The fabric colors for the criss cross coasters were so fun I decided to make a doll quilt from them.

This is my first attempt at a pieced quilt, but so far I'm feeling good.  I haven't even completed one block, but feeling good nonetheless.

I'm trying the Disappearing 9 Patch, using this tutorial. So far, things are moving along quite nicely. Like I said, I sewed the first nine patches together, I've cut them up and rearranged. Now I just need to sew the rearranged patches together and I'll have one block completed. 

I'm not completely sure how many blocks it takes to make a doll quilt, or how long the actual quilting process will take, or how to really do the binding, but I'm still feeling pretty optimistic. If nothing else, I'm just happy to be back in the crafting groove.

Things are happening around here again.  Domestic things...

Homemade Granola! Why didn't anyone tell me how delicious homemade granola tastes? I decided to whip some up primarily as a cost saving measure (I haven't run the numbers to determine whether this was less expensive). But this stuff was delicious.  After a bit of research, I decided granola was pretty versatile, so I went with the recipe from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day (you're wondering why there's a granola recipe in a bread book, aren't you? It's to use when making the Granola Bread, a variation I haven't yet tried).  It took me five minutes to throw together, and it only took that long because I had to search high and low for my coconut. Easy peasy.

I used sliced almonds, coconut, regular oats and some raisins. I also doubled the amount of vanilla it called for, because I love vanilla granola. It's crazy good. Mr. Plaid and I were snacking on it throughout the evening.  We finally had to call it quits so there'd be some left over for breakfast.  The recipe makes about six cups...

Also in the kitchen this weekend were some delicious cupcakes using a recipe from Scholastic's Parent and Child magazine. It's a Sandra Lee recipe (find it here), so it starts with a cake mix. I didn't have all the things on hand, so I improvised. Here's what I used:

• Yellow cake mix
• Box of white chocolate sugar free pudding (I don't usually do sugar free, but this was left over from a Weight Watchers faze I went through)
• 1 cup Whole Foods Cherry Vanilla soda
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 1 egg
• about 1 cup white chocolate chips, or however many were left in the bag...
  

The cupcakes were great. They ended up very moist, and had such a good flavor that they didn't need frosting. You can't always say that about cakes from a mix, but these were tasty. Um...no pictures, because they were gone quickly.

I give you: The Criss Cross Coasters

As boring as coasters may seem (ahem, Mr. Plaid), they are fun to make and do bring a bit of excitement to the living area.  I love that they need not match the decor, as Jennifer wisely commented, they can bring a splash of color to the room.

Once I figured out that these guys needed to be pinned, it was smooth sailing. Initially, I made a couple of coasters only to discover during the "flipping" stage, that I hadn't caught some of the fabric layers in the seam.  So, I had to unflip and resew and it was quite a pain.  The slippery fabrics were the worst.  However, these are extremely easy to unflip and fix, so if that happens to you, do not throw in the towel.  

 
I decided to just alternate the backing fabrics, so that you could see more of the fun flowered pattern.  For the lining, I just used a flannel, because I felt like it would be a little more absorbant. And, because I don't always follow directions, I didn't use any fusible web. I didn't feel like my fabric needed it, and I was sewing through an awful lot of layers as it was.

This tutorial was extremely straight forward and easy to do (once I pinned the slippery fabric in place).  The flipping was a breeze. The only other challenge was trying to get those corners poked out nice and square. Which, you can see, I'm still working on...

The fabrics are both from Joann's.  It's apparel fabric I picked up on clearance at the end of spring to make summer clothes for the girls. Since we all know how well that turned out, I thought I might as well use it for coasters.

If you'd like to win this lovely set of four coasters, leave a comment on this post before I choose a random winner next Wednesday.  And for those of you thinking coasters are dull, I'll throw in a little something extra. I'm not sure what it will be just yet, but you'll get the coasters and an accessory of some sort.  (It will not be my favorite Kate Spade teacup pictured above! Because I love, love it!)

Please welcome the long-awaited Tea Towel Apron.  So exciting that Scarlet even got to come out of the craft room to model it:

 
It's not quite the Throwback Thursday project I initially planned...but it was so much fun designing it!  I based it off of this tutorial from Martha (she calls it a "dish towel" apron, not nearly as classy).  But her top was square, which I didn't want.

 
So I changed it.  Then I decided the entire thing in two matching tea towels was...well...dull.  So I added a flap:

 
The flap is not stitched along the bottom, so it can be used for drying hands and things.  I thought it nice to have a separate little hand-drying apron attached to the larger apron. That way your clothes stay covered even while you're drying your hands.  Is that important? Not sure. But it sure makes for a cute apron!

This was made from a set of tea towels I bought at Target (they came two towels to a set, so I used one and a half sets).  I also own the matching table runner...which will make it hard to let go of this apron. I mean, imagine what a clever hostess I would be, what with my apron matching my table and all.

The ties for the neck and waist were super easy, made from cotton twill tape.  I've considered writing a little tutorial to show you how I did it (the whole apron, not just the ties). Maybe later this week?

By now, you know how it works: Leave a comment on this post by next Wednesday, and you'll be entered to win this apron.  Completely random, completely free. 

