{Christmas Crafting} "Squares on Point Quilt" for Baby

The final gift to round out all of my coworker gifts this year is a baby quilt for one of the partner's in our firm, who had his first baby last May. 

I wanted to make an easy quilt with a simple pattern, but lots of color and a big impact. I also wanted to us up some Anna Maria Horner flannels and some great Linens that I got at a local estate sale. I decided to use my Squares on Point quilt pattern that I developed for a class last month. 

This quilt kind of came together as I went, and I actually ended up using 3 different linens. A nice grey linen for the quilt top, a nice dark navy linen for the backing, and then for a great punch of color I used my new favorite color on Earth, for the binding.

I just love this fabric. It is soooo nice to work with!! Seriously, go buy some Anna Maria Horner Folksy Flannels.
 

 

I actually worked on this entire quilt while I was teaching the class for the quilt. Given that I could only pay limited attention, I opted for super simple quilt lines. 

I don't think that I have ever been more proud of my binding job either, this quilt was ALMOST perfect!! Seriously, I actually did a really good job. I'm not boasting, I'm just happy that I finally have the hang of it.
 

For the backing, I used a dark navy linen. I wanted something super durable because this will likely be tossed on the floor and crawled all over. 

 

 Some more glamor shots for you!

I hope you enjoy!!

HOLLER!

{Christmas Crafting} Mug Rugs & Silverware Sacks

Last night I just knocked 15, yes you heard that right, FIFTEEN items off of my Christmas Present Bucket List. 

Thank God, too. I was getting really worried that I'd never get started.  

First up was getting all of my coworker presents out of the way. I don't usually make Christmas gifts for everyone there, but I was feeling generous this year!! Also, I wanted to test out my new Silverware Sack pattern and I played around with a few different topstitching and enclosure methods. 

Then, for the coworkers that don't travel much, I am gifting mug rugs to all. 

And then ... they were added to the Christmas Present Pile. Hahah. We really need to wrap these babies.




How are you guys doing with your Christmas Crafting???? I am doing much better than I thought I'd be doing. Honestly, I am just proud that I actually made us Christmas Stockings, FINALLY.

HOLLER!

{From Scratch Club} Embroidered Jar Lids

Hiii! 

As you know, I am a new contributor to the From Scratch Club blog. My craft post this month was a pattern for Embroidered Jar Lids for mason jar gifting. Check it out!!

HOLLER!

{Holiday Gifting} Silverware Sack

A good friend of mine approached me a year or two ago and said he had a pickle he was 

hoping I could help him get out of with the help of some handmade crafty goodness.

He said that he usually eats lunch at his desk, which most of us office slaves do. The dilemma is that he uses the same silverware everyday, and keeps the set in his desk drawer after he has eaten lunch and washed the silverware. Buttttt his said his desk drawer is kind of gross and full of pencil shavings (who uses pencils that have shavings? Engineers I guess?) and other crud that get all over his perfectly clean silverware. 


Thus came the trial, error, and eventual success that is the Silverware Sack. I wanted to call it the "Silverware Sacko", but my Husband wasn't sure how many of you would get The League reference. 

I actually went through 2 different versions of this Silverware Sack before I got the final model on the third try. I am not really a pattern writer, so it is often difficult for me to figure out the very best way to construct a project.

Here is my first try. For this one I used home decor weight fabric, which I thought would be plenty sturdy. If you take a look at the pictures below, you can see that the end product was a little flimsy. My buddy tested it out and said that he didn't like the feel of it, that it was far too flimsy. Also, I realized that it probably wouldn't survive the wash because the inside hem on the top was unfinished and would probably unravel after a few washes.


 




My second try was almost the polar opposite of the first one. The finished product actually ended up being too thick. I used Linen as the outer fabric, I interfaced that with a medium weight fusible interfacing, and then I lined the whole thing with quilting weight cotton. BOY was it thick. My super sturdy machine actually had quite a bit of trouble stitching through the last few steps too, as you can see in the pics below, because the feed dogs weren't properly feeding the fabrics through. I actually REALLY LOVED the color combination though. It might be my new favorite. I think that the linen color is almost a mustardy-chartreuse and the lining color was a really pretty winey-plum. Loved it. 










The third try was definitely the winner. I didn't use interfacing this time, but I still kept the lining fabric and used a heavier weight cotton on the exterior. I also cut 1 inch off the length because I thought that model 2 was just a little too long. At the end of the day, the Silverware Sack will probably take me 45 minutes to complete from picking and cutting fabric to putting the finishing touches on it. 

I am DEFINITELY making a bunch of these as Christmas presents for friends and family that 
work, and maybe even some coworkers if they are lucky! 

HOLLER!