Learning to Knit

Two very exciting things have happened today.

1.  I figured out how to publish a post from my phone. Very exciting for me because now I can post on the go!

2.  I am learning how to knit...again. My mom tried teaching me years ago and I didn't seem to get it. Now my mother in law is trying to teach me and things seem to be going better. I must just be so dense I need to learn something twice in order for it to sink in. 

Check out what I've done so far:

New Fabric

We're out at the cabin this week with Mr Mouse's family.  I had to leave my sewing machine at home  :(  Today my mother in law had to go into Salmon Arm to get her hair done and asked if I wanted to go for a ride.  I quickly agreed after hearing there was a quilt shop just a block from the salon.  It was a really sweet little store with tons of fabrics, albeit a little pricy.  I figured I shouldn't spend too too much there, so I did a loop of the store first just looking at all the pretty fabrics.  Then I decided what to buy and went around gathering my goodies.  When I was leaving the store I noticed Fabricland was across the street.  Normally I try to avoid Fabricland if at all possible, but I thought I'd give this one a try.  I was pleasantly surprised!  The staff was friendly and helpful and the store was neat and tidy.

I have always wanted to try making a Dresden quilt, but have been intimidated by printing and cutting out the templates.  Check out what I found:

A Dresdan template ruler!  I can't wait to give this baby a try!!

Patterns were on sale at Fabricland, so I flipped through the Simplicity book and picked one I liked, as well as fabric that was $3.50/meter!!

Here's all the fabric I bought all laid out:

I can't wait to get home and start using it all!!

Pink and Green Apron

We were visiting my brother and sister in law in Edmonton one weekend when she happened to mention that she wished she had an apron.  Since I had just started sewing at that point, I decided I'd try and make her one.  This was my second major sewing project, and being a novice sewer it was quite a lot to take on for me.  I was doing ok with it all until the waistband pattern piece and fabric disappeared.  I blame Cleo.  I got discouraged and put it on my shelf for a few months.  I then made this apron and thought I could give it to her instead, but she said that she wanted something with a top part because her new baby kept spitting up on her.  So I thought I should just finish this apron, since I was 98% done it already, and it was going to go to her in the first place.  I decided I could figure out the size and shape of the waistband on my own, so I did.  And I finished the apron!

What's going on with my finger?!

Here's the skirt:

It's a shame that all these pleats are hidden underneath!

I'm not 100% happy with the hand stitching on the collar, but it's on the underside, and no one is really going to look at it anyway.

I wrapped it all up and it's ready to be gifted!  I'll be seeing my sis in law this weekend and will give it to her then.  Hopefully she likes it!

Help!

To make a long story short... I was planning on making some placemats for a coworker for her wedding.  I had decided on making them black and white since they goes with anything, right?  Because of a delay in ordering and the postal strike, I wasn't able to get all the fabrics I wanted.  I have a ton of left over reds and blacks from the kaleidoscope quilt and thought maybe I'd use the scraps for the placemats.  I made one place mat top up this evening.

What do you think?  Mr Mouse said it's a little bold, but my mom likes it.  Do you think it would be appropriate for a placemat for a wedding gift?  The gal I'm planning on giving them to is trendy and fun and energetic, and I think it would suit her personality.  But I don't want to give it to her if it's too crazy.

Please leave me a comment with your opinion!  Every once in a while the comment form doesn't work.  In that case feel ree to send me an email!  I'll make a mug rug out of the scraps, and I'll randomly pick from the comments and emails and award the mug rug to the winner! 

Olive Circles Dress

The Olive Circles Dress is complete!  Reading these posts about my dresses you must think I'm a fantastic seamstress.  That's not entirely true.  When my mom and I make dresses together, I cut out the pattern and the fabrics and do things like pin and iron and look through her fabric and steal  borrow the pieces I like and drink juice and sit and watch.  She's the one who's actually doing all the grunt work.

Anyway, here's another completed dress, waiting for a sunny warm day for it's big debut!

I took these pictures when I got home.  Mr Mouse wasn't around to help me, so I had to use the timer on my camera.  They're not the best quality, but you get the idea!  Here's me practicing my modeling moves:

There it is!  Another project compete!  Hoorah!

Spring All Over

I finished!  My very first quilt!!

The lines are a bit crooked and there are some puckers, but I love it!  The binding seemed to take forever but I finally finished it.  Hooray!!

The Front

The Back

Mr Mouse!  You're doing it wrong!

There you go!  That's right!

Fabric Delivery!

Mr. Mouse called me at work yesterday to tell me a package from Hawthorne Threads had arrived at the house.  I had forgotten what I had ordered, so it was just like Christmas!!

