City Craft Inspirations - Chevron Quilt

I was in Dallas a few weeks ago and a sweet friend told me to check out City Craft. Boy am I glad I did! It's everything a modern quilting/fabric store should be but Shreveport will probably never have.  Their fabrics are fun, their books are interesting, and they give you rewards - I'm halfway to a $10 gift card (sorry husband!).  I was struck with a quilt they had hanging in the window and decided I wanted to make one!

Lucky for me, they had these Moda pre-cut fabrics, which saves so much time!  So I bought some white fabric and cut it and made a chevron pattern!  This is the pattern I went by (look for the link that says "click here for a full tutorial").

This is while I was still piecing the face of the quilt together.

The face is finally finished!  I am going to Dallas at the end of the month, and I will pick a fabric for the back!  What color do y'all think?  I was thinking green!

They have a fun website, and you can shop online too!  http://citycraftonline.com/

I will post the finished product soon!

Custom T-Shirt Quilt

So my husband had tons of t-shirts just collecting dust (well, some of them he wore, whoops!) and so I decided to make him a t-shirt quilt!  I still wanted it to be custom and exciting, so I spent months making this...

He was a Baylor grad, so I wanted to commemorate that, but he's an LSU football fan, so I made a little purple and gold nine square!

My 1.5 year old can attest to the quilt's comforts...

This was the quilt in the beginning.  I worked hard to make sure the t-shirts were spaced out appropriately according to their color.  I'd already started "building out" some of the t-shirts w/ fabric.

Not sure why exactly, but this was my favorite square.  I guess it's all the bright colors (I do not have simple or subdued taste).  Will's brother went to the World Cup in South Africa and brought back a t-shirt for us.  My in-laws also have family that lives there, so for those reasons it made the quilt - also it was too small for Will and too big for me, so perfect!

The most amazing Hair Clip, seriously

I only rave about products that I think really deserve it.  And this is the most amazing hair clip that you need to know about.  I have long incredibly thick hair.  Nothing short of a reinforced pony tail holder can hold my hair back...except for this.  I bought this hair clip in Austin while visiting my sister when I was in college.

Nordstrom's sells them and you can read the reviews on the hair clips there.  People with really fine hair and thick hair love them alike!

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ficcare-maximas-hair-clip/2941274?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_ite=ficcare_%27maximas%27_hair_clip:188708&cm_pla=hair_accessories:women:hair_accessories&cm_ven=Froogle&mr:referralID=NA&mr:trackingCode=A1950868-1968-DF11-9DA0-002219319097

 Here is the actual company's website.

http://www.ficcare.com/Products.aspx?collId=1

My Shopping Picks

My top 3 fashion picks this week were selected because summer feels so close, everyone needs a good pool-side dress, and I had a 20% promo coupon and free shipping.  I'm such a smart shopper!  :)  And you can be too!
Okay, number one is from Piperlime and is one of Rachel Zoe's top picks.

BCBGeneration Double Tank Dress

 

http://piperlime.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=47898&vid=1&pid=862836&scid=862836002

Number two is also from Piperlime, by Ella Moss.

Ella Moss Exclusively for Piperlime Stripe Maxi Dress

http://piperlime.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=66508&vid=1&pid=860060&scid=860060012

The final fashion pick I owe exclusively to Sarah.  When I walked into her house, I immediately noticed these fabulous sandals sticking out from under her jeans.  Upon closer inspection, I could see a great attention to detail by Sam Edelman, like a fabulous gold zipper in the back, the perfect size wedge for a mom of two...and it's just perfect for summer!

Nordstrom's Sam Edelman 'Eva' Sandal

http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/sam-edelman-eva-sandal/3134866?origin=keywordsearch&resultback=196

Christmas Tree 2010

Lisa came by yesterday afternoon on her lunch break and helped me decorate my tree, b/c that's the kinda gal she is. When she left, it looked amazing! Lisa has taught me to never be afraid to go crazy, to make your tree fun, to always showcase your child's handmade ornaments, and to use big ornaments in odd numbers.



I got this crown from Red Door, and I stuffed it with lights to give it a regal glow.




I know Clyde won't be with us until March 1st, but I couldn't resist hanging his stocking too! As much as I feel him kicking, I feel like he's here already!



And the buffet. Love it!

Christmas Wreaths

It seems everyone is making decorator Christmas trees and wreaths with floral wrap lately. I had to jump on board b/c they're so inexpensive and fun! Inspired by a friend of mine, who lead me to this website tutorial on how to make the wreaths I just jumped in and got started - http://blog.mardigrasoutlet.com/search/label/Wreaths

The first wreath I attempted was at my mother's house on Thanksgiving. It took me just a few minutes. The technique isn't hard, it just takes time to get comfortable with the "finessing" the floral wrap requires. I didn't like the green ribbon I intertwined over the floral wrap, but it's all I had. (I am realizing how desperately my mom's front door needs re-staining!! Oooh wee!)



Inspired by a wreath at the Red Door, I tried to model my next wreath for my own front door after it. This is where it can get expensive. The two strands of garland were $20, which I really wouldn't recommend paying, but a friend thought it would look nice and picked it up for me, and I didn't want to bother returning it. Plus, I do love the garland, just not $20 worth.

Red Door's wreath: (which retails at $230)



My wreath: (In the first pic, I had not added the garland yet)

Applique

So I am in love with children's clothing brands like Anavini, who produce these adorable applique t-shirts with cute designs.



The only problem with them is that they are really expensive. Like $36 for a t-shirt kind of range. With the holidays coming up, I decided I need to master this sewing skill! So off I went to Hobby Lobby, who had surprisingly cute choices of applique for children's clothing, as well as well-priced t-shirts at $2.99 (the appliques were $1.99). Wal-Mart also has good prices on the Garanimals t-shirts, which are extremely soft, for $3.50. This is a great idea for gifts that can be "homemade" but not too homemade, if you know what I mean.

Ok, so here are some pictures of the two shirts I've done below. An exciting note about the first shirt: We're invited to a one year old birthday party next weekend for the daughter of a good friend. I'd already purchase a cute little pillow pet, but when I saw this owl applique with a pink shirt, I knew fate was stepping in. The owl applique looks just like the birthday part invitation!! So for around $5, I am throwing it in with the gift, and that will hopefully make both gifts more memorable!




I made the second shirt as a gift for a birthday party I am going to this Saturday (even though I showed up last Saturday mistakenly! haha! thankfully it is a dear friend who would never make fun of me!). His name is Perry and I think this will be adorable on him. Suzanne and I are mostly just excited that I can do the applique, as we both like it.



Technique: Directions are on the back of the applique packet you buy. First I put the shirt on the ironing board and placed the applique where I wanted it. Then I put a thin white cloth over it, and held the iron over the patch for 15-20 seconds. Do not use steam (it says). Then I turned the shirt inside out and ironed it from the back side (with the press cloth over it) for 20-25 seconds. That will keep the applique in place for a while, but not permanently. To make it permanent, you have to sew it on.

Use a color thread that you think will compliment the entire applique. I have seen more complex Anavini appliques that change thread, but this was my first one and I just didn't feel like it. I used a zig zag foot which allowed me to see what the heck I was doing as well as a very short zig zag stitch (experiment before actually starting). Then I slowly stitched around the applique. The little curves and feet can be especially tricky, so just go slow and be careful. Remember, slow and steady wins the race! :)