My gal pals and I have built a fantastic sewing community for ourselves. Since early 2012 we’ve hosted Stitch n’ Bitch parties, where a group of us gather to sew, catch up and learn a few new tricks in using our machines. Because the gals who run in the circle are nothing short of incredible, one of our friends suggested we turn our next SNB into a charity sew-along, and so – we did.

At our last sewing party, we made turbans for cancer patients using this pattern – http://www.sewing.org/html/turban.html.

The pattern is incredibly easy, and if you pre-cut the fabric for the various sizes it will drastically speed up the production process.

In our night we produced ten turbans! We used fleece and stretch cotton.

We want to make more turbans before donating them to the local hospital. If you’re interested in joining our next sewing party – please let me know in the comments below.

Even if you’ve never sewn nor own a sewing machine, you can still take part in the party!

I’ve been dedicating a bit more time to sewing, which is always good for my soul.

I’d had my eye on this Burda Style dress for some time (from the May 2011 issue), and I finally whipped it out this past October at scrapbooking camp (an entirely different story for a different post). 

My version came out a wee bit too short so I decided to wear it as a shirt to our company holiday party. What do you think?

You can download the pattern here. Check out other versions of this dress by very talented gals here and here.

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I’ve always admired quilts for their beautiful detail. I’ve been the lucky recipient of a few quilts for my daughters – the latest from my friend Kathy Boo who gave Mel quite possibly one of the cutest kids quilts I’ve ever seen.

But I never thought I’d want to learn the skill until I met Jimmy from Jimmy Beans Wool.

Jimmy is actually Laura and if you know the back story the start of this sentence makes sense to you. Jimmy has an incredible history – software developers who decided to start a yarn shop – and within a short period of time they’ve grown to become one of the fastest growing companies in the U.S. Neat, right?

I digress.

I finally had the chance to meet Jimmy at a local networking event. I felt like a weirdo stalker because I’d been following the company blog for some time even though I don’t knit. I come to find out Jimmy now carries fabric (yay!) and they’re starting a quilting class. I essentially invited myself to the party and here I am – learning how to quilt with Jimmy and Jeanne, the gal leading the fabric venture at Jimmy’s.

I’ve gone as far as selecting my fabrics and learning how to cut them. I’m hoping to make more progress in December.

To read more about our quilting journey, and to see more pictures, head on over to Jimmy’s blog.

 Onward! Do you quilt? I’d love to see your project!