Pattern Testing & Review

I've been super busy here lately! And what extra time I've had I've chose to sew instead of blog....and I want to show you all something I've been sewing on!
I know you guys have heard of Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness right? Well, if you haven't you really really need to go check out her blog! She is an amazing designer, and a very very sweet person! I've had the opportunity to test out one of her newest patterns! She has a bunch! This one is called the Lilium Laptop Bag. The pattern includes 2 different sizes. I chose to make the smaller one. The pattern also has the option to not make it a laptop bag (by omiting a few things) and I knew I wouldn't use it as a laptop bag so I chose to omit those few steps, and my bag turned out AMAZING!!! I really love it!

I think my helper wants to steal it from me! LOL!
Here is the description Sara includes with the pattern:
This pattern will allow you to make a laptop bag in two popular sizes. The small bag is perfect for a 13” MacBook Pro or similar sized notebook computer and the larger bag is great for most wide-screen laptops. The bag is padded with 1/2” foam on the front, back, and bottom, for maximum protection of your electronic device. There is also an exterior and interior zippered pocket. The interior is also separated with a divider, so you have room for both your laptop and charger. What a great way to carry your laptop around in style!



This bag has a magnetic snap closure (which I love!) Okay, enough with the talking I'll just show you some pictures!

Front View

Back zippered pocket

Inside, with divider and zippered pocket

Inside of the interior zippered pocket

Front of the bag with flap raised

Front of the bag

My gorgeous girl modeling the bag! (I swear she keeps eyeballing it, and waiting for me to turn my back so she can snatch it!)

Back of bag with zippered pocket

Interior of bag with divided pockets

Another view of the interior

I put a notebook in the bag to help hold it up while taking photos, and realized it could make a PERFECT bag for school, and remember this is just the small version, and I could've probably still fit in a few more books! It has the perfect place for pens and pencils and whatever else you may need!

Another one of my model, I was taking pics of just the bag and looked up and realized she had been cheesing the whole time! LOL!
I do have to admit that I am a little late in getting this finished for Sara. The reason being is that I had to remake a few parts a couple times. I guess I need to pay closer attention to what I'm doing! I'll even woman up and show you all how I messed up!

This was my first time doing a zippered pocket like this and I measured wrong, so instead of putting the pocket like it was written (for the length of the bag) I put it vertical! UGH! I was soooo mad once I realized what I had done! And I had to rip out some other things, but that was completely because I was just trying to get it done and was not paying attention!
I also made my first adjustable strap! It was sooooooo much easier than I thought!
All in all this pattern is very well written and easy to follow (if you actually read what you're doing, unlike myself!) and I would reccomend you all go and purchase it!
So, if you've not yet read Sara's blog or checked out all of her amazing patterns I highly recommend it! I own 3 or 4 of her patterns, the next one on my list to make is her Aeroplane Bag! And Sara just released her first wallet pattern that includes 3 different wallets!!!!! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next! She is such an amazing designer! So go go go check out her blog and then hop over to her pattern shop and get started on one of her bags! I promise she has something for EVERYONE!!!!!!

This bag is made using Tula Pink's faric line Saltwater! I love it!!! :)

~Hope y'all are having a GREAT day!!!!~

Make It Modern's April Sponsor: The Intrepid Thread

Hey there strangers! Long time no see!!!!! It's been a LOOOOOONG month! And a very busy one too! I'll tell you guys more about that soon though. I dropped in today to let you all know about Make It Modern's sponsor for April!!!!!!

This month's sponsor is none other than the AMAZING Julie Duek, owner of The Intrepid Thread!!!!!
I know you guys have heard me rave about her and her shop, and I honestly can't say enough good things about her! I'm going to let her about page do the talking for a moment:
"Owner, Julie Dueck, started the Intrepid Thread out of a desire to feature her own favorite fabric lines and designers, as well as offer the best possible customer care available! Not only is Julie passionate about fabric, she possesses a knowledge of fabric that only comes from years of researching it, blogging about it and buying it!
When you purchase fabric from The Intrepid Thread, you’ll benefit from Julie’s expertise! Julie keeps her finger on the pulse of the modern quilter, carefully purchasing each bolt of fabric herself. In fact, if she wouldn’t want to sew with it…then it’s not good enough for her customers either!
Julie’s impeccable taste in fabric, as well as her knowledge and ability to stock the most sought-after designer fabrics, sets her apart from other fabric dealers. Her hand wrapped packages, tied with a bow and a personal note, let customers know just how important they are." 

