Back to the beginning......

Some of you might know this,

but when I started blogging,

I was joining every apron swap I could find.

I met some life long friends that are now 

a big part of my daily life :)

Although I don't swap aprons anymore

I decided to join the Apronista's Apron Sew Along!

Connecting with old friends from "the old days"

of swapping will be so much fun.

This time the apron stays with me.

This is the pattern I have chosen.

No fabrics picked out just yet.

This deserves a special fabric shopping day all it's own!

I'll keep you updated as it goes along.

Hop on over to the Apronista's website and join the fun!!!

Margaritas anyone?

I told myself that I was not going to join any more apron swaps for a while because I have plenty of projects that need to get done. Then Val, over at Hot Mama Apron Swap had to go and open a swap called Cool Drinks for Hot Mamas. I had no choice.....I had to join in.....right? My secret partner enjoys a Margarita now and then, so my first thought was something in the colors of an actual Margarita. I just couldn't get inspired with washed out yellow and pale green. Then I stumbled across this fabulous blender fabric and the rest is history! I can't show the rest of the Margarita package with all the tuck ins just yet, just in case she sees this blog, it might give it away. Her package is mailing tomorrow so hopefully next week I can post pics of all the other goodies after she receives them. I don't know about you, but all of a sudden I'm thirsty.......

200th Post Giveaway!

A few of the new hostess aprons I added to my etsy shop :)

June 14th 2010 I started this blog. I wanted to take part in apron swaps and I wanted to have a kind of journal of my daily nonsense that my grandchildren might be interested in one day.  I know I would have loved to have that kind of insight into my "Oma's" life.

Anyhowzers....Today is my 200th post. And imagine my amazement when I noticed that there were 98 followers when I went to bed on Tuesday night and when I woke up yesterday there were 106!!! I can't tell you how honored I am that you take the time to read my blog and leave me such lovely comments!

Since June of last year a lot has changed in my life.

 We went from an "all boy" grandchild situation to the joy of welcoming 2 baby girls into our family!

 I've met some wonderful blogger buddies that I know will be my lifelong friends, that have me laughing out loud ( and sometimes even shooting coffee out of my nose!) as well as being such an amazing support group when I've really needed it!

 I've opened my etsy shop in January and it's just now starting to take off :)

I've learned so much and find so much inspiration in reading all the other wonderful crafty blogs out there!

So you're probably thinking...."yeah, that's great.....but what is the giveaway?"

OK....so here it is:

Since this is my 200th post, there will be 2 winners!

One lucky blogger will win this fun upcycled tote bag!

(You can see more about this tote bag here)

And the 2nd lucky winner will get to choose one of my $15.00 hostess aprons from my etsy shop!

To enter this giveaway you'll need to leave me a comment and tell me what kind of things you'd be likely to purchase this year from etsy as gifts or for yourself, if anything.

 It doesn't have to be something from my shop. 

You only need to comment once.

That's it. Easy Peasy :)

 You'll have until Friday June 17th to enter. I'll choose the winners at random and announce them on Saturday June 18th. If you are a no-reply blogger, please leave your email in your comments so that I have a way to contact you if you win.

NOTE: If my daughter goes into labor (she's due the 20th, so it could happen) I may not be able to post the winners on the 18th. So if you don't hear from me, just know that I'll post as soon as possible afterwards.

Good luck! 

Girlfriends :)

the "toe point" seal of approval :)

the undercover "Ho"

Oh...if you could smell this!

Yeah baby...that IS Mr. T :)

can you see those little race car buttons????

Well I'm not gonna lie, I've not been feeling well lately. This crazy weather has really taken it's toll on me with my Fibro. I was particularly "whiny" last week and I hate that! My dear friends put together two separate packages to surprise me and they both arrived today! The apron swap we were all involved in is ending right about now and the theme was Spring Fling. You were to make an apron and then include 3 tuck-ins that represent the recipient's initials. Well they put together an
amazing extra swap package for me! Regena made me this fabulous apron with 2 embroidered "Ho"s (which goes back to our Christmas swap :) Denise made these "oh-so-wonderul-smelling" Lilly of the Field Sachets (L for my middle initial) and the darling matching Kleenex case. Amy sent me Mr. T and an embroidery pattern T and flower quilt templates for my last name initial. She also sent an embroidery pattern K and a fantastic quilt book by Kaffe Fassett for my first initial. She included wonderful rick rack and trim and fabric to make cute girly things for my grand daughters and darling little race car buttons! After opening these 2 packages of love and friendship I cried like a big mush bucket (as Regena calls me). I seriously can't believe that they put so much time and care into this for me. I love love love it and I am so blessed by their friendship!

