April 27, 2011

MIA - kidnapped by a special project!

Sorry for my lack of posts lately... I'm sure my 2 or 3 avid followers have been worried, haha.

I've been working on a secret project the past few weeks that I can't reveal until this summer. Its nothing cool like being in a book or going to market or any other wonderful thing I've been reading about on other people's blogs.... just a project for a loved one that is taking up the majority of my free time which is already rather limited. I'll be sure to post all about it and tons of pics when its completed and delivered!

Until then, I'm hoping to have an affair with a few smaller projects behind Mr. Secret Project's back... shhh... don't tell ;-) So lets hope for more sewing time and a more interesting post soon to come!



Just because I can't post without a picture, and these are pretty :-D


April 18, 2011

Seabrook Bag & a Pattern Giveaway!

I had the opportunity to test a new purse pattern for Kim at Sherrod Studio this month and I must say she was a pleasure to work with! This bag was time intensive for me due to lots of cutting and ironing (fusible fleece and interfacing on each part) but all in all it only took me 5 hours and was not difficult at all.

Here is my completed sample of her Seabrook bag:


This might just be my favorite purse project so far :)



Pocket option #2 - large split pocket on the front of the bag, great for keys, phone, anything you need to get to quickly!


Magnetic snap closure and 4 pockets on the inside for great organization and storage!
Not only was Kim super generous in letting me test her pattern, she is also offering a great giveaway opportunity on her blog for one of her new patterns, including this one! Head over to her blog to check it out - ends midnight pacific time April 23rd and the winner will be announced shortly thereafter. Good luck!

April 17, 2011

Giant pillow alert!

I started working on this zigzag pillow and did not realize how large it would turn out. A 25 inch pillow seems a little bit overkill to me :) Its so cute tho... not sure what to do with it. Any thoughts-ideas?

I could just remove a row from one side and from the top or bottom ... but then it kind of ruins the pattern in my opinion. Hrmmmm....

April 12, 2011

Pleasing Pleats Purse

I am almost giddy about this purse. Who cannot love something with pleats on it, seriously... so cute! This tutorial was super easy to follow and using only 2 fat quarters and 1 magnetic snap, I was able to make this purse in around 2 - 3 hours including cutting out the pattern. Get the free pattern here.

This really makes me want to figure out how to make skirts... I love pleated skirts!


Yes this is hanging on my front apartment door around the peephole - sad photography skills, I know! Hey, I needed a white background and somewhere to hang it... worked for me! :-D I'm into sewing, not photography, sorry.











Lovely orange inside of my purse with magnetic snap and cell phone pocket, yay! A zipper pocket on the opposite side would be nice too, need to think about how to make that one.
At any rate, I think this pleated purse turned out rather cute. I do have some tips for you if you end up creating your own with the pattern link above.

1. For step #14 - it says turn the lining inside out. Its already wrong side out and should stay that way. You need to turn the purse inside out, so that the right sides are facing out when you insert it into the liner for sewing.

2. While pleating your purse front, it may end up smaller than your lining. You should trim the lining to match the purse front pieces before assembling either. Will save you some unwanted pleating on the inside while sewing, trust me! :)

3. Number 15 and 16 - sew 3" hole shut before tucking the liner into the purse - obviously!

4. I would suggest attaching the straps before sewing the liner and outside together - I'm not such a big fan of straps sewn on afterward.

5. THE MOST IMPORTANT TIP:
Use some type of interfacing on this bag and perhaps some padding inside the handle. Otherwise it hangs and bends like a tote bag and for such a fancy pants bag, you really do not want that. Sample #2 for me will def. use fusible interfacing... I'll let you know how that goes with the pleating process.

Pleats are easy and fun, don't let this pattern scare you! Enjoy!

April 8, 2011

Weekend sewing? I hope!

I've been in a slump this week with my craftiness. I had a pile of fat quarters that needed cut up for my 2nd charity quilt and although I ironed them on Monday at work, it is now Friday and they are still uncut. Boo :(

Here is a run-down of my non-productive crafting week:
Monday - Ironed 10 fat quarters - only productive thing I did this week after work!
Tuesday - Cranky, not crafty.
Wednesday - Stressed over a pattern I'm supposed to be testing - could not convince myself to make it and wrote some suggestions to the designer and then stressed all night that she would be upset/offended. Fortunately she was not, so I felt better about it Thursday morning :)
Thursday - Bought a pattern for a fabulous purse, printed it out, and forgot to take it home! Spent the rest of the evening after work/dinner/board game with hubby - trying to figure out what to make and made nothing at all.

