Christmas Table Runner

Hello!

It's hot here in Southern California!
Some days it's so hot, that you feel like doing nothing. I made a couple of little crafts with Brenda, and lots of cleaning and organizing.
We did some summer activities, like movies and things like that. Still about a month until school starts.
This week I managed to do a little sewing, and finished this table runner .

I used only scraps and fabrics from my stash. I am really trying to use the fabrics and craft supplies I have at home.

I got the inspiration from here.
My blocks are smaller, the runner was made to fit my sideboard.

I think I need to do some more quilting, and them machine wash and dry.

I used about twelve different prints in green and red. None of the six blocks have the same combination of prints.  I always have a hard time piecing.  Somehow, I always do a little bit of mess up. These blocks were fun to make, but they are not perfect. I enjoyed very much making this table runner. I love the colors and the pattern.

I specially love the candy cane binding. It adds a nice finishing touch.
It took a long time for me to decide to make a Christmas table runner.  I could not make up my mind on the pattern to use.  Now, I just need to make a Valentine one to complete my small collection.
Have a great weekend and stay cool!

Ana Paula.

A Library Bag and a Door Stopper.

Hello!

I am working hard on finishing several sewing projects. Lots more to go!
Here are the two I just finished this week.
First, a denim library bag.

I have a storage container full of denim, mostly Brenda's. We donate a lot of her clothes when she outgrows them, but I still save many. I normally make bermudas of the jeans that get too short on her. So, I had lots of half legs of jeans.
Anyways, I wanted to make a new library bag, the old one was so ugly!  I made a pretty one for Brenda last Christmas, so ours was looking even worse.
We are big library people. We go every week for books and movies. Now that Brenda got the Harry Potter bug, she gets anything Harry related.
I saw a nice recycled denim bag on Pinterest. This is my version of it. There was no pattern, I just made up my own.

I had to cut one of my old jeans. No way it was going to fit me anymore.
I used cotton batting and a blue and white floral fabric for lining. I came out very sturdy, and we were able to use it on the same day I made it. Cool!
There will be more bags soon...I need to use all that denim.
My other project is this door stopper.

It was also made to substitute an old one. I used corduroy and a piece of this patchwork looking fabric. It made it faster, the pattern has a 9 patch block instead. This door stopper has a zipper on the bottom, so you can wash it. I really like this style, I think I will always make this one. If you want make it too, here is the tutorial from Lark Crafts.

Here  is the back. I need a little more dried peas to make it fuller.
That's it for today!  Back to the sewing machine.
Have a great day, and thanks for stopping by!


Ana Paula.

Patchwork Christmas Stockings

Hello!

I know... funny posting Christmas stockings in April.
I wanted to make them last year, but I got busy, and never made them.
Now, here they are!

I love the Scandinavian look. The matching stockings had to be red and white.
There are several online tutorials on how to make stockings like these. Here is one I like.
The quilt as you go style is the best. Very fast and easy. It's a no brainier.
The pattern for the stocking shape I got from one of my Holiday crafts magazines. I find it very hard to draw the pattern myself. I love this shape, not the old booty one!

The hard part for me was to attach the cuff. It was very bulky, It took me a while pinning and ripping seams. But I love the way they look! My family finally has matching stockings!
I made a stocking for Brenda when she was little, but never made for me and my husband. We had some old plaid ones for a while, borrowed from my MIL. I returned them so I could have a real reason to make our own. I did it now.

I like how they are similar but different. I collected red and white fabrics for a while to be able to make some projects, including these stockings. Not easy, Joann's has a small selection. A couple of years ago they had some new ones, and I got some. Besides Joann's, I only have one more fabric store near by. Sometimes I get lucky there. Sometimes on e-bay.

This is the fabric I picked for the back of the stockings, a cute peppermint candy print.

Now I just need to get some wooden letters to personalize them. I like this idea.
I am very pleased with our new stockings! It's so nice when a project comes out the way you imagined it!

Have a great week and thanks for stopping by my blog!

Ana Paula.

Back to School

Hello!

School started yesterday.  Life is back on it's old routine.
It's very hot right now in Southern California. Because of the drought, we only are allowed watering the plants twice a week. My little garden is not doing very well, but is surviving.
Hope you are enjoying your end of Summer. Here we still have some hot weather ahead.
I have some things to share since my last post. It was way back in June!
First, my Flip-it Stamps  cross stitch ornaments.

Here are July and August. I made some color changes on both. I am just so excited to finish my little collection. I am late this month, still need to start the September ornament!

 

I finally made a patriotic table runner for my sideboard. It's a simple one, made with fabric I had at home. I am trying to use the fabric from my stash, instead of buying more.

This is Mason, I don't remember if I posted him before, but he is too cute to not share. He is a Boyd's Bears cookie jar, but I never put cookies inside him.

This little flag pillow I made with scraps and tiny star buttons.

Another Cross Stitch finish.  This is "A Very Merry Summer" from JBW designs. It was on my to do list for a long time.

Three new clothespin dolls for my  collection! I just love to find the right accessories for each one. This time, I had everything in my craft "stuff".

