My First Block!

So I have finished my first block in the Block-A-Palooza! It was fun and stressful at the same time! I so wanted everything to line up perfectly and did my best. Of course when I posted the picture on my blog I noticed a mistake that is staring me in the face but it's just not worth it to tear it apart! Hopefully it's just one of those things that I notice and not anybody else. Now I need to start on the next block that has only a million pieces to cut out. Oh how I have an appreciation for quilters!

A Succesful Clothing Piece

For a long time now I have been attempting many garments...but they never work out. The piece may turn out great, but it never fits me. It's either to small (apparently I think I'm smaller then I really am) or looks horrible on me. I get very disappointed with it but I can't seem to give up on it! Well this weekend I decided to take a stab at a skirt pattern, and once again, it didn't work out. So instead of tossing in the towel like I usually do, I took it and made my own pattern out of it. I made up my own pattern and turned it in to this wrap skirt below. It was out of a plaid wool blend I got on clearance at Hancock's. What a treat! Maybe with some more practice I can master this garment sewing.



So on to my next project. Well my next project of many. I was hunting around on blogs today and came across Quilt Dad's blog and there is a Block-A-Palooza that has started today! I'm definitely not a quilter-I leave that up to my mom, but decided this would be a great way to learn some techniques. Below is my first block that is all cut out, and just needs to be sewn up. Click on the icon to the left to find out more about it. Join in on the fun! I will be posting my blocks as they are completed.

Snow Days

It has been doing a lot of the above outside so that means staying home and staying warm! People from North Carolina are not aware of how to drive in these conditions so there is a lot of time spent on the couch when this happens.

My big crochet project is this Sardinia sweater I have been working on for awhile now. It's come quite a long way but I still have a lot to due. I was first inspired to make this sweater when I saw it here. The book is the Summer Crochet book by Rowan that you can get here.

This is a crochet hook holder/book that my mom surprised me with at Christmas. It's amazing! I used to keep all my hooks in a little cosmetic bag but here it is organized and it carries scissors, ruler and all my hooks. She is so creative and knew what I needed!

Here is a shot of it open. She chose great fabrics from one of my favorite fabric collections!

New Happenings

A lot has been happening with little posts around here! Recently I have been trying to spend less money and make more in my sewing room. I love going in to stores, getting ideas from merchandise and then trying to recreate that product. My weakness is Anthropology and recently I saw some fabric necklaces there. So below is a picture of what I created. They were made with voile fabric and glass beads. Easy and quick to make


Below is what I have been most excited about! At the end of last year I was asked to sew a raincoat from Amy Butler's pattern with laminated fabric for Sew News magazine. It was a challenging project but I was determined to get through it. Usually you send in the sewn garment and they produce their own photography, but since my brother is a photographer I decided to take my own pictures. They must have liked our photography because they are showing a 'sneak peek' for the upcoming issue with our submitted photos! So my brother's photography is in the magazine and my friend Haley is the model! It could not be more exciting. So watch out for the next issue because the entire article will be there!