Wendymoon Designs

Love, Worry, and Gocco Supplies

2012-01-08T11:46:00.001-06:00

When I got my Gocco printer, I knew that buying supplies might eventually become a problem. Since no new Riso supplies are being made for the Gocco, the screens and bulbs available out there are ever decreasing in amount and ever increasing in price. BUT the good news is there are alternative supplies you can find that will let you keep on using your Gocco! Here's how I use one alternative,

Bye Bye 2011

2012-01-03T13:02:00.001-06:00

We had a lot of fun together and made a lot of stuff this past year. Here's my looking back mosaic. I've updated my project list for 2012. Every year I start with a little list and find I add to it so much during the year I never finish it all. I'm also easily distracted by shiny new crafting ideas. This year, I'd like to focus more of my time on completing things (the things I really WANT to

Blogger's Choice Bundles

2011-12-30T21:20:00.001-06:00

Have you seen the contest happening over at Quokka Quilts? The idea is to make your own coordinated fabric bundle (with 12 prints and 3 solids) using fabrics from the Fat Quarter Shop. Here's a little collection I made up! Left to right going top to bottom it's: Children at Play Cotton Coral On the GoVeranda Aqua Ripple Dots Little One Organic Orange Tonal Star DotsRobot Factory Teal Circuit

Family Tree Quilt

2011-11-16T12:20:00.003-06:00

All the hours of cutting, sewing, sandwiching, quilting and binding are worth it when you have a finished quilt you love. And I sure love this one! I'm calling it the Family Tree quilt. It's been gifted to my parents as an anniversary present. :-) It all started with Joel Dewberry's Modern Meadow fabrics. I knew I wanted to highlight the pretty trees. And I loved the play of the light and dark

New Tea Wallets

2011-11-12T19:47:00.002-06:00

Just updated the shop with some new tea bag holders! These little guys keep your tea bags handy and uncrushed for whenever you might need a cuppa. They can also be used as simple wallets and make for nice little gifties. Which is your favorite?

Something Red for art-o-mat

2011-11-01T10:50:00.001-05:00

Kerplunk! That noise you hear is the sound of my art being dispensed from an art-o-mat machine. What is art-o-mat, you ask? It's a neat project where retired cigarette machines are converted to dispense art instead. I love the idea of small, affordable art and am so happy to be a part of the project. I had all kinds of different ideas I wanted to try, but for my first edition I decided to go

Out of chaos, order... and a hoop bag!

2011-10-26T21:59:00.001-05:00

Quick Fall Fix

2011-10-09T10:31:00.001-05:00

The weather's been gorgeous in my corner of the world this past week. The leaves are all changing but the temperature's been rather warm. Bright blue skies and vibrant fall leaves are so pretty together, don't you think? So I made a trip to the Arboretum the other day and felt like doing some autumn crafting afterwards. I decided on a quick fall fix and knitted up this leaf dishcloth from a

Making lemonade

2011-09-22T01:08:00.002-05:00

Have you seen the Bottled Rainbows quilt-along over at Stitched in Color? While I wasn't sure I wanted to commit to a whole quilt in this style, I really love the look of these colorful blocks. And it inspired me to try some ticker tape quilting. I was in a purple mood, so that's what I went with. It was actually quite fun arranging my scraps into a pleasing grouping! Once I sewed everything

Two, Two, Two skirts in one!

2011-09-08T21:05:00.000-05:00

Confession: I have a lot of trouble sewing clothes. I don't know what it is. I pick out pretty fabric and what I think will be a cute (and hopefully not too difficult) pattern. In theory, all should go according to plan. In reality, I always struggle. Perhaps it's the fact that I like to change things around from the pattern. And that I'm often trying to squeeze the most I can out of a small

Summer Crafting

2011-08-25T10:52:00.001-05:00

Summer's a fun time for crafting. This summer I found myself working on lots of little things as I had time. I picked up this great storage case at IKEA and filled it with craft supplies for an on-the-go crafting kit! It worked great, especially for doing little projects away from home, like with my niece and nephew. We made friendship bracelets and shrinky dinks! (BTW, all you pin-it-wherever

