Punk/Goth Bears

I mentioned last week that I was sewing up a pair of punk/goth teddy bears like the one I made for my sister back in March. Her friends really loved hers, so she asked me if I could make them some on the cheap. 

To keep the cost down I used acrylic felt, painted the faces (instead of a combination of paint and embroidery), used almost all scraps and made them about 50% of the size. I still think they came out really good!

Bears altered from this Dolls and Daydreams panda pattern. 

I was already experiencing the beginning of the sinus infection that has me completely laid up today, so I didn't have much patience for photography. I'd find a shady spot and the wind would blow my tree cover away. I got three photos before I said, "Screw it."

Pleated skirts also by Dolls and Daydreams. Fuzzy boots are my own. 

It isn't very clear in the picture above (or this one, really, sinus infection, remember?) but I just had to try to get a better shot of the lace overlay with little red spiders on the web printed skirt. 

I wanted the girls to be on cell phones, texting each other. One was going to be saying "OMG!", while her friend said, "SRSLY?" I couldn't figure out how to do it, though. Polymer clay was my only thought, but then how would they carry them? I ended up leaving well enough alone and shipping them out last night. I can't wait to hear the reactions! 

Monday Moments

I went to the American Quilter's Society show in Grand Rapids this weekend! I took tons of photos (of the few quilts/booths that allowed photography) only to find out in my guidebook for the event that I cannot publish them anywhere! Not here, not Facebook...weird! I kind of get it, but I kind of don't. If there are published photos of these things elsewhere, why does it matter?

Things I loved:

Chenille: really cool technique and it looked so simple!

Mary Buvia. OMG! She was more uninspiring than inspiring, in the way that you look at her quilts and say, "I need to just give up now as I am NEVER going to accomplish anything this beautiful!" 

Halloween: I wanted nearly every Halloween pattern and fabric I saw. I really wanted this one pattern, but it only came in a complete kit for $139, which made it pretty easy to walk away from. Sadness! 

What I did buy was not much, and I'm kind of kicking myself for it because now I will probably not see these things for another year. I bought a paper pieced pattern for a mini quilt. Maybe not as mini as I have been wanting to try, but it calls for a fat quarter of backing fabric, so definitely smaller than anything I have ever done! I also bought a few fat quarters of some things I had been ogling online for awhile at cheaper than the online price (only by 50 cents, but hey, no shipping charges either!). Like I said, I wish I would have bought much more! 

Did you go? 

Free paper piecing patterns and what I'm up to

Have you heard of Quiet Play? I found Kristy completely on accident. I entered a fabric giveaway on another blog and mentioned how my son's favorite toys were LEGO (apparently it has to be typed like that in all caps) and that lovely blogger said, "Have you seen Quiet Play? She's quilting a LEGO mat." 

Kristy and I bonded for half a minute over our about to be five year old boys who carry around LEGO catalogs like Linus carries a blanket and she sent me her patterns to use (I am forcing myself to finish a couple other projects first...it is so hard!). But now, Kristy has spoken to the people at LEGO and they have said she can give them away to everyone! Go check them out, they are amazing! 

Also, I joined Pinterest. I really feel like I don't know how to use it yet, but so far my favorite find has been this lady. She has Cars characters, Hello Kitty, Finding Nemo, Smurfs, My Little Pony...more incredible stuff to paper piece!

In other news, I am shelving my quilt. Ugh! I hate to do that, but I have some birthday gifts I promised my sister I'd whip up, and they have a deadline, where my quilt no longer does. Want a peek?

Yep, this time I'm making two punk/goth bears! This time I'm also making them about half the size, so I'm omitting a few details and painting instead of embroidering. I kind of like the vacant zombie looking eyes, but I probably will add pupils to them and of course the little broken heart bit across the nose. I can't wait to get these together! 

Monday Moments: Tuesday Edition

Yesterday I was busy telling you all about how I completed my quilt top, so you get your cute baby picture fix today. 

