Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blogging. Show all posts

Saturday, March 9, 2013

i'd rather be quilting....

**The Brown Needle is now Sewlio. As of 5/1/13, all new blog posts can be found at www.sewliodesigns.com . Hope to see you there!**


I sew nearly every day. I love to sew. I love to quilt. I love to create. One thing I really struggle with is blogging my creations and the processes that I go through to make them. I like blogging, but I'd rather be sewing.

In the past few months, I have really neglected my blog, but I have spent many hours writing and testing those patterns that you are all waiting so patiently for. In any case, I haven't neglected my sewing machine one bit! Part of that is due to my MAJOR sewing machine upgrade that happened in October. See.... I haven't even told you all about that! And that was HUGE!

I'm now sewing with a Janome 7700 and I am so in love with it. I consider it part of the family, and if it were practical, I would take it with me everywhere I go. I wouldn't leave it home alone. I wouldn't leave my kids home alone, right? I mean, it's not able to protect itself in an emergency. It's just a baby. I should probably name it... I digress....

Since that lovely October day when my Janome 7700 came into my life, I have made many, many things. These are the things that I haven't blogged about:
  • three finished quilts
  • two casserole carriers
  • a Washi Dress
  • two throw pillows
  • a Noodlehead Sidekick Tote
  • an Art Student Tote
  • a laptop bag
There might be more, but this is all I can remember right now. I'm going to get them all posted.
Starting today.

This is the laptop bag that I made last week. I didn't use a pattern for this. I took measurements of my laptop, decided what shape I wanted the bag to be and just wend for it. I really like how it turned out. I have had the transistor fabric for a while. It was one of those things I bought because I really liked it, but had nothing in mind to use it for. I think that it is perfect for this bag.



The bag has a layer of batting and some heavy weight interfacing. I also wanted it to have a separate pocket for other things, whether it be my cord, or in this case, a book, sketch pad and pencils. Figuring out how to place that divider was tricky, but I like a challenge, especially when it's finished!

Friday, November 9, 2012

calendar cover

**The Brown Needle is now Sewlio. As of 5/1/13, all new blog posts can be found at www.sewliodesigns.com . Hope to see you there!**


I've been sewing, sewing, sewing. Lots of exciting things are happening around here. Especially my new sewing machine that I got about a month ago... The hubs bought me a Janome 7700 Horizon for our 10th anniversary ! {Squeal- Happy Dance}I haven't been posting much because I just can't stay off of my new machine! I've managed to make 8 Christmas stockings, a Christmas tree skirt, a new handbag, 6 chair cushions, a king-sized quilt top and back (still need to quilt it) and this cute calendar cover. I also did some Halloween costume alterations in there somewhere. So, yeah, I've been a little busy.
I'm planning on doing some serious blog catch-up over the next couple of weeks... promise... but you know how plans sometimes go. I seriously love my new machine so much I just want to spend all my time with it. I'll try to post more pics of my projects. Promise! I might just throw in a post about my new machine, too!

Calendar Cover Front
This is a cover I made for my 2013 Calendar. It was a simple black MEAD calendar that was perfect for what I needed, but not so cute. With all the journal covers I've been seeing on blogs lately and the "quilt as you go" technique that I've been seeing so many talented people use on the Weekender bag, I got a little inspired to make a cover for my calendar using that technique. This is what I came up with!


Back
The back is my favorite. I kind of wish it was the front, but if I changed it, then all the text would be upside down.I used scraps from some of my recent projects that include some Denyse Schmidt, Melody Miller, Madrona Road, Joel Dewberry, Anna Maria Horner's Field Study, to name a few.

This was a lot of fun to make, and it came together in just over an hour. I'm currently looking around for the next thing I can make a cover for!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Welcome to The Brown Needle!

Yep, I decided to start another blog! My goal in starting the new blog is to avoid cluttering up my family blog with all my "projects." Let's face it. Some of my readers just want to see pics of the kids. For those who want to see all the other stuff I do, well, this blog's for you!