FO(s): Two duffels

Quiltcon! It's here! By the time you read this, I will already be in Austin. I made a new duffel bag for the occasion, and an extra for my friend, Rhonda.

I made this one for Rhonda. I used a Dear Stella print, Flea Market Fancy seeds, and a Stamped print for the outside.

I decided to use a little Aviary 2 for the inside, as well as some Innocent Crush woodcut and more seeds.

As for my bag, I went with Cosmonaut Pearl Bracelets, a stripe from Out to Sea, and a pink/white pinstripe. Classy!

I used this Gingercake pattern. I really love the resulting bags. I had a little trouble with the pattern, but I definitely recommend it. Just be patient, and read through before you start cutting. I ended up wasting some fabric because of my hastiness. The bottom of the bag is quilted for durability, which I appreciate! I might add extra reinforcement in the sides next time, but other than that, perfection!

Pluses to the perimeter

I fully expected to post sooner than this, but when your air conditioning goes out, it's not a great idea to add heat to the room with your computer. I'm popping in quickly to share a few things, though! Our AC should be fixed today, or tomorrow at the latest!

First up, thanks to everyone that entered the giveaway! The winner is commenter #90, Mimi! She said, "I like a bundle with 8 to 10!! Your selection is great !! Thanks for the chance!!

I've emailed Mimi about her win.

It was really interesting to read all of your comments, and it sounds like a bundle with 8-12 is ideal.

I have a finished SWOON quilt to share with you, but no pictures yet! There's also a little cross-stitch and knitting to share.

Today, I want to share a pillow I recently made for a dear friend.

Rhonda was interested in a plus pillow after seeing the pillow I made for Kate.

I pulled a variety of greens from the stash (always the best part).

Every time I make plus blocks, I want to make more!

I really didn't want to give this pillow away, but since Rhonda's a pretty awesome chick, I did. She seems to love it!

My favorite part is the covered zipper:

I installed this zipper using the Sew, Mama, Sew tutorial.

I'll be back soon with some more finishes!

In the works

My brain can't seem to focus this week.

I've been thinking about this pile of fabrics, which I've pulled together for Round 3 of the Wonky Bee. The wonky girls have decided to do a traveling bee for this round, partially inspired by the Traveling Quilts group.
I think it will be lots of fun, and I've gotten to know these girls so well over the past few years!
I'm still not sure what my "plan" (I use that term loosely) will be for the quilt, but I know my fabric will be in good hands. I'm supposed to get the quilt started before passing it on to the first person, which is Amanda!

This will be a fairly relaxed bee, with two months for each portion of the quilt, and next fall, we'll all have finished quilt tops to share!

I've also been steady trimming these little half-square triangles. These are being made from Swoon and Which Way leftovers (both of which are still NOT FINISHED). I find it relaxing to trim up a pile every new and then, when I need a break from sewing.

I also used the last of a gift certificate (I tend to savor those gift certificates; this one was from Christmas!) during Pink Castle's labor day sale.

I got a few new text prints.

And this fun pile as well!

I'm working to finish up this plus pillow for my friend Rhonda today.
After that, who knows??

What are you working on?

happenings

I'm enjoying a rainy Saturday afternoon today. There's a few things I'd like to share.

First up, I recently left my job. After working in the same field for eight years, I decided to make a clean break. It was never my passion. Not knowing what tomorrow will bring is scary, but I'm optimistic. This is the reason for my recent etsy endeavor. I thought dabbling with a shop might be a good thing to try. I also hope to share more tutorials in the upcoming months. And most importantly, I feel so grateful to E. He is such an amazing partner.

Timing is a funny thing, and during this past week (my first at home), we experienced a hot water leak at our townhome. There have been plumbers in and out for the past few days. There are something like six holes in the drywall in our living room walls/ceiling, but hopefully, this will all be past us after another week or two. I'm glad I was home to help arrange the work, though!

Earlier this week, I took this stack of lovely green fabrics, and now I've got this:

I'll be turning it into a pillow for my buddy, Rhonda.

It's making me want to make an entire plus quilt, though. Each time I make this type of block, I enjoy it so much!

Before that happens though, I've got two quilts waiting to be basted and quilted. The basting will happen today, and I hope to get lots of quilting hours in this weekend.

Brenda is having a storewide sale this weekend, using the coupon code LABOR20.
If you are in the US, I wish you a happy Labor Day, and for the rest of you, happy weekend!

Another sewing FO: For Rhonda

My good friend Rhonda moved into my townhome complex just about one year ago. It's pretty awesome having a friend (a knitter, a kitty sitter, a running buddy) so close, and soon after she moved in, I planned to make her some pillows as a housewarming gift. One year later, I'm here to show them off.

Friday, when I got home from work, I ironed, cut and placed my pieces. Saturday morning, I sewed them up. I think the whole project took my about 5 hours or so-not bad!

I used two half yards of Deer Valley fabric by Joel Dewberry (purchased on Etsy from Fabric Closet. This is one of my favorite lines. I also used a fat quarter I purchased at the Hen House last year. For even better stash-busting credit, the red ribbon was a purchase from at least five years ago. I used the entire 1.75 yard cut I had.

The white sashing on the paned pillow is bias tape, which I ironed flat before using. I really like the effect.

These pillows also feature zipper enclosures, which my previous pillows lack.

Sarah has requested some pillows for her new abode, so there are definitely more of these in my future.

