{Vintage Style} Bedroom Redo -- Mini Bunting

After making this quilt for our favorite babysitter and realizing how easily I could adapt it to my girl's yet-to-be-decorated bedroom I set out on a room redo.  There is still lots to be done (including bed quilts) but it's coming together in small bits.  

The first little project... a mini flag bunting to dress up their headboards. 

I love their headboards, but I really love how awesome they look with these buntings!  

Pure little girl goodness!

As you can imagine it was a simple project.  I used one pkg of double fold bias tape for the two buntings.  The flags are 5 1/2 inches across the top and 6 inches from the top to the point.  Fabrics are various vintage/reclaimed sheets from my stash.

Total cost:  About $4

This post is part of an ongoing series of posts about my adventures in room redecorating.  Follow along with me as I attempt to transform my girls' room into a vintage inspired beauty.

A Wedding Quilt for Dan and Ashley

Ashley is a friend of mine that I've known since she was young.  Now she is all grown up and in love with Dan. A few weeks ago they got married! Yay! Can I just say that she was the most easy going bride I've ever seen.  Besides being super chill at her own wedding, she absolutely didn't sweat the small stuff.  Her main focus was becoming Dan's wife.  The rest was merely icing on the cake for her.  All brides should be that awesome.

When we were discussing ideas for a quilt she pretty much told me to do whatever. After she told me her colors I asked if she wanted to pick out fabrics with me.  Her answer was "No, 'cuz I know whatever you choose will be great!"   (See, super chill!) 

My plan was to have the quilt be a siggy quilt that could be signed by friends and family at their 2 receptions, but after getting it done my husband said "that is way too pretty to let people sign!"  I gave her the option to sign or not to sign.  She chose no signing. 

So here are some hastily taken pictures as I literally finished this up at the 11th hour.

I really liked the design.  And super easy to make.  You just need a huge stack of HST's and off you go.  I just chose a bunch of fabrics from my stash and bought a few other pieces to tie them all together. 

I had my quilter add their names, wedding date, location, and such around the border.  You can't see it really in these pics but Ashley was pretty happy about that little touch.

Since I thought it was going to be signed there was no quilting on any of the white. I used a slightly higher loft batting so it came out super cozy.  Perfect for newlyweds to curl up with.

The quilting gave an awesome texture to the back of the quilt as well. 

Happy Couple!

Congrats Ashley and Dan!  May you have a long and happy life together!



Find plenty of HST variations and inspiration on flickr.
Directions to make your own here.

Peach Salsa

It's canning season again, which means we are all cutting/peeling/chopping and cooking like mad.   This week we've been canning peaches.  Peach Salsa is something new for us.  We got the recipe from our Cousin Tiffany.  Last year she got a bunch of free peaches that happened to be pretty beat up.  Not good for canning, but great for salsa.

Peach Salsa
for Canning
(You may also eat this fresh)

6 lrg. Onions (red, white, yellow, or any combo) chopped
6 Red bell peppers chopped (or any color bell pepper)
6-7 Serrano peppers (or jalapenos)
2 Bunches of Cilantro chopped
8 quarts pitted, peeled & chopped Peaches
1/4 C. Salt
3 C. Apple Cider Vinegar
2 tsp. Garlic (chopped)
1 tsp. Black pepper
1/4 tsp. Oregano (ground)
1 tsp Cumin
3 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
3/4 C. Sugar (you may do more or less depending on sweetness)
1/2 C. Ultra gel (may use more if you want it thicker)
Mix everything together in large stockpot, bring to a boil.
Fill jars, hot water bath or steam can for 25 minutes.
Makes 21 pints. Enjoy!!!



Tiffany has done this recipe with a mix of peaches and tomatoes. This year she did a mix of apricots and tomatoes. Both she says are quite delicious!

There is another great recipe we've tried from the Ball Complete Guide to Home Canning Book.  I can't give you the actual recipe because of a little thing called copyright, but you can find it on Pg. 215 under Peach Salsa. If you are looking to make a smaller batch this recipe yields only 4 pints.

Both the recipe above and the one from the book are great to eat straight out of the jar with chips, which for us is the true test of a good salsa.  You can also use these type of salsa's to flavor pork/chicken dishes, add flavor to sandwiches, and use as a spread on burgers.

Berets for Fall

I've made this beret pattern before, but just did it again recently using varigated yarn for my 2 oldest girls.  I couldn't resist some pretty yarn I saw at Jo-Ann's and decided to try it out.   (Sorry, but I can't remember what yarn I used and I threw away the tag.)

Used the Taos Beret Pattern found HERE. 
Really easy and quick to knit. 
My girls love berets and so do their friends. 
M. told me that the orange beret suited her personality perfectly. 
She's got that right.

**The only change you need to know about is that if you knit the larger version you need to place markers every 22 stitches, not 20.

What I should be working on....

...finishing up a wedding dress alteration for Maggie.

Her dress is similar in style to the above picture.  Mostly it just needed to be taken in, which I've already done.  Now I just need to put it all back together again and add the bust shaping: i.e. some nice bra cups, since you can't wear one at all with this dress, not even strapless.

