14 improv mini.

I'm in the process of making a mini quilt out of my improv block from Sewing Summit.  I was going to use my go-to natural linen for the background, but it didn't look quite right.  I auditioned about ten other fabrics before ultimately deciding that this thrifted purple stripe was perfect for the job.

This block is a little loud for me, but I'm going to embrace it rather than trying to calm it down.  I'm thinking it will be just the pop of color I need against the gray walls in my sewing room!

12 chevron clutch.

I stitched up a little chevron clutch yesterday for my partner in the Pretty {little} Pouch swap.

It's made of a purple-ish denim from JoAnn that I got forever ago, with the Premier Prints Zigzag in Ash in the middle.  I lined it in Lizzy House's Illusion in Orange from 1001 Peeps.

 I added interfacing and a layer of batting to give it some shape, and straight line quilted along the sides.  The gussets were added to give it a little depth.

A shiny black button on the front finished it off.  It came together pretty quickly considering I had drawn up the pattern in Illustrator just 10 minutes before.

This little clutch will be headed off to my partner soon!

18 ABC progress and comment problems.

Happy Friday friends!  I made a little progress on my Daisychain ABC Sampler at the Sewing Summit.  I can't seem to find my black wool to finish the "C", but other than that I'm finished with 4 letters!  I love working on this piece so I'm taking my time on it.

I've heard from several different people that they've had trouble commenting on my blog lately.  I have no idea why this is happening, but it makes me sad that some of you can't comment when you want to!  I've switched back to the pop-up comment window, maybe that will fix things?  Can you try to leave a comment here to let me know it's working?  If you're still having problems, please shoot me an email at bijoulovely@gmail.com and I will do some more research to figure out what's wrong.  Thanks and have a good weekend!

9 Sewing Summit 2011.

I'm back from the Sewing Summit!  It was an amazing, overwhelming, and exciting experience and I am very glad that I went.  I am glad to be back home now though too, it was an exhausting weekend!  There was so much going on and so many people to meet, I never really got a second to breathe and take it all in.

I arrived in SLC Thursday evening and met my roommates, Rachel and Amanda.  I was a little afraid that it would be awkward sharing a room with two girls I hardly knew, but it was actually one of the highlights of the whole trip for me.  They are both super sweet and I hope we get the chance to see each other again soon!

Friday morning was the Shop Hop, in which 50 fabric-obsessed ladies chartered a bus around the city to three fantastic fabric stores (Pine Needles, Quilt Etc., and The Material Girls Quilts).

It was so much fun and a great way to meet people!  My roommates and I walked away with quite the collection of goods.

We had a late lunch at the Blue Lemon with some of our new friends, and headed down to the Meet & Greet.  I'm somewhat shy and not the best at meeting and greeting, so I found it to be a little intimidating, but I did get to chat with a lot of wonderful people there!  I had dinner with a small group of girls at the Red Rock Brewery, and then we headed back to the hotel for the do.Good Stitches meeting (where Rachel taught me how to crochet) and to drop off my charms for the Color Wheel Charm Swap.

I started off Saturday in Jess' Improv Piecing class.

I'm not the best at improv but I do enjoy it, and had fun stitching up this block.  I also learned how to do curved improv piecing which I want to try out very soon!

From here on out is where I'm lacking in the picture department.  I couldn't get a signal on my phone to upload to Instagram, and I just didn't feel like pulling my camera out much.  My second class of the day was Vanessa's photography class, and then I went to Jeni's fabric selection class after lunch.  We all got Kona color cards which I was very excited about!  I can't seem to find my old one anywhere.

My last class of the day was Getting the Perfect Vintage Fit with Gretchen, which I loved!  I'm not much of a garment sewer but I learned so much in her class, I want to make a dress now.

Saturday night I had a lot of fun hanging out by the fireplace in the lobby, chatting with some of my favorite bloggers and working on my Daisychain ABC sampler.  We stayed up way too late, as evidenced by this picture that Erin took of us.  What am I doing in this picture? I have no idea!  We were supposed to make a funny face, but it just looks like I'm sleeping.

On Sunday I took an Aspiring Authors class, which was very informative, and finished the day with Dana's blogging class.  Then it was time to say goodbye to everyone!  How sad.

Overall I think the conference was a great experience for me.  It got me a little out of my comfort zone in terms of meeting new people, I learned a lot, had lots of fun, and left feeling inspired!  Thank you Erin and Amy for putting on such a wonderful event!

11 packing.

I'm busy packing up for the Sewing Summit today.  I leave for Salt Lake City in the morning!

I've got my business cards ready to be passed out to friends.

Designed by one of my favorite people, Chelsey of Fourth and Folded.

Also going in the suitcase, some charms for the Color Wheel Charm Swap,

fat quarters for our big FQ swap on Saturday night,

and some scraps for my Improv Quilting class with Jess.

Now if only I could decide what to wear...I'd be ready!

9 chevron market tote.

I put together a new market tote for Sewing Summit this weekend!  I modified the pattern to add a pocket to the front and back sides, inspired by the Jane Market Bag.

The chevron fabric is a Premier Prints home decor print, and I bought it to make curtains for our living room.   Buying the whole bolt was not much more expensive than just buying the yardage that I needed for the curtains, so I have some extra fabric to use up!  

The top of the pocket is made from Lizzy House's Pearl Bracelet in Purple from the 1001 Peeps collection. The bottom is some gray corduroy I've had forever.

The lining is a weird purple-ish denim that I bought in the clearance section at JoAnn's a couple years ago.  It's perfect for a rugged market tote!

Three more days until I arrive in SLC!  The sewing scramble continues until then.