Fussy Cut

my first knit socks.

2012-02-20T14:46:00.001-05:00

I finished my first pair of knit socks last week! I loved knitting these up. They are a very basic sock, just a simple 2x2 ribbing, and they are so soft and cozy.

I just learned to knit this past October while at the Sewing Summit, so this is by far the most advanced knitting project I've done. And to tell you the truth, it wasn't bad at all! Knittinghelp.com is really helpful, it had a great video for turning the heel and picking up stitches for the gusset. The other tutorial that was helpful for me was one for the kitchener stitch by Knitty that I used to close up the toes.

Madelinetosh sock is the nicest yarn, and I am a big fan of the oxblood color. The yarn is really squishy and easy to work with. I am looking forward to experimenting with other sock yarns. Any recommendations?

So yes, I think I have have a new obsession. Since I've finished these, I've casted on another pair and am halfway done. Knitting is the perfect hobby for me right now. Finley is such a busy little 18 month old, and sewing is hard to do right now. But this is just perfect. I see lots of socks in my near future.

Ravelled here.

xo, Angela

Swoon

2012-02-14T12:36:00.001-05:00

I finished my Swoon quilt last fall sometime, so I thought it was about time to share it here. I loved making this quilt, every single block. When Camille first came out with pattern, I was drawn to the huge blocks, and I knew that Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks line would be perfect. I had been looking for the perfect pattern for these large scale prints, and I think this is it.

I picked a light gray solid for the background, I think it goes nicely with the bright prints. The quilt is backed in my favorite yellow print, which is from Denyse Schmidt's Picnic and Fairground line. The binding is a coordinating dark purple-y/brown Kona.

I had Sharon of Sweetland of Quilts professionally quilt this on her longarm. This is the first time I sent out a top to be quilted, and I am so happy I did. Sharon is a nationally awarded longarm quilter and teacher. She is talented and helpful, and I couldn't be more thrilled with the finished result. If you are looking for a quilter, you have to check Sharon out!

quilt stats

quilt top - Good Folks by Anna Maria Horner and Kona Ash

backing - Picnic and Fairgrounds by DS Quilts

binding - Kona Raisin

pattern - Swoon by Camille Roskelley, 80 in x 80 in

pieced and bound by me

professionally quilted by Sharon of Sweetland of Quilts

This quilt is available for sale in my etsy shop. If you want more details, the listing is here. It was a joy to make, and I am looking forward to sending it to a new home.

xo, Angela

week 28 - FWQAL

2012-02-13T09:22:00.000-05:00

Hi there! I hope you had a nice weekend. We spent most of ours home sick. Not the best thing ever, but we got through it. Yesterday we all felt much better, and today I'm glad to say that we are back to normal. I meant to post these blocks earlier, but blogging while sick is just no fun. But sock knitting while sick, now that is another story!

So here are my most recent FW blocks. I actually sewed them way back in December, right before we decided to take our farming break.

54 Kitchen Woodbox - favorite of the batch, I love this fabric combo

66 Periwinkle

71 Puss in Corner - don't love this, may redo

81 Snowball

85 Square Dance - LOVE the Heather Ross seagulls, thrilled to use in a FW block!

Thanks so much for all of the kind comments on my last post about my 53 FW blocks, and on flickr too. I am really proud of these blocks. It has been quite the journey so far; I've learned a lot and have really been challenged.

Hope you have a great Monday!

xo, Angela

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time!

More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

53.

2012-02-08T16:03:00.001-05:00

The Farmer's Wife quilt-along is up and running again this week. Amanda and I decided to take December and January off. It seemed like everyone was starting to fall behind due to the holidays, and I know that I was feeling a little burned out. As much as I love making these little 6 inch blocks, I was ready for a break. Now I am so excited to be working on them again! Here are my blocks so far. My goal was to have 56, which is the halfway mark, so I am just three blocks behind. Not too bad! I'll try for 3 a week until I'm all caught up.

It took awhile, but I layed out all of my blocks today. It has been a long time since I did that, and I am so happy to see them all together. Many many hours have been put into these blocks. Some have just a few pieces, but some have close to 60. Kinda nuts, right? I am glad that I went scrappy, I love all of the bits and pieces of my favorite fabrics all in the same place.

I'll be back soon with my most recent blocks, I have 5 to share. Make sure you head over to Amanda's blog to check our her blocks so far, they are wonderful.

xo, Angela

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

January.

2012-02-05T15:56:00.001-05:00

Hey! Oh, January went fast, didn't it? It was a really good month. When Amanda and I decided to take the holidays off of the Farmer's Wife quilt-along, I decided I was going to take a break from all things crafty... sewing, knitting, and blogging. Sometimes a break is good, you know? I sew, knit, and blog because it is fun. I love it. But it was too much of a good thing for me, and it was starting to feel like work. So a break was needed. I'm not sure how quickly I will jump back into this sewing/bloggy world that we share, but I am happy to be here again. So how about a little recap?

1. I made a new bag last week. I finally felt like firing up the Janome, it had been well over a month since I had turned it on. I needed a new bag, so I pulled out some Loulouthi yardage that I had bought a few months ago. I bought it with plans to make pillowcases, but Steve wasn't much of a fan, so I tucked them away. I rediscovered them the other day while I was raiding my stash for suitable bag fabrics. I remembered my friend Amanda's Loulouthi birdie sling (pattern by Amy Butler) at the Sewing Summit this fall, and I knew that it was perfect! I loved it so much, and now I have my own. It was a quick project that came together in a day, and it is so pretty and big and roomy.

2. I finished the first month of my 365 photo a day project. I am doing it on my iPad with an app, so it is super quick and easy to do. The app I am using is called "365 Photo Pro", for those of you who asked me on Instagram.

3. I knit a sock! I am so proud of myself. It went so smoothly, and it is so pretty and it actually fits! It was really fun, and I just started the second sock yesterday. I am completely obsessed with this color yarn. It is Oxblood from Madeline Tosh. I think it would be so pretty as a sweater. Which is my next knitting goal. Yes, I am ambitious, aren't I?

Okay, I'm out of here. Time for some sock knitting and Psych season 4. I love that show.

xo, Angela

PS - I'll be back soon... the Farmer's Wife quilt-along starts back up this Wednesday!!

beginnings.

2012-01-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

I love a fresh start and a change in pace. The New Year is the perfect time to start new projects, and there are a few that I am participating in.

1. First is a sock knit-along. I am knitting with Amanda, Kayanna, Amy, and Amanda! They are all knitting pros, I'm definitely the beginner in the bunch. I am using Madeline Tosh sock yarn in oxblood. It is the richest color, and I love using it so far. This is my first time using DPN's (double pointed needles), and they are a little scary. But so far so good!

2. I am doing two photo projects: January Photo a Day and the 365 Project. The January Photo a day is a list of specific pictures that you take every day during this month. This the list, it comes from this blog, and you can read more info there. I am posting my pictures on Instagram (@fussycut) and Flickr.

As for the 365 Project, this is one photo a day for the entire year. I've always loved seeing others do this, but it seemed like a lot of work. Karyn mentioned the 365project app for iphones/ipads, and it is so easy! I take so many pictures daily on my ipad, so this will be a fun and simple way to organize.

3. I am hoping to join the rose star block party. I really enjoy paper piecing, and I am hoping to make this for my table or wall. The block party is being hosted by Clare, isn't her quilt gorgeous?

photo by Clare at Selfsewn

4. We wll be starting the Farmer's Wife quilt-along back up in February, and I am looking forward to getting back to these little blocks. For now, my pretty stack of FW fabrics will be waiting for me in my sewing cabinet. If you are thinking about making the FW sampler quilt, this would be a great time to start! Lots of people are starting now that that it is a new year.

What about you? Do you have any fun new projects you are starting/participating in?

xo, Ang

2011 in review

2012-01-02T12:29:00.001-05:00

I am a little late, but I can't move on without doing a little year end wrap up!

I made 7 quilts, and they were all BIG. The smallest were twins, and the largest was the king sized Flea Market Fancy quilt. I don't know if I could pick a favorite, I love each of these quilts for specific reasons. I also finished up my Good Folks Swoon quilt, but I've been lazy and haven't photographed the finished quilt yet. Soon, I promise! If you want to see more pictures and read all of the details on any of the quilts, all of the links are listed on the Quilts tab on the sidebar.

Lots of pillows were sewn too! They continue to be one of my favorite things so make. You can find all of the details here.

I totally caught the knitting bug! I have made several cowls for myself and for gifts, and I am currently working on a scarf and socks. I've fallen hard and am completely addicted.

This year I ventured into pattern designing. I had two quilts, Starry Eyed and Apple Crate, featured over on the Moda Bakeshop blog, and I have a few more projects coming out in the next year of so. I also shared a few tutorials here on my blog. I've have learned so much from online tutorials, so it was nice to do my part.

And last is the Farmer's Wife quilt-along. Amanda and I started it as a fun little project to work on together, and it has grown to over 1000 members. I have spent so many hours on these little blocks, and I really enjoy making them. I'm halfway done with my blocks, and I am looking forward to starting back up with the group in February.

So that is 2011 sewing in a nutshell! Thanks so much for joining me here on my blog, I hope you know how much I appreciate you. I wish you and your families a new year full of blessings.

with love, Angela

indulgent

2011-12-30T12:20:00.001-05:00

I really hope that you all had a wonderful holiday. Ours was so nice. We stayed home, and our families came to us. We spent time slowly opening presents, building new toys, cooking, eating, and enjoying time together. It is my favorite day of the year. Here are my two favorite pictures from that day, I think they are both pretty great. Christmas with kids is so magical.

Since then we have been enjoying a slow and indulgent week at home. This is the first year we've had a kid in school full-time, and I didn't realize how much we missed downtime and a lack of schedule. It has been theraputic really. Here are some of the things we have been enjoying:

Snow! We had a tiny bit on Christmas day, but we've gotten several inches since. Isn't it beautiful?

New boots from Steve.

New music. I don't know why it took me so long to buy this album. It. Is. Amazing.

Lots of reading, as in a whole book in 2 days. This book was pretty intriguing, but not as good as her first two (which I adore and have read a few times each).

PJ days. The kids and I have spent most days in our pj's, only dressing if we have to leave.

And some knitting of course. One of my closest friends requested a honey cowl, how can I say no to that? It is such a fun, mindless knit, perfect for a week like this.

As always, I'm a bit sad that Christmas is over, but I'm looking forward to a new year and a fresh start. I'll be back soon, I'm looking forward to working on a year-end wrap up post. :)

xo, Angela

a quick project.

2011-12-21T09:54:00.002-05:00

I was feeling inspired to sew the other day. It was nice, I haven't been in the mood to sit at my machine lately. It has been all about knitting, in case you haven't noticed!

I pulled out an adorable layer cake of Farm Fresh by Riley Blake that I bought a few months ago, and I used a pattern called Crackle which is one of Aneela's latests. When I saw it in her blog a couple weeks ago, I knew I had to make it.

Now, a couple afternoons later, I have this cute baby quilt top! It is a great pattern. It uses a layer cake plus border fabric, and it cuts and sews up so quickly. Just what I needed this week. I don't have any plans to finish it up soon, it'll wait until after the New Year.

On the homefront, we have had a pretty good couple of weeks. I *think* I'm done Christmas shopping, cookies have been made, but I have yet to wrap gifts. We finally got some real snow a few days ago, probably 4-6", and it was so pretty. But it is gone now, and I think we are going to be having a green (rainy) Christmas this year.

The boys were all excited of course, and they clocked a few hours of playtime in the snow. Finley loves to stand on the baseboard heating vents to watch them outside, it is the sweetest thing.

And last is a cute morning picture. Lucky girl, she gets her big brother's hand-me-down sleepers. :)

Hope you are having a nice week! Only 4 days until Christmas!

xo, Ang

as of late.

