Pinky Soiree is done!

This quilt has been YEARS in the making! One of my first fabric purchases when I started sewing in 2010 was a scrap bundle from someone on Etsy which had a few honey bun scraps of Soiree by Lila Tueller in it and I fell in love. Once I found out what the fabric line was, I purchased a few honeybuns and started in on this quilt. And then it sat... for a year +... waiting for me to quilt it.

Recently I was the super happy winner of a giveaway on Lila Tueller's blog and won another honeybun of Soiree so I was able to make this quilt queen sized which is AWESOME :) The fabric has been out of print for a couple years now and I still can't believe my luck that I won that giveaway!

After I made her bigger I took her to my wonderful local long arm quilter and she did a fantastic job on the quilting - I couldn't be happier!

And finally... after 2 years of waiting, here she is, completely finished and on my bed :) 

This is one of my favorite OOP lines - so bright and cheerful! I love the various dots and stripes and leafy prints throughout the whole line. Makes me happy to see it on my bed every day :) I am hoarding a little bit of yardage and a charm pack so I can make some matching pillows when I have time in the future.

As I finally finished her this month, this is also my submission for the "My Precious QAL". Check it out - super fun flikr group and great motivation to STOP the hoarding and START the sewing :)

Sick sewing machine = super sad me!

There are 2 things that keep me sane after a long day/week at work - ok well other than my wonderful hubby and my loveable dog - 1. Running 2. Sewing

Fortunately I did not break a leg because I'm sure that would be a longer, more painful, and more expensive process... but it is almost as bad. My sewing machine stopped working!!

I hadn't used her in several weeks and finally 2 Saturdays ago I thought to myself "hey, I don't have any homework, I should work on my hubby's blanket!" so I started sewing and what happens... "URRGGHHHH beep beep beep beep beep" and the needle won't go up and down and the wheel on the side that turns that turns with A LOT of difficulty and only a little bit. Absolute tragedy people... I'm seriously almost in tears just thinking about it again.

I stared at her with shock and horror and thought to myself "maybe if I turn her back off and on again, she will work"... same result. *sigh*

So this weekend I had a lot of free time and kept forgetting that I couldn't sew and would go to start a project and would then remember. It seriously happened more than once - sad, I know. I'm only 29... where is my memory going? lol After that I decided I needed to get her to the repair shop so hubby and I went on our lunch break today (yes we work together - awesome to the max ;-)). Sure they can fix her for me, no problem... o wait... $120!! Are you kidding me? I love my machine but c'mon... she cost $300 and you can find her at Walmart these days for $240! I just stared at him in shock and disbelief and said ok, I guess I'll have to think about it... which he didn't seem to appreciate but hey, I'm not made of money!

I called one other place and they said $90 just for a basic tune-up, any parts or repairs would be extra - yikes! I called one last place in the area and they said it was ridiculous that I would even ask for a general repair cost without them knowing 20 different things about the machine blah blah blah blah... yea, great customer service right? Let me run on over to the store right away after that... hahaha NOT!

Sooooooooo I am sewing machine-less for right now. Oddly enough I happen to have 4 non-functioning sewing machines in my 1 bedroom apartment, that seems wrong to me. My grandma gave me her old Jenome but the reverse lever doesn't work and how does one sew without a reverse stitch?? So that isn't an option to hold me over right now either. I do have a old treddle machine but it is from my great grandma and I'd feel AWFUL if I ever broke it and I don't even know if it works - the belt is looking super worn and there is no chance we are lifting that beast back into our car to take it somewhere anyway. And I have a random vintage singer I picked up at an antique store a few months ago. The cord was cut by some dufus so it isn't useable but it is cute :) Soooooooooooo... lots of decorations, no functioning machines haha.

While writing this whiney post I've also been texting with my mom and she is going meet up with me tomorow to take it home with her and see if she can maybe get it working for me. She has been sewing for years and years and on lots of different machines so maybe she can work some magic. If not, it is worth a try. I'll try to make the teary-eyed sad face go away now and get through my work day.... big whiner, I know ;-)

Apparently I am emotionally attached to my sewing machine... but then again, I'm emotionally attached to my running shoes so I shouldn't be surprised haha. C'mon... tell me I'm not alone in this weirdness.... ok maybe no one else is attached to their shoes but sewing machine? There must be someone else! lol

Empty Wish-List - is it possible???

