Note!
If you're looking for my professional site, see:
MouseTrax Computing Solutions at
www.mousetrax.com

Dian's Craft Projects

When menopause makes you insane...
make cool stuff!
(Updated as new stuff is done.)

Quilts/Blankets
Crochet
Other
 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
 

Linda's Mom's Lapghan...January, 2010
Linda's mom is 93 and also suffered a stroke just prior to when my mom did. So Linda and I are both not only (very much alike) Aries who are computer geeks, but we also both take care of our moms.

So while waiting for yarn to arrive for my next project...and going a bit stir-crazy not having a cool, working project to help me unwind at night...I asked Linda what colors her mom would like. She said blue and brown, since her mom's favorite chair was a light brown. I checked my yarn stash and just happened to see I still had a full pounder skein left over from Linda's blue afghan—promising! Digging deeper into my yarn cabinet I was thrilled to also discovered a full, unopened pounder skein of espresso (dark brown) yarn. PERFECT! So over the weekend, I whipped out a quick lapghan (smaller afghan) for Linda's mom. Since this one was only about 4.5x4' and I used a double, rather than my normally preferred half double stitch...the work went quite fast and I managed to knock this one out in three nights' work.

Seeing the smile on Linda's mom's face proves they were very worthwhile nights!

Enjoy, ladies!

The finished lapghan prior to mailing it off. I ruffled (two doubles per stitch) the edging for this one.

Linda's mom snuggling up with her new lapghan.

Linda's Afghan...January, 2010
Linda Johnson is a fellow computer geek and over the last many years, we've become good friends through emails while working together in tech groups. We also share the fact that we are both primary caretakers of our elderly mothers who had strokes...nearly at the same time. So we've commiserated together about technology and family issues. We're also both Aries...we have a lot in common.

I wanted to make her an afghan as a thanks for being a good friend over the years. She said she likes "shades of blues." I found a picture of an afghan on the web that gave me a great idea for a beautiful design. So I created this afghan and sent it off to Linda. HA...although now she may have to fight her mom for it...as mom really likes it, too!

This is definitely one of the prettiest ones I've ever made and plan to make this basic design one of my staple afghan designs.

A picture Linda sent showing me how well the afghan matches her favorite reading couch. (Love the fabric on that couch!)

Linda's mom enjoying my afghan. I may have to make another, smaller one for her mom so Linda can get this one back!<smile>

More Scarves for Needy Veterans...November, 2009
I make good use of leftover yarn by making scarves, which I send to Hines VA Hospital in Chicagoland so the volunteer services there can give them out to vets who arrive at the hospital and are in need a little extra warmth during winter. To see my many other Soldiers Angels project, visit my Angel site here: http://www.mousetrax.com/Angels

Carolyn's Dad, Frank's, Afghan...December, 2009
Carolyn and I both watch over our elderly parents. So we can both appreciate their needs to keep warm. I made this blue mini afghan to help keep Frank cozy. As Carolyn suggested...blue to match his eyes.

Carolyn has since informed me it was a big hit with Frank...and made him the envy of his friends! I also received a sweet Thank You note from Frank.

Patty's Afghan...July, 2009
A friend of mine...who is also the proud mama of several Shetland Sheepdogs (Shelties, like our Shelby)...was the recipient of this peach and sage/light green, long afghan...to help keep her and her hubby...and all their pupsters...warm in the chilly Carolina winters. She later reported, during winter, that it was indeed doing a good job at doing just that!

Here's a picture of it on Patty's couch.

Carolyn's Afghan...June, 2009
A friend has been very generous in helping to support my Bark in the Park and Soldiers' Angels activities, so while waiting for a shipment of more red, white and blue yarn to make more blankets for soldiers, I used up some pink baby yarn I had to make her a little thank you gift. I think I got carried away with the starting stitches, cos' this was a LONG one! But that just makes it more fun to wrap yourself...or yourself and others<eg>...in it!

Carolyn enjoying her new afghan.

