Anger Management Aardvarks!

So... hopefully you all remember my dear friend Chuckles, first craft for me of 2011.

Well, Chuckles lives on my desk at work. Last week we were having a particularly stressful/annoying week and we decided Chuckles needed to bite things. The computer, other people, really anything that frustrates us. Basically he would be our anger management tool - act out through him so that we can remain calm, cool and collected. 

 We also decided that he would be good for awkward situations... aka hold up the "awkward aardvark" if you have something to say that makes you uncomfortable. As the "A" words continued, I decided I needed to make some aardvarks for the rest of my team, so we could all use them as we see fit. Fortunately for me, there are only 4 people on my team so this was not too daunting of a task for the weekend.

Although I love chuckles, I figured a pile of small brown aardvarks would not be nearly as fun as a pile of multi-colored, slightly larger aardvarks ... and from there came this beautiful pyramid of creatures created to match my co-workers favorite colors (note that the one on the bottom right is blue - not purple - just sayin'):

Chuckles knows he is #1 as he was the original crazy aardvark of the bunch, and the one below him (1st purple aardvark) is for my mom - but the other 4 now live on the desks of my team members, including our co-worker in Canada. Yay for inter-office mail being free and spanning to the international offices too! ;-)

While making them and watching old "Bones" episodes with my husband, I snapped the following pictures - for documentation and my own amusement:

Comparing Chuckles (aka Aardvark version 1.0) to version 2.0 (bigger and brighter!)

Empty aardvark skins waiting to be stuffed, sewn, and given a face:

A pile of freshly cut aardvark patterns - aren't they cute :)

And... my favorite... apparently while turning an aardvark inside out, if you leave his ears inside, he can double as a dinosaur! Raaaawwwrrrr... hahaha, yes I played with these little guys WAY too much that weekend :)

Happy Vday from the Schnecke... aka Snail

My husband is from Germany and one of his favorite terms of endearment for me is "Schnecke". In English that translates into snail... which does not seem so endearing after translation haha but it is the equivalent of sweetie or baby in this case.




As soon as I saw this adorable snail tutorial on Moda Bakeshop I just knew I had to make one. Since its almost  V-day and snails have that double meaning for me, I figured it only appropriate to use some of my Moda Valentine's day jelly roll to make her.

So without further ado, please meet... die Schnecke :)

Babies everywhere! Ahhhhhhhhh - and a blanket :)

Has anyone else noticed that everyone seems to either be pregnant or having babies? I have so many friends who are "newly announced" pregnant, pregnant, or just gave birth ... weird! Its like the plague... but longer lasting haha.

Instead of jumping on the bandwagon (no thanks!!) I decided to participate only as far as making a blanket for my best friend from 6th grade on who just had a baby girl last week.

The pinwheels were made with Moda's Love U line which I absolutely adore.

I stuck to the good ol' stitch in the ditch method which i think makes a cute grid on the back.

Fortunately I stumbled onto the technique of using 1 color of thread on the front (white) and 1 color of thread the back (pink) to match... makes me way happier with the end result.

You might notice that this slightly resembles the other HST baby blanket I attempted to make last summer ... this is the new and improved version which was WAY more appropriate for gifting than the last. The first was intended for the same friend and although I realize it will just get puked and crawled on, I still couldn't handle all the mistakes and so I had to make my friend a new one right after the holidays were over.

One day when I get over my baby phobia, my own kid can throw up on the first practice one to its heart's content and won't mind the mistakes I'm sure ;-)

Christmas present post-view (is that a word? haha)

I had a super long list of things I wanted to make people for Christmas and that list only shrank a little by the time the holidays arrived. Fortunately my friends love me and do not mind that their presents are coming way after Christmas - because really, who cares when it comes... a present is a present right?! :-D

I was however able to get a few completed on time for family which made me happy. I didn't want to post about them and give away the surprise before Christmas but then I completely forgot to post about them at all! Sheesh...

First up we have the placemat set I made for my in-laws who live in Germany. I wanted something artsy but classy - not too modern with bright colors or cheesy Christmas characters.  I think these turned out pretty darn cute if I do say so myself... and I do!

 This was the first time I deviated from my go-to "stitch in the ditch" and decided to quilt some diagonal lines. SO happy that I did - it adds another dimension to the pattern and gives it an artsy edge which for me takes it from "home-made" into the realm of "hand-crafted." 

