Hexagon Bag

This is a project I have had on my mind for a while.  I originally saw it in American Patchwork and Quilting magazine August 2011.

From the first moment I saw the eggplant purple, lime greens, navy and aqua blues, grays - don't forget my favorite color -tangerine! from V and CO. fabric lines, I knew I had to make something from them.  The hexagon body of the bag is Simply Style, the handles/top strip of the bag are Graphite Gray Floral and  the lining is leafy sprigs in gray from the Simply Color line.

I think my first attempt at set-in seam hexagons went pretty well, don't you?

A Little Selling

Things have been crazy around here.  School is in full swing so between chauffeuring kiddos to school and back, homework assignments (my little Logan is now in kindergarten,) and my everyday jobs of ranch work, mom, wife, cook, etc. keeps me plenty busy on their own.

Between all of that, I have decided to get the wheels in motion on starting my own sewing business.  It's something I've been wanting to do for a while.  I have a name and logo:

 

And have set up a little space at the preschool.  This is actually my second set,  as the first set pretty much sold out after the 3rd day of school (Yippee!)

There are lunch boxes, fabric folders, zippered snack bags, sandwich wraps, and crayon rolls.

I am starting out slowly, obviously selling a few things here and there while working on inventory for an Etsy shop and a craft fair.

 

I'll be sure to have updates as things go along.  It's all so exciting!!

 

Triangle Quilt Complete

I can hardly believe it myself!  After almost a year of putting this little quilt off, I finally sat down and completed it!

The quilt came out okay.  Not quite how I had first imagined it to be.  But I think the little girl it is going to will still love it!

On the back, I put some of the extra blocks and utilized one of the natural triangles as my quilt label.

 Feels great to finally be able to check this off my WIP list!  Now to pack it up and mail it off!

Last Minute Party GIft

Well hello!  Do you remember how I was invited to a baby shower 3 days before the event?  I whipped this quilt up for it.

Anyhow, we were invited to the now one year old little girl's birthday party on Thursday evening with the party being held that Saturday.  That gave me roughly one day to come up with a gift!  Aack!!

So what did I come up with?  My thoughts - on overdrive - began running through things that a one year old could enjoy but that I could finish in time.  Bibs, a handmade puppet, until finally it hit me!  I cut  48 5x5 inch squares in yellows and pinks.  The letters of her name in a chocolate wool felt.  And wallah!!  Fabric blocks!

They were quite the hit with my little ones, as well as at the party.

Enjoying Some of Summer

Being ranchers, we usually don't go out for late night outings.  So, it was a real treat that we actually went to watch fireworks on July 4th.  It was the first time Logan and Aslyn had ever seen fireworks in person.

We recently took a much needed weekend off. A little trip to Grants, New Mexico where we "camped out" and toured areas of the Land of Enchantment.

Since it was the kiddos first time sleeping in a tent, we decided to go the old KOA route.  I had never stayed in a KOA campground before; growing up camping was hiking back into the woods, and setting up tent. 

 

 

The Natural History Museum to view the "Cowboys Real and Imagined" exhibit, the Mining Museum, Fire and Ice caves, and Sky City were just a few stops we made.

 

Bandera Volcano

 



Ice Cave

Brrr - It's cold down here in the ice cave

 

After a day of hiking volcanoes, we spent part of the evening cooling off in the pool.

 

 

Now to get back to my sewing machine! 

Summer Days

These lazy summer days are going by way to fast!  Okay, so ours aren't really lazy.  We've just finished up artificial inseminating 50+ head of cattle, transferred roughly 25 embryos into our recipient cows, I ultra sounded 20+ head of cattle, and have had 66 calves born thus far.

Both kiddos are in the preschool summer school program and are having a blast.  Yesterday they "visited" Italy on their train tour of Europe.  It's exciting to hear what they learn and eat at each stop.  The teachers joke that they are "eating their way through Europe" as at each "stop" they make a food from that place.  In Wales they had welsh cake, in Italy pasta, etc.

Since Aslyn is going much more regularly now, I made her  a lunchbox just like her brothers.  Instead of trains, I used a couple of the Puppy Park prints I had won at Sewing Summit last year, as well as pieces from my stash.

Finished these kitchen towels from Patchwork, Please! 

Well, I'm off to chaufer kids to school!  Have a happy Thursday!

Patchwork, Please! Bell Pepper Coasters

I received Ayumi's new book Patchwork, Please! about a month ago. This book is filled with so many cute projects!

There is a sew along with this book organized  by Lindsey & Debbie, which features a new project each Monday.  The first project being these adorable bell pepper coasters!

These were so easy to put together, and a great way to use up a few of your scraps!  Win, win!

I'm thinking an orange bell pepper needs to be added to this little bell pepper family!

Randomn Thursday

School is out for the summer.  The preschool that my kiddos go to have two summer programs and every year we enroll them in that.  This year's June summer program theme is "A Train Tour through Europe."  So that starts up on Monday.  It would be fantastic to actually get to do it don't you think?

 

 

 

 

A few more little random projects I sewed.  This tote bag from Zakka Style. 

And I am working on this quilt from Sunday Morning Quilts.  I still have the right side to piece together. When this top is done, it will be number 3 in my basting pile; I think in the next week or so I'll be doing quite a bit of basting and quilting.

 

Saturday plans consist of putting this little garden together in my courtyard.  I know, it's hard to read due to it be a scan from a piece of notebook paper.  But you get the idea.

 

 

 

 Linking up to: Live  a Colorful Life

 

 

 

 



Randomness

Hi!  Are you all getting ready for the long weekend?  We have cattle work to do on our end here, so there will be that and sewing!

