Another Ruffled Apron

I have been having such a fun time making aprons lately!  Monday  I stumbled upon some awesome fabrics from years ago.  I am not sure how old all of them are, but the orange floral print I used in the waistband says 1972 on the salvage.  Looking at these fabrics really inspires me.  I love reminders of the wonderful, strong women who came before us.

Here is my first creation with this beautiful fabric.

I love that it is girly, without being your typical pinks and purples.  I hope some little girl loves it as much as I do!

I am linking up today with Amanda at Crazy Mom Quilts.  Thanks for letting us share with each other!

I hope nobody is feeling the pressures of Christmas yet!  Keep it simple, as much as you can.  Enjoy the small beauties of the season.

~Corrie

P.S.  I would be honored if you would share your quick Christmas gifts on my Quick Christmas Gifts Link-Up.

Baking Day

There is nothing more special than spending time in the kitchen with my kiddos. We get the Christmas tunes rolling, and away we go!  This one is always eager to "prewash" my beaters and bowls!

Quick Gift Link-Up

My girls are five and eight and still love it when I make things for them.  I have not made near what I did last year for Christmas presents, but I just have to do a little here and there.  I did a little hinting around the last couple of days to find out each of their favorite animals. 

This is what I got:

How fun is this!  I took a simple $7 shirt and, with the help of some of my fabric scraps, gave it a splash of personality for each of them.  I cannot wait for the girls to try them on!

Let me know your quick gift ideas.

An InLinkz Link-up

Black and White Quilt Finished

I had a lot of fun watching this quilt come together.  I almost did not slice my nine patches, knowing how much extra time it would take to piece them back together, but I am glad I did.  It creates a much more interesting visual between the black and white prints.

The most difficult decision was which color I wanted to compliment with.  My sister kindly nudged me toward this sweet orange floral pattern by giving it to me!  

Thanks Sister!

The days I finish a big project, I feel very fulfilled.  Thanks for letting me share, enjoy your day!

~Corrie

Blessings from the Kids

Although my house is quiet at the moment, I look around as I sew and have little reminders of my kids.  I am one of those crazy moms who miss them when they are in school!  Last night they started to fill my dining room window with these paper snowflakes.  We don't get a lot of snow here in the great Pacific Northwest, but we hang these every winter in hopes that we'll get at least one good snow day! I hope they are filled with smiles through their day, I know I am! ~Corrie

Sunbonnet Sue Library Tote

Who doesn't love Sunbonnet Sue?  I know I do!

~Corrie

Extra Squares

My two extra squares from my black and white quilt got turned into potholders. 

Elephant Tote

One of the things we do for fun is go to the library.  It is a very exciting trip for my kids.  I was thinking how cute a little bag would be for each of them to pack their books home in.  Enter my next project.. 

A tote with personality!  Now I must make more, and give each one it's own unique cuteness.

Top Done

Today I finished piecing the top of my black and white quilt. Now it's decision time. What to back it with, and what quilt design to use.  Darn, I may have to go to the fabric store and think it over!

It's Black and White

Currently I am working on a black and white quilt.  

How fun is this baby! 

I have really been enjoying it as it comes together.  And thank goodness for little helpers!

And of course I had to add a splash of color.

Basting A Quilt

Basting a quilt is much easier if you have one or two people to help you out, but there are a lot of times I get to this point, and just can't wait!  

So Today I am going to show you a couple of tricks that I have learned when it comes to basting a quilt by my lonesome.

First, start by laying your backing out on the floor.  Start in one corner and smooth it all out.  Then tape it as I have in the pictures above and below.  Be sure to make it flat to help avoid puckers, but avoid stretching your material.

Next, Lay your batting over your backing.  I have been using a cotton batting and find it really nice to work with, but this is of course just a preference.

This particular batting has a right and wrong side.  See in the picture below how one side of the line looks slightly dirty.  This side has been needle punched to allow the needle to glide through easier when quilting.  Therefore, this is the side we will want to put up.

I then roll the batting halfway back, making sure to keep everything flat as I roll.

Taking a section at a time I spray, with a basting adhesive, and roll the batting over the spray,  smoothing as I go.  Continue to the edge and repeat on the other half of the batting.  

Finally repeat the above step with your top.  Be sure to smooth it all the way out before you roll and add your adhesive.

That's it!  Now you are ready to quilt!  Have fun, and try something new!

~Corrie

More Apron Frenzy

For a certain Raiders lover!

A few more aprons to make, and I am moving on!

~Corrie

Feeling a Bit Grinchy

Just finished up a pair of mother/daughter Grinch aprons.  Hoping they will be put to good use this Christmas!

Let It Snow Apron

I was trying so hard to get this finished up today so I could link up for "finish it up Friday" with Crazy Mom Quilts.  With Halloween on the minds of four kids and class parties to attend, I did not get to it till tonight.  But here it is, better late than never right!  

A great big thank you to Crazy Mom Quilts for letting us link up!

                                    

Time to get in the season of Christmas!  My son picked me this pretty snowflake fabric.  I think he liked the glitter, he would never admit it though!  

                                    

 I just love little accents like this lace ruffle.

                                   

And who doesn't like ric-rac?  Oh, oops, there are some ric-rac haters?  Well I love me some ric-rac!

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween! 

Enjoy,

~Corrie

Throw Pillows

This weeks projects:

1.  Putting my house back together from the floor redo.

2.  Throw Pillows

The second is much more exciting for me, so of course I had to share with you my progress.  

My sister in law is a great decorator.  I wish I had her talent when it came to paint selection, and room decor.  But I don't, so she picked her fabric, and I made the pillows.

        

And of course, we have to plan for the messy life we live, so I made them slip on and off for easy washing.

         

Feel free to comment or contact me with any questions you may have.

Enjoy,

~Corrie

Kindred Quilters Weekend

I wanted to post this morning to tell you about a great journey some friends and I went on.

It started about 18 months ago, with a group of a few novice quilters, and the rest beginners, ranging in age from 16 to 73. The plan was to make one block a month for 16 months and at the end we would get together give every person in the group one of our blocks and put a quote together with them.  Simple enough right?  Well, for some yes!

We ended up in this beautiful valley.

My quilt top, patiently waiting for the next step.

A few members jump right in with both feet, and had their blocks done in no time. A few others get a little done here and there and we're done in a timely manner. And the others waited until the final week to finish all or most of their blocks!  But in the end, we all got together and had an amazing weekend full of laughing sewing and eating!

Our littlest people, helping lay out a quilt.

Our champ!  The first member finished.

I wanted to share this because I think it is something special for a group of ladies to get together like we did. I want to encourage people to do this in their own communities with their own group of wonderful women even if you've never sewn before, find somebody that has, and muddle through.

Another top complete.

She shocked us all by getting her queen size done!

If you want to start your own group, and have any questions, please feel free to e-mail me!

Sweet Girls

Our late arrival still kicked it out!

I think she's in the "zone".

The leftover blocks will be made into a quilt to donate to Love In Action.

This Little Piggy

Linking  up with crazy mom quilts.

I am very excited about this cute little apron (not to mention the cute buns too)! 
In the process of making this beauty, I have fallen in love with each little piggy!

~Corrie

Now available on Etsy.