Thomas the train blanket

I made this Thomas the train blanket for my nephew who loves anything to do with trains!  I combined two separate tutorials for this blanket.  For the top of the blanket I used the fat quarter baby quilt tutorial at www.neverenoughhours.blogspot.com.  And for the binding/mitered corners I achieved....I used a video tutorial by the missouri quilt company that can be found on you tube.  The tutorial is for a self-binding receiving blanket but worked well for this blanket as well.  To finish off the blanket I tied the layers together at various points.  The result was an adorable light summer blanket for a train-loving little boy!

Cozy crochet slippers

 I have been wanting to try to make a pair of crochet slippers for some time, but have always been scared off after reading the patterns.  I found this simple...pretty simple to follow pattern on craftster.org.  I changed the strap on the slipper to make it thicker and then decided to add a button flower on the outside of each slipper.  I think I would make the flower a bit smaller next time, but overall love the look of these slippers and admit...they are very comfortable...I had my doubts.  I followed the pattern as written and these came out a bit big on my feet...I usually wear a size 7.  So just keep that in mind when you're making these as a gift...and have fun adding your own colors and embellishments to a pair of these cozy slippers!

Crochet coasters

There are so many free patterns for crocheted coasters on the web.  I had to experiment with a few patterns before I found one that I loved.  These are the perfect size and come together very quickly.  I made a set of 4 coasters in just under an hour. The pattern uses single crochets and double crochets to complete the coaster. This pattern works well with variegated and solid crochet cotton.  The tutorial can be found at emilysparks.blogspot.com

Flowery dishcloths

I made these fun flowery dishcloths from a free crochet pattern from Michaels which can also be found online.  These are fairly quick to come together and make great gifts.  I am pairing these with a set of round crocheted coasters for a fun and unique gift.

Tissue covers

As I was searching the web for a simple sewing project that I could make for family last Christmas I came across these travel tissue covers.  Being a sewing novice I decided I could handle this project.  It was simple to make and fun to pick out the fabric.  These little covers gave me the confidence to try more involved sewing projects and I have been sewing ever since.  I made these in an assortment of colors to match the tote bags I made for my coworkers.  Another great stocking stuffer that you can make now and stow away for Christmas. 

Fabric covered notebooks

I whipped up some of the cute fabric covered notebooks with the help of a tutorial from www.vanessachristenson.com.  Her tutorial gives instructions for covering a full size composition notebook.  Using her instructions it is very easy to change the pattern to fit any size notebook.  I purchased a package of 3 medium sized notebooks for $1.50 at target and used my scrap fabric for the cover.  I made these for some of my coworkers...I am always looking for a piece of paper or a notebook to jot info in while at work.  Thinking ahead...these would make great stocking stuffers!

Kitchen creations

I made some simple potholders for a friend using scraps I had leftover from a quilt I finished. A few days later I came across this blue and green peaches n' cream yarn that I thought would match nicely with the potholders.  After searching for some dishcloth patterns I found two cute patterns.  The patterns for both dishcloths can be found at cozymadethings.blogspot.com.  I prefer the look of using two solid colors of yarn for each dishcloth so I plan to try this again using solid colors.  Still a cute pattern to try if you want a dishcloth that is not just a simple square.  This was fairly quick to put together and the instructions were very easy to follow.