It's time for the February monthly report. See past reports here.


February was really tough. Saying goodbye to George was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. He had been slowing down over the last year or so, but things went downhill pretty fast. Right before Christmas we shifted our focus to palliative care, and just tried to enjoy the time we had left together. I couldn't bring myself to say it at the time, but that's why I disappeared for a while. We had the help and support of Laps of Love, who helped us navigate the process. He passed here at home, in my arms. It was devastating, but the most peaceful thing we could do for him. Thank you for all the love you've shown us, it means a lot. I wanted to share this artwork that my friend Melissa Averinos did of him. What an angel.


I didn't do a whole lot of anything in February, but I did force myself to do some crafting. The main thing I worked on this month was a few weaving projects. I don't know why, but weaving has really hit the spot during this time. I think because it is so repetitive and mindless for me. I started and finished a long scarf with a skein of sock yarn and some lace-weight yarn. I also started a worsted weight scarf too, which I am still working on. I weave on a 10" Cricket Loom by Schacht.


Towards the end of the month I set myself a goal of getting two quilts in the mail for quilting by the end of February. I had the tops done but needed to make backings for both. It may not sound like much, but it was kind of daunting. I spent most of my time the last few months taking care of George, so it felt like a lot. I'm glad I pushed through and did it though. I know it will feel good when I can get those finished, hopefully it will help propel me forward.


My only sewing finishes this month was another set of scrunchies. I love the ones I made over the summer but I'm always misplacing them. Figured a few more were in order. Plus it was my scrap project for the month, so win-win. I used this tutorial from Made Everyday.


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in February:

February Fabric
Used up: .25 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -.25 yards
Year to date: -7.875 yards

February Yarn
Used up: 642 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -642 yards
Year to date: -1035 yards

No fabric purchases this month, so despite my very small amount of fabric I used up, I'm still in the negative. Will this be the first year I never have a positive "year to date"? We'll see! The scarf I finished used a good amount of yarn, so my yarn yardages are already off to a great start this year.


I did a lot of baking in February, including a coconut cake for Michael's birthday. It was the same basic cake I made for his half birthday this Summer, but this time I frosted it with cool whip and we liked it much better. The buttercream I made for it last time was too sweet and too rich. The cake recipe is from Smitten Kitchen Every Day*.

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.


I also made everything bagels. Our favorite bagel shop in Madison, Bagels Forever, had a variety called "New Everything" that had all the everything bits on the inside of the bagel instead of the outside. They were Michael's favorite, so I've been wanting to try recreating them. My first go turned out pretty good! I use this basic bagel recipe from King Arthur Baking, and I used about 43 grams of everything bagel seasoning from Trader Joes in the dough. I topped them with sesame seeds because I find they bake more evenly with the seeds on vs. nothing on the outside. Plus, we love sesame seeds.


It was a snowy month. Hurry up Spring!

Sweet George Bunny

I’m deeply saddened to share that we said goodbye to our dear George bunny this morning. He was the light of our house, and a huge part of our family. We’re completely heartbroken, and also grateful he isn’t in pain anymore after struggling the last few months. We’ll love him forever, our sweet boo boo. Thanks for loving him along with us over the years.

January Monthly Report

Happy February! It's time for the January monthly report. See past reports here.


My sewing this month wasn't anything super exciting, but I did finish some projects that I know will get a lot of use. First up I made more placemats. As I mentioned last month, we've been eating dinner at our dining room table most days since the pandemic started. I have a great stash of vintage tablecloths, but only had one style of placemats. Over the last two months I've made a few sets of placemats from my stash of home dec fabrics. It feels good to use up these types of fabrics, and I'll get to enjoy them on our table instead of tucked away in the fabric cabinet. They're super simple, just two pieces of fabric right sides together and sew around the sides. Turn, press and topstitch. They get the job done, and have been a great stash buster. I cut my rectangles 15"x17" and used 1/2" seam allowances for 14"x16" finished placemats.


My other big project this month was sewing up a set of four new pillowcases. I cut and washed the fabrics for these sometime in 2019 (I think, could have been 2018.). I've pulled them out and ironed them a few times and then put them away without cutting them. Finally in January I cut the pieces and stitched them up. I used some of my voile prints from Geometric Bliss, so they're super soft and silky feeling. I'm glad to have these to add into our rotation of cases. I use the burrito method for making mine, outlined here. Using the serger when doing the French seams really speeds these up.


I made a new cover for one of our long heating pads. This one is a little older and it runs pretty hot, so it needed a more substantial cover. I used some fat quarters of Nani Iro brushed cotton (flannel). I added a layer of fusible fleece to give it some extra padding. I'm happy to report it's back in use already and much improved by the new cover. It closes with a single snap.