Made an Afghan for my sister, Jeannette (NetNet)...May, 2009
With a house load of family dropping by and staying over, she could always use another blanket. So I used up a bunch of extra yarn I had to make her this multi-color, LONG, afghan. Because it was so big, Greg is holding it up but had to fold it over at the top since it was about nine feet in length. Knowing she has a very long/angled couch, it'll come in handy when everyone piles on the couch to watch TV during those cooler months.

Muff...hand warmer for mom...Jan, 2009
Mom will be 89 early in 2009. Although we keep her apartment area warm and she has extra bed jackets and crocheted blankets that keep her warm, her hands occasionally get cold, even when the rest of her is warm. I was having trouble thinking what to give her for Christmas...then it hit me one day when she told me her hands were cold. I'd make her a muff to keep her hands warm!

I found this great pink fleece. I filled it with batting and folded it over so it was the same inside as out. Granted, it was rough sewing the edges together because it was so thick. I added the pink satin ends and then turned it inside out so the seam was inside...trimming it close so it isn't annoying against her hands.

Now she can keep it handy and put her hands inside to keep them warm should they get cold. Works great...I tried it before giving it to her and it does keep the hands quite warm. I thought about cutting a little pocket inside so she could nuke one of those warm/ice packets to slip inside for extra warmth. But I didn't think of that until it was done and adding it at that point would have been difficult. However, it is quite warm even without it.

US Flag Blanket with Satin top...for my adopted Soldier, Sgt Kelly...Jan, 2009
I'd been making smaller lap blanket flags for the VA Hospitals. Soldiers' Angels crochet team, of which I am a member, ask for lap blankets to give to the vets to keep them warm when moving around in wheel chairs. Those measure 48" x 36". But this time I wanted to make a bigger one. And as it turned out, Greg and I adopted a soldier servicing in Iraq, so once finished, I sent this blanket to him.

However, I messed up the size a bit, so I added a satin, quilted top to the left end. This not only added a few more inches so that it would be more twin bed sized, but also meant that the edge that would be pulled up to our soldier's face would be nice and soft. The gold edge represents a military flag.

This blanket measured approximately 70" x 48".

See more of my Soldiers' Angels blankets and lapghans at these sites: http://www.mousetrax.com/dian/angels.html and http://www.mousetrax.com/ppsa

Draft Dodgers for the door...Winter 2008
In past years, we'd just toss an old towel by the front door and dog window, where drafts can blow in on rough winter days. But this year, I made stuffed draft blockers with velcro sewn on them, so they stick to the bottom of the door, which helps keep them in place when the door is opened. I liked them so much...and they worked so well...that I made more for other windows and also made a set for my daughter's house to put on their front and back doors.

I sewed velcro to the wintry fabric, then sewed the one end and sides. They're then turned inside out and stuffed with polyester stuffing. The end is then sewn shut. Pull the tape off the "grabbing" side of the velcro and stick it to the door. The soft side of the velcro was sewn to the fabric so it won't "catch" if they need to be washed. Works great and they move with the door keeping drafts out.

Veteran's Winter Scarves...Winter 2008
Some vets, particularly older ones, need items to keep them warm during the winter. So there are many VA hospitals requesting winter scarves from Soldiers' Angels. These are quick to make and help use up left over balls of yarn. Here are three I sent off to Hines VA in the Chicago area.

Veteran's Flag Blankets...Nov 2008...and beyond
Many veteran's hospitals around the US have requests for homemade blankets for the vets...to cheer them up. Many vets request US flag afghans. So I taught myself to make them. They're actually called lap blankets because they are smaller so the vets can put them on their laps when in wheel chairs...they are shorter than full afghans. But some requests for larger bed afghans are made, too. So I'm currently (Dec 2008) working to finish up a larger one.

Below is a picture of my first American Flag lap blanket. They size approx 3 feet wide and 4 feet long. I added gold trim to represent US Military Flags and added a satin binding along the top to make it soft at the top and represent a pole.

I finished two in time to send them off for the 2008 holidays. I sent them to Dayton, OH because Greg worked at the Wright-Pat base for many years with the Air Force. I sent them in honor of his time there. But there are many requests for blankets like these at VA hospitals...all over the US.

