{Gray & Rainbow} Granny Poncho

With as much creating as I do (seriously, my hands always stay busy with something) you'd think I'd be better about sharing what I've done.  I don't always think my projects are worthy of being shared or perhaps the effort of documenting is more than I'm willing to put forth at the time.  This granny poncho, however, is one worth sharing.  Almost anywhere it goes, it receives attention and granny-love.  There's something about muted grays and vibrant rainbow stripes that is just oh-so-appealing!

The method of making this poncho came entirely from Le Monde de Sucrette. Don't let the name intimidate you; it's a blog that's written in plain English.  Does anyone else ever feel like the majority of the awesome free patterns you find on Pinterest are written in another language?  Oh, the huge problems we face.  ; )  With the "pattern" you can make a poncho of any size to suit any age.  Pretty dern awesome.

I used yarn entirely from my stash.  The colors are all Lion Brand Vanna's Choice (it's my go-to budget  friendly yarn) and the gray is almost an entire skein of Red Heart Super Saver (one of my least favorite yarns, purchased a few years ago when I was just a wee grasshopper, learning the ancient ways of crochet).  Unlike the first poncho I made for Elliott several years ago, she LOVES this one.

And now I kinda want one, too.

-Tristin

Insta-Update 2

I've been doing a pantry clean-out over the last few weeks and it has proven to be very profitable--as in my pantry is finally looking less like it belongs to a food hoarder and more like a place for storing staple items.  In speaking with my friends about the large amount of food I've amassed, I was elated to know I'm not the only one who fills my pantry to the gills.  It has been a fun challenge and though our meals have been different than usual, it has been a good learning experience for me.  

In the midst of the pantry/freezer clean-out, I have still grocery shopped for fresh produce and milk.  I mean, some things are hard to substitute!  I tried a new recipe for roasted sugar snaps and I fell in love!  Sugar snaps have never been a favorite of mine but I acknowledge their existence by adding them to stir-fries and the like.  I definitely see more sugar snaps in my future.  Even the kiddos enjoyed them--in fact, I served them as an accompaniment to some delicious Pad Thai (since discovering this popular Pinterest recipe, I've been addicted to making it) and Elliott ate her sugar snaps before eating the Pad Thai that she loves.  What?!

Speaking of my firstborn, she's a crazy one.  I snapped a pic of Elliott wearing her red cowboy boots, handed down from a swimming lesson classmate.  Initially she loved them, but later decided to hate them with the fury of a thousand swarming hornets.  I kid you not.  And now she adores them again.  

And for some reason, another thing I feel compelled to share is delicious carrot souffle.  It's perhaps a bit time consuming for a weeknight side dish, but totally worth the effort.  I mean, who doesn't want sugar-dusted veggies on the table?  Your kids will love you for making this recipe.  

I also got to work on my slowly-improving quilting skills last week.  I was invited to a baby shower and wanted to make a fun quilt.  My decision may or may not be based on the fact that in addition to my food-hoarding, I've amassed quite a fabric collection that needs to be thinned out.  I ended up making a mini-quilt that's the perfect size for diaper changes, keeping warm in the car seat, lining the crib in case of blow-outs, tummy-time, etc.  I like to think it'll prove useful.  

I'm liking the concept of whole-cloth quilting as it really makes for an impressive end product without the labor involved in piecing a quilt top with perfect quarter-inch seams.  With my limited time these days, whole cloth tops just prove to be a more practical use of my time.  The binding however, has become the bane of my quilting existence.  The mitered corners, the need for perfect seam allowances, the narrow fabric...it's just more perfection than I'm cut out for!  

I'm considering trying the "cheater binding" method for my next quilt.  Does anyone have any experience with that or helpful tips for better quilt binding?  This was quilt number three, and I fear my skills are diminishing, not improving...

-T

DIY House Number Plaque

Hey!  Today I have for you the simplest of crafts that adds a fun touch to the exterior of your home.  I bought an old Lenox platter from a thrift store and hung it inside my home for a while.  The only problem was that it was exactly the color of the interior walls of my house (I know, white walls, we're SO boring) so I never loved it.  

Since it already had a plate hanger on it, I decided to try it outdoors.  Cool, but it needed something.  So, natually I went to Hobby Lobby, grabbed some of their numbers (and paid for them, I might add) , glued 'em on with E-6000 and the rest is history.  And I literally mean history--I actually did this project two (TWO!) years ago and I'm just now sharing it.  But hey, now you know the glue lasts outdoors--I have proof!

