Photo Challenges

Recently I've been finding a lot of photo challenges in random blogs I stumble upon. Seriously, sometimes I have no idea how I make it around to some of these places. It's funny how that happens. So you might be seeing a bit more photo stuff going on mixed in with all the regular crafty crap. Photography is a type of craft right?! :)

That being said, I'm thinking this picture up to Sailor & Company today for this week's yellow Raw(e) challenge. Honestly, is anybody who knows me surprised that I would pick this picture? :)

Until next time...

New clutch! Small Keyka Lou Inset Zipper Pouch

I'm super excited about this new pattern that just came out from Keyka Lou! It's available in two sizes, so of course I had to make it difficult on myself & start with the smaller size. :) It just seems to be my way. I'll be making the larger size soon, maybe this week if I get a little breathing room, just to have a comparison of the two.

I love the "peek" of the center fabric on this pattern. I happened to use the same fabric for the peek and the lining, but obviously that's not a requirement.

I had some issues on the final top stitching on this one & will probably end up pulling it out & either leaving it without or redoing it all together. You can see my little oopsies if you look closely.

The big oops:

I still can't quite figure out what happened here. I know the foot got hung up a bit going around the corner, but I didn't realize until I turned it over that the loops & knots were quite this bad. If it had only been the small gathers you see in the first two photos (top right corner of each), I probably wouldn't even bother ripping out the stitching since I won't be selling this particular one, but there's just no way I can leave it like this.

I'm thinking about doing some sort of give-away for this one (after I fix it, of course!), so let me know if it's something you'd be interested in.

Finished size is about 8x5 inches on this one, the bigger one will be about 11x7 inches. This style will be available for order as soon as I sort out the best way to get the top stitched decent. I have an easy fix in mind, I just have to try it out.

Until next time...

I'm sharing this here today:

Progress: Week 7 and a final look

Here we are at the end of the month (well, close enough in this case), and the end of the timeframe I set for myself. When I set my goals back in July, I looked back at the ones I set at the beginning of the summer & hoped my new ones would be a little more successful. For the most part, I'd say I did a pretty good job.

In only two weeks out of seven I wasn't able to get my five projects completed. When I set the goal, I wondered if it was a little too lofty, especially considering it was basically one item per day with only two days extra if I wasn't able to finish something up in one night. Thinking back on it, I'd have to say I'm pretty proud I met that goal for five weeks! Considering the fact that most of the LOP purses took me at least three evenings to complete, I'm happy I could fall back on small crochet items to pick up the slack. This week is no exception!

This week I finished up four more crochet flowers, one crochet butterfly, three coffee sleeves, and a new Keyka Lou pattern (brand-spankin' new from her!). Definitely a successful week, especially considering I didn't expect to get any sewing done at all.

This week's new pattern was the brand new from Keyka Lou (Hey! I'm a poet & I didn't know it!) Inset Zipper Pouch. More on that in a separate post. I'm already getting interest in it from work & even Nick seemed impressed with it, so it's definitely a keeper pattern!

The Facebook goal kind of went out the door back in week four when I created the MCC FB page. I consider it a good reason for not meeting the goal for the full seven weeks. :)

I don't have as many items in the Etsy shop as I would like, but it's mostly because I've been too busy with either personal stuff (hello home repairs thanks to these little guys!) or making items for special orders. This will be a continuing goal.

Christmas gifts are indeed in the planning process, but for obvious reasons, I can't exactly talk about what any of them are. I wouldn't want to spoil any surprises, since I happen to know at least a few family members will be reading this. :)

The Origami Impostor bag...umm...total failure on this one. I mentioned a while back that I had been thinking about the bag a lot, and that's still true, but it's also as far as it got. Now that I won't have the five-items-per-week thing hanging over my head, and after I finish up a few special orders I was finally able to find fabric for, I'm going to make some time to sit down & really work on this. I really like the idea for the bag, and even though I've seen a lot of similar styles showing up lately, I think mine is a little different in ways that will set it apart. I hope. :)

Overall, I'd say the past seven weeks have been a success, and I'll definitely be setting similar goals for myself again, but not any time soon. I need some time to work without a deadline or quota hanging over my head. Except, of course, for the deadlines that come with custom orders! Those will be met without any problems!

Until next time...

I found happiness in the mailbox

This evening has been pretty stellar since I left work. Yes, I said stellar. Don't even ask my why I said that, but it's the very first thing that came to mind.

