New Bag

i'm SOOOOOOO excited about this!!! i posted a hint about this before...now the final result is here!!

i have a confession to make...i don't understand purses...or the obsession that follows them. i just don't. never have. as a twenty-something...you'd think that i've kept up on the purse trend...not so much...i think i've actually only owned 3 purses!

now that being said, i did make one a few weeks ago to replace the one that i had been using for the past 3 years...but this...THIS is SO much cooler!!!

i made this bag with no pattern (which seems to be more my style). i knew that i wanted it to be square and nearly the size of a cereal box...my brain (a.k.a. my hubby) helped me figure out some tricky measurements and seams, and also imparted his own creative genius. because of hubby...this bag has a piece of poly (plastic to me) neatly sewn into the bottom, so it's always flat and sturdy. the grommets, rings, and magnet were also his handi-work...i'm SO glad i have him around...and that he supports all my crazy crafting projects!

SOOOOOOO without further a-doo...here she is...

she's got 2 pockets on the outside and 5 pockets on the inside. and she's going to get used for the 1st time next week!!! eeeeeeekkkkk...i'm so excited...(and she's too big for a daily purse...so she'll only get used for special occassions!!)

Block 7 & 8

here are my QUILT-A-LONG block 7 and block 8. i was trying to stay caught up, but got a little behind...now i'm right back with it!! 

i'm pleased with block 7. more-so than i thought i would be...i'm not a fan of triangles, but i think this block is super cute!

 block 8 is my favorite favorite favorite block so far...it might be hard to top this one...i LOVE the disappearing 9 patch...and i LOVE that it's so versatile...it can take on some many different personalities...quiltalities???

 here are my 1st 8 blocks all together...there's some trimming that needs to be done...my blocks aren't all the same size, but that's easily remedied....right?? (at least i sure hope so!)

i can't believe that this quilt-a-long is almost over! i've had such a great time...and i've learned so many things...can't wait for the next one!

Sneak Peak

here's a sneak peek at my next project! i'm so excited about this...now, i just need to find time to get to work!!

can you guess what i'm making?

Favorite Aunt

i know i'm her favorite...just don't tell the other aunts that i said that! anywho...lucky for me...i got to spend a couple of quality hours with m-cat last night...her mom and dad went out for supper, and i was the ONLY logical option for a sitter!! isn't she precious...5 months old tomorrow.

can't wait to see her again!

Cross Body Purse

i have one...but it's starting to fall apart...so i thought "heck...i could make a new one"...so off to joann's i went...got me some fabric...and waa-laa...

it's roughly 8x9 with a 55' strap. coordinating purple pocket on the front and also one on the inside...the purse is supposed to be reversable, but i don't think it will be...too many mistakes!

i forgot the magnet closure, and it's a little smaller than i had hoped, but boy was it fun...and i learned so many things. I'm glad that i bought extra fabric because i have enough to make a second one...and hopefully i won't forget anything!!!

(i especially love the zebra print...my husband thinks i'm crazy...(he's got a point...i'm pretty standard, run of the mill, normal...usually)...but for some reason when i saw this print it screamed my name...i still love it, and hope i will for quite a long time.)

Oh The Places We Will Go...

...and where is it these will go??

i'm so excited about these fabrics...i've had them for a few months...just starring at them in all their beauty! i got them from jodie at fort worth fabric studio. she's the nicest gal...with a great online fabric shop (which is fantastic for me because i live 3 states and several thousand miles from fort worth!)
so now...i've pulled them all out...played with each of them...lined them up...and now...i'm trying to figure out what i'm going to do with them. I'm hoping to get 8 baby quilts out of all of this...and believe me, there's a bunch. we'll see what happens...i hope i can do it justice.

"Sweet Lauren"

baby quilt number 9823740239! okay, so not really, but it seems like all i've been doing is making baby quilts!!! i seriously quit drinking the water...i didn't want to be next!
this one is for my best friends newest blessing...lauren jane...i can't even tell you what the fabrics are...i spent nearly 2 hours at my local quilt shop (CR Quilts) trying to find the perfect combination of colors. i'm so pleased with how it turned out...there are flaws of course, but as i was trying to justify it to myself i thought...if you're giving this to a friend, they're not going to care if there is a mistake...excellent! i visually copied a pattern from rita here. Her pattern is called "Alice" and you can find it here. thank you rita for the inspiration.
my hope is that over time lauren really comes to love this quilt and that she uses it everyday.

"Cherish Grandma"

i've promised pictures several times now, but here they are!!! i gave grandma the quilt at christmas and received four "oh my's"...that translates to like an 11 out of 10!!! i was sure hoping that she would love it because it took a lot out of me!!! it's only twin sized, but it's the biggest quilt i've ever made...i thought she would use it to snuggle up with at night while she's watching tv...nope...way wrong...it's covering her dining room table!!! i then told her that she couldn't complain about being cold! she's so excited about it, and i'm so happy! this was also my first time working with hst's...i swore i'd never use them again, but i'm slowing begining to like them...maybe i'll be brave again!
the fabric is "cherish nature" by deb strain for moda...(wasn't sure how grandma would react when she saw the bee's...but so far so good!)...i used 1 jelly roll and 6 or 7 charm packs. the back is just a brown cotton solid. i had the quilting done at my local quilt shop CR Quilts. what a wonderful job they did (i kind of wanted to keep it for myself!)
Enjoy!

i loved my piles of trim!

and more!

Quilt Along Block 6

This one was really tough for me...several mistakes...but i made it through...i'm not necessarily pleased with the outcome, but i do believe that i learned something in the process, and in the end, that's really all that counts...on to block 7....pleeeeeeeeeease!!

Trying new things

As you can well tell, blogland, is foreign to me! I haven't been at this long, but I knew that my page was slightly boring to look at (and also to read if i must admit it...). So I did some experimenting, and made a new title box!! Yeah! It took several tries, but I finally got it the right size, and I'm pleased with it. It also helps that its a picture from a crazy warm place in the Southern Caribbean...Barbados to be exact!! It brings back wonderful (did I mention WARM) memories of my most recent vacation. So it's a start, maybe...just maybe I'll continue my new adventurous spirit and develop something else exciting for my blog! Stay tuned!

Quilt-A-Long Catch Up!

Oh boy was I way behind!! I made the first block on time, and then the snowball effect happened...friends started having babies (by the dozens they came!)...then it was Christmas...and my mom...a new grandma...wanted me to make stockings for the 2 new babies in the family...got those done just in time...then a cousin had a baby that required a quilt of course and then another new stocking for her at grandmas house...and of course grandma's quilt (i'll post pictures of that later)...and now...i don't have any projects in the works and i've found time to catch up on all 4 blocks that i was behind on...so in order...

block 2...

block 3...

block 4...

block 5...

whew!!! now that they're posted here, i've got to remember my flicker password and get them posted there!

more to come...stay tuned...

 

suzi