Follower Friday - Katy

Anyone else feel like the weeks are just flying by??

We're back again for some

This week, with us is..

Katy!

Specs:

Name: Katy   

Family: A poor husband who spends his days surrounded by fabric, thread and hair dye and a beautiful little Kitty who is treated like royalty.

Location: Manchester, England      

Blog: http://misspixiecrafts.blogspot.co.uk/

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/misspixiecrafts

Folksy: http://folksy.com/shops/MissPixieCrafts

Day job: Student

Dream job: Is fabric and kitten hoarder classed as a job? If not an Art Therapist would do me nicely.

What are you working on now?
I have just opened my own business selling my work so a lot of time is going into building my stock at the moment. I am also planning on making some of my embroidery designs into PDF’s to sell in the shop! There are a lot more animals in bow-ties to come from me yet.

Favorites:

Place: My craft room, it is so pretty and colorful. I could easily spend all day in there just looking at all the beautiful things but then I would never get anything done.

Movie: Sleeping Beauty. I am a sucker for Disney.

Food: At the moment sausages although it changes quite often. I do love a lamb roast with proper homemade roast potatoes. Or then again there is cake! Now cake I really love. I love my food and there are too many yummy choices to have a favorite.

Way to spend a Friday night: Curled up on the sofa with the kitty, stitching, eating sweeties and watching crime shows.

Fabric line: I love a lot Aneela Hoey fabric and purely for those gorgeous little foxes I must say ‘A Walk in the Woods'.

Color: Red or Blue… or Red or maybe Blue. BOTH!

Designer: If I had to choose then Alexander Henry, I love how quirky his prints are.

Project completed by you:

That’s a hard one. I like different things for different reasons. I will go with my Time Travelers Wife Embroidery though. It took so long and so much effort but I was really happy with it when I finally finished it. Close second would be the Fish in a Bowler Hat cushion because I adore the pattern! The fish pattern is my favorite one I have drawn and I am hoping to use it a lot more in the future.

  

Project when you need a quick finish:

It has to be pin-cushions and lavender sachets. I often don’t decide what they will be until last minute. I like to stitch and then see which I think fits best. I can knock these off so fast now it surprises me every time. I think I am an incredibly fast stitcher when it comes to hand embroidery. It must be all those hours of practice paying off.

I also really like to make cushions. Once they are stitched they don’t take too long to put together and they are so simple but effective.

Least Favorites:

Color: Normally I would instantly say Yellow but it is growing on me recently so maybe lime green.

Fabric line: Anything with thin stripes! Gives me a terrible headache.

Project completed by you:

It is probably one of my Dita embroideries. I didn’t have a big enough hoop to fit her in at the time so I had to move around a lot which meant they all ended up with loads of puckers.

Thankfully I managed to get at least one half-decent one to redeem it. I can’t be too happy with it though because it doesn’t look enough like her!

100 Day Hustle

I found out Kelsey is hosting a linky to keep us motivated through the rest of the year

since... there are officially 100 days left in 2012.

CRAZY!

So, here's my list of what i'd like to get accomplished.

Have to do:

1. Mystery Christmas Project - in progress (instagram - knotted_thread) 

2. Commission Project - fabric ordered

3. ROYGBIV quilt - Havent started.

4. EPP pouches (for SS)

5. laptop bags (for SS)
6. PP block for Halloween hop
7. EPP block for Katy and Laura's blog hop

Would like to do:

1. Tennessee blocks quilt finished (blocks made, not pieced)

2. complete 5-10 blocks for EPP quilt 

3. wine bag

4. kimono shoes

That should keep me busy for a while

considering boyfriends parents are visiting after Thanksgiving,

we're traveling with them,

and then traveling before the Christmas holidays

i'm really down to way less than 100 days

BUT we have fall break in 2 weeks.. 

wish me luck.

Hadley, you're not allowed to get mad at me for this post, i'm just participating!

