Cards Again...

I had hardly been able to enjoy the relief of having finished the teacher appreciation gifts and sent them off to school when Morgan came out of school with a piece of birthday cake in hand. I asked "What did you get cake for?" and she said, "Oh--today is my teacher's birthday." Hmmm...Panic....what to do? I do love Morgan's teacher, as does Morgan, and I wanted to do something for her, so I pulled out the trusty pack of white cardstock and my paper scraps and off I went. An hour later, they were cut, pasted, and tied up ready for delivery. AND I enjoyed the process--what more could you ask for in gift giving?

Is This Too Corny??

Teacher Appreciation week is here again...along with the dilemma of what to give the teachers as gifts. I hate to always give treats, and two of our three teachers we've had before, so between birthdays, Christmas, end-of-the-year gifts, and teacher appreciation two years ago, the pressure was on to come up with something new. Here is what I came up with--flower seeds with a little tag that says, "Thanks for helping me bloom and grow." What do you think? I was even able to find these vintage-looking seed packets. I was happy, but the real question is, will it make the teachers happy?

I Love Making Cards!

There is something rewarding about making cards. I think it is because when you make a card, or even a few cards, you can usually do it in one sitting. You still get all the joy of the creative process, but after an hour or so, you have a finished product. Not like quilting, which drags on and on. I love quilting and always will, but sometimes it's nice to create something that has more instantaneous results.

Two Projects Finished!

I finally finished sewing the bed skirts for the girls' beds. Hooray for being able to check something off my list! I also went and picked up Morgan's quilt. It turned out really cute--now I just need to bind it. After I get it bound, I will post a picture of it for all to see.

In the meantime, I am dying to try this quilt. A lot of it is applique or hand piecing, and I think it would be an interesting (and very challenging) way to use up some scraps, try a bunch of different patterns, and have something small to carry around with me to work on while I am waiting for kids here and there. I showed it to my mother-in-law, and she is excited to try it too. We are going to work on it together, offer each other tips, etc. However, she already has two (maybe four by now) blocks done, and I haven't even started. Oh well. I will wait until after we move, as I have a lot of projects for the house that I am trying to finish. Also, most of my fabric is over in the storage shed anyway. It will give me something to look forward to...

My Progress is Slow

Remember last week I said I had my work cut out for me, then listed a whole bunch of projects I wanted to finish?? Well, so far, I have a pillow sham half-made (I got frustrated and quit before I finished), and two bed skirts pinned like this one. I am making them with fitted sheets--putting the sheet over a mattress, then pinning and sewing the ruffle to it (thanks Natilie for yet another great idea). I need to get going if these things are going to be finished before we move! On a brighter note, my quilter called today and said she had finished Morgan's quilt. I will go pick it up tomorrow.

Family History Book

Hey look! I actually have a project that is not related to sewing or quilting! I have been working on compiling a Sanders family history book that contains pictures, family group sheets, and short histories of six generations. Tonight I typed a history, and thought I would share a glimpse of some of the pages. It's been a lot of fun to put it all together. Thanks Natilie for inspiring me to do this! I hope to continue with the three other sides of our family. I've got one in progress already for the Childs side.

Wedding Quilt

This is a quilt I made for my brother-in-law and his new wife as a wedding gift. Also a fun and fairly quick project. I finished this one in November, then sent it home with my mother-in-law, who quilted it, bound it, and brought it back when she came down for the wedding.

Disappearing Nine Patch

This is a fairly recent quilt. I finished it in November 2007. It's a baby quilt I made for my very cute niece. I used some leftover 1930's reproduction fabrics. For this pattern, you start out with nine patches, then cut them and turn them to make a whole new pattern. It was fun--thanks Linda for the idea. If you would like a tutorial on how to make this quilt, you can go to http://quiltsatcs.blogspot.com/2007/04/disappearing-9-patch-tutorial.html.

Joseph Smith Memorial Quilt

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith's birth, I made three quilts like this one--one for my parents (this one), one for my in-laws (I may post this one later), and one for me (still in progress). Each one of them is a little different, but I'm happy with the way they turned out. Each block is a symbol of part of Joseph Smith's life. If you are interested, let me know and I can post what each block symbolizes. One thing new that I tried on this quilt is the wavy edge at each corner.

Bunny Applique

This is the first project our ward quilt group attempted. It was also my first applique project. I used freezer paper, from which I cut out templates, then ironed them to the right side of my fabric. I then cut the pieces out, leaving a 1/4" allowance. I left the freezer paper on the front of the pieces, pinned them to the right spot, and tucked the seam allowance under as I appliqued. It worked pretty well for larger pieces, but I had trouble with the smaller pieces. I have since learned several other applique techniques that work a little better for me.

Buggy Barn Stars

As promised, here is a picture of the star table runner I made from a Buggy Barn pattern. We made this project in our ward quilt group. It was a little hard to figure out how to match up the corners, but with a little patience, I think I finally got mine to match up pretty well. Again, as with my other Buggy Barn quilt, this technique sometimes leaves you with color combinations that you may not be wild about. Maybe I just need to be better at choosing fabric that goes together.

We All Have to Start Somewhere

Some time ago, my Mom found a few things she thought I might want and brought them to me. One of them was this lovely afghan--my first attempt at crocheting (I don't think the yards and possibly miles of chains that I crocheted prior to this really count for much). I remember spending the night at my Grandma's and having her teach me how to make "Granny Squares." I was so excited to be crocheting for real. She gave me a bunch of little balls of leftover yarn and I went a little crazy. I have, on occasion, thought back to this time with my Grandma with fondness and remembered my first afghan, but I had forgotten just how UGLY it was. Anyway, when I look at this picture, it makes me smile. My Grandma was such a patient soul to teach me how to do this. My girls are always wanting to be involved in my project-making. Maybe I need to be a little more patient with their attempts at learning my crafts.