My latest quilting block obsession is the Gemology Block by SarahRose Quilts. It is such a gorgeous block!
I have yet to make any Gemology blocks for a quilt. My first Gemology project was this banner for Hillary's Shower.
I made the banner in a variety of pinks and purples and blushes to compliment Hillary's wedding colors. I thought the Cotton + Steel Mochi Floral binding/garland string paired nicely!
I have another very exciting plan for this block...stay tuned for more gems!
Hello Friends! Picking up where I left off in my last post, here are a few more of my projects for the Bridal Shower I hosted a few weeks ago.
I didn't have an official theme in mind, but wanted to use blush pinks, lavenders, and white tones.
Once again, I used my Silhouette Cameo for a quick MISS to MRS sign in pink to liven up the gift table. The bride also took a few photos with it, and it's being recycled for the Bachelorette Party.
Jen was kind enough to let me borrow her Rifle Monogram Garland that we found at the Chicago BHLDN a few years ago. I hung it behind the bride's seat, and it made a great backdrop for pictures throughout the event.
Practicing my sewing skills, I made strands of heart garland to dress up the windows.
As I mentioned in my Bridal Shower Invitations post, I sent out recipe cards with my invitations for guests to complete with instructions for their favorite dishes. I had a monogrammed "H" box to hold the recipe cards, and a marquee "H" light to personalize the table. The gifts on the left were prizes for the games (wine, recipe cards, Anniversary/Birthday book, bubble bath, and chocolates). I'll share more about my favors in my next post. The gorgeous gemstone banner was one of Jen's creations.
I made a Bride to Be sign for Hillary's chair, pictured above and below.
I feel like you only get the pretty, groomed, perfect picture of events. So here's my honest view of the chaotic mess the night before. Thankfully it came together with lots of help.
Last time, I shared my process for Pin the Mustache on the Groom.
We also played the Ring Game (not pictured). Give each guest a ring when they arrive, and explain certain words are off limits (Wedding, Bride, Groom's name, etc.). If one guest catches another saying the taboo word, they steal the ring. The guest with the most rings at the end of the event wins a prize.
Another fun game Jen helped me find was called "Who Has the Groom?" You cut out pictures of random men, or celebrity men, as well as a picture of the groom. Each guest receives an envelope with a mystery man. Everyone opens up the envelopes at the same time, and the guest with the groom wins a prize.
I think Prince Charles smelling a rose was my favorite.
When cleaning up, it was a funny surprise to find several gentlemen in the centerpieces.
Like any event, I always wish I had more time, or was able to execute that last project to make my vision finally perfect. Overall, it was so fun to celebrate Hillary, and I discovered a lot of fun projects to incorporate into future events!
If making zipper pouches is wrong, I don't wanna be right! I made three more...two for a friend and one for me!
Zipper pouches are a high reward project because they come together so quickly and make great gifts.
Newsflash: when you make three at once, they come together even quicker!
Honestly, the only reason I stopped at three was that I ran out of zippers. :)
As I mentioned in my last post, I threw a Bridal Shower over the weekend for my friend, Hillary. Hillary and I have thrown a few Bridal Showers together, so it was a challenge to introduce some new games to the party agenda rather than repeating the old worn out ones. Jen is a master researcher, and spent a night helping me compile a list of new ideas. This was one, a rendition of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, that we thought might be fun.
I used my Silhouette Cameo to make the mustaches. I can't say enough positive things about this machine. It was such a quick and easy project!
I used a mustache clip art image, copied 16 onto my template, and then added the names of the guests to be sure they'd fit within the mustache shape. I used my pink Silhouette Sketch Pen to outline the names, then switched the pen to the cutting tool to cut out the mustache outlines. My amazing college roommate, Lauren, was in attendance hence the Lauren 1 and Lauren 2.
I taped my mustaches to a display board to hang next to the picture.
I used glitter stickers, and cut out a pink mustache with my Silhouette for the game banner.
All my guests were good sports and participated! I chose to have the game going on while everyone was arriving and sipping drinks. I used a black eye mask as a blindfold and spiced it up with mustache tape
I used Walgreens to enlarge my image of the groom. It was less than $5.00, and ready in an hour. The mustache tape came from Party City. Matt, the groom, graciously agreed to allow his picture to be plastered on the blog. We agreed upon a 60/40 split in the very likely event that his picture becomes an internet sensation.
This game was a winner, and I'd play it again at future showers. I'll share my decorations and another shower activity in my next post.
This Spring I signed up for my first Instagram mini quilt swap! When I saw that the Cotton + Steel Mini Quilt Swap opened up, I couldn't resist joining. I was paired with the fabulous Colleen, aka @busybean. After factoring in her preferences for pinks and blues, low volume, and things that are traditional with a modern twist, I decided to make another NY Beauty circle of geese.
Last fall I bought a fat eighth bundle of Cotton + Steele's first collection, so I had a good base of fabric scraps to choose from. I supplemented with a few pink and blue selections from the Spring collection.
I added my own twist to the pattern by taking the scraps from paper piecing and making itty bitty flying geese for each corner of the quilt.
I also had fun making labels for the quilt with Melody Miller's Wordfind fabric. I made one that spelled out COLLEEN, and another that spelled out BUSYBEAN.
I let loose and completely improvised the back, which was SO MUCH FUN.
I also put together a fun box to send off the mini with a pack of rainbow tissue paper and my 1 inch circle punch.
In the middle of the swap process, the swap organizer announced that the finished minis would be entered into a contest, and Cotton + Steel had generously agreed to donate fabric to the winners! I was beyond honored to be included as semifinalist.
There were so many lovely mini quilts created for this swap. I was lucky enough to receive an absolutely gorgeous mini from Kelly of @islandgirl_4. I just love it and it looks so pretty on my wall.
I'm up to my ears in secret sewing, so I haven't been able to sign up for another swap yet...but it's only a matter of time.
