A Very Productive Day!

Hello!  :)

Yesterday I was in the mood to sew! It's been a long time since I've wanted to just sit and sew. I actually managed to get quite a bit done. Every time I finished a project I picked up another one and worked on it. I made my first bag yesterday. Yes I've never made a bag before. Here it is . . .

Isn't it adorable?!!! It's made from all Ruby fabrics except for the inside which is just a red plaid I keep on hand. (You can never have too much red plaid laying around!) Here's the other side . . .

I finished them both the same so it doesn't matter which way it's facing.  :)  Here's a side view . . .

And the other side . . . 

Since I love red so much I quilted it with red thread.  :)  Did you notice? Here's a view of the inside . . . 

It's an awesome sturdy little bag. I love it! I got the tutorial from Sharon over at Daisy Cottage Quilting. You can find the tutorial for the bag at the following links:

• Part One . . . http://daisycottagequilting.com/2012/09/03/daisy-tutorial/
• Part Two . . . http://daisycottagequilting.com/2012/09/04/daisy-tutorial-part-2/
• Part Three . . . http://daisycottagequilting.com/2012/09/08/daisy-tutorial-part-3/
• Part Four . . . http://daisycottagequilting.com/2012/09/08/daisy-tutorial-finale/

I didn't follow the above tutorial for the handles. I used this tutorial she just posted the other day for them.  :)

The tutorial I followed showed a Halloween bag. It was funny . . . every time I showed my hunky dude the picture of the bag he kept asking why I was making a Halloween bag the day after Halloween. I kept showing him the fabrics I was using but he just didn't get it. In his defense he was tired.

The next project I worked on was the Fat Quarter Shops 2012 Designer Mystery Block of the Month. It started back in June. I have the supplies for the first 5 blocks already and the 6th one will be out soon. Since I'm so far behind I figured I'd better get working on them. I started with Block One.

It's not perfect but it's done. I'm really loving the Vintage Modern fabrics, which I knew I would. I can't wait to play with the leftover scraps from the blocks.  :)  Here's Block Two . . .

This one is off too. Oh well . . . at least it's done. I might go back and fix it as it does bother me. Here they are together . . .

Looking good!  :)  I wanted to work on more of them but I wanted to get another project done first so I moved on. I'll get back to the rest of the blocks another day.

The last project looks pretty simple but it's for someone I love very much . . .

My little Doobie!  :)  I always seems to kick his water dish and spill the water all over the floor. Then I wipe it up and put a towel under it. I decided he needed a doggy food mat so here it is . . .

I found the cute dog bone fabric at JoAnn's. The batik came from a traveling stash box. It reminds me of little paws (okay maybe bird feet . . . lol). Here's the back . . .

It's just a simple little mat to put his food and water bowls on. Maybe I won't kick the water now. Of course I need to mop the floor before he can use it. Nothing but the best for my boy!  ;)

That's it! For yesterday anyway. I got a lot done, huh?! It felt really good. There's still a big pile of things to catch up on so hopefully I'll be able to start again on Monday. If I can get some of this finished and off my mind I'll be able to start on the quilts I need to make before Christmas. I'm quickly running out of time. At least I'm enjoying it again.  :)

Have you heard about the . . .

Cheryl over at Gone Stitchin' has started another Friday night for us to all sew and craft together. It's a great idea with us being so close to the holidays. She has the blessing of Heidi and Bobbi from Friday Night Sew-In. This Friday Night With Friends will take place the 1st Friday of the month which happens to be today!  :)  I'll be participating! Will you? Be sure to go sign up and craft the night away! Later this afternoon I will be taking my new bag filled with cross stitch supplies to my friend Karen's (from Sew Much 2 Luv) house to stitch and spend Friday night with her. I'm really looking forward to it.  :)

Until next time . . .

I've been Gardening!

Hello!  :)

Well sort of!  ;)  I finally got around to working on my Garden Steps quilt again. When I sat down to catch up on my blocks I only had block 3 and 4 to do.

Here's block 3 . . .

And a closer look . . .

Here's block 4 . . .

So simple yet beautiful . . .

After I finished the two blocks I felt really good. Then that night the next block came out. Well it's good and bad. Bad because I thought I was caught up. Good because it's always nice to see the next block. Now I have one more to do to be caught up. Wonder if I'll get to it before the next block comes out? I've been working on some cross stitch projects so I won't be picking this one up again for a little while. I also noticed as I was editing the photos that I forgot to put that cute little ladybug I added to the other blocks on these ones. My plan was to add one on each block. Kind of my signature. I guess I'll be doing that when I work on this again.

Until next time . . .

All caught up! :)

Hello!  :)

I finally got a chance to work the embroidery for my Garden Steps Quilt. I was a little behind but now I'm all caught up. Yea!  :)  At least with this project that is.  ;)

Here's the first stichery . . .

