Trust Me, It's Funny

Hand stitching around the heart

 

So aside from the Muppet pelt pillow, which I made despite my husband's doubts, I also made a blanket that he went on record as considering over the line.
My husband says my family has a cavalier attitude towards death.  I disagree.  I think we just have a really certain belief in what comes afterwards.  I attribute it to my mom's dad mostly, but it likely goes even farther back.  "You can't kill a Swede" had to have come from somewhere.

backed in flannel

 

In a nut shell, we believe that we will be resurrected and get our physical bodies back.  But not the old, practically bionic ones.  Rather the record setting backstroker one. 
My mom's hip dislocated again, and as I was told it didn't warrant another walker bag, I got creative.  I made my mom an "old lady lap blanket."  And I put words on it. 

my first ever reverse applique project

 

This is where I "cross a line."  I was so certain that I was right that I went ahead and made it, but then I did start to worry so I ran it by some siblings and they agreed; it was funny.  So I went ahead and mailed it to my mom with the big star quilt.
And I was so right!  Not only did she think it was funny, she knew her sister would "get it" too.

Can't you just see it in fifth joint replacement post-op recovery?  Really, it's funny.  Trust me.

linking up to tgiff and whoop whoop

Told You My Mom Would Regret It

First, I think we may need to establish something.  Recently my mom's magazines have all been showing ways to decorate that I've been doing for years and was generally scoffed at.  So just keep in mind that you will eventually see these at Target.  At least that's what we tell my mom.
Behold, I give you the Awful Pillow.

 That's right, I used blue fur.  Let's remember that this blue fur originated with my mom.  I can't remember it ever not being in her stash when I was a kid.  Whatever it was used for was before my time.

I made it round with a side panel, originally planning to tuft it in the middle.  That is so not happening, in part because I can't find my really big needles (probably not good, I'm sure I'll discover them someday, hopefully not in a painful way) and partly because I used the old pillows guts and Houdini himself would be impressed that I managed to shove them inside.  This pillow will not be tufting.

 My kids love it.  My husband even admitted that he did like it, quite a turnaround for his original "you aren't really going to use that are you?"  O, ye of little faith.  Maybe I should start showing him my mom's decorating magazines. 
Wanna know the worst part?  Seeing as it's now a part of our family room, I have to stop calling it the Muppet pelt.  That fabric has been the Muppet pelt for over twenty years, but for the sake of my children I'm trying to at least take it down a notch to Muppet fur.  Maybe someday it will be simply the blue pillow.
I made something else my husband was unsure of, I'll show you that next.

Soon

Well, I made the "awful" pillow. And it's fantastic. The kids love it. Even my husband had to admit that he likes it. You don't get to see it yet because I made something else that I might get in pretend trouble for...so once my mom gets her surprise I'll show you both. So until then you can let your imagination run wild with awful pillows.

I Made a Dress!

Lately I've been thinking that I should make our girl some dresses.  Mostly for an end to the frustration of trying to find a dress that fits her, forget about trying to find one with sleeves! She wears a t-shirt under her sleeveless dresses and I for one would not miss hunting down a white tee on Sunday mornings.  Consequently, my resolution to make her some dresses.  Plus, she likes wearing dresses in general so it's a win/win.
I so have no plans to take the troops to JoAnn's to flip through pattern books for all eternity, so this plan was waiting for a someday trip alone.  Enter Peek-a-Boo Patterns.  She's offering a free girl dress pattern (size 3 mo to 8) on her site.  It was cute and I had fabric so I thought it was the perfect dress to start the revolution.

I made it longer as per the girl's request, and my madchen is skinny, I expect it's a bit fuller in general.

It's a pretty distinct dress, so I won't be making another in different fabric, but if I did make it again I would tighten up the neckline a bit, 1/2 or a full inch.  And it seems to run a bit small.  I went up two sizes from the sizing chart and could have given the girl more space for getting in and out.  Seeing as this was my first dress from a pattern, I figure that's really just something I'll figure out as I go.  My mom recently told me that she ignores zipper directions and just puts a zipper in "her" way. 

For a first go at a dress, it's certainly wearable.  It's doesn't look "home made" in a bad way.  And it's purple, even if it was awful, Pie would love it.

 

linking to tgiff and whoop whoop

The Big Star Quilt

All bound and washed and ready to go.  Here's the thing though, so I used two almost whites in my surround.  I didn't quilt have enough of one so I used some of another fabric I had that matched well enough that it wouldn't be noticeable to the casual observer.  Then I washed it.  Ironically, the fabric that absorbed a teensy bit of almost a pinkish hue was the fabric that shouldn't have.  Really, they didn't become a name in solids by changing color.  So yeah, now my two creamishes aren't a practical match.  You'd have to be a pretty casual observer to not notice.  But, c'est la vie, that's the end that will be tucked by the bedframe and hidden.

See, the rest looks fine.  And it crinkled up nicely, just the right amount, it totally says snuggle up and get cozy; which is always what I go for.

linking up to tgiff and whoop whoop

Operation: Pillows

First a little update:  I'm about a third of the way on the binding for the big star quilt.  Last night I got all settled in to bind it but while I was looking for something mindless to semiwatch as I went I discovered netflix had more Jane by design episodes and binding did not happen!
Have you checked out lizziebennet.com yet?  That's right, Lizzie Bennet.  It's awesomeness in five minute segments.
And here's another site for you to mosey on over to.  My jungle quilt is in the contest this week at Quilting Gallery.  Check out some neat leaves quilts and vote for your faves.  Especially if one of them is my jungle quilt.  It's this one.

And now onto my finishes. 

Operation: Pillows began with the couch.  It's crazy comfy but it's that brown/green color that is hard to pin down.  The matching pillows weren't doing it any favors, and so, they were gutted.  I'm only two in so far, but I have only success to report.  The couch is officially hidden by its pillows.  The genius of a pop of color, my ambiguously colored couch has become a neutral that recedes! 

My pillows do bring up the quandary of whether there is such things as too much polka dot.  I'm thinking not, but just to be safe no more polka dots.  The fabric I have in mind for the next one is much worse.  I think my mom will regret ever passing in on to me.  It will be awesome.  My husband is a doubter, but oooh, it will epic.

I plan on also having a yellow one.  Yellow is my official out of nowhere color downstairs.  My mixer is yellow and it's the odd man out, a yellow pillow will make it officially my accent color.

linking to tgiff and whoop whoop

The Big Star Quilt

 My sister's old bedroom is now one of three guest rooms in my parents' house. It's also first in line for a makeover. My parents took down paneling, painted and did other stuff. And I'm supplying the quilt.
I love the points.  It's it gorgeously pointy?

 I don't have a name for it really.  We call it either the big star or my mom's quilt.  Technically I could also call it the quilt made with fabric I originally bought for my sister's eventual children, but calling it the big star quilt is a little less confessional. 

It's handquilted again, of course.  I quilted around each square in the star and went with diagonal quilting in the negative space.  I didn't want it over-quilted.  The diagonals are quilted with a creamy white, my red marking pencil is still showing so it looks kinda pink.  And wrinkled.  For some reason, it got more and more wrinkled as my shoot went on. 

 Sometimes I wonder just how camoflage he thinks he is...

He throughly approves of the quilt.  Just wait til he sees it with binding!

 Maybe he needs one of these instead of his planets?

linking to fabric tuesday over at quiltstory