2011-12-13T11:16:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to pop in and share some of my favorite pictures from Instagram from the past week or so. I love taking pictures with my iPad and posting them there. It is a quick and easy way to capture our daily life. I'd miss so many of the shots if I had to take the time to grab my camara. If you are on Instagram, you can follow me @fussycut.

We celebrated our 7th anniversary this past weekend. We were able to sneak away for a night, and it was wonderful and so relaxing. We haven't done that since our first anniversary!

I thought my almost-6-yo was old enough to use a pen on his own but I guess not! He suprised us with this little drawing. He said that he was trying to look like a cop or a superhero (????). I laughed really hard over this one, and have to admit that I was rather impressed. :)

It has been cold and frosty over here, with the morning temperatures down in the low teens. I am happy we finally got a bit of snow though, it finally feels like Christmas.

Our little ladies still like to leave their coop, but they definitely don't like walking in the snow. Can't say that I blame them!

They are treating us well still, producing one egg each a day. We put a heat lamp on them to keep them going during the winter.

Finley is loving Hello Kitty! This makes me so happy. Here she is giving her kitty kisses. Having a girl is so much fun.

Lots of movie time during hunting season while Steve is gone. I watched my favorite the other day, and if you've never seen it, I highly recommend it. It is very unique.

On the crafty front, I started a new knitting project. I am making this scarf out of some beautiful Madeline Tosh merino light in Cousteau. It is the prettiest color, and the pattern is really nice. I had to learn three new stitches (thank you, knittinghelp.com!). It is slow going, but very fun.

Only 12 days until Christmas! I better get back to wrapping.

xo, Ang

can't. stop. knitting.

2011-12-06T11:12:00.001-05:00

Seriously, I can't stop knitting. I love it, and I already have a mile long list of what I want to make. See, it is freezing and super snowy here for almost 6 months of the year (remember this storm?). Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but 4-5 months at least. All of these cozy scarves, cowls, mittens, hats, etc are perfect. So anyways, I am completely hooked. But back to the project on hand...

I finished my eternity scarf last Friday! I enjoyed every minute of this project. I used the softest Malabrigo yarn in Roanoke, and it was a joy to work with. This went well and quickly, and I have already worn it few times. It is a pretty huge cowl, perfect for around here. You can see more details on Ravelry.

I started another honey cowl the other day. My mom tried to steal my burgundy one the other day, so I thought it would be a nice Christmas gift.

And yes, I had to make a new project bag for this one. Because I'm like that. :)

xo, A

PS - Did you see my friend Jeni's new pattern for her lined drawstring bags? It is fantastic, and I need to make one of the big ones!!

Christmas decorations overload.

2011-12-05T11:13:00.001-05:00

I'm definitely the kinda girl that decorates for Christmas, and I'm glad I finally got to pull out my Starry Eyed quilt last week. I had so much fun making this quilt for the Moda Bakeshop, and it is about time I get to use it! If you are interested in the tutorial, you can find it by clicking on the following picture:

If you make this quilt, please let me know! Several people have sent me pictures of their versions, and they are amazing. Seeing your pictures is the best.

We get to use this pair of Christmas pillows again. They got pretty dirty last year (thank you, kids/husband/dog), so it is a good thing they were removable covers! They washed up quite nicely.

The stockings and bunting are hung, and now we are ready for some gift wrapping. Well, after I go buy some. I love this part.

In farming news, Amanda and I decided a holiday break is in order. If you are sewing along, please check out this post in our flickr group! All of the details are there.

Okay, back to knitting. Happy Monday!

xo, A

week 27 - FWQAL

2011-12-02T11:00:00.001-05:00

I picked out fabrics for 10 Farmer's Wife blocks the other day, so there has been lots of farming going on this week.

See how super organized I am?? I shove all of the necessary fabrics into the book, and I keep the templates in a ziplock bag. Um, yeah. :)

I had a love/hate relationship with the five blocks that I made so far this week. I love how they all turned out in the end, but I didn't enjoy making them all. Note to self: don't make so many difficult blocks at once. Geez.

106 - Wild Rose & Square. This is one of my two favorites from the batch. I really really like this block, and these are some of my favorite fabrics.

102 - Whirlpool

107 - Windblown Square. These two were fun, same block with fabric variations.

105 - Wild Goose Chase. I love those little geese and the fabrics. But let me tell you, this block was not my friend. I don't know what my deal was, but this one drove me nuts. I used my seam ripper way too many times, and I seriously began to doubt my ability to make a FW quilt during the creation of this block. Like I said, I don't know what was up, but this block was no fun to make. I do like the finished product though, thank goodness. (Sorry for the complaining, just keeping it real!)

99 - W.C.T.U. Love this one, had fun making it too. This is my other favorite of the batch. This was a great one to end on, and I was much happier after this one was done. Phew.

I have 5 more blocks ready to sew, and I get to work on them tonight. I am sewing with some friends this evening, and I am really looking forward to it! The blocks I am doing next are much easier, so it should be fun.

Happy Friday!

xo, A

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

recovering

2011-11-30T12:16:00.001-05:00

I think I'm in recovery mode after the long Thanksgiving weekend. It went well, the meal and everything, I'm thankful for that. The day went off without a hitch, and we all really enjoyed ourselves and each other. After the long weekend (the kiddos just went back to school today), I am ready for a some restful days!

I squeezed in a bit of crafty time admist the chaos. I made this quick and easy bunting out of some of my favorite red and green fabrics. It was a nice afternoon project.

I think this little bird is my favorite out of the whole thing. I wish they'd reprint this line!!

I did quite a bit of knitting. Big surprise right? I am thoroughly addicted! This cowl is getting so big and squishy. I should finish it up in the next day or two, so I'll share more details then.

I also finished up my Swoon quilt! It has taken its rightful place on our messy bed... Along with my Flea Market Fancy quilt, of course.

As soon as the weather breaks (it has been rainy/snowy here!) I will get some full shots of the finished quilt. I can't wait to share it with you.

Be back soon!

xo, A

finished.

2011-11-23T09:35:00.001-05:00

I finished my honey cowl the other day! It turned out so nicely, and it is super soft and fuzzy. I've been wearing it every day since then. It was good timing too, since it cooled down since then and has been very wet and rainy. More pictures and details are on Ravelry.

Now I'm off for a Thanksgiving feast at Weston's school and a day spent in the kitchen. And maybe a little bit of hand sewing. :)

xo, A

cozy Monday.

2011-11-21T09:24:00.001-05:00

How is it the week of Thanksgiving?? Really, it completely snuck up on me. This is our first year with a kid in school full-time, and it has made time fly more than ever. We have a busy week ahead of us, and it is full of good things. Dinner with friends, Christmas shopping, baking and cooking, Thanksgiving at our house (for the 6th year in a row!), and then decorating for Christmas on Friday (one of my favorite family traditions).

So for today I think we will stay in and enjoy a quiet day at home. My plans? In between playtime with the kiddos, I'd like to finish up this honey cowl and read more of this book. I can't wait to wear this, it is so fuzzy and soft. And this book is amazing. Really, life changing for me.

Hope you have a great start to the week.

xo, A

ETA - The quilt in the background is my Habitat bowtie quilt. For those of you that asked/emailed about it, you can find my post about it here. :)

farming again - FWQAL week 25

2011-11-19T14:49:00.001-05:00

I've been farming again, and it has been so enjoyable. I forgot how much fun these blocks are to make. They are so addicing! Once you make a couple, it is hard to stop. I made 7 last week.

58 - Mother's Dream - my favorite from this batch. I think the aqua herringbone and gray heath are pretty much the perfect fabrics.

57 - Morning

63 - Ozark Maple Leaf. Love these two fabrics together. You know that woodgrain is one of my all time favorites, and that yellow from DS Quilts is so pretty. I used this for the backing of my Swoon quilt (which has been quilted and is now ready to be bound... eeee!)

103 - Whirlwind. This is definitely my least favorite of the batch.

111 - Monkey Wrench. I sure love this block (I think it is the same as churn dash?) I'd like to make a whole quilt from this block someday.

109 - Windows.

108 - Windmill. I really like this one, but the yellow (which is so pretty and from Pat Bravo) might be a little much. I am thinking that if I use it in a couple other blocks that it will look okay. But I may just redo the block, not sure yet!

Now I am up to 43 blocks. I am still a few behind, hopefully I'll be caught up in the next few weeks. Once I get to the halfway point, which is 56 blocks, I'll lay them all out again and get a few pictures. I think that will help me decide what colors/prints/etc I'm lacking, and maybe then I can finally decide on sashing and layout. I am having the hardest time deciding!!

Speaking of layouts, did you see this and this?? Seriously, check them out. They are crazy beautiful and inspiring. Be sure to check out Amanda's latest blocks. She has been farming like crazy, and they are as beautiful as always.

Hope you are having a good weekend!

xo, Angela

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

a great start to the week.

2011-11-09T08:41:00.004-05:00

This week has gotten of to a really great start. First, I finished up my honey cowl! I am really happy with it. It is so thick and cozy and cute, and I can't believe that I made it. I definitely recommend this pattern, and it is especially great for a beginner like me. You can find more info on Ravelry.

Oh, but trying to take a good photo of it on? Not so fun. Self portaits, ugh. This is the best I got.

I started a second honey cowl yesterday. This time I am using Malabrigo Silky in burgandy, and I am making the middle size. I think I'm going to omit the rolled edges.

More good things? I had a little "me time" yesterday afternoon, that doesn't happen too often. Spent some time at Starbucks knitting, of course. I do love those red cups.

And happy mail! I received this great pillow Monday from the Pillow Talk Swap. It is from Brenda, and she did such a nice job. She was sweet enough to include a bunch of Cosmo floss, which I was really needing for my AMH Needleworks project. Thanks again, Brenda!

My friend Jeni sent me some Salty Caramel Sauce too... it is delicious! And it is gone already. :)

I got to do some farming for the first time in over a month! How I have missed those little blocks. I made 4 on Monday, and have plans to make a couple more today. I'll be back tomorrow with those.

I also stopped at JoAnn's yesterday to pick up some backing for my Swoon quilt. By that I mean drove 45 minutes to get there. And what did I realize when I got there? I totally forgot my 40% off coupon. Bummer! Guess I'll need to make another trip soon.

Hope you are having a good week, too!

xo, Angela

a list

2011-11-03T11:16:00.003-04:00

Lots of things going on this week, so today I have a list.

1. We are having the oddest weather. Last weekend was very cold and we got our first snow. It was an inch of two and only lasted the morning, but the boys took advantage of it.

Now the snow is gone and it is in the 60's and I'm on my way out to mow the lawn. See? Odd.

2. I joined Ravelry this week. My screen name there is fussycut-angela and you can find me here. I added a few of my more recent projects to my page and picked out my next project. I'm still working on my honey cowl this week, and I am really enjoying every minute of it.

After some consultations with Rita and Megan, I placed an order for some Malabrigo yarn the other day, and I can't wait to try it out. I also bought some cute stitch markers off of Etsy and picked out some fabric from my stash for my next project bag. Oh dear, knitting is going to be an expensive hobby, isn't it?

4. My favorite Christmas candy is out! Need I say more??

5. I pulled out my Good Folks Swoon quilt top. I don't know what to do for the backing yet. I have quite a few FQ's leftover from the line that I could piece together, but I don't know if I want to use it all up here. I think I may save them for some pillows. We will hopfully head to Joann's this weekend to see if there is some of the yellow print from DS Quilts left. I think that'd work perfect for the backing.

6. I miss blogging. Since I was little I've kept a journal, and I love keeping this one online. It is my place to share what I sew and document a bit of my life at home. I am hoping that I can be back to a somewhat normal schedule next week with Farmer's Wife blocks and regular posts.

Hope you are well! I'll be back soon.

xo, A

lately.

