More Slipper Love...

I LOVE it when patterns are on sale at Joann's.  I have an app on my phone called "ListMaster"  (FREE!) and it is one of the handiest things on my phone.  I keep an list of patterns that I want to get when they are on sale broken down by company, Simplicity, McCalls, Buttericks, etc.  and another list of patterns that I have in my collection already.  So when I see one in the book that catches my eye, I just check my phone to see if I have it already.  If not, in the cart it goes.  This one was $.99.  (SCORE)  Simplicity 2278 includes a women's slipper with 3 sizes and 5 patterns for infants.  Why spend the $17.95 listed price when they go on sale several times a year?  No thanks!

Sorry about the messy sewing room floor...  

I, of course, had to make them given my obsession with all things slippers lately.  And I must say, MUCH faster then knitting a pair.  (Not that I won't be doing more of that too.)  I cut the pieces out last night after I finished mom's laptop cover, and they only took a couple of hours to sew together this afternoon.  I actually did a really SMART thing this time...  I loved the pattern so much that I bought ALL of the supplies at the same time as the pattern.  I knew I had scrappy bits at home that I could use, but the jiffy grip, fusible fleece and interfacing came home with the pattern.  I'm learning!  Oh yeah, and that was back in October, so I'm glad that I miraculously keep everything together for that long.

And the fact that they match my pants is purely coincidental!

The instructions are incredibly easy to follow.  I didn't sit here scratching my head or searching Flickr and Google for hints like I have in the past.  I do however have a few things that I would do differently when I make these again:

1)  I would shorten the strap about and inch (at least) as these were WAY to long for me and I had to move the velcro and re-stitch the end.

2)  I also don't like how they have you sew the velcro to the strap.  I think I would stitch it in place BEFORE the step that has you fold in half and stitch inside out.  It would look much cleaner that way.

These stay on quite a bit better than any of the slippers I've knit, even without the strap.  They will be great for travel or an evening at a friends house (or the in-laws)  since I always take slippers with me, these will be perfect!  I give then 4.5 out of 5!

One Yard Wonders

I love, LOVE, this book.  SO MUCH!



I have a list of projects that I still want to make, but I did already check a few off my list. Like the Summer Nightie/Tank Top.  (P.137)  And my new sewing machine cover.  (P. 83)   I made one for my serger too, but I still need to hem it.

And my cute new jewelry roll( p.122)...  first attempt at zippers was a complete success.  Now I want to make little zipper pouches for everyone I know.  Watch out!

And my fab new laptop case(P. 100)!  This might be my fav.  I used some left over pieces and the remaining binding from my quilt.  I might make a sleeve for my Kindle now too.  

There are still quite a few more things on my to make list, but I think I made a good start!

And the winner is...

Threadless!  I will be sending the tote in your direction!  Message me your address and I will be mailing it to you shortly.  Thanks for joining in the contest everyone!

Reading Pillow

This one is going to live in my room at the lake house.  I find it very cheerful!

I loved Meg's pattern for a reading pillow from the moment I saw it and have now had the pattern for about a year (maybe 2?)   I've had the fabric and supplies for 2 pillows for a while now too.  Of course I need one for home and one for the lake...  I was on a roll after finishing the Charming Handbag on Saturday, so I began scouring my fabric stash and low and behold, the reading pillow popped out at me.  PERFECT!  I finished one on Saturday night and the second on Sunday.  I was so proud of myself that I took them to book club on Sunday night to show off my craftiness and my girlfriend bought one off me on the spot and requested 2 more!  Hence, the single pillow in the picture...  Oh darn.  I have to go to Joann's AGAIN and browse through fabric...  what shall I do?  

Here is the pillow in use.  It's holding Amy Karol's Bend the Rules Sewing.  I may be making these napkins soon...

Oh, and our Reubens on Saturday night turned out yummy too.

Charmed, I'm sure...

I am absolutely charmed by this adorable little handbag from Bend The Rules Sewing.  I've had the Charming Handbag (p.64) on my to-do list for ages and it has been on my mind all week.  I am in love with the dots pattern. Seriously.  It's a bit on the tiny side, so I think I will make it a bit bigger next time around, but for the first time, I'm a happy camper.  I did use the Bend the Rules Sewing Flickr group a bit. And got distracted looking at all the projects for a while...  but this was a quick little project, love it!

I did make a couple of slight changes.  I used muslin, because I did not have cotton flannel.  It's on my Joann's list now, but none in the stash.  I didn't top stitch around the bag because a) it would have stitched over the casing and b) I just didn't think it would look right.

Aak!  The dots, such cuteness!

Changes I would make next time:

1)  Make the bag bigger.

2)  Make the straps longer.

3)  Make the casings a bit wider and move them down a bit more than the 1/2" listed.  They are quite close to the top.

