Thursday, December 29, 2011

Handmade Christmas

With a lovely three-week break from school, and a LONG list of people I wanted to give a Christmas present to, I decided that this year i would handmake a gift for everyone so I could save money, because after all, I am a starving college student!

I wish someone would have warned me.

Handmaking things can be extremely EXPENSIVE! Money expensive and time expensive! I quickly realized this which meant that not ALL my gifts were handmade. But of the gifts I made, there were some good ones and some fiascos. The Fiasco was the gift intended for Mr. Montana's mom. Oh boy. I envisioned buying a huge frame, printing a million pictures of her and her five kiddos, and making some adorable pinterst-inspired creation for her to hang on her wall. And at first I had success. I found a massive frame at the Goodwill store in SD for $4.60. Thats right. A moster frame (as in almost 3 feet wide) for under five bucks. But it was this hideodorous (I'm not sure if that word is used by the general public, in fact i may or may not have created it, but it is pronounced Hitty-odor-us) blue color. Yikes. Not a problem, I thought, I'll just paint it! And so its demise began....

You know when you see something lying around your room for weeks, months even, and the one day you go to use it you can't find it anywhere? That is what happened for my pinterest-inspiration. I swear evertime I am on that site I find some adorable idea for decorating frames and arranging pictures. But of course, when i went looking for inspiration as to what color I should paint the frame, I could not find anything. Anywhere. Ugh.

Then I tried to remove the glass, but instead of having nice little swing clasps that you move out of the way to change the picture, there was a piece of cardboard stapled to the frame holding the glass in. And people, I'm not talking little secretary staples. I am talking huge, thick, industrial staple-gun staples that required tools from my dads work bench to remove. In the process i broke the glass. Awesome. Five bucks down the drain. So I ditched the handmade idea and got her a gift card for a pedicure.

But besides that fiasco and the other store bought items I was forced to surrender to, there were a few gems. The first being the lace skirt i made for my sister.
Isn't she darling?
It was a hit. My older sister was a little miffed that she didn't get one! I decided to make them available to the public. I have it listed on my etsy shop. I will make it  to fit your waist perfectly!


The second semi-success was the headbands I made for Mr. Montana's sister. I say semi because I already had one of them made.

I have had these in my shop for a few months now, but they are now officially on sale! $4.96 a piece! I can make it for you in any color you'd like! 

I think I have had my share of crafting over break. I'm looking forward to spending time with Mr. Montana and my famdamily before heading back off to SD. 


How was your Christmas? Handmade successes? Failures? I'd love to hear about them!

And if you are looking for some DIY inspiration, check out Sweet-Verbena. I found her just last night and literally read every. single. post. She's amazing.


Monday, October 17, 2011

Such Is Life.

I have a serious case of crafting. You know, the oh my gosh that looks so easy i want to try it sickness. It keeps me from studying. It makes me spend money. And it makes me feel really giddy inside. As you can see, this is win-lose situation. My creativity wins, and my homework and grades lose. 

I find myself repeating... i'll do this!... i'll do this!...i'll make this! And the sad fact of the matter is that i probably won't have time to finish my list of items until summer. I think we just found the secret folks. Don't tell anyone... shhhhhhhh.... i wish it was still summer.

This is why i miss them!
Now all you autumn lovers out there are rolling your eyes at me. Its okay. Go right ahead. But let me cue you in on something first. While yes, fall is a great time full of baking and costumes and leaves, for me it is full of books, highlighters, notecards, and midterms. YUCK. Hence, when i  think of summer, hot days sewing, seeing my duddy, hanging out with my sisters... i get a knot in my stomach. The kind of knot that says... is it here yet?

What about now?

And unfortunately I am still quite a few months away. MONTHS. sheesh. All I can do is discipline myself to stay focused on my grades, so that when summer does come, I will have three whole months of solid crafting. 

quilts. blankets. skirts. books. dresses. pillows. Coming to Miss Montana's Summer 2012!

