handmade by stefanie

Two posts in two weeks....is it possible I'm back in the blogging groove?! I don't know, but I'm just gonna go with it for as long as it lasts!  Now that they've been gifted, I can share 2 more sewing projects I made this year! First, I made a cute cat napper/play mat my mom's cat Henry: I used the Sallie Tomato Cat Napper pattern , although I ended up going off book with my fabric design. It's a pretty free-form pattern as it is (at least, in terms of how you use/place your fabric pieces), so it wasn't all that difficult to modify. The biggest challenge was sewing everything together, because there are layers of batting, foam stabilizer, and Isul-bright (a heat-reflecting crinkle layer). The sides can be tied at the top to make a little cat fort, or everything can be flat so Henry can play and nap on it.  I also sewed another table runner for my mom, but didn't have time to send it in for finishing. So, she received a box with the finished quilt top and...

I know I didn't blog a whole lot this year, but I was definitely making stuff! I thought it might be fun to share a few of my favorite finishes which haven't been shared here. I'd like to blog more regularly in 2023 but let's be honest, that is not likely to happen because I'm 3,000% more likely to share what I'm up to over on Instagram  in real(ish) time.  After finishing my nephew's graduation quilt, I became obsessed with sewing table runners. Even with my novice quilting skills, I was able to make some pretty cool projects in just a weekend or two. I ended up making doubles so that I could gift one to my mom and keep the other one for myself. I've been taking advantage of the $25 flat rate pricing at Missouri Star to give them a professional finish!  Halloween Mini Tumbler Table Runner with Batik fabrics Large Tumbler Table Runner with Metallic Scandi II fabric I also tried something totally new this year by sewing my own purse ! I used the Mia Bag p...

Just in time for holiday gift knitting....it's my first-ever birthday pattern sale! Now until 11/22/22, all of my self-published patterns on Ravelry are 50% off, no coupon code needed. Oh, and this discount also applies to my sport sock pattern ebook, Conversation Knits !  Shop the pattern sale. I hope you find something that will delight the folks on your gift knitting list this holiday season, or perhaps there's a pattern that is just right for a little "selfish" knitting!   Wishing you and yours a safe and happy holiday season, whatever you celebrate. And I promise I will share some of my latest creative projects on this blog soon.  XOXO Stefanie

Well, that was an unintentionally long blogging hiatus. I've had this tab open on my laptop for several months, but just couldn't figure out where to start - the longer it went on, the harder it became to write this post! Actually, I am still not sure where to begin, but I've decided to just. start. writing. So here goes. The biggest thing that's happened since my last post is that we bought a house! Back in January of this year, Tyler and I stumbled across a house that was about to go on sale in our neighborhood, and we were able to make an out-of-market deal. At the beginning of April, we closed and by mid-month we were ready to move in. We have been getting settled and making improvements ever since; it was built in 1935 so there is no shortage of home improvement projects for us! The second biggest piece of news is that Lulu moved with us and surprised us all by becoming an indoor cat. She loves her new life, which is filled with Cat TV, lots of snuggles, and comf...