Fabric Destash

2011-08-20T22:12:00.003-05:00

So I've had to admit to myself that I will never get around to all the projects I've fleetingly wanted to do, that I will never use up all my crafting supplies. Rather than just leave things in the closet without a purpose, I've decided to do a little destash. Hopefully my supplies can go to new homes where they may actually get used! As the picture shows, I've got some fabric listed in my

4 more 4 the farmer

2011-08-19T10:37:00.010-05:00

The farmer and I took a little break there. But we're back together and moving right along. With these latest blocks I had a few goals in mind. First, to add in some blues, and second to try out the templates. I really like the addition of the blues and think it will blend in nicely with my other blocks. And the templates were great fun and very helpful. I like the little notches built

Fat Quarterly Issue 6 is out!

2011-07-31T11:42:00.002-05:00

And I'm in it! Yay! I was so happy to be asked to contribute to the Designer's Challenge in the latest issue of Fat Quarterly. It was a Churn Block challenge, and I so enjoyed coming up with variations on the block (which I've also heard referred to as the Monkey Wrench, thus my monkey theme). I turned my blocks into a soft baby book. More of my step-by-step process can be found in FQ issue

Aviary, Embellished

2011-07-27T13:53:00.000-05:00

Being partial to birdies, I was quite excited when Joel Dewberry's Aviary 2 fabric line came out. I snatched some up, but wasn't sure at first what I wanted to do with it. Inspired by images of people simply hanging pretty fabric in hoops, I thought I could do something quick like that to make a nice display. But I couldn't leave well enough alone and just put the fabric in the painted hoops,

Farmer's Wives and Tough Times

2011-07-08T12:18:00.000-05:00

In the letters included in The Farmer's Wife Sampler Quilt book, those farmers' wives are all so... plucky! They are positive about all the joys of being on the farm, working hard and enjoying nature and family. But I know they also had tough times. Times when the rain didn't come or when too much rain came or when money was tight or when they were tired. But it seems they pressed on and kept

The farmer takes another wife

2011-06-27T21:12:00.001-05:00

What is it with that farmer? Is he a bigamist? A polygamist? Whatever he is, he sure has a lot of wives sewing quilts right now. What am I talking about? The Farmer's Wife Quilt-Along, of course! Started by Amanda and Angela, the flickr group has grown from 19 when I joined to over 500 people! Yikes! At first I thought I might just cheer everyone else on, but seeing all the beautiful blocks

The true story of a girl and her pants

2011-06-08T19:30:00.001-05:00

Once upon a time there was a pair of pants. They were not quite green and not quite gray. They were awesome. They belonged to a girl, and they made her look good. The girl and her pants went everywhere together. They worked together, played together, hung out on the couch and watched TV together. The pants and the girl were happy. But slowly, over time, things began to change. The girl and her

Questions Answered, Contest Winner, and a Coupon Code

2011-05-25T21:37:00.000-05:00

Wow, you guys blew me away with your 652 comments! AND you got me to the big 100 on both my blog followers and facebook fans? Ya'll are awesome. It was great watching as the comments came rolling in, I so enjoyed reading what you guys would do with the charm pack (so many great ideas, and I found it amusing how many of you would be content to just spread out the fabric squares and gape!) and

Hooray for Giveaway Day!

2011-05-22T22:36:00.003-05:00

It's time once again for Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day! As usual I'm offering something I've made along with some supplies. I know you blog hoppers have a lot of ground to cover today so here's the goodies: 1 made-by-me Hummingbird wristletAND 1 charm pack (42 5" precut squares) of Sherbet Pips The wristlet is from a Keyka Lou pattern and is currently my favorite thing to sew. I've made a few

Cross Stitch is Cool!

