Thoughts for the New Year...

I should go back and look at what goals I set for 2011, but I haven't done that yet. The only "resolution" that I can find that I wrote about was that I wanted to wear my hair down for approximately 4 out of 5 days.  I've definitely accomplished that.  Woo hoo!  I like achievable goals!


There are some things that I've been thinking about for the new year that I would like to do/focus on:

• make some throw pillows for the house - I've seen sooo many wonderful ones around blogland and I really would like to make some for myself.  I'm sure I've got the majority of the fabric I would need for this in my stash
• continue to sew from my stash as much as possible
• knit myself a pair of socks and a hat
• knit my husband a hat
• sew a travel bag for myself...I've made for of these already and they have all been given as gifts... For weekends, I have been tossing my things in a re-usable Whole Foods bag.  I need something a little more presentable :-)
• make myself a Naughty Secretary Bag - I have the fabric already picked out and set aside...I just need to cut out the pieces and start sewing
• buy the Swoon pattern and possibly get started on that
• make a quilt for my nephew...his "golden" birthday will be in September and I am wanting to plan ahead.  I want to make him a quilt that will fit his twin-sized bed and I think I would like to get it quilted by a long-arm quilter, so I need to plan ahead

I'm sure there is lots more that I would like to do, but I can't think of it all now.  Plus, if I write too much down, I'll never be able to cross it all off.

Wrapping Up the Year....

This is just a funny photo I took when we were preparing to take a family photo at my dad's house.  My brother placed one camera on the table to set it up for the timer and I happened to set my camera behind it and  decided to go ahead and take this photo.

Here is the real family photo:

For some reason, we always remember to take these group photos at my dad's house, but not at my mom's house.  I'll have to make a note for next year.

I've finished a lot of things since I last wrote:

• Peek-A-Boo Toy Sacks for my niece and nephew

• A Naughty Secretary Bag for my friend

• dish mats 
• lined drawstring bags
• Bountiful bags (made out of Christmas fabric)  -- this past summer, I won a copy of Melissa's pattern and it has taken me until now to get some of these bags made up.  I used Christmas fabric and then used them for my brother's gifts.  I really liked how these bags made up and will definitely be making more.  

I'm sure there's more, I just can't think of them all right now....

Other things that I have done lately:

• went to a professional hockey game (1st time to see a hockey game)
• went to a water park (1st time for this, too)

Again, I'm sure there's more, but I can't think of anything right now.  I'm going to go and start thinking about what I would like to accomplish in the new year :-)

Freedom from Some Things

I don't really have a photo to go with this post, so I am presenting to you a photo I just snapped of our kitty crawling out from under the tree skirt.  If you look directly in front of him in the photo, you will see the red milk ring that he was retrieving from under the skirt.

Anyway, as the end of the year is nearing, I have been spending more and more time sewing.  A lot of that time is monotonous sewing which leaves me a lot of time to think.  I'm already thinking of things to focus on for the new year.

One of the topics that has been weighing on my mind the last few months, though, is  "things",  specifically possessions and really having too many of them.  The issues are multi-faceted:

1. Possessions take up space (especially in a small house) and make it harder to keep my physical environment in order.  This is especially difficult for me.  I grew in a home of CHAOS (Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome... thanks, Flylady!)  Some days I'm better at keeping reign over the chaos than on other days.  Anyway, the more stuff that a person has, the harder I feel it is to keep in all together.
2. I like soo many different crafts... and as we all know, it can be rather easy to go a bit overboard with each one...  which leads to more possessions.  I simply can't use all the supplies and tools all of the time, and when I'm not using it, it takes up space.  I have scrapbooking supplies, rubber stamping supplies, yarn for knitting and crocheting, and fabric for sewing.  It's out of control.
1. I keep thinking about having a crafter's garage sale, but I haven't gotten my act together on that one yet... maybe in May (something to work toward...)

Okay, so I'm sure there are more issues than this, but what I'm leading up to is the fact that I did manage to free myself from some of my not being used items... in this case, many, many, many skeins of yarn.  (Never fear, I still have plenty for myself, too!)