:)

Medium Chevrons

Hey all,

The rest of the medium chevrons arrived today!

Wooohooo!

They're officially all in stock!

Have a great weekend!

Follower Friday - Liz

We're back for another round of Follower Friday

and today we have

Liz!

Specs:

Name: Liz of Dandelion Daydreams Blog

Family: The Hubster (now a thirtysomething, just like me), two children –  affectionately known as The Dandelions – and the maddest Spaniel in the world

Location:  East Sussex, UK

Blog: http://lizofdandeliondaydreams.blogspot.co.uk/

I would really love some more followers, so please pop over to join me on my fabric adventure

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sweetiepups/

Day job:  Probate Lawyer by day, Sewista Extraordinaire by night! *chuckle*

Dream job:  Being a mum – the toughest but bestest job ever

What are you working on now?  This year I joined a Sewing Bee for the first time.  So, at the moment, I am working on my Bee blocks for this month.  It’s fantastic taking part in a bee, because it really pushes you out of your comfort zone and it is so much fun to play with other people’s fabric.  Kelly was our first Bee Mama and she asked for scrappy rainbow circles.  Here is my block.

Favorites:

Place:  Walt Disney World – I love that Mouse!  We had the most magical holiday there a couple of years ago. But I also really love the area that I live in.  There are the quaintest little higgledy-piggledy streets in Hastings Old Town.  Foyles War was filmed here.

Movie: Finnian’s Rainbow – it’s a really old movie starring Tommy Steele that I fell in love with when I was little.

I also love Garden State; High Fidelity; Speed and {blush} Twilight.  And any good comic strip film like Batman, X-Men and Spiderman
Food: at the moment it’s Veggie Sushi
Way to spend a Friday night: Early evening is my sewing time, so that would certainly feature in my favourite Friday night.  Followed by snuggles with the Dandelions and finally an episode of CSI (with Ted Danson) with the hubster on the sofa.

Fabric line: I am loving the new Liberty quilting fabrics and also Moda’s “Mama Said Sew” line, but my all time favourites have to be “Just Wing It” and “Neptune”

Color: Turquoise is my favourite colour, but red or dark grey are my favourite plain fabric colours.

Designer: Tula Pink or MoMo

Project completed by you: It just has to be the Japanese + and x table runner.  I love the fact that I only used scraps, so it was an economical make as well as turning out to be one of the most beautiful things I have sewn.

Project when you need a quick finish:  I love making pencil cases and pouches.  They go together fairly quickly but they are so practical.  I like to use what I make.  They also look really good with some handstitching or embroidery, which I am trying to get better at.

Least Favorites:

Color: Lilac, Mustard and Teal

Fabric line: I am not that keen on working with batik fabrics.

Project completed by you: The worst thing I ever made was my first attempt at some baby trousers for my little boy.  They were horrendous.  I really was not a natural when I started sewing and I am still pretty pants at making clothing of any kind.

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Thanks so much for sharing Liz!

I love that owl wall hanging!

As always, if you'd like to participate

shoot me an email at

knot.threads@gmail.com

Have a great weekend!!

W.i.P. and FNSI

I'm doubling up this week, my works in progress as well as what I want to accomplish this Friday night as part of the sew-in. Somehow, I always always miss this and i'd love to be able to join in!

Works in Progress-
1. 3x6 bee blocks - hoping to finish these this week

2. SS EPP work - trying to organize my template pieces/fabric pieces for mom and me at SS since I've roped Katy into teaching me since I couldn't get into the class

3. Travel Handmade - some mystery pieces :)

4. Indie quilt top - almost done!

Sounds that that should keep me busy - Also need to work on the mystery Christmas project (@knotted_thread) if you're interested on instagram, I found out that there are 97 days to Christmas today and I have A LOT to do.. 

On a different note, Toni is having a giveaway celebration, winner gets $30 to Knotted-Thread so go check it out!!