And a closer look . . .

I added red roses and a ladybug.  :)

Here's the second stitchery . . .

And a closer view . . .

I added a ladybug to this one too. I think I'm going to add a ladybug to all the blocks. I did notice a big boo-boo on this block when I was taking pictures. Did you notice? The second block should be turned 1/4 turn. The longer red strips should be on top. Oh well. I will need to fix this later. Shouldn't be too hard of a fix just a pain. Next time I will definitely be a little more careful.  :)  The stitching designs only come out every other week so I have a couple more weeks until I see the next one. Now this project can be put aside while I work on a couple more.

Until next time . . .

A Fun Friday Night Sew-In...

Hello!  :)

I did it! Even though I'm still sick I was able to participate in the Friday Night Sew-In! Yeah!!!  :)  It was nice to sew again.  :)

I worked on my Garden Steps Quilt for the . . .

Remember this pile of cut fabric?

I've turned it into this . . .

12 beautiful blocks of Ruby goodness! I love Ruby! I actually only got 6 of the blocks done on Friday night, but I was able to finish up the other 6 today.  :)  Now I'm ready to begin the embroidery on the center squares. Only 1 design has been released so far so I'm not too far behind. I can't wait to get started on the embroidery.  :)

Until next time . . .

A Little Bit of Everything to Catch Up...

Hello!  :)

I'm still sick. Can you believe it? I can't. I'm just finishing up the antibiotics for the sinus infection, that's still here. My son's been sick all week so I've been taking care of him. Now on top of my existing sinus infection I've caught my son's cold as well as some other health issues going on. Will it ever end? I sure hope so! I'm still trying to get things done here and there but it's hard to concentrate.  :(

I hate the fact that I'm neglecting my blog. I'm going to do my best to try to keep up with it as I get joy from the sharing and caring that comes with it.  :)  Please bear with me.

Look what I got in the mail last week . . .

Yes those are two charm packs of the upcoming Vintage Modern by Bonnie & Camille for Moda! Plus a charm pack of Summer Breeze II by Sentimental Studios for Moda. I couldn't resist! I love all of Bonnie & Camille fabrics and couldn't wait to get my hands on some of this! Now I just have to decide what to do with it. As for the Summer Breeze II . . . I've been eyeing this collection for awhile now. I have a few vintage sheets I've collected in these exact colors that will go well with it. These are definitely nice additions to my growing fabric collection.  :)

Last week I received this wonderful book . . .

I won it over at A Quilting Life blog. It's even signed by the authors . . .

How cool is that?!!! Thanks Sherri!  :)

Beginning tomorrow I'm participating in another Blog Hop Party with Giveaways, sponsored by Michele over at The Quilting Gallery to celebrate St. Patrick's Day.

Come back here on Saturday to see what I'm giving away and enter for a chance to win.  :)

Tomorrow night is this month's Friday Night Sew-In. Have you signed up to participate yet? I have!  :)

I'm hoping to be able to work on this . . .

I'm a little behind already but hoping to get caught up quick. Last week I did manage to take these beautiful Ruby fabrics . . .

And cut them into strips ready to piece together.

I even got the white center squares all ready to go. So I'm planning on getting the 12 blocks put together Friday night during the sew-in. Wish me luck!  :)

Until next time . . .

A New Stitch & Quilt Along . . .

Hello!

Sorry I've been gone so long. I've been really out of it lately. I've been very tired, with lots of allergy problems and just haven't felt like doing anything. I have managed to get some cleaning and organizing done. My projects are lining up though. Hopefully I can get back to sewing again soon. I miss it!

In the meantime I discovered a new Stitch & Quilt Along I'm joining . . .

It's the Garden Steps Stitch & Quilt Along with Clover & Violet. Here's the sample block . . .

It's so yummy and so me!  :)  You should go and check it out!

For the quilt I need 12 fat quarters and a solid for the center. Last week I noticed that Sew Lux Fabric & Gifts had the fabric I wanted to use on sale. I could pick out the 12 fat quarters I wanted and order just them so I did. It arrived today . . .

Such pretty packaging! I almost didn't want to open it . . . (almost.)  ;)  Here's a close up of their business card . . .

I choose to use Ruby by Bonnie & Camille for Moda. I just love it!  :)  Here it is all wrapped up . . .

And another view . . .

Here are the twelve fat quarters I choose . . .

 Aren't they yummy?!!! The quilt requires two colorways so I'm using red . . .

and aqua . . .

I already have some white on hand so I'll be using that. Now I just need to figure out what threads I'll be using for the embroidery. Then check my stock and order the ones I don't have. I can't wait to get started on this one. It looks so fun!  :)

Until next time . . .