I caught the quilting bug

It started out with me asking myself a simple question "What do I want to make for the kids for Christmas this year?". Of the three gifts they get from us one of them is always home made. Believe me when I say every year that gets harder to do. This year I didn't want to do something that costs a lot because our budget is pretty tight from all the medical bills we have had this year.

I remembered that about 5 years ago I had bought sheets to use for the backs of some Levi quilts for the kids but when I finished cutting up all the Levis we had I didn't even have enough for one quilt so they all went into a box and I started collecting Levis from friends and family. I figured I should have enough by now and decided that would be my project.

I was a little worried since it was after Thanksgiving and I was scheduled for surgery the first week in December but I went for it anyway. It's only 5 quilts I can do that right?? (maybe)
All the girl's quilts have the same bright colored flower print used as an accent and then they all have a color from the pattern on the back of the quilt. The one above is Madison's with a light pink background, and I even have some of the girls old pants with light pink designed on them that I used on hers. You can see one of the squares just up a few squares from where the back is folded over.
Harrisen's favorite color is green and I had this cute green plaid to accent his with along with a few squares of a solid green. his has a navy background with the green binding.
Bailee's is the dark pink and I had some jeans with dark pink on them I used on hers though it's harder to tell in the picture. The point of the fold points to one of them, it's kind of an R shape on the pocket.
Alex's is lime green, her favorite color.
and Kirsti's is teal, her favorite color.

I'll have to post pictures of the others later since I haven't taken them yet ha ha
Mike's:
Mike's dad's:
Mike's mom's:
My mom's:
and for my best friend Eve:

as I was going through fabric to figure out what to make the ones for mike's mom, my mom and Eve I came across these that I wanted to make for my home, not that they match my living room or anything but I like having a quilt to throw over my while I'm watching TV on cold winter nights.
I love the bright colors
Now I'm working on another one in various shades of blue for the guest room Yeah me! I'm having fun.

Skirts

Alex's last project before she got her Young Womens Medallion..
She made skirts for all the girls in the family and we all wore them the day she got her medallion. Good Job Alex!!!!

A cute headband

I found this cute headband and just had to make one....
But only one, my hands hurt from cutting and sewing all the leaves. But I like the way it turned out and I wear it all the time.

Bead watches

This is my first attempt at the cute bead watches that are in style right now...
A black and silver band ...
and this one (though for some reason the picture doesn't look that way) is pearls and silver.

Not as chunky as the ones you see around but just right for the person it was made for.

Hats and flowers

The past few days I have been suffering from a bad tooth. I finally had it pulled but that is another kind of pain as well. Needless to say I haven't been able to follow my normal routine. Thus I had to figure out something to keep myself entertained and keep my mind off all the house work I should be doing. Here's what I've been doing (along with a few chick flicks and naps he he he). Hats and flowers... This is Madison Modeling the first hat I made along with the first of this style of flower The hat was a bit smaller than I had hoped so for the next one I added a few rounds to the top.
and as you can see Bailee is modeling what turned out to be a floppy style hat. Not exactly what I was aiming for but I really like it....and so do my girls. I'll have to make more of these.
This green one is my favorite! I love how cute it turned out...but I stitched it with a different type of yarn and it is way too small for my girls. I think next time I'll add one extra round at the top and maybe get a happy medium of the too small and the floppy hat.
This is the new flowers I have been making. Way cute and WAY easy. I think it is the simplest I've done yet. The single layer (below) is quite small but I like the dainty look of it. The double layer (above) Is a better size for older teens or adults and a fun twist with the gem as a center.
As you can see I have been able to keep myself entertained while I recover from a bad tooth.

Boutique flowers

I've been having fun making these flowers and decided to try my hand at selling them at a boutique. Here are some sample pictures of the flowers I sold at the boutique.





The thing I like best about them is that they are for all ages. Babies and adults and all girls in between can wear them. They look great in hair on purses and on clothing. Cute!

Alex's costume

Alex needed a costume for student government this year. So we decided to use a pattern for a dress that my friend gave me.

Fabric is getting pretty expensive especially the nicer stuff like brocades that we wanted to use. so instead of buying fabric by the yard at $15.99+ per yard we used one of these found at the local Wal-mart for $9.99. There was plenty to make the dress using only one tablecloth.
So after about a day and a half of fitting the sewing in between jobs and family activities we had planned this fall, we came up with this...It has a train in the back. Kind of hard to see from the front though. so here is a better shot...
The pattern called for eyelets to lace up the back...uh yeah Well I didn't really want to buy the tool for one project so I improvised and did this....
Pretty amazing what you can do with a little thread, some fancy trim, and one of these...
We will get more use out of the dress than just for this Halloween's activities as Kirsti needs a dress this same style for a play she is in that will be in January and Alex's friend is having a "Princess" party next month that everyone is supposed to dress like a princess.

I had forgotten how much fun it is to sew dresses for my girls.