Happy hump day!!

:)

Love it, Pin it, Win it

Mode Bake Shop is running another contest! If you're unfamiliar with this site, go check it out asap - its all tutorial of projects using charm packs, jelly rolls, layer cakes, etc. etc. I was looking last week, I had 2 charm packs but wasnt sure what to do with them, I went to the site, narrowed my search to just charm pack recipes and voila! lots of choices.

Anyway, they're hosting a new contest called "Love it, Pin it, Win it" - the premise is to go through their recipes/patterns and pin your favorites - when you pin them it must be to the recipe not the MBS website. It also must have #modabakeshop #modafabrics #lovepinwin on the pin.

I have set up a board on my pinterest here if you have any interest in checking out some of my favorites.

I personally love this quilt.

This has been a favorite of mine long before I was blogging and i'm yet to make it. 

I think the argyle go me initially - but the words break it up and of course.. its a solid!

One day...

Anyway, for the full explanation of the details you can check out this post.

Enjoy!!

Weekend Recap

This weekend there wasnt a whole lot of "sewing" going on

I spent a lot of time petting pretty fabric, and even getting to cut some for orders (!!)

woohoo, thank you for your support!

I'll give you a recap of what I did do though..

Well, this weekend was Lahaina night on Maui

(every 2nd Friday of the month, in case you're ever visiting!)

We decided to try a new restaurant Honu

it was amazing! A bit pricey for us, but we both agreed 

we've never been that completely happy with a meal, absolutely delicious

oh, and they have a very extensive bar so Steve was in his glory finding beers on tap

(for an avid beer drinker, he's very limited here)

Then, for dessert..

I'd been hearing tons of things about "hula pie" 

So this weekend I was determined to try it... oh.my.goodness.

Macadamian nut ice cream, Oreo cookie crust, chocolate fudge, hot sauce, 

peanuts and whipped cream

can you say heaven in a takeout dish?!

nom nom :)

Thennn, Sunday we spend laying by the beach and watching football

I tell you, its a tough life I live

and i'm thankful everyday :)

I promise i'll have some actual sewing to show this week

I have TONS to do before SS!

Happy Monday :)

Exciting News!

Alright, so some of you may have noticed if you follow on Instagram

I had a VERY exciting mail day..

So... I guess I should explain?

Since moving out to Hawaii, I've been trying to find out what I want to do with my life

and I've always played around with the idea of opening a fabric shop.

I've always said "at some point"i'd love to open a shop.

Well, the move gave me the push I needed.

Steve and I sat down and had a LONG talk about the future, what we wanted, etc etc

and it was through that I realized.. what the heck am I waiting for!?

So I made the jump and started doing all the necessary paperwork to make this happen

Now, everywhere obviously starts small,

as anyone who has ever opened there own business knows

but I have my eye on some lines through the end of the year

and i'm really excited about making this happen and watching it grow.

So, we're starting off with some Riley Blake

I've listed the small dots and medium tonal chevrons in the shop

I have the white medium chevrons coming as well, but one box didn't get delivered today so I don't have them all yet.

I do have some, so if you're interested, just ask :)

If you're still with me, you'll be glad you are!

For all of my fabulous followers and the support you have all given me

i'm offering you a discount for the grand opening weekend

So head on over and check things out in the shop

10% off using the code grandopen1 

There's also a widget for it on my right sidebar

Keep an eye on the blog both for my personal blogging and more discounts 

:)

Blogger's Block of the Month

Hey all - just wanted to let you know about a new blog hop that is occurring, its starting today!!

Each month a new and original block will be posted.

We're starting today with Carin and Carol of Margaret's Hope Chest 

so go check it out!

Also, Dhia has a giveaway going on now over here

Have fun!

The rest of the lineup is as follows..