(Can you see my big fuzzy dog hiding in the hallway with the bright glowing eyes? haha awww Winston)

Next came the blanket I made for my mom. Imagine composing music as a present for Mozart ... that is how I feel about making crafty things for my mom. She is AMAZING and knows how to make just about anything I can find in a book, online or in a store. She taught me everything I know and bought me my first sewing machine for my MA Graduation in June 2010.

I wanted to make something special for her that was just screaming "Mom!" - which is how I feel about most of my "made with a specific person in mind" creations (aka everything so far? haha). After a lot of browsing and some really sneaky inquiring to get her opinion on different fabrics - this is what I came up with:

Everytime she and I are looking at fabric we have this running joke that "if it has large tacky flowers on it - mom will love it!" While that MAY be true sometimes, haha, she really does like flowers and pink so I knew immediately that the Bliss line for Moda in reds and pink would be perfect for her. I wanted to highlight the beautiful fabrics but also work in some fun piecing and this pattern won the job.  

I also decided to make her some fun Christmas pillow covers from Moda's Crazy Eight line. Fortunately 2 Turnovers make 4 pillows with some left overs, yay! I made the more traditional pattern for my mom:

 And the funkier pink/light blue pattern for myself (in the middle below).And if you are wondering why the pillows look a bit strange (aka lumpy) its because I had some issues with Joanns and ended up filling the pillows with stuffing to wrap them up for her - and then made pillow forms with her afterwards. Lets just say I wont be buying pillow forms from them EVER again if I can avoid it! Grr...  

Backing dilema - help needed! PLEASE!

Do you remember that super fun stripey quilt I was dying to finish for myself - the first quilt project I will actually KEEP?!?!

 ... well, here it is, still waiting for me to finish it :(

While writing this post I think I might have realized what my problem is, other than masses of Christmas and other presents I had on the to-do list.

I dont think I like the back! These 4 colors are used on the front and do match, I promise, and I love them.

 In theory this was a good idea but I think it might just look... well... really stupid :(

What do you think? Color blocks... are they ok on the back? Or should I cut all of these into big strips and alternate them? Or should I have just picked one solid color? Or or or or... any ideas? I have 1 yd of each color and I need all of that for the backing - this beast is THAT Big :).

Or can anyone convince me that this backing will be cute and I should just FINISH IT?! HEEEELLLLPPPPP!! haha

Cranky and yet crafty :)

I was having a bad bad weekend - (boys - hide your eyes!) ... menstrual cramps to the max and super sized crankypants, yikes! My poor husband just hid in the living room behind his book - smart man :)

Since I was too uncomfortable and moody to do anything else however, I was able to get a lot of work done on this quilt top. I wanted to show it to the kids as a sample of what they will be earning for the Children's Charity Quilt Project so I had to get it done by noon on Sunday.

It turned out way cuter than I thought at first - I wanted to try out this pattern and happened to have these 2 charm packs lying around without a purpose and ta da!

The kids loved it and are super excited to be earning quilts for charity by reading their scriptures on their own and with their families. It was fun to see them so excited when I showed them "the real thing" yesterday, as apparently the paper quilt they will be using to track their progress didn't get them too motivated ;-)

Question is tho... how should I quilt it? Im 1 level above broke college student (read: recently graduated, first real job, and lots of school loans!) so sending it out to get quilted super cute is NOT an option ... and free motion is on my to-learn list but Im definitely NOT practicing on this haha. Any ideas? Stitch in the ditch is my go-to but more creative options/suggestions are super welcome and desired!

First craft of 2011!

Crafty Goal #1 for 2011: Make a non-quilt craft project each month

I have always loved crafts, even before I got into quilting this past summer, and I want to make sure I don't lose that creativity by focusing solely on quilting in my spare time. There are tons of crafts on my to-do list and they definitely deserve a bit of time each month.

So without further ado, here is my first craft of the new year: Chuckles :)

 Chuckles comes from a book called "Softies only a mother could love". He is pretty close to the pattern, with a few personal-preference modifications. A super quick and fun project, Chuckles becomes #2 of my "monster crew". Many more to come, I assure you.

 

A quick paper-traced template, some fun layered bug eyes and teeth hand sew on, a quick run through the sewing machine, stuff, hand sew him up and voila! - you have a dog/rat/aardvark mutant with an adorable overbite ready for your amusement haha.  

