Remember when I wrote about wanting to quilt? (You can find that post here.) Well, I did it! I have actually been working on it for several months, but it was a surprise. Last weekend, I gave my sweet sister-in-law my first ever baby quilt! It is not easy to give away your first quilt as a gift, but I had been planning to give it to her sweet bundle of joy from the moment I started making it.

I have to give a LOT of credit to my grandma! She helped me through every step! We went shopping together back in February for some fabric to get started...that step is a lot harder then I thought it would be. I really thought I would be able to find a couple of prints that I liked and a couple of solids that would tie it all together. WRONG! I looked and looked and looked. There were several prints that I liked, but nothing looked that great together. Luckily, my grandma is a master at this! She helped keep me away from fabrics that were going to be difficult to use and helped me pick out the fabric that I ended up purchasing for the project. I am sure that was not an easy job for her...I am not exactly the easiest person to shop with. Sorry, Grandma! 

Anyway...I ended up getting a jelly roll of cool, watercolor-like fabric. There were several different greens, blues, and purples that went together SO perfectly (at this point I didn't know that the little babe was a boy). 

Once we got back to my grandma's, I was ready to start working! The jelly roll fabric was already cut into the width that we needed...YIPPEE for making the job a little easier! I spent the whole afternoon sewing, sewing, and sewing some more! By the end of the day I had a beautiful (and finished) quilt top! I am still in shock that I got that part done so quickly! 

I decided to have the top sent off to be machine quilted, and I am glad I did! Grandma suggested a loopy design, and it looks so great.

The next step was adding the binding (a.k.a. the colorful edge that ties it all together) This step took me the longest. It involved sewing the binding to the front of the quilt and then hand stitching it around to the back. I wouldn't say that it is perfect, but I am pretty pleased with how the whole thing turned out!

I am by no means an expert quilter, but I do plan on making another one sometime soon!

I took a creative writing class in college, and one of the assignments was to write about a tool. There were a lot of tools that I could have chosen to write about, but the one tool that kept coming to mind was a tiny little needle. 

My finger was in pain. I was only five years old, but this was a pain that I was all too familiar with. I examined my finger; there under the top layer of skin, was a sliver of wood. It was tiny, slightly thicker than a strand of hair and no longer than a grain of rice. However, it wasn't hard to see. The splinter was dark, and stood out against my pale, pink skin. With tears building in my eyes I went to seek comfort from my grandma. She took one glance at the little, dark spot and knew exactly what to do to make the pain go away. Sitting down in at the table, I watched her move around the kitchen like a dance. Above the kitchen sink, in the white cotton curtains, a needle is held between the threads. My grandma pulled the sharp silver loose. Then she made her way to a little drawer and pulled out a box of matches. She struck one of the matches against the box. It made a scratching sound and a glowing flame instantly appeared. She held the needle over the flame for several seconds, as the scent of burning matches filled the room. I sat with my legs swinging back and forth anxiously fearing the pain I was sure I was going to endure. She sat down in the worn wooden chair across from me and held my little hand in hers. As I sat with my eyes tightly pressed shut she carefully and painlessly used the needle to retrieve the tiny slice of wood.

Grandma has a way with this tiny tool. When my favorite stuffed animal began to spill stuffing from one of the seams she managed to doctor it to health. When my favorite dress was ripped she was able to make it look good as new. I have watched her make several quilts with this tiny piece of metal. Each time there is a baby born in the family or a marriage my grandmother makes a wonderful quilt. Taking pieces of fabric and strands of thread to create wonderful works of art. Each piece is unique and beautiful, and the tool she uses to put it all together is that tiny little needle. 

As a child I remember sitting at my grandma's feet with a needle and thread...trying...and failing to make a turn a washcloth into something pretty. (They always ended up looking like a giant knot.) Above me my grandma would transform three layers into a usable quilt. I will never forget those days...but now I am working on making something very beautiful. (I can't wait to reveal it!) With my grandma's help I have started quilting! I will tell you more when I am able to...for now it is going to stay a surprise! I am sew in love with quilting! I can't wait to learn new things, and try fun designs. 

I love to read. I read blogs, magazines, books...pretty much anything with words! I have a nook that I enjoy reading books on, but there is nothing like turning the pages of a good book. Plus, I love the library! So...I thought it fitting that my first sewing project on my new sewing machine (thanks, Momma) be these awesome DIY book marks that I found on Pinterest! 

They are super simple to make. I chose a wide, leopard print ribbon, and then I folded, pinned, sewed, and viola! 

Want to make your own? You can find the full tutorial here. 

Remember yesterday's post...yes, the exhausting list of things that I have to do to the house! Well, I managed to cross something off of that never ending list...pillows for the living room are done! I spent some time with my grandma today, and I managed to finish 4 pillows.

The tan pillows were inspired by some pillows that I saw in the West Elm catalog. I poured paint directly on one piece of the tan canvas and then pressed the other piece on the top. After the paint dried I sewed a blank piece of canvas to the back.

I am in love with them!