I made two little mini quilts, it seems like very long ago, for Lark for their book, Pretty Little Mini Quilts. It's out now—very exciting—and my contributors copy has arrived at my door. Oh, there's nothing wrong with quilts.

The folks at Lark also had the really good idea of asking contributors if they would like to donate their quilts made for the book to Craft Hope for Haiti. I was so happy about this because I had wanted to contribute something to the auction, but just didn't know what to make or when I would find time to make it. Done! My little red minny muu quilt went to Craft Hope, but I kept the green one with the Heather Bailey fabrics. I have plans for it in my kitchen. Its little sprout-y embroideries were inspired by a particularly mushroom-filled period in Elie's terrarium.

I wish I could share the auction link, but the quilt was up and sold before I knew! I would say that's a good thing. Craft Hope has raised over $30k for Haiti—that's crazy.

In other book-related news, a friend let me know that my local quilt shop, Sew Sassy, is featuring Quilts Baby! now and that they have a version of Erin's elephant quilt in the window. Fun!

It's November, and I am making stuff to give to people. Last year I was doing this some time after November, like the day in December that was the day before I was leaving home for Xmas. That was a bad idea and I won't do it again. Last year I made kettle handle holder for my knitting buddies, and these potholders might actually be the thing I make that is most requested by family and friends. I used to think that people wanted it just for the cute factor. They would say they burned their hands on their kettles, but I didn't quite believe them. That was before I got my new stove. My new stove is gas. The old one was electric. Gas burners make your kettle handles much hotter. I found this out the hard way the first 10 times I went to pull off my tea water. Each time I burned my hand a little voice in the back of my head went, "Now you're cooking with gas!" It was fairly obnoxious, and I finally put on the kettle handle potholder I had made for myself.

If you want to make a kettle handle holder for you or someone else, here id how I did it. This pattern is also being published in Lark's Quilt It with Wool, due out in January. (Drat it's not out pre Xmas—I think it has good gift ideas.) Make as many as you want, but please don't make to sell.

Kettle Handle Potholder

Materials:

• 8.5 x 5 in. piece of felt (I used a fulled sweater)
• 8.5 x 5 in. piece of pattern cotton fabric for potholder backing
• 1/2 in. double fold bias tape (purchased or made yourself)
• 1 button

Instructions

1. Pin the felt to the cotton fabric rectangle of the same size, wrong sides facing. Quilt the two layers together. Use straight lines that run lengthwise and are 1 in. apart. Start in the middle, then work your way out to one side, then the other.
2. 
   After quilting, the edges of the cotton fabric will most likely not match up with the edges of the felt due to stretching while sewing . Trim the edges so that they are even--you will trim about 1/4 in. from each side.
3. Cut two 7in. pieces of bias tape, and sew the opening edge shut on each. These are your ties.
4. 
   Apply the binding. Cut two pieces of bias tape the size of the long sides of the potholder. Tuck the sides of the potholder into the fold of the bias tape and stitch close to the open edge of the tape. Take the two ties and line up one raw edge of both along one short edge of the potholder on the felt side. Pin them in place. Cut two pieces of bias tape that are an inch longer then the short sides of the potholder. Fold the bias tape over the short sides of the potholder, tucking the raw edges of the tape under. Stitch close to the open edge of the tape, through all layers.
5. Finishing: Trim the ends of the ties on an angle. On the felt side of the end of the potholder without the ties, sew the button about an inch from the edge (or place it so it fits your particular kettle when wrapped).

You may have seen it on the sidebar already, but I wanted to post about Quilts, Baby!, a new baby quilts book from Lark, edited by Linda Kopp. I've contributed a pattern to this book, but before I get into those details, I want to say how much I like the other patterns in the book. Lark really did a great job in putting this together. They wanted us to focus on fresh quilt ideas that a beginner can handle, and I think the book really hits that nail on the head.

I am in very good craft blog company in the book. if you have a minute, check out the sites of these other great quilt makers:

• Aimee at www.dreamfollow.com
• Laura at www.lkdDesigns.etsy.com
• Julie at www.julieknoblock.com
• Carly at neststudio.typepad.com
• Laurraine at www.patchworkpottery.com
• Glynis at www.dandelionquilts.com
• Kajsa at syko.typepad.com/syko/
• Erin at houseonhillroad.com
• Victoria at thesillyboodilly.blogspot.com
• Jude at judestuecker.com/
• Marne at www.heylucy.net/
• Malka at stitchindye.blogspot.com/
• Christina at jamtartbaby.etsy.com (not up at the moment)

For my quilt I did a traditional bricks quilt (easiest one in the book!), and then turned the "bricks" into the idea of stairs, because playing on the stairs is really fun. Then I made little redwork kitties who galavant up and down the stairs—they march, they slide, they jump... The cartoon-ish kitty shapes are easy to adjust, if you want to customize one. Or, if you hate cats, you could change the ear shape and make a dog/mouse/bear/etc. It was a lot of fun to make.

It's been a week since my little girl headed out for some time on her own with her grandparents. From what I hear, they are having a lovely time with continued plans for fun.

The photo was taken before she left. She was playing the role of the bored model—being made to try clothes on repeatedly for fit, sick of it but acquiescent. The flower patch pocket is the same one that I used in this apron a year ago. (Still a favorite apron for me.) It looks so cheery and kid-like in these pinks and cutsy prints. There is a bit of fabric from my most recent shirt in the petals, so yes we could do coordinating mother-daughter outfits if we wanted to. Scared of that. The flower is that little bit of quilting that I was working on during the plane ride from San Francisco. I really liked having that work to do on the plane, and since I'm taking off again tomorrow, I think I'd better get some pieces cut.

So, I'm happy to share that the dress above will be featured in a book published by Lark. Absolutely A-line (the title) takes a simple a-line dress pattern (Simplicity 5284) and shows you different ways to change it up with embellishments, shortened bits, added ruffles, etc. My contribution is the patchwork pocket. The book is due out in about a year—I think it will be a pretty cute book!