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Flower Headbands

 Meet my friend Hannah. She's brilliant. She's beautiful. And she was kind enough to take a break from studying to model for me.

These headbands are 100% cotton, machine washable and dryable. $8 each. These are the perfect gift for a college budget. [Anyone have a roommate's birthday coming up?] 
Make a bad hair day bearable. 
Choose a color to match any outfit

Pink and Teal 
Position the Flower wherever you like and tie the ends behind your head. 

Red and Pink on Stripes
 To purchase, visit my etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/82985906/color-flower-headband

Monday, August 22, 2011

Oh the Frustration of Sewing.

You see, some people love sewing for the relaxation that it brings, while some hate it becasue it can be so tedious. Some love the quiet humming of a sewing machine, while others find themselves with the most extreme migraine after listening to it for just a few minutes.

I fall somewhere in between those lines. I guess it is what some people call a love-hate relationship. On the last quilt i made, i was definitely feeling HATE.

What? I hate sewing? Well let me explain. I was finishing up the front of TW's quilt. As in it was 9:00pm and all i had to do was put the back on and i was done. NOT so fast. You see as i was laying down the front of the quilt on my living room floor so i could upload a picture on to facebook, something about it just wasn't right. It took me a few minutes to realize that i had sewn the ENTIRE front of his quilt with FLOWER fabric that was intended for a girl friend of mine's quilt. It was a nightmare.

I sat down on my couch and began seam ripping. Each little stitch had to come out. Three hours later i was back to square one.  By now its midnight, and i am just beginning a quilt i thought i would have finished a couple hours before.

I am finally almost done with the front (around you know, 3:30am) and what happens? The needle on my machine breaks in half. Despite the inconvenience, i don't stress out right away because i know i have several other back ups. I go rummaging in my supplies kit and find the package of spare machine needles. It is EMPTY. *sigh* At this point i am beyond frustrated.

Luckily, my mother has this disease called compulsive sewing machine buying. I swear we have at least ten in our house. Each one of my sisters has one and I own two. So I get down one of my mother's machines, thread the machine with my last spool of black thread, and get ready to work. I open the bobbin case and there is no bobbin in that machine. Now because this happens to be one of my mom's, I have NO IDEA where she keeps her notions. Plan B has offically failed.
The three machines i used on Friday night. The two on the floor are mine. Both Singers. 

There is only one thing left to do. 'Old Faithful' is what i call her. She is nine million pounds and I keep her on the very top shelf in my closet. Because she is nine hundred years old and so heavy, I usually do not use her unless its an emergency. However at 4:00am, an unfinished project IS an emergency.

After coming close to breaking my back lifting this thing off the top shelf while standing on the bottom shelf of my closet ( a very dangerous maneuver might I add), I set up the old girl and get to sewing. She works like a charm.

My girl 'Old Faithful'
Old Faithful was a gift to me from my aunt when i was in 3rd Grade. My very first sewing machine. Oh the torture i put her through. The endless stitching on paper (to practice straight lines of course!), pressing the pedal down so hard that the needle was going so fast I could practically see smoke coming out of her.    But despite her age, she is still my favorite machine. I have decided to tote her with me to college this year even though I will need a football team to carry her into my dorm room.

Needless to say it was around 6:00am when i finished TW's quilt. A LONG night indeed. But TW loved his blanket so it was well worth the all-nighter of frustration!




Oh Trenton.

TW has been a friend of mine for quite some time now. We have been dirtbike riding together since i was in fourth grade. He is another over achiever type person like Linny and Jessie. Below are some pictures of his quilt. What is special about his are the added patches. It was the first time i did them on a blanket so it was a bit of a learning experience, but patches are now available for a $4 additional charge.

Before the patches

After the patches
Focus patch

'On a Scale' patch

The gold helmet is added on as well. He had me put the logo from each year of high school football

And on the back... his last name.


Overall i think this is one of the best i have done so far. If you are interested in getting your own quilt, view this post. Have a great day!