My last sewing finish for the month was a pincushion from my scraps. I just barely squeezed this project in before the month ended, so I kept it simple. I decided to use all Minny Muu scraps, which are perfect for small projects since the scale of the prints is so tiny. I followed my own Scrappy Nine-Patch Pincushion Tutorial to make it. I did a pretty dense crosshatch quilting on the top, I like the resulting texture.


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in January:

January Fabric
Used up: 7.625 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -7.625 yards
Year to date: -7.625 yards

January Yarn
Used up: 393 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -393 yards
Year to date: -393 yards

I feel good about my stash results for this month. I wasn't tempted to buy any fabric or yarn, and I finished a decent amount! I'll take it.




I knit more this month than I did in the entirety of 2020! Michael has been working hard on writing and submitting a grant, so I've been spending time keeping him company while he works on the computer. It was the perfect excuse to get back into the swing of knitting. I knit two hats, plus a cowl. You can see the details for all three on my Ravelry page. I'm loving the small projects, and the finishes are keeping me motivated to continue on. Hoping it sticks, I haven't knit regularly in quite a while and it is relaxing. Hats are definitely my favorite!


My baking adventure in January was making chocolate chip bagels! When we lived in Madison, I loved the chocolate chip bagels from Bagels Forever. Getting one toasted with butter was one of my favorite treats after running errands. I've been pining for one ever since we moved away, so I finally took the plunge and tried making them. I was afraid the chocolate would disturb the rise, but it didn't at all. If anything, the dough rose more! I used my go-to bagel recipe (Water Bagels by King Arthur Baking) and I added mini chocolate chips to the dough during the knead. They turned out awesome! Next time I plan to add the chips directly to the flour.


Sleepy George Bunny.

Have a Great Month!

December Monthly Report

Happy January! It's time for the December monthly report, before we get too far into the new year! See past reports here.


Just like in November, almost all of my sewing this month was making drawstring bags. I made a couple of the Laundry size from the pattern to wrap gifts in, which is always a good stash buster. This one I made for my Dad using prints from Norikda.


And here is the second Laundry size I made, this one from Geometric Bliss for my Mom.

The Laundry size can be found in the pattern here: Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern



In December I wrapped up the lined drawstring bag sew along with two more tutorials. First up was a tutorial for a new size, that fits a wine bottle. Find it here: Wine Bottle Drawstring Gift Bag Tutorial


And the last tutorial and post for the sew along was for adding a pocket to the outside of the bag. Find it here: Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial: Adding an Exterior Pocket

To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in December:

December Fabric
Used up: 8.25 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -8.25 yards
Year to date: -25.25 yards

December Yarn
Used up: 334 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -334 yards
Year to date: -334 yards

Nothing too exciting to end the year with fabric wise. I didn't buy any fabric this month and I managed to finish a few things. Beyond the bags that I made in December, I also made a little curtain for our office as well as a couple sets of placemats. I was very happy to finish up a knit just in the knick of time!



My colorwork mittens were my lone knitting finish for the year, and I finished them around 9pm on December 31st, just in time! They're fully lined so they're nice and toasty, I've already been wearing them quite a bit. I finished the outside mittens last year I think, and finally got around to knitting the linings this year. Don't know why I let them linger for so long, the linings didn't take too long. Pattern is the Sweet Nectar Mitts by Tanis Lavallee. For more details on these see my ravelry page here: Sweet Nectar Mitts


Right before the holidays we got our first snow storm of the season. Always magical!


George bunny snacking!

Have a great month!

November Monthly Report

Happy December! Coming in most of the way through the month to sneak in the November report. Let's keep it short and sweet. See past reports here.

All of the sewing that I did in the month of November was for the Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along! I made a bunch of bags, including 24 tiny bags for my advent calendar. When I wasn't sewing drawstring bags I was working on the sew along posts, editing photos or shooting videos. It was a lot of work, but I hope it was fun! You can find all the posts from the sew along here: Lined Drawstring Bag Sew Along.

Here are a few of my favorite bags I made in November:


All made with my tutorial/patterns:
Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial
Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in November:

November Fabric
Used up: 5.25 yards
Brought in: 3 yards
Net: 2.25 yards
Year to date: -17.5 yards

November Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: 0 yards

I bought a little fabric this month, from my friend Holly's shop, Bijou Lovely. I couldn't let those Ruby Star Society apples go by without grabbing them! Plus a few other things jumped into my cart too. :)


We put up our Christmas tree the Friday after Thanksgiving which was fun. I love having it up and digging into all my ornaments. It makes it feel so cozy in the house. We're staying here in the holidays, so I really went all in on decorating to help us stay cheery.


