Halloween Treat Bags

I wanted to make something fun to send to Crafted to help people get in the Halloween spirit.  I picked up a bunch of fun fabrics at one of my local shops and sat down to figure out what to do with them.  Since I had only gotten a 1/4 yard of each print I was somewhat limited on what I could make.  I decided on two different styles of little trick or treat bags.

One is smaller and one continuous print but it has box corners to give it depth. 

The other is slightly larger with two different prints on the exterior.

I wasn't able to finish any of them last night.  I have the exteriors and the linings constructed and ready to sew together as soon as I get ribbon to use for the handles. 

Then its on to the Halloween quilt that I've been wanting to make for over a year :)

Quilt Along Love

I love all sew-a-long related.  I hadn't had much luck finding any this year.  The one I was participating in last year was put on hold due to a pregnancy and just started up again (which I am thrilled about!).  But one per month just wasn't going to cut it for me.  After looking around on some  of the blogs I follow I discovered quilt-a-longs...  I am now participating in the following:

Vintage Quilt-A-Long with Fabric Mutt
Zakka Sew-A-Long with LRStitched
Amy Butler Style Stitches Sew-A-Long with Bree @ My Crafty Crap
Super Penguin Quilt-A-Long with Pink Penguin

I'm definitely looking to make this list longer so let me know of any interesting ones that you come across! 

I have to admit that the Super Penguin Block 1 almost got the best of me. I have only done two quilts in the past and they were just 5 inch squares sewed together. I had no idea what I was doing at the time (and still don't). So when I came across the Super Penguin Quilt-A-Long and decided I HAD to participate, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. After trying to figure it out on my own, wasting a lot of time, and much frustration, I was left with a slightly off kilter but okay looking section for my first block. After another false start, I decided to swallow my pride and Google how to use a pieced pattern. That helped a little and I managed to make yet another so-so looking section. Then came UTube...the next, and hardest, piece came off without a hitch, and now I'm hooked.

They still need a little bit of work and I wish I had chosen a more contrasting set of fabrics for the one on the right, but all in all I'm pretty pleased with how I have done on this so far.  There is one more section to block one that I hope to have made tonight so I can put the entire thing together.  I'm trying to use up some of my stash of scrap fabric so this will be a very colorful quilt by the time I'm done :)

I'm having some technical difficulties this morning (sounds better than I just can't figure it out, right?) so these pictures are not right side up.  They are the first two blocks for my Vintage Holiday Quilt.  I decided to go with traditional holiday fabrics.  They recommended using a light colored solid for the background but I couldn't resist this reindeer fabric when I saw it.  After looking at the flicker group photos and seeing other people's quilts, I may have to make another one using non-traditional Christmas fabrics. 

On a side note, I found these on Zulily the other day and decided I must try to make something similar!  I may even have to make a pair for myself...

Thunder Up! Preseason Prep.

I'm trying to get started early on my Thunder gear this year.  I will admit that up until the end of last season I had not watched professional basketball in nearly 10 years.  I used to LOVE it!  I watched every game, college or professional, and enjoyed every minute.  My favorites were Charles Barkley and the Duke team with Battier and Langdon (that tells you how long ago it was).  But at my husband and cousin's insistence I decided to watch the last two series of the playoffs...now I'm hooked.  The reasons I stopped watching in the first place seemed to be missing from the Thunder team.  There was no showboating and they actually played like a TEAM.  In order to properly support my team this season I will need to get some Thunder attire.  But I do not want to have the same stuff as everyone else in Oklahoma City so I decided to make my own.  This is what I've come up with so far.  Keep in mind they are just the preliminary projects.

I started off with my poor beat up Rocketdogs.  These were my favorite shoes before I got pregnant an the only thing I've worn since-hence their condition.  I thought they would be the perfect trial pair since they are falling apart (the soles are in even worse shape).  I did wash them before getting started.

My next step was to draw out the pattern directly onto the shoe so I could get an idea of how it would look.  In hindsight, this was not the best idea.  The paint that I used did not cover the marker so I was not able to make any adjustments to the pattern after I started.

I wanted a variety of patterns and prints.  I girl that I went to high school with and am now friends with on Facebook has done some wonderful OU and OSU shoes in the past so I looked to her photos for inspiration.

I toyed with the idea of putting the Thunder logo on the tops of the shoes but decided to go simple since it was my first time.