2011-10-25T16:22:00.001-04:00

Oh hi! Remember me? I'm the one that writes on this blog. Okay, maybe not so much as of late. I have been busy, sewing like crazy. I am working on several projects for a book. Not my own book, but a collaborative one, and the deadline is right around the corner. I'm enjoying the projects, but some days it is difficult to get much done with this little helper ~~getting into everything~~ around:

Don't you love that smooshy face? :) Anyways, I've been squeezing a little knitting and sewing time in after the kids go to bed. That is our time to unwind and enjoy a little peace and quiet.

I learned how to knit while at the Sewing Summit a couple weeks ago, and I started this Honey Cowl. It wasn't looking so hot, so I decided to pull it out and start again. I like it much better now! I'm still pretty slow, but I feel like I'm getting better.

I had to make a cute little knitting bag, of course! I made this the other day using Jeni's really great tutorial. It is a quick and easy project, and it took less than an hour to make. Perfect for when you need some instant-gratification-kinda-sewing. That is a word, right?? I used this super cute bunting fabric paired with some fabric from Katie Jump Rope and DS Quilts. I've had a lot of questions about the fabric on Instagram and Flickr, so I took a picture of the cute selvedge in case you are curious.

I've also been stitching on some new fabric from Anna Maria's needleworks line. It is gorgeous! No big surprise there, right? I am working on a smaller piece now, and I'm not sure what I'm going to make with it yet. Maybe a zipper pouch? Needlebook? It is easier than regular cross stitch because you don't have to count stitches. One note if you do buy some - order a full yard! A half yard doesn't have all of the full designs on it.

Other than that, we are really enjoying fall here. Lots of costume shopping, beautiful scenery, and Pumpkin Spice Hersey Kisses. Which are amazing, by the way. Though my husband would disagree.... ;)

Hope you are well!

xo, Angela

PS - Hope you don't mind all the Instagram photos! If you are in it, you can follow me @fussycut.

Sewing Summit 2011

2011-10-17T12:58:00.000-04:00

Hi friends! It has been a busy couple weeks since I last posted. Sewing Summit has come and gone, and it was amazing. It was everything I was hoping for, really. For me it was all about the people. I've been blessed with some great friendships through our online sewing community, and I loved spending time with these people. I made a lot of new friends and met quite a few people who read my little blog too, which was pretty amazing.

My trip started Thursday around lunchtime with a 3 hour drive to our closest airport. I love traveling alone. It is something I did quite often when I was single, and the last time was when I went to a Weekend Sewing retreat with Heather Ross and Denyse Schmidt a couple years ago. I enjoyed the long drive and quiet time in the airport and on the planes. It was fun to read, people watch, and just take my time. I met up with my good friend Jessica for the second leg of the flight, so that made it even better!

Friday morning, this Amanda was nice enough to drive us around on a little fabric shop hop of our own. At the first store, we found a Farmer's Wife book! This other Amanda and I couldn't help ourselves, we had to get a picture with it.

Lunch that day was Cafe Rio. I was so excited to find one, we don't have these where I live in PA! I love Mexican food, and it definitely lived up to my expectations.

Friday evening we had an opening reception, then we spent the evening learning to knit. I picked out some beautiful Madeline Tosh Vintage yarn, and I am working on the Honey cowl. I am not very good at it, and I am so so slow. Hopefully I'll get better!

Saturday was class day, but Amanda, Jessica and I skipped our first class. Camille was in town that weekend, so we went to breakfast with her and her sweet little Nicholas at a coffee shop down the road from the hotel. She is every bit as sweet and genuine as she comes across on her blog, and that little man is such a doll!

Saturday afternoon was filled with classes. I had a great time assisting Jeni in her class, and then next was Amanda's class on mini quilts. They both were very knowledgeable and inspiring. At the end of Jeni's class, we surprised everyone with free Kona cotton color cards gifted from Robert Kaufman, so that was a lot of fun!

That night was a lovely dinner at a local brewerie. It was hosted by the sweet Jennifer and Elena. They surprised us with gift bags full of everything from Olfa products to FQ stacks of fabric. We were shocked!

That last evening was another late night. We were up until 2AM (which is 4AM my time!!) chatting in the lobby and sewing room, and I had to get up at 6 that morning to get to the airport. I decided to skip the last day of classes in order to head home. It was a long day of traveling. I left SLC at 8AM and got to my house 8PM. I was bummed I had to leave early, but in the end I'm glad I did.

Of course I was thrilled to come home to my family. The not so good thing? I came home to a house full of sick people. We spent most of last week snuggled up on the couch under quilts.

So that is a little bit of my Sewing Summit experience. There is a fun linky party over here if you'd like to read other people's blog posts about it. Erin and Amy are already planning next year's conference, and I am looking forward to it already.

xo, Angela

PS - Oh, and I almost forgot! My favorite thing when meeting people at the Sewing Summit: I'd see a person look at my face, then check my right foot for my star tattoo, and then they'd come up and say hi. This happened so many times! Apparently the little star was confirmation that I am me. :)

Pillow Talk swap

2011-10-02T19:08:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite groups on Flickr is the Pillow Talk Swap. It is a fun swap. Each person is assigned a blind partner, and you make a special pillow for them. It is fun, scheming and sewing for your partner. The surprise is the best part. I haven't done this swap in quite awhile, but when I saw a new round was coming up, I couldn't resist.

My partner was easy to sew for. She had some pretty specific color requests, but didn't seem to have any preferences for the actual pattern. I decided to go ahead and make a kaleidoscope pillow, just like my KJR one from earlier on in the year, only a bit larger. The above picture was my sneak peak to the group, and below is the finished product!

I made a 20" pillow out of blue, green, and yellow fabrics paired with Kona Ash (or maybe it was Moda Bella medium gray).

There is a white invisible zipper in the bottom, and the backing is a print from DS Quilts. I really like that line alot, it has a lot of great blenders and basics.

I had a lot of fun sewing this pillow. I enjoyed the little break from sewing work and deadlines.

I hope my partner loves it! It went in the mail Friday morning, and I can't wait until it arrives at its new home. Now I want to make some kaleidoscope pillows for my couch. I just love this pattern (remember this quilt?).

Hope you had a nice weekend!

xo A

another little dress and a big race

2011-09-27T12:11:00.001-04:00

Thought I'd share a few pictures of Finley in another little dress I made her. It is another Leila and Ben dress, so it was quick and easy.

I used Farmdale chickens for this one, I love that print. Plus I got it from Joann's with a 50% off coupon! We've gotten a lot of wear out of it already. It is a little cooler here lately, so she has been wearing leggings underneath.

This past weekend was an exiting one for us... Steve ran his first marathon! He has been training for months, and he did a really great job. He met his goal, and I couldn't be any prouder.

Now I'd like to run one. Which is a little bit nuts, I never thought I'd say that! I have been running since I was in junior high, but never anything longer than a 10K (6.3 miles). Maybe once the kids are a bit older, and I have more time to devote to running. We'll see. :)

And here are a couple post-race shots. We are both a little beat here... it was a long day!

xo, Ang

week 17 - FWQAL

2011-09-21T17:29:00.000-04:00

This is week 17 of the Farmer's Wife quilt-along. I did three blocks again this week, and I am up to 35.

The first block is #77 - Seasons. I love love this one. I used a new-to-me fabric from a swap with a fabric buddy in the Netherlands, cool right? (Check out her Habitat quilt, btw- a twin to mine!) So this block is made of Suzuko Koseki buttons and Authentic text. I think that is what they both are, not positive.

Next is #70 - Prairie Queen, made with DS Quilts fabric. I think Denyse's fabrics for JoAnn's are really great, and the smaller scale prints are perfect for these blocks.

The last block for the week is #41 - Friendship Star. I made another one of these since I used the first one for an iPad case (I wrote about in my last post, in case you missed it). It is a fun and easy block to make; I love those stars.

In other news, this has been an exciting week for me... yesterday we celebrated my 30th birthday! :)

Happy Wednesday!

xo, A

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

weekend sewing and an autumn party

2011-09-18T18:35:00.000-04:00

I got a little sewing in this weekend. I've been wanting to make a case for my iPad, and I came up with this little number. I ended up using a block I made for my Farmer's Wife quilt. I really like this one, it is one of my favorites so far, and I thought it would be really cute for this case. I also liked that it is a simple one, so I won't mind making another one for my sampler quilt to replace this one.

I added some Moda crossweave scraps to the front. Have you tried it yet? I love that stuff, it looks like linen but is a bit easier to use. I used American red rulers on the back, and DS Quilts dots for the lining. It is padded with batting and lightly quilted. I added a little white ribbon to the zipper, but I think I need to find some cuter to put there.

We went to a birthday party this weekend at a local pumpkin farm. It is such a fun place and a great spot for some good photos. The "corn box" is always a big hit with our family!

The guys had a fun time on the various bikes. I think Steve had as much fun as the boys.

I love these cute ones of me and Fin. We don't get many pictures together, since I'm usually the one behind the camera. I'm sure you other moms can relate to that!

xo, Angela

week 16 - FWQAL

2011-09-14T13:09:00.000-04:00

Week 16 of the Farmer's Wife QAL is here, and I have three new blocks to share. I am now up to 34, which is two blocks ahead of schedule.

#3 - Batwing. This block is a little odd to me, but I like how it turned out. I used a blue print from Loulouthi (Anna Maria Horner) and Wordplay (Michelle D'Amore).

#6 - Big Dipper - Tula Pink yellow ladybugs and American Jane multi pez. By the way, did you see that American Jane has a new pez line coming out?? I am so excited, the mono pez prints are the best.

#10 - Bowtie - Lush woodgrain, Freespirit dots, Japanese Little Red Riding Hood. This is a twin to one of my favorite FW blocks (so far!).

In family news, Eli started preschool last week. He loves it so much! I think he is an old pro already. He watched his older brother go to this school for the past two years, so he was ready and knew just what to do. When it came time for me to drop him off, he gave me a big kiss and ran off to play with his friends. Sure made it easier for me to let him go, you know?

xo, A

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

week 15 - FWQAL

2011-09-08T17:54:00.000-04:00

I am doing double Farmer's Wife duty this week. I didn't get a chance to do my blocks last week, so now I have 5 new blocks to share with you. This means I've made 31 blocks and am one block ahead of schedule, oh yeah! I am going to keep this short and sweet, we are heading out to the fair after dinner.

#14 - Butterfly at Crossroads

#20 - Churn Dash

#54 - Kitchen Woodbox (my favorite of this batch)

#34 - Flock

#93 - Swallow

And another shot of the whole crew. I think they are so pretty together.

xo, A

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

2011-09-06T11:58:00.000-04:00

I started a paperpiecing project this weekend. Camillle sent me this cute 2.5" charm pack of Ruby, and I am making 1" hexagons. It is so great! I don't have to cut any fabric, those little squares are just the right size for the paper pieces I already had.

I finished making hexagons this morning, and now I am sewing them together into rows. It is great timing, having a handsewing project, because the latest season of The Office just came out on DVD today! It is my favorite show, and since we don't have cable/satellite, I haven't seen a single episode from the last season.

As for the holiday weekend, it sure went fast. We didn't have any big plans, just spent the weekend quietly with friends and family. It was a really nice weekend.

xo, A

a shirred dress

2011-09-02T11:51:00.002-04:00

I have made three dresses for Finley now, and the second is this shirred sundress. I used the pattern from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. It is a sweet little thing, and the pattern was pretty easy to follow. The only change I made was to add a couple inches in length. I love long dresses on babies.

Sewing with elastic thread in my bobbin turned out to be pretty easy. I was a little hesitant, I have heard that it can be pretty problematic. I'm happy to say it went smoothly in my Janome. Once I added some steam, and shrunk so nicely.

I have to admit, I think I've been spoiled by sewing tutorials on the Internet. The ones I've used tend to be very thorough with tons of pictures. Using a pattern from book is not quite the same. Like I said... Spoiled.

