Better than a finish (but I have a finish, too!)

I have been traveling a lot (unexpectedly) for work, so sewing has taken a back seat... but the one finish I have (and a funny story to go with it), is COMPLETELY trumped by my sister's finish for this week....

Meet my new little nephew, Liam Christopher

Born Tuesday, May 7 (his daddy's birthday!!) @ 2:19pm Eastern

23 days early but still a healthy 6 pounds, 6 ounces

Mommy (my little sister) and Baby Liam are both doing great!

I can't wait to see pictures of him in his nursery, wrapped in the monkey quilt I made him!!

Now the one finish (or set of finishes) I have is a set of pillow covers for my friend Phoenix, who lives in Phoenix.  When I was there (for work) in April, I got to see her house and decide what colors to make (she has been undecided for a year!).  I got them completed and in the mail last Monday, and this was the picture I planned to show you in this post:

Pillow covers (with hidden zippers on the bottom) for two 24" pillows and two 18" pillows.  (She already had the naked pillow forms.)  I decided to buy two 12" forms and make those for her, too.  They're more burgundy than red, with cocoa brown, black and beige.  The 18" pillows are cocoa on one side and beige on the other.

Like I said, they went in the mail last Monday and were scheduled to arrive in Phoenix on Wednesday or Thursday.  On Wednesday morning, my boss called to ask if I could get on a plane (to Phoenix!)  THAT AFTERNOON for a meeting on Thursday.  As dumb luck would have it, *I* got to Phoenix before the pillow covers did!!  It sure was nice to see them in person, though, and take pictures of them on her couch!

You can see a mug rug I made her a while back on the ottoman.

I came home from Phoenix on Friday (yes, 10 hours of flying on 5 hours notice for 11 hours of meetings).  Now I've been home a whole 4 days.... and just found out I'm probably flying back there on Monday.  Maybe I should just leave my sewing machine at my friend's house.... it's not like I have time to use it here in Florida!

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kat ~

Much ado about not that much

Busy, busy, busy... that's what I've been.  In the past 4 weeks I've been in New York, Arizona and several different parts of Florida.  I've been to Butterfly World, Flamingo Gardens, Animal Kingdom and Epcot Center.  I've cried more times than I can count over the bombing at the Boston Marathon --- as a mother, a runner and an American.  I've taken care of sick kids and a sick husband and now, I'm trying to take care of a sick self.  I've done very little sewing, but that's OK... I'm at home now, with the people I love the most, and counting my blessings every single day.  

Here are some photos of my recent adventures.

We fed the birds at Butterfly World.  Rachel may or may not have enjoyed this.

My younger daughter, Jessica, is in there somewhere under all that hair.

She was quite disappointed when I said it was time to pry the bird off her forehead.

I couldn't let them have ALL the fun :-).

Rachel, Jessica and Rachel's BFF, who I refer to as "Number 3."

Jessica got a monarch butterfly puppa at Butterfly World.

It "hatched" 3 days later and we set it free in our back yard.

If you're looking for a simple way to put your sewing skills to use to support Boston, check out To Boston With Love over at the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild.

I wouldn't call this a "craft project" but I used a Sharpie to make this shirt, which I wore on my run the day after the marathon bombings.  

With only 1 day notice, I made this tote bag for Jessica's BFF, Lotta.  She likes dogs so Jessica picked this fabric from my stash.  She told me Lotta's never had anything with her name on it because it's uncommon, so I got to put my embroidery machine to good use :-).

I was planning to take better photos (these are from my iPhone) but Jessica ran off to deliver it before I had a chance.  I "cheated" and used pre-quilted fabric for the lining, which allowed me to skip the fusible stabilizer step for the outer layer.

Change purse to match.

No trip to Phoenix is complete without a sewing request from my friend Phoenix.  (And I wouldn't want it any other way!)  This is one (of many that I'll get to) pillow cover for her couch.  She bought pillow forms a year ago but couldn't find covers that went with her decor, which has elements of brown, black and beige.  A few yards or corduroy and problem solved!  

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kat ~

Lots of Travel = Little Sewing Time

My daughters and I had a great visit to Upstate New York last week for their spring break.  We got to spend time with family and friends and threw my sister a beautiful baby shower.  (Photos below)

I've only been back 4 days and on Sunday, I leave for a business trip to Phoenix (again) for a week.  Unfortunately, my sewing machine doesn't travel with me so there probably won't be much to share here for a little bit longer.

