A Very Productive Day!

Hello!  :)

Yesterday I was in the mood to sew! It's been a long time since I've wanted to just sit and sew. I actually managed to get quite a bit done. Every time I finished a project I picked up another one and worked on it. I made my first bag yesterday. Yes I've never made a bag before. Here it is . . .

Isn't it adorable?!!! It's made from all Ruby fabrics except for the inside which is just a red plaid I keep on hand. (You can never have too much red plaid laying around!) Here's the other side . . .

I finished them both the same so it doesn't matter which way it's facing.  :)  Here's a side view . . .

And the other side . . . 

Since I love red so much I quilted it with red thread.  :)  Did you notice? Here's a view of the inside . . . 

It's an awesome sturdy little bag. I love it! I got the tutorial from Sharon over at Daisy Cottage Quilting. You can find the tutorial for the bag at the following links:

• Part One . . . http://daisycottagequilting.com/2012/09/03/daisy-tutorial/
• Part Two . . . http://daisycottagequilting.com/2012/09/04/daisy-tutorial-part-2/
• Part Three . . . http://daisycottagequilting.com/2012/09/08/daisy-tutorial-part-3/
• Part Four . . . http://daisycottagequilting.com/2012/09/08/daisy-tutorial-finale/

I didn't follow the above tutorial for the handles. I used this tutorial she just posted the other day for them.  :)

The tutorial I followed showed a Halloween bag. It was funny . . . every time I showed my hunky dude the picture of the bag he kept asking why I was making a Halloween bag the day after Halloween. I kept showing him the fabrics I was using but he just didn't get it. In his defense he was tired.

The next project I worked on was the Fat Quarter Shops 2012 Designer Mystery Block of the Month. It started back in June. I have the supplies for the first 5 blocks already and the 6th one will be out soon. Since I'm so far behind I figured I'd better get working on them. I started with Block One.

It's not perfect but it's done. I'm really loving the Vintage Modern fabrics, which I knew I would. I can't wait to play with the leftover scraps from the blocks.  :)  Here's Block Two . . .

This one is off too. Oh well . . . at least it's done. I might go back and fix it as it does bother me. Here they are together . . .

Looking good!  :)  I wanted to work on more of them but I wanted to get another project done first so I moved on. I'll get back to the rest of the blocks another day.

The last project looks pretty simple but it's for someone I love very much . . .

My little Doobie!  :)  I always seems to kick his water dish and spill the water all over the floor. Then I wipe it up and put a towel under it. I decided he needed a doggy food mat so here it is . . .

I found the cute dog bone fabric at JoAnn's. The batik came from a traveling stash box. It reminds me of little paws (okay maybe bird feet . . . lol). Here's the back . . .

It's just a simple little mat to put his food and water bowls on. Maybe I won't kick the water now. Of course I need to mop the floor before he can use it. Nothing but the best for my boy!  ;)

That's it! For yesterday anyway. I got a lot done, huh?! It felt really good. There's still a big pile of things to catch up on so hopefully I'll be able to start again on Monday. If I can get some of this finished and off my mind I'll be able to start on the quilts I need to make before Christmas. I'm quickly running out of time. At least I'm enjoying it again.  :)

Have you heard about the . . .

Cheryl over at Gone Stitchin' has started another Friday night for us to all sew and craft together. It's a great idea with us being so close to the holidays. She has the blessing of Heidi and Bobbi from Friday Night Sew-In. This Friday Night With Friends will take place the 1st Friday of the month which happens to be today!  :)  I'll be participating! Will you? Be sure to go sign up and craft the night away! Later this afternoon I will be taking my new bag filled with cross stitch supplies to my friend Karen's (from Sew Much 2 Luv) house to stitch and spend Friday night with her. I'm really looking forward to it.  :)

Until next time . . .

Happy Halloween!!! :)

Hello!

Hope you're having a Hallowing Halloween! I'm watching Sweeny Todd with the hunky dude. I've never seen it before and he says it's good . . . we'll see. ;)  

The Halloween greetings above and below are from the leftover fabric from my Halloween apron. I know it's kind of late but I wiped them into two mug rugs. Cute, huh?!!!  :)

Guess what came courtesy of the UPS man today??? It was the awesome bag I won last week from the Ghastlie Blog Hop! Here's a picture of me with the bag . . .

Please excuse my messy hair. It was the end of a long day of shopping. You know shopping does take a lot out of you! Whew! I picked up some great items at the thrift store today. I'll show them to you later in the week. I also have items I picked up a couple of weeks ago that I haven't shown you yet . . . I'm a bad, bad blogger!

Anyway . . . Let's get back to the bag. I couldn't believe it got here so quick! Here it is with the handle up (& the tag still on it) . . .

And here's a closer view of it . . . 

Isn't it awesome?!!! I thought about taking more pictures of the inside but I figured you'd be bored. I'll tell you instead.  ;)   There's a strap inside to strap your sewing machine in and two removable pouches (attached with velcro) . . . and of course there's all the pockets on the outside. Now all I need is a new, big, awesome sewing machine to go in it! A girl can dream can't she??? 

I want to take time to thank Madame Samm, host of the Ghastlie Blog Hop for securing such an awesome item to giveaway and for picking my name! Thanks also to Blue Fig for being so generous and donating the bag for the giveaway!  :)   The Ghastlie Blog Hop is going on now through Friday, November 4th. Be sure to check it out!  :)

Until next time . . .
Cherise  :)

September is National Sewing Month!

September is national sewing month. I know I plan on doing a lot of sewing this month. How about you? What projects do you have going on or coming up?

Some of my future projects include:  working on my Stars Quilt-a-Long quilt, a couple of mug rugs for swaps, a couple of aprons, a bag or two, maybe start some other quilt-a-longs (haven't decided yet), work on some Christmas runners for a holiday boutique, start on some quilts for Christmas gifts... I could probably list many more items. I've definitely been bit by the sewing bug. I want to sew everything! I wish I had more time and money!  :)
Did you know that Melissa over at "Happy Quilting", is offering an AuriFil Thread Giveaway. Be sure to go check it out and enter for your chance to win! 

Have you noticed the "Ghastlies Blog Hop" button in my left sidebar? I am planning on participating this October. I ordered my fabric over the weekend and it shipped today. I can't wait to get it and get started. I will be making an apron with it! Perfect for Halloween or all year long! If you're interested, or curious, click on the button to go check it out.

I haven't gotten much sewing done the last couple of days. I have been designing a mug rug for a swap I'm in. I know what I want to do in my mind but not sure if I know how to do it. So instead of sewing I've been searching the internet for tutorials, etc. I now believe I know how I want to proceed so I will start with that tomorrow. Wish me luck!

I'm not the type of person who likes to beg but I just started blogging a couple of weeks ago and would really love it if you would "follow" my blog. It would really make my day! There's a place to do so to the right. Let me know you're following me and I'll be sure to return the favor. I plan on offering a giveaway when I reach 100 followers... only 96 more to go... lol!  :)   Help me please!  Thank you so very much!   :)

Until next time...
Cherise  :)