I headed to JoAnn with five coupons & vowed to not buy anything that wasn't on sale or couldn't use one of the coupons. I also really needed to only buy stuff I actually need, not just stuff I liked.

Jackpot! I found 3 fabrics - two super, super awesome courdoroys I can't wait to use & think will be perfect for a custom order for someone and another fabric that couldn't be more perfect for the lining of a bag for another friend who had already picked out her focus fabric but I didn't have anything to go with it (yes, that was probably the longest run-on sentence EVER, please forgive me).

I also found some other odds & ends items I've been wanting/needing, and over all saved only $6 less than I spent (as in, I basically saved 50% on everything). Success!

While in the store I also decided on fabric for another project I need to work on, but put off actually buying it until I have more coupons next weekend. I had decided to use denim for said project instead of home decor, and it dawned on my that I had an old pair of Nick's jeans that would work just as well as buying denim, and BONUS! I would have the pockets to use.

When I ran in to Wal-Mart, I started to realize Nick's pants weren't going to give me enough fabric (dang lucky, skinny, skinny man. And also he wears them threadbare, so they wouldn't be so great), so I could just buy a cheap pair of jeans in whatever size would give me the dimensions I needed. Can't beat $9 size 38x32 jeans! And bonus, the cashier looked at me & said, "well, I know there's NO WAY these are for you, you're WAY too skinny." I just laughed & told her they were for a craft project.

When I got home I noticed I had a package which wasn't supposed to come until next week, so of course I was excited about that. It's a poster of this picture that I ordered to put up in my office. Now I just need to pick up a cheap frame for it.

But, the big, big thing that beat everything else was these:

My very own Moo Mini Cards!

And just how "mini" are we talking here?

They look pretty dark in the picture, but I promise you, they look much better in person.

I found these a month or so ago when they were having a really super deal that just couldn't be passed up. Little did I know, it was a one day deal, so my idea to think it over & take some time designing them didn't exactly work out. They aren't terribly expensive when they're not on sale, but I still put off ordering them because I was trying to decide if it was really a good idea.

Then last week I got an e-mail that they were on sale again (unfortunately not quite as good of a deal...bummer...), so I bit the bullet, designed a back (I had already done the front, preemptively), and ordered a set. They weren't supposed to be here until late next week, so I had kind of forgotten about them. When I saw the package in the mailbox, I thought it was something else I had ordered recently, and didn't get excited until I saw the little Moo label.

Let me tell you, I love them already! I also ordered this sweet little carrying case (in orange, of course), and can't wait to hand some out. I feel like Steve Martin, "The new phonebooks are here! The new phonebooks are here! I'm somebody!!!" :)

Right now, life is pretty good. Sometimes it's just the simplest things in life that can make everything all right.

Oh yeah, and that other project I mentioned for the denim? You'll just have to wait on that, because I'm telling you now, it's gonna.be.awesome!

Until next time...

TWT - Sweet Corn

My little family LOVES sweet corn, especially when it's home-grown by Nick's family.

And I do mean the entire family!

NOM.NOM.NOM.

It was really hard to get a good picture of her while I was holding the corn & laughing, but she tries to eat it pretty much like we do - all dainty with her front teeth. Eventually she got sick of trying to be a lady & just took the whole thing & chomped it (at which point we took it away from her), but she sure did like it!

Until next time...

Last chance to win!

Don't forget, today is your LAST chance to enter over at Envirocraftiness for your chance to win your choice of two items from me. And, because I've been so busy lately (and also - a bit of a slacker!), you will absolutely get a custom item! You'll get your choice of two item from here, here, or select crochet items (baby hat, diaper cover, flower clips, construction cone - basically anything except a blanket). You can choose any fabric you like that I currently have. Seriously, the sky is pretty much the limit here.

Jill is doing things a bit differently today, so you don't have to be a bit crafty to enter! She's making plans to throw a fabulous party, and needs your help planning an "instant photo booth." How fun! When we were planning the wedding, we (well, let's be honest here - I) thought it would be fun to rent a photo booth, but sad to say, we weren't able to. Jill, being more brilliant than I, is doing it Envirocrafty-style with her own macbook. Genius! So come up with some great ideas, then head on over & let her know what you've come up with.

And a quick random thought - I actually like it when the internet is running slow while it loads Jill's page because she has a beautiful tree photo that you only get to see before her content is loaded. :)

So quick - hop on over to Envirocraftiness, wish for a slow connection (just this once!), enter for your chance to win, and good luck!

