Cozy Snowy Sewing Days

This has been the week for wild and wet weather!  We got over a foot of snow over the past weekend, followed by rain, then more snow, then more rain, and more snow... and today we got a slosh of freezing rain after an inch or two of snow fell last night, making the whole world around very, very sloppy and drippy!  This is not walking weather at all, but rather the perfect kind of day to cozy up inside with a good hot cup of tea, with the whirr of the sewing machine accompanied by occasional thumps from outside with the ice and snow melting.

You may remember the lovely Barbara who blogs at Small Moments held a fabric giveaway earlier this year, and I was the lucky recipient of her giveaway!

Well, this past week, I was able to find the time - thanks to the lovely cozy weather we are having - to get busy on a little project I had in mind with the fabric she sent me.

It was a gorgeous selection of fabrics, with each piece probably about the size of a fat quarter, except for one larger piece (which I did not use this time).

In a previous post here, I shared how I used a die-cut machine to cut fabric to make a flower.

In this project, instead of using the circle scallop die, I used the square die to cut out four scalloped squares from each piece of the coordinating fabric Barbara sent me. I layered quilt batting between the squares, and sewed an "X" on each square to tack down the batting.

After placing all the pieces together in a pleasing manner to my eye, I sewed them together to make a large square.

My plan was to make a pillow out of these pieces. My next step was to cut out the backing for the pillow and sew it all together.

Now, it was time to wash and dry the pillow to "fluff" up the cut edges, and create a homespun fluffy look to the pillow.

While the pillow was washing, I started on the next project, but there was a bit of interruption.

Mr. Simba did NOT like the spinning spool of thread, and thought the world would be a better place without it!

I coaxed him into my lap and soothed his little heart with cuddles and soon he forgot about the evil sewing machine and its whirring thread monster. Perhaps that's what all the commotion was about any way... he was just jealous of my attention given to the machine, and not to him!

With a few of the remaining squares I had left, I sewed up this quick little potholder, using basically the same technique as I used with the pillow.

And here is the "mystery" picture that I mentioned in this post.  This was all that was left out of the collection of fabrics Barbara sent me (except for one larger piece of pink flowered fabric).  These were the scraps left from the scalloped squares that I cut out.  I hated to just throw these beautiful pieces into my leftover fabric scrap pile, and so I let them sit out a while for me to ponder them.  What to do with them? They were so pretty!

Finally I settled on making a little stuffed pincushion for my needles. (Some of you were very close with your guesses!)

With a shabby fabric rose sewed into the center, this was the perfect little pincushion that I have been needing for a long time.

These shabby roses add the sweetest touch to just about every sewing project I do!

A perfect way to use up the little scraps that were left over!

The finished pillow....

It adds the perfect springy touch in my living room with my neural colored couches, and brown and turquoise pillows.

The finished potholder...

I'd been wanting to try this little pattern for fabric bookmarks after seeing the tutorial on Kelly-Anne's blog, Diary of a Country Girl.  Excellent instructions for making your own bookmarks that won't get torn and are simply a beautiful way to enjoy a good book and never lose your spot.

So there you have it... my little collection of projects from the last day or so when I've been cozied up in my sewing room.  I've a few more projects I've been working on, but I'll save those for another day.

I'm sure your wondering what our little cutie has been up to... or maybe you want to see some snow.  Well, I aim to please... lol!  For those of you who don't have snow to enjoy, I hope you enjoy this little taste of winter, along with a peek into the cozy days we are having.

Mr. Simba has definitely has got a chip on his shoulder lately, with the arrival of little Riley, and the ironing board has been his favorite sleeping place... high enough to keep away from the loving attempts of Riley to make friends.  Mr. Simba will have none of it!

Roger loves wrestling with Riley, and it is a hoot to watch the two of them roll around together.

Two very silly dogs!

We took a quick walk one afternoon before the snow came back in again.

I took this picture of Annie guarding the feed block from the turkeys.  She certainly isn't making any friends in the world of turkeys!

A perfect vantage point for Riley to keep an eye on all the action outside.

Uh.oh.  Yes.  Sad news.  The tractor is stuck!  I called in a professional plowman to come and get it unstuck, and plow our driveway.  He almost got stuck with his chained up bobcat, and gave up... of course I still owed him the $50.00 for trying!  Sigh.  Things like this always happen when my dear husband is out of town.  He will be home tomorrow... and boy I can't wait! I know he has a few tricks up his sleeve and I'm sure we will get it unstuck.  Until then, there she sits.

Not sure what Roger is looking at here, but he was quite intent on whatever it was!

The snow is piling up around us!

Our son's car, parked for the winter... can you even see the car? LOL!

Just an idea of the collection of the snow we've had all winter.

The chickens haven't been impressed at all with the additional snow, and mostly just stay inside the coop, rarely coming out into the run.

Lots of poor man's fertilizer in here!

My poor little greenhouse.... all bundled up in the deep white snow. I have to keep the roof shoveled, because it is made of plastic.

Has winter caused any excitement for you this year?  I have certainly enjoyed the cozy snowy days we've had, but I'll admit, along with my furry and feathered friends, that we are beginning to look forward to spring :)