Sunday Success

I've been busy! Making tons of things and enjoying my summer. I even got a nap on the beach the other day - life is good!


I made this fab pouch as a custom order. I'm in love with it and I want to keep it. Darn this making-a-living BS. ;)

I was invited to a trunk show in Battle Creek yesterday at Art Center Too. What an awesome place! And they set me up right across from Sew Unique Threads, so of course, I bought fabric. This was really neat newsprint-ish fabric with some red thrown in. I cut a woman right out of the middle of it and made it into the French Smoking Girl Pouch. Which will someday hopefully get listed in my Etsy shop.

I took a couple hours today to try this tutorial from Prudent Baby. I only made one wrong cut, which was no biggie, and now I've got 10.5 beautiful yards of mustard yellow double-fold bias tape! Thanks Prudent Baby!



.

Papasan Makeover! And some other goodies...

So I finally made something for ME and it's amazing! What was once a boring, black papasan cushion, is now a bright, fabulous, eye-catching papasan! I had to move it to the main living room just so I could stare at it.


I used scraps for the entire thing! The smallest piece is ~0.75"x 1". The biggest is around 8"x4" and I tried to avoid using anymore of those after that one starting piece. I didn't plan it out or measure anything, just cut-sew-add until it was gigantic and wonderful! Can you tell I like it a lot? ;) I was tempted to make it into a quilt but I can't imagine quilting it all by hand since it would be too big for my machine. So I went back to Plan A and made a huge round papasan cushion pillowcase! It has a pocket back that I stitched closed with huge stitches, so I can easily remove it to wash it. Lord knows nothing stays clean with a 5 yr old in the house!

That great store I Heart Ipanema, that I've got a bunch of goodies at here, has been a pretty cool experience. Stuff is selling pretty well! One shopper didn't find what she wanted so Nicole sent her my way for a custom set for her friend's baby. I'm convinced, I make fun stuff, and that's why I get to meet the most fun people doing what I do! She was really sweet, and she loved the Pillow Cubes, Tie Bib, and Bunny Rattle!

I was surfing Noodlehead again and saw this great tutorial for Car Pillows! Since I *still* know a scary amount of pregnant women, like I seem to always these days, I made a whole car lot full of Car Pillows. Girly ones too! That's right Mamas, you're all getting pillows, I'm ahead of the game for once!

And last but not least, one of my best friends' sisters is getting married! I hemmed her Mom's dress for her... by hand I might add... and then used some of the scrap to make her a snap pouch to match the dress! I hope she loves the little surprise! Congrats soon Rachel!

Do's & Don'ts

Been a long. busy week here! I've probably made 35 things this week. Some of them that involved new patterns and fabric shopping trips as well!

Learned some things. On with this week's Do's & Don'ts. I apologize for #1, it's kinda gross, but not too bad ;)

#1. DON'T shut your finger in the car door after buckling in your kid at a gas station that didn't have regular gas, the candy we wanted, or the slushies pictured on the sign outside. Luckily they did have napkins because this thing bled horror-movie style. This pic is day 2, took off the bandage, cleaned it up, and was surprised it looked as good as it did considering how bad it felt. Loss of the nail is still questionable. I can only imagine my wide-eyed "shit shit shit!" look I had when I went in for napkins. Dr. Dave hooked me up with a band-aid clearly marked non-sterile from a field kit. Niiiiice.

I want to take a photography class. Look at that pretty faded background, and that nice clear forefront. How did I do it? I don't know. My most professional looking picture I've ever taken has got to be of my crusty digit.

#2. DO make awesome market tote style bags with awesome potato and pepper fabrics in the middle of the night, hours before the baby shower you're making it for.
#2a. DO get shown up by a Grandma's absolutely amazing and huge quilt with coordinating quilted storage bag. Way to go Grandma Awesome Quilt! I wish I'd gotten a picture of it!

#3. DO talk about other people's business. Haha! I mentioned to my MIL that my dear friend CeeJay is pregnant and decorating the nursery in a veggie theme, and what-do-ya-know, she had these really neat cross-stitched veggie pictures that my Step-FIL's Mom made. She'd been trying to pawn them off on the other kids a long time ago, but apparently they were meant to belong to my friend. She loved them!

#4. DO work even farther into the night making yet another cool scrunchy front pouch. Of course I had to embroider it, it is my new obsession. And if you're going by the name CeeJay, I'm sure you're finding nothing personalized. After a day of presents all for baby, it's nice to get an all-for-you gift.

#5. DO tell your crafty friends your plans for decorating. If said crafty friend is anything like me, you've just inspired her. I'm so proud of these! A crocheted eggplant, carrot, avocado, radish, broccoli, and an ear of corn that really comes out of the husk! They were a big hit. Grandma Awesome Quilt thought they were genius which was flattering.

