for Annie

this is a post for my oldest little sister. i'm making both of my sisters a quilt (hopefully to be be completed by christmas!) so this one is for Annie. i won't show her the final product til it's done, but i gave Bobbie a peek at hers, so it's only fair that i give Annie a teaser too:

i painstakingly cut out all the little squares/rectangles and laid them out on my living room floor. i made sure there weren't any major clashing fabrics laying next to each other, so i was arranging and rearranging like a mad lady. eventually, i got all the square sections in harmony and bagged & numbered them in clear sleeves so they wouldn't get all jumbled up again...

and now i'm working on getting all the squares made up. it's a lot of fun, and not too hard. what can be hard about straight lines, right? (actually, a lot. but we won't go into that now...) so without revealing the whole pattern idea, here's a little glimpse into what's in store. do you like it so far Ambie?
i hope that whenever you eventually get this finished quilt, that you will always remember how much i love you!

i'm in pure euphoria

i've succumbed to my addiction. i've been drooling over this fabric set for a while now, and well, i had to have it. it arrived yesterday, and i'm so happy! (please don't judge me Ange. i'm sure you'll like it too because there's turquoise there!!) but from this point, i solemnly vow to not buy fabric willy-nilly, but that i will only buy it when sufficient funding is in the newly established fabric fund. it's the only way to get my addiction under control... that being said:

i've been wanting to work with some top quality fabrics, like the moda line, for while. they are just awesome! but i'm also in love with sweetwater. they design such cool stuff. i really like their 'hometown' fabric, which they're just getting released. so this particular set 'pure' is by sweetwater, and i love it!

and the reason why i love it is because of the colours. lovely browns, and blues and neutrals. they speak to my heart.

and i love the words they designed with. it makes me happy to see and read these kinds of words. words are powerful and can help to change a mood; for the good or the bad. i'd like to surround myself with good, uplifting words. and i think this fabric will help me to do it.

the husband has actually had some input as to what i'll be making with this. that is huge. HUGE! i picked out a couple of quilt possibilities, and one of them really jumped out to him. so that's the one i'll be making. watch this space for the final product!

embroidery QAL block two

yesterday we got the second pattern for our embroidery quilt along. and may i say, it's awesome. i had a lot of fun stitching this pattern last night while watching Dear John - and i'm still not sure if i like that movie. it gives me an 'almost crying' headache. anyway.....

since starting this pattern, i've fallen in love with satin stitch (pictured here, it's the butterfly body and spots). why have i not tried this before now!? it's beautiful! without meaning to blow my own horn, it looks pretty rad. i'll have to come up with some more uses for this stitch in my craftiness at home. i think i've managed to successfully master the french knots too (the tips of the antennae). they were always scary to me before, but no longer! i could sit and make french knots all day long...

i'm glad i'm doing this quilt along. i'm learning so much already. and it's only week two! :D

finally finished!

so my sister came to visit us last summer/autumn, and we decided together to sew some little bags. we worked on hers, then for some reason, didn't quite finish mine. then she went home with her bag, and i still had mine in the works. i just put it aside until now. i have no idea why i didn't finish this sooner... and i only did it in an evening. ah well. here it is now!

my sister picked out the fabric, and i think it's just her. i really liked it too though, so it was a win/win!

my favourite thing about this bag are the pleats. i LOVE pleats, but i'm pretty much scared of working them into things that i make. but it seemed to work out well this time. am i less scared of them now? no. i think i'll always be scared because they are just hard to fix if you get it wrong!

we chose a beautiful brown polka dot fabric for the inside. i LOVE IT! we sewed a little pocket inside for that stash of gum, or whatever...

and here it is all working together. i love the oversized button as an embellishment. i think it brings the whole thing together. yup. i like this bag. now to convince the husband that it's okay for me to make bags. it means he doesn't have to buy any for me ever again!

special occasion word art

at risk of the recipients seeing this before they receive it (i really don't think they follow my blog just yet...) i really wanted to post this picture of one of my latest creations. a personalized wedding announcement.

the groom is a friend of mine. we met when he was serving a mission in UK. (he's in a video on my facebook page taking an axe to an old TV. squealed like a girl. not me... him) anyway, since i like homemade gifts so much, i wanted to make something really special for them, so i came up with this wedding announcement. i thought it turned out really great. it took me forever to get that graphic of the SL Temple in there. i looked all over the internet looking for a graphic and not a photo. i ended up scanning this image, and photoshopping A LOT to get it to look just right. but it looks great!

anyway, i've decided to see just how well this kind of item might do on etsy.com, so go check it out! to look at the listing click here. and if you'd like me to make you one, just email me and we'll sort it out!

addicted to sewing

hello. my name is Lindsay and i'm an addict. if there's such a thing as a sewaholic, i'm one of them. i just can't get enough of it, and while i'm sewing, i get so much satisfaction and a natural high. but sometimes i say to myself; i don't need to sew today. i'll take a break. but then, i find myself on the floor in the corner of my living room getting some quick sewing in before i do the usual chores. that's right. i was sewing in the floor, with my sewing machine. have you ever tried that?! anyway...

i'm making this awesome yellow and blue quilt for my youngest sister. it was going to be a surprise, but i needed to ask her some important questions to make absolutely sure she's like it, so i brought it out to show her. of course she loves it. so just to keep her hangin', here's a sneaky picture.

it's also week two of the We Can Do It Sampler quilt along. this week we pieced together some nine patches. i have to say, these are some of the most perfect nine patches i've ever quilted.

look at them!! and look how the corners match up perfectly!

