Category: Friends (Page 4 of 6)

August already?

August 11, 2012 / Patty

August already? I just looked at the date of the last post. I can’t believe it’s been two months to the day! I’m back to more regular posting. The big Girl Scout project has been finished and I’ll do several posts about that in the next week. I have to go back and gather all the photos so I can document the project. For now, camp is finished, birthdays have been celebrated and we’re into August. I think the next few months will be many baby posts. I know of at least 4 babies in the next 4 months. They will all need different levels of acknowledgment which means a large variety of projects for me. I’m excited. I have soo many ideas and love the excuse to try them out.

The first project was just a couple of baby bibs. I love to make these bib. I had some like them when my kids were little and loved the extra coverage. I made one in the size the pattern suggested and then put the pattern in the copy machine and enlarged it 129%. So pleased with they way they turned out. I often times buy remnants and this is the perfect pattern for a remnant. I can see how the fabric looks made up, the parents get a bib that’s unique and I have lots of fun. Win win for all!

A tag blanket for baby

May 19, 2012 / Patty

A tag blanket for baby is a popular gift. When I first saw them I thought it was kind of silly but as I thought about it I realized it was actually a smart gift and something a baby would enjoy. It’s small enough to put in a diaper bag or use in a car seat or stroller and might even be good in a crib at nap time. I know that when my kids were babies they liked to rub things between their fingers and it helped to sooth them. This blanket has something for every mood. It has lots of color and many textures. When I was making it I did wonder if there were too many tags or too many colors. I opted for many textures and many colors. I think this will make the blanket useful for a longer period and should appeal to every childs fascination with color and texture. The front of the tag blanket is a piece of fabric that has cute little bunnies. The back of the blanket is a piece of fabric I purchased that has alternating squares of flannel and chenille. Lots of interesting things for baby to look at. I’m also going to enclose a couple of link toys so mama can attach toys to the ribbon tags or even attach it to the side of a stroller or car seat. When baby gets tired of it and throws it, this tag blanket for baby will not go very far!

Oh baby baby gift..

May 18, 2012 / Patty

Oh baby baby gift… I love to make baby gifts but it’s so hard to make a decision. There are so many useful little things for babies like blankets, hooded towels, clothes, booties, bags, spit rags and more. I had to narrow my list this time because there wasn’t too much time. Just a few days in fact. This time I decided to make some bibs and a tag blanket. Of course this certainly involves come choices as well. What size bibs, what kind of fabric, what type of bib and what should I put on the back. These were all for a little girl with a modern mama. I decided that really, these bibs would get spilled on and slobbered on and were really for protecting the clothes so although I wanted them to look cute function was the primary purpose and even a modern mama would know that. This allowed me to do some experimenting. This is the first bib. A small bib for a little girl with a bunny on the front. The small size could be used for a small child and would be cute and functional.

The next bib is a larger bib with a wider front. This bib I backed with minky which is a polyester fabric and should allow some moisture protection for the clothing underneath. I’ve never thought of using minky for the back of a bib. It actually worked better than I expected and is quite soft. I wonder how mama will like this one?

This last bib is cute in an entirely different sort of way. It’s more like a baby apron. I know that mama likes gray and it also lets me use a bit of color so this one too is cute and should be quite functional because it covers the baby lower front and lap. I lined this one with flannel so it is soft and shapes easily to the baby shape. Oh this was a fun baby baby gift!

Another baby quilt

April 15, 2012 / Patty

Another baby quilt is finished. I’ve used tumbler blocks again I’m pleased with this one. The colors are not in my normal range of color choice but I do like the way it turned out. I don’t know if the baby will be a boy or a girl. I used ten different fabrics in this quilt and it made a better mix than the previous two. The pink one had seven fabrics and the red and blue one had five fabrics. I like both of the others but this one has a better balance and will be soothing for a baby. The back was an interesting dilemma as well. I had a remnant of one of the front fabrics but I knew it was short. I ended up adding two rows of blocks from the front. They fit in well. One thing that I had not thought about when I made the choice for the back was what the plaid would look like and if I could get it on straight. I ended up washing the fabric before I started because the fabric was stretched. It did straighten out well and I was able to get it straight enough that it looks good. The binding is pieced some of the quilt fabrics and was another good choice. Hope the mom likes it. In any case, it will be a good floor quilt and wash and wear well.

Dabbler Badges

January 24, 2012 / Patty

When I was growing up in the Girl Scout organization one of the badges that you could earn was a Dabbler Badge. To complete this badge you had to complete activities from several areas. As part of our 100 year birthday celebration retreat activities we decided to create our own Dabbler Badge. The change of place did mean some modification in what we did but everyone had a great time in spite of the changes. For our badge we rotated between, semaphore flags, folk dancing, fire building and knots. The semaphore activity and fires and knots were all done sitting at tables so this was a modified activity. Fires were edible fires and there was no burning of buildings involved. At the end of activity each participant was awarded a Dabbler Badge. I made these from a patch I created and printed on the printer. Next I inserted the paper into a plastic page protector sleeve. I then sewed around each patch about 3/4 of the way. After I cut the circles out I inserted the magnets into the back of the sleeve behind the badge and then stitched them up on my sewing machine. It was a fun activity that was not hard but did take some time. Like with the magnet making activity the first six were quick but when I got to 48 I was glad to be done.

