For laughs...

So true... :) Happy sewing!

Utility Bags

I made 10 utility bags for my husband to store and carry climbing gear in for a youth encampment that he is leading in a few weeks. I came up with the design myself, and in a moment of weakness, decided to add a zippered pocket to all of them. It tripled the amount of time it took to make them, but hey - they will thank me later... ;)

So here they are (forgive the awful pictures. I'll get great ones when I make the tutorial soon!)

This bag is SO easy to make! Simple drawstring backpack!!

I laced the cords through grommets and knotted them off. That way, they can be easily converted to a drawstring bag. And the grommets provide a drainage if the boys have to wade through water in the canyons!

Zippered pockets! I will admit, I didn't do them perfectly. But they are functional!

All in all a great bag that is quick and easy!! Stay tuned for an upcoming tutorial on these!! :)

WIP Wednesday

Once again, very little was done this week. I promise, once summer is behind us, this blog won't be such a drag! :)

I did manage to do a few little things:

Utility Bags: I finished all 10 bags, and they turned out great! I haven't taken pictures yet, but will get those up tomorrow!!

Game night:

I did get some prep work done. There are some blocks that came out a little bit small, so I am trying to figure out the best approach here. I think I know what I am going to do, so some sewing will get done on this today!

Swimsuit alteration:

My main project of the week: altering my 8 year old's swim suit. Okay, I know that I am very conservative, but this year has been a swimsuit nightmare. I'm sorry - I don't want my daughter wearing a suit that is trying to make her look like a mini woman. We have tried 3 times to get a decent suit and each time it has been to low cut, to high cut, or just plain inappropriate. Finally, I found one at Downeast Outfitters that was very, very close to what we were looking for. BUT - My daughter is very tall, so the top was, once again, too short. That's when I realized: I can fix this. I sacrificed one of my swim suit in the process, but I managed to sew a band around the bottom of the top and yea!! She now has a suit that looks cute and covers her in an appropriate way. I have a feeling this is going to be the norm every summer. I may just try making our own swimsuits... we'll see. :) So here is the finished product.

Well, that's all! Check out all of the WIPs over at Freshly Pieced!! :)

WIP Wednesday!

Wow! It's been 2 weeks since my last post. Why? Because Summertime continues to kill me!! lol! But really - we've been having fun and doing a lot of running around, but sadly, that translates into much less sewing time. Quick story - yesterday my hubby and I went out on a bike ride. 3 miraculous things happened:
1 - I didn't fall (this is a big deal!)
2 - I didn't swear once (again  - big deal!)
3 - I didn't get mad at my husband (because my lack of biking skills are somehow his fault, right?)

Then one horrible thing happened - we saw a hUge rattle snake. Seriously. It was a MONSTER!!! I am terrified of snakes. I like to pretend that they are just myths. Anyway - it gave me the creeps!!!

So, on to sewing!

These past two weeks, I have been working on a project for my husband, who in a few weeks is taking a group of scouts canyoneering. He has a bunch of gear for each scout, and I am making utility backpacks for each set.

They are actually super easy, really useful, and pretty cute! I'll probably make one for each on my kids in fabric that is actually cute, and put up a tutorial soon!

In other projects - I have cut the sashing for my game night quilt:

And planned the sashing for the skill builders!

As soon as those bags are done, I will be sashing things up!! Yea!!!

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

WIPs on the 4th!

Happy Independence Day, America!!

I feel like I've gotten a lot done this week! Here we go!

Skill Builders Sampler QAL

I have FINISHED!!! All 36 blocks are done! I am so so so excited! Here are my last few:

First off, I redid block 33 - Mini Lone Star.

This one is the best of the three, but it still gave me some guff. But I really like it in these fabrics!

Block 35 - Feathered Star

I really like this block. I did the paper pieced version, and I am glad! I struggled a little getting the subunits together, especially the middle square, but - all in all - I am very happy with it!!

Block 36 - Alice's Butterfly

Hands down, my favorite block of the series! I love butterflies! And, it came together very well for me! I felt very confident sewing the curves and the Y seams. I just love how it came out! I am going to do this block again and make it into a pillow for my mother in law's birthday!

I am so glad that I did this quilt a long! I have really learned so so much! A huge THANK YOU to Leila for hosting this incredible series! And, here they are in all their glory!!

 Wow. Just, wow. Now I just need to decide how get them all sewn together! :)

Beejeebers

This month's block - scrappy log cabin! ***LOVE***

Turned out cute! I hope Laura likes it!

Coming up this week - piecing the top of my game night quilt, starting a dress, and making 10 utility bags for my husbands climbing gear. Fun stuff!

Happy WIP Wednesday!! Be sure to check out all of the awesome WIPs at Freshly Pieced!

Explanation :)

Okay, for those who didn't get it, here's what the sticker is getting at...

I am a marathon runner. I am proud of this fact. So, I sport the following sticker on my car...

My husband believes that running should only happen in a life or death situation, and avoids runner far distances as much as he can. Therefore, he gets this sticker:

It's all about the all important placement of the decimal point! haha!!