Word Of The Year

having a word of the year is something that i have decided to do this year.  my life has been chaos and constantly changing for the past 18 months and things have finally slowed down a bit for me.  i like the idea of having a word of the year for 2014.  i just wasn't sure what word it would be until this morning when i was reading somewhere and saw this -

impossible

a light bulb went off and i knew that my word for 2014 would be.

possible

my mind started spinning thinking about 2014 and all of the possibilities it holds for me.  thinking that anything is possible if i believe.  

the definition of 'possible' according to Merrian-Webster is a :  being within the limits of ability, capacity, or realization b :  being what may be conceived, be done, or occur according to nature, custom, or manners.

this year is want to push myself to make things that i want to happen in my life possible.  i don't want to be guided by fear or failure or what others think.  i want to be driven by courage and by the idea that anything is 'possible'.  i just need to believe in myself and push myself past the point of doubt to the point of possibility.

last year i was given this journal.  i hadn't written in it until this morning.  i plan on holding myself accountable using this journal to keep my goals in focus and to help make 2014 the best year it can be for me.

now every time i open my journal i will be reminded that...

 all things are possible  

up next i am going to make a list of some quilty goals that i want to accomplish in 2014.  those goals will be the next entry in my journal which i will happily share with you all.  maybe i can figure out how to make a list on the side of my blog so i can also be held accountable by all of you.

do you set sewing related goals for yourself?  if so, what are they?  i would love to hear what they are.

happy sewing

Christmas Sewing and other things

now that Christmas has been here and gone i can share some of things i sewed for gifts.  starting with a Super Tote which is a pattern from Noodlehead.  i went to a camp in October and had everything cut and ready to sew together.  i have made another one of these Super Tote bags and i blogged about it here.

i also decided to make a wristlet that coordinated with the bag.  wristlets have become one of my favorite things to make.  they are quick to sew up and so handy to have around.

for both of these projects i dug into my Make Life fabric from Sweetwater.  

i also made gift card holders for some of my friends this year.  they are a fun and quick gift to make up.  it took me a couple times to get the location of the snaps right but once i did they went together quick.

i put a Starbucks gift card in each one.

a couple years back i did a Mystery BOM from the Fat Quarter Shop.  i love the quilt and all of the blocks in it.  i ended up having enough fabric scraps leftover from the quilt to make some additional blocks that i turned into pillows for my niece's.

doesn't every little girl need a special Christmas pillow?

i think so.

at the camp in October i got the Halloween quilt on the right quilted and then bound both of these quilts.

i love the quilt on the left.  its from a pattern that is from the Missouri Quilt Company and its called Double Slice Layer Cake.  You can find the You Tube video here.  Its made with a layer cake.  

lastly, i worked on a super old WIP that i have had for years.  i had been collecting Bliss fabric for awhile and had no pattern that would use most of the fabric.  i had a few fat quarters, a Moda Candy Bar and some yardage. 

so.......

i made up my own pattern and i am very happy with how it turned out.

originally it had another row in it but it was to long so i will put that row on in the backing of the quilt.  not to shabby for making up a pattern.  at least i think its made up.  i didn't search for a pattern online i just sketched one out.

i have more to share with you all including some more City Sampler blocks that i have been working on.  now that the Holidays are over and my house is sold i am hoping that life will slow down a bit.

fingers crossed.

happy sewing

My New Bag

awhile back i bought some fabric with the intentions of making a bag out of it.  it was so far back that i can't even tell you if i had a pattern in mind for it or not.  i don't remember.  then somewhere along the way of Instagram i started seeing pictures of a bag by Noodlehead called the Super Tote.  it was showing up on blogs as well.  i got the pattern.  it looked so cute in all of the pictures and it looked like it would be a good size.  i couldn't resist.  again, not remembering if i had fabric in mind for the pattern or not.

then........  my brain started working again and the fabric and the pattern all came together in one magical moment.  not really a magic moment but more like a light bulb moment.  i am sure you know what i mean.

comma by moda + Super Tote = LOVE

i put pockets on both sides of the lining.  both with elastic at the top for ease of use.  making sure one of the pockets was big enough to hold my ipad.

i also added an extra smaller pocket to the lining for a pen and my phone.

lots of pins were used when assembling the bag gusset to the front and back of the bag.  i am normally anti-pins however i followed the instructions and this part of the bag construction went very smoothly.  probably because i pinned.

at this point in the process i was sure that i messed something up.  i was at the stage of 'oh crap.  time to get out the seam riper' and 'no, no i think i am doing this right'.  i proceeded with caution.  the outside of the bag made sense to me but the zipper on the lining threw me for a loop.

i wanted to make the bottom of the bag stiffer. so after constructing the bag and before i sewed the opening in the lining shut i cut a piece of double sided fusible stuff.  its by Pellon.  i marked the center of it and started the fun process of getting it through the hole and in place.

my goal was to line up the center of the Pellon with the seam in the bottom of the bag that way i would have roughly the same amount on each side of the bag and it wouldn't be wonky.  once in place i ironed the heck out of it and that sucker isn't going anywhere.

the finished bag.

the pattern allows you to use several different fabrics if you wish for the bag.  i however kept it pretty simple with mainly black on the outside.

i added a small pocket on outside of the bag that ended up being inside the exterior pocket.  an additional spot for my phone or keys or whatever.

here is the inside of the bag with all of the lovely pockets.  i love the pop of color on the inside.  

it makes me smile.

i took this bag with me on a recent trip and i really like it.  its a great size - i got all of my necessities in it and it didn't feel stuffed - its really roomy.  i have continued to use it as my everyday bag.  so sometimes forgetting the purpose or plans for something isn't always bad.  sometimes it just takes my brain awhile to get caught up with things and then great things like this happen.

happy sewing

City Sampler QA aka 100 Good Wishes

excuse me while i wipe the dust off of this blog.......

i am back and i hope to blog on a more regular basis now. life sort of got in my way of blogging and as things are starting to settle down a bit here i am.

 doesn't mean i haven't been sewing. i just haven't been blogging. so with that being said get ready for picture overload with an update on my Tula Pink City Sampler aka 100 Good Wishes blocks.

block #25

enjoy

block #26

be

block #27

power

block #28

live

block #29

optimism

block #30

relax

block #31

grace 

(a favorite of mine)

block #32

forever

block #33

thanks

block #34

believe

block #35

patience

block #36

courage

block #37

laugh

there you have it.  i have more done but no pictures yet.  shame on me.  i will work on that this weekend.  i am trying to get caught up with the quilt along.  i think that they are in the 60's now.....  i might make it.  

fingers crossed.

happy sewing