The Christmas Dress

It occurred to me on Friday night that if I wanted to get my Daughter's Christmas dress done, it should be done by today - the Sunday before Christmas - so she could wear it to church.

I hadn't even cut it out yet.

And so the challenge was on...

Happily, after some whirlwind sewing, I finished the dress last night at 10:30 pm. Woo!! Dress in a day!!

Bearing that in mind, I think it turned out really beautifully! Here it is!



I used Butterick Pattern #3714, with a few Linzsews modifications thrown in! The flowers on the waistline I reused from my Halloween costume headband. Hey - waste not, want not! :) The green fabric is the same as the fabric I used on my Halloween dress too. I ended up with WAY too much, so it worked out perfectly! The gold I found at Joann's and just loved!

Yea for good projects that come together!! Oh, and here's how I did her hair today...



She feels like a princess.

Beejeebers December Block

This month, our Beejeeber group was given the instructions to do rainbows!! Any kind of block we wanted, in Rainbow Colors!

I decided to do a string block, and I am pleased with how it turned out!



It didn't line up perfectly, but overall, I love the look! I hope Lisa likes it too!!

***edit** It was bugging me so I switched some around. I like this better!

Stockings and stuff!

Hello! Remember me? lol!!

It has been a while! Sadly, I have been sick for 2 1/2 weeks, so my sewing and especially blogging time has dwindled! But I am getting better and I want to share a few things that I managed to get done!

Stockings!!



I have been wanting to make our family new stockings for years, but never got around to it! FINALLY, this year, I just bucked up and did it! And I am so tickled with how they came out!!



YEA! I love it when things turn out!!

I also finally recovered my Christmas card board. I covered it myself a few years ago, and hated how it came out. So, finally, I redid it! And this time - I love it!



So, a few Christmas projects under my belt! Hopefully more to come soon!!

Cheers!

Beejeeber's November Block!

This month, Pat asked the Beejeebers to do a Carpenter's Star block! I have wanted to try this block for a while.

It is a tOn of HSTs... seriously. But - as with all blocks that take a lot of work, the end result is spectacular!! I am thrilled with how this came together!!

I hope she likes it! :)

 

The tutorial for this block is found HERE!

Super Secret Quilt Revealed!

I'm not going to lie...

This is probably my favorite quilt. Ever. (Yes, I said that last time. And the time before. I actually mean it this time!)

This quilt was a super secret surprise, and I am so excited to finally share it with you today!!  Here's the background.

A few years ago, I was a leader for the youth program at my church. In that program, the girls work on the Personal Progress Program, to build talents, life skills, and to strengthen their relationship with our Savior. It is a lovely program, and they have 6 years to complete it. While I was the leader, I made a deal with the younger girls: if they finished the whole program in just 2 years, I would make them their own quilt.

This is the third quilt I have made for that reason! :)

This particular girl is a very close friend of mine. She is my sewing student, a running friend, an already accomplished author, and an all around top knotch woman.

She is also an total nerd. Just like me. We are both completely into Harry Potter (yes, I am serious!) So, this quilt was a no brainer for me. I also smiled the most as I made it! I love how it came out!!

So, here it is... the Marauder's Map Quilt!

Yes, I know. It IS that awesome! hahaha! The irony of the saying on the quilt compared to the reason this quilt was earned is not lost on me...

Anyway, I chose to quilt in a meandering stipple with black thread to make it look like little trail marks. I like it. The feet prints make me smile! It is backed in flannel for extra snuggly goodness!

Needless to say, she loves it!! :) Way to go miss M!

Happy Halloween!!

Welcome to the 2012 Halloween Extravaganza! I have been sewing up a storm the last few days (mostly because I waited until the last possible moment to finish these) and am pleased to show off our really fun costumes! :) I was planning on making Princess Leia, but thank heavens, my neighbor (who I seriously couldn't live without!) had one that fit my daughter perfectly, so we went with that! I will show off the awesome Leia hair that I pulled off!! :)

Sock buns. Who knew? They worked perfectly!

Okay, on to costumes!

First up - C3PO!

I made this with a metallic costume material. It's actually plastic. I hate it. It was awful to work with, and if my son is to be believed, awful to wear. But - it looks just right! lol!

The belt thing was fun. I just sewed circular designs and "wires" onto it. I love how it came out.

We used serious makeup on his face, and it looks great, but just slightly too green... oh well! He looks great!

For mine, I went as "Goldberry", a small character in Lord of the Rings. She didn't make it into the movie (that I can remember), so I was able to create her just the way I wanted. She was the "River's daughter" - a kind of nature goddess. I used a dress pattern that I used a few years ago. It turned out really lovely!

I even made more flower rosettes for my hair! :) Seriously, I will post a tutorial on the rosettes soon! They are so easy and so pretty! :)

Check out my eye makeup! It's probably the best eyeshadow I've ever done. That's really saying something... lol! I have a few more pictures of my dress (some details) on Flickr, so check those out too! :)

 The three of us all decked out! :)

Well, Happy Halloween everyone!! Stay safe!

