Little Quilts -- Book Review

Disclosure: Ryland, Peters and Small gave me a copy of this book free of charge for this review. All opinions in my review are my own and I did not receive any other compensation. They also sent me a copy to giveaway! As in all my reviews I am providing links for your ease, but receive no compensation. 

Today I get to share a wonderful quilt book, Little Quilts by Sarah Fielke and Amy Lobsiger. Two things interested me with this book. First the idea of little quilts will mean easier (smaller and quicker) projects so it will not take me months to make one and second little quilts are often doll size. With Hazel being so focused on her dolls she wants doll quilts, so I figured this book would help me get creative!!

Fruit Exploration: Watermelon with a Quilt

Watermelon always makes me think of summer time. It is so fun to eat a slice in the hot weather. Hazel loves watermelon just like her namesake! My grandmother use to eat watermelon every day and Hazel would love to as well. Needless to say she was excited to explore one. She pulled out her magnifying glass and checked out the rind.

Then we flipped it over so she could explore the inside. She touched both and recorded it all in her fruit journal.

Then of course we enjoyed some sweet watermelon!!

"Citrullus lanatus5SHSU" by Shu Suehiro - Own work.
Licensed under CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Did you know that watermelon originally came from the southern part of Africa? Or that it is a berry? It is a berry with an extra thick rind according to Wikipedia. It is loosely considered a melon. It has a smooth exterior usually green and a juicy interior that is usually pink but can be yellow, orange, or white. It contains 91% water and 6% sugar by weight and is high in vitamin C. The rinds are also edible, but most people do not eat them. Although pickled rinds are popular in several places.  (Source) Next to tomatoes watermelon has a high level of lycopene which is important for cardiovascular and bone health. It also contains citrulline which scientists are discovering  new things about how it helps your health. They have also discovered that all parts of the watermelon, not just the pink flesh, are packed with these nutrients. (Source)

We have been enjoying books about watermelons or at least that mention watermelons. Both Watermelon Wishes by Lisa Moser and Icy Watermelon by Sandra Fria have wonderful Latino appeal. Icy Watermelon is in both English and Spanish on each page. Fruits of India by Jill Hartley adds more multicultural appeal. It is a very simple board book. The Pinkalicious book and Ned's New Home only briefly mention watermelons.

For a craft we decided to make a watermelon doll quilt. I found this pattern in one of the children's quilt books I had out from the library, but forgot to write down which one it was before I returned it. Sorry!! I still need to add the seeds to the slices and layer, quilt and bind it, but for now Hazel is enjoying it as a summer cover for her dolls. I am going to use black buttons as seeds. The instructions said black buttons or draw them on with a permanent marker. I loved this square since it was simple and showed an easy method to do half square triangles. The book gave the measurements to cut in three different sizes for the square. We did the small one since she wanted to do multiple squares. Of course when it came time to sew she wanted to play and not sew, so I pieced it on my machine.

We could not decide which fabric to use for the inside flesh, so we used two. The black and white plaid with cats represents a tablecloth. It is truly a perfect summer quilt. I added the watermelon fabric (which I think Hazel may have picked out at some point) to sash and border the squares. 

For more ideas on watermelons check out:

• Watermelon Books and Activities for National Watermelon Day
• My Fruit Pinterest Board

Color Exploration: Art, Quilts, Music and Color

Congratulations to Cindy R for winning the latest giveaway!!

We have been rather busy with our color explorations. Awhile ago we discovered some fun color music. I made a CD of songs from the following CD's having to do with colors or a color. It is one of our favorites to listen to besides maybe the Frozen Soundtrack. One of the songs on it is The Purple People Eater. (We found it on the Kidz Bop Halloween Party CD.)

Since Hazel has been loving the song, I made her a purple people eater peg doll. So here is our "One-eyed, one horned, flying purple people eater."

His horn and arms are from pipe cleaners and his wings are a piece of felt with a pipe cleaner to form them. 

We also had a big adventure yesterday. We headed into Boston to go to the Museum of Fine Arts. I went to meet my mother back in April to see the Quilts and Color Exhibit. Hazel really wanted to go see it, so I took her before it ended. We have also been reading books about artists some are shared below. Hazel wanted to see some of the paintings by the artists we read about. She really wanted to see something by Pablo Picasso. She has decided her favorite artists are Pablo Picasso and Georgia O'Keeffe.

When we first got to the museum we were told to go to the customer service area and ask for an art bag for Hazel. They give you a little tote bag full of scavenger hunts, questions about artwork and a sketchpad and colored pencils. Most of the things were for exhibits we were not planning on viewing, but she loved the sketchpad and tried to sketch some of her favorite quilts. After not finding all the colors she needed she decided I should take pictures and she would sketch them at home. 

