My goals for 2012

Okay, I am just going to put it out there and hope by putting it into the atmosphere that maybe it might just come to be.

My goals for 2012 is to figure out what direction to go with my business. I have been putting along for the last two years, doing okay but not soaring.

I want to soar in 2012, I want to take my business to the next level, whatever that may be.

I have a few more items I want to add to my product list and I started a beginning knitting class last night with a vision of a new purse.

I struggled a bit last night and at one point wondered what I was thinking.

REALLY!  Do I want to add one more obsession to the mix?

But after clenching my teeth in my sleep all night I got up and started over. I think I am starting to get the hang of the knit stitch, now to master the Purl.

I am going to continue my love of cooking and baking and encourage my daughter with her baking.

I want to do some DIY projects in my home and yard and also take some cooking and baking classes. 

I have many UFO's I want to finish this year and even start some new quilting projects.

I would love to start a group for project encouragement, maybe this can be done on my blog. By posting a current project we can keep each other on track and keep following up with each other.

Of course the main project this year will be losing weight and get in better shape.

As always my family comes first but the Lord blessed me with a very supportive husband and two great kids.

I hope to inspire others and wish you all a Blessed New Year.



Quest for the perfect Soft Pretzel Recipe.

Okay if you know me or follow my blog you know me and my daughter Amanda like to make soft pretzels.

We have attempted them many times but always fall short of the "perfect" one.

Today we tried a new recipe off the Food Network website. This one was from

 Alton Brown.

Now these look good and taste good but they don't have that chew factor we are looking for.  You know, kinda chewy on the outside but nice and soft and doughy on the inside. Our quest will continue. Maybe we will try a recipe I  found on the Pioneer Women's site.



New Projects.

I am working on a few new projects for the new year.

I will posted them as soon as I am done.

I have decided  not to renew my website. It was such a source of frustration and it really wasn't what I had in pictured my site to look like.  So, I will be focusing all my attention on my blog this year. 

2011 was a great year, I am looking forward to what 2012 has to bring.

I wish you all a very blessed New Year.

Matching Hat and Purse

I am having so much fun making these hats, I love to hear women say "Oh I love your hats but I just don't look good in hats." When I hear that I ask them to just try one on, it is amazing how they change their minds.

I think the reason most women look good in these hats is because I can custom many areas to fit their head size and shape.

I had a request last week to make a matching Purse and Hat, I am thrilled with the outcome.



Bella Hats

I was asked to post a few close up on the hats and the sizes.

Size Large, fits head sizes 20-21

Size Large, fits head sizes 20-21

Size X-Large, fits head sizes 22-23

Most people fall into the category of Large and Extra Large, however, I am make any size ranging from Infant to XX-Large Adult.

Fabric Headbands and More!

Here are a few of the many fabric headbands that I have for sale.

They tie in the back and can be worn on anyone from infant to adult.

Here is a little hint on keeping the headbands in place and from slipping, simply spray some hairspray in the area you are going to wear the band before you put the band on. 



Sew Bella Hats

Oh my gosh, don't you love these cute hats!

My hats are available for sale for $35, they come in several sizes. The most common sizes are large and ex-large. To determine your hat size, simply measure the circumference of your head, slightly above your eyebrows.

The hats shown above are currently available, however, if you don't see don't see your favorite color e-mail me at fran@sewbella.net to order a custom hat.

Sold

Sold

Sold

Here is Alex with her Sew Bella Hat.

My website.

I am having major issues with my website, www.Sewbella.net.
So I will be posting my latest One of a Kind products on my blog until I can either resolve the issues or find another web host.
I have really had a hard time finding a web host that does what they claim when you are paying them that large amount of money at the start.
I was with Go Daddy the first year, WOW was that a nightmare.
When I decided to find another web host, I asked lots of questions, told them the issues I had with Go Daddy. They assured me they were nothing like Go Daddy and that their site was very easy to maintain and they used a better software and hosting tools. Well, at this point I am not sure who was worse!!!

Hats, hats and more hats.

With my boutique less than a week away I am starting to feel the pressure.

I have so many more projects I want to make for it, you know so much to do, so little time. My poor family will be getting lots of quick meals this week.

Here is the latest hat and just a few of the many headbands that I have made.

I have really enjoyed making the flowers for these headbands.

Update

As promised here is a picture of the Black, White, and Red Hat.

Having fun with the embellishments.

I went back and added a little more bling to this hat.

I think the crystals add a nice touch.

Sew Busy

I am really having fun making these cute hats. I wish my photo's did the fabric and colors justice.

I dusted the petals of the flower with a super fine art glitter, it is much prettier in person.

The hat on am working on now is a fun black and white print with a red accent, check back in a few days to see it finished.