I have a friend, whom I have known since I was a small child.  She moved away right before high school, but we have managed to keep in touch all of these years and we only live about an hour from each other now.  A couple years ago, her husband had cancer.  Since that time, she has been making chemo caps to donate to chemo patients.  She had written on her blog that she was possibly going to sell some crocheted items in order to be able to get more yarn for chemo caps.

Ding, ding, ding!  I was so glad she mentioned this because it gave me an outlet for getting my yarn into a home where it would be more loved/used.  I could have given it to Goodwill (which is also charitable, I know...), but it was a lot and I just couldn't let it go to anyone.  So, last week she drove over after work and took home all of the yarn that I didn't want.  Freeing for me and helpful for her (at least, I think it was helpful!)

I have finished a few Christmas gifts in the last week, but haven't been able to take photos of them due to the dreary weather.  Maybe the sun will be shining tomorrow?

Mermaiden Dolls and Other Finishes

Remember that pile of fabrics from my last post?  I made four Mermaiden Dolls!  There are two more mermaiden dollies that have green hair.  I just couldn't get them to pose for the photo.  

They are not actually quite finished, but I won't put the final touches on for a while, so they got their photo shoot now.  I still need to sew the hair and fin onto the body and make the little flowers for each of their hair. 

The dolls are definitely a little fiddly to make, but turn out oh-so-adorable!  They are small little dolls, I think about 7 inches tall.  I have a niece that is 3, a step-niece that is nearly 3, a great niece that is nearly 3, and another step niece that is still a wee 8 or 9 months old.  I thought these would make great Christmas gifts for all of them.  Of course, that's why I had to do a variety of hair colors, too, so that no one would confuse their doll with the others' dolls.

The hair and the fin are supposed to be hand sewn together (to join the fronts/backs).  The flannel that I used for the fins was a little ravely, so I ended up machine stitching both the fins and the hair fronts/backs together.  They turned out okay.  Plus, I figured that the 3 year old set would not be all that critical of the sewing.

Other finishes include:

•  5 hair towels (no photos taken)
• a Circle Zip Earbud Pouch (photo below)

This pouch is a wee pouch, too, but I really like it.  I have already been making a list of the fabrics I am going to use to make more of them.  They sew up very quickly.  It really doesn't take much time at all.  You could also use this pouch to hold some change or a few dollar bills.  







Who Wants to Guess?

Who wants to guess what the above pile of fabrics is going to turn out to be?  I'm semi-hopeful that I'll actually start cutting these tonight, especially since I sit here writing about it instead of doing it!

Your guesses won't really win you anything, but I'd love to just see what you all think.

I also finished this diaper bag for my cousin:

It's not the best photo in the world, since I took it with my phone and I was in a hurry.  The fabric is actually John Deere fabric since that is what my cousin requested.  I followed a Moda Bake Shop tutorial:  Baby on the Go Diaper Bag.  As you can see, I used only one fabric instead of a jelly roll and charm pack.  Since the fabric is a directional fabric, I also had to cut the body of the bag longer and then cut it in half and rotate the fabric so that the barns and animals would be right side up all the way around the bag.

The bag turned out pretty well.  My cousin was certainly pleased and appreciative.  I did use a long-pull zipper that I ordered from Zip-It on Etsy.  Luckily, they had the perfect green color in the length that I needed.

I also made my cousin a faux chenille blanket out of a coordinating John Deere fabric.  I used green and brown flannel on the back.  After it was cut and washed, the chenille almost looked like the rows of a planted field with some green crops emerging.  My cousin even commented that her son will be able to use it to play with his tractors when he gets old enough.  Unfortunately, I didn't take a photo of the finished product.

Done and Done

Photographic evidence of two completed projects.

First, the faux chenille blanket: (I really follwed a combination of two tutorials, so here is the second)

This blanket turned out great and I'm a little bit sad to be sending if off to the recipient.  The backing is so soft.  This time, I used 3 layers of flannel, but the next time I am going to use 4 layers so that the chenille will be just a tiny bit more dense.

