October Finishes for OPAM!

I actually have a finish BEFORE the end of the month :) Here are photos of my completed baby quilt, roughly in the style of ticker tape. I did random "over quilting" and added yarn, yo yos, a knit flower, and ribbons. I zigzagged them down VERY tightly so baby won't be able to pull them off! I washed and dried it (on hot) and it shrank up to a wonderfully wrinkly texture!

Here are the photos :)

Next project: a camera strap for ME :)

Quilted Wall Hanging

I am submitting a quilted wall hanging as part of an art auction that is a fund raiser for North Brevard Charities, which does amazing work here in town! This is the first thing I have ever "submitted", so I feel kind of nervous and wonder if anyone will even be interested in this piece! I like it, and that should be enough, but suddenly there is the need for validation from someone else. I guess I feel pressured because if someone else DOESN'T like it, it won't raise money for the charity! This was a complete experiment with color and raw edge technique, along with some embellishments that I normally wouldn't have used.

Below I have pasted my artist statement, which is new for me too!

“Love is a Many Colored Thing”   Love has so many colors, forms, faces and textures. The various elements, colors, textures and shapes represent the forms of love. We love our friends and family. We love pizza or McDonald’s. We love because we desire love. We love because we can’t help ourselves. We love the blessed and prosperous and the disenfranchised and the hurting. We love those who love us, and those who do not. We were created for love. It is our divine purpose in life. The beaded wire represents our lifetime journey of love, the twists and turns of life and the people (beads) that we encounter and love along the way. The tulle represents the Spiritual realm and the love we find within it. This love is for and from our Creator and His Son (cross of Christ charm).

May OPAM finishes

Here are photos of my finishes for May! One knitted and one sewn :) I got the pattern for the little card pouch on Ravelry and I just love it! It is felted and I can keep all my cards - library, grocery store, etc. in there. My son loves his football pj shorts too.

One Project A Month Finishes for 2009

We are starting a new OPAM for the year 2010! You can read more about how to join and rules etc.here or by clicking on the One Project A Month picture on the left hand side of my blog. I'm excited to get started!

Just for the record:
Jan.: car trash can

Feb.: peasant blouse

Mar.: DD's quillow

Apr.: pink peasant top

May: doll for Craft Hope

Jun.: bandana tops

Jul.: fall star quilt

Aug.: curtains

Sep.: embellished dish towel

Oct.: recycled denim skirt

Nov. and Dec.: oops, I missed these!

Santa's Festive Honeypot Swap

Thanks Julie!

I received the most gorgeous ornament from Julie in the swap through Snickerdoodle Dreams! You can see her stitching is just beautiful! I adore it :) It came all wrapped in a pretty package and with a wonderful card too! Merry Christmas!

OPAM finish for October

I can hardly believe that I have finished a single project this month, but I have. It is small, but complete! It's a cute little skirt for a friend's daughter :) It's recycled denim (my old jeans) and a piece of the sheet from the girl's little pet shop curtains I made.

OPAM Finish for September

Here is another very small project, an embellished dish towel. Homeschooling has been keeping me from sewing, much to my frustration!  However, the homeschooling is going VERY well. My DS is like a new child and has his happy back :) I really can't ask for more than that!

This is one project that has been on my to do list since July when I found this cute fabric about friendship. The one section says "The journey to a friend's house is never too far to travel". This is just a little gift for a friend :)

OPAM project for August

Well, I finished a project that has been weighing on me... and it was a simple and quick project, I just had to get motivated! It was a simple pair of curtains for a friend's daughter made from sheets that match her bedding. I know it feels almost like cheating for OPAM, but it is a project, really and I needed to get it done- this is what it's about. I was hoping to do bigger and better, but I am learning that just getting some of these small projects done is very rewarding as well:)

Bandana Tops

I have been working on a few of these for my DD and for several friends' girls too. They are SOOOO easy to make :) just a couple of straight seams and put the ribbon into the casing and VOILA! you are done :)

Musings and a Trampoline

Lately I feel like I spend more time reading other people's blogs than I do writing in my own. I have a goal to spend more time writing here. And to catch up on my email! I end up looking at craft blogs and do less crafting LOL It's such a strange thing...

