Cut to Pieces

Cracker Scraps Backing

2012-01-29T11:04:00.000-06:00

Are you all tired of this quilt yet? I feel like I've been working on it forever...between designing it, cutting up fabrics for a bee, getting back blocks from two different bees, sewing the top together, wanting to make it a king size, changing my mind and keeping it a queen size....

What? I'm keeping it a queen size?!

Yep. I couldn't quite see this one on our king size bed....it just doesn't seem enough like my husband. Plus all of the white. To know my husband is to know that the white just wouldn't be that way for too long. ;) But...it will be PERFECT for the guest room! That's exactly where you can get away with putting a lighter colored quilt because there isn't the same kind of daily wear and tear. And I wanted to make a quilt for that room but I thought it was ages down the road.

AND I'm still going to send it off to be quilted by a long arm quilter...Krista in fact! I'm super excited because now I can do the design on it that I want and I don't have to make it husband friendly. ;)

When you send a quilt to a long arm quilter, they typically need the back just a little bit larger than I would normally make for my own quilting purposes because of how they need to load it into the machine. So I dove into my stash and pulled a bunch of fabrics that coordinated with the front.

I had a strip of blocks already sewn together that I used as the center for the backing. And then I went to town with other fabric strips on either side. I'm a little bit in love with it.

I love that this will basically end up as a two sided quilt if I want. Maybe I'll have the whiter side on for the spring and summer and the darker for fall and winter. Oh I'm getting excited!

And talk about a stash buster! I love that all of these fabrics finally have a happy home. A lot of them are ones that were languishing in my stash....overlooked for fancier, brighter, chattier fabrics (you know...the ones that speak to me). Or they were fabrics that I thought I would love when I bought them online and then never quite found the right place for them. Each of these fabrics has its own story. But they all have the same ending: They make one fabulous back!

So next time you see it, hopefully it will be complete. I need to pick out a binding still, but that can wait. For now, I gleefully send off a project to Krista and let her do her magic. I feel like I'm playing chutes and ladders and I just got the ladder that takes you from the beginning of the game almost to the end!

Curves Class Winner!

2012-01-27T14:47:00.001-06:00

Hey all! We have a lucky winner for Rachel's Curve class.

And that is shelitha2 who doesn't like when her curves don't line up. Well my dear, I'm sure Rachel will help you out with that!!

Congratulations!

Shelitha please contact me as I cannot seem to find an email for you!!

Thanks for all who entered, and remember you can still sign up for Rachel's class for another few days. And I'm pretty sure that she will be running it again if you can't swing it right now for whatever reason.

Project UFO

2012-01-24T23:00:00.002-06:00

*okay...I started a group on flickr...you can find it HERE. Blog button is at the bottom of the post!*

UFOs. You know. You know what I mean. They're there. Floating above you and telling you "work on me. work on me." Yep...they can be slightly creepy...a little out of date...a blast from your past.

There are a lot of resolutions out there in blog land right now...a heck of a lot of them include using up your current stash. Well last year I did the whole "let's not buy any fabric for 8 weeks" thing and many of you played along with me. I gotta say...I'm sort of past that. Trust me I want to use up my stash. But I know from experience that going cold turkey isn't the way for me. Small indulgences make me a happier person. And trust me...you want me to be happy.

So my resolution for this year has not necessarily been slash the stash or scrap my scraps (though it's great when that happens). No. I've decided that what is really hanging over my head is not my fabric stash (which actually makes me pretty happy most of the time) but rather the unfinished projects that are dragging me down. Those darn UFOs. They can give me a guilt trip like no amount of beautiful fabric can....because they've been started. Heck, most of them are almost finished! But distractions come, deadlines loom, and those projects get put on the back burner. Sometimes they are there for so long I know that I am really not interested in spending my time finishing them.

so here it is: Project UFO

I'm not necessarily even putting this out there for anyone to join me (though I'd love if you did!). My goal for this year...certainly the first six months of the year is to go through my UFOs and attack them. Brutally. Yep. Brutally. I think some of those projects need some tough love. Not everything I've started really needs to be finished. And while it is hard to get rid of things, that is exactly part of my plan. And I've already begun!

This pile of green, grey and white bee blocks had been acquired over the last couple of years through various swaps and bees. I even made some. But I needed to let them go. I don't have enough for a quilt myself. I don't have the time for them. But most importantly I don't have a vision for them and they deserve that.

I was holding out on them waiting for a time to get to them. But tough love people. I was not going to be the one to give them the happy home they need. Thankfully Melissa snatched them and is thrilled to be getting them! I know she'll do right by them.

So that is my first venture into Project UFO. I have more planned because frankly there are just too many projects started around here that are not being finished in a timely manner. Unless I plan to spend years on something I don't want to be doing that. I might put a six month time limit on things. Eeek! Tough love. Tough love. I can do it. Finish it, pass it on, or toss it. That's what you'll be seeing. I need life to be a little simpler and nothing like a cute graphic to help me do that. ;)

If you like the idea of Project UFO, let me know. I can make up a blog button...we can do the whole linky party thing...whatever. But I'll be using my cheesy graphic to help motivate me to handle those UFOs.
UPDATE: Here's the button! Just grab the code underneath it and post that in a HTML widget on your blog. Easy peasy!

<div align="center"><a href="http://cuttopieces.blogspot.com/2012/01/project-ufo.html" title="Cut To Pieces"><img src="http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s316/pingpong4614/ufo-2.jpg" alt="Cut To Pieces" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

I want to believe. (ten points for whoever gets that quote!)

Simply Charmed Blog Hop

2012-01-23T15:33:00.000-06:00

Life is a little crazy right now, so I'm trying to get my ducks in a row. One of the fun things that I will be participating in soon is Melissa's Simply Charmed Blog Hop.

She's gotten together a great group of people for this holiday inspired swap and I'm honored to be included. Here's the schedule!

February 1 - Melissa from Happy Quilting

February 2 - Heather from Quilt Story

February 3 - Melissa from Lilac Lane

February 6 - Angela from Cut to Pieces (that's me!)

February 7 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter

February 8 - Natalia from Piece N Quilt

February 9 - Jessica from Twin Fibers

February 10 - Katie from Swim, Bike, Quilt

February 11 - Jane from Want It, Need It, Quilt

February 13 - Corey from Little Miss Shabby

February 14 - Happy Valentines Day and the Grand Prize Winner Announcement!!!!

We've each been given a single charm pack of Always and Forever by Deb Strain. I can't wait to show you what I've made. I'm already using it! ;)

And Melissa has lined up tons of giveaways! So there should be lots of fun had by all!

Thanks to the generosity of our amazing sponsors, there will be a giveaway along with each of the 10 tutorials. So when the time comes, make sure to enter at each of the contributors tutorial post for your chance to win some major fabric cash.

Fat Quarter Shop has graciously sponsored the fabric used in making the tutorials

They will also be sponsoring the Grand Prize of a $200.00 Gift Certificate to 1 lucky reader.

Burgundy Buttons has graciously sponsored three $25.00 Gift Certificates for 3 lucky readers.

The Intrepid Thread has graciously sponsored three $25.00 Gift Certificates for 3 lucky readers.

The Green Fairy has graciously sponsored three $25.00 Gift Certificates for 3 lucky readers.

So be sure to tune in here and there and everywhere for your chance to play along, see some great tutorials, and maybe win some fabulous prizes.

Melissa has also set up a flickr group for sharing your creations. You can find it HERE.

Want to Learn Curves?

2012-01-21T22:45:00.001-06:00

*the giveaway is now closed*

Do you want to learn to sew curved seams? Are they your nemesis? Or are you looking for that one trick that will help you feel more comfortable? Well, I have a treat for you. One of you is going to win a FREE Premium Level spot in Rachel, Stitched in Color's, new online class on sewing with curves!

Just look at her pictures of some of the enticing projects she's going to be doing to get you comfortable with your curves.

Improv curves!

(photo courtesy of Stitched in Color)

I adore this pattern of hers! Genius!

(photo courtesy of Stitched in Color)

Oh there are so many fun projects she has in store! You can read all about her upcoming class (it starts February 1st) HERE on her blog. That link will tell you how you can sign up now too if you are too impatient to wait to see if you win the giveaway. ;) There are a lot of levels of the class that you can sign up for.

Her description of the class from her blog:

"Let me hold your hand through this 5-week course which caters to both the beginner and intermediate curves sewist. Weeks 1-4 we'll cover Basic Curves, Improv Curves, Precise Curves and Advanced Improv Curves with full, detailed photo tutorials and many downloadable templates. Each week you can choose from 3 very different projects for one that really fits your experience and interests. Week 5 we'll celebrate with full on quilts. "

I don't know about you but it sounds like fun fun fun to me! Just access to her patterns would be reason enough for me to join.

So to enter for your chance at a Premium Level Class Admittance for Rachel's Class you can:

1. Leave me a comment on your favorite/least favorite thing about sewing curves. Anything!

2. Share about the giveaway! Let's help Rachel get her class going! She's doing this all so that she can home school her kids! So blog, tweet, facebook, tell your neighbor, sister, dog...uhm...well maybe you have a talented dog...what do I know? Then leave a comment here telling me that you shared about the giveaway.

So that's two chances to win one fabulous spot in Rachel's class. Let's all be curvy together!

Battle of the Swoon

2012-01-19T11:02:00.000-06:00

Take that swoon pattern. I told you that I would whip you into submission. I will not be conquered by the insanity that is the swoon.

Uhm...yeah. That may or may not be the pep talk that I gave myself before tackling the swoon pattern again. You might recall that a week or so ago I attempted this pattern with pretty disastrous results. Well at least useless results.

But tackle that pattern I did. In fact, I would say I attacked that pattern. It was a mental game...the swoon pattern versus me. We were both fighting strong. After losing round one to the swoon, I was determined for round two to go to me.

And it did!

Practically perfect in every way. Not that I'm a perfectionist. nope. who? me?

I'm using more of Laurie Wisbrun's new line Brr as the focus fabrics of these blocks and mixing in some other coordinates from wherever. The reality is that I rarely sew from one line of fabric. So I wanted to treat her line just like every other one I have. Mix and match! And aren't the polar bears super cute as the center?

So at this point, swoon pattern : 1 , Angela : 1. Giddy with my success I wanted to attempt block #2 (of 4 because no way am I making 9 of these!). And I decided to up the ante. Introduce...directional print. I can do this. No pattern is too hard for me. I will not be broken....oh yeah...pep talk again....

I emerged triumphant but pretty tattered from my experience on this block.

Oh yes. It looks good now....but those directional prints tricked me. I made a whole new slew of mistakes on this one. Pieces were cut to the right size, the directions were going the right way. Block was FINISHED. And then... what? that doesn't look right! Those THREE pieces are all pointing the wrong way. I didn't do the right pattern. *Introduce seam ripper* Oh and did I mention that it's already past 1 in the morning. Oh the witching hour....

But no block will get the best of me...I am better...I am stronger...I need sleep... pep talk again.

And by some miracle I managed to get those pieces out, switch them with each other, and sew them back in. And the block is now right where it should be. Phew!

So we stand equal on that one I think. So now it is Swoon : 2, Angela : 2. At least I have the pretty blocks to show my winnings. The swoon block only has part of my sanity...and who can it show that too? ;)

Homeowners!

2012-01-17T16:26:00.000-06:00

We did it! After a little delay last week with some paperwork, we have finally closed on our new home here in Indiana. We are officially mortgage holding home owners again. And guess what?! I'm going to have a sewing room again!!

Here's the built in cabinetry that is already in my room. I'm thinking of painting it my favorite shade of blue. Gasp! Do I dare? I think I do. Yep. I think I do.

The room has hardwood floors and beautiful wood paneling that I think I'll be keeping intact, so I want to brighten up the space and make it a room that I LONG to go into.

The whole house needs some updating but it's beautiful and we're thrilled to have it. I can't wait to share more pictures (don't worry...I definitely will) but for now just rejoice with me. Our year of fun in 2012 has begun 17 days in with the purchase of a new home!

Scrap Pack Winner!

2012-01-17T10:40:00.000-06:00

Mr Random Number Generator has spoken and the winner of the scrap pack from Pink Castle Fabrics is.....

Who is...!

"Andrea Beth said...5

My husband and I walk around downtown and play a photo ABC game. We get exercise and have fun trying to be creative. We obviously start with A and look for things that start with A, a sign with an A word, etc, and then take a picture of it. It's a way to remember the date and see more of the city."

I love this idea!! Thanks Andrea. And congrats on the win. Enjoy the fabric.

Our year of fun continues as my husband and I are off to close on our new home in 20 minutes! Agh! I can't wait to show it off as we work on it.

One, two, three Reindeer down

2012-01-16T11:18:00.000-06:00

I have so many projects running simultaneously it's crazy. So I seem to be hopping around a lot from one item to another. But it's my goal this year to really finish every project that I start in a timely manner. No more almost finished projects or blocks hanging around. If I start it, then I will finish it or scrap it.

So that being said, I'm ALMOST finished with my reindeer embroidery project. If you've been following along, you'll remember that I decided to tackle hand embroidery for the first time with a set of playful reindeer. (For info on where to find the pattern etc, check out this previous post)

I've finally decided, with the help of my husband...really...he helped!...that I would make these into a set of three wall hangings that I will be able to hang in the staircase of my new house next year! And I've finished one!

Each wall hanging has three embroidery blocks stacked in a single column. I just did a simple straight line quilting that would hold the wall hanging together but not detract from the embroidery. I think that there is enough going on without adding a bunch of quilting to this.

Backed with a star red fabric (just something I had enough yardage of to back all three wall hangings) and bound with a couple of spring green fabrics, the wall hanging is finally coming together.

I still want to add a couple of grommets to the top but I'll do that to all three at the end to make sure I do it in the same place on all of them. That way I can hang them easily from one nail. Score. And I love the fabrics I used for the sashing too...I love Sweetwater fabrics and they had the perfect reindeer fabric out in their Christmas line this year. It was begging to be with these embroideries. Actually I realized that throughout these wall hangings I used fabric from FOUR different collections by Sweetwater: Sunkissed, Countdown to Christmas, Family Reunion, and Hometown. I had to laugh at myself for that.

So one, two, three reindeer down...and six more to go! They are just waiting to be quilted and bound!

Work in Progress...

2012-01-14T16:45:00.000-06:00

Here's what I'm working on today: Cracker Scraps!

I thought I was all done making blocks for this quilt but I'm going to make it even bigger!! I have official husband permission to make this a quilt for OUR bed. And I'm going to send it out to be long arm quilted since it will be so big.

Off to watch my beloved Saints play!

What are you all doing this weekend?

Epic FAIL

2012-01-11T12:01:00.000-06:00

Okay, before I get to my failure, I wanted to remind you that I have a giveaway going on for a scrap bundle of fabrics from Brenda at Pink Castle Fabrics. You can find it in my previous post here. And fun of all funs, Rachel and Kaelin are both hosting giveaways for Brenda as well. So you can hop over to their blogs and enter to win the scrap packs they are giving away too. They're different from mine, so in theory one very happy person could win all three! lol

On to my failure. Oh yes. They happen. Boy do they happen.

I have decided to join in on Katy's Swoon Along. I couldn't resist the lure of the Swoon pattern any longer and I have all this fun Brrr fabric that I wanted to use. So I decided to make a "baby" swoon which is only four blocks instead of nine. Each block is going to have a fussy cut polar bear. Cute right? I thought it would be great for a baby quilt!

I started in on my first block, warned with the knowledge that the piecing was tricky and there was lots of it. Directional prints could give you fits and some people were having trouble getting all of the pieces they needed out of the required fat quarter if their fat quarter had been a bit skimpy. I carefully cut and sewed and pressed every last seam open.

Only to find that I had COMPLETELY misread the sewing instructions and it was too late to fix things. They had already been trimmed and cut. I was doing some pretty fancy sewing to follow the directions that I had unwittingly made up too.

If you are swooning along, you'll understand when I say that I was sewing the flying geese together the same way that the half square triangles were sewn. Resulting in lovely flying geese and half square triangle blocks...but ones that are completely useless for this pattern.