I tried to snap some shots of Finley in her dress, but she was not being very helpful. It is hard to take pictures of a busy 14 month baby!

xo A

new favorite and fall sewing

2011-08-30T09:26:00.000-04:00

I bought myself an iPad this week. It is kind of funny. I am about as low-tech as can be: no cable TV, still use a tracfone, etc, but I do love my Apple products. I saved up my hard earned sewing money from custom quilt orders and future book projects (eee, it's true!), and treated myself to a fun new gadget. One of my favorite new apps is Instagram. It is a quick and easy way to take pictures, if you are not familiar with it. I am slightly obsessed with it, in case you can't tell.

playing with Instagram - an afternoon nap

harvest

baby girl at 13 months - the road to our house

Eli in the morning - ugly heating pad

We had a good first week of school here. Weston is enjoying it, and I'm enjoying a quieter house and a schedule. I've gotten to spend more one-on-one time with the younger two. Though it is warm in the day, the autumn chill is creeping in during the night. It is getting me excited for some handsewing on the couch. Less time at the machine, more spent under quilts and afghans. I think the first thing I need to make is a sleeve for my iPad, maybe some English paper piecing? I haven't made any hexagons or diamonds in awhile. I'd like to make a heating pad cover too, that plaid has got to go. I also need to start a list of Christmas gifts that need to be made. Time to get planning!

How about you? Does your sewing and crafting change when fall comes rolling in?

xo Ang

week 13 - FWQAL

2011-08-25T16:16:00.001-04:00

I had a couple fun blocks for week 13 in the FWQAL. They were very different from each other, and a lot of fun to make.

The first block is #91 - Strawberry Basket. I used Sherbet Pips square dots in red, Tula Pink's yellow ladybugs, Cosmo Cricket's green crosshatches.

The second block for the week is #92 - Streak of Lightning. This is a floral from Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush line. This was actually a scrap from my Kaleidoscope quilt binding! I paired this with graph paper fabric, which I love. It is hard to photograph, but you can see it up close here:

In more important news, Weston started school this week! We are sending him to a private school in town, and he loves it so far. His enthusiasm has made it easy for me to let him go. He is having a blast. :)

xo Angela

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

a summer dress and a fabric destash

2011-08-22T16:03:00.001-04:00

I made Finley a dress this weekend. It is the first article of clothing I've ever made!

I used the Sweet Little Dress pattern by Leila & Ben, and it was the perfect pattern to start on. It was simple, which is just right for a beginner garment sewer like me. I like this dress because Finley can grow into it. When she is bigger, it'll look cute with jeans and a long sleeve tee underneath it. I used Farmdale aqua flowers, which I purchased with a 50% off coupon at Joann's awhile back.

Finley looked adorable wearing this to church Sunday morning. And I'm not going lie, I'm proud of myself for making it. I am a pretty confident in my quilting skills, but clothes are definitely out of my comfort zone.

A couple sewing buddies gave me a great tip the other day: make your daughter's clothes while you can still pick out her clothes! I think I'll take that advice and get sewing. If you have any beginner-to-intermediate pattern or tutorial recommendations, please share!

In other news, I am destashing quite a bit of fabric. I simply have more than I can possibly sew, and I'm finally ready to send some of my goodies to new homes. I have prepared two huge bundles that I am selling in ~~my shop on Etsy~~. They have almost all of my Flea Market Fancy stash, along with lots of other hard to find and out of print fabrics (Heather Ross, Tula Pink ladybugs, Summer in the City birds, Swell charm pack, etc). I really don't have the time to sort and list the fabrics separately, so I think it'll be easiest for me to sell them in two large groups. If you are interested, please check them out ~~here~~. Updated: both bundles have been sold, thank you! I also have a couple leftover baby quilts that I just marked down for sale.

Happy Monday!

xo A

241 tote review - Travel Handmade

2011-08-20T07:00:00.002-04:00

This post is part of the
Travel Handmade series, for more great travel bag posts click here!

Hey all! Guess what, I made some bags! It is true, I did. It was nice, venturing away from quilts a bit. It has been awhile, so it was a welcome break.

Here are my 241 Totes, I made them this past week. My talented friend Anna sent me her pattern months ago, right when she first released it, and I knew right away that I wanted to make a bunch of them. As always, Anna's pattern is well written, thorough, and easy to follow. This is a fun little tote that has two options for customizing: zipper pockets in the front or open side pockets.

The first bag I made is out of Anna Maria Horner's latest line, Loulouthi. I used the zipper option for this one. I love the two slash pockets in the outside of the bag, they are perfect for small items like keys and a cell phone. The zippers were pretty easy to put in. While I've sewn many zippers in the past, this was a new method for me. I didn't even have to get my zipper foot out! Bonus. :)

For my second tote, I used Joel Dewberry's Aviary 2. I tried out the side pocket option for this one. They are very easy to make, and if you are a little nervous about this zippers, this option is for you. I liked adding a third fabric into the mix.

Both bags are fully lined with no exposed seams. Inside there is a slip pocket and a magnetic closure. I was happy I had a few of those laying around, they add a nice finishing touch.

I highly recommend the 241 tote pattern. It is a versatile, customizable bag, and it is great for sewers of any level. I will be taking one of these with me to the Sewing Summit for a project bag, and the other one will be a Christmas gift for a family member. Now the hardest decision of all... which one should I keep for myself??

Happy sewing!

xo Angela

week 12 - FWQAL

2011-08-17T15:23:00.000-04:00

I am so happy to be sewing Farmer's Wife blocks again this week. I missed sewing them last week, and I had a lot of fun with these little blocks. We are now on week 12, and I now have 24 blocks finished.

Starting from the top is #44 - Gentleman's Fancy. I love these square-in-square kinda blocks. I used a blue basket weave from Denyse Schmidt's Katie Jump Rope line along with a purple print from Anna Maria Horner's Bohemian.

The second block is #69 - Practical Orchard, and this was a quick and easy block to make. The green print is another AMH Bohemian, and the white is a seed text from Annie's Farm Stand.

The bottom block is #41 - Friendship Star. I've always love this block, I'd really love to make a quilt out of it someday. Maybe something in solids? Anyways, I used red American Jane rulers and a pink and red dot from DS Quilts.

So far I'm still sticking with templates and rotary cutting when I can. I am hoping to do some paper piecing at some point, I just haven't gotten to that yet. I've formed a little schedule for my FW blocks that seems to work good to me. I never have a long enough chunk of time to make two blocks in one sitting, so breaking them down into steps works the best. I find that if I choose 2 blocks and pull fabrics one evening, trace and cut pieces another day, then sit down and sew them together yet another day, things go pretty smoothly. Oh, life with kids. :)

In other news, my oldest starts kindergarten one week from today. We just picked up his school uniform this afternoon, and he is totally pumped. Now we just need to pick out supplies (which was always my favorite part) and he is set. :)

xo, Angela

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

Swoon quilt top

2011-08-15T18:00:00.000-04:00

Talk about a rough week! This past one was pretty tough. I had some odd mix of seasonal allergies (which is a completely new development) and a terribly sore neck that kept me on the couch for days. No sewing for me, not even a stitch. I ventured out with the family Wednesday night to visit the local fair, but besides that, we were home. Not a fun way to spend one of the last couple weeks of summer!

I'm feeling quite a bit better today, so I thought I'd take out my Swoon quilt top and snap a couple quick shots. I can't wait to get back to this project. It really is such a great pattern, I love how these corners and sashing meet up. And did you see my friend Amanda's swoon quilt yet? I think I might steal it.

Time to get back to the sewing machine, I need to catch up on my Farmer's Wife blocks!

xo, Ang

life lately - a list

2011-08-08T12:20:00.004-04:00

Life is so busy and full and happy. Many things going on that I'd like to remember and share, so a list is what I have today.

1. We are spending as much time together as a family as we possibly can, and there has been lots of swimming, fires, and campouts in the backyard. Weston will be starting kindergarten in 16 days. He is so excited, and I'm so excited for him. We have all day K here, 5 days a week, so it'll be quite an adjustment.

2. My little man Elijah starts preschool in a month. He'll be going 2 mornings a week, and he is totally pumped. It'll be fun for him, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with this little girl...

... who is growing like a weed, by the way, and changing daily. At 13 months (tomorrow), her preferred mode of transportation in walking now. Or climbing. Definitely keeping me on my toes. I snapped this picture the other day during Steve's lunch break. She is always a happy, sweaty mess when she wakes up after naptime. :)

3. I finished my Swoon quilt top over the weekend! I love it so much. I have to put it aside for now, I have another quilt to make, some designing to do, and Farmer's Wife blocks to work on. I am looking forward to having this on my bed for the fall and winter. Here are my last two blocks:

4. I came across this nice round up for mug rugs, if you're interested! I was happy to see my selvedge mini included in the list. I think I need to make some more of those to use as potholders.

5. In my neverending hunt for living room curtains, I stumbled across West Elm, and it is my new favorite store. Currently in my shopping cart: this, this, and this. How have I never heard of this store before??

6. I pulled my trusty old coffee pot out of the pantry and made hot coffee for the first time in months. I think I am finally getting over my iced coffee obsession. Today it is all about the hot coffee and Almond Joy creamer. Yum.

Happy Monday!

Apple Crate - a quilt tutorial

2011-08-04T07:43:00.001-04:00

Good morning! I am excited because today I am sharing Apple Crate, my second quilt tutorial over at the Moda Bakeshop. Remember this Flea Market Fancy quilt that I made back in the beginning of the year? Yep, it is that pattern. Since then I've had so many requests for a tutorial, and now I finally have one for you!

If you are here visiting for the first time, welcome! I'm so happy you to have you. You can read a little bit about me, see my latest quilt finish, and my two current WIP's. If you are already one of my wonderful readers, please head over to the bakeshop and say hi!! I really appreciate the comments that you leave for me over there. You can find my post and tutorial here.

xo Angela

week 10 - FWQAL

2011-08-03T16:46:00.000-04:00

Week 10 of the Farmer's Wife quilt-along is here, and I now have 21 blocks. I am still doing templates for the most part. I really like using them. I know that is is not everyone's cup of tea, but it definitely is mine. When I first began quilting 10 or so years ago, that is how I learned. And perhaps the elementary school teacher side of me enjoys the all of the tracing and cutting.

The orange block is #72 - Railroad. This one was nice and easy, lots of squares and a couple HST's. I used up some orange Modern Meadow scraps (Joel Dewberry) and Kei dots. The second block is #40 - Friendship Block. I used 1001 Peeps and Habitat for this one. Aren't those two fabrics together the best??

Now here is the whole family, my first 21 blocks. They sure make me happy. I think I need to work on some yellow blocks next week.

I'll be back tomorrow, I have a quilt tutorial to share with you!

xo A

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

week 9 - FWQAL

2011-07-27T14:57:00.003-04:00

Apparently green is hard for me. Who knew?? I had no idea that it was a difficult color for me to work with. I love green, but I discovered that I don't have a lot of fabric in that shade. Pulling and coordinating fabrics took forever. Really.

# 56 - Maple Leaf, #31 - Evening Star, # 55 - Linoleum

I ended up doing three this week instead of two. It took me so long to come up with these three fabric combos, so I just made them all. I had a couple of fabric scraps that were tiny, the gnomes and the people, that I really wanted to use. They weren't big enough to use on point (which is how they will be sewn in the quilt), but I decided to use them anyway. I really like both of them, and that is all I have.

Note to self: buy more green fabric!! Head over to Amanda's and see her blocks for the week. They are gorgeous as always, and she used a bunch of my favorite fabrics. I wish I could steal her blocks and add them to mine. :)

xo, A

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

2 more.

