Mini Apron for Dish Detergent Bottle

I think I may have made one of the cutest items for my mom's kitchen this weekend! My mom has this detergent bottle that "I" find extremely ugly, so I decided to dress it up a bit. I created a pattern that will allow this apron to be reversible with some type of pleats or ruffles around the edge. Ruffles ended up very difficult to work with, mainly because they were too small, too ruffly and too curly.

The front side.

I decided to use the pleats instead, super happy with how they turned out.

The back side.

with a red heart pocket.

Ugly soap detergent bottle all dressed up! I swear I don't understand what this detergent is...

Here is how the back looks all tied up.

I think I will do the dishes for my mom tonight! 

Let me know if you are interested in a free tutorial, I am happy to write one up.

More Goodies from Taiwan

One of the many things I love about quilting stores in Taiwan is their pre-made project kit. They go through the trouble of cutting up fabrics and assembling everything you need to make something. Of course, I got a few of those.

Super cute bunny bag

It has everything I need. See that cute heart zipper!?

 

Every time I visit Taiwan, I have to bring back Japanese books because they are actually translated to Chinese, and I can read Chinese!!

Ah, finally! Yoko Saito's Patchwork Lessons 1 & 2 in Chinese!

More books.

I almost got a copy of this "ABC Patchwork Lesson" by Kumiko Fujita here in the US. Thank goodness I didn't because the one I purchased from Taiwan is way cheaper and is in Chinese!

I swear I can buy up the entire section on quilting and many other crafts if I have the luggage space, these books take up a lot of space and are quite heavy. Until next time.... thanks, Taiwan, for a wonderful trip! :)

I am Back!

Wow, what a trip! I spent the last week in Taiwan with family and had the chance to visit three quilting stores in Taipei. Although I was in Taiwan for only a week or so, I feel like I was gone for an entire month. I really enjoyed my visits to the quilting stores and many of those stores had items imported from Japan. Here are some pictures of fabric I "acquired" aboard.

 

 Purchased these from three different stores, but love how they go together. I am thinking to make a lining for a bread basket using that strawberry fabric with lace around the edge?

Cute and random fabric that I liked.

Absolutely love this fabric with maps, histories, and phone booths of London!

Storefront of Patchwork Garden in Taipei.

 Taipei 101 - world's tallest building until 2010.

I also purchased tons of Japanese quilting books in Chinese, I am so thrilled that I will be able to read those! I will do another post just on those books. It feels good to be back home :)

Quilted Diamond Vest

You guessed it.... I started another project; it's called the "Quilted Diamond Vest." This will be my first knitting project working with zippers. I ordered five balls of Valley Yarn Berkshire from WEBS. I ordered five balls, instead of four, because I am afraid of running out of yarn. This was my second time ordering from WEBS. It came two days after I placed the order, and as always, I was very satisfied with the quality of the yarn. 

These diamond patterns are addicting...

I took this picture last week, so by now, I already have 10 rows of these diamonds made. I am now ready for the arm hole decrease, can't wait to have the back piece completed. 

Aeolian Shawl - Finally!

Okay! The shawl is finally blocked! As per Cinzia's request, here are some pictures of the Aeolian Shawl all finished. Usually I soak the entire knitted project in water before I lay it flat, but given how "fragile" this yarn already was with all those beads, I decided to lay it flat, pin it, then wet it with a spray bottle. It worked out very well.

Not as big as I had hope, but oh well :) 

Love these beads!

I decided not to block the edge and left it ruffly. 

YAY!!!!!! It feels so good to have this project all finished! 

Labor Day Weekend

It has been one busy Labor Day weekend! I baked a two-layer chocolate cake with frosting, a dozen vanilla cupcakes, and made chocolate coated strawberries. I also made these delicious mushroom/artichoke stuffed mushrooms for family BBQ later today.

18 stuffed mushrooms, not baked yet :)

These mushrooms are so easy to make. I purchased Portabella mushrooms from Trader Joe's, cleaned them well, dried them, and removed the stems. I kept some of the stems and cut them up to be used as actual stuffings. Then I cut up some artichokes (come in cans), and combined them with mushrooms (stems), about a half of cup of mayo and 1/2 cup of grated parmesans. You can bake them at 350°F for 20-30 minutes. Easy, huh? They are so delicious, I guarantee it! 

I hope you are enjoying this Labor Day holiday weekend wherever you are.

Hello September!

Bye bye August, hello September! I still can't believe this year is almost over. Where did it go? I guess time flies when you are not paying attention.

I have been busy planning a baby shower for a friend, but am proud to share with you that I have finally the impossible Aeolian Shawl. It's being blocked; I will take picture of it when it's all dried and blocked properly. I tried to take some pictures of the baby quilt that I finished, but just didn't like any of the photos? I will try again.

On a different note, can anyone guess what I am making here with the different shades of pink squares?

Totally addicted to hand quilting