Left to right, starting with the back row:
1.  Frond in Ivory by Alice Kennedy
2.  Swaying Vines in Aloe by Alice Kennedy
       -I plan to use both of these to make a cute bag!
3.  Bare Trees in White by David Textiles House Designer
4.  Bare Trees in Black by David Textiles House Designer
       -These are going into the Wedding Placemats.  Since the other fabrics I wanted were out of stock, I'm going to have to rethink my original design.  More on that to come...
5.  Hoo's in the Forest in Pink by Doohikey Designes
6.  Hoo's in the Forest in Blue by Doohikey Designes
       -No immediate plans for these yet.  I thought they would be handy to have around.
7.  Yule Critters in Lime by Michael Miller
       -Christmas is coming!  :)
8.  WildField in Cobalt by Valori Wells
9.  WildField in Cobalt by Valori Wells
      -No plans for these yet either.  I just love them.

New Bee on the Block - Test Block

I am exhausted.  I spent the entire evening cleaning and rearranging and organizing my sewing/scrapbooking/getting ready room.  I think this is the first time it's been properly clean in the 2 years I've been living here.  It feels soooo good to have it all done!!

After I finished cleaning I was wiped, but I still had a little time to do some sewing.  Holly sent out fabric and posted instructions for her block for the New Bee on the Block quilting bee yesterday.  The fabric is coming from the States, so it'll probably be a few days. In the mean time I thought I'd test her block with some of my own fabric.  I decided to use the fabrics I am using for the We Can Do It!  quilt along so that I could add it to that quilt if I wanted.

The pattern made me laugh.  Every so often it would say to do something 'carefully'.  Carefully cut this... carefully measure that... carefully sew together...  When am I ever not careful?!  If you know me, you know I'm a bit lot of a perfectionist, so I'm always careful.  I thought it was cute.

 Anyway, I was pretty happy with how it turned out!

Now I feel like I can handle this block and not mess it up and ruin Holly's fabrics!

WIP Wednesday #5

Completed Projects


1)  Tinkerbell PJ Pants

Hooray!  I finished something!  These were fun and super easy to make.  They're a little big and baggy, but super comfy!!  

Again, the bottom cuff fabric matches a lot better in real life than in the photo.  I wanted to get a picture of me wearing them so you could see them properly, but Mr. Mouse is golfing this evening and I have no photography assistant.

Ongoing Projects

1)  Spring All Over Quilt

Still sewing the binding.  I think I have Binding ADD; I can only do a bit at a time before it drives me crazy!  I have finished 2.5 sides; only 1.5 more to go!

3)  Skill Builder Sampler QAL

I made some more progress on this!  Read more about it here.

4)  Olive Circles Dress

Almost done!  My mom's been working hard on it.  Watch for a post in the next few days!

5)  Kaleidoscope Quilt-Along

I've been working my way through cutting the fabrics for this one.  I finished the red triangles and have started the black triangles.  I still have the solid fabric to go through...

On Hold

1)  New Bee on the Block Quilting Bee - I got word on Tuesday that the fabric for the first square is in the mail!  It should arrive any day now!
2) 2 Dresses

3) Cosmo Bag

4) Wedding Placemats - Just waiting for the fabric to arrive...

5) Retro Trees Skirt

Cleo was hanging out on my sewing chair while I finished up sewing and was taking the pictures.

Would you like a Mug of Succulent?

I was flipping through a book today (but now I can't remember which one it was), and I saw the cutest little thing!  They had taken old tea cups and mugs and planted little cacti and plants in each one.  I thought I'd try my hand at it!

I went to my neighborhood Goodwill store.  They always come through for me!  I picked up a set of 4 super cute retro mugs.

Then I swung by Walmart and grabbed a plant and some dirt.  

Or as my university geology professor would say:  "It's not 'dirt'.  'Dirt' is a term used by housewives.  This is 'soil'."

Anyway, I divided the plants up and put them each in their own mug.  I think they're pretty darn cute!

One is a birthday gift, one is an office warming gift, and two are 'just because' gifts!

Skill Builder Sampler QAL - Block #3

I don't have much to say about this block, except that I finished it!  Yay!

It's blurry.  I was too lazy to retake and reupload the picture, so I left it like this...

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

I love entering giveaways.  Most of the time I enter, and then totally forget about the giveaway entirely.  That's what happened this time.  I was surprised and delighted when Amy from During Quiet Time emailed me to say I had won her Ruched Happy Bag Pattern!  Isn't it cute?!

I'll have to go buy some zippers and give it a try!  :)

Giveaway!

How would you like to win this bundle of 6 fat quarters of Heather Ross' Far Far Away III?!

Head over to Cut to Pieces and wish Angela a happy birthday!