Tuck-in Time!

 The Spring Apron Swap is wrapping up and I need to mail my package off to my swap partner next week. The apron is finished and now we have to include 3 tuck-ins that correspond with the recipient's initials. This is the first of my 3 tuck-ins. I used the same fabric as the apron and I added some purple ric rack. I love these little mug organizers! They even have little compartments inside the mug! They will fit on most mugs. (unless you are like my husband who takes his coffee VERY seriously and needs to have more of a bucket than a mug really..but that's a totally different subject...) It wraps around the outside of the mug and stays on with Velcro straps. The pattern is Simplicity 2450. This is the second one I've made. The other one went to a swap partner too. I guess it's time to make one for me :)

Purple Haze......

Let me just say that I receive no compensation from Sweetwater (although if anyone from Sweetwater is reading this...I am not opposed to it......just sayin'  :) and with that being said, I realize that I am a bit obsessive about these labels and this apron pattern is really fun to sew. Especially after having made it before and tweaked it a bit. (I promise I won't post any more of these aprons....at least for a week or so) Anyhoo...I am signed up for the Spring Fling apron swap and my partner requested a spring cleaning apron and her favorite color is purple. Not being a purple lover myself, I had nothing in my stash to pull from so I went shopping. I found this Alexander Henry floral called Mimosa and because it is a "cleaning" apron I used purple twill to give it some weight. I also used purple gingham for the accents. I added a large pocket that is divided into 3 compartments. The label that has all the spring references and the green coloring matched perfectly for this apron. I only have 2 labels left and I already know where they are going to be used so I guess I need to get some more. I've also been working on a Star Trek project for a giveaway coming up on the 16th..so if you are a "trekkie"

 you can check back here for more info on that in the next week or so. Have a great weekend!

2 Quilts, a Farmhouse & an Apron

 OK....so I haven't really "quilted" 2 quilts, but I have done them in cross stitch.....that counts....right? This is the piece I've been stitching since just after Christmas. When I look at this farmhouse it makes me wish I had the ability to jump into the picture like they did on Mary Poppins. I could totally live in that farmhouse. Although, if it were my house, there would be chickens running around the front yard and my hot Cuban riding his horse in a checkered flannel shirt and jeans ...smiling at me with those big white teeth of his...and the sun is just beginning to set over the mountains..................Ahh...a girl can dream...can't she?                                                                    

OK...I'm back. Right now I'm working on the black back-stitching. It really adds such great detail. You can see the difference it makes when you look at the right-hand side compared to the left-hand side. I still have to stitch some vines around the outside edges before I frame it. It's going to hang in my entryway. I'm actually thinking of painting a quilt on the side of my garage so that it can be seen from my living room. If I ever get around to it, I'll post pics for sure :)

 I think I may have a new obsession with these labels from Sweetwater. I had to whip up another apron yesterday and I'm so excited with how much the label really "makes" the apron special. I used red and yellow fabric called "Recess" from American Jane. This apron looks so pretty just hanging in my kitchen. This one is definitely mine to keep :) I'm so in love with this pattern and the labels that I am re-thinking my apron swap plans and I've decided that I'll be making one of these for my swap partner. She wanted a Spring Cleaning apron, so I'll add a large divided pocket across the front. What are you working on today?

My Early Bird Apron :)