Skill Builders Top Complete!!

It's all sewn together!! YEA!!!!!!! I am absolutely loving how it came together! It measures a massive 94 x 107 - a queen size quilt! I just LOVE it!

Sorry for the bad picture... I'll get great ones when it's all quilted and finished! :)

My hubby and I have been toying with the idea of converting our office into a guest room. I think with this beauty... I have to get a queen size bed to keep it on! Don't  you think? :)

WIP Wednesday!

Here we are at Wednesday again!! I am so happy to have some progress to report!! I have actually made a bunch of progress that I am SOO excited about!!

First up - My Skill Builders Sampler top is almost done!! I have it all together except for the borders! I am sooooo excited and love how it is coming together! :)

YEA!!

Next up - C3PO is cut out! It should come together pretty quickly, which is nice. I still need to figure out how to do the hood, but we'll get to that...

Last, my super secret quilt is coming along! I've got the words all appliqued on, so now I just have some decorations left to applique around the edges! I am loving it and can't wait to share it with everyone! :)

Well, that's all for now!! Be sure to stop in and check out all the WIPs at Freshly Pieced!!

Progress...

Right... It's Friday. I was going to post on Wednesday. Whoops! First things first... my progress!

I made a lot of headway on Skill Builders! I got the first half bordered and today started the 2nd half! YEA! It's finally coming together!

Now, on to some FUN! Yesterday - 10.11.12 - was my 33rd birthday!! It was special enough just being on 10.11.12, but watch this...

10+11+12 = 33

I know. The day was bound to be totally magical, right?!? :)

It was. My husband (who has legendary status at my local quilt shop from when he bought me my machine) again went above and beyond to surprise me! He once again ventured to the LQS and came out with this:

A Serger!!!! I am so tickled! He left it in the back of his car, then asked me if I would run out to get his work bag. He uses this method a lot, but STILL managed to shock me! He said I squealed. I probably did.

I have never used a serger before, but I am really excited to learn! YEA!!!!

Beejeebers October Block!!

I am so happy to have finished this one early in the month!! Josie wanted circles, so this is what I came up with:

I hope she likes it! What a fun block to do!

It's Wednesday!! WIP it!!

I am posting WIP Wednesday... on Wednesday! It must be a good week... ;)

Here is what's going on...

1 - I did manage to repair my Bottled Rainbow Quilt!

All those little pieces are firmly back in place, she got a good washing, and I am happliy back to nightly snuggle time!! I love you, Bottled Rainbow...

2 - Beejeebers October Block - she asked for circles... then circles she shall get!

I still need to sew them down, but it's only the 3rd and it's almost done! Yea!

3 - M's super secret quilt

This quilt is 100% applique. This week, I managed to cut out all 95 pieces to be appliqued. Seriously. I have problems. It's going to be awesome, though! :)

4 - Halloween Costumes...

I got the fabric for C3PO. That's it.

No progress this week on:
Sashing for Skill Builders sampler
Star Wars Apron
Game Night Quilt
Dress #1 and #2.

So that's all for now. I probably won't sew much today... The Mark of Athena came out yesterday... so today I'll be getting my Percabeth reunion on... ;)

Happy stitching! Be sure to check out all the WIPs at Freshly Pieced!

Beejeebers September Block

I finally feel like I am getting caught up!!! Yea!!

Today I made our September block for the Beejeebers Quilt Bee. It was SUCH a fun block to make! I love everything about it!!

So fun, isn't it?! The tutorial for the block can be found HERE.

So, I missed the WIP Wednesday post yesterday, so I thought that I would take a minute to at least list my current WIPs to help me continue to get caught up with everything...

In order of importance (or, at least the order in which I am going to do them, lol!)

1 - Repair Bottled Rainbow.

Sadly, my BR has seen better days. It is amazing how fast a quilt can get beat up when it is used every single day. A few of the pieces are in need of restitching, and a few places on the binding need some repair. It really shouldn't take too long. I hope not, because I miss snuggling with it every night!

2 - Halloween Costumes - it's that time of year again! My kids are completely into Star Wars this year, so watch for C3PO and Princess Leia costumes soon! I still don't know what I am going to be...

3 - M's Quilt. This is a super secret project that I am SOOOOO excited about! More to come! This quilt shouldn't take too long to finish! :)

4 - Skill Builder Sampler

I need to cut the sashing (still) and sew the top together. It has been waiting for weeks now. Sad. Soon, though!!

5 - Apron - my little man's old apron is way to small, so I will be making him a new one. In Star Wars fabric, naturally!

6 - Game Night Quilt - waiting to be basted and quilted!

7 - Dress #1 - Navy blue/lace. I am super excited for this dress. The pattern is awesome and I LOVE the fabric I got for it! Can't wait to start!

8 - Dress #2 - Grey/black. I bought the pattern for this one about 3 years ago. I have all the fabric. It's been waiting a long time. I suppose it can wait a little longer...

So that's what's on tap for the next... little while. Or long while. We'll see... :)

Toy Hammock

Is it just me, or does every one's kids stuffed animals seem to multiply nightly?