In preparation for the visit to see the quilt exhibit, we have been reading books having to do with quilts. Above are the ones we have enjoyed. We loved reading about each state in A Quilt of States by Adrienne Yorinks and fifty librarians from across the United States. Another great one that teaches some American history as well as information about quilt squares is The Quilt-Block History of Pioneer Days with Projects Kids Can Make by Mary Cobb. We have done a few of the activities in it. The first is making a paper nine-patch square. For the paper you cut out color squares from magazines. We did this at my parents and cut up two of my mother's old magazines. Hazel had so many squares and so much fun, she made three paper nine-patches.

While at my parents, my mother offered us some five-inch squares she already had cut. Hazel picked out nine and began to hand sew them together. Then she picked out another nine to sew. Neither is completely finished, but she is close. She wants to make a reversible quilt for Ducky.

For more on color and quilts, check out:

• Exploring Intermediate Colors and Shades  
• Exploring Hues and Secondary Colors 
• Color Wheel and Mixing Colors
• Color Explorations: Painting
• Luka's Quilt
• Book Inspired Painting
• A Baby Quilt
• The Colors of Us
• The Colors in Nature
• Dying Yarn with Fruit and Vegetables Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
• Outside Water Play
• Square It Up! Quilts
• Picture a Tree
• Mixing Colors
• Brown at the Zoo
• Color Experiment Pinterest Board
• Quilt Pinterest Board

Dreaming of Hawaii -- Luka's Quilt

With snowflakes flying again today and the arctic cold coming back, it is time to dream of Hawaii again. Last week I posted our first Dreaming of Hawaii and introduced pu'ili. Today I am going to share another wonderful book and look at Hawaiian quilts.

Happy Family Times--A Baby Shower

Have you done something fun or different with your family this week? Kelly from Happy Whimsical Hearts and I would love to hear about it. Please share it below!

This week Hazel went to her first baby shower. Although she had a chance to attend a baby shower a year and a half ago for her godparents, she was not at a point of being able to handle it that day, so she didn't. So this week, we got invited to a baby shower that the library staff was putting on for the children's librarian. Most of the guests were library staff, but somehow we got on the list even though it has been  four years since I volunteered there and the staff has mostly changed since then.

Hazel was so excited to get to go to the shower. She told everyone about it. Then while there she sat next to Ms. Bethany and also was the one who passed her which gift to open. She also enjoyed two pieces of pizza, salad, and M&M's. She was going to spend the night at Nonni's who was not happy she ate so much at the library when she had cooked dinner, but it ended up not mattering since Hazel caught yet another cold and had to come home.

For a gift, we finished up the baby quilt I started making for Hazel. Our nursery was Beatrix Potter themed so her quilt was as well. It seemed like the perfect quilt for a children's librarian. All I had to do was quilt the border and bind it. I also added some ribbons so she could use it for tummy time and give the baby something to play with.

I didn't take too many pictures at the shower, but thought I would share our mother/daughter time which was spent in a traditional female event. She loved the attention of being the only child there, but did get bored after awhile. Of course we had a long day with hair appointments (her first full hair cut), dance class and the shower. It was a fun time which unfortunately ended with her complaining of a sore throat.

The Favors

Now it is your turn to share how your family has spent some quality time lately.

~ please link up (family time oriented giveaways are ok, but please no Etsy shops)
~just crafts will be deleted since this is to share family times ~ use our button so others can join the fun

Button Code:

<a href="http://craftymomsshare.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="Photobucket" border="0" src="http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g424/cpericola/HappyFamily-003-1.jpg" /></a>

~ we'd love for you to follow us Crafty Moms Share and Happy Whimsical Hearts
~ check out our Happy Family Times Pinterest board where we will be pinning some of our favorite ideas

Ok, now for our PARTY!! Please share your FUN Family Times!!

Square It Up Quilts

So back in September when I was really just beginning to get into the blog world, I won a contest over at Sew Happy Geek. I won a pattern designed by Jenna of Sew Happy Geek called Square It Up! and the fabric to make it from the Fat Quarter Shop. I haven't really been quilting in about three years. I made but did not finish a baby quilt for Hazel. It is almost done, but I don't know what I'm going to do with it.