I know the picture almost makes it look okay, but trust me...none of those pieces would be able to be sewn together. Seriously. They are off by a 1/2"!

And the kicker? I managed to work with a directional print on this pattern and get all the pieces to run in the same direction! Success! on my epic failure.

It took me the whole evening to end up with the mess that will not be a swoon block. Disheartening to say the least. It was late and I was ready to throw in the sewing towel...give up the blog, sell off my fabric, the works. But in the sanity that is morning, I can share this with you all to let you see the frustrations that come with cutting up tiny pieces of fabric and sewing them back together.

I'm determined to make lemon aid from my lemons here and come up with a beautiful block from the pieces that I have that will fit together. It will not swoon...but maybe it will swag!

Scrap Pack Giveaway! - Sponsored by Pink Castle Fabrics

2012-01-09T13:56:00.001-06:00

*the giveaway is now closed*

Brenda over at Pink Castle Fabrics is offering up a scrap pack for giveaway! I snatched up the one I loved the most before others *cough Kaelin cough* could get to it. It's yummy! Pezzy Prints, Arcade Prints, and some Half Moon Modern.

I love this pack! There are so many great fabrics in there. And these "Scraps" total up to about 3.5 yards of fabric. So uhm yeah...you can do a lot with these. And Brenda even has an idea for what you can do with them. She's hosting a quilt along aptly titled Bust Yo! Scraps

It looks like fun!

She's also got a 15% off code for her shop, BUST15, for those who want to pick up something in particular. Go wild people. I want to live vicariously through you.

So, if you would like a chance to win the scrap pack just leave me a comment here. I'd love ideas for how to have fun. Remember, my husband and I have declared the year 2012 to be the year of fun. His birthday is tomorrow and it would be awesome to do something fun for that, but I'm open to all kinds of ideas!

Polar Bears and Little Girls

2012-01-07T20:41:00.000-06:00

I was oh so lucky a few weeks ago to receive a message from fabric designer Laurie Wisbrun (of Tufted Tweets fame!) asking me if I would like a chance to work with her newest line Brrr! Twist my arm....I GUESS I could do something. ;) Uhm. Yeah. I jumped at the chance.

( fabric photos courtesy of Laurie Wisbrun)

It was like a little Christmas present to me when the fabric arrived. But I knew right away that I needed to make something for my little gal. And even though I was already making her a pair of pajamas, this fabric was just begging to be made into some pajamas as well. So out came the Oliver & S Sleepover pajama pants pattern again.

I took the girlie out on a warm winter day when the snow was starting to melt and let her play a little. Remember, she's super cooperative for pictures right now. ;) Eating a little snow helped keep her distracted.

I thought it would be too much to make a whole top in the polar bear fabric (isn't it the cutest!), so I opted to do an applique on a simple white t shirt. I've actually never done that before and I've been wanting to try it for a long time. I made sure to use a jersey needle because I was working on a knit...I was too lazy to find my tear away stabilizer (I honestly don't even know if I have it where I'm currently living) but it still worked pretty well. I would like to try this technique with the stabilizer though because I think it would be even better.

Here's a little tip for the applique. I knew that I was putting the cut fabric onto a white t shirt and appliqueing it with white thread. So when I cut out the polar bear, which is also on white fabric, I left a little edge of white around the bear...maybe an 1/8" of white. That way that applique blends more seamlessly into the t shirt and the polar bear isn't covered in thread itself.

I have a few more tricks up my sleeve for playing with Laurie's fabulous fabrics (due out in June I think!) and I'll share those as I do them. But I wanted to show off my cute girl and her new fab pjs. Oh she's sweet!

What do you all think of Laurie's fabric line? I love that it's wintery and not Christmasy.

Stay tuned because we will be having a giveaway of a fat quarter bundle of Brrr! (but I have another fun giveaway to do first!) So a couple of fun giveaways on the horizon.

Pajamas at Play

2012-01-05T21:45:00.000-06:00

One of the things that I really wanted to finish for Caitlyn for her birthday and then for Christmas was a pair of pajamas. I gave up the dream when I realized that it wouldn't really matter when I finished them and I needed the sleep more. But like all of my projects, I am determined to finish each one that I have started in the last six months in a prompt manner. So this Oliver & S Sleepover Pajama Pattern and I had a date with some Sarah Jane Children at Play Flannel.

I haven't finished the top yet, but it's all cut out. I did manage to get the pants made and took some sneaky shots of the girlie with my phone. I can't wait until she cooperates for the camera again. lol

I'm making the girl version with the ruffles. I was able to use another jelly roll strip from a Bella White Jelly Roll (such a great idea to have one of these around for projects! I use it all the time for a strip of white!). I made the size 2T for Caitlyn and it is definitely a little big on her. The pattern is supposedly accommodating for growing children by designing the cuff to be let down at varying heights as your child needs more length. But I haven't decided if I like that. Caitlyn is average to tall in height and she is using the shortest length on these pajamas. So she could shoot up four inches and still wear these.

Sooo cooperative. ;) It looks pretty cute with just a little white tee, and she's already slept happily in them! I do plan on finishing the top soon, but heck since the pants were done I thought I'd share. And last night I already whipped up another pair with a special tee that I'll share soon. Let's just say that polar bears make an appearance. ;)

My little Linus.

Sew Mama Sew - Reflections and Predictions

2012-01-04T15:47:00.000-06:00

Yes, I know...I've already done my own little reflection post for the year. But since that one was really more about me, you'll all indulge me as I cast my glance back on the year of the whole quilting world right? Sew Mama Sew is having their reflections and predictions posts again and since I participated last year, I thought it would be interesting to do it again. Plus it's always fun to see what others think were the main things that happened and go "what? I didn't even know people were doing that!"

Looking back at the 2011 sewing scene, what trends stand out in your mind?
We definitely saw a new love for detailed paper piecing full of text prints and realism. (Ringo Pie...if you don't know what I'm talking about, then look it up on Flickr and prepare yourself for some fabulous blocks by some of my favorite people!) Plus a huge jump back to traditional piecing and samplers with the Farmer's Wife Quilt along (not my personal favorite, but there are a few collections out there that I like). I'm excited by both of those things because they are a step up in technique for a lot of people. It's great to see people really challenging themselves.

What did you make that you’re most proud of? (Share a photo in your post!)

I'm pretty proud of a lot of things I made...I should be right? They take a lot of time! lol But I'll go with my Zig Zag Quilt because not only did I make that but I also attempted to do a quilt along with that. Not the most successful quilt along in the world, but I had a few people play with me. I have plans for another quilt along though that I think a lot of you will like and it's on a much smaller scale. Win. win.

What sewn projects have you seen this year that you absolutely love?

okay...I'm lame, but I just spent an hour trying to pick out the sewn projects that I really love. And I love so many that I can't pick. I know...lame!

Alright...spent more time looking...lol And I have to admit that I'm sooo in love with this color combo from Badskirt Amy's block that I could eat it!

(photo from the amazing photostream of Amy)

Are there any trends you’re over and done with?
Honestly, I'm okay right now. I'm coming to accept that we all like different things and that's okay. I used to be annoyed with cutesy fabrics but I find myself using them or seeing others use them in new ways...so the trick for me is to just keep those "trends" from becoming stale. For instance, I love the way that Lorena In Sydney has used a novelty print from Aneela that is pretty cutesy but turned it into geometry and careful piecing!

(photo of Lorena's beautiful work!)

What are your thoughts about social media? How is it going for you? What do you love or hate?
Always a tough question. I blog, so I obviously think that is a decent form of communication. I like to read what certain people are thinking when they create something. So I enjoy having the option of reading a blog over simply seeing a picture. But often I am content to just see a picture of someone's work...and then flickr is fabulous and quick.

Twitter. Ugh. I tried for about a week to get involved. Maybe I'll try again. I probably just need to find my own crowd like anything else. I hate feeling like I don't know what's going on and I think that has happened to me when on twitter. But I think that there are enough of us who feel that way and we could all find each other on twitter. lol I have a feeling that a lot of the conversations that I used to see happening on flickr in groups is now happening on twitter. So I think I'll have to make that jump just to have fun little convos with people about the industry.

Facebook. I'm on it. Honestly there are a ton of companies of facebook using that as a pseudo blog and I need to weed out all the info I'm getting. I'm a little over saturated with information because I do check out all the different platforms.

Did you have a favorite fabric collection or print in 2011?

Soooo many fabulous fabrics! I know I'll pick something and then change my mind, but off the top of my head I can say that in 2011 I became aware of Sweetwater. These ladies just have an aesthetic that I eat up! I realized that in my most recent project with the reindeer I used fabric from four different lines from them without realizing it! I obviously just gravitate towards their crisp yet whimsical aesthetic.

(my Picket Fences quilt made from Hometown for Moda Bakeshop)

What do you predict for 2012 in the sewing industry?

Predictions? More fabulousness from everyone. Seriously. I think people are just getting better and better. I really hope that more people find the online quilting world and see just what you can do with fabric. Because people are knocking it out of the park all the time.

Oh yeah, and I think we'll be INUNDATED with more fabric. I cannot even keep up with it all. It's killing me a little that there is so much fabric out there that I want and yet so much that I already have. But I think I'm just going to enjoy the ride. Get the fabric I want and use it up! Just have fun with it....no hoarding. Because these designers keep proving that they're able to come up with more fun designs. (See, there's a good side to the fact that some designers lines all look the same. You'll be able to find something that you like for a long time. Teehee!)

Still Dashing and Dancing

2012-01-02T21:23:00.001-06:00

Is it lame to still be working on Christmas projects? I'm trying to finish up the projects that I started with the hope of making them for Christmas this year. In particular, I'm working on my Reindeer Embroidery. (Original post and pattern info here: http://cuttopieces.blogspot.com/2011/10/cosmo-floss-and-amh-needleworks.html) I knew that the embroidery would take a while, but I actually finished all nine reindeer by the day after Christmas. But then there's the whole doing something with them!

I can't remember all the ones that I've shown, but I do know a few that I haven't because I know that they were the last ones I was working on.

Blitzen!

He's so my favorite of the whole group. Double fisting it with the drinks and lights in his antlers. Classic. Way to celebrate in style buddy.

Vixen!

She's the only lady of the nine reindeer according to this pattern set and she's quite the lady indeed. Her coat just kills me (and to honest was a little intimidating to work on...but slow and steady wins the race). Here she is in her completed improv block.

Dancer!

Did we see this guy yet? I'm loving the text print in the upper corner of the block. The 5 just pops out at me and sort of screams studio 54. ;)

Here's a look at a bunch of the other blocks and embroidery I've done....

I'm starting to put the blocks together. It's looking great. I'm kind of loving improv piecing lately. Such a nice break from strict patterns and dimensions.

My design wall (a super fabulous piece of batting hanging over my couch....have I mentioned that I can't WAIT to have a sewing room again?!):

I actually have all the blocks together now and I'm piecing them together. I'm just debating what to do with them when they are all together. Just a wall hanging I guess. I don't think I need another Christmas quilt. lol But I don't have a wall hanging. So it could work. I'll see as it comes together more. I'll keep you posted!

A glimpse at 2011

2012-01-01T17:30:00.000-06:00

Am I too late? It's already 2012! But we've been running around like crazy and I haven't had a chance to sit down at my computer. (traveling 2 hours for a one night to do with friends with a two year old = definite LACK of sleep) But once I hopped online I realized that so many were writing introspective and reflective posts about the past year and all of their accomplishments. Hmm... that sounds like a lot of work to this sleep deprived mother, but I like to play along. Plus I think it is good to take a moment and reflect on what I HAVE done because too often I focus on what I have yet to accomplish. So I put together this little mosaic of some of the items that I have made this year. No, it's not entirely comprehensive...no, it's not the most impressive one I have see out there. But yes, they are all mine.

I've tried to spend more sewing time this year making things other than quilts. Which is great because there is more immediate gratification than you get with a quilt...but somehow I always still have a quilt going. So I think I've just managed to increase my project numbers. Oh well. ;) We won't begin to talk about how many projects are currently going.

I was also published for the first time this year! What a fun treat. I was in the 101 Patchworks Magazine and the 99 Modern Blocks Book. (Hmm...I need to find something with 100 in the title and get into that!) Plus I had my first and second (but never the last) Moda Bakeshop Quilts. Trust me when I say that all of that is still very surreal to me. But I feel so blessed for those opportunities.

But more than anything, this year has been marked by our little family's move 1000 miles from New Orleans back to South Bend. To say that has been a change is like saying the sun is hot. True, but understated. ;) The great news is that in 12 days we should be closing on our new house here! We've been making due in temporary housing while we figured out where we should live. And in God's own time as always, we have finally found our home.

(We even managed to sneak in a picture in front of the new house)

My husband and I have declared the year 2012 will be the year of FUN!

fat quarter shop playing

2011-12-29T21:38:00.000-06:00

Have you all seen those lovely Blogger's choice collections that select fabulous people have been asked to put together for the Fat Quarter Shop? It's been fun to watch them popping up here and there and see different tastes and "collections". Well, I have one of my own. And not because I'm fabulous or select. (though I like to think that I am teehee).

Nope. I put together a little collection to play along with the game/competition/general fun being hosted over Quokka Quilts. The Fat Quarter Shop is sponsoring her competition and giving away a half yard cut of all fifteen fabrics that the winner has selected for their own collection. The game is open for a while, so have fun and put together a collection of your own. Hey, somebody's got to win. It should be one of you! All the details can be found over at Quokka Quilts.

Since I wanted to play too, here is my humble collection. Yep. I'm stuck in a color rut, but I sort of love it. So I thought rather than fight it, I'd just embrace it.

Yep...I could live with a half yard of all of those. ;)

Winter Woolies

2011-12-27T01:02:00.000-06:00

Well I just couldn't resist anymore. There was too much cuteness hitting the quilting internet world this holiday soon and it was all compliments of Kerry! Her darling paper pieced pattern for a hat, mittens, and scarf are so darling and I had to participate. So I coughed up the all of $3 or so I believe for the pattern (soooo reasonable!) and started off on my own variation of the pattern. Oh and when I say variation, I mean I tried to copy Kerry's as much as possible. ;)

I didn't start at with this color scheme in mind at all. I think all of the versions I have seen have been bright and sweet and cheerful. Somehow my brain was doing its own thing. Let's be honest. It usually does its own thing. And this fabric called to me from my scraps. Every fabric is from my scrap bin!! Woohoo!

I just love all the little details in Kerry's pattern and the beauty that is paper piecing and its perfection of points. I added a sweet button top and copied Kerry's fun embroidery. I think that the tiny text print would be such an awesome hat in real life!

Try to ignore my little floof on the scarf...I'm doing my best. That's the beauty of handmade right? Prints, dots, and stripes. Yum! I'm completely smitten with this mini wall hanging. The binding did give me some fits for a while, but I'm happy with my final solution...two fabrics!

I put in the little grommets just like Kerry and added some twine just like Kerry (I wanna be, I wanna be like Kerry!). And then I threw it up on my wall next to my new wall hanging from Kelly! I think they look fabulous together. And now I need to make another something for the other side to create a trio...Kerry has a candy cane pattern....hmmm....

Maybe it was the sentiment of Christmas, but I was feeling quite reminiscent while I was making this wall hanging. You see, each and every piece of fabric was given to me as part of a swap or bee from friends all over the world. There are pieces that came from England, Germany, Australia, the Western US and I know exactly who each piece is from. There's something pretty sweet about that.

I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and are still celebrating with family and friends. My hubby and I are attempting to have a little vacation at home this week, so I'll be officially off the blog clock for the next week. But don't worry....plenty of sewing has been done and will be done....so there is much to share!

Savvy Season Indeed!

2011-12-21T11:36:00.000-06:00

It feels a little quieter around the quilting blog world these days. I think everyone is busy in their homes whipping up last minute gifts (if you are like me!) and spending time with family and friends. But I'm still around, so I've got to think that there are others out there still reading too.