2011-05-10T09:34:00.001-05:00

Years ago I used to cross stitch. I made several projects for wedding presents, you know, with the couple's names and wedding date in some pretty pattern. But for some reason I got out of the habit of cross-stitching for a while. Now, I think cross stitch is cooler than ever! This is helped in great part by all the fun patterns I've been discovering lately. One shop that has tons of cute

Little Bags

2011-05-05T13:05:00.001-05:00

It all started when I saw Milky Robot's bag. Then MrsMcPorkchop's. I had to make my own! The design is so cute! I love the looping straps... the velcro inside... the back pocket. I think they're perfect either as a little camera case or just as a cute wristlet for carrying essentials when you're on the go. The pattern is from Keyka Lou, you can get it and make your own. OR if

Snew

2011-04-21T20:39:00.001-05:00

Did you ever do that obnoxious joke where you start talking about "snew" just so you can get someone to ask: "What's snew?" and you can be silly and say back "Nothing, what's snew with you?" ;-) Here's what's snew with me: My birdie embroidery was a runner up in the Fat Quarterly "WIN IT TO BE IN IT" Reader's Competition! There were some amazing projects featured, so I was very pleased to place

Guess where I am...

2011-04-13T20:27:00.001-05:00

Wendymoon Designs is now on Facebook. Check out my new page for a special offer on my gocco bunting thank you cards. And while you're at it, hit that like button! :-)

Swap Round Up

2011-03-26T13:12:00.001-05:00

Recently I completed a couple of swaps and I wanted to post some pictures of what I sent and received. First, for round 3 of the Scrappy Mug Rug swap group on flickr, I made this Dresden mug rug for my partner (with Innocent Crush, of course): I also added in a pincushion made from hand-stitched hexagons, and a few shrinky dink pins! And this is the mug rug package I received. Isn't the

Gocco Art Prints on Sale

2011-03-14T11:32:00.000-05:00

Been wanting to get your hands on one of my gocco art prints? Because I am feeling rather generous right now and because I like affordable art and figure you do too, they are now ON SALE for only $5 a print. Get 'em while you can!

I love my nook

2011-03-08T11:29:00.002-06:00

Since I love my nook so much, it seemed only fitting to make a padded sleeve to protect it. Here's what I came up with: I used Birch Organic Circa 50 fabric. Aren't the little animals so cute on it? I love the bright teal, too. It closes up top with some elastic and a fun fabric covered button. (I think all fabric covered buttons are fun.) Here's the neat part: it's got a pocket up front

I made it through Thing-a-Day!

2011-02-28T11:52:00.001-06:00

Whew, creative sprint is right. I'm winded. But I made it through! I'm left at the end of the month with 28 days of creative stuffs. This year I did a lot more of working on little bits of projects, spreading out finishing things over a few days. I made two new gocco designs, knitted five rows, and did a whole lot of sewing, both by hand and machine. I'm planning on posting about a few of the

Gocco Process

2011-02-03T13:40:00.002-06:00

Thanks to the crazy winter weather, I've had some extra time to create these last two days. I spent some time making a new gocco print and wanted to share the process! It started as an idea I sketched out for matched items, things that go together. From here I refined the sketches and carefully drew everything with a micron pen. (Sometimes I will scan my sketches and work on them in

Thing a Day is ON!

2011-02-01T11:31:00.000-06:00

It's time once again for Thing-a-Day, the creative sprint which challenges you to create something EVERY DAY for the month of February. I played along last year and had a lot of fun making stuff, keeping those creative juices flowing and having something fun to look forward to every day as winter wound down. To prepare for this year, I made a little list of possible ideas to do (backup in case

Inspiration and Distraction

2011-01-30T16:16:00.000-06:00

The two go hand in hand sometimes, don't they? Here's a list of my current crushes, some of which are giving me crafty inspiration, and others of which are keeping me from creating: Foxes. I got this cute little stuffed fox in Carlsbad Caverns last fall. Now I feel like I see foxes everywhere. Are foxes the new owls? I treated myself to a mini desk calendar featuring foxes (which is now on

I make stuff

2011-01-15T09:15:00.003-06:00

You might not know it looking at my 2010 project list. But I did make a lot of stuff last year. I'm not quite type A enough to add to my list and then cross it off. But while I only did maybe 8 of the 25 projects I'd intended to be completed last year, I did make a lot of stuff, as the above mosaic will show. I'm just easily distracted when it comes to crafting. But I've updated my yearly list,

Limited time Coupon Code

2011-01-03T13:20:00.000-06:00

Just a quick check in with a new coupon code... Call me crazy, but I'm serious about getting to 50 sales in my Etsy shop. So I'm offering 50% off with code 50for50 until I reach my goal!

End of Year Goals

2010-12-29T12:04:00.001-06:00

Sometimes, things move pretty slow around here. For instance, I've been meaning to post about finishing my entrelac scarf for a while now. And it had been finished (the knitting part anyway) for some time before I managed to block it. It's like I'm in my own little time warp bubble or something. Anyhow, I'm really pleased with how this came out! I started it in the fall of '09 thinking I would

Shop Update!

2010-12-16T13:43:00.000-06:00

Just did a big shop update with lots of tea bag holders! I love making these little wallets; it's fun to pair up fabrics and match cute buttons for the front. Since I know people are in a rush this time of year, I promise that all orders placed today (not just tea bag wallets) will be sent out tomorrow. Snow or no snow! So go shop!

Mug Rugs Sent and Received

2010-12-03T10:08:00.000-06:00

Round 2 of the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap has been completed! (For me and my partners, anyway.) Just wanted to post pics of the completed mug rugs, sent and received. This is what I came up with for my partner. From her inspiration mosaic and her emailed information, I knew she loved bright colors, coffee, and Denyse Schmidt's Flea Market Fancy. (A word on FMF: I had not really used it before, and I

Free as a bird

2010-11-27T11:55:00.002-06:00

I love birds. And free stuff. And crafting. So you can imagine how happy I was to find these free crafty birdie patterns! The embroidery pattern is from Gennine's Art Blog (you can find it in her sidebar). I've long admired her style and have been wanting to buy some of her art. But until I can afford that, I've made my own art based on her design. I used white on blue fabric since I love

Don't you just love little things?

2010-11-25T21:45:00.006-06:00

Show of hands, who remembers Shrinky Dinks? I loved making these when I was a kid. And I was so happy to find a little kit at the craft store which included a few pages of the magically shrinking plastic. Today, my crafty buddy and I had some time and a craft date planned via webcam. My inspiration was this cool umbrella mobile. I drew and colored and cut and punched and ended up with this: (

Mug Rug Swap

2010-11-03T10:14:00.000-05:00

So I signed up for the Scrappy Mug Rug Swap. I watched as it unfolded last round and so wanted in! Fortunately I got accepted to be part of the second group. It's a blind swap, so I know who I'm creating for but not who's making for me! Partners create a mosaic for inspiration. I'm hoping mine will like what I come up with. (I'm planning on getting some Flea Market Fancy in there, so that

Doctor Who Crafting

2010-10-20T20:56:00.002-05:00

For a while now, I've been wanting to put together a little crafty care package for the dear friend who introduced me to Doctor Who. Her favorite "character" is the TARDIS. I had the idea to piece together a TARDIS quilt, and this was the result: In the space that usually says Police Box, I used fabric selvages. (My friend's name is Heather.) I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to quilt it, but

Summer's Over

2010-10-04T14:51:00.000-05:00

I'm always a bit sad to see the end of summer. Partly because I know I will miss the warm weather, partly because the reminder of another season going by makes me think of all the things I wanted to accomplish in that time (and didn't get to). All in all, though, it was a great summer. I got to see fireworks on my anniversary, had out-of-state friends and family come to visit, and even managed to

Recently

2010-08-21T13:27:00.001-05:00

...I've been all of content and dreaming. Working on lots of little projects instead of big ones lately. Here's some recently finished things. Mini hexagons sewn onto a Moleskine cahier notebook. Inspired by this and using this tutorial: a super easy, super cute Nicey Jane pincushion. And some granny squares. Just cause I was in the mood for them. What have you been working on recently?

Enjoy the Ride

2010-08-12T09:59:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, my husband and I did something we both had been dreaming of for a long time: we took a hot air balloon ride. Despite the height, it wasn't a bit scary. It was actually quite peaceful to be up in the air over beautiful Napa valley in the early morning light. Our pilot explained that he can try to find different air currents, but he can never be sure exactly where the balloon will

Circuits and Spaceships and Robots, oh my!

