Hello from Ankara, Turkey!

 

Hello there.  Just a quick check in from Turkey.  I got here late last Saturday to visit my hubby and to take a little vacation with him.  It's already a vacation for me but he gets an R&R trip every six months with this company he's working for.

 

Tomorrow I'll do some laundry and we'll pack our bags for Ireland.  I'm so excited and can't wait.  Turkey has been very warm the last few days so the cooler temps in Ireland will be wonderful.

 

This was the sunset a few days ago.  I haven't really taken too many pictures yet but I'll make up for that in a few days.  :o)

 

I got to do some sewing this week while Richard was at work.  Did some blocks for a UFO and made my daughter Ashley a nursing cover.  I'll share pics of those next week.

 

Have a great Labor Day!!

From Upholstery to Baby Tom's

Another weekend of being in my sewing room for two days.  Man I LOVE weekends like this!!!!  :o)

 

First project was to make cushions for a glider rocker my daughter bought at Goodwill for $25.00.  The cushions from the manufacturer started at $150.  Amazon and Penneys had some too but same thing, $150-$350.  Sheesh. 

 

Friday we went fabric shopping.  I would not have picked this gray if this was for me but this is what Ashley picked out.  She said if they decide to keep it in their living room when they get a house, it will match better than a nursery print.  I suppose....   I still need to make something for the arms but I think I'll just do a band of fabric and stuff it a little.  There are snaps on the bottom of the arms but I'll just use Velcro to attach them.  The snaps look industrial and I have better things to do than to shop for snaps.  lol

 

 

Then my oldest artsy daughter bought a pattern on etsy for a little Tom-look-alike shoe.  I did a prototype to see if they were easy, hard, doable.  They are pretty easy.  And they're SO adorable.  Got the canvas at Hobby Lobby.  There sure aren't very many cute canvases out there.

 

These are the 6 month size...and will be for the granddaughter due in November.  hehe

 

Hope you had a great weekend.....sewing or not.  :o)

Almost All Done!!!!

I'm almost done with the baby bedding!  Yay.  The back of the bumper pads are the mushroom print.  The "doily" turquoise design and the mushrooms were Ashley's favorites.  I finished the dust ruffle last night.  My friend Carolyn gave me a pattern for the pads and dust ruffle but the ruffle on the pattern was pleated.  I decided this fabric needed to be gathered.  :o)  And there is no crib yet so the ironing board is having to make do.

 

 

Here is a close up of the dust ruffle, which is the same focus fabric for the center blocks of the stars on the baby quilt.  The little "Red" and wolf are so darn cute!

 

I love the big gingham cut on the bias for the cording.  I ran out of the fabric because the Riley Blake pattern only had nine stars and I made 12.  I didn't take that into account when I ordered fabric.  DOH!!!!  I had to piece some of the fabric strips but I figured once they are tied on the crib, it won't even show.  And I used every bit of it up!!!  That's a first.

 

I finished the binding on the quilt last night.  This picture is taken on my double bed so it's a good size little quilt.  I love how it turned out.  The original pattern by Riley Blake used red, aqua and gray.  I like adding the yellow in there.  It doesn't hurt that the yellow has cherries on it.  ;o)  I stitched in the ditch on the interior of the quilt.  The sashing is 1 1/2" and the blocks are 8" so it's nice and secure (I hope).

 

I outlined the stars and center squares.

 

 

 

For the outer border, I got input from my girls for the design.  I had several stencils and this was the top pic.  I love this little loop design.  It's just the whimsy the quilt needed without being too much.

 

This was my first time using my new sewing table and longer throat Pfaff for free motion quilting.  My stitches aren't perfect but they are okay.  More practice is in order.  All I have left to do are little things to complete everything....serge the under side of the dust ruffle, hand close the bumper pads (which I'm saving for Thursday night sewing with the girls) and a label.  Can't make the label til the new parents decide on a name.  That might happen after my little granddaughter is born.  :o)

Stitching in the ditch!

Waiting in the lobby at the dentist.  Thought I would do an update of what I've been doing.  

 

Sunday I sandwiched the baby quilt for my grandbaby-to-be.  Monday and Tuesday I stitched in the ditch of all the borders and the sashings.   It's starting to look pretty cute.

 

Working on stitching around the stars now.  I think I still have a couple nights worth of stitching.   Not sure of what I'll do in the borders yet.  Hopefully it will all come to me during the stitching process.  :-)