After they were all sewn together I creased the the hearts along the seam for a little dimension and that was it! Fun and simple. So while I was at it I listed one into the Etsy shop too. Maybe you'd like one too, after all it is 100 feet of Jane Austen love.
Dear Ms Austen- please don't be upset that I cut up your book, I promise it was for a real good cause. Don't think of it as destrying think of it as upcycling!
Before Christmas a gal contacted me about making a table runner for her. She had bought a set of my Suburbia hot pads and wanted a table runner to match. She told me that the set would be for her daughter's 2nd birthday (she is getting a play kitchen). Which I think is a darling idea- must remember for Kennedy.
Luckily she didn't need it before Christmas, which would have been impossible, but I started on it the week I got home from vacation, and here is the final project. The 45 degree corners were a new and troublesome endeavor for me. But in the end I like how it turned out, especially those Ruby scallops for the binding. 
Image via: Craftiness is Not Optional
I enlisted the help of my sister Amber and my mom in the project. Amber, who is great with design and drawing helped me figure out which aspects of Shaun's life we should include and how to do so. She drew most of the images that became the stitcheries. We divided the 10 blocks between the 3 of us. A few months later I collected the stitchery blocks. We collaborated on fabrics/quilt designs, and from our collaborations I created this quilt. Just in time for Christmas too!
I love how it turned out. The colors, the design, the fabrics, the stitcheries, the straight line diagonal quilting, even the back.Now for a brief look into Shaun's life:
Family was always the most important part of Shaun's life. His wife, his children and his extended family.
Shaun married my Aunt Karen in the Idaho Falls LDS Temple.
He served a religious mission to Japan.
He was a farmer, and operated a red combine. He was one of the hardest working men I've ever known.
Shaun attended and graduated from Brigham Young University.
He taught his kids to ski when they were small and it was always a favorite family activity.
He loved scouting and was involved in it his whole life.
Shaun enjoyed read, and I always remember that there was stack of books on the table beside his chair.
He was raised in and lived his life in a small town in Idaho.
He went to Oakley High School and enjoyed sports.
My uncle Shaun was a great man, a man whom I want to try to emulate in my own life. Creating this quilt about him has helped me to remember that and I hope that it will have that same affect on others, especially his children and future grandchildren who won't have met him but can still benefit from his example and love.
I made this drawstring pouch for my sister for Christmas, I was inspired by this one.
I had a lot of fun with this wee little bag, I think because it combined so many different elements but didn't take me so long that I got sick of it. Plus it's grey and yellow which is my current favorite color combination.
Adding the drawstring was the most challenging part for me, a challenge that I didn't quite overcome, thus there is only string on one side of the bag.
I also made a guitar strap for my brother in law, although to be perfectly honest I really recovered a guitar strap. I had known that I wanted to make him one for a while and then I happened upon this fabric and knew that it must be. Because you see, he is partial to the color orange and has a thing for rockets.
My search for a guitar strap tutorial didn't lead me to exactly what I wanted to do, so in the end I had to wing it. And honestly it wasn't hard. In fact the hardest part was taking the original strap apart, oh and turning that long thin tube of fabric so that the right sides were out. If people are interested maybe I'll try to write a tutorial sometime.
I personalized it just a little more by embroidering his name on it. Giving handmade gifts is my favorite part of Christmas, I hope the recipients don't mind too much!
I've been considering making an oven mitt for a while now, and finally decided to take the plunge, as a Christmas gift for a friend. I loved doing the patchwork and the quilting. I used the pattern piece that is on the Insul-Bright wrapper. I think it turned out cute, but it is a bit small (even after I enlarged the pattern). Also if I make another I'll change how I do the binding, because sewing this one on was not fun.
I used a collection of Christmas-y fabrics that I have on hand. Unfortunately I don't know the names of any of them.
I made this hot pad to match too. I love doing embroidery and I think this tree is quite charming.
The back of the hot pad (I used this fabric as the lining for the mitt too). 
