Backyard Bliss

Well, we're not there yet, but we are working on it. Matt and I have been busy in the front yard and now we are slowly turning our attention to the backyard. We've planted a couple of things here and there. Like this crossvine from Plant Escapes Gardens:

We have also spruced up the backyard with some purchases like these yellow Adirondack chairs (a steal at Big Lots for $19.00! Yes, they are plastic). I have a small obsession with outdoor pillows and iron-on vinyl, so I plan to make some pillows for these chairs with a beautiful fabric from Anna Maria Horner's Drawing Room line.

Image via Pink Chalk Studio's flickr.

Project Wednesday Report

Here it is! The inaugural project for Project Wednesday. I decided Heather Bailey's pin cushion because I really needed one and it's so cute. It was pretty easy but there are some things that I will do differently next time. First off, it's way too small. I'm not sure if I missed something or if the pattern did not print out at the appropriate size. It was supposed to be 3 1/2 inches wide but ended up being nearly 2 inches. I hand-stitched the pin cushion using a quilting technique my friend Wendy taught me. It really didn't work well. I couldn't get the stitches close enough, so next time I will use my machine.

What's up for next week? I'm not sure. I really need to build some inventory for my etsy store, so I'll probably work on a case-bound book. Or, maybe I will make a little pouch for my new iPhone. What about you? What will you be working on?

Thank you so much to Elise from Funky and Delightful for the props and encouragement! As for Project Runway, it was a typical first episode -- so many designers and looks it was hard to keep things straight. And, I was slightly disappointed that the designers didn't take more risks. Nonetheless, it was awesome and I can't wait for next week!

Matt got me a great sewing machine for Christmas which remained boxed up for a number of months...until recently. As many of you know, I am a yoga devotee. A big part of yoga practice is savasana or the final relaxation that comes at the end of practice. Eye pillows are extremely helpful in facilitating relaxation and cultivating a sense of peace during this time. After using the community eye pillows in my yoga class (with a protective layer, of course), I decided that I needed my own. Lucky for me, Amy Butler, a fabric designer and crafter extraordinaire posted a free eye pillow and carrying case pattern her website.

Here's my version of Amy Butler's lavender eye pillow and carrying case. The blue fabric is a fine fleece-like material that feels very nice on the eyes. I coordinated the carrying case to the eye pillow by using matching teal thread which you can barely make out in the photo.

Unfortunately, my novice sewing skills were quite apparent when the carrying case came out too small for the eye pillow. At least I have a super cute pencil case now. My next project from Amy Butler is her Nigella Yoga Bag using her the Burgandy/Gothic Rose print from her Belle Fabric Collection!

And, just in case you were interested in how the eye pillow works, Matt is demonstrating here. Doesn't he look relaxed?