Monogrammed Water Bottle Holders

Every year my oldest goes to Girl's Camp for one week with the Young Women's program at our church.  Our stake has a mail program where we can send gifts and notes up to the girls.  This is very popular and I try to do a little something every day.  She also takes her best friend from school with her, so I have double the trouble to be creative for.

This-is-so-COOL: Meet Chantal

I saw this bag on a linky party sometime early last year.  I was immediately in love!  I went to the site of origin and started following Geta.  She is an amazing designer and quilter.  I waited months until she published the pattern for the bag, then once I had it, it sat in my to-do pile for another coupla months.  It took a birthday party invite for Sarah to get me off my duff and actually make it.  And, of course, everyone knows it's just as easy to make one more while you're at it :)  Aren't they cute?

The lines and curves of Chantal are fresh and modern and oh, so versatile!  There are two pockets inside and the zippered pocket on the outside.   It is so easy to keep things organized with all those pockets!  There is also a magnetic snap for keeping that top opening closed.

I chose to quilt both bags because it said in the pattern that I wouldn't have to press them again after I washed them.  It took quite a bit of extra time, but I not only love the quilted look, but I also appreciate the wash-n-go feature :)

This small bag is for me.  It will be my to go sewing kit.  The original pattern did not include a zippered pocket for the small version, so I winged it, but it turned out to be the perfect size to fit my embroidery scissors and a small bin of pins.  Inside, I customized pockets for my marking pen, small quilter's rule, needles and thread.  I keep my projects in individual plastic bags, so all I need to do is grab and go.

The bigger black bag is for Sarah's friend.  I've never been very good at visualizing finished sizes; this turned out larger than I expected, yet exactly what the pattern said it would be.  I figure she can use it for sleepovers or a school bag.  The pockets are big enough to fit my cell phone (Galaxy 2), or a small notepad.  It would be a great way to keep track of smaller items like nail clippers or lipstick or keys, too.  We put another small gift bag inside filled with individual spa-type items.

This-is-so-COOL: Blogger's Quilt Festival

I know this is a little last-minute, but several of the blogs I follow have been linking up to this and I have been so inspired by both the stories they share and the amazing quilts they link up. I know I can't compete with years of experience, but I am especially proud of this finish from just a couple of weeks ago.

I'm following along with the It's A Mini Quilt-Along at Moose on the Porch Quilts. This was the first mini that we did. I made it from Kona Coal and scraps from my stash. I wasn't terribly excited about the design because it seemed plain to me and I wasn't sure where to focus or how to track my eyes. The simple row construction makes me want to quilt straight lines. When I finished the top, I mulled for several days wondering how I could really make mine unique.

One morning, in the twilight zone, I saw my finished mini. I knew the geometric echo quilting would not only complement the design, but add a whole new dimension. I chose a light grey thread that would contrast with the dark background and emphasize the quilting even more.  I *love* this finish. I was going to turn it into a pillow or table topper, but I love it so much that it is tacked to the wall next to my bed so it can make me smile first thing each morning.

Here are the Bloggers Quilt Festival Stats:
Finished quilt measurements: 12-3/4" square

Special Techniques:  None, really--pieced and quilted with my home machine

Quilted by: Heather Karr (me)

Best Category:  Doll/Mini Quilt, Home Machine Quilted,

This-is-so-COOL: "Vintage" craft books

I got a fun package in the mail last week!  But you need the story first ...

My parents live on the other side of the country--I rarely see them and often feel out of the loop.  But a couple of months ago, I just happened to call on some random day and got to hear how a sewage line broke about a block from their home.  Water and other stuff backed up in all the pipes and seriously flooded their basement--you can imagine.

This-is-so-COOL! : My Hair is Wavy

This came from a link I re-pinned on Pinterest.  It took about five minutes to do--really.  Last Saturday I had signed up for a real estate seminar, so I thought it would be the perfect time to try something different with my hair.

This-is-so-COOL!: Mom's Birthday Present

I posted a preview of this little project a couple of weks ago.  Here is the final product.  My inspiratoin came from the Sew, Mama, Sew website (http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2007/11/wellness-bag/).  I love this idea--any excuse to take a moment to retreat and relax is always good.

S.W.A.K.--What a way to end a week!

I've been thinking about a way to get into a schedule that includes regular blogging.  I look around at a lot of the blogs that I enjoy browsing and they have all these catchy names like Wacky Wednesday or Make-it Monday or Fabulous Friday.  While all this is cute, and fun I don't want to duplicate what someone else has already done.  On the other side of things, I don't want to back myself into a corner where I feel like  I just have one more thing I have to do.