Pink Foxes Rag Quilt

I’m so happy with this quilt!  This is only my second one that I put together all by myself.  My mom started making these for her friends quite a few years ago & when my friends starting having babies, mom kept on making them on my behalf – with some input and help from  me.  My first solo attempt at a rag quilt didn’t go very well & mom had to restitch the whole thing.  This was the day I learned about the value of spending the few extra dollars to get Gutterman thread…

I don’t have a picture of my first {successful} quilt, but will get some next time I’m hanging out with the little lady who received it.  Here’s an instagram sneak peak of the main fabric I used, which I posted many months ago when I was working on it.

I found the pink foxes fabric on a trip to JoAnns when I wasn’t even looking for any fabric, but I was immediately head-over-heels for it.  I also found the bright pink houndstooth on the same trip & you know how I feel about houndstooth!  I matched the very bright colors with some lighter pinks and whites from my stash.  The greatest thing about the foxy fabric is that it has so many shades of pink in it, that almost all the pinks from my stash matched!

You can see why it’s called a “rag” quilt in the photo above.  It’s not because its made from rags, but because you stitch it to allow the edges to fray creating soft ribs along the seam lines.  The nice part of this blanket is that it’s MADE to be washed and tumble dried, because it’s been washed at least three times before you gift it & it only gets softer with each wash.

Here’s what it looks like from the other side – much more like a regular quilt.

I won’t say this is a quick quilt to make, but I love giving something homemade, so it’s worth the work.  Let me know if you have any questions in the comments!  Do you make handmade baby gifts?  Do you have go-to gifts for specific ages?

It’s here!

I was so concerned that my package from Fabric.com would get stuck in the snow.  Luckily it didn’t! And to make things even better, the UPS guy came by super early today.  I immediately ripped open the package to see if my fabric choices were as pretty in person as they were on my screen.

And they are GORGEOUS!  The blues are a perfect match for the blue & green patterned fabric, and although the greens are slightly different, they work really well together.  I can’t wait to pull the sewing machine out & make some new cushion covers!

What do you have planned for this weekend?

Doing things in reverse

Yesterday I posted about all the felt I got at JoAnns (with my coupons!) & I shared some of my favorite felt projects.  I’m seriously IN LOVE with Jackie from Teal & Lime’s Helvetica Reverse Applique Stockings.  Oh and if you’re currently trying to (or may ever need to) turn builder basic into beautiful, you should definitely follow her blog!  Here’s a close-up of one of her stockings.

I plan on shamelessly copying her gorgeous stockings for our own home.  We have some pretty burlap w/ green ribbon stockings from West Elm a few years ago (which I got on their after Christmas sale for a steal) but since Penelope must have a stocking & Andy and I don’t want to share a stocking (ala the Petersiks) I’m taking to DIYing some.

Before tackling the more advanced stocking-making (Teal & Lime has a great tutorial on this BTW), I decided to try my hand at a Christmas pillow for the guest room.

What do you think?  The front of the pillow is some light grey synthetic felt I found in the remnant bin (score!).  The fabric peeking through is navy blue cotton, and the back is an envelope closure of the same navy blue fabric.

I used PicMonkey’s “Sketch Block” font.  I created a blank white page in the “Create a Collage” option, saved it, then imported it into the “Edit a Photo” option and added the text.  Then I saved it and simply printed it out on my printer.  You can either print it in reverse (if you remember) or tape it to the window backwards and trace it onto the HeatnBond that way.

Is it perfect?  Heck no!  But I’m glad my first try was on a non-stokcing project.  I definitely learned a few things.  1. While the sharp pointy scissors are great for cutting out the letters, my regular fabric scissors are better for cutting the felt in general.  2. Use the paper letter to determine exactly where the little cut-out pieces (like the dot of the “R”) should go.  3. When ironing the backing fabric to the felt, press from the back (not over the cutout letters).  I think I’ll also take more time to ensure that my letters are crisp before ironing the backing fabric on next time.

And one last picture of how it looks against the blue and yellow bedding in the room.  The grey striped duvet cover is currently on our bed (it has the winter weight duvet in it), so instead of having the yellow duvet folded at the foot of the bed, it’s on the bed now.  And I flipped the king size pillows to their blue side since it was TOO much yellow with the chevron and the circles.

Have you ever tried your hand at reverse applique?  I love that the felt doesn’t fray – it’s the perfect fabric for this project!  (Thanks to Jackie for the wonderful inspiration!).

 

 

I’ll be linking up to these great blogs: