I've got something fun to share with you all today! Betz White asked me if I would preview her newest holiday craft course, Fab Felt Holiday Crafts. I jumped at the chance. I've taken her online workshops a couple of times before and they have always been fantastic. I didn't think there was much room for improvement, but Betz has managed to add even more to her offering. For this class, she has joined forces with Craftsy.com which has a wonderful, easy to navigate platform for online video class like this one. Once logged on, I was able to skip right to the project I wanted to make, watch those instructions, pausing as necessary and even taking notes on the screen. Cool, huh?

I made the character wine sleeve - such a cute little guy, huh? After watching Betz make one on the video, I was able to whip this up in a short amount of time - less than an hour! There are other great projects in the class and taking this online course at your own pace is the perfect way to get a jump start on holiday crafting. For a little preview of the entire course, click here. (House on Hill Road readers will receive $10 off the price of the class.) You can also see some other finished projects here and here. And follow the remaining stops on the blog tour to see even more:

Week of October 31st: Maureen Cracknell Handmade
Week of November 7th and 14th: Stumbles & Stitches
Week of November 21st: Elsie Marley

I'll be back here soon. Until then, take care.

I am completely smitten with the new collaboration between Stephanie and MAV of 3191 Miles Apart and Quince & co. Their book, Interwoven, is a visual delight and contains two different non-knitting yarn projects. I spent a few hours making one of the projects, the tern, for a gift and I love how it came together. The end result is simple and beautiful - a real treat. The rhythmic braiding was a nice change of pace from all my recent sewing.  My friend really liked her necklace and my other friend was kind of jealous. No worries, Suzanne - I've started a second one already.

I fixed the quilt square and I took a nap. Nothing else got sewn.

The kids had no homework. It's been like this since school began. They are finishing the math problems before they get home and reading, reading, reading. I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. Seriously. But it hasn't.

Jane passed a big Kumon test. I'm so proud of her. She has worked hard and long to get to the place she is and she now knows that dedication and endurance pay off.

I ran three miles before it was light outside. The air was cool and crisp and my legs felt good.

I spent the morning with some girlfriends and had a piece of birthday cake at lunch. This group of ladies always helps me feel centered. I'm lucky to know them.

I had popcorn for dinner after the kids were in bed, while Fatty was at a meeting. No sharing.

It was a good Tuesday as far as Tuesdays go.

The random number generator has spoken:

Accordingly, the winner of 1, 2, 3 Sew by Ellen Luckett Baker is #145, Luisa!

And the winner of a Mouse Pincushion made by me is #142, Bridget!

Congratulations, ladies. Look for an email from me soon!

Day 4 was a total bust. Nothing happened sewing-wise. Nada. That's just the way it goes sometimes.

Day 5 was more successful. I used the scraps leftover from Jane's summer skirt to make Kate a summer halter top. I had just enough fabric to make this work. Seriously. There is nothing left.

I used a top that fits Kate well and traced it for a pattern. The bottom is hemmed, but all the other raw edges are covered using bias binding I made out of unbleached muslin. You can't tell very well in the photo, but the center front is slightly gathered.  In the back, I used the binding as a casing for 1/4" elastic so it fits snuggly.  Just like Jane's skirt, it fits well now, but we won't get more than one season out of it. I really should have bought 1.5 yards of the patchwork fabric instead of one. Live and learn.

The best part? Jane wore her skirt to school yesterday and Kate wore her top to dinner last night. Nothing could make me happier.

I'm today's stop on the blog tour for Susan Beal's newest book, World of Geekcraft, Step-by-step Instructions for 25 Super-Cool Craft Projects.  I'm going to begin by saying that Susan Beal is a crafting superstar. Truly! I am in awe of all this woman does.  She's the author of Modern Log Cabin Quilting, Bead Simple, Button It Up and writes for many publications including Craft and Stitch. All of her books take a fresh approach to crafting and World of Geekcraft is no different.

