Stash Blaster: Week 7

Well, I don't have any handmade completed projects to share with you this week.  Not because I didn't finish, but because it's a secret until the recipient receives it.  :)

I did make progress on my Scrappy Trip Around the World.  The blocks are ready to be sewn back together and the batting and backing are on their way!  There's also been progress on a knitted baby blanket and another pair of adult socks.

Scrappy Trip-along strips ready to be sewn together

I also made some quick birthday cards for a couple birthdays that snuck up on me.  It was fun to go through my old scrapbooking things to see what I had on hand, and to use up some of those tiny scraps that I just can't ever seem to get rid of.

Birthday cards

Mostly this past week has been dedicated to getting ready for Wiggles' arrival in a few weeks.

Wednesday was my 33 week appointment and our first birthing class.  I'm very happy that Jake was able to get the time off from work to go with me, he got to hear Baby's heartbeat again which is always fun.  Then we (he) drove home in a snowstorm, so I'm extra glad that he went with me!  ;)

We've also been rearranging furniture and cleaning out closets to make room for everything.

Travel system (stroller/car seat) from Jake's cousin

I moved the blankets we'd been storing in this footlocker....

A beautiful old footlocker that Jake's had forever, is becoming a toy box

...into this armoire, which was full of winter outerwear.... (the handknits are staying in the top section)

Something's missing....Any guesses?

...and the winter clothes went into a closet that first had to be decluttered of older clothes we never wear anymore.  Phew!!

We (well mostly Jake) also moved all the furniture in our bedroom to make a nursery corner. Although our house has 3 bedrooms things just worked out better for Baby to sleep with us for now.

Bedroom rearranged, ready for Baby

The dresser will be the changing table and I'm auditioning the Tula Pink fabric as a cover to protect the finish.

Nursery

Diaper basket

So although there wasn't much going on in the handmade department last week, there was plenty of other things to keep us busy!

Me at 33 weeks, freezing in the winter wind

Your turn!  Share your finishes, or almost finishes, from last week by grabbing a Stash Blaster button from the sidebar and linking up below.

Stash Blaster: Week 6

Egads!  It's Tuesday night all ready??  Yikes!!

First things first, the winner of the January Stash Blaster giveaway is Mandy of Loverbunny Designs with her Camp Out Fingerless Mitts.  She won this fun little coin purse (pictured below) that I made which will be filled with some of my favorite notions.

Congratulations Mandy!  I'll be sending you an email shortly.

For last week's project I decided to make Baby Tuckey a bonnet from Vintage Knits for Modern Baby.  I used a skein of Belmoral Shetland wool that I received (along with other yarn & fiber) as trade for spinning some buffalo roving for the owner of Wyoming Wool Works in Dubois.

I chose this pattern to be my first from this book because I loved the modern take on an older style cap and thought it would look great on either a boy or a girl.  It still needs a button and I'm glad to have a lovely stash of vintage buttons to choose from.  The pattern was well written and I was able to complete the bonnet in a few hours.  The one complaint I have is I couldn't find a stitchionary in the book and since there can be different abbreviations for stitches I got a little confused on one of the decreases.  Luckily I was able to figure it out and continue on.

Modern Baby Bonnet for Baby Tuckey

I also started a Scrappy Trip Around the World quilt using my Simply Color jelly roll.  If you haven't seen the Instagram mania for this quilt you must, just search #scrappytripalong and see what all the hubbub is about!

There's also a new yarn up in my Etsy shop today.  I'm not much for pink normally, but I added a couple splashes of purple and a tiny bit of teal and really love how the color turned out.  It's approximately 86 yards of sport to DK weight and would make a great child's hat or pair of mitten, or maybe even a pair of wristers for you!

'So In Love' handspun yarn

So that's what I've been up to, how about you?  It's your turn!  Grab a Stash Blaster button from the sidebar and link up your finished project(s) from the past week. Remember, that your link-up will also enter you into this month's giveaway drawing.


