You know when you find some great fabrics that just go together so well and millions of possibilities flash before your eyes all at once?

I found a few of those fabrics recently and have been having some fun making pretty, full length aprons...





I got the turquoise floral and contrasting swirls fabrics from Walmart 
and the Mary Engelbreit fabrics online.
For the turquoise apron, I purchased some buttons that seemed to match pretty evenly, 
though not entirely sure what I would do with them or where I would place them on
the finished apron.
Then I found a super, step-by-step tutorial for making fabric flowers online at
Until Wednesday Calls (link further down) and decided on a button center for my fabric flower.

The flower on the apron made with M.E. fabric has a center that was made using a button making kit I'd had - I used the same method in the tutorial for making the flower and doubled it to contrast-

 

Click -here- to go see tutorial for the fabric flowers.

I decided to work with minky today...
Specifically - cuddle dots minky (well that's one name for it)
I have to admit I was initimidated because A. it stretches....and B. it stretches....
So yes. I was afraid of sewing with a stretch fabric, particularly because I was
using it in the making of yet another rag quilt (this time a 36"x36" baby quilt)
which I think came out Great!

I also used the hair clips instead of pins,
 all the way up to the point where I was stitching rows and then I switched to pins.

And here is the finished product :)

I listed it in my Etsy store...
I never get a photo of anything I make that looks as good as it does in person...
Anybody else have that feeling about pictures of things you make?
(update: sold on Etsy:)

I spent Wednesday and Thursday doing the regular life-living and dish-doing thing...

But also, I cut some scraps of my favorite fabrics out of what I have on hand, in different widths and tried out a tutorial on Diary of a Quilter - by Amy Smart -

that I'd been eyeing for some time now.

It is for a self-quilting table runner and the link is below if you want to go try it for yourself.

Here is how mine turned out and I have listed it in my Etsy store.

(update: sold on eBay:)

I used an all-over roses print for the back so it is reversible -

When I was working on it, I decided to try something I'd seen in another tutorial

or video online which uses hair clips instead of pins

to secure the binding for machine sewing onto the runner.

I like these a whole lot better than getting jabbed every two seconds.  Granted, there are times when

only pins will do but for securing the binding?

These come in a pack of 12 for $1.00 at the Dollar Tree :)

Here is the link to the tutorial:  Table Runner

Alright,

I admit it, I've gone AWOL from my blog for a very long time.

The blog, as it seems was at the time, my "momentary fancy" - go figure.

        I'm back with apologies ;) ...Stories & pictures...

In the time I have been absent from sharing, I've been trying my hand at all sorts of odd projects and techniques n' so forth.

        I've spent evenings browsing other talented people's pages and tutorials and also hitting up creative minds from within my friends and family albeit a small group of people as I'm nearly a hermit in my sewing room...

A few things I have been working on throughout the past 18 months or so-

I found some great Tutorials on Cluck Cluck Sew for a Sprocket Pillow and also a Fall Scrap Buster pillow...

Here are how mine turned out, the round colorful one is my sprocket pillow I love the loud sherbert colors.  The tree pillow cover was also fun to do and opens in the back. 

I used scraps of shabby pinks n' greens for the leaves.

If you have not tried either of these styles yet, I know you'll have fun.
Hint, with her sprocket pillow, pay attention to her instructions for piecing the triangle portions together.
I got carried away and tried to keep adding in a circle rather than two halves.
Doh'!  Did I mention that I have 3 seam rippers scattered in various regions of my sewing areas?

So,
while I was there, checking out these tutorials and her pages,
I saw a pin cushion with a link to the tutorial for it!
BUT-  Before I share more,

have a look at the very first pin cushion I ever made
and have been using for about 12 years or so:

Poor beaten n worn little satin heart.Of course when I saw the picture and tutorial link on her site, 

I jumped at the chance to update my own.

Here is how mine came out

and below it is the link she shared to the tutorial for the original.

http://www.heatherbaileydesign.com/HBSquareDeal.pdf

Just like to say that Allison from Cluck Cluck Sew is a wonderful gal for 

sharing her knowledge and she is also very sweet for replying to my show and tell

email that I sent her along with my thanks.

Introduction

To tell the truth, I'd get a lot more living in were it not for my love of procrastination...
(My cousin Mark says that life has a funny way of getting in the way of living).

Who knew hair-stylists were so philosophical?

I have a lot of loves. (besides my family)

Food, birds, flowers, sewing, digitizing, photography, soapmaking - 

speaking of which, these are oatmeal milk n honey soaps below,

that I made when the gift basket itch took hold years ago.

You name it, I've tried to dabble in it.

Well, not everything - that's overdoing it a bit - but pretty much anything that involves hands-on crafting.

This blog is a way for me to see what my pattern of project hopping looks like in real time.

(maybe I can get a handle on the beast)


Just got finished with a dress and an outfit for my grandaughter and my waffle iron came from Walmart online yesterday so now I'll be jumping off the sewing machine chair and into an apron with God knows what for ingredients (I know Madigascar vanilla beans will be incorporated in there somewhere if not in the cupcakes I'll be attempting soon as well ........ Mmmmmm.... Cupcakes....)   I'll try and share info, recipes and pictures of the good the bad and the inevitably ugly - as are most things when first tried.