Grandma update

Just a quick update on my grandma (previous pots can be found here and here): I mentioned that she was really out of it mentally. I feared she'd never return to the grandma I knew. But after some medication, she's much better. She knows who we are, and she speaks English again. And she LOVES her quilt, which makes me so happy!

Playing tag

Baby tag blankets are a quick and easy project, and they are a nice way to use up scraps.

The only thing is, the ribbon can get pricey if you don't have scraps of that on hand. And I never seem to have the right colors.



I am making shopping cart covers for me and a friend, and I used leftover scraps from that for this project.



The back is fleece. I used different colored, sized and textured ribbons, along with rick-rack. I made it small for little hands to handle.

He seems to like it.



I remember when I was little and would take a nap and my mom would sew up a present for me.

Puzzling

I came across this website where I guess you can make an online puzzle out of an image and then put it together on the computer. Well, lo and behold, one of the puzzle options is a picture of a purse I made and hand embroidered.



(click)

Only the site isn't really working for me. I just thought it rather odd because I never knew these puzzles existed until last night, then I happened across this quite by accident, not looking for puzzles. Just weird.

This is it on the top right. Oh, and the pot holders below that are mine, too.

Grandma's quilt

I told you all recently that my 89-year-old grandma fell and broke her hip. Until then, she was in excellent health and lived independently. She was still mostly herself through the hospital and rehab stay, then went to stay with my uncle. Apparently, she got some sort of sundowner's issue at night and was very difficult to deal with. This week, she got out of bed (she wasn't supposed to walk on her own) and fell in the middle of the night. She fractured her femur, ended up in surgery and back in the hospital. At that point, her mind kind of went. She has expressed that she's ready to die and she has reverted to mostly speaking Spanish and not really knowing what is going on. It's pretty awful.

In the meantime, I had decided to make this quilt for her. Unfortunately, now that it's done, I'm not sure she'll understand who I am or that I made it for her. But I do hope that it will brighten her days, few as they may be, at the rehab center. It is unlikely she will ever live away from professional care again.

Anyway, sorry for the downer story, but here's the quilt. I used one Moda Dream On Charm Pack for the front, sashed with yellow. I had a second charm pack and used four squares of that one, one at each corner. And I bought one yard of fabric for the green border, which is from the same line.



I do worry that the yellow sort of washes out the squares, but yellow is my favorite color. As far as I'm concerned, the world can't be too bright and cheery.



For the back, I decided to do something pretty (not just a solid fabric) because I had that second Charm Pack. So I did some lines and used white around them. The white shows off the squares a little better. I used a bright green for the binding.

I stippled this quilt, because I love the texture that it gives. Then I washed it to get an even nicer, puckery texture.

Too small for his britches

I recently went a little bonkers sewing baby pants. Actually, these pants from "Simple Sewing for Baby" are really quick and easy. They are one size, though, and too big yet for Brock at 8 months.



I got all of these cute fabrics from Hip Stitch, an Albuquerque fabric boutique and sewing lounge that is altogether awesome.



I added rick rack to the bottoms as a cute touch, and I think it made them 10 times more adorable.





This book is full of easy and cute ideas. I think some of them will make great gifts, too!



It felt good to put a dent in my to-do list. I went a little overboard planning projects that I don't have time for!

On another note, I'm almost done with the quilt I'm making for my Grandma. Unfortunately, she fell again the other day and broke another bone. She isn't doing well and I fear I may not finish it in time to give to her, but I'm hoping for the best.

Who is this young man?

And where has my baby gone? He's 8 months and a week, but in some of these pictures he looks like a little boy instead of a baby.

New and improved!

Hi everyone! After a good year and a half of neglect, I have updated my blog a little bit.

I have added "pages" up at the top for easy access to some of my favorite things. Many of those topics also remain on the sidebar for the time being. I think the saddest part is that there aren't comments on the pages, as opposed to posts, so where will the religious nuts leave their brave, anonymous hate messages to me?

One of the pages has my sewing/needlework projects. It's a time consuming process, so I have only managed to make it back through 2009. I'll add the ones before that eventually.

Anyway, I hope this makes Additional Jesus so exciting that you can't wait to check back for more! I should also add that I have been on a roll when it comes to crafting. During my pregnancy and Brock's early months, I just didn't have time or motivation. But now, well, LOOK OUT!

A wee quilt for my wee boy

I recently mentioned that I was visiting Emily's blog and spotted her cute kid's quilt made from Moda charm packs. It made me miss quilting, and it seemed like a quick and easy project that I was willing to take on.

I grabbed a couple of Max & Whiskers charm packs from Basic Grey for Moda and ordered 1-1/2 yards of one of the fabrics for the backing. I used 1/2 yard of another fabric for the binding, though that was cutting it close.

Here is the front:



Here is the back:



Close up of some of the fabrics. No, my corners don't always line up, but I try really hard.



I had an embroidered quilt tag made by esty.com seller From the Heart Creations. She was great about working with me to create a label that fit his full name.



This got me excited about quilting. I've already started on another charm pack quilt, this one with sashing. It's using the Dream On collection and has a vintage sheets feel to it. I'm already on my way with that one, so I'll have pics soon. I'm not sure who it's for yet. I guess I'll see how big it turns out and decide if it's a baby quilt or a lap quilt.