Mega Sewing Pouch: TGIFF

Aaawww yeah...

Look at that pretty baby.  Mwah!
Delicious wouldn't you agree?

You know when you make something that just gives you an adrenaline rush just because it is so freaking adorable and perfect???  AGH!  Well, that is how I feel about this pouch!

You may recall the adorable Kokka Trefle fabric from this post.  I finally decided to pair it with my favorite Ta Dot fabric, a bit of Amy Butler Soul Blossom for some ooh la laa, and DS Quilts for lining.
I like big butts.  ;)
I used the extra bits to make a mini pouch for needles, thread, and embroidery scissors.  And of course no sewing kit would be complete without a pin cushion!

There are many awesome sewing kits like this and this.  But, although they are adorable, neat, and organized I knew that type of design spells DISASTER for me.  I have to be able to throw, literally throw, my sewing stuff together quickly while keeping it safe from little hands and not losing bits and bobs in a larger tote.
This pouch is roughly 11"w x 12"h x 5"d

At first I thought, crap, I made it too deep.  That was until I printed out my Wiksten pdf pattern to cut during a long car ride. (Which I can finally use = I am back to my pre-pregnancy size!) It was then that I realized damn, happy coincidence or what? This pouch is big enough to carry a printed pattern to prep for cutting and taping!  It also perfectly carries my magazines too.  Heh heh.  How perfect daaaahling!
I am so stoked about this pouch that I am preparing a quick pattern which I will post for free next week.  Hope you'll come back to grab it!

Linking up...

FREE ZIPPER POUCH PATTERN AVAILABLE HERE!
- rebecca lynne

Sewing Machine Adultery: Phase One Guilt

I've been contemplating adultery for a few months now.  Yup, I'm guilty.  I'm guilty of wandering eyes.  It all started while my sewing machine was in the shop, you know what they say while the cat's away...  All it took was a comment, a glance, and then...the final straw...a quick sew on another machine.

One sew.  Innocent.  Right?

Holy &!@#!  I had no idea how in the dark I was about the latest sewing machines.  I mean seriously in the dark.  Start/Stop button, auto-thread cutter, huge throat size, auto down needle, machines that can be fit onto frames, a gajillion and eight freaking stitches...

What?

As I contemplate adultery, whether to supplement my machine or buy another one completely, I thought I'd share.  After all, every sewer has been there.  Is this lust or is this real?  Do I need eight million stitches?  Is auto-cutting as amazing as it sounds?  My hope is that you'll supplement my research with your own experience.  

Next Sewing Machine Adultery Post: My Bernina Activa 130

- rebecca lynne

Miss O's Party Dress

Reversible pinafore, Size 12m, Tina Givens Pernilla's Journey, this pattern

Could anything be cuter?  

The answer is Yes.  Yes, it will look even cuter when it is on Miss O.

Excuse the Instagram Photo.  My main desktop is in the shop and I can't find a way to download my camera's photos to my laptop.  Nor do I trust my laptop to not eat my photos even if I did find a way, it tends to choose dramatic moments to die and bring everything stored in it along for the ride.
Frustrating?  Absolutely.

Fingers crossed that this is just temporary!

- rebecca lynne

Modern Low Volume Swap

CLOSED!  FINAL SWAPPER LIST ON FLICKR.

Details Here!

- rebecca lynne

Read: A Dictionary of Color Combinations

If you are anything like me you might need a little help when it comes to focusing your color choices.  I tend to get either fixated on one color for long periods...or I get overwhelmed when combining colors and end up getting frustrated by my distractions.  For instance, I am definitely using Teal this time and then 2 hours later I have abandoned the Teal and have shifted through five other color choices before remembering that damn it I was limiting myself to Teal this time!

So when I found this cute little Japanese book which of course called out for me to touch it simply because it was a cute little Japanese book, it is 6"x4", I nearly died when I opened it up to see all the awesome color combos!  

Hello.  This is the artsy version of the idiots guide to color combinations.  Or as my 4 year old would say "It's faaaancy".

I picked up this book when I was in Portland, Oregon at a fancy schmancy art bookstore.  You can imagine my annoyance at now seeing it on Amazon for...well...LESS. 

I digress.  The book rocks, it was worth it, it was a vacation purchase and I will never forget that weekend, the store, or the awesome company I was with when I found this gem of a cute little Japanese book.  Plus, I am going to use it as a reference to my color choices over and over and over again.  So for me?  It was worth the cost.

What do you think?  [Not about the cost.] Would you use a book like this?

- rebecca lynne

Thursday Think Tank Obituary(?)

