MS episode 130:: Rachel Hauser from Stitched in Color

art episode 130 stitched in color

My guest today is Rachel Hauser of Stitched in Color. I have been a fan of Rachel’s blog for a long time and I give her the awesome blogger award several times in this episode. She has so much amazing content on her website that you can spend hours finding projects to make or getting inspiration for your new project. She shares how she got started sewing and why she decided to take her passion online, what she has learned, her most popular posts and patterns, and her latest class Stitched Holiday. I really enjoyed this chat with Rachel and I know you will too.

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MS episode 129:: Angie Wilson from Gnome Angel

art129art gnome angel

Angie Wilson and her Aussie accent are a force in the quilting world. She hosts so many sew-alongs at one time it will make your head spin. She also just released her debut book, Fussy Cutters Club, which is fabulous! She has a popular newsletter she sends out weekly with links, sew-along news, amazing things on the internet, and bits about her daily life. The amazing thing about Angie is that she has only been at this sewing gig for six years. Yea crazy huh?!?! She is on fire and I am so happy to be able to call Angie my friend. She is an amazing person inside and out with a passion for color and fussy cutting. I love her confession about fussy cutting in this interview. It is so much fun to chat with someone so fired up about this industry and the passion we all share for fabric and sewing. You are going to love this episode. NOTE:: we may have let some adult words sneak out so be aware if you listen while the kids are around. The audio was really acting up on this chat. I mean using skype can be tricky sometimes but we did our best to make it not too bad.

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Windham Fabrics Back to School Blog Hop

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Hi everyone and welcome to Modern Sewciety and our stop on the Back to School Blog Hop. I really tried to overthink this assignment but when it came down to what I wanted to do I thought about my kids. What is something I could make that would be used a lot and needed for that matter. I happen to be lucky enough to have two beautiful girls with a head full of beautiful hair. So hair bows seemed like the perfect project. Easy and useful.

windham back to school hop - bows

My kids wear uniforms and are limited to certain colors for their bows. I love the new fabric line by Another Point of View called “Uncorked” which looks like cork with a beautiful shimmery gold metallic. It is the perfect glammed up basic for your fabric collection. thumb_IMG_6676_1024

As most of you know we just went through hurricane Irma. Time was limited on this project because for a week we were anticipating this storm and trying to get ready. Goodness I am so glad that it is over. We are all okay and had minimal damage which is a miracle. I haven’t stopped thanking the trees in our yard for being so good to us.

I happen to be terrible at keeping on track with projects when life gets hectic. So this project is super simple and we happened to wait until nighttime to take pictures. Thank goodness I have my SlimLine LED table lamp from Daylight Lighting. So the lighting could be better but, hey, we got them done and my kids love them so so much. I mean bows with flecks of metallic gold seems like a win for us.

windham bows

1. I grabbed a fat quarter and ripped 2″ strips of fabric.

2. I cut the long strip in half to make two smaller strips.

3. Fold the strip in half to mark your center

4. Turn strip to wrong side and fold raw edges in toward center crease. You want to overlap those raw edges a little.

5. Pinch your middle together to cinch the center

6. Sew several passes to secure the middle.

Below:: I then took a scrap of fabric and hid the stitches with a little knot. You could use ribbon or lace here. The possibilities are endless. My girls are already planning out their next batch. I ripped my fabric to save time and make them easier for the kids to help me make them but you could easily make the edges crisp and neat.

bow with fabric

We had some extra clips around the house which was so handy. Yea for hoarding craft supplies I guess. We just snuggled one side of the clip under the back of the bow on the knot. It worked perfectly. You could also use some hot glue here to secure it. We didn’t have time and this worked just fine for what we needed.

bows in fabric with clip

My daughter loves the bows and she has already started pulling more fat quarters to make more. I often get asked for projects to make with kids and this is the perfect project. I think this would even be fun to make as gifts for friend’s birthdays as well. It is something that she can make herself and be proud of.
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Do you want to win a bundle of “Uncorked” by Another Point of View with WIndham Fabrics?

Be sure to follow Modern Sewciety and comment on this post for a chance to win a Fat Quarter bundle of the line!

