zippies for the win!

I haven't done a swap in forever  but I saw Jennifer at Ellison Lane starting a pouch swap! I couldn't resist since I L❤️VE making zippy pouches!

Here's the inspiration board I came up with.  

I love all of these for so many reasons!! Color, pattern, dresdens...

I've been making a lot of zippies myself lately-mostly the open wide zippy pouch from Noodlehead. Awesome tutorial!! Here's a few of mine::

As much as I love the open wide pouch and a simple flat zippy-I think my partner would appreciate me branching out! Maybe a boxy pouch is in my future ... 

Do you have a favorite pouch tutorial? Would love it if you shared!

throwback tuesday - serger edition

I know, it's usually Throwback Thursday but with all of the serger love I've been feeling from making the skirt from yesterday's post I thought I would bring back a post I wrote almost 4 years ago when I got my serger!  It's a bit of a fun story, I think!

*****
May 2009
Did you know you can turn this:

into one of these?

I have an old friend who I've recently reconnected with and she found out I was sewing again. She said to me one day, "Do you have a serger? I have one I hardly use and I was going to sell it on Craigslist. I will give it to you in exchange for a bag..." I didn't really have to think twice about that one. Now I just need to learn how to use it.

I mean really, did you know this fabric was THIS gorgeous? I didn't. And the more I work with it the more I want to plaster it on my walls. Which I found out you can do! But that's a story for another day.

When I finished it I told my friend I might need to just give her the serger back. I mean, c'mon!! She looks so pretty on my blue chair! It's okay though, I bought some more - maybe I'll make a little bolster for my chair.

*****
I remember her telling me she'd rather give it to me because she knew I would appreciate it and actually use it. And I have!!! Every time I make a new dress or skirt and serge up those frayed raw-edged gathered seams I get giddy.  It's true. I definitely think I got the better end of this deal!

Now I can't speak much on what sergers I recommend as I did zero research when I got this one - but Ido love it.  My recommendation is if you have one don't be afraid of it!  Learn how to thread it, read the manual and you should be all set!

sew & tell v4.4 ~ a nursery

Oh my.

Did you notice I didn't post sew & tell last week? Or earlier today?

I'm a mess!

I do have a good excuse for last week, we were out of town and I'm clearly not on top of everything enough to have written a post early and schedule it to magically appear Friday morning.

And yep, didn't do that again for this week.  The only difference is I wasn't out of town!! I'm just mourning the fact that my mom had to go home after a lovely 5 week visit!! And now my kitchen is a mess because she's not here to do the dishes for me.

So, you'll have to forgive me and I won't blame you if no one wants to link up this week.  But you'd better link up next week to distract me from the fact that I won't be at sewing summit!!!

And now to a short and sweet finish.

And by short and sweet, I mean once I buckled down and did it, it didn't take long at all.

I have three words for you:  ORANGE CHEVRON CURTAINS

photo courtesy Kristen Hassell

My super stylish (and talented) friend Kristen took some photos of babylouwho for me a few months ago. And by a few I mean 18. (You are going to want to click on that link. And if you want to cry you should check out the rest of her blog and look at all the military homecoming shoots!!)

We swapped services, she took photos and sewed some curtains.  Hmmmm, I think I might need to make her some more stuff.  In fairness I have hemmed 2 pairs of pants for her hubs too.  And I helped Brynn with that cute quilt there on the crib. I still think I got the better end of the deal!

Anyway, the nursery is all her and I'm so pleased the curtains turned out so well!

What have you finished recently?




Linky Rules.  Please follow along for a fun party!

1. Please write the post for sew & tell - or add a blurb mentioning sew & tell to a post written since the last sew & tell.  If you are linking to a post with your own tutorial, please make sure it was a finish from this week and that the completed project is shown first.

2. One linky per person. (please put multiple projects in one post.)

3. Link to your specific post.  (See here for permalink instructions - or email me.)

4. Link back here with a link or a button (HTML on my sidebar).

5. Be sure to visit and leave comments on other's posts!

Please put your (blog)name instead of your project name, it helps us get to know each other better!

sew & tell v3.34 - new york beauty swap

I am so excited to share this finish with you today!  This is probably one of the hardest projects I've done and I'm so thrilled with how it turned out!

