Brendan was out with a friend and I had the freedom to do as I pleased tonight. What pleased me? Why, working on my quilt, of course!
720 squares!
Posts Tagged ‘Jo-Ann’
Fabric for our Bedroom Quilt
04
Mar
I am beginning to hate my first quilt. I made it with clearance fabric since I was a novice and didn’t want to spend much money on it. Thus the colors and patterns aren’t ones that I normally would have chosen and it really does not match the beautiful, soothing green walls of our bedroom either. Sewing my mom’s quilt has made me realize how important the fabric choices are. I loved working on it because I loved seeing the beautiful fabric coming together and coordinating so nicely. Therefore, I decided that I needed to buy fabric that I love (and would match our green bedroom walls) and make a new quilt for our bed.
Brendan and I spent a portion of Wednesday evening at Jo-Ann Fabrics looking for material for our new quilt. Here are the fabrics that we ended up choosing:
*My apologies for the poor quality of the photos; I did not have the patience to wait for good lighting. Please know that the colors are much more rich and worthy of our love. Just visit us some time and you can see for yourself! 
pretty fabrics!
We started with the green pattern as it matches our beloved wall color:
green! (my favorite color)
We then chose a paisley that has the same green in it:
pretty paisley
Brendan picked out the black fabric and this gorgeous “crackle” design:
"crackle"
Brendan has a good eye. This fabric has gray, the same green in my first selection, and the most complicated-to-match color present in the anchor pattern (the paisley).
I love this gray fabric. It looks so full of texture and reminds me of a stone:
gray "stone"
Finally, I found this “complicated-color” pattern to match the last color in the paisley:
final piece of the puzzle
I know it doesn’t look like much in this photo, but it really was a devilish color to match. I really like the little leaves!
Well, there you have it. I am in love with this fabric, Brendan likes the fabric, and it matches our bedroom!
Doesn't it coordinate with the wall quite nicely?
I’m excited to get started and will be keeping you posted!
Love,
Tiff
Cupcakes Continued
31
Jan
No, the cupcake madness has NOT ended. It is in fact spreading to our dining nook!
bench cushions!
Brendan and I have a bench flanked by two bookshelves for seating on one side of our dining room table. This bench is never used (except for the three baskets underneath that make for great dining/kitchen linen storage). Thus, making a cushion for it has never been high on my priority list. However, I was thinking that I would host the next sewing circle with my friends from school and figured that they would appreciate a nice seat cushion. 
I bought two foam rectangles at Jo-Ann’s (buying it by the yard for one long cushion would have cost an outrageous sum) and lovely purple fabric as well as the pretty print with sprinkles and cherries. The foam covers were simple and quickly completed.
The real fun came with making the pillows.
The purple pillow was appliquéd with brown fabric from my cupcake kitchen towel embellishment and the new sprinkles print. I bought cherry-sized red pompoms from Hobby Lobby (perhaps I should exchange them with hot pink) and the rickrack I had on hand from one of my Baby Bowman projects.
purple pillow
My sprinkles (or “jimmies” as Grandpa Leibbrand would say) pillow has more embellishment. A cherry pompom, felt whipped cream, blue beads (from a bracelet that Brendan bought for me in Florida the Christmas before we were married), and some rickrack leftover from the kitchen towels.
sprinkles pillow
Both pillows are backed with a lighter shade of purple that matches the light shade of purple sprinkles.
side view
Doesn’t it look like a cozy corner? I can’t decide which pillow I prefer.
I have added some more towels and little ceramic cupcakes to my collection, but I do have two more additions that are too ridiculous not to share. At the last Jo-Ann’s sale, I bought a pattern for felt food and made a little cupcake with stuff on hand:
mini cupcake
I have no idea what to do with it. But you must admit it’s super cute. (Notice my detailed cupcake liner lines on my appliquéd pillow in the background?)
