Seeing Red

I am NOT starting any more projects until I finish one of the five I have started!

Here are the red projects I need to finish:

The red table runner:

Once I sew the binding down it will be done!

The red lap quilt:

That is at the quilters - when I get it back I just have to bind and label it!

To boost my spirits let's look at the projects I have finished!

The red pot holders/extra large coasters:

The red pillow:

Red fabric and hearts,

Felicity

Love Unconditionally

You see my anxious heart

You see what I am feeling

And when I fall apart

You are there to hold me.

Britt Nicole - Hanging On

Hang on,

Felicity

Jean Bag

Jeans are everywhere!  No matter how much I cut and sew and cut and glue and cut and tie the old jean pile never seems to diminish in size so a big pointless project is in order for recycle day, week three.

Old Jean Use No. 3: Jean Bag Bean Bag

Cut out four pant legs.  Cut each pant leg straight down the pant leg, front and center, making sure to only cut the front side of the pant leg.  Now there are four large pieces of jeans.  If you want to jazz up your jeans now would be the time to do it.  I cut out some hearts and sewed them willy nilly on the pant legs, but the possibilities are endless!

Sew all the pant legs together, right sides together, to create one large jean tube.  Turn the tube inside out, lay flat and sew one end together.  Sew the other end together, leaving a six to eight inch opening in the center of the side.  I would suggest a French seam for everything in order to super-secure the seams.

Stuff the jeans with packing peanuts, or pet friendly stuffing, or whatever you feel like using.  I ended up using a combination of packing peanuts and old grocery bags because I’m cheap.  It ends up making a lot of noise when you sit on it but that’s the consequence of being cheap I guess.

Anyway, once it is stuffed to your liking, sew up the opening, either by hand or by machine.  I recommend machine sewing closed the opening twice in order to reinforce the seam and make sure the stuffing doesn’t pop out. 

Viola, a jean bag bean bag!

Felicity

Bring It On

For those of you who read my post on Friday I presented a list of goals for fall.  The very first one was to finish two quilts.  I have finished the top of one quilt!  I bought the back and am taking it to the quilters this coming weekend!  I am well on my way to fulfilling part of one goal!

This pattern came from American Patchwork and Quilting magazine, August 2010.  I followed the pattern . . .kinda.  Thanks to the Fountain of Life Lutheran Quilt Group  I had a bunch, I mean a BUNCH, of pre-cut 2 1/2 " red strips.  I used those along with some old cream colored scraps and this quilt was formed.  The dimensions are different than those given in the magazine but its the same idea.

I cannot wait to get it back from the quilters and finish it off!  I know this is my very first post about quilting but don't you worry, there are many more to come.  Now since I have the goal of finishing quilting projects you will be seeing a lot more completed quilts, most of them all I have to do is sew the binding on.  Binding is my least favorite part of quilting, but it does feel good when you finish!

Keep Calm and Quilt On,

Felicity

P.S. - The question this week was a bit of a trick question - as long as your answer included Jesus you were correct!

Sunday Best

Felicity

Baked

I found the most mouthwatering blog – Fat Free Vegan Kitchen.  I am not vegan but the recipes look absolutely d-e-licious.  Since its fall I thought I would try something that was baked and warm, but since it’s still incredibly hot here I didn’t want to heat up the whole house with the oven so microwave baked apples it is!

I changed the recipe just a bit so here is how I did it;

1 Apple

Frozen Blueberries (not thawed)

1 Pinch of Cinnamon

2 tsp. Honey

Core an apple, leaving about a quarter inch at the bottom.  Sprinkle the inside with cinnamon.  Stuff with blueberries.  Drizzle with honey.  Microwave in a deep bowl, covered, on high 3-5 minutes.  Let cool,  5 minutes should do it.  Enjoy!

It was very tasty and easy!  Great dessert (or meal in my case :/ oh well)!

Eat up,

Felicity

It's Fall

It is the very first day of fall . . 

and the dirt here is not changing colors.

The students are still hard at work with their nose to the grindstone.  Backpacks are seen on every back, pencils are all a flurry, brains are deep in concentration, and my hair keeps getting in my eyes!  So, in this new season of fall I thought it would be appropriate to whip up a simple knit headband.

It is basically a thin scarf.  I used a needle twice the size that the yarn called for in order to get a nice, big, loose knit.

Since starting this blog I have been so excited and inspired to try new things, start new projects, and explore new areas of craftiness.  During this brief time I have started a gazillion projects and have finished only a handful.  I have forgotten to enjoy the feel of fabric as I feed it through the sewing machine, to revel in the soft warmth of a knitted project in the works on my lap, to marvel at God's beautiful and wondrous creation.  So I decided to make a list of goals for fall:

• Finish two quilts - binding, label, everything.
• Walk three mornings a week - to see the glory of the Lord.
• Sing out loud once a week.
• Remember to keep my chin up.
• Love myself - honor the temple that God formed. 

I ask that you keep me to it, please hold me accountable.

Warmest wishes,

Felicity

Purdy

Consider how the wild flowers grow.  They do not labor or spin.  Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Luke 12:27

Felicity

Repurpose those Pockets

Even with my new, nifty shoes I still have way too many cut up jeans in my closet so here goes recycle day, week two.

Old Jean Use No. 2: Personalized Pockets.

Cut out a pocket from an old pair of jeans.  Decorate!

I used a hot glue gun, magnets and twine but do whatever you want.  Go crazy.  Glitter it up!

Have a sparkling day,

Felicity

Vegetable

For those of you who voted on last weeks poll the correct answer was 'his hat'.  If you would like a more detailed explanation of why that is I would point you to the very informative film, Gnomeo and Juliet.