 I received my first pattern and labels from the Sweetwater Label Crew subscription I signed up for and I couldn't wait to get started on this apron. The fabric is from Cosmo Cricket's Early Bird collection and I just love love love it! I have this same design in scrapbook paper (there's a shocker...right?) This pattern, like the bucket pattern yesterday, makes assumptions that you know how to sew and you understand the terminology. It's not by any means difficult, but if you are new to sewing, you may get stuck. There is only one actual pattern piece. I made a photo copy from the pattern and cut that out so I could leave the pattern booklet in tact. The other cuts can all be made with a rotary cutter or scissors. I did make a few minor changes to the pattern. I made the waist ties longer because I like to tie my aprons in front. I also added a piece of the red fabric to the tops of the pockets because I liked the pop of color. I added more top stitching because I like the look of it. I also attached the waist ties in a different way than the pattern calls for. I'm not a fan of "tucking in" waistbands, which I have come across in many apron patterns. I think it looks sloppy. I also thought it was amusing that when it comes to attaching the pockets the pattern says to "place each pocket on the apron skirt positioned 1" from the bottom of the bib and top stitch close to the edge." The pattern doesn't say how far apart to place them. Only how far down. If you look at the diagram, one pocket is lined up with the bib edge, and the other pocket is in from the edge about 2". So I put the apron on and pinned the pockets where I felt they would be comfortable. Turns out they were 3" down from the bib and 2" in on each side. I really love the iron on fabric labels that came with the pattern. It's fun that each month you get a label with your name on it. I'm not really sure what I'm going to do with my name labels yet, but I'm sure I'll think of something :) I chose "Life is Good" for this apron. I thought it matched well. One thing to note about these fabric labels is to go slow when you attach them because if you have to remove any stitching and re-do it, there will be holes left in the label from the needle.

 All in all, I love this apron and I'll be making more using this pattern. Gee...I wish I could get a job doing pattern reviews for Sweetwater before they release them each month. Now that would totally be fun!

Mmmmm..... Chicken!

I've been waiting to post pictures of the Chicken apron I made for my swap partner Regena until she received it. I didn't want to spoil the surprise. We both got our aprons today and at almost the same time too! So here it is! I used medium weight denim and this really cute red chicken fabric.

I embroidered "finger lickin' good" on the pocket because she's sassy and it suits her :) I also made her a "Jane T Kluck of the Star Peck Hen-terprise" chicken pincushion. I'm sure you can guess that she is a Star Trek fan :) I also included a copy of my favorite cookbook, Peanut butter Chocolate eggs, and a tea bag holder. It's pretty funny but we both bought the same fabric for each other and still our aprons are totally different. Regena used my absolute favorite apron pattern and embellished it with 6 yards of rick rack!  How adorable is that...I mean seriously? She included Lindt chocolate chickies (Lindt is my fave!) and fun polka dot cupcake cups. She knows that I am planning 2 baby showers in the next few months and those will come in handy. She made me the sweetest little yellow chicken pincushion that will never be poked by a pin....EVER! I just want to carry it around with me :) There is a set of totally cute chicken salt & pepper shakers and a hysterical yellow chicken candy dispenser that plays the cymbals. Also a wonderful apron pattern for little girls that will get good use when my 2 new grand-daughters start playing with Nana in the kitchen! And last but certainly not least...she gave me a tube of "chicken poop" chap stick! How hilarious is that?

This will be my last apron swap for a while. I have tons to do before my 2 little grand-daughters arrive in May and June. Time to start sewing tiny girlie things......yippie!

I'm proud to be a "Bag Lady"

My bag is finished and I love it! I can't wait to go shopping later today so that I can proudly carry my new bag :) The fabric is so vibrant it just makes me smile to look at it! The pattern was a bit confusing in a few places so I don't recommend it for new sewers. One of the things I really didn't like from the beginning is that the pattern says that you need a charm pack or scraps to make this bag. I bought the charm pack to save myself the cutting time and then found out that I had to cut the 5" squares into 3 1/2" x 4 1/4" rectangles.....32 of them! (That's 64 cuts!) I guess that depending on the fabric choice, you could cut multiples at one time, but I cut them individually to make the most of the fabric design. Now I have all these little strips of fabric scraps left over! I really think that better descriptions and more detailed drawings would be very helpful and make this pattern more user friendly. At one point the pattern says to attach the straps. OK...where? To the outside of the bag? To the inside? No drawing....no details. Also, when you make the casing for the ties on the front and back, the pattern has you sew a roll hem into the short sides of a long rectangle and then sew a 1/4" seam down the long side to form a tube. Then you turn it and press it with the seam in the center of the tube. Now you have an open tube, but you run the tie belt behind both layers. Why not just sew the long side seam, leaving an opening for turning later, and then make sure the seam is centered and sew the short ends shut, turn the entire tube, flip it inside out and press it? Now you have a cleaner look. Same thing for the ties themselves. The center portion of the ties will be behind the casing so I made enclosed tubes and left openings in the center. I flipped them around and pushed out the corners and you can even machine stitch the opening as it will never be seen. Looks much nicer than ties that are open-ended tubes. The pattern says to attach the casings to the front and back BEFORE you quilt the bag, making sure not to sew over the casings. Why make your life more difficult? So I quilted the bag first and then attached the casings, easy peasy. Also I felt that the shoulder strap was too long for me. It is 32" long. I'm 5'7" and even for me it was too long. My strap's finished length is 30". It would be wise to pin the strap to the bag and test it on your body before you actually sew it in place.