My favorite addition, however, is this bit of silliness that Brendan surprised me with one day after a shooting trip:
puppy with a cupcake house!
He stopped at Target and brought this plush cupcake puppy house complete with puppy as well as a ceramic cupcake. I added the ribbon, whipped topping and cherry to my puppy’s house. It’s so silly and perfect. I love it. 
ceramic cupcakes
I still haven’t hung up that picture :}
cupcakes!
I don’t think that the madness will spread throughout the house…except there is this awesome pdf pattern for a cupcake quilt…
www.hearttohandonline.com/pdf/Cupcakes.pdf
Love,
Tiff
P.S. So far it’s been slow progress with Mom’s quilt. At least I have all the fabric cut: thirty0-six 4.5″ squares in each print.
baby steps
Sewing after Jo-Ann’s Sale
21
Jan
Jo-Ann Fabric’s recently began the “Winter Warm-Up” sale and I was there coupons in hand. I purchased fourteen patterns for the price of one (they were only $.99!) and hope to use them soon. I also bought two magazines: Quilting Arts: Stitch and Sew Beautiful.
my new magazines
There are so many projects and patterns in both that I am eager to attempt. The Stitch magazine had two patterns that I completed this past weekend.
Stitch projects
What on earth did I make, you ask? Why, it’s a velvet muff and chiffon shawl, of course!
Every girl needs a velvet muff, but oddly enough, I could never find one in stores.
velvet muff with wool
The brooches on the muff are made from velvet ribbon with the tutorial in my Sew Beautiful magazine.
velvet flower brooches
I think the pins are very pretty and would look nice on a shirt for Valentine’s Day.
The chiffon was interesting to work with, but aren’t the ruffles lovely?
gorgeous
Anyone who knows me knows I adore accessories; the more capricious the accessory, the more I love it. Therefore, I couldn’t help myself when I saw the patterns and immediately purchased the materials to get started. I’m telling myself it was good practice. I worked with velvet, wool, and chiffon. I learned about the construction for lining (my spacial skills are lacking, so this was good practice), the use of different needles for different fabrics, French seams (for the chiffon), and elastic thread (did not master this, but I’ve had a decent introduction).
Not only did I get good sewing practice, but now I have a wrap for my next visit to the opera house and a muff for my next one-horse open sleigh ride.
my finery
In addition to the magazine patterns, I also finally sewed a buttercup bag. I just used fabric that I had from my second skirt and Jeanette’s pencil case.
my buttercup bag
I love its little pleats and think it’s very cute, but it’s definitely too small for me. I’m accustomed to carrying a large satchel. We’ll see if it gets much use.
My next sewing project will be tackling one of my new patterns or starting Mom’s quilt:
fabric for Mom's quilt
I can’t wait to get started this weekend!
Love,
Tiff
P.S. Brendan has shorn his lovely locks. He caused quite the stir at Church last night. I miss his hair, but it is nice to see so much of his handsome face again.
my sweet boy
Baby Bowman
11
Jan
On June 28th of this year (approximately), I will be Aunt Tiffany. I’m so excited about Jeremy and Kristin’s baby and I’ve been quite busy sewing for the little one’s arrival.
the baby's stash
I made two bibs that button on the side. The fabric and buttons are from Jo-Ann’s.
bibs
back of bibs
The bibs are two layers of fabric and quilt batting. They should be absorbent for drool and spit up.
Most of my sewing was to embellish burp cloths. I purchased cloth diapers and several fat quarters of gender neutral fabric.
towel and burp cloth
burp cloths (love the heart appliqué)
I like the tea party
Hello Kitty
The Hello Kitty burp cloth is maybe my favorite. I love the appliqué heart and the red binding (left over from my advent calendar). The ribbon came from the dollar section of Target. Or maybe this one is my favorite:
clowns!
Jeremy hates clowns. This way his baby can spit up on the clowns! The clown material came from Wal-Mart. Only $1 a yard, can you believe it?
