My Bit of Earth

Pretty Loungin' Pants

One of my new favorite blogs is One More Moore by Morgan.  The other day I saw she had made these "wide-legged lounge pants" from Amy Butler's book, "In Stitches", and--since sewing is craft-of-the-month around here--I decided to make some too.

First of all, I love the book.  I checked it out from the library, but I think I'm ultimately going to have to just buy it.  There are about ten projects that I really want to do--the potholders, the bathrobe, at least two or three of the bags--I'd have to renew the book for the next year.

But, to get to the pants, they mostly went together very easily.  I messed up with my addition just a little in making the pattern--I made the front leg pieces about four inches too short--but it was a happy mistake.  I just cut the back legs to the same length, and they ended up being just right.  If they would've been four inches longer I would've had to put feeties in them!

I also had a little trouble making the buttonhole that the drawstring goes through.  My sewing machine has a setting that does it, but it wasn't terribly self-explanatory.  It took me about an hour of practice to finally get comfortable enough with it that I was ready to risk trying it on my mostly completed pants.  Fortunately, it worked!

Minus those two tiny freak-outs, these pants were really, really easy though.  Now that I know how to do the buttonholes, I think I could knock out another pair in an hour.  And they're soooo comfy--the hard part is going to be taking them off every morning!

(Oh, and just in case anyone's curious, the fabric is called Posh "Lace Seaweed" by Moda.)

Look What I Got in the Mail Today!

OK, to avoid y'all forever writing me off as a horrible, shallow person, I must say, I would have participated in Tricot du Coeur (the lovely Vivi's blanket knitting project for Victory Junction) for absolutely nothin'.  That being said, from the first time I heard that one of the prizes being offered up for those who made blankets was an Octophrost and wristlet from futuregirl, I was secretly hoping that maybe, just by some chance....

And what d'ya know, it worked out perfectly! 

Little Stanislav (see the story of his creation here, here, and here) arrived safely in the mail today, along with a meticulously crafted little wristlet.  (I didn't take a picture of the lining because the light was all weird, but it's SO perfect.)  Although Stanislav enjoyed spending the afternoon with me in the garden, I think--due to some untoward attention from the Wee Welshman--he's going to take up permanent residence in my office, where I'm certain he'll make plenty of new friends.

Thanks again, Alice! 

The Birth of an Apronista

Until a few weeks ago, I did not realize there is a whole apron subculture on the internet.  I blissfully baked away in a plain, denim work apron (stolen from one of the batches Sweet Husband's Nice Grandmother sends him a few times a year) and that was that.

But then I discovered the Apronista blog and corresponding network.  In just a few short hours, I was sucked in to the patterns and ruffles and prints and fabrics and even the...ric-rac.  All of a sudden, I needed a pretty apron.

I've not done all that much sewing before at all--certainly nothing even approaching clothes--so I picked a really simple pattern.  I also get really frustrated trying to figure out what goes with what at the fabric store, so I just stuck to two prints.

It actually wasn't all that hard to put together.  The directions were easy to follow, and it only took me a few hours....this could get addictive!

(FYI:  The fabric is from Amy Butler and the pattern is Simplicity 9565.)

Alabama Dish Towels

The "Alabama Stitch Book" has been making the rounds of some of the crafty blogs I read, and after seeing several cute projects I decided it was time to check it out from the library.

Most of the projects in the book are made using old t-shirts and are based on a "reverse applique" technique.  How it works is, you stencil a design onto fabric with paint, stitch two pieces of fabric together at the edge of the stencil, then cut off the top layer of fabric to get a sort of stain glass effect.  (Here's a close-up picture to give you a better idea.)

I wanted to try something easy to start, so I decided to make these dish towels.  I used two XL t-shirts for the main part of the towel (the white and gray parts) and a smaller blue t-shirt for the underneath bits.  I really like the way they turned out, and the t-shirt material is great for wiping up.  If I can collect enough old shirts, I may try a skirt next.

Grocery Shopping, Cute

Every Sunday morning after breakfast, I sit down with a cup of coffee and my computer (where I bookmark recipes I come across that look fun) to make the week's grocery list. 

Usually, I just make my list on any old scrap of paper, but a few weeks ago I found and downloaded this super fun meal planner from future girl.  It has spots for listing meals, ingredients needed, and even a little extra space for notes (such as, where the recipe came from--very good thing to write down for when you need to find it again!).  And the drawings--featuring a TV dinner and an old-school lunch box, among others--are adorably retro.