I folded them properly, as I learned to do back in Girl Scouts. To see all the items I've made and sent to our vets, including details about how you can get involved and help, too (we could use it!)...see my Soldiers' Angel page, here: http://www.mousetrax.com/dian/angels.html

Hailey's Rag Quilt...October, 2008
My daughter, Stacy, discovered Rag Quilts and sent me a link to learn about them because she wanted me to make her one since they looked "so comfy." I read up, learned and made a test run with a smaller baby quilt that I sent to my niece for her new baby, Hailey. The quilt is not made the conventional way...sewing opposite sides so seams are inside, but rather sewing outside so the seams remain on the outside/top of the quilt. Then, using special spring sissors (to save your hands because they're extremely sharp and easily snap back to save hand movements), you clip the seam ends every 1/4 inch throughout the top of the quilt.

Because the fabric used is flannel, after cutting up all the seams and giving the quilt a couple of blasting washes, the ends fray and become a soft divider for your fabric patterns. A neat quilt that only gets softer with age. But I'm also learning...requires less brain power to make, but more work overall sewing "sandwiches" of fabric/batting in individual pieces. A lot more work in my mind...so Stacy's quilt is an ongoing project I work on now and then when I have time. Soon it'll be finished...I hope!

Playmat for Amanda ...October 2008
I saw a fun idea for a playmat for young kids, so I put together this one for my grand niece, Amanda...which I'll give her for Christmas this year. One side is domestic animals with wording showing the sound they make. The reverse is a collection of wild animals. I first quilted the two fleece fabrics together. Then applied plastic to each side and added a blue satin binding.

The idea is that she'll have a soft, warm place to play on the floor. The plastic will help protect the blanket and the floor from spills.

Once the plastic was added...a wide zigzag stitch was added in various spots to hold the plastic in place. Although I did learn that trying to sew plastic is HARD to do! It sticks to the machine, so it's quite a wrestling match to get it right!

The reverse side has wild animals for a little girl to identify.

Football Blanket for Mark...October 2008
Mark is a football fan, so he and Stacy have attended a few Bears games. It's cold here in Chicago, so I made them a blanket they can take with them to help keep them warm. I found a nice wilderness fleece for one side, so they don't always have to have the football blanket showing. The football theme went on the other side. Then a nice, thick batting was placed in the middle to add to the warmth. Below you can see the cross-section showing the thickness of the batting.

This side is a nice eagle/wilderness blanket.

Close up of this fleece.

The reverse is a football theme.

Three sides got green binding...the top got brown.

Afghan for Mark...October 2008
Stacy got a pink afghan...a color not suited for Mark. So I created one for him as an upcoming Xmas present...something more his colors. No specific pattern to the colors...just varied width of each of three colors...gives it a nice eclectic look.

Harem Pants for Stacy's dancing ...September 2008
As I've mention previously, Stacy took up belly-dancing a year or more ago...mostly in an effort to have a regular exercise routine to keep in shape. But it turned out that she loves dancing and is getting very good at it. (That's Stacy on the left.)

For a recent performance, she needed a special pair of Harem Pants. She had basic instruction, but her sewing machine was acting up and her time was running short, so I offered to do what I could to toss the project together.

First I used her very basic instructions to make a prototype to make sure that I knew what I was doing. Trying to visualize pants wasn't working...so I grabbed some spare fabric and tossed together a little pair, just to make sure I had the process thought out right in my head. I just inserted a quick tie closure for the sample version.

Then it was time to start cutting the fabric Stacy purchased. Unfortunately, I totally messed up the elastic top on the first version with the real fabric, so it was a rush to Joann's Fabric Store to purchase three more yard so I could start over. I had to start over because once I cut off my messed up top and tried again...the finished product turned out to be too short for her.

So I did a better measuring job with the new fabric and made a simple casting for the elastic versus my first attempt at trying to actually sew the elastic to the fabric. The ankles were pretty rough to do, because the fabric was very wide...her ankles are not. That caused quite a wrestling match getting all that fabric stuffed into a tiny circle since the piece of elastic to fit her ankles was so short. Jamming that mess under my maching needle for the final closing stitches was a riot.

