Sliced Coins Quiltalong

I finished my version of Don't Call Me Betsy's Sliced Coins Quiltalong a while back, but never posted about it.  I cut out all the pieces at home but then didn't bring the instructions with me to the sewing lab, so I just made it up!  My machine at home had been acting up and I really wanted to get it done before it's intended recipient was born.  So, mine only has three stacks and most in the Flickr Group seem to have 4, but it works!  This photo was before I put the binding on, I bound it in the zig zaggy print and it looked really cool!  I did manage to get it done before my friend had her baby, but I just gave it to her this weekend.... The baby is 4 months old!  Oops!

And the Winner Is.....

Thank you all SO much for your comments and for playing along!  I gained a few new followers, so THANK YOU for that!!!

Our old friend random.org selected #188, Lauria, who said, "Wow, that dark blue fabric is stunning! I may have to go and get it myself if I don't win here! Thanks for offering the giveaway! Email is in my profile. :)"

Lauria hasn't posted to her blog in quite a while but those mitts she made in 2009 are stunning! I'll email you now to get your address!  Congratulations!

Giveaway Day is Here!

Comments are closed, the winner will be announced soon!!!

If you've found your way here via Sew Mama Sew, welcome!!!  If you're a regular, welcome back!!!

I love Giveaway Day- It's part of the reason I started blogging and is always good incentive to get me going again when I take a bit of a blogging break.  This time around I have a some fabric and pearl cotton for the lucky winner.

A half yard of two different prints from Denyse Schmidt's new line that is being sold at Joann stores, and some coordinating pearl cotton.  I know some people had a hard time finding these fabrics, so I hope this is a fun little treat for the winner!  These were the last two prints available at my Joann, but they are two of my favorites from the collections.

Just leave a comment on this post to enter.  I'd love it if you'd follow this blog, but I'm  not offering extra entries- I know you've got LOTS of blogs to visit, so I'll keep it simple.  Just one entry per person, any comment you'd like!  I'll leave this open until May 25 and then the good old Random Number Generator will choose the winner.  Make sure I have a way to reach you- if your account is blocked, please include an email address in your comment.  I'll get the prize in the mail right away when I get your address.  Thanks for stopping by!

EDITED 5/25:  Because there were SO many giveaways this round, I'll leave this open overnight to make sure everyone has time to get their name in!  I just finished all the lists myself!  I'll draw a name in the morning.  Good luck!

Giveaway Day is Coming!

I've had so much going on lately and haven't posted in ages, but I just couldn't let Giveaway Day pass me by!  Come back on Monday, May 23rd and get a chance to win some goodies!  See you soon!

Doll Quilt Swap! My turn!

I received my quilt from the Doll Quilt Swap and I could NOT be happier with it!  My partner, Robin of  rsislandcrafts,  picked up on my many comments about my newfound love for half square triangles (or if she didn't see them, she has magical intuition powers!) and my constant blathering about my love for Kate Spain's Central Park collection, and came up with this!!!

I mean come ON!  Could it be anymore perfect?  It's in  my living room, just above my computer desk so I can gaze at it all the time.  The colors go perfectly in my living room- I'm even thinking of painting those walls grey, and it will STILL go perfectly!

Thank you again, Robin, you've really made my first DQS experience wonderful!

ModKid Kyoko Dress

Oops!  It appears I took another too-long blog break!  I have been sewing, but my ancient computer was dying a slow and painful death and uploading pictures was difficult.  My husband has given me his old laptop so I am back in business and now I can bring the computer down to the sewing area and use all those tutorials I've been bookmarking but that were too long to print out!

My most recent finish is this ModKid Kyoko dress.  The solid is a fabric I picked up at a charity sale, I don't think it's all cotton but I'm not sure exactly what it is- But it matches the Ta Dots perfectly, and it's a nice weight.  I went out on a limb with the orange Riley Blake accents, not sure how my daughter would feel about the combo, but she loves it!  I finished it last night but she was too cold this morning to wear it to school today, so no action pictures yet.  Hopefully someday soon Spring will arrive and STAY!  We had 80+ degrees on Sunday, and are expecting snow this weekend. I'm told this is my fault because I publicly stated that I was putting away the winter gear and refused to take it out again.  Sorry, Midwest!  My bad!