2010-06-11T09:54:00.004-05:00

It was love at first sight for me and Cogsmo. Who wouldn't fall for this cute Cosmo Cricket fabric, complete with robots and little Jetson-like spaceships and circuit boards for pity's sake! There was only one thing for it. I had to have some. And I made it into a quilt. It's a simple baby quilt made of squares of the fabric in front, circuits in back, and fun stripey binding. It measures

Making a list...

2010-05-26T09:03:00.000-05:00

I'm a big one for lists. I have them everywhere: in notebooks, on post-its, next to my calender, and now even on my blog. (LOVE this little notebook by monster-loving Etsy seller Vozamer!) If you look to the side you will see I've added a new page where I'm listing the projects I want to work on this year. I'm hoping that this will help motivate me to finish things (FiSoYoFo!) instead of

Happy Puppy Mini Quilt

2010-05-24T20:07:00.003-05:00

Took a break from a larger quilt-in-progress to make a mini today. It was all improv! Just knew I wanted to use these cute Heather Ross dogs with the very fun Cogsmo. Since I'm a "should have done it differently" kinda person, I would tweak with a few things if I had it to do over again. BUT I think it was good for me to do a make-it-up-as-you-go-along sort of project for a change. Love how

Announcing the winner...

2010-05-20T21:47:00.002-05:00

In my family we have a saying. "Did you have fun? Then you're a winner!" So I hope you all had fun on Giveaway Day and feel like winners, even though I don't have 237 prizes to send out. I appreciated the great response and hearing all the nice comments about my shop as well. Stick around after the winner is announced for a special thank you... Good old random number generator has decided the

It's a great day for a giveaway!

2010-05-17T06:50:00.001-05:00

Yes, it's that time again: Sew, Mama, Sew! is hosting another Giveaway Day, and I'm happy to be a part of it once more. Last time I was really blown away by the response to my tea wallet and fabric giveaway. This time again I'm doing something handmade along with supplies, because I know I sure love both categories! For the handmade item, I'm giving away a coaster set made from Heather

I stink at free motion quilting.

2010-04-26T20:46:00.004-05:00

I've tried. Multiple times. On this quilt alone I ripped out my stitches several times. I finally had to admit that I am just no good at free motion quilting. :-( Oh, well. I'm still happy with how this mini quilt came out, straight lines and all. I used an ingenious tutorial from Oh, Fransson to make the tiny squares. The fabrics are a mix of Heather Ross, Amy Butler, Anna Maria Horner's Good

Alabama Stitching, take 2

2010-04-19T11:12:00.004-05:00

OK, so I haven't completely given up on my other Alabama stitching skirt. But remember how I said the colors and all kinda came together on a whim? I decided I really wanted to go back to my first thought, which was classic black and white. I modified the rose stencil from the book to just use the flowers. I used silver paint to make a border at the bottom of my skirt panels. I'm hand

Who likes to shop on Etsy?

2010-04-08T11:57:00.004-05:00

I do I do! Do you too? Then you should check out this shop: Dovetail Originals. Not only does it feature pretty jewelry and amazing destash deals, but every purchase made from this shop until May 5th will automatically enter the buyer in a great giveaway for a $20 Etsy gift certificate! So, do a little shopping now, and maybe you can do a lot more shopping later!

From an Octopus's Garden

2010-04-05T10:00:00.003-05:00

I've been on a bit of an octopus kick lately. First, during thing-a-day, I made these coasters out of Heather Ross Mendocino fabric.Then, I returned to Amigurumi World to complete this crocheted octopus (I call him Otto.)And just the other day, I broke out the Gocco to print these OctoChef recipe cards!You can find them in the shop.

Alabama Stitching

2010-03-29T10:53:00.012-05:00

Picked up the Alabama Stitch Book at my library the other day. It basically promotes a technique involving deconstructing t-shirts, then stenciling and hand-stitching them. I loved the look of the reverse applique skirt, so that's the project I'm tackling next!So I went to the local craft store and found shirts 2 for $5 (you need 4 for one skirt). I also picked up some fabric paint and some beads

Wristwarmers or Sandworms?

