jenny's block

One more block finished!

We were asked to stick with a log cabin sort of theme on this one. Wonky was also a suggestion. Wonky makes me nervous. I nearly paper pieced this which sort of negates the whole point of a wonky, improvisational block. Doing several smaller blocks that I joined together instead of a larger single block calmed my nerves.

Here's a rejected one that I'm hoping she can use on the backing. It felt too large in the middle and the other pieces got too narrow. I would have lost a lot of the edge pieces when I cut it to size for the block above. (This is why improvisation with limited fabric makes me nervous.)

I'm liking the little miniquilt that came out of this challenge. Tilt your head to the right when you look at the first picture. I think I like it better oriented that way.

thrifty thursday

This just might be my favorite piece of thrifted furniture ever-

A child's desk bought on a "half off day" for $25.

Trixie is incredibly jealous of Ellie's desk/vanity and would like her own place "to work". This will make the perfect gift for her birthday this year or next. (We'll see how she does with keeping markers on paper...)

The finish is a bit shot, so it may get a coat of paint or a sanding and fresh coat of poly. The legs needs some serious gluing and probably a screw or two from underneath.

But look what's underneath:

The paper portion scrolls through a over a dozen "lessons" and the slate slides out completely to reveal a hidden cubbie underneath.

I didn't see this part until I had it at home.

I think it was meant to be ours.

a day at the beach

A friend sent me some upholstery swatch books that she'd saved for a time. I added them to the stash, revisiting them every now and then, but still had no idea just how to use them. It took another friend to see the potential - "Make a quilt for her!" In one instant it was clear.

A beach quilt, named as above.

For a friend who loves the beach.

No batting, backed in a twill I had on hand and tied with embroidery floss at all the corners.

I had four squares left over, perfect for a matching tote to carry it to the beach or park.

Our weather today (65 degrees in Chicago!) had me hoping it gets used soon.

(To that friend: I'm headed to the post office later this week.)

the kids

Last weekend's Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown.

project bag

Just a quck little bag I sewed up using a Valori Wells sewing card. I like the way the casings are applied to the exterior, though I did make mine more narrow and longer than the pattern calls for.

The fabric is several years old, but I love the women on it. It's lined with the same fabric that was used for the casing.

All in all, a nice little tote for a small hand project. As she states in the pattern, once you understand the construction of one, you can alter the dimensions to make larger sizes. Mine's about 9 X 11 with boxed corners that make it about 1 inch deep.

thrifty thursday

I may be the only one who thinks this pamphlet has some potential for bags or kids' clothes.

Ruth gave it to me when I was preshopping her garage sale.

I haven't tried out the instructions yet, but if I do, I'll be sure to report back.

chris' birthday

This

+

=

for a dad who's turned

The CD recorder was purchased as a Christmas gift for Chris. We have an orange crate full of his old albums and no working turntable to play them (never mind that he didn't play them even when we had a working turntable). I had a feeling he wouldn't take it out of the box for some time which worked out great for me. With a birthday just a month after the holidays, I'm often short on ideas for gifts by then. The kids and I got it out and I sat recording his old Joe Jackson lps for a few hours. The kids did the artwork based on the name of the album and viola! Birthday presents for dad. I later found that I'd overlooked Beat Crazy when I went through the crate. Guess what he's getting for Valentine's Day.