But it all turned out quite well. Stacy gives a quick modeling shot (below) before she ran out with them to work on finishing her costume. She loved them...just what she needed. Lots of fabric pulled in to fit so that they flop around as she dances. And now I have a good idea how to make pants. I may make myself some yoga pants in the future?

As you can see from this sample image I found on the web, they're supposed to be quite wide. Stacy has hip scarves, so she would also be wrapping one around the top, as shown below. With luck, I'll get a good picture from her performance so you can see her complete, final costume.

Post performance note...her dance mates were so impressed when she showed up with the pants I'd made, they accused her of buying them off the rack...which was not something they'd been allowed to do. Part of the process was to learn to make their own costumes. Although help from mom WAS allowed.

Update! Below is a photo of Stacy during her performance. All members had to make their costumes. Stacy, far left, is wearing the harem pants I made. As you can see in comparison...I didn't do too bad a job!

Partially rippled afghan for Stacy...August 2008
I've been busy working on more and more Blankets of Belief for our soldiers but I did keep the yard twirling now and then. I wanted to see if I could create a rippled afghan. I did manage to do it for several rows, but I realized it was too much work having to count. These are more mental therapy, so I just want to work the blanket and not worry so much about counting or using markers.

So after a few rippled rows, I decided to just make the rows straight. This one turned out to be a pretty big one.

And now that I've been adding ribbon to the edges, I love the look, so this one got a satin ribbon on both sides, too.

Dog blanket for "Steve" the rescued Grayhound...July, 2008
I'll be taking mom to Amanda's birthday party and to see my brother, who is battling cancer. He had to sadly put is long-time dog to rest not long ago. Recently, they got a new dog...a rescued Grayhound race dog! So to help welcome their new dog, Steve, to the family...I whipped off a quick dog bed/quilt for him.

A fun dog footprint fleece, front and back, with batting between to make it extra cushy...and a little wavy quilting, along with a black satin binding.

And, as you can see, Steve likes his new blanket!

Amanda's Blanket and Blocks, July, 2008
My grand niece will be 2 yrs old soon, so I made her her own, soft blanket and a set of squishy blocks...one with each letter of her name. This way she can not only have fun squishing them and safely tossing them around, but she can also learn to spell her name!

The blanket is a Care Bears fleece fabric on top, batting in the middle to make it softer and satin for the backing. Below is the beginning of assembling the layers and pinning.

The finished blanket. I quilted around most of the squares, but then also freehand (w/machine) quilted around the bears...as you can see on the satin side.

I added a discreet HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMANDA lettering along the top.

These blocks are fun and fairly easy to make...stuffing them is the pain part. Thankfully, Greg volunteered to take on that part of the project, so I was able to deal with all the sewing and assembling, while he stuffed and squared the stuffings.

Amanda approved of both her blanket and her blocks!

Soldiers' Angel Blankets...Ongoing, 2008

Update!

Be sure to check out my main Soldiers' Angels blanket page HERE, where you can not only see all the details of my blankets, but also see that Soldiers' Angels requested my permission to feature my blankets on their web site! I'm extremely proud and humbled by that fact!


Greg and I are members of the Patriot Guard Riders, who support soldier and vet funerals and homecomings. A similar group who supports the men and women who protect us are the Soldiers' Angels. I recently joined them to be a member of their sewing team and their crochet team. They make Blankets of Hope to send to wounded soldiers and are now working to collect 180,000 Blankets of Belief to send to all soldiers who will be away from home for the holidays.

So I spent my mother's day making a couple blankets to send to the soldiers...and I'm sure I'll be sending more. Especially since I just ordered more patriot fabric and yarn!

I found a great patriotic fleece to use for the backing. Since there are specific measurements that need to be met and the average cotton fabric, which is the flag fabric I used for the front, generally measures only 44", I used the wider fleece to fold over to add a little to the blanket width. I pinned the two together, not using batting since the fleece adds to the blanket's thickness and warmth.