Caroline is nine months old, and getting bigger...but not. She is wearing a 3-6 month onsie and pair of capris here. I will concede that it is a store brand (Kohls) which usually run large, and that it is one of the few 3-6 month things that still fits her. Her doctor is not concerned. She was born in about the 5th percentile and he expects her to stay there through her childhood, even if she did jump out to about the 17th for awhile. 

I took her to my friend's house over the weekend and she crawled all around, pulling herself to stand on just about anything. My friend has a niece who is only a month older than her and she marveled at how my daughter was so much smaller, but able to do so much more. I have a feeling that when she begins walking (probably soon, girl is cruising like a champ) I will be getting a lot of bewildered stares!

Quilt top with borders and a little bit of quilting!

Last Monday, I posted my goal for the One Thing, One Week Challenge at Amy's Creative Side was to at least put the borders on my quilt, but ideally, finish it in time to put it in my friend's charity auction. I got the borders on and proof is in this hilarious photo!

Of course, in taking this picture (that my son was totally trying to block me from, but instead got his photo taken as well, score 2 for Mom) I realized two things. One, that the small mistake I knew about and thought I could live with, I could not live with! Two, that the small mistake was not the only mistake. And if I was going to rip seams and re-sew, I may as well fix both of the mistakes and be completely happy with it. 

So that is what I did. Then I basted it, and started quilting, but it became apparent that in no way was I going to be able to finish it and eat, and shower and have clean clothes before the weekend. Oh well! At least I was able to donate my cute bunny to the charity auction! 

Almost finished quilt top

I said on Saturday that I may have a finished top by Sunday, and I did! Well, a top without borders anyway. 

My goal for the next week is to get the borders on and really, if I want the option to ship it off to the charity auction, it needs to be quilted as well. Just in time for me to set these goals, Amy's Creative Side is holding another One Thing, One Week Challenge. The prize up for grabs is a craft book that looks super cute! Head on over there and enter with me! 

A blog to follow and a great chance to win!

I am hard at working trying to finish up my UFO (there may be photos of a completed top tomorrow!) and dealing with this crazy moody baby today, but I came across a couple things I just had to share. 


Number one, the Ginger Scraps blog. I have not known about this blog or shop for a very long time, but for at least two months now (and maybe all the time?) they have been hosting a daily download! We've missed out on July, but are just in time to go collect a few pieces to one awesome kit every day for the month of August! The designer has hinted that links will be going away soon, so hop on it! And definitely add it to your list of blogs to follow for more generous freebies and great sales! 


Number two, and this may help you out if number one doesn't apply...in honor of her birthday the lovely lady behind Missa's Muse is giving away a copy of My Memories Suite Version 3! That's right, the very software I use to make all of my layouts! And the last time I checked, she only had five entries! Amazing odds to win! 

Finishing a UFO

I made three quilt blocks last night, which is actually a lot bigger accomplishment than it sounds like with a crawling, standing, teething baby. 

The shape may be familiar to you. I am making a last ditch effort to finish this UFO. The previous blocks to this quilt were the third things I had ever pieced. I liked the looks of them in my photos, and every time I came across the pictures I would say, "Why haven't I finished that quilt?" Then I would go dig the blocks out and quickly realize that up close and in person, they were really lackluster. I was so frustrated with it, that I nearly sold all of my finished blocks in my garage sale last summer! 

My plan for finishing this UFO is to scrap the blocks I hate (and there are quite a few, my tastes have changed over the years), group the blocks I like according to value (the values just aren't playing off of each other the way I thought they would), make it a lap size and quilt it to call more attention to the muslin bits that make up the sawtooth stars. I'm also thinking of giving it a muslin border with small star blocks anchoring the corners. That way the star motif will be more noticeable too. 

If I hate it, well, then at least I have this monkey off my back and a charity auction I'm donating to in a couple weeks!