Finishing up some of my works in progress

I used all the free time I could muster up at the end of 2011 to finish up some works in progress for friends or for my etsy shop. I also made my little buddy something (the monkey PJ pants). In no particular order, here are some of the things I have made lately

Next up some of the Christmas gifts I made for this past holiday...

Let 2012 ROAR!!

Happy New Year to everyone! I am usually not one for new years resolutions; I think if you want to make a change you should just go ahead and make the change regardless of the time of year. However this year I am trying a resolution on for size,  appreciating the mark of time the new year brings. I am going to make it through 2012 without purchasing any new clothes! IF I want something new then it is going to have to be something I must sew- either as an upcycle or from "scratch".  I have been amassing a large collection of fabric yardage and patterns over the past year, but don't have much to show for it- so nothing like forcing the issue to get me in gear.  Wishing everyone the best with your 2012 resolutions :)

Inaugural Gussy's Inspriation Workshop Post!

I have been loving looking at these posts for weeks and weeks now, and figure it is about time I start participating myself. Especially since my sister introduced me to http://www.pinterest.com/ by saying that "If I wasn't pinning I wasn't winning" :) Between Gussy's weekly collection of posts and pinterest there is inspiration for days! All the pictures below are from pinterest and clicking on them will take you to the original or pinterest link-none of the pictures are my own. This weeks prompt was red, and I came across tons of ideas....

I love the color combo seen below, I would think you would have to smile everyday if this was how the outside of your house looked!


I love the fall look pictured above. I have seen alot of stripes mixed with prints layered together and am going to try out the look very soon (like maybe tomorrow at Sunday brunch)!

I love the way to interject red into your wardrobe, seen below and think with a little brainstorming I could make a version of the beige tank top with roses seen below. Hmmm...

And finally I am loving the above wreath I found on etsy (http://www.etsy.com/listing/62768322/yarn-wreath-felt-handmade-door) I have seen alot of these wreaths on the Internet and think it would make a perfect addition to our front door to celebrate the holidays.

Thanks Gussy for such a prompt to collect inspiration!!

First free-motion Quilt

I finally finished my first free-motion quilt. It was a gift for a close friends second baby. I really loved how it turned out, and its easily one of favorite creations up to this point.

Quilt Top

Quilt Back (my first time not doing a solid back- I like the look!)

Close-up of the free-motion stiching

Also my first hand-embroidery accent

The "Roaring Lion" Label

For the fans

To appease my readers (yep more than one!) here is a simple grilled chicken recipe that we made for dinner tonight for the first time and it was absolutely amazing (and so easy). Its from one of my favorite food websites, My Tasty Kitchen. (And while you are there check out the Pioneer Woman's Blog)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Chicken Tenderloins
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 2 Tablespoons Dried Oregano
• 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
• ¼ cups Fresh Lemon Juice
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Pepper

Preparation:

1. Put the chicken into a bowl.
2. Add all other ingredients.
3. Mix well, coating chicken on all sides.
4. Let chicken marinate for 1/2 hour to 1 hour, covered in the fridge (or longer if you wish).
5. Place chicken onto a screaming hot grill and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side or until the chicken is cooked through and has gorgeous golden brown grill marks.

Enjoy!!

A new toy

I have always read about sergers and they seemed to be pretty advanced. I figured I needed to master my sewing machine before I could take the step to owning a machine that made seams in clothes. Then every pair of pajama pants I made for my family fell apart at the seams-literally. Recently I mentioned to my husbands sister, who has done quite a bit of sewing, that I wanted to try a serger out. Turns out she had bought one used and it had been sitting in her closet ever since! In trade for figuring out how to use it so that I could then show her- I got to borrow it for a few weeks. Last night I got it up and running (after quite a bit of cursing) and its even better than I thought. It sews four rows at once! Here is what each side of the fabric looks like after one pass through the machine.

The search is on for me to find a great used one at a great price so that I can have one permanently.  Let the project runway clothes making practice begin....

Overboard?

I am sure when my son's daycare asked us to write our child's name on their towel for water activities they meant with a marker on the tag. But where is the fun in that? A very quick project with double sided fusible web and appliqué stitching. Yeah for summer and running through the sprinkler!