Nora's Room: Quilt

I honestly am not much of a seamstress. I have had no real training, but have been learning some things by taking on little projects here and there. Thanks goes out to my mother for deciding I needed a sewing machine a few years ago. I honestly did not see the value since I did not sew or have much desire to at the time, but I am so thankful to have my own machine now.

So, back to the project at hand. I am in the process of decorating Nora's room. Right now her room consists of a hideous hodgepodge of decor and furniture that needs painting. Her curtains are basically an old twin sheet that we nailed up to block some of the sunlight. (yeah, it's bad)

I found this quilt kit at Wal-mart in the clearance section for $11. I was so excited, so I went ahead and bought it. Fast forward about 3 months later, and I finally got out the fabric and did something with it.... TA DA!

The quilt is not finished. I just cut out everything and pieced it together, but it still needs the backing and binding. I was so proud of myself the night I put this together I couldn't stop staring at it. I think it is going to be perfect for a little girl's room!

Canvas Art

I have several plain white canvases that have been sitting around my house for awhile and I finally got some paints out and spent the evening having a little fun.

This image has been floating around Pinterest and I had it on one of my boards to make. I love the colors and the simple message.

Here's my recreation:

I did something a little different with the "berries?" and still probably need to add a little more to cover up the right side a little more, but I really like how it turned out. Painting words takes a lot of concentration and work, especially when doing it free hand. I think I need to invest in buying some stencils to make the process a little easier. Any thoughts?

Have you heard of Ravelry?

If you like to knit or crochet, but haven't heard of ravelry, then you are about to hit a landmine....seriously.

I love ravelry because it is an online community where you can find patterns (for free and for sale) for almost anything you might want to make with yarn. It is a great tool to help you find inspiration and you can save patterns in your "favorites" to look at later. I have actually found several great patterns for free that I have downloaded. It is also a great resource if you want to grow your ability to read patterns.

Here's one that I stumbled upon today. It is a free download on ravelry's site.

I made this cardigan in 2 evenings this past weekend. I whipped it up in an 18-24 month size for Nora. Still really need to take a picture (this picture was taken from ravelry's site). My interpretation of the pattern was a little bit different, but I love the way it turned out. I'll have to upload a picture of the finished product soon. 

Little purse

I made this purse for Nora for Christmas. She has been in love with big bags and I thought it would be fun to make her something her own size. I used Heat N' Bond to adhere the heart to the fabric and then embroidered around it. I used the basic idea to make a tote bag, but cut out my pieces to fit her size. I also rounded it out a little more and only put one strap on it. To see the instructions for a basic tote bag, you can go here.

Pattern: Slouchy Hat

Stumbled upon this free pattern  and thought I would share. It looks like a super quick and easy hat to make and so pretty too! I love the purple color she used. Be sure to check out the copyright rules on the bottom of her post.

Crocheted Amigurumi Owl

I whipped up one of these (pattern can be found on ravelry.com) for my sweet baby girl. She loves it... I have never really made any of the amigurumi animals, but have always wanted to try. It isn't perfect, but Nora doesn't mind and it gave me some practice at something new.

Easy Felt Flower Pins

The night before Aidan last day of schoolI was scrambling to come up with ideas for Christmas gifts for his teachers. I had planned on baking something, but decided last minute to rummage through my craft stuff and see what I could come up with. I remembered this tutorial I pinned on Pinterest. It was very quick and really easy. Mine didn't turn out quite the same, but I think I needed to adjust the size of my petals. I still liked them and the teachers were pleased.

The picture isn't so great because I shot it quickly while I was getting everyone ready to leave for preschool. I don't know why I always do things so last minute, but that's my life right now I guess.