A couple of days ago I received a lovely package in the mail! My savvy seasons swap package! I was delighted to discover that Kelly/Scrapstudio had me as her partner. I had been admiring all of her creations as she posted them in the group but trying not to get my hopes up. ;)

It all started with this box that held so many scraps I was amazed at how many kept coming out. There are truly precious scraps in there I know so it was very sweet of Kelly to share them with me. And believe it or not folks I don't think I had any of the fabrics she sent! How is that possible? lol

This darling card (which I forced myself to open before diving into my goodies) is now hanging with all of our Christmas cards. So cute! I want to be one of these ladies.

Oh, but then the fun really began! There was this little handmade bag that was filled with a bag of peppermint hershey's kisses...but they didn't manage to make it to the photo shoot...hmmm....where did they go?! ;) The bag is another perfect Caitlyn sized container for storing "kitchen" food and tools. So off to her play kitchen it quickly went.

You may notice that bag was resting on a pretty table runner. Kelly used a lovely putty sparkly linen and a mod tree design to create a darling and oh so useful decoration. I, in my tiny space, hardly have room to put it out. But I managed to squeeze it in on one of the few surfaces we have. I'm going to show you Kelly's picture of it though so you can see just how beautiful it will be when I have the space to show it off. Oh and I totally need the pear candles that she has too!

(photo compliments of Kelly)

And then there was this beautiful wall hanging that Kelly made from Nova's pattern. Eeek! So precious. At first I thought it was a pillow because she had also made a pillow version at some point. But she sweetly told me that she deliberately did NOT send it as a pillow because I had mentioned how much my husband hates pillows. Isn't that thoughtful?! My husband laughed at that and was quite grateful for one less handmade pillow to toss on the floor. ;) I couldn't resist and have this hanging with pushpins on a lonely wall. I just had to put it up!

I can see us starting traditions of filling it with different items each year. I just love that fun pocket. And Sweetwater is one of my favorite group of designers. Such a win, win!

So I totally lucked out on this swap and am happily enjoying all of my new handmade items that I didn't make! lol Yay for fun swaps! Thank you so much Kelly!

Christmas is coming!

2011-12-19T23:59:00.000-06:00

Oh it's looking like Christmas around here! I decided to wrap some presents today simply to tidy up the space where I had been stashing presents. It was getting completely out of control. This looks much better. ;)

I've been sewing and stitching and organizing and cleaning...and of course, as is par with the holidays, I still feel behind. But I'm trying to be reasonable about what I can accomplish. So far I've been doing pretty well. I whipped up a miniature version of the tutu that I made for Caitlyn for her birthday to suit a little doll.

Here's her Alice doll showing it off. Someday I think she'll appreciate that they have matching tutus.

I've been on a mission to make Caitlyn herself some clothes for Christmas. At some point, some sweet person in a swap sent me their pattern for The Sunday Brunch Skirt (and jacket) by Oliver and S. I'm planning on making Caitlyn's Christmas dress this week from another Oliver and S pattern, so I wanted to get an official clothing pattern of theirs under my belt before I do that.

Again, I'm having some mixed feelings on how this company handles waist bands. I had some issues with the tutu directions as well. I do love how they put the pockets in the skirt though...that's a tip I will use again.

The back has a little kick pleat that had some interesting construction on it as well, but I've never done that in a skirt so I'm not sure how it compares to other methods.

This back waist is the part that I didn't feel the pattern explained all that well. I'm not really sure why they didn't just gently gather the back of the skirt. Any insights from anyone who's made this pattern? I essentially had to gather by pinning carefully. Confusing...

You will probably recognize the sweet fabric that I used for the skirt. I had some left over from one of my Moda bakeshop quilts. It is a Hometown print by Sweetwater. Look! There's South Bend!

It turned out really cute and I was pleased in the end. And it fit Caitlyn reasonably well.

Only sneaking Mommy's wallet out of her purse enabled her to stand still long enough for me to snatch a picture.

And a fuzzier version on my phone at a party later in the day.

And I know I've inundated you with pictures, but you have to see my out takes from attempting to get a photo of her. Let's just say that she is definitely two and she wanted NO part in it! These crack me up!!

Wailing in protest

Flailing back on her chair in disgust

You would think I was doing something other than standing there with camera. Nope. She just REALLY did not want her picture taken. I hope she gets past this phase. Because she's too cute not to take her picture. ;)

Trying to Keep Warm...Brr!

2011-12-16T14:57:00.000-06:00

It's decidedly more cold in Indiana than it was in Louisiana. No one will deny that. So I'm readjusting myself to the chilly weather. When I saw Kerry post a scarf that she made recently, I got on the Kerry train and made one for myself that afternoon. And I've barely taken it off since!

I'm a math geek, so I'll call this by its math name, A Mobius Scarf. But others may know it as an infinity scarf (also math!) or a figure 8 scarf (still math!).

I made it from the tutorial that Kerry mentioned on her blog. Super simple and so very satisfying. Just a 1/4 yard of 54" wide voile and flannel is needed to make it!

It's hard to take a picture of yourself with a camera! lol I tried again with my iphone but the picture quality is a bit different. ;)

These are so quick to make that I decided to make one as a gift for a party I'm going to Monday night where we are exchanging homemade gifts. I have no idea what other people are making...but not very many people sew so I think that I'm safe with this gift.

I hope that they love it as much as I love mine! I'm serious when I said that I rarely take mine off now! lol

Cupcakes Anyone?

2011-12-15T11:28:00.000-06:00

I just realized that I hadn't yet shown you all the hysterical cookie monster cupcakes that we made for my daughter's second birthday last week. Her favorite sesame street character is "Cookie" so when I saw a photo of these online, I knew what needed to be done. Then I just had to sweet talk my husband into helping me (he was going to bake a cake). But it didn't take long to get him on board because really these are just so fun to make!!

Oh to be two and have such a fun birthday treat! These are so effective and really not that hard to make. There are tons of tutorials out there in the online world. I even watched a couple of videos on Youtube to see some done in real time. There are a number of variations, but we were definitely happy with ours.

So obviously you will need some cupcakes. We thought that the larger cupcakes looked the best in the end, so double up those scoops and make some big cupcakes! I went to the store and bought some royal blue food coloring by Wilton which for the record did NOT stain anything. Other people were worried about that, but I think paying for the quality dye did the trick. I bought some icing bags and a tip for "grass". I can't remember the tip number off the top of my head but I just looked at a nearby decorating book for a similar style and bought the tip they used for that.

My husband whipped up some buttercream frosting which didn't need to be too stiff. Somewhat...but the joy of this cupcake is that you can be sloppy and it almost helps the look. ;) The eyes are made from white melting candies and chocolate chips. We used a small bit of the white candies in melted form as a "glue" for attaching the chocolate chips. And the oreo cookies we used were a standard size but we cut them in half.

Cookie monster is very distinctive due to his wobbly eyes. So you want to make sure that you deliberately set the eyes askew. One of the youtube videos I watched said that you put one eye faving down into the frosting and one looking up....Instant presto fabulous cookie monster! And I dare you not to laugh out loud when you put them in! He's so cute!!

I am NO expert on cake decorating. I've always wanted to take a class but have never managed to make it happen. And I've tried! But I digress. One of the things we learned quickly was that it would be a lot easier to give all the cupcakes a quick layer of blue frosting as a base so that we weren't trying to fill in every tiny speck with the decorative blue technique. That made life a lot easier. I'm sure that's no news to someone who's decorated cakes before but this is what you learn when you do it for the first time.

She was admittedly a little baffled by us turning down the lights and singing to her with a plate of cupcakes and some candles but for the adults it was super sweet! And though I was a bit worried, she had no problems eating her beloved Cookie!

It's good to be two.

O Christmas Tree!

2011-12-12T14:26:00.000-06:00

So as you know if you read my blog regularly, I am the proud mother of an official two year old. She's lovely and adorable, but let's face it....a little feisty too. In our teeny tiny temporary living situation it just did not seem practical to put up a Christmas tree. All of our decorations are in storage and I'm not ready to battle her constantly with not touching the tree. Sooo not worth it to me. So when I found a picture on Pinterest of a Felt Christmas Tree for a toddler, I knew I had found the perfect solution.

I've been itching to do another felt project ever since I made this wreath. I have the felt bug! It's so very crafty! So I bought a yard of green sparkly felt (so that the tree would look like it has lights). The felt is 72" wide, so I cut it in half and then made a triangle from the square of felt I had.

I used some of the extra green felt to make some more felt roses. I did them the quick and dirty way and wrapped them up and just hot glued the back in place. Super quick and cute!

I put them along the top of the tree for some dimension...but just out of reach of little hands. ;)

Inspired by one of the pictures I saw on Pinterest, I opted to add some presents to the bottom of the tree for extra interest and color! A rotary cutter and mat, a little hot glue and some ingenuity later...a bunch of gifts under the tree.

They are hot glued together and then hot glued to the tree. So they are not going anywhere!

I broke out the accuquilt cutter and my circle die and cut out a bunch of circles in all three sizes. A little more felt and hot glue and I had an assortment of ornaments all ready to decorate the tree.

The felt sticks right to the felt with no extra adhesive making the ornaments perfect for little hands to move here and there. I was worried that the sparkly felt might not hold the felt ornaments as well as a non sparkly one, but they have stayed up beautifully!

For the star at the top of the tree I just searched on line for a clip art star that I liked. Saved the image and printed it. Then I used it as a template for the felt. A little more hot glue and there is a perfect Christmas tree all ready for a two year old!

She's been enjoying it!

Life is Hopping!

2011-12-10T22:43:00.000-06:00

A better title perhaps for Easter than right before Christmas...but life really is hopping.

Just this evening I took 300 photos off of my camera that I took in the last 2 days. And I wasn't going camera crazy. There have been just that many things to photograph. And I'm restraining myself from showing you all 300. (I'll admit that I was pleased that the number was so perfectly round lol)

Today my baby turned 2! Oh how time has flown yet stood still at the same time. I can't even begin to reflect on that. Maybe tomorrow. I should do thoughtful and meaningful posts like Anna Maria Horner and Denyse Schmidt. I'll work on it. ;)

I took a lot of suggestions from you all during one of the last giveaways and one of the things that I made for Caitlyn for her birthday was a tutu. I used a pattern from the book, Oliver & S Little Things to Sew.

I had such fun picking out tulle for this project! I had 5 different colors and lots of sparkle...in fact I'm not sure I'll ever get all the sparkle out of my home or sewing machine. But I like sparkle.

I chose shades of aqua to lavender for this tutu. In my ever going quest to limit the amount of pink there is in a little girl's world, I deliberately avoided those colors. Trust me. I love Pink. And we have a lot. So I want to make sure that she is plenty exposed to other colors of the world.

One of the nicest things about this particular tutu pattern is the ribbon tie. It's so luxurious looking. Yes, I know I'll be tying that bow quite a bit for the next couple of years...but it helps to know I chose that. I love the lavender satin ribbon I picked to play on the colors of tulle. The tutu is also two sided which is more obvious in person with the colors I picked than you can see in the photos. But I love how all the different colors blend together and float so delicately.

Such a happy girl we had today with a special dinner with both her grandparents. She ran from person to person, melting their hearts with her kisses and hugs which she gives so freely. I'll show you some other treats later that we did for her, but I'm just thrilled when I see this face and hear her laughter and joy.

Felt Flower Wreath

2011-12-07T11:34:00.000-06:00

On Monday I had an unexpected evening of crafting with some women that I meet with on a weekly basis. As the undisputed "crafter" of the group, it was up to me to come up with a craft that was fun, pretty and beginner friendly. Oh yeah, and cheap!

I've been itching to make a yarn wreath with felt flowers and have been collecting images over on Pinterest for a while. I took a look at a bunch of different felt flower tutorials and felt (ha ha) confident that everyone would be able to make something. So I shopped for some wreaths, felt, yarn and a sprig of greenery and set off on my merry way to meet with them. I needed to show them how to make things and even though I hadn't made them before, I knew I could. ;) So that took me a bit of time and I wasn't able to finish my own wreath that night. So I took it home with me and finished it the next day with the help of my husband's fabulous glue gun. And....

Yay! This is currently my only Christmas decoration in the house....all the rest are in storage and would be kind of a pain to pull out to try put up where we currently are.

I didn't create any of the tutorials used, so I thought making my own tutorials would be a bit insincere. But just google "felt flowers" and TONS of helpful tutorials will pop up. They're all over the place. Lately Jess has been showing a bunch on her blog if you are looking for a place to start. But I did take photos as I put the flowers I made onto the wreath so you could see my thought process there. I think that can be the hardest part sometimes.

I started out with one of the wreaths that looks like straw that's all wrapped in plastic. As recommended on many sites, I did not remove the plastic and simply wound the yarn around the wreath just as it was. Worked great! A little tip: not everyone has used yard before and you may not know that yarn is wound in such a way that there is an that can be found coming from the middle that will pull out effortlessly. Use this end rather than the one you find on the outside of the skein. It takes a little bit of time to wind the yarn, so you are a super quick crafter, we also found that wire edged ribbon worked beautifully and quickly as well.

There are so many luscious colors of felt out there, it was hard to restrain myself to this color combo. I love color! lol But I used four different shades of green and there are actually a couple of reds (but they were pretty darn close in color). The two toned red berries completed the look.

I just love the texture that this wreath has. Felt is soooo forgiving and this is really a craft that anyone who can use a pair of scissors and a glue gun can do! I did multiple varieties of flowers, but the wreaths look so lovely with just one type of flower and one color. Really the possibilities are endless. I think all my friends were surprised at what they could make so quickly and with such nice results. You may want to try a small wreath if you are doing this in a particular time....or get one of those pretty twiggy ones and skip the wrapping part all together and just make pretty felt flowers.

Just a hint of berries with their shiny smooth surface provides a nice contrast to the full touchable look of the felt. Use sparingly. Oh and people, I was so restrained! I didn't even do something sparkly! That is so unlike me. I love sparkles! lol Glitter! Jeweled Berries! Sparkly felt! I was clearly buying supplies for people other than me. ;) And I just used the super cheap felt pieces. They cost me 4 for a $1. Just think what you could do with really nice wool felt. (Although I can't touch the stuff...I think I'm allergic to wool. Forced to be cheap!)

I would estimate that this project cost about $5 for all the supplies, assuming that you own a glue gun. Oh and use a nice glue gun. It makes this so much difference to use a good tool. I didn't have zillions of stringy glue things coming from my project or glue pouring out of gun. Totally painless. (Other than that one time when I got some glue on me. Ouch!)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Living in Luxury or at least in Voile

2011-12-04T20:46:00.000-06:00

I'll admit it. This week I threw away a sewing project. It was a dress that I had been working on and off for the last couple of years. A few weeks back I told you all I was going to complete it soon and would show you. Well, I'm sorry but my vanity has reared its ugly head and I just couldn't take a picture of myself in the dress. I decided that I needed to let the project go and just toss it. I had wisely chosen to make the pattern from some fabric that I had bought for a dollar a yard before attempting it in the fabric I really wanted to use, an Anna Maria Horner Voile.

So that left me with some beautiful voile fabric and decisions to make on how to use it. I have been collecting the voile for some time with the intention of using it in something. But what? And then my friend Kelly posted a pic of some lovely pillow cases that she made from another voile and I knew what I needed to do. Copy her.

As it turns out, I really copied her by even using the same tutorial. I didn't realize that until tonight. lol. But the tutorial is Ashley's and it's lovely. It was everything I was looking for in a tutorial and I was so happy that I didn't have to write it myself. Yeah for following someone else's pattern!

The voile needs to be cut down a bit for the tutorial since it uses a 45" width fabric and the voile is larger. I also wasn't too keen on trying to match up stripes running in the opposite direction for the cuff (see the pattern to see what I mean) so I searched through my stash looking for a good match to this pretty pastry voile. The Joel Dewberry fabric jumped out at me and said "Use me! Use me" I'm such a good neutral!" I swear. It really said that. Remember, my fabric talks.

I'm so pleased because this project turned out perfectly. I love it when that happens. I love them and even better, my husband loves them. We've been using them all weekend and they've been great. I think I may make all of my pillowcases from now on. I'd love to make some flannel ones as well. I'm slowly surrounding my family in hand made items that are truly better than something I could have bought. Wait until you see the tutu I'm making for the girlie!