LOOK!!

okay, it came out just shy of the 12.5" square that it was supposed to be, but my 1/4" seams are getting better and more accurate. :D

and finally, look what the mailman brought me several days ago:

i had bought this book weeks ago on pre-order, and the store i bought it from finally got their shipment from the distributer... and now i'm a happy owner of Fresh Fabric Treats. i'm excited to make some of these patterns - especially the messenger bag and laptop case! woo!

embroidery quilt-along

i've started another quilt-along. i just can't help myself! this one is exciting though: it combines embroidery with quilt piecing. yay! if you're interested in this one, click here or click on the embroidery 101 by Clover & Violet over there to the right -->

so i started a little later than most but still made my first block on time. i love the little embroidery pictures we get to do. i'm excited to see what we do next...

it was suggested we make three blocks at one time using three different fat quarters, so i pulled some fabric out of my box and came up with these. i'm not sure that i would have put these fabrics together in any other project than this, and i'm surprised that they seem to work together.

and here's my third block (still waiting for the next couple of embroidery patterns to work on these guys!)

and here's how they all fit together. whoever thought of this trio pattern was a genius!

so this quilt along (QAL) will have 9 blocks total, so now i have to try and pick out my next three fabric choices that will work together not only with themselves, but with these guys too. but that's for another day.

some better quilt pictures

so i finally was bothered enough to go and take some lovely pictures of my first sampler quilt. i managed to piece this all back in january and had it quilted not long after that. my apartment is so small and ill lit that i never really got great pictures. well today, i just had to get outside. it was forecast to be about 95F (that's around 35C for you english folks) so it was a beautiful day! i figured, now is a good time to knock this baby out.. luckily, i know a place with some shade so i could get some decent pictures, et viola!

and, of course, i tossed in my matching pillows for fun. i LOVE these pillows! i did the quilting on those myself. my first quilting experience on my machine. not too shabby! i was pretty impressed with myself for putting piping around the outside seams too. i'm good, me.

i'm planning to enter this beast in our state fair in August. last year i entered the quilt i made for my momma. it didn't win anything, but it was still awesome to see it displayed there. i'm excited to see this one displayed too. and maybe it will win something coz it's a little more complicated than just squares. i'm a little nervous though since it is so white. i'd hate for it to come back with a mark, but these are the risks we take.

i love this quilt, and i think i will love it forever more.

if you are interested in making this quilt, i followed a quilt-along which you can find here. this is the first week of the quilt-along; i trust you can find the other weeks... this lady has some awesome tutorials for other quilts/projects. she's awesome! :)

small version of diaper cake

i attended a baby shower this morning and had made a smaller version of my diaper cake. it still looks really cute!

many people, especially the mother-to-be Jenny, got a kick out of this one, and asked if i sell them. well, i'm trying. on etsy... so look for me!

Green Fairy Quilts Giveaway!!

i don't usually blog about giveaways, because i enter so many, but i REALLY want this fabric and i really NEED this extra chance to enter. i don't have any christmas fabric, which is a crime! everybody needs christmas fabric to play with. which is why you should enter too. and if you win, send some to me. joke. not really. :)

click here to go there!

skill builder quilt along

i came across a 'skill builder quilt along' (see the link icon to the right somewhere -->) and today i finally pulled together some fabric which i'm going to use. i think i'll stick with the bluey-pink hues. here's what i picked out:

and i followed along and did the first square. nice and easy to begin with; a log cabin. not bad. i think i stretched the pink strips a little since they are a little puckered there...

i'm looking forward to some of the more complicated squares. i'm excited to learn some new skills as well as perfect my existing skills. :)

diaper cake baby shower gifts

i was commissioned by my mother-in-law to make some diaper cakes for a double baby shower in honour of the hubby's cousins, who are both due in September. i don't like to post gift pictures before the receiver gets it, so since the baby shower was a couple of days ago, i think i'm safe... anyway, here's what i made along with another plug for my Etsy shop at which you can see some of my other creations.

i made this one for Tiffany (both cousins are having boys, so i had to make them a little different). i love the blue/green/yellow combo, and hope she does too!

i have to say i'm quite partial to Meri's though. the reason? I LOVE GIRAFFES!!! this toy topper is so cute, i almost wanted to keep it for myself. i think when i have a girl or boy, giraffes will be my decoration/toy of choice for him/her. both cakes turned out really well.

i also have a baby shower tomorrow for another boy due in several weeks. i wonder what i'll bring?!... ;)

new bag

i'm trying to be more creative and to come up with my own patterns, but sometimes, i just like the things that i see. i saw this Ava Bag on my blogging adventures, and thought it looked easy enough to make without buying a pattern... (i'm such a skinflint!)

it has three pockets on the front, and none inside. i don't know if the real pattern does, but i thought it was small enough to not have any. i chose a flowery fabric for the inside, which i'm sure the sister just loves.

and i added a little loop to attach my keys to. they are the only thing i'm usually delving around in my bag looking for.

i think i'm pretty skilled in making stuff, but i'm still working on the creativity part. i'll get there one day... i should be like those people who replicate celebrity clothes/accessories. like the people who made a replica of Kate Middleton's wedding dress. i could so do that. coming up with the design myself: not so easy.

