New Pattern Available(and a giveaway)

Ok, time for some shameless self promotion! I just finished up my latest pattern, the Patchwork and Linen Headband and it's now available in my etsy shop. I have loved making these for a long time now. I started making them for my first craft fair over three years ago and they always seem to do well. Now you can make your own and they are pretty simple and fun to make.


To celebrate it's release (and some other good news!!), I'll be giving away a copy of each of my three patterns I have available. Just leave a comment and I'll pick a winner on Monday. You can receive extra entries for either blogging or tweeting about it (just include @seekatiesew in your tweet). If you already own the patterns, feel free to enter and I'll send you another prize.

Have a great weekend!

doll quilt

You may remember just two posts ago when I showed this doll quilt top. Well turns out it was a quilting nightmare. First it took me forever to decide how exactly I was going to quilt it. When I finally decided, I went with a "handstitch" stitch on my sewing machine, using metallic thread. I should have know that it was probably not a good idea to A. use metallic thread for the first time and B. to use a stitch I hadn't used before. Needless to say it was a frustrating process.

Luckily the same day a huge box of Denyse Schmidt's Hope Valley arrived. I realized it would be perfect for my partner and feed my urge to cut into the new fabric. I honestly didn't think I liked this new line of fabric that much, but let me tell you, I'm absolutely in love with it. It is so gorgeous in person.

The inspiration for the doll quilt also came from Denyse, her new pattern, Cog + Wheel. I don't actually have the pattern so I just drew it out on graph paper. It worked out pretty well although probably not as neat as it would have been had I used the pattern. I used linen as the background fabric which I think compliments this line of fabric wonderfully.

When it came to quilt I had a few problems with the linen. It shifted a lot as I was quilting and I had to stop and readjust a few times. This is the first time I've ever really quilted with linen and I almost broke up with linen today. Almost. I'm glad I perservered though because I really, really love this quilt. I hope my partner like it too!

Oh and speaking of linen and patchwork, I'll be releasing a new pattern tomorrow and having a giveaway, so be sure to stop back!

a robot party

My little boy turned 4 on Saturday and we had a robot themed party for him. Over the summer (or fall, can't remember), I found a bunch of robot party supplies on sale at target and just snatched them up. I spent our snowed in week dreaming up of robot themed ideas and had so much fun. Thursday night I stumbled up this blog post and decided that I needed to make a robot pinata. I'm glad it came out so great because I was really kicking myself Friday night for starting that project.


I also find the cake idea at cookie magazine although Isaiah requested a blue robot, so we went with that instead. It came out looking a little purple, but he didn't mind. I made this cake from Smitten Kitchen and topped it with Swiss Meringue buttercream. It was sooo delicious and surprisingly pretty easy. Although I should mention that I made a batch of buttercream on Friday night using Martha's recipe from her baking book and it did not come out well, so I had to make another batch (this time using the SK recipe) on Saturday morning. I learned what worked best for me was to continue using the whisk attachment on the kitchenaid instead of switching to the paddle attachment like Martha suggested.

I also placed all the food in tin foil containers and put snacks for the kids in muffin tins. It was really cute but of course I forgot to take pictures of it.

My sister also made a pin the heart on the robot game but the kids were so busy playing that they didn't want to do it. It didn't all go to waste though because the adults were all good sports and we played instead. Of course I don't have a picture of this either, so I'll have to see if someone else got one.

All in all, it was a great time. It's so fun being the mama to this sweet boy and getting to watch him grow. I am also so thankful that John was able to be here for another one of his birthdays. He was in the hospital Friday during the day and went back in on Sunday, so the fact that he was able to be there with us was amazing. And as an aside to that, thank you again for all your words & prayers for John and I. We really appreciate your support!

doll quilt top

First off, you guys are the best. Thanks for the words of encouragement & prayers. I'm happy to say John is home and is feeling a lot better. It's good to see him having a little energy. Hopefully it'll continue to go that way.

We're now in the middle of our second major storm of this month. I'm pretty sure there's about another foot of snow and more coming down as I type. While I am starting to really feel the cabin fever, it is nice to have an excuse to bake and sew. This morning I finished the top for my Doll Quilt Swap. I'm still deciding on what binding to use and how to quilt it. Any suggestions? I'm sort of leaning towards not using a binding. I wish I had a bigger of piece of the FMF gray seeds because that would probably look good, but I don't, so I'll have to think of something else.

