Abandoned House = Abandoned Gifts

Remember that old abandoned farm place that I showcased on Monday? 

Well, there are lots of treasures inside the house! We've slowly been dissembling pieces that we want to keep for our future house (or pieces that I think will be fun to craft with!).

Gorgeous (but with many layers of paint) trim around the door frames and windows...

Amazing floor boards, which are sadly in three pieces, so reusing them as their original purpose probably won't happen... but, it is nice wood that I'm sure that I can find some use for ;)

I have lots of plans for the old doorknobs! So pretty...

Hmm... I think I'll pass on trying to save the kitchen wallpaper, but it sure does make me smile!

Several nice, thick doors... lots of ideas for these, too :)

Here's what the doors should look like under all that paint!

Look at the detailing on this door! (And ignore the pink walls that are falling apart, ha!)

Trusty Dan is ripping up the floor in an upstairs room. One of the rooms upstairs had too much water damage, but this floor is still in decent condition. We think a few of the floors downstairs would be able to be ripped up and reused, but getting the upstairs floor out was of major importance... you know, in case the roof starts leaking even more... or even falls inwards ;)

Slowly, but surely, this pile is growing...

Working, working, working.

Last but not least, there's a claw foot bathtub in the basement! It's in tough shape, but the dream is to refinish it a bit and try to sell it. Anyone out their want a vintage bathtub?!

Happy Birthday to Me!

I'm not usually one to toot my own horn on my birthday, but with postcards like these, how could I not share them (and therefore share my birthday)?

 Today, my sister-in-law is taking care of Evelyn while Dan and I enjoy a child-free lunch in the "city." On Saturday, I'm making one of these yummy cakes for myself - although it's also for my father-in-law since we have birthdays so close together...

Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Details on an Old Farm

There's an old farm about a mile away. It's owned by Dan's dad and uncle, and it's a location that we may build a home someday. Until then, the buildings there are still used for storage and it's a great place to take some fun pictures :)

Old Handle.

Pitchfork in the Hay. 

Weathered Wood.

Up, Up and Up.

How Cold?

Tin Lines.

A Look Into the Past.

ALYOF January Goal... Finished!

My January Goal was to have these two table runners pieced, basted and quilted. I am happy to report that I not only achieved my goal, but I also finished the binding! 

I found the idea for this table runner on Pinterest. It was just inspiration since I didn't purchase the pattern. I used the "Surrounded By Love" charm pack I won from Carol. I quilted it with squiggly lines along some of the seams with my walking foot. The border is a JoAnns fabric and the scrappy binding is leftover charms.

For this table runner, I used Sherri's Simple 9-patch Table Runner pattern (you can find it here). I used a "Honeysweet" Moda Candy Pack that I received when Fig Tree Quilts had a promotion of a free candy pack with the purchase of three patterns. The background fabric is just scraps from my mother-in-law and the binding is from JoAnns. I quilted in straight lines through the middle of each square, going both directions. This was the first project I ever did blocks set on point.

This piece of furniture (a Hoosier type kitchen cabinet - a Wilson, actually), belonged to my husband's great-great-aunt. We recently had it refinished... I cannot wait to fill it and use it in my own home someday!

It Still Fits! {Update on the Hexie Skirt...}

Last summer, for the Hexie Queen Blog Hop, I made a hexie skirt for the then 3.5 month old Evelyn. 

I must of made it plenty big, because it still fits my 9 month old Evelyn :)

And it is still just as cute!

Have a lovely day!

9 Months ~ 9 Months ~ 9 Months

The Little Girl is a tad over a week and 9 months old. Time is flying! She is close to 28 inches long and weighs 18.2 pounds. It is so amazing to watch her develop - both mentally and physically!

• She is able to stand by herself for a few seconds, but she gets scared and falls to the ground on purpose.
• I have pretty much given up on spoon feeding her anything. I suspect I'll try again with a few more foods, but really, it is so much better for both of us if she feeds herself small pieces of soft foods - she prefers it and I get less frustrated! Up next: meats :) 
• She received a picnic basket with fake food and has started to "feed" me the piece of pie and the cookie and then feed herself and giggle. She just loves it.
• She still loves Mute the cat the best of the outdoor animals, but she has started to take more notice of the cows :) She also enjoys my brother's dog, Roxy - Roxy loves to lick Evelyn in the face which sets Evelyn into a fit of giggles!
• We're working on her night times. Working on naps are next. Less rocking is hopefully in our future.
• Baths are always fun, especially when she remembers how to splash!

But, I need to work on my next post... I'm sure I forgot a lot, but for the first time in awhile, I actually wrote in her baby book before writing this post (which hopefully means that I remembered to put the important things in there!).

Pearl Bracelets Cheer Skirt

I recently shared that I made a skirt with the Pearl Bracelets fabric I chose to buy with a gift certificate I won last summer (Pink Chalk Fabrics). 

Well, I finally took a few pictures!

I first made this in an afternoon prior to Evelyn attending her first volleyball game at the local school. Because I was rushed, it wasn't the best skirt design, but it works! I sewed the strips together to make a long rectangle, lined it with some chevron flannel from JoAnns, and added some elastic. The elastic wasn't my first choice - I borrowed it from my mother-in-law since I couldn't find my stash in all our packed boxes. I designed the skirt so that I can replace the elastic easily enough when I do find mine.

