Heartsy over at the Bake Shop

Today I'm posting at Moda Bake Shop!

Click on over there and have a look----

Jeans hemming...

I bought myself a pair of way-too-long jeans.

and I used this tutorial:
http://www.kaylaksthriftyways.com/the-not-so-nerdy-way-to-hem-jeans/

to turn this:

into this:

it was so easy!  seriously awesome.  I think it took 20 minutes.  My hat is off to Kayla and her wonderful tutorial.

Nail polish

**Note:  this review is my own personal opinion.  No one gave me anything to say it.  The link will take you to the product on amazon but I don't make any money off of it at all.**

Ok, I realize this has nothing to do with quilting at all.

But sometimes I find something I like a lot, and I want to share!

I started reading Kristie's blog Blushing Basics a while ago, and she has a lot of good ideas.  I am not really a "beauty" girl because I don't have time to be and it's not my thing.  But I like good product recommendations because it saves me time and money.

My daughters like to paint their nails, and I enjoy the time that lets me spend with them, so I've been painting my nails pretty regularly.  I love this product, Seche Vite top coat for a few reasons.

1.  It dries fast.  Meaning it dries in the time I can convince my 2-year-old to sit still for her nails to dry.
2.  It keeps my nails from chipping as fast.

I think you can find it at Sally Beauty Supply.  Mine came from Ulta and I had to hunt for it and it was $10, so I suggest purchasing it on amazon where it's just under $7 including shipping.

And just for fun, here's what my girls and I did to our nails today:

I needed to get started quickly on a baby quilt, and I love this design by Oh Fransson!, so I decided to adapt her stars to a baby quilt size.....

Here it is all laid out.  You can't imagine how many times I had to rearrange it because a child or dog walked across it again....  but eventually I got them all in place at one time.

Each square is 3.5", and my layout is 11 squares by 12 squares.

The requirements for the quilt were "mostly not pink, only using pink as accents sparingly"

What do you think?

 Now they are all stacked up and labeled to be sewn into rows.

Puzzle time!

I love rainbows, and I love a color wheel.  

So you can imagine I was super excited when I found this puzzle!

I ran into it completely by accident at my local WalMart.  

It's a wonderful way to teach the color wheel in a tactile way.

Also good for teaching the names of some of the more complex colors (chartreuse, for example)

I'm sorry that I can't find a link to it anywhere, but it was in the toy section of WalMart for about $14.

The pieces interchange, so my kids have had fun not only constructing a "proper" color wheel but also creating designs and flowers and such.

Update

I just wanted to share a picture with you as an update to this post.

This is  my friend Ray with his daughter Haley.  They were reunited this morning in California.

Thank you for your concern and your prayers.

My new project

UPDATE ON HALEY:
Thanks everyone for your kind responses to this post.  I have an update.  Haley was pulled over in California, and the police contacted her father.  He is on a plane right now, on his way to meet her.  If you are a person of prayer, would you please pray for his travel, for their reunion, and for the long trip they face coming home?  Thank you.
**********************************************
And now to quilting......
I've taken on a new project.

I'm doing some commission quilts for a family out of their beloved (late) grandmother's clothes.  Grandma had seriously good style, and so it's been fun working with all the colors and textures.

Some are denim....

Some are black and white...

And there's more to come!

Has anyone else out there worked on a similar project?  What were the challenges you faced?

So far, my major challenges have been thick seams and fabrics of varying stretchiness.

New Challenges are fun!

I have a resolution this year: to post here every other day.  We'll see!

Before Christmas, I asked my friend Bonnie to make me a scarf.  She crochets, and I don't.  She graciously agreed, and so I asked her what she'd like me to make for her in return.

She pointed to her purse, which was just about to rip at the strap and asked me to make her a new one.

I told her no problem.  Inside, though, I was panicking.  I don't sew 3-dimensional things!  I started reading up on purse construction.....   I borrowed her existing purse that she liked, and I combined some ideas and drew up a pattern.

Then Bonnie decided that she wanted to keep one panel from her old purse and combine it with other new fabrics.  Which scared me good because it meant I'd be destroying the old one to make a new one....

But for all my worrying, it came out super cute.  The crocheted flower panel came from the old purse.

The brown is corduroy, and the brown/green is a velour home decor.

Here's a closeup of the bag.

I talked her into a patterned lining, and I'm so glad I did.  This cute print came from JoAnn's and I love how it makes the inside fun!

Because Quilters love to help

Friends, I am asking for your help.

You may have heard about this from another social media outlet.  I am telling you this is not a hoax.

My friends' 17-year old daughter ran away December 26th.  Her name is Haley Faith Wilson.  This video was made by her father.  Please watch it as it gives the pertinent information:


Her father has been my friend for a long time.  I want to help him.

Haley may be headed to any of our communities, and I am asking everyone to keep an eye out for her.  If you see her or have any information you can call the APD at 806.378.3038.  You can also contact me and I will pass the information on to the right people.

Please consider reposting or linking back to my post.  Thank you, and Happy New Year!

Happy Giveaway Day!

Good Monday Morning!

Today starts the week of the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day, and I have participated for years because I think it's a lot of fun. 