This book is a ton of fun. I don't really consider myself all that geeky - I never played D&D and I wasn't a big Star Trek buff. But when I got my hands on World of Geekcraft, I realized that there must be a little bit of geek in me because these projects spoke to me.  The book takes all your favorite geeky loves and gives you a craft to make for them.  The projects are done in different media - cross stitch, sewing, cake decorating, painting, beading and more. They also cover the widest range of geeky games, books and shows - everything from old school favorites like Star Wars, Mario and Dungeons and Dragons to more recent geek loves like Harry Potter and Lost. There is really a project for you, or someone you know, in this book.

My favorites include:

The Coraline sewing kit - I know one 11 year old that would LOVE to have this.

The Choose-Your-Own Geekery Coffee Sleeves - you could make one of these for any geek affiliation you have.

The Harry Potter Baby and Toddler Costume - So cute and really adorable for Halloween or any toddler's dress up box.

And how about the Pow! Zap! Magnets for your refrigerator?

Susan and Chronicle Books have graciously offered a copy of the World of Geekcraft to one of my readers. If you are interested in winning, leave a comment on this post by Sunday night at 5:00 p.m. EST. I'll use the random number generator to pick a winner.

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I'm still plugging away at the Kids Clothing Week Challenge and my other to-do list. I'll be back with a report on that over the weekend.  See you then.

I've been wanting to sew clothes for myself for some time now. When I first started sewing, that's what I made - a-line skirts, dresses, jumpers. I wasn't afraid of cutting fabric one bit. I was also a teenager with a very different body than I have now, if you catch my drift. In the past few years, I've tried a few items with so-so results and, as such, have been hesitant to jump back in. I get so frustrated when I spend oodles of time and money on lovely fabric and not have it work out. So, I stick with quilts and accessories because in my mind they are fool proof most of the time.

Last week, while the house was upside down, I sewed Jane's costume and some other skirts for the school play. I don't have any photos to share yet - I finished *just* before we had to walk out the door for the first dress rehearsal. The costumes were simple pieces - elastic waist skirt, peasant blouse, belt - but I found myself immensely satisfied putting clothing together instead of a pillow or such.  It made me rethink my adversion to sewing clothing for myself. What I am waiting for? It's just fabric and thread, both of which are plentiful around here. Why am I so scared to make mistakes? I'm often telling the girls to just try something, that they will learn from their errors. Sheesh, I bet I would, too.

Hello, Erin? Would you listen to yourself? Gather some courage and get sewing.

I've had the Evening Empire Dress pattern for a long time now. I wanted to make it last summer and chickened out because of all I said above and because I realized once it arrived here, that it's not going to be the most flattering dress on me.  Yesterday it dawned on me....one of the best parts about sewing for yourself is that you can take something and make it work for you. I thought about the dresses in my closet that fit me well and that I like to wear. I knew that I would have to lengthen the bodice on this dress to flatter me. My torso is longer than average and also the thinnest part of my body - I had to emphasize it in some way while keeping the fullness in the skirt to accommodate my hips.

Melissa convinced me to make a muslin. So I did. (And this is the part where I become brave and actually post a picture of it on me.)

I took some quick measurements with my strapless bra on and went with the size large. I took the pattern pieces and drafted a band under the bust to lengthen the bodice.  I sewed it all up, including the seam where the zipper will go in order to save time. And then I tried it on. I think it will work. I'm going to add an extra 5/8" to the pattern piece so that the seam line will be where the raw edge of the band is now. I may have to adjust the bust seams and/or let out the sides a tiny bit - there's plenty of room to do that with a 5/8" seam allowance.  I will add straps to the dress, too, although I may make them thinner than the pattern calls for.

The fabric is going in the wash today and, with any luck, I'll be sewing this up over the weekend. I will show and tell, regardless of the outcome. I want to sew for myself and figuring out what works and what doesn't is the only way I am going to get better at this.  If I really screw up, I figure the girls will get some lovely voile skirts during Kids Clothing Week Challenge. And if I manage to make this work, well then I have a dress.

Either way it's going to be just fine.

The first day in Jamaica, I set foot on the beach and felt something smooth underfoot. When I pulled it out of the sand, I was pleasantly surprised to find a heart-shaped rock for my collection. I didn't pick up another rock the four days we were there. So yes, we were at the beach and now we're home. The girls were sleeping when we arrived last night. It was fun to wake up my little loves this morning and receive sweet valentines that they had made for us while we were gone. I hope you enjoy today with all your valentines,too.