One reason why I love to make things...

How cozy is this?  I love seeing things that I've made being loved on and used.   I spy four handmade things in this picture.

Hmmm... wonder if Doc will mind me sharing this picture?  He's such a babe.

xo, Angela

Not in love.

It has been an interesting sewing week for me.  I've made quite a bit of progress on my AMH blocks, as seen below.  I really like them, and I am excited about this quilt.  I had to stop because I ran out of my solid, Kona Ash, but that should be arriving any day now.

The pattern that I am using for this quilt creates a lot of scrap.  There is quite a bit of trimming needed to create the shape.  So while waiting for my Kona to arrive, I figured, hey, I may as well make a couple pillows out of the leftovers.  Sounds like me, right?  I know.

I made a pillow that I adore, but I can't share that one with you quite yet (top secret sewing, hehe).  Then I made another pillow top, using more of the leftovers.  And guess what, I am not in love with it.

Does that happen to you?  I hate when that happens.  You spend all this time working on something, and it doesn't turn out how you hoped.  I mean, I like it okay, but I'm not crazy about it.  If I'm being honest with you, it really ticks me off.  Just ask my friend Jessica, who got an email very shortly after I completed this square, and it was filled with me complaining about how annoyed I was.  It just put me in a bad mood.

Here is my question for you... What do you do with a project that you do not love?  Does it make you mad?  Do you pitch it, or hide it in a closet?  Finish is, and hope you change your mind?  Tear it apart and start over?  That is what I'm learning towards.  I'm really curious to hear what you do.

with love, Angela

a good laugh.

Need a good laugh?  Well, I don't usually share this kind of thing here, but these are too funny to keep to myself.  First off, I saw this on TV this past week while I was at the gym.  I was running on the treadmill at the time, and I literally laughed so hard I had to stop running. I love Ellen's show, and I think she is one of the few positive people on TV.  Though I've never been a fan of Jennifer Lopez, she does such a great job in this prank.  Really, you have to see it.

Next is a crazy collection of pregnancy photos from Awkward Family Photos.  Steve and I laughed so hard at these ones.  I love them, and they really are unbelievably awkward.  Check them out here.  Make sure you go through all five pages, some of the funniest ones are towards the end.

On a completely different note, have you heard of the Sewing Summit yet?  It is a sewing and blogging conference taking place in Salt Lake City, Utah this coming October.  It will be a great place to for the modern sewer to connect take classes, see demonstrations, and connect with like-minded people.  Make sure you click on the button for more information.  I am planning to attend, how about you? 

xo, Angela

back to binding...

I've been working on binding my FMF quilt off and on this week.  Is it weird that I am not in a hurry to finish it?  I am taking my time because as much as I'd like to have it completed and on my bed, I will be a little sad to have it finished.  Odd?  Maybe.  But you know, I'm also like that when I read a really great book, a series especially.  I really want to finish them, but I am always sad to actually have them completely read.  Seriously, I'm not the only one like that, am I?

So anyways, back to my Flea Market Fancy quilt.  I had originally planned to use a stripey aqua and white fabric, but once I put it with the quilt, it looked too busy to me.  I decided not to put any borders around the quilt, and it is already huge (over 100" each direction) and I did not want it any bigger.  I switched it out for an aqua Kona solid, and I love it.  It is the exact shade of blue as the blue posies background, and it looks so nice butted up against every color in the quilt.  It is also perfect next to the backing, which is a beautiful flat sheet in the same shade of green as the seeds fabric.

I don't always do this with each quilt, but I made myself a little binding necklace to wear around my neck which I sewed it onto the quilt.  Being such a large quilt with 400+ inches of binding, I really did not want it to get tangled up.  So I rolled the fabric up nicely, stuck a leftover piece of yarn through the middle, tied it up, and threw it around my neck.

Yes, it worked perfectly, and the binding unrolled as I needed it.  Does anyone else do that?  It is not a novel idea at all; I read about it in a quilt magazine several years ago and also had a women recommend it in a sewing class around that same time.  I know it may sound a little funny, but give it a try.  Not only does it make it easy to sew on the binding, it also makes you look very attractive. ;) 

I'm spending a little time every evening snuggled up on the couch in front of the woodburning stove, stitching the binding onto the back of my quilt by hand.  It is as cozy as it sounds.  I adore this part.

w/ love, Ang

By the way, I loved reading all of your comments and emails on my last post!  What a variety of thought about work in progress's, and what you prefer.  I have to say I was most surprised by how many of you stick to the "one-project-at-a-time" rule, and I really feel encouraged to get back to that.  I have a couple sewing obligations that I have committed to and will be starting soon, but besides those, I am going to try very hard to get back to making just one project at a time.

funny story.