So here's what I've been doing instead:

Made baby swimsuits for a friend's shower coming up this weekend.  Out of necessity I made the 1T size a 2 tone style (first time I've done it on a baby suit) because I didn't have enough of the stripe piece.  Finished off the neon pink tie dye fabric too.  (I have a little girl tie dye suit on sale at my shop--currently 25% off entire purchase thru end of Aug.  Code 25OFFSALE)

Yoga pants for daughter #2, and to display at my fabric store.


Kwik Sew 3835
Easy easy to sew.
Comfiest pants ever according to M. 
I plan on making me a pair too--in the hopes I'll work out more if I have stylish workout wear.

Tee for #5 who is starting kindergarten this Fall.  (Woohoo!!) 
This is the leftover knit fabric from the yoga pants.

Simplicity 5976--raglan sleeve tees and bermuda shorts
His wardrobe needs some serious help for school. 
I really don't want him going to school looking like an orphan child.
It'll probably happen anyway, as he is a picky boy when it comes to clothes.

Bought some more fabric at the thrift store.
Grey/black suiting (4yds. 60" wide for $3) for slacks and maybe a new black dress.

Love this green sweater material (2 yds. for $3) which I was hoping would be enough to make a short sleeve easy sweater dress.  Not sure now.  After washing it it did shrink a bit (there seems to be a bit of wool in it), so I might just have to make myself a pretty sweater skirt, or a short sleeve turtleneck.  Can't decide just yet.  But I LOVE the color! so I'll figure it out.

This week my goal is to finish the wedding dress--no more excuses--and really they are paying me to fix it.  I should be more excited about getting it done than I actually am.  Can you tell that alterations, even though I can do them, are not my favorite?

New Look Travel Dress

I think I bought this pattern a year ago Spring but just hadn't put it together yet.  I had sort of put myself on a no new fabric shopping diet.  I have this great store where I usually find all my awesome knits (it's where I get all my swimsuit fabric too) but I just hadn't gone much because I couldn't take the pressure of looking at all those pretty fabrics and then not buying anything.  Better to just avoid the "evil" all together.

But then earlier in the year I really needed a new dress. O.K. "need" is used loosely, but my wardrobe has been bugging me immensely.   I ended up using some cool navy fabric from my stash last minute.  Great textured knit fabric--the kind you can wad on the floor and leave for days and then there isn't a wrinkle in sight when you pick it up days later to wear it.  LOVE that!  Perfect dress to take when traveling--just shove it in the suitcase and go.  

(besides the texture of the fabric the picture above also shows the front detail at the bust)

New Look 6802


My changes:
View B sleeves with view C bodice.
Lengthened the pattern, as usual, about 9 inches to the hem. I wanted it a bit longer than just at the knee.
Adjusted the neckline to be higher and scooped  instead of V-neck.

This is a super easy dress with some nice details. No zipper, just pull it over your head.  I wore it first in January in Arizona for our Grandmother's funeral.  So comfy and easy to wear for long periods of time.   Paired it with my favorite red slingbacks and I love, love, love this dress!

Here is I am at the cemetery with our dad in January--photo courtesy of Leslie

Grandma's Shirts x 3

Somewhere in all the whirlwind of grandma's funeral and seeing all the relatives I volunteered to make whomever wanted a quilt out of grandma's shirts.  Three of our four aunts said they would like one.  So after I got back home and realized what I'd just committed myself to I begged recruited Renae to help me.  She is a crazy fast sewer so I knew she'd save my hiney help me big time. 

I deconstructed all the shirts and sent Renae a stack of fabric and some already cut squares.  We talked about designs and ideas, while keeping in mind that we needed them to be quick and simple.  HST's it was!  (For the record Renae made all three quilts, I just did the binding on one.)   So while all three quilts are made with the same fabrics they are all pretty different looking. 

Quilt #1
Pinwheels
For Aunt Elaine

Quilt #2 
Triangles

For Aunt Carol

Inspired by this quilt

Quilt #3
Crazy Pinwheels
For Aunt Sharon

Though it doesn't really show in these pictures each quilt is the same size, approx. 53" by 68".
Started with 6" squares, then cut into hst.

Now that these are done, Renae and I can start mulling over the making of our own "Grandma" quilts.  Again, we've been discussing different ideas, but I think we've both decided to hold off until after our kids go back to school.  Stay Tuned!

Linking up @ Quilt Story 

Quilt Exhibit

Last week Leslie and I took in a local quilt exhibit.  It was a lot smaller than we'd anticipated and a lot less inspiring, but still nice in an "I-can-appreciate-the-concept" kinda way.  Old quilts made entirely of polyester and spandex (no lie!), but if you only saw them from far away they were quite beautiful.

Here are a few snippets:

Oh, if only my quilts were displayed in my house like this.  Lovely lighting and all.  Of course I don't have huge gallery walls to display then on...One minor detail.

There's another exhibit coming up that we are more excited about.   A much larger one with quilts in our taste range.  It's one I've been to before so I know it's full of good stuff.  

How about you.  Visit any quilt shows/exhibits lately?  What did you think?