Pillow Cover Inspiration

Penny has been not so quiet in expressing her wishes that we give her more attention the last few months. She is a well behaved dog (I swear)....but she is also very stubborn and smart. Our couch has seen much better days, we have had it for 6 years and it is not so comfy anymore, and she has added to it's comfort levels in the last month or so. So after the dog has ripped every cushion, we decided it was time for a new one (duck tape just doesn't look to comfy and inviting.) Last month we went and special ordered a new Laz-E Boy sectional and we were just informed today that it will be ready for pick up Tuesday. :)
I am so excited! It has reclining seats (great for when I am finally pregnant with our first baby and can't sleep in a bed), it is the perfect size for our living room, and it is chocolate brown....neutral and perfect for making quilted pillow covers to rotate at my hearts desire. :)
So I have been browsing flickr for inspiration for our new couch cushions.
Here are some pretty pillows made by some talented quilters that strike my fancy:

Above pillows from crazy mom quilts.

From a little sweetness. I have a charm pack of Little Pips that I want to use for this one.

This block is the July block for my bee there or bee squares quilting bee. I am going to try the block first with my own fabric before making Kim's block and cutting into her fabrics. I am nervous to try it but really excited. The tutorial is from twin fibers. I am so excited to make my new couch some new pillows, the old ones are so boring. Can I get 5 done by Tuesday?

A "baby" baby quilt

Doesn't it seem like everyone is pregnant right now!? Four ladies at work are expecting, and one just returned back to work from maternity leave. I also have a good friend expecting her second as well.
One of these ladies is having her baby shower tomorrow. I was planning on making her a taggie blanket....instead I made her a play quilt for her soon to be little girl.
Here is "Play Squared":

This little quilt measures 30" square, small but perfect for an infants tummy time.

I am loving this quilt, and one of the biggest things I love is that it was made mainly with fabric from my own stash! The white blocks I cut from my white fabric on hand. and the borders for the squares I had left over from other projects, already cut to the perfect size. :)
I bought two fat quarters, hot pink and lime green, and used browns and other pinks and greens from my stash to go with the baby room theme the mommy has chosen.The squares are different sizes and fit randomly in the 6" blocks.
I added ribbon in three different colors and textures, as well as this brown minky square:

And this soft white bumpy square, for sensory exploration.

Along with the crinkly texture from the fabric, this is going to be a fun play quilt!
And for the back I used the rest of the fat quarters, and some white fabric....the binding is a fat quarter of brown I had on hand as well.

Have I mentioned that I LOVE this quilt. I am definitely going to make another...especially when I have my own little one. Just one more look at "Play Squared" for the road. :)

School's out for SUMMER

My three week class is over! It was a fun class, Multicultural Education, quick and easy too. Now I have nearly 3 months to enjoy the hot, humid Nebraska summer with NO homework. I plan to quilt, read, camp, quilt, hike, read, quilt....it is going to be fabulous.
I didn't get much quilting done during my class. However I did find some time to make a little something for my baby, Penny. Her water and food dishes needed a little something to spruce them up.....so  I made her a quilted towel "mat."

I used a few of my favorite prints from Max and Whiskers by Basic Grey as well as some coordinating prints and a few with a coffee theme to match our kitchen. I used a towel for the back/batting to absorb the spilling water...Penny is not so neat.

I also had time to make a little something for my water bottle. It is getting hot, we had a very cool spring (very cool) but as usual it didn't last long. I made this koozie after making the one for my aunt's bridal shower. I used Insul-Bright on this one to help keep my water cool on the playground at work as well as my bike rides home. The Insul-Bright worked pretty well, and all my kids kept asking me "what is that?" and "did you make that?" and my favorite "did your mom help you make it?"

I love to ride my bike instead of drive during the nice months....today was 98 degrees, not too bad. :) So I added some bike fabric to the inside and half the outer side, and then I did the patch work with some scraps. It is so bright and cheery and I love how cute my water bottle is now.
Right now, literally. I am working on a small baby quilt for a co-worker's baby shower on Saturday, it is very fun. I am also working on my quilting bee block for June. So back to my quilting, before bed. Our first field trip of the summer is tomorrow....I am sure I will be tired when I get home. :)