September, here you are...

the start of my favorite season, the feeling of coziness starting to drift in, the beginning of fresh starts (back-to-school season) and the shifting of the weather. This fall is going to be full of changes, new routines, new memories, and hopefully lots of happiness through tons of hard work.

Towards the end of summer, my crafty/sewing mojo has made a striking comeback. I am ready to create, make, paint, decorate, and bake. One of the first projects I tackled was a table runner for my boyfriend. One I was looking to surprise him and two I knew he would appreciate me taking the time to make something just for him.

I used a mini charm pack and fabric that has been in my stash for what seems like forever. It only took me a day to work on it in between working on some handbags for my grandmother that are almost finished. I really loved how it turned out and is still very manly while adding a little bit of fall color to his house. Now that most of the hot days are behind us, my studio will be a little cooler in the afternoons, so I am going to be cranking out a whole bunch of projects!

Here's to the changing of the seasons!

Slippers

I love them, I need them, I threw mine away a few weeks ago because they were worn beyond the point of being wore out. For one thing, I have noticed I am really a slipper person (yes, I am an old lady inside this almost 30 year old body).

The past few weeks have been weird. Barefoot? Socks? Even flip-flops? Nothing felt just right... I missed my slippers. Now, a reasonable person would just go buy a pair of new ones, but it's summer. There isn't a huge selection out there. Then it hit me... I had bought everything to make slippers (the pattern is in Anna Maria Horner's amazing "Handmade Beginnings" book).

So in just a few short hours on Saturday I sewed up these beauties:

 

I used up some of my Anna Maria Horner fabric in my stash and since it was a large scale print, I ended up with a little mis-match set of slippers for the tops. The bottoms and sides are Ultrasuede and the lining is some flannel from Jo-anns. I chose not to add any embroidery or the flower to them, briefly I thought about adding some pom-poms. The pattern was easy to follow and went really quickly! So far I think that this is the best pair of slippers I have ever had (they are super cozy!!!!) and I am going to make a least one more pair for me and a pair for my mom.

A Little Bit of Creating...

during the past week I managed to squeeze in some sewing and a little bit of crafty goodness. First up I made an apron as a gift for my boyfriend's mom, he picked out the fabric and I got to sewing:

I think that it turned out pretty great, but next time I would change the yoke so you can see the reversible fabric the pattern is the Church Ladies Apron (I didn't do the pockets) and you can find it here. A few years ago I made one for my mom and I forgot how much I enjoy this pattern. The fact that it is reversible and can have pockets is just too fun. I might have to make one for me :)

Yesterday, I decided that I was sick of and maybe spilled a few too many things on my mouse pad...

A little wonder under, a scrap of favorite fabric, and some iron on vinyl and viola! New look on the desk and I love it! I also started making progress on a new mini quilt and a mug rug! Yay for a productive start of summer! Happy Summer Solstice!

Here and there...

finally a little productivity in the studio in between all the sorting:

I finally managed to crank out this string art (it was from my whimsy box 3-month subscription I had). It is has found a home right next to my bed and I also decided to paint the sides of the wood gold. Next up to rummage through my dad's shop and snag some wood to make a few more!

A last minute decision to make some quick thank you gifts for x's preschool teachers ended up with me breaking out the sewing machine.

Some wonky coasters were whipped up (I still am going to make one for my mom, but it will be more of a mug rug). Overall these were pretty quick and with an addition of a mug, some candy, and a sweet thank you note from the little man, I think that they turned out pretty awesome!

A finished table topper...

finally, that is!

Fabric used: Moda Jovial, Moda Panache I want to say for the binding (I could be wrong about that it has been hidden in my stash for quite sometime..) and the flannel is from Jo-anns

This little gem has been on my design wall (seriously, I might be slightly mortified by that fact). I used a charm pack and made some simple HST's. The backing is a chocolate flannel. For the quilting I kept it pretty simple by mostly following the seams. Overall, I am happy with the project and a little sad that I waited so long to finish it up since it was a pretty quick project!

