The weather outside is absolutely frightful.  It's a frigid -10 degrees before the windchill.  Sure, living in the midwest leaves me with little room to complain about the arctic tundra in January, or the sweltering humidity in August.  When it's this cold outside, all I want to do is curl up on the sofa with a mug of hot tea and a cozy blanket.   I've already had three cups of hot tea this morning, mainly to keep my hands warm.  I also had a chance to finish up the lovely scrap quilt seen above.  All that was left to do was the binding.  Later in this post, you'll find the tutorial on how to make this quilt.   I do my best to use up scraps of fabric.  Whether it's in a quilt, as eye masks, rice packs, key chains, you name it.  I even managed to make a fabric pom-pom for my daughter to hand in her room using selvaged edge scraps.  Admittedly, that was a little over-the-top.   This morning, in addition to over...

A new year represents all our dreams and aspirations, while also celebrating our accomplishments.  Looking back at 2014, there were a handful of lows, but numerous highs to counteract them.  Regardless of how you count your blessings, it's important to show them recognition.  Welcoming in 2015 isn't just about a calendar year, but rather an opportunity to celebrate who you are, to your very core. As you may know, this blog is still in its infancy.  Despite this, at the mere age of 8 weeks old and thanks whole-heartedly to you, it has reached a milestone.  Today, we celebrate 1000 blog views!  While it may not seem like much, it's been an incredible kickoff to something that is bigger than ever dreamed at this stage.  To continue the momentum, here's a wonderful tutorial to help you welcome 2015 into your homes and hearts. Important information to know before you begin: If this is your first time sewing, please note that when stitching, a 1/...

Holidays are filled with joy and laughter, stress and tears.  This year, I have traveled back home, which for me is in the South Suburbs of Chicago.  For the last seven years, my childhood home has housed another family.  Instead, we go to my grandparent’s home each year.  My parents purchased the home from their estate when my (last grandparent) grandmother passed away.  Initially, visiting them brought on an emotional gamut.  I was happy to see my parents and for them to see their grandchildren, but also so sad about my forged childhood memories.   One of many needle points made by my Maternal Grandmother. When my Grandparents purchased the house in the late 60's, the previous owners had fallen in love with a Swiss Chalet and its views while vacationing in the Alps.  They recreated the scene in the basement.  The original furniture they purchased was sold with the house and still remains there today. The ...

Many of us have the best of intentions.  We purchase the (sometimes very costly) materials, and (sometimes) begin to craft with the best of intentions: a birthday gift, baby shower present, holiday giving.  If your plan was to make gifts this year for your friends and family, there's still time.  Here are a few of the projects I have in the works this week: A picnic blanket using a flat sheet from my childhood as the backing. Adorable zipper pouches, perfect for pencils, makeup, etc.  Find the pattern  here . A quilt top (ready for batting and backing).  Find the pattern  here.   This is a great project for scrap fabric. A zipper pouch made from fabric that I screened and dyed. Eyemasks galore! More of the sweetest zipper pouches. A fantastic baby blanket, toddler blanket, throw blanket, or whatever you want to call it.  It's made with Moda's Berenstain Bears fabric, and couldn't be more perfect. Pothol...