Burp Cloths!!

I love making personalized burp cloths! Here are several that I made over the last three months and just haven't taken the time to share.
Cynthia ordered these for her new granddaughter. On the first burp cloth the "S" is from Embroidery Boutique's Vintage Applique Alphabet and I used Itty Bitty Alphabet from 8 Claws and a Paw for "Sierra". The second burp cloth is a phrase Cynthia requested--dual meaning because the baby's last name is Love :) I've had this ribbon in my stash forever, so I was excited to use it. The heart is from Designs By JuJu's Simply Hearts Applique set (I just didn't use fabric) and I added the text with Embird alphabet #7.

Andrea ordered this set for Kashton. I used one of my favorite combinations; the applique "K" is from Embroidery Boutique's Fun Applique Alphabet, and I added the name with Whoa Nelly From 8 Claws and a Paw.

 Laura ordered this pair for Brayden. The baseball monogram is from Five Star Fonts and I used Embird Alphabet #8 for all the text.

I made this for baby Charlotte. The elephant is from DBJJ's Roly Poly Elephants applique set, and I added her name with Itty Bitty Alphabet from 8CP. I love those elephants this ribbon!

Michelle ordered this for Parker. I used and applique circle and the Plain Jane font from 8CP.

Tracy ordered this for Rocco. The "R" is EB's Fun Applique Alphabet, and I added the name with Sally from 8CP.

And here's a burp cloth I made when testing Lynnie Pinnie's Happy Kawaii Ice Cream Cone. The word "sweet" is from the word balloon design included in the Happy Kawaii foods set. 

Baby Gifts for David

A friend of mine is expecting a little boy and we had a shower for her before Christmas. Due to the holiday rush and a sinus infection I didn't get her gift finished :( so sibling shirts are still to come. I did complete this burp cloth. This football applique alphabet is from Starbird Stock Designs, and I added his name with College Block Small from 8CP. It's designed to be used with two different fabrics (you can see my first stitch out of it here) but I was curious what it would look like using a tri-color check and two different thread colors for the outlines. Who better to test it out on than Auburn fans?

Michelle asked me to make a tie onesie for David. I had a navy onesie in my stash and this awesome orange striped fabric, so we thought it would make a great combination as well.

 The Neck Tie Applique from GG Designs.

 

Sibling Shirts

I attended a baby shower in November and wanted to do a big brother/little sister shirt set because I've been dying to use these Fabric Finders tri-checks. The only problem was that the mommy kept the baby girl's name a secret until after she was born. I did the exact same thing when expecting my two kids, so I had no beef with her! :)
My solution -- make the big brother shirt to be unwrapped at the shower, and include a blank onesie with design image and applique fabrics for baby sister. So first I made Maddox's shirt, and he was able to wear it to the hospital when visiting his new sister:

The Big Brother Design is from Applique Momma. I added his name with Embird Alphabet #8.

Then once little Maclain made her entrance, I made her onesie. She was tiny so this is a 0-3 months onesie:

Obviously the Little Sister Design is from AM, too.

So I don't have a picture of the shirts together, but I'm sure you'll agree that these pink/green and blue/green tri-checks make great coordinating sibling appliques! Anxious to see pictures of the kids together. :)

Casserole Carriers

Urenda ordered a couple casserole carriers for friends. The cupcake design is from Embroidery Library. I used Embird Alphabet #8 for the text. The border design came from Dee Giles.

The chef hat and utensils design is from Embroidery Library.

 

And Chandra ordered this one for Cathy. I just love the blues!

Key Chains and Key fobs

These are the remaining key chains and key fobs that I made over the last couple months. Sabrina wanted ribbon key chains to give to her parents. These use 1.5" grossgrain ribbon and D-rings. I used Embird Alphabets 16 and 7 for them.

Her sister Melanie got a DigiStitches key fob:

Earlier in the year Mrs. Janasiewicz received a key fob for teacher appreciation week and liked it so much she ordered one just like it for her daughter who also teaches. I used the school colors, Embird alphabet #14 for the name, and paw prints on the back.  (Sorry this pic is so over exposed, I don't know what happened!)

