New Bag...

I really love the bag that Rachel brought me from Chile. The only problem is that I washed it. And so now I am going to have to rebuild it. But while I am working on fixing it, I needed something else to use. So after much intense thought and trial and error, I made my own version of the bag.


It has all my favorite features from the bag Rach gave me. The zippered pocket that goes all the way down the back. (And yes people, that is my first ever zipper installation that wassn't in a home ec class!)


It took me almost a full week of thought and trial runs with scrap fabric to figure out some of the techniques for this bag. It is completely lined. (The bad Rach gave me isn't lined on the back of the zipper pocket.) That took some figuring out.


And I ran the strap all the way under the bag to give it better support. I tend to load my bags up here. Carry everything but the sink.

Pockets are HARD!

I love these denim capris! They fit great, look good and are really comfortable.


BUT... the pockets are crap. They are really more decorative than functional. If you can actually get anything to fit in them, it just falls out.


This is all the space that there is in the pocket. Very bad pocket design. They just added a piece of fabric the the front of the pants that had a hole for you to put your hand in. This makes it VERY VERY hard to actually make this into a functional pocket. BUT I did it. Well at least one.


It took a lot of thinking to figure it out and then a lot of hand stitching through denim. (There was NO way to get it into the sewing machine.) But now it is a functional fabulous pocket. And you can't tell any difference from the front. It only took me ALL day to do one. Maybe the other one will go faster tomorrow. Sheesh.

~~~~~~~~~ UPDATE Apr 11, 2008 ~~~~~~~~~~~~
I still haven't finished this.... the first pocket was so stinkin hard. If I'm not careful it will become a UFO and I refuse to have 1 more!! Maybe tomorrow....

Earring Case

I got very tired of digging through my jewelry box looking for matching earrings. So I started to think about what would make a good portable earing holder. I needed something that I could pack up and take with me on trips, and that wouldn't be too bulky on my nightstand. This was what I came up with. It only took me two trys to get it right.


There are 2 panels that the earrings hook into. I used cheap cross stich fabric for these. It's sturdy and already has the holes. All the fabric I used for this is from scraps in my stash. The yellow fabric on the inside is a soft thick cotton type fabric that I had originally used as the back of a baby quilt that I made. I didn't use any batting in this project, but I did double up the yellow fabric to give it a slightly padded feeling.


The fabric on the outside is all scraps from an youth activity where we made pajama pants. And mom should be proud of me. I stepped outside my comfort zone and tried random cutting and piecing. It still may be all straight lines, but it's a small step!


I used the thick cardboard out of an old 3 ring binder for this so that it would be rigid and can stand up on my nightstand.


And it all folds up neatly to travel. Like I said it only took me two tries to get it right. I spent one whole day working on it, finished it, put all my jewelry on it, set it up on my nightstand. HATED IT. It stayed there for one day and then I stripped all the jewelry off it, picked out almost EVERY stitch and completely redid it. Slower this time, and tweeked a few things. Now I LOVE IT. No more hunting for the other earring!!

Block 8 - Nine Patch Variation

Block 7 - Shoo Fly

Block 6 - Royal's Crown

Block 5 - Square in a Square

Block 4 - Square in a Square Variation

Block 3 - Shoo Fly with Four Patch

2 blocks in 1 day... I think I am done for today. And it is about time for bed. I have to admit that I wouldn't have picked the color schemes for these blocks on my own. And I am not completely sold on them yet. But I think they are growing on me. I still need to see it all together I think.

Block 2 - Dolley Madison's Star

Finished the 2nd block pattern today and am starting to pull the fabrics for the third...

Block 1 of 44 - Ohio Star

I started making the quilt blocks!! After sewing for a good part of the day I have 3 finished. They are all the first pattern. I'm still thinking about adding black sashing between the blocks. But I'm not going to make that decision until I have a lot more of the blocks done. But I think I am happy with these blocks.

Getting organized for the next big project

While I was home I picked up supplies for my next big project. I love the quilt store and miss it already. So much to see and drool over! And occassionally buy. Anyway, I went shopping with mom and found this great quilt project.

(I have been coloring in the block patterns to try and get a better idea of the color schemes for each block.)

I am really excited about this project. I am using batiks and hand dyed fabrics. I went on a crazy fat quarter shopping spree to get all the fabric that I needed for this. (Well and a few extras!!) The project calls for 60 fat quarters in a variety of colors. THANK YOU MOM for spending so much time helping figure out colors!! Today I got my fabric all washed and Grace ironned it all. (I told her that she really didn't have to iron it, and that I would do it. She just kept ironning.) Then I sorted the color groups all back out and got them all put into labeled bags to keep them clean and contained.


Now even if I get distracted and don't get back to this project for QUITE a while, I will still be able to pick right up and continue. I am excited to start making the individual blocks. I think I will probably use the spare bed to start laying them all out as I make them. Then as I start laying it all out I will decide if it is to busy with all the batiks. I bought some black fabric to use as sashing if it starts to get to busy. I can almost guarantee that the final product won't exactly match the instructions picture. (And not just because I am still learning this quilting thing.) I like to take things and make them my own. It will be interesting to see how this project turns out in the end.

Presents for Frankie... I mean Maddie

My sister, Rachel, is pregnant with her first. It was sooo fun to see her cute round belly. I wanted to do something fun for her while we were all together at the Weber. So I bought 3 packages of onsies, 3 different sizes, so that it would take Maddie a while to grow out of them all. Mom and I hand dyed them in fun pastel/eastery colors. Then Alisa had searched the internet and found a bunch of silhouettes and brought her iron and exacto knives to the cabin. Mom and I brought the onies we had dyed, freezer paper, paint and fabric medium. We let everyone that wanted to do it, make freezer paper stencils for the onsies!! IT WAS A LOT OF FUN!! Even my brother Kit did some!! Here are the pictures from the activity!

Some of us used the silhouettes and some of us drew our own designs. There was lots of talking and laughing. It was really nice to do a crafty projects with so much of my family.



Mom made a really cool cherry blossom design.

Todd made the shirt that he is wearing. They did some freezerpaper stenciling for a Family Home Evening activity. It really is soooo easy.

We hung them up to dry to get them out of the way. The kitchen is quite small there.



As you can see there was quite a variety of styles, tastes, and talent levels. But I think they all turned out REALLY GOOD.

And here are close ups of a few of them.

Rachel is going to have the cutest baby ever! And now she will have clothes to match her cutness!!

A necklace for mom's glasses.

The other day I was at the temple with mom and I looked over at her all dressed in white and realized she was still wearing her yellow with rainbow highlights beaded glasses chain. And I thought, this just won't due. So I made her a new one with white, clear and silver beads. Much more appropriate I think.