***A quick note on comments:  I love and appreciate each and every comment I receive so much! And I respond to every comment, with one exception.  If you are not a Blogger user than you are most likely a "no-reply blogger" which means that your comment comes through to my email with a return address of noreply-comment@blogger.com.  Sadly, that means I can't respond back.  So if you're not hearing from me after you leave a comment be sure to follow this brief tutorial so that I can reply!

Stash Blaster: Week 5

Well, January is over and February is already in full swing.  How did you all do blasting your stash?

I think I did pretty well.  I finished at least 1 project each week (see them here) and didn't increase my stash by much.  I had already warned you that I'd be stocking up on Lizzy House's Constellations and Pearl Bracelets, and thought I'd throw in some feathers for good measure.  

I also bought Megan Nielsen's maternity/nursing lingerie set pattern.  Yesterday I picked up a gorgeous raspberry colored knit (pictured below) at Walmart for the nightgown and also to make a baby wrap to carry Wiggles around in.

Plus my Plucky yarn from December also came the same day.  It's a gorgeous tonal teal/blue called Skies of November that I'm sure you will be seeing knit up very soon!

Raspberry knit

Week 5's completed project was a pair of baby mitts that I made from a mini skein of wool that I spun and kettle dyed a lovely green.  I made up my own simple pattern, making them similar to a pair of toe up socks, but without the heel of course.  ;)

Another project I made last week was a giant duffle for our friend, Ash, who will be going to manage a ranch in Russia for the next 3 years.

I allowed Cord on the couch for size comparison

The bag was inspired by Studio Cherie's Travel Duffle (which I someday need to make), but by the end of it the only similarity was the shape and the webbing handle.  Really, it's just a big box bag with a pocket on the outside.  

And when I say "big" I mean BIG.  It measures at approx. 26" x 14" x 16"!  My Holiday in London duffle fit easily inside it and there was still tons of room.  And the Holiday in London is not small either.

Plus the entire bag was made from my stash!  I even had a heavy duty 54" zipper that I'd thrifted recently.

The outside is denim with a cotton lining, bandana print outer pocket, and 3 1/2" webbing handle.  I did forget to add zipper tabs, but the bag works just fine without them.  I even got to use my new serger to finish off the exposed seams on the inside.

Jake loves this bag, so I'm sure I will be making another one in the near future.  :)

**********

I've also been dyeing and spinning more things for the shop...

100% Wyoming alpaca, will be listed in the shop later this week

Handspun & kettle dyed 100% wool, "Tide Pool", for sale here

 ...and even sold my first skein of handspun yarn!!

Handspun & kettle dyed 100% wool

Now it's time for you to link up!  Any crafty projects that you finished between January 27th and February 2 are welcome.  Also, I will be drawing a giveaway winner for all projects linked up during the entire month of January (weeks 1-5).  I'm still deciding what the prize will be, but I've got some good ideas kicking around my head.  And don't worry, it'll be good!

Please be sure to also share a link back to here on your linked up post.  There's a button on the sidebar that I'd love if you used too.  Thanks so much for playing along!  I love seeing what everyone else has been making and it really helps me to stay motivated and on task too.   :D

Stash Blaster Project 1!

Thanks so much to everyone who gave me suggestions on what to name this little stashdown challenge!!  There were some great choices, but "Stash Blaster" from Bree was definitely my favorite.  Thank you for the suggestion Bree!  Your DS notions bag will be in the mail later this week.

I did have a couple people ask if they could participate without a blog.  Sure!!  If you don't have a blog I would suggest opening a Flickr account, if you don't have one already.  That way you can still share your finished projects.  There will be random prizes throughout the year, so you'll definitely want to link up!

I'm trying to create a button for anyone who wants to share on their blog, but between my lack of knowledge of html and the internet going in & out all night I'm over it.  I'll give it another go later this week when I'm fresh.  In the meantime you can see a picture of the button here.  :)

Now onto the fun stuff!

Project 1 of Stash Blasters goes to Baby Tuckey.  A few months ago I found some super lush merino wool at The Prairie Stitcher in Douglas, the town where my doc is.  I chose to make a Sheepy Sack since I intend to cloth diaper (wool makes a great diaper cover from what I hear).  Also, April can still be very cold and snowy here so I'm making sure I have plenty of warm newborn clothes!

