Swappy Stuff - Pouches and Baskets and Blocks, Oh My!

After my swapping hiatus earlier in the  year, I have finally decided that a bit of judicious swapping would be fun. One of the first swaps I signed up for this year was the 4S Swap.  Originally titled the Sweet and Simple Scrappy Swap, 4S just seems easier, you know?  This round was baskets following the Birch Fabrics tutorial.  Anyway, I was gifted with this lovely package from Amber_Crawley.  So, so fun!  The paper pieced balloon is just awesome.  And being that I have just reorganized my sewing space, fabric baskets are especially welcome.

And while the front of the basket is just spectacular, the back is just as cute.  Love that eyeglasses fabric.  And all the dots.  I'm always in love with dots.

My little basket turned out well, I think.  While cleaning my room, I found a half yard of Hello Petal Jump Rope that I had no idea I had.  It made a great focal square in the middle of my QAYG panel, and a fun lining too.  The rest of the QAYG is just out of the scrap bin.  I love creating projects from scraps - it makes me feel so thrifty.

I used a different fussy cut square on the back.  

Last month, our ECMQG swap was Friendship Baskets using the psiquilt tutorial.  I received this fun little bag from Elaine.

Apparently I neglected to take a picture of the one I made, but it was similar to this one I made last summer from some AMH Loulouthi selvages my daughter sent me.  I love using selvages - especially pretty ones.

I've been playing along in the Sewing With Friends swap for a couple of years now, and this time I am swapping with my good friend Leona.  We met for dinner the other night, so I had a chance to take her her pouch for this round.  I used a fussy cut from the Heather Ross Crafty Chloe line she did for Hancock Fabrics a couple of years ago, and quilted it with the Bernina zigzag stitch #4.

On the back, I just used a scrap of Denyse Schmidt fabric from JoAnn's.  In fact, this whole project - with the exception of the fussy cut square on the front, was directly out of the scrap bin.

I used a piece of pink I found in my recent housecleaning for the lining.

One of the fun swaps I'm in this year is the Handmade Birthday Swap.  I've been making these little pouches for the birthday girls, filling them with a few fun sewing goodies.  This is my latest one, made from Hothouse Flowers, by Mo Bedell.  I just love these colors.  They make my heart sing!  This is from a FQ bundle I bought from Westwood Acres when I visited a couple of months ago.

The ECMQG does a block lottery each month.  Everyone who contributes a block also contributes a dollar, and one (or sometimes two or three) lucky winners take home enough blocks to make a quilt.  This month we are doing a 12-1/2 inch carpenters square (swoon) block.  These blocks are 1/4 the size of Camille Roskelly's Swoon pattern, but they still have a big impact.

We're also doing a wonky star charity quilt made from Moda's Sphere fabric by Zen Chic.  This is the block I made. Can't wait to see the quilt when it's finished.

Last of all, I'm working on a quilt for my friend Leona.  Once I got the blocks for the Block of the Month nearly done, she decided she really didn't want the quilt after all, as it held difficult memories for her.  I've been feeling guilty for almost a year, so when she said she wanted this Lazy Sunday (pattern by Lee Chappel) quilt out of AMH fabric (Dowry and True Colors), I jumped at the chance to make it for her.  I've got the blocks done (all 112 of them!), and now just have to put the top together.  I think this quilt is going to be fabulous - all those rich colors will just take your breath away, I think.

So, that's what's been going on in the sewing room this week.  What fun things have you been working on?

An Apple A Day...

Two weeks ago yesterday dawned  dark and stormy.  A perfect day to stay inside and sew.  After I finished my Outfoxed quilt, I decided I still had some quilty time left before I had to go pack for our trip, so I dug Little Apples out of the WIP pile.

The blocks are sort of a log cabin/bento-ish style of my own design.  I had a charm pack, a jelly roll, and a package of fat quarters I won from Pink Chalk fabrics.  This fabric is so cute, I wanted to do as little cutting as possible. 

I used buttercup Kona for the sashing and a simple white border. I seem to be getting a little better at getting the sashing to line up, which makes me happy.

 The binding is random-sized pieces of left-over jelly roll strips.

I quilted it in a square pattern to accent each block.  I didn't mark them or anything, so they're free form and pretty random.  I kind of liked the contrast with the predictable nature of the blocks.

The backing was blue little apples yardage with some pieces of the fat quarters added to the side to make up the width.  On this quilt, I really like the asymetrical look of the squares down the side.

I'm pretty excited about another quilty finish.

If you're looking for Little Apples precuts, you can still find them at Westwood Acres.

What have you been working on lately?

Hexie Care Package

I have recently made a new online friend.  We are in a couple of bees together, and in one of the intro threads, I mentioned that I am from Seattle.  My new friend mentioned that she was also from the Northwest, and in fact was spending the summer there while her husband is deployed.  Oh boy, did that bring back memories.  I did that at least 2 summers, when my children were small.

In our correspondence, we agreed to meet if I make it to Seattle this summer, which I fully intend to do  (sister is more than ready to get Grandma's treadle machine out of her garage - how I will transport it to Florida, I'm not exactly sure, although my new friend offered to drive it part of the way - is that cool, or what?)

