D.O.N.E.

Tags

hand piecing, jacob, quilt

My Jacob’s Ladder quilt top is done! I want to scream I am so happy! Who would have thought I would actually finish???

100% hand sewn…all of it..and I plan on finishing it all by hand as well.

Next step: basting.

sigh

Gingerbread House

Tags

baking, gingerbread house

With the help of a great recipe and template from Sweetopia, I was able to finish my first ever gingerbread house! It was the funnest thing I’ve done in a long time.

Even though I used a little hand mixer, the dough came together very well. As for the rolling and baking part, let’s just say that half of the house is thinner and browner.

Ready to decorate~

Initially I wanted to make a PINK gingerbread house. But after a quick trip to the nearest Bulk Barn, I realized that my dreams for a sweet, girly house were not going to happen. There must not be a demand for pink candy anymore. Instead I had to settle for the more traditional Christmasy colours of red, green and white. With candy in hand and a little boy tucked in bed, I hurried to the kitchen to start on the house. It wasn’t as easy as I had hoped.

Piping is hard! I just got a set of 20 unlabeled/unnumbered tips that I have idea how to use. So I spent a good 30 minutes just testing them out.

I also had a hard time getting the icicles to stay put. I think it might be because my house is a little warm. Anyways, after adding a little more icing sugar and remixing, I managed to pipe some okay looking icicles.

In the end I think my little gingerbread house turned out pretty well.

Elliot seems to like it.

McCall’s Pattern 5252

Tags

5252, fleece, jacket, McCall's pattern, zip up

I did it! I sewed my husband a fleece zip up jacket. It took me 3 days to get it done.

Day 1- cutting the pattern and then realizing I forgot to cut the notches
Day 2- sewing and ripping and then more sewing. I sewed one sleeve inside out. oops
Day 3- attaching my first zipper to a garment

Seeing as it was my first store bought pattern ever I was a little nervous to start. I had fears of sewing things inside out (which I did), screwing up the zipper (did that too), and forgetting steps (did and done). The more mistakes I made, the better I felt about just going with the flow. After all, it’s my husband’s jacket not mine!

I googled the pattern and found several great reviews on this site. After reading that this pattern finished on the roomy side I decided to go with the S instead of the M, even though my husaband’s measurements were closer to the M. Glad I did. I did have to shorten the torso, sleeves and take in the arm circumference? just so that it fit snuggly (Husband likes his clothes tight). He has a very broad chest (38″) and shoulders with a small waist (31″).
Like I mentioned above, I made a lot of mistakes here and there. Topstitching incorrectly, forgetting the MP3 pocket, blah blah blah. But all in all, I think I likes it. My husband loves it.

Here it is.

Difficulties with Pattern:
I had a hard time figuring out how to sew the collar but if you look at the steps for sewing in the zipper, you’ll see how the 2 collar pieces are supposed to fit.
Other than that I found the instructions to be quite clear.

I would definitely recommend this pattern for beginner sewers like myself. But if I could do it again (and I will) I would have turned up my hems properly and raised the pockets a little. Since I had shortened the torso length, I found there was little fabric left to turn up and hem.

pretzel bites…

Tags

baking

I love pretzels. I love them so much that I decided to make them today.
I used this recipe.

This is how mine turned out.

(kinda burnt)
My half is garlic parmesan and my husband’s half is salted.

I plan on googling more pretzel bites recipes to find the “best” one. Although I have nothing to compare this recipe to, these are pretty freaking yum! I will definitely be making more soon~

Another finish!

Tags

hand piecing, hand quilted, heart quilt, quilt, traditional

Greenie is done. D.O.N.E! I started this quilt back in 2010 with the intention of having it finished before the birth of my baby. Well, Elliot is now 13 months old and I just finished it a few days ago. Whoops. I had the same problem with this quilt as the rail fence quilt I made for my mom….the binding. It took me awhile

Anyhow, I find this quilt to be very home and country. Although green is my favourite colour, I don’t really own anything green or even wear anything green for that matter. My sister thinks I should use it on St. Patrick’s Day.

I remember all of the hours I spent on hand appliqueing those hearts in front of the TV. I also remember being very pregnant and very tired and rushing to have it finished before it was show time. Sigh. Even though I missed the deadline by a few months, give or take, I can say that I thoroughly enjoyed the process. When Elliot gets his big boy bed in a few years, I plan on making him an even better quilt. But until then, this one will be perfect for snuggling and rolling around in.

This quilt measures 42″X 46.5″.
It was completely hand pieced and hand quilted.

For Mom

Tags

blanket, hand quilted, machine pieced, quilt

I started a lap quilt for my mom back in Jan of 2009. It is the first and so far only quilt I have machine pieced. I actually had it all done except for the binding. I can’t believe it took me over 2 years to finish the binding….sigh.

Anyways, back to the most important point. It’s now done!

For Mom

the back

The quilt measures 40″x48″ and is made from a super soft flannel-like material. I say flannel-like because it seems thicker and softer than regular flannel. Maybe it’s just thicker softer flannel. Hm.

I hope my mom will get a lot of use out of it. She loves watching her Korean dramas on the couch downstairs and she’ll need a little lap blanket during the upcoming winter months~

Reunited

My sewing machine has arrived! YEAH! It traveled across the Pacific Ocean to be with me. Sniffles.

Now that Elliot is finally virus-free and kinda on a schedule again (his two naps are almost non-existent) I can start to think about new sewing projects..or get back on track with my old ones….

Sew, sew, sew…I wish I could sew…but honestly I’m too tired to stay up after Elliot goes to bed.

Here’s to a cold can of Coke first thing in the morning! CHEERS!

Happy Birthday to my little love

Tags

first birthday

Happy 1st Birthday Elliot!
I love you with all of my heart.
Wishing you a hundred more healthy and happy birthdays~

I want to be a cake designer…

Tags

dreams

but first I have to take a class.
I suppose I could just borrow a few books from the library and wing it…but I know how that would end.

There are two places that offer cake decorating classes in my area but both of them do not work with my family’s schedule. Seeing as my husband will be a full-time student again starting this Sept, I have little flexibility when it comes to “me time”.

I have high hopes that October will bring better class times.

Back home…

My husband is officially a permanent resident of Canada! Yay! It’s good to finally be back home. It’s been a long time coming. Since arriving on the 9th our lives have been turned upside down and inside out. Not only were we majorly jet-lagged (Toronto is 13 hrs behind Seoul). My son was immediately hit with a nasty cold and ear infection. After about 2 weeks of sleepless nights and internetless we were finally sickness free only for my little boy to come down with a fever. He’s been battling it for 2 days now. Poor Elliot. Watching him in so much pain makes my heart feel like it’s being shattered into a million pieces and then having those pieces stomped on and crushed. Cry.

Anyways.

It’s good to be home and with internet…although it is SO slow compared to Korea.
Now all I’m waiting for is my sewing machine. It is currently on a boat somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. Sigh.

Anyways. I ramble.

My #1 concern right now is my Elliot. Poor Elliot. Feel better my little love. xo