2015 Recap!

I know we're probably all getting tired of these recap posts, but I can't let January go by without doing one for myself.  :p

SO.  2015.

The year started out pretty slow on the sewing front, as I was busy being pregnant and having a baby.  :)  Then, once I started to feel comfortable being a mom to three, I started getting back into sewing regularly and by the end of the year things were super crazy.  Things are finally slowing down again and it's been nice to work on a few selfish sewing projects with a more relaxed schedule.

I made 8 quilts in 2015.  4 Queen size, 2 baby size, and 2 lap size (these were for Do.Good Stitches and were donated to charity):

Korina's Radio Way
Cheyanne's Wedding Quilt
Do.Good: I Spy bubbles
Blocks from the Past Sampler
Puzzle Quilt
Polar Bear Quilt
Giggle Puff Quilt
Do.Good:  Star Cluster/Nine Patch

I started the year with a great idea to make one seasonal pillow for each month.  I ended up with 6.  :)

February Pillow
March Pillow
April/May Pillows
June/July Pillows

I participated in 4 swaps (2 minis, 1 pillow, 1 pouch):

SchnitzelandBoo Mini
NMQGuild Mini
PillowTalkSwap and NMQGuild Pouch

Here are a few other random things I made this year:

Noah's Car Seat Cover
Noah's Stocking
Dresden Skirt 
Tissue Holders

Not Pictured:
Angie's Camera Strap 
Maggie's Wedding Towels
Connor's Crayon Roll
Bronx and Jaxson's Crayon Rolls
Several binky clips for Noah :)

Here are all my Bee blocks:



And finally, here are a few things I made for my Etsy shop in 2015:

Sold in 2015:
21 Rummy Mats
19 Shapes Book Patterns
74 Quilt Patterns
11 Quiet Books
14 Bibs
1 Growth Chart
1 Stocking

Whew!  2016 is going to be amazing.  I would like to spend more time sewing for fun.  I would also like to continue fine tuning my Etsy shop.  And if I'm lucky, I'll get to make a few more baby quilts this year.  :)

2016: Quarter 1 goals

Well, it's time to make another list of projects to finish for the Finish Along! 
I felt like I was SUPER busy last quarter - mostly working on Etsy things, which I don't typically include in my finish-along lists.  But looking back at last quarter - I finished 9/15 of my projects!  Not too shabby, when you consider the fact that I knew going in that three of my projects had a very slim chance of being completed. 

So, without further ado, here is my list for this quarter, starting with items being rolled over from last year:

1.  King Diamond Ripple.  MUST FINISH THIS ONE!

 

 

2.  Growth Chart for Noah.  I plan to use leftovers from his Car Seat Cover.

 

3.   Apron for myself, using this fabric I won in a giveaway - this one is not super high on the priority list, but it would be great to find time for it!

 

 

4.   Transportation, birthday, and Christmas bibs for the shop.

 

5.  I need to stock my shop with Rummy mats so I can be prepared for the Christmas rush this year!  My plan is to have at least 8 Rummy mats ready to go at any time.  I won't consider this goal met until I have 8 completed Rummy mats in my house, ready to ship!   

6.  Picture Perfect Quilt for Baby Girl.  A sweet neighbor is having a baby soon, and a new quilt is in order.  I've been dying for a good excuse to make this quilt!  (Fabrics are mostly "Blushing" by The Pattern Basket - SOOO pretty!)

7.  Swoon Sixteen in "Blushing."  I won this fabric on IG forever ago and I think it's time to finally use it!  I was totally inspired by the Swoon Sixteen quilt Corey Yoder (aka lmshabby) is making over on IG.  I want one just like it, and since the colors in this fabric line by The Pattern Basket are so light, I'm going to use a gray background.  Who knows what it will be for - I just need to make it.  :)

The following are projects I probably shouldn't do until all these other are done, but we'll see:

8.  I got this book (by Kristin Roylance) for Christmas and I really want to make that cute owl quilt on the cover!  I've even got two charm packs of this woodsy creature fabric that will be perfect for it!!

9.  I really would like to make one or two more puff quilts soon.  I've got charms packs of Mixed Bag, Wishes, Frolic, and Hello Friend...  

 

 

*I'm not including this in my list, but I'm making it public here - I WILL write a pattern for my Colors Quiet books.  Soon.  :)

Linking up!

The BABY Quiet Book

We have had a few first birthdays in our family these past few months.  I decided it was time to create a small quiet book that could be held in tiny hands and enjoyed by tiny fingers and mouths.  :)  I was also looking for something that was quick(er) to make that would be a more inexpensive item to list in my shop.  These are what I came up with!

The little pages are only 3" square.  My sister-in-law loves hers because it is small enough to stick in the diaper bag just like another toy.  My little Noah loves his because he can hold it in his little hands (and it's completely safe for him to chew on, which is all he cares about right now...).

Of course, each page has some sort of interactive element to it.  The dinosaur has ribbon taggie spines.  The elephant (my personal favorite) has a stretchy elastic nose and loose ears. 
The fun yarn noodles are fun (my mom thinks the N page looks like a nest, which works too).  The kite slides along the string.  Anyway, you get the picture.  :)

Each book comes with all the letters in the child's name. 

The rocket slides up and down, and the alligator's mouth opens and closes.

 

I had to get a few pictures with Noah's chubby little hands for perspective.  :)  Don't you just love baby hands?

These are currently listed in my Etsy shop.  ;)

Fabric Family Photo Book

Before Christmas, a customer contacted me on Etsy and asked if I would be able to make her a fabric photo book for her daughter's first birthday.  After lots of communicating back and forth, I figured out what she had in mind and this is what I came up with!  I think it turned out adorable and now I need to make one for Noah!

The camera fabric is by Riley Blake ("Snapshots" by Bella Blvd) and it seemed perfect for this little project.  :)

I'm sad that you don't get to see the adorable pictures of the family (their baby is seriously SO CUTE), but I must protect my customer's identity.  :)  I printed all the photos on "Printed Treasures" printable fabric and they came out beautifully.

The customer wanted the photos to be bordered with lots of different fabrics.  I had fun going through my scraps to find just the right pieces. 

I even embellished the pages with buttons and some fun appliques (I even fussy cut cute designs from some of the fabrics I used).

I think the ribbon taggies may have ended up too long, but they make a fun little addition.  I think the cover pages (front and back) are my favorite.  That pink doodle print is also from the "Snapshots" line by Bella Blvd for Riley Blake.  And the crowns were from the scrap bin at my local quilt shop. 

It finished at about 8" square - just the right size for little one-year-old hands.  :)