And finally I made this for my husband ("the plate spinner") to give to his boss ("the check signer"). It has the Onyx brand on one side, and her fun title on the other. :)

Quick little pajama shirt

Annaliese got a pair of soft pajama pants from her besties for Christmas. As soon as she pulled them out she hugged them and wanted to try them on. I immediately knew I had a blank lavender shirt in my stash for her, and pretty quickly created a design in my head, knowing I had marble flannels in those colors in my stash. :)

The raggy stars are from Applique Market (although I can't find the design listed on the site now). I actually used the center star of the 4, 5 and 6 inch designs, rotating and arranging them this way. I laid down one big piece of white flannel first, ran the placement stitches, then tacked down my colored flannel scraps. I trimmed the colors closer than the white so it would look outlined, like on the pants.

It was a super quick project! And Annaliese loves the set.

Window Valances... ten months later

I'm almost embarrassed to post this, but I'm so excited that I'll just push the embarrassment aside. :)
We moved into our house 3.5 years ago. Within the first year we (I mean, my husband) painted the kitchen and dining room. We selected a lovely deep blue for two of the four walls. I love it! However, apparently it isn't a very popular color because I have had the hardest time finding kitchen decor to match. Until today, we have had NO window treatments in the kitchen!
Back in February I purchased some lovely fabric online that I had discovered through Kimberlee at The Spunky Diva, who had posted a kitchen valance that looked perfect for my kitchen as well. I even posted pictures of my fabric on my Facebook page to see if anyone had suggestions for something other than simple valances. And then the fabric just hung there on a tension rod... for months. Until my husband said, "Um, is that fabric going to fade before you even do anything with it??" So I took it down, and set it aside.
I was determined to finally make some valances before the end of the year, and today was the day!! Here's the kitchen valance (hung on a tension rod between the cabinets):

And the dining room valance, which is on the opposite wall:

The dining room window already had the sheer curtain there; I simply attached it to the blue valance so I didn't have to get another curtain rod. :)
I really hate folding under fabric and making seams, so I lined both of these valances with solid fabrics. The ruffle above the rod pocket is about 2", and it hangs about 12" below the rod pocket. The width of the valance is 1.5 x the width of the window.
It feels really nice to have that project done. Now let's see if I can make a purse out of the fabric I bought for myself... FOUR years ago. Sheesh.

Birthday Shirts

These are a couple birthday shirts I made in the fall, and busyness prevented me from blogging about them.
Sue asked me to make a third birthday shirt for her grandson who is really into trains:

I used Applique Cafe's Christmas train, but I removed the tree and added an applique 3 from Embroidery Boutique's Tiny Applique Alphabet.

I got an email from Kelly who had found a picture of Jillian in her birthday shirt on my friend's blog (Pirates-n-Princesses) about Jillian's Dora and Boots birthday party. Kelly asked if I could recreate the look, and I was happy to oblige!

The "3" is from Chubby Wubby Applique Numbers from GG Designs, and the font is Tinker Toy from 8 Claws and a Paw.

Some family gifts...

Last year I went all out on gifts for family -- I did a bunch of embroidery for my parents' new bathroom, made a couple quilts... This year I kind of just reused some ideas for smaller gifts. Or bought them. I'll try to do better next year. :)
When I posted pictures of this burp cloth, my mom said she would love that design on something since my brother is a Marine. I locked that idea away for a Christmas gift, and made her a stay-put towel. (You can read more about my first one here.)

The Marine fabric was purchased at Hobby Lobby. I carefully placed it so the seal was in the corner.

I used Lynnie Pinnie's Dog Tags Heart Applique, and added the text with Embird Alphabets 8 and 2. 

For my dad I bought a denim shirt and embroidered his brand that I digitized last December.

For Amy I took the easy way out and decided to make a set of kitchen towels to match the placemats I made for her two years ago. You can get all the design info here.

 

Owl Wristlets

As soon as I posted pictures of the owl wristlet I made in August, Cherri asked me to make a couple for her girls for Christmas. Sally got orange and blue:

And Hannah got purple and green:

I failed to take pictures of the inside of them (you can see one here). These wristlets are made completely with the embroidery machine (with the exception of one small opening I had to whip stitch shut by hand). They have a zipper, and are completely lined with no exposed seams. Cool huh?? The design is from Embroidery Garden.

Winter Shirts

I made these shirts for two of my favorite little pals. Both girls had holiday shirts from past years that still fit, so when they sat down to look at my favorite applique design sites with their mom, she directed them toward more wintery designs.
Kylie picked the Cute Penguin from Planet Applique...

 

...as well as the Hot Cocoa applique design from PA.

 

 Kenzie picked the Valentine Puppy Applique from PA...

 ...as well as the Cutie Pie design from Lynnie Pinnie. She specifically asked for a grape pie. I've never eaten one (her grandma makes it) and now I'm intrigued!