Hooded Towels

I made a hooded baby towel for my sister-in-law's baby shower. It's one I made for the boys when they were babies, but I have improved the design A LOT since then.

I never really liked those hooded towels you were supposed to use on babies. They're paper thin, too small after 6 months or so and the hood is in the corner rather than the center where they should be. The boys used theirs until they were in preschool!

So, I made my own...

The pictures aren't very good at showing what it looks like.

I added a fabric strip to the edge of the towel and the washcloth. Lined the washcloth with soft flannel, sewed up one edge and sewed it to the edge of the towel.

I think I am going to make one up for the store and see how it does.

Fun With A New Pattern

My friend Kate brought me the sweetest pattern the last time she came to visit and I finally made one.

I also have to thank my sister Theresa for the perfect black handles to go on it. And my sister-in-law Amy for the very cute vintage buttons.

All together, we made a very nice bag!

Don't you agree?

Baby On The Go

I started a quilt today using the "Going On 20" pattern. I modified it to have smaller blocks, but I think this one will turn out ok.

I love the browns and blues! (the brown is not as red as it seems in the picture)

The 3 Foot Rule

I just finished a quilt that reminded me anew of why I love the "3 foot rule". I LOVE the quilt, but it isn't quite heirloom quality. Math never was my best subject. I've used a pattern simply as inspiration many times before and it worked just fine. Maybe I just got too cocky.

The rule goes like this...

"If someone is standing more than 3 feet away and says your quilt looks beautiful, than it is beautiful."

No one knows all the flaws but you. And if you don't tell them, they'll probably never notice. Or they'll notice later. :o)

Chris' aunt told me that when I was first learning to quilt and it took all the stress and worry out of it.

It doesn't have to be PERFECT, just lovingly made and loved.

Here are some of my favorite quilts that I made a few years ago that I also love and passed the "3 foot rule" (but not any closer)

this one was adorable but the ink for the embroidery that was supposed to wash out when it was done, didn't (I was really disappointed)

Don't worry if they're not perfect, we're not either. LOL

Redwork Is Slow

The progress on this quilt is slow.

It's not hard, it's just taking me a long time.

Here's what I've got so far...

Sewing At The Beach

I brought all my sewing stuff with us to the beach so my sister and I could sew while we were on vacation. We got everything set up (which made eating and cooking more of a hastle), but didn't get as much sewing done as we would have liked.

But I did get to make two trips to one of my two favorite quilting stores. The other is in Perham, MN. The second trip wasn't planned but it turned out ok. I had to buy more needles for my machine because I broke my last one sewing a really cute purse made of recycled jeans. :o( But while I was there I found a fabric to match an Oriental toille that I just love, some really cute boy quilt fabric, flannels and buttons to make a puppy quilt and sewing machine needles.

the perfect match!

puppy flannels

I love these prints!

I also cut and layed out all the pieces for my Going On Twenty quilt I am making for our church Block Party this summer. It is bigger and brighter than I expected, but I think I will like it.

And since it didn't rain on Thursday, I was able to take a "perfect shot" of the shopping bag I finished but haven't posted yet.

Oh, and I got all kinds of great sewing stuff for my birthday. Like purse handles, vintage fabrics and hankies, mum fabric I couldn't get here at home anymore, and JoAnn's gift cards! I don't even know where to start...

The Perfect Shot

The hardest part of the Etsy store is the pictures. I believe that a sale can be made or blown on the picture. For instance, I just saw a listing for a bag but even after seeing 5 photos of it I am still not sure what it looks like.

Staging is everything. Pictures on a plain white surface are easy to see, but are well…boring (at least for your “cover shot”) Props look good as long as they are not too distracting. Models can be good, but I sell stuff for babies and mommies and have 3 adolescent sons.

boring picture

Then there is lighting… a whole ‘nother problem.

So I am constantly thinking about the perfect places and props, or waiting for a sunny day. Would the fishbowl be a good accent or would the bamboo tray be better? I still haven’t posted a picture of this bag because I still haven’t found the “perfect shot”. (and this isn't it)

But when I do find just the right place or the cutest accent or the ideal angle, it’s lots of fun! I just wish that finding it wasn’t so hard. :o)

good picture