So busy!

Wow, I have been so busy sewing that I just noticed it has been a while since my last post. 
Why is it that time goes by so fast during the holidays? November is already flying by.
I have been sewing like crazy for a  Christmas Boutique I am in on December 3rd.
One of the items I will be selling are these fun hats.

No more bad hair days with this beauty!

I am also making those cute fabric headbands, I figure with all the scraps I have, I could make them for a year and still have scraps left over. (I knew I was keeping those scraps for something.)

Of course I will be adding cute fabric flowers to those headbands.

I will also have lots of cute Christmas themed table runners.

Well, better get back to sewing!

Had a great class.

I had my Big Twist class on Saturday and it was a blast.

We had a fun group of ladies and I discovered that one of the ladies lives on my street. Wow, what a small world and now I have a fellow quilter just doors away.

Here is Ruth's finished quilt top. She is going to add an additonal border to make it a twin size.

You know your class is a success when the students leave the class room to buy more fabric for future quilts using the same technique.

Too Fun!!!

I have really enjoyed making these hats.

The embellishment possibilities are endless!

 I know I will have to fight Amanda off for this one!

Can't wait to make more.



Never watch the Food Channel when your hungry!

Saturday, Wally and I were watching one of our favorite shows on the Food Channel, Drive In, Dinners and Dives.  Guy was at a place that was well known for their wings. As we watch the chef makes his special wings, I started craving wings.

So when my son Jon said he would come by Sunday and stay for dinner, the light bulb went off.

We went to Costco after church(note to self, don't go to Costco after church, everyone else goes there after church.) to get a big bag of wings. I remembered when I was there that they have great Pizza's so we grab on as well.

We marinated our wings in buttermilk, some wing sauce and secret spices.

Wally was the fry man and I made a homemade Ranch Dip and Blue Cheese Dip.

Our wings turn out great!!!

We had a nice family dinner with Jon and Amanda and even enjoyed watching the Bears win. (Okay I switched channels to the Real Housewives of New Jersey during one of the commericals and Jon missed Devin Hessers punt return for a touchdown)

Other then that our evening was a hit. We decided the next time we make wings we will experiment with a few different sauces.



Cupcake Heaven

So Amanda and I used to be obsessed with making cake pops, yes they were cute and fun, but a lot of work. We have now been obsessed with making cup cakes.

We have mastered this very yummy Carrot Cake Cupcake with the best, did I mention the BEST Cream Cheese Frosting.

We had a family get together yesterday and I decided to share these yummy cupcakes with my family.

I wish the quality of the picture was better, the cupcakes on the outer rows have fairy dust sparkles on them.

We  found a incredible baking /supply store in Pheonix. Amanda and I walked around for over an hour looking at all the wonderful gagets and baking goods.

We are thinking of taking a few classes.





Two post in one day???? Wow!

Okay, I really was busy with projects. Here are a few I have been working on.

This is a quick and easy Christmas table runner.

This was made with the Twister template with a layer cake.

Another Christmas table .

I have really had fun playing with the Twister template. I will be teaching these at The Bernina Southwest Store here in Mesa. Quick and Easy and great for beginners.

Follow up on my Breast Cancer Hat

A few post back, I showed you the hat I made for my sister's friend who is about to start her battle against Breast Cancer.

Yesterday I opened my e-mail and was pleased to find this great picture of Suzanne wearing her new hat.

God Bless you Suzanne!

Ribbon, ribbon and more ribbon.

I used to say, One can never have too much fabric, well, guess what????

One can never have too much ribbon!

I had a blast taking a ribbon class with a few of my friends.

Now, they are going to kill me for posting their pictures but lets see how often they read my blog.

Anna, just loved the one Danielle made!

This is Alison's concentration face.

This is the first one I made for Amanda.

Danielle is having so much fun.

Anna's and Alison's first bow.

These are the ones I made for Amanda in class.

Made these today for Halloween. I also made a pair to match the Navy and Grey bow above.
Navy and Grey are Amanda's school colors.

One of many projects I have been working on.

As most of you know, I lost my Mom to Breast Cancer two years ago.

I miss her everyday but I know she is always with me.

My younger sister has a good friend who was just diagnosed with Breast Cancer and she is about to start her fight against this horrible disease.

I wanted to make her something special and when I saw this fabric the idea just came to me.

I hope that she doesn't lose her hair, but if she does this hat will keep her styling.



Too busy to post????

Yes, I know it has been way to long since my last post.
I have been busy with all kinds of projects, too many projects.
I have been having all kinds of fun making bows for my daughter, bows on clips, bows on headbands, bows on shoes.
I took a great class at Ribbons and Lace with a few friends and now we are obsessed.
I have also been busy making some samples for some classes I will be teaching in the very near future.
I bought two great patterns for a Funky Peasant blouse and a fun hat.
Once I get organized I will be sure to post pictures of all the great projects I have been working on.

