getting back on the horse.

Things have been progressing more slowly than expected -- I had planned to release my new pattern by now, but those of you who have heard about our new adventure may be able to forgive me for my slack.  If you haven't heard, pop on over to America On Foot, then pop back over here to finish reading this post.

.... Back already?  You can see why I've been sidetracked!

So the point of this post is that I need your help.  I need some extra sets of eyes to read and sew through my latest pattern, and give me thorough and honest feedback to help me finish up my edits.  If you are interested, you will need to have an intermediate level of sewing or higher, you should be very detail oriented and willing to spend time writing comments and filling out a form that I will provide.  I would prefer that you have experience sewing bag patterns by other pattern designers, such as Anna Maria Horner or Amy Butler.  You will also need to be able to get back to me within roughly a week of receiving the pattern information that I send to you.  Interested?  Email me directly and we'll go over details, including how you will be compensated for helping me out :)  jengiddenspatterns@gmail.com

Thanks, folks!  Hope to hear from some of you soon!

introducing a brand new pattern!

I'm proud to introduce my latest sewing pattern!  This bag is called the Sunburst Sling and includes a patchwork exterior and a top zipper!  I am looking forward to see the fabric combinations that you all use with this pattern!

This isn't quite available just yet -- I'm finalizing some edits, but it will be ready to go in about 2 weeks!!

head first into winter

We were surprised with a mid-week storm this past week, while the leaves were still bright and clinging to the trees.  About 6 inches of snow fell, so I took a walk to the park and tried to capture the magic as best as I could.

weekend in the Rockies

I've been MIA recently, but I will be back soon to show what I've been working on lately!  I'm introducing a new pattern, just in time for fall Quilt Market.

But before I reveal too much about my new pattern, here's what I was busy doing this weekend:

guest post at U-Create Crafts!

I've been a little quiet on the blog front lately, but I'm busy with new sewing projects to show you all! I just need to get over feeling weird about taking photos of myself wearing my home sewn garments :)

Meanwhile, head over to the U-Create Crafts blog for my little guest post about transforming a crew neck sweater into a cardigan.

I promise I'll be back soon with photos of my latest sewing escapades!

weekend getaway

Chris and I have one car.  We've been married for almost 5 years now (anniversary in just a few weeks!) and we had two cars for about 10 months several years ago, but then went back down to one again. Most of the time it works out perfectly... but it's been slightly more challenging in a bigger city and when Chris needs the car Monday through Friday to drive to Boulder for work. I am thankful that I live so close to my job -- only 1.5 miles away!

So, on Friday, I drove Chris to Boulder (45 minutes), drove back into Denver (45 minutes) to get the car registered (4 different lines and 3 hours -- aargh!!), drove back to Boulder (45 minutes), and got my DMV aggression out with a hike. It was a rigorous uphill trail and I was rewarded with great views of Boulder at the top.

On Saturday, I had a day off work!  Chris and I journeyed up to Rocky Mountain National Park, and I was surprised that it is only an easy hour and 45 minutes away.  Yay!  I foresee many trips there in the future.

We tried to avoid the midsummer weekend crowds as much as possible and opted for a 12 mile through hike and linked up several different trails.  The park has a shuttle system, which was awesome, so we didn't have to backtrack at all.  We started by hiking to Bierstadt Lake, then over to Odessa Lake and Fern Lake.  It was beautiful... water pouring off of snowfields and creating impromptu waterfalls down the sides of granite cliffs.  We walked through snow for a bit, and lost the trail a time or two because of it, but I was glad because it discouraged the less adventurous folks from continuing down our same path.

portfolio or laptop case

I put together a portfolio for my interior design work, but I had a hard time convincing myself to pay a ridiculous amount of money for an ugly case to put it in.  I decided to make my own case, and I'm happy with the results!  

I didn't want it to look too "crafty" and I wanted it to look modern and clean.  I chose to use Dritz snaps (I love these things, I need to post a tutorial about how to install them because it's just so darn easy and satisfying!). I used fabric that I had on hand -- a heathered gray shirting fabric for the outside, and a mustard linen cotton blend for the inside.  I made sure a bit of the mustard was peaking out from the inside to add a decorative element.

I could also see this design being used for a laptop case or IPad case, or even as a cover for a journal or sketchbook.

What do you say, would you like to see a tutorial?

embroidery project

I started this embroidery project back in December, when Chris and I began our 4 week long road trip through the southeast US.  The plan was that by the time we looped around Florida and headed back west towards Dallas to visit my brother, I would have three completed initial embroidery projects for each of my three little nephews.  Well, that didn't quite happen, and then my last semester of school started and school and quilt market became my priorities.  

I got to see the boys again a couple weeks ago during my family's triennial vacation in Arkansas (photos here).  I finally finished them!!  Care for a peak?  [ O is for Owen, E for Eli, G for Garrett ]

weekend in the prairie

Chris and I went northeast to the Pawnee National Grasslands for our first getaway together since moving to Denver.  It's funny to me that we went east to the plains instead of west to the mountains, but the Rockies had tons of snow this weekend, which leaves camping areas sparse and crowded this early in the summer.

The grassland was beautiful.... I had never quite ventured into this sort of terrain, and the beauty of it and life that it held caught me off guard.   Did you know that grasslands remove more carbon dioxide from the air than rainforests?


We hiked to the Pawnee Buttes, then drove dirt roads through the grasslands to find the perfect camping spot, investigating windmills and wildlife in between.