Happy Friday!

hope your Friday evening is as awesome as mine...since I get to hang out with my Girl:

in pajamas...eating chips and apples dipped in caramel...and playing games!  I can be serious or busy or have errands tomorrow...tonight...we chill!

Amy Butler Cameo Sew-a-long...Episode 4!

Welcome to Episode 4 of my project for the Amy Butler Cameo Sew-a-long!  You can see how I arrived at this point by taking a look at Episode 1, Episode 2 and Episode 3!

In this episode...I get the bag put together (and have a little second guessing of myself!)... :)

Up first...After getting the exterior and lining pieces all pieced...it was time to get the two put together...and this involved more pinning...again...my LEAST favorite thing to do...but fear not...I pinned (and poked and pricked my fingers quite a few times...but that's a different story entirely!) like nobody's business!

and a close up...like I said...there was much pinning happening!

and then...one piece at a time, up first, the button loop:

and then I sllooowweddd my machine down so that I would have more control over the next steps:

And it was time to add one of the bias binding strips to one side:

and then prepped for topstitching:

and did the same on the other side, and stitched the button loop going in the proper direction, and here is where I ended up:

and this is also where I started to second guess my fabric selection (not the main body fabric...but the binding fabric)...not sure it was enough contrast to really pop...and then I said...oh well now!  LOL!  So that's it for this episode...next up...the grand finale!

15 minute challenge...week 20!

Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving (for those in the US), otherwise, hope you had a happy and productive week!  Here we go:

Tuesday: none

Wednesday: none

Thursday: none

Friday: still none

Saturday: even more NONE

Sunday: none

Monday: hexies!

for a grand total of 1 of 7 days!  Go ME!  I had the flu last week...no sewing accomplished.  I did order fabric on Friday...does that count?  Oh well...I'm back on my feet and soon to be back on track!  Linking up over at Life in Pieces!

Thankfully due to all of the sewing I got done in the previous weeks, I actually have a post or two stashed.  The next "Episode" in my Amy Butler Cameo Sew-a-long will be up later today or tomorrow...and I should actually have the project finished tonight! 

3 little letters

that when put together in just the right order...mean your day (and the next) is going to be very, very bad.  This happened to me last week...the three little letters were U, and an L and an F...when in the right order...spelled FLU.  The best part...yes...I did get my Flu shot this year (have for over ten years now...first time to get the Flu even with the shot).

Yeah...that's right...down for the count...and Thanksgiving...with the FLU.  It was not fun...at all...and with Guy working crazy hours (all at night)...I was pretty much on my own.  Thankfully Girl was off most of last week to hang out with me and get me popsicles when I needed them to soothe the sore throat...or grab the NyQuil...or another box of tissues...and then some cold water...and to make me Ramen (ramen noodles are the cure-all in my house)...and well pretty much to be the most AWESOME child on the planet.

I was almost on my feet by Thursday morning...so I coached her through getting the Turkey ready...which was a last minute purchase on Wednesday evening when Guy realized we were not going to my Mother's the next day to eat. 

By Saturday I was able to leave the house, so Girl and I did a little shopping...then lunch (I had to take a break...I was very quickly worn out!) and then we hit the movies to see "Rise of the Guardians" (I HIGHLY recommend this movie...it was really good!).  So I made up for the blah of hanging out with the sick Mom for 4 days.  I really am pretty darn lucky to have such an amazing kid. (Guess she's on the NICE list this year!).

And now it's Monday, and I went back to work...and am exhausted, but at least I can fix dinner myself today...maybe...there is Pizza that can be ordered..after all...wouldn't want to do anything TOO drastic...

Amy Butler Cameo Sew-a-long - Episode 3!

Welcome to Episode 3 of my project for the Amy Butler Cameo Sew-a-long!  You can catch up by checking out Episode 1 and Episode 2!

In today's episode...Bias Tape (inner scream of horror!) and putting things together!  I'm using the Reversible Bucket Bag (mine won't be reversible) pattern from The Bag Making Bible by Lisa Lam.

First up...Bias tape!

Another confession to be made here...I've never cut fabric on the bias before, nor made bias tape, and really wasn't feeling the whole "buy another tool" thing... so I did a bit of internet browsing...and kinda figured out what needed to be done!  (there was a bit of info in the book, but not necessarily enough for a true novice in the bias binding/tape arena).  I used this tutorial at Jaybird Quilts to get me going.

(and man was I nervous to actually cut into the fabric!).  And here is what I ended up with:

woohooo!  Success!  I used Julie's calculation (as explained in the tutorial) and was CONVINCED that I didn't have enough length once I got everything done...but sure enough...exactly PERFECT!  I had about 1-2" left over (you can see it in this pic):

once I got over the weird-o pinning and how awkward it all seemed...it went halfway decent! (and surprisingly...I will try it again!)

Then it was finally time to actually start putting together a bag!  Now...the instructions have been pretty good so far...and the exterior pieces went together WAYYY easier than I thought they would (the base piece went on really much easier than I could have imagined!).

The ONLY thing I wish had gone a little better is if I had remembered to make the pocket before I fused the fleece to the lining!

But it worked out in the end!  So now I have a bag exterior...

and a bag lining (with pockets!)...

up next...putting it together!  See ya soon with Episode 4!

Fifteen Minute Challenge...Week 19!

Wow!  The weeks are really flying!  Here we go:

Tuesday: Scrappy Stash QAL

Wednesday: none

Thursday: Scrappy Stash QAL - finish

Friday: pillow, rainbow strings, HST BOM

Saturday: Rainbow strings, bag (pieces cut out...but then had to pull apart the one piece I'd sewn...so it's  in a time-out!)

Sunday: Cameo Sew-a-long

Monday: Cameo Sew-a-long

Not bad at all! 6 of 7 days!  And I have finished at least 1 Christmas present, am about 75% of the way on another, AND I'm squeezing in a little something for me! (Cameo sew-a-long bag is all mine!).  Linking up at Life in Pieces to see how everyone else is doing this week!

Amy Butler Cameo Sew-a-long - Episode 2!

Welcome to Episode 2 of my project for the Amy Butler Cameo Sew-a-long!  See Episode 1 here.

On today's episode...we hold fabric auditions and make a selection...and then...we pin!

Ok...so I was having a really hard time deciding what fabric was going to go where on my bag.  So I started laying them all out, here are some of my favorite nominations:

Now, this bag, as written, is a reversible bag (pattern from The Bag Making Bible by Lisa Lam).  However, I am not all keen on a reversible bag...and I need pockets...so I'm modifying the pattern a bit. Which made one bit of this fabric selection process easy...the lining.  I am using Kona Ash for the lining (love the color) with a bit of Cameo for the pocket.

In the end...thanks to some assistance from Girl...I settled on this set:

(squeallll!  so excited!)

Once the fabric was all selected I got to my LEAST favorite part of any sewing project...patterns and pinning.  I'm not a big pattern kinda gal...as in a pattern you have to pin to anything and cut out (previous terrible experience) and I HATE pins...hate hate hate pins! Well...I sucked it up...pinned like there was no tomorrow...and cut out all my pieces!

No worries...I actually used more pins (quite a bit more!) than you see in the above pic.  and now...time to get to work putting it together...and cutting fabric on the bias (that should be interesting!).  See you in Episode 3!