I started a new quilt yesterday afternoon, and I'm so excited about it.  I've bought the fabric for it last fall, but due to the holidays and making gifts, I am just now getting to it.

I told my husband last night when he got back from work that I started a new quilt.  His response?  He just kinda laughed a little and said, "You can't stick with one project, can you?"  Which made me laugh.  If he only knew, right?

Once upon a time, I used to work on one quilt only.  I wouldn't allow myself to start a new one until the one I was working on was completely finished.  Somewhere along the line that changed, and currently I have two unfinished WIP's :

1) my FMF quilt, which I am halfway through hand-sewing the binding, and

2) this Hope Valley string quilt (I spy my prego belly in this post!). 

One of my goals for the year, possibly even this spring, is to get back to the HV quilt and finish it up.  I do really like it, but you know how string quilts are... a little repetitive.  I am also hoping to get back to my slightly crazy one-quilt-at-a-time rule.  The key word here is "hoping." :)

So tell me, how many WIP's do you have?

xo, Ang

Crossroads Pillow

Here is my latest pillow.  Do you get sick of seeing all of these pillows?  I hope not, they are one of my favorite things to make. They are nice, small projects that allow me to be creative while using techniques, color combos, and patterns I may not typically use.

This is one of four pillows that I made for a friend.  She wanted blues and browns to match her living room.  I tend to choose brighter colors for myself, so I really enjoyed working with this color palette.  This is an Arkansas Crossroads block, and I tweaked the dimensions to make it a 20" square.

Hmm... I'm thinking this block would make a wonderful scrappy quilt, right? 

Here is a quick shot of it on the couch. 

Yes, that is a very cool creation made out of blocks from my four year old in the background.  And the laundry waiting to be folded (where did that laundry fairy go?).  And the Christmas tree.  Are we the only ones who still have ours up, I wonder?  I'm always sad when I have to take it down.  Good thing my husband feels the same way.  What a great guy.

Hope you have a great Monday!

xo, Ang

Heather Ross giveaway - winner!

What a great weekend it has been.  Doc was a little under the weather, so we spent most of the weekend together at home.  I spent some quality time with my Janome and was able to start and finish the quilting on my FMF quilt.  It was the first queen that I have quilted, and it went rather well!  Needless to say, it is quite the accomplishment for me (the largest I've quilted are twins) I am happy to have that done.  I can't wait to pick out some fabric for the binding tomorrow, and hopefully it will be on our bed by the end of the week.  It has been rather cold here, with the highs in the 10s and 20s, so it will be a great addition to our bed.

Now, on to the winner of the Heather Ross giveaway!  Thanks to the wonderful random.org, the winner is JanetK!

JanetK said...

I'm a follower - was following your previous blog too! This giveaway would make me so happy! I've used up all but the tiniest scraps of these fabrics on two quilts I made as gifts this year...I would love to have a bit more, maybe to work into a quilt for myself!

I just sent you an email, Janet  Congrats to you, and I hope that you love and enjoy the fabrics as much as I do.

Be back in the morning with a finished pillow to share!

with love, A

Pinning.

I had a very productive afternoon yesterday.  All three kiddos napped at the same time (!!!) and I layered and basted my Flea Market Fancy quilt top.  I've made plenty of twin quilts and smaller, but this is the first queen size quilt.  I was a little intimidated to baste it, but it went surprisingly well. 

For a long time, basting was my least favorite part of the quilting process. Not for any reason in particular, I was just too impatient and wanted to skip that part.  The last couple of quilts have been different, though, and  I've really enjoyed this step.  Now I like to spend some quiet time with the quilt, trimming stray threads, and admiring (hopefully that and not cringing over) my piecework. 

Here are the things that I use to baste:

1 - Pins.  I always pin, never spray.  Not because I don't think it is a good idea, I've just never tried!  

2 - Scissors.  I keep a pair of small scissors close by to trim the stray threads that pop up between the seams.  I couldn't seem to find my little ones yesterday, so the big old fabric scissors had to do. 