Until next time...

Keyka Lou basic wallet

A funny thing just happened. I was going through my saved posts (sometimes when I'm in a rush, I try to upload photos right away so I don't forget about them, but save the writing for later when I have more time) & found this one, which I apparently started back in July - mid-July to be exact - and realized I hadn't ever shared this wallet!

I'm really loving this little guy & have plans to make it available in a few different sizes. It's nice because it's quick & easy to put together, so I guess it would probably be a good project for this week when I won't have a whole lot of extra time to sew.

I don't have the measurements with me right now, but this should give you a good idea of the size.

This was my first time using Velcro, and I've got to say I'm not a huge fan. It's secure, but I still prefer magnetic snaps, especially now that I've found my new love - extra thin snaps!

Here's a good size comparison between the mini envelope clutch, basic wallet, and large envelope clutch.

As always, special orders are more than welcome! I'll be sure to share the other sizes when I have a chance to make them. And I promise, I won't wait a month and a half to actually post about them again. :)

Made with Keyka Lou basic wallet pattern.

Until next time...

Wood working is a craft too.

I just had to share this frame that Nick finished up for me this week.

This picture is one my Grandparents had hanging in their den when I was growing up. I don't ever remember a time when it wasn't there, right up until the day they were getting rid of it. I just had to snag it for myself.

When I got it from them, it had this horrible gold colored plastic skinny frame around it.

...I forgot to take a picture while it was still hanging on the wall, so just ignore the ugly carpet. :)

When I got him (we call him Geronimo, and refer to the picture as such), I was still living in my apartment & didn't really have a big enough place to put him (he's pretty good size - about 25"x30"), so I hung him in Nick's house above the stairs going into the basement. Nick said I could keep him there until he scared me some night, convinced the giant head above the basement stairs would eventually startle me. Thankfully he never has, and that's been his home ever since.

From the time I got him, I've always wanted to update Geronimo's frame. Since he's so big, I knew I wanted a pretty wide frame, and had decided I wanted an old barn board type frame. I got it priced out a few places (including Michael's constant 50% off framing sales), and couldn't believe how much it was going to be for such a big frame! Outrageous!

So for the past couple years, I've been bugging Nick about making me a frame for Geronimo, but we hadn't gotten around to it.

This year, I had to take Geronimo down when I started the entryway remodel back over Easter weekend. Fortunately the remodel required redoing some of the trim, which we had done in simple 1x4 cedar. Finally, extra wood for Geronimo's frame!

Originally I wanted to use the rough-cut side of the boards, but we weren't able to because we got a little sloppy when we put the poly the first time. Nick did a simple round-over on the inside of the frame, we put a few extra coats of poly on it, and I was able to get it hung back up this weekend! I'm so exciting to have him back in the entryway, it felt so empty while he was gone during the remodel.

I'm absolutely loving the new frame, it's exactly the look I was going for, and we didn't have to buy any new wood for the project!

Until next time...

Progress: Week 6

I didn't sew a stitch this week. Not a single stitch, and it feels weird.

I've been going pretty strong with the sewing since I borrowed the first machine earlier this spring & then bought my own. It was a little nice to take a break, but I missed it too. Although, it's not like I got to take it easy all week just because I didn't sew. It was actually due to the fact that we finally (FINALLY!) had a contractor come to work on the house, so my few free nights were spent helping & cleaning up after the guys. Even though I had a minor meltdown from the complete disaster left in the wake of the work, I couldn't be happier than we're finally making progress.

What kind of saved me this week was a three-hour car ride to visit family. I always like to bring my crochet bag with me when we travel since I can do it in the car or if we're all just sitting around chatting in the evenings. Unfortunately I didn't bring the best yarn for this project, and I drove home Sunday, so I didn't get quite as much done as I had hoped. I was able to whip out a handful of these little flowers (new pattern!) for a request from Bree over at B Sew Crafty. The first couple were bigger than she wanted, so I ended up giving them away to my cousins before taking pictures. I should know better!

This purple one is still probably a little too big (about 2 1/2 inches across, if I remember correctly), but it's still pretty cute. Also, they're only supposed to have five petals (and look much better that way!), but somehow I ended up with an extra one here. Still can't quite figure out how I did it.

I think the size on this pink one is better, and five petals look much better! It's harder to see the details with this multi-color yarn though, and don't mind the tail running off up there, it's not cut from the skein yet.

