another little dress and a big race

Thought I'd share a few pictures of Finley in another little dress I made her.  It is another Leila and Ben dress, so it was quick and easy.

I used Farmdale chickens for this one, I love that print.  Plus I got it from Joann's with a 50% off coupon!  We've gotten a lot of wear out of it already.  It is a little cooler here lately, so she has been wearing leggings underneath.

This past weekend was an exiting one for us... Steve ran his first marathon!  He has been training for months, and he did a really great job.  He met his goal, and I couldn't be any prouder.

Now I'd like to run one.  Which is a little bit nuts, I never thought I'd say that!  I have been running since I was in junior high, but never anything longer than a 10K (6.3 miles).  Maybe once the kids are a bit older, and I have more time to devote to running.  We'll see. :)

 And here are a couple post-race shots.  We are both a little beat here... it was a long day!

xo, Ang

week 17 - FWQAL

This is week 17 of the Farmer's Wife quilt-along.  I did three blocks again this week, and I am up to 35.

The first block is #77 - Seasons.  I love love this one.  I used a new-to-me fabric from a swap with a fabric buddy in the Netherlands, cool right?  (Check out her Habitat quilt, btw- a twin to mine!)  So this block is made of Suzuko Koseki buttons and Authentic text.  I think that is what they both are, not positive.

Next is #70 - Prairie Queen, made with DS Quilts fabric.  I think Denyse's fabrics for JoAnn's are really great, and the smaller scale prints are perfect for these blocks.

The last block for the week is #41 - Friendship Star.  I made another one of these since I used the first one for an iPad case (I wrote about in my last post, in case you missed it).  It is a fun and easy block to make; I love those stars.

In other news, this has been an exciting week for me... yesterday we celebrated my 30th birthday! :)

Happy Wednesday!

xo, A

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time!  More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

weekend sewing and an autumn party

I got a little sewing in this weekend.  I've been wanting to make a case for my iPad, and I came up with this little number.  I ended up using a block I made for my Farmer's Wife quilt.  I really like this one, it is one of my favorites so far, and I thought it would be really cute for this case.  I also liked that it is a simple one, so I won't mind making another one for my sampler quilt to replace this one. 

 

I added some Moda crossweave scraps to the front.  Have you tried it yet?  I love that stuff, it looks like linen but is a bit easier to use.  I used American red rulers on the back, and DS Quilts dots for the lining.  It is padded with batting and lightly quilted.  I added a little white ribbon to the zipper, but I think I need to find some cuter to put there.

We went to a birthday party this weekend at a local pumpkin farm.  It is such a fun place and a great spot for some good photos.  The "corn box" is always a big hit with our family! 

The guys had a fun time on the various bikes.  I think Steve had as much fun as the boys.

I love these cute ones of me and Fin.  We don't get many pictures together, since I'm usually the one behind the camera.  I'm sure you other moms can relate to that!

xo, Angela

week 16 - FWQAL

Week 16 of the Farmer's Wife QAL is here, and I have three new blocks to share.  I am now up to 34, which is two blocks ahead of schedule. 

#3 - Batwing.  This block is a little odd to me, but I like how it turned out.  I used a blue print from Loulouthi (Anna Maria Horner) and Wordplay (Michelle D'Amore). 

#6 - Big Dipper - Tula Pink yellow ladybugs and American Jane multi pez.  By the way, did you see that American Jane has a new pez line coming out??  I am so excited, the mono pez prints are the best.

#10 - Bowtie - Lush woodgrain, Freespirit dots, Japanese Little Red Riding Hood.  This is a twin to one of my favorite FW blocks (so far!).

In family news, Eli started preschool last week.  He loves it so much!  I think he is an old pro already.  He watched his older brother go to this school for the past two years, so he was ready and knew just what to do.  When it came time for me to drop him off, he gave me a big kiss and ran off to play with his friends.  Sure made it easier for me to let him go, you know?

xo, A

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time!  More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

week 15 - FWQAL

I am doing double Farmer's Wife duty this week.  I didn't get a chance to do my blocks last week, so now I have 5 new blocks to share with you.  This means I've made 31 blocks and am one block ahead of schedule, oh yeah!  I am going to keep this short and sweet, we are heading out to the fair after dinner.

#14 - Butterfly at Crossroads

#20 - Churn Dash

#54 - Kitchen Woodbox (my favorite of this batch)

#34 - Flock

#93 - Swallow

And another shot of the whole crew.  I think they are so pretty together.

xo, A

This post is part of the Farmer's Wife Quilt-a-long, please feel free to jump in at any time!  More information and previous posts can be found HERE.

 

I started a paperpiecing project this weekend.  Camillle sent me this cute 2.5" charm pack of Ruby, and I am making 1" hexagons.  It is so great!  I don't have to cut any fabric, those little squares are just the right size for the paper pieces I already had.

I finished making hexagons this morning, and now I am sewing them together into rows.  It is great timing, having a handsewing project, because the latest season of The Office just came out on DVD today!  It is my favorite show, and since we don't have cable/satellite, I haven't seen a single episode from the last season. 

 

As for the holiday weekend, it sure went fast.  We didn't have any big plans, just spent the weekend quietly with friends and family.  It was a really nice weekend.

xo, A

a shirred dress

 I have made three dresses for Finley now, and the second is this shirred sundress. I used the pattern from Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross. It is a sweet little thing, and the pattern was pretty easy to follow. The only change I made was to add a couple inches in length.  I love long dresses on babies.

Sewing with elastic thread in my bobbin turned out to be pretty easy. I was a little hesitant, I have heard that it can be pretty problematic. I'm happy to say it went smoothly in my Janome. Once I added some steam, and shrunk so nicely.

I have to admit, I think I've been spoiled by sewing tutorials on the Internet. The ones I've used tend to be very thorough with tons of pictures. Using a pattern from book is not quite the same. Like I said... Spoiled.

I tried to snap some shots of Finley in her dress, but she was not being very helpful. It is hard to take pictures of a busy 14 month baby!

xo A