I've also finished up a few swaps during my blog absence, I'll post about those soon!

Remember the Fat Quarterly Quiltalong?

I started the Fat Quarterly Quiltalong way back in September- I had my blocks done and the design laid out... But then Halloween came, and then Christmas, and finally in February I picked this back up!  I got it put together and basted last week and finished binding it last night.  Washed it and dried it this morning and it's finally done!

 

As they always are for me, pictures were a challenge- It didn't help that the wind was blowing.  Going, going... gone! You can see the vintage sheet I used for the backing in this "action" shot!

February Bag for Style Stitches Challenge!

I finished this bag WAY back at the beginning of February but never blogged it!  It's Amy Butler's Reversible Everyday Shopper from the Style Stitches book.  The fabric is from Ikea and the bag has already traveled to Hawaii... sadly, not with me.  This was a gift for my friend Joyce who was lucky enough to escape winter for a few days. 

The inside is the same fabrics in reverse.  I like the nice big pockets, I was thinking she could use it for her larger knitting projects and keep a magazine or pattern book in the pocket!

I made one of these as a Christmas gift as well, for my father in law's wife.  She's a 2nd grade teacher- I come from a family of teachers and one thing I know for sure is that teachers make good use of lots of big bags!  I love this pattern, the cutting takes a while but it goes together in a snap.  One of these days I'll  have to make one for myself!

Next up in the Style Stitches Monthly Bag Challenge is the Origami Bag- a collection of zippered pouches in a range of sizes.  Fun!

Sew Fresh Fabrics Scrap Quilting Bee

I finished and mailed off my blocks for the Sew Fresh Fabrics Scrap Quilting Bee!  As I mentioned before, the scraps were provided by Sew Fresh Fabrics and we were each to make one block from them- We got to keep the spares!  I got two blocks out of my scraps, and I'm pretty happy with them!  The completed quilts will be donated to Project Linus.  Yay!

My first wonky star:

And not-my-first log cabin:

SewSara's Scrap Swap!

How cool is this?  Sara is hosting a scrap swap, where you send in one (or more!) envelope(s) of scraps and in return you get as many envelopes as you send out!  I know my scrap stash could use a shake-up, and this sounds like fun!  If you want in, click on the button to sign up by March 4! 

Completed Doll Quilt Swap Quilt

This was a really fun challenge for me.  My partner for Doll Quilt Swap 10 likes modern fabric used in traditional designs.  I'd never done a true traditional quilt pattern before, so I was excited to try it.  I got a Quilt Block-A-Day calendar for Christmas, so I poked through there and found a star pattern I liked.  The pattern called for smaller squares to make a small block, but I used charm squares to make it wall-hanging size.  It finished up at about 24" square after I put the border on.

I'm really happy with how it turned out and I have quite a crush on half-square triangles now!  They're so versatile!

I also used a walking foot for the first time to quilt it.  I am in LOVE with that thing and cannot wait until I get a proper machine so I can invest in one of my very own.  For now I have to wait anxiously for time in the sewing classroom to use the machines there!  This won't go in the mail until March 15th, and I still want to put together a few extras to go with it.  Hope you like it, partner!

My New (Old) Etsy Shop!

Yes, it's true, I've thrown my hat into the Etsy ring.  I opened a shop a couple of years ago to sell my hand-embroidered things, mostly baby clothes.  I love embroidery but I had a newborn and the custom work stressed me out- I much prefer to just make stock and put it out there.  