Christmas Tree Pants

2011-12-01T11:08:00.000-06:00

Well I've been showing you sneak peaks of one of my projects for my partner in the savvy seasons swap over at flickr...and I'm finally ready to show you the finished product. In fact it's all wrapped up and ready to mail today!

A couple of you guessed, but all those wonky star blocks I made with Kate Spain's Christmas panel have turned into Christmas Tree Pants!

I'm not sure who coined that phrase "Christmas Tree Pants" but all it means is a square Christmas tree skirt. I can't decide if I hate the name or love it. So I'm trying to use it and see how I feel. ;) I'm weird like that. It's like the word "Mug Rug". That one makes me cringe! lol

Anyway...back to the pants.

It is essentially a small quilt when all is said and done with a hole in the middle and ties along the edges to hold the open flaps together. I'm pretty proud of this for a number of reasons. I used ALL fabric and batting from my stash! Woohoo! Nothing new was purchased. I love that! And I really tried to use some things that had been hanging around for a while...even better. The binding fabric and ties were fabrics that I was actually pulling out of my stash to hide away because they were annoying me (yes, sometimes my fabrics annoy me). But as soon as I had them out, I realized that they were actually perfect for this. I had found just the right project for them! And they look great!

The backing is a large piece of DS County Fair Home Dec fabric that I got super cheap at one point and have had sitting around. Again, this was perfect. It brings out just enough of the blue accents from the front, but it is also heavy weight and great for draping around a tree. It will hold up well!

That center stripe fabric definitely took me the longest to pick out. I tried out multiple options and I wasn't even going to put this one up on the design wall to check it out...but nothing else was working for me and so I pulled this on the off chance that it would. Well, I should have known. The stripe is also designed by Kate Spain. And though it is not the for the 12 days of Christmas line, designers often use a similar color scheme between collections due to their own personal aesthetic. There are times when that is frustrating. But here is a case where it worked well for me! And I also know that I got that stripe super cheap at my local quilt store earlier this year...so again, score!

So this tree skirt seems oddly frugal to me. Every piece of fabric in it was either given to me or bought at a deep discount. And the result in no way looks like I was trying to be cheap. I love that! I feel like it really carries the history of what so much quilting originally was...using what you had on hand and making it something beautiful and to be treasured.

I did a simple meander quilting pattern over the skirt and that was a bit harder than normal simply due to the weight of the backing. But thankfully this wasn't a full sized quilt and I plowed my way through it fairly quickly. Once again, I always have to remind myself with free motion quilting that it is not about how any one spot on the quilt looks, it is just about the whole look when you step back. That little loop that didn't turn out just the way you wanted it to disappears in the setting of the quilt in its entirety.

In the interest of full disclosure, let me tell you that I totally mussed up the inner corner bindings on the open square in the middle. I should have looked up how to do it (I have now!)but instead I tried to wing it thinking I could figure it out. Um yeah. Not so much. So I apologize to my partner for those shoddy corners...they're not going anywhere but they're not so pretty. I tried a different method on every corner and not one of them worked well. lol And this is when it is a great idea to use a busy print for your binding that hides any mistakes and make mistakes on the part that no will really see because it will be hiding under the tree next to the trunk!

So, the items are all wrapped up and ready to be sent to ??? who lives in ???. She will be getting an Emmeline apron, some ornaments, and the Christmas tree pants.

And I'll admit that this was all a lot of work and the swaps have been keeping me from my own sewing...so I decided to step back from swaps for a bit. But I wanted to go out with a bang and what better swap is there than a Christmas one?! So a very merry Christmas to my partner. Enjoy!

A goodie bag for my good girl!

2011-11-29T22:19:00.000-06:00

I recently showed you all the bag that I made for my secret partner in the goodie bag swap. Well as it turns out, my partner Caitlin also had me as her partner. That's pretty rare. ;) So I made a bag for her and she made a bag for me. Well, sort of for me. You see I requested a bag for my little girl Caitlyn. She's a girly girl and loves to carry a bag with her around the house. So Caitlin made a bag for Caitlyn!

She was happily wearing some scraps on her head as well! She was pleased as punch with both her bag and her head gear. She's quite fascinated with the magnetic closure too.

The darling bag is made from the Buttercup pattern and with Nicey Jane fabric. She's already filling it with sparkly beauties and treasures. This will definitely be loved by a little girl for years to come.

Crib Sheet Tutorial

2011-11-28T14:37:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite things I loved when setting up my daughter's nursery was making her crib sheets. Every day I see the special fabric that I picked out just for her and know that I worked to make her bed the way that it is. It's been a couple of years now, and we're in a different climate that is turning cooler by the minute, so a new sheet is in order. This time I decided to go with flannel, but these instructions work for any fabric. (although I've never tried it with knit and I hear that it stretches a little differently).

The sheet that I make has elastic around the entire perimeter and french seams in the corners for a polished finished sheet.

Materials:

• 2 yards of 45" width cotton fabric - prewashed (tip: there is a little give in the length but not really in the width...you may even want to keep the selvage on for extra width)

• 2 yards of 1/4" elastic

• thread to match

Instructions:
*these instructions are for an average US crib size. If your mattress varies significantly, you will want to adjust your measurements accordingly.*

Fold fabric in half lengthwise and then crosswise. You should have one corner where all four edges are raw.

Next, cut an 8" square from all four corners. With the fabric folded this way, you can cut all four layers at once. Measure in 8" from each side of the corner of all raw edges (no folds) and cut.

Put aside your 8" square scraps for another project.

Open the fabric and work with each corner separately. Take the two perpendicular cut edges at the corner and place them together, WRONG sides together. Pin in place.

Sew a 1/4" seam.

To create a finished french seam (we like things all pretty!), turn the corner seam inside out and press. Now the right sides of the fabric should be together.

Sew a 1/2" seam.

Admire your beautiful french seam!

Now turn under the whole edge of the sheet a 1/4" and press. Then turn the edge again a 1/2" and pin in place. Stitch along the edge, leaving a small opening for your elastic.

Insert the elastic through the casing and work it through the entire perimeter of the sheet. I'm not going to lie...this is the longest part of making this sheet. But I like having the continuous elastic around the sheet and having it concealed in the casing. So, I sit myself down in front of the tv and watch a show while I work that elastic through the casing. Then stitch together the elastic by overlapping the edges and sewing around edge.

Stitch your opening closed and evenly distribute the elastic around the sheet. When you are happy with how the elastic is spaced, stitch a small stay stitch in each corner to help hold the elastic in place and prevent it from twisting.

Put the sheet on your crib mattress and admire your handi work! A custom crib sheet in your favorite fabric.

One of the original sheets from two years ago! The bumper looked a little better two years ago. lol

I'd love to see any sheets you make or any suggestions you all have! Please add any pictures to my group on Flickr, Cut to Pieces.

Some more Christmas Sewing

2011-11-26T22:02:00.000-06:00

I am as usual going a bit over board on my projects for my latest swap. This swap is the savvy season swap on flickr and I love having a focus like the Holidays but the freedom to make whatever I want. So far I've made the apron and given you all a show of a number of blocks that are going into another large project. Here's a sneak peak at where those blocks are now.

I still have a lot more work to do on it, but I'm pretty happy with how it is looking. I'll do more reveals as I make some more progress. And I always like to add in a little something if I can to a swap. So I made a couple of fabric ornaments from the rest of my Kate Spain 12 days of Christmas panel.

The center of each ornament is from the panel and then each side is finished off in a scrappy log cabin style. A little ribbon and stuffing, and these ornaments are ready for a special tree! They were definitely fun to make.

I've also made a flannel crib sheet for my little gal...it's getting colder and she doesn't really use a blanket or anything yet. So flannel is popping out everywhere around here. I've worked out a tutorial for this sheet, so I'll post that soon. Unfortunately I'm not feeling too well right now and I need a little more energy before I type all of that up. But keep your eyes on a look out for the crib sheet. I love having home made sheets on my baby's bed!

I've also started an Oliver and S skirt pattern for the girlie and I've got all the pieces cut out. I need to do the markings, but then I can get to the sewing...and that should go pretty quickly. I hope to give that to her for her birthday! Along with a fabric doll house and a tulle dress up skirt. So that's all on my future radar. Tis the season for lots of sewing!!

Happy Thanksgiving and a giveaway winner!

2011-11-24T01:36:00.000-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving to all of those in the US! I hope you enjoy good times with family and friends and lots of yummy food. My little gal is a huge fan of "cookie" right now from Sesame Street, so when I saw this cartoon I had to share. ;)

I'm happy to announce that our lucky winner of the Fat Quarter Bundle from Fabric Worm is Jo!

Congrats Jo! And I've already got my goodie bag swap partner making my little gal a purse of her own, so thanks for that suggestion.

Thank you everyone for your gift suggestions. There were some very intriguing ones, some that she already has, and some that we were already planning. But it's good to know that we're all on track. I really just want to get her a swing set, but that will have to wait until we have bought a house...plus it will be getting too cold soon.

I'll keep you all updated as I work on all the projects that I have planned for her.

Goodie Bag Swap 2 - Complete!

2011-11-22T12:13:00.001-06:00

I'm a sewing maniac over here lately...just ask my husband. ;) And my sewing machine! (Poor thing...I've finally given it a little love and attention and cleaned and oiled it!)

My dear friend Kaelin and I run the Goodie Bag Swap over at Flickr. This is our second round and this time I put myself in the intermediate category instead of the beginner. Oh dear. I've sewn all kinds of things in my lifetime...I've been sewing for as long as I can remember. But bags are just a little out of my comfort zone I guess. I can do them, but I really have to push myself.

I'm not at the point where I am super comfortable designing my own patterns or even modifying a pattern very much, so it took me a while to figure out what I wanted to make for my partner. I searched a bunch of bag patterns out there and finally found one from Valori Wells called the Mina Bag. I haven't really seen this one made before, so I was intrigued right there. You know...because I could do it the hard way. ;) With no help.

I like the simple shape but little details like the pleats and the hardware. Their chosen color combo is kind of hurting their sales of the pattern I think though. There aren't too many people out there with a blue bag in this shade. And I LOVE blue. lol. Plus there wasn't any doubt that my partner would prefer colors a little more subtle.

That gusseted side was of course trickier than I wanted it to be...this is why I don't make box pillow cushions very often. But I prevailed and it all worked out. The bag is fully lined with Katie Jump Rope dots and has one small pocket. I definitely think that a clever person could add some nice details to make the interior more functional. There's plenty of room in there!

I wasn't quite finished here yet!

I didn't use any extra interfacing, which I could have for a sturdier bag. But I wanted to experiment with the fabrics I had. I always use fusible fleece in bags lately and it can be bulky. So I wanted to see how this did without it. Frankly I thought it did fine. I might add a covered hard plastic or cardboard to the bottom of the bag interior for some extra shape, but it's certainly sturdy enough with out it.

One thing I did discover is that my sewing machine actually sews the multiple layers better with a regular foot rather than my walking foot. I thought I was being all clever by using my walking to foot to sew the bulky parts of the bag. But my machine just "walked" right over them! It was crazy. I had to put the bag aside for a couple of days before I tackled it again. But I was pleasantly surprised to find that my machine had no problems when I used a regular foot. Go figure.

But it really all came together for me when I added the very last details of the button and the fabric flower. The button is part of my little stash of buttons I've acquired from saving all those extra buttons that garments often come with. The fabric flower was made from voile scraps and based on the tutorial here.

In fact, the only thing that I bought for this bag was the hardware and I spent about $3 on that! Woohoo! Another stash buster project. And a little shout out to Jennifer and Elena for the Oslo fabric used in the main body of the bag.

This is one swap where I know that partner already loves the bag and she doesn't know it is for her. ;) Fun!

Oh and I meant to do this earlier, but at least I remembered! I'm linking this to Rachel's Celebrate Color.

12 Days of Christmas

2011-11-20T18:54:00.000-06:00

No, I'm not going to sing the song for you...although I do a mean Miss Piggie version of "5 Golden Rings! Ba dum dum dum!". I've been working on another project for the the Savvy Seasons Swap over at Flickr. I also made the Christmas Apron for my partner and now I've pulled out another Christmas fabric that I had from last year and am working with it. At our first quilting retreat, Cherie generously shared a bunch of Kate Spain's 12 days of Christmas fabrics with us and I can't remember who I had to fight off...whether it was Karen or Mandi, but I was determined to get the panel from the line. I'm not quite sure why either. I must have REALLY been in the Christmas mood. lol

The panel is darling but I didn't have a plan for it...but I do now. ;) I'll share the final product idea when I'm further along, but so far I've cut up the panel and have turned each block into a scrappy wonky star with the panel piece in the center. So that gives me 12 blocks. And I happily have reached into my scraps for the whole thing!! Woohoo!

A Partridge in a Pear Tree

Two Turtle Doves

Three French Hens

Four Calling Birds

Five Golden Rings

Six Geese a Laying

Seven Swans a Swimming

Eight Maids a Milking

Nine Ladies Dancing

Ten Lords a Leaping

Eleven Pipers piping

Twelve Drummers Drumming

Phew! That was a lot of work! Enjoyable and relaxing...but even wonky quilting I do precisely. ;) I'm just not a speedy quilter.

Do you have a favorite block? I change my mind all the time... I sort of love how the fabric in #9 looks like ruffles on a tutu for the dancing lady. And how the AH fabric in #11 has a mod sound feel to it for the piping. But they're all fun to me!

Welcome to our Newest Sponsor - Fabricworm!

2011-11-18T13:11:00.001-06:00

*the giveaway is now closed*

I'm super excited to share with you the latest sponsor over here at Cut to Pieces, Fabricworm!

I doubt I'm sharing a new store with any of you...Fabricworm is widely known for their custom fabric bundles especially! Gloriously beautiful combinations of fabrics from DIFFERENT designers. What a concept. ;)

I adore this orange and blue combo, sweetly named Deep Sea Fun!

They also have the latest and hottest fabrics, like Dear Stella, Lotta Jansdotter, Annette Tatum and so many more!

I "need" this bundle! Well at least that gorgeous yellow flower print!

And don't even get me started on the Japanese Fabrics and the Collection of Patterns!

I love the subtlety of some Japanese designers...any dog lovers out there? I really think men would respond to something laid back like this print. In a vacation style loose button down?! Oh I'm getting myself ready to start a new project. lol (No more for me!)

Collete Patterns anyone?

And a weekly giveaway on the website?! Check out the Dear Stella one going on now!

One thing that is worth noting is that Fabricworm prices by the HALF yard...so make sure you don't get confused when looking at the prices... it's a little different that pricing some other places.

But you know the deal! There is of course, a fabulous giveaway HERE too! Cynthia has offered a set of fat quarters from uber adorable line Storyboek. She's giving away the girl collection (there's a boy collection too which I also adore!). I was so excited when she picked this line because I'm completely in love with it. It's right up my ally.

So to enter the giveaway here please leave a separate comment for each of the following options:

1. Run over and check out Fabricworm...you know, on the off chance that you don't already shop there! Check out the fabulous things Cynthia has to offer and come back and share something you love. (Warning: it's easy to spend hours there!)

2. Let me know that you are following Cut to Pieces...we have some more give aways coming up and you won't want to miss out! Plus...you know...me. I'm super entertaining. ;)

3. Totally random, but my little gal is turning 2 in a few weeks and I'd love to know any suggestions for gift ideas for her. With her birthday and Christmas so close together, this is when people want to know what they should get her. Any and all suggestions are valid...even if you suggest an elephant or Noah's ark. We'll work on it. :)

A Zig and A Zag - Completing the Quilt!

2011-11-16T10:49:00.001-06:00

This post is part of an ongoing series of posts for A Zig and A Zag Quilt Along I'm hosting here on my blog. You can join in at any time! You will find the links to all previous steps above my header.

Well, this is it folks! I've had this quilt completed for a while now, but it's surprising how long it can take to share things sometimes on the blog. I know that none of you were waiting on these directions...really there aren't very many directions at all! But it's always fun to see a finished product.