Last Sunday, I ended up going to the store in my sweats and I hadn't taken a shower, but my list was so cute even the check-out girl complimented it!

Ragged-Out Sock Monkeys

Prior to the Tricot Afghan, I was working on a rag quilt for my nice cousin's soon-to-be-born baby.  I actually have three my-age cousins all supposed to have babies on or about April 15 this year, but the little one I decided to put needle to thread for is not a first baby (as with Nice Cousin #1), nor a second baby (as with Nice Cousin #2), but a third baby.  And, as Miss Cornelia Bryant would say, later babies need extra lovin', thus the quilt.

I switched from hand sewing to machine sewing in the middle which resulted in just a tid bit of wonkiness as far as the seams lining up.  (I'm still a little afraid of my sewing machine.)  Overall though, I think it looks OK.

For a tutorial on how to make a rag quilt yourself, see Jen Yu's site  (I skipped the batting in the middle, and the part about sewing the "X's").

Little Nesty-Flowery Buttons

While it's fun to do a big project every so often, little one hour bits are usually more my speed.  Or maybe just more in track with my patience level!

And I've been crazy into buttons lately.  You can only wear so many pieces of jewelry on your body, but buttons can be stuck to a jacket, a bag, on a bulletin board, wherever.  (E.g., this one, which is riding around on my bag as we speak.)

So, with this and this as my loose inspiration, this evening I sat down with some left over wool roving (for the blue and white ones), some left over wool yarn (for the yellow one), and some spare beads, and I needle felted these three little jobies.  Add a tiny safety pin, and they'll be ready to go.

I can't decide properly if they're more like birds nest with eggs in them?  Or more like teensy flowers?

"Fruit Stripe" Blanket Has Left the Building

Woohoo!  Just got back from mailing my "Fruit Stripe" blanket to the lovely ladies of "Tricot du Coeur".  (Here's an explanation of the entire project; here's where I decided to get involved.)

If you will recall, I procrastinated a bit on this one, but through persistent work--on my carpool, on my lunch break, on vacation, and even during my cousin's wedding shower--I was able to get it done in exactly two weeks.  (My left thumb may never recover!)

Despite the last minute push, I really enjoyed the project.  I made a plain afghan for my college roommate once but, as far as different colors and things go, this was the most complicated crochet project I've ever undertaken.  In fact, I made it the way I did based on my own limitations; I get tripped up counting stitches, so I purposely did my stripes in rows of ten and twenty so I wouldn't have to keep track any higher than that.

And I still don't know exactly how I arrived at the colors I did.  I'm so not a pink kind of girl, but I think it just seemed very Spring-y and Easter-y at the time I picked it out.  I don't know if I would chose the same colors over again, but at the same time I'm happy with the way it turned out.

Last night as I was finishing up the last bits of the border, I kind of started getting a little philosophical....

Are there other things I could have done to help out the kiddos at "Victory Junction"?  Well, sure.  But, sore fingers aside, each stitch of my finished blanket is almost like a little prayer, a tiny affirmation to the (most likely) girl who receives it...you're going to be OK.  And I'm of the school that believes good energy like that is better than almost anything.  Especially when it comes in wrap-around form!

Much thanks to Vivi and Lghtngfan for hosting--way to go ladies!

Crocheted Easter Baskets (and Fun Things to Fill Them With)

I was playing with some yarn the other day, and it somehow turned into a few of these bitsy Easter baskets for my girlies. 

I couldn't tell you exactly how it happened, except that I started crocheting in a spiral (increasing by a few here and there each time around) until I had something that looked like this.  Then I continued going round and round--with less increasing, maybe one extra stitch for every five--to make the sides.  To help it hold its shape, I put the basket over the bottom side of a glass, wet it down, and let it sit there until it was dry.  Then I added the handle, which is just about a three stitch wide strip that I attached at either end. 

The entire basket is only about four inches tall--not very practical I s'pose, but, hey, it's that time of year when things don't really have to be!

As for the goodies to go inside the basket, the girlies had each requested a felted bead necklace, but I was afraid a full string of felt beads might be a little itchy for them to wear.  (I don't think we learn to suffer for fashion until later in life--at least 13 or 14, at any rate.)  So, I attached one bead each to a ball chain (from the hardware store, look for lamp pull chain) to get a similar idea without the wool having to be worn right up against the neck.  The wire that attaches the bead to the chain is a type of jewelry finding that can be found at a craft store (think long, blunt straight pin).