Alright, back to watching "Cars" with Isaiah. I'm pretty sure this about the 100th time I've watched it. At least it's better than Thomas ;)

snow & sewing

Unless you live in a hole, I'm sure you've heard about the huge storm that swept across the mid-Atlantic region. At the storm's end, we had close to 3 ft of wet, heavy, snow. It was certainly beautiful but being stuck in the house 4 days in a row is starting to get old. Now we're bracing for another storm, not quite as big, but more snow nonetheless. Our area is just not prepared for this kind of weather and I'm not sure if our road is ever going to be cleared! But we're trying to make the best of it. Lots of baking, cocoa making, snow playing and of course sewing. I finished up this block for Valerie yesterday. I really, really love how it came out. I'm sure she's going to have a really awesome quilt by the end.


I've also debated how much to share about John's current situation, but I think that we could really use some extra prayers. For the past two weeks he was in the hospital with pneumonia, which thankfully he recovered from, but then they decided to place a feeding tube in since he was having a hard time eating and was losing a lot of weight. They discharged him from the hospital on Thursday night, right before the snow storm hit. I was hoping and praying that he'd be ok because I couldn't imagine having to get him to the hospital. He made it through ok, but was starting to feel really lightheaded on Sunday. Yesterday he had a follow up appointment and they ended up admitting him overnight because he blood pressure was very low and he was severely dehydrated. He's feeling a lot better today and he will probably get discharged again, but with this next storm I'm just hoping he remains stable. So if you're the praying type, we'd appreciate any extra prayers you could send our way. Thank you in advance!

oh, hey there!

So I've come to realize if you state "goals" at New Years, you're really setting yourself up for failure. Well at least in my case I was. Pretty much what I should have said was "blog less, sew less, and don't get organized." Then I probably would have done the opposite and gotten much more accomplished. The only thing I've really sewn in the past few weeks were some more of the Dear Jane blocks. I do so love these little blocks, but they can be time consuming. Now that I've gotten most of them traced and some more aqua & red fabrics I'll be on the road to catching up.

Mostly we've just been busy. We were in NY for Christmas until New Years and just went back last week for my cousin's wedding. I love visiting home but it is hard to travel, even if it is a short trip. I finally put away the Christmas decorations in the attic. I consider that my major accomplishment for today!

There's so much more to do around the house. I would love to be sewing or knitting, but it is just plain messy around here. We have a pretty small house and I'm still trying to find room for all those new Christmas presents. And laundry, oh the laundry. I'm not sure it will ever end! Anyone have some good organizing/cleaning tips? I think I just need a maid!

Pheeww.. that was a lot of rambling. I apologize for that! I promise to be back soon with some craftier posts!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a safe and wonderful holiday. Ours was very low key after traveling to NY for Christmas. We had a good time but I'm happy for the holiday season to be behind us and to be able to get back into the groove of things. 2009 has been quite possibly the busiest, craziest and most stressful year for us. I'm glad to see it go. Hopefully 2010 will be a much better year for us. I'm not one for making resolutions, but I thought I'd list some of my crafting goals for this year. This past year I found myself making less and less, granted John has been going through treatments and I went back to school, but I really do miss making and sharing.

So for 2010 my sewing, knitting, and all around crafty goals are to:

• finish both of my virtual quilting bee quilts
• catch up on my Dear Jane blocks
• write more patterns ( I have one for this and one for this on the brain)
• knit something for myself, hopefully a sweater
• sew an item of clothing for myself
• participate in a few more swaps
• blog more!

I'm sure there will be more along the way, but I think this is a good starting point. What about you? Have you made any goals or resolutions?

dopp kits

A while back I thrifted some vintage houndstooth wool fabrics. I ended up bringing home the gray and brown, but they also had red which I regret not buying now. Anyway, they've sat around my sewing room for months now, taking up space, but looking oh so gorgeous. I finally decided that I'd make some Dopp kits with them because I think they're pretty classy fabrics. I used some leather from thrifted skirts and lined them with some Joel Dewberry woodgrain home decor fabric. I think the brown one is my favorite. Mostly because I love the bright green zipper with the dark brown. Now I'm going to have to search my stash of zippers to see if I have anymore in that color.


