AnnieOak Designs: 2015

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Pincushion Swap - April (4/17/2014)

Hi hi! Last month I joined up with Bea's Pincushion Swap and was super excited when she sent out our assigned swap partners. She has been doing this since about 2012 and keeps pictures of all the swapped pincushions on her blog here and here. How fun are they?!

My partner to make a pincushion for was Laura this month and she mentioned she loves to garden and grow vegetables and flowers. I knew I had a paper pieced pattern bouncing around in my sewing room somewhere from Regina Grewe that would be just right. Paired with some fun butterfly fabric for the focus fabric and voila!

Out came this watering can for Laura. I picked up a little set of botanical notecards and a little Oregon pin from a store downtown and sent it off to NC.

My partner to receive a pincushion from in April was Nancy and I was really hoping she had one of her bunnies left for me - they are too stinking cute. When I opened my package, I did the happy dance with Oakleigh! She sent me my very own bunny - woo hoo!!!

Out in the garden it went...and was immediately eyed by Annie as a new toy to carry around. That was immediately stopped by a cookie tossed in the other direction and the bunny was forgotten for the moment. Nancy also included a great FQ of lime green batik - yummy :o)

I haven't been sewing much this week - it is my Mom's Spring Break and she has been up from California visiting. We've still got the Spring Beer and Wine Festival in Portland and Easter to celebrate, so there is still a lot to do!!! In the meantime, here is what I got to see while the bunny was having its photo shoot.

woof woof meow

Spring is here! (4/14/2014)

Hi hi! I hope all has been well for everyone :o) I took a very much needed break from the blog during the winter - there was so much going on! I didn't stop sewing though and I hope to get you all caught up soon :o)

I'll start off with a little mosaic of what I did right before the holidays ramped up - tested blocks for Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks Volume 8. I started testing for them on Volume 7 and had a great time so when they asked for volunteers for 8, I jumped at the chance! Here's what I tested with my group of testers:

Aren't these blocks fun?! So many of them evoked different memories when I did them. The top center, the ukelele and flowers, reminded me of our trip to Hawaii last Christmas and New Years - just me and Josh. The one next to it, the hive, it reminded me of spending a couple of summers in high school at BYU's Provo campus going to Education Week with my best friend and her family. The sunflower - my favorite flower. The block right below it, the up and down arrows, reminds me of a horse blanket and riding a horse named Grouse bare back for hours on end as a little kid in the Northern California foothills.

Too much fun I tell ya! The Tree of Love, I quilted up and sent off to Karin in Norway as a mug rug for a Valentine's Day mug rug swap over on iPernity and the red and black block was made twice because I think I know everything and refused to use the templates the first time around. The first block got ripped up and sewn back together into another mug rug for a swap at my guild and is now happily in a black and red kitchen!

I've since tested for Volume 9 and will post those after the magazine comes out - can't wait, there are some great patterns in there!!! I've got two customer quilts under my belt and two other baby/baby momma quilts finished since my last post, as well as a couple swaps and other fun things. I'll be posting again!

But until then, here is what I get to look at every morning. A little pup love!

woof woof meow!!!

Wicked Punkin Cats (10/29/2013)

Hi hi! Welcome to my day on the Wicked Blog Hop! Thanks for hopping with us today!!! First, I want to say thank you, thank you, to the most Wickedest Wendy from Why Knot Kwilt and Mdm Samm from Sew We Quilt for putting this blog hop together AGAIN! You two ladies, as usual, rock!!!!

And here are the other bloggers I am sharing the day with, make sure you stop by their Wicked places and check out their scary-cool stuff!

Quilt To The Edge

Stitchduchess Crazy & Sane Quilting World

Pampered Pettit

Feltfree på Åsly

Quilt Matters

Life, Quilts and a Cat Too

AnnieOak Designs (you are here!)

Last year, I really went all out - I had a lot of fun and played with my Juki and FMQ skills. I still haven't seen Wicked or managed to read any of the related books, but maybe someday. I AM still on cloud nine that they released The Wizard of Oz on blue ray though, I can finally see Judy Garland in HD - swoon ;)

This year, I went simpler and made something for myself - a little mug rug. I got the idea from Martha (who I'm sharing today with over at Quilt to the Edge) when she put Carol Doak's free pattern in our Guild newsletter. I've had this printed for a while, but when she put it in our newsletter for a little fun thing for members, I knew it would be for this hop!

