Parisville Giveaway (not by me)

OMG, I was so excited when I saw this! Jaybird Quilts is doing a giveaway sponsored by Wondrous Woodland Wovens for a half yard collection of Parisville by Tula Pink. I urge anyone who is a fan of Tula to run on over there :D And don't forget to check out the sponsors shop--they have some really cool prints available (some I haven't seen before, and I really dig that!)

And Now For Something Else

I finished my mother's Christmas gift. I thought it turned out fantastic. I misjudged a few things about it (namely that the cardboard that I tacked the fabric to with loads of hot glue was too small and I had to use the glass for the frame to keep it inside) but it's still nice. My daughter has A LOT of hair, and I think this captured that, LOL (it comes midback and she's not even 2). I tried to photograph it, but it's hard to see the detail (I backstitched around the silhouette with a dark olive thread).
like I said, you can't really see the detail ;D I couldn't think of anything else I could make (immediately) for Christmas, so I finished up a project I had been working on for a swap. The them was 'green' and part of the swap was a tote exchange. I decided to follow this tutorial from Made. I don't really shop at Target, so that left me with the golden off-brownish color from my local grocery store. I only wanted to make one bag, so I made 3 plastic sheets.
You can see where I started--that big melted spot where I tried to figure out the magic setting for my iron (it ended up being 4, cotton blend). I used 9 sheets. I think that was just one too many. I read a few tutes and they said 6-8, but the bags seemed so flimsy that I tried 9. It was too hard to get all the layers to fuse together without scorching the material. I HIGHLY recommend making a practice sandwich with the parts of the bag you don't use (in this case, the front of the bag that had the store logo on it). I wish I had thought to do that. Another thing, you end up having to trim (or I did, at least) to make straight edges. That eats into your available material. I was, however, able to make 1 bag out of my 2.5 sheets of usable plastic.
I used some scraps to make the design on the front (and handles) and used ecofelt for the eyes. It was pretty easy to sew (I used a 90/14 needle). The plastic was a little harder to control than fabric since it was so slippery. I messed up on the front (I forgot that the seam was supposed to show, and I turned it, but on the front only. The seam allowance is exposed everywhere else.). I was very tempted to keep this bag! I really liked it. It felt nice in my hand, too (I made the handle only 1.5 wide, though.). I will definitely make more :D But I will only use 8 layers (I learned my lesson ;D).

And another little something else: RetroMummy is having a FQ giveaway! (I love these ;D). The fabric range for Sweet Broderie is just so sweet and fun. It's perfect for my little darling. It includes a playful mix of yellow, lime, aqua and two shades of pink with flowers. Totally yay :D

My Crafty Christmas [3]

I've had a pretty lazy couple of days. I managed to read 3 books and start a fourth. It felt great :D But reality started to set in (especially when I looked at the explosion that is my craft table) and I went to the craft store yesterday to start on another Christmas project. I finished Lyra's dress the same day that I hoped to (the 11th) and I need to buy a new thimble before I finish up the mug rugs (or apply the binding to Car and Tom's quilt). That left me with my Mom's present: A silhouette of my baby girl.
As you can see, I started yesterday. I sanded and painted the frame last night as well as made the stencil for the silhouette. I didn't want to use plain white fabric, so I used a FQ of Sultry by Basic Grey for Moda that I had lying around. I can't finish this project today. I want to add some stitchery elements (outline the silhouette and add her name and age) before framing.

The craft store was pretty wiped out when it came to colors for fabric paint. I wanted a green to coordinate with the frame color choice (my mom uses a lot of olive green and jewel tones), but they only had browns, yellows, black, and a blue. I guess I could have purchased several colors and tried to custom mix the colors, but I didn't. Christmas is on a budget this year, and unfortunately I didn't fit several bottles into the budget, so black it was. The frame is something I picked up for a few dollars at a tag sale two months ago.

I used two tutes for reference for this project: the one at Ucreate and another one that I can't find for the life of me. If I ever find it, I'll edit to add it.

