I'm alive

And I still make things too!  I have been rather busy social wise recently, which the warm spring days require, so I have been slacking with the blogging.   Many apologies to everyone out in the blog-o-sphere.

Recently a friend of mine, whom I've known a lifetime, set the date to get married to this awesome lady.  I knew I just had to make something but had the hardest time deciding on what.  A quilt? Matching scarves? A picnic blanket? His and hers booty warmers for those cold nights watching soccer? Finally after a few weeks of drawing up possible ideas I decided simple was perfect for these two and began sewing away.  Of course the design ended up not looking as well as I had hoped but I had run out of time to draw up a whole new design!  Thank goodness for trusty seam rippers because I removed half of the embroidery I had done, erased the template,  and decided to use my fabric piecing skills.  I searched the internet for free Union Jack templates finding one on Craftsy ( http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/union-jack-quilt-block/52747) only it was way too big!  I tried editing it down to the size I needed but could not for the life of me get it right.

Sometimes when things are just getting too complicated you are forced to simplify ... and so I wung it.

Birthday!

As mentioned earlier I haven't had much time nor real ability to make anything more to sell on etsy but I have been working on gifts for people.   Yesterday was a dear friend's birthday and so I made her a little something for her special day.  Like me she has a fondness for blue (ice blue being her favorite) and a first name that begins with S so making her present was one of the easiet things for me to do.  The entire process was a breeze and took very little thought because instinctually I knew what to do because it was pleasing to my eye  instead of being caught up in what others might think looked good ... it pays to have friends with similar taste (especially when they clean out their closets ;)).  So though I was all "I wanna keep it" I was able to part with the little pillow and seeing her smile when she opened it was well worth the time it took to sew it. 

Happy Birthday Shana! You have one of the brightest and sweetest hearts and are a great friend. Many blessings and wishes to you, my dear friend!

Open For Business!

Yesterday I finally added things to be purcahsed on my Etsy account!  Three whole pillow cases completed with hand embroidery have been posted for sale and hopefully at some point I'll figure out how to post a button on this blog that will auto-link to my Etsy shop ... but until then CLICK HERE!!!!!!!   I've got a few other projects in the work to add within the week that I hope you guys will like.  But without further ado here are the real stars ...

The Cameo Pillow fits a 16x16 or 18x18 pillow form. (shown with 16/16 form)  It is hand embroidered with Ecru and a very pale Pink on a black cotton blend fabric.  Pillow insert pocket is embellished with Ecru embroidery. Sold for $20.

The Flower Pillow fits a 10x10 or 12x12 pillow form. (shown with 12x12 form) It is hand embroidered with a bright pink and includes decorative cream buttons on a black cotton blend fabric.  Pillow insert pocket is embellished with bright pink embroidery. Sold for $18.



not sure why the pic of the back looks lighter than the front, they are the same color I swear

 The Celtic Knot Pillow fits a 10x10 or 12x12 pillow form. (shown with a 12x12 form) It is hand embroidered with silver on a purple cotton blend fabric. Pillow insert pocket is embellished with silver embroidery. Sold for $18.

In the works currently are some pieced projects ...

Chevron, Deconstructed 9 patch, and simple block rows.  I've not yet decided if I want to add the chevron and 9 patch together in some way or if I want to make those into seperate things all together ... but seriously look, all the stripes are going in the same direction, my points are pretty, and once I ironed the 9 patch it laid flat and looked much better.

That is all of the sewing I did this weekend but no worries I've got a few other things up my sleeves and ready to be unveiled in the very new future.  Check back in a few days for even more craftiness!

Freestyle sewing

This past weekend I finally got my sewing machine back and of course the creative bug had grown to Godzilla size in the week I was sans machine.  So aside from binding the quilt that I posted about yesterday I decided to do some freestyle sewing.  When making quilts and well anything that requires piecing for that matter "measure twice, cut once" is a lifestyle, a mantra to live by, and some times all that precise-ness can be draining.  It isn't often that I just sit down and make something these days without thinking about it for weeks in advance, figuring up all the math and knowing exactly each step to take 12 steps before I have to take it.  As someone that tried every creative path out there before discovering quilting and embroidery I completely enjoy just creating for the sake of creating, to know that out of a pile of what looks useless I make something (hopefully) beautiful.  This weekend was no exception.

Not a single piece of fabric was measured, everything was just eyeballed before I sat down to just wing it.  It isn't perfect, it isn't fit for a price tag, but I made it for me and the quilt dubbed "MINE."  When I sat down over a year ago to draw up "MINE" I used my trusty highlighter to color and absolutely fell in love with the blue highlighter look.  I adore bold and bright colors, wearing things like the cardigan that my friends call "caution yellow," so the fact that I went on a search for the perfect "highlighter blue" fabric for my own quilt should not be surprising at all.  Fabric.com saved the day, as usual, allowing me to select swatches of several fabrics to be sent to me in hopes to find that majestic highlighter blue.  Kona Cotton Peacock was the most perfect match and seeing that square of fabric made my heart leap with joy and a giggle to escape my lips so I proceeded to get online and order a few yards ... amongst the other fabric I ordered.  A few weeks ago I finished up the quilt front of "MINE" and there was that square of fabric, the small piece of fabric that made my vision come true, so of course the only way I was going to be happy was by slicing that square up with my rotary cutter.  Within an hour all of the swatch was cut and sewn with scraps of white from "MINE" and a splash of yellow from a table cloth I've had since I was a pre-teen and turned into ...

It's not perfect but it sure is adorable and I think it will look absolutely beautiful once I finish "MINE" and can put it all together on my bed.  What would you make if all you had to do was create for the sake of creating?