Fresh Sewing Day

1. Crossword Quilt, 2. Zakka Pencil Pouch 2, 3. Superhero Capes, 4. Autumn Sky, 5. Sunnyside Pouch, 6. Zakka Pencil Pouch

September, if I hadn't lived you, I wouldn't have believed you were possible. And by that I mean to say that it's been a good month...an amazingly good month.

You can trust me on this one.

Linking up to Fresh Sewing Day.

Hectic

1. Carefree, 2. Kid's Travel Bags, 3. Patchwork Wristlets 2, 4. LJ Quilt, 5. Chevron Doll Quilt, 6. Nanny Bee Pouches

July was just plain crazy. We lead a pretty hectic life in our house, but it's been a while since we've had a month as busy as this past one. I think we fit about three months worth of activities, vacationing, and medical appointments into the last four weeks. The projects above were mostly gifts for some of the wonderful people in my life, the only exception being my Carefree quilt which was a little gift for me.

By the way, I can't recommend those travel bags I made for the girls highly enough. If you have kids or know kids or are thinking of giving birth to a kid some time in the near future, make one of these for them -- the parents will love you forever. Not only did these little wonder bags keep my girls busy during the eight hour car trip, they also entertained them in restaurants, during church, at the house, absolutely everywhere we went. I knew they were going to be helpful, but I had no idea they were going to be miraculous. If these bags had feet, I would kiss them. Seriously...I love them that much.

Linking up to Fresh Sewing Day at Lily's Quilts.

Celebrate

1. Patchwork Pouch, 2. Mr. Bear Kit 2, 3. Zakka Bell Pepper Hot Pads, 4. Plain & Fancy Mini Quilt, 5. Scrappy Kaleidoscope Pillow, 6. Chevron Baby Quilt, 7. Zakka Tea Cozy Set, 8. Happy Go Lucky Pouch 2, 9. Zakka Apron

I always love Fresh Sewing Day. It's great to look back on the month and celebrate everything that we've made. June was full of Zakka, gifts, and fun little quilts. It's always best to enjoy summer while you have it, I say...

Linking up to Fresh Sewing Day at Lily's Quilts.

Hello June

1. Mopsy, 2. Have It All Wallet, 3. Mosaic Bag, 4. Timber Mosaic Bag, 5. Patchwork Case for Scribble & Write, 6. Pillow for Mom, 7. Lagoon Floor Pillow, 8. Bear's Floor Pillow, 9. Mouse's Floor Pillow, 10. Summer, 11. Summer Folded, 12. Office in a Pouch x3

May was full of celebrations of so many kinds, and I had a grand time making gifts for each one. In fact, as I look at the projects in this mosaic, I'm reminded of how much I enjoyed myself in the sewing room this month.

June is already shaping up to be a fun month too, full of happy sewing and family adventures as we plunge into the start of summer. Yesterday's post covers some of the blogging events that are on the calendar already. I look forward to sharing them with you in the weeks ahead!

Linking up with Fresh Sewing Day at Lily's Quilts.

April Showers

1. Mouse's Lovey, 2. Traveling in Circles Tote 3, 3. Spring Table Runner, 4. Dapper, 5. Fox Hollow Box Bag 2, 6. Melford Bag Unplugged 2, 7. Patchwork Bag, 8. Office in a Pouch

April was a crazy month, but somehow in the midst of all that insanity, my projects took on the quiet glow of spring. Funny how life works out that way sometimes...

Most of the finishes above were gifts. I loved making them; I loved giving them away. And isn't that one of the best things about this wonderful hobby?

We celebrated two weeks of incredible tutorials for the workspace during the Girl Friday Sews Blog Hop -- you can find links to all of them in this post. It's been suggested that we have a link-up soon where all of you can share a project that you've made for your workspace from the tutorials or on your own. If you're interested, let me know, and I'll make sure we schedule it and get some prizes involved. I was featured on The Name Game this month, and my Sweet Contrary fabric mosaic made it into the top ten finalists. I'm also gearing up along with the rest of you for Sew Mama Sew's upcoming 10th Giveaway Day -- be sure to stop by here on Monday for a chance at a fun package!

In our home, May is the last month of school, and the beginning of summer's lazy days. I am so ready for them to start...

Linking up to Fresh Sewing Day.

