halloween flowers

So much prettier than skulls and spiders, don't you think? :)

You know, I can count on one hand the number of times I've bought flowers for myself.  I've always preferred to spend my pin money on fabric ... and possibly the occasional drive-thru.

And I've always been ... hmmm ... not so good at flower arranging.  I've been hoping all these years that I'd magically somehow be good at it, but that is not turning out to be the case.

So.

I also had this idea recently that if I just drove past the drive-thru once or twice a week instead of ... you know, t.h.r.u. it ..., I could redirect those funds into flowers.  This is my first little bunch.  And I've already learned that these white ones - I think they're called ... oh shoot, now I can't remember ... I thought they were Queen Anne's Lace, but that's not it.  If you know what they are, please tell me!

At any rate, although they look really beautiful in the shop, they are super hard to arrange with - especially for this novice.  So this isn't my favourite look, but the carnations are a lovely orangy-pink.  I thought they'd be nice for Halloween. 

And for you. :) 

Trick or Treat!

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Nov. 1st

I found it!  (Gotta love Google, don't ya?)  That flower is called Green Mist and is from the Laceflower family,  as is Queen Anne's Lace, which is why some of us were fooled.  Read a little more about it here if you're interested.

sunday sewing and a few winners

I got caught again ... last minute sewing.  My daughter is at a birthdy party this afternoon and I didn't get around to making this little pouch until ... hmmm ... a few short hours before the party.

But I got it done - and photographed - and had fun doing both.  I wasn't worried about getting it finished, I was worried that something horrible would go wrong (the snap cracking when I hammered it in place - which would require a lot of unstitching and an entire redo of the flap, the iron scorching - always a disaster ... you know something weird and unpredictable that tends to happen when you're in a hurry). 

Happy to say it was all smooth sailing. :)  I made it to hold a gift certificate.  Much nicer than an envelope, wouldn't you say?

I've made a few of these earlier this year.  I got the pattern from Pinterest.  Click here to find the pattern pin and here to see my other versions of this cute little pouch. 

 

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Now I have a bit of housekeeping to take care of.  I've had a few giveaways lately and although I already contacted the winners, I didn't announce them here.  So congratulations to:

Donna S. for winning the Miss Kate bundle from Simply Sweet Fabric,

Sigrid G. for winning the $25 Gift Certificate from Shabby Fabrics,

and Diane K. for winning the Perennial Beauty bundle from Fort Worth Fabric Studio.

I have another giveaway coming very soon - hopefully this week - stay tuned! :)

perennial beauty ~ a pretty giveaway

You know Fort Worth Fabric Studio, right?  It's a great online shop. Tons of gorgeous fabrics and a whole bunch more.  If you've never been, you should go check it out.  :)  Jodie, the owner (and a super sweet lady), has very kindly offered to give this "Perennial Beauty" bundle to one of you.  Isn't it just delicious?

But wait, there's more ...

Because Jodie knows how much I love using cotton tape labels, she's tied this bundle up with TWO YARDS of this pretty "Paris" one (it's a favourite of mine!).  By the way, her price for this tape is amazing - 0.69/yd!  Imagine using it on all the gifts for your family under the Christmas tree this year .... and then squirrling it all back for your sewing room.  I'd totally do that. ;)

For a chance to win this pretty bundle of 11 FQs and 2 yds of labels, leave me a comment telling what you'd make with it.  This giveaway closes Friday, October 24 and is open to everyone ... no exclusions. :)

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Hope you're having an awesome weekend.  The sun is shining in my corner of the world, there are still a few defiant leaves hanging onto branches for dear life, and I think there's a trip to the corner patisserie for me in the very near future.  As in like RIGHT NOW!  I'm in dire need of a Pain au Chocolat and a nice hot cup of Irish Breakfast tea.  Two cream, one sugar please.

quilty fun birthday party!

(singing)

Happy Birthday to you,Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday dear awesome book Quilty Fun by my sweet friend Lori Holt over at Fat Quarter Sho-ooooooop ... (deep breath!)

Happy Birthday to you!

If you'd like to make this cute birthday block, click here for the free pattern!