So happy 2011 everyone and lets all welcome Chuckles into what is going to be a GREAT year :)

Some rambly reflections with some goals at the end

As 2010 winds up I feel a little bi-polar relfecting back upon the year.
The first half of the year was spent finishing my final semester in my MA German Literature program and preparing for my written and oral exams covering basically all of German literature from the middle ages to modern times --- YIKES! At the end of May I graduated with honors and put that all behind me and set out into the real world.

... and wow its a scary place! haha. Fortunately my mom gave me a sewing machine - Singer Confidence Quilter - as my graduation present and my new obsession/hobby  started...FABRIC! QUILTING! SEWING! YAY!!!!

Along with that start also came the start to my new life... a normal adult at a 9-5 desk job that has nothing to do with what I studied. In this recession Im so grateful to have a job, and a steady one at that. The great thing about my job is that I get to see my husband every day for little breaks here and there just to say hi - since we work in the same office. Not sure how long I will be able to enjoy that benefit but I will enjoy it while I can!
So ... 6 months into this new life after graduation I guess I can't complain too much. I have become a great fabric hoarder and an amateur quilter. I jumped into the hobby with both feet and fortunately did not get sick of it after only a month into it.

As far as my sewing accomplishments in the last 6 months I can count:

3 finished blankets
1 top that needs quilted
1 baby quilt that needs bound
1 mug rug
4 placemats
4 pillow covers
4 coasters
1 ugly doll copy
and 1 pair of pajama pants that are actually long enough for me - the giraffe! yay!

... and an assorment of practice and partially started projects

Not bad for my first 6 months ... now for some goals for the next 6 (I like half year goals, makes it less daunting and gives you some time to readjust in the middle :)):

• Learn to applique
• Learn to free motion quilt (the type that doesn't look like I puked stitches on the project)
• Try paper piecing hexagons - even if just for a small project
• Work on my "monster/creature" line of stuffies
• Finish 1 quilt each month
• Craft and document one non-quilting project each month to keep my love of crafts as diverse as it has always been

I am also working on the Children's Charity Quilt project (read more about it on my blog in an earlier post if interested) and I am sure that will keep me plenty busy.

So here's a friendly goodbye to 2010... you've been eventful to say the least. Hello 2011... please be good to me!

I won and boy is it a fabulous stack of stash!

I was in shock when I read on Pink Fig Design that "Tiffany comment #8" wont the FQ bundle of her fabric line "Miss Modd". I counted down and saw that HEY... it was ME!! :) I waited in anticipation a whole week waiting to get an email from her announcing that I had won and requesting my address. I was getting kind of sad/nervous when she never wrote, started thinking maybe it was another Tiffany who had won and I had gotten excited over nothing! Then one day as I was browsing her site, I noticed FINALLY on that post that she had asked the winners to email HER! Oopppsss... hahaha.

 After much anticipation and waiting this lovely set of 19FQs from her beautiful fabric line showed up at my door - one of each print, what a win! I was so giddy last night when I unpacked these beauties after work! Not just excited to have won SOMETHING... but to have won THESE Fat Quarters!

 I am totally into stripes, flowers, abstract flowers, polka dots AND of course bright colors--- and this line has all that and more! Totally my style and totally made my day :) Great way to end 2010 with lots of new fabric to play with in 2011!

Holiday Eye Candy

I absolutely love looking at blogs this time of the year due to the mass amounts of holiday crafts everyone is displaying. Here is are a few of my favorite holiday projects from other bloggers:




 Adorable snow man wreath (left) and powder drink mix containers made in to cookie or treat holders (bottom right) from Sew Many Ways - check out her awesome blog for great tutorials for these and many more great holiday creations.











Mug rugs are all the craze in bloggy-land these days and I have to say I've been bitten by the bug as well. This is one of the neatest ideas I have seen so far for a Holiday mug rug and definitely a pattern I plan on re-creating myself one day. Simply genius making a pocket for a letter to Santa or even cookies! Check out Pleasant Home

Stocking tutorials seem to be a favorite this month as well... I have seen some super cute ones but this one from A quilting life is by far my favorite. I have not tried Hexagons yet but this is so cute, it might just be enough to inspire me to try.