Then I ordered a pair of lovely "story girl" buttons from Lily Moon's etsy shop.  I've been quietly adoring the characters in her artwork for some time now.  She describes them as, "Thousands of bits and pieces of imaginary stories....I get an idea for a story and then it slips away, back to wherever it came from....and then another story comes to mind....maybe you can fill in the gaps and tell me how they end...! :)"  Now how much fun is that?

A Weekend Away, But Not From Crochet

I'm just about to head out the door for a birthday weekend away with Nice Mom and Sweet Sister.  Sweet Sister's turning 10, so we're off to the Titanic Museum to see what's to be seen and let her play at being one of her namesakes.  (Kate Winslett's character, Rose Dewitt-Whatever.)

All the while, I'll be crocheting my little heart out as sometime last week I realized I was getting awfully close to the March 30th deadline for my blanket for "Tricot du Coeur".  (I'm not a procrastinator, truly, I've just been kind of frozen with indecision as to what exactly I wanted to do.)  I'm making good progress though; I'm about a third of the way done and I've only been seriously working since Tuesday.  The colors are making me crave "Fruit Stripe" gum like nobody's business!

Have a good weekend everyone!

Pretty Paper Cut

I've got a file where I stick all of the fun looking ideas that come across my blog reader each day.  For a few weeks now, right there staring at me from the top of the list has been this tutorial on paper cut-outs by the lovely Ms. Skinny la Minx.  (Aside:  Isn't that the most fabulous screen name you've ever heard of?)

So, last night I picked out a little botanical drawing and got to work.  Less than five minutes later I realized the drawing I had chosen was waaay too complicated for a first try.

Tonight I surfed around for some simpler ideas, and found this one on etsy.  Much better! 

Since the paper I was cutting from (the patterned paper) was white on the back, I just inverted the design and printed it there rather than messing with tracing paper as the tutorial suggests.  Then, just a few easy cuts--I didn't even really stick to my lines all that well. 

I'm such a paper geek, I know, but I can't help but think of about a hundred different applications for this.  You could cut out names, different patterns, or even just doodles--it's endless fun!

How To Make a Needle Felted Necklace, a "Scrapblog"

I made this needle felted necklace last week.  At about the same time I discovered this nifty site called scrapblog.  This post is a culmanation of the two!  (The text is kind of small, but if you click on the logo at the bottom right it will take you to the site where you can see it full-screen.)  Enjoy!

I (Literally) *Heart* Shrinky Dinks

Remember that anatomical heart necklace I was waxing all "I want this" about a few days ago?  Well, after studying the pictures (and engaging Sweet Husband the Jeweler in studying the pictures) I determined a close replica of such necklace could be made with a shrinky dink.

I happened to have some ink-jet printable shrinky dink material around the house (from a failed experiment a few Christmases ago), so I found an anatomical heart drawing, printed it out, and shrunky-dunk it according to the package directions.  Lo and behold, it worked!  Yay!

Once the heart worked out, I went a little shrinky dink crazy.  Even the dogs got some new jewelry--a nice little family portrait to wear close to their (figurative) hearts.

Cupcake anyone?

This lovely cupcake pincushion is brought to you from the book "Warm Fuzzies: 30 Sweet Felted Projects."  It's kind of a neat little book, as the ideas are all ways to re-purpose old sweaters, i.e. the ones that mysteriously come out of the dryer five sizes too small. 

I actually just donated a ton of old clothes to goodwill so I didn't have a lot of sweaters to choose from.  Hence the outside of my cupcake is old sweater, but the inside is made from newly purchased felt. (And a cherry on top!)

For further inspiration, check out the Warm Fuzzies Flickr Group.  I especially like these little coffees.  (And if your library doesn't have the book, there's an instructable for the cupcakes here.  Just don't forget to felt (shrink) your old sweaters first by washing them in hot water and drying them.) 

"Lovely" Chocolate Wrappers

Another Valentines-y idea I've seen a lot in my rabid craft blog consumption is re-wrapping chocolate to personalize the wrapper.  I've had this idea--unwrapping a chocolate bar to write a love letter inside--in my tickler for a year now.  However, I ultimately decided I liked putting messages on the outside better.  (I can't find a link to where I found that picture, but for what it's worth that's where I got this idea.)