You absolutely may not believe this but my fabric wish-list is EMPTY!!! There are a few prints that I would like to have from new lines coming out, but nothing I’m saving for really because:


1. I have WAY too much fabric and need to stop buying it!

2. I am broke because I am saving for Sewing Summit (aka paying our family budget back for my plane ticket) :)

Uncanny… I know! No fabric lines to stalk, no wish list to check each month… it is kind of nice tho, I have to say. Every time I get a sale or shop email I am just ignoring and deleting them – no matter how awesome the discount or deal!

Let’s be honest here tho – another reason for the above is because I already purchased all of the lines I want for this fall :) Maybe not as much of each line as I would have liked, but enough and that will have to do.

1. Brrr! – on my desk and waiting to be made into something fabulous!

2. Nursery Versery – A few ½ yards and FQs are on their way to my house – hopefully by this weekend!

3. Perfectly Perched – A FQ bundle and a couple extra FQs are also on their way to my house - love love love!

HOWEVER – it is still crazy that there are no lines between now and the end of the year that I’m dying for. Maybe I need to do more research? Hahaha.
Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of great lines out there and new ones coming out soon – I just don’t have any “must have immediately or I’ll cry!” favorites remaining which is nice because my list was rather long and has taken a lot of time and saving to get through :)

Now if only I could stop obsessing over running shoes (Vibram five fingers – o my gosh I am obsessed) and gear, I’d be set and my budget would be a lot happier. Baby steps… baby steps…

How about you? Any remaining big wish list items for this fall – fabric or otherwise?

… o yea, and by the way, HELLO! I’m sorry I’ve been away so long! Homework and the draw of the great outdoors has kept me away along with a general disinterest in sewing lately. I just want to sun, run, hike, play play play lately :) But hopefully there will be some sewing soon and I have a few older things to show you anyway… more blog posts to come soon, I promise!

MIA but FINALLY something to show :)

Wow – sorry I’ve been MIA so long! The summer is just running away from me it seems!


I’ve been so busy training for a half marathon, taking translation classes, and working full-time that I am just so beat at the end of the day with no motivation to sew or do anything else productive, especially in the heat we’ve been having lately!

I also went to Indiana to visit my family over 4th of July which was hot and a little hectic, but good all around. We got in a lot of quality time with them, played at the pool almost every day, and also took a trip up to the Warren Dunes State Park on Lake Michigan.

Enough of my excuses tho… I finally did find some time to sew and this is what I’ve completed!

First – my pezzy swoon block with a lovely Heather Ross fish center:



Second – After finishing up that swoon block on Saturday I just went with the momentum and got the whole Orange, Aqua, Grey quilt top sewn together on Sunday. I am absolutely in love with this sampler quilt! Thank you so much to all my bee members and friends who contributed blocks to this quilt! It will finish at 48 x 72 which is a perfect “just for me snuggle quilt” size indeed :)



This quilt top is also my submission for the monthly “My Precious QAL” hosted by KelbySews. Several of the blocks from my bee members had lovely little pieces of Heather Ross fabric in them so I included some of my own precious pieces in the blocks I made for this quilt as well. Makes me love it all the more!

Up to bat next is my husband’s summer quilt. It has been SO HOT lately in our apartment, I really need to get his quilt finished so he has a nice thin blanket to sleep under like I do… because really, I am definitely NOT sharing mine haha. (In my defense it is a quilt from when I was a kid so it is only big enough for one adult!!) :) My goal is to get it completed by the end of August before school starts up again... wish me luck!

Hope everyone is having a beautiful summer so far! If you sewing machine is being neglected for better acitivities outdoors don’t feel bad – that is what summer is for and we’ll be missing those warm sunny hours this winter when we can’t do anything BUT sew to keep from going stircrazy! :)

Thank goodness for Flikr!

I think without flikr I would forget that I even have anything to blog about - I never have time to sit down and blog right after I take pictures. Here is a little eye candy for you all tho on this overcast Sunday afternoon:

I received my Modern She Made swap item a week + ago and it totally made my day! Such an awesome package from Sunni:

These stacking baskets are the best and I love how each one is unique with the circle stamp, hexagons, and o yes - my blog name embroidered on the front of one of them - so cute!
From the snaps and raw edges to the coordinating handles and the orange/aqua/grey colorway, these are just so perfect for me! *swoon* She did an awesome job!

