Lost and Found

So I had no intention of not blogging for a month.

Really, I didn't even know it had been that long.  But you see, my blog got lost.  My life got so full of other stuff--PTO, softball, karate, doctor appointments, subbing, running, etc, I couldn't find it.

So, after a full month of running around, I decided to take a few days to re-prioritize.  To look for what mattered most and you know what I found...

I found me.  And part of me is sewing.  Knitting.  Baking.  Creating.

So I found my way back here.  My blog--my time for me, my time spent with y'all, my very creative friends is important and has been found.

I've got a ton of things I wish I were working on, but this week I'm making something gold and silver and white.

You might look at the calendar and assume it's a Halloween costume of some sort.  It's not.  My sweet girl has been studying the Ancient Egyptians and Greeks in her Enrichment program at school and they're putting together exhibits and a play for the other 4th graders and us parents.

Emma's going to be Athena.  And Athena needs a worthy costume.  Em and I sat down with pencil and paper and she let me know just what she had in mind.  A gold bodice, white skirt, silver breastplate...she thought it through.  We went to JoAnn's where she picked out what she thought would work.  Athena's famous for wisdom, weaving, owls and war.  So we obviously needed fabric that showed off it was woven.  We needed silver for a breastplate, and we needed gold fabrics that looked regal enough for a Goddess.

I'm waiting for my little Athena to get home tonight so I can try this bodice on her before I add the skirt.  It looks awful small, like I messed up somewhere in my calculations...let's hope not.  Gathering all that sheer fabric over the (cheap) satin was a pain and I'd rather not do it again.  haha

I've missed y'all, my dear friends.  I promise to try and make time to always share with you and not let my creative endeavors get lost again.  It takes away a big part of me and I'm worse off for it.

What have you been up to and what are you working on this week?

p.s.  I THINK my bloggy birthday is coming up...  So that means there'll be goodies given away around here!  Check back soon!

Wordless WIP Wednesday

Well, mostly...

Making some Lemon Squares blocks for Meesh in That Stash Bee.

Be back tomorrow...

Craft Book Month Blog Hop--My Fall Patchwork Pillow

Hello to any new readers!  I'm Kelli and welcome to my little corner of the world.  I was so excited when Lindsay asked me to participate in this blog hop.  I have a small stack of crafty books just waiting for an excuse to make something out of them!

I chose to work out of the book Pretty in Patchwork Holidays by John Q. Adams.

 I bought this book last year and then promptly got busy and forgot to make anything out of it.  Not this year, my friends.  This book is filled with great projects that are both cute and fun to decorate your home with.

I chose to make the Holiday Surprise Reverse Applique Pillow by Angela Mitchell who is a star in her own right.  She's got such a great sense of style that I was sold at once.

photo found here

Only one problem--it's not even pretending to be time for Christmas decorations.  I mean, it's 91 degrees here in Florida this afternoon.  And I wanted something I could enjoy now!

So, I took Angela's pillow and modified it.  I changed the Christmas tree template to a leaf and I changed the green patchwork to more fall colors.

I love it!

I'd done reverse applique before and it really is quite a simple concept, but the results are stunning!  If you've never done reverse applique, you layer your base fabric over your design (in this case the patchwork) and then after sewing your desired shape, you cut away the base fabric to reveal your design.

I keep a scrap bag with just 2.5" squares and strips in it, so I dug through it to find scraps that screamed fall to me.  Originally, I added a few more colors in but my helpful husband guided me toward more yellows and oranges.  He wasn't a fan of the turquoise at all, but I think it makes the other colors pop so well and being perfectly honest--it's my favorite color so I try to add it in any place I can.  ;)

I mean, it's going on my couch, right??  Why not add in something special?

I only have one problem with this pillow...now I want more!  I want to line my couch with fall-inspired pillows!!  This little beauty needs some friends.  He's so lonely down there on the end of the couch by himself.

So I'm off to dig through the scrap bag again to make him some friends.  But rest assured, come winter, I'll be making this pillow again only using Angela's Christmas tree design...finally!

The girls over at Craft Buds are spreading the Craft Book love this month featuring different bloggers each day and offering prizes for anyone who links up a project made from a craft book this year!

Blog Hop

Week One

Monday 9/2: Fabric Mutt / LRstitched

Tuesday 9/3: Stitch This! The Martingale Blog / Stitched in Color


Wednesday 9/4: Fabric Seeds / Pile O Fabric

Thursday 9/5: The Feisty Redhead / Rae Gun Ramblings

Friday 9/6: Sew-Fantastic / Clover + Violet

Saturday 9/7: A Prairie Sunrise / Small Town Stitcher

Week Two

Monday 9/9: Hopeful Threads / Go To Sew

Tuesday 9/10: The Sewing Rabbit / Sewing Mama RaeAnna

Wednesday 9/11: Marci Girl Designs / imagine gnats

Thursday 9/12: Sew Sweetness / amylouwhosews

Friday 9/13: Lindsay Sews / 13 Spools

 Saturday 9/14: Inspire Me Grey / Angela Yosten 

Week Three
Monday 9/16: Sew Very / Craftside
Tuesday 9/17: The Littlest Thistle / CraftFoxes

9/1-9/30: Link up your craft book project at Craft Buds from your blog or Flickr account, and enter to win prizes. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, October, 1!

To participate in the month-long contest, just link up any project you've made from a pattern in a craft book. That easy! You'll tell us a little about the book, the project, how you personalized it, etc.

Rules

1) One entry per person. 

2) Your craft book project must have been completed in 2013. 

