BWR Giveaway

I figured I should get on the ball and do my "February" Giveaway.  February because I will announce the winner on February 1st.  :)

And what's more appropriate for February than fabrics with a little romance and a splash of red in there?

 This is a mish-mash of varying Michael Miller lines in 8 fat quarter cuts.

So how do you enter?

1.  Leave a comment telling me what your ideal romantic date would be.  I can't wait to hear these!
2.  Invite a friend to join The Cozy Pumpkin blog, and have them leave a comment here with YOUR NAME in their comment.  (Please be specific on names...don't just say Ann and leave it at that.)
3.  Leave a seperate comment if you are a follower of the blog.
4.  Leave a seperate comment if you are a follower on facebook.

***You must leave separate comments to be eligible more than once.  Do not leave one comment and pile everything into it.  It will only get counted as a single entry.

Again, the winner will be announced on February 1st on here and on the facebook page, so please make sure to check those places to see if you won!

Good luck!  Coming soon for my quilt-alongers will be a post on chain piecing so be on the lookout for that!
Sew long for now!  ;)

Kylar Quilt Fabric

I am having so much fun picking out coordinating fabrics for Marissa's crib quilt.  She and her hubby (mostly her hubby) have been leaning toward more geometric prints and staying away from things decidedly girly.  Well, I told Marissa that as part of her gift from me I got to pick the fabrics for her quilt, while promising to keep the original fabrics in there to tie it all together.  :)  This quilt is going to be G.I.R.L.Y.  ;)

 The bottom three fabrics (the hexagonal flower, artsy black and pink flower, and stripe) are all the original fabrics picked by Marissa for the rest of the nursery, and you've seen them featured in the pillow, crib skirt, blanket, and changing pad.   The stripe is also being made into curtains at the moment.

I scored big time when I happened upon 3 other fabrics from the same line on another site.  In the picture above those are the black with pink roses, pale pink with the dandelions, and the white with those same artsy black and pink flowers (with additional berries and leaves on it).  Some of the others are from my own personal stash, and some I got at the local quilt shop.  The pink gingham will most likely be the binding on the quilt.  I'm debating the dark grey with black dots...might switch it out for another green.  But, aren't you LOVING it?!  I am.  I think the green adds a nice pop of color to the rest of the scheme, and adding in a touch of grey increases the depth of the color palette...making the contrast of white and black a bit less harsh in my opinion.  Softer if you will.

And of course I always think a nice picture of the fabrics all stacked up is necessary.  Gives me a better mental image of what they'll look like all pieced together.

Skull Blankie

Skull blankie?  I know...crazy title.  But, it makes sense once you see the pictures.  Marissa, requested a blankie out of this particular minky.  She didn't tell me what it was, so when I opened the box when it arrived I just laughed.  While it's not my style...I can appreciate that this little girlie on the way certainly already has one.  ;)

I used the self-binding blanket tutorial from Apostrophy Designs.  Great pictures, and descriptions on how to make it.  And it went together lightening fast.  Almost made me sad that I didn't know about these when I was pregnant with Lorelai!  I guess I could still make the kids their own.  You're never too old for a blanket right?

 I left the first photo unedited so you could get a good feel for the colors.  But, I did some fun cross-processing with the last two.  It was just calling for it.

NQA: Layer Cake

So I'm very close to having the fabric requirements ready for the quilt-along.  But, I know quilting notions are not the most exciting things to be looking at for the next few months.

I figure it can't hurt to give you a glimpse at the fabric the main part of your quilt will be made up of.  And it will give you a while to browse online or in person.

So, without further ado we are going to be using "Layer Cakes" in our quilt.  HUH?  Yep, a layer cake.  This is a "Moda" term for a a stack of fabrics that is 10"x10" square containing 40 precut pieces from a coordinated fabric line.  Sometimes these are called 10" stackers by non-Moda manufacturers.

One of my goals is to teach you as much about basic quilt making as possible: cutting, piecing, pressing, borders, basting, binding, etc.  But, to cut TONS of fabric can be tedious at the beginning.  So while we will be cutting...it's nice to have a wide variety of patterns to look at from your "Layer Cake" while you work.  It cuts down on redundancy and makes cutting so much easier.

This is mine.  My mom got it for me last year:

Now if you have fat quarters or half yards those can work too.  I'll have to do some calculations on how many you'll need.  So, if you're hoping to use up some fabric you already have around the house...stay tuned.

In the meantime though...browse some layer cakes.  They give you GREAT variety in a quilt, and you'll probably be able to get two quilts out of one with my pattern.  (One lap size and one baby size...we'll be making a lap size for the quilt along.)

So where should you look for layer cakes?  These are a few great online stores to start at, and of course you can always check out local quilt shops as well.

Grab This Button!

If you're joining in the quilt-along and have a blog of your own, or maybe you want to be able to easily access it from one of your Pinterest boards I have created a "link back" button for the quilt-along.  It even has an official title now:  Newbie Quilt-Along.