Sadly, my friend's sewing machine has been in the shop almost the whole time she has been there, and she is suffering a bit from its predicament.  I suggested hexies, and said I would make her a Hexie Care Package.  I used the leftovers of my Little Apples quilt.  I used Kelly's tutorial to make the little pouch.  Easy peasy.  LOVE how neat and tidy the zipper looks using Kelly's method.

 

And inside is everything you might need to make hexies and keep your hands busy, including a  Little Apples hexie needlebook.

Pins and needles and scissors, oh my!  (I watched a PBS special on Judy Garland  last night, so that was just bursting to come out!)

 Sure hope she likes it.

 

Yesterday...

I've had several quilt tops in progress for a few weeks - some longer than others, of course, and yesterday, I  managed to finish them.  I was pretty jazzed to get the tops pieced, to be honest.  The down side is that now I have to sandwich them.  I really love the piecing and I don't mind the quilting or binding, but the sandwiching is my least favorite part.

Is there a part of the quilt process you're not especially fond of??

I know that sandwiching is a necessary part of the process, but the older I get, the less I like it. Maybe it's the crawling around on the floor.  I did see a method to do it on a table top and pin it in sections, using binder clips to hold it taut.  I don't have a suitable table, but someday I just may invest in one.  Since we put in our hardwood floors in 2007, crawling around on my knees has been anything but comfortable.

This is another quilt top from Camille Roskelly's book Simplify made from American Jane's Fairy Tale Friends fabrics by Moda.  It uses a charm square pack and a honey bun, along with the sashing.  I used a bone sashing on this quilt, although it looks white in the photo.  It's a little smaller than my normal quilt, but would be fine for a child.

I love the fabric.  It's so bright and fresh, although my photography doesn't do it justice.  I bought the charm pack last fall from my daughter's little shop, Westwood Acres, but it wasn't until I found the honey bun that I knew it was the perfect fit for Camille's pattern, "Square One". 

I've had some of Aneela Hoey's Little Apples sitting around here for awhile.  I met Aneela at last year's Quilt Market in SLC and it was such a pleasure.  I love this fabric.  I had a charm pack, a jelly roll, and a fat quarter bundle that I actually won from Pink Chalk Fabrics and I have been debating what to do with it for months.

I wanted to showcase the fabric, so the pattern had to be something that wouldn't require me cutting this adorable fabric in to teeny little pieces.  In the end, I kind of did my own thing. I surrounded each charm square in a length of jelly roll, and then joined 4 of them into a reverse bento-ish square, with the jelly roll to the center.  I really liked the blocks when they were finished.  I used a narrow yellow (Kona Buttercup to be exact) sashing because the blocks had so much white, and I wanted them to stand out.  I tried a border of randomly sized jelly roll pieces for the outer border, but it was just too much.  I finally decided that the white was perfect.  It's so fresh and clean, it kinda thrills me.  (There I go with my brights on white thing again - it doesn't take much to get me excited!)

Those of you who have visited here a time or two know that gray is just not my favorite color, but I rather like it in this line, although it does kind of remind me of winter, rather than summer.  Even so, I was pretty pleased with how the top turned out.  I'm looking forward to quilting this one.

 My final finish yesterday was this little "Sweet Pea" quilt, again from Camille's book.  I had a charm pack of Lizzie House's Outfoxed from Westwood Acres and a Kona charm pack I got in my swag from Sewing Summit last fall.  I was playing with my stash when I noticed how well the colors went together.  One of the things I really like about Amanda and Weston's shop is that you can get charms and jelly rolls of fabrics that aren't manufactured that way.  Sometimes it's fun to just play with a little bit of something, and not make a big investment.  They painstakingly cut them and make them available for sale.  It's like having them do most of the work.  I love it!  I'm not sure you can get Outfoxed charms anywhere else. 

Some of the prints in this line are just so cute.  I love the foxes and the hedgehogs!  There are only something like 25 pieces in Outfoxed, so I needed a pattern that mixed them up pretty well.  The way the charms are sliced and switched in "Sweet Pea" was perfect.  Some of the blocks used two solids, and some of the blocks had solids mixed in with the Outfoxed charms .  I wanted the Outfoxed fabric for the border, and had a difficult time finding yardage of the Outfoxed print in the brown "Outsmarted" color.  I finally found it and placed my  earlier this week, and it arrived in yesterday's mail.  Perfect timing, don't you think?

I love the little bow on this one.  I bought some brown polka dot ribbon, but it was way too busy, so in the end, I settled for the orange.

The Sweet Pea pattern calls for scalloped borders, but you don't cut the scallops until you finish the quilting.  And I neglected to enlarge the pattern 133%, so I'm going to have to make a run to Kinko's - but not today.

Guess I'd better get busy.  I think I'll go put on a movie and lay these babies out on the floor and get started with the sandwiching.  Once that's done, I'm home free.

Happy quilting!

I'm a Winner!

You know, I have often said that I never win anything, and for most of my life , that has been true.  But this year, I have actually won a bit of blog candy.  First, I won some Aurifil thread from Leona's blog.  Leona was one of my first swap partners, so I started following her blog, and of course, you can't come across a giveaway without entering, right?