And last but not least, Crazy mom quilts has a pretty awesome pillow idea that I would love to try. This would be great for any season but I love the Christmas colors with all the white.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed the eye candy and are inspired to get out and make some cute holiday deco yourselves. My Christmas "to-make" list is not getting smaller any faster while drooling at what everyone else is making so I guess its back to the sewing table for me!

Happy Holidays everyone! Good luck on all your projects but remember to take time to enjoy the process and the season!

Ahhhh....

That is basically what runs through my head each time I look at the pile of projects on my ironing board waiting for me to have a spare hour or even minute to work on them.

Christmas is fast approaching and while time is running out quickly, my many projects are coming together slowly. Would love to show you some of them but I will have to wait a few more weeks until they head to their final destinations. Can't risk them being seem by their soon-to-be owners and ruining the Christmas surprise!

For now... just grab your face, give a little scream, ... ahhhhhhhh.... and then get back to work! :-D 

Children's Charity Quilt Project

Hi everyone and thanks for stopping by to check out information about the "Children's Charity Quilt Project".

Youth sunday school groups across the state of Delaware have teamed up to motivate the children to read their scriptures daily and combine this wonderful activity with a service project!

The challenge: Read in the scriptures for ten days straight

The reward: A quilt block for every 10 days of reading tracked and a celebration in October to show off the fruits of their hard work.

Each child will have the opportunity to earn up to 3 quilt blocks a month from Jan-Sept. At the end of this time all of the quilt blocks, collected by the entire Sunday School group at each church, will be made into beautiful quilts which will be displayed at the October celebration and then donated to various charities for children and adults to enjoy.

How can you help?:
Our group consists of 45 wonderful and motivated children. They are excited to read and earn their quilt blocks but we are rather limited right now with our supply of fabrics and any donations of cotton quilting fabric would be greatly appreciated by myself (the main quilter of this project for our group) and our Sunday school group.

If you are interested in donating to this great cause and helping me to reward our wonderful children for their efforts and bless some local charities, please email me at: tiffyfischy19702@gmail.com

Thank you for your time and consideration of this project! And a VERY warm and special thank you goes out to those wonderful bloggers who have been kind enough to share this information with their dedicated readers. I appreciate your support and assistance in this service project!

Far far away 2 - aka my love affair with Heather Ross

 I just got the best surprise in the mail today! Ok, I guess it is not a surprise if I ordered it myself... but I was still surprised it came so fast!

These are 2 of the plum variations of Heather Ross´ line Far Far Away 2. The cat and the owl, and sleeping beauty. In the picture below is also rappunzel.

I think only my friend Gina (who actually pointed this line out to me I might add!!) can understand the long drawn out love affair/ online stalking affair I have been having with this fabric. My collection is now most likely complete even tho I would love to have the entire set but alas, I have to curb my addiction a LITTLE, haha.

Check out http://heatherross.squarespace.com/journal/2010/4/22/introducing-far-far-away-ii.html to view the entire line in all its glory. Be careful tho, its addicting, hard to find, and rather pricey which is a lethal combination!

After all of the Christmas presents are done I will have to see what amazing project I can come up with for these beautiful fabrics. I can't just leave them sitting in my stash being pretty, it would be a shame and a waste for sure! ... Fellow crafters, any ideas??

New Camera thanks to Black Friday deals, woo hoo!

Thanks to a great Black Friday deal at Best Buy which only required us to stand in the rain at 5am for about 20 min... we have a new camera! Its the Canon Powershot SX130. It is larger than some compact cameras but it has an awesome zoom function and takes great pictures so far so I am super happy with it!

 Soooo happy to have a new camera for documenting all of my crafting projects. Also glad to have one that seems to do well without flash, in lowlight settings, and has a faster shutter speed than 1 picture per minute which our last one was averaging before it died haha.

Ofcourse the easiest victim for trying out a new camera is the family dog... so here are some shots of Winston`s photo shoot. I think he is a natural model :)

Thanksgiving coasters and a full belly :)

My mom recently furnished her finished basement and decided we needed some mug rugs down there. I immediately started creating these super cute coasters for her with the hopes of getting them completed by Thanksgiving. Unfortunately I was still hand sewing the binding on 2 during Thanksgiving and the other 2 the day after but hey, its the thought that counts right? Heading back over to spend the day with her and my dad tomorrow and will deliver the rest of the set to its new home. Yay for holidays, family, and a little crafting time in between stuffing my face full of yummy goodness :)