2011-07-25T14:24:00.002-04:00

During a fun weekend full of the beach, Mr. Popper's Penguins at the movie theater, church, plus time with family and friends, I somehow managed to squeeze in a bit of sewing time. Two more Swoon blocks done, only two more to go (I think). I snapped a couple shots when I got home from the gym this morning.

These are my favorite so far, though I'm pretty sure I say that after I finish every block. I am both excited and sad to finish these up, I have enjoyed making them so much. I love Camille's pattern, and I love sewing with Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks.

I hope your week is starting out well!

xo A

FWQAL - week 8

2011-07-20T17:24:00.000-04:00

Week 8 of the Farmer's Wife QAL - crazy! This was a odd week for me. It has been very busy, so I didn't even get to start working on my blocks until this morning. I decided two things: I needed to do a couple easy-ish blocks, and I needed to make them green, which is the color I am lacking right now. How did I do with those two goals? Terrible!! They were both harder blocks, and neither of them have green. Oh well, green next week for sure.

I did two of my favorite blocks in the entire book. The blue one is #83 - Spider Web. I used blue seeds from Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy and Habitat dots for this one. I love how it turned out, though my center points aren't perfect. They aren't cut off, but one is a little lopsided. I'm okay with that (I think).

I also made Block #80 - Single Wedding Star. This is another favorite. I felt like sewing with some Heather Ross fabric today, so I fussy cut some of her fish fabric and paired that with some orange Kei dots. I am pretty happy with this one, no lost points or corners.

There are some blocks in the book that I don't love, so I plan on making these again at some point. It will be fun to see them in different fabrics, I bet they won't even look like the same block.

Make sure you check out Amanda's beautiful blocks this week! She always picks the cutest fabric.

xo, A

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

sewing this week.

2011-07-16T13:02:00.003-04:00

Remember this pretty stack of fabrics from the other day? Now it is a quilt! I've been busy.

I had a marathon quilting day on Thursday. Well, by marathon, I mean quilting during Finley's two naptimes and in the morning before the kiddos woke up. I didn't mean to do spend Thursday's free time that way. The plan was to clean the house for company that was coming (and is now here) this weekend. But I couldn't help myself. I had basted the quilt the day before, and it was just sitting there waiting for me. AND it was to be be free motion quilted in a meandering pattern, which is my favorite way to quilt. It is so much fun for me.

Now I am watching my favorite movie and handsewing while the little ones are napping. I really enjoy tacking down the binding. I ordered some straw needles last week, I wish they were here already. I've never used them before, but I know many people swear by them and love using then for handsewing.

Aren't these little illustrations from Little Apples so charming? I love them. This quilt is for an upcoming tutorial, so hopefully I'll be able to share the whole thing with you in a month or two. Hope your Saturday is going well! This summer is going way too fast.

xo, A

fwqal - week 7

2011-07-13T17:15:00.001-04:00

I'm back to one easy and one hard block for week 7 of the Farmer's Wife QAL. The first block I did was # 26 - Cut Glass Dish. That is the brown, red, and white one. I used a Little Red Riding Hood fabric that I've had for quite some time, and it is great for fussy cutting. Lush woodgrain and red Free Spirit dots were a perfect match for it.

My easy block for the week #16 - Calico Puzzle. I used a flower print from Momo Wonderland for the color inspirations, and then added Lizzy House 1001 Peeps in pink and Hope Valley in blue. See, I told you I gravitate to pinks and blues. I can't help it!

xo, Ang

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time!

More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

celebrating Finley

2011-07-11T08:42:00.001-04:00

We spent this weekend celebrating our little girl's first birthday. Finley's birthday was Saturday, and we spent the day at a local lake. It was her first time at the beach, and she loved it. We had a small family party for her Sunday night, and she had a great time with her chocolate cake.

Finley has the sweetest tempermant, but if she doesn't get her way, she can get fiesty! (I have no idea where she gets that from.) She is like her Mommy already and loves fabric. If it is in her reach, she is all over it.

Happy birthday, precious girl. I can't even believe it has been a year since you joined our family. You are such a blessing, and I am so thankful to have you.

xoxo.

FWQAL - week 6

2011-07-06T14:40:00.000-04:00

For week 6 of the Farmer's Wife quilt-a-long, I needed to do some easy blocks. I have been tackling some tough ones lately, and after the long holiday weekend, simple blocks were a necessity.

I had so much fun making these two! They were quick and easy to cut out, and they came together so nicely. After looking at my blocks all together, I realized they were lacking orange, green, and yellow. Apparently I gravitate towards grays and blues and pinks, since my blocks seem to be full of those colors.

The text block that is on top is #2 - Autumn Tints. It has some lime Full Moon dots, American Jane yellow mono pez /orange flowers, and Authentic text (I think). The other block is #1 - Attic Windows, and it is made up of American Jane orange mono pez, Little Apples green leaves, Cosmo Cricket yellow crosshatches, and a cute little Japanese hedgehog print on white.

Amanda will be sharing her blocks for the week soon, so don't forget to pop on over. Also, thank you thank you thank you for all of your kind words about my Moda Bakeshop quilt. I truly appreciate the comments left here and on the tutorial at Moda's blog. Really, you are the best. :)

xo, Ang

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

Starry Eyed

2011-07-05T07:40:00.001-04:00

Today I am sharing a quilt tutorial with you over at the Moda Bakeshop! It is my first quilt for Moda, and I am so happy to be contributing to their lovely blog. Please head on over, and let me know what you think! I really hope that you like it.

xo, Angela

4th of July

2011-07-03T20:16:00.003-04:00

After a busy week and weekend, tonight and tomorrow will be spent quietly and close to home. I am hoping to squeeze in a little sewing at some point, I have a lovely new stack to cut into.

Hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July!

xoxo, Ang

Hope Valley string quilt

2011-07-02T17:00:00.000-04:00

I finally finished my Hope Valley string quilt!

Oh, it feels like I have been working on this one forever. I started it more than a year ago with plans to make a quilt for Finley's room. I was planning on designing her room around this, but then Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow came out, and I made her baby quilt out of that. I pushed the string blocks to the side for the time being, knowing that I'd be back to them soon enough.

This one was a tough quilt for me to make at times. The string blocks are tedious and super repetitive, but I am glad I persevered. I really love the finish quilt. It will be another one for Finley's big girl bed someday. Remember, I even made a matching pillow!

quilt stats

pattern: paper pieced string block (8" finished)

fabrics: Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt and Kona coal (quilt top), Kona raisin (binding), a gray Target flat sheet for backing

dimensions: need to measure still, but it is an oversized twin

quilting: free motion quilting in a meandering pattern by me

Happy holiday weekend!

with love, Angela

previous posts on the making of this quilt:

being patient

life this week

Hope Valley quilt top

binding

week 5 - FWQAL

2011-06-30T07:55:00.014-04:00

Here are my two blocks for week 5 of our Farmer's Wife quilt along.

The lighter one is #30 - End of Day, and I love how this one turned out. The scale and color of the prints worked out so nicely. The pink is from Lizzy House's 1000 Peeps, the green is Tula Pink's Prince Charming, and the words are an older print from Timeless Treasures. I've been hoarding that print, only using bits of it here and there (like in this one!) and I love it for my Farmer's Wife quilt. It is a good one for fussycutting.

The second block I made is #25 - Cups and Saucers. I am less thrilled about this one. I used two Habitat prints here, but there just isn't enough contrast. It is hard to see all of the little seams and pieces, that is no good. Note to self: don't do that again!!

Go say hi to Amanda, and go visit the flickr group! It is a great resource and a nice way to connect with other people who are sewing with us. If you haven't yet, come over and introduce yourself!!

xo, A

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

this morning.

2011-06-27T15:20:00.000-04:00

I finished up a couple more blocks for my Good Folks quilt. I don't think you could make me choose a favorite block so far, I really like them all.

I spent some time on my Farmer's Wife blocks for this week.

I'm pretty entralled with all of the bits and pieces that make these blocks. I have never worked with anything this tiny.

And a couple quick shots of the kiddos from this morning. Steve took the boys to get haircut this past Friday, and they came home with the buzz cuts. This is the shortest my oldest son's hair has ever been, it was longer even at birth. I literally cried (out of shock mostly), but I like it a lot now.

Finley cracks me up here. She is always trying to steal Eli's sippy cup, and she finally got ahold of it. Sneaky baby!

Hope you are week is starting out well!

xo, Angela

two more.

2011-06-23T09:05:00.000-04:00

3 down, 6 to go!

xo, A

fwqal - week 4

2011-06-22T15:41:00.001-04:00

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

Hey friends! Can you believe that we are four weeks into our Farmer's Wife quilt-a-long? That was fast. I am having so much fun with these little blocks.

My first block for the week is #27 - Darting Birds. Lots of little pieces to this one, but don't be scared by them! As long as you slow, use your pins, and sew with an accurate 1/4" seam allowance, I promise they aren't bad! For this block I used mostly squares and HST's, and then a few triangles traced from the book's templates. The purple print is from Bohemian by Anna Maria Horner, and the gray scallops are from Bonnie and Camille's Ruby.

My easier block this week is #29 - Economy. I used lots of favorites in this one - Lecien folklore trees, Sherbet Pips square dots, and American Jane mono pez. I am completely in love with this one, but I wish I would've remembered to fussy cut the middle square on point. Oh well!

Here is a little round up of the blocks I made during the first month. I think they are playing nicely together so far! That makes me happy.

Just a side note on the book templates. I've had several emails about the notched/curved/whatever-you-call-them corners, and why they are shaped the way they are. Many people are confused by them, but really they are so beneficial! They allow your pieces to line up so nicely when you sew them. I took a closeup shot while I was sewing my first block today, and it'll give you an idea of how the templates line up if you are confused. Notice the upper right corner of the fabric that is laying wrong side up:

Hope that helps a little! Also, if you need more template help, there is a really great thread full of tips. I'll end with a cute picture from this morning. My little helpers (and iced coffee) are never too far. :)

Don't forget to head over to Amanda's and check out her blocks, too!

xo, Ang

pretty things.

2011-06-20T20:36:00.002-04:00

Though we have an extra bedroom upstairs, I do all of my sewing in the dining room so I can be with the kiddos. I keep all my sewing supplies and current projects inside and on top of this cute little Ikea cabinet. Lots of pretty things going on here this week..

Strawberries in my new berry bowl.

Swoon blocks in progress.

A pretty pincushion from Jessica in use.

A tiny little charm pack and some fabric. (Thanks, C, I love them!)

My Hope Valley string quilt. STILL working on the binding. I don't know why it is taking me so long!

And here are a few pictures of my amazing husband and kids. We had a wonderful weekend and an especially nice Father's Day. It started with a great morning at church and ended with fishing and fireflies. I love watching him with our kids, he is the best. I am so thankful for him, and we are blessed to have him.

with love, A

FWQAL - week 3

2011-06-15T08:54:00.000-04:00

Hi there! Hope that you are having a nice week where you are. It has been good here, very productive so far. The weather has been cooler than normal, but we took advantage of that yesterday and ~~finally~~ put mulch in our two gardens. Now they look nice and neat, love that. In more important news... Finley took her first steps yesterday! Just one or two at a time. She is a little over 11 months, so I guess it is about that time. Sigh.

I am having so much fun with my FWQAL blocks! I love making them. The first one that I made this week is #60 - Noon & Light. I used the templates to make this one, and though it took awhile, it came together nicely. I really like how the book templates work, the notched corners really do make it quite a bit easier to line up all of the corners when sewing. For this block, I used Aneela's Sherbet Pips, AMH Good Folks, and Freespirit dots.

My second block for the week is #87 - Star Gardener. I used a pink woodgrain from Joel Dewberry and a Parisville print from Tula Pink in this one. I love this block, it may be may favorite so far! I have to tell you though, I was so thrilled when I measured it at the end and found that it was the correct size overall. I was a little nervous about that one! All of those tiny little squares and HST's measure 1" finished, and there are close to 60 little pieces in this one 6.5" block.

