I also bought another shirt, a wonderful grey sweatshirt, and on it I embroidered "I'm the big sister" with some pretty flowers. Sadly, I didn't take a photo of that shirt prior to giving it to my little angel. Oh, and that shirt was only $1.29!
I like shopping at the SA Boutique because often times it inspires my creativity, it recycles perfectly good clothing, and the money goes to a good cause. It is a win, win situation all the way around!
Here is my little darling modeling her new hat and jacket that Grandma made for her! The quilted fabric I put into the previous post became this entire ensemble - quilted jacket and hat. It is a pattern I designed that makes the jacket out of a one piece pattern. It is sooooo very simple and what a scrap buster it can be! You piece (or go "whole cloth") a small quilt, cut out the pattern, bind it and this is the final result. If anyone is interested, the pattern is copyrighted and available at my website, Quilty Indulgence.
Madelyn Mary seems to take the modeling very seriously by all indications in these photos that were taken in western New York last weekend during a Grandma visit up there, but that really wasn't the case. She kept bolting for the hills - it was very comical and reminded me of when her own Mommy would run through the house (away from me!) with pieces of Halloween costumes or new outfits on her that I was trying to fit. Two year olds are simply not natural models or patient mannequins!
Here is another example of the jacket pattern. The one with the monkey applique was pieced. The citrus one is a "whole cloth" jacket. Either way, it is a simple quilting project and the scraps make the hat (pattern and instructions are included for that as well) so there is no waste!
Here is the pattern cover.
Yes, I am still quilting, as busy as ever. Trouble is, the items I am making are gifts and I know that the people that these gifts are going to read my blog. So, here is the first ingredient of something that I am creating right now. Can't say what it is, or what it is going to be, but I can show you what the first step looks like. Sorry for all the secrecy, but my hands are tied.....
Hope everyone is enjoying their summer and looking forward to the Olympics as much as I am. I love to watch those kids strive for their dreams - I am such a softie for that kind of thing.
Happy Friday! I have finally finished the big secret project! I have completed the copyright for my bib pattern, the Quilted Toddler Bib! I have some more patterns that I am working on and will get them copyrighted and posted soon.
The bib pattern grew out of necessity as I watched my angel of a granddaughter eating her first little bowls of baby food. Her daddy would warn you to watch for what he termed “blow back”. Then there was the “waterfall of food” and a number of other potential actions that were a constant threat to whatever my little darling was wearing. I immediately saw the problem and needed to think of a solution. Thus the Quilted Toddler Bib was born. I chased my granddaughter around the house with an old T-Shirt, snipping and clipping to get it to fit properly in order to make the pattern and then, because she wasn’t the most patient of models, I kept modifying it at home and taking it back for fittings. We finally got it just right and I started making them for her.
That’s when the fun really began because as the parents of my granddaughter’s friends saw these bibs, they wanted some for their own children. I became a bib making machine and then a light came on in my head and I realized that I really had something here. I just had to get it all down on paper, and then get that paper printed!
I wanted the actual bib pattern to be full size (not one you had to tape together), so that required “big girl software” so that when I took the final drawing to the printer, it would print all in one piece. The paper needed to be 24 X 30 inches and my home printer certainly couldn’t handle that task. During this time my granddaughter turned two and outgrew the original bib, so I then I realized I had to make a larger size. So back to the computer drawing board I went, and I overlaid the larger size onto the same paper, like you do with sewing patterns and back to the printer I went. The printer I was using specializes in construction blueprints and such, and talking to him about sewing patterns was quite a lark. He just couldn’t wrap his head around what I was trying to accomplish until I stated, “this is the blueprint to build a bib.” Suddenly we were on the same page! The rest, as they say, is history.
Stop by my etsy shop, if you will, and have a look around. I love company! Have a great weekend, everyone! 
I believe that my thought for the day, though it doesn't involve quilting, should definitely be shared. It is quite simple, actually. Above you see a teak Adirondack chair and stool. It is three years old and was looking terribly grey and nothing like it did when we received it. I was talking to the genius at Home Depot and asked him what stain and varnish I should use to revive my Adirondack chairs and stools and he said, and I quote, "Why don't you just rub in some Teak Oil?" Who knew? Certainly not me? At any rate, the above photo is the before shot, and the one directly below is the after. That stuff is amazing and I danced in circles I was so happy with the end result. A very good thing. Miraculous actually.
YES!!! I am so blessed! My daughter and her husband are expecting a new baby December 9th! That means I will have TWO grandchildren from the best parents in the whole world. I am so proud of those two, and my granddaughter is very blessed to have "choosen" them for parents. So, Grandma being the nerd that she is, I found what I think to be the coolest baby countdown graphic ever. Scroll down - it is on the right and shows the developement and days left until my new little peanut arrives.
It has been said the a true friend knows you better than you know yourself. I can agree completely with that statement, and I have proof hanging on my porch. Little more than a year ago I was blessed enough to have another quilter stumble onto my blog and post a comment. That led to emails back and forth. Literally thousands of emails have been swapped, and there was even a trip to the International Quilt Fest in Chicago where we were able to meet in person and spend one of the best days ever. Words just can't describe just how fun that day was.