She also sent along the really cool Zakka Style book you see above and 2 Melody Miller type writer prints. I've been coveting this book for a bit and was waiting for it to go on sale later this year - so glad to have it and I've been plotting projects in it ever since! Thanks so much Sunni for being such a great partner! Now to find cool projects for those typewriters... hmmmm :)

I'm done with swaps for now but I am still in my Bee a Modern Swapper - Bee. We've had some personal issues with the ladies in our group and my heart and prayers go out to all of them. We're taking a break for July but hopefully things will calm down in their lives and the rest of us who've stayed will have a good rest of the year together.

My month was the first - March - and here are the blocks I've received so far for my "Picnic Quilt":

Such an awesome mix of paper piecing and applique - my group is so talented!! I feel absolutely spoiled and am not sure what to do with these beauties. I have a couple more on the way still so maybe that will force me to make a few more on my own to expand this quilt a bit. Right now it would be 36 x 36 and something this lovely is not getting made into a baby blanket to be drooled on lol. We shall see what their destiny is... for now I'm enjoying them on my design wall in my craft room.

Last but not least, I've been playing with my Bee blocks from this year and last from the 4 x 5 and 3 x 6 bees. I made a few of my own and had a few made for me by friends and I absolutely love the way they all look together. That open center space is for a swoon block I'm hoping to finish today.

First it looks like I should clean up my bedroom tho - yikes, what a mess! haha

Aren't these blocks lovely? This Orange/Aqua/Grey Sampler quilt is definitely going to be one of my favorites when I am done with it! I'm using this quilt as my submission for this month of the "My Precious QAL" - 2 of the blocks I made for this quilt used my hoarded Heather Ross Fabric and the center swoon block will also. Several of the others made by my bee partners use pieces of HR which I love!!

Off to do some chores and get started on the Swoon block. Hope your weekends are lovely and full of fun - the crafty kind or otherwise :)

Alive and finally some projects to show!

Yeesh - between work and school and playing outside in the little free time I have, I haven't been getting ANY sewing done!

Finally sat down this weekend and finished my May swap items - here are some project pics for your viewing pleasure:

1. Modern She Made Swap - (sorry for the cruddy picture, I had to get it in the mail since I was already a couple of days late so I grabbed the Ipad and snapped a quick pic.)
This project was way outside my comfort zone since I had to figure out the piecing from a picture and the quilting is geometric with some free motion - neither of which I am used to. Im happy with the experiment over all tho and hopefully my partner is too!

2. May Bee Blocks for Bee a Modern Swapper - I'm a few days late on these too but they will go out on Monday so again, sorry beemate! Life takes over sometimes...
She requested a mix of Yellow, Aqua, Grey, Brown and Navy - but we didn't have to include all of those colors in each block. She also requested that a triangle be in the block somewhere. I tried to be a little different/funky in my piecing and fabric choices and I like the way they turned out.

3. This block is for my Orange/Aqua/Grey quilt which will include swapped bee blocks as well as some of my own to make it big enough. Finally swapped out the light greys for darker ones and I like it way better than my first attempt.

My current translation class is a beast so if I fall off the face of the earth again, never fear, I'll be back eventually! When I do have a little free time the great outdoors are calling my name louder than my sewing machine and I think it is smart to listen :)

Splitting up siblings... aka fabric lines... do you do it?

I have a major problem with splitting up fabric lines - aka siblings! They are a family - you can't just rip them apart!! lol Apparently I have some issues ;-)

ANYWAY.... do you tend to buy and sew in fabric lines or do you try to mix and match? I have friends who take awesome fabrics in certain colorways from several lines and combine them to make fantastic projects. I try this... but then my thought is always "but if I use that print, my set won't be complete anymore!" For certain lines I really do want a full set, my lizzy house and heather ross favorites to name a few, but honestly most of the others could be split up... by normal people... who don't have hoarding tendencies lol. Any tips on how to get over this hump and just rip those little fabric families apart? Seriously... I need some help, this collection hoarding has to stop :)

Favorite Fabrics for this Summer

Spring Market has come and gone - I am absolutely loving all of the blogs and sneak peeks about what people saw, purchased, and ordered from the new lines coming out this summer. I'm trying to keep my list short so I can save for Sewing Summit and not spend ALL my personal money on fabric - but these 3 I just can't let go :)

1. Brr! by Laurie Wisbrun- coming sooooooooooo soon in June!!

2. Perfectly Perched by Laurie Wisbrun - coming out in July I believe? - A great companion to my full Tufted Tweets set!

 3. Nursery Versery by Heather Ross - I don't have a picture of the full collection but these are my 2 favorite prints and colors from the set. This is a much smaller collection than most of hers which has us all a little disappointed but it is fabulous none-the-less!

