Mama Mia!...Here I Go Again!

The Mama Mia Apron swap comes to a close. Here is what I sent:)

My partner was Becca and she said her favorite part of the movie was the ocean and her favorite color was red. I decided to ignore the favorite color part (sorry Becca!) and focus on the ocean. After sifting thru my stash I found the perfect combo of fabrics to "make the ocean" out of. I decided on the Marie Antoinette apron out of "A is for Apron" (a great aproning resource). This is the end result...







Can you see the ocean in it? I made the ruffles out of some sparkly tulle, some aqua tulle, some sage chiffon and the main panel out of blue satin. The band and ties are fashioned from the thrifted sheet I acquired at Goodwill last summer. Then I used some funky buttons to secure the accordion pleats.



I threw in a recipe for some watermelon sangria, some blue cocktail napkins, an Amy Butler FQ, and some 3-D die cut stickers in a beach motif. Voila, swap package complete!

BTW, I got my swap package from Sherry when I arrived home yesterday (clap, clap)! I will post about it tomorrow...gotta get some pics!

Another Reveal

This time it is my Seams To Me bag...as in the one I received from my WTPS #5 partner (the swap mama and uber sewist Tracey). Thanks Tracey! I love it:) I started carrying it the day I received it and I have had SO many complements!

Check it out everyone!...and DROOL;)

Full frontal



Innards



Reverse



A better look at the cute fabrics, and the awesome wooden handles...such a good idea!

Seams To Me Reveal

Tracey has received the item I made for her so I can share finally share the photos.

Here it is...



I decided to make the "I'll Take One of Everything Bag". I love the way it turned out! Although I did think it would be a little larger...I think if/when I make one for myself I will enlarge the pattern pieces so it will turn out bigger. I made it out of Katie Jump Rope fabric from my stash (some of my FAVORITE fabric).

One thing I really love about AMH's book...a lot of the projects don't appear require a huge amount of fabric so I think I am going to be able to use up some of my scraps. This is pretty exciting since my scrap pile is now occupying a rather large box...it could use a little dwindling:)

Post #98...

My 98th post! That means 100 could be happening soon...although at my current blog rate "soon" could equal June...lol!



Ok, so I just wanted to let you all know that Tracey over at Itching2bstitching is counting down to summer and she is having a giveaway to celebrate! All you have to do is run over there and dish about your summer plans and-viola!-you're entered. Give her a shout out on your own blog and receive 5 (count 'em-5) additional entries! How sweet is that?!?

On the sewing front:

I have just completed my "Seams to Me" item for the We the People Swap part 5. I am happy to report that I am done a whole week in advance of the due date...YAY! Take that procrastination! I can't share photos just yet cuz it is supposed to be a secret swap and I would hate to spoil the surprise, but I am getting it out in the mail today so I am thinking I will be able to share photos by the weekend...keep an eye out:)

Seriously, what are you still doing here? Don't you have a giveaway to be entering?!? Now, SCOOT!

As promised...and promised

Ok, I know all of you are on the edge of your seats-on a saturday evening-to see pictures of the Weekender...lol! Well here they are:





ALL of those pieces turned into...







I threw some herb seeds, body polish, 1 yard of fabric (per swap requirements) it's Farmer's Market I think. I also attached a cute little Tinkerbelle keychain cuz she matched the bag:)

My partner also won the wallet giveaway I had so that is included as well.





Here are some better shots of the baby shoes too...





Next up is the PDC (pretty darn cute) Nappy Bag that I made for my ready-to-pop-at-any-moment pregnant gal pal.







I am totally digging the cute owl fabric (Alexander Henry) and the Cherry Full Moon Polka Dot by AB. I think I have enough extra to make a cute summer frock for Lyddiebug...but we will have to see because I am done with the bag, but I still have the changing pad and case to finish up...

And last, but not least...



My Weekender Bag by Ellena!! Isn't it totally AWESOME?? I can't thank her enough for making this such a GREAT swap!!

Well, that is the end of my photo slide show...also the end of what I am sure is my LONGEST post ever! I am nearing my 100th post so I am thinking a fun little contest is in order...Any ideas?

It's ALIVE

Ok, I apologize for my brief (if you consider a whole month brief) hiatus! But I am back and in full effect:)...Isn't that a line from a Vanilla Ice song or something...lol!

