lately.

Oh hi!  Remember me?  I'm the one that writes on this blog.  Okay, maybe not so much as of late.  I have been busy, sewing like crazy.  I am working on several projects for a book.  Not my own book, but a collaborative one, and the deadline is right around the corner.  I'm enjoying the projects, but some days it is difficult to get much done with this little helper getting into everything around:

Don't you love that smooshy face? :)  Anyways, I've been squeezing a little knitting and sewing time in after the kids go to bed.  That is our time to unwind and enjoy a little peace and quiet.

I learned how to knit while at the Sewing Summit a couple weeks ago, and I started this Honey Cowl.  It wasn't looking so hot, so I decided to pull it out and start again.  I like it much better now!  I'm still pretty slow, but I feel like I'm getting better.

I had to make a cute little knitting bag, of course!  I made this the other day using Jeni's really great tutorial.  It is a quick and easy project, and it took less than an hour to make.  Perfect for when you need some instant-gratification-kinda-sewing.  That is a word, right??  I used this super cute bunting fabric paired with some fabric from Katie Jump Rope and DS Quilts.  I've had a lot of questions about the fabric on Instagram and Flickr, so I took a picture of the cute selvedge in case you are curious.

I've also been stitching on some new fabric from Anna Maria's needleworks line.  It is gorgeous!  No big surprise there, right?  I am working on a smaller piece now, and I'm not sure what I'm going to make with it yet.  Maybe a zipper pouch?  Needlebook?  It is easier than regular cross stitch because you don't have to count stitches.  One note if you do buy some - order a full yard!  A half yard doesn't have all of the full designs on it.

Other than that, we are really enjoying fall here.  Lots of costume shopping, beautiful scenery, and Pumpkin Spice Hersey Kisses.  Which are amazing, by the way.  Though my husband would disagree.... ;)

Hope you are well!

xo, Angela

PS - Hope you don't mind all the Instagram photos!  If you are in it, you can follow me @fussycut.

Sewing Summit 2011

Hi friends!  It has been a busy couple weeks since I last posted.  Sewing Summit has come and gone, and it was amazing.  It was everything I was hoping for, really.  For me it was all about the people.  I've been blessed with some great friendships through our online sewing community, and I loved spending time with these people.  I made a lot of new friends and met quite a few people who read my little blog too, which was pretty amazing.

My trip started Thursday around lunchtime with a 3 hour drive to our closest airport.  I love traveling alone.  It is something I did quite often when I was single, and the last time was when I went to a Weekend Sewing retreat with Heather Ross and Denyse Schmidt a couple years ago.  I enjoyed the long drive and quiet time in the airport and on the planes.  It was fun to read, people watch, and just take my time.  I met up with my good friend Jessica for the second leg of the flight, so that made it even better!

Friday morning, this Amanda was nice enough to drive us around on a little fabric shop hop of our own.  At the first store, we found a Farmer's Wife book!  This other Amanda and I couldn't help ourselves, we had to get a picture with it.

Lunch that day was Cafe Rio.  I was so excited to find one, we don't have these where I live in PA!  I love Mexican food, and it definitely lived up to my expectations.

Friday evening we had an opening reception, then we spent the evening learning to knit.  I picked out some beautiful Madeline Tosh Vintage yarn, and I am working on the Honey cowl.  I am not very good at it, and I am so so slow.  Hopefully I'll get better!

Saturday was class day, but Amanda, Jessica and I skipped our first class.  Camille was in town that weekend, so we went to breakfast with her and her sweet little Nicholas at a coffee shop down the road from the hotel.  She is every bit as sweet and genuine as she comes across on her blog, and that little man is such a doll! 

Saturday afternoon was filled with classes.  I had a great time assisting Jeni in her class, and then next was Amanda's class on mini quilts.  They both were very knowledgeable and inspiring.  At the end of Jeni's class, we surprised everyone with free Kona cotton color cards gifted from Robert Kaufman, so that was a lot of fun!

That night was a lovely dinner at a local brewerie.  It was hosted by the sweet Jennifer and Elena.  They surprised us with gift bags full of everything from Olfa products to FQ stacks of fabric.  We were shocked!

That last evening was another late night.  We were up until 2AM (which is 4AM my time!!) chatting in the lobby and sewing room, and I had to get up at 6 that morning to get to the airport.  I decided to skip the last day of classes in order to head home.  It was a long day of traveling.  I left SLC at 8AM and got to my house 8PM.  I was bummed I had to leave early, but in the end I'm glad I did.

Of course I was thrilled to come home to my family.  The not so good thing?  I came home to a house full of sick people.  We spent most of last week snuggled up on the couch under quilts.

So that is a little bit of my Sewing Summit experience.  There is a fun linky party over here if you'd like to read other people's blog posts about it.  Erin and Amy are already planning next year's conference, and I am looking forward to it already. 

xo, Angela

PS - Oh, and I almost forgot!  My favorite thing when meeting people at the Sewing Summit: I'd see a person look at my face, then check my right foot for my star tattoo, and then they'd come up and say hi.  This happened so many times!  Apparently the little star was confirmation that I am me.  :)

Pillow Talk swap

One of my favorite groups on Flickr is the Pillow Talk Swap.  It is a fun swap.  Each person is assigned a blind partner, and you make a special pillow for them.  It is fun, scheming and sewing for your partner.  The surprise is the best part.  I haven't done this swap in quite awhile, but when I saw a new round was coming up, I couldn't resist.

My partner was easy to sew for.  She had some pretty specific color requests, but didn't seem to have any preferences for the actual pattern.  I decided to go ahead and make a kaleidoscope pillow, just like my KJR one from earlier on in the year, only a bit larger.  The above picture was my sneak peak to the group, and below is the finished product! 

I made a 20" pillow out of blue, green, and yellow fabrics paired with Kona Ash (or maybe it was Moda Bella medium gray).

There is a white invisible zipper in the bottom, and the backing is a print from DS Quilts.  I really like that line alot, it has a lot of great blenders and basics. 

I had a lot of fun sewing this pillow.  I enjoyed the little break from sewing work and deadlines. 

I hope my partner loves it!  It went in the mail Friday morning, and I can't wait until it arrives at its new home.  Now I want to make some kaleidoscope pillows for my couch.  I just love this pattern (remember this quilt?).

Hope you had a nice weekend!

xo A