Anyway, this pattern went together so quickly and I noticed how the colors of the fabric I won matched my bedroom walls perfectly so I decided to buy more fabric and extend it to be a bed quilt. I shared the pictures of the completed quilt on Friday, (but I put one at the top in case you don't want to go back). The original size quilt top I pictured here. On October 19th, I was honored to guest blog at Sew Happy Geek and I showed three quilt tops at my blog here. While waiting for the fabric to extend the quilt, I decided to make one for Hazel. I had found the perfect center block for her--a Hey Diddle, Diddle square that was suppose to make a pillow. Since it came with two, I also made a baby quilt. I basically did hers and the baby quilt as scrap quilts though I did buy a few more nursery rhyme fabrics to go with my nursery rhyme theme.

Well today, I finished Hazel's quilt. (My shoulders are not very happy about spending so much time bent and pushing the heavy quilts the past week--oh, well.) So today, I'm happy to share some pictures with you. I took the majority of the pictures on the guest bed since the bed rail and all her pillows and the wall make it hard to get a good picture at her bed. Behind the guest bed is the beautiful quilt my mother made me to take to college. It is a family favorite--my father really wants it to hang in their house, so I put it in the guest room they stay in.

And then her bed--she has a cold so we have the wedge pillow on there and what not, but you'll see what looks like.

Now I just need to finish the baby quilt. I also need to add a huge thank you to my mother for helping me back, layer and pin both of these large quilts!! She actually even provided me with the backing fabrics. Thanks, Mom!! I love you!

It's Done!! It's Done!!

I finally finished my quilt!! I don't know if you remember this, but I won the pattern and fabric for this quilt, well the smaller version. Once I started working on it, I realized the fabric matched our bedroom paint color perfectly and thought I would expand it to be queen size. I finished the binding this morning before going to Hazel's interview. What do you think?

Come back a bit later for Sharing Saturday!!

Exciting day

Today I am honored to guest blog at SewHappyGeek. You may remember I was the winner of Jenna's blogiversary giveaway which was her Square It Up! pattern and fabric to make it. Well after I made it, I decided I wanted it bigger so it could go on our bed. Her pattern was so easy I had to make more. I made one for Hazel out of various nursery fabrics including her favorite nursery rhymes and story characters and I had leftovers from that so I made a baby quilt.  Here are a few pictures to check out and then you can head over and visit my guest blog.

Our Queen Size

Baby Quilt

Hazel's Quilt

As for our day, I messed up on a doctor's appointment which I thought I had this morning, but apparently I missed it on Monday. Oops!! So Hazel is with my mother-in-law, and I have to go get her to bring her back to the doctor since her cold has moved into her chest and her cough does not sound pretty. After that hopefully she will nap and then we can do some crafts to post tomorrow. I've also been working on my angels for the angel swap at we bloom here. I'm also thinking of what Hazel can do for hers. She is also participating. Want to join us?

And of course I'm working on our Halloween costumes! I have most of Hazel's body part done, now I need to figure out her head gear which will be the bowl of the spoon. I am working on the decorations on the front of the plate right now for mine, but mine is much easier. Don't worry I will share pictures. Have a great day!!

Busy Weekend

This weekend, Hazel and I headed to Cape Cod to visit my parents. We had a busy Friday morning of doctor's appointments and Move and Groove at the library, then came home for a quick lunch and hit the road for our two hour drive. My mother is attempting to clean through her fabrics and wanted me to look at some in case I would be interested in them and I had two large quilts to layer and it is always easier to layer with someone else (especially someone more experienced than me) and on my mother's bigger cutting table. Plus she offered me fabric for the backings. So up we went.

My father played with Hazel while we worked. Though Friday night was more sorting than anything. Saturday morning we hit the Farmer's Market, and then my father and I moved the cutting table to where my mother wanted it (out of the basement). Then while Hazel and my father napped we went to the fabric store for more safety pins (and I of course bought more fabric).

Saturday afternoon we spent the day preparing the backings. Having such large quilts, the backings took a long time. Then we layered the largest one. We finished it by 9:30 p.m. and decided that was enough for one day. We did the other one this morning including piecing the batting. But the two large quilts are layered and ready to be quilted. Now to find time to do that.

Of course after finishing them, I had to take Hazel to one of her favorite places to go--Snow's. They have model trains set up and buttons the kids can push. They already had their Christmas trains added to the mix. A child's dream to visit. But of course, if we are going to the center of town, we have to stop at the Hot Chocolate Sparrow. They have delicious coffee, tea (chai in particular for me), chocolates and candies made there, and ice cream (made near where I live). What more could you want from a store? Needless to say this is a daily stop when we are up there. My mother and I got iced chais and I splurged and got a caramel and chocolate covered apple (my fall weakness) and got Hazel a chocolate witch pop and chocolate covered sunflower seeds. Then my mother and I had the chais as we watched the trains and did a little shopping. I got some Christmas gifts at Snow's and some a sticker book for Hazel and some fake pine trees for Hazel and I to decorate for her dollhouse at Christmas time.