Aren't those little spiders just awesome? Itsy Bitsy spider in purple is def my favorite but those mice are just so cute, they are a close second :)

4. I also heard rumors that Red Letter Day by Lizzy House may be re-printed this Fall and may come out in alternate colorways. I love this line so so much and finally have a full FQ set of all the prints! I'm definitely going to be holding onto them in case she comes out with more colors to add to my collection before I make my "lucky duck" quilt :)

Is there anything coming out this Summer/Fall that you are super excited about? I'm trying to be good and keep my wishlist short but I still love knowing what everyone else is excited about! :)

My Precious QAL & a Mother's Day Present

It is the end of the first month of the "My Precious QAL" on flikr. I finally cut into some of my very precious Heather Ross fabric to start a few projects but I wanted to share one that I was able to complete. This is a Mother's Day present for my mom - who absolutely loves cats. I love this HR print with the cats and their names on it and it worked so well for these polaroid blocks. I gave it to her today when we spent some time together and she seemed to like it - which is good because I wanted to keep it myself haha - and I don't even like cats all that much!

It is definitely more my style than hers, but I wanted to share my quirky style with her since she is a lot more traditional, and I think it went over well.

So - there you have it - my first finished project using any of my Heather Ross fabric! It was hard to cut up, espec. since I have such small pieces of this but I did it and survived to sew another day lol.

Stay tuned... there will be more "precious" fabric being cut up from my stash in the next few months - for this QAL and just because I need to finally do it and enjoy it more than just letting it sit on my shelf!

Happy Saturday!

A few projects to share

I've been really bad about taking pictures lately but this weekend I finally remedied that and have a few things to share.

#1 is Chuckles the Aardvark - made into a pillow

Who wouldn't want a rabid aardvark chewing on your face at night? :)

He is super soft - I love this pillow!

#2 is my Moda - Botany log cabin quilt. I started this in 2010 - it was my first jelly roll! I made 55 out of 80 blocks and then it got put into a container and ignored for almost 2 years - poor thing. I really like the way it looks turned on point, maybe I'll be motivated enough to finish it this year!

#3 is my Moda - Hometown Plus Pillow - I'm not in love with it but I enjoyed working with this block pattern. I wouldn't use 2.5 inch squares again because it is WAY too small but it was a good learing experience. I guess I'll finish it at some point and make it into a pillow but not sure what I'll do with it at that point. We shall see.

#4 - last but not least, my Mendocino collection! I FINALLY cut into it and o buddy was that difficult! You see here a pile of triangles cut from 28 of the 38 Mendocino prints in existence. I have a few more to cut and a few more either on their way to me or pending swaps. I might not be able to use the complete collection but it is going to be awesome either way :)

That is all for now - working on the binding for my queen sized bed quilt I got back from the quilter last month. Once that finally gets done I will show some pictures - it turned out GREAT - Michelle is awesome :)

Have a lovely Monday!!

Mendocino - a quest and an obsession!

I will full-out admit that I am obsessed with Heather Ross' Mendocino collection. I should never have gotten started but I did and now I just can't stop, especially when I am SO CLOSE to having them all! lol

Here is a picture of the full collection:

If I counted correctly, there are 38 prints. I have a swap pending for 3 and am only missing 3 otherwise. That means I already own 32 of these prints - yahooooooooooo!

Here are the 3 I am missing still - looking to swap if anyone has a F8 or FQ - I do have a few extra F8s or FQs of other Mendocino prints to swap just for these:

A little background if you don't know about this line. It was printed in 2008 I believe and finding it in 2011/2012 has been very difficult and VERY expensive. It was originally around $9 a yard - normal retail price for designer fabrics - but I didn't start sewing until 2010 and when I saw it then I liked it but I didn't know anything about fabric prices and thought that 15-25$ a yard was just WAY too expensive.
Wow, I wish I would have started collecting it then because those yard prices are now FQ prices!! Some people are selling the fabric for $10-15 a fat quarter - no joke - $60 a yard and sometimes even more! I was able to find a lot of REALLY awesome swap partners for over 1/2 of this collection but there were some shameful purchases at ridiculous prices for a few of the prints.