So, a while ago I made these tooth fairy pockets for my nephews.  They're just like the ones my Great Aunt Eunice made for me and my siblings, and I always thought they were just perfect.  They are like small blankets with a pocket, so they're very easy for the tooth fairy to slip out from under a sleeping child's head to replace the tooth with a surprise.  I posted a picture of my nephews' pockets on Facebook and bunches of friends said they wanted some too.  My oldest daughter has lost two teeth now and many of my friends have kids the same age, so I decided to go ahead and make up a few and put them in there and see what happens!  I've sold one so far, and I like not worrying about customs- I just make them up with fabric that I like and hope that someone will come along who likes them too! 

I'd love it if you'd take a look, and if you know someone approaching tooth-losing age, share the link with their tooth fairy!

Cough... Wheeze... I'm still here!

Wow, February really was not fun at all!  I think I've lived in this frozen tundra long enough to determine that if I could just sleep through February my whole year would be much better.  It's dark, it's cold, the snow is brown and gross, and I'm just completely over winter.  My whole family has had a cold we just can't shake, and for me it turned into strep throat, a sinus infection, and my first antibiotics prescription in nearly 20 years! 

But enough about that, March is coming SOON and even though I know we're in for at least a few more snowfalls, there will also be those few warm days that are just enough to give me hope that it won't be winter forever.  It won't, right?  Please?

I did do some sewing while I've been away from my poor neglected blog.  I completed three mug rugs for the mug rug swap.  The first one just didn't turn out quite up to my standards, although I love the idea and will someday do it again.  I think that one was just a victim of me not having the right tools- namely a walking foot.  The back has some puckers I just couldn't let slide.  And I wasn't exactly going for wonky lines, but my persnickety machine was in a wonky mood.  I do love the patchwork, it's like an I-Spy of my favorite fabrics.

So that one lives here now, and this is what actually went in the mail to my partner.  Two mug rugs and some 5" squares of fabric.  I made the rainbow-y one first and then remembered that my partner isn't wild about green!  The green was pretty prominent, so I made another just to be safe.  The white background one is inspired by the "Little Bits" quilt in Joelle Hoverson's Last Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts. I hope she likes them!

I also already received my mug rug and goodies from Kandra.   She sent a bright and cheery mug (which I've kept filled with sore throat tea), a hair clip for my kiddo and of course a beautiful mug rug! I don't think I said this in my "likes" for the swap, but I have an English degree and am a voracious reader, so the fabric with words on it is so perfect for me!  Sorry for the dark pic, it's the darn cloudy Wisconsin weather.  But having a rainbow right here by my keyboard is very nice!  Thank you Kandra!

Liebster Award

Awwww! Felicity Quilts gave my blog the Liebster Award!  Isn't she sweet?  The award is intended to recognize smaller blogs (fewer than 300 followers), and is a way to get the word out about blogs you may not have heard of, but are worth checking out. As part of the award I get to nominate a few other "little" blogs I think you should know about!

The first one isn't a sewing blog, I hope it still counts!  My friend Missy just started a blog called Feed the Family, and it's all about, well, feeding the family!  She has great ideas about reusing leftovers, loving your slow cooker, making meal plans and more.  This is a BRAND new blog and only has a handful of posts so far, but I've known Missy for years and I know there is great stuff to come.

My friend Sarah at Sarah Jane Sews isn't a frequent blogger but the things she makes are gorgeous!  She not only sews but knits and cooks and does all sorts of other lovely crafty things, and she's a fellow Wisconsinite.

I have known Joyce of Smudgeville since we were freshmen in college, working together at the food court.  Little did I know she was already crafty then- She knits, crochets and sews... A triple threat.  Everything she makes is gorgeous and my girls and I have been the lucky recipients of many of her creations.

Thank you Felicity!!!

Quiltalongs, Swaps, and Gifts! Oh my!

I am definitely starting the new year off with a sewing bang!   It's time for another "Put it all in one place before you forget something" list!

Doll Quilt Swap- Waiting on partner info, should have it this weekend!
Mug Rug Swap- I have a potential mug rug pieced and partly basted, if the quilting goes well I might be good to go!
Make Mine Modern- Sign-ups just closed and I'll find out later today if I got a spot!
Pixies- This is a swap among my mommy friends, some crafty, some not.  This time we're sending little gifties over a 4 month period rather than one larger package. Fun!

