And now for something a little different

Hello everyone! It's been a while since I've updated, I know. Busy busy busy.

Busy doing what, exactly? Well, I have been working on a new HBT, but that's not what I'm writing about. Actually, most of my time lately has been taken up by this:

It's a mobile for my daughter. There is a story here:

My husband's grandmother used to make quilts. When she died several years ago, the quilt in the background was found among her belongings. Nobody knew who is was made for, so for my daughter's first Christmas, my mother-in-law gave it to her. This quilt has since become THE BLANKY. You know what I mean. That blanky that some kids have that is so important. My baby girl won't sleep without it. Since she has been born, we have always had to share a bedroom, so she hasn't had a space to call her own that can be decorated just for her.

Until now. Now that my husband and I are moving into a beautiful three bedroom house in Minnesota, our daughter will have her very own space. So I am going a little nuts deciding how to decorate it. Since she loves her blanky and being outside, I've decided a shabby-chic garden theme. Now shabby-chic isn't really my aesthetic, but for babies I think it's really cute.

I've been seeing some really cute fabric birds online lately, and I thought they'd make a really cute mobile. I dug through my mother-in-law's scrap box and found some coordinating colors and prints. I was even lucky enough to find scraps of two prints from her quilt. They must have been found with the quilt.

 

I cut out bird shapes and stitched them together with a very basic running stitch, with the seam on the outside for a cute  shabby-chic look. I had to use clear nail polish on the seams to keep them from fraying. I made a couple of french knots with embroidery floss for eyes, and voila! Adorable little birdy.

I cut some scraps from the same fabric and hot glued them around a large embroidery hoop. Then I threaded beads and birds onto thread and strung them onto the hoop.

I am REALLY happy with how it's turned out. I can't wait to hang it in her room. There are some other things I also want to make to go in her room, but tonight I think I will return to knitting and finish up the HBT I have been working on.

Until later- I hope you are having a fabulous day, and DON'T FORGET ABOUT OUR CONTEST! Last day is July 10!