Valentine's Mini Quilt

It may be a little late in the day, but it's still Valentine's Day.  In the last week or so I've been working on this little mini quilt -- in part because it's cute and I wanted to work on something small and in part because I wanted to submit something to Pink Chalk's I Heart February contest.



The finished size is approximately 9x15 inches.  For the heart, I used this foundation piecing pattern; I paired it with a wonky star for a little more interest.  The fabric is all from my stash (I like to buy pinks).  I also made my first attempt at machine binding, using a decorative stitch on my machine.  I need more practice, but I'm happy with how it turned out.

More Crochet Cuteness

It's been a while since I posted about our sister Emily's crochet creations.  She's been busy expanding her menagerie, taking orders for baby gifts, and sending pictures of each one she finishes.  With a couple more pattern books to draw from, she's made quite a collection -- with each one even cuter than the one before.

Which one is your favorite? I'm torn between these two...at least for now.

Big Finish: Dog Cabins Quilt

A new little person is joining our family soon, and for various reasons we were initially expecting it to be a little boy.  So the nursery was decorated with handmade things featuring puppies, baseballs, and various shades of brown, tan, and red.  I was given a bundle of leftover fabric from crib sheets and various other fabric handmades, and I started in on a quilt for the little one.

I fussy cut the puppies to feature them in the centers of log cabin blocks, which is how this quilt came to be "Dog Cabins."  (I also considered "Dogs in Log Cabins," but that just isn't as catchy.)  Using strips from an old jelly roll that coordinated so perfectly I couldn't have planned it, I added logs to the center blocks and constructed 16 log cabin blocks for a 4x4 layout with sashing and borders.

By the time the quilt top was complete, we found out that the little "he" was going to be a little "she."  Thrilled but stumped about what to do with my decidedly masculine baby quilt, I decided to continue on with it, finishing it as a Christmas gift for Little Girl's mom and dad.  Tweaks have been made to soften the nursery and make it a bit more girly, but the colors and puppies remain, so the quilt still coordinates with the decor.  And I'm already planning a fun and much more feminine quilt for Little Girl down the line.  For now, she can cozy up to the pups in the dog cabins as she settles into her loving home and family.

Nursery Design Plan : Red and Brown Nursery for a girl

I'm not a big fan of girlie girl nurseries. I figure as soon as our little one hits age 5 we'll be redecorating everything with pink and purple so why not do something that goes with our home's decor until sparkles and Dora dolls become top priority.

So, take a look at the design board I've put together for a baby girl.

• The lamp consists of the Red Greta Candle Accent Lamp Base and the Red Stripes and Pom Pom lamp shade from World Market.  I really disliked the black pom pom trim that was on the shade when I bought it, and luckily for me, the glue used on it allowed me to peel it right off.  The trim is now in my trim basket awaiting another life.
• The Family Rules poster came from Etsy, which I frequent just to get good ideas. The gentleman that makes these posters will make them with custom background colors for a small additional charge.
• I loved the Davinci Emily 4-in-1 Convertible Crib, and lucky for me it scored high on Consumer Reports, so win-win. It's available online and at local boutique stores in my area (sorry, I couldn't find it at the chain stores).
• I found the red cotton India Rug online at Rosenberry Rooms.  I wanted something that could easily be washed. I'm not a fan of sick kids and loose pile carpet.
• Everything else in this nursery I found around and about. Fabrics all came from JoAnn's and a local drapery store. Paint colors from Home Depot. And for a personal touch I spelled out the little one's name on the wall above her crib using creme-colored capital letters from Pottery Barn Kids, hung with red ribbons.

Any ideas or suggestions?

10,000 Page Views!

Okay, well it may not seem like a big deal to you (particularly if you're a blogger with a large following), but I just have to take a minute to celebrate Inspire Me Grey's latest milestone -- 10,000 page views!  Our first post went up on Jan 9, 2011, and Jen and I have had a lot of fun since then sharing projects and favorite things with our readers.  (This little blog has the added benefit of getting us on the phone together more often, which I'm particularly thankful for.)  Our readership is growing beyond our circle of family and friends, and with 10,000 page views it's nice to know that someone out there is taking a minute to see what's happening here at Inspire Me Grey.

We're also now on Pinterest, so if you're one of the masses who frequently falls into the Pinterest Time Warp (akin to the Target Time Warp -- you know what I'm talking about), you can check out our board here.  Jen admits she's "gone a little nutsy" with Pinterest.

A little update on the February Ornament project -- Jen's heart ornament is participating in Pink Chalk Fabrics' I Heart February series/event.  You can find a daily dose of crafty Valentine's goodness from Pink Chalk, and here's hoping Jen's heart wins the contest for Valentine's Day-inspired projects!

Love: 12 Months of Ornaments February Theme

February starts tomorrow and this month's theme for the ornament challenge is "Love". So get your creative juices flowing and let's see some amazing interpretations!

My rustic heart was another scrap drawer idea. I pulled out some colored felt, my pinking shears, polyester fill, matching thread and decided to let the sewing machine sit this one out.

To make your own version

1. Draw 5 hearts that decrease in size for your pattern.  My largest heart was about 5 inches tall. There needs to be a minimum 3/4" between the sizes. I freehanded my hearts because I wanted them more folk-arty than perfect. Once you have your pattern, cut out two hearts for each sized heart pattern with your pinking sheers. When you are done you will have10 hearts, 2 of each color.

2. Stack the hearts and pin in place.
3. Use alternating thread to attach the hearts to one another to form two sides.

4. Begin sewing the largest hearts together back to back, leaving an opening in order to stuff the heart. Secure the ribbon hanger with your stitches at the top of the heart.
5. Cut a length of ribbon to use as the hanger, and pin in place between the hearts.
6. Stuff the heart with polyfill, and then complete the stitching to close the heart.

Upcycle Craft: Baby Pants from Old Sweaters

So accidents happen and sometimes wool sweaters go through the washer...and the dryer. I have 3 sweaters that have met this fate and they've been stuffed in a storage drawer awaiting the day that they could be upcycled into something useful.

Originally I was thinking of making some stuffed animals for a lucky baby (I even bought the child-safe toy eyes), but I was never motivated enough to get one going.  Last weekend I was flipping through one of my new favorite blogs, Prudent Baby, and found these great instructions for DIY Recycled Baby Pants.  Now, I have to admit, I have a new sewing machine and you can probably tell from the Little Blue Bird that I'm still getting used to it (my stitching a little shaky still), but the pants were a complete success. I even had the correct elastic on hand to make them in under 30 minutes! Give them a try and let me know how it went. I'm going to tackle another pair this weekend.