A Little Sewing

I have managed to get in a bit of sewing lately. Mostly because one of my projects has a deadline.

One of my family members (well, my husbands family, but she's still like family to me) is participating in Relay For Life for the second year in a row. Last year she walked on another persons team, and this year she decided to form her own team. They have done really well with their fundraising, and have been working really hard to try to earn as much for the cause as they can. We all know someone who has been affected by cancer so it's a very important event for many people. When she asked me if I would be willing to make a quilt for them to raffle off, I didn't hesitate. I also wasn't aware that I would be moving though so that has been a bit of a hiccup in my plans to get it finished in time. Luckily, she gave me 3 months notice! I have a few more weeks to work on it and it is slowly but surely coming along.

This is where I was when I last took a photo. I now have sashing between the blocks on the four bottom rows and those rows are all sewn together. That means my top if halfway completed! The pattern I used for this quilt is called Pow - Wow by CluckCluckSew. All the fabrics are various lines (but all in the same color family) from Denyse Schmidt. I love how all her lines seem to play so well together. I wanted the quilt to appeal to a broad range of people. Not just women and not just people who love traditional quilt designs. I feel like younger people - and maybe even men - would be willing to buy a raffle ticket to win this quilt. People who are less likely to already own a handmade quilt, you know?

Now, if you are anything like me, you tend to get bored during a project that takes awhile. For me that is dangerous because I always decide to start something new in the middle of what I am already working on!

The other day I made this Sidekick Tote (yes, another Noodlehead pattern. I'm addicted.) I used a black and white stripe for the body of the bag, Constellations by Lizzy House for the pockets, and a bit of Amy Butler dots for some homemade bias tape. Y'all, that part was hard. I've never made bias tape before. And if I never do it again that would be just fine by me.

Another thing I have been itching to try - like, for a few YEARS now - is paper piecing. When the Summer Sampler Sew - Along by Ellison Lane Quilts started, I wanted to jump in SO bad! Those little popsicles! Anyway... I needed a bit of instruction since I had no clue how to even begin paper piecing (other than printing the pattern). I tried the quick paper piecing tutorial that Jennifer(aka Ellison Lane Quilts) put together and I made this:

 I know it's just one tiny 6 inch block, but I did it! I was over the moon excited about this. Not because this little block is particularly striking and overly complicated, but because learning this new technique has opened up so many other possibilities for me in the things I can make. Now I never have to pass up a super cute pattern because it lists paper piecing as one of the techniques used in it's construction. Yay!

Super Tote!!! (and a new-ish wallet)

I have a pattern crush on anything Anna makes. Seriously. I have purchased 4 of her patterns now and I have yet to be disappointed. Or confused. I hate when I buy a pattern but I can't figure out what the instructions are telling me what to do. She has the BEST instructions. Plus, she's super friendly so you don't feel weird asking a question if you have one. I frequently feel like a weirdo, so it's cool to change things up a bit.

You may be wondering who the heck Anna is. She is a pattern designer, blogger, sewist extraordinaire... and she can be found at Noodlehead! Her patterns are seriously great.You may remember the 241 tote I made last year that I wrote about here. (After looking for that post, I realized I never did take more photos of this bag! Ack!!! I'll have to remedy that!)

The other day I purchased her newly released Super Tote Pattern. I am notorious for carrying around a TON of stuff I don't actually need to take everywhere I go. But hey, just in case I might need it, right? This bag really lives up to it's name. It is super! Super HUGE!!! (I know there's a "that's what she said" in there somewhere...)

 Anyway, this is my finished Super Tote. Tada! The pattern calls for piping along the edge of the outside pocket, but it was 11:00 at night and piping sounded like a bad idea at the time. Instead, I just made a little binding for the top edge and called it good.

 I love the gussets on the sides of this bag. I was a little afraid to do it with linen because it tends to be pretty shifty. But Anna suggested using Pellon Shape Flex interfacing for this project. After getting that on the linen, I had no problem whatsoever.

 I was being lazy and just used velcro for the closure on the front pocket. I have plenty of magnetic snaps, but again, 11:00 at night...

 Here's another gusset shot. Love these! They make the whole bag come together.

 And my recessed zipper. I was a little afraid of this part (as I usually am when it's time to put in a zipper) but it really was easy.

 The pattern calls for elastic pockets on both sides, but I opted to just make one with elastic and the other pocket is just a regular pocket. I like a smaller, less deep pocket for all of my 126 tubes of lip balm (I mean, really? Why do I have such an obsession with lip balm?!). And my cell phone. You can see here what I mean about all the stuff. My planner, wallet, 84 pens (in the elastic pocket), earbuds, and 2 bibles... why 2? No idea. Sometimes I like the newer pretty pink one, and sometimes I like the old, worn, slightly beat up one.

After showing you my bag, I realized I never did a post on the Have It All Wallet I made. I love this wallet so much!!! This pattern was really easy to follow as well, and I purchased it from Straight Stitch Society. They have some other uber cute patterns as well.

I used my one single fat quarter that I own of Echino fabric. And it turned out upside down. I still love it though.

 Room for all my cards

 Checkbook, coupons, and loyalty/punch cards

And my money would go here if I had any. Sad face.

Another Move

It's been quiet on the blog lately and I have good reason. We have moved to a new home, and hopefully we won't have to do it ever again. My little house just got littler, but it is really perfect for our family. I know living in the country isn't for everyone. Some people need a place to get a latte everyday and don't want to drive 30 minutes to get it. Living out here, I have to make decisions about what I need and what I don't. It has been great for us because it forces me to really and truly *need* something before I'll make the trip into town to get it. I spend much less money, and contrary to popular belief, much less time in the car. I am a home body anyway so spending more time at home has been much more relaxing for me and I really enjoy it.

This is my new backyard. I spend a considerable amount of time out here. There is a lot of yard and I always seem to find things that need to be done. There's a lot of watering, weeding, and mowing going on. Eventually I plan to have a huge garden, but that will probably have to wait until next year.

Kevin has been enjoying the extra outdoor work. He really loves finding new things to attach to his lawnmower and drag around the lawn.

My front yard is my favorite spot. I love sitting on the porch listening to the birds. My view isn't too shabby either. We're surrounded by orchards that will soon be teeming with apples, pears, and cherries.

We recently got four baby chicks. I can't wait for fresh eggs from these girls. And they lay blue and green ones!

I never thought I'd hear myself say "get the chicken off the table!" but hey, I guess that's life on a mini farm for you.

 Ben loves his chick. Her name is Peanut Butter but he just calls her peanut. They have become quick friends.

I haven't been sewing much, but I do have a space set up and it looks very similar to the setup I had at our old house. Except now I'm not stuffed in a closet. My sewing space is in a corner of the family room so I can still be a part of what everyone else is doing.

I have my cutting table and all my fabric set up in the furnace room. I can go in there, make a mess, and shut the door :) Plus, I have a door in there that leads to the outside. I love opening it and getting some fresh air while I'm cutting fabric.

So while I have been too busy to do much of anything except organize things and work on the yard, it has been a much needed break. Now I'm ready to get back into sewing and hopefully I will have some new stuff listed soon.