Food Friday: Marmalade Muffins

Jenny and Rhonda came over for brunch a few weeks ago. We were too hungry and "in the moment" for pictures of the food, but we had mimosas (also could be part of the reason for lack of pictures), veggie omelets, fresh fruit, and these:

The recipe is from Pioneer Woman's Cookbook. There's no marmalade in the muffins, despite the name. You zest oranges into the batter, and brown sugar and orange juice makes a syrupy glaze. I lessened the amount of brown sugar in the glaze, and I didn't miss a sweet drop. The muffins come together quickly and are very tasty, moist muffins. They don't taste as good a couple of days after, as they get a little soggy. To avoid this, eat quickly!

Stash Enhancement: Always a good thing

Okay, okay, so I've bought a little yarn in the last few months. I've also destashed quite a bit on ravelry, so that makes up for it, right? Up first, from Weezalana's destash, two skeins (purchased at different times) of sock yarn:

Some Hazel Knits Artisan Sock, which I've been dying to try

and some Yarntini in Peaknit.

I've actually been contemplating using these yarns together, maybe for a Daybreak Shawl(?).

I also scored some Sundara Sock Yarn, in the Delphiniums colorway.

My biggest purchase in the last few months was seven skeins of Silky Wool, purchased from Twisted Yarns in Spring.

I love this yarn. It's so soft.

Finally, I had a girls weekend in Austin a couple of weeks ago.

Sarah, Rhonda and I checked out Gauge, and I found this Robincat Handspun lace. It's a gorgeous, silk/wool blend.

Hell frozen over (aka: it snowed in Houston)

Seriously? I can count the number of times it's snowed here on one hand. That's considering (almost) 28 years of living.

The forecast for today was 100% precipitation, with a very good chance of sleet/snow. It happened! Not much accumulation, of course, because, again, this is Houston, but it was fun, and work let us out early, in case the roads were bad.

Of course, my camera battery was low, so I have no pictures to document the occasion, but Rhonda and I knit some this afternoon, while drinking Irish coffee, which was delicious.

I'm working on one of four Christmas knitted gifts, so I'm furiously trying to get through them. I will definitely be casting on for a new sweater for myself once I'm done.

I'll show off some of the gifts soon, but tow of them can't be shown until after they're given.

Oh, and apologies for the lack of Food Fridays. See above regarding my camera battery. I'll fix that with a quickness.

Field Trip with Rhonda

Rhonda's been on vacation for a week, and since I'm infecting her with the desire to knit, I decided she should see a few more yarn shops. I took her to Yarntopia a few weeks ago, and she's already visited a second time. I've been dying to check out Twisted Yarns, so I thought a quick drive up to Spring might be fun, especially since that meant we could also stop by The Hen House, Spring's other yarn (and fabric) shop.

We had a a fun time, especially with my super navigational skills. I got a little turned around, but we eventually found both shops.

Twisted Yarns is really nice, and the selection is great.

I scored a skein of Malabrigo in the Vaa colorway. I have plenty of Malabrigo (not enough, though. You can NEVER have enough Malabrigo!), but I've been coveting this colorway, so I snatched some up.

I love this colorway.

I also purchase these two skeins of Shibui Sock in Mulberry.

I've been wanting some semi-solid sock yarn for a shawl (maybe Ysolda's Damson, or Hello Knitty's Multnomah)

We had a great field trip, and we both showed decent restraint.

My roommates

Things are back to normal at the house. It's just me and the cats, now that Rhonda's moving in to her OWN PLACE today. Bella and Olias are always happy to see me when I get home from work.

I'm sure it's not JUST because I feed them, right? Right?

How cute is Olias' belly?

Food Friday

For a few months, I slacked off of making dinner but having a roommate was good for me. I made this for Rhonda and I last week.
I made a version of my homemade pasta sauce, consisting of venison pan sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes (canned-the crushed variety, and fresh), garlic, onions, carrots, red wine. The venison pan sausage was sort of a mistake. I took it out, thinking it was just ground venison, but it was a pleasant addition, adding a little sweetness, without all the fat of pork sausage. I also made a quick salad and we shared a bottle of red wine. It was a wonderful evening with my roommate. I'm sad she's leaving, but Rhonda won't be far! She's purchased a townhome in my complex, so I can make her dinner anytime.

Weekend Ramblings

The weekend was unusual, and so much fun. I'm still sick, but I didn't let it stop me from getting out and seeing some old friends. Friday night, I helped celebrate the 50th birthday of a wonderful woman, Rho Jo. I've known her since I was in kindergarten, as her oldest daughter was one of my first friends. She's hilarious.

She's second to the left, and I'm second to the right.
Two things: 1)Is it just me, or does the guy next to Rho Jo look like a certain political figure from recent history? and 2)There was a theme of tropical/cowboy, which is the reason for the attire. I'm not sure why I thought tequila shots were a good idea, but they did help my throat! However, cheering for the birthday girl all night did not help. I saw lots of old friends, but spent the most time with Rhondy and Ceci. I stayed much later than I planned, and it was worth every minute.
Saturday, Dean and I did some spring cleaning, shopping, and decided to take advantage of the gorgeous day by grilling. We invited Rhonda and Ceci to join us for chicken, burgers and grilled veggies. The three of us got so wrapped up in looking at old yearbooks (hilarious!) that they decided to stay the night. I had so much fun with them; I don't have very many girlfriends, but these girls are special.
Yesterday was spent knitting, playing computer games, and some food.

I only drank one beer, as I still have a cough, but other than that I'm feeling pretty good.
I managed to wind the yarn for Terra's wedding present, and cast on yesterday afternoon.

Sequins make winding difficult, so I did it carefully by hand. This yarn is too expensive to snag! I'm enjoying the pattern so far, but I'm only about four rows in. My goal, which is probably completely unrealistic, is to complete the purse by the last weekend of the month, in order to give it to her for her shower. If not, I will have to finish up the following week, but the drop-dead date is May 3rd.