I still need to work on the hook size, yarn type, and number of rounds to get things sorted out the way Bree wants, but in the meantime I'm really enjoying working on these. Once I got them figured out, they come together pretty darn quick.

I haven't been able to do much work for the Etsy shop, but will probably list the green & yellow small satchel this week. I've been back & forth on keeping it for myself, but for now I think I need to just let it go. I have soooo many purses, the last thing I need is another right now. :)

Unfortunately, I'm guessing this week will be pretty similar to last week, but I hope to be able to do at least a little bit of sewing in between the house projects. I have a feeling the next few weeks will probably be about the same, and after everything is back together, I'll probably have to figure out where I'm actually going to put my sewing stuff. Right now I'm lucky that I can squeeze in behind the couch since it needs to be out away from the couch anyways, but I've got a sneaking suspicion that Nick won't want to keep it that way after it's no longer necessary. We shall see.

Don't forget to visit Jill over at Envirocraftiness this week for your last chances to win! I'll try to remember to throw up a reminder this week when the new What the Heck Wednesday item is listed too, but thought I'd mention it while I was thinking about it!

What did you make this week?

Until next time...

TWT & a mid-week update

I can't remember where I got this picture, it's one I've had for quite a while, but it always cracks me up. And if you don't get it, well, then you need to expand your gaming horizons. :)

So nobody's too disappointed next week, I'll tell you right now I haven't done a single crafty thing all week. If I'm lucky, I may get a big of crocheting done this weekend, but I'm not holding my breath. And here I thought I did bad two weeks ago!

Life is just crazy right now. But on a good note, we're making progress (even if it is a sort of two steps forward, one step back thing) with the house finally. Unfortunately this means I'll have even LESS time for crafting once we're able to finally start putting things together. My big plan for the next couple weeks (even though it goes against the original goals, but the house stuff is just slightly more important & all) will be to focus on any special orders & not work on my "stock" items. Please, don't hesitate to ask for any custom order because of this! I'm still going to want to sew & crochet & craft, I just won't be able to do it solely for myself. But orders for others are good excuses. :)

And since I forgot to remind you all yesterday, don't forget to check out this week's WTHW over at Envirocraftiness for more chances to win!

Until next time...

Progress: Week 5

What a great week! Although, compared to last week, pretty much anything is an improvement! :)

Let's see...I finished up the City Tote I had cut out last week, made three coffee sleeves (the sock monkey & the two below), the super awesome QT Koozie, the Small Satchel (still undecided on whether or not I'm keeping it!), and this cute little bow.

Don't look too closely at the back side, my stitching is horrible & of course I didn't take the time to try to find a lighter thread. I promise future ones will be much better!

It's about two inches across, so I think it's about a perfect size for little girl hair clippies that I know are all the rage right now. It's also a perfect use for leftover scraps, so I plan on making handful & see how they go over.

All patterns were new this week! I was so happy with how quickly everything came together, it was a nice break from some of the other more time-consuming projects.

I've been good & not posted any new items on my personal Facebook page, but have started putting everything on the MCC page, which I figure is an okay compromise.

I don't think I listed anything new in the Etsy shop this week (they're starting to run together!), but I did have my first sale! Granted, it was a woman here at work, but a sale's a sale, right? :)

I still don't have any more work done on the Origami Imposter bag, I'm really hitting a roadblock there. It's hard for me to sit down & work on something that won't necessarily give me a good "finished product." It's just something I need to get over, so I can spend some time & just sit down & put some time into it. I know that once I do, if it turns out the way I hope, it'll be worth all the time & effort. I certainly have a lot more respect for the people who are able to crank out one pattern or tutorial after the other like it's nothing. It's definitely not for everyone!

I hope you all had a productive week as well!

Until next time...

Reflections

This is from our Honeymoon in Jamaica last year, hanging out at MoBay beach. Some days, I want nothing more than to be back, right in this very same spot.

Until next time...

New Purse - Keyka Lou Small Satchel

Oh boy, I'm really loving this one! Not to say I haven't loved every other purse I've made, it's just this one is the perfect shape for what I usually prefer. I'm still deciding if I want to keep this one for myself, but am actually leaning towards putting it up on Etsy anyways. My goal for the end of August was to get stuff listed up there, so I may have to make this a personal sacrifice. :)

Here's a good size comparison of the three purses I have available right now. Left to right: LOP, Small Satchel, City Tote.

Finished dimensions - 5 inches tall (excluding strap), 2 inches deep, base is 12 inches wide, and opening is 8 inches. One patch pocket on the inside is 5 inches wide & 3 inches deep. Strap is 23 inches.

