new year.

i love the beginning of a new year.  i love the gleaming possibilities that come with the new beginning. there are so many books i want to read, recipes i want to try, places and people i want to see and things i want to make.  

not a lot of sewing happened for me over the last year.  i usually make several bags, a couple of quilts and various this and that's but the last year was very unproductive for several reasons (new house, busy work schedule, etc...).  

in an effort to keep myself accountable creatively and also emotionally i shall make a list.  i do know that i can get overwhelmed with too much so this is just for january...

January 2017

1.  Catch up with Fantastic Quilt Voyage

2.  Visit New Orleans with Friends

i think that is a good plan for January.  cheers to the new year and all it has to offer. 

xx

nicke

Fleet & Flourish

Hello! 

welcome to my day of the beautiful fleet & flourish blog tour.

this day is very important to me as maureen is one of my most very favorite people.  

she has a beautiful kind heart, she is crazy talented and she is an amazing friend. 

when i started looking at the fabrics and what each print was named; i was inspired, deeply.

innocency

tenacity

what does it mean to be innocent and tenacious? how does one do it? 

 all paths sunlit, expanded aim, what awaits profoundly, roadside guide...

my thoughts were everywhere... how can i honor the beauty of the fabric?  how can i infuse my love for maureen into what i make?  how do i do it???

one word.

BAGS

i took very favorite duffle bag pattern,

the make your getaway duffle by gingercake  

and i started sewing.

i wanted to highlight every print so i cut 3.5 inch squares and made the exterior panels a patchwork masterpiece.

when i finished this duffle i really wasn't ready to be finished.

not at all. 

another bag needed to be made and of course i went to my absolute favorite bag...

the poolside tote by noodlehead

i am a lover of big purses...they just hold so many things!

this bag has very significant meaning and showcases my two favorite prints.

all paths sunlit (main exterior) and expanded aim (violet pocket) signify that though the path may be bright we must keep our eye on the constantly expanding horizon; forever seeking out and welcoming new experiences. 

though this life and the experiences/successes/failures we have may be innocently fleeting, we must tenaciously aspire to flourish.

thank you dear maureen, for inviting me to participate along side the other amazingly the talented people that are sharing their fleet & flourish projects on this blog tour!

Feb 22nd ~ Amy Friend : During Quiet Time { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 23rd ~ Heidi Staples : Fabric Mutt { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 24th ~ Amy Smart : Diary of a Quilter { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 25th ~ Amanda Jean: Crazy Mom Quilts { Blog & Instagram }

Feb 26th ~ Brooke Sellmann : Silly Mama Quilts { Blog & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with Lady Belle Fabrics!!

Feb 29th ~ Amber Carillo : One Shabby Chick { Instagram & Blog }

March 1st ~ Nicke Cutler : Kiss Kiss Quilt { Instagram & Blog }

March 2nd ~ Nicole Daksiewicz : Modern Handcraft { Instagram & Blog }

March 3rd ~ Christopher Thompson : the Tattooed Quilter { Instagram & Blog }

March 4th ~ Alexis Wright : My Sweet Sunshine { Blog & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with Llama Fabrics!!

March 7th ~ Jessica Stewart : Izzy & Ivy Designs { Blog & Instagram }

March 8th ~ Stephanie Kendron : Modern Sewciety { Blog & Instagram }

March 9th ~ Heather Bostic : House of A La Mode // Citizens of Textile { Instagram }

March 10th ~ Ali Brorsen : Because of Brenna { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram }

March 11th ~ Melissa Kelley : Sew Shabby Quilting { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram } Visit Maureen Cracknell Handmade for a Fleet & Flourish GIVEAWAY with the Intrepid Thread!!

March 14th ~  Maureen Cracknell Handmade { Blog, Facebook, & Instagram }

xxnicke

thoughts...

i often think about the lives we brought into this world.  

how much i love them. 

how my love, acceptance and encouragement will will shape their lives.

how i love to hold their hands and kiss their heads.

how the love that i have for their father and the way i treat him will give them an example of how a healthy relationship could and should be.

i think about the memories we have made together 

i think about all the silly times we have had and it makes my heart grow.

i love this life.

i love these people.

i am forever grateful.

xxnicke

Sewing Tales to Stitch and LOVE!!

once upon a time there was a little girl.... a beautiful little girl who loved to dance and sing and color and make her world happy.  

but she was also a sad little girl because...

she had so many babies and no basket to put them in.

so her momma got out her sewing machine and the best little book ever by the Amazing Kerry Goulder and whipped up a super cute Dolly Moses Basket for her favorite sad little girl.