I used Warm & Natural for the batting and it gives the bag a nice weight. I actually did my first ever freeform quilting on this bag! I was terrified to mess it up, but I really felt that based on this fabric choice, stitch in the ditch just wouldn't cut it. I had so much support and helpful tips from "my girls" Regena and Amy. Both have quilting experience and it was  awesome to have instant online help as I was working on this project! I'm still on the fence if quilting is for me. I enjoyed piecing the squares together and sewing the bag, but the freeform quilting part of this project just wasn't that much fun for me. More like something I needed to get done. So we'll see if I actually dive into serious quilting or not. And I've decided to sew together those little 1 1/2" strips of leftover fabric and use it to make a new camera strap cover. I just love this fabric too much to let any of it go to waste :) I haven't received my Apron Swap package yet today and my partner will receive hers today also. So I'll post pics on that tomorrow!

Just had to share some more:

I found this darling free cosmetic bag tutorial that takes 5 charm squares and a bit of lining and a zipper to make. Totally easy and fun to sew!

Charmed...I'm sure :)

Sewing has been a passion of mine since I was 8 years old. When my children were young, I made all their clothing. They can remember going to my favorite fabric warehouse and me picking them up and sitting them on top of a massive table covered in assorted loose buttons that had an edge all around it so that the buttons wouldn't fall on the ground. I'd give them one button that I wanted and send them out to search for more that matched :)  I thought I knew a lot about sewing. Not so much as it turns out. Quilting is like a whole other animal. (they even have their own language) I'll admit that I've had to google some of their terminology. I have always wanted to learn more about quilting. I mean who wouldn't want to get involved in a hobby that includes delicious fabric bundles called "layer cakes" and "jelly rolls". I know.......right? So I finally took the plunge into the world of quilting and bought my first ever "charm pack".  I also bought this super cute bag pattern to use my fabulous little pre-cut fabric squares! The hardest part so far has been deciding on which of these yummy squares should sit next to the other. I finally figured it out and so today I will sew it together. Hopefully tomorrow I'll have pictures of the finished bag and I'll let you know what I thought about the pattern.  I also finished another Apron Swap and I'm waiting for my partner to receive it before I post pictures of the  finished apron. Hopefully that will be tomorrow too!

New Stuff :)

 

This has been a week of new stuff for sure! I added some new pin cushions and some new ID / Business card wallets to my Etsy shop. Also I received a wonderful package from my dear friend Amy! We are doing a pillowcase swap together with our friend Regena. Amy knocked it WAY out of the park with the amazing new pillowcases she made for me! I love everything about them! You can see from the picture that she put alot more in the box then just the pillowcases :) Then yesterday I got a surprise visit from my swap partner Jeanie who made a special delivery right in my front yard! She brought my new Valentines apron and a bunch of new goodies as well as a huge heart shaped brownie for my birthday! You can see more details here. And today I'm waiting for UPS to deliver my new dishes. They are an anniversary gift from my hubby and I can't wait to open them up and wash them and place them in their new home :) So what's "new" with you?

Cutie Pie Apron done!

I finished my "Cutie Pie" apron for the Flirty Apron Swap that I am participating in. My partner wanted an apron with a baking theme. I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I added the jumbo ric-rac to the front facing and I think it added just enough detail without getting in the way of the busy pie fabric. I don't even bake apple pies, but I would wear this apron. I hope she likes it :) I have one more thing to do for this swap and then I can mail it next week. I'll post pics when I'm ready to send it off.

Who Knew?

 Who knew that when I made my owl pincushion that it would be the item that I got the most comments about? I think owls are adorable, but I'm not an owl collector. I'm more a chicken/rooster girl myself. But it seems that now that I've started making owls I just can't stop myself! I made this owl key chain from this darling free pattern. It's for my apron swap partner. Turns out she is a owl collector :) I drew up a pattern for the little owl pencil topper that I made for a friends' little girl who also loves owls. I shrunk my pattern down and made this tiny owl necklace that I will be selling in my Etsy shop. I'll be making a few more this week in different colors.