Author name: Melissa Dunworth

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2011 A Year in Review

7 Comments / 4th of july quilt, baby quilt, bottled rainbows, cobbleston road, Easter Basket, felt basket, felt flower, flag quilt, halloween, handmade gift exchange, monkey business quilt, mystery quilt, pillow case, table runner, whirly gig pillow / By

This year has been a year of creation for me. I have spent hours upon hours letting my creative self soar – something I have rarely allowed myself to do.  This year marks the first time in my life when I stopped following sewing and quilting patterns and started following my gut.  It has been incredibly liberating. I have made my own knitting and crocheting patterns for years – easy to do when you make a knitting mistake and end up liking that better than the original design.  Sewing though, was so much scarier for me. Cutting fabric has always seemed so final to me, like there is no going back. Knitting…I could just rip out my stitches and start over – no wasted materials or money, just time.

I learned this year that if I cut something and end up not liking it that I can hold on to that fabric and save it for a later project – ie. Bottled Rainbows.  I now view scraps and “mishaps” in a whole new way.  I also learned this year, as I mentioned earlier, to follow my gut. I know what I like and if I listen to my inner voice odds are everything will work out just fine. This is something that I have learned in both my crafting and personal life. Trusting yourself and your instincts is so important and I am so glad that I figured that out. It is so much more fun to sew now. I am not afraid.

I have a few goals for 2012. I am going to list them in no particular order with no real timeline in mind other than to do them at some point this year.

  • Make several more dresses for Anne (I won 4 patterns from Hopeful Threads by Lily Bird Studio and I really want to use those patterns!)
  • Learn to use the serger my mom gave me
  • Practice FMQ and attempt to keep up with the challenges over on SewCalGal’s blog
  • Publish at least 2 patterns
  • Turn the 3 quilt tops that I have already finished into quilts
  • Do more handmade gifts
  • Play More!!!

Do you set yearly goals? How do you hold yourself accountable? Better yet, do you hold yourself accountable?

NOTE: Don’t forget, I am one of the bloggers who is going to lose Google Friend Connect in March 2012, please take a moment and follow me via Bloglovin’, Facebook, RSS or networked blogs.  You are important to me and I want to be able to stay in contact with you!  Check my side bar for all the best ways to stay in touch after GFC goes bye bye!

Happy Boxing Day!

2 Comments / it's sew kiki, SewHappyGeek / By

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas surrounded by loved ones and friends. My family had a very blessed Christmas – it is the first time my entire family has gotten together all in one room since my wedding four years ago. It was a very special day.

Anne got exactly what she asked Santa for, a bike and a helmet.

It will be awhile before she fits it properly, but in the meantime she can learn at our weekly trips to Kinder Gym.  She also got Lego Duplos. Usually the hubby and I try to do more educational gifts, but we decided that we give her educational things all year round and this Christmas we would do things a little different.

Boxing Day is the day after Christmas (today) and is celebrated throughout the United Kingdom and parts of Canada. In the British Military it is when officers and enlisted change positions for the day – it helps to boost morale.  Some fun boxing day suggestions – trade places with your kids for the day – safe activities only (you use the stove and of course do all the driving), but let them see what it is like to be a parent and make the decisions.  I imagine it would be a great lesson and it is something we will definitely try when Anne is older – probably teenage years.

I will be taking the rest of the week off and I will be back on January 2nd. I am participating in the It’s Sew Kiki About Town Bee.

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And I will also be participating in the SewHappyGeek QAL

SewHappyGeekTomorrow I am meeting my blogging friend Dawn_in_CA. I am so excited to meet her in person. We are going to go to a few local quilt shops and have lunch, my mom and Anne will be joining us. Wednesday will be a day of packing and Thursday will be our travel day.

I hope you all have a wonderful New Year celebration and I will see you all next year!

NOTE: Don’t forget, I am one of the bloggers who is going to lose Google Friend Connect in March 2012, please take a moment and follow me via Bloglovin’, Facebook, RSS or networked blogs.  You are important to me and I want to be able to stay in contact with you!  Check my side bar for all the best ways to stay in touch after GFC goes bye bye!

 

Merry Christmas

5 Comments / Giveaway, Intrepid Thread / By

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Christmas is a special time of year. Since marrying someone in the military and experiencing my first deployment it has come to have so much more meaning to me. It is a time for my family to reflect on our blessings and hold tight to each other.  Every holiday that we get to spend together is a small miracle to me and something that I truly cherish.

There are several traditions that we have had for years and I thought I would share them with you. Tonight we will have dinner with my God Parents – we have done this every year since I can remember. This year, however, there will be a first – it will be the first time that I cook dinner for my family.  Wish me luck!

After dinner we will exchange our gifts with my God Parents and my mom will give us our Christmas Eve jammies – my favorite tradition growing up.  After that we will read the bible to Anne and read “The Night Before Christmas“.  My mom has been reading that to me since 1988 when she first bought us the book – and now I get to read it to my daughter. How special is that?!?

Here is a new fun Christmas tradition – giving a present to one of my bloggy friends!

