A Birthday Pillow.

Yesterday was my friend S's birthday. And as I was terribly overdue for giving her a Christmas gift too, I knew her birthday gift had to be extra special.

So I made her a Hazel the Hedgehog pillow. I used a bunch of fabrics from stash, including a bit of my favorite tree batik print for his eyes and nose. The background is a white on white stripe that came into my collection at some unidentified point. I can't remember purchasing it...yet, there it was...

The back doesn't quite match the front, but I like it. (It reminded me of some of S's handpainted fabrics too.) I used an envelope closure, but I like the binding finish on the panels that the pattern suggested. I do a lot of envelope closures for my cushions--usually because I don't have the right size zipper on hand and I can't be bothered to go to the store or wait--and I think I'll start adding the binding. Time will tell.

This is finish #3 of 14 off my Q2 FAL list, woo! Now, to get those other eleven done!

Rainbow pajama pants

My linen dress and I are having a bit of a standoff. I require a more precise fit, and she is remaining mum and refusing to tell me how to best execute that. (What a jerkface, amiright?) Then, I caught sight of my fabulous new rainbow pajama pants waiting to be photographed. Game. On.

I was hunting through my sewing closet a few weeks ago for who can remember what, when I stumbled across a ziploc bag from the far away past. (Or, like ten years ago.) It was the fabric for BFF pajama pants.

I met my BFF in freshman French, and we quickly became tight pals. At this point, we've spent most of our friendship living in different cities--and even different continents at one point--but we've remained close friends, and she is my bestie. And when she was living in England, and I was in the US, I had this great idea that we would make pajama pants on one of her visits home so that way, even if we lived far apart, we'd remember each other because of our fabulous pajama pants.

I knew almost nothing about sewing. We went to Wal-Mart to pick out fabric, bought quilting cotton and a pattern that was probably for beginners, bought some fabulous trim, and cut up our fabric. I severely underestimated how much time it would take us to finish even one pair, so when she left to go back to England, I promised to finish the pairs and mail hers. I finished hers. And mine sat. For TEN YEARS.

Of course, the fabric got separated from the pattern, and I'd already cut the pattern pieces. Thankfully, pajama pants are forgiving, and my body shape hasn't changed too dramatically from college. I started assembling, guessing at the instructions. When I initially tried them on, I realized the waist band hit me extremely high. So I cut off some of the fabric. And then I cut more because they were still high waisted. And then I cut even MORE because they were still practically at my shoulders. Except that time, it was a bit too much, and now they are ultra low waist pajama pants.

Did I mention that I'm not sure we prewashed the fabric? So the first wash of these babies might be disastrous. One leg is about 1/8" shorter than the other, but you would never know if I didn't tell you, so I'm calling it golden.

Best part of the story? I called my BFF to tell her I finally had my pajama pants, and she was delighted. She still has hers. Still wears hers. Apparently they are covered in holes and about to disintegrate, but she has them. She says I can wear mine for the next ten years of our friendship, and maybe in 2025, we'll make two new pairs and wear them together. I love that we can talk about 2025 and know that we will still be besties.

This is finish 2 of 14 from my Q2 FAL list. 

A Happy Green Mini Quilt and Some Other Stuff

In the last week or so, I've had three small finishes from my Q2 FAL list. Since my list is about a bajillion items long, that still leaves me with a bajillion minus three to complete, but I've started, and this mini is the first I get to share with you.

A friend of mine is moving into a new place soon, and I thought she needed a small mini quilt to liven up her walls. That green is her favorite color, and I used some of the LV EPP flowers I've been making. It's not fussy. I didn't do much quilting--I left the appliqued flower lines to do that business for me--and the backing is the same green fabric as the front--a Moda grunge fabric that converted me to Moda grunge fabrics--but I like it, and I hope my friend will too. This is finish #1 of 14.

Also on the table for this week were suck pads. (Isn't that the most horrible name? But there it is.) For funsies, I told my husband I made suck pads, and he grimaced and looked at me as though I'd lost it. It was fun. Poor man.


(Suck pads are made to protect my Ergo baby carrier straps from the inevitable baby slime.)

I have been enlisted to make an additional four sets for other babywearing mamas in my life. But they take about five minutes to make*, so it's not that big of a deal.

*That may be a slight exaggeration.

Finally, I made my husband a bow tie. The plan was that I would make myself a pretty new dress, and I'd make him a bow tie, and I'd dress our three kidlets in matching shirts and we'd all look adorable for the family photos we were supposed to take this evening at a lovely park. The weather is not cooperating for an outdoor shoot, and my dress isn't done, but my husband loves his bow tie, and he proudly wore it to work today, and he was so adorable, and it made my heart so happy to know that I had made him something that he really really loved.

And now he wants a whole set of them. (Of course he does.) 

Q2 FAL List.

Q1 wrapped up well enough. Five of nine finishes, which is maybe more than I thought I would manage. For Q2, maybe I'll polish off more? But probably not. I had originally thought my list would be tiny compared to last month's, but that is soooo not the case. Nine felt extravagant last time. This quarter's...wow. I had no idea I had this many projects waiting in the wings. (And my list was originally longer!) So I best be getting to it to knock some of these off! 

1. My Nephew's Quilt

Fabric and pattern selected; cutting commenced
DONE

2. Banzo's Quilt
14 of 16 blocks done
DONE

3. Gypsy Wife Quilt
50% done with handquilting

4. Tula Pink City Sampler Quilt
all blocks done, need to set and finish top

5. BFF's Tote
Third 241 Tote of the year! fabric and pattern selected

DONE

6-8. Quilt for my Grandma, my Memaw, and my Great-Aunt

fabric selected, pattern selected, need to start cutting

9. Dress for Me

fabric and pattern selected
DONE

10. Quilt for Dad
11 of 12 blocks done

11. Epic Bday gift
front is pieced; need to finish
DONE

12. EPP table runner
fabric and pattern selected, templates ordered

13. Mini Quilt for L
EPP started, need one more hexie flower
DONE

14. Pajama Pants for Me
my oldest UFO--pieces cut out; need to be pieced
DONE

I'm linking up! Are you? 

Joanna's Quilt

Joanna's story is not mine to tell. I will say that some bad things have happened, and she needed a quilt.

I finished a quilt top ages ago, intending it for Project Linus. But there was never time to finish it up, so it sat folded neatly, waiting for its time. When I heard Joanna's story, I immediately felt the urge to make her a quilt, but as time is a scarce commodity around these parts of late, I wasn't sure how to make it happen. Then, I remembered this top. I slapped a bit of white around the edges to bring it up to 51" square.

Quilting was quick too--straight lines on the diagonal. Fabrics are various solid whites, and Kate and Birdie's Bluebird Park and Autumn Woods. I machine bound it using scraps of the prints, and I have to say, this is my best machine binding to date.

I pulled the backing from stash. I've had both of those prints for ages, waiting for the right project. But best of all, I pieced together a tan and white checkerboard strip that divides the quilt back. And on it, the members of my home fellowship signed it with thoughts and prayers and scripture. I won't share a picture of that--it's a bit personal--but it makes my heart happy to know that when Joanna wraps this quilt around her shoulders, she'll be wrapping herself with love.

This is finish #5 from my Q1 FAL list.