The Hexagon Wedding (completed!):

I didn't take a photo of the fabric I used for backing, but if you look really closely, you can see the design of it shining through.  It is a black piece of fabric with white swirls...It is from Michael Miller fabrics and is called Ebony Ironwork.  I even went so far as to cut the binding on the actual bias and hand stitch the binding on, as is proper (even though it takes me f.o.r.e.v.e.r.).

I'm linking up to:

Re-energizing

I spent the weekend visiting with my family.  I had a nice time.  It was my dad's birthday on Friday, so I took him out for dinner.  He was really tired from working all day, so we made it a quick dinner, but it was just great to see him.

Saturday, I was able to spend the day with my mom.  We spent some time at the park with my niece and nephew.  Then, we went out to lunch and just took a drive to look at all of the trees that have begun to change colors.  The photo above was taken at one of our stops:  a park area that has a tower you can climb up and use to look for eagles.  You can also see that there was a nice wooden walkway, so that you could venture out into the park area a bit, if you wanted. 

In the evening, I was able to go to my youngest brother's house and visit with him and his wife.  They  made a fire in the fire pit and made campfire chili.  It was great to be able to visit with them.

Sunday, I was able to go back to my dad's house and spend more time visiting with him. We had to run some errands and ended up and my other younger brother's house and visited and had lunch with them.  Then, everyone congregated and my dad's house to have a fire and roast hot dogs. 

It was nice to be able to visit with my family, with no real plans or agenda...just hang out, I guess.  Plus, I wasn't in any hurry to get home last night because I knew that I didn't have work today (and my husband had been home the majority of the day, so I didn't have to worry about the dog, either). 

I felt so energized today, I was able to nearly finish up two projects that I have felt like were hanging over my head for a while now.  One was the quilt for my brother and his wife.  I really should have finished this one ages ago.  Anyway, now I only need to add a couple more lengths to the binding and then stitch the binding on.  I finished up all of the quilting today.  I did learn that any other bigger quilts I make will be going to someone else to quilt...I don't enjoy quilting the bigger/awkward quilts on my machine. 

I also finished a faux chenille blanket for my husband's cousin (and the soon to be born baby).  I had done all of the stitching quite some time ago, but was waiting to buy a chenille cutter.  I finally purchased the cutter, so all I had to do was cut the chenille channels and then make and stitch the binding on.  I haven't taken photos yet, but I will before I send it off.

Other things on my to do list:

1)  catch up on the embroidery for my Birdie Blocks

2) finish up a pink flannel quilt that I have made the front of

3) make a set of kitchen items that I promised my neighbor for a raffle to help support her daughters dance group/team

4) dish mats (I saw some cute ones made by amylouwho for teacher gifts)

5) hair towels

I'm thinking that if I put my list "out there"  that maybe I'll get the items checked off a little quicker....

Two Zip Hipster

Before I get to the important stuff, let me apologize for the fact that it has been so long since my last post.  It's THAT time of year again, school time, and I have been so exhausted over the start of the school year, that I haven't been doing so much.  I've been composing all sorts of posts mentally, but they have never made their way here.

Earlier this summer (maybe via Sew, Mama, Sew's Giveaway Day) I discovered Erin's Blog - Dog Under My Desk.  I ended up purchasing one of her PDF patterns, for a Notepad Organizer.  I did make several of the smaller sized organizers, but promptly gave them away without taking any photos.  I liked them a lot and they came together very quickly.  I'm always on the lookout for small sized quick gifts to make.

I really liked how well Erin had written the Organizer pattern.  So, when Erin posted about the need for pattern testers for her Two Zip Hipster, I jumped on the chance.

Can I just say.... I LOVE this bag.  It turned out sooooo nice!  It took me a few days to get going on the pattern, because I ended up having to order the hardware and long-pull zippers on Etsy.  However,  I was lucky enough to find what I needed from Etsy sellers that are geographically close to me, so shipping didn't take any time at all.

I love Erin's style of pattern writing, too.  She includes step-by-step directions and a photo for pretty much everything.  Since I am a visual type learner, this is heaven for me...the words combined with the photos.  Even if you are a beginner at sewing, I think that you could make this bag with all of the wonderfulness that Erin has combined (and no, I'm not being rewarded in any way for saying good stuff about Erin or her pattern).

