Finished Scarecrow Hanger

Awhile back I posted a Quilt Inspiration Post about my scarecrows. I had started working on a door hanger however, when I posted it, I had not finished the hanger. I wanted to show everyone the finished door hanger and how it came out.


Here is where I left off. I had the scarecrows appliqued on and I was starting in on the hand sewing of the scarecrows faces.

Heres some of the faces done, but still a few more pieces to do. I appliqued on some pockets for each scarecrow.

This is the pair, after I finished. I put a few patches on their clothing, and their faces are complete!

Heres the male scarecrow.

Heres the female scarecrow.

I then did some free motion quilting all over the open areas, around the letters, and around the scarecrows.

Time to finish the binding up on this door hanger and add the triangles to hang it!

Complete and up on the door.

They came out so cute, and I have gotten a few compliments from some of my guests.

Thanks for stopping by and checking out the finished scarecrow door hanger for fall! I hope I helped inspire your next project.

Welcome To My Home,
Sarah

Wall Art/Mini Quilts

I have spent the last few weeks working day in and day out, during nap time and time when I should have been asleep, working on these cute little wall art pieces. I originally wanted to make them for embroidery hoops, but later on once all the pieces were done, and I realized how much extra fabric I had left over; I thought, I could make these into mini quilts, and still hang them on my walls! I recently came across mini quilts on pinterest and fell instantly in love with them. I was so inspired I just hand to make some.

I started the sewing machine piece, way back when I first injured my knee (September 2013). I finally had a chance to clean my sewing/craft room and came across all the material and instantly got inspired again. It did help I had a chance to go to a local quilt show recently too!

The process was pretty simple. I cut out 12 x 12 inch squares of the black fabric, and then come up with a sewing design I want to place on it. I used the internet to find all my designs, and just blew up images, cut them out and placed them on the fabric I wanted to use.

With each block I used a different technique. I appliqued using a blanket stitch, a whip stitch, straight stitch, and embroider stitch. I did all this by hand sewing. I used the machine to piece the outer boarders on, quilt it, and then the binding. I did hand sew the folded side of the binding. I also placed small triangles onto the back of the mini quilt (while putting the binding on), and then used a small wooden rod to place between the triangles to hang each quilt. Super easy and perfect to hide how you hang the quilt.

Now, heres a look at the finished quilts and some detailed shots:

I made each boarder unique.

The back had triangles to hang them up.

Up on the wall and my room is starting to feel like a sewing room!

Happy Sewing,
Sarah

Baby Quilt

I have tons of random fat quarter bundles, jelly rolls, and layered cakes. I get them when I see them on sale, or when I have a coupon, or if I am super lucky I get them from family or friends for free. This one I believe someone gave me. I have had it for years, I think. I know a mommy-to-be and wanted to make something personal for her and her soon to be born son. I came up with the design by taking a few different quilt ideas online and combining them. This bundle was 7 fat quarters. Two were the exact same fat quarter, so I really had a half a yard of one and 5 other fat quarters.

I wanted to do strips, but the size I wanted to do, I couldn't do with the fat quarters. So instead, I did a few strips (pieced together), a few blocks (quick), and a few small different direction strips/bigger blocks. Its a baby crib size, so when it was all done it was about 30 x 50.

I started by drawing out what I wanted to do with the fabric. Making measurement marks on the paper; what they needed to be cut at and what they would (hopefully) be when I was done sewing them together. I always measure, cut, or sew something wrong; so I tend to add an inch or half inch here and there for safety.

Once I have the design on paper, I cut. I began by cutting the longest pieces and widest pieces, then I move on to the smaller pieces. If I don't have enough of one material, I use a different one. I then use my design wall to move items around and change the design if needed. Which I had to do, as I did not have enough of one material, so I made two long blocks instead of one.

This is the design on my wall. You can see nothing is sewn together.

 Once I move the pieces around and decide on a top that I love or like, I then begin to sew. With this one I went in sections. The bottom section, middle section, and top section. The three long strips in the middle is the middle section. The top and bottom section are above and below those. Does that help?

Moving on, I then piece the long blocks, to the small blocks. Then sew the three long strips together, and then add it to the bottom section.

Bottom and middle section done.

I move onto the top section. Finished that, trimmed everything up and made it as rectangular as I could.

Top is done.

I then decided on a dark blue for the back, in flannel. I wanted it to be soft, but I am also working on a budget. I had navy blue flannel on hand and it actually looks great with the other fabrics. I then cut the blue flannel about an inch larger then the top on all sides. I did the same with the batting as well. I layered all three on top of each other, and then pinned it down with safety pins. Lots of safety pins.

Pinned and ready to quilt.

Once I decided I wanted to hand quilt this baby blanket and not machine quilt it, I then grabbed 3 different embroidery floss colors. Each color matched the quilt. One was a light yellow, baby pastel blue, and a white. I then stitched just a simple straight stitch around blocks, and straight across the quilt.

The top, hand quilted up close.

The back, hand quilted up close.

I then used the same color for the binding as I did the back. This helped pull the back color to the front and tie everything together. The finished baby quilt was better then I had in mind. I was unsure of the quilt in the beginning, but after I put the finished touches on it, I love it!

Folded up and showing off the hand quilted and hand stitched binding!

I love the back. The hand sewn quilting is just so much fun.

The front fabrics with the back fabric.

The completed front of the quilt.

This by far has been one of the fastest quilts I have done in awhile, on top of that, I hand quilted it! Its so exciting. I can't tell you how thrilled, energized, and excited I am that I hand quilted something. Its like a drug for me right now. I am still excited about this project.

Happy Hand Quilting,
Sarah

March Giving Thanks, Week 3

March 15:
     Husband of course has another weekend duty/work. I am just so thankful today that he got off in a decent hour, so he could see the boys and be with them for awhile. I feel like some days he doesn't even see them at all.