Remember this bag from Sketchbook Crafts? I was so in love with it, but couldn't bring myself to spend that kind of money on a purse. Crazy Husband, who just doesn't understand how complicated this sewing thing is, suggested I just make my own. Really, because it's just that easy?!  

Motivated by Mr. Plaid's confidence, I decided to modify the Charming Handbag project (from Bend The Rules Sewing, of course), to try to get the feel of Sketchbook Crafts' bag. I used what I had in the stash, which was a somewhat stretchy dark blue heavy cotton (no idea what it is, really, found it at Joann's in the Red Tag fabric section last Christmas).   For the pintucks, I used a grey and white shirting (also from the Red Tag section).

I just sort of winged it on the pintucks, but I was pretty happy with how they turned out.  I just made the pintucks in the grey fabric, then sewed the pintucked fabric to the front outside piece before putting the bag together. 

 
Here you can see the grey fabric and tiny stripes a little better. One of my favorite parts of the Charming Handbag is the casing for the handles. It gives the bag such a cute little pucker.  

Smaller than the original bag that I loved, but a fun modification of the original pattern.  

Before I link to someone's tutorial, I generally ask for their approval.  In my email to them, I explain the idea behind Throwback Thursday and Win-It Wednesday.  One of them once responded, telling me how "brave" I was promising to show a finished project before I'd even started it.  At the time, I didn't think much of it. 

This bathmat, though, almost had me rethinking things...It looked and sounded easy enough, cutting the squares all the same size was the biggest problem I expected to encounter.  Turns out, that part was pretty easy.

It wasn't until I started sewing the squares together, and then sewing the rows together, that I started getting a little nervous.  I was having a difficult time getting everything to line up perfectly.  But it turns out, this project was really very forgiving, and even if the squares don't line up in perfect rows, it still comes up looking really, really good (humble, huh?).

You'll notice I didn't include the optional embroidered footprints.  I think it's a really fun idea, to trace your feet and embroider them. But I started thinking, does the lucky winner of this bathmat really want to step out of the tub onto a stranger's footprints every day? Would you want your husband stepping on my feet everyday? Maybe you wouldn't mind, I'm not sure. But I didn't want to creep anyone out. 

I used some of my favorite scraps, and if you've been reading awhile, you probably recognize some of them.  This is the last of some of these fabrics, and I can say that I'm not that sad to see some of it go. I thought I'd never tire of that Alexander Henry fabric, but after the placemats, I think I've finally seen enough of it.  I do, however, have a new Alexander Henry fabric (birdseed!) that I'm dying to use for a project. I think I have the perfect thing in mind...Soon...

 
I like this photo of the bathmat in my bathroom. I like how the patchwork squares (24 in.) turned out almost the exact same size as the travertine squares (18 in.) on the floor. I thought it'd be too many squares, but in the end, I think it's fun.  No matter, because this particular bathmat is off to someone else's home. But I'm feeling reassured that the next version will look quite nice in my bathroom.  I also like that you can see a tiny square of my current fuzzy, boring, tan bathmat.

I even cut up my favorite pink towel to use as the back of the mat. I toyed with the idea of using one of our old scrap towels, but those are pretty much covered in paint, and I was thinking that might also freak out the winner. So, a triple-washed, seldom used, favorite pink towel provides the backing. 

Meg's tutorial was great. Straight-forward, easy to follow and fun. The concept was simple enough, really, that once the dimensions were figured for you (lesson learned: pay close attention to the seam allowances!), the whole project was a matter of common sense. It came together really easily. I cut enough squares that I already have a good start on my next one, which will feature browns and blues with maybe just a hint of red here and there. I'm excited to get started on it.

Leave a comment on this post by next Wednesday, and you'll be entered into a random drawing to win the recycled bath mat. Free!

This patchwork thing is killing me.  Initially, I dreaded cutting 88 small squares, but in the end, I found it sort of therapeutic.  I got carried away and cut way more than 88.  And I'd keep finding more scraps and thinking, "Oh! Yes, this is the one!" and so I'd cut a little more.

Then there was the arranging.  I've been arranging these tiny squares for two days. Just because. I left the whole thing sitting out one night, because I wanted to look at it first thing in the morning with a fresh perspective. Turns out, the baby got to it before I did.  I think she liked it, because she came into the bedroom with a huge smile and two chubby fists full of squares. Deep down, I think I left it out so one of the children would destroy it, and I could start all over again.  It's F-U-N!

I could have arranged and rearranged for weeks. Like a little puzzle. I had to make myself stop.  In order to do so, I spent sometime checking out other patchwork designs. Just to get an idea, you know, of how people are arranging their things.

And I found this:

Adorable pillow from Liz LaMoreux's Little Room on Etsy.

Fun patchwork handbag from A Touch of Stardust.

Sweet little dress from Tickled Pink Girls.

And when I think of patchwork, I always think of quilts. Carolina Patchworks has some of the prettiest quilts in great colors with wonderful designs. I'd love to have her quilts on every bed in my house.  But I can't complain, because we do have a closets full of quilts made by grandparents and great grandparents. 

Fully inspired, I walked away ready to commit to my design...but my bobbin had run out, and it was after ten o'clock...so you know what that means. 

Nonetheless, tomorrow is the big reveal of the Recycled Bath Mat. Don't miss it!