Click here for the tutorial as .jpg files on Flickr.
Also, take a peek over there on my sidebar. See that? You can now download .pdf files of my patterns directly from my blog. How cool is that!
Oh, I didn't go into detail on how to bind the quilt because there's no way I could improve upon Heather's tutorial.
Enjoy!
I was browsing Flickr in search of photo pools of baby quilts and appliqued quilts. I couldn't find any. So, I created 2 new groups. Please join in if you have photos you can contribute. Nothing better than Flickr for inspiration, I tell ya!
Here they are: Baby Quilts and Applique Quilts.
I also have a group set up for sharing photos of things made using any of the free patterns and tutorials I have over there in my sidebar. Share your creations here.
The Wild Things quilt is all finished and washed and is on its way to its new home.
Here's the picture from the book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak that inspired it all.
Today will be a day of rest and recovery! :-)
Yesterday my friends, Tara (holding baby) and Gwen (with a pacifier in her mouth), came over to help with the quilting. Doesn't matter to me that they have little babies to tend to. I still put them to work. ;-)
Gwen has no previous quiltmaking experience, but I think she may have caught the bug. Too bad her first quilting experience had to be introduced by such a rule breaker...she's ruined from the start! Tara has worked on quilt tops/blocks (gorgeous work, I might add!!) but hasn't gotten to the quilting phase on them yet. They both did a great job! :-D
The strawberry quilt is finished. Once we get the Wild Things quilt finished (we're getting together with the family whose baby is the intended recipient on Wednesday so we're on a mission to get it finished by then!) I'll draw up the pattern and write up the instructions for everyone.
Here's the back. Because you know I love the backs of quilts. The quilting lines are 1" apart. And I stitched a rod pocket along the top edge so it can be hung as well as used on a table.
This is Isabelle's guinea pig, Cookie. She had a rough morning. Her heart was beating erratically over a couple hour's time. But it seems to have normalized. She's one of our older pigs. Isabelle is such a good piggie-momma and she's been so upset. This side of having pets never gets any easier, does it?
The Wild Things quilt top is finished! My friend, Gwen, came over today and we got the border put together. UPS should be delivering the batting tomorrow. And the first of the quilting helpers will be coming on Friday.
I don't know if I had mentioned this here, but this quilt is for an adorable 12 month old, the son of a local mama-friend, who has recently been diagnosed with a condition that will have him spending way more than his fair share of time at hospitals throughout his childhood. Hopefully having something familiar to cart along will bring him comfort.
It's a group project even though I sort of commandeered the applique section. It wasn't intentional though. We had brainstormed such an awesome idea that I could totally see it in my head. But since I had never done any applique work before I was sort of figuring it out as I went along. I couldn't think of a way to show others how to do what I wasn't sure I could do. I'm so grateful my friends were patient with me while I figured it out.
I'm excited at the very thought of having a series of old-fashioned quilting bees! That way everyone will get a chance to stitch a little love into it.
I also started a smaller quilt (21.5" square) yesterday. It went together super fast. I have already started quilting it, if you can believe that! This one is a prize donation for July's weight loss challenge at Amitymama.
I've had this in my head for a while and feel such relief that it's finally out of my brain! Am I the only one who gets bogged down by all the ideas cluttering the mind?
Oh, by the way, I intend to write up the pattern for this one to share very soon!
I got an AMAZING gift in the mail yesterday! I'm not usually one to get all teary-eyed, but this did it! Everybody, meet Rose. She was created by my dear friend, Bettsi and is an EFA (Edith Flack Ackley) style doll. Bettsi's blog is where I first learned of and fell in love with this style of doll. I absolutely adore Rose!! Thank you doesn't seem adequate. I really did just have a birthday (last Friday)so her arrival was quite timely.
Rose seems happier in the chair, don't ya think? I think she'd really appreciate a doll stand. I need to pick up a few as the one I had broke.
I'm pleased to hear that the Giveaway packages are making it to their destinations and are bringing smiles to the faces of their recipients!! Enjoy, ladies!!
(Mrs. Royer, I wish I knew where that soap came from and what scent it is, but I don't have a clue. It is yummy though, I agree!)
The little jute basket is finished. It's about 5" tall and 7" in diameter. I'm not sure what it will be used for just yet. But I'm sure it's purpose will present itself soon enough.
And, I'm back to making good progress on the Wild Things quilt. I've got four movies to watch this weekend so ample opportunity to stitch down all the greenery. Then the borders. Then the big quilting bee style parties can begin!
Also, I want to spread the word about a new swap for which I just signed up, the Four Seasons Quilt Swap Check it out and sign up if you like!!
Have a great weekend!!