So if you are here for that, I am glad you are here.

Today I'm giving away 2 things:

The first is a fat quarter bundle.

You can also find this fat quarter bundle in my etsy shop, along with yardage of these fabulous fabrics!

To another lucky winner, I'll send a copy of my Betty quilt pattern, which is a fabulously easy lap quilt pattern made with 12 fat quarters and some white yardage.  You can also purchase this pattern (and others!) in my etsy shop.

And so now I'm going to tell you a little about me.....  

My name is Wendy, and you're visiting my blog, Sewing in the Wendy City.  

I am a used-to-be math professor (who still is, but only online), 

I stay home with my children, and I really, really like to create stuff.

I quilt a lot, I draw, and I write patterns.  I am a chef at Moda Bake Shop.

More recently I have started purchasing fabric to sell with my patterns for quilt kits.

And I am glad you are here!

To enter:

1.  First entry:   Pop over to my etsy store.  Find something you like.  Tell me which item you like best.  Elaborate if you want to.

2.  Second entry:  Become a follower, or tell me that you already are a follower.

I'm going to give these items away to 2 separate winners, and I am willing to ship internationally.

And also, everyone's a winner today.  Use the coupon code CITY15 to receive 15% off any order in my shop during the Sew, Mama, Sew Giveaway Days!

Thanks for stopping by, and Merry Christmas to you!

winner, winner, chicken dinner

Here's the winners of the free Betty patterns:

Kathy said...

I think it's called Betty because Betty is one of my all-time favorite names that is fun to say. Remember on Lavern & Shirley when Lavern got on the loud speaker when they were working in a kitchen (I think) and kept calling Shirley, "Betty please... Betty please... Boy that's really a longshot to get that one right. But it was a fun memory.

November 12, 2011 7:26 AM

Dollwood Farms said...

because the fabrics look to be from the 50's and Betty was a popular name? lol IDK. :)

November 13, 2011 1:43 PM 

You guys all had really good ideas -- most of them were better ideas than my actual inspiration for the name!  I chose Kathy's entry because it made me laugh and Dollwood Farms' entry because it was really really close to the actual reason.......

So here goes.  I've started watching Mad Men on Netflix.  If you haven't seen it, it's a series set in the late 50's/early 60's centering on the men working in a Madison Avenue Ad agency and their families.  The wife of the main character is a typical housewife in that time period and her name is Betty.  Her costuming is often in yellows and whites.  This fabric reminds me of that time and the colors remind me of her... hence, the quilt (and now the pattern) is named Betty.

Congrats, guys.  I've sent you an e-mail.

and here's the winner of the 7 American Jane Fairy Tale Friends layer cake squares:
Patticakes said...

Love this bag and would LOVE to win your giveaway! Thanks for the opportunity!
Patti

November 13, 2011 11:53 AM 

Patti, I've sent you an e-mail as well. I hope everyone enjoys their winnings!

Posted... and a giveaway!

I am so excited to tell you that my 4th pattern has posted today at Moda Bake Shop!

This time it's a tote bag, and it's been great to take to the library and everywhere else my girls and I have gone in the last month.  It's a really quick pattern, and I very much enjoyed putting it together.

I was working with the American Jane Fairy Tale Friends line, and it's so cute.  And I'm sharing.

Would you like to win this stack of 7 layer cake squares?  It's enough squares to make a tote bag, but you'll need to purchase yardage for the lining and handles and sashing.    Details on how to enter below...

I have another announcement!  I'm very excited about this too:

I have fabric in my etsy shop.  and it's cute.

It's Daisy Cottage by Riley Blake.  I have a giveaway for it too... so after you enter my layer cake giveaway, click here to enter the other one!

So to enter my giveaway for the 7 layer cake squares:

1.  Leave a comment telling me who you're going to make a bag for using them.  That's one entry.

2.  Want a second entry?  Become a follower or tell me that you already are one.  Just leave another comment for that second entry.

Best of luck!  I'll choose a winner on Tuesday November 15.  Be sure that I have a way to contact you if you win.

And don't forget to click over to my other giveaway...

Pattern giveaway

my exciting news.....  

new stock in my etsy store!

It's Daisy Cottage by Riley Blake.

I have fat quarter bundles.

And I have a quilt pattern in the store that I have written specifically for this fabric.  

It's easy.  It's quick.  It's fun!

Finished size is 50" x 65".

AND.... I even have quilt kits with all the fabric needed for the quilt top + binding and the pattern too!

What a deal!

I also have yardage available.  Don't you love the chandeliers?  And the top print.  I can just picture an apron made out of it......

 Anyways, I have a giveaway.  I'm giving away 2 copies of the pattern!  

To enter:

1.  Take a guess at why it's called Betty.  Just for fun.  That's one entry.

2.  For an additional entry, become a follower or already be a follower. And tell me in a second comment.

3.  Want one more entry?  Blog about it.  And leave another comment with your blog post address.

Please be sure that I have a way to contact you.  If you are a no-reply blogger, then please leave an e-mail address so I can find you.

I'll choose 2 winners on Tuesday November 15.  Best of luck!

