Guest Bath Curtains

We had guests coming to stay, and since we had put plastic over the windows, I decided we needed some curtains. The plastic keeps out the winter drafts (and my Husband did such a good job you can hardly tell it's there!), but it traps the mini-blind controls behind it. I left the blinds half open to let the sun in but I thought that a little more privacy would be a good idea.

If you notice on the right, the shower curtain is pretty busy so I wasn't sure at first what would compliment them. I obviously couldn't make the curtains out of all patterned fabric or it would be too wild.  I settled for  a patterned section at the top only, and solid fabric for the rest. I searched my stash and found this medallion fabric that looks like it was made to go with the shower curtain! How lucky was that?!  I threw in an orange accent stripe to transition from the pattern into the plain linen.  They turned out great, except they don't bunch well when pulled aside because that strip is a few layers thick, making a stiff line across the curtains. I guess you always learn something when you make a project without a pattern...

A close-up of the top of the curtains.
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Birthday Card using Cricut Pagoda

The slew of fall Birthdays continues. This card is for my Husband's Grandmother and he even helped make it! We settled on this multi-fold card that features a panda holding a gift with the Kanji word/symbol for "celebrate" on the front. This card is perfect for his Grandmother who loves Asian decor -- she even has bamboo stenciled on her walls!

Project Details:
Cartridge: Pagoda, Create A Critter (For bow on present only)
Card Size: 4.5" x 6" when folded in half. Started with a 12" x 4.5" rectangle.
Panda: Pagoda Cartridge, page 36, cut at 2.75". I used foam squares to pop him off the card. *Remember to just stick the squares on half his body since the other side hangs over the edge of the card.
Bamboo: Pagoda, page 48, cut at 4".
Building: Pagoda, page 60, cut at 2.75". We used blue vellum behind the windows and openings on the building to jazz is up a little.
Giftbox: This is the present the panda is holding and it's semi-custom. From Pagoda, I cut out the Kanji word "Celebrate" at .75". You can find this on page 27, using the [shift key] +[ Kanji word key]. I put a piece of shiny light purple paper behind the kanji cut out and used this same paper to cut out a bow for the gift box. The bow is from the Create A Critter cartridge, pg 27, accessory + shift, cut at 1".
Misc: Stamped "Happy Birthday" in chocolate brown.

Birthday Card For A Young Lady (using Create A Critter)

So many Birthdays over the next few months! I decided to get a head start on card making so I wouldn't have to run to the store and buy a less personal one at the last minute. This card I made for my niece. I remembered from one of her previous visits where I let her play with the Cricut that she really liked pink. So I started with that as my base color. Then I thought...what would a young girl like? And I came up with a cute little dog.  All of these shapes came from the Create A Critter Cartridge.

Project Details:
Cartridge: Create A Critter
Card Size: 4.5" x 6"
Dog: Page 34, Terrier. Cut at 2". I didn't cut the very first layer that colors his eyes and ears. Instead I used scraps of pinks and a blue to color those features. I also put foam squares under the dog to pop him off the card.
Presents: Page 27, Bear accessory. I cut these in different sizes ranging from .75" - 2". I didn't end up using all of the ones I cut. The striped gift is 2".
Sentiment: Page 27, phrase for bear. I believe I cut this out at 1.75". Don't forget the dot for the "I" when you pull this off your mat!
Misc: Embellished with a strip of satiny black ribbon. Another idea for the card would to be to put a little party  hat on the dog.

Knit Skirt - Kwik Sew 3513

This was my first knit skirt. It's in a color that I call "superman blue". =)   I like that it has a fold over yoga style waistband. Arg! I didn't straighten the waistband before my Husband took the photo. oh well, you at least get the idea.

I used Kwik Sew pattern 3513, View B with a few alterations...

1- Shortened the pattern since I'm around 5'2" or so.
2- I also had to take in the waistband. Not sure if it is because my fabric had more than the recommended stretch or what. But I took in the waist a total of about 5.5 inches.  I just stretched it more to connect it to the skirt body so no alterations to the skirt body at the waist.