2010-03-09T13:00:00.003-06:00

So I just finished these wrist warmers (I'm wearing them now!)They're made with a super soft Mirasol Sulka yarn. The colorway is Cinnamon and the simple pattern is called Toast. (Tell me that's not a perfect match!)But since I started these while I was reading Dune, I can't help but think that they are spice melange colored.Maybe they're even sandworms!More details (including pattern link) on

30 followers SALE!

2010-03-01T11:43:00.005-06:00

Yay! I just got 30 followers for the blog! To celebrate, I'm offering a sale in my Etsy shop. 30% off sounds about right. :-)All you have to do is type 30 off in the notes to seller when you buy. If you pay right away, I will send a refund of the 30%. Or you can wait for a revised invoice from me with the price adjusted.30 followers, 30% off, should be for 30 days, right? Let's say this offer's

28 days, 28 things

2010-02-28T22:31:00.004-06:00

Well, thing-a-day 2010 has come to a close. And I'm happy to say that I have 28 things to show for the past 28 days! It was so much fun stretching myself to think of something to make every day. Creative sprint indeed! I'm winded. Whatever will I do in March? ;-)1. Thing One: Collage Art Card, 2. Thing Two: Snow(flake) Bunnies, 3. Thing Three: Mint Chip Ice Cream Pin, 4. Thing Four: Embroidered

Tutorial: Fat Quarter Reversible Apron with Spoonflower Fabrics

2010-02-22T15:48:00.043-06:00

This has been a long time in the making... From my own custom fabric designs printed at Spoonflower, I've made this cute reversible half apron with pockets. You can make one too! Here's how: I started with some veggie designs of my own making and printed them at Spoonflower. Shown here is my Veggie Sampler; a yard of this fabric yields four fat quarters in four complementary designs. You can

Cool Tool

2010-02-17T09:23:00.001-06:00

Hey Etsy fans and sellers! Check out this neat thing I found for showing off your shop. Isn't it cool?

Thing-a-day

2010-02-01T20:40:00.003-06:00

A commitment to make one thing each day, every day this month. That's what thing-a-day is all about. And I'm gonna do it.Am I crazy? I'm sure before February is over I will probably think I was nuts to try. But try I'm going to.Here's the first of my things completed in this creative sprint. I've tweaked an art collage of mine from a while back and made it into brand-new-today greeting cards!(I

New Tea Wallets

2010-01-30T10:25:00.002-06:00

Just listed these in the shop!

Projects, Finished and Un-

2010-01-27T15:03:00.008-06:00

You know what I'm really good at? Starting projects. You know what I'm really bad at? Finishing them. I keep picking up more stuff to do when I have many things undone. This is not always a bad thing, as I tend to do small projects in between bigger ones, maybe to prove to myself that I can finish the big ones. Here's a few of my current projects, finished and not: Just learned some amigurumi

Gocco, where have you been all my life?

2010-01-15T13:35:00.001-06:00

I just got a Gocco.This may seem like a strange thing to do right now, seeing as how this little Japanese printing machine is no longer being made and the supplies are slowly dwindling. But somehow this just makes it all the more precious to me.I am kicking myself, however, for not getting one sooner. Why couldn't I have discovered Gocco years ago, like before my brother took a trip to Japan?

Mini Quilt Monday

2009-12-14T11:30:00.002-06:00

What is this rainbow-colored goodness? Why, it's my first mini quilt! (I'm not counting coasters. Too mini.)I used a bunch of scraps from some of my favorite fabrics to get the ROYGBIV effect. There's Heather Ross, Denyse Schmidt, Anna Maria Horner, Amy Butler and more in there.In several of the rows I added in a random fabric in the same color, just for fun. Don't you think rainbows are the

And the winner is...

2009-12-07T10:12:00.005-06:00

Wow, 279 comments! I'm overwhelmed by the wonderful response to my giveaway. And I thought we were tea lovers at my house, but several of you mentioned teas I have never tried (or in some cases even heard of!) Thanks to everyone for your comments, I really enjoyed reading them and checking out many of your blogs as well. And now, to announce the giveaway winner, chosen via random number generator

Everyone loves a Giveaway!