To add enhancement to the blanket, as well as cover the seam where the fleece was folded over, I added ribbon to both sides to add as a border. Then I added some quilting down the length of the blanket in various areas to neatly hold it all together.

So one side is warm fleece, the other side cool cotton, with a fleece and satin ribbon border on each side. The bottom is simply rolled over and finished with a blanket stitch. The top gets a white, satin ribbon.

Since my new sewing machine has this great lettering feature, I take advantage of that to add a few words of support along the top border.

(Greg playing hidden model by holding them up for the full photo shot.)

The second blanket I've done so far is pretty much the same. This is a nice, pretty and fairly fast design and seems to work well with the fabric I can get, so I may keep this style for now. Purchasing six yards of fleece allowed me enough for three blankets. Number three to come as soon as I get a few hours to put it together.

This one got the same backing and ribbon work done, but I used a new fabric design for the main area. Rather than flags, this one has sayings like Home of the Brave, Land of the Free and America the Beautiful.

A slightly different words of thanks on this one.

And a shot of the back...which is the same for both and will be for the third, too...since I have two more yard of this to use.

Blanket #3 so far. for this one I still had some of the same fleece left, but found some great, military fabric.

This one says Thank you...For Your Courage!!

Each blanket sent by a Soldiers' Angel should have a tag to the soldier with the name of the person who made it for them. Here's mine.

Ready to be shipped off to soldiers. Three down...only a few hundred thousand to go!

Want to help? You don't need to sew or crochet...there are lots of ways you can support the troops, including donating to help with shipping costs or writing letters to lonely soldiers! See the Soldiers' Angel site HERE for ideas and ways you can get involved!

To see more of the blankets Dian's made, as each new one is added, see this page: http://www.mousetrax.com/dian/angels.html

Baby Blocks for Erin ...May, 2008
Adding to the fun of making baby stuff for Erin's baby shower, I found an idea for making little, stuffed baby blocks. What fun! I got some baby fat quarters and got to work making an "A" block. Then I showed Stacy how to make them, as she wanted more sewing practice as well as to contribute to Erin's shower by making something special. So she made the B and C blocks!

Stacy, concentrating on making that locking stitch at the end...

Stuffing with toy stuffing...

Tada!

How fun...and soft. Perfect for baby to squish and toss!

Two baby quilts for Erin ...May, 2008
My niece is about to have her first baby. After a severe car crash in her teens that nearly killed her, we're all thrilled to know Erin is able to move on with a normal life now. Her baby shower in at the end of May, with the baby due around the end of July/early August. I made her a couple quilted baby blankets.

I found some fleece baby fabric at Joann.com that made the project quick because it was simply a matter of quilting it and binding...no piecing.

I added lettering to ensure they would always know who made it. Unfortunately, trying to sew on satin, along a short edge, was difficult! So it came out a little cockeyed due to me having to continually realign the needle to stop it from running off the edge of the smooth fabric. But it didn't come out TOO bad!

Since they don't want to know if it is a boy/girl yet...this fabric was great because it covered all the bases.

The backing is all yellow satin, which was also rolled over to be used as binding.

The second quilt was a piecing project, but also pretty fast because I purchased the matching fabrics as a kit, so I didn't have to think too hard about the design...I just had to make it.

However, the instructions called for simply sewing the edges and turning it right-side-out to finish the sewing...like an unstuffed pillow. I wanted to make it more secure and soft. So I quilted it as usual...adding batting to the middle, stitching in the ditch, as well as some wide cross quilting and a little decorative quilting along the plush border fabric.

Since the plush fabric was blue...I used pink thread throughout to ensure equal boy/girl qualities. The signature on this one says: LOVE AUNTIE DIDI, [hearts]...2008. The writing came out nicely this time, but it is a bit hard to see since the threads sink into the plush, blue fabric.

The backing is a simple cotton fabric with matching colors/symbols.

Cute kit! These are available at Joann.com for about $20 and make the job easier because you get the fabric, design and instructions...you just cut and sew, as well as add any personal touches or enhancements.

Tote Bag for Stacy...Apr, 2008
My 20-something daughter, Stacy, has taken up dancing...belly dancing to be specific, and she's getting quite good at it.

