Around the World

You might have already seen Around the World posts in the blogosphere. I was invited by both Jessica and Elizabeth to join in (I'm a few days early for Elizabeth's tag, but I'm just going to post once!). Thanks for inviting me, friends! So, I'll jump right in with a few thoughts on sewing, and some photos that make me happy.

1. What quilting/sewing thing am I working on?

So, you may already know that I have many projects going on at the same time. I've tried to be monogamous, or monogamish, as C would say. I do tend to focus on a project with my whole head and heart, once I hit a certain point. Currently, the sewing project that has (most of) my attention is this curvy number.

2. How does my work differ from others of its genre?

If I had to choose one word to describe my style, it would be scrappy. If I could pick a second word, I'd pick vibrant. I've been told that my pairing of colors or prints is unexpected, which I take as a compliment.

I think some people are afraid of making a daring choice, whether it be a print or color.

But quilting, as with any craft, should be about fun and expression. I like trying new blocks, new techniques, and new patterns. I like using every last bit of a fabric. Sorting scraps or pulling fabrics is lots of fun. Of course, having a well-rounded stash is part of that last bit.

3. Why do I write/create what I do?

Creating gives me such a sense of confidence.

No matter how crappy a day is, if I can get a little sewing or knitting in, it's not so bad. I never imagined crafting would provide me with so much calm.

And I love giving handmade gifts. making something special for a friend or family member warms my heart.

I tag: Claudia, Amanda-My Sewcial Hour and Amanda-The Craft Junky. I met all three of these wonderful ladies at sewing summit. Claudia lives in Germany, and I'm dying to make her star plus quilt, which she's about to release as a pattern.
Amanda-My Sewcial Hour lives just a few hours from me, and I've had the pleasure of spending long hours with her at retreats, soaking up her amazingness. And Amanda-The Craft Junky, well, I'm amazed by her drive. She recently sold her screenprinted wares at two conventions. I don't know how she pulled that off, but she is awesome. I love talking to her about current and future projects.

So, that's it! Claudia and the two Amandas will post next week!

2011 Goals: A look back and a video

I LOVE making lists. LOVE. Earlier this year, I made a list of goals for the year. As I make my list for 2012, I thought I'd share my results of this year's list.

2011 goals
1) No yarn purchases in 2011, with noted exceptions:

Result: Mostly win.

The only yarn I purchased this year was the Wollmeise Claudia offered to bring me (um, and I just bought a Sundara holiday gift bag. oops). The only other yarn stash additions were handspun offerings from Sara, Sam and Elizabeth.

2) Finish the Gray + Pink + Yellow quilt and make two additional quilts

Result:Total win. You can see my quilt set here, but I finished three large quilts and several minis this year.

3) Complete the swaps I've joined

Result: Again, Total win. I participated in three quilt bees and SIX public swaps. I also participated in several private swaps, which I'm now addicted to. You can see my swaps and bees set here.

4) Complete the two pairs of socks I've started, and two additional pairs

Result:Um, less than win. I knit one sock this year, and it was not a match for a previously knit sock. LAME.

5) Finish the colorwork hat I've started, and one additional colorwork project (I've got to get better at this!)
Result: Half win! I did complete my color work hat, which I love. But no new colorwork projects this year. Next year, for sure!

6) Finish both my CPH and the Gray Skies Cardigan

Result: FAIL. Yes, that deserved to be bolded. I didn't finish either one of these, although a little progress was made.

7) Knit Beatnik
Result: Nope. But I didn't buy yarn for it either, so that counts. A little.

8) Sew three garments for myself

Result: I made two skirts for myself, but I don't count it as a win, really.

9) Clean out and donate from closets, cabinets

Result: I made lots of progress in purging stuff this year. I hope to continue to do so, as I make the move to Elliott's house. Or, our house. ;)

10)Blog more often

Result: Total win. My post count for 2011 is just about double my 2010 count. I've been in this space more often, and I've enjoyed it!