If you remember, the last steps of the quilt along ended with a fully basted quilt, ready to be taken to the sewing machine and quilted! Well, I did share briefly that I chose to use a free motion large pebble quilting on this quilt and this particular quilt took 15 bobbins to complete! I just kept winding them in bunches and using up any thread that looked remotely similar to what I started with! lol

By the way, if you really want to see what is going on with someone's free motion quilting, you need to see the back. That is where all the tension issues will show up. I've had quilts where the tension was COMPLETELY off for the quilting style I was doing. But I'm getting better...

I guestimate that it took me about 8 hours of quilting time to do this whole quilt using this method. Roughly a half hour of constant movement per bobbin. Let me tell you, it gets a little hard on your eyes! Especially when you do all of that quilting in 2 days.

I love how the back has the same brightness as the front but is calmer in a way because it is block pieced. I was happy to use up all the rest of those fabrics and give them a happy home with this quilt. I'm definitely going to continue to use fabulous fabrics for the backings...it's not a forgotten side of the quilt!

I couldn't resist using a rainbow fabric for the binding. It was just too perfect. This is one of the many fabulous fabrics of this type by Ann Kelle. Now of course I should know exactly how many strips of binding I cut for you all...but I've already sent the quilt away and didn't write it down. I do believe that it was (8) 2.5" wide strips of fabric for the binding. But if you have 3/4 a yard of something you should be good!

I'm finding it a little emotional to share the finished quilt with you all. I'm just so happy that it worked! lol. Intellectually I knew that it would...all the math was correct, the colors were there, I had the ability to make it... But actually seeing the finished product is something entirely different. My proof to myself, if you will.

From a design idea floating in my head last year, to a finished quilt already gifted to another special person...my zig zag quilt is complete! I do hope that this inspires you all to give this a try. (It's easy to make a smaller version for a little boy's baby quilt. wink. wink.) Come see the progress of quilts you all are making over at my flickr group, Cut To Pieces.

Mad Men Fun!

2011-11-15T10:38:00.000-06:00

Laura commented below that my new apron looked very "Mad Men" (a television show for those who don't know) and sent me a link to Mad Men Yourself. Oh it was too fun and how I wish I pull myself together so easily. I was tempted to choose a dress because I love those dress styles but I went for a more summery look ;)

Although I suppose I should choose an outfit like the styling lady on the christmas fabric in the apron. lol

You can play too...the link is http://www.amctv.com/madmenyourself/.

Thanks Laura!

Aprons and things

2011-11-13T20:48:00.000-06:00

First off, I want to thank all of you for all the lovely comments you have given me on my blocks in the Modern Blocks book. I treasure each and every one. I'll admit that I was being a little sneaky and put all those comments into a drawing for an e book copy of the book. I love the e copy of the book because you can print out the couple of pages that you need for a particular block design and not worry about the whole book. Genius for this type of book especially!

Random Number Generator has spoken and chosen....

Who, if my calculations are correct (and let's just assume they are!) is...

Congrats my dear! Contact me and let me know the best way to get that to you.

In other sewing adventures, I've signed up for the savvy seasons swap over at Flickr. I didn't need another swap I know...but I'm sort of getting in the Christmas mood already and I wanted an excuse to make some Christmas things. (Other than my reindeer embroidery) I have a fabulous secret partner whose taste I hope I have nailed. Eeek! Oh well if not!

One of the things that I have made for her so far is the Emmeline Apron. This is one of my very favorite apron patterns and I think the first sewing pattern I bought online. Gasp! What do you mean you can buy patterns online? The shock! The disbelief! Yup...I've come a long way. I used to not buy fabric online either. ;)

It's not a perfect pattern but it's awfully darn cute. I've made it before and really love it, except for the halter neck...it's too big for me. So, not being able to measure the person who is getting this apron, I opted to switch the neck tie into two separate pieces that tie at the neck. Now fully adjustable. The apron is two sided and the bodice can be a different fabric from the skirt...so that's what I opted for this time. LOVE.

I've been itching to use that Christmas fabric ever since I got it last year. It was a little hard to find in this colorway at the time...although maybe it's been restocked places. I don't know. It's an Alexander Henry print and called Merry Moderns I believe. I was so happy to find such a perfect way to showcase the fabric. The bodice is a Riley Blake Christmas fabric I believe and the polka dots are from who knows what company...they're a polka dot. ;)

I made the other side less traditionally Christmasy so that it can be worn all year round. A little bit of Neptune for the skirt which I hope my partner will enjoy. These colors are still red, green and aqua, but less obviously a Christmas design. So I hope she gets lots of wear out of the apron.

Side by side, the apron is a temptation for me to keep...but I'll happily give it away to someone who will love it. And there is still more to come with this swap. Maybe a couple more items.

Find me over at Gen X Quilters today!

2011-11-11T10:11:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone,
Today you can find me over at AnneMarie's blog, Gen X Quilters! I hope you hop on over and check out her feature.

I've been sewing up a storm it seems...making projects for swaps and such. As soon as my husband comes home I'll get some pictures of a darling Christmas Apron I made this week...one of my favorite patterns, the Emmeline Apron! Eek! I want to keep it! lol

Modern Blocks Book - Part Three Alternate Colors

2011-11-09T12:26:00.000-06:00

Phew! Here we are with my last post for a while on any blocks that I've made for/from this book. This is your last chance to comment and play along for a chance at a special prize. ;) Today I'm sharing the last of the alternate color way blocks that I made while pattern testing these blocks. I just have three of the last four to show you because my alternate version of binary is virtually indistinguishable from the original. I was definitely fond of the white, grey, yellow, cerise, and green colors. I still am!

Box Kite alternate:

I really love this block in the alternate colors too. It's just a really strong pattern that plays well with others. I kept it in solids again but did a more "simple" version with variations on a single color within each diamond.

I'm very fond of how the charcoal grey really makes the diamonds pop and the high contrast of the white center square...but those are all things which can be changed and personalized for your own blocks. A white background with a hot pink center and diamonds in shades of yellow sounds a little bit delicious to me!

Envy:

One of my major concerns when picking out the fabrics for the original block was that people would not like my fabric choices (they are pretty strong patterns!) and therefore miss the lines of the block. So I wanted to make it with fabrics that are a little more "simple". Also, there are four different fabrics around the exterior instead of two. Just to play more with the design options.

In the end you get more of a blender block I think...but one thing I'm confident of...the center really works best with solids and a small scale print.

It's a Stretch:

I really think you could make this block in any colors and it would look great. I do think it works best with solids in general, but I'd love for someone to prove me wrong. lol

I used more different types of colors in this version just to see how the colors would play off of each other in this design. And though I'm desperately in love with the original, this version helps me picture the block in virtually any colors you want!

I hope you have all enjoyed my little sneak peak at the book and hearing my thoughts behind the process. I always have lots of opinions. ;) It's been so fun to see some of these blocks already popping up in other colors and fabrics! If you do make one, I'd love if you added your picture to my group on Flickr, Cut To Pieces.

Modern Blocks Book - Part Three

2011-11-07T18:12:00.001-06:00

Well here are the last four blocks that I have in the new book Modern Blocks. If you've been reading along, you know that these are the last four of eleven blocks I have in the book. I've also been sharing a second block of each that I've made so you can see them in another colorway. I hope you are all enjoying the blocks. I'm so happy I can finally share them with you! And on with the show...

Binary:

This block is one of my personal favorites. It's so simple but somehow dramatic too. I couldn't help but think of all things computer and math while I was designing this one. I really wanted to name it secret code, but I'm not sure that would have made sense. I hope the binary name works too...if not, just ignore the name and enjoy the block.

This block is great because it's pretty simple to make and you can do a whole bunch pretty quickly. And simply alternating the direction of the stripes by turning the block 90 degrees gives you a fabulous layout for a quilt. Again, one that I think men would respond well to if done in the right colors. I know we're all always looking for quilts that men would like. ;)

Box Kite:

I'm going to sound like a broken record but this block is one of my favorites as well. It's paper pieced in sections and I love how many fabrics you can squeeze into this one block. And the colors in the red/orange diamond are so Harry Pottereque to me. lol Go Gryffindor!

I would use this block as a stand alone block or as an alternating block in a quilt. A whole quilt of these would probably be too busy. But someone make one and prove me wrong. ;)

It's a Stretch:

Some of you may recognize this one...I already shared some sneak peaks of it on the C & T Publishing's blog along with some quilt options and alternate options. You can check that out here if you missed it.

This block is paper pieced for the most accurate precision. Remember, the block is only 12" finished, so that's a lot of seams to keep really straight and not lose any seam allowance.

And I was lucky enough to have this block end up on the cover of the book! So exciting for me! What a treat!

And finally, the last block is...

Envy:

Another "spin" on a classic fence rail block. The proportions of this block turned out really lovely. I love how you can use focus fabrics around the exterior and simple fabrics in high contrast for the center. And I was really surprised to see that this too ended up on the cover of the book as well. Double blessed!

All that's left to share is the alternate colors of these blocks and then you will have seen what a very busy fall was for me last year. lol I hope you enjoy these!

Modern Blocks Book - Part Two Alternate Colors

2011-11-04T10:56:00.000-05:00

Hey all!
I'm finally grabbing a few moments to share the alternate colors for my blocks from the book Modern Blocks.

Some of these are more successful and some less so. But that's the great part about me doing the trial and error for you. ;) I can test out some ideas and see what works for a particular block.

Last Call:

I made this with a mix of solids and patterns which I still think is a great way to go with this block. But in this block, as opposed to the one I put in the book, I made every single patterned piece a different fabric. And I gotta say...that was overkill. It ends up looking less cohesive because there is not enough overlap of fabrics. I think it would work with solids. (solid color schemes can be more forgiving). But with so many prints, and such a busy pattern to the block, the overall effect is just busy.

That's not to say it's not a lovely block and all. And it will still be going in my quilt eventually but I learned from this that I needed to scale back on the number of prints that I used in the block. Try it and see what you think!

Cross Walk:

I actually really like how this one turned out. It's obviously really different from the one in the book because I used less "interesting" prints. I love how clearly you can see the "Cross" of the pattern. And therefore the other blocks are nicely supporting of the cross. The tufted tweets may be kind of a strong color for the center, but you can't deny that it pops. lol

So you can see how this block will let you focus on ONE feature fabric and nicely frame it. I think it would be beautiful in all solids in a gradation of colors!

Slot Machine:

I accidentally deleted my pictures of this block other than one. lol My brain is over taxed. But I think that this block is successful and not at the same time.

I really love how the top part of the block with the three diamonds turned out here. The mix of prints behind the diamonds is really effective here. They blend together and yet are interesting at the same time. The diamonds really still pop because they are done in solids while the background is the prints.

I'm going to admit though that I'm not as crazy about my choice for the bottom diamond. That tufted tweets pattern is just a little too busy for me as a background. I don't think that it gels as well with the upper part of the block and thus they end up looking like too different blocks sort of thrown together. But I wanted to experiment with using different backgrounds for the different sections as the original block has all the same background.

What do you think?

So, was I honest enough with my own work today? lol I do really love my blocks! I'm just trying to give brutally honest feedback on my own versions of these blocks so you all can see options that may or may not be successful. And what I don't prefer, you may love. Feel free to tell me that you love them. ;)

We interrupt this program for....sweetness!

2011-11-02T10:41:00.000-05:00

I'll get back to showing you all the blocks from Modern Blocks soon (there's still four more plus alternate colorways of 7 of them! geeze!). But I am first and foremost a super proud mom and I had to show some pictures of my cutie on halloween!

One of my friends passed down this adorable halloween outfit that Caitlyn wore the previous couple of weekends. I was actually surprised that the colors looked so good on her, but they did! And in true daughter of a quilter fashion, she would only stand still for the picture if she could hold a quilting ruler in EACH hand!

I managed to chase her around our tiny place and catch a few more shots of her... One of my absolute favorites was when she pulled out the dust pan and started trying to "clean up" daddy's laundry on the floor. Poor thing is DEFINITELY our daughter. lol

Her costume for Halloween was one that I purchased from Old Navy...can't beat the price and the ease. Maybe when she plays dress up throughout the year I'll start making her costumes...but for now, I'm happy to buy them! She was the sweetest cupcake around!

She's so social that she still isn't very interested in the candy in the bucket thing. She just loved seeing other kids dressed up and all the decorated houses. She kept leaving the front doors before they could give her candy. lol One man was actually sweet enough to walk across his lawn to give her some. She always attracts people.

She was pretty pleased with herself in her costume because she could tell she looked cute. ;) Gotta love it. Thanks for indulging me. I had to share this cute gal with you all. She's what keeps me from sewing after all. lol

Modern Blocks Book - Part Two

2011-10-31T12:11:00.002-05:00

Are you ready for some more blocks from the Modern Block book? I hope so! Because I still have a bunch to show you. Oh and Happy Halloween! I hope to have some good pictures of my little gal in her halloween costume after today. Nope I didn't make it. I happily bought it. ;) But more on that later.

For today, a glimpse at some more of the blocks that I designed for the Modern Blocks Book that is coming out/available by C & T Publishing for Stash Books.

Last Call:

This block is a variation on the traditional drunkard's path block. This is another one that I first made for a bee when we were supposed to make a circle block. (See! those bees do come in handy!)

I learned a lot from my trial run on this block which I'll show you soon. (the one in the other colorway). Less is more. This is a pretty busy block and my first attempt I had every piece of fabric in the block unique. But really that makes it too busy...unless you do this with all solids. So it's helpful to repeat each fabric a few times in the block.

Oh and this is quite possibly my favorite name EVER for a block!

Cross Walk:

I know that you all will ask, so I'll tell you right now that the fabric I used in this block is a spoonflower exclusive fabric. I'm trying to get in touch with the designer to see if it is still available. (It's been a year since I got this!) Thanks Jen for the update on this fabric. You can find it at A Little Sweetness in her Etsy Shop!

This is a variation on a nine patch block. A complicated one, but still a nine patch in essence. You have to be sure to piece this with scant 1/4" seams so that you don't loose any width when you sew it, but it's really not too hard of a block.

Once again, this is a block that is perfect for fussy cutting and showcasing a special fabric.

and the last one for today...

Slot Machine:

This block is mainly paper pieced to help you get those super crisp points on the diamonds. I'll admit that in this colorway, this block was tricky. I'm not sure that there is anything much harder than trying to piece solid black and white perfectly. lol. But I've also done this block with prints as I'll show you and it's MUCH more forgiving. So once again...give it a whirl!

Told you I was in a diamond mood...and I still have another diamond block left to show you later this week.

I hope you are all playing along here and enjoying a sneak peak at the book. Which one do you like?!

Modern Blocks part one - alternate colorways

2011-10-28T14:00:00.000-05:00

I mentioned that I had made each of my blocks in another colorway to coordinate with each other. The color scheme was actually based off of the colors I used for the stargazing block, so I didn't remake that one. But you'll be able to see the versatility of the blocks with different fabrics.

All or Nothing:

I was still fiddling with the construction method when I made this, but I love the colorways. I wanted to see a non rainbow option. I may love this one more than the first, but it's a tough call.

Best Friend:

I used another focus fabric here, the tufted tweets. It's such a strong pattern, I wanted to keep the rest of the block simple. So no fussy cut center block and simple green fabrics for the inner strips.

It was still important to me to keep the pattern of focus fabrics running in one direction...so I specially cut the tweets again for that. And look here at how this block would be on point! So much movement!

Doublemint:

Still a mix of solids and prints, but I love the large grey polka dot in the background. And the running stripe from Nicey Jane looks so Matrixy in the background.

A closeup on a diamond.

I hope you all enjoy these other versions of the blocks I designed. I hope to make a quilt with all of the coordinating versions of the blocks and make a bunch of the other blocks from the book...my very own souvenir from this project!

Modern Blocks Book - Part One

2011-10-27T11:03:00.001-05:00

So I think I may have mentioned that I am part of the Modern Blocks book that is just coming out by C&T Publishing.