Today is the day of rest, and on top of that I don't really feel good so this is my today:

God's Peace,

Felicity

Pizza Pizza

I went to a Lizzie B Trunk Show!  It was fabulous.  I had my picture taken with Beth Hawkins and was able to see her fabric line and original patterns up close and personal.  Unfortunately, I forgot to put the memory card back in my camera and the picture didn't save - so disappointing.

My aunt had a Lizzie B quilt book and showed it to me this summer and was the first one to introduce me to Lizzie B Cre8tive!  My aunt also sent me this fabulous recipe for yeast free pizza dough from cooks.com.

2 1/2 c. Flour
2 3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. salt (I thought it could use a little more)
1 tbsp. Oil
 3/4 - 1 c. Water

Set oven to 400 degrees.  Mix all dry ingredients together.  Stir in oil and water until it forms a ball.  Kneed for 3 - 4 minutes.

(It looks like a turkey)

Put desired toppings on your pizza dough and bake 15 - 25 minutes.  Enjoy!

Felicity

Fabulous Friday Funday

A superstition I heard from Fons and Porter says: 'if you begin a quilt on Friday, you will never live to finish it'.  Therefore I resisted the temptation to start a sewing project and decided to knit instead!

I had a hard time at first because I had bits and pieces of fabric all over my house, tons of quilting magazines only two feet away from the couch I was knitting on and my sewing machine calling to me from the kitchen table, so in the true spirit of Fabulous Friday Funday I moved all of my fabric into one place, rearranged my craft bookshelf, did the dishes, took out the trash, and vacuumed the whole house.  Then I went out to high-brow stores and looked at stuff I could never afford and ate Nut-Free Toffee to my hearts content, such a lovely day!

Fabulously,

Felicity

Knitting with Vanna

As you know, I watch Wheel of Fortune on a regular basis.  After one episode Vanna White told her viewers that she enjoyed knitting in her free time!  Since Vanna White is a fabulous American icon I decided that I needed to enjoy knitting too!  

So the next day I made a trip to the craft store, bought some yarn and learned how to knit with the help of YouTube videos, and thus 'Knitting with Vanna' was born.  My favorite half hour of each weekday is when Pat Sajak and Vanna White enter the scene of Wheel of Fortune and I sit down and knit.  I make sure that no matter how busy I am I have that half hour with Vanna, my inspiration, to knit my heart out.

Thus, my very first knitting project - a scarf!  It is so warm and so thick I cannot wait to wear it!  For the first time in my life I actually want the cold weather to come so all my knitting can actually be used!

Happy Knitting!

Felicity

The END of the WORLD

Oh my goodness gracious!  I was watching Wheel of Fortune and right before the Bonus Puzzle was revealed the TV froze!  I am a proud member of the Wheel Watchers Club and without that puzzle I cannot get points for watching Wheel of Fortune!  I personally didn't see the movie 2012 but if I were to remake it the movie would show me watching Wheel of Fortune and missing the bonus question - THAT is the true end of the world!

Goodnight folks,

Felicity

Break the Fast

My first day of Hydro Yoga!  It was so cool - yoga, in a pool!  So in preparation for my post-exercise appetite i made a fabulous breakfast of champions! Yogurt and granola, oatmeal raisin muffins, and water - gotta stay hydrated!

Oatmeal Raisin Muffins
adapted from Cooks.com

     1 c. oatmeal (quick oats)
     1. c milk
     1 heaping spoonful applesauce
     1 egg, beaten
     1/4 c. oil

1 c. flour

1/3 c. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

pinch of salt

1/2 c. raisins

1/4 c. craisins

Set oven at 400 degrees.  Combine oatmeal and milk.  Let set 15 minutes.  Add applesauce, egg, and oil to oatmeal and milk.  Add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Fold in raisins and craisins.  Bake 18-20 minutes. Yields 12 muffins.  Enjoy!

Have a sparkling day,

Felicity

Recycle Day

Today is recycle day and I always forget put my recycle bin on the street, so it’s a good thing I have a very kind neighbor that has done it for me since I moved in.  So, in an attempt to remember to accomplish this tedious task and possibly return the favor to my neighbor Tuesday will now be the day for recycled projects.

In an attempt to expunge my closet of holey clothing I managed to simply rearrange its contents and add some more old jeans to the mix.  With this multitude of jeans that I could not/ would not ever wear and my unexplainable attachment to them I decided to repurpose them.

Old Jean Use No. 1: A New Pair of Shoes.

Trace the bottom of a pair of flats onto the jeans, cutting out two left soles and two right soles.  Then trace the soles onto a cardboard box, making sure the cardboard is ¼ inch narrower than the jean soles.  Sandwich the cardboard sole between the two jean soles, wrong sides together, and sew around the entire perimeter.

Create the body of your shoe by cutting an oval around the hole in the jean leg where the sole was cut.  It will look like an odd shaped doughnut.  The doughnut should be cut at the point right behind the ankle, where most flats have a seam.

Sew the end of the oval, right sides together on the front portion of the soles, the area that will cover the toes.  Pull the thread on either side of the seam to synch jean oval around the toe section.  Then sew the sides of the oval to the sole, wrong sides together, stopping at the point where the side of the shoe will be directly under your ankle bone.

Cut two belt loops from the pair of jeans, making sure they are the same size.  Sew the belt loop on the heel of each sole, with right sides together.

Add colorful fabric or ribbon and sew it on the end of each side of the jean shoe.  Thread said fabric through the belt loop, tie around the ankle and you’ve got yourself a pair of legit homemade shoes.

Word of Warning:  Don't get caught in these shoes during a rain storm (or just a light sprinkling)!

‘These shoes were made for walkin’’ . . . maybe not.

Felicity