alittlesweetness

winner!

Hello my sweet friends!!  Thank you so much for your comments...  You have again made me blush and feel so loved!  It gives me great enthusiasm going into market and I appreciate it so much.  I really wish I could send fabric to each of you!!  THANK YOU!!

And now....

My winner is KATHLEEN O'GRADY!  Who said...

Your fabric is sooo cute! I would love to make some little girl dresses and a quilt, a pillow would be adorable and a tote with some sweet embroidery. Oh, I could go on and on. Thanks for the chance to win! 

Kathleen, Please contact me here on my blog and let me know how to contact you!

In other news....

I've been getting some hexies all ready for market because I get to teach a little mini class at the Riley Blake booth on Friday at 3:00!  It's just 45 min. so please stop by to join me if you happen to be hanging around.  :)  I'm really excited even though this will be my first time ever teaching a sewing related class!  I'd love to see you there! 

I probably won't get a chance to be back here next week since I leave Wednesday for market and won't be back until Sunday night.  I can't wait to have more to share with you after that!

Thanks again for all of the sweet comments and your constant support.  :)

*Remember I'm on instagram as tashanoel1 where you can see more of what I'm up to than what I get a chance to post here on the blog. 

Tasha

a little hello!

Since I'm having a sale in the shop right now, I wanted to stop in and let you know I added a couple more little things. 

I'm so lucky that Amy of Nana Company, made up this adorable potholder featuring my little happy hen...that, yes, I know....looks/is more like a rooster!....*whatever. ;)  It says happy hen on the fabric, so it's staying that way.  But no matter what you choose to call the happy little animal....that pattern is now listed in the shop!  Yay! (gosh, i love that little pothodler!...that's a little pocket at the top, btw!...doesn't amy need to do a pattern for that?!? hint, hint)

(photo courtesty of Amy!) 

Also, I had a request for a Miss Strawberry embroidery pattern, so she's also in the shop!

Remember, she's an illustration too! (gray or aqua backgrounds)

I came across a couple photos I had taken of the market projects that Heather, from Vintage Grey had made....so I thought I'd share them now. 

I loooove this apple pillow!

Heather used the Bustle and Sew e-magazine's September issue to make this pillow.  So cute!

She also did an adorable redwork mini quilt with my new Laundry Day pattern, which is very similar to my my original Laundry Day pattern /illustraion.  The difference is there are flowers instead of mushrooms.  Both versions are in the shop! 

Her hand crocheted edging is perfection!

Kerri had done some beautiful photos of her Simple Patchwork and Stars quilt, but I haven't shown it here yet!  Such an adorable quilt and she came up with her own tutorial! 

Cute! Cute!

Wanted to mention that I noticed on the Riley Blake website that the pink and aqua simple florals are sold out as well as the pink Main....so if you've had your eye on any of those, you might want to consider purchasing soon!

For my little shop sale, I think I'll keep that going for a couple more days since I just added those couple things today.  Remember, HAPPY20 is the coupon code during checkout to save 20% off your entire order!

Thank you SO much for those of you that have ordered already!  I appreciated it very much.  :)

Am I forgetting anything else?  Please tell me if I am....I generally think about 72 million things at once... 

but really I love it!  ;)

Oh, I thought of something already (imagine that!)...

**If you are interested in stitching up an embroidery pattern to help me out with shop examples, please email me at [email protected].  The one criteria is that you need to be very confident with your ability to stitch very neatly and be able to use colors that coordinate with The Simple Life.  You know, red, pink and aqua.  ;) 

And I think that's about it!  (I think)

Holiday Tag-A-Long

It took me about 2 seconds flat to decide to make some cute tags with Amy and Kristyne.  In other words.....they had me at "Tag-A-Long". 

After my market sewing frenzy, it's a nice change of pace for me.  Something small, simple, and carefree.  Just because!

The only thing that held me back ever so slightly was the fact I couldn't find my eyelets and tools from our move, so I had to wait to get to Joann's. 

But these little cuties were worth the extra trip!

Time well spent in my book!

It was just the perfect thing for me....

Thanks for the great idea and inspiration to two of the cutest, sweetest girls ever!  And trust me on that one, they are.  ;)

Now go....go make some tags!

Tasha

pillows!

With quilt market just a couple weeks away, I've pretty much been sewing every day.  Although I can't really show you everything yet, I have a couple things to share.  I snuck in some time to make pillowcases for Ava's bed (using Kerri's super easy tutorial) that aren't planning to go to market.  Plus, I did give that one hexie flower a home on a hand stitched, hand quilted pom pom pillow.  That will be going to market. 

