Brown baggin' it

Well, not quite. More like fabric baggin' it.

This is my contribution for Oh Fransson's Lunchbox swap. I used her tutorial for the Little Shopping Bag, and let me tell you people, EASY PEASY! The hardest thing was deciding which fabric to use (I'm having major issues with indecision lately, but I digress). Even the grommets were easy, though it did take a little time to cut out grommet sized holes.


I'm envisioning many more of these. I think they'd be perfect for little presents or even as the gift wrapping for presents.

Laying bricks

Thank you so much for playing along in my "when will I finish this quilt" guessing game! It has definitely motivated me to work on this baby. So much so that I'm happy to report I finished cutting out all the "bricks" this weekend. The rotary cutter and mat definitely came in handy.

Last night I laid out the bricks. Whew! I can now understand how easy and frustrating it can be to over think a quilt layout. This morning I shifted a few pieces around ( I felt my eye being drawn to the dark green pieces too much) until I felt satisfied. Now it's on to piecing! That is, if I don't get sidetracked first...

Now taking bets

Quilts have been on my mind a lot lately. I am constantly calling my sister (my sewing partner in crime) during the day with excited exclamations about a quilt I just saw on flickr or read about in blogland. It is the number one item on my 2008 sewing resolution list afterall. It was about time I dived into this new to me sewing territory.

Hence, work on my Amy Butler Brick Path Quilt started this week. I think this will be a good getting-my-feet-wet-in-quilting project. I quickly learned what I hope is the hardest part of quilting: cutting accurately! I've never liked the cutting part of any project. If anyone has any tips on how to quickly yet accurately cut two hundred 4 1/2" by 7" rectangles, please share.

I am now taking bets on how long it will take me to complete this quilt. Seriously, I really would like to take bets. Maybe it will make me move a little faster on this. I might even send the person with the winning bet a prize! To help you guesstimate a little better, here's some info: I started this on Tuesday night and haven't touched it since. So far I've cut out 36 of the necessary 198 "bricks". I have all of the supplies I need for this quilt including the batting, backing, and machine quilting thread. I plan to work on this a lot until I get it done, BUT, I do have craft ADD and can't promise that I won't start another project before this one is done. "Finished" is defined as sewn, quilted, and washed. So go on, make a bet! (Pretty please!)

P.S. Don't worry, I won't be offended if you say twelve months or even five years so please don't be discouraged to make a guess.

My take on the shirt dress

Finally, my shirt dress is done! I originally intended to use this pattern, Simplicity 4171, to knock off a cute corduroy shirt dress I saw in Anthropologie during the winter. Then, spring slowly sprung and my thoughts turned instead to warm weather dresses.

Does anyone recognize the fabric? I am slightly (but not really) scared that when I wear this out in public someone will think, "I have that same fabric on my bed at home." I used sheets that I got on clearance at Target about a month ago. I loved the print and couldn't pass up the price. It's actually a little bit too stiff to be a comfortable sheet in my opinion. It's perfect for this dress though.

The pattern is well drafted and went together easily. I cut my usual smaller size at the top and graded out a few sizes near the hip area. I'm really happy with the fit. I wanted clean lines for this dress so I opted to shorten the three quarter length sleeve rather than use the puffy short sleeve option the pattern comes with. I feel very Boden like wearing this dress, especially when I pair it with my purple mary janes. (That's a good thing.)

I got nothing

Oh, I seem to curse myself whenever I say I will finish something soon. My weekend was unexpectedly busy, filled with spring flings, birthday dinners, shopping, and even cleaning out my closets (I had to justify the shopping somehow). I didn't buy anything I could make easily, instead I bought a whole new wardrobe of basic T-shirts. You have to love the Old Navy clearance section sometimes.


So, I have nothing to show you sewing/crafting wise. Instead, I'll show you some patterns I picked up recently which I may or may not make soon (trying to avoid the curse). I'd like to make the dress above in linen for a cute and simple summer dress.


I love this skirt pattern. I picked up a lot of cotton prints recently which will look great in this design. I love it when I recognize the fabric they use in the design picture.

Enjoying spring

Spring in DC is the most beautiful time of the year. It always amazes me every year when suddenly the leaves are back and everything is green again. Actually, in DC, everything is pink for a little while first. Peter and I (and a couple thousand other people) walked down to the Tidal Basin a few weeks ago to enjoy all the cherry blossoms. The winter really got to me this year and so the blooming trees were the most welcome sight.


Despite my break away from the computer, I still don't have much to show other than stacks of beautiful fabrics waiting to be turned into something. This week I did manage to sew a little on the dress I mentioned in my last post as well as knit more of the Juliet. I'm expecting to finish those this weekend (hoorah!).


Thank you for all the compliments on my bags. I put a lot of love into each and every one of them. Most are still available in the shop.