 

 

with a pillow too!!!!!

and that sad little girl....

well, she wasn't so sad anymore!

xx

nicke

thank you Kerry for including me in your blog book tour. it was a delight, not just to me, but to my once sad but now very, very happy little girl as well. 

Kerry's book is wonderful!  

  it is written like a children's book with a little story at the beginning of every project. 

i loved reading through it with my daughter; this is the first time i have ever been able to do that.

we loved it and also loved that it was packed full of such great projects to make.  

like this cute little baby quilt to go with the pillow and baby basket... 

a.dorable!

so, as today is the last day of the blog book tour you really should go back and check the other bloggers who have reviewed the book.  you won't be sorry.  

MONDAY: Nov 4th

Mollie Johanson - Wild Olive

Jessica Fediw - Happy Together

Abby Glassenberg - While She Naps

Jennet Jones-Rau - Feathered Nest Studio            

TUESDAY: Nov 5th

Sabra Gubler - Sew a Straight Line

Amber Carillo - One Shabby Chick

Caroline Hulse - Sew Caroline

Amy Friend - During Quiet Time

WEDNESDAY: Nov 6th        

Miranda Anderson - One Little Minute 

Andrea Taddicken - Knitty Bitties Sews

Kristi McDonough - Schnitzel & Boo

Terri Harlan - Sew Fantastic   

THURSDAY: Nov 7th

Shari Butler - Doo Hikey Designs

Jodie Carleton - RicRac

Jen Goode - 100 Directions

Justine Henshaw - Sew Justine Sew

FRIDAY: Nov 8th       

                                       Emily Levey - Strawberry Patch Ramblings                                            

Nicke Cutler - Kiss Kiss Quilt

Cathe Holden - Just Something I Made

Kate Henderson - Two Little Banshees

and really quick... i want to thank the amazing sponsors of this book tour who provided all of the very talented sewists listed above with some seriously awesome swag!  i have listed them below and you should go "like" them yourself! 

;) xo

Fiskars on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/fiskars

Fiskars on Twitter - https://twitter.com/fiskars_hq

Dritz on Twitter - https://twitter.com/dritzsewing/

Dritz on Pinterest – http://www.pinterest.com/dritzsewing/
Dritz on Instagram - http://followgram.me/dritz_sewing/

Fairfield on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/FairfieldWorld

Fairfield on Twitter – https://twitter.com/fairfieldworld

Bosal Foam

Free Spirit

Heather Bailey’s blog: http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/

Heather’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/_HeatherBailey

Heather’s Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/heatherbaileyllc

Heather’s Instagram: http://instagram.com/heatherbailey

Heather’s Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/_heatherbailey/

F+W Media

F+W Media on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/fwmedia

F+W Media on Twitter - https://twitter.com/fwmedia

instagram, you sucked the blog out of me.

once upon a time i used to blog.  i blogged about my lovely children and about my loving husband.  i blogged about the fun things we would do, trips we would take, places we would go.  i blogged about the things i sewed; quilts, bags, pouches.  it seems that i don't blog anymore.  well, not since august... um, i mean june, (it's worse than i thought).  and it is aaaaaaalllll instagrams fault!

i have been making lots of things and taught a sewing class.  my kids do and say such sweet things for example: we were taking a walk last night and my kids were riding their bikes.  mr. H rode up to me and said... "Mom, i need a tiss (kiss)".  he is such a heart melter.  my husband started growing a beard for my birthday present (best present ever)!  i love a man with scruff.   we went to the washington coast for the labor day holiday/my birthday and had a wonderful time.  and most importantly, miss S started kindergarten!  nearly all of the things we have been doing and i have been making have been instagrammed... not blogged.  damn you instagram!

so...  i want to bridge the gap.  i love blogging.  i love the friends i have made because of it and i MISS them!  since i don't blog i rarely read blogs anymore.  and that is just rude!  i don't want to be rude anymore.  i want to blog.  i want to read blogs.  i want to see what others are doing and making.  i want to do and make.  i want to share.  i want to give.  i want to connect.

