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Kwik Sew 3796

I bought some Home Decor Fabric at Colorado Fabrics way before we knew it was going to close.  I had nothing in mind to make with it, so I just bought a couple yards, washed it and put it on the shelf.  Usually that type of buying results in the fabric sitting around for a few years.  Not this time!  I barely squeezed this pattern out of the fabric I had, and thank goodness since there's no place to go to get more.

Pattern Review

The Backyard Caddy by Sallie Tomato Patterns has been on my to-make list for quite awhile.  I downloaded and printed it with no problem.  I used quilting cotton by Dear Stella for the outside and the lining.  I used cork for the contrast from Emmaline Bags.  

The directions were clear.   The pattern begins with the handle.  Looking back, I think I could have re-enforced the handle more.  My husband immediatly put in LARGE bottles, and I worry about how much weight is being carried. 

The quilt for my youngest daughter is finished.  It took me YEARS.  Mostly because I only worked on it sporadically.  I put it on her bed a few minutes ago and took some photos.  This means I only have TWO quilts left unfinished in the house!  One of them just needs quilted.  The other needs a border before I quilt it.  

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My goal for October was to make the Jack Quilt by Laura Heine.  I succeeded only beacuse I had a couple of snow days in October.  After creating the Featherweight Quilt , I thought this one would be fairly easy.  It was actually pretty challenging for me.  I expected to put in a lot of time, but I wasn't quite prepared for it being as complicated as I felt it was.  The crows went together fine, but I really struggled with the corn stalks.  At the end of the project, IT WAS WORTH IT!  

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In September, I went on the Sew Fancy Retreat put on by Pink Door Fabrics.  It started Thursday night with a talk from Tula Pink.  This was the first time that I have seen Tula Pink, and I was blown away.  She talked about business, color, fabric, schedules, process, family... It was wonderful and gave me quite a bit to think about.

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July was supposed to be for sewing hard things.  I got through only 2 outfits from that planned list, and even then, I didn't finish until sometime in August.  From an old Vogue Pattern, I made a dress and jacket out of the Retro Vibe collection from Hoffman.  It was difficult, but it turned out quite nice.  As with most Vogue Patterns, it was super confusing in some parts.

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The Fair is over and the quilt is sitting in the house ready to be delivered to Jon Snodgrass.  

At the Fair, I was excited to take a photo as taking photographs of quilts is a pain.  BUT, they didn't hang it.  It was folded over a bar.  Nobody that looked at it would have seen the whole story.  I was kinda frustrated.  We took a picture as we took it down though, so it worked out I suppose.

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So we got back from Wichita over a week ago, and I was pretty motivated to get to work on the quilt right away, but I was not feeling well FOR SO LONG after we got back.  Yuck.  The quilt is due to the fair next week, and I am not even halfway through the quilting.  The quilt top is all applique.  Originally, I was going to piece it all.  I'm very happy that I changed my mind.  I think the truck is the most important thing, and I am super happy with how it came out.  That was not going to happen if I pieced it.

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Perusing old blog posts, I found that the quilt I am making for the Fair this year started percolating in my brain during the summer of 2014.  Wow.  I suck.

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Soooo................I got to test the Mahina Cardigan Pattern by Scroop Patterns.  Yay!  

Since I was a tester, I made the trial version which is a little different than the final version. 

When I found out about being a tester, I spent at least an hour pouring over fabrics at Colorado Fabrics.  I settled on two poly textured knits.  I wanted to be able to try it out on something not terribly expensive in case I screwed it up.  When I was done with testing the pattern, I had 3 cardigans.  I SO want another.