11)Take more pictures

Result: I would say this is pretty much a win, although I have short-term plans to make a lightbox for myself. As the winter light takes over, I notice a drastic drop in the number of pictures I've taken.

12)Attend the Sewing Summit in October

Result: Yep! I did that!

13)Use fabric and yarn stash on projects I can enjoy

I guess this is a partial win. I've gotten better about making things I'll actually use. However, I still have an addiction to shawls, even though I've not found myself wearing them yet. 14)Exercise at least once a week

Result: Um, next question, please.

15)Finish Jill's house items

Result: I'd say I'm okay here. I still have some curtains to make for Jill, but she's gotten some fun handmade stuff this year. But I will stick to my word and finish the other curtains!

16)Travel

Result: No good here. I only went on one out-of-state trip (Utah). But at least it was a new-to-me place, and it was beautiful!

When I look at this list, it doesn't seem like I accomplished very much in 2011. Then I watch the video below (which is all thanks to C and her lovely 2011 video), and I think, "oh, yeah. I did some stuff."

Jaceycraft 2011 from Jacey Lucas on Vimeo.

I hope you'll watch it. And then I hope you'll make your own over at Pummelvision.
*Note: the very last image in the video has a swear word. I haven't blogged this yet, but I wanted to make a disclaimer.

If you'd rather peruse the photos, I made a Crafts in 2011 set.

Post-Summit Swap: Received

I have been so fortunate in the swaps I've participated in. The Post Summit Swap is definitely not an exception. Here is the mosaic I created as an inspiration for my partner:

Please click through to see image sources

And my partner, Diane totally rocked it!! She made me an adorable mini quilt in the always awesome grellow color scheme:

Please excuse the bad lighting, but you can see how gorgeous it is! And look at that little pouch! A kitty! What???
Here's a better shot of the pouch that Diane took. So yeah, I truly love these goodies she made me!

Thanks again, Diane! I intended to get it up on the wall this weekend, but hopefully, it will be hung sometime this week!

Post-Summit Swap

I know, I know. I have a hard time resisting a swap. I've been good lately, but when Liz decided to organize a Post-Summit swap for Sewing Summit attendees, I jumped in. I knew there was a good chance I'd be paired up with someone I met there.

As luck would have it, I got Liz's name!

After looking through her favorites, I decided to make her a mini-quilt with some flying geese.

I used some lime and aqua scraps (some of which were picked up at the Sewing Summit), along with Kona Caribbean, and quilted around the geese.

I especially like the parallelograms in between the geese.

I backed the mini with a piece of Tula Pink's Prince Charming. Love it!

You can see the whole package I sent to Liz here in her photostream.

I haven't received my package yet, but the swap ends next week, so I should see a package soon!

I hope you are all having a fabulous Saturday. I'm actually enjoying a few days off of work at the moment, and have lots of crafty things to show you soon!

Texas State Fair

First things first: I've now closed comments on the giveaway, and I'll be announcing a winner in the next few days!

I visited the Texas State Fair in Dallas this weekend with Elliott and his family, a first for me. It's a festival that pays homage to the deep-fried food, among other things.

I heard they would be serving fried butter, and I was definitely envisioning a whole stick of butter, which is repellant.

However, we discovered these lovely little bundles of dough, with a little pocket of butter inside. We opted for the honey, cinnamon and sugar variety, which tasted like Sopapillas. We also tried fried pizza (an actual slice of pizza, fried-we think there was some ricotta in it; tasty!) and the best dish of the day:

Fried Pineapple Upside-Down Cake. So tasty.

Luckily, I shared these calories with three other people, so I don't feel too guilty.

Beth and I also enjoyed the arts and crafts building. I snapped a few pictures of fun things.

I love these knitted monsters!
I also thought these quilts were nice!

The best part of the fair, though?

Seeing Oliver, of course!

Totally unrelated, but you have to check out the Sewing Summit photos Betty Crocker Ass just posted! So many good ones!!