Of course even if you're a seasoned quilter I'd love to have you join in the fun and share some of your expertise with the group when you have thoughts or suggestions.  :)

So, feel free to grab the button...post it on your blog or "pin it" for easy future reference.  It is set up so that it should take you straight to the "quilt-along" section of the blog rather than the main page.  I figured that would be more helpful to you.

<a href="http://www.thecozypumpkin.com/p/quilt-along.html"/><img src=" http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab241/dolphinjedi/NewbieQuilt-Along1.jpg" /></a>

TCP Quilt-Along: Supply List

One of my goals is to make this quilt-along as beginner friendly as possible.  So many quilt-alongs, in the blog world, assume you know how to make a quilt.  Which is great if you do, but intimidating if you don't.  I want to take a second to point out that you can find the quilt-along posts on the "quilt-along" button in the navbar:

To start...  Quilting is an investment, which is why I'm posting the supply list in January and we're not starting our quilt-along until May.  That should give you lots of time to get what you need.  (And don't forget to use coupons.  I know I use them at Hobby Lobby frequently to get things like rulers, cutting mats, rotary blades, etc. at a discount.)

If you need help finding something just ask and I'll try to point you in the right direction, and it's ALWAYS a good idea to befriend your local quilt shop.  Those ladies (and gents) LOVE to help out quilters of all skill levels.  Quilters are such friendly people.

So, without further ado...your supply list.

In a Word

Di over at Random Thoughts do or 'di' wrote an interesting blog post today about 2012 (which I just learned was a concept started by her sister, Geri, over at the blog My Heart Art)  Thanks for the link, Geri!  And while I don't think I'm prepared to take on the photo challenege she mentioned I did like the thought of choosing a word as my theme for 2012.

So I choose:

Not only to forgive others, because I do need to work on that... and on saying "I'm sorry."

But, to forgive myself.  To forgive myself for feeling like I need a break, to forgive myself for not keeping a perfect house, to forgive myself for getting upset over little things that add up over time.  Because if I can't forgive myself...how can I forgive others?  Maybe that seems self-centered, but truly...I carry a lot of guilt...mom guilt, Catholic guilt, wife guilt, SAHM guilt...and it's time to work on letting it go.

And I think if I can begin to forgive myself for my imperfections I will better be able to accept others imperfections be they big or small.

I look forward to working on that this year!  And I like this idea more than a resolution.  What about you?  What word represents your 2012?

Happy crafting!

Project Valentine

Being the planner that I am I want to stay ahead of the game on Valentine's Day and not let it sneak up on me.  Of course this means that along with the little treat bags and (free downloadable) printable I made for Gabriel's classmates, I need something easy and fun for his teachers.  They're so sweet to him and really help him work on his speech.

I found some darling cups at Hobby Lobby in the holiday section that have cute hearts all over them, and I thought it would be fun to make them a bunting (or is it garland?  I dunno.).

I have so many fun ideas for this floating around in my head and I have to make sure to save enough fabric to make one for myself.

Aren't these just so cute?!  And the felted wool is so vibrant.  I can't wait to figure this out as I go.  Have you started thinking about Valentine's Gifts yet?  I have no plans for my hubby yet.  But, we usually keep it pretty low key around here.  In the past we have gotten each other romantic comedy DVDs which is pretty fun, open a bottle of wine and pick one of them to watch that night.  :)  Simple but fun!

Happy Crafting!

Marissa: Changing Pad Cover

Yeah...I postponed the curtains again.  Ha!  But, I whipped up this changing pad cover using my tutorial (with a slight modification for the strip of patterned fabric you see).  Making these takes no time at all.  Although I will say, minky, not my favorite fabric in the world to work with.  LOTS of clean up.

It fits nice and snug though.  And will look lovely in the nursery.  Pardon the oddly focused second picture.  I forgot to adjust my aperture.  Something I'm getting used to with my new lens.

Happy Crafting!

Crafty Space Upgrade

I always envy those pictures of fabulous craft rooms on Pinterest.  You know the ones...with tons of counter space, lovely displayed and coordinated fabrics, ribbons, threads, etc.

In our house here I finally do have a space of my own on one side of the office.  Where as in Texas I had everything on the kitchen table.  Not ideal.  But, the space here in OK feels vacant to me.  I do have my Gary Sinise autograph up on the wall (great story behind that), but otherwise the wall in front of me is bare and blah.

Originally I had planned to put giant paintings my kids had done up there, but then as I began working I realized I needed more storage space.  But, built-ins were out of the question and I didn't want more dark wood in this room anyway.  It needs lightening up with the darker paint, wood desk and built-ins on the opposite side, wood trim/crown moulding, the wood desk I work on, and the wood floors...all dark...and all brown, all light absorbing.

So I got some great custom wood shelves from Stark Furnishings on Etsy, Traditional Style in Antique white.  This afternoon I have been planning their placement and thought of a great recycling idea.  I always see those people on Pinterest who use newspaper to do wall placement of picture frames.  Well, we don't have newspaper and these shelves are long...so I used the back side of my kid's roll of craft paper!!!