George the bunny, looking as cute as ever.

Happy Sewing!

October Monthly Report

Happy November! It's time for October's monthly report. See past reports here.


This month I finally cut out my next double gauze quilt! The blocks are done, I've layed it all out and the pieces are just waiting to be sewn up into a top. I love how it's coming together, just need to dedicate some time to getting the top finished.


Finally decided to use up this amazing plaid fabric by Denyse Schmidt. I picked up a fat quarter of it ages ago. It's from one of her older lines, New Bedford*. When it's not amoungst other fabrics from that collection it feels very Halloween to me! A drawstring bag with a bottom accent (variation in the expansion pattern) felt like a good way to use it.

Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern
Cotton Twill Tape


I worked on a few gifts for a friend this month, including this little Liberty pincushion. I will share the pouch I made for her later this month! This is one of the pincushions that can be found in my pattern: Snack Size Pincushion Pattern


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in October:

October Fabric
Used up: 3 yards
Brought in: 5.75 yards
Net: 2.75 yards
Year to date: -15.25 yards

October Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: 0 yards

I actually bought fabric TWICE this month! Feels like a lot for me, even if it wasn't all that much yardage. I had to pick up some prints from Sarah Watson's new line Grasslands*. Her designs are some of my favorites, so a must purchase for me.


Did a little ice dyeing this month. I picked up a few white cotton bandanas and I finally got around to dyeing one up. I seem to always be dyeing tea towels. They're so handy to have around the house.


Two George photos this month, because why not! George loves to snuggle these days and he falls alseep on my lap and will stay for half an hour or so. Such a sweetheart.


Speaking of sleeping, when he gets really relaxed he'll flop over in the middle of the floor. He's so adorable :)

Have a Great Month!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from George bunny the lady bug!!

Pillow is made from my free block pattern: Paper Pieced Coffin Quilt Block Free Pattern

September Monthly Report

Happy October! It's time for September's monthly report. See past reports here.

Dahlias I picked from my garden last weekend. Varieties are Linda's Baby and Jowey Winnie.


I did quite a bit of sewing this month, which felt good! One of my late September projects was this little spooky wall-hanging I made to go above our mantle. Eventually I want to hang a big frame above our mantle, but I still haven't gotten around to getting one. It feels so empty up there, so for Halloween I decided to make a wall hanging. I'll probably do something similar for Christmas too.

I used Dana Bolyard's Ghost Town Quilt Pattern to make these houses. It was really fun to pull fabrics and fussy cut the doors. I did a scrappy sashing and bound it completely in binding scraps which felt good! I made most of it in a weekend, so a nice quick project.


I seem to make a new drawstring bag every few weeks and I stitched this one up right at the beginning of the month. This print from the Heather Ross 20th Anniversary Collection* felt Fall-ish, and was begging to be a bag. This is an Everything size made with a mini accent, which is an option in the expansion pattern.

Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern
Cotton Twill Tape


The other drawstring bag I made this month was a personal challenge. I've had this beautiful moth fabric by Jessica Swift* in my stash since 2014. I challenged myself one Friday to make something (anything!) from it. So, a bag it became. Now that I've cut into this fabric, I think it will get used more. Funny how that works! This is also an Everything size.

Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial


Made more masks of course! Still using Dana Willard's tutorial.


Last but not least, my biggest make of the month were my bear paw pillows and pattern! I've been wanting to remake these pillows and write the pattern for a long time so I feel very happy that I accomplished that last month. Already thinking I may make a Christmas pair. We'll see!

Bear Paw Pillows Pattern


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in September:

September Fabric
Used up: 8 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -8 yards
Year to date: -18 yards

September Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: 0 yards

Considering I didn't finish any huge projects like a quilt or anything, I'm quite pleased with the amount of yardage I used this month! Lots of small-ish projects added up!


In non-sewing related making I made myself a plant stand! I wanted something that would hold a bit more than the bench I had under this window before and this fit the bill. I've had it pinned for years! I used this tutorial to make it.


It's a little early for snowflakes, but I finally bought a set of cookie stamps and tested them out this month! My Mom discovered this gingerbread cookie recipe. They're really tasty, and I've getting the hang of using the stamps! These are the ones I bought: Nordic Ware Frozen 2 Cookie Stamps*


George bunny! Still shedding a little, but almost done thankfully! He's looking fluffier these days now that it's a little cooler in the house.

Have a great month!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.