I had quite the busy sewing weekend!! I will be back tomorrow to share pics with all of you. Here is a little tidbit to hold you over...



I made these cutesy little baby shoes for some friends that had a baby last month. I used this tutorial which is also linked in my blog sidebar. This was a super easy, super fast, super fun little project. If you are ever in a bind and need a quick, cute, original baby gift I would keep this pattern handy!!

Alright, be sure to check back tomorrow (or the day after that, or the day after that-cuz, let's be honest, I am a SLOW mover...)! I will be sharing pics of the weekender I made, the weekender I received (it is flipping AMAZING), and a Nappy Bag in progress (it's PDC if I do say so myself).

Laters:)

Where is the spring!?!

Ok, how is everyone? Sorry I have been MIA around here, but I am just coming off a little bout of Influenza or something of the like. Today is the first day I have been out of my house since Sunday morning, and it is the first day I have driven my car since Friday! Talk about living in the Twilight Zone...

So, now that I am back amongst the living I figured I would take care of a little bloggy business..

1) The Giveaway- The giveaway is now closed and I would like to thank everyone who participated. I will be announcing the winner on Saturday so stay tuned.

2) Weekender Bag progress- Right now I am completely annoyed with my weekender bag...attaching the main panels in all of their Timtex glory to the zipper/bottom panel is turing into my own private nightmare. I am hoping I can just pull it off with out having to start over 2 days before the deadline! I am having an AWFUL time getting close enough to the piping...especially in the bottom corners. There is SO much bulk in the seams! I trimmed the timtex back but I am still having an issue. I have broken about 5 needles so far. At this point I am half considering hand-sewing the darn thing! I hear the lining part is a breeze compared to the step I am at now...I am ready for a little something 'breezy' let me tell ya! Right now I am in the process of taking deep breaths and counting to 10 just to get me thru this...lol!

3) Where is the spring- I don't know about all of you, but I am totally ready for spring! Winter has definitely worn out it's welcome with me! I am ready to go outside for longer than a few minutes. I want to sit on the deck, get into the garden, put flowers in the pots, and crack out the grill! Ok, I am done:) But seriously, we have to be getting close, right?

Excitement is in the air and I am having a GIVEAWAY!

This is a sticky post...new posts found below until contest closes on the 20th:)

********EDITED********

Okay, everyone, I am so excited!!! I am participating the We The People Swap Episode #4, hosted by the wonderful Tracey, and in this round we are making weekender bags! YAY! Not only do I get to make this awesome bag for someone, but I get one in return!

So today I have finally decided on my fabrics...and I am going to give all of you a chance to guess which ones they are. Those of you who guess correctly will be entered in a drawing to win a frankenpug wallet (inspired by 'this darn kat' tutorial)!!! So exciting right?!?

Here are the choices...

Fabrics for the main body of the bag:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Fabrics for accent and lining:

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.



Ok, so here's the rules...EDITED

Select a main fabric and and accent fabric (you can identify them by number) and type your selection, along with your wallet color preference, in the comments section of this post. Those of you who guess the right combination will be placed in a hat,or into the RNG, and one lucky person will be the recipient of a frankenpug wallet. Only one entry per person. Contest will remain open until 2/20. Good guessin'!

New Rules:

Posting a guess will give you 1 entry
Spreading the word will give you 1 more entries
Guessing one of the fabrics correctly will give you 3 extra entries
Guessing both fabrics correctly will give 5 extra entries.

Add em up and that could equal 10 entries!


oh yeah...I will announce the winner on 2/28 (the swap deadline)

Weekender Bag Progress Report

Ok, so I have all my pieces cut out for my Weekender Bag project. (Well. almost all of the cutting is complete. I ordered a bolt of heavy sew-in interfacing from Joann's with my 50% off coupon-good deal!- anyway the shipping takes FOREVER from that place! It finally made it here so I really have a couple more cut outs to do of the interfacing). Let me tell you that is a LOT of cutting! I would show pics of all my lovely cut outs, but that would give away my fabric choices...and that wouldn't make sense since I am having a "guess what fabric I picked giveaway".