SS: Stash and Classes

One last sewing summit post! Becky wanted to hear about the classes I took and see the new stash. I will happily oblige. ;)

stash.

I participated in the Shop Hop, which was a bus full of 50 quilters, hitting three shops in the SLC area. We visited Pine Needles, Quilt, Etc. and Material Girls. It was really fun, and all three shops had something unique to offer. I only took a picture at two of the shops, but I encourage you to check them all out if you're ever in Salt Lake.

Pine Needles

Material Girls

Although I tried to show some restraint, I ended up with quite a nice stack of new stash enhancements.

Some of these were freebies (and some freebies are not pictured; I'm still trying to unpack and organize). Also, some of these were from the fat quarter swap that Kaelin organized. Very fun! I'm especially excited about that stack on the right. I am IN LOVE with Cosmo Cricket's Circa 1934 for Moda. Such a great line! I grouped it with some other fabrics I got that I think work well with it.

So, one of the new people I met is Sharon, of A Prarie Sunrise. While we were there, she offered to whip up a sketchbook for me.

It's so cute! I also may have enabled her into buying some yarn at a great shop we visited (I DID NOT buy any yarn!! Ahem.)

classes.

I took: Improv Piecing, Garment Making 101, Specialty Seams, Refashioning Garments, and Free Motion Quilting. I had an early flight on Sunday, so I didn't make the last session. I enjoyed all of the classes. I really wanted to take Jeni's and Amanda's classes, too, but there just wasn't a way!

Some of the classes were hands on, while others were seminars. I snapped a picture of two of the things I worked on to share with you.

Free Motion practice

I have a long way to go with Free Motion, but it was fun to just go with it! Luckily, I was sitting next to a guru, who was more than happy to share her wisdom. Thanks again, Angela!

The specialty seams class ended up to be a workshop for zippers, but it was okay, because I'd never tried oilcloth before.

I made this pouch in the class.

Thanks for letting me share about my experience at the conference. My sewing area is a complete mess right now; must get organized!

So much to say

I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I knew the Sewing Summit would be fun, but I didn't know I would come back feeling this.
I feel refreshed (even though I barely slept).
I feel more confident.
I feel inspired.
I feel that there are others in this world that truly get me.
I feel connected.

I remember saying Saturday morning that this whole conference was like the internet had come to life. And I guess that's the best description.
We all read blogs, comment on flickr pictures, favorite projects, etc. But knowing the person behind the blog or account makes the project come to life.

Before Sewing Summit, I had only met a handful of friends in real life that knit or sew. I didn't know what I was missing, I guess.

I don't mean to be mushy, but seriously, it was the most incredible experience. [Also, I recently realized that I say seriously a lot. A lot.]

So, I could go on for hours about the cool friends I made. But I won't, in order to keep this short. I'll just say I wasn't disappointed in any of my interactions. Everyone I met was nice. Lots of fun, silly girls!

I met Claudia! I've been following her blog for quite some time, and she is amazingly kind.

A few months back, she offered to bring me some Wollmeise, as she lives very close to the shop.
I hesitated for, approximately two seconds, since I had committed to buying no yarn this year. But then I came to my senses and said yes. We worked out a spending limit, and she was able to get me four skeins (one of which is a gift)! Ah, love.

She delivered it, and an adorable pouch in person!

How cool. Thank you again, Claudia!

Meeting Rachel was another big moment, especially after our duffel bag swap. She's just as sweet in person as she seems to be.

I also had a serious fan girl moment when I met both Splityarn and Stitchy McYarnpants! Awesome chicks, both of them.

And of course, I also HAVE to thank Erin and Amy for the amazing collaboration that led to this weekend. You are both genuine, and as other bloggers have said, you are my heroes. Thank you.

Unfortunately, I took way less pictures than I intended (the light was kind of poor in the hotel). If you'd like to see more, check the Sewing Summit flickr group, and Claudia's photostream!