A little bit of sewing/crafting...

actually has been going on in these parts-- *i know big shocker there* Mostly, they were Christmas gifts (I know, I am seriously behind in posting about these!), I am sad to say that very few of my gifts were handmade this year. So LAME. Grand plans were made, poor execution of laid out plans and a crazy flu bug that hit our family hard. Note to self: I am starting Christmas in July or now for that matter... 

The first gift I made was for my secret santa at work (she happens to be one of my fave ladies, totally lucked out!) I came up with a simple idea of a yarn wrapped idea (ok Pinterest influenced that a little) so I made a quick venture to the dollar store (picked up a floral foam wreath, hey it was a buck and it was going to work), went through my stash of yarn and started wrapping--- then it turned into this:

I used the some fabric and heavy fusible interfacing to make the leaves (I ran a quick blanket stitch around the edges) and then I used the Clover templates to make fabric pom-pom things- you can find them here. I made one large (the solid) and two medium (the while/patterned ones). They are super easy to make just lots of cutting, but it turned out to be a great weeknight project. Hot glue holds it all together. She loved it!

Also, the best pal was dying for a mug rug (I mean literally talking about, hinting at, every day or so... I almost couldn't take it anymore- just kidding) she got one after Christmas (when i was back on my almost A game) with a little hidden paper pieced gnome:

She was jazzed to say the least and it now resides on her desk.  I also did some hand embroidery on 8 fur stockings (names)- I never took any photos of them :( and I worked on them when I was insanely sick. They turned out alright and the recipients loved them. 

I have several more projects in the works that just need to be finished up! Can't wait to show you :)

Sewing Summit-- the rest of the adventure...

***warning--- I think I may have typed as much as I usual talk all the time with this blog post! :)***

Saturday morning started with an amazing breakfast buffet, which is always a great way to start the day! Plus, I got to talk with lots of fun people that I met on Friday!

Alright onto the class recap:
•Improv Piecing: How to Think Outside of the Box taught by Jessica of Urban Patchwork: Here i am with my finished block. I have to say I love how it turned out, I plan on making it a mini quilt to hang in my office!

•Quilting at Home: Free Motion Quilting for the Modern Quilter taught by Allison of Cluck, Cluck Sew: I loved this class! I picked up a some great tips and conquered my fear of pebbles, which I may be addicted to now. I can already see myself attempting more free motion quilting.

•Tailoring by Hand 101 by Burda taught by Gertie of Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing: This class had amazing tips and let's face it, this was the class I was most excited for. Since I studied fashion design, but not a whole lot of tailoring (we only covered a portion in school) this was great and really made me want to break out all my garment fabrics that are stored in my closet.

•Marvelous Minis: Packing Lots of Punch into a Mini Quilt taught by Amanda of mrsmcporkchopquilts: This class was fabulous, and since i love mini quilts it was perfect for me! I also thought Amanda was an excellent speaker and so dang funny! Her class gave me a load of ideas for future projects.

On Sunday:
•Aspiring Authors: A Panel Discussion with Published Authors: This class was really insightful for how the whole publishing process works. It was really interesting!

•Documenting Your Creativity: Blogging and Social Media taught by Dana of Old Red Barn Co.: This class was a mecca of info for me and is really going to help me be a better blogger. I already have some blog changes in the works.

Here I am with some of my favorite bloggers and wonderful people I met (yes, I went the whole crazy starstruck thing and had to get my photo with these wonderful ladies).

clockwise from top: Gertie, Jana from Izzy and Ivy Designs (I met her at spring's quilt market, so it was great seeing her again), Melissa (I was so excited to meet her, she is one of my favorite bloggers!), and Bari J (I won a copy of her book, which was awesome since it has been on my "want" list, plus she was just the nicest lady!)

One of my best pals, Tara, me and Cindy (from Spin the Bobbin):

and I met a lovely lady Kendra (who I totally forgot to get a photo with!) but she is amazing and writes amazing knitting patterns. I met so many neat people that it really made the trip worth it!

I can't wait until next year's Sewing Summit (seriously, this is going to be a yearly tradition!). I loved meeting a bunch of new people, all the fun sewing talk, learning lots of new things and mostly just having a wonderful adventure!

well, I had a few days off from my main job, but somehow seemed sooo busy that I am now officially exhausted as I try and get back into my regular routine. I loved having some free time to attempt to catch up on projects, sleep in a little, hangout with my little guy and my best friend, attend a wedding, and spend time with my cousin who was in town. Overall, it was a great time!