It is so exciting for me! It is not the first projects of mine that have been published, but it is the first that were accepted for publication. I was bouncing out of my seat when I got the approval for my blocks. I was a total overachiever (surprise!) and submitted a whole bunch of blocks. And they accepted 11! of them. (Out of 99 blocks in the book) So if you pick up a copy of this book, you'll see my name a few times. lol I want to share them all with you, but I think 11 is too overwhelming for one post. So I'm going to start with a few of them and then continue to show you more throughout the next week....and there just may be a giveaway at the end of all these posts. ;) So stay tuned...and maybe participate along the way. ;)

So let's kick this off with the block that was easily the most difficult for me. I was almost sad when they accepted it because I knew how much work it was going to be. lol But don't me dissuade you from trying it! It's so worth it!

All or Nothing
(By the way, my working title for this was Carousal...their title is a little more intimidating I think!)

This block involves curved piecing in almost every step...and that center seam gave me fits. If you follow along with me, you might remember that I did a lot of blocks last year that were simpler variations on this. I was trying to get the technique down. So don't worry. I've worked out all those kinks for you! Plus I have the pieced circle tutorial here on the blog to help you with this one. You'll need a bundle of different shades of solids for the rainbow effect here, but I'd love to see other variations of it!

Doublemint
(I love their name for this one!)

First off, huge shout of to Penny (sewtakeahike) who sent me the blue seeds for this block. It's my favorite part! This block is partially paper pieced and partially template sewn. But it comes together really well. I love the log cabinesque style triangles and yet the diamonds that are made. I was definitely in a diamond mood when I was designing...two of my other blocks make heavy use of diamonds as well!

Ahh...I miss my stump for photo taking!

Stargazing
(or as I affectionately call this, twinkle twinkle triple star)

This block has so many elements in it to me that are vital about quilting. There is tradition with the star concept, whimsy with the wonkiness, color and fun fabrics of modern quilting, the white background, etc. It will look fabulous with blocks of wonky stars of larger sizes as well. I have a whole quilt designed using this block in combination with other stars for a fun star quilt. Possibly perfect for a little boy if done in navy, white and red in particular!

I do think that the use of solids with prints helps this block from becoming too busy. It's a great block for using all those tiny scraps!

Can we handle one more?

yes? okay then...

Best Friend

Oh was super excited last year when I had the opportunity to work with Sherbet Pips right as it came out for market! Almost exactly a year ago! I knew right away that I wanted to use it and was lucky enough to get a hold of some from the manufacturer. It's just perfect for fussy cutting!

I think the direction of the fabrics is important in this block to create movement but also a place for the eye to rest. So the dogs all run in the same direction, but the scarves are winding their way around the block. I still find it so charming! The puppy dogs just kill me...they are so cute!

I also have all of these blocks made in a coordinating colorway that match the colors of the star block above...I'll have to share those too. But this is enough for today. ;) How many was that? Four? Seven more to go! I'd love to hear your thoughts on these.

Floss Giveaway Winner!

2011-10-26T12:57:00.000-05:00

Thank you everyone for all of your lovely suggestions about what to do with the reindeer embroidery I've been working on. You certainly have my brain churning. I have to admit that at this point I'm pretty reluctant to turn them into anything that people touch. lol

I've been working more and more...I've finished Cupid!

I love those floating hearts above his? head! They are so fun.

And I've also started, really almost finished now, with another reindeer... Comet! Comet required me to really figure out how to make a french knot. I fiddled with winging it for a while with pretty disastrous results. lol. I should have taken a picture of my muddled knots that I later cut out. I finally found some online videos on youtube which showed me how to make a french knot. And I was pretty successful. Not full proof yet, but getting there. ;)

Still a number of reindeer to go after these...boy do they take some time. And my little girlie is fascinated with them. Which is sweet but not particularly helpful.

But I know that you all are interested in that giveaway winner. Mr random generator picked an early one this time!

Lucky Esther was the winner of the embroidery floss and AMH fabric compliments of Pink Castle Fabrics! Enjoy! I'm super jealous!

First Refashioning!

2011-10-23T20:02:00.000-05:00

I've been itching to "save" some garments and turn them into others. There are so many great ideas out there for refashioning clothing and I've been observing the trend. As a fabric junkie, I can't deny the lure of variety of fabrics and finishes that come with using a factory finished garment. So I finally put my toe in the water and tested this idea. You see, I had this lovely pair of "sweat" pants from Ann Taylor that looked cute and were of a lovely knit...they just didn't look good on me any more. ;) But I knew someone that they might look good on.

So I cut off the bottom of the pants and used the lower pant legs to create new pieces for mini pants for the little gal. I used a pair of pajama pants that fit her currently as a pattern of sorts and just winged it. I was able to keep the hem of the pants and the side thread details for her new pants.

It only takes a couple of quick seams with the hem and side seams already there to finish the pants. The most time was probably spent making the waist band...which is just a simple elastic waist with about an inch wide elastic.

It's hard to get an active little gal to stand still so you can photograph her waistband, so believe me when I say that it's not as wonky as it looks in that picture. Diapers and activity move clothes around. I'm pretty pleased with how the pants turned out with a couple of disclaimers. Next time around I need to make the waist a little bit larger so that there is more stretch. My little girl is skinny mini, so it doesn't matter too much on her now. But it's definitely a good habit to get into, especially if I want to try anything like this for myself. Also, it is definitely the case that this method does not account for a curved rear end. ;) That's something that MY body will definitely need.

This whole thing was also an experiment for me because I was working with knit fabric. I actually made my very first garment in grade school with a knit...and I've never done it since. But it is a much more reasonable choice for garment sewing usually, so I'd love to feel really comfortable using knits. I finally realized that my machine has a "stretch" stitch or knit stitch and decided to give it a whirl. I think that part went swimmingly. I would definitely tackle knits again! I pulled on those seams a lot and there was NO issue. They stretched and popped right back.

And she was certainly pleased as punch to wear the pants. She's only 22 months and not a huge talker, so I'm not always sure what she is aware of...but my husband told me the next day that when he was putting her to bed that night while I was out, she patted her pants and said "mama!"
Yay! She'll definitely be getting more things from me. (Like she could avoid it!)

Cosmo Floss and AMH Needleworks Giveaway!

2011-10-21T12:06:00.002-05:00

*the giveaway is now closed*

Hey all,
You know that I've been interested more and more in embroidery right? Well I've been making a little progress. I've tried to take some of your advice and then plow ahead. I found a set of quirky but hopefully not too cutesy reindeer for some kind of Christmas something and I'm working my way along...I'm on my third reindeer. I'll admit that I'm pretty much only using a backstich at this point because that's all I've figured out. (I haven't looked at the online tutorials yet). But I do think I pulled off a couple of french knots, and really, no one is here to tell me differently. ;) My filling stitches need definite work, but they're okay...until I look at a "real" embroiderer's work. lol

ETA: A number of you seem interested in where I got the patterns. I bought this set at my local Joann's but I don't see it on their site. This is the package and I noticed that an Etsy shop is selling one...although I'm sure you can find them in all kinds of places. ;) oh and I'm using a dmc perle cotton size 8 in three colors.

Check it out!

Well again, in the interest of mixing up these giveaways a bit and offering something other than fabric, we have a lovely giveaway today sponsored by the sweet Brenda of Pink Castle Fabrics. She has selected a lovely custom bundle of 23 cosmo embroidery threads that match ALL of AMH's fabrics(which she also sells in her shop if you can't wait!) and a YARD of Anna Maria Horner's Pangaea Loulouthi Needleworks! And remember, this fabric is 60" wide!

So generous Brenda!

So, want a chance to win?

First, tell me you are a follower of my blog. I want to make sure I didn't lose anyone with my crazy blog update that is still going on. ;)

Second, give me an idea what to do with these reindeer when I am finished with them. They are all roughly in the 5" x 6" range. Pillow? Wallhanging? Bathroom scrubbie? Whatever!

We'll keep this open through the weekend! Then I should be able to finally show you my completed zig zag quilt too. Woohoo!

test post

2011-10-20T16:49:00.001-05:00

sorry guys...just trying to work out some kinks in the blog design...

Quilting Around the World - Featuring Viv

2011-10-18T20:31:00.001-05:00

Today I have the honor of featuring another fabulous quilter/sewer in yet another part of the world. Hopefully I'll hit the whole globe in the end. ;) Viv is the dear creator of my second doll quilt...she figured out that I'm a big Alice fan. I've been following her work for quite a while now and laugh when I go through her photo stream because I think I've commented or liked everyone of her projects. If not, I certainly intended too! So enjoy the talented work of this sweet lady.

I’m Viv, aka Sew Vivid. I work from home part-time making quilts and baby clothes which I sell in my online Felt shop (which is like Etsy, only local). I am the mother of 3 boys, 21, 15 and 5 and one daughter who is 13. We live on 3 acres and grow lots of our own meat and vegetables, trying to exist on 1 income in a 2 income world.

Questions:

Where in the World are You?

I live in a small rural town called Carterton, in the North Island of New Zealand (you know, the little country next to Australia). Population approx. 5000. However we are only 14km from the nearest large town and only 80km to New Zealand’s capital city Wellington. We are classed as rural, but are only 3km from the centre of Carterton, so getting to the shops is only a 5 minute drive, but we have all the peace and quiet of the country, with farmland surrounding ours and no close neighbours.

How long have you been sewing/quilting? How did you become interested in quilting?

I started sewing at school when I was about 10. I was lucky that my Mother was a sewer, and my Great-Grandmother had been a tailoress, so some great skills were passed down to me by my Mother. I occasionally sewed during my teens, making clothing for myself, but really started sewing more clothes when my first child arrived when I was 18.
I started quilting when we moved from the city to our small rural town 8 years ago. I had been keen on making a quilt and saw a beginners quilting class advertised so I jumped at the chance. It took me 4 months to complete my first quilt. The hand-stitching for the binding was really what held me back. I loved the process and went on the make a couple more quilts on my own. Now I think I’ve made somewhere between 75 and 100 quilts.

Is quilting common in your area or are you a lone crafter?

Quilting is VERY common where I am, however more popular with the aging population. We have a big guild nearby, I went along to one meeting but it wasn’t really my thing. It was mostly very traditional quilters. Nice ladies but a different generation.
I do belong to a group, which started out as a quilting class, but over the years has morphed into a weekly craft group get-together. There are 8 or 9 of us who meet once a week. We usually just work on any project we like, share craft books, help each other with skills and techniques. Not always quilting, some bring knitting or embroidery instead, but we are all quilters. Our ages range from 30ish up to 70ish, but we are all young at heart. Earlier this year we worked on a group project making quilts for quake-struck Christchurch.

Do you find it difficult to get quilting supplies and fabric in your area?

It is very hard to get affordable quilting supplies and fabric here. Fabric ranges from $22 to $36 a metre (which is approx. $20 to $30 USD). I have seen the breakdown of why we pay this much, basically because of the middleman, and I do understand the shops need to make a profit, but when you use as much fabric as I do it’s easier and cheaper to buy direct from the US. I buy approx. 80% of my fabric from US quilting shops via the internet. Although we have some very good quilting shops locally they also take a very long time to get in new lines, often up to a year later than the US, so if I want the new ranges I need to buy from overseas. We do have “Spotlight” which I guess is similar to “Joann’s” but for me that is 80km away, so I don’t get there often enough to get many bargains.

What designer/designs are you exposed to the most as a result of living where you do?

Just what I see on the internet really. Nothing special. Off the top of my head I couldn’t tell you if we had any well-known NZ fabric designers.

What is your favorite part about the international nature of the online quilting community?

My favourite part of the internet quilting community is the almost universal generosity and friendliness. I love to participate in quilting bees, mini quilt swaps and fabric swaps. I’ve never had a bad package come my way and I try to do my best each time for my partner. I’ve” met” some truly wonderful quilters and would so love to meet them in real life.

How good are you at filling out customs forms for the postal service?

I try to fill out the customs form very accurately with regards to the contents, even if it spoils the surprise for the receiver. I’ve learnt from experience that the labels that don’t list all the goods are the ones that get held up for a long time at customs. I do only put a $5 value on each parcel though as otherwise some countries will charge the recipient duty.

If you could own any fabric at all in the world, what would it be?

I really love hand screen printed fabric, so for me I’d love fabric from Ink & Spindle, Kirsten Doran, Aunt Cookie, Sprout design, Pippijoe and Lara Cameron.

What sewing machine do you own? Do you love it or hate it?!

I own 3 sewing machines.
A little Elna Lotus, which is tiny and compact, a modernish version of the Singer Featherweight, perfect for taking to sewing group.
My main sewing machine is a Bernina 1230, which came out in 1989 (the year I was actually working for Bernina New Zealand). I bought this 2nd hand about 5 years ago, upgrading from a Bernina 930. My machine is almost perfect! I love it. Solid, reliable, near perfect zigzag and automatic buttonhole, has the alphabet (great for naming school uniforms), great for quilting on. The only thing I’d like more is a Bernina 820 (one of the new ones) because I covert it’s 16 inch arm and jumbo bobbins. That would make it easier to quilt queen size quilts.
My 3rd machine is a Bernina 117, made in 1957. My husband spied this on TradeMe (like Ebay) for $25. It’s a big heavy machine, set into its own desk. Truly gorgeous and sews beautifully. I use this occasionally, but it takes a bit of practice to work it. Luckily my husband used to be a Bernina technician many years ago, so he was able to recondition the motor for my 117 and I have onsite service for all my other machines 
I also have a Bernette overlocker, which I bought for my mother when I was working at Bernina, but over the years it made its way to my place and somehow never went back. No chance now, I use it weekly.

What does a typical sewing session look like for you?

I sew most days. Usually from 9 to 12, working on custom quilt orders or items for my shop, if I sew in the afternoons I am usually working on a swap, bee blocks, clothing or a quilt to keep. I try not to sew at night, as I find I’m usually too tired and make lots of mistakes. Weekend sewing is usually personal as well. I feel like I’m missing something if I have more than a day or two away from my machines.

Anything else that you want the world to know about you?

I was very excited to have a block accepted for the new Modern Blocks book that’s coming out in October. That’s the only thing I’ve had published. Most of my work and stories of life on our small farm can be seen on my blog – highwaycottage.wordpress.com

Congrats on being the Modern Blocks book too Viv! It's fun to finally find out who else is in that book. lol. I'm jealous of those who already have a copy. ;) Thanks for sharing all of that with us. You have so many wonderful quilts that are complete. I've been dying to make the skull quilt myself...I also have that book. And you make me want to go and finish up all of those bee quilts!

The Name Game!

2011-10-17T09:51:00.000-05:00

Hey all! In addition to my post on the zig zag quilt here, you can also find me today over at Live A Colorful Life. You can find out all about why I chose the name I did for my blog...because I know you're fascinated with me and can't get enough. ;)

A Zig and A Zag : Final Sewing Instructions and Basting

2011-10-17T00:06:00.000-05:00

This post is part of an ongoing series of posts for A Zig and A Zag Quilt Along I'm hosting here on my blog. You can join in at any time! You will find the links to all previous steps in my sidebar.

Well I know that you are all smart cookies and this step of completing the quilt is hardly necessary, but nonetheless I'll be thorough. Our last set of instructions ended with details on how to complete each individual row. Now I know it will be a big shock, but the next step is actually sewing the rows together. You can follow your own pattern, or if you are doing my version, you will be sewing these together in rainbow order. Be sure to pin! I match up each block at multiple points to be sure that the rows go together accurately.

Another little tip is that I sew all my rows together in smaller sets and then sew the larger sets together. So, I sew three sets of two rows together and then start sewing those to each other. This way you avoid working with the whole weight of the quilt as you add each row.

Once your quilt top is complete, you will want to make the backing for your quilt. I don't have a great photo of my backing yet (I'll post that with the final pics) but we all know that everyone makes their own backings anyway. ;) I used an assortment of fabrics that I seamed together in two large columns. Basically, do whatever you want, just make sure that the quilt back is approximately 3" larger than your top on all sides.

With your backing and quilt top in hand, grab some batting and head to your nearest large flat surface. I found that my garage floor works well for basting...if not a little hard on my knees. I tape down the backing wrong side up using blue painter's tape, pulling the fabric straight and taught. I'm a completely converted spray baster and I'll admit that I only use 505 spray. I buy the largest size can because it's all I use anymore.