The baby shower was a great time! I won a big tomato plant in the nursery rhyme game! I planted it in a really classy looking white five gallon bucket. (Riiiiight.) This baby will be very loved :) I can't wait to meet him! I hope he eats veggies after all this too...

Only one Don't this week... not bad D, not bad...





.

Work In Progress....

My latest work in progress! I just loooooooove my new fabrics I picked up the other night. I went shopping with my boy and he was so so so good. Which is quite the change from the last time I took him fabric shopping. That time he had to be dragged out of the store against his will, kicking and screaming "I don't want to leave the green fabric store!! I love it here!!" which I totally feel, but have the self control to not cry when I leave. I get ya kid. I feel your pain.

Anyway, these are my new fabrics and they are beyond awesome and already almost gone. I'd love to share my new projects but they are all Christmas gifts. So ya gotta wait a week, and if I'm lucky, I'll remember to get pics before I give them away!

Holiday Deals & Reasons I'm Insane...

If you're sane and staying home today, doing your shopping online, come check out my Black Friday Sale! I'm offering free domestic shipping, and a free gift with every purchase!

I am not sane.

I went to JoAnn's thinking it wouldn't be as crazy as the Toy R Us next door. WRONG. I had fabric being held at the cutting counter, so I walked in, nearly had a heart attack when seeing the line inside, and reluctantly grabbed a ticket. They were on #83. I was #43.

After a good 20+ minutes of waiting (by then they were only on #86) a nice shopper let me know there was a line for 3 bolts or less. I hopped over there quick and had cut fabric in hand by the time the I'm-buying-too-much-fabric line I was originally in got to #1. Of course it still took a good 45 minutes in the get-me-outta-here-quick line.

I waited right in a long aisle of quilting items. I'm a self-taught, just-started quilter. I didn't even know half of this stuff existed. I learned quickly that I'm making things much more difficult than necessary. Story of my life.

I left with the 1 fabric I came for...

AND a really fabulous blue quilter's cotton I probably don't need, a super soft butterfly fleece I definitely don't need, and a cotton Christmas tree fabric I'll never use. Four spools of thread and a cool Draft N Cut ruler-thing.

Did I buy anything for anyone else? Nooooooo. Did I remember after all that time in line that I should check out the rotary cutters that are supposed to be used with the ruler? Noooooo. Did I buy the magnet parts that I needed? Noooooooo. Did I save a super huge ton of money? Noooooooo. Did I totally show up for this shopping insanity in my pjs? Yesssssss.

Happy Holidays!

Mmmm Silk

I'm kind of a fabric freak. I've been eyeing this gorgeous printed silk at a local fabric store and finally broke down and bought it. Only a half yard since it's pricey, but it's finally mine!! It's been sitting here begging to be made into a bag for over a week and yesterday I FINALLY got around to it!



I love anything with lime green and buttons. I also needed a non-messenger bag since that's pretty much all I own. I made it sort-of hobo style with antiqued brass hardware, 5 fabric buttons, and a great knotted strap! It's lined (expertly I must say, since I have a habit of screwing that part up) with natural colored cotton canvas. The outer fabric is 100% silk, but it feels like cotton canvas. That left me wondering if I'm really getting ripped off, but it was still too cool to pass up. I know a lot about fabrics, but this is the first time I've ever found a silk that feels like this. Either way, it turned out exactly like I pictured it in my head and that almost never happens. I'm going to attempt to make another soon.

I also found a new addiction. Fabric buttons! Like I need another crafty obsession. I bought a couple packs of these last week and they were so simple and quick that I immediately went back to the fabric store to buy more. Then I got home, made them all, and went on Etsy and bought even more. Tonight after work I plan to get back to the store and get MORE since I can't wait till my Etsy shipment arrives. I don't know what I will do with them all, but they sure are pretty! They are like the heroin of my craft world at the moment. There's nothing I like better than instant gratification.

It's Showtime!

I've got another show coming up tomorrow! It is Milham Art in the Park held at Milham Park in Portage. I hear it's a HUGE show! I haven't actually ever made it to this show in all the years I've been in Kalamazoo, but I sure have heard about it from damn near everyone. It was a major PITA to get into, mostly because of the booth sharing confusion my partner and I caused, but I was finally confirmed yesterday and will be there bright and early tomorrow morning! I hope it's as good as I've been told! Wish me luck!

I've blogged about JennaDesigns before, but man, she just gets better! I met her through Twitter and a mutual love for fabric and sewing machines, and look what she sent me the other day! I had complimented this fabric on her blog, but I never expected her to send me some! AWESOME! I don't know what I'm going to use it for, it's so neat I don't want to cut it up! Whatever it is that I end up doing with it, it really made my day. So thanks Jenna! Hope you are having fun with your new serger!