DON'T BE FOOLED BY ANGELIC FACES

My sister and my two great-nieces were here for the past week.  Don't be fooled by their angelic faces

Mischief is formulating......

We spent the week swimming, swimming and swimming.....visiting great-grandparents in East Texas.....watching their Aunt (me)  get a ticket in a small Texas town and then get stopped and receive a warning ten minutes later (oops)....watching an IMAX movie (Under the Deep) and getting wigged out by the trailer for "Tornado Alley"...getting to see "Mr. Poppers Penguins" and then watching a real life penguin drama on the news http://video.search.yahoo.com/video/play?p=penguin%20new%20zealand&tnr=21&vid=

We had our own animal drama here as this morning we found a baby duck swimming in our pool.

What fun he was to watch ...diving and swimming...and the sweetest little quacks...precious! I was afraid that it would get too hot for him today (over 100 is the estimate) so I had to call animal control.  The AC officer said that he would have probably drowned if I hadn't.  Goodbye sweet little duck!

In all of this....I was able to only finish two blocks for my FWQ (a third was a complete failure)....

Need to add basket top

Summer is certainly here....thank goodness for air conditioning....sweet reason to sew!

THE FARMER AND THE HELL or If everyone jumped off a bridge......

I am a person that is not usually swayed by the crowd....able to "keep my own counsel"....look at the "big picture"  BUT when is comes to fabric, quilting, sewing...I am easily influenced as in "if they all jumped off a bridge would you do the same?"  YES, yes I would!


I drank the Kool Aid...I am trying my hand at the Farmers Wife Quilt Along  http://www.flickr.com/groups/1678802@N20/

While I am not particularly drawn to the original colors in the book...this blog totally inspired me........http://charisecreates.blogspot.com/

Love her fabric choices!  I also joined the Yahoo group which has the foundation paper piecing templates available...

  Yes, I am paper piecing my blocks.....Why, no, I have never paper pieced before....now you know  why my Farmer is also associated with Hell...

Here are my finished blocks.....

Three down....only 108 to go!!!!!

Be forewarned....they are addicting.  Just remember, I told you so!

PURSES AND PRIMAL SCREAMS

In the three weeks since my last post I have dealt with a kitchen leak the size of Niagra Falls which necessitated all new plumbing underneath the cabinet...which led to a new sink....which led to a new counter top which led to a microwave which led to a new oven...

And then there was the fight with mustard algae in the pool

And I had double ear infections....

And my daughter is back for the summer which means laundry just got ugly.....

Sooo...in all of that free, uninterrupted time, I decided to make a purse. 

I started sewing a year ago and thought it would be a good way to hone my skills....little did I know!


I started with a vintage piece I had picked up...an old clothes pin bag.....

I read many blogs to try and understand how to proceed...these bloggers were particularly helpful:

http://www.noodle-head.com/

ww.psiquilt.com/2009/08/friendship-bag-tutorial.html


I used this pattern from Sew Mama Sew
http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2011/01/free-pdf-pattern-from-the-bag-making-bible-bag-give

but did not try to make it reversible...

Also, the book  Stitch by Stitch (by Deborah Moebes) was invaluable.....
http://www.amazon.com/Stitch-Learning-Sew-Project-Time/dp/1440211612


I started with strip piecing Swell fabric (jelly rolls) together....then I cut out those pieced strips out using the pattern  from Sew Mama Sew...

I sewed the remaining pieces to my vintage piece and then cut it out using the pattern from Sew Mama Sew....

I used yardage from the Sweet line to make the lining...

Things were going good...The outside pieces went together beautifully...I then put batting on each and free motioned quilted each side...now to do my box pleats....

I measured two inches from the side....drew my line and cut....Did I say cut before I sewed the line.....NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Me after initial realization.....

I JUST CUT A HOLE IN MY "soon to be" PURSE!!! Did I scream?  Look at the clips below to get an idea of my despair!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nvGM4E5uGc


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpZChF7p1Sk


So, how do I fix it?  Since I had already quilted these pieces, I just recut and quilted some pieces and added them as you would on the "quilt as you go" method.  I added the pieces on with my zig-zag stitch.

I made the handles with two different Swell fabric designs.  I sewed one piece on interfacing and then the two together...

This website was invaluable on an easy method on turning the pieces inside out and on sewing the lining to the outer fabric....

http://kellyrachel.com/blog/2010/06/08/make-a-bag-part-two/

So...here it is...my first bag:

The vintage clothespin holder...cut and pieced

Back view with Swell Fabric (Moda/Urban Chicks)

I took it with me this past weekend and I love it...the handles are perfect as is the size of the bag....so get out of your comfort zone....it is well worth it!