sewing (and blogging) again.

 

Hey guys!  I've been sewing again.  And it feels so so good.  It has been a long break, hasn't it?  For the winter months I was preoccupied with knitting. Winter and yarn go hand in hand for me.  After that, I was and continue to be so busy writing for the Craftsy blog.  I love my job.  But right now crafting is tricking for me, I have so little free time with the kids.  I realize that this won't last long, having the kids around so much, and I am enjoying my time with them very much.  Come fall things will change.  It will be the first time that all my kids will be in school at the same time.  I am already dreading it!  Now that we are all home for the summer, I've been able to get more sewing time in.  I feel like I've been bit by the sewing bug again!  I want to sew all the things.  It is nice to feel inspired.

 



I am trying to sew and knit from my current stash, so I pulled out this lovely stack of soft colored fabrics a couple weeks ago.  I love herringbone quilts and came up with this simple pattern to showcase the fabrics.  I'm sure there is some kind of pattern or tutorial out there for a similar block, but I just winged it. 

Each stage of the quilting process has been completely enjoyable.  Except for the basting, I never like that part.  This time was especially not-fun because I was out of basting spray.  It has been so long since I've pin basted!  I quilted the entire throw yesterday afternoon, it didn't take too long at all.  I used a meandering pattern since that is the most fun for me.  Quilting around those pins wasn't as bad as I remember!  Now I need to slap some binding on, I'm so anxious to sit on the couch and hand sew the binding down... My most favorite part.

I hope you are well, those of you who have stuck with me here through all of those quiet months.  Maybe next time I'll remember to pull out my real camera while I'm sewing so that I have more than instagram pictures to share.  I completely forgot, I'm out of habit when it comes to blogging.  At least I have these!  I'm hoping to be in this space more, I have missed it.

xo, Ang

April.

Hi friends!  Oh, I am so happy that it is April.  March is such a long, cold month for me.  I could really do without it!  But April is a different story.  We've been enjoying the mild weather and fresh air.  I wanted to pop in to say to say hi and tell you that you can follow my blog over at Bloglovin now.  What a bummer about google reader closing, huh?  Click here to follow my blog with Bloglovin. 

 

 

I have been sewing a little bit lately.  I pulled out my farmer's wife book the other day, and last week I made 10 blocks!  I watched some Netflix and got sewing during the little ones' naptime.  I forgot how much fun those blocks are!  I'll share them soon, just need to snap some pictures.  I am up to 60 something now.

 

It feels weird, can you believe it has been over a month since I've posted here?  I've actually been really busy blogging, just not in this space.  If you haven't seen me over on the Craftsy blog, I hope you come visit!  My author page is right here as well as links to all of my posts.  I have been having a lot of fun writing over there.

 



 

Okay, I'll be back soon with a little sewing!  Hope you are well.

xo, A

 

PS - Isn't Weston's version of A Starry Night amazing???  I already framed it and hung it on the wall!

a new sweater

 

No sewing as of late, but I have been working on a new sweater for the past few weeks!  This is Bloomsbury, and I am used Madeline Tosh vintage in Celadon. 

 

I am just finishing up the body.... Can't wait to get started on the sleeves!

 

xo, Ang

 

PS - have you seen this gorgeous polka dot cowl yet?  Dots are my favorite, I can't wait to make this. I'm hoping it will be a good project to learn color work on!

millwater again.

Some of you noticed this purple cowl in my previous posts and asked about it.  I shared it over on my Ravelry page, but forgot to post about it here!  This is my second Millwater cowl, and it is the first thing I've made out of yarn by the Plucky Knitter.  The yarn En Vogue on Primo Worsted base, and it is my most favorite yarn that I have ever used!  It is so soft and squishy, especially after blocking. 

I really really love the Millwater cowl, so much that I am sure there will be a third at some point.  I've said it before, but it truly is an easy knit and a great way to learn how to cable.  Plus, the finished object is gorgeous, I can't get enough of that chunky cable!  I made a small modification on this cowl to make it thinner and longer, and all of that info can be found here on Ravelry. The tan Millwater blog post is here. 

I also wanted to share a little bit of information for all of you that have asked me about buying Plucky Knitter yarn.  If you want to purchase it, I suggest you sign up for the newletter on her blog.  Sarah has shop updates regularly and always sends out emails to keep us in the loop.  There is also a really great Ravelry group that has a destash thread where you can buy yarn from other knitters.  I have bought and sold quite a bit of yarn there, it is wonderful!  I hope that helps a little and that you can get your hands on some Plucky yarn. :)

Back to knitting for me!  Today we are enjoying a quiet, snowy morning at home.

xo, Ang

a Valentine's Day pillow and some news!

I pulled out my Valentine's Day pillow last week, and I realized that I never shared pictures here!  I made this pillow last year for John Adam's book, Pretty in Patchwork Holidays.  Can you believe that this is my only Valentine's Day decoration??  We are all about Christmas over here, and we actually keep our (fake) tree up from the day after Thanksgiving until the end of January.  I think we are all feel a holiday decoration overload after that, so we keep it pretty simple in February.

I loved making this pillow!  I dug out all of my favorite pink and red fabrics and paired them with a gray Moda crossweave.  I can't get enough of those Munki gnomes, Aneela's puppies, and those red ladybugs!  If you want to make this pillow, you can find the pattern in John's book.  There are so many great patterns in it.

Now I have some beans to spill!  This blog has been pretty quiet lately right?  I've been busy for the past few weeks because I've been writing for the Craftsy blog!  Craftsy is such an amazing website, if you haven't checked it out yet you really need to.  I was completely flattered when they asked me to write for them.  What a great opportunity!  I am writing informational pieces about my favorite activity... quilting!  Head on over and check out the blog, and here is my author's page.  I have one live post so far, and there are many more to come. :)

 

Hope you are well!!  Miss you guys.

xo, Ang 

knitting hats

 

Okay, so I love knitting hats. Well these two at least! The blue hat is called Rosebud, and it was a fun knit. The chunky cable is cute and it fits really well.  Apparently it runs large, so I ended up making a few modifications.  You can read about it over here on Ravelry.  This was a Christmas gift, but I think I'd like to make another slouchier version for myself.

 

This orange hat was my first, and it was requested by my husband.  He doesn't often ask for specific handmade items, so of course I had to make it for him.  He wanted a simple orange hat for hunting.  The color ended up not being bright enough to actually wear while hunting, but he loves it and wears it all the time.  Eli likes to steal it and wear it too.  Ravelled here.

I have a couple projects on the needles right now, but I have some lovely Plucky Knitter yarn waiting to become this pretty hat.  Can't wait!

Happy weekend!

Angela

2012 in review

Well, I guess it is time to get my lazy butt in gear and write my 2012 year in review post.  Better late than never!  I really love reading all of these recap posts every new year.  Looking back on this year, it is interesting to see how my crafting time has changed.  I started 2012 with a sewing related neck injury that kept me from quilting and a major sewing burnout from too many deadlines.  That meant less quilts, but still plenty of crafting time.  That has always been a constant in my life, something I can't live without.  I thought I'd share some of my favorites with you from 2012.

 

 

My two favorite quilts from this year are my Swoon quilt (above), and On a Whim (below).  They both live in other homes now, and I'd really like to make another of each.

 

 

My favorite bag is this birdie sling.  I'm adore that feather fabric, and Lush woodgrain is one of my alltime favorite prints ever!

 

 

Can you believe I only made one pillow this entire year???  I think it was a special one though.  This was a gift for the daughter of a new friend.  I really love that pillow.
 

 

2012 was a big year for garment sewing for me!  I made several tops and dresses, and these two are my favorites.  I told you I love this Farmington print from Martha Negley!  Most of my garments, including links to individual blog posts, can be found here in a set on my flickr page.

 

One of my biggest accomplishments was contributing to two sewing books this year.  I feel so honored and bless to have had these opportunities.  Somebody pinch me! :)

 

Last but not least is knitting.  There was a crazy amount of knitting.  Socks, cowls, shawls, scarves, hats, and my first sweater. My favorite of the year is my Holden shawl, I am so proud of it.  You can see all of my knitting projects here on flickr, and there are tons of details over on my Ravelry page.

 

 

2012 was a great crafty year for me, and I am looking forward to seeing how my interests evolve in 2013. As always, thank you so much for joining me here in my space. My little corner of the web wouldn't be the same without you, and I am really glad you are here.

 

Blessings to you and your families in this new year!

with love,

Angela

 

PS - 2011 in review can be found here.