Love the Urban Home Goods Swap

My favorite part of the swap is waiting for the partner I made for to receive the package. Upon awaking this am, I saw that over in Australia a little package arrived for my fabulous swap partner, Miss Nova . . . and she loved it! Her blog, a cuppa and a catch up, has been a staple of creative inspiration for me. I must admit I was a little worried about my abilities when making for one of the flickr rockstars, but after posting a few photos in the pool, Nova was always one of the first people to jump in with sweet comments and she even *favored* a few of the items. So I decided I am at least a flickr solid karaoke singer and I wouldn't fret, but just have fun!

Isn't it great participating in these swaps and knowing that unlike your critical mother-in-law or pregnant friend who you are pretty sure would rather have a gift from a store, you are making something special for someone who appreciates it? I love that part of the swaps!

So Nova mentioned she liked gray, blue, green with a touch of red . . . which is a favorite combo for me as well. I had so much fun breaking out some fabric that often sits on the sidelines and watches . . . grey and blue seeds and some large blue bouquet. I even cut into a Aunt Cookie panel. It made me want to sew with fabrics I love more often and really I have been the last couple weeks! I vow to continue and it is Sew with your FMF month, as proclaimed by Amy of Badskirt.

Here is what I sent to Nova.

The craft or craft show apron, tea cozy, mug rug and a bunting with her name. The cream and sugar set is my personal tea time favorite and I found another set at a fun new kitchen store . . . so thought it had to be sent as well.

here is a full view of the bunting

and a complete view of the tea cozy. I used a pattern by Retromama and will be making a few more cozy's, it is a great pattern. She is even having a contest to win the pattern! It fits over my trusty chantal tea pot and keeps the tea nice and warm!

Later today I will take some photos of the wonderful items I received in the swap from Colette and the fun story behind it. Off to photograph hat day at school for the yearbook and then to soccer and swim class with the little kids. So this will be a partial post for now!

When a virtual face becomes a real one - Pool Day with Miesmama and Mamalovestoread

What a wonderful experience flickr has been for me. To have an outlet for creativity and to be truly inspired by others. The swaps have pushed me out of my comfort zone sewing wise and also I actually finish things in a timely manor, that if I was making it for us . . . lets face it, projects probably wouldn't get finished.

The other real fun part is meeting new people that you tend to have a lot in common with. Becky, Miesmama and I have been friends for almost five years when our oldest attended a co-op pre-school together for two years. We started a knitting group of a few of the pre-school moms and when the kids were in school, once per week we would knit in the library. It was a lot of fun to teach friends to knit and we all became close. For me that is the best reward of getting together to stitch . . . often not much stitching gets done! I think after the yarn shop and years of knitting, sewing was something brand new and inspiring to me. Flickr and the fabric swap group had a ton to do with fueling my new obsession. Becky got me into flickr to begin with, although she had yet to join in on the quilting swaps. I suggested a few groups and she jumped right in about a year ago and is gone swap mad like the rest of us . . . and is loving it!

We have been getting together the last few weeks and stitching while our kids swam. They have been lovely days by the pool with the kids content, allowing us hours to catch up, stitch a little and swim. On a whim I thought about Colette, mamalovestoread, and knew although she lives 30-45 min away . . . perhaps she might have a reason to come into Saratoga and want to get in on the fun.

Colette and her lovely nine year old daughter came this week and we had a wonderful time. It was like the three of us had known each other for years. We had a lot of fun discussing all the various swaps and the fun we have been having. It was great fun and we plan to all get together on a regular basis!

I didn't get much stitching done, but I did manage to get the binding on the fourth and final project for the UHG . . . and as a jumper onto every crafty bandwagon that comes my way

my first mug rug! It measures a little shy of 6 x 11 and I am really not sure how I ever lived without a coaster/placemat for a mug and a treat. I will for sure be making a few for the winter around here to put the kids hot cocoa and cookies on! I joined the scrappy mug rug swap group and am looking forward to seeing what I receive to put my coffee and tea on.

I was so thrilled with this little rug . . . I had to test drive it with the bunting I made for my partner and explore all its potential. I think it makes a great trivet for a tea pot, placemat for cream and sugar with room for spoons, works with big mugs, expresso cups or just regular sized coffee cups. Such a versatile little piece of patchwork!

Thanks again Becky and Colette for a lovely day!

Simple things make me smile . . . bunting edition

Natural linen, aqua/red/grey, flea market fancy and bunting . . . as the song goes, these are a few of my favorite things. Making this little bunting was so fun and it really makes me happy just looking at it all cute and festive. I have a feeling we are going to have a few open surfaces sporting some bunting in the upcoming months.

I am thinking Happy Birthday Bunting, Happy Valentine's Day, Earth Day, Happy Holidays, Happy Halloween, maybe even a few silly ones . . . Santa, Noel, Ho/Ho/Ho . . . how about the kids names on some for their rooms, or the word play, explore, go wild in the playroom. Brace yourself family this house is about to become buntalicious. We will see how long it lasts, I think one of my favorite parts of the bunting I just finished was the scrappy bias tape paired with the linen and the fact it was made using my favorite HTF/OOP fabrics might make it hard to duplicate.