I did, however, manage to put together (this week) some birthday gifts for my little nephews, who turned 4 and 6 in March.  Their party is this weekend.  They'll each be getting a little backpack with a personalized towel, plastic tumbler and bottle of bubbles (and a gift card, not shown).

Derek (aka: D-Man) just turned 6.

Aaron (aka: A-Bomb) just turned 4.

Here are the bags (which double as gift bags!) all filled up and ready for a trip to the pool.

They look a lot better in person but it's raining today so I had to take the photos inside.

Though it's not her birthday, I also made a towel for my little niece, Megan, who is 1.

Now I have to figure out a hand sewing project to take to Phoenix with me.  I think it'll be this hexagon project, which I started last year and intended to be a quilt.  When I found out my sister was having a boy I stopped working on it and honestly, I'm not sure I'll ever finish this to a full (even baby sized) quilt.  Any suggestions for what these 1" hexies should become?  Here's one layout I was playing with, but I have (literally) hundreds more fabric hexies cut out and ready to assemble.

And now, a few photos from my trip last week:

Sarah opening her monkey quilt at the shower (with help from my daughter, Rachel).

The precious little boy who will sleep under that quilt.  I'm in love!

So happy I got to be there in person when this ultrasound photo was taken!!

My sister and I.  At 5'6", I'm the "really tall" one, LOL.

I'm not sure why we're both leaning so much... I think I was afraid to bump her belly :-).

With my baby brother at his restaurant (he's the Executive Chef) after the shower.

Jessica and Rachel adore their Uncle Chris!!

And this is what I did after the shower and after dinner.  It was a good day :-).

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kat ~

Monkey See, Monkey Done!

Tomorrow morning my daughters and I leave for a week in Upstate New York to visit my parents, brother and sister.  (Yes, I'm the nut who leaves 80 degree South Florida to go to 30 degree Upstate New York for spring break.  *sigh*)

Saturday will be my sister's baby shower and I finished Baby Boy's quilt this weekend.  I am **SOOO** happy with how it turned out!

Here are some close-ups of those little monkeys, who all match the decal on the wall of her nursery.

I also made a diaper stacker with a monkey on it (using this tutorial).  The green matches the window valances and crib skirt I already made her (and also used for the leaves on her quilt). The polka dots are sprinkled in to all the different items I've made her.  In hindsight, I wish I had made that monkey face a little bit smaller, but oh well!

I also made her a Boppy (nursing pillow) cover -- it's blue on the back -- and a small pillow to put on her glider.  I remember how many hours I spent in my glider as a new mom, so a little lower back support will be nice for her as she rocks her new precious baby boy to sleep.

As a completely random side note.... it was VERY hard not to write Baby Boy's name as I wrote this post.  My sister and her husband have picked a name but they're keeping it a secret (well, not from me, LOL).  I think that's a really wise move, as my 2nd daughter's name changed during my pregnancy because everyone had an opinion.  We needed a "J" name and my husband and I both loved Jaelyn / Jaylyn, but couldn't agree on the spelling (I liked it with an "e" and he liked it with a "y") so we changed it to "Jessica."  It was the right move (she's definitely a "Jessie") but sooooo many people had very strong (and loud) opinions on Jaelyn.... I swore if I ever had another one (which I do NOT plan to do, thank you very much), the name would remain top secret until he/she was born and it was too late to argue :-).

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kat ~

One Little Monkey

To call this week "chaotic" would be an understatement, so this post will be short and sweet :-).

In between about a bazillion other things, I did manage to finish one of the little monkeys on my sister's baby quilt.

Here's how the monkey decal looks on her nursery wall:

And here's how he looks on her baby-boy-to-be's quilt:

One down, two to go!

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kat ~

Support Breast Cancer Research & Receive a Free Pattern!

If you have read my blog in the past, you probably know that a good friend of mine (Luanne) and her team (Udderly Pink) are preparing to walk in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day (60 mile) breast cancer awareness walk  in Washington, DC in October.  This is Luanne's 5th time participating in this event and her team has a goal to raise $15,000 in the next few months.  They're well on their way but I recently sent them a box of goodies I'm hoping they can raffle, auction or sell to help raise money for their team.