Happy Belated St. Patty's Day!  We got a great Corned Beef from Wigley's Market in Eastern Market.  The best Corned Beef in the "D" in my opinion.  I actually roasted taters this year instead of boiling them, and we were pretty happy with the results.  Reubens on the menu for tonight!  

Etsy Shop Grand Opening and a GIVE-AWAY!

To celebrate the Grand Opening of my Etsy shop, The Blueberry Boutique, I'm hosting a give-away!  Leave a comment to get in on the drawing!   Follow my Blog and get another entry!  Like The Blueberry Boutique on Facebook, leave another comment here, and get another entry!  That's 3 chances to win this tote!  WOW!!!!

I will try to take a better pic in the morning when the sun is shining, but I want to get this out there first!  :-)

The drawing will close on Sunday, March 20th at 9pm!  I will announce the winner on Tuesday, March 22nd at noon!  Good luck!

If sales go well, I will be adding more items soon!  Thanks for visiting!

Summer Nightie/Tank Top

This turned out really cute.  It's the Summer Nightie/Tank from One Yard Wonders.  I need to wait for hubby to be around later today to help with the strap positioning on the back, but I pinned it so that I can post pics now.

I don't have pretty doors like some other people do

This was really quite simple once I actually took the time to sit down and read through the directions.  I think I could have had this done in just an hour or so if I hadn't gotten overly obsessed with flickr and google to see what other people thought about it.  And if I hadn't decided to be all fancy schmancy and do a cute stitch on my bias tape.  That was a learning experience.  I made the medium cup size, probably should have done the large, but you live and learn, and I have this same fabric in blue too, so I might make another one.  Oh, yeah, and this is definitely going to be a tank, NOT a nightie.  For one, I don't do nighties, I don't like to be tangled, shorts and tanks or PJ pants and hubby old t-shirts for me.  And second, my ass hangs out.  A lot.  So it's a tank for sure.

I think it looks really cute with the sweater from Kohl's that I have been searching for something to wear with.  Great, now that winter is almost (hopefully) over, I have an outfit!  Oh, and I found out that it's REALLY hard to sew with a cat on your back....

Once I reached around to pet him I realized that he was toasty warm in that spot because the space heater was blowing on him!  And everyone thinks he's a dumby.  Nope, not this boy.  Oh, yeah, and this was one of the times I spent more time than necessary reading unrelated blog posts because I just didn't have the heart to move him.  

Holiday Handmades

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and wonderful holiday!  I can finally share what I've been working on for holiday gifts this year!  I have been busy knitting and sewing away, therefore, all of the creative juices have been flowing in that direction.  I have barely thought about interesting meals at all.  Ask Brian.  The dinners have been very uninspired around here.  Back to the menu planning next week!

I digress....  Here is the crafty goodness...

Jamie is a U of M fanatic!  I have reports that he sleeps with the blanket every night and it is hauled to the couch first thing in the morning.  I'm so glad he likes it!

I love the one I made for Sophie.  I told her I would keep it if she didn't like it, but she smiled and shook her head.  Apparently that means I did well choosing the colors!  I'm still the cool aunt!

I had to keep up with tradition and make Mimi another shawl. She got a shawl pin from my parents and pinned it right on and wore it the rest of the day!  

Terttu Shawl  

Raveled Here

Springtime Bandit Shawl for Mom
Raveled Here

Mom loved her Christmas shawl.  I think she will get a lot of use from it!  I also made her coasters, but I can't find the picture!

I think I will start next years gifts in a few weeks.  I always say that, but maybe this year I will actually do it!

Lists

I am a sucker for lists.  A sucker.  I make lists for everything.  I carry a notebook in my purse.  All the time! When I have to downsize for fancy occasions, I kind of go into panic mode...  It's a little frightening!

This weekend, I have a list.  The hubs is heading to the lake to keep hunting, so I plan on some VERY serious sewing.  I have a big list.

See, it's big, and this is only part of it, because somethings can't be added to that list because people might see.

My list also includes Apple Cookies and Pumpkin Cookies, when I'm not sewing, oh, or knitting, cause I have some of that to do, too.  I also get to puppy sit for the next week.  Our friends are going on a family vacation so Atlas is staying at our house.  This was taken tonight, about an hour after I brought Atlas home.  I think they might be friends by tomorrow :-)  Just maybe...  (uh, yeah, that's some of the fleece for the blankets.  There is another bag the same size next to it.)

I will miss these two furry faces this weekend though.  I took this a couple of weekends ago at the lake.  They were watching me eat breakfast.  Cute, right?

Have a happy and productive weekend!

September is National Sewing Month!

I didn't even know that until I went to Jo Ann's for a quick peek last week.  It makes sense though, because all I want to do right now is sew like a maniac.