Then, I won this great pillow from my friends Yvonne and Renee, after entering the giveaway on their blog. 

Then, yesterday, Kathy from Pink Chalk Fabrics emailed me to tell me that I had won a Little Apples Pencil FQ Set.  Can you believe it?  That's pretty amazing to me - the girl who never wins anything.  To be honest, I don't even remember entering, but there seem to be a lot of things I don't remember lately.  But won't this be fun?  Can't wait.

And if you want to touch me so my luck will rub off, just let me know.  {grin}

Lucky, Lucky Me!

Several weeks ago, when life was somewhat less crazy, I was flitting around blogland when I ran across a fun giveaway at my bloggy friends Renee and Yvonne's blog. You might know them in Flickr-land as Nellie's Niceties and Nellies Niceties Too.  I just know that if I met these ladies in person, we'd be fast friends in real life.  Anyway, they were having a giveaway, and the giveaway items were fab-u-lous!!!  I immediately fell in love with the pillow Yvonne made from Aneela's Sherbert Pips.  (I have a bit of this fabric, but haven't had a chance to play with it yet.)

You know, I often say I never win anything, but this year I have, in fact, won a couple of things, including some Aurifil thread from my friend Leona's giveaway (that I haven't had a chance to try yet either) and the above FAB pillow cover - or cushion cover, as Renee put it.

This pillow is perfect!  Totally fun fabric.  Hexis.  Gorgeous hand stitching.  Cheerful colors.  And a perfect size to fit the only pillow insert  I own.  Oh - and the back is as fun as the front.  Now how perfect is that?

Check out Yvonne's wonderful hand stitching!!

And here's the back of this gorgeous pillow!

I truly love the hexis on the back.  I'm often too lazy to embellish the back in any way.  By the time I get the front put together, I just want to BE-FINISHED-ALREADY, so I just slap the back on it and call it done.  Not so this little lovely.  You can tell that a lot of care went into crafting this beauty.

So thank you Yvonne and Renee.  I am, as y'all say in England, "chuffed" to have won such a beautiful cushion cover!

And Yvonne, I wish you a speedy recovery!

Progress Report and Giveaway Winner

I've been making some progress this weekend on all of my swaps and projects, although I have yet to actually FINISH anything.  Maybe I'll get some things accomplished this afternoon, although I am feeling the need for a nap.

Meanwhile, we do have a winner of the Little Apples mini charm pack and it is....

ta-da-da-da!!

Comment #11, which is my friend Jessica from Australia who is a regular follower - and frequent commenter and encourager - of my blog.  Thanks, Jessica, for your friendship and your encouragement, even though we've never met.  Jessica, send me your address, and I'll get this little package in the mail very soon.

And thanks to everyone who left comments.  You all shared some great wedding planning ideas, and I am certain that many of them will be put to good use.  We had almost decided against favors, but some of your ideas have encouraged me to re-think that.  I can't wait to share them with BD#2.  I also got some great decorating ideas from your comments.

Thanks everyone.  I appreciate it.  I hope to have some finished projects - and pictures - later on.

And while I don't suppose there are many dads out there reading this, nevertheless...

Wedding Ideas - and a Giveaway!

So, can I just tell you how complicated it is to plan a wedding in Utah when the bride is in Idaho, the groom is in Canada, and the bride's mom is in Florida?

We did have some success in our whirlwind wedding planning adventure last weekend.  We were successful in the search for a dress, a photographer, and a venue for the reception.

I was somewhat surprised at the number of vendors who told us we were coming late to the party, given that BD#2 has only been engaged for 2 weeks.  Still, I think it can be done, and done well, even on a budget.

Now we need -

a caterer (complete with linens, china, silverware, etc.)
a wedding cake (and groom's cake)
flowers
bridesmaid's dresses
decorations for the reception venue and food tables

So, I'd love it if you would share your recommendations for any of the above.

Now, for the fun part...

Several weeks ago, before all the wedding madness began, I promised another giveaway from all my Quilt Market loot.  So here's your chance.  If you leave me a comment, you will have a chance to win a mini charm pack of Aneela Hoey's Little Apples, along with the instructions to make the cute embroidered pillow from Quilt Market (you can see the pillow on my daughter's blog, here).   Adorable, huh?

So, if you live in the Salt Lake area, and you can recommend a baker or florist or caterer, that would be so very helpful.  (It's really hard to choose if you aren't from the area and don't know ANYONE, by reputation, or otherwise.)  If you don't have recommendations for those, how about a great tip for an elegant and inexpensive idea for table decorations or for the space itself (indoors or out) - think large space and blank canvas.


So, please leave a comment with your recommendation, suggestion, or hint.  If you're a follower, or become a follower, you can leave another comment for a second chance to win.  This Giveaway will close Saturday night at midnight, and I'll draw the winner sometime Sunday afternoon.

Thanks for your help, everyone!  I'm looking forward to some great new ideas!

PS:  Be sure I have a way to contact you if you win...  If you're a "no-reply" blogger, I don't have a way to contact you.