When we were doing the New York Beauty quilt along a little swap got put together and I couldn't say no.  So my partner wanted a pillow and I used the first block I did for my tutorial as a jumping off point.  As I played with my fabrics I decided to go with my favorite color scheme (and favorite designer).

The binding and backing fabric were actually some I had in my stash that I had just bought for fun.  And they worked so perfectly (both from Amy Butler's Lark collection).

You may be seeing a skirt made out of this fabric very soon!  I just love it!

And I like the suprise pop of pinks and oranges on the back with the blues and greens.

I didn't want to take away from the design with too much quilting, so I just did a straight line (without a walking foot) around the major seams.  I love the way it turned out.

I really hope my partner loves it as much as I do.  And now I need to make one for myself!

What did you finish this week?
Linky Rules.  Please follow along for a fun party!

1. Please write the post for sew & tell - or add a blurb mentioning sew & tell to a post written since the last sew & tell.  If you are linking to a post with your own tutorial, please make sure it was a finish from this week and that the completed project is shown first.

2. One linky per person. (please put multiple projects in one post.)

3. Link to your specific post.  (See here for permalink instructions - or email me.)

4. Link back here with a link or a button (HTML on my sidebar).

5. Be sure to visit and leave comments on other's posts!

Please put your (blog)name instead of your project name, it helps us get to know each other better!

sew & tell v3.32 - a pot pourri

Hi friends! I'm sorry I'm a little tardy in getting this post up today.  It's been a super busy week and I fell asleep on the couch last night before I got to this.  Plus, I wasn't sure what to share, but I had a few things I've been working on over the last couple of weeks.

My baby quilt collaboration finished another project that was gifted last week.  Fabric selection and piecing by Brynn, quilting by me, and binding by Teri.  Be sure to click on Brynn's blog so you can see her amazing Central Park quilt!

It was a straightforward strip quilt with Anne Kelle, Full Moon Modern and some Echo.  I love the striped binding!  Teri also made an awesome cake with a cute whale on top that matched! I wished I'd gotten a picture of that!

Next up another New York Beauty block.  This is going to turn into a pillow here in the next few days after I sew up a couple more blocks.  I love a little monochromatic color scheming! You can see my (not a) tutorial for this block HERE.

Kona white, Amy Butler Sunspots in Aqua, and Amy Butler Lark (not sure the name of the print).  I'm trying to decide if I make two more of the same blocks or add some more fabrics in.  What would you do?

And then yesterday while I was on a little day trip I stumbled across a Joann's and picked up a few prints.  And I actually have plans for each of them!

Dish drying mats (lemons), Purse (black and white), tunic type top (floral swiss dot).  Maybe I'll be super productive this week!

What have you been up to this week?  Looking for some eye candy?  Sara and Kim both have some awesome Quilt Market Recap posts!  And I have some things I made hanging in one of the booths!  Can you guess where?

What finishes do you have this week?  Can't wait to see!

Linky Rules.  Please follow along for a fun party!

1. Please write the post for sew & tell - or add a blurb mentioning sew & tell to a post written since the last sew & tell.  If you are linking to a post with your own tutorial, please make sure it was a finish from this week and that the completed project is shown first.

2. One linky per person. (please put multiple projects in one post.)

3. Link to your specific post.  (See here for permalink instructions - or email me.)

4. Link back here with a link or a button (HTML on my sidebar).

5. Be sure to visit and leave comments on other's posts!

Please put your (blog)name instead of your project name, it helps us get to know each other better!

{amylouwho} mini quilt party winners announced!

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed hosting this mini quilt party!!  I haven't had a chance to visit all the quilts yet, but I'm working on it!  I loved reading your comments too!

