i have to say...

my love/hate relationship with trying new things

 
I love trying new things. BUT. I get frustrated trying new things.

I don't like the "practice makes perfect" time that is necessary to do something well.

The Blogger's Block of the Month looked interesting and do-able, so I signed up.  It sounds fun to make 12 different blocks throughout the year (I like that pace!) and then end up with a little quilt after that time. 

The new thing about this? 

It's combining the fabrics.  I do better when I use all (or most of) one line of fabrics.  That feels comfortable to me.  The problem is that I LOVE the look of quilts that are more random.  Most of my favorite and most inspiring quilters use random fabrics rather than all of one line.

I want to learn something new, but fabric-combining can be an area of doubt for me.  I rethink and question myself way too much, and that keeps me in a place of doing nothing.  Kind of silly, really.

So anyway, that's my block. I like it, but I don't.  Either the red is too bright, or the triangles are too grey.  Maybe both of those things are true.

Now, I am not looking for anyone to compliment me here.  I am just trying to express an area that I lack confidence in, and to say this:  if I never try it, I will never get good at it.

So I am trying it.

My thought is that I can only improve, right?

What about you?  What is an area of doubt for you?  Do you move forward in that area or do you do nothing out of insecurity or fear?

Let's be honest today.  :)

some links for you

***Whip Up has compiled a wonderful little guide to designing fabric.  Lot of great links!

***VeryKerryBerry has put together a freezer-paper tutorial for paper-piecing.

***Kristie shows how to make an adorable metal-frame purse.  I have a set of these that need to be used, so I will be checking this one out, for sure!

***This site just cracks me up. 

Have a great day!

bubbling over

Aubry's latest idea has been to make very large bubbles.   We have tried a few bubble recipes, but this one seems to work the best:

4-1/2 cups water, 1/2 cup dish liquid, 1/2 cup corn syrup

We let it sit overnight and that seemed to help create some great bubbles.

My girl likes labels:

I love the look on her face in this picture.  It's so full of surprise and wonder:

I hope your day is bubbling over with smiles! 

a few things in the works

My final decision on the machine-quilting thread color is Olive for my Secret Garden quilt.  It seems to work with all of the fabrics, but it doesn't stand out too much like the midnight blue would have.  Fuchsia would have worked too, but my daughter is not a "pink" person, and since it's her quilt, no more pink was added.

The quilting is done and binding is now on the schedule.  Can't wait to see this one finished.  The more I work on it, the more I like it. 

This quilt has been sitting for a while and I decided to start quilting it:

It's just something fun for my shop.  Very simple and colorful.  Perfect for a new babe.

I pieced this little quilt together over the weekend from my Outfoxed Charm Squares.  Outfoxed is Lizzy House's upcoming line and it's fun of charm and personality--just what we have come to expect from her!

So, is anyone else besides me starting to think of Christmas gifts? It's only 90 days away! I get the feeling that money will be tight this year and that I had better get a jump on making some things for the people on my list.

Just need to make a list first.....

shop notes: london

The lovely London by Dena Designs is in the shop!  There is a blue/brown colorway and a pink/black colorway.  So cute!

Have a lovely weekend!

and the emmy goes to...

...OK, so it's a Go!  Cutter!

But it still goes too...

...Tracy!

I am absolutely sure that Tracy is going to put this wonderful little machine to good use.

***Tracy, I will contact you over the weekend for your contact information.

Congratulations!

happy friday!

I am so happy it's Friday!  The weekend is here.  A couple of things:

***Check out this adorable little poster based in Phil. 4:8 (scroll down a bit in the post). I love it!

***Another cute lunch bag tutorial.  This time from Pink Penguin.

***Two photo checklists: one for the holidays, one with ideas for the whole year.

***Angela has a great new quilt tutorial up in the Moda Bake Shop.  If you have ever wanted a picket fence, this one is for you!