Not only did I sew for Baby Bowman, but I also used my cross-stitch skills. I stitched a little duck on a onesie.
After those projects, I needed some way to use the rest of my fabric. And what better way than a patchwork Scottie dog?
Scottie Dog!
Isn’t he so cute? What a perfect home for my baby scraps. I hope that Baby Bowman likes it. I’m also in the midst of crocheting a little blanket for my niece/nephew.
Love you Baby Bowman
Love,
Tiff
Cupcake Kitchen
06
Jan
I have wanted to decorate my kitchen with cupcakes for some time and I’ve finally gotten around to it. The whole “reno” so far has cost me about $35! Some of the stuff I had on hand, and other items were supplied by generous loved ones. Enjoy!
- me in my cupcake kitchen!
What, you don’t wear heels and pearls in your kitchen?
I bought the blue towels from Target (2 for $2.50).
- Target towel
- embellished!
- I purchased four and embellished them all
The potholders and oven mitts are also from Target (and at the same price).
- potholders
- oven mitts
Brendan has already been warned that the potholders are purely decorative and he is not to touch them.
The oven mitts are for actual use.
The white towels were purchased plain at Big Lots in a pack of five. I embellished them with fabric from Jo-Ann’s and some pink rickrack.
- Big Lots towels with embellishments
Mom gave me the pink and pastry-printed dish towels for Christmas. I added the rickrack to the solid pink towel for some interest.
- thanks, Mom!
I now have quite the towel collection.
- towels above the sink
The magnetic cupcake paper tablet is from Target ($1) and the super-cute magnets are original Jeanette Bowman‘s. She did some custom artwork for me for Christmas. They look so cheerful on our fridge.
- cupcakes on my refrigerator!
- magnets by Jeanette
- perfect for grocery lists
I made the curtains this weekend with adorable fabric from Jo-Ann’s. I picked it out when I went shopping with Mom and Jeanette the day after Christmas. (Thank you Mom Sullivan for the gift card.) I’m very pleased with how well the curtains turned out. I was able to cut straight and accurate lines with my new cutting mat, ruler, and rotary (Christmas present from my darling husband). My curtains are actually lined, too. The rickrack looks like icing and finishes the hem quite nicely. Brendan and I were reminiscing about the ridiculously misshapen and poorly constructed curtains that I had made for our first apartment. (Does anyone remember those?) We both readily agreed that these are infinitely better.
- cupcake curtains
- ribbon tie backs
- “icing” hem of curtains
I framed a piece of the fabric with a similar rickrack embellishment for a piece of art!
- fabric art
Yes, my walls are painted “silver berry”–also known as purple.
This picture is actually a greeting card that I purchased from Target for $0.99. “How sweet it is” indeed.
- framed card
I still haven’t decided where to hang it.
This apron is from Jo-Ann’s and Brendan gave it to me for Christmas. I love it. It’s a simple panel where you cut out the pieces and stitch.
- apron package
- panel is pictured
Of course, I had to embellish it. The squiggle borders needed rickrack.
- before
And why have printed buttons, when you can have cupcake buttons?
- after
I have towels, curtains, potholders, magnets, and art . . . and finally:
- the pièce de résistance
The amazing cupcake cookie jar is from Wal-Mart! (Only $12!) It makes me so happy. I have a giant cupcake sitting on my counter at all times! How can anyone look at it and not smile?
I still want new rugs (did you see the current sickness in the first photo?) and I would like a brown or turquoise soap dispenser for the dish soap to complete the theme (and I, of course, would not turn down any other cupcake cuteness that I come across in the future), but I’m very pleased with my results.
Isn’t my husband so sweet to let me decorate a room in such a nauseating motif?
I’m hoping that the overall cuteness and cheerfulness will motivate me to cook more.
- I’m so happy to be surrounded by such cuteness!
Love,
Tiff
P.S. I may need rickrack rehab. I’m obsessed with it now and have to stop myself from putting it on everything.