Before we get to the winners, I wanted to show you the mini quilt that I received from my end of the Post Sewing Summit Swap.  I don't even remember what I said in my little survey, but my partner Jill, from Made on Mainstreet,  must have also checked out my favorites on Flickr because she nailed it!

I love my sweet little quilt and hung it up immediately in my kitchen.  Thank you so much, Jill!! I love it!

So now, onto the winners!
Oh wait, I should tell you that I used Random.org to choose 5 numbers between 1 and 201 (108 linkies + 93 comments, wow!), comment #1 being entry 109.  Okay, so now...

1)The 30$ gift card to the  Old Red Barn Co. soap shop:
#83 Diane of Random Thoughts Do or "Di"!

2) The flat rate box of swag from the Sewing Summit:
#135 Kristina at The Nerdy Sewist!

3) Kim's bundle of awesome Heather Ross scraps:
#61  The Quilted Fox

4) Candy's  set of “quilter’s 8ths” of her own hand-dyed cottons:
#104 Nona's Sews

5)The jelly roll of fabric from The Material Girls Quilts:
#105 Kwiltz by Stephanie

Look for an email from me in your inboxes!

{amylouwho} sew & tell v3.8 mini quilt party and giveaway!

Hello!!!  It's here! I know, I'm probably more excited than you all are! But still :)

I mailed off this mini quilt early this week for my partner in the Post Sewing Summit Swap.  I'm not going to lie.  I was a little intimidated to sew for my partner (hi, partner!).  I went through all of her favorites on Flickr searching for some inspiration. Knowing she liked bright colors and her favorite being green, I decided on doing something bright with stars.
Then I got cold feet and went in a different direction.  Then I got cold feet again (and by cold feet I mean a little birdie told me my first idea was better) and dove back in with the stars.

I'm not going to lie to you - I love the way it turned out!

And the quilting on this was really fun to do!  I got to practice some of my skills that Allison taught me in her free motion quilting class.

I chose my favorite Amy Butler polka dots in Lime for the back.  (and said birdie told me this is one of my partner's all time favorite prints! Yea!)  Binding it in the turquoise really helps it pop! (birdie suggested this too - which was a better choice than the green I was going to go with.  Thanks birdie!!)

This quilt was so fun to finish.  It didn't take that long, and I learned how to  piece them in a "random" way so they weren't just all in rows.

It was a little tricky at first, but I just layed them out and figured out where I needed to add more white. I love learning new things!  It was nice to practice on a small project too.

So many of us were inspired by the mini quilt class at The Sewing Summit!  Holly (who designed my new banner and button) started a new Flickr group!  You can head over there to add your quilts, or just look at some eye candy!

So now onto the details of the party + prizes!

Instead of making this a super long post and relisting all the prizes I'll summarize them. But you can go here to read the prize post.
1) Lovely Dana from Old Red Barn Co. is offering a 30$ gift card to her soap shop!
2) Erin, is offering up a flat rate box of swag from the Sewing Summit! 
3) Kim is offering up a bundle of awesome Heather Ross scraps!
4) Candy from Candied Fabrics is offering up a set of “quilter’s 8ths” of her own hand-dyed cottons. (check out the birthday sale in her shop!)
5) Nadine from The Material Girls Quilts, is giving away a jelly roll of fabric!

Now, for the fine print.
To enter:
1) Link up a new blog post about your mini quilt.  You can have blogged about the quilt before, I just ask you write a new post for our party, linking back to the fun!  Use a link or button in your post. (And by new post I mean written in the last 2 weeks, for you swappers who may have already blogged ~ just edit to add the button and/or link)
2) Leave a comment on this post.  Tell me one thing on your Christmas list.
**I really want a walking foot and a food processor.  :)**

3) If you don't have a quilt to enter, write up a blog post about sew & tell (button on sidebar) or the mini quilt party (also on sidebar) and let me know in the comments.  Leave a link to your blog post.

That's it! I hope you all have had fun getting ready for today!  I have!  Let's get the party started!
Linky will be open until Sunday night.  Winners announced Monday.  :)

I would love it if you put your name/blog name in the linky so we know who you are! :)

on a roll! {Spicing up the Kitchen Swap} update

Wow, 3 posts in one week! Are you sick of me yet?