That really says it all! I absolutely L-O-V-E getting a package from Julie! They always make my day! Her handwritten notes lets you know that she really cares about her customers! I recommend her shop to everyone I know!
Julie just recently opened up a brick and mortar shop! (Congrats, Julie!) The only downside to that is that I don't live close enough to go see it for myself! The pictures on her home page show a really gorgeous shop!
You can visit her blog to see what is going on in her shop and what all she's into....ya never know, you may find a giveaway to go enter! :) I'm just sayin.....

Julie keeps her shop stocked with the latest modern fabrics! And with her FANTASTIC prices....it's hard to say no.... Let me just show you some of my favorites......

My favorite line!!! Comma!

Tsuru.....

Color Me Retro (I LOOOOOVE the colors in this line!!!!!!)

I'm inlove with this one! 2wenty Thr3e! I wish I could get the WHOLE COLLECTION!!!!!

So you see, you really really really really REALLY need to go and check out The Intrepid Thread because it is just an all around AMAZING shop! I promise you will NOT be disappointed!

So, what is Julie offering to one lucky Make It Modern member?

This gorgeous, and I do mean GORGEOUS fat quarter bundle of Luxe In Bloom!!!!!
You girls know the drill! Have your blocks in the mail already (since it's the very last day of the month) and have a pic of each of your finished blocks in the group pool to be in the drawing! Jamie and I will be announcing the winner tomorrow! Good luck!



~Hope y'all are having a great day!!!~

Pattern Testing

Do you remember when I showed you the pic above? I told you I'd tell y'all more about it later? Well, later is here!!!
As you all know I'm an IG (instagram) addict! When I saw Diane (aka From Blank Pages) was making a new pattern for the alphabet I JUST HAD to try it out! Luckily she let me take her wonderful pattern on a little test drive! The only thing she requested was that I made something that used either g, p, q, or y in lowercase. So, I thought about it for all of like 2.2 seconds and came up with what you see above. Sew Hexy. Perfect, right? I thought so!!!

This pattern is just awesome! It is a paper piecing pattern, which I have recently become OBSESSED with paper piecing. I'm actually thinking of doing a little tutorial on how I paper piece. But that's for another day!

The thing I really love about this pattern is that it is VERY versatile! You can use these letters for just about any project you can think of! They are sized small enough you could even use them for pouches or bags! I'm thinking about using this pattern on the backing of my niece's quilt to put her name on it as well as a little message from me.
I love how this pattern doesn't create a TON of waste fabric like some of the other paper piecing patterns do. I was able to take the excess fabric I cut off from one part of a letter and use it for another part on the same letter! There is a lot of small piecing involved, which doesn't bother me AT ALL!
Her directions are very easy to follow. This pattern is very well written and easy to understand!
I'm so happy she let me test this for her!!! Thank you again Diane!!!!

When I was quilting it I didn't want to take away from the letters so I chose not to do any quilting over them at all. I love the way it turned out! The fabrics I used for the letters are from the line Les Amis, I used my favorite text print from Madrona Road, the background is Yarn Dyed Essex Linen in Flax, and I think that is some Kona White around the letters.

So you guys know you want to go out and get this pattern right? You can get it 2 different places!!
Here on Craftsy or here on Etsy and don't forget to go say Hello to Diane on her blog. When you do, don't forget to tell her I sent you!!!! I am a huge fan of her blog and her work. She's got more alphabet patterns other than this one too. (This one is called My ABC's and My abc's) You can check out her other patterns here at her Pattern Store on Craftsy. I promise you will NOT regret checking them out...she really is VERY talented!!!!

~Hope y'all are having a great day!!!~

Bee Sew Modern: My block

Happy April Fools Day!!!!
Edited to add: I almost forgot to post the winner of the giveaway!!! OOPS!!! Random.org chose #21 who said 
Margaret said...

I am a follower and I think you are doing an amazing job. Keep it up! 

I'm sending you an e-mail now Margaret! Congrats!!!!


