RATZ Swap: A key fob sent. A key fob received.

I finished my key fob yesterday! Wahoo! It was fun. I am really starting to like handy work. As in I think I want to incorporate it into everything! :) And I definitely love Summersville even more now! I think I'll have to take some of this and my embroidery tools with me in the car when we move.

This little fobby is pretty little. 1.5" by 1.5". 

In my opinion, perfect for a key chain that you can still be able to slip into a pocket.

I used a more designer key ring. I hope you like it Partner! I think it makes it look a little more fancy? lol.

It was kind of hard to take pictures of this because I could either take close up pictures.

...or close up pictures.

I did get some instagram shots. I guess that changes up the photos a little. ;)





I hope my partner likes it. I think I want to make more of them. How many key fobs are too many on one key chain? ;)
(are you so bored of these pictures yet? lol.)

Here's what I received from Teach26 (@milr26).

Look at these awesome goodies!!!
I absolutely LOVE that orange fabric!!
and I totally wanted a wrist strap like this!! Score!

The mini pouch is SO great too! These turtles are awesome! :) She was SUPER nice and sent me some bicycle fabric too!! Thank you thank you!! :D

This was a fab swap! They are doing fabric magnets next.
I'll be sitting that one out, but I'll definitely be keeping my eyes open for future rounds.
Thanks all you wonderful swap mamas for putting together such a great swap!

p.s. Linking up at Canoe Ridge Creations!

W.i.P. Wednesday {5/30/2012}

I almost forgot that it's Wednesday! This may be my last wip post for a while because for the next few weeks I don't think I'll be working on too much... but hopefully I'm wrong. :) Warning, this post is a bit scatter-brained. ;)


I've been working on my key fob for the RATZ swap! I actually finished it and will be posting about it tomorrow. :)

I took some instagram pictures along the way...

I love Summersville! :) It is perfect for hand stitching and embellishing!

Because I still have some "MUST FINISH today" projects, I of course made something totally random!

This 12.5" x 12.5" block is all Little Apples fabrics by Aneela Hoey. 

I love it! :) Now what to do with it??

I finished up two bee blocks for the Moody Blues 2 bee.

For Susan. I used this tutorial.
I really love this design! Such a great use of HST's!

For Lisa. This is a block from 99 Modern Blocks called Escalator. 

In case you missed it, I finished my Giant Granny Square quilt! I think I'm about ready to let this one go and drop the price in my Etsy shop. If you want it, give me an offer and it just might be yours. lol. (I priced it really high because I originally made it to sell it, but I didn't want to actually give it to anyone. I did lower the price from what I originally priced it at, but it's still probably a little high. We'll see.) ;) Maybe I'll keep it and use it as a portfolio sample for Iowa (I secretly would love to teach sewing/quilting classes out there! I already have one request for art lessons! FUN!!) :)

From my last WiP post I did finish up my pillow I posted about.

I need to finish up my pillow like this for my MSMS partner. That's what I'm working on tonight until it's done! :) This pattern is so fun! I think I have the pattern for it figured out and hopefully I can get that posted in my Craftsy shop before we move!


I am just about done with the do.Good stitches quilt as well! All it needs now is the binding!! Yes!!! :) That will definitely be finished before we move!!


I was going to say that mostly we've been busy with moving stuff, but this actually seems like a lot of stuff. lol. :)

I hope you are having a wonderful week!!

I am of course linking up over at Freshly Pieced!

Thanks Lee for giving us something to look forward to during our mid-week meltdown. ;)

Mini Tote Bag: A Pattern Re-write pdf

I wrote this tutorial over a year ago! I was trying to put some items together to help my kids last through church. It kind of worked, kind of didn't. But these bags have lasted and lasted. If we aren't using them for one thing, they're being used for another. Including my husband using the green one all the time!

The young women in my church have been talking to me about teaching them how to make them. We tried last Wednesday, but man did I underestimate how long everything takes when you're teaching someone else to make something!

We got started with them, but setting up all the sewing machines, searching for power cords, picking out fabrics and everything else took longer than I thought.

I decided I definitely needed to clean up the tutorial as well as make it a pdf so I could easily share it on paper. Thanks to Craftsy's great pattern shop it is so worth it to share it there as well! I'm going to leave my old tutorial up on my blog under Tutorials, but I'll also add in the link to the pdf for anyone who wants to use it.

The format is basically the same as what is on my blog, but I've cleaned up the steps and improved it a bit. It's funny to look back on something I made a year and a half ago and see where I am now and what I would do differently. Not that it's changed that much, but it's changed a little. I do want to make another bag and take better pictures! Unfortunately the pictures when printed out in black and white aren't great, so I definitely want to improve those. But hey, it's a free pattern, so hopefully no one will complain. Plus you can always come back and see the pictures on my blog! (click on them to enlarge them!)

