Ladies Night. Challenge Issued.

Sometimes in the midst of the crazy something amazing happens.

A couple of weeks ago (a long, long time ago), in a land far away (in the North Carolina mountains), I began my clam quilt. I fell in love with the colors.

Fast forward to the following weekend, I went to Sew Lux World headquarters to help Chrissy with some stuff. Before I even realized it was happening, I was pulling bolts off the shelves. We were smitten and decided to make a bundle.

Then Lee (over here at May Chappell) was smitten too.

So Chrissy issued a challenge. Who can say no to a challenge?

We decided you all should play too.

Don't say no. Don't say you have too much sewing to do for Christmas. Do this for yourself. Do it to maintain your sanity.

Make something amazing.

Because a challenge has to have some guidelines, here are ours:

Challenge Rules:

1. Make a project with one of the three Ladies Night Bundles (or use your stash to make your own ladies night bundle in one of the three color schemes).

2. Link up your finished project on the Sew Lux blog by December 23th (the link will open December 10th). The project must be finish. A quilt must be a completed top and anything else (tote, pouch, pillow, etc.) should be completely finished

Three winners will be announced on the Sew Lux blog on December 26th. Like a Christmas present! Just for you!

Prizes will include gift certificates to Sew Lux Fabrics, patterns, some handmade goodies, and surprises (spoiler alert, I am going to make something epic to giveaway, 'cause that is what I do).

Easy, we are not big on rules!

Here are the color ways:

The Ladies Night (curated by me). 

Ladies Night 2 (by Lee).

Ladies Night 3 (by Chrissy).

Do it. Make something amazing and sew it off (see what I did there with the pun?).

I may even start today. I know what I am making. It will be epic. We are all on the instagram and you should play there too if you can/want to. I am @stitchingandbacon and we are going to be using #isewwithsewlux and #ladiesnightchallenge

PS - All of these pictures were taken by Chrissy (except the one with the clams, that's me). Love you Chrissy! Lee designed the logo. I smiled and looked pretty.

Bacon is Sewing in Between the Traveling.

Good evening my friends!

I am typing this post from my lovely Atlanta hotel room. It has been a little nuts in bacon-ville recently.

I have been traveling a bunch for work. As in I have worked in three states in the past three weeks, next week I am going to make it an even four (in case you were curious, Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina.

In the past three days I have walked 19 miles. Probably more. Maybe that does not sound like a lot, but I was carrying an instrument and wearing wellies (my fault for forgetting the other pair of acceptable shoes).

But who cares about all that? I sure don't.

I have been sewing.

I turned these:

Into this. 

Then I did this:

and this happened.

But I recovered and got some of this nonsense into one piece. 

That may be as close as we get to a play-by-play without a tutorial. Phew.

I met Carolyn Friedlander. Then I tried not to be too annoying/act starstruck. She was amazingly sweet and such a treat to talk with.

She showed us stuff she made. It sort of blew my mind. I wanted all of the patterns and I wanted to make all of the things. Actually, I just wanted her things. Just perfect.

She signed a quilt block for my new botanics quilt (see above).

I am failing at keeping myself from overcommitting. I will share the results from this failure soon. They are sort of epic and amazing. There are some awesome things going around the internet (okay, that wins the general statement of the year award).

Love you all. Love your work. Keep it up.

See you soon.

I have this group of friends. I made another bag.

I have this group of friends.

We all met at Sew South last year and then we reconvened last summer to sew up in the mountains (at the very kind invitation of Lee). Somehow the group just clicked. It was magical. I seriously have not laughed so hard in my life, nor have I worried so much about flood insurance.

This winter, since we were meeting two months before Christmas, we naturally decided to do a Christmas gift exchange (#averysurmachristmas).

It was a blind swap but you know a lot of these ladies figured out out who had their names.

I am sneaky though. I had Lee (May Chappell) and I knew what I was going to make her as soon as I got her name. I totally convinced her someone else had her name and even had her help me pick out some of her gifts.

Lee seemed to like my It's a Cinch Tote. So I made her one. Basically the same way, in fact I referenced my notes.

Fabric outside is Echino dots and Essex Linen. The main lining is Art Gallery Indian Summer (ask me how easy it is to used art gallery's slippery fabric in a zipper), and the whole thing is done with Aurifil thread. Mostly it went pretty well, except for the part where I had to re-topstitch the zipper three times, broke a whole pack of leather needles, and broke my walking foot. Otherwise it was perfect.

I also made her a little pouch (in a hotel room in West Virginia, important fact).

I got her a kitten calendar too, but she didn't take a picture of that.

All of these pictures were stolen, with permission, from Lee. Who finishes swap gifts when it is still light enough to take pictures? I bow to your superior sewing and time management.

PS - I am in Maryland again this week. Currently, I am watching Duck Dynasty.

PPS - I have two boss level quilts in progress right now. I can't wait to show you pictures. I also am stoked to have time to work on them. Teaser, I am sewing curves.

PPS - I am going on three trips this month and I am likely to go on two next month for work. Probably about 4 states. Not glamorous at all.

PPPS - Chrissy made me stuff and it was awesome. See below photo (no photos of the other stuff, cause I am silly). Seriously though, everything was awesome.