Cross My Heart

In February I tackled the world of cross-stitch. Here are the results of my effort!

Little deery turned out the most like the pattern that I was working from

This one was inspired by an image that I found on Pinterest. I loved the simplicity of the outline but I had a lot of fun playing around with the colors! 

♥

Oh please please please don't judge me by the left side of this heart!!! I have no idea what happened! Somewhere in there I must have gotten off on a row and never found my way back! This was the first one that I did so that's a good enough excuse. I think. A purist/perfectionist would go back and unpick and fix it. But have those words ever been used to describe me?

And some embroidery for good measure. 

This pattern is from Sublime Stitching. (Sexy Librarians/Secretaries)

Traditional Blocks

I have branched out into the hard stuff! Here are my first 3 traditional pieced quilt blocks! I have finished one more but it isn't pictured. My flying geese points get better with each one! I love that each block has a slight flaw and that they are obvious representations of my learning curve. If you can spot them keep it to yourself and just give me some motivating praise ok? :)

I don't remember the name of this one

Christmas Star

Waterwheel

Ugly the Pillow Gets Dressed

We begin with a trip to Disneyland in the spring of 2008. Hannah Montana was super cool then. Miley Cyrus wasn't off being a crazy bird person in a cage. And my little sister and I had matching pink shirts that we wore on the same day once or twice.

But then I got sick of it and turned it into a pillow.

Flash forward um...2 years? Yes. That bright pink thing was around for a long time.

I made this simple knife edge pillowcase in my Home Decor class. I was going through a shabby chic phase then and I just fell in love with this toile. From Walmart. That was $2 a yard. So I have a lot still and don't know what to do with it now.

So I made another pillowcase out of that fabric and this one was too overwhelming to be on the same bed. So I gave it a sweater. One of my friends had done this with her pillowcase project and it looked really cute. I think this one is kind of dumb.

And since it was dumb I started over and made this super cute selvage pillowcase from a free Moda Bake Shop pattern! I just love love love how it turned out and so happy that I could feature my last little strip of Neptune somewhere that it will be enjoyed. I think selvage projects are just so cool because you can use the tiniest little scrap that has always been thrown away in the past.  I also love it when there are fun words or the fabric has a silly name.

And this is the back!

A close up so you can enjoy it more :)

Flat Iron Case

For some time I've thought about making a case for my straightener and that day has finally come! It's a bit of a necessity because I leave it out on the counter until it cools down before putting it in the cupboard and that usually means that I forget and it just lives there! To get some inspiration I searched around on Pinterest and found this really great tutorial from Rubies and Pearls. I liked it because of the fold over top to keep the ends contained.  I didn't end up doing mine that way because my layers of fabric were too thick. I used Amy Butler home decor scraps so it matches a big shopper bag that I made this summer.

All I did to modify the tutorial was fold over a flap and stitch on some velcro as a closure. I then tacked a strip of ribbon on the top of the flap to hide where the velco is. Thats it! I also used Insulbrite instead of regular batting because it's what I have and because it's made for hot pads. The combination of the heavy fabric and special batting make it super heat proof! One downside is that it doesn't fit the whole cord very well and the plug is a really tight fit. I don't plan on storing it with the cord inside because I don't want it to melt so that shouldn't really be a problem, just a heads up!

I'm going on a trip down to San Francisco this week and I'm celebrating the week off of work by having painted nails!!! Hooray! I call these my galaxy fingers. 

Emma also says hi!

A Project Complete!

While working at Porter's this past year I fell in love with many fabrics and typically seeing them every day was enough to get my fix.  There were some however that I just bought yards and yards of. The woodgrain fabric that inspired this quilt was one of them. I bought a little bit for a journal project during Red Velvet Summer Camp and it started a fever that burned in my crafty heart. The rest of the bolt came home with me shortly afterwards. I recovered a body pillow so it now looks like a log but there was so much of the fabric left that I knew I should make a quilt with it. Several visits to JoAnn's and Redwood Sewing Center later the final concept was born.

I give you, The Toadstools and Pinwheels Quilt

Yay! Hooray! Applause! 