This purse even has a lovely zipper in the top!  It holds a lot more than you might expect.  I have all of my everyday stuff jammed into it and it will still zip closed. 

I've been carrying mine for almost a month now and it still looks awesome!  I'm getting lots of comments on it and when I explain that I made it, I get lots of, "Oh, it looks great, you could never tell it was handmade!" and "Oh, you could sell these!"

Things I love about this bag:  adjustable strap (can be shortened for over-the-shoulder wear or lengthened for cross-body wear), zippered front pocket (I can get my phone in this pocket even with other things in there and don't have to worry about it falling out!), front slide pocket (a great place to throw a pen or some candies) and the zippered top/interior.

If you are looking for a bag pattern in this style, I would highly recommend Erin's Two Zip Hipster!

Oh Yes, I did....

...that's right, I made hamburger buns from scratch this evening:



I've just been waiting for the weather to cool down enough that I felt like turning on my oven.  These buns turned out great, but were not without some mishap on my part.  First of all, the recipe calls for "instant' yeast....but the front of the yeast packages say "Rapid Rise" not instant.  It took me a bit standing and pondering all of the yeast packages before I thought to check the back.

Then, I decided that I didn't want to mix these by hand so I decided to try the dough blade and my food processor....  I'm not sure what went wrong here, but they weren't rising...  So, I tossed those and just mixed up another batch by hand.  Well, I did the first part of the recipe with my regular mixed and then mixed in the second half of the flour with a spoon.   As you can see, they turned out very nicely. 

They taste delicious, too!  I actually put a grilled chicken breast on my bun tonight.  I can't wait until lunch tomorrow so that I can use one to make another sandwich for myself.  The bonus to making your own buns is that you know exactly what is in them, which I like.  I will definitely be making these a lot in the future.

Wordless Yesterday.....

Colette Sorbetto Top

Please excuse the fact that this is not the best photo in the world.... my husband took the photo and it took 10 or more tries to get this minimally acceptable photo (and a couple verbal skirmishes, too).

Before the summer really began, I had seen the link to this Colette Patterns Sorbetto Top.  I had added it to my summer sewing list in the hopes that I would actually get to it before the summer was over.

A couple weeks ago, when the heat index was 100+ºF for multiple days in a row, I decided it would be a good idea to sew up this top.  My goal was just to use some fabric that I had already purchased.  I think I purchased this fabric last summer and I'm not really sure what I had intended to use it for.  However, it seemed like nice summery fabric.

The actual body of the top went together very quickly since there are only two pieces.  I did opt to make my own bias binding, which took some additional time.  I love how it matches, but I'm not sure I would spend the time doing that again.  It did take a bit of time to pin and then stitch on the bias binding.  I also ended up attaching bias binding to the bottom edge instead of hemming the shirt.  I think it gave the shirt a nice look, but really I did this because I needed the extra length as I am long in the torso.

I've washed and dried my top several times now and excluding the fact that it has to be ironed each time (and you can see in my photo that I was a bit lax when I ironed before this particular wearing), it looks great.  My top is a tiny bit loose just in front of my underarm area, but not so loose that I  (as pretty much a non-garment sewer) would go to the effort of adding in an additional dart.

Colette Patterns also has a cute free download for some bloomers.  I think they are adorable, but I'm pretty well endowed in the bottom area, so I don't know if I'll attempt these or not.... 

Otherwise, I've just been working on some odds and ends in the sewing dept. and doing a small bit of knitting, too.  I have another full week before I go back to work, so I really need to make a list of what I would like to most accomplish in the next week.



Christine's Bag

At the beginning of June, our niece graduated from high school.  Last year, I had made our two graduating nieces each a travel bag.  Since this niece, Christine, is also my husband's goddaughter, I wanted to switch it up a bit and give her a choice of fabrics, etc.  (We also gave her a gift of money.)

Well, Christine had just been given a travel bag as a Christmas gift, so she didn't really need another travel bag (although I'm sure mine would have been way better).  So, we went surfing around looking at patterns and settled on this one.  It's a nice roomy bag and it has lots of pockets (8, I think) inside, for containing whatever might need to be contained. 