Sewing Machine Cover
30
Dec
Mom and I made this sewing machine cover for my Kenmore 15408.
machine cover
I brought my machine to Ohio so that we could sew. Mom and I agreed that I needed a cover for it, especially if I am going to be transporting it for my sewing circle. The machine has a handle and we created a bag with overlapping flaps that the handle of the machine fits through.
I bought this fabric from Jo-Ann’s with the gift card that I received from the Sullivans.
quilted fabric
We definitely “winged” this project. Mom made some measurements and cut some rectangles.
side panels
Mom sewed with her Kenmore:
vintage 1979
to make a cover for my Kenmore:
Kenmore 15408
We both received our Kenmores as Christmas presents. Mom got hers from my dad on their first Christmas as a married couple. Mom bought mine for me for Christmas the year before Brendan and I got married.
Mom did most of the sewing; I did the finishing touches.
me sewing
The cover design is really quite clever.
1. Place machine in bag:
step 1
2. Fold over flap, inserting handle through the super-long buttonhole:
step 2
3. Fold over opposite flap, inserting handle through buttonhole again:
step 3
4. Zip up the sides:
step 4
Notice the darts on the side to keep it from gaping open.
5. Button it up to keep the flap down:
step 5
It’s so cute! I didn’t really write up a tutorial since every sewing machine is different in dimensions. It’s a basic box bag design and took a little bit of trial and error. Mom and I just brainstormed and kept our seam ripper handy.
I sewed the pocket, side darts, buttonholes, and buttons.
I'm having fun!
I can’t wait to travel in style.
Love,
Tiff
Christmas Day
30
Dec
Brendan and I had a lovely Christmas in Ohio with my family. We were surprised by the amount of presents under the tree. We each had a pretty impressive stack of gifts to open.
Rich
Mom
Brendan (notice his Halloween pajamas)
me
Jeanette
Jeanette and I worked up a sweat passing out all those presents! Jeanette read the Christmas story in Luke, Rich said a prayer, and then the wrapping paper flew. Not really–we took turns, oldest to youngest, opening our gifts to prolong the fun and to see what everyone received.
Brendan got an awesome reindeer ornament made of shotgun shells from Jeanette.
Brendan's new ornament
Mom bought this awesome $1 DVD of a fireplace for my stocking. I can choose a “roaring” fire or a “flickering” fire. Brendan is warming his hands.
check out the roaring flames
I hope everyone’s Christmas was filled with joy and love.
Love,
Tiff
Winter Weekend
06
Dec
winter wonderland
We had a wonderful weekend. On Saturday, we actually woke up to snow! It didn’t last the whole day, but it was very pretty.
view from our balcony
see the lingering fall foliage?
Brendan is bundling up
the Kia
Our Christmas tree this year:
tabletop tree
There are some “rusty” jingle bells and little wooden ornaments from Hobby Lobby. They are little planes, trains, boats, and cars.A transportation theme!
a closer view
To make our house smell festive, I bought some cinnamon scented pine-cones from Jo-Ann Fabrics.
mmm, smells sweet
I tied some to red ribbon and hung them from the curtain rod in the office (the ribbon totally matches the pirate curtains).
office curtains
I also put some pine-cones on a platter for the living room side table. Our house smells amazing. I think this may be a new Sullivan tradition.
living room side table
One last view of the snow before it melts.
winter in Tennessee
Love,
Tiff
Advent Calendar Tutorial
06
Dec
I love counting down the days until Christmas. Grandpa Leibbrand always had a calendar and daily gift for us. Sometimes Mom would buy the cardboard advent calendars with doors that would reveal a piece of chocolate for each day. I remember sneaking some of the chocolates early. One year we had little box ornaments that were filled with candy and opened for the countdown. Some of the simplest advent calendars I used were ones I made with paper–often a chain with 24 links and I would tear one off per day.