I bought some dark chocolates from World Market, pulled off the original wrappers, and measured them to get the size.  I set up a template in Word to match that size and filled in the words.  My printer wouldn't cooperate so I just used plain paper, but I think these wrappers would look even nicer on something a little glossy.  Once the wrappers are printed, just cut them apart, and use a little tape to get them to stay on.  (I tried rubber cement first, but it was more trouble than it was worth.)

The really fun part about these is deciding what to say.  If you follow the link above you'll note their messages are just ever-so-slightly suggestive--a very nice Valentine given the right recipient.  I'm planning to put these in my candy dish at work so I went with song titles with the word "love" in them instead.   

They're like little grown-up conversation hearts!

Felt Fortune Cookies and Other Fabric Food

The other day I stumbled onto one new crafting blog.  Before I knew it I had subscribed to it and thirty-three others, and for the past few days my head has been a-buzz with fun ideas.

One of my favorites by far is felt food.

I know!  How cheesy right?  (Pun intended.)  But seriously, check some of it out.  This etsy seller has eggs, mushrooms, and even a complete "squid dinner."  Here's a felt s'more, a plate of felt ravioli, and an entire felt Sunday breakfast.  Aren't they just so cute you want to eat them up?  (Again, intentional.)

But what does one do with felt food?  A majority of the people making it are advertising it as a children's toy.  Unfortunately, I don't know any children that are of an age to be interested.  Sweet Sister would give me a funny look and go back to her Hannah Montana.  Cutie Niece was way into pretend food six months ago, but the last time we visited she was all about Barbies.  She didn't offer me a single plastic Oreo.

However, just as I was despairing of my chance to take part in the felt food buffet, I found these adorable felt fortune cookies.  While they are clearly still felt food, I decided they're grown-up enough that my girlies might enjoy them.  And I always try to send a little treat at Valentine's Day anyway, so voila!

Sugar Skulls for Dia de los Muertos

While I love the hoopla surrounding the holidays I grew up with, I think it's sometimes just as much fun to learn about and observe bits of celebrations from other cultures and traditions.  A yule log or a buche de noel at Christmas...rising to see the sunrise on the solstices...the Feast of Persephone (which is pretty much my own made up holiday to a certain extent)...Hanukkah...they all have such "scope for the imagination". 

And in that vein, although I couldn't quite pull off the full celebration, this year I decided to celebrate Dia de los Muertos--the Day of the Dead--by making Mexican sugar skulls.

Candy Filled Broomsticks

I made these a few weeks ago--because I'm one of those people who are crazy and start celebrating holidays way too early--however I've held off posting them 'till now because, well, I realize not everyone appreciates my jump-the-gun tendencies.

It's another Martha idea.  I often find her crafts to be ludicrously complicated (or stuff you can buy cheaper and better than you can make it)--not so with these guys.  I bought small lunch sacks at the craft store rather than the full-size ones the directions suggest, and I sanded down the sticks a bit so they wouldn't inadvertently stab a young trick-or-treater.  I also made sure to pick out wrapped candy (Reese's peanut butter cups, rather than candy corn) so that the sticks (which were definitely not sterile, although I did rinse them off) wouldn't come into contact with the eatables. 

Trick-or threat anyone?

Cleaning Out My Stash, Planning New Projects

Without fail, every year right about the first of fall my hands start to kind of itch for something crafty to do.  I think it's a nesting thing, making the house cozy for winter and all of that....or maybe it's just that it's now cool enough to have a lap full of yarn or cloth or whatever....

At any rate, this weekend I pulled out some old projects I'd set aside and started thinking about some new ones.  I have a tendency to go crazy and buy materials for five or six different things--which, of course, then never all get finished--so I have a nice stash of unfinished projects built up!

But I'm going to try not to do that this year.  This year I'm planning.  This year I'm using up stuff I already have.  This year I'm going to get these three projects done before I even think about starting anything else.... 

First, this weekend I finished embroidering the edge of this Welshie quilt square that I started over a year ago.  The plan is to make it into a bag, I think.  Or maybe a lap quilt.  I may have to buy some more fabric, but I'm hoping I can use up at least a few of the odd scraps hanging out in my spare room closet.

Second, I also got a start on a pretty crocheted hat (the pattern for which is in this book).  I bought the yarn and book to make it...oh, maybe three years ago?  I've started a few times before, but had trouble (for some reason I can't remember) and got frustrated.  It seems to be going well this time though; I have the top part done, at least.  Maybe it just needed to stew a bit. 

