Nie Nie Skirt

As soon as I saw this skirt at Quilt Market I KNEW the Apple collection from Timeless Treasures would be perfect for this pattern.





The pattern came together easily... you just have to have a good method for creating ruffles! The only change I'll make next time is to gather the longer strips in sections - I never did break a gathering thread but I kept living in fear that one would break and I'd be back to the starting point.


In case you're looking for the pattern and/or the fabrics, you can find them in my etsy shop!

Lack of Focus

I just can't seem to focus lately. Looking at my sewing table I realized that I have 5 "current" projects in some state of completion... a Nie Nie skirt cut out and partially sewn; a 2-piece top set cut out; and 2 crayon aprons cut out and partially sewn. I don't think it is a matter of tiring of a project before it ends, but rather I'm just too excited about the next project to keep from starting it before the previous project is complete. I think I have a whole week without any evening meetings so maybe I'll be able to focus on finishing at least a couple of these!!

I did finish Megan's Halloween outfit last week. We aren't going to do a costume this year... I know... bad mommy... but we aren't going to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood, and I really don't want to deal with the crowds at the city Halloween event, so I just couldn't see adding it to my ever growing list of projects

Pattern Review - A Thumbs-Up and A Thumbs-Down

Thumbs-Up

After months of having JCasa's crayon wallet in my etsy favorite list I finally purchased it. A few days later I was shopping at WalMart and found a remnant piece of Mickey fabric for a couple of bucks - perfect for the crayon wallet! So as my early-rising child (and I do mean early - like 4:30am) was watching cartoons on a Saturday morning I put this adorable crayon wallet together. What a great pattern! All of the steps are clear and there are pictures for each step. I love this pattern so much that I'm thinking about making them a party gifts for Megan's 2nd birthday party.

Thumbs-Down

I loved the pictures on YCMT of the Weekender Tote so I decided to make it for myself to take to Quilt Market. Maybe this wasn't the best pattern for my first time making a bag, but I don't think I'll try this one again... I found the directions were not 100% clear for all steps (I ended up cutting excess fabric that I didn't need due to some confusion I had in the directions), and I thought my machine was going to revolt with all of the fabric and batting (I ended up not top-stitching the top of the bag becuase I didn't think my machine could handle all that bulk). I do like how the finished bag looks, but it didn't stand up to everything I needed it to do (putting my DSLR in the bag was too much weight for the straps to handle without showing some strain.)

Fall Quilt Festival

I've been working on clothes more than quilts lately, so for the Fall Quilt Festival I'm going back to a quilt I completed earlier this year.




For probably 10 years I collected cat fabrics whenever I found them. I had no idea what I was going to do with them. But once Megan came along I decided to make a baby charm quilt with them. At first I was going to use 90 different prints for the quilt (yes - I really have over 90 different prints in my "cat" stash) but then my aunt suggested I use 45 different fabrics so that the quilt can also be a matching game for Megan.



Megan really LOVES this quilt! Almost daily she will pull it out, lay it on floor, grab a pillow from the sofa and rest with her favorite stuffed animals.