Then it was time to go for lunch. We had BLT's with tomatoes from my father's garden and tomato fresh mozzarella (from the Farmer's Market) and basil salads. Then it was time for the drive home. It is good to be home, but I'm tired! Hazel slept on the way home, so she is full of energy.

We came home to see a tree was gone (Steve had it cut down while we were gone), and he did a lot of yard clean up so it looks great. And of course two cats who missed us as well as Steve. Now it is time to start quilting, but I guess I should unpack first.

How was your weekend?

Hazel's New Pants

Last night I finally finished the first of the pants I started for Hazel. She has started to love to have pockets. She loves to put all of her treasures in them. She also continues to grow like a weed and several of the clothes I made this summer look short on her already. So, I added a paper pieced pocket and lengthened them with ruffles.

I used a basic elastic toddler pants pattern. Then I found the pocket pattern on line here. I have been trying to figure out a good way to make the pocket cat shaped and loved this paper pieced pattern. I hadn't paper pieced in awhile, but it is easy. To get started you take a piece of the correct color fabric for your number 1 piece and put it on the back of the paper then cut a piece of the correct color fabric for number 2 piece bigger than the piece and put it on top of the number 1 piece on the back of the paper so they can be sewn on the line between the two pieces and the number 2 piece will fold over that line and completely cover the number 2 shape. Make sure on all of your pieces you have enough to have a border to sew. Continue adding pieces until the block is finished. For a video on doing this you can check out here. After finishing the paper piecing (I had to sew the three separate blocks together to get the cat), I sewed a piece of fabric on the other side to make a stronger pocket and to not have to fold over edges. I sewed it around 3 1/2 sides leaving the hole in the bottom to turn it. Then turned and pressed it. The bottom edge gets finished when attached. I sewed the top before attaching just so it wouldn't mess up the edge (topstitching). Then I pinned it and sewed it. This would have been easier to do before I sewed the pants together, but I hadn't had the idea then.

Then I trimmed an inch off the bottom of the legs and added a no-hem ruffle. I cut two 5-inch strips of full length fabric and sewed each into a loop. Then folded them in half and stitched the tops at 1/4 inch and 1/2 inch in loose stitches. I gathered them up so they would fit the leg cuff and sewed them on. The ruffles are so full that they go out on her now, but will provide a bit more length when needed. She wanted to try them on right away so this is with her pajama top this morning.

The only part I'm not completely happy with is the pocket placement, but I will do better on the next pair. I have several funky pairs started and just need to add pockets, ruffles and elastic. Hopefully you will be seeing more this week.

For those of you with a daughter, check out Tatertots & Jello's Monday giveaway from Downeast Basics Clothing--something for Mom and daughter!
Also check out the giveaways at Raising 4 Princesses. She has some great prizes!

Quilt Top

So I posted a few days ago a preview of the quilt top that I won the pattern and fabric for from Sew Happy Geek for her blogiversary and Fat Quarter Shop. I have finished piecing the quilt as it is written. I've ordered more fabric to enlarge it to fit our bed so now I wait. But I wanted to share the "finished" top with you thus far.

Steve and I need a winter quilt. We currently have a quilt I made very lightweight for the summer, so this will be our winter quilt. I think the bright, cheerful colors are perfect for the long New England winter, don't you?

In the meantime I'm going to make a similar quilt for Hazel's bed using a Hey Diddle Diddle panel for the middle square and some new and mostly old nursery/children/novelty fabric I have (and some my mom wants to get rid of). In this one I'm going to use the other option of the pattern where the last four corners are from one fabric (usually the middle fabric, but I'm using a book panel of nursery rhyme pictures I found). Plus I want to sew a new fall outfit for Hazel--possibly for her first day of school which is Thursday!! I better getting sewing!

Center Panel

For corner blocks

Things we have been making

Some clothespin dolls we made awhile ago.

Here are a few crafts Hazel and/or I have been making lately that we haven't shared. It is a mix of all sorts of things.

 

To start I will share my needle felted turtle. I used the instructions from the book Wool Pets by Laurie Sharp.

Needle felted turtle

Next is my needle felted toadstool. I followed the tutorial at The Magic Onions (a blog I find so inspiring). Her tutorials are so well written and easy to follow.

Preview of Quilt This is the quilt pattern and fabric I won from Sew Happy Geek. I still need to finish the pattern and am thinking of expanding it to make a bed quilt. I love how it is turning out and love the colors.

Bendy Halloween Dolls I followed the tutorial on The Enchanted Tree. She has many to inspire you in her store as well!

Happy Monday!!