I am going to start on the sewing tonight. Lyddiebug is staying at the GP's and Andy and Graham have baseball practice...so that means I get the house all to myself for 3.5 whole hours! Cha-ching! Talk about 3.5 consecutive hours of uninterrupted sewing while singing along the to XM satellite radio (the Lithium station-yeah, I am totally stuck in the 90's...lol)! I am a little nervous because I have had some bad luck with covering the cording in the past so to be safe I plan to have a seam ripper on hand...and I think I am going to whip out the antique machine with the old standard zipper foot to see if that helps out at all. My zipper foot for my Brother machine is not very user friendly for me for some reason. Does anyone have any Brother zipper foot tips that might be useful? I hate it because it is so wide at the back which doesn't' really facilitate close sewing to the zipper. Unless maybe I am trying to sew too close? I think I need some guidance!:)

Ok, I am done rambling/venting about my zipper foot...any comments with helpful tips will be much appreciated:) I will take photos as I complete the bag so I can share the construction process later.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Peek in the variety of sneak...

Ok...I finally re-batteried my camera! Everyone do the happy dance with me:)

I wanted to share a sneak peek of the mini quilt in a bag I am making for Jill. It is nowhere near as awesome as the one she made me (and I have only seen the sneak peek of mine-I am totally excited to see the whole thing in person!) , but for a first timer I don't think it turned out too bad. Here is a little sneak for now. You will be able to see the whole thing once I get it completely done and it has been received by Jill.

Winter Sassy Apron

The fair Katy of Queensland (check out her blog...she is one crafty gal)has received her Sassy Apron so I can share photos with all of you. YAY! I know you are all on the edge of your seats in anticipation...haha.

So here it is...





I did the Emmeline by Sew Liberated. I thought that would be the best way to make a holiday apron and a winter apron since it is a reversible pattern. It can be worn on the Christmas side for the rest of the month then flipped around for the rest of the winter. I added a little yo-yo pocket to the "winter side" which didn't turn out as nicely as I had envisioned, but I don't think it looks too bad.

I also included some cookie cutters, pencil box and magnets, and some list making paper:)



Happy Christmas, Katy! I am glad you enjoyed your sassy package!

Mini Quilt Swap Goodies Recieved!

I recieved my goodies from Spinster Handmade for the Mini-Quilt swap. Such a lovely collection! I hope I can do them justice. This will be my first quilt ever! I have tons of ideas rolling around...hopefully I can channel them into sewing up something fun:)

I am hoping to get started this weekend...I will post my progress as things start moving along.

My camera is suffering from dead batteries so to peek at the fabrics click here. I hate it when I can't put pics in my posts...but apparently I hate buying batteries more...lol!

Laters:)

Swaps and Such

I recently participated in the We The People Swap (III) over at itching 2b stitching which was great fun! I recommend joining up if she hosts another round of them next year!

My partner was Hope and here is what I sent her.



Just kidding...she has received it so I can show you the goods:)



The swap requirements were 1 pattern and 1 charm pack from your partner's wish list. I sent her the Urban Chiks 1974 charm pack from Moda (which I have now decided I must have!) and the Cupcake Pincushion pattern by Sandi Henderson (also something I now must have...lol). We could throw in any little extras we wanted-it wasn't required, but I threw in a couple things. I added a couple 1930's repro fat quarters, a fabric covered button (covered by me-which is a fun little hobby), and a couple lengths of ribbon that match the charm squares.

I had a good time getting all of this stuff together and I mailed it way early!! Cha-ching...I am usually a late mailer. Score 1 for Heather, procrastination ZERO! I am trying to turn over a new leaf;)

BTW, I also finally got my Mini Quilt Swap goods into the mail...they are on their way to Spinster Handmade...can wait to see she does with them!

Decisions, Decisions (and fabric sales)

After much consideration I have finally selected my fabrics for the mini quilt swap over at Scrap Happy Quilts. Here is a picture..

I chose the Katie Jump Rope fabrics by Denyse Schmidt. I LOVE this fabric! Imagine my heartbreak when I found out this fabric has been discontinued!! WHAT?!? Why do they always discontinue the good stuff!? So I hopped onto Etsy and grabbed up as much as I could...go here for a great sale!

Later:)

P.S. Rural Fabric is closing their Etsy shop..stop by there for great deals on some awesome designer fabrics!!