Okay, time to crawl out from under my Habitat quilt and head out for a playdate with some friends. Amanda will be posting about her blocks later on today, so be sure to check them out too. :)

xo, Ang

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time! More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

amazing.

2011-06-13T08:36:00.000-04:00

Have you checked out the flickr group for the Farmer's Wife quilt-a-long? Amazing. As of this morning, there are currently 281 people in our group (WOW!) and the blocks that are popping up are seriously fantastic. Here are just a few, please click on the links to see more detail. In terms of fabric, there is a little bit of everything here: modern, vintage, civil war, repros... Such a great mix!

1. FWQAL week 2 blocks, 2. FWQA- Block 26, 3. First four blocks, 4. FW #83 Spiderweb v.2, 5. Farmers Wife Sampler blocks - week 2, 6. Block 1 - attic windows, 7. Farmers Wife 39 Friendship, 8. Hand Pieced Blocks FWQAL, 9. Farmer's Wife QAL Block #3, 10. Farmer's Wife | Block #, 11. Farmer's wife quilt-along, 12. Farmer's Wife, 13. FWQAL Week 1 Blocks, 14. Birds in the Air, 15. Farmer's Wife QAL [week 1]

I am truly thrilled to be hosting this QAL with my friend Amanda, and also to be sewing with so many wonderful people. The community that is quickly forming in our group is so fantastic and supportive, so make sure to check it out if you haven't already. One of my favorite threads in our discussions is the one where people are sharing why they want to sew the Farmer's Wife quilt.

If you are interested in joining in, but don't want to commit to the full 111 blocks, there are other options in the book! One is a 50 blocks version, and there are several women who are doing those.

xo Angela

yesterday in pictures

2011-06-12T07:46:00.000-04:00

My favorite flowers have finally bloomed! They have been cut and dispersed around my house.

Some new fabric arrived for my Farmer's Wife quilt. I picked some of my favorite prints from the new 1000 Peeps (Lizzy House) and Loulouthi (Anna Maria Horner), along with a little Parisville (Tula Pink). I have another small package coming in this week too.

The view from my ~~dining room~~ sewing room. Love it.

A little helper left his Panda mask on the the ~~dining room table~~ sewing table. Eli made this in vacation Bible school last week, and has been wearing it everyday since. He loves Po from Kung Fu Panda (so much that he named one of our new cows after him... cute!)

My journal for 52 Lists, 52 Weeks. I am using this pretty one my bff Vanesa (you remember her, I gave her this quilt) and my favorite pen.

Week 1's list. I crossed them all off before the day was up.

And last, my first Swoon block! I think she's pretty.

xo Ang

FWQAL - week 2

2011-06-08T08:37:00.003-04:00

Good morning! Here are my next two blocks for the Farmer's Wife quilt along. Since I am doing the blocks out of order, flipping through the pages and deciding which ones to make is so much fun!

First up is #61 - Northern Lights, and I used some leftover Habitat dots and Lush woodgrain. I adore those dots so much, and that woodgrain is one of my top 3 favorite fabrics. Which is kinda funny, since I barely sew with brown. Not sure why, I guess it is not one of my favorite colors. I have a feeling you'll see a lot more of this woodgrain in this quilt

Next I did #62 - Old Windmill. I love windmill blocks, and this small version was fun to make. 32 little pieces in this one! It was fun picking out the colors in this one. I used more Habitat dots, Hope Valley, Tula Pink ladybugs, and some AMH Bohemian.

In other sewing news, I am all finished quilting my Hope Valley quilt and have moved on to the biniding. I loved reading all of your ideas for the quilting, either stippling or straight line. I ended up going with stippling for a couple reasons. I like how the curvy stitching softens the sharp lines of the strings, and also, I enjoy that type of quilting so much more than straight lines! I love the final result of the straight lines, but to me the process is not nearly as much fun.

I ended up going with Kona in raisin for the binding. I had the hardest time settling on this. I thought about using one of the prints in the quilt, but it is already so busy! I think the raisin goes nicely with the darker purples and will frame the quilt well. Isn't it so pretty all wrapped up and ready to go? I love binding.

Okay, time to get moving. Hope you have a nice Wednesday! It is supposed to be a hot one here.

xo A

my Farmer's Wife quilt-a-long page and posts can be found here.

color choices for FWQ

2011-06-07T13:25:00.002-04:00

I've been thinking quite a bit about color choices for my Farmer's Wife quilt. My plan is to go scrappy, and use bits and pieces of my favorites. But let me tell you, scrappy is really hard for me!

I adore scrappy quilts, but I have such hard time with them myself. I am one to agonize over layout and colors, so giving up that control is so hard for me. This quilt is a good challenge for me that way.

I'm still planning on following the book's diagrams in terms of color inspiration, and hopefully that will result in balance in terms of color. It has been fun raiding my stash for smaller prints, and it seems like the large ones would be lost in the block. I'm realizing that I have a lot of multi-color fabrics, and I think I may need to do a little shopping for some tone-on-tone prints. Good excuse to pick out some new fabric, right?

I'm also thinking ahead to the sashing. I hope to use either the use natural crossweave by Moda (which I used in my Habitat bowtie quilt) or some sort of gray. I am also incorporating creamy white fabrics in some of the backgrounds, like this solid from Pat Bravo and the dashed lines from Cosmo Cricket. I need to find some more of creamy white prints, any suggestions?

xo Angela

my Farmer's Wife quilt-a-long page and posts can be found here.

new.

2011-06-03T12:54:00.000-04:00

I love starting something new. I love scheming and coming up with new projects and ideas.
So what is next for me?

I am a little more than halfway done quilting my string quilt, so I'm planning my next quilt (other than the Farmer's Wife sampler, of course- that one will be sticking around for awhile!). I just got the new Thimble Blossom pattern in the mail, Swoon, and I can't wait to get started on it. I'm thinking that I may cut into my Good Folks stack for this one. Wouldn't it look pretty with Moda Bella gray? I used it in Finley's Sherbet Pips quilt, and I think it is the prettiest shade of gray. Just an idea.

Another new thing I'm thinking about starting is the 52 lists, 52 weeks. I've never read the blog before, but I first heard of it when my friend Christina tweeted about it. I must say... it sounds right up my alley! I love making lists (just ask my husband!), like the one in this post. I think there will be weekly prompts posted, and I'm hoping to participate. Anyone else planning on playing along??

Okay, back to quilting.

xo Angela

Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-Long, Week 1

2011-06-02T07:40:00.002-04:00

A month or two ago, one of my favorite sewing friends Amanda and I started chatting about the Farmer's Wife sampler quilt. Have you heard of it? It is the gorgeous sampler quilt and book written by Laurie Aaron Hird. It was inspired by letters from farmer's wives in the 1920's, and it is made of 111 6" blocks. Every block is made by templates, which are found on the CD in the back of the book. Please click HERE to visit Laurie's website and read more about it.

After realizing how much we both love the quilt, Amanda and I decided to host a quilt-a-long and make them together! This will be a nice, long project, and our goal is to make 2 blocks per week. It is a pretty big project to take on, so we figured a support group is necessary!

Here are just a couple reasons why I'm excited to make this quilt:

1- I love a good sampler, and this one is amazing. Though it is a very traditional quilt that is typically done in muted colors, I'm planning on using my favorite modern fabrics. I can't wait to see how they work in these blocks.

2- I've never had a long term quilt project. Once I get my mind set on something, I typically work on it constantly until it is done. This will be a nice change of pace for me.

3- I am working with my friend Amanda! She is such a talented artist, and I am so happy that we are making our quilts together. I am excited to see her fabric choices and how she approaches her block making.

Here are my two blocks for this week 1. I decided to make my blocks out of order, and I started with some simple one that are made of squares and half square triangles. I didn't have time to print out any templates, so I figured out the math and went from there. I'm a rule breaker, what can I say? ;)

I started with Block #9 - Box. I used Flea Market Fancy and Cosmo Cricket for this one. I'm not sure what the center fabric is, it was a cute scrap I found in my bin!

And my second block is #23 - Contrary Wife. This block is made of Heather Ross Dandelions, Joel Dewberry Woodgrain, and some more Cosmo Cricket.

A note about fabric choices- I am using the block diagrams in the book to choose my colors. For example, this the sample Contrary Wife block in the book:

There you go, the beginning of my new quilt and our new QAL! So what do you think, want to sew with us?? I hope that you will consider joining our QAL, I think that we are going to have so much fun. If you are going to sew with us, please know that you need to buy the book. We will not be teaching, just sharing our finished blocks. And we'll be cheering each other on, of course!! Please join our flickr group, and add your blocks so we can all see. And don't forget to head over to Amanda's and see her blocks!

xoxo, Angela

Hope Valley quilt top

2011-05-27T12:20:00.000-04:00

You all are nice, I like you. Thanks for your words of encouragement on my last post. You know, the one where I was complaining about these stinking string blocks? Yep, that one. I needed the motivation, and you all gave it to me. I bit the bullet and sewed up those last 24 blocks(I thought it was 18, but I was wrong). Like most things, it wasn't so bad once I got back to them.

My favorite part of making string blocks is tearing off the paper afterwards. Kinda funny, right?

Since I had already sewn together the 64 blocks that were already done, it took no time to sew the last three rows together. I love the finished top.

If it ends up being a rainy weekend, I'll probably try to get this basted and ready to quilt. I'm still trying to decide on the quilting. Straight lines like my Single Girl quilt or stippling like in my Habitat one? Any opinions?

And I'll end with some silly pictures we took on the webcam yesterday afternoon. I literally could turn it on and the boys would play in front of it for an hour. :)

Happy Friday!

xo A

life this week

2011-05-25T12:21:00.005-04:00

It has been the nicest week. I pulled out these old string blocks to work on. I have 70 of 88 down (this will be twin size), so I decided to pull off the backing of these paper-pieced blocks and sew what I have done together. I just needed to see some progress on this one, and I do love it so far.

But can I be honest here? This quilt is killing me! I am so over string blocks. Despite the chain-piecing system I've developed, they are so monotonous to make. And they are driving me nuts. I have 18 more to go, so I really want to get them done. This is my last work-in-progress that I would like to finish before I start a new quilt. But seriously. If I decide to do a large string block quilt again, will someone please slap me?? :)

I started a new book this week, I just got it in the mail yesterday. (off topic - Am I the only one that still reads regular books, not at ereader? I feel like that sometimes.) It is called Heaven is for Real - a little boy's astounding story of his trip to Heaven and Back. It is so good, and I am almost halfway done already. Have any of you read it?? It is one of those great reads that helps put things in perspective.

And the most important thing about this week? My oldest is graduating from preschool. I didn't realize how sad I would be! He's grown up so much this past year, and it is hard to let go of these preschool days. I am very excited and proud of him.

I hope you all have a nice holiday weekend! So far the forecast looks great, and we are planning on putting in our vegetable garden.

xoxo Angela

finished - Habitat bowtie quilt

2011-05-23T12:24:00.001-04:00

Hi friends! I'm back from my little blogging break. It was unintentional, but I was just so distracted by the nice weather the past couple of weeks. We've spent so much time outside working on the flowerbeds, playing in the yard, riding bikes... all of those fun spring activities that have been eluding us so far due to all of the rain. I have also been working on a couple exciting projects, and the last of those deadlines is quickly approaching. But yay for me, they are finished ahead of time!

Back to the quilt... Remember this post? After a marathon quilting session, I had some pretty big plans on getting the binding on this guy handsewn during the yearly crafty retreat my girlfriends and I have. And I did! I worked on it that Saturday from 8AM until 4PM, stopping for brunch and snacks of course. It was the fastest I've ever bound a quilt. I absolutely love this last step in making a quilt, and it was so fun to be able to chat with my girlfriends all day while handsewing.