Supplies:

Thrifted platter

Numbers (or letters could be cool, too)

Strong adhesive (E-6000 should be in every crafter's arsenal.)

Plate hanger

Glue the numbers on your platter/plate/tray and let cure according to adhesive directions.  Then hang it. Pretty straightforward stuff, right?  Really, it's just a good jumping board--imagine the possibilities of what yours could be!

My total project cost was around $5-6, because I can't quite recall how much I paid for the platter but it was inexpensive.  And you guys know I love cheap crafts.

Much love,

T

Insta-Update.

Worst blogger ever?  Sure.  But hello and happy new year anyhow!

I freely admit that I am pretty slow in the world of technology--and it's mostly by choice.  I won't get on my soapbox, but I am happy being ignorant and perhaps even slightly disconnected.  It works for me.  But I just inherited a hand-me-down smart phone (I'm really moving up in the world!) from my husband and before he gave it to me, he added the Instagram App.

And I'm in love.

Like a million years ago, I wrote this post there I asked "why all the rage" about Instagram.  Well, I've been sucked in to the vortex.  So, here are a few of my firsts.  So far, I'm keeping my account for private use--but we'll see if I change my mind down the road.

Since technically I should be posting crafts, here's one of my latest finished projects--a spare tire cozy for my Rav4.  Because every car needs a bit of crochet, right?!  Believe it or not, I put this on my car early in November and it's been on ever since (with the exception of the time my husband ran it through the auto car wash--and I in turn gave it a wash in the machine and it came out just fine).  In other words, it's far more durable than I'd expected!

I've also finally knitted my first afghan, but here's an even newer project--a rug I'm making from t shirt yarn.  My husband gave me a stack of old t shirts that I turned into yarn after hoarding them in the back of my closet for a few years.  What, you don't hoard your husband's crusty old tees?

My girls are growing by leaps and bounds (well, okay, in reality they're growing slowly but surely--both are quite tiny for their ages) and of course that means lots of bumps and bruises.  I otherwise might not have documented such un-earth shattering news, but Instagram made this petty little thing seem very beautiful and artistic.  Actually, I'm kind of in love with this pic of scabby knees.

Also, look at that little rascal.  I left them to go put on mascara and chapstick (I clearly aim high in my cosmetic routine) and this is what I walked in to.  Bennett is quite the climber, and in all fairness to her, she's pretty dern good at it. ; )

I've made Gina's Pumpkin Banana Bread a handful of times now, and it's a hit with everyone around here.  Though it's not often that we have bananas that get overripe, this week I specifically set some aside to ripen for this bread. It keeps the whiners from being so...well, whiny... at breakfast.

And here's my first ever Instagram.  My husband points out this sign every time we pass it, so it seemed worthy its own moment in the spotlight.

Anything?  That's pretty generous for a used car lot.

Go BIG or go home. {a.k.a. The Tale of my first Quilt)

Last week when I shared the intersecting lines whole cloth quilt, I mentioned that it was not technically my first quilt.

Nope.  It was my second.  I began my first quilt (the one above) a year ago with a dream, a pin (of the Pinterest kind), and some fabric.  Forever ago, I mentioned that making a quilt was on my bucket list.  At the time, I didn't have a sewing machine but apparently my husband was listening (err, reading) because on the following birthday, he gave me the best sewing machine in the world.  The lady who sold it to us mentioned that free motion quilters love the vintage model that I now own--I nodded as if I knew what she meant and made a mental note to "google free motion quilting".

In all honesty, I thought making a quilt would be something I'd try later on--muuuch later.  Like retirement age.  But one fateful day, I came across a quilt on Pinterest that really piqued my  interest.  This quilt:

Hello Luscious Quilt by Ashley of Mommy by Day, Crafter by Night

photo used with permission

Awesome quilt, right?  Yeah, I thought so, too--so armed with the inspiration, I moved forward.  It took a few weeks to choose the right fabric and I settled on Domestic Bliss by Liz Scott for Moda.  I used a layer cake, which, if you're unfamiliar with the term (as I was) is a stack of precut 10"x10" fabric squares from the coordinating fabric line.  It's a great way to showcase lots of fabrics that were made to coordinate.  (Just for your info: I bought the majority of my fabric from Donelle Fritz on Etsy and was very pleased with the service I received over two different orders.)