One of the items was this HOPE quilt, along with a smaller (but similar) version*.  (You can see more photos here, in addition to the two below.)

I have put together a pattern for making these two quilts, and will email a PDF version of it as a THANK YOU to anyone who donates $10.00 or more to my friend Luanne and/or her team.  I know that might seem a little expensive for a PDF pattern, but you're not buying a pattern, you're making a donation to a great cause and receiving a free pattern as a Thank You gift.

Here's how it works:

1. Follow this link, which will take you to the team fundraising / donation page for Team Udderly Pink.  
2. On the bottom left of the page is a table with a list of the team members.  You can click on any name to read more about their personal goals for this event.  (My friend is Luanne, but you can choose any member you'd like.)
3. Once you have selected your team member and are on their page, look for the pink button on the top left that says, "Click to donate to name in 2013."
4. Follow the instructions to make your donation directly to Susan G. Komen on behalf of the team member you have selected.  All major credit cards are accepted.  By going through this site, you know the donation is going straight to the cause and will count for the team member you have chosen.  You will receive a receipt (via email) from "Susan G. Komen 3-Day."  You can use this towards a charitable donation deduction on your taxes and if you work for a company that matches charitable contributions, you can use this form to request a match.  The donation is in your name, not mine, and you know it's going to the right place.
5. Email me a copy of your receipt / donation confirmation email from Susan G. Komen --- my email address is kathydipp (at) hotmail (dot) com.  There is no credit card information in the email, but you can delete out the attachment and any other info you don't want me to see, before you send it my way.
6. Within 2 days (usually sooner, but just in case my computer blows up or something), I will email you back with a copy of the pattern for the 2 quilts shown above.

I know this is a bit more cumbersome than buying from an online shop -- but those shops take a % and you don't get credit for a charitable donation.   If you prefer not to use a credit card online and would prefer to donate via Paypal, email me and we can work that out.  (I'd have you Paypal the money to me, and I would then make the donation on your behalf.)

If you have any questions, please let me know, and thanks in advance for your support of Team Udderly Pink and the Susan G. Komen foundation!


* The pattern details:
The HOPE quilt measures ~ 42" x 58" before washing.  The Baby quilt version measures ~ 42' x 50" before washing.  The pattern is 10 pages long, including the patterns for the "HOPE" letters.  The pattern is a beginner level and goes together very quickly.  It can be modified in numerous ways (colors, lettering, size) to be appropriate for all occasions and personal preferences.  It includes color photos for any steps which are not considered "sewing 101."  

Please note that I am not selling a pattern, I am providing a pattern as a THANK YOU for any donation of $10.00 or more to the Susan G Komen 3-day for Team Udderly Pink.

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kat ~

This & That

I finally finished up the last project for my first box of donation items to Udderly Pink, a set of two kitchen towels.  (Come back tomorrow to see how you can help support them, too!)

I got those in the mail yesterday, along with the 2 needle cushions for my 1 Year Blogiversary and 100th Post giveaway winners.  Also in the mail are these 3 table runners, for my friend Adrienne in Phoenix.

The striped runners are for her bedroom --- dresser and nightstand.

The paisley runner is for the TV stand in her living room.

Adrienne picked these fabrics when I visited her in Phoenix in January.

Now that those small projects are done, I have moved on to the quilt I'm making my sister for her new baby's nursery.  The shower is on the 30th and I just started this yesterday.  Whoops!  After the quilt, I still need to make a diaper stacker, a boppy cover, a car seat tent (quilt) and hopefully a few other items.  I've got a lot of work to do!!

She really loved this quilt, but the colors weren't quite right.  So, I made a quilt top with her nursery colors / fabrics and started adding monkeys to match the ones on her nursery wall. 

The background (squares/rectangles) part of the quilt took less than 45 minutes.

Cutting out those monkeys took about 45 hours!

I've appliqued down the 2 tree branches and 1 monkey tail so far.  Once the monkey outlines are complete, I'll add the faces, bellies, ears and some green leaves.  Oh, and a banana :-).

Here's the nursery wall again.... The monkeys on the quilt will match the 3 monkeys on the right side of the window.

~*~ May your day be full of Love and Ladybug Hugs ~*~

Thanks for stopping by!

~ Kat ~