365 Blankets in 1 Year

September 1st will be the beginning of an epic journey.  A year-long challenge to make three-hundred and sixty-five blankets in three-hundred and sixty-five days.  It will be an exploration of fabric, thread, design and creativity.  I hope you will join me on this exciting voyage, but before we set sail, I thought it would be fun to have a look back at some of the work I have done in the past.  This will give you an idea of what lies ahead!

365 Blankets: A Look at What is to Come

More of what to expect after September 1st.

 Birds on a Line - Flannel Quilt

 Ragged Lovey

 Double Gauze Swaddler

Sock Monkey Quilt with Cuddle backing

 Flannel and Cuddle Quilt

Giraffes - Flannel Quilt

 Bicycles - Flannel Quilt

 Flannel Swaddlers

 Gauze Swaddlers

 Knit Swaddlers

Lizards - Flannel and Corduroy Quilt

Toy Truck Tutorial, Pattern and Photos Included

I can hardly believe it is already the end of August, and I started this Toy Truck Tutorial in February!  'Life' got busy and I forgot to post the rest of the photos of how I made the truck and how it turned out.

Better late than never, right. :)

 Here is the pattern again, and as for size, you can blow it up or shrink it down to whatever size you want.  Just keep in mind that the final toy size will be about 3/4 of an inch smaller, so account for seam allowance when figuring size. Note: I skipped the headlights, since I was making a tiny truck, but you could make them just like the windows.  Also, I used buttons for the wheels.

 Trace the window out on Iron-on adhesive

Find some material that you like, this is a great turquoise and cream print from Jo-Ann's, fold the fabric over so you have the right sides out.

 Trace truck outline on material

 Pin the fabric together and cut out the truck shape, now you have the front and back of you truck, and you only had to cut them out once!

 Iron on your window pieces to the back of your chosen window fabric, I went with gray.  DO NOT iron them on the front of your fabric, like I did (oops!)

 Iron on your windows and layout the rest of your embellishments, I went with dark green ric rac and turquoise buttons.

 Sew on embellishments

 You will need to guestimate how long you will need your center strip to be, this is what makes the truck 3-D.  I think this one is about 2.5 inches wide, and I don't remember how long it was, I made it 6 months ago!  You can make the strip wider if you want to, but I wouldn't go any narrower.

 Sew the two sides together and leave an open slit across where the bumper of the truck would be, this is how you will turn it inside out.  Tip: be careful to keep your center strip at a 90 degree angle when starting the second round of the truck, if you don't, the truck will be kitty-wampus.

 Note: it is not easy to sew the two sides together, small toys are difficult to sew.  If you are a beginner, I would recommend sewing a larger version of this truck.

 Turn the truck inside-out, this isn't easy either.

Ta Da, it does't look so great at the moment, it actually looks like it was in a crash, but just give me a sec!  Oh, and see on the right side, that is the bumper opening I am talking about, which you use to turn the truck inside out and to stuff the truck.


There, isn't it adorable!  Every little boy needs a truck like this!  Especially when it is made for them by a loved one!

The last step to making the truck is to stuff it until it is evenly filled out and then hand-stitch the bumper closed.

Right side

 Left side

 View from the top

 The undercarriage, HB logo ironed on the front wheel