Progress is being made around here-both on the crafty front and on the recovery front. I'm just about all better (YAY!).
I finished this little quilt over the weekend. It's a Bare Roots pattern. I just love those patterns! Thank you, so much, Jenny, for sharing it with me!! (Jenny keeps hers on her kitchen table and you can catch glimpses of it in the backround of many of her pictures)
I wanted to make progress on the Wild Things quilt but we were out and about most of the weekend and I needed something portable. The Wild Things quilt is at a stage where it isn't portable. It's on the agenda for this week though.
I also started on this Annie embroidery (from a free pattern) in the interest of portability. It's for a future project-a quilted wallhanging for my bathroom, which is decorated in Annies and quilts. I don't usually embroider before putting the quilt top together. But I had to grab something fast and it was all I could think to pack. I can't leave the house without a project, you know!
I've also started on a little jute basket. I usually have a simple crochet project in the works. They get worked on when I'm sitting on the deck drip-drying after swimming or when I'm sneaking in a few minutes of crafting in bed by very dim light (so as to not wake the husband).
It took me a bit longer than it should have, but the giveaway packages are on their way! I hope the recipients enjoy their goodies!!!
Not much going on here. Still feeling poopy. I'm headed back to the doctor tonight since I have one more dose of antibiotics to take and the sore throat, fever, and fatigue have returned. The rash from Hades has just started to take leave, so there's no way I'm going to take a "wait and see" approach. This has, by far, been the worst rash I've ever experienced in my life. I'll be shocked if I don't end up with permanent scars.
Oh well, I'm sure no one wants to hear me whine. I have no cheese to go with the whine (wine) anyway. :-) I hope y'all are having a great Wednesday!!
Edited to add an update: I just got back from the Dr. and the strep is gone!! YAY!! I just have a secondary yeast infection on the insane rash and where the throat spots were. I've got cream and pills and should be back to normal soon!! :-)
We don't expect to see much of Isabelle today. The UPS truck came by with the final book in the series about 9am this morning.
Last night we all went to see the latest movie, Harry Potter and the Order of the Pheonix. Or, as Mason calls it, Harry Potter and the Order of the Felix.
Other than that, not much has gone on here the past week. I've been sick and have tried to stay dosed up on as much benadryl as a human body can handle to take the edge off the scarlet fever rash that accompanied the strep throat. Antibiotics took care of the throat issue but, apparently, the rash has to run its course. Bleck.
I wasn't getting much sympathy at home until I pointed out that scarlet fever is what led to Beth's demise (in Little Women). Even Isabelle was able to deduce that with antibiotics, it wasn't nearly so dangerous. Her sympathy waned a bit when she figured that out. ;-)
The Wild Things quilt and I have plans to watch some movies in a bit though. I can't stay away from crafting for too long!
Just for fun I'll share some of the hilarious pictures I found on my camera just now. 
I went the lazy route this time with picking names. Rather than writing them all out, I was instant messaging with a friend and I said to her, "Pick three numbers between one and twenty.". And I only told her why after she had given me her picks. Which were 2, 5, and 17.
So Lisa, Leah, and Mrs. Royer...please send me an email ( PrincessNimbleThimble @ gmail.com -without the spaces, of course) with your mailing address!!
I'm not much for following patterns for things such as this, but my favorite way of working up a dishcloth has pretty much become a formal pattern. I tend to make them this way because they work up super fast, have a good "scrubby" texture, and are kind of pretty while still being completely utilitarian. So here goes...
A size H crochet hook
worsted weight cotton yarn (one small ball is exactly enough)
Ch 36.
Make 2 DC in 3rd ch from hook. Skip 2 ch, then SC in next ch. *skip 2 ch, 4 DC in next ch, skip 2 ch, SC in next ch.* Repeat ** until end of row. Ch 2, turn.
2 DC in first st (last sc of the last row). SC in the center of the 4DC-cluster (insert hook between the 2nd and 3rd DC). *4DC in next SC. SC in center of the next 4DC-cluster* Repeat ** until end of row. Ch2, turn.
Continue in this pattern until you have completed 20 rows.
At the end of the 20th row, ch 1, turn.
next row: sc in each stitch to corner (29sc). Ch 1. Make 29 sc along each of the remaining 3 sides with one ch in each corner. Then connect to the first sc with a sl st. Ch1, turn.
NOTE: The bottom edge where the beginning foundation chain is contains 33 sts. Just skip a few for a total of 29 sts.
Picot edge:
Sc in first st. Ch 3, sl st in the same sp as the sc you just made. *SC in the next 3 sts. Ch 3, sl st in the sam sp as the last sc.* Repeat ** until you've covered all 4 sides. Connect last st to first sc with a sl st. Bind off.