The cutting directions were super easy and when I went to put the pieces on the paper and start sewing, I got a little concerned that there was going to be a lot of waste. I hate waste. Especially with my paper piecing - I'm very particular about my paper piecing. But, I did what the directions said and it works - I needed the bigger pieces because the pieces of the pattern were so small. If I had cut the fabric that small I would have been cursing up a storm and then I really would have been wicked.

I put three of the little punkin cats together and then cut the rest of the scraps up for some filler around them to make a bigger mug rug. Each punkin cat finishes at 3" x 3" so I needed to make it a little bigger! Do you like them? They're all basted and half quilted on my machine, I just needed to get back to the computer and get them out to you before I was turned into a pumpkin myself! Thanks for visiting and don't forget to visit everyone else and share the bloggy love!

Here's a little sandy O for ya!

woof woof moew!

Pin It With Me (9/12/2013)

Hi hi! Welcome to my day on the Pin It! blog hop!!! Thanks for visiting :o) I also want to say THANK YOU!!! to Kristen over at Meadowbrook and Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt for hosting and creating this hop - you ladies ROCK!

Here is the list of the lovely bloggers I am sharing my day with, go visit them and show them some bloggy love!!!

Quilting In South Carolina

Negligent Style

Debby Kratovil Quilts

Sew Many Yarns

News From Bear Hollow

AnnieOak Designs woof woof meow!

Grandmama's Stories

Suebee's World

Handmade by Mama

When I saw there was going to be a pin cushion hop, I knew I wanted to do it. I've been wanting to make my own "pin and bin" for a while and this was the opportunity to do it! I made a two-piece unit and will definitely be making some more!

The top portion I filled with rice and need to sew some non-slip shelf liner to the bottom, it slips and slides all over the place!

I attached some velcro to the tongue piece on the pin cushion and on the inside of the scrap bin. The tongue is just long enough to hang down and be convenient, but not too long to get lost under my table.

I love the fabric too - I've been hoarding the texty fabric and it is perfect for my projects - woof woof meow!

Now, thanks for visiting! I hope you enjoyed my little pincushion project, I know I do! Visit the rest of the bloggers and don't forget to spread the bloggy love!

Here's some O love, she says - go check out the rest of the pins!!!

woof woof meow!

It's A Sister Thing Swap - Mine Arrived! (8/28/2013)

It came! It came! My It's A Sister Thing Swap from my partner came! Woo hoo! Two packages in a week, happy days (more on the other package in another post)!!

Michele of Quilts From My Crayon Box is hosting a swap called It's A Sister Thing Swap and I have had a blast so far. Once I got my partner's name I immediately started stalking her. So fun to be able to say I was stalking someone without getting weird looks! ;o) I posted a sneak here and have her box all ready to go, just waiting for the weekend so her package doesn't sit on her porch all weekend long.

Now my partner that made me something was a real treat! I love her blog and her cute little Sonja too (her sewing room antics crack me up). Can you guess who it is yet? Well, it was Bea!!! hee hee. Bea blogs over at Beaquilter (love the play on her name) and has a bunch of fun stuff - I am a fan of her EQ tutorials which is what drew me to her in the first place. Now I just know her as a fearless quilter who does her thing and makes learning not look so hard. She's even managed to pique my interest in those AHHHHs from Hillbilly Handiworks and I don't do hand sewing.

So, onto the package. It was STUFFED. Didn't think there was that much in the envelope until I pulled it all out and it got a chance to breathe - puffed right up it did! Here's what she sent my way:

Fun little portfolio made from dog and paw print fabrics - love it! It is my new idea book for projects. I usually send myself an email with an idea when I have one on the fly - this way I can write them all in one place and actually see them instead of a list of emails.

She sent along the scraps from the portfolio and four fat quarters - I think my favorite fat quarter is the one on top with the birdies on it. That is currently being lovingly patted when I walk by my sewing table. The scraps I am going to make a mug rug with to sit by my machine methinks.

This Lazy Girl handbag pattern looks fun! SewSweetness has one similar to it that I have been eyeballing - now I can try this one out! She also sent three AHHHHs along - I think I might be hooked. Grrrrr is what I say to another addiction!