So you want a T-Shirt Quilt

Whether you are just interested in getting more information or you are dead set on having one, here is a little information to understand the process of getting your very own T-shirt quilt.

Step 1: Let me know that you want one! Contact me via facebook, email me (missmontanas@yahoo.com), or any other method that suits you.

Step 2: Decide how many squares you want on your quilt. Click here to scroll through old blog posts to see different quilts that i have made. Then start picking out your shirts! Sweatshirts, and jerseys work too! (Pretty much anything that can be cut into a 14x14 inch square can be used).

Step 3: We will set up a time to go to JoAnns to pick out the fabric you want for your blanket. At this time you will also give me your shirts along with a design layout of the order you want your t-shirts. If you are ordering from out of the area, I will have you ship your shirts to me, and I will help you pick out fabric you like online.

Step 4: I will make your quilt! When I am done you can come pick it up and make your payment. Depending on the time of year and number of current orders, the speed at which i will finish will vary. If you are ordering for out of the area, I will ship it to you and you can pay for your quilt via my etsy page (secured through PAYPAL). Shipping and Handling charges will be added to your total.

Step 6: ENJOY!

Pricing: $9 per t-shirt square.

if you would like additional 'patches' sewn on, they are $4 each. View this post to see what i mean!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

I was featured!

Miss Montana's was featured on Syracuse Girl's Blog. Follow this link to her blog to see what i'm talking about!

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Jessie's Quilt.

Another 'do it all' person just like linny. Jessie was ASB president her senior year, had a lead role in several  musicals, was the water girl for the varsity football team, and even did some athletic training on the side! Who needs a resume? Just look at her quilt!


Saturday, August 13, 2011

T-Shirt Overload!

I am sorry to announce that I have received my final orders for T-shirt quilts before i go back to school. However, there is a waiting list!  K.C. and L.G. are currently at the top. If you are interested in having a quilt made for you, email me at missmontanas@yahoo.com and i will add you to the list.  This is truly a wonderful investment and a great way to save your memories. 2012 VCS Grads: Let me know if you are considering having one made... get on the list sooner than later!

Pricing: $9 per t-shirt square. 
For extra sew-ons, its $4 a piece. (When TW's quilt is finished you will see what i mean!)

Syracuse, here she comes!

Let me tell you about my friend Linny. She's wonderful. We were on ASB in high school together, as well as  the same volleyball team. When i graduated, she filled my shoes as the next Senior Class President. This girl has nine million friends... I can't think of a single person who doesn't adore her.

Anyways, this awesome girl got herself a scholarship to Syracuse University all the way in upstate New York. She is leaving in less than two weeks! Along with suitcases full of life necessities, she will be taking this Miss Montana's creation. Same size as the last quilt i made, but different material. This is a 5x5 quilt with 100% cotton framing and backing.


Basketball, Volleyball, Track, ASB.... this girl did it all.





Good Luck in NY Linny! Love you!


Saturday, July 30, 2011

T Shirt Quilt for Mr. Montana

This is by far the most massive sewing project i have attempted. This quilt is 5 squares by 5 squares, and practically 7' x7'. It's huge. But thats what a big guy calls for! If you are interested in having a custom quilt made for you, email me at missmontanas@yahoo.com. Depending on the type of fabric you choose for the backing, prices will vary, but its approximately $9 per t-shirt square.


 I used camouflage sweatshirt material for the backing and framing. This thing is going to dominate Montana's freezing winters.

And now do we understand why this blanket HAD to be so big? He is huge!




Butterflies and Flowers Quilted Baby Blanket

This is my newest addition to my etsy shop. It's whimsical, colorful, and just plain fun. Any little girl would absolutely love this beauty! It is 34"x42". Two pieces of 100% cotton fabric sandwich polyester batting, making this a perfect balnket to snuggle with.






See what i mean? It's darling. 

$16.00

$4 shipping and handling.