But that means she's regularly off to dance classes and needs to carry a lot of paraphernalia for her costumes. I made this pretty tote bag for her, from a design in a book I got called Quilted Bags in a Weekend, although this bag only took me about 6 hrs to make. And that included 1 hour to run back to the fabric store to grab the fusible interfacing that I'd forgotten to get previously.

Squares of Stacy's favorite earthy tone fabric are used, along with silk and velvet. Four panels of squares are sewn as if you were quilting, along with a panel of satin to divide the squares. Buttons sewn on the middle panel for interest.

A quick lining sewn together and stuffed inside, rolled over the top and sewed...I used a cute leaf stitch to match the designs...hides all the sewing and interfacing. Folded/stitched velvet strips make up the soft handles. And I tossed on something I felt the design missed...a rolled button that slips through a casual buttonhole just to keep things from easily falling out if you toss the bag on the floor.

The bag is for Stacy, but mom thought it was very nice, too...so I used her as my model to demonstrate its size. (I think her parrot, Peg, particularly liked the colors!<g>)

Mother's Day "Legacy" Quilt...Apr, 2008
For mother's day, 2008, I designed and created a special Legacy quilt for mom.

The top panel is a photo of mom and dad's wedding picture...

Then three additional panels hold photos of their Legacy.

The first generation of children...since we're all much older now, I used our High School graduation photos to keep the timeline the same for each of us.

...the second generation...the grandchildren...

And the last panel shows photos of all the great grandchildren...saving a spot in the lower right for the next grandbaby, who is on the way and should arrive August, 2008.

To see full details of the entire process of making this quilt, see this link: Mom's Quilt

Greg's Afghan...Apr, 2008
Using some manly colors...Greg got an afghan, too. I used a ribbon and blanket stitch on the sewing machine to frame this one.

Greg seems to love it!

A simple half-double stitch was used throughout the blanket, except for the first row on the top border, which is a double. No ribbon was added to the top to make sure it was soft against the face.

Baskets...Mar, 2008
I learned about how to create these fun/cool baskets from this book: http://www.sulky.com/books/quickneasy.php. I purchased it for the quilting info, but was thrilled to discover these great baskets that were displayed throughout the book and then it showed me how to create them.

Now the above one was really a cheat because I just happened to have this wonderful, old, decorative cord around the house.

So I used it to make my first basket and hot pad.

The way you're supposed to create these is by wrapping fabric strips around plain, white clothes line and sewing the line together as you roll it. But then I went to Lowe's to get regular clothes line and discovered they had some cool colored lines. So I got some of those to make this next basket and pad.

The way you make these are like this...

...start by folding the cord and running a wide zigzag stitch to grab both cords...making sure that you're starting the "roll" so that it ends up rolling to the outside of your machine. Continue sewing, making sure your zigzag hits both cords as you hold the cords and turn the pad. Note: A clear appliqué foot helps to see what you're doing.

After you have the bottom of the basket to the size/shape you want, begin tilting the pad up so that the cord you're feeding has a shorter distance to stitch, which causes the shape to start to form as it tightens and pulls up.

Continue tilting and rolling as you sew both sides of the cords together.

Eventually, the basket is formed. When you have it to the height you want, cut the cord on an angle so you can sew it and it sort of blends into the basket, versus a cross cut that would end sharply. And as you can see in one of the images above, you can pull the cord out a bit to create handles to hang your hot pad or for handles on two sides of a basket.

These were great fun and I was able to make them very quickly...about 20 mins each for the above. Then I attempted to do it the way they showed me in the book...by wrapping my favorite fabric over white clothes line and sewing that together.

NOW THAT was a trick and much more difficult than the previous baskets because you have to manage, not only the cord that tends to tangle on you as you turn it, but also the fabric. I soon discovered that a few straight pins helps a lot!

I'd twist the fabric around some cord and stick a pin through the cord to hold it in place. Another pin through the rolled fabric helped keep it from twisting up on me. Then I'd sew the portion I had wrapped. Once only a few inches were left, it was time to stop the sewing and get back to wrapping.