I also very sloppily wrote THUNDER on the backs of the shoes and was unable to cover it with the paint.  Hopefully the hems of my pants will cover my mistake.

Next I sketched out a quick drawing so I could see where I wanted to put the different colors within each section.

Finally time to start painting.  Again I learned a lot which should make it sooo much easier next time!

I finally came out with these!

Not too bad for my first attempt :)

Boutique Bound!

I have been asked in the past to put some of my items in various boutiques around the state but have never found a place that I thought would work for me...until now.  Starting tomorrow I will be sending (via mail) items to Claremore to be put in a boutique featuring homemade items.  Although I've never been to Claremore before I did look them up on Facebook to get a general idea of how their store is laid out and what type of items they carry.  I was pleasantly suprised by what I saw.  You can check them out for yourself

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Crafted-an-artisan-boutique/206044486147289

For now I will just be sending them a few of my smaller womens items but if all goes well I may try to expand the range of items that I send to them.  I've been working this weekend to get items ready to send their way.

So far I plan on sending them my new Business Card Holders, Keyring Clutches, Foldover Clutches (various sizes), Curvy Clutches (various sizes), Earbud Pouches and whatever else I have time to get ready today.

I do have another project that I have started that I'm really excited about.  Unfortunately Kale hasn't been cooperating so it's taking a little longer than I would like.  I'm hoping to have pictures to share tomorrow.

I didn't get a lot of sewing done this weekend, but I still feel that overall I accomplished quite a bit.  I went to the gym at the instance of my friend Rachel for the first time in about 14 months.  Afterwards I swung by the house to pick up Kale and Ryan to take them to Rachel's swimming pool.  Kale had a much better time than the previous attempt.  He actually seemed pretty content (and he was absolutely adorable of course).

I have to admit that I'm feeling a little sore today but very energetic.  Not sure whether to attribute the energy to the workout yesterday but I'm sure that it's to blame for the soreness :).  I did manage to rearrange my sewing room yet again.  I definitely liked it better before except for the fact that one of the two outlets was inaccessible.  So while it may not be as aesthetically pleasing, it is definitely more functional.  I also managed to use up the left over pieces of fabric from my Moda French General collection on a bunch of fun Foldover Clutches and Card Holders.  Tonight its back to the gym and back to work!

New Style of Diaper Bag!

I have to say that this weekend did not go well in my sewing world.  I attempted two diaper clutches in a new style and was very unhappy with my end results...guess my mother-in-law will be getting a couple of new items :).  The overall look of the clutches were very cute but I used an extra firm stabilizer and since they were so thin (about an 1" wide) it was hard to get them through my machine.  I may end up handstitching them but that could prove to be just as hard.  I'm sure I'll figure out something, lol. 

After those botched attempts I did manage to knock out one new diaper bag.  I have made two of these for myself and love them.  My first one was made with the Meadow Friends fabrics by Moda and the second (the one I'm carrying now) can be seen in one of my earlier blogs was made using an owl fabric by Kanvas.  This newest bag is perfect for a new little addition to the family with a total of 8 pockets it is sure to keep all of your baby essentials organized.

I also managed to get a few random keyring clutches ready and got caught up on all of my orders that I had been putting off.  I still have three pillowcases dresses, a carseat canopy, and some wee wee tee pees that need to go out by the end of the week.  Eek!

The most fun I had all weekend was introducing Kale to solid food.

We made a huge mess but he seemed to like it and we had a blast!  We started off with squash and a couple of days later tried sweet potatoes.  He's still trying to figure out how to get the food off of the spoon but it won't be long before he has the hang of it!  The mother-in-law (Linda) is coming to watch him tonight so I get to focus on my sewing!

Skirts for Charity

I just read an amazing post on one of my favorite blogs.  A few celebrities and bloggers have teamed up for Project Run and Play.  Project Run and Play will help out foster care system by donating homemade skirts to the girls in need.  You can find out more about the event and check out a great skirt tutorial at

http://maureencracknellhandmade.blogspot.com/2012/07/drawstring-skirt-tutorial.html?showComment=1342097005354#c2791006392655047691

I put the finishing touches on three of my Swing Bags last night.  I wanted a little variety so I finished one with an applique and buttons (this one has been finished for awhile), one with a large sash/bow, one with small crochet flowers, and one with an owl charm.  I have to put the finishing touches on one more but not sure what I want to do to it...I'm open for suggestions :)