This was a very quick knit and was able to finish it in just a few hours.  I was a little worried that I wouldn't have enough yarn, but I worked it from the top down and shorted the bottom ribbing by just a couple rows.  It actually worked out perfectly and looks like it'll be long enough, at least until summer arrives.

Sheepy Sack: Made with Trabajos del Peru by Plymouth Yarn, 100% extra fine merino wool

And here's a little sneak peek of Project 2.  A kitchen mat!  I used a charm pack of Domestic Bliss and a small pack of 2" hexis.  I will be squaring off the edges, adding borders, then quilting.  I have lots of ideas for giving the kitchen a little kick and I thought this would be a fun project to start with!

Now it's your turn!  Link up your Stash Blaster project from the last week.  If you haven't finished yet, don't worry, there's always next week!

A Fun Challenge for the New Year

Since I started sewing (3 years ago) and knitting (last year) I have built quite a stash of fabric & yarn.  It's always nice to have a strong stash for various projects and swaps, but now that Baby is on the way I need to make some space.

Young Einstein for Baby Tuckey using Madeline Tosh LEDK in Deco Green

So I'm creating a stashdown challenge for myself.  And anyone else who'd like to join in. Every week in 2013 I will make something for me or my family from my stash.  It could be clothing, toys, something for the house, or even something for the dogs (they could really use some new beds!).  Notions purchases; interfacing, buttons, zippers are allowed to complete projects and the occasional special fabrics & yarns - Hello Constellations! - will be allowed as I use up or destash what I already have.

Each week's challenge will run Monday-Sunday & the finished project and a linky party, for those who want to play along, will be posted the next day.

Kickstarter Project 0: Literary Genius e-reader cover

Here's where I can use your help, I need a name for this challenge.  I've thought about simple ones like "Stashdown 2013" or "Living Handmade", but I'd really like a name that I'm not totally annoyed with in 3 months.  So, I'm doing a little giveaway.  Leave suggestions for a title for my challenge and the one I choose will receive this boxed bottom zippy pouch I made.  

Notions pouch made with DS Quilts fabric

Interior

My new official brand!

Side view

 The winner will be chosen and notified on January 2nd.  Thanks for your help!!

WiP Wednesday: Thursday Edition

All day yesterday I was looking forward to today's WIP Wednesday because I had it in my mind (until about 5 minutes ago) that today is Wednesday, not Thursday. Whoops!

Anyway, so here's what I've been working on the past couple weeks.

Wonky log cabin for the Bliss circle of do. Good Stitches. 1 down, 1 to go.

Quilt in progress

Trilobite from Socks from the Toe Up by Wendy D. Johnson

Yesterday I cast this sock on. It's my first toe up sock & my second attempt at the magic loop. I gave up on my first attempt, with a cuff down sock. I hated it! Working from the toe up the magic loop actually makes sense now. I'm loving this pattern so far, but I really need to finish Jake's socks before I get too distracted by this pair. I don't have a more recent photo, but his first sock is nearly finished.

My Tula Pink quilt! Well, the top at least.

Specs:

The Fabric: Flutterby charm pack, various solids, Hushabye butterflies for border. Will be backed with Tula Pink Feathers flannel from Nest & bound with more Flutterby.

The Pattern: A simple 4-patch square in a square of my own design.

The Quilting: I will be attempting this on my home machine. Wish me luck!!

Comments: I wish that I'd had more of the dark brown because I love how the bright colors of Flutterby pops against it. It was a fun, quick quilt top to throw together and I'm sure there will be more like it in my future.

My first real attempt at applique. Sailboats for the Bliss circle of do. Good Stitches.

Sitting outside reflecting on life & enjoying the view.

For the Love of...Crafting

I've been crafty/creative all my life. As a kid I lived in my own little world. I drew, cut, glued, sparkled, whatever needed to be done. And I made up gymnastics and dance routines constantly. In my teens & early 20s crafting wasn't "cool" at least not in the circles that I ran with, so I became idle. But in the past few years I've embraced my uncool & started creating again. Here are some of the hobbies I have been doing lately.