***Don't forget to enter the Go! Baby giveaway.  The winner will be announced on Saturday.

Have a great weekend!

i get by with a little help from my friends

I have had this apron done for a couple of weeks now, but taking a picture of it has been troublesome.  Mostly because I need to be in it, and that is not condusive to my ability to take a picture.  This was so much simpler when my older girls lived at home.  They were used to my antics and picture-taking needs.

Yesterday a friend of mine was bringing Aubry home so I called her and said, "Hey!  Can you do me a little favor?"  I admit that I felt a little bit silly modeling an apron in front of her and in front of my house, but a girl has to do what needs to be done. 

It's that simple.

This apron uses the Pretty Ditty Pattern and Heirloom prints.

A couple of weeks ago I got together with 12 ladies and we made this apron together.  All but two left with a finished apron, and those two gals will be finishing up with me today.  If you can gather a few friends together for a sewing day/night, do it!  It's a fun way to chat and be silly, all while making something handmade and fun.

Have a happy day!

go! baby giveaway and review

 
I have had an Accuquilt Go! Baby Cutter to play around with for a couple of weeks now, and I have to say that it's a handy contraption!  It's quick, it's easy and it's accurate. 

At first I was cutting too many layers (so typical of me!) and I had cut it down to about 4-8 layers (depending on the type of fabric used), but as soon I did that, all was well.  The squares for Danika's quilt were cut out in quick order!  I used the 5" square:

(Many thanks to my somewhat-willing quilt holders!)

I found that if I placed the fabric on the cutter just right, there was very little waste.  A tiny bit more than cutting with a rotary cutter and mat, but the time saved was well worth the small amount.  There were generally a few threads that needed to be cut on each pass through, but (again) it was well worth the time the cutter saved me.

I have a hexagon and a tumbler die just waiting to be used.  My DS prints will be cut with the tumbler die (picture coming soon) and I am thinking of reds with linen for the hexagons.  Still thinking on that one...

Would you like a Go! Baby Cutter for yourself?  I thought so!  Accuquilt is allowing me to give away one of these little machines, along with 3 dies---your choice!

To enter, all you need to do is to leave a comment in this post.  You can check out the dies on the website.  And you can sign-up for Accuquilt's newsletter by clicking on the graphic below:

The winner will be announced on Saturday.

Best wishes to you all!

go! baby camera strap tutorial

A new camera strap is always welcome! 

I like to change mine occasionally when I find a new set of fabrics that I like, and my old strap is getting boring.  This one was made using my fun new toy: an Accuquilt Go! Baby cutter.  I used the 5" square die.

Here is how you can make a new camera strap for yourself. Or maybe a friend?  How about Christmas gifts?  I am serious when I say that these are quick and easy to make!

All you will need are small fabric scraps, a small scrap of "warm and natural" batting and basic sewing supplies, including a sewing machine.

First up, you will gather six 5" fabric squares. I cut mine with my Go! Baby:

Sew them together using a 1/4" seam (I use the edge of my presser foot, and that is just about 1/4"):

This is what the strip will look like sewn together:

You need to iron all of the seams in one direction, like so:

Your fabric piece will measure approximately 26" X 5".  You will now cut a piece of warm and natural quilt batting to measure 24-1/2" X 4-1/4".  Lay the batting on the wrong side of the fabric and center it:

Now we get to do a little bit of machine quilting.  Sewing on the right side of the fabric (the batting is underneath), start at approximately 1/2" from the edge and sew a line from the top to the bottom of the strap:

Repeat approximately every 1/4 to 1/3 inch until you reach the other side, 1/2" from the edge:

On each short end, iron a small hem (fold fabric over 1/4" and then another 1/4"):

Sew each of those hems:

Fold the strap right sides together, and sew it along that edge (be sure to catch only the fabric in this seam.  Don't catch the batting):

Turn the strap right side out and iron:

Please note the the seam goes down the center of the strap:

 Your strap should look something like this at this point:

You can thread it onto your camera strap by using a safety pin on the end of the strap:

It's that simple!

I hope this tutorial helps you to make something fun and practical.

Happy sewing!