Castle Peeps placemats

I made these placemats for my kids ages ago - they were actually Hanukkah presents!

Of course, I finished stitching them late at night and wrapped them straight away to gift them the very next day.

Since then they've gotten continuous use which has made it really hard to get any decent photos before they got messy again, and again, and again.

And then, I used some scraps of batting and wasn't sure which brand and how far apart I could leave it open. So, already food stained I added some hand quilting (my first attempt at hand quilting!) before throwing them in the wash for the first time.

I fussy cut the peeps and then made the one block loosely based on the Sunspot block in Elizabeth Hartman's book, The Practical Guide to Patchwork.

They are very well-loved and well-used and definitely brighten up the dining table.

Crayon Rolls for Christmas

Crayon Rolls

Firstly, a quick hello and thank you to my followers - old and new. You've provided me with such wonderful support, inspiration and assistance in my crafting endeavors (and sometimes life, too)! I'm a bit overwhelmed again by the response to my giveaway - thanks so much, especially for all the food tips; I hope to add some dishes to my repertoire. My giveaway will be open a bit longer than the official time (I'll be sound asleep here in Australia at 6 pm PST); I'll close the comments when I get up in the morning, and draw the winners sometime during the day. I'm so excited to pick and announce the winners!

Crayons galore!

I've made three more crayon rolls, for Christmas presents, using Skip to My Lou's easy-to-follow tutorial. Every bit of it - from the size of the pocket to the length of the ribbon, works great. But what works even better is Lizzy House fabric - those peeps are just the right height for the pocket - don't you love it?

Red Letter Day Ugly Duckling

The above fabric is particularly special to me, and since my little girl loves pink, this one is for her! Lizzy House Red Letter Day Ugly Duckling on the outside; pearl bracelet on the inside; and some DS Quilts for the pocket - I thought they looked great together.

Castle Peeps - for boy

The next two are for a sister and brother - our friends' kids that we're about to meet for the first time when they visit from Holland (for Christmas). So I made coordinating Castle Peeps rolls.

Castle Peeps - for girl

I love how the peeps look like they're guarding the crayons!

On Guard!

So that's three gifts finished, about a dozen I'd like to complete before Christmas. I'll be happy if I finish four more. How many gifts do you still hope to make?

Castle Peeps Skirt

I thought about making this skirt for a long time. I really need to start using my precious fabric so I finally got it out, cut it and made this. It was so much fun! And it turned out just as I wanted. I only had fat quarters of the Castle Peeps fabric, so I made this up as I went along, using the amounts of fabric I had. The bottom ruffle is from Riley Blake Bloom and Grow - I think it compliments the Castle Peeps perfectly.

Miriam loves to wear it. We call it her princess skirt and she sings the theme song to the show Little Princess while she wears it. As you can see (and as I'm sure many of you experience), it's impossible to get her to stay still and pose for a photo!

I have so many cute fat quarters, but no skirt patterns that use the right sizes. That's why I've made up some patterns myself. I could write up a tutorial and measurements for how to make ruffled skirts using only fat quarters. Anyone interested?

castle peeps!

I had so much fun making this crayon roll! And I can’t imagine any young boy or girl that wouldn’t delight in all its castle glory. The only thing I’m worried about is keeping it away from the recipient's mother!

I bought fat quarters of castle peeps in every colourway a while ago, but haven’t had a special enough project for it yet. But I didn’t hesitate to cut it for this – part of a little care package for our friends in Brisbane. While their house was spared the worst, the cleanup of their backyard and garage and neighbours’ houses is unimaginable. Hopefully this, along with some baked goods, will help pick up their spirits.

Pattern: Crayon Roll Tutorial from Skip to my Lou

Fabric: Castle Peeps by Lizzy House

Modifications: Cut the inside and outside fabric pieces 6 inches wide instead of 5 – to accommodate the height of the towers on the outside.

It’s the second time I’ve made a crayon roll using this tutorial. It’s really simple and easy to follow and the measurements work out perfectly. It was fun cutting the strips to take advantage of the fabric design. Don’t you just love how the peeps appear on the inside when it’s unraveled?

By the way, have you checked out the auctions and raffles on make it perfect yet? As of last week they’d already accounted for $45,000 in donations to the Queensland Flood Appeal. Truly outstanding. While the auctions end tonight, most of the raffles continue until Wednesday – a $5 or $10 donation buys you a ticket in the raffle.

Tomorrow morning Toni's posting a Raffles Master List on make it perfect, so have a look! I’ve entered already for a sewing machine from the red thread and an amazing Dr Seuss pillow at a cuppa and a catch up.

Fabric Stash - Castle Peeps

I hope you'll forgive another stash post. While I've been productive lately on the machine, I have no photos or finished objects to show off yet. I've made some pot holders and placemats, and I finally basted and started quilting my Wonderland Quilt. It will definitely be a bit wonky, but I can settle for a Wonky Wonderland.

However, I had to share some new stash - Castle Peeps by Lizzy House:

I bought 3 fat quarter sets from Hawthorne Threads, so I basically have a fat quarter of each print in each colourway - joy! I liked these when I saw them online, but I loved them when I saw them in person. The colours are incredible and the peeps are so cute! I like the Cardinal Red colourway (bottom row) the best, even though this was my least favourite online. I think my favourite print is the Castle Fortress (far right).

And the fun and talented Lizzy House is hosting a Summer Camp, with different bloggers posting projects using Castle Peeps (click on banner logo on the right to learn more). I look forward to seeing and participating in some of these projects.

And here is my son checking out the Castle Peeps along with some Wheels: