Garden Up-Date

I love spending time in our yard.  My tomatoes are out of control!  They are more like pumpkins than tomatoes!

 Our pumpkin patch is moving itself out into the yard!  It is fighting with the plants around it and trying to get more space.  I have never grown pumpkins before and didn't realize how much room they needed.

We went to Ikea last week and finally got a table we can all fit around for outside.  We had so much fun having a bbq and eating outside.  The kids thought it was the best thing ever.  When we finished eating they went straight to playing and my husband and I went straight to gardening.  I truly love to be outside.

We also got some ceramic pots for $5.00 at Ikea.  I got some ready to pot plants from Lowes and plopped them in.  I love how much they add to the little shed.

It also meant that I got to really use my garden bench.

My roses are blooming again!

We also finally planted out 2 sweet boxes and 3 hostas.  

We also planted another Miss Kim lilac bush, a plum tea rose bush, and 2 purple mums that I had sitting out from last fall.  I can't wait for next spring when everything is more established.  My yard is becoming a real oasis for our family.

A Pokemon Card Wallet

My son, Brian, is going to be 8 in one month.  Kylie begged me to help her make her brother his birthday gift.  She really wants to make him a Pokemon card holder.  Brian is really into Pokemon cards right now and that is all he wants for his birthday.  When he asked for just Pokemon cards I thought this was great and would make for an inexpensive birthday.  But turns out Pokemon cards are expensive now!  The packs he want are about 20 dollars!  I know that isn't much, but to me, for a bunch of cards, it is seriously too much.  But he will be getting a couple packs to add to his collection.  And Kylie is going to make him a wallet to hold them all in.   

Kylie's Sewing Project #3: 

Day 1

First we have to make a pattern.  She took a playing card out and traced it on paper and then measured it.  This is a great a project because it is teaching math and measurement!

Her first 3 was backwards.  

Here is what we came up with.  She did the math in her head and on her fingers, but I wrote the numbers down and drew it out for her.  Tomorrow we will cut it out.

Day 2: Cutting Out the Fabric

This time I cut the fabric out for her.  She helped find the numbers when we measured, but I wanted the sides to all be straight.  We also used black felt for the pockets.  The pockets were going to be 3 1/2 x 4 1/2, but since we used felt we didn't have to make a seam allowance.  So the felt pockets were cut out to be 3 1/2 x 4.

CUT OUT:

cut 2 pieces of fabric- 11.5 x 6.5cut out 2 pieces of felt-  3.5 x 4 (for pockets)
cut out 1 fusible fleece- 11.5 x 6.5
cut out 2 inches of velcro

Day 3:  Sewing Time

Iron the fabric and iron on the fusible fleece to one of the main fabric pieces.  Then put fabric together right sides facing and the fleece side up.  Pin in place.  Then sew together leaving an opening for turning.  I let Kylie do this part by herself.  She even threaded the needle by herself.  

Here it is after Kylie sewed it and then turned it right sides out.  Make sure you trim the corners and really push them out.  Then pin the opening together.  I did the rest of the sewing for her.  I didn't think her needle would be able to handle all the bulk.  This is a good little machine for small tasks only. So after she turned it I sewed around the edge making sure the opening was secured.


Next put the pockets in place and sew up the sides and bottom.

Then pin the velcro on and sew those down too.

Then fold it up and sew up the edges.  You are done!  Super easy and I know Brian is going to love his new Pokemon Card wallet. 

I linked this project to

Finished Binding and More To Do

I finished the binding for my table runner.  I am so happy with it and that it is done!

On Fridays I work at our local quilt shop.  We just got this Tool Time Northcott Fabric Quilt Panel in and matching fabric.  So I put a couple borders on it at the store and then quilted it at home.  It is such cute and fun boy fabric.  I used flannel for the back and no batting so it is a light blanket, perfect for the summer.  The quilt shop will hang it up for the customers to see what we have in stock.  Binding is all that is left for this one.  

This Avlyn Solar System Panel I also got from our shop, but I bought it and it is for Brian's birthday.  I love this panel and it glows in the dark!!!  I bought black fusible stabilizer, stabilized the top and then quilted it to black fabric.  I just need to put binding on this one too.  This one will hang on Brian's wall. So for his birthday he is getting a Star Wars quilt, 2 Star Wars pillow cases, and this wall hanging!  He is also getting some fun toys.  I will post pictures of everything completed after his birthday.  For now everything is in hiding.

Stars In Stars Out Table Quilt

I woke up at 5 am this morning thinking about this quilt I had been working on.  I started it 3 years ago and then last year decided I wasn't going to make it into a quilt.  I was going to make it into a bunch of table runners.  SO for some reason at 5 am it came to mind and I couldn't go back to sleep.  I went down to my sewing room and finally started putting the runners together.  I decided to make this one square for my table and then I will make 4 more into long rectangular runners.  But I have to go buy more batting first.  This one is done though! YEAH!  I just have to put the binding on.  I love it!  

Water Color Time

Today, Monday, we had a rainy morning.  So I pulled out the water colors and the kids painted their drawings, in their journals, from our visit to the Kenmore Plantation.  Haley's journal is still her letter journal, we are finally on J so she painted a Jack-o'- Lantern.

Haley painting her Jj page.

Jacob had a chance to try.  This lasted about 5 minutes and then he started to eat the paint!  We had to take it away which led to a melt down!

Those 5 minutes were lots of fun for him though!

Kylie at work painting her sketches.

She painted a sun dial, lavender and then a flower.  

Brian painting his 2 sketches from the garden's of Kenmore Plantation.

A lilly and the sun dial.  I think they all did a great job and had fun.  

Teaching Kylie to Quilt

Summer Project #2 With Kylie:  Day 1

Kylie wants to sew a little doll blanket now that she has made a super cute pillow.  So this week she has been cutting out squares when she finds the time.  She is a very busy 6 year old on summer vacation.  I gave her a 4 inch square ruler to trace with a pen and then she cut all of them out by hand.  I am so thankful for my rotary cutter!  I am letting her do this all on her own.  I am not cleaning it up either.  This is all her this time.

Here are some of her squares.

Tracing on the back of the fabric.  I bought her a couple 1/4 yards for her birthday and she grabbed a few more colors from my scraps.

Her squares look great and are ready for her to cut them out.

She is using larger kid scissors for cutting fabric.  She is a mature 6 year old.  :)

She is so excited to start sewing some squares together.  I had her lay them all out first they way she wanted the quilt to look.  It is going to be 5 squares x 4 squares.  So she cut out 20 4 inch squares.  

Rows are made and now she has to put the rows back together. 

Here we talked about seams and matching them together with the pins.  She has been pinning fabric together and putting needles into pin cushions since she was 2.  She knows how to handle them.  I guess this is what happens when you grow up with your mom's sewing machine in your play room.

The pins are in and it is time to sew the rows together.

We put together the rows and then it was dinner time and Jacob woke up.  So the rest will have to wait till our next free moment.

Day 2:

Today Kylie had to do a little more cutting.  She first cut out the back fabric for her doll quilt.  Then I ironed the top and the back for her. 

Cutting out the back fabric.

Then she had to cut out the batting.  Her doll Madison is watching too.

Then we sandwiched the back, batting, and top together.  I got our safety pins out and she was able to put one in correctly.  I did the rest for her.

The more safety pins the better when quilting!

I quilted it for her with my quilting foot.  I also put a satin binding on it too.  This part of the quilt making process will come when she is a little older.

A happy girl!

Fits her doll bed perfectly too and Madison is ready for bed!

I am not sure what her next project is going to be, but her little sister is begging her to make her baby doll a pillow and blanket too.