3) Create a new blog post or Flickr photo (dated September 1, 2013 or later) and link back to Craft Buds/Craft Book Month in your post or photo description. In your post or photo description, make sure to list the craft book you used and provide a link if possible.

4) All winners chosen via Random.org. Some prizes available to international winners, so please join us!

Prizes

Visit Craft Buds and link up your craft book project during the window of Sept 1-30 and you'll automatically be entered to win some fantastic prizes from the Craft Book Month sponsors!



No time to make a project? You can also follow Craft Buds all month long for your chance to comment and win some new sewing and quilting books for your library.

 

Finish It Up Friday

If ever there was a need to finish something up, it was my Wonky Pinwheels.  I'm embarrassed to admit, it was the November quilt from the Empower Circle of do. Good stitches.

I have to say that our group is made up of 10 rad and lovely ladies who understand that life is busy and that we all have real lives and real commitments outside of our circle.  Our group is made up of Moms, Wives, Sisters, Friends, and most of all caring women who are there for each other when we can be and committed to helping others.

So...

I've told this story before, but back in November I asked for wonky pinwheel blocks based on Natalie's awesome tutorial.  A few straggled in and a few were put together wrong (easy mistake to make--I almost did twice), so by the time I got them all assembled, procrastinated, fixed and re-assembled it was April.

Then I set it aside to finish some other things before quilting.  And then it was August.

So I started quilting.  I chose a random pinwheel that I liked and echo-quilted around it and then made that a concentric pinwheel throughout the quilt.  Basically I just kept echo-quilting about half an inch around the design until the entire quilt was full.

If you look closely in the upper middle of this shot you can see the pinwheel I started with.  It's the only pinwheel in the quilt that's not quilted through.

I didn't worry about exact distances or straight lines.  I didn't worry about the occasional pucker that came with madly quilting and enjoying the process.  I didn't worry about perfection.  I quilted and quilted and quilted.

I went through 2 Guterman thread spools on this quilt.

The quilting really shows up on the back, although these pictures came out so pretty I forgot to get a close-up of just the quilting so you could see it.  But I really like how the khaki-colored thread shows up on the back in this ninja-flying-star design.

And then, to finish it off, Meesh got these labels made for us on Spoonflower and shared them with us to help us share the love.  The color matches perfectly.  Like it was made for this quilt.

I'm sad to see this one leave because I do love it, but I hope it provides comfort and warmth, both physically and emotionally to a girl who needs it.

Linking up with Amanda Jean.

Another Random kind of Day

It's Thursday again, and that means I've been saving a week's worth of random for you...  Here goes!

• Why is bias binding called double fold when you only fold it once?  I get so confused when instructions call for single fold or double fold bias binding.  Especially because when you buy tape at the store--double fold is folded twice!

• I'm putting the finishing touches on my project for Saturday's craft book blog hop.  Yes, the directions called for double-fold bias tape.  Yes, it did confuse me--again.

• I am thisclose to finishing up my Wonky Pinwheels quilt.  It just needs another hour or so of hand-binding tonight.  I'm hoping to show it off here tomorrow.  I LOVE it.

• I think I'm getting back into my school-year groove of getting stuff done during the day.  This surely means I'll get called to sub for the next 3-4 Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

• I've been working really hard to make smart food choices and get myself healthy for real this fall.  But then I saw these and I want them bad!!

Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars

• I mean seriously--are you wiping drool right now, because I am.  

• I've got like 6 projects lined up to finish/start when I finish what I'm working on now.  I hate having this many projects going at once.  I feel tied down.  I want to rebel and forget about them all.

• That's probably how I got so many in the first place...

• Halloween is around the corner.  I miss making costumes for the kiddos, but I am secretly a little happy to just buy something and have more sewing time for me.

• But that means Christmas is around the corner too and I haven't even thought of making gifts yet.  I actually know what I'm making for my Dad--I just have to get around to making it.

• I can't believe I just mentioned Christmas.  Not only is it almost 90 degrees outside but I'm not even ready to think about it yet!

• Ok--back to the grindstone before I go pick up the kids from school.  Hopefully tomorrow will bring a Finish it Up Friday post!!  

What are you thinking about on this random Thursday?  

Linked up with Cindy

Nearly Wordless WIP Wednesday

Laying out some fall inspired patchwork...

Come back Saturday to see the final reveal.  There's more to this project than just what you see here... Muahahaha, that's my sneaky laugh.  Is it working for you??  Are you intrigued?

Linking up with Lee.

And done.

I hung my head in shame Saturday when I realized it was the last day of the month and I'd only given my do. Good stitches blocks a passing thought during the month.  But I had company over Saturday and spent most of the day with family Sunday so I couldn't even begin them until today.

Luckily  Meesh picked a fun and easy (enough) block for August.  :)

The Hearts Around block.

It's simple flying geese units and some half and quarter-square triangles.  But isn't it fun?  I can't wait to see this quilt come together.

If I hadn't lost focus and sewn one of the blocks together wrong, I'd have been done start to finish in an hour give or take a few minutes.

Next up for our Rad group are scrappy string blocks and I know I can handle those.  I plan to do them this week before I get distracted again.

I have never before completely forgot about bee blocks.  What about you?  Have you done it?  How do you keep yourself on track with commitments like this?


p.s.  Lindsay over at Craftbuds is hosting Craft Book Month with lots of fun projects, giveaways, etc.  Yours truly is participating in the blog hop on Saturday.  If you've completed any project out of any craft book this year, you're eligible to enter to win, so head over and check it out!