March 16:
      Thankful for a chance to attend a LOCAL quilt show! Its not every day I get to drive down the street and look at some awe inspiring, and amazing art. The ladies who made some of these quilts have inspired me to get working on some art work for my sewing room.

Quilt Show, this is NOT my work.

Quilt Show, this is NOT my work.

Quilt Show, this is NOT my work.

Quilt Show, this is NOT my work.

March 17:
     Happy St. Patty's Day everyone. We are thankful for a clean bill of health for my oldest son, today; as he had his 2 year old check up. It went great and we had no issues to address.

Having LUCKY Charms for breakfast, with his GREEN cup!

March 18:
     A day in San Francisco, that is what I am so thankful for today. Family time, a fun busy city, clam chowder in a sourdough bowl, and the Aquarium my son couldn't get enough of! Best Day EVER!

March 19:
     Thankful for a small window of alone time, and just enough time to finish up one of my wall art pieces that I sewed all by hand!

March 20:
      In life we experience big events, and small everyday occurrences; but to be thankful for a friendly face, a caring small conversation, and a sweet gesture to come over and hangout, can mean more then words can describe. I walk our housing area at least 3 times a week, if not more. I see officers houses full of toys, boxes of stuff they don't use, and probably haven't touched in weeks, if not months; I see enlisted families chit chatting with their neighbors, dogs and children playing, smiling and laughing. All while I walk around, day after day, seeing mostly the same faces, and same kids. Today, a new neighbor a few streets over actual came towards me when I smiled and said hello. She stopped, chatted with me, listened, and I am sure she will never know this, but that small conversation made my week. I still don't have any friends here, and just when I thought my biggest interaction with adults on this base would be the friendly smiles; the universe shows me otherwise, letting me have a chance of making a real friend. I am thankful for that. I am thankful for the ache I feel in my heart, has dwindled slightly and a small smile has appeared on my face. Tomorrow, I'll walk around our housing area again, and it will look forward to hopefully running into her again. There are still true real people in the world, feeling what I am feeling.

March 21:
     I am thankful for my husband being able to have a short day at work so we could take the kids to the playground. Which was a ton of fun. A small moment of pure happiness.

Give Thanks,
Sarah

Reflux Pillow (for my sons co-sleeper)

My son is almost 7 weeks old, and the past month, maybe more, he has had the worst reflux. He would eat and then spit up EVERYTHING! I felt horrible for him because he looked like he was in so much pain. He would cry and scream after feedings, and he never slept. We saw his pediatrician and he gave my son Zantac. It worked really well for about 3-5 days, and then it just slowly stopped working. I am not sure if it was because he would spit it up or if it just stopped working all together. Either way it was a waist of energy for us. I ended up giving my son a bottle of formula (Enfamil, Gentlease) and it helped him a lot! He didn't spit up and he slept! It was amazing. He also needs to be propped up so his body can keep the milk down.

My sons pediatrician recommended a reflux pillow. Okay, so when I got home I started doing the research. I started looking online at the different retail stores I normally shop on; Amazon, Babies R Us, and Target. Ummm, yeah. Those pillows cost anywhere from $30 - $170 (I think thats the most expensive one I saw). I thought to myself, that is just ridiculous. Why would I pay anything over $10 for a triangle pillow. I mean come on thats pretty much all it is!

So, of course I was off to my drawing table. Alright, lets see, could I make him a reflux pillow. I have tons of extra fabric, check! I have a 20lb box of fiber fill, check. I have a cardboard box, check. I think I can make one.

I have an arms-reach co-sleeper, so I measured the length and height I wanted to make it. I came up with these measurements.

Once I had the measurements I liked, I then cut all the pieces out.

I then took the right triangle side and attached it along the base of the square piece.

Once I had the right side on, I attached the left triangle as well.

I then added the back rectangle piece to the base square. Make sure you iron your seams if they are not laying flat.

Once the back rectangle is attached, I added the top square to the rectangle piece.

After the top was attached I started the tricky part, assembling the triangle.

All the pieces are attached, now time to assemble the triangle.

I started my assembling by taking the shortest side of the triangle (on the right) and attaching it to the rectangle back piece.

I did this as well on the left side.

I then continued down the triangle. I attached the last piece of the triangle to the top square piece (right side).

I then did this again on the left side.

Now you should have something that looks a lot like this:

I wanted to give the pillow a hard base, so I got out some cardboard, and cut a square piece about an inch and a half smaller, on all sides, then the fabric.(16 1/2inches x 16 1/2inches)

I flipped the fabric inside out, and moved over to my ironing board. I folded the last two open pieces in about a half inch. I ironed them into place.

I then slid the cardboard into the pillow. I pushed the corners into the base of the rectangle piece and bottom of the pillow.

Once the board was in place, I began stuffing the pillow (on top of the cardboard), using my fiber fill.

This may take some going back and forth, to your co-sleeper/or crib, to make sure its not too high. Once you have the height you like, then its time to stitch it closed. Now I didn't want the entire bottom to be hand stitched so I stitched the base of the pillow on the left and right side (leaving a small hole in the center) with my machine.

 I then finished stuffing the last little bit, pushing the stuffing into the two corners I just sewed. I then hand stitched the remaining opening closed.

In the end you should have a pillow that looks a lot like this one:

This is the co-sleeper with the pillow under the mattress. The co-sleeper has a hard wooden board on the base of the mattress, so the mattress pad sits perfectly on the pillow.

Now my son sleeps soundly, without spitting up after his night time feedings and he doesn't snore as much either! Its a huge bonus because I made this for zero money! I had all the supplies on hand!!

Happy sewing,
Sarah