Urban Home Goods Swap

                                                        picture by Dusty911 (flickr)

This post is majorly overdue, seeing as this swap was about 2 months ago. This was a wonderful swap on flickr run by the fabulous Kerri and Heather. The idea was to make (obviously) items for the home, using modern fabrics and styles. It was a secret swap which are my favorite because you see all the great things posted in the flickr group and the anticipation of finding out which is yours is so fun. We all made mosaics of things we liked or were inspired by as a starting off point for our partners. My partner to send to was Daria. I decided to make her a sewing machine cover, a pin cushion, and an eyeglass case.

I received from Holly and boy was I ever lucky. I think pictures cannot do justice to what she sent. She made this beautiful knitting needle holder, made with linen and patchwork hexagons, a patchwork cork board, and a pin cushion. I can't tell you how much fun this swap was. I think there's going to be another round soon, so if you can get in, I'd highly recommend it. Check out the flickr group to see all the other things people made!

Long time...

Hello there. I can't believe how long it's been since my last post. We've had a crazy month and things are finally starting to calm down a little. After we got back from France I was majorly occupied with the Vintage Sheet Swap. Then John got sick and he ended up in the hospital. The day he was supposed to be discharged he contracted a staph infection and he ended up staying in the hospital for 2 1/2 weeks. At the tail end of his stay Isaiah got strep throat, which he nicely passed to me, and I ended up sick for a few days. Anyway, we're all on the mend. John is home now and feeling much better, although he has to be on antibiotics for 6 weeks. Isaiah is at John's parents house attending camp, so I'm trying to use this time to catch up on everything.

I do have a few crafty things to show from ages ago so hopefully I can visit this space a little more often. And so I don't leave this post without pictures, here are a few shots of what our living room looked like with all the swap boxes. We had a little over 90 participants and this is about 1/3 of the boxes I had. We have a pretty small house so I had to do all the swapping in our living room which was quite challenging. It was a lot of work but lots of fun. I loved getting to see all the sheets everyone sent it.

And how about that goal for USA today!?!?! Nail biting I tell you! Anyone else have World Cup fever??

I'm on the etsy blog!

Ok, ok, so I meant to show you some handmade goodness this week, but I just never got around to it. I was waiting on our new couch and starting to sort through, quite literally, thousands of vintage sheets for the vintage sheet swap I am hosting. Anyway, I wanted to share with you that my story is on the etsy blog today. It all came about when a friend I had played softball with in college contacted me after finding me on etsy. It was fun to catch up with her! I was a little nervous about sharing my story, but I figure it can't hurt, maybe it'll help someone else get through a difficult time. I love this picture of the three of us, this was (I think) before John's bone marrow transplant. Isaiah looks like a baby in this picture! John is probably plus 60 pounds and a lot of hair in this picture. Hopefully he'll get back there again soon!

Anyway, I swear I'll be back next week with goodies. Have a good weekend!

long time no see!

You'll have to excuse my absence, but John and I were lucky enough to take a trip to FRANCE!! We got back last week and we've been playing catch up since. One of my mother in law's friends had passed along an application to us to go on a pilgrimage to Lourdes. John went as malade (or a sick person) and I went as his companion. We had a wonderful experience and it was so nice to spend time together alone. While we were gone, our families joined forces and painted our living room & dining room (my sewing room) and put in hardwood floors. It looks amazing, but I've been busy organizing and putting things back in place. Now it's back to the real world and housework (ugh!). I have a few handmade things to show this week, so hopefully I'll be able to share soon.

Richmond

We had a fabulous trip to Richmond this weekend. I had never been and it was really a nice city to explore. I wish we could have spent more time there, so I'm sure we'll be making a trip back. The craft fair was a lot of fun and very busy. It was such a nice space and I was surrounded by so many talented artisans & crafters. I even got to meet a very nice blog reader, whose name I did not catch, but thanks for stopping by & saying hi! I'm in the process of updating my shop now with leftovers from the show, so if you're interested, check it out.

