Hi ya'll! I've been busy but some of that busy has been sewing to make our home more lovely and cozy. I took some burlap coffee bean bags and made a curtain for our dining area. I didn't want to cover our yard sale vintage stained glass window so the curtain is short and allows the light to pour in. We're coffee lovers so this project wasn't just for neccessity.

I love my handmade curtains. I made a set for the living area which I shared with you already, then made a set for our bedroom. I love this french script fabric in duck cloth.

I've come to love the color turquoise over these last several years and I've been incorporating it in our home a little here and a little there. I made a pillow for the couch in this arrow fabric.

I was thrift shopping with my dear friend Janet when I found this tray to place on my vintage suitcases for a drink, my Bible, or whatever.

I'm still working on that quilt for the couch to keep me warm in the winter. I know this is Florida but we do get a little cold weather and let's face it, a handmade quilt on the back of the couch just looks pretty and adds so much color.

I went to Hobby Lobby with Janet and was trying to find something I could use in this small space on the living room wall next to our tv. When I saw this chalkboard I knew this was my project. I can change the chalkboard to hold Bible verses, holiday greetings, or some inspirational quote I see. I made a small colorful bunting to go above it and I love it. 

When hubby and I did our deck remodel which I shared with you back in June, we wanted a vintage wagon for our recycled/upcycled cooler but couldn't find one at a reasonable price. We put a galvonized pail on and it worked great to hold ice and drinks. Thanks to Janet, I found out a mutual friend had a vintage wagon she was selling at a yard sale today to help a missionary family come home on furlough. Chris put it on and it looks so cool and helped a good cause! I hope your October is beautiful, full of fall fun, and some cool projects! Blessings, Gina

A great tutorial for curtains

 I thought I'd pop in and share a great tutorial for homemade curtains I found. I've wanted to replace the lace valance we had hanging up in our living room that was just blaaaah! I'm embarrassed to show you the before but here it is.

 Pretty bad! Well thanks to Instagram I found several curtain tutorials posted and after checking it out on the blog decided to go to Hobby Lobby today and got some pretty yellow and cream duck cloth and of course used my 40% off coupon. I was planning on running in, getting my fabric, and leaving, but you know how that goes. It's an hour +10 from my house so I haven't been there in a while. Oh goodness I couldn't stop gawking at all the new stuff! I didn't get home till almost 2:30 but still managed to have the curtains done at 4:30 when my hubby called. This tutorial is so well done and this is a very simple process. A beginner sewist could make these curtains. You can find the tutorial here http://www.simplesimonandco.com/2015/09/super-simple-curtain-tutorial-how-to-make-a-curtain-in-6-easy-steps.html/ Here's a few more pics of my new handmade curtains.

 If you've wanted to sew some curtains but were afraid of spending money on fabric you love and being disappointed with the results, try this tutorial! Blessings, Gina

Quilted Christmas stocking tutorial

 I made a stocking yesterday for grandson Connor who's due in December and I love how it turned out. A handmade stocking is a gift of love that is sure to be treasured. I love that it looks like it's more complex than it is. You would think this takes hours but I did it in an hour and a half!This would make a great beginner sewing project and the tutorial is so well written and includes photos for each step. You have plenty of time to make one for everyone in the family if you want. The only thing I would add as advice is if you choose a fabric with graphics like the snowman fabric, make sure you place them so that once the stocking is sewn shut their heads aren't getting chopped off. Place them in the middle or on a large area like the toe but not too close to the edge. Also keep in mind after you trim your batting with the strips sewn on she has you cutting an inch off the top of it. See how my piecing looked before trimming?

I lost the sliver of peppermint fabric on top and the cardinal below it. Of course after seam allowance I lost 1/4 in around the entire edge. That's why I advise keeping those images away from the very top or too close to the edge. Here's the awesome tutorial  http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/2012/11/christmas-stocking-tutorial.html  Happy sewing! Blessings, Gina

A weekend in Tybee Island and Savannah

We had a wonderful weekend in my home state of Georgia. Tybee Island is a small beach town full of charming old cottages and some quirky shops. Savannah is a bustling city but a great walking city that offers historic homes, tree lined parks, shopping, dining, trolley tours and interesting statues. I thought I'd share some photos of our memories. No sewing or crafting this weekend but I needed that. I'll catch up this week. Enjoy the photos!

Decorating my door for my favorite season and a few ornament pattern links

Hi ya'll! I am so excited that fall is just days away. It's my favorite season and for many reasons. When I moved to Pennsylvania many years ago I had never seen the true splendor of fall growing up on the Ga/Fl line and I was just in awe and in my glory each fall. Now I've been back in Florida for many years so I have to help things along. It may be 90 but I still put out those decorations, make pots of homemade soup, apple nut bread and go to a big farm for the corn maze, tractor rides and other festivities in October. I introduced you to my vintage screen door my first blog post. It was a yard sale find and I had shelves made for it and did a dry brush paint job with the red paint. I love a fireplace and mantle but when you don't have one, you just have to make do with what you do have. Here's my fall door with some handmade items by me and some yard sale and thrift store finds.

I always start Christmas projects in the fall and I got Josh's ornament done, one for his Mom and Dad, and I'm still trying to figure out a 1st Christmas ornament for Conner. Pinterest has lots of ideas and free patterns. Here's the one for Josh.

This isn't a quick process, it takes a few hours to cut and sew all those individual circles, then handstitch and stuff the ornament before closing. I enjoyed making this and picking out the fabrics. I found the tutorial at http://www.fabartdiy.com/how-to-make-russian-fabric-vintage-ball-ornament/

The blog is in Russian and there are photos but no instructions. I used the lid for a large mouth mason jar and with the photos had no trouble figuring out the steps.

I also made a folded star ornament. This one takes a while too. Lots of squares to cut, fold and iron. It involves a little sewing but only after each round is completed and again when you sew it to the back with the binding. This was fun! You can find the tutorial at http://sometimescrafter.com/2010/12/somerset-ornament-tutorial/

 After making quilts for my 4 children, my stepdaughter, two grandbabies, several missionaries and quilt hangings I made as gifts, I finally started a quilt for me! I want a lap quilt for the couch to cover up with and of course to look pretty. I was looking at my scrap basket yesterday and it's out of control. I realized if I chose the right pattern I could probably make the quilt entirely from scraps. I am doing a Woven Block which will be perfect. Each strip can be made of 2 or more fabrics. They don't need to be the same length just the same width. Skinny pieces can be together and the wider ones together. Here's my 1st block. It's 14 x 14. There will be 9 blocks with sashing in between. It will be colorful for sure!

 

Time to get a 2nd block done. What are you working on? Have a crafty weekend. Blessings! Gina