I was making a list of all the sewing projects that I want to get to and realized that before I even thought about looking through patterns I really needed to get a BIG monkey off my back so I could enjoy working on new things without feeling guilty.  (I actually typed quilty instead of guilty and couldn't figure out why it looked funny, DUH!)  Remember this post?  Now think about if you have heard me mention any progress on my first ever quilt since then.  Yep, can't remember right?  Well, I've spent a few afternoons and evenings working on it lately, and am pleased to report that I have completed the quilting, sewn the binding to the front of the quilt and thoroughly enjoyed sitting under it while I hand stitch the binding to the back!  The hand stitching actually went so much faster than I expected.  But my next quilt is for sure going to a long arm quilter!  I told Brian that I have no idea what possessed me to do it myself and that I would NEVER take on something of that scale myself again.  All in all, I am happy that I did it, I learned a lot.  It's not perfect by any means, but I love it and it was a great learning experience.  Jiggy enjoyed napping on it WHILE I was quilting it and Brian has already told me that it's his.  Um, ok, not sure if pink and flower prints are exactly your colors, but I'm glad that it will be used and enjoyed and broken in.  I think that it will make a great beach blanket someday.

I took it up north to show it off and the family enjoyed snuggling under it too!

Sophie found Stormy as soon as they got to Gabby & Gups house

I love how it turned out.

I have already picked out my next quilting project too, big surprise, right?  I saw it on the cover of a quilting magazine and decided that the fabric bundle I got last Christmas would make a good combination.  It's not going to be as big as the one on the magazine because I will only have 24 squares instead of 36, but that's ok, I might improvise a bit.

My Uncle Paul and his dog Stella having a snuggle

In the midst of hand stitching the binding to my quilt, I took a 3 hour quilting class last week and I learned a lot.  I need to learn some of the technical stuff before I get much further in my newest obsession.  I have added an Accu Quilt GO! to my Christmas list and really hope I get one!  There is  an intro class at Jo Ann's in a couple of weeks, so I am going to check it out some more then, but I'm sure it's only going to make me want one more!   Geez, Christmas is SO far away still!  How will I survive?

Some sewing... for a good cause!

4 totes completed and ready to be stuffed with goodies for the Flamingo Fling...  If you are in Sanilac County, get some tickets!  These will be on the donation tables and the proceeds benefit the SAVE Council!  (Sanilac Violence Elimination Council for battered women)

Wow, Have I Been Busy

It's been busy around here over the past week! Are you ready for some pictures?

My motto must be "Go big or go home" because I have NEVER made a quilt before. But, last week, I found myself cutting up scraps. Laying a sheet out on the floor and piecing it together. I picked up the rows and am ready to start sewing strips. Yeah, it's about 80" x 80". Tiny! :-)

This is what it looked like layed out. Kind of a summery theme. I love the bright colors.

Here it is in rows. I can't wait to start sewing it!

Mom and I went to the Farmers Market in Port Sanilac on Friday afternoon. The hours are 3-7. Isn't that the oddest timing? We got SOOO much good stuff though!

From left to right: Cinnamon Rolls, Bread from the Van Camp House (a really yummy restaurant in Sanilac) Rosemary Garlic Seasoning (we put it on steaks that night and they were incredible) Fresh Peas, Leaf Lettuce, Red Raspberry Leaf and Lemon Balm for tea, a green pepper and some cucumbers, and sausage seasoning that we haven't tried yet. And not pictured are cookies because we ate them!

We saw this really cute car at the grocery store too, it a Smart Woodie, or something like that... check out the mine surf board! Hilarious!

This freighter was cruising past when we got home and the sunlight shining on it looked so cool! I think I did a pretty good job getting this shot.

My in-laws had a chicken BBQ on saturday and it was delicious. It was such a nice, sunny day, it finally felt like summer and I even got a sunburn!  This is the chicken still on the spit. you can see the whole rig. My father in law and his friend Nikola made it a few years ago.

My father in-law and our friend Ivan take the chicken out.

Yeah, check out the reddness! Just think, one year ago we were only a couple of weeks away from our wedding!

After the chicken at the Milos, we put my parents boat in for the first time in YEARS (like 3-4!!!) We took a quick ride up the lake since my mom had never seen the house from the lake since it was built.

Sorry about the crooked picture, it was a little choppy.

Brian is happiest when he is on the water. It would have been even better if he had a fishing pole in his hand!

After checking out the house, we headed back to Port Sanilac to see the fireworks. Dad and I had seen them from the water when I was in High School, but there wasn't enough room for everyone, so most of the mom's stayed behind and all the kids went. Brian had never seen them from the water either, so we had to go! I got some great pictures!

The Grand Finale! How great is that picture with the fireworks reflecting over the water?

Hope you had a great Independence Day!