I mentioned a few posts back that I was finally going to attempt my first REAL quilt…by going through quilting processes, piecing together fabrics, etc. No winging it…I wanted to do it the right way. So I started the tutorial on Obsessively Stitching, for the 1st Quilt Ever.

First I had to pick my fabrics. Figured since it was for our home, I’d drag Mick along. That and we were going to dinner later, so he sort of HAD to come. He is actually quite helpful. We decided to go with a color scheme that we have in places around our house, primarily our bedroom. Pretty stoked on our choices. (apologies for all the dark photos)

I then had to cut it into a whole lotta 6″ squares, and honestly, I’m not going to go over the process piece by piece, as Obsessively Stitching has the great tutorial, so she would definitely be more useful. Below are my 6″ squares and a bunch of 3″ strips…that I believe will be part of the binding.

Then I put them all into 9 – squares.

Only to have them sliced and diced after.

And the I got to do the fun part and piece it all together. Granted in the below photo its all just laid out on our rug, and nothing has been put together yet, but it looks like progress. I stacked up all those rows and organized them by number, so my next step will be the tough part of sewing the entire front piece.

I’m pretty proud of my progress so far. I’m totally capable of following directions!! Hooray for me!

Ahhhhh!!! So today is my SITS day and I forgot to post my welcome post!!! I had it on my list of things to do yesterday, and it completely escaped me!! Story of my life. I feel like Im hosting a party and forgot to be a greeter, and am hiding in my room. My apologies!!

So let me do a little explaining.

I head about SITS a few years ago, when I started blogging more regularly, and wanted to be a part of it. An amazing opportunity lay before me, and what better way to get exposure to a group of 0ther bloggers. Today is my day to shine. My SITS day. My day to be featured…and I almost blew it!!  A community of over 8,000 bloggers come together to form a community, and share posts, comments, chat in forums, go to conferences, and support each other. Thats why SITS stands for The Secret to Success is Support! Additionally, there is a featured blogger every weekday, and that’s what I am today!

1)I love costumes. I love reasons to wear them, and I have way too much closet space being taken up by them. Many of my costume themed posts can be found here.

2)My house is a zoo. Between 2 cats and a dog, the dander and cat litter are plentiful..but I couldn’t have it any other way.

3) My husband and I both have mustache tattoos on our fingers. He got his first, and I told him that when he proposed I’d get one too. We call it my commitment stache. Its fun to play with at parties.

4) Im an ex-sorority girl living in the Bay Area. Though sorority girl most definitely doesn’t define me… people are actually sometimes shocked I was in one. I’m a California girl born and raised, starting my life in LA, school in SD, and been in the bay for 8 years. A majority of my friends from home and college having families, some with up to 3 kids! I feel like the Bay area is home to a lot of people with peter pan syndrome, and they dont want to grow up. Living here was always more of a party and work kind of life rather than family focused. Things are changing. My friends up here are maturing and starting the wedding circuit. I got married last August, and cant wait to have a family….stay tuned, hopefully things will turn around and I’ll be able to actually post baby posts as opposed to stalking other peoples baby focused Etsy sites. Love making Wunzees for other people, but cant wait to make them for ME!

5)I like to think I’m crafty…though I’ve seen what other people can do. I was making Wunzees for a while, and if you need one, I still can. I am currently trying to make a new quilt, (the one below is a first attempt) and doing a bunch of small ones in the process. I wish i knew what i was doing!!

Anyway…I hope you enjoy my blog. Not traditional in the “I have focus” sense, but hopefully fun nonetheless. Thanks for visiting!!!

I decided to do some new installments of my Etsy Tag Mondays, but just keep it to when I want to do it, so there is no schedule to adhere to. As I sit on my couch during this rainy day..hopefully the last of many, I realize how much i enjoy the rain. Its a pain when I need to get somewhere, and I dont necessarily love driving in it, but I love listening to it. I could lay in bed all day and listen to the rain…it makes me feel comfortable and cozy. Sure, too much of it not allowing me to do what I want to outside gets depressing at times..but then i just sit back again, and listen to it. The only thing that would make the rain better would be if we had a fireplace to light. Someday.

So I went through Etsy and found some items I really liked with the tag of Rainy Day. Enjoy.

Rainy Day Pillow Cover by Modernality

Dreamy Rainbow Mobile by babyjives

Rainy Day Letterpress card (all proceeds go to Japan) by leterpress

Rainy Day Bath Towel Set by 15 pieces of flair

Rainy Day by Pedro Nogueria

Rainy Day by Majali

I had a few projects lying around the house, that I figured I’d get to before starting on the First Quilt Ever project. I have been on the receiving end of many “fabric donations” when my friends and family are ditching stuff they don’t need or want. I got a pile of fabric from a friend of mine, and as I was sorting through it, I found a bunch of blue and white panels, many already sewn together. I kept the patches going, and decided to make it a blanket that we could take on picnics. I used a checked vinyl on the back, so if it ends up on wet grass, we dont end up with a wet ass.