When spray basting, it is easiest to work with roughly half the quilt at once. So with both the batting and the quilt top, I spray about half of the surface below. Then I lay the material down, smooth it from the center out. And then I do the same with the other side.

It's lovely all basted and ready to be quilted!

I have the quilt all complete and I'm in love with it! So I'll be back super soon to share the quilting, binding and finished product with you all. Plus some tips and tricks I learned along the way while working on this particular quilt.

As always, I'd love to see any of your work on this quilt along in my group on flickr, Cut To Pieces.

layout changes

2011-10-14T11:25:00.003-05:00

Hey all, I just wanted to give you a heads up that my blog design should hopefully be updated soon. So when you hop over here and have no idea where you are, rest assured you are in the right place. ;) It may take a bit to get all the kinks in order, but I'm really excited about the new design. I hope to make it more user friendly too. Although it may take a while to get all the links listed and in the right place.

Back soon to talk more about my zig zag quilt. I've finished the quilting! It took 15 bobbins of thread! I think I added 15 pounds to the weight. lol. Now I just need to bind it and wash it for crinkly goodness and then this is one quilt that goes to the "check, I'm done!" pile. Woohoo!

Oh Fall...How I have missed Thee!

2011-10-13T10:51:00.000-05:00

After five years in the very sunny south, I'm ready for fall again. It's always been my favorite season and it's virtually non existent in New Orleans. Oh you get the occasional yellow leaf here or there, but nothing like farther north. I know it won't last and soon winter will be here, but for now I'm going to enjoy it as much as possible. And that means family picnics on pretty quilts among the leaves. (and cocktails for the adults!)

I love watching my daughter discover the joys of the world...like kicking up leaves as you walk and listening to them crunch when you step on them. Seeing the leaves fall from the trees and having her dad douse us in piles of leaves.

Much of our life is up in the air these days, but moments like this one help to ground everything and help prioritize. As long as we can do this, we are doing just fine.

Lest you think I have not been doing any sewing, let me assure that I am. I'm in the middle of quilting that infamous zig zag quilt. 5 bobbins in and I'm about 3/8ths done. But I think I may love it. I'll post later on putting the rows together and basting...and then it will be quilting and binding! Some of you are probably already done because these steps are all pretty self explanatory. But I'll post them anyway. ;) Here's a progress shot from my phone last night.

A collection of thoughts

2011-10-11T14:12:00.000-05:00

Well, this is what happens when you draw for a giveaway before you leave for a long weekend. You can't remember what you named the file of the pic of the rand generator number. lol. Thankfully I distinctly remember who won. The lucky winner is:

Caitlin of LethargicLass! (and no I didn't pick her because she has a name almost exactly like my daughter's. and I didn't pick her because one of her comments was a lovely rendering of a song from Annie, one of my all time favorite movies as a child. But that probably made it easier for me to remember!)

So congrats! I'm completely jealous that you will be able to get so much cute tape!

In other news, I'm still definitely recovering from traveling and talking to people for four days straight. I'm a definite night owl and I was shocked that I was not able to stay up past midnight on Saturday night. But I was wiped. I blame it on the fact that I'm used to spending my days with a small child who doesn't really talk yet. So I'm out of the habit. lol

My favorite thing about the summit with having a mini reunion with my NOLA modern quilt guild gals and meeting so many blogging friends in person!

From left to right: Michelle (I like orange too), Cara (Me? a Mom?), Kaelin (the plaid scottie), Cherie (Sew and So Quilts), Karen (Feisty Eily)

Roommates! The former NOLA modern quilt guild gals.

Seriously so funny! Had a blast meeting Cara!

Rachel (stitched in color) and I finally got to meet in person. She's ridiculously beautiful and just as nice as I would have hoped!

Michelle (I like orange too) and I. You can see my olympic sized name tag I made really well in this pic. So glad I made that though. We NEEDED to know our "other" names. lol

Cara and I, but who is who? ;)

Salt Lake definitely knows how to do a water feature. So many pretty ones around the city!

Oh and you might say that we got a bit of stuff while we were there. Here's a pic of mainly my loot. I only bought a bit of the fabric. lol. Thank you for all the generosity of people who brought fun things to share! (And yes, it's okay to be jealous lol)

This pic kind of describes the best kind of moment during the summit. Kaelin and Cara cracking each other up over who knows what. I think we all had moments of this throughout the sea of people and personalities at the summit.

I think I would need at least ten more of these weekends to even begin to get to know everyone better. So many lovely people...I didn't get too many pics of people. I only whipped out the camera near the end. But everyone has a different smattering of pics of people who were there.

Highlights:
- Kaelin making me try on a gold ball gown at the awesome local vintage shop and trying to convince me that I needed it.

- Dinner for a group of us hosted by the fabulous Jennifer (Ellison Lane Quilts) and Elena (Breakfast for dinner).

- Cara wanting to reenact one of the statues in front of the temple and me telling her that we shouldn't because it was a Sunday. lol

- Crazy lady who treated me to a rendition of "We built this city on rock and roll" and later that weekend shared her views on Leprechaun kidnappings.

- Free motion quilting with Jacey and her crazy eyelash quilting.

Oh and so much more...don't want to bore you all! I'm sure everyone will be blogging about this if you want to read more. ;)

I'm back...

2011-10-10T10:09:00.001-05:00

I'm back and I'm tired. lol. I didn't expect any differently but it makes for a bit of a boring post today.

I didn't bring my laptop with me while I was gone, so I neglected to tell you all that on Saturday I had a post over at the C & T Publishing Blog, Stash Books, about one of the blocks I have in the upcoming book 99 Modern Blocks.

I love this block so much and I knew the quilt pattern I would make with it if I ever had the time...so that's what I shared over on the other blog. No, I didn't make it yet, but I do have the mock up.

When I was making all of the blocks for the book, I made them all a couple (or more!) times to make sure that they were just how I wanted them. So I also have this one in another colorway. I love it too. lol

I hope you'll hop over there and check out the post!

I'll be back tomorrow to announce the Washi Tape winner and share some photos from my trip. Stay tuned!

A post before I go...

2011-10-05T11:12:00.000-05:00

It's hard to believe that it's already time for the Sewing Summit. Do I really leave tomorrow for Utah? To surround myself with a bunch of women I know, but don't... lol We are some crazy ladies! But I think that we should have crazy good fun. I've been keeping myself quite busy in the meantime and haven't even started packing! Oh and my poor baby just came down with a nasty cold! She hasn't been sick in months and now she gets sick. We're not too surprised because she's getting her hopefully last set of baby teeth in and she always gets a cold when she's teething. She's constantly got her hands in her mouth trying to stop the teething pain. :( Thankfully my MIL will be here to help my husband and she was a nurse and a mother of 6...so she can handle a cold no problem.

But sewing wise, I've been getting one thing done after another. I've had a lot of little projects on my brain and I've been able to spit out a number of them. (Not all...I'm always overestimating my available time). No work done on my zig zag quilt because I need to buy the batting and it goes on sale this weekend at Joanns. It will still be on sale on Monday, so I intend to head over there right when I get back from the summit. lol

I did make a couple of buntings! I've actually never made these before, so I was totally winging it. But as it turns out, I actually winged something pretty well this time. I desperately needed something to hang in Caitlyn's room. The wall color is drab, the walls are huge and it's all just blah. 'Nuf said. I couldn't even get pretty pictures in that room of them.

You get the idea. It definitely helps! And I love making these. So I decided to whip up another set for decorating our door at the Sewing Summit. (You've got to be able to find the room with the cool kids. lol)

Plus, I'm feeling all college dormy and I wanted to make Door Tags that have our names on them. Ignore the fact that the do not yet have any names on them...I need to get a fabric marker and I didn't expect the girly to wake up sick. So I'll have to run out tonight and get that. But I made these spools of fabric from some felt, markers and glue (channeling my inner grade school crafty side).

I'm going to write our names and flickr/blog names on the brown spool part. I hope that it will be cute on the door with the bunting. I've done a very subtle nod to Mardi Gras with my color scheme in all of this...just in case one of my roommates is bring mardi gras decor. ;)

I've also pulled a dress that I've had cut out for a year and a half. I don't know why but I decided that it was finally time to finish it. lol. No pictures yet, but I'll definitely have that done soon and can show you. Yup. cause I'm crazy like that. I had three projects out last night that I was running back and forth between. Why? Because I could.

Travel Handmade

2011-10-02T23:21:00.001-05:00

If I haven't mentioned it, I'm going to be headed to the Sewing Summit later this week. And I've been a little anxious about both traveling by myself to Utah and being there and all that I need to get done before that. But I've officially crossed one item off of my list. The name tag.

As you can see, I have attempted embroidery again. I'm happier with this attempt (which isn't too surprising because this is definitely a craft which is easier with more practice). I did buy myself a little laminated foldout of basic embroidery stitches which I constantly referred to as I worked on this. I only used a back stitch and a basic filler stitch. One thing at a time. ;) I also realized that I don't need to make everything harder for myself and found the beauty of iron on embroidery patterns. Genius! lol.

The needle and thread are from an iron on pattern that I was able to follow, but I did still free hand the letters. You might notice that I even helped myself out with that a bit by using the fabric I did....basically practicing hand writing.

I also did a little raw edge applique for the "pieces" part of the name tag. The way the layout turned out sort of prompted the round size of the name tag. And yes, I realize that it looks sort of like an olympic medal. Especially with the lanyard I made. ;) I made it to hang around my neck with a clasp. And I used a plastic cross stitch round piece as a stabilizer for the whole thing.

So I'm all set to wear my name tag with "pride" when I get to Utah...even if my husband laughed at it. Although he also called my hexagon pillow a "dysfunctional honeycomb", so I try to take his opinion with a grain of salt. Teehee!

And I bet you think that I've forgotten all about my zig zag quilt along but I have not! I have the top complete and the back complete. I hoped to get it all basted and quilted before I leave for Utah, but I need to be realistic. It may happen and it may not. But it WILL be pretty!

Fun Giveaway!

2011-09-30T02:07:00.002-05:00

*the giveaway is now closed*

Oh I'm excited for this giveaway! It's not to celebrate anything other than all of you loyal readers making me feel just a little bit special in this great big world of blogging. So hugs to you all!

I've been listening and I know that you all love giveaways that are not always fabric. (but really...I'm a prime example of the fact that you can't have too much fabric! or at least want it!) So I decided to find someone who would help me share with you a new love of mine: Washi Tape!

Do you know what Washi Tape is? I didn't until one of those days of blog wanderings and found out about this lovely product. And let me tell you, I'm hooked!! I actually resisted buying any for at least a year after I learned about it, but I was missing out. I will always have this product from now on.

First of all, it's super cute. And I'm a sucker for super cute. AND it's super practical...and that ALMOST beats out super cute. I love that it sticks so strong and yet removes easily. I use it all the time to temporarily tape my customs forms to packages while I transport them to the post office.

I think it is really reasonably priced too. I don't buy tape all that often but when I do I'd much rather have really cute tape. ;) So I'm all over this! Which is why I'm completely jealous that Glenda from PrettyTape on Etsy and Cutetape.com is generously offering one reader a $30 gift certificate! That's a lot of tape my friends!! Send me some if you win. No I'm kidding. Or am I? There are lots of fun items at the stores, so you will of course need to go check them out and become completely hooked on these pretty things.

To enter the giveaway:

1. Go to either Cutetape.com or PrettyTape on Etsy and find your favorite item. Come back here and let us know!

2. Follow Cutetape on Facebook or Twitter (I'm not on twitter so I have no idea how to do that...but those of you who are can probably find it. lol)

3. Give a word of encouragement...to me, to you, to anyone. I could use some encouragement and I'd love to see anyone being encouraged! (It's late, don't ask. lol)

Hometown Giveaway Winner!

2011-09-28T18:48:00.000-05:00

Thanks to all of you who left such sweet comments and suggestions here and over at Moda for my latest quilt. It's so fun when someone enjoys your design, let me tell you!

But we did have one lucky winner of the Hometown Fat Quarter Bundle from The Fat Quartershop!

The random number generator has spoken and chose #156, Cameron!

Congrats Cameron! Please contact me and let me know your contact info so we can get that sent out to you ASAP.

Sad that YOU didn't win? Well no worries, there are a few more giveaways coming up. And I've been looking for things other than fabric for all of you faithful readers. I know that you all love fabric, but there are other things to love too. So keep a lookout! We'll be doing another giveaway lickety split!

In the meantime enjoy this horrible picture I took with my phone of a magazine add of the Flea Market Fancy Reprint coming in 2012! Woohoo! I somehow missed this the first time around, but I won't be missing it this time!

Hexagon Pillow Tutorial

2011-09-27T20:30:00.000-05:00

I recently joined the most current pillow talk swap on flickr. We all get to make a beautiful pillow for our secret partner and tease them with pretty pictures while simultaneously being teased with dozens of pictures that just may be for you! It's a little intoxicating to see all the beautiful pillows being made in one place. Pillows are great to make because you use a technique or fabric or quilting style that are all out of the box because you are just making a 20" or so square.

I can't tell you who my partner is because it's a secret. ;) But I will tell you that I think she should really like this...in fact, she may have even commented on it. But I'm not saying a word...

What I can tell you is how I made this pillow. It took a lot of work, but I used some great tools to do it. Some of you might remember that Accuquilt recently gifted me with a Go! Baby cutter. And one of the dies that I chose was the Hexagon die. I chose this die in particular because hexagons can be a bit annoying to cut out...all those sides. ;) I also had a lovely Kona Solids Charm pack that I was given when I lived in New Orleans as part of the Modern Quilt Guild's challenge with Kona solids. I wasn't able to make anything before I left, but I've been planning on something for a while. Regardless, I was quite happy to discover that with careful placement on the Hexagon Die, I was able to quickly cut the whole charm pack into a lovely stack of rainbow hexagons.

I wanted to hand sew the hexagons together using the English Paper Piecing Technique. But since I have the accuquilt cutter and will be able to make this size of hexagon easily over and over, I chose to make some plastic templates to wrap my fabric around. With the help of another hexagon template, I was cut enough templates for a charm pack. I believe I ended up with 3.5" hexagons.

Using some lovely Aurifil thread that I was also given (boy I'm a lucky gal!), I made fairly quick work of basting the fabric around the plastic hexagons.

My little stack grew and grew!

I then played around with the fabrics until I found a layout that I liked. I did end up tossing two green charms and adding in a few other Kona solids to make this work...but that's just because I'm picky like that. I hand sewed each piece together. Such a small sentence for the most work! lol

You might notice that at this point, the hexagons are not square. Hmm...what a concept. That's what that a math major gets you. A keen eye. ;) So, the next step is to square up the pieced hexagons. You might think that you can just slice up the piece, but you need to be a little more careful to account for the seam allowances.

I lined up the edge of the hexagons so that there is a quarter inch past the folded finished edge.

Then, I use some small scissors to snip some of the basting threads to undo the folded edges adjacent.

The adjacent sides could be sliced and diced because of the measurements...20.5" I believe. I marked a line and cut!

You should now have a squared up, hand pieced rainbow hexagon design. From here, you can use your favorite technique to turn this into a pillow. I spray basted some batting on to this piece and then quilted the hexagons with another geometric pattern. Here it is partially quilted so that you can get an idea of how I did this particular design.

I was being all fancy dancy, so I also quilted a pieced backing for the pillow as well as lining the pillow cover and adding a hidden zipper. All of that adds up to one pretty pillow!

Front:

Back:

Lining and Zipper:

This is one rainbow that should have gold at the end!

Sneak Peak at my Pillow Talk Swap Pillow

2011-09-26T14:45:00.000-05:00

Well it's all complete and actually in the mail to my secret partner! I love how it turned out and I think that my partner will love it too. ;) She doesn't know which pillow she's getting but this is handmade just for her.

I'm actually planning on sharing all how I put this together, but that sounds like too much work for a Monday. So for now, just enjoy a little eye candy.

Picket Fences - A New Quilt for Moda Bakeshop!