I finished up and sent off my Spicing Up the Kitchen swap package a few weeks ago.  I wanted to wait to blog about it until my partner had received it.  And then I realized that I deleted the pictures of the completed project off my camera before I had actually downloaded them. Whaaaaaa?? I've never done that before and I am kicking myself!

This project was a lot of fun.  I love it so much I cut out a bunch of these so that I can make at least one more, probably 2.  I need to go get some more red polka dots.

When I started I was thinking I would make a cute half apron out of it.  But Barb is about to have her 3rd baby and I remember how I felt about tieing anything around my midsection postpartum.  I thought a table topper would be a better fit. Plus she has the coolest retro red table!

Here's a process pic I took, I got a little fancy free-motion quilting a flower in the center.  I just straight line quilted around the blades and zig zagged the circle in place. 

Then I stippled around the background and bound it in the red dot.

For batting I actually used insulbrite so this is heat resistant.  And the perfect size for a 9x13 casserole dish!

Luckily my partner, Quilting Barbie, took some great pictures of the package and the table topper on her table.  Here's one of the pictures:

The apple and pear fabric was a theme in her inspiration mosaic, I was so happy that I have it in my stash!  It's so cute on the back!

You'll have to go over to her post to see the rest.  And go to this post to see the dresden she made for the doll quilt swap!

This swap was so much fun and I hope to have it together enough to do another one soon!

good mail v. bad mail

good mail = stuff made with fabric
bad mail = junk mail, ads, EOBs, and bills


Luckily for me, this has been a VERY GOOD mail week!  So as not to overdo it, I'll just share one thing today.  I'll get to the others soon.

As I've said, I'm part of the Spicing Up the Kitchen {a modern swap} over on Flickr.  It's my first swap like this and it has been so much fun!!

Today the mailman came and had a package for me.  I was surprised, because I hadn't ordered anything lately.  Then I saw it was from Amber, at One Shabby Chick, with whom I was in A Notion or Two (we both dropped out this year.)  So I wasn't expecting anything from her.  Then it dawned on me that she must have been my secret partner in the swap!  I was ecstatic as I had seen her WIP in the group's photostream!

the loot

If you have seen any of Amber's work, you know how pretty and scrappy and unique it is!  Her blog is one of the first that I started following when I found out about the sewing/crafting blog world several years ago.  I'm so honored to have some of her work that I can use and admire on a daily basis!

She made this gorgeous table runner.

That looks equally good in my kitchen at the bar or on my dining room table!

I just love all of these fabrics she used! The prints and the colors.

look at that quilting!!

And she included two oversized square hotpads. I don't have anything like this and am sorely in need of some!

upon further inspection these are all made from crazy nine patches.  is that what the kids are calling them these days?

And I was just telling my mom how I boring I think most kitchen items (sold at most big box stores) are and ALWAYS the same sage, burgundy and navy. totally Not me.

you had me at aqua polka dots

This however. TOTALLY ME!! yippee!

and look how good my brownies will look while cooling. Perfect! Thank you so much Amber!!

And you know what's funny? The block I made for her on Round 2 of our bee is what has inspired what I am making for MY partner in the kitchen swap. Here it is in progress.

In other news. I think I found my sewing mojo again. Anyone up for Sew & Tell next (February 25) Friday? I have a quilt I want to share! I'd love to tell you about all the things I figured out during my break.

More soon.

spicing up the kitchen swap

I didn't mean to be disingenuous when I said I was going to take a blogging break for the month.  But, some bloggable things have come up!  AND taking the pressure off has made me feel more like blogging.  I really am still on a break - I wrote this post the other day when I posted about the Block Party event (see button on sidebar).

In the midst of deciding to take a break, Darci of Stitches and Scissors emailed me to see if I was interested in participating in Spicing Up the Kitchen {a modern swap} on Flickr. I was glad the timing would work out so that I could participate - I've wanted in on a swap for a long time! I decided to commit.

