Project Quilting off season challenge 1 & ALYOF April

Pheeeeewey!  Nothing like realizing - while still out of town visiting family - "the Project Quilting challenge ends in 15 hours"..... when for whatever reason I had it in my mind we had until the end of the month.  Whoopsie!

Based on my birthday, June 8th (6/8), I was to use a deep purple and gray for this challenge.  So..... we got home, got laundry started - and I quickly pulled out my purple and gray scraps to get to work!

See more about the challenge by clicking HERE.

April has been a super busy month - my blog has been quieter for sure - and I really have no idea where the month went???

I knew when I originally saw the challenge I wanted to make something for me - because it was based on MY birth date.

So.... today I decided I'd whip up a coffee sleeve!

I get up at 4:30am with my hubby most weekdays to get some work in before my kiddos wake up - so coffee is a MUST around here.  I have a few reusable cups that don't have built in insulation - so they definitely need a sleeve!

Purple + gray + coffee sleeve + ONLY using scraps = this!

I did a little bit of straight line quilting through all three layers (cotton / fusible fleece / cotton) along the seams.  

Decaf?!  Yah, right!

Perfect - ready to protect my hand from that delicious, hot, oh-so-necessary java tomorrow morning! 

I love making coffee sleeves - and sell them in my Etsy shop - I'm always willing to cut into any in-stock fabric to make one!

In true Project Quilting fashion here are the details:

This coffee sleeve was (quickly) created in my home sewing studio in Montesano, WA.  It measures approximately 9.5" x 2.5" and is three layers - cotton / fusible fleece / cotton with bits of straight line quilting in a light gray.  Oh... and I'll call it "quick and scrappy"! :)

Linking up with Persimon Dreams - Project Quilting Off-Season Challenge 1

&

A Lovely Year of Finishes - April

Baseball Shirts!

I am *trying* to do more sewing for my kiddos - it's one of my recurring goals each month.  They are amazingly appreciative EVERY time I do.... and I always love seeing things I make actually being used (but don't get to see this often because most of what I sew is sold and ships to my customer and I might get a picture back - which always makes my day - but I don't get to REALLY see it being used).  Making things for my kiddos allows me to see the item in action - being played in / on, snuggled with, thrown through the wash who-knows-how-many-times.  Love it!

When I saw Alyssa's pattern review for the Old Tyme Baseball Shirts I knew it was going on my "someday" list.  You know the list..... "Someday I'll sew that.  I might even buy the pattern today.... but someday I'll actually get around to sewing it."

Well.... then my friend Eileen contacted me about being a guest boutique for a themed auction group - and guess what one of the themes was?!  Yup - "Take me out to the Ballgame" - perfect!

We are coming up on recreational softball league season around here - and our boys LOVE cheering on Daddy's team, the Yard Dogs - so I thought I'd make them shirts in his company colors - black & yellow (yes, like the song).  If you want a giggle.... check out this remix done by someone from my hubby's company (it's clean... and makes me laugh because he definitely drives a "bumblebee" - yellow truck, black hood)

To say they love them would be an understatement, for sure....

I may have had to bribe them with the new super-duper-massive-sized bubble container to get them to take the shirts off....

I loved sewing these up - and this was my first attempt at piping (it went well.... I learned a ton.... and the second shirt went even better)

We have one left-handed lil' guy.  We started noticing this around 7 or 8 months old - as he was starting to feed himself little snacks.  Sure enough.... he's a leftie!  Partway through last softball season we got him his own glove.  I ordered it on Amazon because I wasn't finding anything small enough for him locally.  I wasn't about to pay twice as much for colors that were more traditionally "boy" - so he has a black and pink glove.  And he loves it.  Then again, we have lots of pink around our house! :)

We are pretty sure B-man is right handed..... check out his form!

This picture cracks me up.  They were both being a bit.... uncooperative.... with the photo taking (can you blame them?  The sun was shining so they wanted to be PLAYING!) - so I told them there was a monkey inside my camera.  He's looking for the monkey in the lens!  Tehehehehehe

A few detail shots - love the curves at the front - and the piping!

The hem is also curved - longer in the front and back, shorter on the sides - just like a traditional jersey - so cool!

This design will be one available for custom order - - - or you can bid on your own custom shirt(s) at the When You Wish Designs Auction (it's a group on Facebook.... they just recently started using the group in an attempt to increase visibility and communication) - their Facebook page is also used for previews / advertisement. 

The auction runs Tonight through Thursday! :)

ALYOF April Goal

Phew - I've been in a funk for nearly a week - but it's time to get to work... and April is going to be a VERY busy month (we have plans all but one weekend in April..... and that weekend will probably involved the hubby working Saturday... so it will be a one-day weekend!)

Time to make my April goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes!

I'm sad that the official Season 5 of Project Quilting is over - but Kim from Persimon Dreams was quick to get the first off-season challenge posted - yippee!

This month's challenge involves this "calendar of colors"

We are to find the numbers that represent our birthday - and make something that features those two colors (we can add in other colors.... but it must be obvious the two colors our original inspiration came from)

It must be completed by April 27th and linked up over at Persimon Dreams - perfect!

My birthday is June 8th - 6/8 - so my colors are:

A medium / dark purple and gray!

I can definitely work with these :)

As I said.... April is going to be crazy busy - with custom orders, travel to visit family, events with people from Hubby's work, a blog hop, pattern testers and reviews..... phew!

Guess I'd better get sewing!

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Linking up with ALYOF at SewBittersweet Designs - can't wait to see what everyone else is working on this month!