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Peppermint-y treasury that I made today on etsy!

candy stripes on flickr

Well, I did it. I was attempting to make my first quilt (a 9-patch baby quilt), by the time Sew Mama Sew quilting month was done, and I just made it! Here are the pictures: it’s a little rustic, but I’m okay with that … it looks homey and cuddley and is going off in the mail to my new nephew tomorrow. The Sew Mama Sew blog during quilting month has been a great incentive/inspiration to get this done … their list of binding tips and how-tos came just in the nick of time!

When I was a kid, my dad made all my lunches, and he often put something extra inside: a note, a picture, a poem. I made this little lunch bag with this in mind, adding a tiny pocket where you can leave messages!

Originally uploaded by Stockton&Co.

squares cut and ready to go

So, inspired by the block-along at Sew Mama Sew I am attempting my first quilt. In an uncharacteristic show of craft-related caution, I decided to go with the 9-patch rather than something more elaborate. Before I started cutting I took a picture of the fabrics I’m going to be using:

Can you tell it’s a baby quilt? The one with the houses will be the back, and the polka dot bottom left will be the binding (I think). And I have a couple of plain fabrics coming by mail that I may use as well, depending on how crazy (pattern-wise) everything looks once it starts coming together.

And here is the result of my first 9-patch attempt:

A little wonky, but not nearly enough to deter me!

And finally, a close-up of the turtles:

Inspired by the blue and orange fabric I posted about yesterday, I created this mini-note paper set using one of my little bear illustrations (actually it started off as a pattern for a puppet, but that’s another story). 

Check out the lovely fabric that came in the mail yesterday from Sew Mama Sew! I have been collecting blue and orange fabric in hopes of attempting my first quilt … for a baby nephew whose birth is imminent. And with perfect timing, over at the Sew Mama Sew blog it is quilting month, and they are doing a “block along” every Friday. Today they have links to three different nine-patch tutorials, so all I need to do is choose (I am thinking “Crazy 9-Patch”).

lollipops from muji in Tokyo (Shibuya)

Just what we all need in January - more projects (plus a tree trunk fairy home)! Seriously though here is some good stuff I have seen around the internets lately:

• Lisa at u-handbag explains her process (part 1)
• mobile swap at Elsie Marley via Chickpea Sewing Studio 
• Japanese fabric resource fabric TALES, via decor8 
• Tree Trunk Fairy Home via ohdeedoh 
• via craft zine , tea cup candles by jenny at ljcfyi