2011-09-23T00:10:00.001-05:00

*the giveaway is now closed*

I'm so excited to share my second Moda Bakeshop quilt! It's appropriately (if not obviously) titled Picket Fences and I was thrilled to work with the fabric of one of my favorite set of designers, Sweetwater. Hometown is just fun and I loved searching through all of the names to find cities that are special to me.

This particular quilt is being donated to a local fundraiser for a women's center here in South Bend. I'm thrilled that it will be shared by someone who will both love it and who is willing to donate to charity. What a win win for this sweet quilt.

And I'm also excited to have a lovely giveaway hosted by The Fat Quarter Shop! They are generously giving one reader a petite fat quarter set of Hometown. What a fantastic way to get a taste of this line.

To enter to win this petite fat quarter bundle, I'd love if you went over to Moda Bakeshop and left me a comment on my quilt there. Then come back here and leave me a comment that you left a comment there.

For those of who really want extra chances, I'd love any phone apps that you all can recommend. As you may have gathered from my previous post, I'm quite new to the smart phone world. I would love to know what I'm missing. So if you have a suggestion for one, that gives you an extra entry. Please leave it as a separate comment.

I know that not everyone has a fancy dancy phone. So in lieu of an app recommendation, please feel free to share any other recommendations you have! lol I'll let you all decide what that might be about. But let's keep it clean. ;) (Unless you're Lynne and you're going to suggest some Afternoon Delight).

Fancy Phones and Fancy Hexagons

2011-09-22T00:26:00.001-05:00

I recently entered the world of technology with a new "smart" phone. I'm having fun starting to explore just the tiniest bit of things you can do with an iphone...and yes, that means I now play Angry Birds. ;) But one of the best things about a new phone? Why a new phone COVER! I found the cutest cover designed by none other than one of our favorite fabric designers Cosmo Cricket.

How cute is that?! I found it on Gelaskins.com I believe...too lazy to go look it up. But google is your friend and I'm sure you could find it if you want. Is it wrong that I am so impressed at how perfectly it fits the phone with all of the cut outs? lol

They even give you little sticker covers for the sides! And it is all one seamless design.

I love that I can now find my phone more easily in my purse and that there is just a little more protection for the outside. Plus...IT'S SUPER CUTE!

Anyway, just wanted to share my new pretty cover for my new pretty phone. I do have actual sewing I have been doing as well. I feel like I've been sewing a lot, but in all honesty I may just be thinking about sewing a lot. I have definitely been HAND sewing a lot. Paper Piecing Hexagons! Here's a little peak at that.

I'll be sharing more about that for sure later on...but also be sure to tune in tomorrow for the reveal of my next Moda Bakeshop Quilt!! Plus a fun giveaway sponsored by the Fat Quarter Shop! Woohoo!

Off to play more Angry Birds. ;)

Cracker Scraps

2011-09-19T20:20:00.001-05:00

Here is the newest block that I have been working on. I'm naming it Cracker Scraps as it a variation on a quilt commonly known as Crackers or something like that...I'm using scraps and it all kind of sounds like Cracker Jacks. Yep. That's how my brain works. Aren't you all lucky to know that. ;)

I made a couple of trial blocks as I'm having my two bees both work on this block for me for the month of October. The VIBees and the Stash Trad Bee will both be working it. One group will be getting fabric from me and the other will be using their own scraps that coordinate. The background is Kona Bone. They all need instructions on how to make the block, so you all are getting instructions too!

The block is made of two mini blocks that are mainly based on Kona Bone and two mini blocks that are mainly based on the color. So that is four mini blocks all together for each large block.

For each Kona Bone based block you will need:

(1) 6" square of Kona Bone
(2) 6" squares of Color
(1) 2 3/4" x 7 1/4" rectangles of color
(2) 2 3/4" x 7 1/4" rectangles of Kona Bone

Cut each 6" square into (2) triangles by cutting along the diagonal from one corner to the opposite corner. You will use both Kona Bone Triangles and (1) of Each of the color triangles. (save those other triangles for another block or simply discard them)

Sew together the rectangles with the colored piece in between the two Kona Bone pieces, sewing along the long edges.

Before sewing on the triangles, you will need to find the center of all four sides of your new fabric piece and all of your triangles. I do this easily by folding my fabric pieces in half and quickly pressing the edge of the fold.

Sew a Kona Bone triangle to the set of three rectangles.(longest edge of the triangle/hypotenuse to short edge of rectangles) Remember to match the centers together first and pin out from there.

Press seams toward the triangles.

Sew the Colored triangles to the long sides of the rectangle, again matching first at the centers. Press the seams toward the triangles.

I've deliberately oversized this, so that you can trim it down and have a nice square (quarter of a ) block. I find it easiest to square up a block using a square ruler. I square the block so that there is a 1/4" seam allowance along each edge based off of the intersections. These square up to about 10" square.

To make the other type of square, follow all the same directions as the first, except cut two color rectangles and one Kona Bone rectangle. Sew the color triangles to the SHORT side of the rectangles and the Kona to the long sides.

With a nicely squared block, it is easier to sew together the four smaller squares. I pin them together first at the points that I want to make sure match up.

Make two of each type of block and then sew them together in an alternate pattern as you see in my examples.

Pretty soon you'll have a whole quilt...especially when you have the help of bees!

Patchwork Baskets

2011-09-17T00:00:00.000-05:00

I'm so excited because I FINALLY was able to make one of those items that has been on my virtual "to do" list for what seems like forever! The item in question? Ayumi's Patchwork Basket Pattern available for free on her blog Pink Penguin. It's super adorable (as are all of Ayumi's patterns!) and I've been wanting one of my own forever. And make one I did...in fact, make THREE I did! lol

I started this project with some extra motivation from Lynne's Dead Simple Quilt Along over at Lily's Quilts. She had the lovely idea of using a color palette from a generator. I chose a pretty color combo from an inspiration picture over at Design Seeds. If you missed my post about that selection, you can find it over at Lynne's Blog.

The baskets are little, but I find them a fun size for storage for smaller items. I now have a new beautiful place to store my medications! lol. One is currently storing my hexagons for the pillow swap (more on that later) and the other I gave to Caitlyn for "food" storage.

Caitlyn is enjoying her new kitchen with her new basket. It's the perfect size for her!

Playing in the kitchen!

Too cute!

If you are thinking at all about making one of the patchwork baskets, then do it! I love mine and I'm pleased I made more than one.

Quilting Around the World - Featuring Krista

2011-09-14T13:52:00.001-05:00

Today I get to share with you the delightful Krista aka Poppyprint who lives in far away in Canada! lol She's lead such a fascinating life and is now an equally fascinating quilter! She does have an aversion to country music but don't hold that against her. ;) I think country music can get to all of us sometimes. So come ride the Krista train and see all the beautiful things that she makes.

I'm Krista. I used to be a geologist and environmental studies coordinator, but now I'm very happy to call myself a quilter. Even though a lot of my friends think that means I knit sweaters. I live with my amazingly supportive husband, two young teenagers and one obnoxious wiener dog. Aside from quilting, running a day-retreat business, teaching a workshop or two each year, belonging to two guilds, blogging and occasionally making dinner before 6:00 p.m., I also love photography and have happily returned to cycling on a shiny new road bike!

Questions:

Where in the World are You?

North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

How long have you been sewing/quilting? How did you become interested in quilting?

I started quilting ten years ago after my second child was born. Our new house didn't have space for woodwork (which I had started when our first child was born a couple years earlier) and the local village had a lovely quilt shop that I couldn't stay away from. I succumbed to my love of fabric and signed up for a row by row class that claimed it was suitable for a confident beginner. While I have never looked back, I have never finished that first quilt, either.

Is quilting common in your area or are you a lone crafter?

Super common! The largest community guild wavers from 150 to 200 members, depending on the year and there are 2 smaller guilds that meet in the daytime that each have 50 members. Sadly, three local quilt shops have had to close in the last 5 years. They have been replaced by one new one, though.

Do you find it difficult to get quilting supplies and fabric in your area?

Not at all. The letter carrier knows my address and several online stores know my Visa number. Plus, as I mentioned, there is a local shop as well as two more downtown. Typically I am not patient enough to wait for the latest lines to make it across the border into Canada, so I shop online. I appreciate being able to colour match a particular fabric in person once in a while, though. Because I edned up working at the LQS where it all begain, I was exposed to a lot of notions, threads, books and patterns, so generally I know what I'm looking for and can find it online. I also love to shop merchant malls at quilt shows and there are plenty of those in B.C. annually!

What designer/designs are you exposed to the most as a result of living where you do?

The majority of quilt work being done here is still traditional. I would say that 80% of the quilts I see at shows around my province would fall into the traditional category, 10% art and maybe another 10% what the online community would consider modern. For many traditional quilters here, batiks are still considered 'modern and different', which is quite a different view from the online blogging/flickr community that I participate in. Due to import costs and lag time, we don't get exposed to a lot of the designer fabric that you find online. With our dollar at parity (and some days even worth more that the U.S. dollar), I'm hopeful that more shops will bring in the designer goods and realize a market for them. I am exposed to various designers and designs online at the blogs I visit.

What is your favorite part about the international nature of the online quilting community?

New friends! That is exactly the reason I wanted to start blogging. I would read blogs about swapping with friends, or meeting up with friends, or admiring friends' work and I thought, hey, I want to be a part of that community! I have a massive quilting circle of friends here mostly due to my involvement in guilds and my retreat business. However, I love travel and have a great interest in knowing people around the world. It's tough to do all the traveling we'd like to with a family, so meeting bloggers from around the world helps satisfy my wanderlust and keeps me hopeful that one day I might meet some of these amazing quilters in person (and hopefully crash on their couch).

How good are you at filling out customs forms for the postal service?
I rock it. I have a stack right here beside my laptop so I am fully prepared when I get to the P.O. I cannot tell you how much I've spent on postage in the last two years. I did 15 swaps in 2010 and not one was with a fellow Canadian. I also have regular giveaways on my blog that are invariably won by people in Australia, Turkey or England! It's a small price to pay for the fabulous things I get in return, but it always stings a bit when I see how little postage is in the U.S. by comparison. I have been known to take a little roadtrip across the border to take advantage of the USPS.

If you could own any fabric at all in the world, what would it be?

Honestly, I can't answer this question. I have such wide-ranging tastes in fabric, but I covet nothing in particular.

What sewing machine do you own? Do you love it or hate it?!

I have three. My day to day machine is a Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.0 that I love some days and hate on others. Free motion quilting is a challenge with this machine at times. That's ironic, because I specifically bought it for the huge harp and resulting space so that I could free motion quilt my own quilts! I also have a Pfaff 1212 and a Featherweight, both of which belonged to my late Mother in Law. I love both of those machines.

What does a typical sewing session look like for you?

30 minutes of sewing, followed by 2 hours on the laptop! I am terrible. My sewing productivity has really gone down since I started blogging and I hear that a lot from other quilt bloggers, too! I get a lot done on retreats, though.

Anything else that you want the world to know about you?

My family and I really want to visit France next summer and do so on a house exchange. If you or any of your friends live in France and want to spend some time in Vancouver next summer at our home, while we eat croissants in your home, let me know!

Thank you so much for sharing with us Krista! It's so delightful to get to know you and Canadian quilting a little more. Your projects are so inspirational too. So many of my favorites!

Find me over at Angie's blog today!

2011-09-13T09:51:00.000-05:00

Hi all! I just wanted to let you know that you can find me over at Angie's blog today, Stitching by Starlight. She did an interview of me and also has a fabulous giveaway going on (cough*Joel Dewberry Heirloom*). So go read me revealing even more of my quirkiness and enter her giveaway. Hint: If you are a follower of my blog, you get an extra entry! Isn't that sweet of her!?

Play Kitchen Redo

2011-09-11T23:52:00.001-05:00

I recently bought a new to us play kitchen for my daughter at a consignment store. It was in decent shape and for a decent price. I had been checking out prices for new play kitchens online and I was a little shocked but not surprised I guess to discover that they could easily hit $200. That's too much for me for a toy that I'm not convinced my daughter will play with for the next four years. ;) But I will give it a whirl for a more moderate price.

I was pleased with my purchase. It was painless...I walked into a consignment store for kids for the first time in this city and was delighted at the number of great items there. (Much better selection than I had seen in NOLA...gotta love the big families in the midwest) I made myself only buy the play kitchen. I brought it home and put it in the only place I could. My family room/toy room/sewing room that is pretty tiny. So there's no avoiding looking at this kitchen.

After a few days I decided that if this kitchen was going to reside in the same room as my lovely fabric and be seen all of the time, I needed to make it more "attractive". I swear that I wanted to make it as cute as possible for the little girlie.

The stickers were painfully faded and slightly ridiculous to begin with. So I used some goo remover and took off a bunch of the less than sightly stickers. It was already looking better. But I decided that there definitely needed to be some fabric added. And I discovered after looking through my stash that I had a piece of AMH's Innocent Crush line that matches PERFECTLY. I swear she must have designed the fabric after seeing this exact play kitchen. The colors are sooo perfect!

I whipped up some curtains for the open storage which I applied using velcro sewn to the curtains and stuck on the inner lip of the opening. But I'm very proud of the modge podge I applied to the top of the kitchen and microwave. And I found that some Japanese Washi tape that I just bought also matched perfectly and looked like little kitchen tiles. This kitchen has never looked so good!

I also removed a sticker from the "refrigerator" and replaced it with a fussy cut piece of Munki Munki fabric...still with the beverage theme.

There is a little phone and "recipe" book area in the center that I gave a lot of attention to. Stickers were removed and fun fabrics replaced them. Once again, some Heather Ross Munki Munki made an appearance on the phone. They also found their way onto the recipe book with some sushi. And other great food prints made their way into the recipe book.

I'll admit that there were a number of hours put into this kitchen, but I don't think you can buy a kitchen like this one (and don't tell me if you can! lol). Now the little kitchen fits perfectly with the room with it's lovely fabric AND bonus! It is helping block Caitlyn from getting to one of my fabric shelves. Oh and I'm now having to refrain from going overboard on modge podge. But it's a great way to add fabric to a project and I think I'll be doing it again in the future.

Now I just need to start making some of that felt food!

She's totally worth it.

Learning to Embroider

2011-09-09T17:00:00.000-05:00

It's one of my great desires to learn to embroider. I just love how you can add whimsy to anything by using a premade image and recreating it in thread. But boy do I have a lot to learn. I've always appreciated it, but I didn't quite realize how little I knew or how hard it is. I don't know why I'm surprised that it is hard, but I am. I'm used to being able to pick things up pretty quickly. And I think I'm already becoming quite opinionated about using quality materials. Big shock there.

So I've done a little practicing. All letters...which are again a lot harder than I thought. And it takes a long time. Am I just really slow? Probably.

I like some things and am frustrated with others. So I want advice from you all! What books should I get? What thread/floss should I use? Needle size? Hoop size? Fabric?! I'm a little overwhelmed with all that I don't know. Socrates would be so proud. I know that I know nothing.

Teach Me!!

Help a gal out...

2011-09-08T23:53:00.000-05:00

Hey all,
I was hoping you could help me help a reader. She is a newish quilter in North Manchester, IN and looking for great quilters to get together with and sew! Does anyone know of any guilds in that area or nearby? Or do you live close to there too? I know first hand how fabulous it is to develop sewing friends who live literally in your city and stop by to envy your fabric or let you envy theirs. ;) So I hope you guys can help me out and help out Megan!

Oh and remember....all good posts have a picture. (Do I still need to justify my need to show pictures of my cute girlie?!)

Guest Posting Week!

2011-09-08T09:27:00.001-05:00

Hey all,
This has strangely turned out to be a guest posting week for me. Today you can find me over at Sara's blog Sew Sweetnees where she is running a 30 day session on basic sewing skills. It's her own "Back to School" month!

My post is on French Seams. I used them to make this fun tote that I plan on bringing with me to the Sewing Summit. It's coming up soon!

Blog Swapping

2011-09-06T13:29:00.000-05:00

Lynne and I are playing blog hopping today! So while she is featured over here on my blog, you can find a post by me over on HER blog! Twice the fun!

Oh and because all posts should have a picture, enjoy this one of the girly. Oh she's too cute!