3 - A beverage.  A can of diet Coke usually keeps me company.  Late night pinning sometimes requires a glass of wine.  Not sure if that is the best idea ever!

4 - I always use a spoon to close the pins.  Have you ever tried that?  I read that tip in a quilt magazine a few years back, and it sure makes things easier.  After the pin is through the layers, just slide the spoon under the point, and close pin. Does that make sense?  Pinning goes quickly, and no more sore fingertips!  

5 - My iPod.  I listen to either an audiobook or a podcast.  If it has been a crazy day with the kids, I usually work in silence.  With three kids ages 5 and under, we don't have much of that in our house. :)

Okay, I'm off to quilt this thing, wish me luck!  And don't forget, today is the last day to sign up for the Heather Ross giveaway.  I'll announce the winner later on in the weekend.

Happy Friday!

xoxo, Angela

PS - Do you have any good basting tips you'd like to share?

Wordless Wednesday.

xoxo, A

Heather Ross giveaway!

Oh, my sweet readers. Thanks for all of the kind comments and emails about my new blog.  You are so encouraging, and I appreciate you very much.  To say thank you, I thought I'd have a giveaway!

Before I get to the details, here are a couple pictures I took this morning of my little man Elijah.  Weston spent that night at Grandma's, so while Finley was still in bed, we spent a little time together.  He was being a great little helper while I sewing.

What a cutie pie, huh?  He took over my cutting mat and ruler... apparently they make great toys.  And look!  Did you notice my wonderful Christmas present in the background??  A new sewing machine!  I { l o v e } my Janome.

And now, onto the giveaway!  I am offering up a set of fat eigths to one reader.  They are from Heather Ross' Lightning Bugs and Other Mysteries line.  In case you are not familiar with them, these are out of print fabrics that are very desirable and hard to get your hands on (especially those yellow gnomes!)  When you do find them, you pretty much have to pay an arm and a leg to purchase them.  These are my favorite fabrics.

The details.... This giveaway is for the people that follow Fussy Cut.  You must be or become a follower of this blog.  What do I mean?  Check out my side bar  <---- towards the bottom and you can see little photos of the people that "follow" me. 

If you already follow, go ahead and enter by leaving me a comment letting me know.  Also, tell me what your single favorite fabric is!  I always loving hearing that.

If you are not following yet, all you have to do is click on the button in the sidebar to join, and then come back and leave a comment telling me that you did and your favorite fabric,too.

If you really want to win these fabrics, you can have a second entry if you write about this giveaway on your own blog.  Just leave a second comment letting me know.

Simple right?  So go on!  Be sure to leave your email so that I can get ahold of the winner.  I'll leave the comments open until Friday, January 14th, and then I will draw the winner that weekend.  Giveaway closed, thank you!!

xoxo, Angela

Welcome!

Hi friends, welcome to Fussy Cut! I decided that it was time to start a new blog. When I started the Raggedy Owl blog a couple years ago, my specific plans were to use it to keep in touch with the devoted customers from my etsy store. As time passed, it gradually changed from a blog devoted to the shop to one used to share my sewing and crocheting projects. In my every day life, I do not have many friends who like these things, and my blog has been my way to connect with likeminded people. That being said, it is time to move on from my old home on the web to my new and improved one. { Didn't Mandy do such a wonderful job?! }

What can you expect from me in this new space? Lots of stitching of course! I will continue to share with you things I make along with the wonderful gifts others have made for me. I'll keep you updated on the shop happenings as well, since that is very much a part of my crafting life.

Before you leave, please please please update your readers (there is a new subscribe button in my sidebar) and follow me (over there in the sidebar, too). It is looking awfully lonely over there! Also, if you have been sweet enough to put me in the blogroll on your own blog, don't forget to switch me over there too. I sure made a lot of work for you, didn't I? ;)

source

So, have a look around! What do you think?? There is a lot to see.

I'm so happy to finally have you in my new home. :)

xoxo, Angela

Flea Market Fancy quilt top

Good morning! I finished my first quilt top of the year yesterday. It is the Flea Market Fancy quilt I started back when Finley was born in July. I put the blocks away a few months ago in order to work Christmas gifts and orders for the shop, and I'm so happy to get back to work on it. I took a couple shots of it while I was ironing.

I spread it out on our bed yesterday to show Steve. His comment? "It looks great, but wow is it girly." Hehe. :)

Happy Monday!

xoxo, Angela