A Lot of a Little

This weekend was full of lots of little projects.  Some sewing, some not.  Some I can show you, some I can't.

There is this though...

There was some Halloween Sewing--

Squeak was pretty thrilled with his "Micky Mouse Trick or Treat".  I don't know why he wouldn't add bag on to the end but it was cute and I knew what he meant :).  Princess got one too but she really didn't care :P.

 

Doesn't everyone need a Halloween Washi Dress.  This was the best picture I could find.  Turns out we don't have a full length mirror in the house (the kids broke the one in the bedroom--twice--and I just haven't gotten a new one yet) and Hubby was out of town so your stuck with this photo for now.  I plan to wear it to work on Friday so I'll try to get a better shot then...or buy a mirror...whichever.

 

There was some craft show prep...

There was some cross stitch progress on my Once Upon a Time Sampler but I didn't get a photo of it.

There was some selfish sewing...my 4th (?) Plantain Tee.  See above for explanation of terrible selfie. Will try for better photos later.

And there was some internet stalking.  No worries, it was the good kind--meaning I finally broke down and signed up for a couple of swaps on Instagram.  I received my partner info on one and I've already got a pretty good idea of what to make for her.  Hope she likes what's on her inspiration mosaic because that's pretty much what she's going to get :)!!

My Mysterytown Pillow

I wanted to make my Mysterytown Cross Stitch into a project case but the size just wasn't working for me so instead it became a pillow :).  And I couldn't decide what features to include in my case.  I know I'll need a scissor leash, a needle pad, and a clear plastic zippered pouch for thread, but what am I forgetting???
 

 

Back to the project at hand--I really wanted to add black pom pom trim around the edges but everywhere was sold out (or at least everywhere that was open on Sunday) so I settled for orange.  After getting it home from the store I realized there were a few pom poms missing but there wasn't much I could do about it so I'll just hope no one notices.

A closer shot so you can see what an amazing pattern this is (The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery strikes again).

 And of course one  Halloween pillow is never enough--and JoAnn was having a great sale on Halloween fabrics--so I whipped up this 18" burlap pillow late Sunday night.

And since I finished this project, I am now, by my new rules, allowed to start a new one :).  I'm debating between Wacky Witches by Cloud Factory and the new Christmas Celebration Sampler by Frosted Pumpkin...  Oh, who am I kidding?!  You know I'm going to get them both ;)

BTW, I've been working on a new project/tutorial that is cross stitch related.  So far it's been a fail but I'm hopeful.  If nothing else you can get a good laugh at my expense :P.

Witch on a Broom-The Final Halloween Themed Paper Pieced Pattern (FOR NOW)

I assure you, there will be more :).  And there will most likely be some other holiday themed ones before too long.  But in the meantime I leave you with the huge Witch on a Broom.  I tried to vary the sizes of my other patterns a bit so that you weren't stuck with a bunch of small square minis but this one is measuring in at a whopping 24" x 36"!!  I plan to add borders to mine and make it a small lap quilt.

I would love to see what you're making with my patterns so be sure and add #sewingwithsqueak to any Instagram photos ;)

Big City Bags October Link Up

Once again I have nothing to show you for this month's challenge :(.  Hopefully you all can say differently. 

 

(Photos used with permission of Martingale Publishing.  Photograph by Brent Kane.)

If you managed to get your bag complete please link up below for a chance to win this month's prize a $35 gift certificate to spend on anything you like at the Fat Quarter Shop! 

Witch's Boot-A Free Paper Pieced Pattern

Don't worry, I only have a couple more Halloween themed paper pieced patterns to show you, then I'll move on to something else :).

I have several more I'm trying to get ready to publish by Monday so there may be a barrage of them on here and Instagram over the weekend.

My most recent pattern is Witch's Boot.  It is once again free for a limited time so get it now!

Arching Cat-A Paper Pieced Pattern

Once again I've come up with a pretty creative name for my pattern haven't I?  

Despite that, I really like this little guy.  And like our last little kitty, he is not overly Halloweenish if you change the colors :).

Click on the link above to find out more about this pattern.  Hurry though, time is running out for the free Halloween patterns!!

A Party Fit For a Princess

Princess turned one last week and I had grand plans for her party.  But as usual, things came up and I had to scale it back a bit.

This is what we ended up with...

 

There were of course lots and lots of balloons  :)

Lots of presents...

 I had my special rice crispies.  I like to make mine extra gooey and add a touch of vanilla extract plus sprinkles :).  Princess punch consisted of Sprite and pink lemonade.