There were so many lessons learned along the way.  Now that I've made two quilts, I'm working on a post specifically about the what I've learned so far as a rookie quilter.  I thought there may be others who want to dip into the world of quilting and perhaps my noob's perspective could be helpful.  A lot of the advice I found on quilting came from seasoned professionals, and though extremely legit, there are some tidbits that could be gained from a beginner--for instance--don't feel the need to buy all of the things the quilters specifically suggest, like curved safety pins, because it may be overkill for your first quilt.

I am SO proud of the quilt that I made for Elliott's bed.  It's fun, colorful, and girly, and though very imperfect it's structurally sound and should last a long time.  As I quilted along, I'd think back on the pioneer women who did everything by hand from scraps of fabric from here and there and I felt so proud to be joining the many who have wrapped their children in blankets made with love.

-Tristin

Intersecting Lines Quilt

Like many days, today is a busy day, and though I have 3.5 million things on my to-do list, I'm using some coveted naptime--a.k.a. my 'freetime' unwisely to share a quilt.  I just feel like it and I don't want to let the feeling get away, you know?  I'm sure you do.

I made this quilt for a friend who recently welcomed her third son to her beautiful family.  Being the third boy, I know there's plenty of hand-me-downs to share, but certainly little baby Ridge (cool name, right?) could use a quilt that belongs only to him.

I wish I could say that this is an original idea--it's not.  I found this quilt on katie did and just knew I had to make one.  I love the idea of whole cloth quilts.  It's economical, fun to customize, time-friendly for moms of babies, and great practice for new quilters like me.  If you're new to quilting (like me) this is an excellent place to start.

The colors of nature provided the perfect palate for this cozy blanket.  Robin's egg blue, leafy green, and tree-bark brown worked together well for a masculine yet still baby-ish quilt.

The front of the quilt has a small square of Joel Dewberry faux bois fabric with the new baby's name embroidered into it.  The quilt was begging for just a bit of personalization; after all, it is rather plain otherwise.

The intersecting and imperfect lines of this quilt proved to be a great way to practice my quilting skills and a super-fun way to get aquainted with my new walking foot.  In case you were wondering, I fell head-over-heels-in-love with my walking foot.  It makes this teeny tiny clicking sound that's just so comforting as it marches along the fabric with ease and confidence.  Didn't know a sewing machine foot could have so much character, did you?

I haven't shared it yet, but this baby quilt is actually my second quilt.  Earlier this year, I completed a MASSIVE undertaking by making  a queen-sized quilt for Elliott's bedroom as my first.ever.quilt.  It's a chevron design made of half square triangles and I even learned the sacred art of free-motion-quilting (and consequently fell in love).  If you're thinking "boy, she's crazy for making a queen-sized quilt as her first", I wholeheartedly agree with you.  It was crazy, but sometimes diving in head-first is the way to go.  Maybe soon I'll share that finished quilt that has become so near and dear to my heart.

Much love,

Tristin

5 1/2 Hour Throw

If you follow me on Pinterest, you know that I love to pin crochet ideas.  The problem with all of the lovely crochet inspiration I pin  is that often each afghan you're looking at takes like 8 months of stolen moments, and though I'd love to make it happen, I tend to gravitate toward projects that are achievable in a weekend or two at most.  There's just something about having kids and their need to eat and have attention and such...

Enter the 5 1/2 hour throw from Lion Brand.  Yeah, it takes a lot of yarn.  A lot of expensive (yet super-awesome chunky-textured) yarn...but it's totally doable in a weekend.  Have you worked with Wool-Ease Thick and Quick yarn yet?  I'm telling you, it's so satisfying and smooth and buttery... Luxurious might be a good word.  And they don't even pay me to say that!

This 5 1/2  hour throw took me like 4 months to make.  Funny right?  Granted, I started it right after I had Bennett--so--you know, the whole newborn thing can be a real crochet-killer (and sleep-killer--but pretty awesome in every other aspect, right?).  I made it as a Christmas gift for my mother-in-law last Christmas (and I'm just now getting around to sharing it with you) and I'll be honest, I'd love to make one for myself one day--so yeah, it's awesome. 

If you're looking for some doable DIYs for Christmas gifting, this may be a fun one to try!  Maybe I'll make another this year!

Oh, and in the time it took me to make this throw and post it... my kiddos have.grown.so.much.  Elliott is in preschool now and Bennett (who we pretty much only call Benji) is walking around like a pro.

Doesn't time just fly?