To purchase, follow this link to my etsy shop:


My Etsy Shop

Rather than using Ebay or Amazon, I now have my own personal online shop! Everything seen on this site can be purchased from my Etsy shop, MissMontanas. There is a link on the top right column on my blog that will direct you right to my store. www.missmontanas.etsy.com



it should look just like this! Enjoy!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

NEW! Yankee Doodle Washable Storybook

To get the full scoop on these washable storybooks, view this post. Here is the latest one, and possibly one of my favorites. The pages are full of patriotic songs such as the Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful. This book is an easy way to teach the importance of patriotism at young age! Also an easy way to help your child learn the Pledge of Allegiance.








Basically adorable. 

$16.99 

$4 S&H

To purchase, visit my shop at 


Friday, July 22, 2011

T-Shirt Quilts.

This idea is less of a baby shower gift and more of a graduation gift. Ok, so it doesn't exactly fit the usual genre of Miss Montana, but it is an AWESOME gift. Talk about preserving memories. There is a catch with these though. They are obviously custom ordered. If you think you would like catalog a bunch of wonderful memories in this way, contact me via email at missmontanas@yahoo.com and we will talk.

This is the very first quilt i ever made. The t-shirts are just a few of the several i collected throughout high school. 

Prices will vary depending on the number of t-shirts that are used to make the quilt, as well as the type of fabric used as the backside. There really isn't a limit to how many shirts can be used to make a blanket (within reason); I recently made one for Mr. Montana using 25 shirts. The one shown above has a backing of 100% cotton fabric, but anything from sweatshirt material to fleece is available.

Like I mentioned, a custom order is necessary for this, so there is no link to my etsy store. IF you are interested, send me an email so we can discuss the number of t-shirts, fabric type, shipping method, and eventually settle a price.


Crocheted Baby Blankets

These are wonderful. Currently I have two in stock , one in a mauve pink color, and one beige with pink stripes. These are hand crocheted by me, and let me tell you, little ones love to snuggle up with them. Approximate dimensions are 40"x23"(usually a bit bigger). Actual size may vary because that what happens when things are hand made! The shell stitch used makes for a beautiful crib companion.


Most importantly, they are machine washable and dryer friendly. 


$28 each. $4 shipping and handling.
To purchase follow link below.

Washable Story Books!

Here is the deal with these beauties... they are quite simply the best. 100% cotton fabric printed with a story on it. Sewn together with some fiberfill to make it thicker and soft. Spill anything on them: milk, formula, mushed up leftovers from breakfast, an accident of a potty-trainer, all you have to do is throw it in the washing machine the next time you do laundry. Completely washable and dryable.  Can be read at storytime or cuddled with during naptime. Stories come appropriate for various ages. What's not to love?

First up: Wonders of the Night Sky (A little more detailed story; ie actual paragraphs on pages). Exerpt from story: In the summer sky you can see a constallation that looks like a swan. This group of stars is called Cygnus.




Next up: School Days. This is a much more basic story. Perfect for a child who is preparing for preschool or kindergarten. This colorful story shows snippets of what school will be like, ranging from picture day to making friends at recess.




See what I mean? These are the definition of a perfect gift. WASHABLE, educational, and good for any occasion.

 Whatever fabric is available at the stores determines which stories I will have in stock. Currently these are the only copies I have so snatch them up quickly!

$16.99 each. $4 for shipping and handling. 
Follow  links to purchase.



Welcome Y'all!

My name is Shannon Rose. Sewing is how I spend my summers and the spare time I have between studying for Nursing School. Here on my blog you will find an assortment of projects I have been working on for sale. I will post a couple pictures along with a description of the item, followed by a link to my amazon or ebay account where you can purchase the product.  Usually, the items are one of a kind and therefore only one can be ordered. However if you are interested in purchasing more than one of the item, feel free to shoot me an email and I will see what i can work out for you. My inventory may appear small, but there really is no limit to what I can make. Happy Perusing!