One of the main projects I whipped up for the Modern quilt guild meeting was this little hoop:

I just did a little embroidery, made a few yo-yos and added a vintage button. It was simple and it will eventually hang up in my room.


I am going to have to get back to work on a few new illustrations, some blog makeoverness (coming soon) and my little man's birthday invites. Hope your having a great week!

Finally finished up a few projects...

that have been on my to-do list for what seems like a century. Both projects are for my mom to hang in her classroom (she's a math-science teacher). First, I thought I would make a quilt that she could hang in her room to brighten things up! Here is the finished Unwind pattern from Jaybird quilts in Little Apples fabric. (which seems like an entirely school related fabric choice;) ):

I love how it turned out and I must say the pattern was easy to follow and was a ton of fun to make. For  the backing I used a vintage sheet that I got from my grandmother when she cleaned out her craft room.

The other project I decided to make was a mini-quilt that my mom could hang outside by her door with her name on it. It turned out like this:

I found the test tube and beaker paper piecing patterns online. They were really simple and I think that they turned out well. Plus as an added bonus this project was made completely with scraps from my fabric stash!! Hopefully, I will be able to cross off a few more projects this week since I am on vacation for a few days! Happy sewing :)

So, I am already planning...

for the holiday season. I know super early but it will be here before you know it. My usual routine is to make some sort of game plan with projects and gifts that need to be made along with all the cookies for the cookie boxes that are mailed out in December. One of the new additions to the cookie box is a handmade Christmas ornament, here are the beginning stages:

mostly just the organized beginnings. Somehow I managed to also get the quilt for my mom's classroom, all pieced together and quilted yesterday (big shout out to Kristen for helping by keeping me company and sorting out my fabric stash!).

Now all that is left is the binding which I am hoping to get on there after I squeeze in a workout. Have you already been making a holiday game plan?

Finally some sewing...

I am serious, I think it has been about 2 weeks since I had time to really sew anything. (I was starting to go through withdrawals) The project that I spent the most time on was the quilt for my mom. This is where I am with it:

The pattern is the unwind quilt by Jaybird quilts. So far, this has been one of the easiest quilts I have put together. The goal is to have this finished up by Monday since it is going to be hanging up in my mom's classroom.

Some more FWQAL blocks

I am pretty behind on getting these blocks done, but I figure eventually I will get caught up. Besides I don't want this to turn in to a dreaded project. So here is my block #7 Birds in the Air:

Fabric used print is an Amy Butler and the solid is a kona solid. So far this block was the most tedious and mine turned out a little wonky but I still really like it! 

Block #8 Bouquet might be my new favorite of the group:

Fabrics used prints are Innocent Crush by Anna Maria Horner and the solid is Ash from Kona. This block was really easy to put together especially after finishing up #7. I could actually see myself making this block again. 

For Block #9 Box I used some of my Tula Pink stash (a little bit of Neptune and Prince Charming) I usually don't gravitate towards greens, but I think that this block turned out pretty well. 

Alright, I am off to try and catch up on a few more of these blocks!

Working on two quilts at the same time...

in an attempt to get a few things crossed off my list. So I really have project ADD and just sort of jump all over the place (that's probably why my to-do list is enormous), but I am working on that. Yesterday, I set up a small sewing area in the living room-- the studio is just a little hot in the afternoon plus it is insanely hard to watch a 3.5 year old and get anything done. The results tons of progress on two major projects. The first is the youth sized version of the Unwind quilt by Jaybird Quilts using the Little Apples Fat Eighths Bundle I picked up at quilt market, here is the close up of the blocks:

Here is the whole thing laid out on the design wall:

Overall, I love this pattern and this version is a little bit on the bright side of things, I think. The blocks came together sew quickly and now all I really need to finish up is sewing them together and making the backing. The quilt is actually for my mom (it was sort of surprise until I told her yesterday--- I am horrible at keeping surprises!) It is going to go in her classroom as a way to jazz it up which means I need to have it finished up in the next few weeks since school starts up again soon. 

