All About the Binding

In the last post I mentioned how much I love the Olympics.  Lovely evenings filled with fun sports, USA medals, and lots of crafting.

Well, in honor of the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Moda Fabrics is having their very own quilt olympics, and I am determined to finish my quilt so that I can enter!

So Sunday afternoon I cut off the extra fabric around the quilt to make the binding...  and discovered that I didn't have enough fabric.  Oh dear.  But that was the perfect excuse to make a trip to JoAnn's on Monday!  And I went a little crazy because all their quilting notions were 50% off - even batting!

All washed and cut out, the binding is ready for sewing today!

I have to be completely done on Friday, so off to the sewing room I go.  Wish me luck!

Knit Again

The last several weeks have been filled with the adventures of a wedding.  One of my very dearest friends said her vows before God and many witnesses last Saturday, and I was very blest to be part of my first wedding!  We made programs and favors and bouquets and we painted wine bottles for every table at the reception, and...  We got our nails done, we had our hair done, and generally had a wonderful time!  Weddings are too much fun!

But the busy fun can't last forever.  Now that life is settling down, I decided to pull out some yarn and set to work giving my first pattern a final trial run.  If it goes well I'll be posting my very first original knitting pattern!  And I haven't done any knitting recently, so it's good to hear the click of my needles again.

This has been a great project to have around as the Olympics begin.  :)  I have several projects I'm hoping to get finished while I watch.  I'm really looking forward to this year's Olympic games!

Snow, Kitties and Quilts

We have several inches of snow right now and it's beautiful.  Perfect for snuggling in a blanket with an adorable kitty.

Because it's been so snowy I haven't been out as much as normal.  I kept thinking, "More time to sew!"

But somehow I kept getting distracted.  I would walk into the sewing room with big intentions but end up on a cleaning/organizing spree for the next few hours.  Our sewing/laundry room looks better, but the skirt I wanted to work on is not any closer to being done...

The only sewing I've managed is finishing the quilting part of our bed quilt.  (Little happy dance!)  :)  Only the binding left until it will be completely finished!!!

See the little stars quilted in the middle of every pieced star?  :)

With this quilt so close to completion, I've been daydreaming about my next quilting project.  I'm all about quilts right now, which may or may not be related to my recent discovery of the Moda Bake Shop.  So much fun inspiration!

Be Bold, Be Bright

Recently I've done a lot of Pinterest searches for "bright skirts", "bright, full skirt", "brightly colored skirt", and so on.  This may or may not be related to a sewing project I'm working on...  But you'll see that when it's finished.  For right now I'm here to share some of the inspiration I've discovered.

http://www.asos.com/ASOS/ASOS-Belted-Full-Midi-Skirt/Prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=2340309&cid=13632&sh=0&pge=4&pgesize=20&sort=-1&clr=Bright+pink&r=2

http://www.simplyboldblog.com/2012/01/do-you-subscribe-to-nordstroms-catalog.html

I love each and every one of these.  Bright colors are just so fun!

http://www.merricksart.com/2013/05/sunshine.html

http://www.simplyboldblog.com/2012/01/do-you-subscribe-to-nordstroms-catalog.html

And I rediscovered one of my favorite photo shoots of Jennifer Lawrence.  This yellow skirt is serving as current inspiration, but the whole photo shoot is great.  Her hair and clothes are simply perfect!

ppsl-05-jennifer-lawrence-cov.jpg

What's inspiring you this week?

Chewy Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

When I'm hungry I often go into the kitchen and make some sort of cookie bar.  Or - one of my favorite things to make - a granola bar.  Some friends gave me this recipe, and it's one of my absolute favorites!  So if you're feeling like a yummy snack, I highly recommend...  :)

Chewy Granola Bars

In large bowl combine:

3 3/4 cups oats
1 cup Rice Krispies
1/4 cup wheat flour (or germ)

In a saucepan mix:

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

Stir and heat to boiling on med/low.  Remove from heat and add:

2/3 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Pour over dry ingredients and mix well.  Cool 10-15 minutes and add 1/2 cup chocolate chips.  Press into 9x13 inch pan.  Cut when cool.

Drawstring Dress

I never got around to posting it...  But I was able to finish my dress before the conference we attended back in November!

I combined New Look 6936 and vintage (well, 80s) McCall's 7572 to make the bodice that I wanted.  It worked quite well, though if I make this pattern again I will make the neck hole bigger.  I guess I have a big head.  :P

I mostly followed the New Look instructions, but it called for elastic rather than the drawstring that I really wanted.  It was simple to make a fabric "string" and run it through the casing instead - quick, easy, and I like it much better than elastic.

This may be one of my favorite machine sewing projects I've ever done.  The fabric is a silky knit that hangs well, and it was very easy to make.  It's not often that something turns out exactly how I wanted, but this one is exactly what I envisioned.  Definitely a project I'd enjoy doing again!

Happy 2014, Ya'll!

Can you believe it's already New Years?  This has been a wonderful year, and I'm looking forward to some upcoming things in 2014, as well.

I have not made blogging a priority this year, and am very sorry for that.  I'm very thankful for the opportunities my blog has given me and the people I've gotten to know in the blogging world.  And I'd like to keep up with those friends better.

So I am resolved to do better this year.

As part of that, I'd like to open up my topic slightly.  I still want to focus on my crafting/sewing adventures, but won't be as strict.  There are other things I love that ya'll might enjoy hearing about.  If you have any thoughts/suggestions for my blog, feel free to share!

Looking forward to posting much more frequently this year.  :)  And Happy New Year!!!