Fabrics:  Linen is this, candle and cake stand are from Scrumptious by Moda, candle holder is from Durham by Lecien, cake & frosting are newish from Tilda, bow is older from Tilda (thank you H!).

christmas keepsake - and a giveaway

Kits.  There's just something about a kit ... especially when it comes in the mail.

As a proud stash owner, I love diving into my private fabric collection to create something pretty.  But every once in a while, it's really nice when someone else does all the thinking for me.  Kits are perfect for those moments.  You are guaranteed that everything you need - all perfectly coordinated - is right there at your fingertips.  No thinking, no hunting, no frustration.

Shabby Fabrics has a new Block of the Month program, kitted into 10 packages - including laser cut pieces (yay!) or traditional applique pieces if you prefer, and all the necessary embellishment - you do NOT have to trace, cut, or go to 10 different stores looking for the exact right colour and size of buttons, ribbons, bells, etc. ... LOL!

I whipped up this lovely wreath in about 1/2 an hour.  Can't decide if it's going to be a pillow, a bag, or a wall hanging ... or something else.

If you're interested in finding out more, click here.

As promised, I have another giveaway.  Shabby Fabrics is offering a $25 gift certificate for their shop to one of you.  To enter, just tell me which of the blocks in "Christmas Keepsakes" (first photo) is your favourite.  This giveaway closes October 15th and is open to all!  :)

There are seven other bloggers who also have a giveaway for you!  You can see more about this Block of the Month and enther their giveaways here:

Yesterday
Paula @ The Sassy Quilter
Erin @ Stay at Home Mummy
Karin @ Leigh Laurel Studios
 
Today
Melissa @ Happy Quilting
 
Tomorrow
Erin @ Why Not Sew?
Caroline @ SewCanShe

 

what i turned those tiny embroidered flowers into ...

The label reads:

Once in a golden hour I cast to earth a seed, 

Up there came a flower. 

The people said, a weed,

To and fro they went

Thru' my garden-bower,

And muttering discontent

Cursed me and my flowers.

I know.  It's kinda weird.  But it's pretty and I like the flower/garden references. :)

Sorry this reveal took me so long!  For something that didn't require all that much work this little bag sure took me a while to finish.  I started embroidering the flowers in August when we were in Iowa.  Then I just kinda hemmed and hawed over it.  And then when my hemming and hawing gave birth to this idea, it still took me a while to finish it all.

But it was worth the wait for me.  I love love love every single thing about it.  I love the simple embroidery, I love the lace trim (which I slavaged from an old night gown I found when we moved), I love the diamond quilting and the combination of white and taupe linen, I love the leather label on the front and the cotton tape label on the back, I really love the lining fabric - which I almost didn't use it because I hate using up my favourite fabrics ... and I love the rolled handles.  I was channeling my inner Japanese Zakka girl.  I think I succeeded.  :)

I don't have a pattern for the bag - I just made it up on the fly.  But if you're interested in the embroidery design, I found it in Floral Motifs to Embroider by Reiko Mori.  A very dear friend in Japan sent it to me a few months ago and I am head over heels in love with every page.  If you like to embroider flowers and girly things, I promise you this book will not disappoint.  Just keep in mind that the instructions are in Japanese so you need to know some basic embroidery, and it's better if you're good with figuring out new stitches just from diagrams.  The Oyster Stitch was new to me and I didn't have any trouble figuring it out because the diagrams are very clear. :)

miss kate ~ a simply sweet giveaway

I love giving away fabric. :)  It's one of my favourite things about being a blogger.  My darling friend from Simply Sweet Fabric is - once again - offering a lovely FQ bundle of fabric to one of you!

Miss Kate (designed by another sweet friend Camille over at Simplify, and her Mom at Cotton Way) is yet another fantastic fabric collection that has gained instant popularity in the quilting world and it is easy to see why ... the classic, fresh combination of red, aqua & white with enough pink to keep me happy.

I'm dying to cut into it. :)

If you'd like a chance to win this 7 piece FQ bundle of Miss Kate, leave me a comment (not an email) telling me what your all-time favourite colour combination is.  This giveaway closes Monday, October 6th and is open to all!  Good luck.

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Congratulations to Kerry who won a copy of kraft-tex Style!   Thank you to everyone who played along.