The other project was one I quite awhile ago, yet I am determined to get it finished up; my single girl quilt! These are the beginnings of the rings: 

Right now I have 3 of the 4 quarters of 4 rings sewn together. I am only doing 4 blocks and am going to add a large borders to increase the quilt size to a large lap quilt. The background fabric still has to be cut, which I am going to try and get cut out to today if I get a few of my farmer's wife quilt blocks finished up (I am soooo behind on that one). Anyways, for the rings I carefully cut up two plume charm packs so each ring has a few different pieces. I can't wait to see this one finished up! Finally, a little bit of sewing happening around here, have you been working on anything fun?

So a little bit of what I have been doing...

in between work, catching the flu (which was pretty awful) and hanging out with my little man.

 My to-do list has grown, it's about 1 1/2 spiral notebook pages so far with more things being added to it daily. I have only managed to cross off a few things so far. One of the big things that I was working on was a new swimsuit for me. here's the bottoms so far:

My sewing machine and I are having a few issues but I am hoping to get this finished up in the next day or two... I also have a pair of shorts half-way done (meaning the front of them so far):

Maybe one day they will be finished up-lol! So far this morning, I have been working on a small quilt and am just trying to get something, anything off this to-do list! Alright, back to work I go hopefully with a few finishes to show you in the next few days. :)

In the studio...

I broke down and started another quilt. This time I cut into my stack of little apples that I picked up at quilt market. So far this is going to be one really quick quilt if I can stick with it and not get sucked into any other projects. Of course this means I am still behind on my Farmer's Wife Quilt Along, but I am just going to work at my own rather slow pace on that one! 

Oh and my best pal found this awesome dress while thrifting:

I think I will dress it up with a wide leather belt and I can't decided but I might shorten the hem a bit! I simple love it and can't wait to wear it.

Another Cosmo Bag...

this time in the Prince Charming Line from Tula Pink. Here is the front: 

I am really in love with this bag!! One of my favorite parts is the button:

This time I also added a little extra edge-stitching on the side pockets of the bag:

and finally a glimpse of the inside:

This is the only part where I forgot to do one little change with the pattern from the first time I made it. I wanted to divide up the pockets so they wouldn't be super large but with a few different sized areas to hold things (like a sketchbook, water bottle, camera, etc.) If I ever end up making this bag for the third time I will make sure to make that adjustment. I think I will get quite a bit of use out of this super large bag!

It's finally finished...

the innocent crush quilt (the pattern is the love letters on found here on Anna Maria Horner's make page). the front:

a close up of the front- the top is quilted with orange thread! 

the back of the quilt (this one is fairly simple back for me, usually I go all out on the back...):

and a close up of the back with yellow thread for the quilting!

I really love the way it turned out... and if you want to see it in person you can check it out at The Quilt Barn later this week!

I went to a wedding yesterday...

So it called for another one of my standby wedding presents, but I have to say this one has turned out to be my favorite love note pillow I have ever made! Here is the front:

and the back: 

the details: fabric is DS Quilts from Jo-anns and the cards in the pocket are from Papersource. I loved how the yo-yo flowers turned out (one of my best pals showed me how to use the clover yo-yo maker- I sort of lost the instructions- and it was so super simple and the results were very consistent) The flower centers are some vintage buttons from my collection. This time around I decided not to put in a hidden pocket but make it part of the design.

So, the wedding was lovely and it was a fantastic time. The bride looked amazing and the ceremony was very special. I hope they love this pillow and that they write lots of cute little notes to each other. This was my first experience attending a wedding solo (that I wasn't in) and also as a divorced lady. Needless to say it was a little emotional for me since I am such a die hard romantic, but I ended up having lots of fun (and I managed to only get a little misty-eyed during the vows that part always gets me). It's wonderful to see people in love! In the end it was a wonderful day filled with tons of love and laughter. 

Around here:

10 yards of binding for my innocent crush quilt all wrapped up and ready to sew on.

lots and lots of illustrating which is always the best time! 

and when my eyes need a little rest from the computer screen a little bit of hand sewing!