Wonderful

1. Drawstring Bag 3, 2. Pineapple Upside Down Cake, 3. Seat Stash in Use, 4. Havana Scooter Set, 5. Fireworks Mini, 6. Retro Kitchen 2 Scale, 7. Tsuru Two Zip Hipster, 8. Once Upon a Time

In a word, March was wonderful.

Spring came to visit our home with sunshine, fruit blossoms, and two heavenly weeks of vacation. It's always funny to me how I seem to have less sewing time when there's no school, but it's hard to find the time in between planting flowers, outings with the girls, and playing in the backyard. Still, I'm not empty handed this month, as you can see above: another fun Retro Kitchen block, my Tsuru bag, my Havana tutorial projects for Monaluna, my first Fabric Auditions post. If I had to pick a favorite, though, I'd definitely go with that Heather Ross quilt in the bottom right corner.

This Monday, Girl Friday Sews officially takes off with a tutorial here at Fabric Mutt. If you're looking to freshen up your own workspace, you'll definitely want to tune in. Once again, here's the schedule:

Mon., April 1 -- Heidi Staples @ Fabric Mutt
Tue., April 2 -- Kristy @ Quiet Play (Pink Chalk Fabrics giveaway: $25 certificate)
Wed., April 3 -- Becca Bryan @ Bryan House Quilts
Thur., April 4 -- Amanda Woodruff @ A Crafty Fox (Westwood Acres giveaway)
Fri., April 5 -- Lee Heinrich @ Freshly Pieced
Mon., April 8 -- Svetlana Sotak @ SOTAK Handmade
Tue., April 9 -- Beth @ Plum and June (Sew Me a Song giveaway: fabric bundle)
Wed., April 10 -- Taryn @ From Pixels to Patchwork
Thur., April 11 -- Lori Hartman @ Lori H. Designs (Fabricworm giveaway: Robotic fabric bundle)
Fri., April 12 -- Leanne @ She Can Quilt
Mon., April 15 -- Blog Hop Recap at Fabric Mutt

See you on Monday!

Linking up to Fresh Sewing Day.

Marching On

1. Timber & Leaf Pillow, 2. Katie Jump Rope Pillow, 3. Patchwork Pocket Pillow, 4. EPP Portfolio, 5. Doll's Sleeping Bag in Use, 6. Alterations 2, 7. Directions 2, 8. Color Study Baby Quilt

February was full of lovely sewing: pillows galore, my first cathedral windows, a brand new case for English paper piecing on the go. I sewed quilts (of course), made a doll's sleeping bag, and was so pleasantly surprised by my first attempt at tailoring store-bought clothing. I also got the chance to participate in the Intrepid Thread Scrap Challenge through Stitched in Color, and my work was featured by two different online fabric shops -- the Pink Chalk Fabrics newsletter (for my valentine pillow) and the Pink Castle Fabrics blog (for my triple-zip pouch and EPP case). So much fun and so encouraging!

Fun things are on the way here at Fabric Mutt in the month of March. I have some new tutorials coming up in another week or so over on the blog of a wonderfully talented fabric designer, and I'll also have the details soon for a blog hop I'll be hosting in the month of April. I'm really looking forward to sharing it all with you in the weeks ahead, so be sure to drop by!

Linking up to Fresh Sewing Day.

January

1. Valentine Pillow, 2. Sweetcakes Baking Party Set 1, 3. Sewing Room, 4. Another Valentine, 5. Notion Bag, 6. Out to Sea Pocket Pillow in Use, 7. Out to Sea Quilt & Pillow, 8. Out to Sea Quilt, 9. Triple-Zip Pouch, 10. Pyrex Dishes Block

Looking over my projects for January, it seems as though I must be secretly longing for spring -- I can see it there in the candy colors and cheerful prints. I thoroughly enjoyed making a pair of valentine pillows for my husband and myself (tutorial here). It was also great to finally share my baking party set for Riley Blake Fabrics using their adorable Sweetcakes line (tutorial here) as well as my paper pieced notions bag which I pattern tested last summer. I had fun playing with Sarah Jane's Out to Sea collection and made myself a triple-zip pouch at long last. A little more paper piecing made it into the mix at the last minute with yesterday's Pyrex Dishes block. I'm probably most excited, though, about my new sewing space which has been an absolute joy.

If the sewing accomplishments were not enough, my little Bear is thriving with her new glasses and preschool activities, Bunny began her first cross stitch project yesterday (with plastic needle, canvas, and yarn, of course), and last week I conquered potty training with Mouse -- hallelujah! I firmly believe that one of the great victories of motherhood is crossing diapers off your shopping list forever.