P.S. Is there anything you'd like to hear more about from the conference? The classes? The local shops? Let me know if you have any questions. I'll be happy to share more if you're interested!

P.P.S. Of the projects I brought, I only worked on one. But I helped teach several fun ladies to knit!!

The dark side

Hi there!

So, I have loads to tell you about the Sewing Summit, but I'm still getting back into regular life today, so for now, I'll say, it was amazing. Seriously. I have a few pictures to share, but the lighting in the hotel was not great, so I didn't take as many as I wanted to.

I haven't taken pictures of the goodies yet, but I'll do that tonight, and be able to share later this week.

For now, I wanted to share that I've joined twitter, in case any of you would like to hook up there.
Some of my new SS friends lured me in, and I think I might already be hooked!

I hope you all had a great weekend.

I'll be back soon. Oh, and I haven't forgotten about that giveaway I promised you!

Overprepared

I'm curious, when you go on a trip, do you overpack projects? Do you bring more WIPs than you could possibly need?
I do. I like to be prepared for whatever crafting mood might strike me.

Case in point:

My pile of projects for the Sewing Summit.
And please keep in mind that I'm not checking any luggage. I travel pretty light, but I don't skimp on projects.

I'm actually sitting here, debating whether I should remove one (or, let's be honest, two) of these projects.

Pictured above, we have a new embroidery project, a Bottled Rainbows block (with a bag of scraps), some paper pieced hexagons in various green scraps, and the test knit-in-progress. I also may have cast on for a new knitting project which is not pictured.

So yes, I probably can safely remove at least one of these projects.

Dilemmas, dilemmas.

I will be sharing pictures over the weekend, and I hope you all have a great weekend, whatever your plans!
I promise to have a fun giveaway next week, okay?

Getting ready

I'm making a list of the things I need to bring with me to the Sewing Summit, and I'll definitely be bringing along my new laptop sleeve:

I love it, and I'm so glad I chose to match my favorite Jane Market Bag, which I'll also be bringing along. I used Oh Fransson's tutorial shared on Sew Mama Sew. It's a quick and easy tutorial, but I skipped the fusible fleece, just because I didn't have it on hand.
Sometimes, my impatience gets the best of me. Instead, I used a flannel fabric, and lightly quilted both exterior pieces.

Along with the amazing bag Rachel made for me, I should be set! Ah, I'm really getting excited about the trip.

Now, one thing that did not get finished (or even started), is the pajama pants I kept talking about. I kept putting it off, mostly because I knew there was going to be a great deal of improvisation necessary, and it just felt like too much work. Eventually, I will have a pair of foxy pajama pants, but not for the Summit.

Favorites and my weekend list

Click on the picture for photo credits!

I've got a lot on the weekend to-do list, since the Sewing Summit is next weekend! Yikes!

I need to make those pajama pants I told you about.
I want to make a laptop case, in either this (on the right) or this (scrappy) fabric.
I'm trying to get this finished before I leave, so I can report back to Rue on her beautiful design. I'm so close!
As usual, I'm being overambitious, and I'd like to finish this skirt. All I have left is the hem!
Pack for the summit
Laundry (before the packing, of course!)
Haircut

I'm sure I'm forgetting a few things, but I love a good list!

Have a good weekend, friends!

To and from Rachel

I'm pretty sure you all know Rachel, right? If you don't, take a minute to go check her out. She's the mastermind behind do.Good Stitches, Bottled Rainbows, and more recently, Celebrate Color. She's so creative, sweet and just a lovely person!

Rachel and I were chatting about Sewing Summit several weeks ago, and after hearing Jeni's plan to make a Simplicity duffel bag (pattern 2274), we decided to do a swap. I made her a bag and she made me one. There were moments I questioned my sanity. Like when my needle continuously fell out of the machine. I honestly don't know why. Oh, yeah. Maybe because I was sewing through burlap webbing, batted layers, etc. Yeah, maybe that's why. So, a quick trip to Joann's for some heavy duty needles fixed that problem!

