Delft Tulip Table Runner

Get ready for a lot of pictures, because this is another one of my Top 10 all-time crafts. This was my wedding gift for my sister and her husband. Chloe appreciates Delft and tulips as much as (if not more than) I do, so this was the perfect thing to make for her and her husband.

After several hours of research on Pinterest, I decided I really liked this quilt, but there was no link to a pattern, just the picture. So again, I spent a long time doing math and more math, etc. I made a sample patch out of scrap fabric:

After a few more tweaks, I made several tulip patches and moved them around until I was happy with it. (Yep, that's my basement floor and my bare feet.) (And yes, there are a few extra tulip patches - Chloe, you'll probably be getting some matching potholders one of these years.)

I added some spacers in the plain white cotton, and also a border.

I quilted vertically on both sides of each row of tulips, and horizontally just above and below each tulip. I bound the quilt using the same fabric I used for the quilt back.

I found this AMAZING Delft tile fabric at Field's Fabrics. It was like $16/yard, but I found a remnant for about a $1, and got enough pieces with 'fussy cutting' to make a big difference in this table runner. You can see it below in the many pictures. :) (#sorrynotsorry)

And yeah, let's just repeat this picture because IT'S SO PRETTY!

Love and Tulips,

Leah Joy

Christmas 2018 (yep) Ornaments

For Christmas 2018, I didn't make quite as many gift as I usually do, and those I did make were mostly 'spa' type gift (bath salts, sugar scrubs, etc.) - nice gifts, but not worth photographing and documenting. I did, however, make this awesome sweatshirt for my sister. I'm super proud of it, because I did that all with freezer paper stencils I cut out by hand!

I usually apply fabric paint with a brush or sponge, but this time, I chose to use fabric spray paint for more even coverage, and it was very worth it! It looks professional, in my unbiased opinion! :)

I also made the mass ornament. This year I went very simple and classic. I made these in a variety of Christmassy color combinations.

As this was Micah's first Christmas, I decided to stick with the idea we did for Jo's first Christmas ornament and choose something Delft. I picked up this adorable bell ornament at a shop in Holland, MI.

Jo was very into Daniel Tiger in 2018, so I really wanted to make a DT ornament for her. (Yep, that's what we call him around here.) I printed out a full-color picture of him, cut out just his face (and ears), and Mod Podged it into a clear plastic ball ornament. Once that was dry, I covered the inside of the ornament with red paint. The idea was that this would be a simple way to make a cute Daniel Tiger ornament. The result?

It's not terrible, but apparently I didn't apply the Mod Podge as thoroughly as I thought, because the red paint started to leak in around the edges of Daniel's face. Oh well. Jo loved it. :)

Love and Mod Podge,

Leah Joy

Christmas Ornaments: 2016

So, I'm a little late getting all the Christmas posts up this year, seeing as it's about time to post pictures of tulips, but I still wanted to share a few things from this past December.

Here's our mantel this year, complete with the stockings I made, my tree collection, and a playpen. :)

Caleb's parents have a tradition of giving each child an ornament each year. We've decided to adopt that tradition for our family, too.  For Jo's 2016 ornament, I made this little felt strawberry (actually about the size of my fist, so not that little).

We also had not yet gotten her a 2015 ornament (for her first Christmas), so when we went to Bronner's Christmas Wonderland (in Frankenmuth, MI) this fall, we looked for one. I knew what I wanted it to look like, and none of the traditional 1st Christmas ornaments were really looking right to me. Instead, we picked up this beautiful silver and blue ball ornament, and I added a tag with blue cardstock and a silver Sharpie. :)

I also made an ornament en masse to give away to our friends and family.  This year, I made these little felt cupcakes:

They were very time consuming, considering I made almost 30 of them, but they turned out really adorable!

Love and Cupcakes,

Leah Joy