This purse can me custom made with your choice of fabric.

Until next time...

QT Koozie

Do you love these:

But hate how much they sweat, especially this time of year?

Problem solved!

Made specifically for the 32oz QT cup, but I'm sure it would fit other truck stop cups as well.

I'm more than happy to make these special order for anybody who's interested. Just take a look at the fabric in the FB galleries (here & here) & let me know how you'd like it!

I'm really loving mine already!

Until next time...

Sharing this week over at:

New Purse - Keyka Lou City Tote

Finally! I've been wanting to make this one for quite a while, but was waiting for a break in the LOP purse orders to find the time to actually sit down & do it.

I'm really loving the fabric combo on this one.

This elastic loop & button secure the front pocket (which I forgot to take a decent picture of. It's there, I swear!).

Inner pocket. The outer pocket is exactly the same as this, but can be secured closed.

My tag. See, no hoop ring! :)

Yes, it looks like I'm standing on the surface of the sun. That's how bright yellow my bathroom is! I couldn't manage to get a decent picture that didn't look radioactive, but at least you can judge the size of the purse. :)

Finished dimensions - 9 inches tall (excluding strap), 3 inches deep, base is 11 inches wide, and opening is 7 inches. Two slit pockets (one each on inside & outside) are 5 inches wide & 4 inches deep.

Let me know what you think of this new purse! It will be listed for sale on the Etsy shop.

Until next time...

Making life a little easier, one small step at a time

I'm sure you probably know this by now, but I hand-embroider my tag inside every one of my items (well, the sewing stuff anyway, I haven't quite figured out the best way to add it to crochet. And of course that's assuming I remember before it's too late!). When I made the decision to do this, I bought an assortment of embroidery floss because I wanted to have the tag match the item it was on, not stick to a basic black or white no matter the background. At the same time, I also picked up an embroidery hoop because I knew it would make it a lot easier to work with. The problem was, I bought an eight inch hoop. What in the world was I thinking?! Needless to say, it doesn't work AT ALL, and the only time I've taken it out of the bag I brought it home in was today when I wanted to check the size so I could write this.

So up until now, I've been holding & stretch all my pieces by hand. It's not impossible to do, but it's not exactly easy on the hands. Until today, I just hadn't gotten a chance to run back to Michael's, and never remembered to look while I was at JoAnn's. Today I needed to make a run to Michael's to pick up a new embroidery floss color for a purse I'm working on & thankfully remembered while I was there to pick up a smaller hoop.

Enter this little baby. At 2 1/2 inches, it's absolutely perfect!

I was able to stitch up two quick projects in less time than it used to take me to do one! Heaven!

The coolest thing is they're not the old-fashioned wood ones that you have to screw tight & worry about getting splinters in your fabric. The outer ring on this one is rubber, and just stretches over the inner plastic hoop. So wonderful!

It did leave a bit of a ring when I took it off, but after a quick press with the iron, it was all nice & smooth again.

...how'd you like that sneak-preview of the next purse I'm working on? :)...

I picked up two of the hoops because I've been wanting to make a copy of my tag (our "brand") to put up in the kitchen. I went back & forth between this size and one up (three or four inches, can't remember for sure), but decided to just stick with the same 2 1/2 inch hoop.

After I finished it up, I cut the extra off short, then super glued it down to the inside of the inner ring. I know this probably isn't the "proper" way to do it, but it worked for me!

Here it is in its new home on the shelves Nick built for me! I'm thinking I may actually hang it from the side once I have more stuff to set on the shelves, but it's a good place for right now.

Sharing this today over at Sew Much Ado:

Don't forget to enter to win!

Don't forget to check out this week's What the Heck Wednesday over at Envirocraftiness & enter for your chance to win your very own MCC items!

New Loves: Scraps & Buttons

And boy, do they go together!

I ordered a scrap bag from Keyka Lou last week & got my goodie bag yesterday. There was so much super cute stuff in it, some of it only makes me wish I had a bigger piece! The pieces aren't huge, but aren't tiny either. I was able to make one side of 5 coffee sleeves, which need some pretty decent size pieces only because of the shape. I could have had one or two more, but the pattern just wouldn't work for them.

Last night I cut out pieces for one side of what I could use, and am working out what I can use for the inside before I actually make them. I decided to use my favorite fabric first, this super cute monkey fabric, since I had some nice red gingham to use for the inside.