Last, I'm going to make an afghan to donate to the Victory Junction Camp.  I found out about this camp through future girl, who found out about it through Vivi.  You can follow this links for more information, but basically it's a camp for kids with chronic illnesses.  They get to do all the typical camp stuff during the day, as well as some fun extras like Nascar cars and hot air balloon rides.  Each night the kiddos bunk-in under homemade blankets, and everyone gets to take an afghan (made by volunteers such as moi) home with them. 

It seems like a worthwhile project, and I've joined the group of other people doing it (over at "Tricot du Coeur") so that part will be fun too.  Oh, and the afghan isn't due 'till the end of March--also very good, because it might take me awhile!  I did have to cheat and buy new yarn for this one (because I didn't have enough of any one color anyway) but it's for charity so it doesn't count, right?

How about you all?  Is the (now officially) autumn air making anyone else feel crafty?

This Could Have Been Life Changing

I'm not a beer drinker.  Never have been, maybe never will be--even the good stuff makes my throat close up a little like I'm going to vomit. 

This has never been a problem so much as it was in my college days.  I was an amicable party guest, perfectly willing to BYOB; but often the drink I brought was a bottle'o'red.  And somehow precious few college boys--and the house parties were always at the houses of boys--own one of those little silver keys to the divine, aka a corkscrew.  Yes, I eventually learned to travel with my own, but before then, or if my corkscrew had been left behind somehow...eh, the memories....

Picture if you will, a group of gallant--possibly already slightly inebriated--young men standing around a countertop staring intently at my merlot:

"Well, we could just break off the neck...."

"Or maybe we could stab it with a knife and then pull it out?"

"Hey, why don't we just push it through!"

Needless to say, I learned to enjoy the tang and texture of bits of cork with my wine.

But then today, while aimlessly browsing the web, I found the most amazing solution.  On a website called "Instructables"--which would be a really cool site even without the next part, as it seems to offer step-by-step instructions for almost anything you could want to do--I found these directions for opening a bottle of wine with only a piece of string!

Brilliant!  Incredible!  If only I had known then....

Thankfully, most people I hang out with now do have a corkscrew somewhere, but I may have to tell them to pretend they don't just so I can try this nifty trick.

Counting Down the Days

For several years I've been searching for an advent calendar.  You'd be surprised at how hard it is to find one that's appealing to people over age 8.  I really love the advent house in the movie Christmas Vacation, but I just can't see blowing my whole Christmas budget on one.  Sooo....that leaves me waiting several years until we maybe have kid and I can live vicariously through him or her or still searching.

But this year I think I've found a solution.  Inspired by this pretty countdown tree, I got a tiny fake potted tree at the craft store, a little ribbon, some tasty, all natural, apple pie flavored doggy treats (they smell incredible!), and--wahlah--a pretty and grown-up little advent tree.

Do the dogs get that we're counting down the days until Christmas?  Eh, no, but they understand treats every night, and that's perfectly wonderful to me.

(On a slightly ironic note, however, the day I made this tree for the pups was also the day we had to put our Christmas tree IN JAIL to protect the presents underneath from the very same diabolical duo--I ask you, where's the gratitude?)

Glow-in-the-Dark Halloween Wreath

When Adorable Baby Niece was here last weekend, she and Nice Sister-in-Law made me this Halloween-y wreath.  It's going to live at my office today (Wee Welshmen + pipe cleaners = expensive trip to the vet) but I wanted to show it off here first. 

It was easy to make too.  Nice Sister-in-Law spray painted the grapevine wreath black.  Then she and Adorable Baby Niece twisted the bright pipe cleaners into all sort of zany shapes.  You could add a bow if you wanted, but I decided it's perfect just the way it is.

The World's Greatest Dishclothes

Sweet Husband's Mom and Aunt were making dishclothes similar to these over the 4th of July.  They kindly let me take a few home, and I quickly discovered that they are amazing.  They're a little bit thicker than regular dishclothes--and hence absorb much more--and the little spaces between the stiches are nice and scrubby.  Nice Mother-In-Law and Aunt were knitting them--which you could easily do--but, as I'm not a knitter, I decided to crochet a few. Using 100% cotton thread (this is important, polyester won't hold water) and a K size hook, chain 25.  Work the row back and forth in single crochet until the dishcloth is almost square. Then single crochet around the outside edge one or two times to finish it off. If you like the curly edge (like the one on the far right) go once around the edge in single crochet. The second time around, do two single crochet stitches into each stitch of the first row. If you do the plain edge you can get two reasonably sized clothes out of a small skein of thread. If you do the curly edge you can still get two, but the second one will be considerably smaller. These are super quick too! I can finish one a day during my commute to and from work--about 40 minutes. (But don't worry, I never crochet and drive!)