instagram, you will not suck the blog out of me anymore.  don't worry, i still love you and wont let my blog suck the instagram out of me.  i just need to find balance and reconnect.

but for now.  i will catch you up.  sorry if you follow me on ig and have seen these photos already...





im still crossfitting...

and getting dirty...

and making more and more bags.








ok... thats enough for now...  here's to getting the blog back in action and getting the real camera out too!

xx
nicke

i have the best gig in the world.

being the fearless and often crappy leader of our heal circle does have some serious perks!!!

i love this job!  i will do it forever!

xx

nicke

winner...

and the winner of the roly poly pinafore is..... arajane!  

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:16

arajaneMay 22, 2013 at 5:48 PM

um, yes, totally cute! and i totally want to see the adult nicke version!

ReplyDelete

wooot!!!  yay arajane!  go make a hundred for ingrid!


xx
nicke

Roly-Poly Pinafore Blog Tour & a Giveaway!

hello hello hello!

i am so happy to be a part of the Roly-Poly Pinafore blog tour and i am very excited that my dear friend Rachael is letting me give this pattern away to one of you today! it is such a great pattern, you should be very excited! 

i am not an accomplished clothing maker by any stretch of the imagination but this pattern was E.A.S.Y Peasy!  Rachael does an amazing job of explaining each step and the pattern itself only has a few pieces so its very easy to put together.  

BUT, never fear, if you are a beginning clothing maker like me and get a little confused about adding the pockets (which are totally awesome and extremely useful for all the beautiful rocks that you find while playing in the park.) Rachael has amazing customer support and she will answer any question...

no matter how stupid! 

believe me!  

i know, from experience!

the pattern offers sizes 6m-10.  my little angel here usually wears a size 5 but because she is rather thin i measured her and she measured at a 2 in the chest and a 3 in length.  so we went with the 3 and it fits her perfectly.

im planning on measuring myself and hopefully i could squeeze myself into the size 10...  i have my fingers crossed...  

she loooooooooooooooooooooves it.  

which warms my heart to no end.

she has worn it almost every single day since i finished it!

make sure you check out all of the other pinafores that these talented ladies made.  make sure you look at Tara Girl like the Sea's version... i died then declared i need to step up my game!

5.13 Jill Made with Moxie / Stephanie The Crafty Kitty

5.14 Stephanie NeurosesGalore / Cherie you & mie

5.15 Ari Max California / Caila Caila Made

5.16 Veronica SewVery / Tara Girl like the sea

5.17 Nancy owen's olivia / Adrianna Crafterhours

5.20 Ajaire Call ajaire / Sarah EmmylouBeeDoo

5.21 Laura Craftstorming / Jessica a little gray

5.22 Frances Miss Matatabi / Nicke kiss kiss quilt

5.23 Amy formwork design / Kat Sew Chibi

5.24 Joanne Rose & Dahlia / Amanda Kitschy Coo

5.27 Celina Petit a Petit and family / Delia Delia Creates

5.28 Christy a.Amelia handmade / Carolyn Fake It While You Make It

5.29 Bonnie Fishsticks Designs / Maria La Inglesita

5.30 Jane Buzzmills / Kate Things for Charlie

5.31 Polly Jack & GeeGee / Molly Rose & Odin

 and now for the giveaway! leave a comment, any comment, and please make sure you leave your email in the comment so have a way to contact you if you win!

only one comment per person please!

although only one person can win, the pattern is available to purchase in Rachael's etsy shop.  so really everyone wins! 

xx

nicke

Wonky Bee... the traveling edition!

this round of wonky bee has been super fun.  we are doing traveling quilts and i am a bit behind in reporting my work... i had sara's quilt last month.

i love how her quilt looks! 

 i added that huge strip of 2.5" patchwork squares.

 it was a color explosion. 

  her quilt is going to be gorgeous!

oh, and i think i have mentioned this before...

i LOVE my juki!  

perfectly pieced.

every.

fricken.

time! 

i have amanda's quilt this month!

i've been plotting and planning....

and i will do some sharing soon!

xx

nicke