Other notes.
Sewed this with a Serger but hemmed it with my regular machine. I used a double needle for knits for the hem. A double needle makes two nice lines on the front and a zig-zag on the back and stretches.  It does require two spools of thread on top of your machine though, so I had to consult my manual on how to properly thread. I also set my stitch length to 3 to have a little bit longer stitch.

Overall, I like the look and it is soft and breezy.

Birthday Bag

I'm a member of Sweetwater's Label Crew. That means I get a project pattern with cute coordinating iron on labels once a month. One of the months was this Birthday Bag. I ordered their fabric kit (very reasonably priced... $6?) from their Etsy site so I could put it all together. I wouldn't have needed the kit if I had enough of their Sunkissed Fabric but I just have a few yards of a few different prints and one charm pack that I can't part with. =)  The project labels coordinate with their current fabric lines as you can see from the Birthday label on the bag tag.  I still have three more birthday tags left and each are different.

I started the bag late last night and finished it up this afternoon. I did a few things different from the pattern... I added lightweight interfacing to the handles and I added a covered peltex bottom insert to help the bag stand up.

Kitty Cat Get Well Card (using Cricut Create a Critter & Paisly Cartridge)

My Aunt loves cats, so I made  her a special get well card. It's inspired by the cute cat tag I saw on Made By MoMo's blog where she used the glasses from the Paisley cartridge on the cat from the Create A Critter cartridge.

Froggy Valentine Card (using Cricut Create a Critter Cartridge)

I just got my first Cricut machine from my Husband. (I blame my Mother-in-law, Trish, for getting me addicted to paper crafts this Christmas!) Anyhow, she came for a visit and we had some fun making cards. I'm in a real pink & red mood so I thought Valentine cards would be fun. I usually don't get into that holiday or really celebrate it, but with the blah winter colors I needed the brightness of these lovely colors. After searching the web for inspiration,  I found this great froggy card on http://www.cricutholiday.com/ -- Here is a direct link to their Valentine Froggy card.

The inspiration card used the Paisley cartridge, but I instead made this card with the Create A Critter cartridge as it contains a frog I find cuter as well as a lily pad. 

Other notes:
Trish put the words together for the front using her Gypsy; I used her Martha Stewart heart edge/border punch on the front; I used a Valentine stamp on the inside of the card with brown ink.

Fishy Card (using Cricut Create a Critter Cartridge)

I just got my first Cricut this week and I have been playing around with it. I decided to make a fish card for my Grandfather with the Create a Critter cartridge.

Cherry Pincushion

This pincushion is made from the pattern "kelly's pincushions" that is in the book "Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts".  I made it for my Grandmother's birthday using red and aqua fabrics and aqua floss. I added the button to cover up the string intersections. I topped off the gift with a new set of blue Fons & Porter glass head pins to match.

Project Notes:

• I stuffed this with Quilters Dream's Sweet Dreams cotton stuffing that I purchased from Purl Soho's website. This stuffing is heavier than poly/synthetic and packs well. I'm glad I used it.
• I  had a hard time sewing the floss around the cushion seams. Since so many seams meet at the top and bottom, shoving a large needle through that is hard. I would push it through with my thimble and my husband would yank it out with pliers.... I was able to get it through on my own a few times with a little work. Maybe I could have found a needle better suited for this. I just bought one in the isle where I found the floss at the store. (I know nothing about embroidery stuffs.)

Ice Luminaries

(A post by Dawn's not-as-crafty husband Ben!)



The church I attended in Marquette would put out ice votive holders to line the walkway and steps every Christmas Eve for the candlelight service. I thought it would be fun to make something similar for our walkway. Unfortunately, lower Michigan doesn't get nearly as cold as Upper Michigan and so it took so long for these to freeze that I was only able to make a few.

To make an ice luminary, you need a bucket, something to mold out a spot for the candle (like another bucket!), water, and candles. It's a cheap, fast project and it's festive... especially for those of us in these northern climes where it's dark for far too long.