In my adventures in making coasters, I realized that binding the edges takes way too much time relative to the overall process. I thought that there must be a way to simplify this process… Having done no homework whatsoever I devised a method to use an oversized back for binding, and I think it will work well. I have a set assembled and quilted, ready for me to bind, so we’ll know soon how it turns out. I can’t be the first person to have tried this, but I sure hope it works. It will save me a bunch of time/effort/fabric if it does. Stay tuned for the results and some pictures. If it works well I’ll probably do a small tutorial.

I promised a fundraising project for Aura’s House soon, and it’s here!  I’ve started making coaster sets with the entire sale price going towards the Children International projects at Aura’s House (hence the title, Coasters for Children!) The first set is shown here, and is on sale now. These are JUMBO sized to accomodate large mugs and cups (about 5 1/2 inches across). The ENTIRE sale price will go to Aura’s House, so I’m footing the materials and time to maximize the contribution. Hopefully this is an easy way to make a BIG difference with a small price tag.

I’ll continue adding sets to the store as soon as they’re ready. Thanks again for your support of these wonderful projects!

These are placemat sets that we made for holiday gifts. We used the same prints within each set, but varied the position of each print within the pattern. This makes a nice matched set where each mat is unique. The sets were fairly easy to make, and very well received. Best of all, you can make an entire set of placemats from one set of fat quarters.      

My wife and I have an upcoming class for a 9 patch quilt, based on Judy Sisneros’s design. It should be great! I picked some excellent asian prints to use, so expect to see some photos after the class. 

I’m still handstitching the binding on my nephew’s birthday quilt. I’ll share some photos after the party, so as not to spoil the surprise!  

For those who are not aware, but might be interested, my wife is unloading some yarn over at her blog. The proceeds go to a good cause, so have a look if you’re a knitter. 

Another thing you may not be aware of is that we sponsor a handful of children through the fantastic and unequaled Children International. In addition to the basic sponsorship, my wife has gone above and beyond with some other wonderful ways to help bring these hardworking families out of poverty. If you’ve not done so already, definitely have a look. She’s doing a fantastic job!  

And lastly, what good is a post without a photo? Here to save the day, is none other than our Libby, who today decided that a 10 lb bag of joint compound mix looked like a good thing to destroy. And while you’re destroying something, you have to eat some too, right? And of course when you eat joint compound mix, you’re gonna yack later on, right?  Props to the wife who spotted the oncoming vomit, even before the stomach convulsions started, and props to me for getting Libby to puke into the trash can.  That’s right, into the trash can.  Housetraining is one thing, but directing puke to the trash can is in a league of its own. 

As promised, here’s a sneak preview of the birthday quilt for my nephew. You’ll have to wait to see the rest, sorry!  Tonight I finished all the quilting, and I just need to bind the edge.