the good news is that they’ve revised the forecast and we’re NOT getting snow tomorrow and the temps will stay well above freezing. the bad news is that it seems like the big bad wolf is trying to blow our house down. I have a feeling both babies will be in our bed by midnight with the way the storm windows are thumping against the house.
Needles and a Pen » Knitting, Sewing, and Nursing School
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Since it was in the low 70s this morning and will be 19 degree tomorrow, the children have been playing outside. Though I’m starting to worry they might get blown away as the wind is getting worse and worse! Will has been playing outside in the sandbox this afternoon. Happily singing, have ‘tea parties,’ and suddenly I took a closer look at one of his toys. He was playing in the sandbox with one of our stemless wine glasses. I can only imagine what the neighbors must say. I love making gifts. It’s fun, it’s personal, they’re unique. But I feel like you can only make gifts for girls. Boys are hard. Think about it–for mother’s day, the possibilities are endless. You can make a purse, or slippers, or a tote, or a skirt, or a scarf, or an apron or potholder…lots of cool stuff. What can you make for a grown-up boy that they would actually like other than a pocket that has an enclosed Best Buy voucher?! So…if any of you gift making rock starts have secret boys-love-this-even-though-it’s-not-from-a-store ideas that you’re sitting on, I want to hear them! Mommom. Mom-my. Mom. MOMMOM. [arms outstretched] Canyouhelpmeup? I am not making this up—the kid busts out these entire phrases on occasion. It’s CRAZY! Remember the quilt back that went from pretty stack of fabric to hideous “I-can’t-possibly-use-this?” Well, it wasn’t really the fabric’s fault. The strips looked fine, they just didn’t look okay with the print I was using. I realized that the section I had pieced didn’t need to be a total loss, though–that it just needed to stand on its own and be upgraded from back to front. I had a sheet from Target in aqua that was a perfect match for the back, and then all it needed was basting (I tried my hand at the glue spray basting method again–this time with better results) and quilting. (I used a free motion foot on my Singer 15-91 for a large-ish meandering stipple. In a flash of inspiration I remembered about halfway through this bad boy that I could reduce the pressure on the foot by unscrewing the screw at the top of the machine [check your manual] and this made things 1000 times easier–I will be doing this every time I use the free motion foot from now on–the generic one I purchased puts a lot more pressure on the fabric than my pfaff free motion foot did, and it makes it exhausting to push/pull the fabric around.)
(If you live somewhere warm, try not to feel too smug as you look at my snow.)
My large meandering has improved since Will’s car quilt, but I still have a ways to go!!
I had a lot of fun with the serged edge of Ellie’s stroller blanket, and have been wondering if it would work as well with a quilt with actual batting. Since this was a quilt I hadn’t even intended to make, I figured it would be a good place to experiment! I am really happy with the result. It was fast, took away one of my least favorite steps in the quilting process, and looks cute enough. It’s not something I would use on a special quilt, but for an everyday I-don’t-care-if-this-lasts-5-years-let-alone-50 kind of quilt, it works!
And a few more photos for good measure. 🙂
Your free motion looks fantastic! It looks great! And I, too have heaps of snow like that in my yard….where are you, Spring?? It looks fantastic!!! Where did you find a foot to fit your singer? I love the bright colors. I love the stripes and your quilting is great! I think the serged edges are perfect for this quilt. I’ll have to try that sometime. I love your color choices and pattern for this quilt! I hope to do a solid quilt soon! |
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Mary - For my own boys, they love pillowcases (tube style) from their favorite characters, throw pillows, backpack doo dads (like little pouches that can hang off their backpack), capes, pouches for their things, PJ shorts, or shirts with their name appliqued…they love their name on things. Mine also have quilted scarves they love (and wear). I know a lot of people turn their noses up at character fabric but anything that I can sew up and bring a smile to my boys is ok in my book.
Mary - Oh wait, if you were talking about men then I am sorry to say my husband says “fabric=fail”. He did ask for a kindle cover, quilts, and a business type button up shirt (yeah right!)
Susanne - If you’re talking about men, I made my husband a roll up shaving kit. I’ve also made wallets, hats and house shoes for other people.
Susanne - Oh..this might not apply, depending on who you’re talking about, but we (me and the kids) made dolls with the kids photos on the faces (from printable fabric) when DH was deployed.
Traci - Yes–I’m talking about grown up boys. My little boy is EASY to sew for. It’s the ones over 12 that are hard!!
diana - Ha, I know the problem. And the answers are always funny 🙂
Last week I really wanted to do something for my son and all he wanted was a hello kitty blue bag :D. To take his lego outside :)))
Kim - If your man is the cooking type, then a manly half apron could be just the ticket. My boyfriend is constantly wiping his hands on his pants when he cooks, so he really appreciated the gift!
Dolores - I get the drift, for a teenager how about a satchel or ipod/iphone cover or you could combine the two – a satchel with a lanyard for his keys and a special pocket for his iphone/ipod?
Ruth - I once made my husband a decorated t-shirt, well I decorated one. I took an image by a favorite artist of his, then using a mixture of fabric transfer and raw edge appliqué made him a shirt that made him cry – in a good way.
Melissa - My dad is getting a mug rug for Father’s Day. Kelly made her dad a firewood hauler thingy for Christmas. I’ve made my dad pajama pants, too, out of Denver Bronco fabric.
This is a great post, though, because I desperately need the ideas! 🙂
Beth Moore - A messenger bag would be cool, or a manly plaid type robe. =)
Meagan - My husband’s in love with anything mustache. He just got a coffee with a mustache on it. http://apartment132.blogspot.com/2010/01/happy-2010-look-at-some-trends.html
Any of these would be easy to do with glass etching or paint made for ceramics. We also go a pillow from some friends that would be easy to recreate.
http://www.girlzlyfe.com/products/Moustachio-Plush-Pillow.html
My hipster/rock climbing brother asked for one of these for Christmas.
http://www.backcountry.com/black-diamond-ernie-beanie
And just last week I overheard some college age guys discussing where to get a large black infinity scarf.