{swaps}

you could say i had a swap problem {addiction} this past spring. here are the mini's i created for my partners. i had so much fun! i think mini's are a perfect way to try out patterns or techniques i may not be willing to try out for a whole huge quilt.

first up is my lizzy house mini quilt. i used carolyn friedlander's aerial grove quilt pattern. what a great i-spy pattern. i actually surprised myself by how much i enjoyed the hand applique process for this quilt. so much so, i'm contemplating a full size aerial grove.

next up is my anna maria horner mini quilt. i took a six-minute circle technique class at our last STLMQG retreat last year and put those techniques to use in this mini orange peel quilt. it was a little time consuming, but i'm pleased with how this turned out.

 the last is my cotton and steel mini quilt. i used a paper pieced spiderweb block for this quilt. i was also inspired by AMH's spinning star pattern. i've always loved the spiderweb block and forsee another of these in full size also.

 besides the quilts, i used this tutorial for these quilt as you go pouches. they were a quick whip up and i think they turned out fun.

 the swaps were a great way to sink yourself into some social media circles and create something for someone else that might be out of your normal comfort levels. it was great and i'd do it again!

{lou}bee pillows

for our {lou}bee swap in november i had cara. i was inspired by these rocky mountian puzzle blocks, and thought they would be perfect for my munki loving friend. it was fun to pick out fabrics for this pillow. i actually used a necklace i knew cara loved for the color inspiration. i had the back dot picked out and while we were on a retreat heard her say it might be her favorite fabric ever. win for me! 

18"pillow

fabric: DS katie jump rope, chicopee, flea market fancy; heather ross munki; comma pin dot

her girls are star wars fans {as well as my boys}, which makes for a great excuse to get a bit of star wars fabrics in the collection. this pouch is a pattern in patchwork please. i really like the shape of it, although the lining is hand stitched in, which takes a while. i'm pleased with their turnout.

for dec {which turned into january} i had jessica. jessica is a cat lover. it was a great chance to try elizabeth's cat block tutorial. they were super easy and fun to put together.

this little cat bag/thread catcher was also in patchwork please.

18"pillow

fabric: julianna horner & DS for joanns, uptown by erin michaels, amy butler, kona snow, linen

{pinterest}

i've been experimenting with some of the ideas/patterns i've found on pinterest. 

these masks are AWESOME. they were a little time consuming, but they have been an immediate hit with the boys. i love the small time investment on my part for such a fun creative activity for the boys.

when i saw this tutorial on pinterest, i knew they would be a loved project. to make it even better, i had some home dec fabric from joann's i had bought on sale last year. i used up most of what i had on these and they make great reading pillows.

i tried to make these pouches, but was unsuccessful. i even kept the two i made so i could take pictures and share my failure, but i cannot {for the life of me} find where they disappeared to. i think my mistake was the fact that i didn't use a metal zipper. i used a regular plastic one. the plastic zipper made it difficult to sew around the corners and when unzipping the zipper gives. after looking around, i think i'm going to try this tutorial for a zippy wallet; same size, no curved zipper.

the halloween costume. my boys have fallen hard for How to Train your Dragon. when i asked my oldest what he wanted to be, after toying wtih the idea of robin hood, he finally settled on toothless {the dragon}. i remember seeing this costume last year. he wanted to be black with red {his favorite} and blue.

the tail is from this tutorial. it velcros around the waist. i made two tails, one for each boy. {trying to kill arguments before they happen}. i love they now 'fly' around the house together; a dragon and buzz lightyear.

{open wide}

i had a couple birthdays i wanted to celebrate. i thought it was a good time to try noodlehead's open wide zipper pouch tutorial.

what a great pattern. it was so clear and these came together without any hiccups.

i love the way these turned out. i will keep this one in mind for the holidays.

{pouches}

is there anything better than a little bag or pouch you can zip and keep random treasures in? i happen to be a life-long collector of such items. even better are those you can create yourself or are made by someone for you. yes! this is great.

we had a little pouch swap with the STLMQG. what a clever idea!

i made this pouch for my swap partner, kind of shooting in the dark on likes & dislikes, but i think it turned out cute. i used this super easy to follow and awesome tutorial from noodlehead, who has a TON of great tutorials and patterns.

{excuse the crappy iphone pic}

this is the pouch i received from Carol and i LOVE it! linen, amy butler, blue/green! she nailed me :)

 fabric: out-half moon modern zigzags , in-half moon modern small dots

i have had more pouches on my list and in my to-do piles for months. i finally decided to whip these up while i was working with small bags. oh.my.goodness. so cute. the pattern is keyka lou's pocket clutch pattern, totally worth the couple bucks. easy to follow directions, durable construction. i'm glad i finally got around to making these.

{spectrum}

do you ever have so much sewing you 'have' to do, you don't know where to start? i found myself pulling fabric, walking to the table convinced i needed to start SOMETHING, but so overwhelmed with ideas and projects i would just walk away not having sewn a thing. *sigh* the problems of a first world-fabric loving-quilter-as-a-hobby girl. i decided i needed to do a small project of something i would love to get sewing again.
i'm calling it my Spectrum Pouch.

 {front}

 {back}

{inner}

this project is a combination of all things i love; blues, pouches, free tutorials, something new, an idea coming into real life, and lines (to name a few). i'm so pleased with how this little pouch came out and have plans to make at least 2 others that 'go along' with this one. the zipper needs a little practice, but hey, i think it's #3 that i have done in the last 4 years. not too shabby.

how do you re-find your sewing mojo?