Felt paper doll

So this idea first started as a magnet doll.  Maybe I'll post more about it another time.  Carolina was not very happy with the magnets because she could not pick up the doll and play with it without her clothes coming off (she's only 2 and fairly head-strong).  So, my next idea was a felt paper doll.  It originally was going to have no face and be one felt thickness.  It turned into what you see here.  I sewed on the hair, underwear, and shoes to keep things simple.  Lina loses small things easily.

The clothes were originally just plain felt, but I thought it would be fun to add some fabric using heat 'n bond.  I didn't bother sewing it down.  It seems fairly secure and will never be washed.  The doll and clothes were created in an evening and some of the next morning.

Then Carolina informs me that "Girl" needs a pillow.  Well, she still doesn't have a pillow, but during naptime yesterday, I sewed up a case with a pocket, handles, velcro tab, and a padded half for her "bed."  She sleeps right next to Lina's pillow.  

New Life to Timmy's blanket

We've loved this quilt for over three and a half years now.  It's Timmy's "blankie" and the backside really started falling apart.  This first picture shows the blanket in March 2005, beforeTimothy ever laid eyes on it.  It was an awesome baby shower gift made by my sister Jen. After many months and many blankets, he chose this as his favorite.  I'm not sure why the backing fabric fell apart, but it was in very poor condition. I tried fixing the tears earlier this year, but the holes just kept coming.  

So, we picked out new fabric together.  I wanted to stick with a batik to keep with the original quilt. Surprisingly, Tim took this all very well and didn't mind too much about the new fabric or not having his blankie for two weeks.  The new batik is very different, but it does have dots like he wanted.  I separated the quilt and sandwiched it together with new cotton batting and the new fabric.  Rather than tying it, I felt like hand quilting. It took a little while, but I think it was worth it.  I created a double-fold binding with pieces from the back and barely had enough.  I finished hand stitching the binding last night and Tim had his blankie once again.  I was prepared for him to shun this new rendition (he'd already commented on how it seemed really different).  I put the blanket on him while he slept and he trooped downstairs this morning enjoying it lots.  I'm really happy it turned out well.  

And here is the blanket November 2008:

On the back, if you look closely, you can see where I stitched up a long vertical tear near the top.

Here is the new quilt back, after quilting.  

The quilted top. If you look closely you can see the stitches.  My quilting is rather uneven, but I don't hold myself to a very high standard with this sort of thing.  To save time, I just quilted every other square.  I'm really not sure if that is acceptable, but it seems to work okay.

Joseph's quilt

I finished this quilt for little Joseph the Sunday before he was born. It went really quickly, but with the kids, I really could only work on it an hour or two a few days a week, so it took me about three weeks to complete. I used the pattern from Last-Minute Patchwork & Quilted Gifts and I was also inspired by versions seen here and here. There's also a flickr group for the book that has more. I'm really good at putting things together crooked and uneven, but the imperfections were intentional here (most of them anyway). I adjusted the pattern in the book for a smaller crib-size version and instead of machine quilting the top, I did a little bit of hand-quilting. I really love the quilt and it's been getting lots of use the last few days. It's too big for him to drag around when the time comes, but perfect for a lap quilt for me!

Carolina's pillowcase

Poor girl, not nearly neglected as this blog thankfully, but she was using an old full-size pillowcase wrapped around her half-size pillow. Last time I changed her sheets, I decided it was time she had a new pillowcase. She picked out the purple fabric herself from my stash. Purple is one word that she can say and recognize. She really loves the pillow!

Onesie fun

The first two onesies were for a custom order. The third is for some punk-rocking mama out there. I'm not too crazy about skulls, but it might be kind of fun for the right little tike.

Apron swap

I finished the apron for the sassy apron swap and sent it out a week ago this last Monday (a little late, I know). I seriously liked this one a lot, but alas, it has found a new home. I used the Amy Butler In Stitches apron pattern again. I think I'll have to make myself one soon.

Tote bags

I made four of these yesterday for the young women at church. We were making "babysitting kits" for them to take on babysitting jobs with coloring books, etc. I made them all exactly the same so that it would all be fair. I really was hoping that one of them would hate theirs so that I could take one back home. I really like the final product. I used this book for inspiration, but changed the dimensions and the handles. It is a ladybug fabric on the outside with purple gingham checked fabric as the lining. I'll be making myself one soon.