Sew Happy

As we get closer to the actual move, I am starting to get a little more excited - truth be told, this born and raised Iowa girl really didn't want to move...but all of the waiting, unknown, complications and stress have taken a toll and now I just want to get moved and settled into our new home. Things have finally started to fall into place and we will finalizing even more details this coming weekend (window treatments and appliances). Some great news we received a couple days ago - our sod is in place - YAY! - which means we can have the fence installed as soon as we close on the house. Also exciting - thanks to a stitching friend - we have found what looks to be a fantastic kennel to board our dogs...and it is close to our new house. The next stress is finding a new hair stylist - yeah, I'm somewhat nervous about that...I can handle a completely new area and leaving my home in Iowa, but I can't handle bad hair....and with the stress of the last few months, the gray is coming in a bit faster.😄 It all started to feel real last week when I ordered "we're moving" postcards and a self-inking stamp with our new address. April 12th will be here soon!!

Oh, and one more quick thing before I get to the needlework pretties...

I am fairly new to Norwex cleaning products - in fact, I just tried them a few months ago for the first time (and although I was skeptical, I was quite impressed). I was looking for cleaning products that were environmentally (and dog) friendly and Norwex checked all my boxes. With the new home on the horizon, I have quite a wish list...I happened to mention this to a dear friend and she suggested I have an online party - I am not a big fan of this and hate to solicit family and friends, but I was assured it would help me grow my extremely small collection. So, if you happen to need any Norwex products - I would be thrilled if you placed an order...or if you would like to learn more about them - I am happy to help!!

To place an order for my online party and/or view a catalog, visit:
http://carmenjacobsen.norwex.biz/en_US/customer/party/3651994
(when you review your cart, it should show my name and details (Belinda's Starting Fresh & Green in KC - Host: Belinda Nace)
Okay - that is all on that subject - and I appreciate you listening and possibly placing an order.💓 Now on to the creativity portion of this post...

I can't wait to get settled into a new studio...but for now, here are some needlework gifts and needlework finishing photos I haven't had a chance to share with you yet. The lovely sewing bird in the upper right corner ("Sew Happy" by All Through The Night) was a birthday gift from my very dear friend Robin - I can't wait to hang it in my new studio - isn't it FABULOUS?! Next up a couple finishing photos - that were done for a customer...

Flat finishes for placing in a basket...
Fronts
Designer information unknown.

Flat finishes for placing in a basket...
Backs

Flat finish ornaments - "Blue and Silver Christmas" by Misty Hill Studio

Flat finish ornaments - "Blue and Silver Christmas" by Misty Hill Studio
Backs

The next few photos are small pieces I have stitched while my studio has been packed for the move...the first is a Christmas ornament I stitched and finished as a holiday gift for a friend. The other two are personal stitches that I will finish after we are settled...

"Christmas Biscornu" by Just Nan

"Christmas Biscornu" by Just Nan

"Noel Squared" by Lizzie Kate

"Red Santa" - Birds of a Feather

These last photos are all exquisite gifts I recently received (yes, I am blessed!). I am so *in love* with these little cross stitch sled ornaments (designed by Foxwood Crossings) - my incredible friend Robin has made me one each year since 2014 and she signs/dates the back...2014 was the squirrel, 2015 was the quilt, 2016 was the monogram, 2017 was the red bird with green background...and for 2018, she stitched the cardinal with the blue background...aren’t they AMAZING?!

...and since we all know how much I love squirrels, check out these spectacular cross stitch ornaments and fabrics, along with a needle minder and keeping bag (pen and ink pieces by one of my favorite artists Michelle Palmer!)...all of these gifts made my heart swoon!

Thanks for stopping by and visiting with me today! I am looking forward to getting back to work and sharing fun new ideas with you. For now, I am off to do a little cross stitching - a very thoughtful friend sent me a surprise kit in the mail and I am itching to start it...

Looking Forward

Hello friends and visitors! It's been a month or so since my last post...and many of you know that is because we are in the process of moving from Iowa to Kansas. This means not only moving from our home of fifteen years, but moving my business/studio, as well. Our home in Iowa is finally under contract (sidebar - I don't recommend trying to sell a home in the middle of a terrible Midwest winter - insert eye roll here)...and we have a home under contract in Kansas - yes, things are finally coming together...whew! This whole process has been a challenge and we aren't even moving into our new home yet...