Bead & wire jewelry

I even made the necklace I wore at our wedding. The brooch was my "something old," my grandmother's old butterfly pin.

I also like to braid. These are some reins I built a few years ago.

I braided this chain to create a thicker chain necklace.

And now that I sew I've started adding braided fabrics to my creations as well. Here's another example of my fabric braiding.

I also occasionally tie mohair cinches.

Often I'll create my own designs...

...but other times I'll leave the designing to the experts.

I also do counted cross stitch, which I learned as a young child, and I just recently learned how to crochet and knit (Thanks again, Amy & Jacey!!) I also realized that I have zero pictures of my cross stitches. I will have to remedy that one of these days. Especially because the one I'm working on for my dad is the coolest. A cross stitch for a man?! Yes, you'll understand when you see it. ;)

My first completed knitting project: Honey cowl

I know this was supposed to be last week's For the Love of..., but the weekend completely slipped away from me and I didn't even realize it until Sunday! Whoops! So here is the linky (below) for this week's installment of For the Love of...Crafting.

Grab a button from the right sidebar, create a post about your craftiness, and come back to link up. The link will be open until Sunday, December 11 at midnight (Mountain Time).

Next week's theme: Traditions

Not-Ugly Car Trash Bag

September was Craft Book Month at Craft Buds. I didn't get over there as often as I'd like, but that's the nice thing about blogs. I can go back at my leisure and catch up with all the fun!

I tend to buy craft books for inspiration, but don't really use many of the patterns. Although that is starting to change. I wracked my brain for most of the month as to what to post about. This morning when I got in the Jeep I looked in the back seat & saw one of my first sewing projects. The Not-Ugly Car Trash Bag from One Yard Wonders.

This was a fun & fast project to put together and sure is nice to have in the car. I still love this, although I can see some of my beginner mistakes, which drive me crazy! :)

I didn't have the parachute buckle the pattern called for so I used D's instead, which work perfectly fine for me.

Someday I'd love to make a new one and, now that I'm thinking about it, they would make a great gift for someone since they don't have to be used strictly for garbage.

Thank you Lindsay for inviting me to your fun linky party! :)

Fave 5 Friday

Today my 5 favorite pictures are all about sewing. Enjoy!

My design wall. On the top, more progress on my Hometown Heart & Home quilt (sorry the giveaway on my LQS blog is closed). On the bottom, my Little Apples HSTs and blocks that have started arriving from the 3x6 & 4x5 bees.

Sherbet Pips demo quilt for my work is finished!

I learned how to use the longarm this week. So far, I've only learned to use programmed designs, but there's a lot to that too. You don't just set it up & let it go. Well, maybe a little. :) Hopefully soon I'll be able to learn more detailed & free motion quilting. That's what I'd like to do for my sister's wedding quilt.

The lovely Amy (needledfig) taught me how to crochet yesterday. We had a great lesson on all the basic stitches. She made them so easy to learn. In return I showed her how to do hand piecing, which is how I'm doing by Farmer's Wife Quilt. I think I got the better end of the deal. :)

I was so excited about my new skill that I found a tutorial for granny squares and made this fun little thing. There are definitely some problem areas, but I'll get it eventually. I also started a cowl for winter, but when I got to my 4th row (of 145 stitches!) I realized that I had, in fact, gotten it twisted. Blargh!

I designed a flannel charm pack scarf this week (so stay tuned for a tutorial soon). Sorry about the goofy self portrait. Jake was supposed to be my model, but it never happened.

Lindsay from Lindsay Sews posted this charm pack on Flickr to swap & I jumped at the chance! I am such a fan of Tula Pink. I love all her whimsical designs. I swapped her a Hometown charm pack & one of my fun little sketchbooks. This charm pack is going to become kitchen goodies. I am in desperate need of new oven mitts & have super ugly pot holders, so soon I will have beautiful bug-y decor in my kitchen instead! :)

Thanks for visiting! If you'd like to join the party just post your 5 (or so) favorite pictures from the past week. Be sure to mention that you're linking up here & there's a button on the sidebar if you'd like. Then come back here and link up. It's as easy as that!