Weave in loose ends.
Now go clean something :-D
I'm still blown away that people actually take the time to read my blabbering and look at my projects. Seriously. One of the reasons I started blogging was that I was sure my message board friends were bored to death with me and my never-ending string of projects. So I figured I'd go off to some quiet corner of the internet and play quietly. Not bothering anyone. It amazes me that so many stop by on purpose! And so I'd like to offer another Thank you! for your friendship in the form of a giveaway.
If you've been reading here any length of time I'm sure you've noticed I usually have multiple projects going simultaneously. This is especially true when I have something in the works that it's a bit of a stretch for me. Like now. Often these little, easy-peasy projects are a sort of palate cleanser for me. Relaxing and soothing, they leave me mentally refreshed enough to deal with the projects that are mentally taxing.
Recently I've been on a roll with crocheting dishcloths. I'll have three separate packages to send off to three different people. And each will include:
*One crocheted washcloth
*Some lovely handmade soaps (not made by me...I'm still too afraid of lye!)
*A pair of earrings
*A crafty book from my stash, which desperately needs culling.
All you need to do to have your name added to the hat is reply to this thread. When replying, please mention where your crafty interests lie currently, so I can pick a book you'll hopefully enjoy! And if you have a color preference for earrings, mention that too!
I'll draw three names next Friday, July 20th!
Thank you, all, for stopping by!!
Christiana's christening gown is all finished. The bonnet was an afterthought but it really seems to finish it off nicely, don'tcha think?
I ended up hemming it all by hand because a line of machine stitching just seemed wrong. And I don't know how to do a blind hem on the machine.
Oh! And there was a buttonhole emergency. I couldn't find the buttonhole foot to my machine that has one-step buttonhole capabilities. My other machine does horrid 4-step buttonholes that always look awful. 
So I pulled out my handy-dandy embroidery book and followed the directions for making buttonholes by hand. And I thanked God that I'm the type who learns best from books. The buttonholes had to be done today. And you know what? In my opinion, it looked perfect. Not that my buttonhole making is flawless, but rather that the handmade buttonholes really suited the old-fashionedness of the dress.
All the leftover linen gets to stay here, too! I've been eyeing the instructions for cutwork in the embroidery book!
One big project finished...just one more to go (the Wild Things quilt!).
I've been crafting!!
Jewelry:
Embroidery for a friend's daughter's christening gown:
Working on sewing the gown itself is on today's agenda. And my friend is coming over tomorrow so we can finish up. The christening is this weekend!
And progress on the "Wild Things" quilt:
Don't mind the dampness on the monster's face. I had just "erased" the water soluble ink. All of the applique pieces that have been made so far are stitched down. The embroidery is almost finished. This monster needs some claws oh his feet and he'll be done. The other monster needs all of his embroidery. Then I just need to add all the greenery and stitch it down. Then piece the border. Then my favorite part...the quilting!
And just for fun I'll share what happens when a person stacks all of the beads they were playing with on top of the cart used to store the beads. And then moves the cart. As the wheel falls out. Tragedy. This happened more than a week ago and I still need to resort everything. I just scooped it up into one container and there it all still sits.
We're also experiencing pool tragedy here. Saturday I awoke to find the water had turned green. So I added a shock treatment. The green instantly disappeared but was immediately replaced with milky, cloudy water. I tried adding clarifier yesterday but messed up by adding way too much. Apparently I'm quite bad at guessing how many gallons of water the pool holds!
So the water is cloudy and over-chlorinated. I have no idea if it's ok to use or not. Which is a bummer as the pool is where I've been doing my exercise. (I'm still working on losing weight...down 44lbs so far!). I suppose I'll give it a few days and see if the cloudy goes away on it's own. All of the other water levels show to be perfect when I test them so maybe I just need to be patient. And do icky exercise in the meantime. Bleck!
Oh! Netflix finally decided it was my turn to see Miss Potter. I loved it!! Watched it twice this weekend.
And then, this morning, I received an email from The Fat Quarter Shop with their sales and new additions. I could not resist the Beatrix Potter Victorian Nursery line. So a "jolly pack" and half a yard of the green pansies fabric are on their way to me. YAY! I have this book of embroidery transfers that will go nicely!
Well I've got a bit of housework calling my name. Then it's on to sewing the christening gown. I should have more pictures very soon!
Thank you for all the commiseration regarding summer stealing all the crafty time. Of course, now that I know I'm not the only one, it's starting to feel like it's ok. Only it's not ok. I miss my crafty time.
I've been in serious deep-clean and declutter mode the past few days. That can't be a bad thing, even if it does infringe on potential crafty time.