We are scheduled to close on both homes April 12th - fingers crossed - and I am a little overwhelmed with everything we have to do. I have received a lot of questions about where we will be in Kansas, as I have taught quite a few classes and retreats in the area. We are actually going to be in Spring Hill, KS - one of the fastest-growing cities in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Our home is new construction (see photo above)...and no, we weren't necessarily looking for new construction...but after months of looking, my husband viewed a handful of new homes and this one was perfect for us. Yes, I am excited everything will be new...but it also means we have to purchase all the window treatments and some appliances, plus have the garage door openers installed, etc. - and our home doesn't even have sod or a fence yet (kind of a big deal when you have two German Shepherds...luckily, we have a six-mile walking trail around a five-acre pond within sight). As a bonus, our backyard butts up to farmland/a farmer's fence - providing a great view - and we are told we will see cows, which makes me happy! This our first experience with a Homeowner's Association, so that is all new too...and I have to completely learn the area...so it is entirely a new journey...

I will be in Iowa until April 8th...and moving into our new home on April 13th (crossing my fingers). I am hoping Blue Ribbon Designs will be back up and running before the end of April, as I know many of you are anxious to get your project bag orders filled and finishing orders underway! Believe me, I am ready to get back to work too - having my entire studio packed for months is truly wearing on me. Once all the details are official, I will be e-mailing specifics to my clients...and as soon as we are settled, my website store and Etsy Shop will re-open for business. I truly want to thank you all for your patience and understanding during this BIG transition.

To add a little beauty and creativity to this post, here are more lovely project bags I completed before I packed up my studio for the move...geez, I never thought I would say I missed sewing bags (only because I have made SO MANY), but I really do...I can't wait to be in my new sewing room!

I actually have a few needlework finishing projects left to share with you and one more AccuQuilt project I finished up before preparing for our move...I will be back to share those when time allows. Thank you all for hanging in with me during this crazy transition!

Seasonal Samplings Wall Hanging

Hello friends. It is a crazy weather day here in Iowa (yes, I'm still in Iowa) and we are currently experiencing "thunder sleet" (who knew this was a thing?!)...and, of course, more snow is on the way....but this is WAY better than the polar vortex -50 temperatures we had last week. After finishing some minor work on our house this morning, I am settled in with a hot cup of tea (hoping it will sooth my sore throat) and catching up on a few online tasks. With the craziness of the move, I have had minimal time to to catch up on correspondence - thank you to everyone who has checked in on me and sent me messages/notes/comments and I apologize if I haven't answered you...rest assured, I am hanging in there.

A quick "moving" update - our house in Iowa is finally on the market and we are hoping for a buyer soon - I am staying in the finished basement with Schatzi and Garin and very minimal furnishings - our entire life and my business is packed in storage PODS - my husband is working full-time in Kansas and living out of a hotel - he is on the search for our dream home down there. That's it in a nutshell - I will be in Iowa until our home is sold.

With my entire studio packed, there isn't any sewing/quilting happening and my online shops are temporarily closed...but I have done some stitching when things aren't insane. I only had a couple very small projects (I didn't think things would be up in the air for quite this long), but my sweet friend Terri sent me "Paisley" by Stacy Nash Primitives all kitted up as a gift for my milestone birthday next week...so I have been working on that...in fact, she is about half done. I have also been doing some designing and charting...along with layouts for new pieces...anything to stay creative and give me purpose.

Today's images are of some stitching I did last fall...a gift for my mommy's birthday. I stitched "Seasonal Samplings" by Hillside Samplings (a rare non-BRD finish!). I decided to stitch the boxes vertically instead of horizontally and finished it as a quilted wall hanging. I was super happy with how it turned out...and it was quite a special surprise for my mom. I packed the chart for the move, so I can't tell you what fabric I used, but I can tell you that I used the DMC conversion...I'm guessing I used the chart listed fabric, as I had it kitted for many years...