Plus, I'm doing the Style Stitches Monthly Bag Challenge, hosted by JemJam, I'm really intrigued by IronCraft and would love to play along with that.  I just joined the group for Don't Call Me Betsy's Sliced Coins Quilt Along.  I'm planning to make three (three!) baby boy quilts in that style for three friends who are welcoming new sons in the next few months!  I really wanted to do the Modern Quilt Guild's Project Modern Monochromatic Challenge, I even pulled fabric for it, but it's getting pushed pretty low down the priority list!

I have two more Christmas gifts to make, probably a bag and a table runner.  And a friend of mine is designing a logo for me for the Madison Modern Quilt Guild, so I am going to make something for him in exchange- Not sure what yet but I've got to keep that on the radar.  I am making two little video game totes for my friend Joyce's kiddos. In exchange she made me some AWESOME knitted stuff- There are a couple of sneak previews here.  I LOVE chunky yarn and look at those amazing colors!

I've got a couple of other one on one crafty swaps percolating, and I have an inkling of an idea for an Etsy shop that I need to get moving on...  I think I should change the name of my blog to "Absolutely NO Sleepytime!"  Whew!

I got in!!! Doll Quilt Swap 10 & Mug Rug Swap

Yay!!!  The Doll Quilt swap has gotten so popular that participants are now selected by lottery.  I applied for the first time for this round, and I got a spot!!!  I don't have my partner info yet, but I am already browsing and plotting and planning!

AND, I also got a spot in the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap for the first time.  I've already got my partner info for that one so I've been sketching and planning and pulling fabrics- I'm so excited!!!

Madison Modern Quilt Guild!

I've decided it's high time Madison, Wisconsin had it's very own branch of the Modern Quilt Guild.  So I'm going to start one!  Want to help?  Know anyone in Madison who should hear about this?

Come on over!

Terri, I'm hoping to hear from you!

My First Bee!

Sew Fresh Fabrics is hosting a Scrap Bee and I signed up!  I've never done a bee before, so I'm really excited- Nervous, but excited!  They are sending an assortment of scraps to each participant, we'll all make any block we'd like and send them back- And we get to keep any leftover scraps!  The finished quilts will be donated to Project Linus.  They got such a great response that they're going to do one boy quilt and one girl quilt- I'm in the girl group.  This round is full but follow their blog to watch for the next round.

Style Stitches Monthly Bag Challenge- January

I posted a few days ago about JemJam's Style Stitches Monthly Bag Challenge.  The January bag is the very first bag in the book- The Cosmo Bag.  I've chosen my fabrics and have everything cut out and the interfacing fused, so I'm about ready to sew!  I actually had this one on my "to do soon" list so I already had fabrics in mind from the stash.  Choosing fabrics usually takes me forever, so I was glad to have that step already taken care of!

The orange (Fresh Start in Tangerine from Amy's August Fields line) will be the main body, the grey will be the handles and bands, and the lining will be white.  There are options for short or long handles, but I was trying to conserve fabric so when I cut those pieces I ended up with medium handles- Right in the middle between the short and long measurements. 

On with the sewing!!!

My Pillow Talk Swap 4 Pillow!

I received my pillow for the Pillow Talk Swap and I LOVE it!  This was my first time participating, and I had so much fun!  This is a nice big pillow with the cutest little hand embroidered birdies in the middle.

 

My partner also sent an embellished dish towel, a pin cushion, and some pearl cotton. Aren't they sweet?

The pillow I made has reached its destination, but the recipient hasn't posted pictures yet... *biting my nails, hoping she liked it!*  I didn't get any finished product pictures, but it was based around this block.

I hope everyone had a wonderful time celebrating the New Year, even if that meant snoozing through it!  We let the girls stay up, assuming they'd crash long before midnight and they so did not- They were raring to go well past the ball drop!  They have not made up for the lost sleep, so the alarm clock signifying the return to the daily grind is going to be very unwelcome tomorrow morning!  Good night!