This pattern is not complicated, it just takes time (and patience) to construct. I chose straight line quilting for the body of the bag and sides. I thought it would look nicer with the fabric, and I hope Rachel thinks so, too.

There are three awesome things about a swap like this.

One, I would probably never ever make myself such an elaborate bag. I have a perfectly good duffel bag that I've had since like, 1992. It has few scuffs, wear and tear, but it does the job. Laziness often wins when you're crafting for yourself (gifts are an entirely different story!). I wasn't really drawn to the pattern, but after seeing Jeni's awesome FFA II version, well, I was sold.

Two, I get to step out my comfort zone and work with a fabric palette catered to the Rachel. We chatted about desired colors and patterns, but she didn't know my final fabric choices and vice versa. It can definitely be intimidating (and I definitely had a few self-critical moments of worry), but it's so much fun to plan a project with someone else in mind.

I'm feeling pretty proud to have this bag finished, and I hope Rachel will enjoy using it.

I used Joel Dewberry's Ginseng home decor fabric, and the interior (as well as the zipper tabs) is Alexander Henry's Heath in Chocolate (also home decor weight). The bag has one side pocket with a zipper and a front pocket. Speaking of zippers, I used my zipper foot for the first time. I've always just stuck with my regular foot, but the specialty foot was pretty fun to use. I'll definitely do that again. Also, any sewing on more than one piece required the walking foot (so much thickness).

I really love the mix of fabrics. I hope it's not too busy for Rachel, but I thought a little variety would work well on such a big bag.

And finally, in return for my hard work, I get to enjoy the fruits of Rachel's labor on my new bag. Every time I look at it and use it, I'll think about our fun swap.

Look at the hand-stitching! So sweet. And the fabrics Rachel used are so much fun.

Thank you again, Rachel! I can't wait to meet you in person!!

You know what they say

I named the test-knit project (for Rue) "Put a baby in it", and my first best friend ever just let me know she is having a boy early next year. So all of a sudden, this sweater has a recipient.

I'm much further along than the picture shows (which is good, because my deadline is fast approaching!). I finished the body up to the armhole joining this weekend, and cast on for the second sleeve. I'm hoping to get some more quality knitting time this weekend, and I should be able to wrap this up next week. Rue is releasing the free pattern very soon, so stay tuned for that on her blog!

Also on the to-do list?

A pair of foxy pajama pants, of course! I bought some Monaluna Anika to make myself a pair of fun PJ pants for the Sewing Summit. Let's just see if I can whip those up in time. I sure hope so!

I'd also love to make a laptop case like Jeni's, but that may be pushing it.

And don't even get me started on the rest of the to-do list. There is always too much to do, but I like it that way.

I was able to resist the Pretty Little Pouch sign-ups, but it was hard! If you have never done a swap, it's a great way to get your feet wet!

Kindred spirits

Sometimes, I forget how lucky I am to be a part of our community. I was reminded of that fact several times this week. First, when I received ShapeMoth's package, and then again, when I got an unexpected gift from Chawne If you remember, she was one of the shawl winners, and in a most generous gesture, she sent me something in return.

I am now the lucky girl with a mini-compost of my very own, as well as an amazing hand-print by Margot Bianca. There's also a wee pouch by Splityarn for me to enjoy.
Wow. Amazing. Thank you again, C, for your sweet gift!

Now, I've got a lovely space above my ironing board to enjoy.

The final reminder of community I received this week was attending my first Houston Modern Quilt Guild meeting. Meeting quilters in person was exhilarating, and made me even more excited about the upcoming Sewing Summit. In fact, I met some gals who will be attending, so I'll know a few familiar faces!

You can look at this photo to see what some of the members did with the Habitat challenge! Very cool projects going on.
I'll definitely be attending more meetings and events, and they're having meetups during the International Quilt Show, too!