I did, however, eek in a little. I had to finish this apron that was languishing as a UFO (unfinished object) so I could be cute while cleaning.
In the backround, off to the left, you can see some of the banana bread I made today. Somehow the 24 muffins have disappeared (I didn't even have one, I swear!) since this afternoon. But I also made 2 13x9 pans so there's plenty left.
Banana Bread
1 3/4 cups flour (2 cups if I use 3 bananas)
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda (I use 1 1/2 tsp if I use 3 bananas)
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs (3 if I use 3 bananas)
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cups + 1 tsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Mush bananas. Add wet ingredients. Mix. Then add dry ingredients (stir, shallowly, to disperse the baking soda within the dry ingredients) and mix together until just combined. Don't overmix. Bake at 325 degrees until it passes the toothpick test. Makes 18 muffins or one 13"x9" casserole pan (spray pan with oil spray before pouring batter in). Recipe does not double well so make one batch at a time.
Summer is seriously getting in the way of my crafting.
How can I complain though, with kids this cute?
I have, however, managed to get a few pretty necklaces finished and listed in my Etsy shop.
And a few more reminders of summer for those in the southern hemisphere.
These pictures were all taken in my backyard, where landscaping is, obviously, not a high priority.
I'm about to start on a project that is a first for me. I'm delving a bit deeper into this world of quiting and am going to play with applique.
I'm not feeling nearly as confident as I usually am when trying something new. Usually I've ready a million and four books on the subject before I try something different. But this time I haven't read any books on the subject. Not one. Kinda scary.
I'm only working from a little snippet of information gleaned from this post on MiMi's blog that has been stuck in my brain ever since I first read it.
So here goes nothin'...
Also on the subject of "firsts":
It seems my homeschooled children have been deprived of the cafeteria lunch tray experience. We were at Target, checking out the summer clearance, and the kids went nutso over these trays. When were were paying, Mason even took it upon himself to explain to the cashier that these were trays just like the ones the kids who go to public school use for lunch. And then he mentioned something about "mystery meat". Silly guy!
Felix is a doll that came to be about 7 or 8 years ago. He spent the first year or so as a blank body. But when Mason got to be around a year old I thought it was time he have a little boy doll. So Felix got finished.
Here he is wearing a pair of pants he's borrowed from a doll named Jo-Jo (who has taken to calling himself "fartin' Martin" lately and no longer wears this style of clothing). Felix is a bit of a nudist, usually. He had his own clothes at one point but we gave up on finding them.
He's had a rough life. Flannel, while soft, does not make for strong skin. Felix has had run-ins with markers and lived to tell the tale. Lately he's begun hanging around with fartin' Martin, who leads a much wilder life than dolls with flannel skin should emulate. But he thinks Martin is cool and he tries to keep up.
Recently Felix found himself with a 4" gash that went from the front of his middle to the back. The poor guy was near death. I managed to close the wound and he recovered. 
Immediately following his release from the hospital Felix returned to living life to the hilt. To celebrate his recovery he went out and got a tattoo! Can you believe it?! Who knew Felix was so into the tropical look? I had no idea. And it does hide his scar nicely.
We're so glad Felix is doing so well. But we do hope he settles down just a little.
On another note, I've added lots and lots of new earrings to my Etsy shop!
Has it really been that long since I've posted?
I've had my nose to the grindstone this past week, working on a quilt. And it's finished! Christiana and her mama came by for a visit today so she got to take it home with her. That little babe is such a beauty!
Here are some pictures of the embroidery:
And just click here for a view of the back of the quilt, if that's your sort of thing (it's totally my thing...love the backs!).
It's been a long, long (fun!) day so a short post. Sorry to be so short after such a lapse. I'll be back with more tomorrow.
I took new pictures and redid the A-line skirt tutorial. (link in sidebar as well) All the blurry pictures have been replaced with clear and neatly captioned photos. Yay!
(Tiarnna, time for you to get busy making skirts!!)
And here's me (fresh from a mile and a half walk, so be kind) in my new skirt.
And this picture is the perfect segue for mentioning why my crafting has slowed down lately. You see, I've been dieting. I started six weeks ago and have lost 27 pounds so far. I just made a page at SparkPeople.com. If you use their site to track as well you can find my page here if you want to be SparkPeople-friends. :-)
As of the beginning of June, I've been exercising. I've been walking after dinner. Often with the kids. And often with a stop at the playground-which just happens to be exactly 3/4 of a mile from our house.
My old routine was snuggling up next to my hubby to do some crafting while he watched tv. Yes, I watched some tv, too. But I mostly listened. But this new routine of walking all over creation has put a serious crimp in my crafting schedule.
