April | 2012 | married to a bmw

march cottage

30. April 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Cross-stitch

I'm finally starting to catch up on my cottages. Here is March, complete with a white picket fence and some super cute sheep.

Cottage Stitch-along Progress by jenniferworthen

Here's my progress thus far. Let me just say that this is going to end up being HUGE when it's done. And by that, I mean hugely awesome, of course. Haha!

destash!

29. April 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized

Since I'm closing up my shop, bias tape isn't the only thing that needs to go. I've got a ton of fabric that was supposed to get cut up and turned into tape, but lucky for you all, the Slightly Biased fabric stash is looking for some new homes. I put together ten designer bundles today and have them listed in the shop here. Please take a look if you're interested, and don't forget the coupon code for even bigger savings!

april dessert

27. April 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Cross-stitch

The dessert of the month for April is a little piece of carrot cake. So cute! I especially love the little carrot on top.

Dessert Stitchalong Progress by jenniferworthen

I have to say, I really love how this is coming together. The first row is all done!

swoon continued

25. April 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Quilting, Sewing

Because goodness knows I haven't drawn this out long enough (haha), here's my eighth swoon block. My ninth and last block is cut out and just needs sewn together!

plant tags

23. April 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Gardening

I've told you all about MyFolia before, right? Because it's totally awesome. Besides the easy plant and seed tracking, seed swapping with members around the world, and a mind-boggling amount of plant knowledge in said members, there is a new feature that I am loving right now:

QR plant tags. Each of my QR codes link up to its specific plant page, where I can update a milestone or get information on the variety.

I also printed these tags on some waterproof paper, so they'll be good to go for the entire season. Stapling them onto craft sticks made them the fastest method of tagging I've done yet. Pretty cool, no?

tomato action

22. April 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Gardening

Japanese Black Trifele Tomato by jenniferworthen

Lots of action in the garden right now. This Japanese Black Trifele tomato was the first one I saw in the garden. I thought this plant won the "first tomato of the season" award...

until a couple of days later, I saw these Royal Chico tomatoes...

and these Isis Candy tomatoes...

and these Yellow Pear tomatoes! Four of ten plants already fruiting. If I had to guess which one fruited first, I'd say the Royal Chico because of the size of the tomato. But the other three aren't far behind, and the six that aren't fruiting yet are flowering, so they don't have much longer.

My Spacemaster cucumber wanted to join in on the fun. All 5 cucumber plants have been flowering and growing like crazy, so it would appear that we'll be up to our elbows in cucumbers soon!

berries

18. April 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Gardening

How in the world did it take me so long to plant strawberries in my garden? These are definitely my new favorite plants. We're harvesting big handfuls every few days now, and they're so sweet and delicious. Some of them have bites taken out by some sort of animal, probably birds. My puppy doesn't seem to mind, though, because he gets to eat all of those.

Yellow Wonder Strawberries by jenniferworthen

And seriously, I have never tasted anything as sweet as these little berries right here. They are Yellow Wonder wild strawberries that I grew from seed a year ago and are just now producing fruit. They taste like sweet-tarts. Not even kidding. I highly suggest getting some of these seeds and growing your own. You won't be disappointed!

april-a-long

16. April 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Bee Blocks, Quilting, Sewing

I got my blocks of the month done early this month! Woohoo! Here's what I've been working on.

First up, the Craftsy block of the month used English paper piecing. I started on some hexagons a while ago, but I haven't gotten far enough to learn the entire process, so I was very excited to finally learn how to put it all together. It's actually a lot easier than it looks.

One of my favorite parts was breaking out some invisible thread for machine appliqueing the hexagons to the fabric. This was my first time to use it, and I can definitely say that I'll do it again!

Next up, the HST block of the month - pinwheels! Seriously, who doesn't love pinwheels? I can never get enough of these!

Hexing Around Block 1 by jenniferworthen

Lastly, some Hexing Around blocks for my circle in do. Good Stitches. These certainly weren't quick to put together, but I'm really loving how they turned out.

Hexing Around Block 2 by jenniferworthen

My color was pink, so I got to pull a bunch of scraps left over from my string quilt to get these done. Now if I could just finish my April cottage, I'll be ready for May!

shop closing

14. April 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized

I've made the sad/happy decision to close up my etsy shop. Making bias tape now just isn't as fun as it was in the beginning, and since I'm finishing my Ph.D. in the next few months, there are too many things pulling my time and attention elsewhere. I definitely am at peace with my decision, and I'm also excited that I can finally just sew for myself guilt-free. The good news for you all is that I'm going to be clearing out my inventory, so everything in my shop is on sale! Use the coupon code CLOSING20 for 20% off everything listed.

bagged

06. April 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Embroidery, Quilting, Sewing

I'm still doing some reorganizing of my sewing space, and I came across a few projects that needed better storage than sitting on the floor (haha). For my flower embroidery, I sewed up my fourth hoop travel bag (pattern by The Frosted Pumpkin Stitchery). Super cute, right? I don't know what the bottom fabric is, but I knew right away this was the perfect project for it. The top (and the interior) is from Sugar Snap by Melissa Averinos.

All of my little hexies needed a bag to go in as well, so I made up a drawstring bag (pattern by In Color Order). I like my little safety pin fabric. Maybe this will inspire me to finish my hexies!

married to a bmw