It was an enjoyable quilt to make. After working on a more difficult quilt for quite awhile, I was ready for something fun and simple. This was very easily and quickly cut and pieced, and I was so happy to cut in to my recently acquired Habitat fq set (purchased at Spool's online shop for those of you who asked). These chunky bowtie blocks are cute and fun to make. I think I'll revisit this pattern soon, but maybe I'll do some smaller 6" blocks next time!

After a quick discussion with friends, I decided to go with an aqua solid for the binding. It is one of my favorite colors, and I like how it frames the quilt and coordinates with the backing.

One of my favorite things about the quilt? The fun mix of a classic pattern with some pretty contemporary prints. Love that.

This is the largest project that I have free motion quilted on my machine, and I really love doing it.

quilt stats:

pattern and dimensions- 12" finished bowtie blocks, 72" x 96" overall

fabric - Jay McCarrolls' Habitat and Moda Crossweave in Natural

backing - DS Quilts fabric from JoAnn's

binding - Kona in Aqua

machine pieced and quilted in meandering pattern by me

Happy Monday!

xo Angela

previous posts on the making of this quilt:

a little habitat

so far this week

habitat quilting

Single Girl in Sherbet Pips

2011-05-09T19:24:00.001-04:00

Here it finally is, my Single Girl quilt! It has been finished for a couple of weeks or so now.

I loved making this quilt, and I truly enjoyed every step of the process. The actual pattern is fantastic, it is really not as hard as you might think. Time consuming, yes. But not that difficult. Once you get used to sewing the small pieces together, it isn't so bad. As for the big curves, they are pretty easy too. My recommendation? Use lots of pins!

I decided to go for a solid for the backing. I love the simplicity of it. For the binding, Aneela's dark pink square dot is perfect. I adore that print. It is such a fun spin on the polka dot, and I have them in every colorway. It is my new favorite. And I didn't really mean for it to be so super girly and pink, by the way. I just couldn't help myself. After having two boys, the pink is very welcome.

quilt stats:

fabric: Sherbet Pips by Aneela Hoey, Moda Bella Solid in gray, and Kaufman Kona in medium pink

pattern: Single Girl by Denyse Schmidt

size: twin

quilting: straight line quilting by me (1" apart)

Though I've been snuggling up with this quilt on these cool spring nights (you know, just a little test run, right??), it is destined for Finley's big girl bed. Yep, that won't be for a couple years, I know. It will be broken in nicely by then. :)

xo, Angela

previous posts on the making of this quilt:

single girl progress

weekend sewing

single girl quilting

Edited on 5/13/11 - linking up to the Blogger's Quilt Festival 2011

Habitat quilting

2011-05-05T13:35:00.003-04:00

I decided yesterday morning that a Habitat quilting marathon was in order. You see, this weekend is my annual scrapbooking retreat. We girls have an overnighter at a local ski resort, and we craft, stay up late, and eat a lot of food. Since I don't scrapbook, I bring photos to organize in albums, handsewing, and crocheting. Remember all of those photos I mentioned in this post? Yep, that is what I'll be working on.

I ~~think~~ hope I'll have all of those pictures organized and filed by the end of the evening, so I decided I should bring this quilt to bind. The problem? This time yesterday morning it was still a quilt top only!

That was remedied quickly. The younger kiddos and I hit Joann's yesterday morning while W was at school. We picked up some of yardage of this pretty aqua and black fabric by DS Quilts for the backing (I love that line!!), and I spent the evening and this morning at my sewing machine. Now the quilting is done! Doesn't that fabric look perfect with Habitat? This afternoon's naptime will be spent making the binding and machine sewing it down onto the front of the quilt, and then I will work on the handsewing during my trip. So that is the plan, now I better get to it!

Have a great weekend!!

xo Angela

PS - Yes, I finally painted my living room (mentioned in my last post) and I love it! Took several days, but it is done. That is why I am allowing myself to sew again... :)

ETA: I'm thinking this aqua solid for the binding. Yes??

ten things about me.

2011-04-29T16:02:00.002-04:00

Lots of confessing going on across the quilting blogland lately, and I thought I'd join in on the fun. Here are a few things you probably don't know about me.

1. I never finished my first quilt. It is a sampler I made 10 years ago, and it is the easily the most advanced quilt that I've ever made. It is made from cheap fabric and is partially hand quilted. I would love to finish it up someday. Hopefully I will share pictures soon.

2.  Garment sewing scares me. I'm not sure why. I am good at following directions, but for some reason I am terribly intimidated. I am hoping to conquer this fear very soon. I have an adorable little girl that I want to make dresses for. I have this pattern, and some really cute Farmdale fabric from Joann's that I bought specifically for them. That is the plan for next week. Oh, and I really would like to make myself some cute skirts for the summer. Any suggestions? I want to try this AMH one.

3. I love a fresh coat of paint, and I really need to paint my living room.  Now that my Single Girl quilt is done (I finished up the binding yesterday, yay!) I am not allowing myself to do any more quilting until itthe living room is finished. That is saying a lot, because I really want to get back to my Hope Valley string quilt and my Habitat bowtie quilt.

4. My relationship with God is the most important part of my life. I wish I could write about it more on my blog, but I don't think it is the place. I realize that my readers don't visit for that. However, I still wish I felt comfortable writing about it in this space.

5. Despite keeping a blog, I am a very private person. I hope that I am never perceived as a person who has a picture perfect life. It is not true in the least. The truth is that I am happy and blessed, but like everyone else, I have struggles and insecurities. These are the things that I share with my husband and a handful of my very closest friends. Just because I choose to not make them public doesn't mean they do not exist. It would be completely out of character and not like me at all to write about these things.  Combine that with the fact that I am a glass-half-full kinda person makes for a pretty happy blog, I think. And I think that is okay, right? Doesn't make me any less "real" than anyone else. If anything, I think it means that I am being true to myself.

6. If I could get away with it, I'd hire someone to clean my house. I really don't like to clean. I have a very organized house, because I don't like clutter and it stresses me out. But trust me, it is definitely not the cleanest place you'll see. Speaking of which, I was cleaning the bathtub yesterday. I turned on the faucet after scrubbing the tub, and someone left the showerhead on. Totally got soaked, and I was already dressed for the day. Not cool.

7. I am a very competitive person. I don't mean to be. It is not really a good thing. I've been like that for as long as I can remember. I'm also a bit of a slave driver (my husband's words, but they are true). Once I get started on something, I work until I can't work on it anymore. Those both can be very good qualities, but also not-so-good qualities. I'm working on them both.

8. We are a pretty low-tech household. We don't have any type of cable/satellite, so if we want to watch something we stick to movies. We don't have a real cellphone either. Just an old tracfone (which is so old it is a little embarressing) that we take with us just in case we need it. I really need to get a newer one, cause man it is ugly. Though I have to admit, I love my Apple products. I am very addicted to my iPod Touch and can't wait until I can get an iPad.

9. I barely have any dressy clothes in my closest. I had a ton when I used to teach, but that was a long time ago, before I had Weston (who is 5). I rarely wear anything other than jeans. I love them, American Eagle skinny jeans to be exact, because they fit me the best. No one dresses up at the church we attend, so my closest is full of jeans, tshirts, cardigans, and a few really nice dresses for special occasions.

10. I'm thinking about getting another tattoo. Am I too old? I already have two. I'm thinking about getting one on my back, a big one. A good friend of ours from church is an amazing tattoo artist, and he would do a wonderful job. I'm a pretty big wimp though. We'll see.

So there you go, a little bit about me, the real person behind the Fussy Cut blog. I really appreciate you sharing this place with me.

with love, Angela

Single Girl quilting

2011-04-22T10:19:00.000-04:00

I started quilting my Sherbet Pips Single Girl quilt this morning.

It was an interesting morning. I was up a little after 6, thanks to my oldest son. He was watching Batman with the volume blasting. Literally. I guess I can't blame him, we must've left the it up pretty high last night after we finished watching the King's Speech. Have you seen that, by the way? We really liked it.

Anyways, back to the quilt. I decided to quilt straight (ish) lines 1" apart running vertically down the quilt. I think it looks nice, I like the contrast against the curves. I worked on it for a couple hours before the younger two woke up, so I am almost halfway done. Finishing up the quilting and sewing the binding on the front is on my sewing agenda for the weekend.

xoxo Angela

so far this week.

2011-04-20T20:56:00.001-04:00

It has been a good week so far. A long week, too.

Our Jeep was in the shop for a few days, leaving the kids and I vehicle-less. That is a little hard when you live in the middle of nowhere. Not like you can walk to the library, you know? But it has been good. I've gotten quite a few things checked off my to-do list.

I finished up my Habitat quilt top the other day. I love it. The fabrics are so unique, and I love them in the traditional bowtie pattern. I am shopping for some quilt backing now. I would like to buy some yardage for it, which I generally don't do. But I think it would look wonderful. I'm not sure what I want, but I'm learning towards the dots that are to the left of my feet in the top photo. If you've noticed any good Habitat sales, let me know!

I got this big ole box in the mail today from Walmart. It contains 600+ family photos that I finally had printed out. I used to be in the habit of printing pictures once a month, but I got completely behind since we had Finley 9 months ago. I ordered some pictures from her first two weeks, and that is all since last July! So now I have 8.5 months worth of pictures to go through. I don't scrapbook, but I do dillegently sort and store pictures in albums. We have four albums going at all times: a family one, and then one for each kids. All the pictures go in the family one, and then I print out duplicates of the special ones for the kids' albums. I always buy the photo albums that have journalling lines so that I can keep track of dates and ages.

And the last little bit from this week. I just have to share with you this picture above. This is our family and my husband's two employees, and we had it taken for our local newspaper. Steve won the "Best Chiropractor in Town" for the 6th year in a row, and I am so so proud of him. He loves what he does, and is really good at it. He is blessed with a profession that he loves. Hope it is okay to brag for a minute. :) This picture cracks me up though. Notice, none of the kids are smiling at all. Oh well, I think they look cute.

Hope you all are having a good week so far!

xo A

a rainy saturday

2011-04-16T12:40:00.000-04:00

It is a rainy Saturday afternoon over here. If you need me, I'll be snuggled up on the couch with this quilt I've been ~~baking~~ sewing the past couple weeks. Binding + Harry Potter 7 = the perfect afternoon.

xoxo A

a little Habitat...

2011-04-10T22:54:00.001-04:00

I cut up my Habitat this week.

I am pairing it with the beautiful Moda crossweave in natural.

Isn't that crossweave amazing? Looks like linen, but plays a little nicer. Love it.

I made 48 bowtie blocks that are 12" finished. I love these blocks. Simple and easy to make, but very effective. I needed some simple sewing, it was nice. After my Sherbet Pips Single Girl, and quite a bit of pattern writing (which has been keeping me very preoccupied), the simplicity was so wonderful. It was kinda nice to not have to think. Just sew. I need that every now and then.

I am almost finished with the quilt top. It will be a new throw for the living room, so I am excited for that. However, it'll have to go on the back burner this week. I have some projects to finish, and some yardwork to do as well. We have a few days of warm weather coming our way before another cool down, so I better take advantage of that.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

xo A

tutorial - basic pillow

2011-04-09T12:49:00.004-04:00

As you know, I love making pillows. They are a fun way to display your favorite fabrics, add a splash of color to a room, or try out a new pattern/technique. They also make a really nice gift. Today I have a fun tutorial for you! It is actually a two-for-one kinda thing. I have two things to share with you:

1 - the basics on how to make a quilted patchwork pillow with an envelope enclosure (18" pillow).

2 - a quick and easy way to repurpose old fabrics for your pillow (think curtains, sheets, etc).

- Cut (36) 3.5" squares. I used leftover fabrics from an old quilt.

- After finding a pleasing arrangement, sew them into 6 rows of 6 squares. Press the seams in opposite directions (row 1 to the right, row 2 to the left, row 3 to the right, etc).

