Red and Aqua Sampler Doll Quilts

I give up. I am tired of waiting for the doll bed to be fixed. I am tired of waiting for decent lighting. I give up.

Even though it was overcast and raining today, I took some plain pictures inside of those doll quilts that I finished almost a month ago so that I could post them here. I am too much of a perfectionist sometimes!

I got the over-achieving idea to make sampler quilts for these. I started out with 8" blocks before I realized they would be too big. Then, I changed to 6" blocks, but with the sashing they are still a little too big. Oh well.

The red and aqua color scheme matches the backing fabric, also used for sheets, that my daughter chose. It matches the red bunk bed and their bedroom very well, too.

Here are some of the best blocks I made. 6" finished blocks are pretty difficult to make. I don't plan on making such small blocks again for a very long time!

I also put the wrong binding colors on the quilts. I wanted to balance out the reds and aquas and totally messed that up. But I didn't feel like taking it all off to fix it. Are you noticing a progressively non-perfectionist attitude with these quilts? They took about a year to make so I just wanted them DONE!

The names of the sampler blocks from left to right- Churn Dash, Jacob's Ladder, Pinwheel, Sawtooth Star, Contrary Wife, Shoo Fly, Clay's Choice, Friendship Star, Carrie Nation, Fox and Geese, Anvil, and Welcome. Some of them probably have more than one name, though.

These quilts were part of my Finish-A-Long first quarter goals! Hooray! I don't think the last project is going to happen, but 2 out of 3 isn't bad!

I also enjoyed trying out free motion quilting and I plan on doing more project with that in the future. Maybe one day the bed will get fixed and I can show you the matching sheets and pillows, too. :)

Link Parties where I sometimes hang out...

Sew Can Do, Monday Funday, Motivate Me Monday, Inspiration Monday, Show & Tell, Naptime Creations, The Gathering Spot,  Take a Look Tuesday, Carolyn's Homework, The Winthrop Chronicles, Handmade Tuesdays,Tutorial Tuesdays, Your Whims Wednesday, Wow Us Wednesdays,  Weekly Homemaking Party,Create It Thursday, Treasure Hunt Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Wildly Original, Thriving on Thursday, Grace at Home, The 36th Party, Freedom Fridays, Feathered Nest Friday, Simple and Sweet Fridays, Craft Frenzy Friday, Think Pink Sunday, and Threading Your Way

WIP Wednesday ~ Productive Week

I thought I would do another WIP Wednesday post to share what I have been doing around here lately.  I may not have blog posts up to prove it, but I have been super productive!

I finished up 2 out of 3 doll quilts, but did not get any pictures of them yet. Those sampler ones took so long that they deserve a full blog post. :) Plus, there is a piece on the doll bunk bed that needs fixed and nagging has not worked thus far. I may have to do it myself.

I made two stuffed bears from outgrown baby clothes (that was the sneak peek at the end last time!) and even a little blanket for one bear. I plan on posting the pattern I made for those, but I didn't get it perfected yet. I might even do another one just to test it out.

I started a crochet cow hat! It is almost done. I made one of those last year while I was on a blogging hiatus, so I never posted about it. Maybe I will show those pics when I get this one done, too. The first one is better because it is a brown cow. :)

Oh, and I am trying to do the 40 bags in 40 days challenge to declutter my house. Yesterday's task was my embroidery floss. It was all over the place, so my sewing table is much cleaner and the floss is super organized! I only got a sandwich bag worth to throw out, but I am counting it. :)

Speaking of organizing sewing stuff, I got this bobbin tower on clearance at Michaels a few weeks ago and it is awesome! I love being able to just reach up and grab the bobbin I need and the threads aren't hanging all over the place. I highly recommend it!

So, that is a little peek at what I have been working on this week. I am linking up with Silly Mama Quilts.

WIP Wednesday ~ Doll Quilts

I have a lot of sewing projects going on right now.

A few weeks ago, I did my first ever free motion quilting! Now, don't laugh...

For a first time I don't think it is too bad. I still need to add the binding to this scrappy doll quilt. 

After my practice round, I quilted two more doll quilts that I am making for my daughter. These sampler blocks took for. ev. er. so I didn't want to mess the quilts up. I definitely got better at FMQ as I went. I still need to finish these bindings, too!

