Stop staring and start sewing!

Having a field day (and quilting)

Yay!  My quilt top is done and I don't think I made any major mistakes!  I really love it so far and I think the white sashing makes everything look bright and fresh.  I'm going to keep the back simple but maybe add a cute little square on it or something.  My kitty, Diamond, gives it two paws up.

It turned out bigger than the batting I have so I need to run out and get some more.  I'm thinking of using this pattern to make matching bedspreads for my boys since we're hoping to get them bunkbeds some time this year.

This here is the Egg Toss Champion for Field Day.  I'm so proud and I didn't even know it was a sport (somebody call the Olympic Committee!).  It was so cute to see his face light up when he saw his dad and little brother in the crowd.  We got to sit and eat pizza with him on the playground after they handed out all the prizes.

He ran like mad when he found out they were passing out otter pops and we were so proud when he came back with one for his little brother too (without being asked!).  I never had a brother so it's always fun to see them hanging out and being silly together.

Easter is next week!  I still haven't decided if I'm making anything new (I'll probably get an idea on Saturday).  Have a great rest of the weekend!

Making progress on crafy things (just because)

A few months ago my daughter Olivia finagled a copy of Melly & Me's Kaleidoscope from me because she's a sucker for softies and other cute things.   In return I have complete blogging rights over anything she makes from it which is quite a deal for me since I don't have much time to sew these days.  She made this cute pair last week and I think they're darling.  The moose is a baby gift and we had to keep hiding it from our 3 year old because he has that "I want it therefore it is mine" mentality.  Aren't they fun?

And here is some of the progress on my quilt!  I've been pinning the rows up as I finish them but now I actually have all 8 done and I'm putting it together.  I had to go to Joann's for some solid fabric to fill it in (which I've learned is called "sashing") and once again was disappointed with the options so I picked white Kona.  It's nice and beefy but I really wanted a pale olive color.  Fortunately Free Spirit now has a wonderful selection of solids so I will be putting those in the store soon because I have a feeling this whole quilting thing is going to be another textile addiction for me (which is one of the reasons I put it off for so long).  But so far I'm very happy with my progress and was able to use a few of my precious scraps of Amy Butler's Temple Flowers fabric.

And a huge thank you to Beth for pointing me to the fantastic quilt along over at Oh Franson!  I'm going to be spending a lot of time over there I think.  Keep on sewing!

Getting back on track

Well Spring break was nice in spite of having two sick boys (bad timing all around).  It was nice to know I didn't have to drive around every day.  I was privileged to have a baby shower here yesterday and had a lot of fun sewing this super fast and easy (and darn cute I think!) boppy pillow cover.  I found the downloadable pattern on this site (her pictures are very helpful) and it went together nicely.  My friend is having a boy and I thought this print was perfect.

And I started on my first official, real, true to life quilt!  I'm so tired of being a poser and I need to get this under my belt.  I was flipping through this BH&G Quilts and More magazine and fell in love with the quilt on the cover.  It doesn't hurt that their quilt has fabrics from some of my very favorite designers.   I already have 5 rows finished so I'm moving along quickly.  It gave me an opportunity to learn another feature on my sewing machine (how to move the needle over to get a 1/4" seam allowance).

The magazine also has a wonderful feature on Laura Gunn.  I had a totally blonde moment last week and overpaid the folks at Michael Miller (by a lot!).  So I got a letter in the mail asking if I wanted a check refunded to me or if I wanted to order more fabric.  Gee, umm....I don't know...let me think...money or fabric?....MORE FABRIC SILLY!  So I ordered Laura's complete new  Poppy collection (and a bunch of hedgehogs and gnomes too!).  So it's on it's way and I'm super excited because I think it's even prettier than her Lantern Bloom collection (and that was beautiful!).

Back to my quilt now.  I'm serious.  I'm going to do it.  I hope you had a great weekend!

We have a winner! Oh, and I sewed something (for me!).

Okay, this pretty stack goes to Wendy in Austin (which is having very nice weather!) who left a comment on 3/11 at 8:57 am.  Congratulations Wendy!  This bundle is heading for Texas!  And I know some overseas folks were worried that they weren't included and I just wanted to reassure you that you're not excluded from any give-aways I have if you live outside of the US.  And it was kind of fun knowing what the weather is like on the other side of the world (and in a different hemisphere).  Apparently, for people over here, Spring can't come soon enough!



I bought the Simplicity 3775 pattern over a year ago and have been full of good intentions.  It has been reviewed over 75 times on Pattern Review and it looks flattering on all shapes and sizes!  I always go on Pattern Review if I'm feeling unsure before starting a pattern.  I finally gave it a shot and I really really like it.  You can see a bunch on Flickr too.

I used view C with the longer length.  I've had this striped knit fabric for awhile and although it's not my favorite I figured it was good for making a practice dress.  So I ended up with a practice dress that I will actually wear (that doesn't always happen around here!).  I made the size 14 (I wear around a size 8 in RTW clothes and I always check my measurements against the pattern since it still throws me off) and the only change I made was to drop the neckline about 1/2 inch because I hate having a neckline that actually touches my neck (makes me very claustrophobic).