- Sew the six rows into one big, 18.5" square, and press seams (I pressed open at this point in order to reduce bulk when quilting).

- Baste (I used spray here) your patchwork square onto a slightly larger piece of batting.

- Quilt in your desired design.

- Trim batting down so that your patchwork square is 18.5". Your pillow top is done!

Now comes the fun, repurposing part. When I was shopping for my daughter's nursery, I found these beautiful pink and white curtains. They only had one size available, and they were huge! I cut and hemmed the four panels, then tucked away the rest for later use (each panel had almost a yard of fabric leftover).

The great thing about repurposing these kind of fabrics- the work is already done for you! The edges are already hemmed so nicely. You can see them in the next picture. These edges are what I used for the envelope backing. Rather than hemming myself (which I don't really enjoy), I used these finished pieces. You can do this with sheets also, they work great (both new and vintage). If I notice a pretty flat sheet on sale, I love to grab them. They make a lovely pillow or quilt backing.

- Grab your backing fabric (I'm using hemmed curtains).

- Layer and/or fold fabric so that the TWO hemmed pieces are stack and the finished hems are aligned at the bottom of your work area. You will cut through both layers at once.

- Lay your patwork square on top. You will be using this as guideline when cutting the backing fabrics. As you can see in the pictures, I lined the backing up with the fourth seam down on the pillow top.

- Using the pillow top as the guideline, cut out your 2 pillow backing pieces with a ruler and rotary cutter.

- You will now have two pieces of backing that are equally sized and already hemmed!

- Cut an 18.5" square out of muslin or repurposed fabric for your pillow lining.

Note: I like to put a liner on the inside of my pillows. When you look inside the finished pillow, this covers the quilted batting. The liner makes it easier to slide the cover over the pillow form. I generally use muslin, but for this pillow, I had so much curtain left, I just used that!

- Time to layer your pillow! Starting at the bottom:

1- pillow liner right side DOWN

2- quilted pillow top right side UP

3- backing piece 1 right side DOWN (align raw edges with those of pillow top)

4- backing piece 2 right side DOWN (align raw edges with those of pillow top)

When making an envelope enclosure, the two backing pieces should always overlap in the center by at least 4" inches.

- Pin your layers together.

- Sew pillow together. I use my walking foot here, so it is close to a 3/8" seam allowance. Be sure to backstitch a couple times over the ends of the backing pieces. They need to be extra durable since they will be pulled on quite a bit when the pillow form is taken in and out.

- Clip corners.

- Use a zigzag stitch to finish your inside edges. This holds the threads in and creates a nice clean finish.

That is it! Turn your pillow right side out, and poke out the corners. Above is a look inside the finished pillow cover, and below is a shot of the hemmed envelope backing.

There you go! Quick and easy.

I don't always have fabrics to repurpose for backing, and I often make my own.

To make the backing out of regular fabric, cut two backing pieces at 15" x 18.5".

Do the following steps on each piece:

- Fold down one of the 18.5" sides down half inch and press.

- Fold down another half inch and press. Raw edges are now enclosed.

- Topstitch along the edge of both folds.

One of my most frequently asked questions is how to make a pillow, so I hope that this tutorial helps. As always, feel free to email me if you have any specific questions.

xoxo Angela

stashing fabric

2011-04-02T23:37:00.002-04:00

Hi there. I hope that you all have had a nice week. Mine was very productive. I did lots and lots of sewing, which felt great. Some of it I will be able to show you within the next couple months. The other stuff will have to wait much much longer. Kind of weird (but fun) to be secretive. I am pretty blessed to be able to contribute to some pretty cool projects.

Anyways, I very regulary get comments and questions on what my fabric stash is like, so I thought I'd finally get around to addressing that. I have come to realize three things about myself:

1. I love fabric.

2. I don't like stashing fabric.

3. I love NEW fabric.

Really, I don't own very much fabric, and I destashed quite a bit of what I did have this past week. That is what those envelopes that are sitting on my sewing cabinet are full of. Alot of it I've had for awhile now. These were fabrics that were left over from quilts, miscellaneous projects, and some were impulsive buys that barely were touched. They were all wonderful, I just knew I wasn't going to use them. So they were sold and sent to new, loving homes. That makes me feel really good.

Now my stash is pretty small. I have a crate of staple fabrics that I can pull and mix and match, and I have several lines that are set aside for specific quilts. These are lines that I love and will use. I also held onto some of my favorite prints from Flea Market Fancy and Heather Ross. I also have a pretty nice supply of scraps and selvedges.

Now I feel so much better. You see, I'm the kind of person that doesn't keep or collect things. I am pretty much the opposite of a packrat. If I don't love and treasure that object, or use it on a regular basis, I don't keep it around. I don't like clutter and desire a minimalist lifestyle. Of course it only makes sense that my fabric stash be the same way.

The last thing I realized is that I absolutely adore new fabric lines. I love them. If I had to choose between picking and pulling from my stash or buying something new, whether it is for myself or a gift, I'll always choose the second. I like the novelty and freshness of fabric that I haven't already seen in twenty different quilts. It allows me to be creative without being influenced by what I've already seen. It doesn't always work out that way, but when it does, it is nice.

Speaking of new fabric, my latest fabric crush is Habitat by Jay McCarroll. I adore it. It is unique. I think I'm going to pair it with some natural crossweave and sew up a bowtie quilt. I've been wanting to make one of those for a long time. I think these are my three favorite prints from the line (but if you ask me again tomorrow, I'll probably say something different):

There are definitely downfalls to my way of non-stashing. Please don't think that I am saying that it is the right way to do things, because I'm not saying that at all. I'm simply stating that it is what I like. It makes me happy, and it works for me.

Are any of you non-fabric-stashers like me? I'm curious. I am pretty sure I am the minority here. :)

xoxo A

a gifted quilt

2011-03-29T10:16:00.000-04:00

Remember this quilt? I love this one. I made it in February, just a couple months ago, and I had so much fun with it. I love the fabric and pattern, and it might even be my favorite quilt that I have made.

I gave it to my best friend Vanesa last month. I didn't start this with that in mind, I originally wanted to make it for my couch. But as I was working on it, she kept coming to mind. Purple is her favorite color, and I knew that she would love this quilt. We've been best friends since we were 10 years old and in the fourth grade. We've helped each other through the best and worst times. She doesn't sew, and I knew it would be extra special to her.

So I gave it to her, and I'm so happy that I did. She took these lovely pictures of it, and I just had to share them with you. It is funny, though. As I was quilting it, I kept thinking that maybe I should keep it for myself, because I really do like it. But that day, she left a comment on a blog post I had written about the quilt. I had shared some pictures of the finished quilt top, and she wrote that while she always loves the quilts I make, this was her favorite one by far. How funny is that?! So that day, I decided that it was her quilt for sure, and I quilted her named into the quilt. Do you see it? It is right under the peachy starburst fabric in the photo below. I took this shot before I gave it to her, but couldn't share it until now.

Hope you don't mind me sharing my little story. What about you? What is your favorite handmade gift that you've given away? I'd love to hear about it.

xo Ang

tutorial - selvedge mug rug

2011-03-22T06:00:00.004-04:00

Hi there! I'm happy to share with you a mug rug tutorial and a giveaway. This mug rug features two things I love - selvedges and rounded corners. This is a fun method of sewing that allows you to quilt as you go. Let's get to work!

- Gather your fabrics. I used an 8 inch square of batting, a fabric scrap that is larger than the batting (mine is from Timeless Treasures), Kona Aqua for the binding, and a bunch of selvedges.

- Iron your backing fabric and place it right side down on your work surface. Spray baste the wrong side of this fabric, and layer your 8" square batting over top. Gently smooth out the batting. Trim off the extra fabric so that you end up with an 8" square.

- Place a small scrap fabric in the bottom right corner of your mug rug (approx 2 inches wide). Do not use a selvedge here because you will not see it later on!

- Working your way from the right to left, audition your selvedges. Arrange them with the selvedge end on the right. Allow the selvedges to overlap the cut ends of the fabric by at least a 1/4" - 3/8".

- Once you are happy with your arrangement, trim off excessive overhang (anything over a couple inches). This allows your selvedges to be more managable while sewing.

- Transfer your selvedges to your ironing board in order and give them a good starch and press. Stack them up in the order you will sew them. The top of your pile should be the first scrap piece you started with (mine is the blue and green argyle print), and the bottom should be the last selvedge in the opposite corner (which is the red/white stripe in my case). Transfer to sewing machine.

- Pin your first scrap piece (which should be on top of your pile) onto the bottom right corner of your mug rug. Layer your first selvedge over top. It should overlap your scrap piece by at least a 1/4" - 3/8".

- Top stitch this selvedge. Keep in mind, you will be stitching through your selvedge piece, your scrap piece that is underneath it, your batting, and your backing fabric. Hence, you are quilting as you go!

- Grab the next selvedge from the top of your pile (selvedge is always on right, cut fabric edge on the left), layer it over the previous piece by at least 1/4"-3/8", and sew it down in the same manner. Continue doing this all the way across your mug rug.

- When you are finished sewing down your selvedges, this is what your mug rug should look like from the back. Use the outline of the backing and your ruler to trim off the extra selvedges.

You now have an 8" square, quilted mug rug!

- To create your rounded corners, flip your mug rug over so the back is facing up. Using a cup/glass as your outline and a marker (mine is water soluble), trace a curve onto each corner. Cut along those marked lines with your scissors.

Now your mug rug is ready for binding! Using fabric cut on the BIAS, sew your binding onto your mini quilt in your preferred method. I like to machine sew mine to the front of the quilt and handsew it down on the back.

Please note - if you do rounded corners, bias binding is a must! It creates a lot of stretch that allows the binding to give when you sew around those curves. If you don't use bias binding, your quilt will not lay flat.

So there ya go! A cute mug rug.

Now for a giveaway! If you would like a chance to WIN this selvedge mug rug or one of the others that are featured during Mug Rug Madness, head on over to Erin's giveaway post and leave a comment there. Good luck!!

xoxo Angela

mug rug madness

2011-03-21T09:38:00.000-04:00

Mug Rug Madness is kicking off today over on Erin's blog, and I hope that you will be following along! She will be featuring projects and tutorials by some talented bloggers for the next week and a half, and I'm so happy to be included in the party. I thought I'd share a few mug rugs that I have made for you on this (rainy) spring morning.

So what is a mug rug? I like to think of it as an oversized, quilted coaster for your cup. They are big enough to hold a cup of your favorite drink plus a little snack. They are a fun way to dress up your desk or coffee table, and I think they make great gifts. People are really into mug rugs, and there is a swap group over on flickr that has 600+ members.

I love making these mini quilts. They are a quick, satisfying project that can be made in a day and a perfect way to try out new colors schemes and techniques.

Be sure to check back in tomorrow! I'll be sharing my latest mug rug along with a fun tutorial so that you can make your own. See ya then. :)

xo A

selvedge zipper bag

2011-03-18T12:18:00.002-04:00

In case you haven't noticed, I am a very big fan of selvedges. Apparently you all are too! I've gotten a ton of emails about this selvedge zipper bag I shared over at the Fat Quarterly blog.

This zippered pouch is something I whipped up one afternoon a couple months ago. I think it is a fantastic way to display pretty selvedges, and it is super handy. I take it with me everywhere. Last weekend I used it to haul my rotary cutter, scissors, needlebook and thread when I went to sew with my friends. Right now, it is full of my current cross stitching project (pattern from The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery- they are they cutest!)

I'm hoping to write this up in pattern form and sell it in my etsy shop. I have quite a long list of sewing deadlines coming up, but as soon as I can manage, I will get to work on it. I just wanted to let you know. To those of you who are waiting for the pattern, I promise I didn't forget! If you don't see a post about this soon, feel free to hold me accountable to it. :)

xo Ang