Ignore the things in the basket - they were already here. The basket is one of her that she made out of wrapped laundry line and zig-zagged the edges together. It fits my notions perfectly next to my machine. She has one with Sonja in it here - I told her the package could only have been better in Sonja was in it! ;o)

This owl block is too cute no? It is going to be made into a market bag I have a pattern for. Those little owls are too funny!

Some labels she tried out on her embroidery machine - not too shabby! One is actually on one of my projects I am sending my partner already :o)

I love these fabrics - they are perfect, especially the flowery fabric. These are both going into my hand sewing kit so I have a mug rug wherever I go and a pin cushion that stays in my kit!

Aren't they all fun?!?! Some of it is already in use, some has projects already planned for it and the rest is in the wings, waiting for just the right time. I have to say this swap has been a total blast and I am really glad I participated - it has been a great way to stretch myself and give stuff away (I really like to give things away).

I'll post up what I've sent off when my swap partner receives it - next week! I hope she likes it because I had fun looking for all the right stuff!

Here is what I see every once in a while - O can really creep me out!

woof woof meow

Sister Sneak Peak (8/18/2013)

I can't keep this in - I AM HAVING SO MUCH FUN!

Michele over at Quilts From My Crayon is hosting a swap called "It's a Sister Thing Swap". I am having so much fun! Did I say that already?

I can't resist posting a peak of what I am working on right now. Enjoy!

I can't wait for the reveal day! I can't wait! I can't wait!

Happy dance :o)

woof woof meow

A Velocity Finish! (8/17/2013)

Hee hee! Look what I did - a new finish!

A while back I won one of Sara's giveaways at her blog Sew Sweetness and finally got the nerve to try a bag. She recommended Velocity Girl as a very beginner friendly pattern so I jumped in. After the first couple of steps and finishing the front panel, I was hooked -- too. much. fun.

Aren't the little matryoska dolls cute? It has eight pockets and a zipper pocket too - my first zipper wasn't scary at all! hee hee - happy dance :o)

And here is some puppy luv with the Velocity Girl - a couple of little dolls who can't keep out of a photo shoot to save their lives!

woof woof meow

Ho Ho Ho with Me Me Me! (8/8/2013)

Hi hi! Happy Ho Ho Ho Blog Hop!!! Thank you so much for hopping with us :o) First off, thank you to Carol, our Cheery Cheerleader and our Fearless Leader, Madame Samm. Have you been checking out the other blogs? Today is the last day and everyone's posts have been fabulous! Here are the links to the last of us hoppers:

Moose Stash Quilting

Cathy’s Chatter

Darlington Delights

Life in the Scrapatch

Quilt n Queen

Forget-Me-Not Stitches

Quilted Delights

AnnieOak Designs WOOF

Sew Peace to Peace

Wips & Tuts

Just Keep Swimming

Sew We Quilt

Now, on to my little piece. I drink a lot of water at night - a lot. The cat loves to get on my nightstand, with her tail straight up in the air and rub up against the lamp, hitting the light pull with her tail and clanking it in the middle of the night. If I leave my water bottle where it is handy, she knocks it down, usually in the direction of my face, usually early in the wee hours of the morning. Sweet, sweet child.

So, to help me find a place out of the precious pet's way, I needed something to tell me I had put the water bottle down in the right place in the dark. So, a mug rug was called for. If I don't hear a clunk when I put the bottle down, I know I've placed it in the right place and can go back to sleep without worrying the little evil elf will try to give me a bath in the dark.

This is what happened when I sat down with my scrap bin and embroidery floss.

Fun huh? Here's another shot of it under my favorite mug from work (the water bottle is ugly ;) so the mug was brought home for a prettier picture).

And what is that little glass orb you see? This one here?

It is a paperweight I made over at the coast in Lincoln City a few weeks ago when my Mom came up for a visit. It is all glass and I made it! There are instructors at the gallery and you can work the glass under their supervision - too fun! Here is another shot of my mug rug and the paperweight:

I hope you enjoyed hopping here, I love my mug rug - it is already back in its place :o) Here is some Molly Cat love.

woof woof meow

What I've Been Up To... (7/25/2013)

Hi hi! When it gets hot outside, it gets hot in my sewing room - no matter that the AC is on. Plus, when it is hot, it isn't raining so in Oregon, you don't stay in much. I know I haven't. I dumped my iPhone pictures and have a picture heavy post for you to catch you up on what I have been up to (mostly). Warning: these are phone photos so they aren't the clearest.