handmade giftings

Here's a quick catch-up on the Christmas finishes and projects I made for this year.  

Thundercats - Ho!

First up are the awesome coasters I made for my brother.  These were a spur of the moment kind of inspiration and it didn't take too long to figure out how to make them either!  I found an image of the Thundercats! logo online, printed it out and cut out the outline.  Then I traced it onto black fabric, cut it out and then cut out a circle of red for it to fit into.  From there it was steady, but slow work to machine applique the layers together.  The coasters are finished with a simple pillow turn and top stitch.  I was so happy with how these turned out and J loved them! Success!  :)

front 

back

For mom I made a sewing machine cover that would bring some more color pop! to her sewing room.  She's been wanting to bring more orangey-yellows in since her walls are painted turquoisey-blue.  It was a sneaky project because I asked dad to measure the machine for me so I could make it fit right!  It's also reversible with a blue & white print on the back.  Mom really liked this gift (right?!) and when she's not sewing I'm sure her machine will be dust protected and cute!

are you a fan of delicious flavor?

I found a neat picture on flickr of a pineapple block and was inspired to make a mug rug for Snaps since she was visiting for New Year's.  The first one I started has ended up more of a mini quilt size (18" x 20").  oops!  I have it set aside to finish up for my wall at quilt retreat this year.  Then I refigured my sizing and managed to get it down to mug rug size.  We both watch Psych and there's always a pineapple in the episode somewhere.  So now she has a pineapple of her own.

I'm also working on more mug rugs and my Japanese X + blocks for the swap hosted by Isabella the Cat on flickr here.  I'm so excited to get my blocks shipped off as they have been so much fun to make! They look awesome with scrap fabrics and I look forward to what kind of blocks I'll get back in the swap.  I'll certainly be making these blocks again and again [and again....]. 

So that's what I've been up to on the quilting front.  I got a couple of patterns for Christmas - including Swoon!  Hooray!  I love this pattern and am currently deciding which fabrics I want to use for it. I also got a 'jelly roll' set of batiks - which are a gorgeous blend of blues, yellows, turquoises.  Perfect for feeling summery now that it has turned wintery here!