So January has been fun, and I have a feeling that February will be more of the same. I sure hope so, anyway...

Linking up to Fresh Sewing Day & Finish It Up Friday.

Lovely November

1. Memory Pillow, 2. Memory Draped, 3. Weekender 1,
4. MSM Round 2 Finished, 5. The Simple Life Pillow, 6. x & + Potholder

November was a wonderful month for sewing. It really was.

One year ago this month, I made my first quilt. I can hardly believe it's been a whole year. I feel like I have finally figured out how to slow down and enjoy my sewing. The projects this month were such a pleasure to sew. My Memory quilt and pillow at the top were a wonderful culmination of twelve months of scraps. Lori and I had a blast hosting The Long Weekend, and I finally got to experience all the joys and agonies of the fabled Weekender bag. I wrapped up my Modern She Made swap project, and even got to finish a few fun projects in the last week of the month.

The Christmas decorations are up, the calendar is getting full, and I haven't started my gift shopping yet. It's a little overwhelming, but I'm determined to enjoy December this year. These times are too precious to just cross them off a list and move on.

Wishing you a little peace in the middle of the bustle this month!

Linking up to Fresh Sewing Day at Lily's Quilts.

Farewell, September

1. Zakka Message Board, 2. Fall Patchwork Mat Tutorial, 3. Sushi Lunch Mat, 4. Vintage Holiday Quilt Top, 5. Vintage Holiday Lap Quilt, 6. Vintage Holiday Quilt Back, 7. Retro Library Case, 8.Scrappy Christmas Potholder

 September seems to have gone by in a flash this year -- very unlike my typical experience with this month. It's been a busy one, full of activities and adventures and, yes, sewing. Lots of color this month -- I didn't realize how much until I saw the mosaic. We said good-bye to the Zakka Along (sniff, sniff) and hello to fall (loving my new patchwork table runner!). I got to try my hand at more paper piecing with Kristy's fun Sushi pattern, and I adore my new library bag. In the end, the Vintage Holiday pattern seems to have stolen most of the limelight here since I worked on two versions of it in September. Our QAL is finishing up in just two more weeks, so be sure to link up for a few prize drawings if you've been making the quilt yourself. Looking back over this month's projects, I'm happy to say that not only did I enjoy making every one of these pieces, but almost all of them are in daily use -- always the mark of a good project for me!

No luck on the weather change yet -- my car's thermometer was still reading 100 degrees this afternoon. I cannot wait for cooler temperatures to arrive at my door...

Happy October to all of you!

Linking up with Fresh Sewing Day at Lily's Quilts.

August

August seemed to be a month of endless surprises -- some good, some not so much. All in all, I'm not too broken up to move on to September...

On the sewing end of things, though, there were some fun projects this month. Looking at the mosaic, I'm happy to see that I'm still trying different things. I have a tendency to get stuck in a rut in so many areas of my life, but I would rather not do that here. I've had a ball hosting the Vintage Holiday QAL with all the wonderful people who are following along -- this is definitely going to be one of my favorite quilts, I can tell already. I even have a few other finishes this month that aren't pictured here, but I'm looking forward to sharing them with you in the weeks ahead when I'm officially allowed. And for those of you who haven't yet entered my blog hop giveaway, hurry! I'm picking the winner on Monday morning.

Meanwhile, I'm ready to welcome September -- and maybe a few days of weather actually below 100 degrees? -- with open arms.

Linking up to Fresh Sewing Day at Lily's Quilts.

Farewell to Summer

It's the close of another month, and in our home, the end of summer as well. This Friday my husband goes back to the local middle school and his advanced history students. A week later I'll be starting up home schooling again. My Bunny is so proud to be entering first grade, and I'm beginning preschool activities with Bear and Mouse as well this year. It means going back on a set routine, lots of planning ahead, and moving my sewing time to the evenings and weekends. It's all a little overwhelming, but exciting too in a way. I love a new challenge, and I want to make this year a great one for our family.

I was a little shocked when I looked at the pictures for July -- I accomplished less than half of what I did in June. I have no regrets though. This month I tried to slow down, make projects that I truly enjoyed, and take time with the people I love.

It's been a great summer.

Linking up to Fresh Sewing Day and WIP Wednesday.