Easter Recap

This year I got it into my head that I was going to make baskets for the kids.  So the night before Easter, around 11pm, this is what my desk looked like.

The three baskets took about 3 1/2 hours to make.  I ran out of interfacing and spent a significant chunk of time frantically searching through closets, and miraculously came up with a piece big enough to cut the rest of the squares.

The butterfly, bird, toadstool, and coordinating polka dot fabrics are all from a collection called Flo’s Garden.  I let my daughters pick which color they wanted before I made them.  The idea is that they can use them in their room when Easter is over.

I just love how they look all in a row.  The colors are so perfect for spring (and girls)!

We started a new Easter tradition this year.  A few months ago I took Bea and Esther to an estate sale—our first.  We found this bunny basket on a shelf and bought it for $2.  When we got it home we realized there were small egg ornaments wrapped in tissue paper inside.  So we thought we’d have an egg tree this year.

I asked my hubby to pick up a tree from Lowes that we could plant in the yard after Easter.  He came home with this flowering quince tree.

The girls hung them all up and we’ve had the tree decorating our front porch the past few weeks.  It’s time we find it a permanent place in the yard.

How cute is that little blackbird?  Some of the eggs had stickers that said “Made in China,” so they aren’t the priceless heirlooms I was hoping to discover!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter!  Tomorrow it’s back to the old routine at our house.  I’m going to miss sleeping past my husband’s alarm clock.

Laurie + Denyse = New Pillows

Do you love Laurie Wisbrun’s fun and preppy designs?  Of course I had to get some of her bee and cardinal fabrics.  I didn’t have a plan in mind when I got the fabric, which is nice sometimes, but other times can be frustrating not to have enough fabric once a decision has been made to finally use it.

The horizontal lines of cardinals made it easy to make fast 2.5” strip pillow covers.  I just cut all my strips 2.5” and then spent a lot of time arranging and rearranging all the strips into different combinations.  In the end I settled on green & blue for one, and red & blue for the other.

I’ve always made envelope closures for the back, but this time I thought I’d give zippers a try.  I only had two on hand, one red and one cream, but I kind of like the way the red really pops on the back. It was actually a lot easier than I thought it would be.  I think the zippers add a professional touch, but next time I’ll try to make them hidden zippers.  Now that I’ve given zippers a try I’m not as intimidated. 

Here’s a pic of how I fashioned the front of the pillows.  I just cut 2.5” strips from my fabric and pieced them together, pressing all the seams open.  I used the seam lines for a guide and I straight-line quilted evenly through each strip to finish the fronts before sewing the back to the pillow.

The pillows are so refreshing in my living room, I thought it was time for a couch facelift, so I got a slipcover for it!  I think the lighter color, after 13 years of a green couch, has brightened up the room considerably.  While I’m not a fan of the slipcover fit or quality of fabric, it is the third one we tried and we are going to live with it until the kids are a little older.  The nice thing is I can just pop it in the washing machine when needed.

So, I’m {finally!!!!} on my way to having my own handmade pillow collection.  Have a wonderful day!

Mooshka Quilt

This quilt has been on my to-do list for the past few months, ever since we checked out the book “Mooshka” from the library. 

It’s about a quilt that talks.  One day I saw the “Mooshka” line of fabrics for sale on Winter Creek Cloth and we were on our way to making our own.

It is a little smaller than a full size.  Probably should have overrode my daughter’s decision to put the blue hst in the corner, but oh well, she helped and it’s her quilt.

I love a pieced back.  The backing fabrics are mostly other prints from earlier Julie Paschkis lines that I got on clearance.   Hearts, butterflies, birds, and roses…the perfect combination!