my new favorite salad . . .

My family is not big on veggies, but salad is something they all eat without complaining. OrganicGirl sent me some of their fresh organic greens to review, and I just can't get enough of them! It is so nice to grab already washed and cut up lettuce from the fridge on a busy evening.  Here's a recipe for you if you're in need of a new salad idea:

a new raincoat . . .

Last week I found a few hours to sew up a new raincoat for my oldest daughter. The pattern is called the Starboard Jacket from the Peek-a-Boo Pattern Shop.  It was really easy to follow, and the jacket came together quickly.

The outer fabric I used is a laminate from Wholeport.com (and it is on sale in their shop right now). I love the feel and drape of this fabric.  For the trim, I used a second laminate from their shop and found it a bit heavier-weight (good thing I had a denim needle on hand).  The inside of the jacket is a jersey knit from my local fabric store - my daughter loves the feel of it.

I am hoping to make another one of these jackets for my little man - he is just about outgrown his and the rain has been pouring down in our area lately.

a random post . . .

Some weekend company, my sister moving out of country, helping to coordinate a large school fundraiser, and just busy with the kids . . . this has been my life this past week.  Hoping things will slow down soon . . .

a messenger bag for a new teenager . . .

Our family is close with our neighbors - I babysit their adorable little girl a lot, their older daughter babysits for us, and their son is a sweetheart.  The oldest girl recently gave her karaoke machine to my daughters (which they LOVE and play with all.the.time).  In return, I took her to our local fabric store, and she picked out fabric for a school messenger bag.

The outer black fabric was already quilted, but I fused a layer of interfacing to it.  The lining is a fun Batman print that's been fused with fusible fleece.  And she picked a fun silver and black zebra print for the flap. This is a sturdy bag, big enough for her school binders, has a removable inside pouch (attached with snaps to the inside), some other inside pockets, a swivel clasp for her keys, lots of hardware, some heavy duty interfacing for the base, and it was my first time adding feet (gotta do that again, so easy!).

She loved the bag, and it was finished in time for her birthday - she hits teenager status this weekend.  I'll be working on a second messenger bag next week, and will be posting the tutorial on the Fabri-Quilt blog.

a custom baby quilt . . .

A close friend of mine gave me a baby quilt request for her niece- it had to match the colors of the nursery, have the baby's name on it, and have a fairly simple square pattern.

Here's the paint done in the baby's room.  I was asked to add in a couple browns as well.

The fabrics were mostly purchased locally, and the pattern is All About Me by Atkinson Designs.  Quilting was done free-motion, and the binding was machine stitched.  The letters were attached with fusible web, and then the edges were machine stitched.

It was nice to work on a quilt again, it's been awhile.  Maybe the rainy weather we've been getting will  motivate me to work on some half-finished quilts laying around here . . .

Tech Timeout Giveaway! (5 winners)

I was challenged to put our family on a daily Tech Timeout.  No computers and no television for at least one hour a day.  With today's reality of email and facebook alerts, too many television shows to count, and kids fighting for gaming time on the computer - this was a welcome break for us.  Sitting down for one-on-one time to make a puzzle, play with play dough, go for a drive to the river, wash the family vehicles, or go on a family bike ride are all ways that our family likes to spend time together tech-free.  Here's a handy list of ideas for you to give this a try with your family. Are you ready to take the Tech Timeout pledge?

And to encourage the resurrection of good old-fashioned family game nights, I have a giveaway for you.  And there will be 5 winners!  Each winner will receive a 7-in-1 game set including checkers, chess, backgammon, dominoes, cribbage, cards, dice, and an instruction booklet. Just use the rafflecopter below to enter.  Giveaway open to US and Canada.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: this is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

happenings around here and a selfish sew . . .

My girls are all back to school . . .

and my little man started preschool this week.

For the first time in ten years, I actually have a few hours here and there all to myself.  Some of those hours will be spent working at my parents office, but this week I came home during preschool and sewed a new top for myself.  The last time I did that it was maternity clothing - and since my baby boy turned 4 years old this week, it's been awhile.

Some winners to announce . . .

The winner of the Peas & Corn lunch bag pattern and fabric to make it with from Fabri-Quilt is Faye!  I've emailed her and the prize is already on its' way.

The winner of the fat quarter stack of PUL and cottons from Fabri-Quilt is Darylene! I will be emailing you today.

And don't forget about the discount code from ModKid - good for 15% off anything in their Etsy shop.  Just use code BUNCH15 at checkout - code expires at midnight CST tonight.

TalkTo - a free app for you . . .

A new app came to my attention this week - it's called TalkTo and it is exactly what I've been waiting for!  It gives you access to a tonne of local businesses and allows you to text them instead of using the phone.  For someone like myself who doesn't like hanging on the phone, or has a child throwing a tantrum or needing a butt wiped the second someone answers on the other end - this is going to be a big stress reliever for me.

Now I can book my appointments, make reservations, order take-out, and even find out if someone found that beloved toy my son lost in the last store - all without picking up the phone.  No more looking up phone numbers, being placed on hold, or trying to decipher what someone is saying with the background noise going on around me.

If you're interested in trying out this FREE app - just click HERE to find out more, or search for TalkTo in your app store.  TalkTo is available in the US and Canada, and with Apple or Android devices.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All opinions are my own.

Modkid Review and Discount Code . . .

Patty Young is the designer behind Modkid patterns and fabrics, and she recently had two new pattern releases. I was the lucky recipient of her new Breeanne pattern and some of her knit prints to make it with.

My girls LOVE their finished Breeanne tops!  The pattern was super simple to follow, and very professionally written.  There were also lots of great tips for working with knits.   I haven't sewn much with knits, but I now feel a lot more confident working with it again. I even picked up some more knit fabrics today to make more Breeanne tops for my girls!

Patty Young has generously offered a 15% discount code to my readers - good for anything in her shop!

Just use  BUNCH15  at checkout.

Code expires midnight CST on Friday, Sept 6th.