Special Delivery for a Special Delivery

Pulled these for a changing pad tote for my
sister's eldest's son's wife ( and her expected
daughter). Went girly paisley and polka dots
with s metallic highlighted floral and a deep
red tone on tone.
Chose a gold braided clasp for a little class.

Remembered to add the little "signature" label this time. Sewn into the binding at the bottom inside right. Since it is a loop, it can also serve as a hanging loop for air drying the pad.

To assist mom in retrieval of pad from church nursery, or other place where multiple diaper bags are briefly gathered, I  added her family name to the outside, but to be hidden when folded. 

I went with the last name since the colors of this were chosen for the mom, and this is her first child ( a girl) , but who knows if they will have more later on? My daughter's changing pad had served three kiddos in fairly short order. 

Finished, folded and ready for shipping.

This was the first (and, thus far, only) handmade item I've trusted to the postal service. Happily, though, it made the trip just fine, and was well received.

Bloomin' Baskets

The daughter of a dear friend had become bride elect of a fine fellow, and in looking over the couple's registries their love for color became evident. After selecting a brightly colored sauce dish from among their picks, I kept thinking how nice it would be to present them with a colorful little table topper, as well. When I came across Edyta Sitar's Bloomin' Baskets in the March/April 2013 edition of Quiltmaker magazine on page 38, I knew this was the one. The same pattern sans applique is on her website as a free download called "Candy Dish". And I just NOW found this tutorial on the whole project! Click here and watch Edyta go through the table topper project step by step.

Some things about this project were different from any I had done before. It was important that I read the instructions. For instance, backing and binding (and quilting, for that matter) were all done ahead of applying the applique. Also, this was my first time to do semi-raw edge applique. I say "semi" because I had affixed the pieces with Heat Bond Lite, so they were fairly stable, and may even make it through the wash once without having that frayed edges look.

This all went together surprisingly quickly, and relatively easily. One of the hardest things was choosing fabrics from my stash to use for the 2.5 inch squares that make up the baskets' bodies. Some pre-cut jelly rolls and a few charms cut to size came to the rescue.  

If you are interested in making this, but waver due to concerns of difficulty...I say go for it. Watch the run through by the designer herself and enjoy this colorful, fun, and domestic machine throat friendly project. 

Epilogue: It was well-received by the bride elect and her groom to be.