I have a few more house details to take care of today before the realtor takes some new photos tomorrow...then I may enjoy a little stitching time...or work on gathering documentation for our taxes - keeping busy keeps me positive. I want to thank you for your patience during this big transition - I truly appreciate all the notes, love and support! 💗

Feelin' Groovy

Yesterday was a snow day. I honestly don't think I have shoveled that much in decades...side note: my kind husband (always thinking of others), sold our wonderful snowblower to one of his friends for well less than it was worth (without asking me)...thinking that we wouldn't have to move it and it would help his friend out...plus, he didn't think we would need it where we are going to be located (which I think is inaccurate)...unfortunately, he forgot that I am still living in Iowa and it is WINTER. Yeah, I was outside shoveling snow for over three hours yesterday (it was one heck of a fasted cardio workout!)...and then, lucky me, I got to dig out/defrost our Jeeps, as our garage is full of furniture and boxes. I have suddenly reverted back to my twenties - living in a basement with minimal furniture, little to no money coming in, shoveling snow, and cleaning off vehicles frequently (starting them at least once a day to make sure they will start in the future)....all those things I worked so hard to get away from are back for a repeat performance. Geez, I cannot wait until we are moved into a new home - this living situation is definitely not ideal...at this point, I just have to laugh about it all...

Today I thought I would share another recent design/pattern and sample I created for AccuQuilt - it is for one of their newer cutting dies, the Studio Fractured Tumbler-6" Finished. This unique cutting die has multiple block options and that creates quite a few design possibilities...as you can see in my image below, there are tumblers and fractured tumblers on one die. You may remember the "Give it a Whirl" pattern I also designed for this die - I briefly shared about a few months ago. The design I am sharing today is a wall hanging I titled "Feelin' Groovy" and it is more of a modern layout...perfect for scraps!

Feelin' Groovy

Give it a Whirl

Yes, I designed both of these projects using the same cutting die! Like all of my projects, I designed this wall hanging in EQ8 (Electric Quilt 8 quilt design software). I knew it was going to be more of a scrappy piece, so to get a good feel for the final look, I colored the blocks using standard fabrics supplied in the software.

Something about this completed design reminded me of lava lamps - hence the name "Feelin' Groovy"....

You can find both these Studio Fractured Tumbler quilt patterns in the Studio 2 Pattern section of the AccuQuilt website.

I hope this cheerful quilt brightened your day!

I am now headed back out into the frozen tundra to shovel the end of our driveway once AGAIN, where the plow has covered it...and to start our vehicles...just another day in the life of a twenty-year-old. 😃

Project Bags Aplenty

It's another winter day here, with frozen rain falling on our snow covered ground (and more snow on the way)...and I just skated out to the mailbox to mail a letter. The dogs had me up bright and early today in a messy turn of events that I won't go into here...but let's just say it wasn't the preferred way to start my morning. I'm doing my best to stay warm, keep the sidewalks/driveway clear, and trying (some days without much luck) to stay positive while we attempt to sell our home in the dead of Iowa winter (this is not an easy task).

I've been spending my days packing, cleaning, organizing, fixing and shoveling...oh, how I long to be sewing and stitching! I can't believe I waited four months for my fancy sewing machine to be fixed and now it is sitting in a closet, waiting for the move (it is NOT going into a storage POD) - it's just heartbreaking - I am truly going through creative withdrawal...yes, the struggle is real. I do have a few small stitching projects kitted up and as soon as the last box is packed, I will be happily grabbing a needle and thread.

For now, enjoy these GORGEOUS large and small project bag photos...I recently created all of these with lovely customer supplied fabrics...

Winter Writings

Happy winter! The snow has stopped falling, and thanks to a wonderful neighbor and his snow blower and my fancy new shovel, the driveway and sidewalks are clear....with the garage full of boxes and furniture, I had vehicles to clean, as well (of course). Now that those duties are behind me and the dogs are walked, I am trying to warm up and catch up on a few tasks. 

I told you I would be back soon with some fabulous needlework finishing...and these finishes will not disappoint. Just a little reminder, these are not my designs or my stitching, just my finishing work. I enjoyed each of these so much...a couple challenged me and that is always a good thing. I must admit, after finishing the snowman (Whittaker from the Animal Cracker Series by Stacy Nash Primitive Designs), I am completely obsessed with this series and *in love* with each pattern - I wish I would have purchased several and kitted them up to stitch while we are mid-move...they would have been perfect...and if you think Whittaker is adorable, you should see Paisley, his companion! I don't have much time to stitch projects from other designers, but I must make an exception for some of these - they make me smile! 

Designer: Stacy Nash Primitive Designs
Animal Cracker Series
"Quincy" (owl)
"Whittaker" (snowman)

Backs

Whittaker

Designer: The Primitive Jewel
"Bird on a Peg"

Designer: La-D-Da (Lori Markovic)
Samplar Hare

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