Congratulations Deb A, she said:

“I am a new follower! Thanks”

I will be emailing you shortly to get your information to send on to Julie!

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas!

Reversible Stocking

1 Comment / Christmas, tutorial / By

This was originally posted at Purple Panda Quilts as part of her Stockings for Kids Drive. I had so much fun being a part of the drive and I am so happy to say that Lyanna collected 219 hand made stockings for the foster children that she works with. The truly impressive thing is that her goal was only FIFTY!!!

This stocking takes less than an hour to make and is the perfect last minute gift project!

Materials (enough to make 2!):
You will also need an old stocking or use Lyanna’s pattern.

Fold your PFF in half lengthwise and then in half again:

(I used my rotary cutter)

Next cut out stocking from flannel – fold flannel in half width wise. Place one of your PFF stockings on top, cut around with 1/4″ extra on all sides – You will end up with 4 flannel stockings total.You will also need to cut pockets out of the flannel and out of the PFF – Eyeball these based on the size of your pocket. Make the PFF pockets smaller than your flannel by 1/4″.  Cut 4 from the PFF and 4 from each of the flannels.

Fuse your PFF following the directions included with the PFF to the flannel (note it may take longer than usual):

Make your pockets. My pockets are also reversible so I layered one red square with one of the green squares that was fused with PFF. Sew 1/4″ around three sides – leaving BOTTOM open, clip your corners:

Make 4 pockets – Turn them right side out and press. Sew to stockings.

Place right side up on stocking to determine placement, flip down and pin in place, using 1/4″ seam sew across opening of pocket.

Flip the pocket up, pin in place and top stitch down 1/8″ from edges.

Do this on all 4 stockings.

Next sew the stockings together – place red stockings right sides together and green stockings right sides together. Sew around both stockings with 1/4″ seam – leave tops open.

Next, make your handle. I cut a strip from each flannel – 1.5″ x 8″, and sewed them into a tube – turn tube right side out and attach to one of the stockings.

Time to make these 2 stockings into 1!  With the green stocking inside out and the red stocking right side out. Place red stocking inside green stocking – pin side seams and around, leave 4 inch opening so you can turn stockings. Sew with 1/4″ seam.

Reach inside the opening and pull red stocking out. Then pull green stocking right side out and place back inside the red stocking.

Pin the opening closed and topstitch around the top of the stocking using an 1/8″ seam. This will close the opening you used to turn the stocking and it will give it a nice finished look.

Congratulations! You have just made 2 stockings in one – and you should have enough fabric to make another reversible stocking too!

Happy stocking making!

I will be back on the blog Friday to figure out who the winner of The Intrepid Thread $25.00 gift card is and I will announce the winner on Christmas Eve! You still have time to enter if you haven’t already!

NOTE: Don’t forget, I am one of the bloggers who is going to lose Google Friend Connect in March 2012, please take a moment and follow me via Bloglovin’, Facebook, RSS or networked blogs.  You are important to me and I want to be able to stay in contact with you!  Check my side bar for all the best ways to stay in touch after GFC goes bye bye!

 

 

Pre-Christmas Trip

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Today I am headed to Lake Tahoe with my family.  Right before Anne was born, I took my hubby to Lake Tahoe and he fell in love and said that he would like to see it in the winter covered in snow.  Well, tomorrow we are granting his wish – the only problem is that the weather man isn’t granting it! There will sadly be no snow except man made on a couple of the slopes.

 

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Do you have any fun family traditions or trips that you take every year?  We don’t really do much in the way of vacations because we live so far from our families. We usually spend whatever leave time my hubby gets from the Army traveling to visit our families.  This is exciting for us – actually taking a little vacation.

In other news, one of my blogging friends is hosting an awesome giveaway on her blog Pieces to Love. She is giving away a $30.00 credit for long arm quilting. Definitely worth checking out if you haven’t already! Oh yeah, and follow her blog too! She is wonderful 🙂

I hope you are having a wonderful Christmas and checking off everything on your list.  So far, I am done Christmas Shopping and have all but 2 of my gifts wrapped. My hubby built Anne’s present from “Santa” today – he is bringing her a bike this year and my mom is giving her a helmet. It is a Nutcase Helmet and on the back it says “I love my brain!” I am so in love with this helmet. I can’t think of anything more important than my child wearing a helmet, I was wearing one when I was in an accident as a child that left me with permanent brain damage and I know if I hadn’t been wearing one I probably would have died. The fact that the helmet says “I love my brain” just tickles every parenting fiber in my body!!! Anne picked out the helmet with the smiley face 🙂

I will be back on the blog Friday to figure out who the winner of The Intrepid Thread $25.00 gift card is and I will announce the winner on Christmas Eve! You still have time to enter if you haven’t already!

Merry Christmas!

NOTE: Don’t forget, I am one of the bloggers who is going to lose Google Friend Connect in March 2012, please take a moment and follow me via Bloglovin’, Facebook, RSS or networked blogs.  You are important to me and I want to be able to stay in contact with you!  Check my side bar for all the best ways to stay in touch after GFC goes bye bye!

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