This is the first project that I have made with the intention to sell and it is a different mindset of quilting. I think I do better work when I know that the final piece won't be with me forever, but I'm also not quite as motivated because I know I don't get to snuggle up with it at the end. 

You can find it for sale in my shop!

A look at the fabric on the back

Close-up view of the 'shrooms

I Really Ought to Do Something

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I think that pretty much every day when I wake up.  

Today after I beat myself out of that sentiment and got some clothes on my body here is what I did. 

I quilted. And quilted and quilted and quilted.  It was joyous! 

All I have to do is hand stitch around the edges and it will be finished!

I was working on a baby quilt made from a charm pack that I absolutely fell in love with.  

The line is Neptune by Tula Pink for Moda and it has an aqua minkee backing. Yummy so soft!  As soon as it is completely finished I'll post some pictures.  I free motion quilted it with an octopus, a crab, some anchors, and waves all over. You may say that I am slightly in love with all things nautical recently.  Except for that sailor language! Lets keep it PG folks! 

I think my love for all things sailor stemmed from my dad's obsession with Popeye.  I was raised as a fan of the spinach guzzling sea man and my subconscious has brought some of that back to me.  I adore stripes, knots, anchors, and all kinds of sea creatures EXCEPT SHARKS! And fish.  Sharks scare me senseless. Remember when that young girl Bethany Hamilton was out surfing and she had her arm bitten off by a tiger shark?  Well I found out about that as I was surfing in Hawaii.  The surf instructors were all talking about it and I just thought "Crap. I'm susceptible to that same fate right now. Get me out of here!"  I don't know what it is about sharks that I will never overcome, oh wait, yes I do. Its those rows and rows of jagged teeth and those beady black eyes. No thank you. Keep 'em away.

This one would be acceptable.  But only because it's teeth are rounded and I think it's stuck.  I could get enough of a head start if it came after me.

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If you want to see more nautical and ocean themed images and apparel that inspire me, check out my Sail Away pinboard on Pinterest. Here's a peek at what is on there!

yay!

Mustard for the Ketchup

day 18. a photo of one of your classes

This picture was taken of my feet by one of my teachers. It was English 314...um, Advanced Literary Composition or something like that. Basically we just tore literature apart and wrote cliche things about it.  Brother Samuelson was a fascinating teacher though and he just loved the color combination of my shoes and socks with Chandler's book bag so he took a picture! I think I was supposed to e-mail it to him but I never got around to it. And it's been two years. Um...at least I remembered now??

day 19. a photo of you on a school trip

You may not believe me, but I went to Belize and Guatemala on a school trip. President's week 2006. Oh baby. Best field trip ever! I scanned my entire computer and when it was reset I think I lost all of my pictures but I have them on a disc somewhere and I stole these off of Mandy's FB page. (It was mine originally anyway) I'm in the middle with dumb sunglasses and a light blue t-shirt.  This is in front of Temple II in Tikal, Guatemala. Temple I faces it and it is the iconic one that is most familiar but because of its stardom it is blocked off and only for admiring.  We went to the top of the one that we are standing in front of. Amazing. 

day 20. a photo of something you enjoy doing

SEWING

It consumes my life. And I love being consumed. 

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I Am A Procraftinator

I should be working right now. Or sleeping. Or working on my final design project. 

But no. I made this refashioned scarf! 

Well, not this one literally. I haven't taken pictures of it yet but I got the idea from Disney's blog Ruffles and Stuff. It was super super easy and I can't wait to wear it tomorrow! I'll hunt someone down that's good with a camera and get it up as soon as I can. I dare you to make one yourself!

For another moment of procraftination I'm planning on making these Regency Silhouette ornaments from The Magic Bean. They are so adorable and I'm a huge fan of silhouettes.

I haven't decided completely where they will be going after I make the ornaments. Some will be for my family and a few for friends, but I'm also participating in this great craft swap

Ornaments for everyone!!! If you would like to participate the deadline is tomorrow, November 19th.

