a pinnie for your thoughts {round 2}...

 Something new on my blog - I know, it's a shock! Life has a way of getting busy, complicated, and overwhelming. There has been alot going on in my little corner of the world, life has been full and there has even been some crafty adventures happening {including my first craft fair booth!} If you're reading this, thanks for sticking with me.

My latest project has been round 2 of the Fab Little Pincushion Swap. Last round I made this owl and received this amazing little dog. I've said it before; I have a love/hate relationship with swaps. I love thinking up ideas, I love getting something from a new crafty friend, I love getting to know other crafters. I hate deciding if what I am sending will be loved by my partner. So after several drawings and drafts, this is the pinnie I decided on.

A real combination of my partners likes and my current bunting obsession. This was the first time I have tried my hand at wonky/free form log cabin triangles. Lots of fun picking out what piece of fabric would be highlighted in the center. The pictures make it hard to see, but there is a quilted cloud outline in the background. I made a couple of bird pin toppers {seemed fitting for the clouds}

Hope to have another post soon!

whoooooo doesn't love a pinnie?

There are probably a million punny titles for a blog post about a pincushion owl :) I have been in love with owls for quite a while now and it seems everyone else is too! I just finished up this round of FLiPS - Fab Little Pincushion Swap. You need to run over to the flickr group and check out some of the beauties that are now circling the globe on their way to new homes. Mailing deadline was Wednesday, so of course I mailed mine on Wednesday. Call it part procrastination, part failed first attempts - whatever it is I am always down to the wire sending things. I had more than a couple of ideas and one seriously botched, then abandoned pinnie before inspiration really hit. This little owl is what I came up with.

Her body is made of wool felt, but most of the rest of her is 100% hand-dyed wool. I find the wool felt is just a little stiffer and great for structure. I added two washers in the bottom so that she stands up straight - wish human posture correction was that easy!

Yep, I fell victim to the decorative pin trend. Her little rose on her neck and the leaves around it are also pins. These are not that complicated, but they were fun to make and I think add a little whimsy. Plus I'm not sure how many times I have pinned something in place, it looked perfect, then once it was sewn in place it had moved position or didn't look right. Decorations that are re-positionable pins are a great alternative!

I hope my partner loves her - as I have mentioned before, there is always that stress that what I make isn't really their taste or style. Fingers crossed! If I have enough interested commenters, I might be persuaded to put together a tutorial.

Hope your spring is going swimmingly and your garden has less weeds than mine :)

pin pals...

Another VERY exciting round of the Scrappy Pincushion Swap is coming to a close. All of the wonderful swaps over on flickr make me a little nervous - the standards are pretty high, and of course, you don't want to disappoint your partner. From the looks of my partners mosaic, (s)he is into color wheels, modern designers, linen, stars... which leaves loads of possibilities! I chose to run with a sort-of homage to a Dresden plate. Some lovely 100% wool bits are top stitched onto a natural colored cotton linen. [many of the wools are hand dyed, which I love!]

Originally I had planned to put the cushion inside of a zinc lid, but it just didn't look right. Instead I hand sewed a wool circle on the bottom to cover the stuffing opening and to give it a nice flat bottom. It was difficult to package it up and send it off, I really like how it turned out and wouldn't mind having it sit next to my sewing machine :) All there is to do now is hope that my partner likes it as much as I do!

Enough about the pincushion I made, on to the AMAZING one I received! A current obsession is anything and everything aquatic, and my partner did not disappoint. This little octopus is practically perfect in every way. [a bit o' Mary Poppins there]

Adrienne really outdid herself on this one, she used wool felt and stuffed him with cleaned and carded wool from local sheep. The tutorial for him is over at futuregirl.com I don't know that I can stand to stab him with pins, but he will make a lovely addition to my crafty space!

I continue to work on my QAL blocks, though life has certainly picked up the pace and slowed down my progress. Here is to hoping that there will be more sewing and crafting time in the near future!

new year, new swaps, new blocks...

Blame it on the crazy number of snow days so far this year, or missing my online family, or the need to experiment and try out new blocks... Whatever the reason I am ready to get back into the quilt along and swap scene over on flickr and around the blogosphere. The block swap group I was in last year came to an end in December, so I was quick to find a new swap for 2011. The Nittany Block Party [and Heidi] welcomed me with open arms. Heidi took on January and sent us some beautiful Bliss fabric and Modify Tradition Magic Cross tutorial. I enjoyed this tutorial - fairly simple and great step by step instructions.