Is it worth all of the money I've spent on it (swaps and outright purchases combined)? Probably not - it is just fabric afterall and what quilting fabric is really "worth" $15 a FQ?! HOWEVER it is absolutely one of my favorite lines and I love all the colors together and I will absolutely adore the quilt and whatever else I make out of this line so even if the financial worth is not there - it will still be worth a lot more to me in the end :) We quilters spend so much on getting things quilted, giving away items to family, friends, charities, etc tho so I guess a splurge just for myself can be justified in the grand scheme of things... maybe just a tiny bit.... ;-)

Mr. Lightening Bug got himself some setting triangles and boy does he look cozy in that field of flowers :) I've decided that this will be a pillow cover for my Modern She Made swap partner. Just need to get some fun quilting done on him and the white space around him will have some free motion loops if I can handle it! Wish me luck!

I've worked on little things here and there but honestly haven't been doing much crafting lately. I've just been busy with work, school, being sick, and otherwise not being motivated. Maybe this weekend I'll get motivated and have more to show next week!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

WIP Wednesday - little projects

Helllllllllooooooooooo..... and happy Wednesday everyone! That is right - 2 more days til Friday, yay!

Here are a few little project I've been working on lately - just experimenting with a few ideas I found on Flikr:



Firefly block - inspired by: this awesome girl's mini-quilt: http://www.flickr.com/photos/55243381@N04/6926925989/





Postage Stamp Block - need to fix the grey tho, want to go darker
Inspired by House of A La Mode: http://www.flickr.com/photos/35939871@N05/6338713108/in/gallery-58229916@N06-72157628894181847



Reverse Applique and Porthole Method Reverse Applique - Idea take from here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/48813034@N04/6937634792/in/photostream

Which was originally inspired from Lu Summers: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lusummers/4745030343/in/set-72157623830606179

:

It has been fun trying out so new blocks and methods. Love flikr and all the wonderful inspiration and ideas to be found there!

New Blocks - on a roll today!

Somehow I had such a productive day today! I went to a baby shower, did my homework, made 3 quilt blocks, and used the elliptical for an hour - what an awesome Saturday! No cleaning got done and that was on the list... but o well... I can blame that on the homework, not the fun stuff, right? hehe

Here are some blocks I was working on today - all 3 are for my "Orange, Aqua, Grey" quilt which will be made 50% from bee blocks I received last year.

Granny Square Block

Long Log Cabin Block - using my 1st piece of Mendocino I received as an "extra" in a swap last year!

Orange Joseph's Block - Love those HR puppies!

I want to make a quilt just like this - with a swoon block in the center and my bee blocks all around it:

Picture from Colleenamarena on Flikr

I think it might end up being too small if I do this tho. I could add a border.. or I could add another row on each side and another column on each side... we shall see. I still need to make the swoon block and 5 or 6 more just to make one as big as above, so I have some time to think about it. 

Hope you all had a productive or at least enjoyable Saturday too!

Finish-a-long Quarter 2

It is second quarter of 2012 people! Time to get a move on those UFOs and WIPs if you don't want to be stuck with them at Christmas this year still :)

Here is what I hope to accomplish this quarter:

1. I get to pick up Pinkie tomorrow - o buddy I am so excited to see her all quilted up! Need to get the binding on her and she will be DONE - this is one of the longest UFOs I've had - since 2010 when I started quilting - my very first beginning! She was for me and only for me so she kept getting pushed back for millions of other project but this month is HER month and she WILL get finished! :)

2. Puppy pillow - I am not letting this WIP turn into a UFO - it is getting finished and snuggled this quarter darn it!

3. Quilt for my hubby - 5 rows are done but I ran out of fabric. Picking up more tomorrow so hopefully will get the top finished by the end of April and will def. get this done this Quarter - wish me luck!

4. This was supposed to be a Christmas present for a friend... yea, a little late on that. I'd like to get it done before "Christmas in July" so this is going on Q2's list.

What is on your plate for this Quarter?? WIPs or UFOs?

I also have the Modern She Made Me swap item but I haven't even started that and have NO idea what I am going to make so I can't even put it on the list yet lol.


Linking up with the Finish-a-long 2012 - Quarter 2: