Surprise Baby Shower

Color inspiration!

 

 

 

 In the middle of November I hosted a surprise baby shower for my friend and neighbor.  It was disguised as a brunch amongst friends, so I was able to have everyone bring something to share for the meal.  That allowed me to sneak in a tiny bit of sewing/decorating for the party.  The week previous to the shower we hosted our annual Harvest Party where 40 of our friends come over for a home cooked fall themed meal.  The fall decorations were still out so I decided to use the centerpieces of winter kale and pumpkins as the color inspiration.  The day before the shower I stopped in at my local quilt shop and was elated to see Kate Spain's new fabric line Terrain on the shelves*! Right then and there I knew I NEEDED to make a fabric banner to make my dining room more festive. 

 The gender of the baby is a surprise even though the decorations are insinuating girl. Just a half a yard of three prints, two packages of thrifted bias tape, and 80 minutes later the banner was cut, sewn and hung.( I love pinking shears!)

 A friend came over the night before to help me make the tissue paper "chandelier ".  I was totally trying to channel Dale Chihuly when I was brainstorming this feature. (Side note: have you seen the PBS special about him?!)  I ended up with a nebulous jelly fish looking sculpture, which honestly, is better than I anticipated. I have it hanging in my sewing room because I like it so much.

 It was such a simple way to dress up the room and it added so much ambiance.  It has me thinking of making banners for every special occasion to hang in this room!

* I am beyond excited that my LQS is stocking more "modern" prints.  I'd like to think that it has something to do with every trip I am there I asked if they are getting any ____ designer fabric from their new collection.  I always get a puzzled look and I can't help but wonder if a fabric store owner doesn't read blogs?

My most favorite sewing project this summer

 I made two dolls this summer.  Both were meant to be gifts, but little Ginger stayed with me.  She was my first.  And because of this her little arms aren't as securely attached as they should be and I learned that I needed to trim the tails on my embroidery floss shorter because you will see the excess strands through the fabric on her face.  But she makes me so happy. 

Stop right now and go make one for yourself or that little girl in your life. The pattern is free!

Back to Basics

 I decided I needed to expand my fabric stash.  I know, I know.  It was such a chore! I was cleaning up and refolding fabric a couple of months ago and realized that I own a lot of prints.  And not much else.  I needed to diversify.  So I started acquiring some solids.

Which then led me to think about what sort of prints could also be considered basics. Polka dots was clearly my answer.  I couldn't help myself with the Laura Gunn print on the bottom.  It is SO PRETTY!  I really love her collections.  I always fall hard for big bold prints!  What do you consider basics in your fabric collection? 

Sept 25 was a good day

Hello Lovelies.  I've been getting messages that it has been awhile since I have posted. :)  I am spending the evening cleaning off my camera and getting the photos resized.  Getting this accomplished makes blogging 100 time easier.  Sewing was at a minimum this summer. The garden really took over all my spare time and I only wished that I documented that adventure in more detail.  Much canning was accomplished and we are enjoying those fruits of our labor right now, quite literally.

I am so glad I did dust off the camera a few times this summer and I would have forgotten all about Sunday, Sept 25 if I didn't capture the following images.  It was a lucky find to say the least. 

11 genetically mutated clovers standing in a row.

One six leaf clover

A couple of 5 leaf versions.

And the remaining were four leaf beauties.

It's always fun to find them.  I don't think I will ever tire of finding four leaf clovers.  People say I must be a very lucky person to find so many four leaf clovers.  The only thing I'll admit to being lucky at is finding genetic mutations and then point to my husband. :P