You can find the pdf pattern for the Mini Tote Bag here: http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/sewing/Accessory/Mini-Tote-Bag/16905?fresh=true

I'd love to know what you think and what feedback you may have! I am hoping that after we move and get settled in a little bit I can spruce it up even more and add some fun variations to it! :)

If you make it, will you share it in my flickr group? :D

http://www.flickr.com/groups/fromblankpages/

P.s. I really hope everyone in the US enjoyed their holiday today!  

A HUGE Thank you to all of our service men! 

Previous and currently serving! As well as their families who sacrifice so much!

 

70's Geese Pattern Review by Katie!

My good friend Katie of There & Back was so kind to review my latest pattern! I am so in love with how she put this together!

Isn't it amazing?!

The pattern is 70's Geese, which you can find in my Craftsy store here. You can check out her blog post here to read her thoughts and comments about it.

Thanks again Katie! :)
You can see more of my patterns made by other in my flickr group:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/fromblankpages/

And the Winner is...

How did you enjoy giveaway week??!!! :) It was crazy for me. But I sure loved all your comments! It is hard to get anything done when I keep getting emails all day! :) I want to give a special welcome to all my new followers! Welcome! I hope you will stick around for a while and enjoy what you find! :) 

A huge congrats to all those who are expecting! To everyone going to Disneyland (I think a lot of you are going at the same time in the fall. You should meet up and have a quilting dinner. lol), Yellowstone, and everywhere else that is totally awesome in the world, Have FUN!! Happy day for everyone spending time with your families! That is always a treat! For those of you who are also moving, Good luck to you! I am finding that moving is a crazy mess! This week we finalized our moving date and I'm crossing my fingers that we really are going to have people pack for us! It just seems too good to be true! We've also been in contact with some realtors, one of which told us NOT to buy a home. Well ok then. We are also finding that despite that homes are not selling well there, there are also no homes for rent. :( gah. Where are we going to live?! I'm not too worried yet. Maybe next week I will be. lol.

Anyway, enough about me. Just know if I didn't get a chance to respond to you, thank you! And I appreciate your kind words! Thanks for checking out The One Stop Giveaway Shop as well! We got a HUGE response and I think we'll get a lot more interaction over there and hopefully keep a good supply of giveaways on a consistent basis! :)

Ok, now on to the good part! 

(well, the good part for one. I guess not so good for the rest of you. lol!)

The winner of the Lark charm pack is...

Congrats!!! :) 

I will email you right now for your address!

P.S. If you haven't picked your winner yet, and need a little numbering help, check out these SUPER EASY instructions for numbering your comments. They even go past 200! Wahoo! Thanks Jenelle! And thanks Lori for the tip off!! ;)

THANK YOU!!

Hi! I just want to say THANK YOU for making my block number 1!! I can't tell you how excited I am! :) You all ROCK!! :)

screenshot taken from the Craftsy website: http://www.craftsy.com/patterns/free/quilting

and then check out what I just noticed on the side bar?

wow! I've never been featured like this before! :D

Can you feel the love?!!!!  Because I am definitely feeling it! ;)

Blogger's Quilt Festival: One Tough Granny

I think I finished just in time to link up to Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival! Phew! ;)

 I totally love this blog event! It makes me feel like I'm strolling around a small town fair looking at everyone's beauties! Except that I don't have to get dressed, I don't have to worry about kids running around and getting lost, and I don't have to drive for hours and hours and yet I can still see quilts from all over the world! :) Now this is my kind of fair! ;) You can see my entry to last years quilt festival here.

My Giant Granny!

Whenever I think of Grandma's I think of sweet, cute old ladies who back Christmas cookies, give out candy to kids in the neighborhood, crochet and embroider, and give the best cuddly-squishy hugs ever. You've probably seen all the Granny Square quilts around blog land lately. I love them! And they kind of give me that same feeling of being sweet and cuddly, of course have the look of crotchet and many do have some hand quilting,  and of course I always just want to wrap myself up in them.

If you've been hanging around my blog lately, you've probably seen my Giant Granny Square that I've been working on. If not, well let me tell you, this is not your sweet old huggable granny! This thing is One Tough Granny!

the back

Ok, it has a lot of those yummy qualities too, but overall this lady is big, ok giant! and don't make me explain the tough part any more than me telling you that I have broken 4 embroidery needles trying to quilt this thing. (On my behalf I will say that I've been doing some sort of cross stitch, embroidery, handy work since I was young, so while this is my first hand quilted quilted, I'm not new to the idea.) I think this quilt is in its own way just making sure I know who's boss! lol. This quilt means serious business!