Today is my kiddo's preschool graduation.  Logan is officially going to be in Kindergarten.  Little Pea is so small that even the smallest robe swam on her!  So, it got sent home with me to do a lot of hemming!

 

 

Other than that, I've just been sewing a few random things here and there.  Just whatever strikes me to sew at the time.

 

 

Another one of Ayumi's lunch boxes.  These are so easy and quick to make.  You might remember I made two of them for the preschool teachers.  I had one of those mini charm packs of Vintage Modern and some Essex Linen.  The handles and inside cover are a piece of a small hounds tooth, aqua print I had lying around.  I don't know the maker/manufacturer - sorry.

 

  

 

Another little project I threw together, just because.  I wanted to make a journal cover; so, I took some of my batiks I had leftover from this project, and put one together.

 

 

 



Oh, and recently I received a sewing machine from a woman cleaning out her sewing room.  Mine has been acting up a bit, so it will be nice to have a spare.  I haven't tried it out yet, perhaps that will be a good weekend project.

Have a safe and restful Memorial weekend!

Amish Quilts Exhibit

We set out on one of the first warm Sunday afternoons this year to the International Folk Art Museum in Santa Fe.  They are currently having an exhibit on Amish quilts, titled "Plain Geometry Amish Quilts."

Excerpt: The exhibition explores the aesthetics of Amish quilts by considering what the quilting tradition grew out of and how they changed in a changing world.

A few quilts.

Strip Quilt, Missouri - c. 1945
Fabric: Cotton

 

Ducks in a Pond, Pennsylvania - c. 1925
Fabric: Wool and cotton

 The quilting is just beautiful, all done by hand (of course.)  I haven't yet done too much hand quilting, okay none, but I can just imagine the hours and patience that went into these!

 

 

Another beautiful quilt is this hexagon one.  I've worked a little bit with hexagons, but am itching to try my hands at more! 

 

 

Flower Garden, Ohio - C. 1890
Fabrics: Cotton, wool, and silk

The quilt below is not a back, but the front of the quilt.  A whole piece of cloth, hand quilted to look like log cabins.

 

 

Log Cabin, Pennsylvania - c. 1885
Fabric: wool

It was interesting to see how the styles differed in each Amish community.  There were 35 total quilts exhibited, a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Do you attend many quilting exhibits in your area?    

May Goal - Lovely Year of Finishes

Another month already!  My Lovely Year of Finishes goal for the month of May is to embroider all the names on the community quilt my kid's preschool made. 

There are still blocks lingering at the school that haven't been completed yet, but I think I have a good amount to keep me busy!

 

A couple of the students asked if they could embroider their own names, so once I figure out a few good stitches, I will teach those students and let them go!

April Lovely Year of Finishes - Skirt Finished!

I finally got my summer skirt all hemmed!  Why is it these little projects seem to go on the back burner for so long? 

 



This was my April goal for A Lovely Year of Finishes.  A nice new skirt to go strolling through Albuquerque and Santa Fe! 

 

 



Fabric Therapy (and other things)

Things are slowly calming down around here, so (hopefully) I'll be back to posting with my normal schedule!

My little household has been hit by some nasty bug that's been going around.  Luckily, it is starting to look like we are on the upside of it all.

The day before Easter Sunday we had just finished dinner and were getting ready to dye eggs when the phone rang.  It was my father-in-law saying he was at the airport and where were we?!  Um. Apparently my husband's side of the family forgot to tell us that he was coming.  I frantically started picking up the house and had the kiddos dye eggs while my husband went to pick his Dad up.

Amongst visitors and tending to an ill husband and kiddos, I did take a day to run to a fabric shop in town that I had never been to before.  They had quite a few prints that I have only been able to find online.  Here's what I bought.




From top to bottom: Simply Color by V and Co. for Moda, Noteworthy by Sweetwater, and
Spot On by Robert Kaufman 

Also, a little online fabric shopping.  I bought a few pieces from Hawthorne Threads and Pink Castle Fabrics.  Some of this fabric was bought for a specific purpose (as noted in the photos below - Pretty Princess Sew Along hosted by Cut to Pieces.)  Some was just because.

Alice in Wonderland dress: Polka Dot Stitches by Lori Holt in Clean White and
Tiny Gingham in Blue by Michael Miller

Rapunzel dress: from left to right - all from Michael Miller
Clown Stripe, Cotton Couture in Purple, Cotton Couture in Crocus
 and Cotton Couture in Blossom



Penguins in Blue by Nancy Wolfe for Kokka Japan and
 Headliner in Black from In The Doghouse

I first saw that penguin print on Don't Call Me Betsy and had to have it!  Luckily there was a 1/2 yard left in stock so I snagged it!

It seemed like a long time had gone by since I purchased any fabric, as everything I have been making lately, I've been trying to utilize what I already had in my stash!  It's nice to see some new prints mixed in with my current.

Tomorrow is the preschool's annual field trip out here to the ranch; then it's a weekend spent with my sewing machine!

Project Inventory/Summer Skirt

I'm a list maker.  My lists have lists - okay, not really.  But I do make lists for everything.

Over the weekend, as I was dreaming up new projects and looking at those forgotten ones in my works in progress basket, I decided to (yep, you guessed it) make a list.

I listed all my works in progress - I came up with 13! 

I listed new projects - I have 7 currently in mind.

Yikes!!

So let's get onto this month's Lovely Year of Finishes project - I decided on a quick finish for the month of April - finish my summer skirt I started in June of last year.  All I have to do is hem it to the right length and it's done.

How is your project inventory looking?