patty young dandelion up close

This is a close up of the wonderful Patty Young fabric I won! Can't wait to use it...

And the winner is...

me! I won the January True Up (www.trueup.net) fabric giveaway and received five beautiful half-yard cuts of Patty Young's new Flora and Fauna line. Check out these lovely dandelion beauties. I really love Patty Young's designs, especially Mezzanine (my favorite), which I used for one of the first quilts I made (well, I made two simultaneously for my daughters and they are still just quilt tops...) So happy and grateful! I don't know what I'll use this fabric for. Maybe more wristlets? Any suggestions?

hiatus

Things have been so busy at work, so I haven't been as active here as I would have liked. I've also been away from my lovely sewing desk, alas! I did manage in the last month to make a puffy skirt from Joanna Grimalva's Edith Twirl Skirt pattern (http://www.fabritopia.com/edith-twirl-skirt-pdf-sewing-pattern-instructions.html). This one looks so cute in the photo, but I've been disappointed both times I've made it. It's a bit too puffy. But I do love the fabric my daughter chose! She has very hip tastes and loves to dress like a rocker. Go girl!

dreaming of summer

This lavender sachet reminds me of summer since I picked the buds from a friend's garden. I found the wonderful tutorial here: http://checkoutgirlcrafts.blogspot.com/2009/08/ready-to-sachet-tutorial.html. I hadn't learned yet how to close a seam, so the left side looks a bit sketchy.

envelope-style pillow cover

This is one of my favorite IKEA fabrics. It's not cheap ($8/yard), but it's just fabulous. The covers on these pillows were looking really old and worn out and now they look fresh and new.

silent auction items

For my daughter's school fundraiser, I donated these items to their annual silent auction (and family dance!) The skirt pattern is fabulous and great for beginners. You can purchase and download it from Fabritopia (http://www.fabritopia.com/evelyn-apron-skirt-pdf-sewing-pattern-instructions.html). It's called the "Evelyn Apron Skirt" and my kids get compliments every time they wear theirs.

first projects

These are two of the first sewing projects I tried, back in September 2009. The skirt is the "twirly skirt" pattern from House on Hill Road (http://houseonhillroad.typepad.com/photos/twirly_skirt/). It's a free tutorial that I highly recommend, especially for beginners. I can't remember which book I got the reversible bag pattern from, but the fabric was clearance IKEA home dec.