What happened to February? Oops forgot to blog!

I am really not sure what I have been doing . . . I think I will blame it on the LONG, COLD and very SNOWY winter we are having. Then I always have the two three year old excuse, they have both been a bit on the needy side lately. I have also gone a bit mad for Blythe dolls and have been making clothes for them, buying little miniature items, little photo shoots and the most fun part, playing on the floor with Ellie and Sam and using our imagination with the girls. Ellie's enthusiasm has only spurred me on, and lets face it, it really didn't take much.

This is Ellie with Trixie, she brought her to pre-school for her show and tell letter D day.

I finished and shipped my items for the Urban Home Goods Swap. This round has amazing and it is really a swap not to be missed. Make sure to check out the items so far on flickr. I loved my partner's mosaic, isn't it wonderful with all the natural linen and mustard tones.

I ordered a bunch of mustard solids and some worked together and some not so much. In the end I used one solid and then all the mustard prints in my stash, which is sadly a colorway I am lacking. Here is the pillow I made. It was based on this one, a tutorial Heather made for Sew Mama Sew.

Pillow front

pillow back and yes, it is sporting a zipper!

I am nothing if not predictable and made a Jane Market Bag. I really love this pattern and must make a few for us soon. My local quilt shop, KC Custom Fabrics is carrying a few rolls Echino Laminate and it is awesome. The market tote really has a great feel with the laminate.

I also spent a day at KC taking a workshop by Amy Bradley. I learned lots of fun tips on machine applique and the new workshop space at KC is amazing. The best place to take a class. A huge space, with tons of table space, light and a great lunch room. With all the fabric downstairs and also the sewing machine store under one roof is great if you need anything! I finished three blocks and turned one into a pillow for Ellie's room.

Pillow front from Hoots Pattern Pillow back with zipper!

Although I have been eyeing the Blythe posts for a couple years (and had one in the 70's as a young girl), having a daughter to play with pushed me to the edge. The Modern Blythe Lovers group and its first swap pushed me over. Here are some of the items I made for my partner. I ended up sending a lot of small items I purchased because little is just plain fun! I didn't take a photo of the package before sending it . . . oops.

I received a great swap package from Jessie, Yarntini, but will save it for a post in the next couple of days. It is so special it deserves its own post. Thanks again Jessie!

Finally I will leave you with a few shots of our girls, aren't they lovely? I have done a lot of knitting for them and it is fun to get the needles out again. I love sewing for the kids, since it is quick and easy . . . miniature sewing for Blythe will take some practice, but it is almost instant gratification!

The lovely Rory . . . I really adore this girl!

Miss Trixie has stole our heart and her pink hair makes her officially Ellie's doll. Everything pink in our house is automatically claimed.

Our cool chick, Crickette

Cristina, natural beauty

Sam, our first girl, and oh so sweet. She will go to the spa sometime soon. She is lovely.

Urban Home Goods Time . . .

In coming up with a mosaic and filling out the form to join the latest round of the Urban Home Goods Swap, I realized a couple of things:

1. My likes and ideas are all over the map.

2. I am not sure if I had myself as a partner that all the colors, ideas and random thoughts would help me to pick an item or two to make.

So partner if you are reading this . . . I love swaps when I am given so many ideas that I usually find one or two that really excite me. Also I find it hard when someone is too specific or gives you one fabric line, etc. I feel compelled to make what they want and go and buy the exact fabric they want in order to please them. I am not that person. I really want someone to make something for me, that is fun for them to make. So really I would like ANYTHING and I pretty much like ANY fabric. Okay, that being said . . . here is a mosaic of some things I like and some of the past mosaics. I also included a bit of a history of this swap so I would have it all in one place. Thanks in advance for spending your time making something for me!

Here are my inspiration mosaics from the first two swaps:

Round Two

First Round

This has been such a fun swap. Here are some of the items I have received . . .

sewing machine cover received from Lisa, lpinette

Received from Colette at The Threaded Nest

Tablerunner in red and aqua, clutch I have used everyday since I got it and really need to replace it has gotten that much use! and a initial iphone case which has also got too much use and is almost threadbare!

I have also had tons of fun making stuff for this swap. The first time around I made some placemats and a grocery tote for Leslie of lesleyandsara.

The second time around, I made items for Nova and had a lot of fun creating for her. Her is what I came up with.

Here is a blog post written for my partner before round 2.