Christine also picked out the main fabric.  It is the Modern Meadow line designed by Joel Dewberry.  I really like this fabric, too.  If I weren't on a fabric diet, I would be ordering some of it for myself right now.

Regarding the pattern...  It really wasn't a difficult bag to sew.  That being said, I think that anyone sewing this pattern might need a basic knowledge of what I would consider more "big-box" commercially based patterns to do this.  I say this because the pattern does not list out all of the little details like marking the fabric from the pattern on the matching dots, etc. Would you still be able to sew this pattern?  Sure, it just isn't as completely detailed as some of the other newer "designer" patterns out there. 

I didn't think the pattern was all that difficult and it didn't take all that much time either.  I think it took just as much time to cut all of the pieces out (I really do not enjoy the cutting out of the pieces!).  Plus, I think I'll be able to use this pattern again... one of my cousins is having a baby and has requested a John Deere diaper bag.  Now, this might not be the style she's wanting, but since it is technically a diaper bag pattern, this is what she'll be getting.

I really like this bag and I'm going to have a hard time shipping it out this week!

Cheddar-Sriracha Swirl Bread

A little while ago, I had seen a recipe for this Cheddar-Sriracha Swirl Bread.  I saved the link because I knew that I wanted to try making it.

Yesterday was the day:

My bread didn't turn out as picture perfect as the bread in the recipe photo, but it still tastes pretty good!

Let me start by saying that I have never mixed any bread by hand before, so this was a new experience for me.  In all, I felt like it went well.  It seemed like it didn't take nearly as long as the recipe indicated that it would take for the bread to rise.  Maybe because it was a pretty warm day to begin with? 

It ended up being relatively easy, in my opinion, to make this bread.  Although, it was not a quick process.  The taste is great, but pretty spicy from the Sriracha.  I think this would bread would be great to use in making a turkey sandwich, or a roast beef sandwich if you are so inclined.  

I'm just proud that I was able to mix it all up by hand.

A Bit of Randomness....

I have a little bit of this and than to write about this week.

This whole container of snapdragons is completely "volunteer".  The flowers are such beautiful colors and shades, too.  I love looking at them every time I walk about the back door.

This is a photo of a Strawberry Buttermilk Cake that I made to have for our 4th of July celebration.  It was very delicious.  For the sugar that is sprinkled on top of the strawberries/cake prior to baking, I used my Vanilla Bean Sugar.  This cake turned out to be delicious!  The bonus was that it was super easy to make.  I will definitely be making this one again.

Please excuse the quality of this photo, it was taken with my cell phone.  For my birthday (in June), my husband had given me tickets for the U2 360º Tour concert in Chicago.  I had wanted to go last summer, but it ended up that we never got tickets.  Plus, maybe 10 years ago, I had gone to another U2 concert and took my older brother with me.  It was about a year before he passed away and the only concert we ever we to together.  Anyway, U2 was this past week.  The concert was good, after we recovered from the heart attack caused by the $46 parking fee!  The only draw back was that I had to work the next morning, so I was awfully tired! 

Since I had such a busy week, I've spend the last few days trying to catch up on my sleep and haven't gotten any sewing done.  I aim to correct that situation tomorrow.   

This week, I did do something I wouldn't normally do.  I ordered something for myself that I could have also made.  Stephanie at Sand and Starfish has been having a sale in her etsy shop and I ordered myself one of her Vintage Dresden Zippered Clutches.   I had seen them during the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Day, I think and just thought that they were so pretty.  So I bought one.  Mine is with an orange zipper and orange accents in the fabrics.  I think that if you go and look at her shops sales, you will be able to see a photo of mine since I haven't bothered to take one.  They are a great size, too...not too tiny.  I could probably fit a book in mine (I carry books around with me a lot).  ***This is not in any way a sponsored shout-out...I just really like my clutch.

Ava Bag

I just finished sewing this bag last night.  The pattern is the Ava Bag by Two Peas In a Pod Designs.  I was participating in a sew along that Sara was hosting over at Sew Sweetness. 