I had also attempted to make a quilt with triangle patches, but went about it all wrong. I sewed the triangles across in rows, instead of blocks to attach. The result is a mess, but I’m sure I’ll find the right person to give it to as a gift, as it might be one of the softest ones I’ve made. I can’t wait to do it properly this next time….and piece it together the right way. I still need to figure out my color scheme, but at least I’ve got these two out of my queue of things to do.

Well, it wont be my FIRST ever quilt. I’ve had my hand at quilt making, but it has been self taught, un-professional, and just sloppy. Remember this one? Or this one? Well, this time, I’m actually going to learn something. I recently bought the Better Homes and Garden Complete Guide to Quilting book, so I’ve been reading up on details and terminology, but there is no better way to learn than to follow a tutorial.

Obsessively Stitching has created this tutorial that will take me step by step in making a quilt, called “1st Quilt Ever.” Of course she started this LAST year and I’m a little late to the game, but I can’t wait to start. Its called the Dissappearing Nine Patch quilt, and the options as far as what it looks like are endless. I will be sure to blog about my disaster of a process. My crafting area will likely be my kitchen table for this, so I apologize to Mick in advance.

Now to come up with the color scheme and get to shopping!!

I heart Halloween. Its the time of year that I put my best, craftiest foot forward and throw myself into costume making and decorating. If I lived in a larger house with less clutter, and maybe a few kids running around, it would be full of Halloween decor and goodies.

I’ve been thinking about my costume for a while now. A few years back I had a super successful Halloween costume that I made and went as a bag of skittles.

I didn’t know how to sew, barely handstitched, and was a master at my glue gun. Needless to say, that was a one season costume, as all the glue has pulled away and its filthy.

Now, with my sewing skills passable, I decided to go the candy route again…it worked well for me last time. Can you guess what I’m making?

Thought this was worth a shot…I have a bunch of Wunzees left in my shop…maybe this will be a way to sell this holiday season!

I, Lauren Frederick, of The Little Goat, pledge to participate in the Etsy Success Holiday Boot Camp to the best of my abilities. I vow to check in every week, do my homework and support my fellow Holiday Boot Campers. I will read the weekly newsletters and blog posts, check in on the weekly forum thread, read the weekly blog post, check off the checklists and salute the mascot. I promise to share what I’ve learned with those who need it, support my fellow Etsy indiepreneurs and, most of all, have a positive and persistent attitude. I understand that together we can spread the word about our handmade and vintage goods, making this holiday season a more unique and meaningful one to gift givers and give-ees everywhere!

If you are interested in signing up and pledging for YOUR Etsy shop…you can check out their blog post here: http://www.etsy.com/storque/how-to/etsy-success-holiday-boot-camp-getting-started-10576/

More HomeEc fun!! I’ve totally fallen for my sewing machine again, and though I’m cruising through the projects slowly, I love this class. Its a great learning process, and now I can make the hell out of a tote bag!! I also made bunting and when coming up with a word, I decided to make the word PRIZE. It’s Mick’s favorite word. So…check it out.

Mick is modeling my tote

a PRIZE

fabric for future projects

A little while ago I mentioned that I had joined an online sewing class. HomeEc is a great way for me to get familiar with my sewing machine again, and so far I’m having a great time with their online tutorials. I have ventured into the first lesson, as well as the bonus, and have a pin cushion and some napkins to show for my efforts. Luckily right now I have a lot of fabric lying around. When some of the larger projects pop up, I will get to venture to some fabric stores and cruise for new stuff. First, the pin cushion was  a breeze.

The front of my pin cushion

The back of the pin cushion

You would think the napkins would have been too. They show you how to make single sided napkins (cake walk), but the double sided napkins with ricrac were a little harder. The napkins themselves were easy, but for the life of me I couldn’t get my ricrac to stay even throughout. They look better in photos than in real life.

single sided napkins

double sided napkins

all of 'em

How cute would custom napkins be at a bridal shower, or themed birthday party! Fabric, and some thread, and viola!! Will keep this in my crafty repertoire for sure. I will be blogging about all of my HomeEc adventures, so stay tuned!

A few custom Wunzees that I have made as of late…in between wedding planning and relaxing. The simplicity of both was appealing, but think how cute it would be to do MORE school logos. Let me know if you have one you want, and I’ll see if I can do it too!