The Puglet's Pretty TuTu

This pretty tutu was made for my pretty little dog-niece Zoey.  My inspiration for it was this little pug, but, I have to proudly say, I made this incredibly more cheaply than I could have bought one.  It only took about a yard of tulle and some left over elastic.

To make it measure your pup around the belly and cut a piece of elastic (I used 1 inch wide) to that length.  Don't shorten the elastic to compensate for the stretch because by the time you're done it won't be very stretchy. Measure from belly to bottom and cut out several strips of tulle that are double that width.  Fold the tulle in half and sew the folded edge to the elastic, doubling over the tulle in random spots to make it poufy.  It helps to leave a little of the elastic bare on the ends (a few inches on each side) so that you can better sew the elastic together at the end.  Keep adding pieces, sewing each over the next, until you have a nice poof.  Trim your edges up nice and neatly.

Bella's "Bomb's Bursting in Hair" Barrettes

Looking for a nice bit of patriotic color for Miss Bella for the 4th of July, I went to the craft store and bought a few baby barettes and about a yard of ribbon.  Cut the ribbon into small pieces, double knot around the barette, trim the ends with pinking shears, and you're done!

Welsh Pride Plaid Coat

Welsh Terriers originally came from Wales (no way!) so I thought the Wee-Welshman needed a way to show some Welsh pride.  With a change of fabric and perhaps a different patch, you could use this to show all kinds of pup pride. To make the body piece, measure around the widest point of your dog's chest.  Then I measure from his front armpits to his mid-belly and double it.  Cut out a rectangle of that size and fold it in half lengthwise, wrong side out, to make a long skinny rectangle.  Press the folded edge. Sew together the three unconnected edges, leaving a small hole at one corner.  Turn the whole thing right-side out, and hand stitch the hole closed.  Re-press the folded edge in the other direction. The collar is made basically the same way.  Measure loosely around your dog's shoulder area to get the length measurement .  You can make the collar as wide or as narrow as you want--this one was about 2 inches when finished so you'd need to start out with 4 inches. Then find the center point on the top of the body piece and the back of the collar.  Match the two up and sew together.  Sew a bit of velcro under the belly and on the edges of the collar to fasten.  Center up the patch on the back, stitch it up, and you're done!

March Madness Mutt Fuzzy Collar

I made these fuzzy collars for the pups to wear when the Jayhawks played in the tournament.  Unfortunately, they did not bring us luck--and that's all I have to say about that. To make them, cut a piece of elastic that's about 1 inch wide so that it's about 1 inch longer than your dog's regular collar. Sew the two ends of the elastic together. Then tie the ends of two piece of fuzzy, contrasting thread to the elastic. 

Using the two threads as one, take a crochet hook and crochet around the elastic until it's completely covered. Tie off your loose ends and you're done!

Gryffin-dog Stocking Cap

Everybody loves Harry!  Even Moe got in on the action with this stocking cap in Gryffindor colors. I made this hat using a Knifty Kniter (the red one).  I braided together three pieces of yarn, knotted them off and attached them to the sides to make a ties that go under the chin.

Past and Present "Go Team" Quilt

When my sweet baby brother started college, he had a ton of t-shirts from all his high school teams. 

Choosing the most interesting  of each t-shirt, I backed it with stabalizer and cut 12 x 12 squares.  I cut an equal number of squares in red and blue (his new college colors) and sewed them together. 

Then, using red yarn I hand tied it through batting and backing, placing a tie every six inches. 

At that point, I ran out of time and took it to someone a little more speedy to finish up the edges.

Port's Personalized Hoodie

This is a semi-homemade doggie dud.  I bought this hoodie for Porter at the pet store and used iron on letters to make it hers.  Later when she tore a little hole in the hood a little bit of blue fleece made a nice patch.

Lilac Lady Lap Quilt

This was a Christmas gift for Sweet Little Sister.  The squares are 6 inches each, and it's hand tied at the corners.  I folded the back over onto the front to make the border.