I decided to use fabric that I already had in my stash.  I'm trying to limit my fabric purchases (unless I find a good sale -- like two weeks ago, I found this fabric in a local quilt shop for $5.25 a yard...I've been wanting this fabric since I first saw it [the turquoise/yellow/teal/grays]....)

Anyway, I decided to use some of the DS Quilts Collection fabric that I had purchased at JoAnn Fabrics.



About the pattern:  Overall, I thought that it was very well written.  The instructions were easy to understand.  There were a couple spots along the way where I thought to myself..."hmm...I think it would have been better to have "x" information included here" or where I would do things just a bit differently the next time.  I was grateful for my walking foot, since I think it definitely helped me to sew this bag (with the layers of fusible fleece) and not get any puckers or real shifting of my fabrics.  One thing I really liked about this pattern/instructions was the sewing with a 1/2" seam.  I have seen lots of patterns recently that only have a 1/4" seam and I'm not sure why.  I don't know if the pattern writers are quilters, or if they are trying to save the consumer on a bit of fabric.  I just find it a bit difficult at times to sew bags and such with only a 1/4" seam.

The bag sewed up very quickly and I will definitely make this one again.  I'm thinking that I should make a cute gathered clutch to match this bag. 

An Anniversary Gift

About a month ago, my husband and I had our 5th Anniversary.  It's quite unbelievable how quickly the time passes. 

At the beginning of May, we did our annual flower shopping and I happened to see a beautiful wind chime at the garden shop.  It have been wanting a wind chime for a long time now.  This wind chime had a beautiful sound, but an exorbitant price tag.  So, of course, it didn't make the trip home with us.

However, about three weeks later, my husband surprised me with it as an anniversary gift:

Horrible photo of the whole thing, and what it's hard to see is that this wind chime is HUGE!  My husband had to put some sort of wood reinforcement inside the garage wall  to be able to attach  the bracket and not have it come crashing down from the weight of the chime. 

The hummingbird at the top is so pretty.  There is also a flower at the bottom that is in the same style.

It has actually been cool enough that I can keep our windows open and there is just enough breeze to hear it chiming very softly :-)

A Trip to California

My husband and I recently returned from a week long trip to California, mostly in the San Diego area.  There were so many "wrenches" thrown into our trip, it didn't necessarily end up being as fun as we had anticipated.

1) We almost didn't have a pet-sitter to stay with our pets...which was a bit stressful, leading up to the trip

2) My sister-in-law's mother-in-law unexpected showed up (from IOWA, with about 6 hours notice) a few days before we arrived, so we lost out on the guest room and instead had to sleep on the sofa bed (They had sent her a graduation announcement for her granddaughter, our niece, that she construed as an invitation)

3) A half hour before we were due to leave, I realized my driver's licence was LOST!  Emergency trip to the DMV on the way to the airport.  Amazingly, it only took 15 minutes in the DMV.

There are other things that I just don't want to take the energy to type out.

Highlights of our trip:

1)  We went to Knott's Berry Farm.  Of course, I remembered that I really get pretty scared on roller coasters and don't so much like riding on them anymore.

2)  I got to visit my aunt for several nights and a day (she conveniently lives just 10 minutes from Knott's).

3)  I got to visit my friend, Jen.  We've been friends for 20 years now, and don't often get to see each other.  I think it had been 2 years since I had seen her last.  Plus, I got to see some of the cool and awesome art that she has been creating lately (which you can see on her blog or one of her craft reviews). 

4)  Had my birthday while I was in CA.  As a treat to myself, I went to a fabric shop that I had read about a long time ago on Jaybird Quilts.  I guess it had been nearly 2 years ago that Julie posted about it.  Anyway, it's not far at all from my aunt's house...so off we went.  It still looks just like the photos in Julie's post.  I didn't really dig through the stacks because I had my aunt and my husband in tow...but I still found some great deals on some fabric...  for example, some Anthology fabric for $4.98 a yard and Kona cotton (real RK Kona) for the same price.  I'll try to remember to take a photo of the fabrics and post them.  I could have easily spent the whole day in this shop.

Now, I just have to get back to my crafting.  I have a terribly long "to do" list that begins with the quilting on my hexagon quilt for my brother and his wife. 

