Blue and Green Block

I finished my blue/green block for project improv yesterday. One of the "rules" was not to use a pattern and to be a variation of the log cabin pattern. I really enjoyed making me this block. In fact I enjoyed doing it so much I made another block and made it into a pillow cover that I'm listing on Etsy. The majority of the pack is from a sample pack I got in a cute quilt store in Seattle this past fall. I think I'll have to get some more because they really looked nice together. I'm pretty sure it was an Amy Butler sample pack for those that are curious. The rest I just used from my stash. I could make hundreds of blocks out of all the scraps I have lying around, a project for a rainy day I think.

Zakka

I got this great new book called Zakka Sewing in the mail over the weekend and I'm planning on spending my afternoon reading it, drinking tea and breaking out the fabric. I think I'm planning on buying many more Japanese books. The nice one about this is that it's in English so it's a good primer to the other Japanese craft books on my wish list. Happy Monday!

Shopping List Saturday

vonicadesigns

Tiny Happy
Intres

These are the three things I'm loving this week on Etsy. The purse is cute and reminds me a little bit of the Arts and Crafts movement, which is one of my favorite styles.
The journal by Tiny Happy is something that caught my eye, reminding me of my three "birdies". Everything of hers is just so simple and natural looking. I love it all!

I just found this tower by Intres last week and I'm trying to think of a good reason I would need it, since I don't have Christmas as an excuse anymore. It has such great detail. ElsieMarley

And I just love this cute bag to keep doll clothes in. How sweet!
Have a good weekend and please check out FancyPicnic in order to join or to check out the other Shopping Lists!

Shop Update

Now that I'm finally out of Christmas making mode I was able to make a few things for the shop. I'm offering free shipping till the 15th! Watch tomorrow for Shopping List Saturday when I'll be featuring other fellow Etsyians. If you want to check out other Shopping List Saturday posts or take part check out Fancy Picnic.

Christmas Gifts and Quilt Improv

Since Christmas is over and my handmade gifts have been given I thought I'd post some pictures of what I had in the works in December. The first thing I made was a purse for my mom. She had requested one that would fit all her stuff for the cruise her and my dad are going on soon. Initially I made one that had pink for the top border but then decided that pink really wasn't my mother so I gave that one to my sister-in-law because it really reminded me of her and made her a more neutral toned one. They turned out well and are getting a lot of use. I did learn a handy tidbit that I need to interface the lining to keep the magnetic snap from ripping the fabric. Live and learn. But it was quickly fixed and I learned something new.I went out on a limb and joined a little quilt improv going on at Tallgrass Prairie. If you want to take the plunge too just shoot her an email and join along. It will be a great way for me to keep myself motivated and get myself out the my own box that I sometimes create for myself. I'm excited to see what is created.

Embracing My Imperfections

I have a confession. I hate the fact that when I start a new project or learn something new I'm not immediately perfect at it. Now I actually don't know anyone who is perfect the first time but I sure would like to be! But I'm not and I'm trying to embrace that part of me that's not perfect and giving myself a little slack in the process. So here's a little sneak peak into one of my imperfections. I have never quilted by machine, only by hand, which means that it's takes years for me to finish my quilts. In an effort to up my production my gracious and loving husband bought me a new machine last year so that I could machine quilt. I quickly pieced together a "tester" quilt, quilted three lines with my walking foot, gave up and put it away. This past week I've been organizing my space and decided to clear out some of my "to do" projects. I grabbed the "tester" quilt and quilted another line. To say the least I still didn't like it and thought of just giving up and tying it. But instead I decided to stipple stitch freehand instead to see if I liked it any better. Since it was just a quilt to practice on I didn't worry too much about the fact that I'd already done some stitching in the ditch and then moved to free hand quilting. At the beginning of the freehand I hated it just as much. But after awhile I got used to it and finished the whole thing but the binding in three hours. So this is where I'm really putting myself out there. I'm posting a picture of what my stitches looked like at the beginning. Nope, I am not perfect. There's another one where it is getting better, but definitely not perfect. There's probably 1,001 mistakes on this quilt. But I'm going to embrace it and cuddle with it on the couch and know I made it 1,001 mistakes and all. The beginning That's a little better All done..for better or for worse

Happy New Year!

Wow, Christmas came and went with a flurry, or here in my neck of the woods 60mph winds. But it was a really nice Christmas and I'll be posting some of the things I made for the family. I hope your first day of the new year has been a good one. Mine is a resolution of healthy living, organizing both home and family, and some laughter thrown into the mix. Even though it's now 2009 I put together a little review of 2008 in pictures.