2009-12-02T00:01:00.007-06:00

Sew, Mama, Sew! is hosting another Giveaway Day! Last time, in May, I really enjoyed looking at everyone's blogs and shops and seeing what was offered. I even won something! I should have mentioned it sooner, but I won something really cool from Pins & Thimbles. Anne was great to work with, she used my Echino fabric and turned it into the custom wrist wallet you see below.(I love this idea so

As if I needed a new hobby...

2009-11-06T10:47:00.003-06:00

I started knitting! Although I learned how to crochet years ago, I was always scared to give knitting a try. I'm not sure why it intimidated me so much. But my mom used to knit and had the idea to start again and teach me, too! So from watching her, reading various books, and looking at online videos, I'm now a knitter.After getting the basics down, I found that I got bored really quickly doing

Sock Monkey PJs

2009-09-30T10:33:00.008-05:00

As soon as I saw the "Goodnight Monkey" fabrics by Erin Michaels for Moda, I knew I had to have some. The cute little sleepy-time monkeys were just screaming out to be made into pjs. And they come in flannel -- even better!Thanks to a pattern sale and the Sew Mama Sew September Pajama Party Sew-Along, I finally finished up some pj pants. (Just in time, too!)No, I didn't make the pj shirt or

Weekend Sewing Project... with frogs

2009-08-21T13:34:00.006-05:00

The other weekend I had a burst of sewing energy and decided to make a dress for my niece. (Not the one with the birdie sling. A littler one.) So I whipped up this smocked sundress from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross.It was the first time I tried smocking and I loved it. There was something so fun about watching the fabric shrink up! The pattern is really easy and fast to do, to. And my niece

In honor of the moon landing anniversary

2009-07-20T19:57:00.002-05:00

... I give you this:Got this wonderful thing from my grandmother. What does sewing have to do with the moon? I have no idea. Are those ladies sewing spacesuits or what? Here's the inside:Hey, where is that rocket heading to again?

What's black & white & red all over?

2009-07-17T14:36:00.005-05:00

My niece's new birdie sling!She liked mine so much she wanted one of her own. We went together to pick her fabrics. Didn't she do a great job choosing? The black, red and white are so cute and fun.The inside has more dots and more cherries, as well as a magnetic snap closure and a key loop. This was my second time with this pattern and it felt like I knew what I was doing this time -- everything

Fun Flapper Doodle Giveaway

2009-07-14T16:05:00.001-05:00

I always love a giveaway. Here's a fun one from Kate Gabrielle, an artist who applies her talent to whimsical doodles of flappers, portraits of classic movie stars, and a mix of famous film/artist references. The best part of this giveaway? You get to choose which prize you want! Head over to Silents and Talkies to enter... and hurry, this giveaway ends tomorrow!

Artsy Clutches

2009-07-04T14:46:00.011-05:00

I've been making artsy clutches as found in the book Bend the Rules Sewing. They're easy to make and turn out so cute.This gorgeous Echino fabric leopard one is all mine! I love the fabric I found for the inside, too: Pink + Blue = Purple. Then, for the topstitching, I used purple thread for the outside and teal for the lining.What goes inside? Whatever I want! At the moment, my Lomo Supersampler

The {other} quilt

2009-06-19T17:27:00.002-05:00

All the time I've been spending on my hexagons was making my other quilt-in-progress feel very jealous. But a bit ago I spent some time chain piecing and here are the results: behold, a couple of pinwheel blocks, and a stack of soon-to-be-pinwheels!Can you tell I like green? These are sitting on top of my current bedspread, which I was thinking of replacing. But I'm not sure I'm quite ready to go

Hooray for May Giveaway Day!

2009-05-27T11:51:00.004-05:00

Checkout the link below to Sew, Mama, Sew! for the lists of items up for grabs on May Giveaway Day. (Wow, there's a lot of generous bloggers out there.) Wish I had my act more together in time to offer something here. As it is, I'll just point you in the right direction and offer best wishes for winning!

What's keeping me busy...