Oct 15, 2012: Jenny of Sew Kind Of Wonderful

Nov 15, 2012 : Jennifer M of Ellison Lane Quilts

Dec 15, 2012 : Natalie of Craftin Mechanic

Jan 15, 2013: Stefanie of Little Lady Patchwork

Feb 1, 2013 Jennifer I of Knotted Thread

Feb 15, 2013 : Sandra of Sharp Quilts

Mar 15, 2013 : Nicole K of  Patchwork Duck Designs

April 1, 2013: Us! Right here at Distant Pickles

April 15, 2013: Tracey of Itching 2 B Stitching

May 15, 2013: Felicity of Felicity Quilts

June 15, 2013: Erin of Billy Button Design

July 15, 2013 : Nicole N of Mama Love Quilts

Aug 15, 2013: Dhia of Peach Patch Quilts

Enjoy the weekend!

:)

Follower Friday - Penny P.

We're at it again this week, 

can you believe we're halfway through September already!?

This week we have

Penny!

Specs:

Name: Jenn aka Penny Poppleton

Family: Husband (Mr Poppleton) and daughter Piper (13 months)

Location: Sydney Australia

Blog: http://www.pennypoppleton.com/

Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jennis/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/pennypoppleton

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/pennypoppleton

Instagram: pennypoppleton

Day job: Stay at home mama and type-A organizer of everything possible!

Dream job: Writer…well, a published writer! I write mostly YA novels. I’m six manuscripts in and finally feel like this one might be “the” one!

What are you working on now? I just wrapped up the Seven Day Quilt (a sample for a local shop moving into modern fabrics to display), two Swoon pillows (wedding gifts for friends) and am about to start a challenge with a friend to use up my Terrain fabric! I also put a lot of time into the Sydney Modern Quilt Guild – getting it up and running and making sure everyone’s questions are answered! Whew!

Favorites:

Place: My newly renovated house, or the coffeeshop just down the road! (I drink a lot of coffee.)

Movie:  Love, Actually. It is super cheesy but the writing is just amazing and the characters are so well-formed.

Food: Pasta. Anything pasta. Add bacon and I’m yours forever.

Way to spend a Friday night: Curled up watching Star Wars with my husband! We are very nerdy. I like making fun of Luke.

Fabric line: Do I have to choose just one? :) Mendocino by Heather Ross. But I love lots and lots more.

Color: I don’t have a favorite color but my stash is very heavy on the blues and greens!

Designer: Anna Maria Horner. She is a genius. I want to meet her someday!

Project completed by you: I love my Mendocino quilt. I made it for myself and it is so bright and different – no white as a background!  It also took a lot of self-control to make the wonky blocks. I love straight lines!

Project when you need a quick finish: I am a huge fan of using my stash of precuts (charm squares and layer cakes) to do disappearing nine-patches. There is so much variety and they come together super fast!

Least Favorites:

Color: I tend to avoid purples and reds when I shop for fabric. It has been a hurdle this year building that part of my stash but I know a well-rounded stash makes a happy quilter!

Fabric line: I really want to like the Dr Seuss prints, but they don’t resonate with me at all! I actually don’t care much for any novelty print. And is this heretical or what, but I don’t like text prints at all!

Project completed by you: The first baby quilt I ever made. I used poly blend fabric, and didn’t mind my seam allowances, and I tied it to quilt it. Of course, it started to fall apart in no time! It was for my nephew and I ended up begging for it back so I could remake it with Kona solids, proper seam allowances, and some actual quilting! It’s on my list.

Thanks for letting me yammer on! I love reading Knotted Thread and always find so much inspiration from reading about your projects! :)

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Thank you for joining us Penny!

If you have Instagram, I definitely recommend following Penny,  she's fabulous

and if you get a chance check out her flickr, she gave me free reign on pictures and it was SO hard not to just use pictures everywhere!!

Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend,

we'll be back next week with another Follower Friday!

If you'd like to participate,

please email me at

knot.threads@gmail.com

:)