Just couldn't do it.

So this week I had a request for a Diaper Bag made with Hello Kitty fabric.

After a few trips to the local fabric stores I found the choices slim.

Yes, they had Hello Kitty but it wasn't the best quality and it was very juvenile looking. I stood in the fabric store and thought to myself, I just can't do it !!!  I just couldn't do it !!! So I called the customer and explained my dilemma and said, Trust me, let me pick out a cute fabric and I will find some other way to add Hello Kitty.

Yes, the customer is always right and yes, the whole idea of my One of a Kind Bags is to let the buyer pick and choose what they want. Hate to say BUT , but this time I had to step in.

So here is the Diaper bag with a matching wipe holder. I found a blinged out Hello Kitty and used it for accent on the wipe holder.

I brought it to the customer yesterday and she was thrilled with the outcome.

I am so glad I went with my gut instinct on this one.

Diaper Bags and Diaper Wipe Holders

Here is another Diaper Bag with matching wipe holder.

This fabric is from the new Joel Dewberry line and is perfect for a boys Diaper Bag.

Of course I had to add a little feminine touch to the wipe holder.

There are so many great new lines of fabric out right now, I am really having a hard time going into my local quilt stores.... I want it all.





Her she is !!!

My daughter just loves the dress I made for her, she couldn't wait to wear to school.

Can't wait to get started on the next one.

Now that I have the hang of this pattern I might have to tweek it a bit.

Fun Friday

Okay, a little while back I posted a new template called Lil Twister. It is a fun and easy way to use up all those charm packs we have all been hoarding. Yes, I said it hoarding !!!

Since I am being honest, I started hoarding Layer Cakes too, here is the quickest quilt I ever made using the larger Twister Template, seriously, it went so fast !!!!

You simply take 36, 10" squares and sew a 6 1/4" border and then cut using the Twister template. Once all your squares are cut, you simply sew them back together.

The great part is, the border is done when you are done with the quilt.

Now you can always add more borders, depending how big you want your quilt.

On this quilt I simply grabbed a 10" square and started sewing, I think I will pay more attention to placement on the next quilt.

Definitely a quilt that can be made in a day !!!

Back to school dress!

So I decided to make a few cute dresses for my daughter Amanda for the start of this school year.

I let her pick the fabric and of course I had to pick one too!!! (some say I am a control freak??)

Since my main sewing skills are quilting I decided to find one of those patterns that claims Quick and Easy on the cover. How hard can it be right? After all I can quilt.

Without going into to too much detail, there was lots of unsewing, some cuss words and lets just say the first dress is now a skirt.

I made a few adjustments on the second dress and it turned out much better.

This is the fabric Amanda picked. Very cute pinks, reds and turquoise, by Micheal Miller.

She was going to wear it the first day of school but than we found out she has PE so it will have to wait until the second day. I will post pictures with her wearing her dress the second day of school.



Okay, I have been called out !!!

Okay, one of my girlfriends called me out yesterday, she said, Wow, it's been quite some time since you posted anything on your blog.

I could give you a bunch of excuses why, you know like end of summer, getting kids ready for school,  busy working on some projects....etc...yada yada yada.

So instead of doing that, how about a great summer recipe.

Who doesn't like Caprese salad???

Well here is a fun, easy appetizer.

Ingredients are simply, Cherry tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil and balsamic dressing.

Oh and don't forget the toothpicks.

This is a great opportunity for the kids to help out and a health snack too.

As my Mom always said " Manga"

Summer time, summer time !!!

Yesterday while out running errands we stopped in downtown Chandler at a cute Tea shop called Urban Tea House. We had the best tasting Ice Tea, a mild black tea with a hint of Vanilla. So of course when I got home I just had to duplicate that taste.

Since it was so hot yesterday it took less than an hour to steep my Sun Tea. 

I used 4 bags of Luzianne Tea, One tablespoon of Vanilla extract and one tablespoon of Blue Agave.

Now depending on how sweet you like it, you can add more or less of the Blue Agave.

Let me also add that I added the Vanilla and Blue Agave after I removed the Tea from the Sun.

A great glass of Sun Tea with a hint of Vanilla.

New Toy

My partner in crime, Diane and I hit a few quilt stores this weekend and

we came across a new toy.

Yeah I know, do I really need a new template or pattern? 

It is called Lil' Twister, it is a template with endless possibilities.

What intrigued me most is that I can use all my charm pack and layer cakes that are collecting Social Security in my stash.

I hope to use it this week, I will post my progress.