Show on Sunday

Part of my absence this week is due to my preparations for my first craft fair of the year. I have been sewing like crazy the last few weeks and am finally coming up for air. The show is in Richmond, VA so if you're in the area, come stop by and say hi! I've never been to Richmond, so we're heading down early tomorrow to visit before the show on Sunday. If anyone has suggestions of "must see or do" let me know! Have a good weekend.

quilting bee blocks

Since I may be taking a big trip later in the month, I'm trying to stay ahead of all my bees & swaps. I finished up these two blocks for my two quilting bees. The first is for Colleen. She requested this pattern using men's shirt fabrics and kona cotton (I think in ash). I cannot wait to see this finished! The second block is for Jessica. She sent out two fabrics, very close in color and asked for a modern block, ala Drunk Love by Denyse Schmidt. I always think these blocks are fun to make.

***NOW CLOSED****Tomorrow is also the last day to sign of for the Vintage Sheet Swap if you're interested. We already have over 70 swappers, but there's still a little room if you were thinking about joining.

Vintage Sheet Patchwork Swap

 Last year I participated in Oh, Frasson's Vintage Sheet Patchwork Swap. It was a lot of fun and it was great to get so many sheet fat quarters. I'm excited that I'll be hosting a second round of the swap, so if you're interested go here for more info. Can't wait to get started!

Wallet Pattern Available

Hey there! So when I said the pattern would be available yesterday, I really meant today. You know how life just gets in the way sometimes!!?!? Anyway, my newest pattern is for the Carry & Go Wallet. The wallet holds a set of keys, has a clear vinyl ID pocket, a zippered coin pouch, a place for folded cash, and 3 credit card slots, each which will hold at least 2-3 cards. It can be a little tricky to make your first one, but once you get the hang of it, they'll become addicting, I swear! So if you're interested, you can find the pattern in my etsy shop or in my bigcartel shop. It is PDF tutorial that has 12 pages of directions and comes with color step by step photos that will be sent via e-mail so you can start as soon as you get the pattern. Enjoy! And thanks again to Kristine for testing the pattern :)

tricky blocks

This month for my two quilting bees I had two tricky blocks to complete, a cathedral window and triangles.

Sandy had the wonderful idea to have us do cathedral windows. It was a fun block to make but I probably could only make a few before getting tired of doing it. That's why this was an ingenious idea for a quilting bee!

 The second block is for Corey. She asked for triangles and squares. Somehow I came up with this. I like it, but it's a little bigger than the size she asked for. Let's just say my math was a little off when I calculated what size square to use. 

Lastly, my pattern for the Carry & Go wallet should be available tomorrow. My friend Kristine tested it for me last week and hers came out great. Hopefully I can get my act together and finish it up tonight!

doll quilt received

 I finally received my doll quilt from my partner from the Doll Quilt Swap. I think the best (& worst) part about the swap is the anticipation of receiving a quilt in the mail. Trying to figure out which one is yours from the pool, stalking the mailman everyday. Lots of fun. This lovely was made by Rachel. This picture is not the best, but it's been raining here for the last four days, so this was the only shot I could get. I just have to find a spot to hang it. I think I'm running out of wallspace from all these swaps. Now that the swap is over, I'm ready for another one. I sure love getting good mail!

On a side note, is anyone having trouble with the new picture formatting of blogger? I cannot seem to get the pictures to move where I want them too. It is soo frustrating! Anyone else having this problem and know how to fix it?

wallets

I just finished this cute batch of wallets. I started sewing one last week as a trial for a new pattern I'm writing and I got into a rhythm and ended up sewing 7 more. This could be one of my favorite things I've made to date. I use one everyday to carry my keys & credit cards for a quick trip to drop Isaiah off at school. It has an outside pocket for an ID and can hold fold cash, coins, and credit cards on the inside. I'll start pattern testing this week and hopefully the pattern will be available next week. In the meantime I'm adding these wallets to my shop.

Working & a winner

How was your weekend? Ours was pretty good. Nothing too busy and nothing too lazy, just right for me. I started working on my next pattern. I actually have two in mind but I'm waiting for some more supplies to come in. Have I said I love this Hope Valley fabric? Oh I did? Well I'm going to say it again. I LOVE this fabric! Seriously, get yourself some. Tell your husband I said it was ok. I'll vouch for you.

The winner of the patterns is lucky #13 Jenny who said: congratulations on the pattern complete and your good news!! would love your patterns. (Jenny I've sent you an e-mail. )

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway. For those that are interested, the pattern is available in my etsy shop. I also have pattern bundles, 2 for $10 or 3 for $15 if you want them all for a few dollars off. Hope you're all having a good beginning to your week!

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?