Monag Brand Blanket

I  have decided that going forward when I do blankets I'd like to focus on baby blankets and use a ready made blank rather than sewing them myself.  I don't mind an occasional request from family or friends and really nothing quite beats minky but from a business perspective they take more time than I really have to give.  So, around Black Friday I had ordered a few blanks (Monag Interlock) from my trusty source Studio MCA Designs and when the invitation came to attend a baby shower at work recently I took advantage of the opportunity to experiment with them.  The verdict?  These stitch out beautifully and are very good quality.  I definitely plan to work with these as much as possible in the future.  And, I am IN LOVE with Hang To Dry Applique Designs' Steinweiss Script Font!!  I got several compliments on it and am looking forward to more projects that it will be appropriate for!

School of T&E: Toddler Christmas Top

A friend asked me to make a Christmas top for her daughter, Ariella.  She gave me complete creative license which I loved.   I scoured my favorite websites for Christmas designs but the moment I saw Studio MCA Designs Jingle Jungle Alpha applique and font I knew that was what would go on Ariella's shirt.  Just like Olivia, Ariella is a sweet little monkey and I knew this would be perfect for her!  Plus, with this design I knew she would get more use from it than just Christmas day and I think that is really important personally as a mom.

My first task was to find the right fabric for the A.  I knew just what I wanted but by the time I actually found it online I was terrified it would not ship in time.  I decided to put an APB out on my beloved Applique Forum and a sweet member came to my rescue.  I just cannot say enough good things about Applique Forum - I ♥ it!  I've never been involved in a forum of such generous folks!

This was a pretty big project for me in that there were several fabric changes and thread colors and then additionally it was my first shirt with my new machine and my first time merging a name and design into a 5x7 hoop with Sew What Pro which I am still learning.  Also, once I had completed the work I decided the monkey needed a bow so she could be more girly and that is was my first time adding a bow.  I need A LOT more practice with bows (and need to find some premade bows!!) but overall, I was very pleased with the final product.  And, I am happy to report that my friend's daughter "squealed" when she saw it!  That is my favorite part of this new 'hobby' - hearing that the recipient is happy!

School of T&E: Toddler Car Blanket

The Director at Olivia's daycare asked me to make her daughter, Megan, a blanket for the car similar to the lap blanket I made for Olivia.  I decide to use Minky like I did before but instead of fleece to use a cuddle fabric (not sure what its official name is).  All I am going to say is that these two fabrics together cause more lint than I've ever seen in my entire life of lint all added together!!  I learned a few really good lessons with this project:

1.  Use your Walking Foot!!

2.  Do not put the wrong applique on these fabrics and have to rip the seams to get rid of it - it will take you forever and the amount of lint such an error produces is unfathomable!

Below is a picture that show both sides so you can see the fabrics used.  This applique is Planet Applique's Sweetheart Alpha and the font is Boyz R Gross by 8 Claws & a Paw.

A

Craftaholics Anonymous Handmade Gift Exchange: An Experiment in Towels

I participated in Craftaholics Anonymous Handmade Gift Exchange in November.  I was lucky to be paired with a fabulous quilter named Kelly who blogs at Live.Love.Create.  She created this fabulous quilted wall hanging for me and quite honestly, just looking at it makes me want to learn to quilt!

She also sent a sweet homemade Santa Claus card and some scrapbook supplies as well!  

Thank you again Kelly!!

For Kelly, I decided to do a set of seasonal kitchen towels with appliques/embroidery.  I really had a few additional holidays in mind but simply ran out of time.  Here are the ones I did displayed together.

I think the cupcake (general use for birthdays or other celebrations) was my favorite.

It's a tad confusing to look at initially but I just couldn't resist using this filled embroidery design for the Halloween towel since Kelly has twin boys!

And, what would a gift exchange be without putting a little of yourself into it?  Kelly lives in a different part of the country from me so I had to share some Southern hospitality with the Fall towel.

Thank you Linda for the awesome opportunity to share our handmade craftiness with others!!!