My First Quilt

I decided that I wanted to make a quilt.  That's it! That's all it took!  Make up your mind to do something and do it! (Isn't that the case with most of life's lessons - make up your mind to do something, or to be somebody, and then have the courage to do it?) I rationalized that if women with no education could make quilts 150 years ago, I should be able to teach my self the same skill. 

1. I bought a book (Well, actually my wonderful husband who respects, honors, and encourages my hobbies got this for me as a Christmas gift about three years ago.)

 

2. Then I decided to practice with a T-shirt quilt.  That way if I failed, I didn't waste money on fabric. So I found a good Pintrest article.  These days with YouTube videos and Pintrest, you can teach yourself anything you set your mind to.  Here is the Pin I used for my T-shirt quilt:

 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/252342385342640497/

 

3.  I made a pattern by cutting the side off a 6-pack.  You could do the same with an oatmeal box:

 

4. Then I start cutting away at my old Carolina t-shirts.  I cut 27 squares.  I was able to three squares out of some of my shirts by cutting the front pocket image and then two images from the back designs.

5. Then I ironed the t-shirts on to interfacing.  This gives the t-shirt material more strength to be sewn together. 

6. Then I laid out all the squares and decided how they should fit together.  I laid out three columns of nine and sewed them together.  I chose a classic Carolina Blue ginham pattern to create a boarder of four inches all the way around.  Then I followed all my books and YouTube video's directions for layering the quilt together, quilting it, and binding it.  The binding took the longest time, but other than that.......it was actually EASY!  You all can do it with the mindset and courage to go for it.

I am so pleased with the quilt.  It is not large enough to be a twin coverlet, but its larger than a crib quilt.  I made it for Rex and flatter myself (flatter myself by assuming that it will not fall apart in 6 months) that he will grow with it and always have it on the foot of his bed.  By using all my college t-shirts I think it will actually be a "cool" quilt for him to have in his teenage years because all the t-shirts are Carolina Basketball shirts.  Some actually have Final Four dates.  One of the shirts has the Carolina Illinois score from the Finals. (That will be cool - right?  I don't yet know how teenage boys will react to a quilt, HA)

Here is Camilla, my resident camera HAM posing with the finished product:



 

 

Next project: Quilts for her new bunk beds!!  I'll keep you posted.

In Conclusion: Quilting is EASY...just lengthy

So after finishing Rex's T-Shirt Quilt  http://thesuburbanchallenge.blogspot.com/search?q=quilt  I vowed to make Camilla a new quilt for her bed...
But she has bunkbeds so that meant making two identical quilts.

This ended up being very easy with a basic pattern. It took me about two months working on it only 2/3 nights a week for an hour, and a total of about 4 hours over the weekends.  I started in March, took a break in April to travel, and finished May 16th right before Steve's graduation party.  The key was finding the easy pattern with exactly how much fabric to buy and how many squares and strips to cut.


Quilting Quickly is one of those magazines for sale by the checkout registers at Hobby Lobby and it includes full patterns.  So in the Spring 2014, Volume 2, Issue 1 of Quilting Quickly I found the pattern for "Four In A Row." It even came with a video tutorial at: http://video.fonsandporter.com/videos/5007_four-in-a-row-quilt/

And, the beautiful fabrics all came from Hobby Lobby.

Three Ways To Save Money in May

One of the main focuses for this blog is addressing life as a domestic diva on a very tight and strained budget. Saving money is crucial. I have always lived more successfully if I set small, attainable goals. That said, here are my three goals for May:

1. Recycle at Staples. Did you know that Staples will take your used ink cartridges from work and give you store credit in return.  A couple of months ago, I recycled 10 (that is their monthly maximum) cartridges. I got an email coupon for a $20 store voucher.  I can buy new ink cartridges for our home computer this month and not spend a dime! 

2. I wear Aldi Make-up. There I said it, and I am no longer embarrassed. About a year ago when things began to get tight, I bought foundation from Aldi because I could not afford to go to Belk and get my usual Lancome product. Once I discovered that my skin was not going to turn orange and fall off, I also bought their powder, facial lotion, and blush.  Well, a year later, I am still using their product and here is why:

• It is an award wining skincare system that is sweeping Europe.
• It is made in Germany which, as part of the European Union, has the same safety standards as France's Make-up industry - Chanel, Dior, Lancome.....
• Lacura's Q10 Anti-wrinkle Night Cream came out on top in European quality tests alongside major brands such as L'Oreal, Olay and Helena Rubenstein.
• Every product ranges in price from $1.49 - $3.99.  Now you are talking my language. Much better than Lancome's $15.99 - $59.99

So, not only am I no longer ashamed that I had to purchase Aldi make-up, I am going to continue doing it and celebrate the process.

3. I am going to go the whole month of May with no AC or Heat. I am also going to try to use the oven minimally since it is very efficient at heating the kitchen. How am I going to do this? Well, as far as the oven, I have learned to cook almost everything in my slow cooker.  It uses less energy and doesn't heat the kitchen up like the oven does. For the AC, May is usually a mild month. The windows are open and the fans are on. This morning I have some extra time, so I am changing the flannel sheets out for our cotton summer sheets, and I am going to fold the down comforterr up on the end of the bed and use a lighter quilt/coverlet for the month. Since Steve and I are trying to save money to repaint the house and buy new shutters, my goal is to put about $75 dollars back into Steve's checking account from the power bill this month. Our bill last month was $85. So, is $10-$15 out of the question? We shall see.