There have been some awesome loyal MRL followers who have asked "uh, so, no more Thursday Think Tank?"  To be honest I didn't really intend to go cold turkey on Thursdays.  However, no matter how much I plan ahead earlier in the week of blogging I can't seem to get my T.T.T. posts lined up - my life is just too busy!  Once it started being a chore instead of fun I couldn't really justify doing it.  I realize that I just have so little free time and if I am not using that free time to do what I want then why am is it really worth doing that thing?  Now - if anyone else who was into T.T.T. wants to take it up for awhile or guest post or whatever then I am all for it.  However, I'd direct your attention to Sew Thinky Thursdays on Mommy's Nap Time.  Clearly not exactly the same thing as she asks a question and yet it is probably much more sustainable because of that focus.  Shrug.

I have some other grandiose ideas I'd like to fool around with as a weekly thing.  But, again, grand ideas require time and I just haven't gotten my act together to do anything further.  Hahahahaa...that is why I started T.T.T. because I just get too many damn ideas in my head and needed to record them!

Thanks for your support in this.  Love to hear your thoughts, if you missed it then I'd love to know!

- rebecca lynne 

Wordless Wednesday: Warning Outside Warm Inside

- rebecca lynne

Grasshopper Thinking or Why I Can't Ever Seem to Finish Anything

Goal Number 1 = Cut this Black and White Stripe into 2" strips to bind this.  

But, when I pulled the fabric out I found a stash of Anna Maria Horner voile which I was saving for that day to come when I would make a quilt for just myself and lo and behold I just made special quilt top just for me!  I thought to myself, pssht, the binding isn't going anywhere?  How long could it possibly take to just set up the backing so I can at least prep it for starching/pressing whatever...

So I quickly cut it to piece it into backing...but... 

then I sewed the Wrong Sides together and got annoyed...

so I took a break from that.

Then at some point - to be honest I've lost track how I got onto this - I remembered this kokka fabric I had stashed somewhere and decided it would make a cool sewing machine cover.  I loosely measured and cut, leaving it hanging without ties or a binding because again - that would be finishing something.  What the cutting of this large piece left me with was this awesome linen fabric with these cute little sewing notions on it... 

...and just had to cut them into separate pieces like these!

Which then got me thinking how perfect they would be to make a sewing pouch for my hand sewing projects.  I was working on just using linen but then I accidentally brushed the pieces against this limey green fabric and thought that was kind of cool which then reminded me of...

the fact that I had just found this book Zakka Style.  Of course then I had to take some time to look through that and decide if I wanted to adapt one of these projects to my little sewing notion pieces.

Then I realized.  

It was time for Bed.

Ritalin anyone?

- rebecca lynne

Someday I'll say aaaaaw!

This was the only way I was able to get anything done today.  However, it was a hilarious time documenting this moment...I damn near dropped my beloved camera a few times.

This is the same day Miss E and Miss V dropped a chair on my toe almost resulting in a hospital visit but definitely causing bloodshed and a limp.

It has been a banner day.  

Sigh.

And yet, I know, I'll look back on these photos nostalgically.

- rebecca lynne

Double-blogging

A lot much going on here...but I am itching to MAKE, so I don't have time to dedicate to typing.  

I posted over HERE today so feel free to check out what is going on with WNYMQG!

Otherwise, I'll be back soon...with fun stuff to share...heh heh...

- rebecca lynne

No More Google Reader - What?

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Lucy, who is ever informing me of things via her blog because we all know I am Ostrich with my head in the ground (ground = 3 small princesses, full time job, and no time I choose to spend on updating myself on news other than craftsy news) posted her move to Bloglovin' because Google Reader is closing.

What The...

Being the clueless person that I am please let me know how you intend to read your blogs now?  Please have it be a simple solution.  I've tried Bloglovin' in the past and, eh.  Perhaps it will step up now that Reader is gone.

Google.  Grr.

I have so much crafty craft going on but this morning is not the morning it will be posted...off to music class with my girls and a WNYMQG meeting in the afternoon!  Updates tomorrow...

- rebecca lynne

Cleanliness is...well...good manners

Each time I travel, which is not often mind you, I wish I had a pouch to keep my delicate laundry to keep separate.  My thought is I'll be more likely to fish out this bag upon arriving home and pop it into the wash if it is all tidy and apart from the general packing.

The bag is 14"h x 12"w but I really love the way it looks folded in half.

I used pellon interfacing but it left a few wrinkles on the back (I'm sure this was user error, I've never had wrinkles using pellon before so I don't know what I did this time).  Next time I might try batting instead.  I also played a bit with some FMQ as an accent.

- rebecca lynne