Frenzy of Finishes

I didn't realize how much I had accomplished this week until I sat down to write this post.  Suddenly I am feeling very productive! 

My finishes, in no particular order:

#1. QuiltStory's Lucky Stars QAL Quilt Top

 

I was so excited to be sewing the last seam on this yesterday, I ironed the top, stuck it up on my design wall, stepped back ...and realized there were supposed to be borders.  So today I took it down and added the borders. 

 

Do borders take you forever to put on too?  I have realized that I do not like sewing long seams and I will procrastinate like crazy when it comes to doing them.  We are talking 2 full episodes of The West Wing for me to cut, iron, and sew on these four strips of fabric.  Sad I know.

 

 

#2. Lilly Pulitzer Pin Cushion

 

I enjoyed making pineapple pin cushion so much last week that I decided some fun pin cushion sewing was needed after finishing the above quilt top.  This little guy was whipped up in no time (seriously, less time that it took me to add those borders).  The Lilly Pulitzer fabrics are actually a belt/sash that I had.  I just sewed it up like a jellyroll race quilt, folded it in half, sewed up the sides and there we go.  It is filled it with the crushed walnut shells again, since I have quite a large bag of them now. 

#3. Cat Carrier ID Tags

 

And from the world of totally random things I think of to sew, I introduce you to luggage/ID tags for my cats' carriers!  Can you say #crazycatlady?  In all fairness there was a little bit of logic, I had to take my cat to the vet earlier in the week and he stayed for a few hours.  I left his carrier and they put a sticky label on it with his name and my contact information.  It seemed like a good idea to have that info on there, but obviously a much cuter solution was needed :)

 

 

A little bit of coordinating fabric (more thought that I care to admit was given to finding appropriate fabrics for this project), some stabilizer, a tiny piece of Velcro, a piece of paper with the address information and "laminated" with clear shipping tape, and this little ID tag was born.  And yes, I excitedly showed them off to my husband the second he got home.  He was very supportive and said "oooohhhh" and had a big smile on his face, and didn't tease me once about making them.  #heisakeeper





All Pins Welcome

I decided I wanted to just sew for fun the other day and was scrolling through my Pinterest boards for some inspiration when this little guy jumped out at me- http://pinterest.com/pin/207024914093204928/

For those who don't know, in the South the pineapple is a welcome sign.  You see them all over town-welcome mats, address plaques, mailboxes, lights on homes, door knockers, ... you get the idea.  Charleston even has a fountain in their town park that is shaped like a pineapple. 

Suddenly that humble pin become a MUST MAKE. 

I have never tried Y seams so I made a few adjustments to the leaves.  I really like the way it came out- especially considering it was all free pieced.  Maybe it's the bright colors, or getting to use up some scraps, or the challenge of figuring out how to make it, or maybe the satisfaction of accomplishing this little guy.  Either way, this little pineapple makes me SO HAPPY!

 

I'm not really sure why I chose to make it so small.  The colors don't really work with my house so making it bigger for a pillow or wall  hanging didn't appeal to me (guess I don't want to welcome people into my home, lol).  I knew I couldn't toss it into the pile of random don't-know-what-to-do-with blocks, it was too cute for that!  But a girl can always use another pincushion, right? ;)

 

 

Now, me being me, I couldn't just sew a back on and leave it at that.  Oh no, I needed to punch it up a bit with some ric rac trim around the edges.  I'm SO glad I did, I think it added just the right POP to this little project.  I smile every time I see it! 

 

Oh, and to anyone who has been desperately searching for crushed walnut shells at their local pet store for 2+ years *cough* me *cough* I finally figured out what I was doing wrong.  Turns out that Petco (or at least, my Petco) does not consider it reptile bedding like I had always heard and instead had it over with the bird bedding.  Now I have a nice big bag...and plans for many more pincushions! 

 

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday

and

Fabric Tuesday