The Fabric Has Been Selected

I have finally selected my fabric for my Sassy Swap Winter apron.



To me this fabric screams winter. I think it is the crisp ivory/white background against the blue. Do you get the same vibe? I am going to pair it with some silver crushed velvet to give it a little extra pizazz...much like the Recycle Swap apron I made...I really loved the look the aqua colored velvet added to the finished product.

I am excited and hoping to get started this weekend! I want to be one of the early mailers for a change;)

Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween, and survived the night without too much of a tummy ache...lol

Qulting...Sure I'll give it a try!

I just signed up for a mini-quilt swap I found on Swapdex. Here are the details...

Signups begin today and will end next Saturday,November 1st. To sign up ,just leave a comment here on the blog. On Sunday,Nov. 2nd,I will send you the email address of your partner. This is NOT a secret swap,so the two of you will exchange mailing info. Then the fun begins:

1. Assemble in a bag/baggie ingredients to make a mini quilt. (Let's say anything under 20" finished quilt size is acceptable)This can be fat quarters,charm squares,strips,and/or embellishments of any kind. Think outside the box....beads,silk flowers,felt,floss,etc. Don't send batting-your partner can provide that! Send them to your partner by November 30th.
2. Once you receive your baggie of loot,create a mini quilt for your partner. You must use at least a bit of every item in the bag....you may also add items from your stash.
3. Mail the finished top (quilted and bound )to your partner by the end of January. This should give us plenty of extra time around the holidays.
4. Include a label on the back with pertinent info. Please email me when you have sent and rec'd your quilt. Post pictures!

UPDATE: let's say maker provides backing fabric and batting-ok?


I am a little nervous, but I am looking forward to swapping something besides aprons. If anyone is interested in joining sign-ups don't end until tomorrow (11/1) and I have included the button in this post so all you have to do is click and you are on your way:)

Swapity, Swap, Swap

Punkrockertracey is hosting the 3rd installment of the We The People Swap. Sign ups end on the 31st. We will be swapping charm packs and patterns...it is a no-sew swap.

So get your wishlist ready and click the button to be redirected to the post



I hope you all will join us!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Here are the photos (finally!!) of the apron I received from Jennsue for the Recycle Swap. Isn't it just adorable?!? I love the material and the cute ribbon she added! The ties are cute polka dot material, but you can't see them in the photo.


She included some great stuff in the package too. A requirement of the swap was to include a reusable shopping/market bag. If you look in the photo below you can see that Jennsue fashioned one for me out of an old tank top. How innovative is that!?! She also included a pumpkin mold to make chocolate suckers. I think the kids are really going to enjoy that project! I have never done it before so I am looking forward to trying it out as well:)



A BIG thank you to all the ladies who participated in my first swap! I want to see photos of what everyone has done! I set up a flickr group so you can all add photos. I emailed the link to all of the participants.

Swap Alert!!!

A fellow blogger, yarnigras, is hosting a new fun swap. I can't join since I am a little busy right now and we are coming up on Halloween costume season (and I have a problem with being a prompt mailer...shhh!), but if anyone else is interested I know you will have super fun! Check it out by clicking here.

Spooky Booky

Here is the apron I completed for my partner in the SpoOky~BoO~ScaRy swap over at Booming Aprons.

The requirements were for 1 apron, 1 potholder, and 1 treat bag. Apparently the apron was supposed to be a full, but I deviated a little (no, not me!) and made a half. I used the pattern for the "Spotless" apron in A is for Apron-my new favorite book that is full of nifty apron ideas.

I used the Chic-or-Treat fabric by Moda...I LOVE it! I seriously had a hard time parting with this one! I mailed it late, not because I didn't have it done (which is usually the case), but because I seriously wanted to keep it (and I wanted to get the batteries in the camera so I could snap the photos).

Here is how it all turned out:

A close up of the hauted house fabric I used for the pockets...

A close up of the cute Halloween buttons I found at JoAnn's...

The treat bag and potholder...

I used the "In the Bag" pattern from Pretty Little Patchwork (another useful book to have around) to make the bag. The potholder I just made up myself.

I have one more swap to go(Recycle Swap) and then I am taking some time off so I can get some merchandise sewn up to put in my Etsy shop.