I'm still in shock that it's APRIL ALREADY! WOW! Well, with it being April it means it's the start of Bee Sew Modern!!! YAY!!!!
I'm up for the first month, and I've thought LONG and hard about what block I wanted everyone to make for me. And, truth be told, I'm probably the ONLY quilter in the world that doesn't have a quilt that they have made! (yes, I'm ashamed)! And not only do I not have a quilt, my husband does not either!!!!
Soooo, I'm working on my own from the blocks everyone made me for Make It Modern Bee. It fits perfect for me to get everyone to make a block for my husband's quilt for Bee Sew Modern. Right?
That's my thinking EXACTLY!!!
Every quilt that I see online that I really like I have to show my husband. And I just fell inlove with this quilt. Which the pic is from Film In the Fridge 's blog.

It's called, "Converging Corners" and the tutorial can be found here.  I remember when I showed him this quilt how much he liked it. Well, there is another version she made of it that I like a little better.  You can see that quilt here. It's called "Converging Corners...Take 2". I love the way the "X"'s form in the quilt. And it's really easy to make! I won't re-do the tutorial but I will tell you guys how I made my block!

I started with the fabrics....

I picked out some gray prints in different shades....or is it "values"? And I chose Kona Snow as the background.

I then cut some strips out of each print. These vary in width from 1" up to 2.5"/

Out of the Kona Snow I cut an 8.5" x WOF. I decided to start my block with an 8.5" square, but you can start your in any size from around 6"-9". For the rest of the WOF strip I sub cut it into smaller strips to match the prints.

Now, you can do this however you want as far as the strips go. But I think I cut my first print at around 4.5" long and then added the Kona Snow on to make it the right length.

Here is what my block looked like after the first complete round of logs. You can add your prints however you want, as far as the size goes as long as each time you go around the next print is a little longer than the one before it. Does that make sense? I hope so!

I kept going around adding logs until I had used each of the prints I selected.

This is what my finished block looks like! I LOVE the way it turned out!

Here is a photo of it without any editing. I think you can see the prints a little better.
My block is 17.5" unfinished. I can't wait to see what everyone makes! This is going to be an AWESOME quilt!!!!
If you have any questions just let me know!!!!

~Hope y'all are having a great day!!!~

Make It Modern Sponsor: The Fat Quarter Shop

Wow! I can't believe we are already at the end of March!!!! Is it just me or is this year FLYING by?
So much to do, so little time to do it all! But, I HAVE to tell you guys about Make It Modern!

This is a group of some VERY talented women! The blocks they've made are AMAZING!

These are the blocks I've made for the month. I had so much fun making them and let me just say that those Half Square Rectangles are pretty tough! If it weren't for Jamie's tutorial (which can be found here) I don't think I could've done it! And while on the subject of Jamie I just want to say THANK YOU a million times over for helping me out with everything. Really, I could NOT have done this without your help! You are AMAZING and I appreciate you more than you will EVER know! Thank you girl!!!! You're the BEST!


Okay now, let me introduce March's Make it Modern sponsor......
The (Amazing) Fat Quarter Shop !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is one of the most popular online shops and if you haven't heard of them, you are about to! Really the Shop is just AMAZING! They carry EVERYTHING! I mean, seriously, if you are a traditional or modern quilter The Fat Quarter Shop carries it all!

Here is a little bit about their shop, taken straight from their website...

The Fat Quarter Shop was founded in 2003 by Kimberly Jolly. An avid quilter, Kimberly began her shop as a side business while still working a corporate position, cutting, packing and shipping right out of her house during evenings and weekends. From the very beginning, she was committed to delivering top-notch service for every single order and customer. As the Fat Quarter Shop's reputation grew, Kimberly decided to make it a full-time operation. Her husband Kevin joined her not long after, and with his help, lots of hard work, and a tireless commitment, the store began to grow. Over the past few years a few more people have joined the staff!

As a team, we continue to branch out with the best fabrics, exclusive kits, quilt clubs, BOMs, and more. And we will always be driven by the passion that Kimberly founded the store upon, which is always giving you the best products and service!

You can connect with them through your favorite social medias....
Their blog, The Jolly Jabber, can be found here
You can find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

I love this shop, I mean L-O-V-E it! I go to their Coming Soon page on a weekly basis to see what new lines are coming out and when...and if you find a line that you really like they have the option of signing up for an e-mail to notify you when its available!!! Which I think is just awesome!

They have OVER 50 pages of SALE items that can be found here! If you are anything like me and love a good sale you will LOVE it! You can find out what their Book of the Month is and their Notion of the Month there too!
They have TONS of different clubs you can sign up for here and I promise you, you will want to sign up for at least 10! Their clubs include Blogger's Choice Fat Quarter Bundles and Designer Select Fat Quarter Bundles!!!!