Now for the weekend plans:
Friday - Going to our local climbing wall gym again today - awesome! Not crafty but VERY fun and productive
Saturday - Temple trip to DC and Ikea/Dinner afterwards - another good activity with my husband that has nothing to do with craftiness

But Sunday... maybe Sunday... there will be some crafty time before or after church. And if there is, this is what I plan on making:

Image of Bracelet Bag Sewing Pattern The Bracelt Bag by Kekalou Patterns

This is the pattern I bought yesterday. She is have a sale on her gorgeous patterns - $5 each and you get it instantly through email in pdf format - no shipping charges or waiting, awesome!
If you are looking for cute bag, pouch, wallet, etc. patterns I can highly recommend her site.

Not a very ambitious sewing weekend but hey, hubby time at the rock wall and temple is definitely higher on the priority list which is a-ok with me :)

Hope you all have a fun weekend - crafty or not!

April 7, 2011

AQS Quilt Show in Lancaster, PA - March 2011

My very first quilt show... o my goodness o my goodness was it ever fabulous! Such a long day and lots of walking but it was a wonderful outing with my mom.

The first thing we did when my mom and I arrived was to play with the long arm quilting machines! I thought I'd died and gone to crafting heaven! If only I had $15,000 lying around and no school loans, that baby would be MINE! haha - good to know that I can go back once a year to play with the machines tho... get a little fix to hold me over until one day... one day.... :-D

The vendor booths were great for patterns, ideas, and OF COURSE some fabric! And after the show we checked out some of my favorite fabric stores in another village close by and then had some super tasty home cooking in another village. All in all a super fantastic not to be missed type of day!

Inspite of all the other fabulousness, the best part of the whole day was ofcourse, the quilt show. Below is a nice long string of photos for your browsing enjoyment. I could not possibly take pictures enough to show the beauty of these and hundreds of other quilts at the show but here are some snippets of my favorite picks:





















April 6, 2011

Joel Dewberry where have you been all my life?!

That's right folks, I'm in love and the lucky man is Joel Dewberry. Darling husband and Joel's dear wife, don't get upset, I only want him for his fabric and patterns... it's a very superficial and one sided love affair :).

I stumbled across this quilt pattern the other day and the attraction was instantaneous!

After being teased with this gorgeous quilt I immediately had to find the fabric which was used - it turned out to be Aviary 2 by Joel Dewberry. His blog and this pattern can be found here



After seeing this gorgeous bundle of purples and blues, how could I help falling in love! And ofcourse, it didn't just stop there... the greys and the mustard yellow hues strengthened his hold on my heart (and wallet! haha)


The purple half yard bundle will be used for creating a smaller version of his quilt pattern above and matching pillows (o joy of joys!).
I'm not sure what these delicious yellow/grey fat quarters will be magically turned into but I'm excited to get them in the mail and find out!

.... and if this wasn't enough, I just found this bundle on Etsy today! It's from Joel's Gensing Collection - so many colorways and prints, so little time (and money!)

O Joel... I just can't get enough of you! :) This one will have to stay on my wish list for a while along with some of its little friends, but one day it will be mine... o yes... it will be mine...
:-D

April 3, 2011

2 hour weekend projects

As it is General Conference weekend for my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints, I knew that I would be doing a lot of cutting during the 4 2-hour sessions this weekend. Therefore, I decided that each morning before they start (noon), I would work on a quicker project to feel like I got more accomplished than just cutting.

Saturday morning's project was this Sprocket Pillow - tutorial can be found here at Cluck Cluck Sew

I still need to get a nice big button for the center - I'm thinking a big red button or even an apple shaped one.
As soon as I saw this tutorial I knew I had to try it out and I totally agree with the author's statement that you can't make just one! I have over variations planned for when I have more time - such a fun and easy pillow and it only took me about 2 hours from start to finish, including cutting and a little hand sewing.

Sunday morning's project is something I've been wanting for a while... pillows to spruce up my living room and plain brown couch!


This pillow was a quick and easy disappearing 9 patch with a 2.5 finished border which matches the back. Its from Moda's Lilac Hill line. Growing up in Indiana I absolutely loved when our lilac bushes all around the house would bloom and this pillow reminds me of home. A second charm pack is on its way so that I can make a second pillow for our living room. Finally feels like spring has sprung a little in spite of the snow we received on Friday morning's work-commute :)


And if you are wondering why the pillow looks a little wrinkly, its because my dear husband took my pillow form and used it for his bed-time pillow! Silly boy... I will have to make some plumper ones to fill my pillow covers and give this one back to him tonight :)

... speaking off bedtime, I'm off for a pre-conference nap! Have a lovely weekend!