She definitely has some school spirit! (And also some Minnesota Vikings spirit for Dan's sake... you should have seen the Sunday the Vikings played the Packers... a Green Bay onesie with this skirt, ha!)

This was the night of the Alumni Basketball Tournament as a fundraiser for the school/community wellness center. Dan played and his team even won one game!

Go Tornadoes!

January Goal Update

The binding is made...

One runner is quilted and the other one is basted...

I have almost accomplished my January goal... and there is still plenty of time left in the month! I may even get a kickstart to my February goal :)

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• The spoons are flattened... I hope to stamp them soon!
• (Evelyn really wanted to play with this new fabric...)
• I won a gift certificiate to Fashionable Fabrics from Sew Mama Sew's Handmade Holidays series. I purchased three yards of fabric that will hopefully become dresses or skirts for a certain little girl ;)

What happens when you use 2 computers...

I was cleaning out folders on the laptop while watching the Packers game on Sunday, when I can across this picture, already PicMonkey-ed and ready to post as a Christmas greeting. Well, I guess it will just be an Epiphany message instead :)

Happy Epiphany!



**The next time I edit pictures on the laptop, I'll just have to create a draft post for it, so I don't forget it! Or, at the very least, I just need to be better at using my Dropbox account... (I usually blog on the desktop downstairs and closer to my sewing area.)

Comfy Christmas Dress with Leggings

The Comfy Christmas Dress

If you remember, I won a gift certificate to Pink Chalk Fabrics this past summer. I chose the fabrics with clothing plans in mind.

The pearl bracelets have already become a stripey skirt, but I just haven't had a good time to take pictures of Evelyn in it. I have, however, had a few chances to take pictures of Evelyn's "comfy Christmas dress" made with the Riley Blake knits - red chevron and solid. She had a few other "nice" Christmas dresses purchased at second hand stores and garage sales last summer, but I wanted her to have a comfortable dress to wear throughout Christmas festivities.

I used the Janey Jump Around Pattern, which is a free download to newsletter subscribers from the Peek-A-Boo Pattern Shop. http://www.peekaboopatternshop.com/product/janey-jump-around-dress

I didn't follow the pattern exactly (the main change being that I didn't add the buttons because I didn't want to have buttons where her inquisitive, strong fingers could find them... I will however add them to any more dresses I make with the pattern when she's a little bit older. You can't see it in the pictures very well, but the faux wrap part of the dress really does need the buttons to help it from not folding out). It really was a perfect dress for Evelyn to wear during the Holidays!

I used a double needle for the first time, and I was impressed by how easy it was to set-up and use. I do think I'll need another double needle - one that has a wider space - as I thought that mine was a bit too narrow. This was the first time I've worked with knits in several, several years. My machine had some trouble getting started on the seams, so I used some paper to help out. The stretch zigzag worked really well for the seams. I look forward to making a Skipper top for Evelyn with the leftover chevron fabric.  I already have the pattern (Sew Much Ado).

There are umpteen hundreds of tutorials - written and video - around the internet for turning lady's knee high socks into baby and toddler leggings. These socks were from JoAnns, and a few quick cuts and one line of stretchy-zig-zag stitching made for the perfect leggings to go under Evelyn's dress.

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Now, let's see the dress in action!

Evelyn really likes paper. After a brief second of her being on the floor which led to a few stolen bows, we put her in the old walker. Hmmm... she still found ways to chew on paper!

Overall, she had a very nice Christmas. Lots of toys and books from lots of friends and family. She sure is loved!  I'll post again with a few more Christmasy pictures later.... for now, I need to go put a little girly down for a nap :)

A Lovely Year of Finishes - 6 Months of Fun

 

I started participating in Shanna and Melissa's A Lovely Year of Finishes in July, meaning that I just barely have 6 months of successful goals. Here is what I accomplished with my goals...

July

Four Table Runners 

Hand Quilted(!)

Friend's Wedding Present

August

Twin-Sized Quilt Top

Scrappy Stash-Busting Goodness

Evelyn's Future Bed

September

Christmas Tree Skirt Top

New Pattern - New Experiences

Friend's Future Wedding Present

October

Pillow Cover

Dan's Grandmother's Hardanger Embroidery

Simply For Us :)

November

Christmas Tree Skirt Top

Scrappy Stash-Busting Goodness

Another Friend's Wedding Gift (Summer Wedding!)

December

Diaper Repairs

Replacing Elastic

Evelyn :)

I very much appreciated Melissa and Shanna's A Lovely Year of Finishes... once Evelyn arrived, it became harder to find time to sew, but sewing is necessary sometimes to keep me feeling like more than a milk cow ;) So, the goals helped me find little snippets of time to get a little sewing in. I look forward to  more goal setting in this new year!

January Goals.

 Enough of this only-sewing-to-repair-cloth-diapers from December. Enough. I'm going to sew for enjoyment, and that is that. (Well, as long as Dan can take some time away from bookwork and farm work and dismantling a rundown house and watch Baby E for me!) But truly, I plan on sewing this month!

My official goal is to piece, baste, and quilt two table runners. 

You can see in the picture that I already started the piecing, so I should be able to achieve my goal. And if things get real productive around here, I might even get the binding attached! But... don't hold your breath... Evelyn rules the roost, and she's not too keen on letting Momma have a lot of free time. It's a good thing she's cute ;)

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And just for fun... a little sneak peak... 

I've got big plans for this garage sale find from several years ago! It involves hammering and stamping and bending. Can't wait to have some crafty fun!