So here's my inspiration mosaic. It was so hard to decide what to decide what to put in here - I focused on color and style and there were probably a 100 other pictures I could have included.

1. my kitchen, 2. Organic Kitchen Towel & Coasters, 3. Dish Towels, 4. Spreading the Word....Love, 5. Hot Pad in Moda Arcadia, 6. ticker tape progress, 7. table runner2, 8. dishmat2, 9. Front of Hexagon Hotpad, 10. Doll quilt, 11. Nine Patch Quilt Along Progress, 12. another one, 13. Star quilt in progress, 14. Bridget's Pinwheel Quilt, 15. star quilt 2, 16. Stay-Put Kitchen Towel

I live on a military base, i.e.: base housing. Granted, it's nice for base housing, but it's a little plain Jane.  I took this picture shortly after we moved in.

And this is how I bring some color in, mostly turquoise/light blue.  And evidently I have a thing for polka dots and damask-y prints.

oh, and then there's this:

aaaaaand, these lovelies gifted by a dear friend:

I seriously am obsessed with this color - it just makes me so happy! I do think it looks nice with a splash of that green.  And I have this to make a curtain for the window.

The person assigned to me has a blank slate in her kitchen and likes a lot of the same color vibes as I do! I think I'm going to go with a table topper/wallhanging and/or some towels or hotpads... Stay tuned.

I don't have to send out until March. Whew! I can work on it while my mom is here. Oh yes! Did I tell you my mom is coming? yeehaw! Sew-fest 2011.01 here we come!

friendship bag swap

I am going to try and not whine too much here.  But really, I'm still recovering and haven't has a good night's sleep for a while.  My house is torn up from getting new carpet - which really is a good thing, it's forcing me to clean-up, declutter, and reorganize.  But I'm tired.  And my sewing area has been dismantled and I have so many things I wish I had the energy to do right now.  Okay, whine over.

Oh and before I forget - thank you to everyone who sent me get well wishes, really, this crafting/sewing blogging community is the NICEST!!

Last Wednesday, while I was dying napping after my ear infection diagnosis, my daughter brought me the mail.  (Yes, I was out of it so much that my 3-year old got the mail from the postman.....don't judge me - she's almost 4.)  In it was my swap package from the lovely and talented Deborah.

How did she know?

She must have been stalking my blog and known how much I love blue! (and with brown to boot!)


She must also have ESP - I need quilt labels!  I don't think I've labeled a single quilt I've made (not that it's been that many mind you).

And the Wizard of OZ!? How cute!  I remember the yearly showing of the movie on T.V. as a kid - what a treat!  And we had a little Toto dog who loved to see 'herself' on the screen.

and look at this cute little button box!  Perfect for keeping some pins and whatnots.

or maybe I'll just stash my M&Ms in there. mmmmmmm. (The tin may or may not be empty now....)

Sew & Tell resumes tomorrow!  Remember you can post from the last 2 weeks since we had the Blogger's Quilt Festival last week.  Thanks to all the sweet comments on my quilt.  As soon as things slow down a bit I plan on attacking the list of entries!

emmaline apron

I think that the old barter system is a great way to do things - I don't mean talking someone down on their price - I mean a good old swap of goods and/or services! (by the way, isn't wikipedia awesome!? I recently had a great history lesson on Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I, not to mention Henry VIII.)

Meet Rheannan. She just graduated from cosmetology school. (Congrats!) Isn't she cute?

She lives in Arizona, but when she comes home to visit family, she's graciously cut and enhanced my blonde for me.

She didn't want to charge me since she hadn't graduated yet, but she loved my Emmaline Apron pattern and these Ginger Blossom fabrics. (my pictures aren't as good as the ones on the link -sorry, I was in a hurry, and it was getting dark!)

So I paid her in aprons. I hope she likes it (as much as I like my new 'do)!

(I may have gotten carried away with the parenthetical remarks.) (On a completely unrelated note, I reccomend the HBO Elizabeth I over the BBC version. They were actually both very good, with lots of British eye candy.)