2009-05-25T13:09:00.010-05:00

More gifts for friends, like this wallet/checkbook cover.Fabrics: Alexander Henry Apples & Pears and Joel Dewberry Rose Damask. Label: my design printed by Etsy seller BitsyCreations.Making progress on my hexes:Decided I should do something about fabric for the middles so I could get to sewing the hexagon flowers together. Sometimes I think I am clever, like when I picked this Wonderland by MoMo

Pouches for Pals

2009-05-15T09:15:00.005-05:00

The little bags I made for my niece and nephew started me off making a string of zipper pouches. These four were made for my last weekend's reunion with old friends, some of whom I hadn't seen for over two years! The idea was to make something personalized for each of the girls while still somewhat coordinating the fabric to connect the gifts together.The fabrics are Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry.

I've got a basket full o' hexagons

2009-05-04T13:38:00.007-05:00

So I've got another new obsession: making hexagons per the English paper piecing quilting method! It's really fun and easy to do. You carefully cut out a hexagon of paper (I'm using card stock because it's a little heftier), pin a slightly larger piece of fabric to it, fold over the edges and baste. You can find instructions and a template here. (Don't you just love online tutorials?)Pretty soon

Monkey Business

2009-04-29T12:17:00.006-05:00

I happen to really like monkeys. All kinds of monkeys. But especially sock monkeys.You know who else is into sock monkeys? My niece and nephew. We made some fun stripe-y ones together one time.In carrying on the sock monkey love, I've made two pouches to fill with goodies and give to my niece and nephew. Here they are: (The pouches, not the kids. The kids are even cuter!)Here's the two pouches

Gorgeous Giveaway

2009-04-15T13:29:00.004-05:00

Isn't this journal beautiful? I want it! Although I don't know if I have thoughts and words pretty enough to fill it.Do you want it, too? In honor of her blogoversary, Megan at somewhat voluble is giving away this amazing journal from Kreativlink’s Etsy shop. Head on over to the giveaway post to enter to win!

Spoonflower fabric review

2009-04-10T14:03:00.004-05:00

Not long ago I discovered Spoonflower - a site that prints fabric from your custom designs! Super cool, right? So I decided to give them a try and was quite excited yesterday to get my fabric bundle in the mail! What follows is my review of the service.First, timing: I placed my order on March 29th and it was shipped out on April 7th. Just over a week to get it printed and sent? Not bad at

Check out my Amy Butler Birdie Sling!

2009-04-03T11:54:00.004-05:00

So, I've been drooling over these bags all over the internet and finally decided to make one of my own. I spent a long time trying to pick fabrics and ended up using Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks.Looking around at various reviews of the pattern, I decided to add a few things, like an inside loop for keys and a magnetic snap (using this great tutorial).I really like having the key loop, but I'm

Crafting for Crafters

2008-07-29T09:53:00.000-05:00

Right on the Etsy front page we are told it's a place to buy and sell all things handmade. And it seems that this often means crafters are selling things to other crafters. Part of the appeal of this could be that you get a chance to enjoy the things you just don't have the time or resources to make (even if you have the talent or inclination to make them).Now, don't get me wrong, there are some

Barter, trade, swap...

2008-01-18T20:12:00.000-06:00

It all began with a friendly little convo from a fellow Etsyian. (Etsian? Fellow Etsy seller?) A compliment on my shop, and a question: Do you do trades?Well, let me think about it... OK!That first trade got me hooked. Soon I was searching for more trading partners, and having a lot of fun doing it!-----------------------------------------<-- Here's a sample from a trade-friendly shop! Lori has

Illustration Friday - Plain

2008-01-18T13:07:00.001-06:00

Sometimes plain stands out.

My current obsession...

2008-01-12T20:48:00.001-06:00

Is Etsy! If you haven't checked it out, you should: www.ETSY.com.Etsy is a place to buy and sell handmade items, so I have been sewing and crocheting and crafting up a storm! I hope to have my shop up and running soon!And check out one of my favorite shops that needs a little more love - Cesia makes gorgeous cards like this one:

Illustration Friday - Suit

2007-06-08T21:44:00.001-05:00

Illustration Friday - Citrus

2007-05-12T13:05:00.001-05:00

Ever turn an orange wedge into a smile?

Illustration Friday - Communication

2007-02-26T00:01:00.001-06:00