pretty great! :)

 For Christmas, my husband got me a vintage looking fabric of the United States from an Etsy shop called "Mapology" which I had been drooling over for weeks!  I had a break after Christmas and made it into a wall quilt/hanging that we could use to display the hiking badges we have and will collect as a family of our many adventures! Bonus - it's hanging on my dining room wall, so I get to see it from my kitchen and living room where we end up spending most of our time!

 Oh, and a few more fun touches for Little Bear's new room have also been in order.  I have piles and piles of left over fleece from the numerous sleep sacks I've made for Little Bear, nephews and my Etsy shop so I picked out some of his favorite prints and made some cute wall art for his new room! He just loves them too! 

In between sewing for the new house, for Christmas and birthday gifts, and for my new Etsy shop (which is another post all together for another time), I have squirreled away a few hours to make a few new things to update my sewing space.
A new needle book:

A new ironing board cover:

 A new pin cushion to match my new ironing board cover.  I used a vintage button that I found in an old jar of buttons that had been sitting on our bookshelves for a while.  I love the flare it adds to the pin cushion:

And best of all - a new dust cover for my sewing machine!  I figured my sewing machine is getting a pretty serious work out lately and this was a perfect way to show it some love. :)

 Oh yes, I've also started sewing for our coming bundle of joy in May!  I've gotten a few blankets and burp rags and new sleeper sacks and a diaper/wipes case for the car done thus far.  The pile of yet to be sewn together projects for this little man doesn't seem to be shrinking though!

 

 

 And lastly, I haven't completely neglected my crocheting and this past week, I whipped together a set of coaster, a hot mat, and some new pot holders for my kitchen! :)

 Pheww!  I know that was a rather lengthy blog post so thanks for hanging in there with me!  I think this covers the large majority of the projects that I've been working on in the last 4 months minus the stuff I've put together for my Etsy shop.  Which by the way, my Etsy shop "It's Maggie Made" has now officially been open for 2 months!  I would love it if you took a second to check it out at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ItsMaggieMade.
Thanks for stopping by! :)

Irony...

Here is the best definition of Irony I've recently run across:

Irony: the opposite of wrinkly. 

Hehe....

Happy Friday!

Coming Up For Some Air

Hi Blogland,
Yes, I am in deed still alive.  Sorry for abandoning you for so long, but a few "small" life changes have been mildly keeping me busy.  What life changes?  Well only the small ones like my husband taking a brand new job in Traverse City, Michigan which lead to us both quitting our jobs in Buffalo, New York, packing up everything we owned, saying goodbye to my family and our amazing and irreplaceable friends in Buffalo, and moving 500 miles and 10 hours away to start a whole chapter in our lives.  Along the way, I decided that I would like to make the switch from being a working mom to a stay at home mom.  Oh, and yeah....we found out I'm pregnant with our second baby (happy 13 weeks Wee One)!  Of coarse there have been lots of actual small life changes going on, but anyways, I think you get the pictures.  Our lives got turned completely turned up-side-down and now finally, the dust is starting to settle. 
Never fear though, I have not neglected my passion of crafting and sewing and once I can find the nice camera so I can take some decent pictures I will shortly be posting just a few of the projects I have been working on for our new place and as gifts for upcoming birthdays and Christmas.  Also, I have started to build an inventory of items to open an online Etsy shop with!  I am hoping once I get all of the fine print and the pricing figured out to have a grand opening of my new Etsy shop within the next two weeks - or at the very lasted by the first of the year! Wish me luck!
More and funner posts will be coming soon so stay tuned.  I promise no more three month silences from this girl for a while. 

Family Growth Chart

For some time now, there has been one item on my project bucket list that I just never seemed to get around to even though I really wanted to make it.  Well I have finally gotten around to it!  

As a little girl, I remember how much fun it was to have our heights measured and marked on that one special door frame in my mom's pantry.  I loved the thrill of seeing myself getting taller and taller and even eventually out-growing my mom and a couple of my sisters!  I really wanted to have that for my little family.  Although, marking a door frame probably isn't the best idea for me to do since (a) we live in an apartment and (b) we most likely are not going to stay in the same apartment or home or location for the entire time that Little Bear is growing up.  Hence, enter the idea for a movable and portable growth chart (inspired by Pinterest of coarse)!  I bought all of the supplies back in October of 2012 and they have just been sitting around every since.  I had a couple of days off at the start of August with no plans to go anywhere or do anything (except start the potty training process with Little Bear), so I knew it was time to pull out everything and whip it all together (during nap time - when else!).  I used a 12 inch wide and 6 foot long board for the growth chart.  Wanting it to almost have a barn board look but without all of the slivers, I stained it a grey color.  I went over the board with a top coat of clear vanish to give it a bit of a finished look.  To finished it off, I just lined up and applied the vinyl decals I had, marked the right height on the wall and mounted the board, and done!  

Naturally, I forgot to get a picture of it before I hung it up in the hallway where the lighting and angle is just terrible, but you get the idea!  Yay for one more project off the bucket list!  Now too bad that about 10 more have been added!

Put a Bow On It!

I first want to give a huge shout out and thank you to Julie over at That's Sew Julie!  I have been following her blog for a little while now and I was loving the newborn and preemie crochet hats she has been making.  I really wanted to make a few of my own to give away as gifts or donate to our local hospital.  Its been a while since I've picked up my crochet hooks, so I asked Julie if she could send me the pattern she used to create the beautiful little baby hats.  And wouldn't you know it - Julie was such a sweet heart and posted a whole blog tutorial on how to make these hats in both sizes and in the four different styles that she has created!  Oh than you Julie!! 

So last Friday, while I was in JoAnn's for a few minutes (waiting for the novocaine to wear off from the dentist), I picked up 5 skeins of yarn at 30% off!  Finally last night I had a few minutes - well ok, actually I was just too hot and tired to do dishes or fold laundry - so I parked myself in front of a fan and went to work.  About 45 minutes and a Master Chef episode later, I had made this little beauty!  Isn't it adorable?

 I had forgotten just how tiny a newborn's head is especially since my Little Bear isn't so little any more!  For size reference, I could put this over my closed fist and it doesn't quite cover my entire hand.  

So again - Thank You Julie!  This was the perfect simple crochet project I've been looking for so I could take a little break from my sewing machine.  But don't worry - more, well actually a LOT of sewing is in my very near future!