I had great plans for baking with Brenda this Summer. But, most days were just too hot to bake.
We managed to bake a little, including a peach pie. Brenda made an small one all for herself.

Don't you love the many beautiful knit pumpkins on Pinterest? Some are made from old sweaters. Since I had no old orange sweater, I found some orange yarn and knitted one. It was very easy!

And here is my latest project. A pie carrier for my gingerbread loving friend.  I had this fabric in my stash. She loved it!
That's all for now. Hope you stay cool wherever you live.
Have a great day!

Ana Paula.

Some Cross Stitch and Other Fun Stuff

Hello!

The last couple of weeks were quite busy with end of the school year activities. Now Brenda is home and will be another kind of busy...it will be fun!
I was able to finish some ornaments.  Here they are.

The June ornament from Lizzie Kate's  Flip It Stamps series.  It was stitched on 14 count Aida oatmeal with DMC floss. I made several color changes.

Recently I got a couple of new patterns from Creative Poppy.  This little swimming girl is part of "Happy Childhood - Seaside" from Perrette Samouiloff. I love her designs and it's such a treat to be able to buy them online and print at home. The Aida is really light blue, not white as it looks.
 I made the ornament for Brenda to celebrate her swimming classes. Swimming is the only sport the doctor recommends for her, and she loves it!

These two ornaments I made a while ago and had not posted yet. The pattern is a freebie that I can't find the link now. I made the green and pink to give as a baby shower gift, but the blue and pink is mine. I just love it!
Now a little bit of sewing. We were invited to the wedding of a very sweet girl.

I made this casserole carrier  as her wedding gift.

Inside it, I put a Pyrex dish and a Gooseberry Patch cookbook. 

And here is the picture of a little tea party we had for Brenda's birthday. It was sweet and simple, but fun. She loved it.

She got the gifts she wanted, and I made a couple of new things for her room. An origami dress garland for the bookcase, and a little bolster pillow. I love those origami dresses, they are just so cute and so girly, I will be making more soon!
That's all for now. Lots to do around here.
Have a great week!

Ana Paula.

A little Sewing

Hello!

Last week I made something that was waiting for a long time.
I got a layer cake from Moda fabrics on e-bay to make a table runner but just never got to make it.
I love quilting. The problem is that I am not very good at it...but, I keep trying.  So, here is my Ruby table runner.

I love this line of fabric, an old one now, but beautiful. I played safe and just sewed the squares together. Simple, but fast and less challenging. Sometimes easy is the best.

I also made this pie carrier. Another simple sewing project.

It's just a padded square of fabric. You can get the idea with my picture, but if you need, you can find many tutorials online teaching how to make this.

To close the carrier, you just pass the middle of the fabric handle trough the two loops. Just great to take round or square casseroles to potlucks this summer. If you use a one way print fabric would be perfect. Mine is not, but I love this apples and pears fabric and used it anyways.

Last Friday Brenda went to a birthday tea party. I made this little apron as a gift to her friend. The birthday girl was one of those girls that have a lot of stuff. Hard to shop for...so, a cute apron was the solution. I hope she liked.
And now this week's sewing. It was kind of hard, a very difficult fabric to work with.

These are thirty long sleeve shirts that I had to sew a stripe of silver fabric on. Brenda's school is doing the Disney Beauty and the Beast play. These shirts are part of the costume for the silverware from the "Be our guest" song.  I volunteered to help with the costumes.
So, that's what I was doing lately. Lots more to come.
Thanks for stopping by, and enjoy your weekend!

Ana Paula.

May Ornament

Hello!
Just a little post to show my new finish.

This is Lizzie Kate's May Flip It Stamps. I made several color changes because I wanted something more Spring looking. I think it turned out cute.

I am very happy with my growing collection of Flip It Stamps ornaments. I had stitched just January and March before, but made the other three months recently.
Hopefully I will be able to finish the rest by the end of the year.

Last month was a busy one with several events to attend. Brenda's class had their "Walk Through the American Revolution". She was Patrick Henry, and I made her costume with a yarn wig and all. It was fun!

We also had the annual fundraising auction for the Girl's Camp  at my church. I made this cute cherry apron to donate. I love this fabric!

I also made my trifle. It sold for a hundred dollars! I can't believe that next year Brenda will be one of the girls going to camp...she will be twelve years old! I don't know where the time went.
Got to go now... I need to make a baby shower gift  and a costume for Brenda's school play.

Have a wonderful rest of the week, and a Happy Mother's Day!

Ana Paula.

Halloween Aprons

Hello!

Hope everybody is having a good week.
This is a very short post.
I just want to share a couple of Halloween aprons I made other day.

First I made this one. A little witches apron. Very cute with details in black polka dot.

 

This is the other apron. I used a vintage style kids Halloween print and a different black polka dot fabric. I just love the way both aprons turned out!
I am trying to post more often now, since I am making an effort to work on my projects, and stop procrastinating! :)  Let's see what I will come up with next...

Thanks for stopping by !

Ana Paula.