Something for ME!

So many of my projects are for other people. Gifts, things for Jonah, etc. But this pieced blanket was something I wanted to create just for me!

Fred and I took a road trip up to St. Louis a few weeks back and on the way there I realized that I really should have brought a blanket with me. If I'm traveling by car I always take my own pillow, but didn't even think about taking a blanket.

Upon getting back home, I took note that I didn't have a blanket that I really would have wanted to take with me on a trip.

I can do something about that! I surfed over to Etsy and found this fabric, Bohemian Festival, that I kinda just fell in love with - as much as one can love fabric! I ordered a layer cake and planned a VERY simple pieced blanket with a self-binding minky velour backing. Whew, that was a mouthful!

I sewed a simple window pane with a 1" border around each 10" square. 4 blocks wide by 6 blocks wide, then 4.5 inch minky border (with mitered corners)

Here is the finished product. It took me 2 days from start to finish.

I also bought a little extra fabric and made a pillow case that matches.

It has a 4" minky edge with a bit of pink ricrac for added detail.

So excited for our next road trip!!

My First *Real* Quilt

I bought a layer cake (25-10"x10" squares pre-cut), I bought a pattern and off I sewed!

I decided to make the Disappearing Nine, or Magic Nine, quilt square. It's one of those "this looks hard, but is really easy" kind of things. And it is true. It looks like this quilt took tone of time to cut and piece, but it only took me working in spurts over 3 days. And that includes cutting, which is my least favorite part.

Then I sewed.

And then? I quilted. I really honest-to-goodness quilted. And it was a pain in the tooshie! Trying to control all the fabric? Half of it squeezed under the arm of my machine? Now I know why people hand quilt! Even though, it really only took me about 2 hours to completely machine quilt. Of course, I did the most simple, basic quilting in straight lines. Also, it's a BABY quilt... only 38x50... Don't know how much true quilting I'll be doing in the future. May be doing a lot of pieced blankets with a bit of top-stitching.

Ta-da!

I selected a coordinating grey sweatshirt fleece to back it with. Gives it a little heft, it's a durable fabric and added warmth without added bulk.

And, yes, our grass really is *that* green!