Wrap another foot or so of cord with fabric...lock it in place with straight pins so it doesn't unravel...also lock the rolled fabric back together with a straight pin in/out of the pile...and sew a bit more into the basket.

The wrapped fabric basket is beautiful and since you can use strips of your favorite fabrics, the color combinations you can create are endless. But wrapping white cord is pretty hard for a beginner. So if you want to get hooked on this very fun craft, go hit your hardware store and try to find some fancy/colored clothes line to start with.

And make sure you purchase a sturdy denim needle to handle sewing through the cord, as well as some matching thread, since the zigzag thread plays a big part in the design.

Dian's Afghan...Mar, 2008
Time to work on one for myself (and for Greg's use, too, of course). I used up several skeins of yard I had to create this tri colored afghan. Great practice learning to work with three yarns continually hanging from it as I worked them into their respective rows.

The black rows is single crochet (Sc), the blue rows are half doubles (Hdc) and the cream is double (Dc). Then some blue trim all the way around followed by a thin Hdc of cream all the way around except at the top, which was mostly Hdc, finally finished with a last row of triples (Tr).

Fleece Dog quilt ...Mar, 2008
I got hold of his great, fleece panel of dog pictures. Rather than just finishing the edges and having a regular fleece blanket, I added batting and satin to make it a quilt.

Greg's suggestion to outline the individual dogs gave me a great chance to learn/practice stippling and outlining using an embroidery foot.

The outline didn't turn out too bad on the satin backing.

Stacy & Mark's puppy quilt...Feb, 2008
As members of a dog rescue organization, Stacy volunteered for Anti-Cruelty, and owners of several rescued dogs over the last few years...what better design than a puppy/dog quilt for Stacy & Mark.

Various dog/puppy piecings on the front, including bits of white to represent the several Eskie dogs they've helped live out the ends of their lives, music fabric covers Mark's musician skills and Stacy's belly dancing skills, topped off with a binding of paw prints, makes up the front.

The backing is a soft baby blue fabric with yellow moons, stars and suns.

Mom's Photo Placemat...Feb, 2008
A quick Valentine's present for mom! A quilted place mat with a picture taken at Thanksgiving printed on fabric using our color laserjet, then sewn onto the mat.

Using up some beautiful red fabric I had left...I made mom a quilted place mat.

With the help of freezer paper, I was able to fuse this photo to a piece of fabric that was then added to the mat.

Stacy's Zill Mufflers...Feb, 2008
Stacy is a belly dancer (and getting quite good at it!). The tiny cymbals they use on their fingers are called Zills. When dancers continually practice at home, the sound of them chiming can be annoying to housemates AND cats! So many girls put baby socks over the zills to quiet them when they practice.

This web site showed me how to make pretty, crocheted Zill Mufflers. So I made a set for Stacy. (Note...This picture was taken prior to me getting the proper elastic to close the top of the muffler...I just used string to pull it closed for testing/sizing.)

Three designs I've come up with...a web, a star and a spiral...for both smaller and larger zills.

Pillowcase for Greg...to go with his plane quilt (soft, T-shirt material)...Feb, 2008.

I had some extra material left that I didn't use for his quilt, so it became a pillow case.<g>

My first baby afghan went to Erin, due in August 2008...Jan/Feb, 2008.

Reupholstered dining room chairs (gray/old to red/new)...Jan/Feb 2008.

Quilted runner for top of Granny's buffet cabinet...Jan, 2008.

The working version of the quilting process. Quilted with X design.

The folded, finished product. It's actually 84 inches long, 24 inches wide.

Now the top of granny's Buffet is protected.

And it fits just right. Couldn't add a tassel at the end (as many have) due to 2 cats who love tassels!

Stacy & Mark's afghan...Jan, 2008

My first quilt went to Greg...airplane theme, Dec, finished New Year's Eve, 2007.

My first afghan went to mom...Dec, for Christmas, 2007.

Mark's scarf...Nov, for Christmas, 2007

Stacy's scarf...Nov, for Christmas, 2007

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