And hopefully that is serious business in being AWESOME! lol. ;)

I have had so much fun putting this quilt together! I knew I wouldn't have time to make 20+ granny squares, so I decided to go big or go home. I totally didn't figure my measurements right, so the square ended up smaller than I'd like, but with the 5" sashing, I really like it! The perfect size for a little baby to snuggle with or play on! :)

You can see all the hand quilting in the center best in this photo

I really debated on what to do with the back. This is the first quilt that I've pieced a back like this. I like it, but if I were to do it again I'd do it differently. Any who, I really like how the quilting shows up on the back! :)

As I said, this is the first quilt that I've completely hand quilted. You can find some tutorials I used to prep myself from this post. It's been so much fun! I absolutely love the process of it. The process is a nice change of pace in comparison to all the other sewing I've been doing for the last few months. :) I think I will definitely do more of this... though I don't know if I could do anything much larger than this.

If you're looking into doing some hand quilting, I TOTALLY recommend these Q-Snap Lap Frames! I love them! :) I have the 17" by 17", but would love to get a smaller one too for smaller projects of course.

So here we have it! My One Tough Granny Quilt. I don't know what I'll do with her. Unless I decide on something else, she is currently listed in my etsy shop! (That's what she gets for giving me such a hard time. lol.) ;)

If you're knew to these parts, thanks for stopping by! I hope you'll sit and stay awhile!

Too bad I can't offer you some of my Grandma's Christmas cookies through your computer! ;)

Hope you have a great week!!

And make sure to stop by Amy's Creative Side 

and visit all the other amazing quilts 

that are linked up in the Blogger's Quilt Festival! :)

I am also linking up at Quiltstory
and at Katie's new linky party for hand stitched items at There and Back!
Be sure to check it out if you haven't already!! :)

Updated to add: This is also a finish for the Finish-A-Long 2012!
Wahoo! :)  You can find this in my original link up post here.

Sew, Mama, Sew! Giveaway Day!!

***This giveaway is now Closed! Thanks to all who entered!!***

Wahoo!  It's giveaway time again! :) I always get so excited for these days, and can never decide on what to giveaway!

Today I am giving away a charm pack of Amy Butler's Lark Collection

This is 24 - 5"x5" charm squares. Cut from my new, unwashed stash of fabric. :)

To enter:
All are optional, though you must do at least one to be entered. heehee. ;)

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me about any exciting plans you have for the summer (or winter... depending on where you are)! :) 
2. Follow my blog and leave a separate comment telling me how you do! (FB, Twitter, GFC, etc.)
3. Go enter my giveaway on The One Stop Giveaway Shop! (I'm giving away 54 charms of Summersville!!) And then come back here and tell me that you did!

This giveaway ends Friday May 25th at 5 pm PST

I will announce the winner after that!
This is open for international entries

**Make sure to leave your email address or a way to contact you if you are a no-reply blogger. If I can't get a hold of you I will pick a different winner. Sorry!

** If you haven't already, stop by Sew, Mama, Sew! and check out all the other fantastic giveaways too! :)

Thanks for stopping by and entering!! 

If you're new to these parts I hope you'll sit and stay a while! :)

I'm going to be posting my Blogger's Quilt Festival Quilt later today, 

and hopefully another giveaway item! (I still need to make it though. lol.) :)

Iowa or Bust!

Things have been a little topsy turvy around here, but for a good reason! 

Neil was out of town for a few days last week... then the phone call on Monday and ... we're MOVING!!!! Neil got a new job! Wahoo!!! We've been waiting a long time for this, and it has been worth it! We are going to be moving to Iowa (hence my blog title) and we are pretty excited for it!

He really loved it out there when he went out there for a few days, and said everyone was super nice! (My favorite part = no one locks their doors! Yes please!!! I am SO glad to not have to worry about crime and violence! Which I'm sure there is still some, but still. that speaks volumes for me.) 

We've also recently started watching American Pickers, before he got the job, and then at some point realized that it is based in Iowa. He even recognized a few places on the show! :) It's kind of a fun getting a sneak peak of where we're going to end up.

Neil still has a few weeks of work here before we need to pack up and move out, which means I have a few weeks to finish up sewing projects! Phew! ;) I also need to get my machine serviced since I can for free! (I will miss that service.) It's been a crazy mess of "what do I need to do now and what can wait?!" 

Otherwise we are basically trying to figure this all out and hope we don't end up living in a hotel for a month! lol. So far we've had NO luck finding anything to rent... and we'd love to get a house! :) Yippy! 

this was a post office I think?

But time will tell... I know June is going to sneak up faster on us than we'd like...and then I'll be in freak out mode! lol. 

Maybe I should be nervous now?! lol.
Neil told me that it flooded out there. eh, flood-schmood (sp?). I guess it really does flood!

If anyone has any good moving tips (we have three kiddos, no place to live, lol, yet. and who knows what else we haven't thought of yet) we'd love to know what you've got! :) I know we'll be fine. I think mostly we're still in shock a little bit that we're really actually going to move! 

WAHOOOO! :)

I'm so giddy about this!

all pictures were googled under Iowa