I'm headed out for a trip with my sister to somewhere in southern virginia. She has a conference and wanted me to come along, so Isaiah and I are tagging along. Hopefully I can get some Christmas knitting done in the car. I really need to catch up on presents. If anyone's interested in one of the dopp kits, they're in my etsy shop now. Have a good weekend!

little birds

Wow! Look at this. Posting two days in a row. Craziness I tell you. I spent the last two days working on my ornaments for the Freshlyblended Ornament Swap. This is my third year in the swap and it's always so much fun. It's so hard to decide what to make though, especially when Martha has so many great ideas. In the end I went with the cinnamon bird ornaments. I needed something that I could make several of and that would ship flat. The first year I made cardboard houses that took forever and were hard to ship. I learned my lesson. I'm happy with how these little birds came out. I didn't mess with the template the instructions had but instead used a bird cookie cutter I had on hand. The dough was pretty easy to work with. I just mixed it up in a ziplock bag and let it rest until it was ready to be rolled out. I let them dry overnight but it didn't really work, so I ended up putting them in the oven for a few hours. I'm starting to get sick of the cinnamon smell which I never thought was possible. The recipe made about 22 birds which is nice because now I have some to tie to Christmas gifts. Speaking of, I really need to get the Advent calendar down before Isaiah gets home from school. What are you guys putting in your Advent calendars? I need some ideas!

virtual quilt blocks

How was Thanksgiving? We had a great one, lots of fun and games, but I'm glad to have it past us and to get back into the groove of things again. I'm doing another craft fair in a few weeks and I'm trying to get prepared for it so I won't be sewing the night before. I finished up a few blocks for the two virtual quilting bees I'm in. I've had them done for a while but I'm just getting around to photographing and mailing them now. It's so fun to work on different blocks and imagine what the finished quilts will look like. Darci (above) is doing a tree themed quilt. Mary is doing a quilt titled "Neighborhood in the Sky."


Hope your week is starting off well! Now back to sewing. Hopefully I'll post more than once this week (now that would be a miracle!)

craft fair and gift suggestions

The craft fair on Saturday went pretty well. It's always fun to be surrounded by a lot of crafters/artists. It was so hard to resist spending the money I made! I did make a few trades which I'll have to show you tomorrow. So, so cute! Of course I don't have any pictures of the show since I forgot my camera, but hopefully my friend and fellow vendor Katie will put some up on her blog.

I have plenty of leftovers for my etsy shop. Mostly I have the metal frame purses. I showed you the smaller ones before and I also used the same pattern to make larger clutches. I love the way these came out. So much fun to make, albeit a little time consuming.




My house is now a totally disaster area (well it's been like that for a week), so I'll be spending the next few days before Thanksgiving cleaning up. Then I have to get started on Christmas gifts and prep for another show in December. What are you all making for holiday gifts?? I need some ideas for some quick projects.

Tomorrow!

Hello everyone. I've been MIA the past week because I've been busy sewing for my craft fair tomorrow. If you're in the D.C. area come stop by and say "hi" and/or shop with some great handmade crafters! It's taking place in Vienna, Va at the Soundry and is hosted by D.C. Craft Mafia from 12-6pm. Hope to see you!

trying something new & a winner

Oh you ladies are too funny! I'm glad to know I'm not the only scrap addict. I wish I had my own sewing room, but this is actually our dining room. Which we never dine in. So I guess technically it's my sewing room. The mess is not quite cleaned up, so no updated pictures, but it's clean enough for me to feel inspired again.

I have a craft fair coming up in a few weeks and I ordered these metal purse frames to try out. I've been wanting to do them for a long time but I was nervous about how they would come out. Turns out it's pretty easy albeit time consuming. Hopefully I'll be able to get a few more done in time for the craft fair!

And now for our winner of the scrap box.

Beth said...

Good for you. I always have problems starting a big cleaning project. And well scraps are just an additional bonus for the rest of us:)

Beth I've sent you an e-mail! Thanks to everyone else for playing.

cleaning

My sewing room has been in a sad state for over a month now. It's pretty obvious by my lack of sewing lately that I've felt overwhelmed by the mess. Yesterday I finally dug in and started some major cleaning. It's still need some work, but I'm feeling much better about it after just a few hours. I even tackled 5 bags of scraps that haven't found a home on my new shelf. I threw a lot of tiny pieces away, organized those that I'm keeping, and stuffed a flat rate box to giveaway to one of my fellow scrap lovers.

While I was cleaning, I also came across a whole bunch of scarves I made last year. Apparently I had anticipated listing about 10 of each colorway and never did. To make room for some new things, I've listed these in my etsy store for $20 each. They make great holiday gifts!

So you know the drill. If you want to win a box of scraps, leave a comment and I'll pick a winner Friday. I should also mention that it's not just scraps. I believe I threw some random yardage in there and some vintage linens as well.

blocks, john & a walk

Wow, I can't believe how long it been since my last post. Things have just been a little busy around here. I'm taking a few classes, working out with a trainer at the gym, and applying to nursing schools. To add to that, we found out that John was going to have to go through more treatments, so I've been stressing about that as well. Seems like there's never a dull moment around here.