Okay enough of the bunting crazy talk . . . here is a sneak peak of the bunting made for my Urban Home Goods partner. I am pretty sure she might now I am her partner, but if I showed the linen side of the bunting, it would be a dead giveaway! So here are some random bunting shots!

This little project really only took a few hours to complete and I think the cutting and ironing took longer than the sewing. It was fun to practice poppy treffrey style coloring on fabric in making the designs and letters. I can see where one could become addicted to drawing with thread!

The main thing I worked on late last week and over the weekend were my blocks for the 3 x 6 bee. Most of them are in the mail and here are all 6 together. The block is based upon this tutorial from Twin Fibers. It is a wonderful block and would make a great pillow, wall hanging, etc . . . with something special in the center square.

The best part is they are all in the mail and I can breath a sigh of relief, that another deadline has been met!

Okay off to make some more bunting . . . the kids loved it and I promised them!

Cutting into the Good Stuff!

A stack of my favorite fabrics, quick skinny dip in the pool at mid-night, time to myself and staying up way too late . . . priceless! Starting to get a little spring in my step and some sewing mojo back and loving it! I had a fabulous Saturday night both with the family and after they went to bed. I think I just needed a little time without my three (okay we can add Steve to the mix as well) so four whinny demanding peeps in my head! Wow has life changed that I find staying up four hours later than everyone on a Saturday night and sewing bliss . . . but it was!

I cut out fabric when the little kids napped and got the patchwork almost done for this Urban Swap project. We had a picnic dinner out in the yard and Max directed his brother and sister in a crazy little dinner show. The fish tacos were a big hit and they were dancing across the yard, eating their tacos and having a wild time. Max begged for a fire and some s-mores, so it turned into a party. Being the all-star mom that I am, I brushed their teeth but failed to wash their sticky faces before sending them off to bed. Steve, Max and I played a few games until the fire went out and then they went into bed just before mid-night and I decided to have some fun!

Here is what I came up with as Project 1 for my partner in the Urban Home Goods Swap - a craft and/or vendor apron. I am in love! It is inspired by Patchwork Style by Suzuko Koseki.

The patchwork ties are for sure a new obsession. I think any time you sew bits of fabric together, iron, fold, iron, sew again . . . and you get this magic- I am in! The ties are way too long, but I love to wrap ties a couple of times around to get the cool vendor look going . . .

Started off with boring canvas and decided to use the good stuff. I ordered this on ETSY from Japan, but now that you can find it at Hawthorne's and even though I can't drive the half- hour to Albany any more to pick it up from them, it is a one day delivery! They are out of it right now, but I can wait patiently for the restock! I love the elephants with the patchwork and hope my partner does too!

Have had a couple of Aunt Cookie panels for about a year now and have decided to start using them. They are so fun and I think add that perfect touch to this project. Also this grouping of four really sums up my partner for me. It has been so fun stalking her blog and flickr and I have been an admirer of her sewing for a year now. I said to my swap mama how I was a little nervous making stuff for a sewing rock star, she of course said all the right things, but in the end my sewing is a bit on the karaoke side . . . but it is the effort that counts right? The inspiration from this group is off the chart, check out the flickr pool if you have a moment!

Finally I have a pledge to make . . . I will cut into and start sewing with my favorite fabrics. If I run out . . . who cares! It was so fun using my favorite fabrics on this and it just makes me smile. I was smiling sewing with them, cutting them, ironing them . . . I just L O V E Flea Market Fancy Large Blue Bouquet and Grey Seeds together. Add in the red ovals from Blank Textiles and the Aunt Cookie panel and I am in heaven. How about you partner?

Confessions of a crazy fabric junkie - Love Flea Market Fancy

My first ever fabric swap . . . I am hooked!  I am crazy for these aqua seeds from the Flea Market Fancy Line by Denyse Schmidt.  CRAZY for them!  Love the goodies she sent along, Japanese print Kerchief girl and some wonderful Japanese Hedgehogs/Mushrooms.  Thank you Deborah!

Who knows if I will ever put scissors to these, I LOVE them!

My Heather Ross collection is growing and I have swapped for a couple of pieces of Munki Munki . . . I can hardly wait!  Thanks Amber.

FMF - Posies.  Aren't they lovely?

Dots and spotted leaves in the red colorway.  Have some other colors dots coming from a EBAY auction and a trade for three colors of spotted leaves.  Yeah!

Now the biggest problem is I have all these projects dancing in my head that I am dying to take on.  The problem is just no time to sew.  So I am trying something new this week.  No fabric buying and I will make the most of the couple of days before school gets out and I will have a almost 7 year old to entertain and drive around in addition to our two-year olds!