A Pillow.

I have wanted to try out Elizabeth Hartman's Mod Mosaic method of piecing and have finally found the perfect reason: a cute little person!  My nephew Joey turned one last week and I decided to make him a pillow to match the quilt I made for him (which was my VERY first quilt).

The front of the pillow is machine quilted and lined with Muslin, and the back of the pillow is lined and the envelope-style backing is bound with the beauty of Violet Craft`s Peacock Lane. Of course, in my rush to get out of the door I forgot the take a picture of the back of the pillow and a close-up of the pebble quilting on the front (on the flannel).

I hope you like your pillow, little Joey!  I'll be sure to post a pic on here soon of him - and then your heart will melt because he is SO DARN CUTE!  :)

~Karina

 

Sorry, what?!

Sorry, what day is it?  January 21st?!  I think I almost had a heart attack today when I realized how long it's been since I've blogged.  Man, time really does fly when you're having fun.  On that note, I went skating with the kids today (for the first time in about ten years) and did one of those awesome moves when your skates fly out from under you over and over and you look like a cartoon character.  You know the move I mean?  Yep, that was me today.  Luckily I caught myself and was able to recover without losing ALL of my dignity.  hehe.

I've been working on a few things over that last month; nothing major, but things that have made me happy, like this little hoodie.

I made it from a stretch knit that I picked up last summer...I almost forgot I had it until I went rummaging through my 'apparel material' bin.  The pattern is Kwik Sew #908 that I found at my local thrift shop.  I've come across a few cute vintage patterns there and am happy with the way this one turned out!

I love this hood!

(casing)

I made a few changes to the hoodie - The bottom casing wasn't working out so I made it a bit sturdier by adding quilting-weight cotton to the back...it's not perfect, but it's definitely going to hold up to wear better than the original would have.

(pocket)

I've only made a couple of things out of knits, so this was a perfect pattern to jump back into it with - the pieces were simple and instructions clear.  I even managed to line up some stripes!  :)

~Karina

Grand Prize. So. Cool.

I am so thrilled to share that my Recycled Reader won the grand prize in the Ruby Star Wrapping contest hosted by Sew Mama, Sew!

This contest is the first judged contest that I've ever entered, so I'm over the moon right now.  If you know me, you know that I a) love to sew and be crafty (that one's a little obvious) b) am a sucker for prizes and c) love getting things in the mail (of course, this list is not inclusive).  The prize is an indulgence of all aforementioned...

(except from the Sew Mama, Sew blog)

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GRAND PRIZE

Copy of Ruby Star Wrapping $50 Gift Certificate to Sew,Mama,Sew! 6 Green Bee Patterns 1 Fat Quarter Pack Micro Mod fabric 1 vintage rotary phone from Melody 1 yard Melody Miller trim 6 Ruby Star Sparkle fat quarters 1 bundle washi tape

"Our Grand Prize Winner is: The Naked Spool! This entry combines two projects from the book (the flag garland with the book cover). Melody writes, “I like her choices (the book cover is amazing) and all the little touches with the book pages and washi tape.”

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Vintage rotary phone?  So. Cool.

A heartfelt thank you goes out to Melody Miller and Allison Tannery for their beautiful book Ruby Star Wrapping, and to Sew Mama, Sew, Green Bee Design and Patterns, and Melody for the super amazing prizes. Also, thanks to Sukie who introduced me to the book and Wrap-Along!

Go visit Sew Mama, Sew! to see all of the other amazing entries and winners!

~Karina 

Recycled Reader - Ruby Star Wrap-Along

Well, this will be my last post for my Ruby Star Wrap-Along submissions - I've had so much fun with the wrap-along and definitely had a great time stepping away from my sewing machine for this one!

This project is based on the Recycled Reader in Ruby Star Wrapping.  Basically, take an old book (the pages were literally falling out of this one) and re-purpose it for something great!  My 'great' thing is a gift card holder, but there are so many options (like gifting old or new photos, keeping receipts...the possibilities are almost endless)!  :)

I found the book while thrifting (surprised?) and the design on the front of the book really grabbed me...it reminds me of vintage Pyrex and Flea Market Fancy.  

The inside of the book was created by decoupaging pages from an old book (one I bought at the same time) onto a piece of computer paper.  Once it dried I glues it to the inside of the book and detailed the edges with some decorative tape.  After gluing the pages in it was a little too thick to close, so I just cut a little of the bulk out of the middle and prettied it up with more decorative tape (I really don't think I could have used too much of that cute stuff).

Once completed I wrapped it up with some Festive Garland with more pages from the book.  Cute, no?  

The best part of the gift is that the gift card is for a local bookstore - talk about a themed present!

 

::Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas::

~Karina

Game Board Box

If you have been visiting my blog regularly you'll know that I've been a part of the Ruby Star Wrap-Along that Sukie is hosting over at her blog.  The wrap-along is based on the book by Melody Miller (Ruby Star Wrapping) and has been a fantastic way for me to package a number of gifts this Christmas.

In light of one of the projects in the book, I've been keeping my eye out for an amazing-looking board game - one that I could use as part of a gift to someone.  While out thrifting the other day I saw this out of the corner of my eye...

The colours were perfect!  I didn't have a shoebox to use as a template (like in the Ruby Star Wrapping book), so after measuring a little I cut out this guy (and later cut off those two flaps on the top piece).

After taping it all together with some houndstooth duct tape and drilling some holes for the closure (yes, I got to use a POWER TOOL)...

The box was complete!

Materials

• Old game board (thrifted)
• Houndstooth Duct Tape
• Two buttons from my stash
• Hair elastic for closure

What will I be using it for, you ask?  I was thinking that I'd use it to gift some handmade items this Christmas, but then I needed a little box for Arlyn's Calico Critters...

and then I couldn't resist playing a little...  :)

We'll see if I end up using this as a gift box or not...it'll be difficult to take these little Critters out of their new home!  

~Karina

Ruby Star Wrap-Along - a little something in the mail!

I haven't had a chance to post it until now, but after submitting my first wrap-along entry I actually won the first week's prize - a funky clutch from Daphne at Octopurse and a $20 gift card for Pink Chalk Fabrics!  I received the clutch last week directly from Melody Miller and her 'wrapping' job of the shipping box was so sweet - I love the vintage book page (oh, and this is the box after my kiddos ripped it apart).

Thanks Sukie, Melody, Daphne, and Pink Chalk Fabrics...I'm a sucker for prizes!  :)

~Karina

::Shirt::

This post has been a LONG time coming since I finished this shirt way back in JUNE (in case your wondering, June was that warm month a little while ago).  I love the material, the fit, the everything about this blouse (Butterick B5526).

Except the pockets.  When I make this one again the pockets will be lowered an inch or so.  I extended the length of the sleeves and the bodice 2 inches...love the length!

For my first shirt I think it turned out pretty well!

~Karina