Spider Progress

I decided a while back to start a spider selvage quilt.

{I'm not sure what I was thinking... I'm never going to have enough selvages to finish this!}

But I really, really like it.  I'm enjoying working on it little by little.  It's my go-to project when I'm stressed and just want to work on something for a while.

Here's how many I have so far.   Each block is 8.5" square.  I'm using Bonnie Hunter's method.

I'm using selvages with about 3/4 of an inch of the fabric on it.  If you have any selvages you'd be willing to donate to the cause, please let me know!  I'd be glad to send you some (selvageless) fabric in return.

Leaf banner -- fun project with kids!

I did a fun project with my kids today, and it was so fun that I wanted to share it so you can do it too.

Now here 's my criteria for a really fun project:
cheap
entertaining for at least an hour
kids learn something
accessible for a wide range of ages

And I have to tell you that this one hit all the marks!

For this project you will need:
a package of coffee filters
washable markers
drying rack
water sprayer (old windex bottle or similar)
needle and thread

 Buy yourself some coffee filters.  Get them for cheap at the dollar store.

 Iron them flat.  You can do 8 or 9 at a time.

 Cut them into leaf shapes, again 8 or 9 at a time.

 I made 2 different shapes.  I was going for a regular leaf and an oak leaf.  My kids called them hearts and stars.  oh well.

 Let the kids color on them with WASHABLE markers in fall leaf colors.  (If they are not washable, they won't work)

 Get a water sprayer (like an old windex bottle) and spritz them.  Better yet, let your kids spritz them.

 When they get wet, the colors will run together like a watercolor.

 Hang them up to dry.  Be warned, this is messy.  They drip.  But it's washable marker, so if you do it on tile, it will wipe clean easily.

They turn out pretty!

 Here's an example of how the spritzing changes them from this....

 to this!

 Once they are dry, thread a needle and run it through the stem part of each leaf.

and you will have a beautiful fall leaf garland!

My daughter enjoyed it so much that she drew a heart on on our hands "because we did a good job."

Huppah and more shoe clips

Last week I posted about this quilt that I made as a wedding present, and I wanted to show you a picture from the wedding:

This is the huppah with both tallits (prayer shawls) draped on it.  I constructed the huppah canopy (from an IKEA sheet!), which was fun.  And it didn't fall on anyone, so that's good.  

It was a beautiful wedding.  

They loved the quilt.  

The bride asked me to show it to her 93-year-old grandmother, whose late husband's prayer shawl hangs on the right side.  That was awesome.

Had another set of shoe clips to show you.  

My mom went with me to both the wedding and Quilt Market, and she asked me to make her some shoe clips too.  (Here's mine if you haven't seen them)

So here's mom's shoes with the clips.  Just a simple bow with a pair of earrings destroyed to make the center stone.  Very easy, but very cute.

Here's the back.  I see more shoe clips in my future.....

If you arrived here by searching for how to construct a huppah, e-mail me and I'll be glad to help you out.

Quilt Market I... in which I got to take a picture with a celebrity.

Yep, that's me with my mom.  

My mom's a rock star celebrity to me because she went with me to Quilt Market and braved the thousands of booths and looked at all of the displayed quilts with me.  

Every single one.  And there were zillions.  

She discussed color and texture and different threads and use of paint on the surface and construction and all those other quilt words.  

She even hula hooped with me to get entered into a contest.

I'll have more to post about Market through the week, but I wanted to put this one up first.

Oh, and Ty Pennington's in there too.

I got to talk to him about his fabric line, which is very cool.

More to come.

A wedding quilt

Just a note... if your name is Jennifer and you're getting married this weekend, click elsewhere or risk spoiling the surprise!

*********************************

I have a friend getting married, and I wanted to make a quilt for her as a remembrance of the event. I've been blessed to help with some of the planning, and it's been a lot of fun.  I've learned a lot about wedding traditions in the Jewish culture!  It's always fun to learn new things I think.

At the ceremony, they will get married under a huppah, which is a canopy.  Both paternal grandfathers prayer shawls (tallit) will be draped on the canopy.  They don't get to keep the tallit, so my idea was to create a quilt that would capture them together signifying the union of the two families.

And I had never seen one, so I was utterly fascinated.  I snapped these pictures and put them together into an inspiration board:

The angel charm has special significance for her, and so I wanted it to be included on the quilt as well.

Here's my palette I chose.  

And my initial sketch.  Sorry the edges of the paper aren't showing up on the scan....

Then I stuck fabric to the sketch to decide what color went where, and got to it.

I tacked the inspiration and the sketch above my sewing machine.

The piecing went rather quickly.  I wasn't trying to exactly reproduce the tallit;  I just wanted to create a piece that reminded them of the tallit together at their wedding.

The angel I did in freehand embroidery.  Here's my chalk drawing.

And here's the stitched piece.

All in all, I'm thrilled with how this turned out!

I put their names into it and the wedding date.  (The names are across the diagonal of the picture)

I was able to add some interesting machine quilting to add detail to the tallits.

 I enjoyed this project so much!

Linking up to Amy's Blogger's Quilt Festival.  Click on over and check out some of the other entries!