The giveaway will be open from now until 8PM PST on Friday, September 22, 2017. The winner for this bundle will be picked at random and we will announce the name HERE on Monday, September 25, 2017.

The winner is Nicki S. I am emailing you now:) 

This giveaway is open to everyone, USA and International.

If you’re a “no reply” or anonymous commenter, please remember to include your email address in your comment!

Happy hopping!

Check out the other hoppers as well for more Back to School Projects.

9/11/17 Debby Kratovil – http://www.debbykratovilquilts.blogspot.com

9/12/17 Sue Marsh – http://wpcreek.blogspot.com/

9/13/17 Stephanie Kendron – http://www.modernsewciety.com

9/14/17 Chris Dodsley – http://madebychrissied.blogspot.com/

9/15/17 Brooke Sellmann – http://www.sillymamaquilts.com/

9/18/17 Shannon Christensen –http://www.shannonsstudio.com/

9/19/17 – Wendy Sheppard – https://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/

NOTE:: the pink cutting mat shown in my pictures is from Havel's Sewing. 

You can use the code MODERNSEWCIETY7 to get $7 off of a $25 order

The Stych – My Weekly Newsletter

The Stych

I thought I would do something different with my weekly newsletter this week. I love sharing my newsletter picks each week – it is my sunshine to my subscribers. So welcome if you are new here and welcome if you are coming over from your weekly email.

This week has been full of wishy washy for me. I have this gut feeling that I am going in the right direction but where I am going is fuzzy. These are the things I know lately and get ready because they are random so hang with me:

  1. I know the book is something that I have to do and I have imposed a deadline on myself to have the proposal ready to send out by Sept. 1. I have asked several close colleagues to look it over before I officially send it out. I have worked on one project for that this week but I think it could have been more.
  2. I know the podcast is something I feel compelled to do. I think it is a gift I really enjoy sending out into the world. I actually wish it was easier to make money with it. That will happen – I feel it. I am not letting go of what I feel in my heart on this.
  3. I know this community is filled with some of the coolest people on the planet. They make the world a better place with their creativity and kindness. It is humbling.
  4. I have the best listeners a girl could ever ask for. I have gotten some of the sweetest comments, messages, and emails this week that made me smile. My heart filled up with happiness. I am truly blessed.

We all have seasons in life and I am in a listening season. I am okay with that and I think being quiet and listening is an important part of the creative process. I wonder how much easier this quiet time was before so many distractions like technology. If only my grandma was around to have a chat with on the screened porch.

One distraction that is welcome around my house is talking about the Total Solar Eclipse. My husband took the day off and the kids were home so we could all watch it. We were in 88% totality and it was really cool. I think my husband and I were the most excited about it, lol. On a completely different note, we visited with friends from England that were in town and now my kids and I are all chatty in our British accents. So, as you can imagine, we are just a crazy crowd this week.

NOTE:: There are affiliate links in this post. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you

On to the links:: (I had to include some eclipse stuff but I promise only this one time!)

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MS episode 128:: Sandi Hazlewood – Crafty Planner (podcast)

crafty planner podcast

Sandi Sawa Hazlewood, from Crafty Planner, is one of the sweetest creatives I have ever met. Sandi also has a podcast where she chats with creatives. Having another podcaster on the podcast is always so much fun for me because we talk about podcasting stuff as well. Sandi and I chat about podcasting, of course, but also her sewing style, what her favorite newsletter to subscribe to is, and what podcast is always on play for her. She gives us the details on her latest make and what her creative process looks like. You won’t want to miss this episode!

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MS episode 127:: MY Side – meet Lacey

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I am so excited about my new series on the podcast called MY side. I have three friends in real life that keep me grounded, inspired, and feeling normal in this crazy world. You have met January so far and today you will meet Lacey. Lacey is also the only one in the group I have talked into sewing with me. She currently has three quilt tops ready for the longarm and I can’t wait until she comes over to sew all day with me again. We chat about learning to listen to ourselves in this episode and how that is changing the more we age. I do hope you enjoy! (more…)