And now for the abundance of photos....

Ready for a nap?  Me too and I just got up.  :) 

Have a wonderful week!

Tasha

just a little shorty

I thought I'd just pop in quickly today to say Hello!  Hello!  :)

And show you a couple little peeks of my projects I'm working on for market. 

These blocks are made using the designs from the panel that I cut out and I'm simply following the stitch lines that 'square out' each design. 

For picture taking, I'm using Instagram more ....super fun, easy and addicting.  I love all the different filters you can use and I love quickly seeing what everyone is up to.  I'm tashanoel1 if you want to look me up.  :)

I hope you enjoyed the peeks!  Now it's off to the sewing machine I go! 

After I get some food....I'm craving muffins? 

Oh ya... it was this!  Anyone feel like baking?  *sigh* 

Tasha

first stitches...

Ever since Ava was born, I couldn't wait until she would be old enough to learn to sew and make things with me.  She's still not quite ready for a little machine, but I did finally buy her a little pink embroidery hoop and some tapestry needles.  They are large, have a blunt tip and perfect for little ones to use safely and easily. 

This was a really fun thing to do with her.  At the age of 3 and a half, she's plenty capable and can listen to instructions like....point down, pull, be careful, go slowly.  Things like that.  With just her and I at home, there aren't any other distractions either so I can focus on her.

She needed alot of help, but at the same time was getting the hang of it.  It's more tackling the fine motor skills here, like holding the hoop with one hand and pulling the needle with the other.

The more she did it, the better she got at it.

And she really loved it!

I thought it was so cute that she was licking the floss to try to rethread at one point. 

When we were all finished, she grabbed the supplies and said she wanted to sew again.

She also decided she wanted to hang her embroidery on the wall.  :)

And of course, she needed some tape for that....

Don't know where she could have gotten that idea.....??

Happy Stitching!

Tasha

road tripping hexie stitching

Our family enjoyed an end of summer road trip to Montana, where my parents were raised and I was born.  I wanted to see my Grandparents, who I haven't seen for many years and are at the end of their life here on earth.  I was so happy to visit with them and also let my kids see them too.  My grandpa (their great grandpa) told the kids stories about his cowboy days, showed them his chaps and spurs and branding tools, and they loved it.  Definitly worth the trip.

All along the way, everywhere we went (that I could) I took my little suitcase of hexies. 

It really helped with the car time and it was the perfect thing to have when we were in the outdoors and the kids were playing.

For example...While they did this....

and this....

I was able to do this!

My parents came with us everywhere we went during the week, which was so great to have the extra company.  I loved having all the attention on me and my family!  :)  Plus, my mom ooh's and aahh's at all the little sewing projects I show her.  The best confidence booster!  :) Thanks Mom!

One thing my mom gave me while in Montana, was this gorgeous vintage quilt that my other grandma had.  She passed away about a year and a half ago.  My mom almost gave it away, but couldn't ever do it.  Then, finally she knew why...that it should go to me. Thanks again Mom. ;) 

I love it so much!  Isn't is so cute!?!?!  It's in really good condition and hand stitched with pink thread!  SEW CUTE!

Our family loved being in the outdoors and doing some fun things around town as well.  Montana is so pretty...we loved every minute!

We also loved our first taste of Cafe Rio and went back a 2nd and 3rd time!  All of my family has lived around a Cafe Rio except us, so we've only heard about it and my family has made it for us before but this was our first real restaraunt experience.  YUM-O!!  I want more. :)

So...Back to hexies. 

By the end of our trip, I actually got a lot of hexie stitching done....at least for me.  Kerri had made me a cute little stack of hexies on our beach retreat so that really helped me have a good collection to work with.  Thanks Kerri! ;)

And I still adore my little needlebook from Amy.  Thanks Amy!  I always get compliments on it.  :)  Go to Amy's needlebook tutorial if you want to make one.  The hexie flower above is made with 3/4" hexies.  

These are tiny 1/2" hexies.

Lastly, I'm so proud of myself for figuring out (sort of!) instagram.  Finally!  On the way home I did my first little photos and it's so fun!

See my traveling in the car photo?

Now how cute is that?  And it was certainly entertaining enough for a road trip.

Come back next week and I'll have some fun news to share!  ;)

Tasha