Baby Girl Crib Quilt

i've had this quilt top finished for some time, but i decided to quilt it myself, so it's taken a really long time. this is the biggest thing i have ever quilted on my little, old machine... :)

i finally finished it (mostly) today. the only thing i have left to do is to quilt around the applique shapes. i'll eventually get round to that... i really like this one. it's so cute! let's hope i have a baby girl one day.

apologies for the awful picture. one day i'll actually be bothered to take it outside and get a decent picture. lighting is really everything! but for now, enjoy!

english sausage rolls = YUM!

can you believe how delicious these sausage rolls look?! i was asked to make something for a picnic themed recipe exchange tonight, and i thought of sausage rolls... i can't believe they are not made here in the US. so, i found a recipe and made some myself. usually things i cook don't turn out this well...

i am super overjoyed at the success of these. the hubby tried one, and he thought they were AMAZING! i'm glad when i make stuff he likes. :) these will definitely be cooked a lot more in my house. now i just need to make the puff pastry from scratch...

UPDATE: and now for the recipe -

Ingredients:

• 1 lb ground sausage meat
• 2/3 cups breadcrumbs*
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ground sage
• any other spices to taste
• 1 package frozen puff pastry
• 1 egg, beaten

*breadcrumbs should be somewhere between the size of croutons and the kind you buy to coat fried stuff... i usually put a few handfuls of the crouton breadcrumbs into a ziploc bag and crush them a little smaller, and sieve out the tiny breadcrumbs for something else...

Directions:

1. make sure you thaw the puff pastry ahead of time...
2. preheat oven to 400F
3. place the sausage meat into a large bowl and add the breadcrumbs, onion powder, garlic powder, sage, and any other spices you wish to try - go crazy! mix well.
4. open puff pastry and unroll/unfold. normally it is folded into thirds, so just cut along the folds to yield three long pieces. form a sausage of meat down the middle of the pastry from one end to the other, about the diameter of a small sausage link. fold one side of the pastry on top of the sausage meat. brush a little of the beaten egg along the other side of the pastry and roll meat side over brushed egg to seal. (i should have taken pictures of these steps...)
5. cut this long roll into three or four pieces. score the tops with two lines, brush with a little more beaten egg and place in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown and shiny and delicious!

makes about 12 mini sausage rolls

you can experiment with the puff pastry too - these are mini sausage rolls, but you could try making the bigger fatter ones. Mmmm... just as yummy!

enjoy, and tell me what you think of these if you make them. :)

new etsy shop...

i did it! i started up my etsy shop and listed my first items. so go and check it out! click here. hopefully i'll be able to make some more items and list them so that i may fund my sewing habit...

who knows?! this may be the start of something very good, and productive! :D

a pair of jeans to a cool summer skirt

as i started editing these pictures on my computer, and writing this blog post, it's a little after 10am... and look what i whipped up already!

from this....

to this!

i just can't throw away jeans. nope. i just can't do it. so, instead of waving goodbye, i just transform them into something else. remember my denim baby quilt/throw? it's on my other blog... i feel like denim is such a great fabric for all kinds of things, and i can't let that leave my home without trying to make it into something - except really dirty, gross denim... that's free to leave. anyway, i thought i'd share that little creation with you.

i'm working on putting together a little tutorial on how to transform your old jeans into a brand new (old) skirt, so watch out for that! :) i think i want to have all my tutorials in .pdf form, but we'll see if that actually happens!

EDIT UPDATE: apparently, i'm unable to upload pdfs into blogger.com, so i won't be posting it here. if you would like the pdf you're welcome to email me, or leave a comment and i'll email it to you. :D

i love dolls!!

well, here it is... my newest sewing friend:

this is my first real attempt at embroidery, and it was really fun, and easy (so far!). this design comes from another awesome blog, Melly & Me. i LOVE LOVE LOVE their cute stuffed toys! i may have to indulge myself and buy their latest new book. too bad it's not out yet to buy in the US, and they are based in Australia... :(

anyway, this cute 'stuffie' is called a Kokeshi Stuffie. and can be found here. it's a free design on Melly & Me's blog.

i'm feeling really inspired from this beautiful, simple design. i don't think it would be too difficult to design some other nationality dolls... before you know it, i'll have a nice collection of these guys in a range of different colours.

it was nice to take a break from quilt sewing for a while. and i have a cute little doll to show for it. :)