I was having a hard time picking out a button to use with it, something I've been struggling with a lot. I had picked up some button kits over the weekend for a home project I'm going to work on, and knew I had a couple extras to play around with. So I decided to cut out a piece from the fabric to make the button, and let me tell you, I think I'm in love! I'm so happy with how it turned out & can see all sorts of potential in this! The only problem I had was I couldn't get a perfect circle of fabric showing what I wanted without wasting too much, so it doesn't quite all fit under the back piece. Because of that, I'll probably be keeping this one for myself instead of selling it, and unfortunately I don't have more of the fabric to make another. So for now, it's one of a kind!

Until next time...

Sharing Wednesday over at Sew Much Ado.

I need your opinion!

Which of these do you like better?

I was originally thinking I wanted to do dark lettering:

But this light lettering is really growing on me:

I also considered pulling the yellow from the flower petals, but it seemed like a bit much.

Until next time...

Progress: Week 4

Well, I suppose it was bound to happen eventually - I didn't get my five projects done this week. Not even close! I only finished up these two items, but to be fair (excuses, excuses!) it has been kind of a crazy week what with going back to work and everything.

Keyka Lou basic wallet. I used a magnetic snap on this one instead of velcro & I have to tell you I am MUCH happier with the results. I'm just not a huge fan of velcro, though I know some people just can't live without it. It's a personal preference thing. I do think the next time I make one I might try using two snaps (one in each corner instead of one in the middle). It kind of seems like overkill since one holds it closed securely, but the corners of the flap aren't secured down. Maybe it's an OCD thing. :)


I'm really loving my "tag," especially when I actually remember to add it. I've been thinking about ordering some printed twill tape, but like the added touch of the hand embroidering. Yes, it's more time consuming, and can't easily be added if I forget to do it before putting everything together. What are your thoughts?

Coffee sleeve/cozy/coozie. These things are called so many different names, I'm starting to lose track. I made this one to match one of the LOP purses I made for a friends birthday using scraps leftover from the purse. I'm not super excited with out the "quilting" came out on it, but the stitching does add a fun touch & she loved it. This was my new pattern for the week.

I also started a diaper cover on the way to a birthday party (might as well be productive on an hour drive!), but wasn't able to get it quite finished up. I also have a new purse in the works, but wasn't quite able to get it completed either. Hopefully I'll have some time to get it done tonight.

I'm kind of breaking my no FB rule now that I have the MCC FB page set up. But I'm just telling myself that my original goal referred to my personal FB page, so it's all good. They're my rules (why, oh why do I keep wanting to write "rooles?!" I've done it three times now!), and rules are meant to be broken. :)

Let's not get started on the Etsy thing. I'm being such a slacker when it comes to it. I do have a couple of items to list, but was annoyed the first time at how long it took me to get all the info entered in. I'm working on it.

Unrelated, but I know I was also a slacker last week on the TWT post. See my comments earlier about the crazy week. :)

I'm really hoping this week will be better than last week. I got some new goodies at JoAnn yesterday that I'm really excited about, I just need to make the time to work on stuff.

Until next time...

Rookie Mistakes

We all make them!

So tell me, what's wrong with this picture?

No, not the less-than-pretty wrong-side embroidery.

Here, how about another look:

A little hint - those were both wrong sides of the fabric.

You give up?

Here, maybe this one will make it a little more clear:

Yes, those are two pieces RIGHT sides together. With the cotton batting between. Which means the batting would have been on the outside, instead of the inside.

I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't realize this until I had it all completely sewn together & ready to turn right side out. Sigh...

Yesterday was a rough one. First I sewed a couple wallet pieces together with one piece going the wrong direction, and then I did this. Thankfully I was able to get both projects finished up (pieces were already cut out, and the embroidering was finished before I started yesterday) before we went to a friend's birthday party where I had to deliver them. And both recipients were really happy with the final product, so in the end it was a success.

I know we all make stupid mistakes, so I've gotten to the point where all I can do is shake my head & laugh it off because it doesn't do any good to get too upset about it. But really, I can't believe some of the things I screw up sometimes. The most basic things! I guess there's a reason pretty much every single sewing book I pick up says to get used to the idea that your seam ripper will be your best friend, no matter what you might think. We might as well just accept it & move on! :)

I hope your weekend was more productive than mine. If I'd been able to spend more time sewing than ripping out what I'd just sewn, maybe it wouldn't have been so bad. :)

Until next time...