I am also working on a free pattern for an 18" doll version of the ruffle apron I shared last week. I just need to find the pattern and scan it... I misplaced it. That happens a lot around here.

Finally, a friend of mine had a special request and I just finished it last night. I need to take better finished pictures, but here is a peek of the work in progress...

 Any guesses as to what it is? And, more importantly, what it is made of?

Linking up at SillyMamaQuilts.

Freezer Pancake Breakfast Sandwiches

I am not really a morning person.

My husband gets up really, really early for work and knows better than to try to wake me up lets me sleep. In appreciation for this, I try to make sure that he has something that he can grab for breakfast. These pancake breakfast sandwiches are his favorite! It is basically like a McGriddle from McDonald's. Except I know what is in these.

I like to make a big batch of them at once and put them in the freezer so that he can microwave them before he leaves for work. I do a lot of multitasking so it saves on cooking time, too.

Here are some of the things that I do to make this work:

• Make your pancakes a little thick so that the syrup soaks in and it is a better sandwich size. 
• Use a cookie scoop to put the batter on the griddle. It keeps them all about the same size.  
• When they are cooked and cooled slightly, match them in pairs. Place one pancake on a plate. and pour about a tablespoon of maple syrup in the center. Quickly put the other pancake on top and flip the pancakes over so that it runs down into the second pancake, too. It might get a little messy, but you can use the next pair of pair of pancakes to wipe the plate off and soak up any excess syrup.
• I used ham lunchmeat this time because I got a good deal on it locally. However, bacon or sausage patties would also be delicious. Bacon is, of course, his favorite.
• Assemble the sandwiches and wrap them in a bit of Glad Press'n'Seal. It is a bit thicker than plastic wrap, so it makes it a little easier for him to eat on the go.
• Place all of the wrapped sandwiches in a freezer bag so that they aren't getting lost in your freezer. Although, that has happened and it is a nice surprise if I find it in time.
• To reheat, vent the Press'n'Seal and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Be careful!

These are great because I get to sleep in and he gets a nutritious breakfast. It also saves a lot of money vs. him stopping to get breakfast on his way to work.

Do you have any tips to make breakfast a little easier? I would love to hear about it!

UPDATE! I found a faster and healthier way to make the eggs for these sandwiches! See it HERE!

Link Parties where I sometimes hang out...

Sew Can Do, Monday Funday, Motivate Me Monday, Inspiration Monday, Take a Look Tuesday, Naptime Creations, The Gathering Spot, Carolyn's Homework, The Winthrop Chronicles, Handmade Tuesdays,Your Whims Wednesday,  Weekly Homemaking Party,Create It Thursday, Treasure Hunt Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Wildly Original, Thriving on Thursday, Grace at Home, The 36th Party, Freedom Fridays, Feathered Nest Friday, Simple and Sweet Fridays, Craft Frenzy Friday, Think Pink Sunday, and Threading Your Way

Sneak Peek of Doll Dresses and Some Valentine Stuff

I have been doing a lot of craft projects for the kids/with the kids lately on these cold, snowy days. I made a few new things for their dolls a few weeks ago and ended up designing some new patterns. This one is a reversible doll dress.

It was surprisingly easy and I hope to release a pattern to go with it soon. It only requires two fat quarters of fabric and some bias tape.

I just haven't found two coordinating fat quarters that I really like to make another one and take pictures. Doll clothes are a little trickier because you can't use large prints.

We have had oodles of delays and an early dismissal this week. Yesterday I decided to bribe the girls to clean up with the promise of a craft project. I bought a heart paper punch when I couldn't take it anymore and ran away to the craft store one day this week. We raided my scrapbook cardstock and they got to punch hearts out. Then, I took the pile and ran them through the sewing machine to make a garland.

I just made a longer stitch and was sure to tie the ends together when I was done. These are fun and didn't take too much effort. That is my kind of project when there is a school delay.

There are some other things that aren't finished or are top secret, but I can show you this one, last Valentine project...

It is my daughter's Valentine box and it is made from an old Cheerios box and some brown packaging paper. I think he turned out pretty cute!

Happy Valentine's Day!