What do you think?

Hubby is putting them up after the kids finish napping.  Now to find neat bins and jars to display my fun sewing stuff.  :)

Pillows and Pie Safes

They don't really have anything in common other than I have both in my house right now.  :)  So, lets start off with the pillow I just finished up this afternoon for Marissa's new baby.  She wanted a pillow for her rocking chair...I thought a little applique would be nice.  :)

Sorry...evening time pictures will have to do.  We spent the afternoon out and about picking out new flooring.  But, new flooring isn't the only thing I'm excited about in my house.  I FINALLY found a pie safe!

It was built in the 1800's!  No idea exactly where it's from though.  I spotted it in a local antique shop this week and hubby picked it up for me today.  I plan to use it for storing the plethora of quilts I will be making so I can swap them out during the year to fit the seasons.  :)  And I also thought that top drawer would be great for storing fat quarters in!  I hope to have it refinished...I have to go check out an antique refinishing guy...obviously not his official title.

I'm in love with it though...despite my husbands lack of appreciation for it.  Again...sorry for the late evening photos (aka - poorly lit photos).

The tin panels are all punched in a fancy star pattern...very Texas country if you ask me, but I'm cool with that.  I just L-O-V-E it!  And I think it needs a vintage Singer sitting on top of it don't you???  Maybe that will be my next purchase.  I have some great vintage spools and bobbins coming from my fabulous Mother-in-Law...those may score a spot here as well.  And down the road I'm thinking a scrappy quilted runner on the top.  The possibilities are ENDLESS!  :)

BFF - Crib Skirt

My BFF, Marissa, is pregnant with her second child.  (Fun side note...she and I were both pregnant with our boys at the same time and they are 2 weeks apart in age!)  She asked me to help her make a custom nursery set and of course I said, YES!!!  :)  So, the crib skirt is finished up and I hope to finish up a little pillow for the rocking chair tonight with a few special touches.  There are still curtains, a blankie, changing pad cover(s), and a quilt to come!

I better stop typing and get busy!  She's due late February/early March!

Happy crafting!!!

Valentine's Day?!

Can you believe Valentine's Day will be here before we know it?  I have some C-U-T-E ideas planned for Gabriel's teachers.  But, I need something fun for his classmates as well.  Of course he had to have the Toy Story Valentine's but I wanted something creative as part of the deal as well.

Since Gabriel (and Lorelai) love cars I thought little Hot Wheels as presents would be fun.  With that in mind I designed this cute printable:

Isn't that darling???!!!  So this is the bag topper (it will be printed on card stock and folded in half and stapled down on top of a little baggie with a car, Gabriel's Toy Story Valentine, and some Valentine m&ms.

I will definitely take pictures to share with you when they're complete, but this idea was just too cute not to share now!!!!  (Plus I'm about the planning ahead.)

If you are interested in your own version (one that doesn't have my kids' name on it) you can grab one HERE.

Happy Crafting!

Slouchy Hat

A few visits back my Mother-in-Law (lovely woman that she is) asked me to make her a simple garter stitch knit scarf in some lovely natural cream yarn.  Soft as can be!  Whipped it up in 4 hours.  :)

She had also been mentioning that she wanted a slouchy hat that wouldn't muss up her hair.  I had one that I had purchased from an Etsy friend, Dara at Pick Some Flowers, (before I decided to learn to knit) that I showed her.  And an idea was born.  I found a really nice knit lace beret in a new book I have called "Weekend Hats" that I figured I could make a smidge slouchier for her, and there you have it.  The slouchy beret:

Pretty, isn't it?  Sorry for the crummy image...computer camera.  But, you get the idea.  This little cutie will be shipping out this week along with the giveaway winnings.  :)  Now back to working on my BFF's crib skirt!  Almost done!  :)

Happy 2012!!! (Giveaway Winner)

Happy New Year, friends (and family who read this blog)!  :)

I hope 2012 brings you much joy and many blessings!

We celebrated in style yesterday afternoon with silly string, poppers, tooters, hats, and streamers!  I hope our neighbors appreciated that we did our noisy activities in the afternoon!  :)

But, you're not here to see how we celebrated.   You want to see who won the "Sanctuary" fat quarter bundle, right?

First let me say that I admire those of you who have resolutions.  And I can totally relate to those of you who want to take back your hobby!  After the beginning of this year I am going into total create for my family mode.  I WILL work on more stuff for me.  For example...our curtains WILL get done this year.  I've had the fabric for the main portion of the house for almost a WHOLE year now!!!  EEK!

Okay...enough about me...and the winner is:

<drum roll noise>

Yea, Jennifer!  Please e-mail me at thecozypumpkin@gmail.com with your address and I will get those lovely fabrics out to you!  :)

Have no fear folks.  I have 3 more fat quarter bundles to give away, so stay tuned!!!

Happy Crafting in 2012!