Well, my son was experiencing severe toy storage control issues, so yesterday I decided to make a little toy hammock.

I looked at a few ideas and tutorials on Pintrest, but to be honest, I looked at the pictures and then just did my own thing - only loosely based on what I saw.

This is what I came up with...

I made a 37 inch square using jersey knit scraps from various Maxi skirts that I have made/am making for myself and my daughter. Then, I folded it in half diagonally to create a right triangle.

Then, I bound the end using bias tape (interesting aside - I bought the bias tape because I liked the color. I didn't realize it matched that blue fabric perFectly until I started pinning it on! And just now, I looked over and realized that the color I bought weeks ago for sashing on my Skill Builders Quilt is the same too. I must really like that color...). I created little loops at the corners for hanging.

And TaDa!! It works!!

I really am happy with how it came out! I am going to make another for my daughter's room...

Baptism Dress

I finished my niece's baptism dress!! Yea! It turned out beautifully, and - thank Heaven above - it fits her perfectly! **sigh of relief** (It's nerve-racking making a dress for someone 100s of miles away!!)

So, here it is!

I used Simplicity Pattern #4647, view D, but with sleeves added.

For the sash flower, I decided to make a fabric rosette. I had never made one before, and my practice attempts weren't the best. However, after reading several tutorials - and tweaking all of them - I came up with this and I am so so pleased with how it looks! I will probably post a "my way" tutorial on this soon. They are actually pretty easy and fun! I will be doing them again. And again... :)

So, yea! to a great finish! It is such a relief to have it done!! :)

Redemption is Made (a triathlon gets completed!)

This post is totally NOT about sewing... sorry. :)

REDEMPTION IS MADE!!! I mean, I am sure you all remember THIS EPIC FAIL, right?

So, last Saturday, I participated in the 2012 Kokopelli Olympic Distance Triathlon. It's the exact course as the Epic Fail, but in the Fall rather than the Spring.

Anyway, the Olympic Distance Triathlon goes like this:

1500 meter - Swim
20.4 mile - Bike
10 K (6.2 mile) - Run

Obviously, I had trained a lot harder and a lot smarter for this one. It was fun, and I was so happy to have my family and my parents there to cheer me on!

Let me break it down for you...

The Swim

I'm not going to lie. I was just North of totally petrified before the swim. I even used some colorful words to describe how I was feeling to my hubby. I almost cried. I almost bailed. But, redemption had to be made, right? So, I swallowed the near paralyzing fear and got in the water.

It was a wonderfully warm temperature. And I had the right wet suit on. ;)

The swim went okay. It certainly wasn't the best swim of my career, and I found it very difficult to "spot" the buoys. I should say - to spot the right buoys. There were many in the water that didn't apply to us... but, the important thing was - I finished. I was pretty grumpy when I got out of the water, though. After reflection, I think it was the anxiety that I was feeling beforehand that really caused me to not enjoy the swim. I also need to practice in the lake more than I did. And for longer distances. Oh, well... live and learn. BUT - I finished! It took me 39 minutes, which was about average.

The Bike

The bike portion went well. I felt good the whole time and finished it in about 1 hr and 27 min, which is pretty good for me. I repeat, FOR ME. I learned quickly that I am a s.l.o.w. biker. I did pass exactly 3 people while riding, and all three of them were while we were going up "The Hill." Yea me. Uphill passing feels great! However, the rest of the time, I was passed by everyone else. lol! But, FOR ME, it was a good ride.

The Run

I felt like I was the last Olympic Distance athlete to pull in on the bike. I don't know for sure, but it really did feel that way. So, onto the run. It was great. I ran the 10 K in 1 hr and 5 minutes, or a 10:30 min/mile pace. That's a decent pace for me anyway, but at the tail end of a triathlon - it was great!!

It did start to get a little hot, and I was in the back of the pack, so it was a little tiny bit lonely. I tried to make jokes with those around me. I hope I wasn't just obnoxious...

As I was coming toward the finish, it seemed as though everyone was leaving. Finished, awarded, and heading home. Didn't help the ego. But, I did feel a great sense of pride as I (finally) crossed the finish line! My total time was 3 hr 17 min. Not last place. In fact, I came in 9th in my age group... out of 11. :)

I am very happy to have conquered this one. The Hubby says he might do it with me next year! That would be cool! I'll have to start biking faster, though...

WIP Wednesday

Finally!! After 3 long weeks of not having my sewing machine, I am back in business!! She has been home for 2 days now, and I have a few things to show for it! Yea!!

First - a finish!! The Life baby quilt! See the post HERE!

Next up - a maxi skirt!

I love them. I made one in grey too! Tutorial found HERE!

Next - I managed to finish the bodice of my niece's baptism dress! Yea!

Last - Skill builder's Sampler!

Sorted, pressed and ready to cut the sashing! This quilt has been so long in coming! I am glad to finally be moving on it again!!

Be sure to check out all of the WIPs over at Freshly Pieced!!