 Our cupcake cake was half vanilla, half chocolate and had pink icing with white lettering and silver ribbons and glitter.  I added the Little People Princesses to help tie it into the overall theme.  The castle (and the princesses on the cake) were actually some of her presents.  I found pink goldfish crackers at the Target by our house and I made Princess Popcorn by adding melted white chocolate and sprinkles to microwave popcorn.

And here is the princess herself.  That bow didn't stay on long so I'm glad I was able to get this shot!!

All in all I think it was a success!!

Mysterytown

My Halloween Mysterytown cross stitch block is complete.  The pattern is by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery and was released in four different parts.  I fell behind on this project soon after I started it and never thought I would be able to get it done in time to display it this year.

I have yet to decide what I'm going to do with it.  I keep going back and forth between a pillow (yes, another one!) and a project bag of some sort (possibly to hold my next project...I'm thinking Cloud Factory's Wacky Witches).

Now that this one is all finished I need to get back to work on my Once Upon a Time Sampler...and Gingerbread Lane...and the 12 Days of Christmas Sampler...and the Woodland Sampler...and the Kawaii Winter Wonderland Sampler...and those are only the ones I've already started, there are many others still waiting in the wings--obviously I have a problem!

A Trio of Minis & a Sneak Peek

I've completed three of my paper pieced mini quilts so far.  Happy Ghost and Crouching Cat are awaiting quilting and Witch on a Broom is in the testing phase.

These are currently hanging in my office.  Trying to liven the place up a bit ;).

A close up of the quilting on the hat.  I was trying out a couple of new designs.  I'm really happy with how the swirls in the orange parts turned out--a little less thrilled with how the black ended up.  I think they were supposed to resemble eyeballs?  A large circle with a small circle inside touching one side...  Oh well at least I tried.

And the witch is in the works!  I have her partially pieced and I will warn you she is not for the beginner.  No incredibly small pieces this time but that's because she is HUGE!  More on her later this week...

Pouncing Cat-A Paper Pieced Pattern

This cute little guy is the fifth (I think?) in the series of Halloween themed paper pieced patterns that I'm releasing this year.  The pattern can be found here.

This pattern is not overly Halloweenish...change the colors and it can be used for any occasion!

There are a couple of spots where I used the wrong fabrics (label your pieces before you start people!) but these were the result of operator error and not the fault of the pattern.

Like the others, this one is free through the end of October 2014 :)

I'm in the middle of testing another one for you so look for it toward the end of the week...

***Someone suggested using the hashtag #sewingwithsqueak when posting photos of projects (in progress or complete) on Instagram.  I love the idea of being able to see what everyone is making!***

Big City Bags for October

A bit of a late start this month but hopefully you have already started on your Honeymooners Suitcase! 

(Photos used with permission of Martingale Publishing.  Photograph by Brent Kane.)

The Rules

• We will be sewing the books in the order they are in the book.  Only the bag for that specific month will be eligible for the link up.
• The bag must be complete to qualify for prizes.
• On the first of every month I will announce a new project and prize. 
• You will have from October 25, 2014 until midnight on October 31, 2014 CST to link up your project for a chance to win that month's prize.
• You can link up more than one bag a month as long as they were both made during the corresponding month
• Join the Flickr group to see all the projects that have been made. 

This month's prize is courtesy of Fat Quarter Shop. The winner this month will have $35 to spend on anything in the shop.  They have so much to choose from...I wouldn't be able to decide what to get!!

Can't wait to see the finished bags this month!

Witch's Hat

The fourth Halloween themed paper pieced pattern that I'm releasing is the Witch's Hat.

This pattern is free until Halloween 2014 and can be found here.

September's Winner

Betsy, you're on a roll!  This is two month's in a row.  And just so others out there do not think it's rigged, Betsy was actually the only one that was able to complete the bag and link up in time :). 

 

You can read all about Betsy's experience sewing the bag here.

Hopefully she will share with us what she decides to get from this month's sponsor -- Sew Me A Song.

Current Cross Stitch

My inability to finish one thing before starting another is not limited to sewing. 

These are the two cross stitch projects I am currently working on (there are several others hiding in my sewing room).

Both patterns are by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery.  The first is Halloweentown.  It was released in 4 parts and I have completed 2 (typical).

The second is the year long Once Upon a Time Sampler.  I'm actually almost caught up on this one now since this picture is a few days old. 

The Frosted Pumpkin actually just released a new autumn mystery sampler.  So far I have resisted.  I keep telling myself when (if) I finish up some of the in progress pieces I can buy a new pattern...let's see how long I can hold out!