Yesterday we had a get together with a lot of people over for grilled hamburgers and hot dogs. When my DH went to get the meat, he came home with a trampoline! Several of he men put it together and all the kids jumped until it got dark. My kids are thrilled to have one! Today we spent time on it again :)

I also made a bandana top for my DD from this tutorial (like a pillowcase dress, but easier!) I'll have to take photos to post here!

Bunny Project

I have completed another project this month- with help from my DD. As far as the bunny goes, she picked out the pattern, did the tracing and cutting and stuffing. We modified it a bit and didn't paint it. She even drew the face! I did the machine sewing. It turned out very cute :) We were both pleased.

OPAM completed project for May

Here is a photo of my completed project for the month. It was my first attempt at a doll and was a little more difficult than I had imagined! In the end, I like his expression and his hair, although I modified the pattern when it came to his hair and his "dress" became a tshirt as well. All in all, I like him. He will be going to an orphanage through a project from Craft Hope.

Completed Project

Here is a peasant top I made. I ended up buying a new pattern for $1.99 at WalMart. I just happened to see it and liked the sleeves better than the last one. I lengthened it a bit, since I am kind of tall. I'm happy with how this one turned out :) I added a closeup of the fabric just because I think it's so pretty!

What I've Been Doing Lately!

I haven't been creating much in the way of sewing, mostly mending the kids' pants! That still keeps the machine going! I have done a few scrapbook pages and I have a bunch of photos from Sea World that I think I'll use for a mini album. I'm looking for ideas right now and have ordered the photos from Snapfish. I got them all free thanks to my coke rewards.

We have more company this weekend and next weekend, so we are going to stay pretty busy!
Here are a couple of more photos that we took last week:

Organizing Creative "Stuff"

I am NOT good at organizing, especially my creative area! It always looks like a train wreck. So... I have been searching craigslist and found an armoir for my craft supplies. I am hoping to get my creative "stuff" organized. I have my scrapbooking stuff pretty organized, papers, brads, etc. all in drawers and ribbon in jars, etc.

The stuff I can't organize, my quilting notions and my current projects, they just kind of become piles. It's like mountains of memorabilia and fabrics! Any ideas anyone? How do you organize your creative "stuff" and current projects?

DD and I Make a Quillow- OPAM

So I changed my mind... I have always wanted to make a quillow and when my DD saw one I bought as a pattern, she wanted to make one too! I just happened to have a quilt top that was the perfect size and I had started it for her when she was a toddler (she's 9, yikes! that's an old project!). So we spent a few hours making a quillow for her :) She loves it!

I guess this is my finished project for the month- Yeah! I will try to finish another one, but it's shaping up to be a busy month.

Next Project for OPAM (One Project A Month)

I was looking for a quilt top I made for my mother (a few years ago) and found these blocks. I think I'm going to make a little lap throw size quilt out of them. They were leftover scrap blocks and I just have to make one block to finish up the center panel. I'm thinking I'll add a border or two of scraps from my stash (hopefully I have some large sized fabrics as I tend to buy fat quarters a lot!) I WILL find that top for my Mom, maybe for next month...

I also found these 4" blocks, and only 2 of them, maybe I will make something from them as well :)

February Project for One Project a Month Challenge

Here is the peasant shirt made from the blue and brown paisley fabric. I was worried about the necklinek, but it turned out great. I am not real happy with the sleeves, they could be more streamlined and less "dolman"ish. I think I can solve that problem the next time I cut out the pattern. I am learning as I go along. Really I'm a quilter, so maybe the next project will be a quilt project! :) I wouldn't have finished this one without the challenge to keep me going. And I finished just in time for the end of the month, whew!

Work In Progress

I am working on a shirt for myself using this fabric that I purchased over Christmas. I think this is going to be my February project for the challenge! I am getting close, but thought I would give a sneak peek at the fabric :) I am just in love with the pale blue and brown paisley!

January Challenge Project

This was a quick and easy one. So easy I almost feel guilty- but I may make up for it in a future project, so I will hold back on the guilt- LOL It was a partial project intended to be a bag, but i just didn't like how it turned out. I would have preferred larger seams so I could snip them for a more ragged look. But since I didn't want the panels to go to waste, I kept them. And lately I have been wanting a fabric bag for trash in my car, so... I finished it up without handles and viola! I have a handy trash can!