I am also excited that the Scrappy Pincushion Swap is entering round 3! I put together this mosaic to give my partner some inspiration. Can you sense that while my feet are in snowy Ohio my head is definitely at the beach?? Summer can't come soon enough!

Moving on to my current quilt along... I jumped on board with Quilt Dad's Bloggers' Block-A-Palooza - a 17 stop tour of some very talented bloggers. Each of the block tutorials will be completed using Sweetwater's new line Sunkissed. I, on the other hand, NEED to do some stashbusting [really, I prefer to collect and drool over fabric than actually use my beauties]. Nonetheless, I did it, I cut into my Amy Butler Lotus stash. So far I am not regretting it. The last stop on the tour is the actual quilt layout - I am thinking that I might want to set this one on point though. I think it would be fab to alternate the finished blocks with solid blocks of the tree peony fabric.

John put his creativity to work coming up with block #1. He calls it Flying Over Fields. I chose to put my flying geese together a little differently so you get a star-like design.

Then over to the amazing Oh, Fransson blog for Elizabeth's amazing block Word Play. True to form, she had us cutting [& re-cutting] lots of little squares for this patchwork. It definitely has an interesting look.

How 'bout you? Any exciting new swaps you are joining in this year?

swap-o-rama...

Yes, this is another post about swapping :) I'm not sure if you know Ayumi, if not then you definitely need to meet her! Maybe you just don't realize you know her, she has several projects that have been featured in the beloved Stitch magazine [which is going quarterly next year! yay!] She not only makes lovely things, she has a kind heart. I have been oohing and aahing over some Mister Donut fabric that keeps taunting me around blogland.

On special occasions my mom and I would go to Mister Donut before school. I always loved the twisted creamstick/glazed donut things covered in chocolate. They are special memories, the Mister Donut was replaced by a Donut Connection, and then finally a pizza shop. Many have forgotten the smell of fresh baked donuts [we don't even have a Dunkin Donuts in our area]. Anywho, I gushed over Ayumi's stash and she agreed to a swap. What did she want? A crabby pinnie of course :) So meet Miss Crabby, all decked out in pink!

If you want to make one for yourself, my humble attempt at a tutorial can be found here. I am pleased with how she turned out and glad that she has found a happy home!

For the Block Swap 2, miss rabidchipmunks asked us for a disappearing nine patch using some funky Halloween prints. A lot of fun, even if I did cut one of the blocks wrong :)

I am enjoying seeing all kinds of beautiful color outside my window - I love fall. Hoping to fit in a few more warm days though!

pinnie & pillow love...

Before the great flickr incident of 2010 [where I accidentally deleted all my flickr photos], I had plans to show you the phenom pillow that I got in the Pillow Talk Swap! So without further ado, here it is:

This pillow was made by the wonderful Louise [she has a primo blog: lululollylegs], she also included some of her own patterns - I am so excited to give them a whirl! The colors are so bright and clear and really stand out on the black and white background. I just l-o-v-e it!

Another round of the Scrappy Pincushion swap has also come to a close, and check out the goods! I am super impressed with Michelle's crochet abilities and the blues and greens are just perfect! Swaps are so fun - I think what I enjoy most is getting in touch with people from across the country and the world! Makes our online community seem a little closer when you get a package in the mail.

Well, back to it - Mondays are super busy days around here, plus I am keeping an extra watchful eye on our little pooch who stole a box of raisins from the trash last night...

pinnie swapping [round 2]...

Well, my pincushion for the scrappy pincushion swap is officially on its way! As with every swap I participate in, I was overwhelmed with all the options and want to make just the right thing for my partner. I got the book Pretty Little Pincushions from the library - and it was too wonderful, ack! even more options! Recently I have been drawn to the simple 'tomato' style pincushion. They are great for showcasing pretty pins and gorgeous fabric. I focused in on making a little sewing kit!

Fro those who sew alot on the go, this little tube is perfect! The pincushion is attached to the underside of the cap.

Contents: tiny fold-up metal scissors, thimble, white/black thread for repairs, a variety of safety pins, some needles in a scrap of pinked wool, a needle threader in its own little case, a tape measure, and a sampling of white buttons. I made one for myself and it is wonderful for perle cotton or a skein of embroidery floss!