Almost!

Yesterday, I finally finished all 9 blocks for my Swoon Quilt!

Block #6

Block #7

Block #8

And last but not least....

Block #9!

I even got to to lay them out with help from an expert in arranging, otherwise known as my disgruntled loving boyfriend. Sometimes it helps to get a second opinion. (Thank you sweetie!)

I can't wait to sew on the sashing and borders! What do you think???

This Weekend

Did you all have a great Mother's Day? I hope you got to do lots of fun stuff! I happened to have a splendid weekend at the tenth annual Art Star Craft Bazaar in Philly!

With this super awesome lady.....

In case you can't tell by the picture, that's Nicolette of Nicolette Absil Jewelry. She's pretty fantastic! She makes amazing one of a kind pieces of jewelry from a process called enameling.

Pretty neat huh? Her jewelry is so beautiful. I absolutely love the way she sets gems into her pieces!! Its really unique. You can follow ,Nicolette, and discover more about her process and techniques by checking out her blog here!

The bazaar had an array of really talented and wonderful artists from around the country! I did get to go shopping at one point and picked up some really cool stuff like this hat from our booth neighbors Emily and Nick of Endless Hats. 

  
They were really great! Emily and Nick, if you ever read this thanks for the safety pins! 

 I just love craft fairs! The best part is being able to buy directly from an artist. You get to see and understand the effort and passion that goes into making each item, especially when you meet the person who made it. All in all, it was a great time and a great learning experience. I had so much fun! I'm hoping Nicolette will ask me to help her again soon!

A Few More Blocks and a Great Tip

I have been a busy bee lately! I got a few days where I was able to sit down, relax and just sew. The product has been three more Swoon blocks and a fantastic new discovery!

Block #3

Block #4

Block #5

I'm now at a grand total of 5 Swoon blocks. That means only 4 more to go! Whoopie! These blocks are a little painstaking, but totally worth it! I can't wait to snuggle up under this one!

Now, I have always used blue painter's tape for sewing diagonals, especially blocks like snowballs or flying geese. You can even use it for making half square triangles(HST) like Camille of Simplify does here. I normally line the tape up with my needle so it gives me a straight line to follow through to the point.

 As you can see though, I have added a second piece of tape. Why you might ask??? By adding that second piece of tape a half inch to the left of my needle, I am able to make HSTs as I go! I originally got this idea from Allison Harris of Cluck Cluck Sew. She has such wonderful tips and tutorials!

It is an extra little step, but makes up for a lot in the end. So instead of having piles of cut offs....

 You get tons of HSTs ready to use for another project!

 

Obviously, the "sew as you go" technique is not a new one, but its new to me and I'm loving it!

Block #2

So I'll agree it has been a little quiet around here lately....As mentioned, I was hoping that a three day weekend would allow me to have tons of time for sewing and I would have most of my Swoon Quilt done by now....

Obviously, this is the part where I tell you that did not happen. I more or less spent the better half of the weekend catching up on my sleep debt, clocking a grand total of 36 hours asleep. Which most of you can figure doesn't leave much time for anything productive, but it makes for a happy me. I did in fact sew, believe it or not,at one point. But it definitely wasn't as much as I had planned.

I now have two...count em' TWO completed blocks. Pretty pathetic I know, but at least its a step in the right direction. On a better note, I was able to do some other important things this weekend, like catch up with friends and fix the leak in our RV, so it wasn't a complete waste.

Sorry! I know this post is a little late, but you'll just have to bare with me for the time being. As they say better late then never!

Blog Who?

Hey everyone! Just a quick no pic post to let you know I am still totally alive thriving solely on caffeine and jelly beans and will be posting an update sooooon! Work still has me crazy, but I'm now face to face with a 3 day weekend and a sewing machine dying for play time. See you soon!