P.S. The little snail in my header was crossing my aunt's driveway just before we were leaving.  We don't really have snails around here.

Mighty Hunter

I really don't have much to share this week, so I'll just share some photos of the cat.  He loves to go outside...especially now that the neighbors have put up three bird feeders.  Don't worry, though, there is a fence between our yard and theirs.

This evening, he decided to "hide" in my fledgling garden so that he could spy on the birds.

I have two more work days and then it is officially summer vacation.  Of course, Tuesday night, we fly to CA for a week and as soon as we are back, then I have to head to summer school.  I have several things I have been wanting to post about, but just haven't had the energy to sit down and write the posts.  Luckily, summer school is only 1/2 days.  So, I will have plenty of time very soon!

P.S. How's the weather in your area?  It went from very cool here,  to very hot.  Ugh!  What happened to spring?

Winner!

The winning number is........

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

101

Timestamp: 2011-05-26 11:22:55 UTC

And the winner is......

101

napergal50 said...

The towels are so nice! I live in the Chicagoland area also and love my trips to Ikea.
Thanks for the chance,
Patti - Napergal50@yahoo.com

May 25, 2011 4:42 PM

I will be e-mail Patti momentarily!

Thanks to everyone who visited and played along.

Giveaway Day!

*****Comments are now closed.  I will draw and notifiy the winner in the morning. ******

It's Giveaway Day, again!  Sew, Mama, Sew spearheads a Giveaway Day twice a year.  Today is one of those days!  I am participating and I am glad to have you stop by.

I am giving away these dishtowels/tea towels:

There are four towels.  Two of each print.  They are cotton (at least I think they are cotton...I removed the tag since it was getting in the way of my stitching) towels that I purchased at IKEA and then added a strip of cotton fabric to the front.

The particulars:

• I will ship internationally, so all are welcome to enter.
• We do have a pet friendly home...so if you have severe pet allergies and are the lucky winner, just be aware that you will want to wash these when they arrive in your home (These have been tucked away in a drawer, but I'd hate to not warn you in advance!)
• Just one entry per person, please.  Leaving a comment is all you need to do.  If you'd like to read and comment on some of my other posts, that would be great (but it doesn't get you any more entries).
• PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, check to see if you are a no-reply blogger...  There is a great post on Sweet Simplicity about this and how to fix it.  If you are purposefully a no-reply blogger, then please make sure you leave an e-mail address in your comment.  I want to be able to find you if you are the lucky winner. 
• This giveaway will be open until May 25.  I will close the comments sometime after I arrive home from work and before I go to bed for the night :-)

Good luck and thanks for visiting!

I Couldn't Wait

I couldn't wait until tomorrow when I would be able to take a better photo...I made my husband hold up the quilt this morning to get a better photo :)

I spent a vast majority of the day today Sunday, finishing the piecing of this quilt top.  I can't wait to get the backing done and get this all quilted.  Then, I'll have to take this quilt out for a photo shoot before I deliver it to the newlyweds.

In case you are wondering, this is a recipe from Moda Bake Shop by Lynne of Lily's Quilts.  The recipe was great, too.  I really had no troubles following it.  It was a bit tricky at first, to remember to offset the angles when sewing the half hexagons into rows.  Luckily, I got it sorted out quickly and was able to sew along.  This is the first real quilt pattern I have followed and I can't wait to get it completely finished.

Over the Weekend

...my "baby" brother got married:

The wedding was beautiful, with no major catastrophes. 

Even better, my oldest niece attended the wedding and I got to spend some time visiting with her.  I think it may have been 3 or 4 years since I have seen her.  After my brother (her father) passed away, my niece's mother has not made it easy nor has she encouraged my niece to visit with our side of the family.  I am grateful that she brought her to the wedding and the reception and that I was able to spend some time visiting with her!

Of course, we couldn't let the opportunity for a photo pass us by:

I sure hope that it's not another 4 years before I get to see my oldest niece again!

P.S. I FINALLY got my sewing machine back from the shop...after 4 weeks!  So now, I am furiously working on the quilt for my brother and his bride!  I hope to have it finished by the time they return from their honeymoon.  I think they are going to love it!