Love Bug Quilts

Quilt Label

Blanket Stitch

I was suppose to hand stitch an applique piece to each block for BB2's quilt, but I don't have the patience to hand sew so I was trying to figure out any way to attach the pieces by machine...and I did. Ta-da!

Looks hand sewn but it's not and it saved me hours of work!

Curtain

For Tasha's viewing pleasure...

Sneak Peak -- BB2's Quilt

Here is a sneak peak at Baby Banta #2's quilt fabric. Tasha and Josh decided not to find out what they are having so I had to choose colors that are neutral. I found a pattern that I wanted to try and for only the second time ever, I made my own collection of fabrics to use (usually I like to buy pre-matched collections). I went with navy, green, yellow and white. The baby's room has a bright green wall so I tried to coordinate with that. I have all the cutting done and the quilt pattern is laid out, but I have a long road ahead of piecing it all together. It's probably one of the more complicated quilts I've made. Check out my Facebook page for a preliminary layout (except for you, Tasha and Josh!). It feels good to be quilting again!

Sewing Day with Sarah Jane and Emma

A couple of weekends back I had a sewing day with Sarah Jane and Emma. I was a little nervous about working on two projects at once, but it went much smoother than anticipated. I was able to keep both the girls busy with something -- be it tracing, cutting, hand sewing or stuffing -- the whole time. Luckily mom Megan was there to help some also. Sarah Jane made an owl and Emma made an octopus. They did a terrific job!

...with hammer & nails

Mike and I are anticipating the arrival of our pullets next weekend. We decided not to get chicks so we don't have to buy all the extra equipment to raise them up right (some parents we'll make). The pullets will be around 20 weeks old so they will practically be full grown hens and ready for a coop. We converted an old rabbit hutch into a coop with a roost and two nest boxes. Then we enclosed the area around the coop with fencing to give the hens some room to run around during the day. It might be a little on the ghetto side, but we did this without much of a plan and it turned out great. As long as it keeps the rats, skunks and racoons out we will be happy. So here it is...

The human entrance...
The nest box and hutch...

The nest boxes...

The coop...

KitchenAid Mixer Cover

We have no more cupboard space so we have to keep our shiny new KitchenAid mixer on the fridge when we're not using it. I decided I want to keep it shiny and the best way to do that is to keep it covered. So I made this quilted cover today -- it took longer than expected, but was a nice little project to get some more quality time in with my new sewing machine (which I am loving).