This year, I wanted to make an advent calendar, but I wanted something a little more sophisticated and something that would last for years to come. With my new hobby of sewing, I thought an advent calendar of fabric would be perfect. I surfed the web and found several ideas and inspiring designs.
This is what I ended up with:
Advent Calendar Wall Hanging
I bought the cute mini ornaments from Jo-Ann Fabrics.
mini ornaments
The ornaments had ugly gold threads. I cut them off and hot glued ribbon loops on the backs of the ornaments.
ribbon loop
glue gun magic
new loops!
ornaments with beige ribbon loops
I think the ornaments look happier!
I wanted to use my Hobby Lobby Christmas music fabric for the background, so I laid out the ornaments and buttons to figure out how large my tree would need to be.
ornaments in tree-shape
close-up of the cuties
Based on the size of the ornaments, I cut a Christmas tree shape out of wrapping paper.
tree pattern next to ornaments
My pattern!
tree pattern
I pinned the pattern to my beautiful Jo-Ann Fabric’s material and cut it out.
pin pattern in place
cut out pattern
Now, I should have sewn the buttons on the tree, but I like to make things difficult and appliquéd the two sides of the tree on the music fabric first. :}
I pinned the tree to the background.
tree pinned to background
detail of pinning
This green fabric was really difficult to work with (I have a knack for choosing tricky material). I had to garment hem the edges and then appliqué the tree. The garment hem kept the fabric’s weave from falling apart with the slightest tug. I ended up going around the edges twice when appliquéing.
two sides are appliquéd
detail of appliqué
After I appliquéd the tree, I positioned the buttons and pinned them in place. I ended up using more than 24 so that I can switch up the placement of the ornaments from year to year.
positioned and pinned buttons
detail of pinned buttons
All of the buttons are sewn and make the tree look festive even if it is void of ornaments.
sewn buttons
Next, I stuffed the Christmas tree to give it some body and added interest.
stuffed and appliqued shut
I needed to “quilt” my stuffed tree so that the stuffing wouldn’t settle at the bottom of the tree. I chose really tiny jingle bells and stitched them in alternating rows.
quilted tree with bells
detail of mini-bell
I liked the bells so much, I had to add them to the tips of each branch. They make the cutest jingle sound!
detail of branch bells
The pockets for the ornaments took quite a bit of time and they are the reason my advent calendar couldn’t start on December 1st this year.
I cut out two sets of of rectangles for either side of the tree (ornament pockets). The dimensions are 13″ X 5″; 10.5″ X 5″; and 8″ X 5″. I garment hemmed them all. The final pocket (#25 for the star) is 9.5″ X 5″.
cut and hemmed rectangles
I then pressed them in half (“hotdog” style). The 25 “trunk” of the tree is a “hamburger” fold.
pressed pockets
I used a disappearing ink fabric marker and wrote each number for the pockets. I then embroidered the numbers with bright red floss.
embroidered pockets
detail of embroidery
The pins indicate the pocket size. They are approximately 2.5″ in length. The pockets are pressed so that the backside of the embroidery is covered by a length of fabric and thus protected from ornaments snagging it.
I then pinned the pockets to the music fabric.
pinned pockets
detail of pinned pockets
Next step, appliqué the pockets. Once the pockets are appliquéd, I straight stitched the pockets.
appliqued and stitched pockets
The ornaments are ready to go!
backside of pockets
After all of the pockets were done, I quilted my advent calendar.
qulit sandwich
My backing is green flannel. After pinning the layers, I quilted around the tree and pockets. I then used red binding and added a “sleeve” so that my advent calendar could hang on a curtain rod. I did not include quilting instructions because I am clearly a novice, and there are many wonderful tutorials currently on the web.
finished product!
Since this project took me so long, it’s already the sixth day of advent.
see the ornament loops?
I can’t wait to pull the star out of this pocket.
pocket #25!!!!
Happy countdown!
Love,
Tiff