Anyway, it's been raining for the past few days and I finally found the perfect opportunity to sew. I had a lot of virtual quilting bee blocks to catch up on, so here they are:

For Sandy




For Sam:



For Beki:



For Valerie:



For Heather:



I'm glad it's finally Friday. We are walking the Light the Night Walk to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma society. My parents are coming down for it and my sister-in-law are also here with her kids. I'm excited for all of us to be together to support this cause. A few people on our team still need to reach their $25 fund raising goal, so if you had a few dollars to spare, we'd really appreciate it. If you're able to donate, you can do so by clicking here or here. If you want to read more about the latest with John, you can visit his page here. Thanks for all your support. Hope you have a great weekend!

Swallowtail

For the first time, I finally finished a handmade gift before the intended day. A miracle in its own right. This was my first foray into lace knitting and I have to say it was pretty fun. It's the Swallowtail pattern by Evelyn Clark. The only problem is it turned out much, much smaller than I thought it would. It's more of a scarf than a shawl and I'm not sure its recipient would like something scarf-size. Since I have more of this yarn, I'm knitting another one with larger needles and probably adding more repeats. This probably won't be done in time, so I'm right back to giving gifts late. Oh well, one can try, right? And this picture of me? Taken by Isaiah, our new house photographer. Not the most flattering, but I'm impressed that it's pretty much in focus.

Pattern: Swallowtail Shawl
Needle size: #4
Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Lace Emerald

doll quilt received!

One of the best and worst parts of joining a swap is the anticipation waiting for your little package to arrive. For the last week I've been waiting and stalking my mailman for my quilt to arrive from the Doll Quilt Swap. I love this swap. I've received several fabulous quilts in the past and this round is no different. Today I was delighted to see a package in the mailbox after returning home from working out with the trainer at the gym (ouch, but that's a whole other story). I knew it had to be my doll quilt! I was so happy to open up this little gem and couldn't help but notice that my partner, Jennifer, was from VA, just stone's throw from me. Small world, right!??! I hung it up on my bedroom wall, a spot that's been empty since we moved here 3 years ago. I just love it! Thank you so much Jennifer!!

more thrift finds

I can't believe it's only Wednesday. This week feels like it has been so long! We went up to NY on Friday for a quick weekend trip. It was beautiful & fun, but way too short. Of course Isaiah and I are both sick, which is not fun since I've had class this week and an interview for nursing school. Hopefully we'll start feeling better soon. One thing that is brightening my day is these great thrift finds. Lately I've been having a lot of luck in the fabric/linen department at my thrift store. I found these 3 sheets and 2 pieces of wool/nylon/acrylic houndstooth still with the tags on!

Some of this will probably end up in my vintage etsy shop. I can only hoard so many vintage sheets here. I just have a major problem passing them up when I see them. If anyone's interested in any of them, let me know and I'll set up something for you on etsy. Hope you're all having a good beginning to your fall!

Little Houses PDF patterns ready!

I just wanted to pop in and let you know that the Little Houses PDF pattern is now available for sale in my etsy shop. The pattern includes templates for 6 different houses all using the paper piecing technique. Thank you to my testers, who made some very cute houses. Tammie has posted some pictures of hers on her blog and you can see them here. Mary also tested the blocks and finished a doll quilt which you can see here. It's soo cute! Each block is about 5.75" square finished so 6 of them together makes a perfect doll quilt. Of course you could make a whole bunch to make a larger quilt. I swear, once you make one house, it's hard to stop. They are so cute and addicting!

Also, to celebrate my newest pattern, I'm having a 2 for $10 sale. You'll get the house pattern and the ruffle wristlet pattern. Happy Sewing!

want to make your own house?

Thank you for all your comments on my little house quilt! It was really fun to make and very addictive. So much so that I'm working on some paper piecing patterns for the houses. Mine was not paper pieced, but I figured that it would be easier for people to follow. I've created one that I'll be sharing with you all for free. It is the same pattern I used to make the block of the pink house. The finished block is approximately a 6" square. I have a couple more blocks in the works and I'll be offering them for sale in my etsy shop as soon as they're ready. ** Update-- They're available now in the shop!*** If you've never paper pieced before here are two sites that have pretty good tutorials.

You can print on regular printer paper or use freezer paper, whatever you prefer. Also remember to set you stitch length to a smaller length so that it will be easier to tear the paper off in the end.

Here is the link for the free house pattern. If you have any questions, feel free to ask and I'll try to answer them in the comments section. Paper piecing can be tricky, but the more you do it, the easier it will get. Scraps are fine to use for this project, but make sure you have enough fabric to cover the piece it will go on.

I'm also in need of a couple of testers to try them out to make sure everything works out. If you're interested and can get back to me quickly, let me know!