Well Erika has fallen asleep on my couch watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, but she's probably just avoiding the fact that I've been reciting the whole thing! Brent is watching it for the first time and I bet he wants to shove a pillow in my face. "WHAT's HAPPENING TO ME? I'm all toasty inside. And I'm LEAKING!!!"

I'm super proud of the effort that I put in at work today. I'm the designated seamstress for apparel in our fabric department so I reorganized our little girl patterns and made a nice display. I also wrote a little tutorial for making fabric roses but I'll share that in a separate post. I'm really getting into the handmade Christmas spirit so with all of the new projects for work, as well as my top secret project (that will be finished on Saturday) and gifts it's a wonder that I find time to breath! But I'm managing somehow. Five weeks until California!!!

The photo challenge today is a photo from one of your classes and I'm not in any right now (technically I am, but it's independent study) and I'm not using my computer right now. If I find one later I'll add it but I think I'm just going to skip this one. Boring.

Free Patterns Make My Day

Hel-loooooooo Moda Bake Shop!!! In our fabric department we have a bunch of old jelly rolls that have outlived their bolted counterparts so we are going to take them apart, dump them in a bin, and sell them for a dollar a strip! I wanted to find some ideas of what to do with them besides twisty flowers and Ruffle Joy Skirts so I headed over to the Moda Bake Shop website. Therese has found a few free patterns for quilts there but I'm a minimalist quilter and was hoping for more projects than that. Boy did I score! 

Head over to the website and click on recipes for more projects. 

Here are some that I took a fancy to:

Grocery Bag Dispenser

Fabric Fortune Cookies

Mock Henley T-shirt and Coin Purse

I just love them! I guess none of these projects finds a use for the jelly roll strips, but they would be excellent for using up some scraps in my stash!

Reasons I Love My Job

1. I get paid to help people match colors for quilts
2. I don't have to work at a register
3. I actually use what I learned in school on a daily basis. And I've done more math in the past month than in the past three years.
4. I get to hear the same Top 40 hits and Gloria Estefan on replay (oh wait, this is on the wrong list)
5. Friendship has no age limit and I have the best coworkers!
6. I meet the most interesting women who I enjoy talking to so much. What begins as quilt talk turns easily to family matters and aspects of life. I have never been more proud of my college education as when an older lady says that she regrets not finishing her degree.
7. I have met some of the most patient husbands ever. And laughed along as we agree that most men would rather sit in the car than be surrounded by endless craft projects.
8. I get some sense of satisfaction out of organization. Not just at work, but everywhere. But at work other people get to admire it. And I like to be praised for that effort.
9. I know exactly what the students coming in for supplies need and I can answer all of their questions.
10. I work for a local business and I'm helping the local economy!!!

I'll need this pep up list for days that I get frustrated. So come and visit me! Porter's on College Ave....

Gideon Publishing

The online magazine I helped create is now up and running!

Check out our site and feel free to leave feedback here!

DIY Do It Yourself Projects and Advice

Busy As A Bee

It's final week and that means lots and lots of things are going on, but there is no time to share any of it. So a list of what I hope I can blog about in the future:

1. 20's hair and makeup

2. Finishing my Jasmine quilt

3. Also finishing my T-Shirt quilt (that has been in the closet for years)

4. Almost done with making a dress pattern for spring

5. Creating Audrey Hepburn wall art for my NEW APARTMENT NEXT WEEK!!!

6. And probably something about the things that I made in ceramics

So yes, hopefully it will soon be time for show and tell.

But first...finals and graduation!!!!!!

Piece It All Together

For our final project in advanced sewing this semester we were assigned a pieced project. Not wanting to spend a total fortune on a project I started with a bedsheet from my childhood as the backing for a quilt, since I knew for sure that I wanted a bed sized quilt. So here are some quick pictures of my progress so far:
Now the next step is the appliques for the center piece. I have the whole thing pieced together besides that. Then its time to get some batting, tie the sucker together, and add some binding...ta da! I'll be done! So excited!!!

When your favorite pair of jeans dies,

take this: plus this:

and this

and it equals this!:

ta-da!

time to wear it out dancing!