My Crafty Christmas [2]

The last few days (except yesterday, I was just lazy) I've been working on my niece's Christmas present. I decided to make her something for the spring, the Analise dress by Sandi Henderson/Portabellopixie. I am nearly finished. I just need to gather the skirt and attach it to the bodice. Hopefully, I will be able to do that today.
The thing about this dress is this: I completely LOVED the fabric before I started cutting it. As it came together as a dress I don't know how I feel. I used a fabric I had enough yardage in (one I had originally planned to use for my own DD), but I am now beginning to realize that it needed a solid to break up the pattern. I used the same fabric but in yellow for my DD's dress, and it was fine. I think maybe the purple is just too strong? I don't know. I'll figure it out.

My Crafty Christmas [1]

It's that time of year again--time to take out the project list and try to make it all in time for Christmas. I got a nice jump start during NaSewMo with my Lawn Chair quilt. The last two days brought a new jolt of life into the project.

See, I've been trying desperately to decide what to make for my sister. She's getting ready to move into a new house, and I know she's already accumulated a good bit of Fiestaware in anticipation of having a new kitchen. Out with the old and in with the new, ya know? I also know that she likes the Mexicana Cocina look (omgosh, my sister and BIL are much better latinos than I am ;x).

I decided to make her something for the kitchen. They both drink coffee and tea which led me to making mug rugs! This is a first for me. I had a time with the applying binding (still in progress though. I've only attached it, not like sewn it on-on), but it worked out. I also had a time with some wonkiness, but I thought that lent a certain element of charm and homeyness to it. And since my sister is going with the Fiestaware, I figured that I could go with some brightness. Originally, I had pulled Urban Chiks' Blossom from Moda. It looked great against the Kona Stone, but I wasn't sold that my sister would like it--or that it would match her decor.
I made my own judgment that my sister wouldn't have more than 4 people drinking coffee or tea at one time. Her eldest is 13, and I guess he *could* drink hot cocoa, but I doubt it. I also wanted it to be a cohesive set, so I used the same fabric in all four pieces. And I hope the design elements flow. I think they do, but that's my opinion ;D The background color is Kona Stone, and I think I am IN LOVE with it.

I ended up doing A LOT of trimming. The finished squares are mostly 1 inch. Mostly. Sewing with small squares is tricky. A little off and WOW. Sometimes I went back and tore out my stitches, but (obviously) sometimes I didn't. I like the wonkyness in the very basic quilting. And with most things, it looks much better in person ;D

Finally!

I thought we would NEVER find the cord that connects the camera to the computer, LOL. We've been searching for it for DAYS. Weeks, even. I'm so happy :D

As a little update, the fabrics I bought came! (not all of them though, I'm waiting on one more). I can't wait to share! I bought a bunch on sale. I love sales, but then who doesn't?

The top group came from Above All Fabric during their fall clearance sale. The bottom came from Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe & Mercantile's blowout section (they still have some of the primrose in ice on sale for 4.99 a yard! It's such a hard-to-find print! I only bought 1.5 yards. They have a 1 yard min. cut on the blowout sale merchandise. The FQs are on sale for 1.78 each, which isn't too shabby if you ask me.) I then headed over to Thriftbooks for my next purchase:
I love Urban Fantasy genre books, so I bought a few of them. The price isn't too shabby and shipping is included. The books are in very good condition. I've bought from here a few times before. I've only had issues with one book I was sent in the past, the book at completely separated from the binding and that wasn't reflected in the price and/or the classification when I purchased it.

All-in-all, I'm majorly excited about my new 'booty'! Can't wait to do some cutting and reading (hopefully not both at the same time ;D)

Interesting Stuff!

It's been a slow week for me (well, over a week, but you get the drift). I have some fabric coming in, and when it arrives, I will post pics. I haven't been sewing, but I should. Christmas is creeping up and I need to be ready for it ;D

I found a great giveaway today while just clicking around the internet (I actually can't recall how I found this giveaway. I follow a lot of tutorial links, and there you go ;D). It's from Sheree's Alchemy and it's for some awesome looking scraps! I love scrappy things, so this immediately got my attention. If you like scraps, you should think about joining in, too! The giveaway lasts on her blog until November 10th, and there are several ways to enter. I know I've got my fingers crossed ;D