The stripes were excruciating to line up because it's a knit fabric and very wiggly so it took a few turns with the seam ripper before I was happy.  I cannot express how much I hate sewing with knits (unless it's just a basic t-shirt) because of the way the edges roll up and the seam never wants to stay straight.  I had to keep unrolling the edges just to make sure my seam allowance was right.  But as much as I hate sewing these kinds of knits I truly LOVE wearing them when it turns out right!  This dress is perfect for a grab and go kind of morning or for taking on a trip.

I'm on the hunt for some great knits now because I went to Joann's and they have an entirely different definition of the word "fashion" as it applies to their Fashion Knit section.   And that's all I'm saying about that.  And don't look too close at my beautiful new compression stockings which I tried to cut out of the photo.  I'm finally trying to deal with my varicose veins and have to wear these things for 3 months before they will even consider doing any surgery.  Apparently the insurance companies think "painful" means "not pretty" and keep those kinds of procedures in their "cosmetic" category.  Seriously, if I wanted cosmetic surgery I would want it a little further north than my legs.  But I'm ready to try jumping through their hoops (again) and if I wear these now then I can be done with them before the Arizona heat really kicks in (and it would be nice if I actually get some relief with them).

Oh, and I finally settled on a blog banner that truly does make my heart sing!  I just needed a butterfly all along.  So there you have it!

I'm bored. Here, have some free fabric.

What do you think of my new banner?  I'm still trying to come up with something that makes my heart sing so this might just be a place holder.  Thanks for all the allergy advice!  I try to stick with natural remedies but I'm definitely going to give the Zyrtec a try since I'm a little desperate.

Things have been pretty boring around the store and my 9 year old son even commented on the lack of new shipments (he gets paid to haul the bolts upstairs so he's got a lot riding on the UPS guy stopping by).  But that's about to change since Moda is shipping Make Life by those talented gals at Sweetwater.  Yay!  Run over to their blog to see all the cute things they've been making with it.  It should be here next week.

And remember how I said one of my goals last year was to carry Renaissance Ribbons (checked that one off the list!)?  Well the other goal was to start carrying Japanese fabric and it looks like that one's getting checked off the "to do" list because Monica the Happy Zombie just announced her new fabric collection from Lecien!!!!  Okay, I know Monica is not Japanese (as far as I know) but Lecien is made in Japan so it technically counts!  So go take a look at it because I'm getting it all and it's cute times ten.

And since I need to make some room here (and because it's been awhile), I'm doing a little give-away.  Three fat quarter stacks (of 4 prints) plus 1/2 yard of Patty Young's Mezzanine because it looks good with all of them.  So that's 3 1/2 yards total and I think all of these fabrics are out of print so that makes it even better!  So just leave a comment telling me how your weather is right now (it's cold and rainy here) and whatever else you feel like sharing and I'll do that random thingy by the end of the week.

Have fun sewing!!

Winding down or speeding up?

We're getting close to the end of the school year here (it's at the end of May) and these next two months are already filling up with all those things we try to fit in before it's over (parent-teacher conference, field day, tests, etc.).  It seems we finally get to take a breath after the holidays and then we're right smack dab into it again.

We're starting the wind down on our virtual quilting bee too.  I still have one more block to finish and since I got my fabric out last I can just relax and wait now (no pressure to the gals in our group who haven't done their's yet, seriously.  I'm swamped with life too.).  Here are the 3 I've received so far...the first one is from Melissa and I love the zesty Amy Butler print in it (it's fun to get a fabric I don't have in my stash).  The middle is from Jessica and I really love the brown Summer in the City fabric because that collection seemed to come and go so fast (and it was amazing!) so it's nice to have a piece of it to remember.  And I simply adore the Heather Ross fabric Kristena used.  I didn't get any of that collection and it put a big smile on my face when I opened the package.  These make me happy.

One of my store goals for last year was to start carrying Renaissance Ribbons.  They are so beautiful and definitely qualify as "gourmet ribbon".  Well, I didn't quite get it done last year but when the rep called last month and said she'd be in town I figured it was the perfect time.  These are my favorites (and wouldn't you know, the most expensive).  They are from France and are velvet and lace, and the colors are lush.   Sigh.

I played with them today!  I'm making one of my Evelyn Apron Skirts using Heather's Nicey Jane fabric and I'm having lots of fun with it all.  I've been ironing the heck out of the ribbons just to see how they handled it and they are great.  The lace on the velvet ribbon started to melt a little after I held my iron there (on the highest heat) for quite awhile (way longer than necessary).  And neither of them shrank at all.  Nice!

I hope everyone is having a great weekend!  We are enjoying the orange blossoms here in Arizona.  They smell heavenly but the allergies are a pain (sinus headaches, ugh).    The sudafed helps but if anyone has any better ideas that won't make me totally groggy, let me know!