Here are some of my favorites.........

They are ALWAYS getting in new fabrics! They have 16 pages of KONA COTTON!!! Which I'm obsessed with! :)
They have the FASTEST shipping, literally, I've EVER seen! If you order before 3 p.m.CST your order ships THAT DAY! Their customer service is amazing, they answer all e-mails with lightning speed!!

So, I bet you are wondering...what are they going to be giving away???? Well one EXTREMELY lucky member of Make It Modern will win....

this GORGEOUS FQ bundle of Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie and Camille!!!!!! And they will have me begging for it! LOL! I love this line!!! The colors are amazing! I just recently discovered this line and how amazing it would be for a very special little boy's first quilt. I actually told Kimberly (owner of the Fat Quarter Shop) how much I wished I could win this! (So, Jamie, if you are reading this, just put my name in for the drawing, no one else's....we will keep it as our little secret!) LOL!

Anyway, I'd like to say a HUGE THANK YOU to The Fat Quarter Shop for sponsoring this month's giveaway! You guys are amazing at what you do!!!!!!!!!

~Hope y'all are having a GREAT day!!!~

1 year....and a little something for you!

1 YEAR!!! I can NOT believe it's already been a year!!! What's been a year? Well EXACTLY 1 year ago today (3/22/13) I started this blog! I decided to look back through this past year and see how far I have come. I know I haven't posted a ton on here but it's crazy! I actually can see how much I've grown as a quilter (not so much a blogger...I think it's prolli cuz I'm not to tech savvy)!
I mean WOW!!!! If you look back here to my very first quilt for example...

It's made ENTIRELY of bandanas!!!!!! Bandanas....cuz I didn't want to waste money if I couldn't get the whole "quilting thang". HAHAHAHAHA!!!! Now, I have an ACTUAL stash!!! And I don't think I could stop quilting if someone paid me a million dollars....seriously!
I've went through each of my posts and read them and laughed! LOL! I remember BEGGING you guys for some tips on basting, binding, quilting, EVERYTHING! And a lot of you have helped me! (Which I sincerely appreciate!!!!) A lot of it I've become better at just by doing it. I didn't/don't have anyone that helps me learn new things, I've learned everything I know from the internet and trial and error! Seriously, all these wonderful blogs and classes online are AMAZING! I love Craftsy I have learned some AMAZING things from their classes!!!!
So, I went from the above pictured to this....

(I'll tell you guys more about this in another post)

I think I've come pretty far.
Over the past year I've went from knowing NOTHING at all about quilting to:
Making my first quilt, Free Motion Quilting (which I'm getting a little bit better at), doing some improv, joining my first swap (and a lot more of them just because I LOVE SWAPPING!!!), not only joining a quilting bee but STARTING not one but TWO Bees!!!! And I've done so much more! I can't thank all YOU enough for encouraging and supporting me through this wonderful, amazing journey! I really wouldn't have kept going if it hadn't been for your comments and emails!!!! I've met soooooo many amazing people through blogging and the online quilting community, I could not be happier with my decision to start this blog!

So, as a THANK YOU for supporting me I'm teaming up with the LOVELY Caitlin of I Don't Do Dishes to bring you a little giveaway! Who doesn't LOVE a good giveaway???? The winner will get to pick a charm pack of one of the AMAZING new lines....

Comma by Zen Chick

Simple Marks by Malka Dubrawsky or.....

2wenty Thr3e by Eric and Julie Comstock


Caitlin owns an AMAZING shop that offers GREAT PRICES on some AMAZING fabrics!!!! She has a little bit of everything! And did I mention her prices? THEY ARE FANTASTIC! Plus she is SUPER sweet and her customer service is top notch! Shipping is fast....WOW! GOOOOO GO GO GOOO!!!! Check out her shop I promise once you do, you will NOT want to leave!
(Thanks Caitlin for sponsoring this! You really are amazing!)
So how do you enter?
ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON!
Be a follower, new or old and leave me a comment! That's it! Easy Peasy!!!!!!
This giveaway will be open until next Thursday (3/28/13) and is open to US residents only! (sorry to all my international followers, I still love you!)

And as I mentioned, this is post # 101, I will be doing something special for an upcoming post as a way to celebrate hitting 100 posts! So make sure you stay tuned!

Wish me luck, tomorrow is the first meeting of the Tri Cities Modern Quilt Guild!!! EEEEEKKKK!


~Hope y'all are having a great day!~