Making Magnets

January 20, 2012 / Patty

One of my nieces made me magnets for Christmas. Now I’ve wanted these magnets for several years and in the yearly gift exchange I have gotten these several times only to have them ~~stolen~~ picked by another. Sometimes exchanges like that can be fun but sometimes oh so frustrating! When we were talking afterwards one of my daughters said she would like to learn to make them. In the discussion that followed I must have listened because when I needed a craft for many people I knew just what I was going to do.

She used flat marbles, the kind that are used in flower decorating, Modge Podge, a graphic of some kind and a magnet. I made 96 magnets over several days time. I had some vintage Girl Scout fabric that was perfect for the job. I think this will be a good item to send home with our volunteers. It fits with our 100 years of Girl Scouting celebration and is something useful A winner in my book!

Semaphore Flags

January 19, 2012 / Patty

It’s time for an annual Girl Scout event. For the last 20 years we have had a volunteer retreat and invited all leaders that are active in our service unit to take part. We usually go to one of the local Girl Scout camps. We’ve run into a problem this year however and if you live in the greater Seattle area you know what I mean. The weather is not cooperating! The camps are snowed and iced in and the roads are not safe to travel. We have planned this event for nearly six months so it’s a bit disappointing. We will however do a one day local event and hopefully most people will be able to attend. By Saturday we are hoping the roads are passable. With a little warming and some rain all things are possible.

This is a significant year in the Girl Scout calendar. We are celebrating 100 years of Girl Scouting. We’ve tried to plan some games, activities and food to tie into our theme. One of the activities will be to communicate with semaphore flags. I’ve made the flags and have the cheat sheet. It should be a fun adventure!

Little houses

December 25, 2011 / Patty

My Slice die cutter has been fun to use. It will cut the objects in incremental sizes from 2″ to 4″. It will also cut them so you can create a shadow effect, a detailed layer on top of the base and a mirror image. After thinking about it I decided it would be fun to see if I could create ornaments. I was successful without too much trial and error. I put Wonder Under on the back of all the fabric before I cut it out. This made it easy to layer, use a thin layer of batting and a hanging ribbon and well as having a mirror image back. This was so successful and so much fun I’m thinking of all sorts of other shapes or things I can make. I also turned the little houses over and dated them and put names on them. More fun times.

Christmas is coming

December 24, 2011 / Patty

I always have fun thinking of things I can make for family and friends. This year was no different. I’ve tried many different kinds of projects this year as well as variations on projects I have done in the past and also tried some new things. My bridge friends this year got a smattering of several different things. I made smaller market bags, appliqued towels and ornaments. I had a great time. The bags were made from oilcloth which is one of my favorites to work with. The towels I used my Slice machine and mostly blanket stitch rather than a satin stitch and the ornaments were also made with my Slice machine and Wonder Under.

Reaching the finish line

December 23, 2011 / Patty

Even though it is past bedtime I’m sitting in my recliner admiring the lights on the tree and reflecting on the day. So often this time of year is so hectic that I don’t feel like I have time to enjoy the traditions and the magic of the season. Each year is different and as the children grow older every season continues to evolve. Some years there have been boyfriends and girlfriends, some years just family. The future I also hope will include grandchildren but for now I’m enjoying my older adult children. What a blessing that is. So often family are not able to connect as adults due to jobs, spouses and other commitments. I’m reminded to cherish each day and each moment with my family and friends.

The past week I’ve had several wonderful visits with friends. Last Friday I was able to spend time with my dear friend Sarah. She and her husband have had health issues this past year and it was good to visit with her and hear that they are both feeling better. I also had a visit from my good friend Peggy. We worked together for a number of years and we had the pleasure of meeting when our boys were in preschool. Last night I hosted Christmas bridge at my house and feel blessed to be able to count Jennifer, Fran and Lucinda as friends. We’ve all shared joyous times and hard times. These friends all listen and don’t make judgements. What a rich world of friendship all these people have created for me.

There also has been some gifting this week. The first gifts were Peggy’s creations. She brought me a wreath made from beach shells. It’s a gorgeous wreath and tomorrow it will be hanging on the wall of wreaths. For now the picture of it on my cutting table will have to suffice. She also brought me a piece of yard art that she has created out of thrifted dishes. It is so cute! I don’t have a picture of that one yet but will take a picture and post in the next day or two. This lady is so creative and really has an artist’s eye for placement and color. I’m envious of the gift she has for such creativity and feel fortunate when she brings me these lovely creations. Thanks Peggy. I love them both!

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