Monthly Roundup ~ August 2018

Time to see what I’ve been up to in between blog posts in August 2018! It’s been a month of sales & stash building for sure! I have covered most of these in podcasts this month & I will link to that below. There will be a monthly roundup podcast this Saturday to accompany this, so be sure to check that out. Grab you some coffee & a snack & let’s dig in! : )

Blog News

I’d like to welcome all new subscribers – I’m glad to have you here! In case you didn’t know, there’s a page with FREE adult coloring printables available only to subscribers. You should have received a password with your welcome email for this month. I have recently started sending out a new password every three months instead of every month, which means the current password is good through the end of October.

Standard post time for the blog is 7:00 p.m. EST.  The blog hops I participate in have different post times & you can find them in the Monthly Posts list below.

Weekly Posts:

• Mondays ~> Sewing, quilting, & crochet posts
• Wednesdays ~> DIY, gardening, & organizing posts
• Fridays ~> recipes, health, & life lived posts

Monthly Posts:

• 2nd Monday ~> QAL, SAL, CAL {Merry Christmas SAL is in full swing! More details in Sewing News!}
• 3rd Monday {posts at 3 a.m. EST} ~> Craft Room De-stash Challenge from C’mon Get Crafty
• 3rd Tuesday {posts at 3 a.m. EST}~> Pinterest Challenge from My Pinterventures
• 3rd Wednesday ~>  Garden update
• 1st Friday ~> Teadoddles Talks interviews OR around the town visits {this is not always every month}
• Last Monday ~> Monthly Roundup

YouTube Schedule:

I changed this up a bit because some things were just not working for me. Here’s the new schedule

• Tutorial Tuesday ~> It could be something beyond my blog posts or something related to a blog post.
• Saturday Podcasts ~> I’m breaking up the podcasts each week based on different craft categories. This will allow me to focus on one category at a time & talk a little bit more about each.
  • 1st Saturday ~ Monthly Roundup Podcast ~> This will parallel my monthly roundup blog post.
  • 2nd Saturday ~ Yarny Goodness Podcast ~> This one is all about yarn related things like crochet, weaving, latch hook & maybe knitting eventually! ; )
  • 3rd Saturday ~ Fabric Obsessed Podcast ~>If you love fabric & sewing, this is the podcast for you!
  • 4th Saturday ~ DIY & Thrifty Fun Podcast ~> You’ll get to see all my thrifty finds & upcoming DIY projects in this podcast. I may even take you along on a thrifting adventure!
  • 5th Saturday ~ Wildcard Podcast ~> Every once in a while there’s a 5th Saturday in the month – hello September! This one will be a surprise for y’all & for me! : D

Connect with Teadoddles:

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Google + | LinkedIn | Pinterest | YouTube

Be sure to check out my Facebook group, Teadoddles Makers. Share your makes, participate in fun maker challenges, & find help with your maker dilemas!

Life Events

Since I’ve been blogging a little over 2 years now, I’ve accumulated quite a bit of pictures on my computer. Plus I’ve started doing videos, so my laptop is having some growing pains! I’m currently looking for a solid state drive {SSD} to hold my video editing software. According to my son, this will lessen the load on my laptop. Until I find a stellar deal on the SSD I need, I’m transferring all my photos to these SD cards I found on Amazon for just $5.99 each. That’s a great deal!

I really needed to back up some things anyway, so these will be perfect for that.

I’m an adjunct drafting teacher & this month has been very busy with the beginnings of Fall semester. One school started 2 weeks before the other, so this past week was the first week I had both classes, which are in two different towns. I also had a cold & that just made things even more fun – not! Then my husband got the funk even though I tried to keep it to myself. That means I’m about 2 weeks behind on almost everything. Sigh. I’ll catch up, eventually!

In case you missed it ~>

• Back to School ~ A Teacher’s Perspective
• Let’s Have a Crafty Weekend!
• August Favorites ~ The Little Things

Crafty News

A wonderful crafty friend gave me this puzzle, which reminds me of my craft space. It would be even more appropriate if it had a dog because I have dogs.

They already put it together, broke it into sections, & put it back in the box. Now I just need to find the perfect frame!

Sewing News

The Merry Christmas Sew-Along is in full swing! I released the 1st ornament on July 9th & Monique released her 1st ornament on August 13th. My second ornament will come out on September 10th. Don’t forget to post your ornaments in the Facebook group so you can be entered to win a prize! Be sure to check out all the details on the Merry Christmas SAL page.

You can check out the podcast below for more information on the items in this section:

• Fabric Obsessed Episode #1

Finishes

I finally finished the coat I started 7 years ago! All I had to do was hand hem the bottom & sleeves to finish it up. The buttons were a gift from an Australian friend & I think they add the perfect touch!

The Save the Bees BOM from Jacquelynne Steves started this month & I couldn’t resist making the cute bee blocks!

I also made the bee pincushion that comes with the first block. He’s stuck on one of the jars I decorated with nail polish. I think this will make a cute gift for a new sewer, I just need to fill the jar with some sewing goodies!

Remember the baby clothes quilt I finished last month? Well I have a ton of leftovers, so I whipped up a tote for the little girl with some of them.

In case you missed it ~>

• How to Wind Scrap Yarn into Cakes
• Taking in Pants at the Waist & Raising a Waistline
• Fabric Art with Yarn ~ Summer Tree

WIPS

I haven’t quite finished sewing together my Stars in the Night Quilt from a 2016 QAL, but I have made progress! At first I thought I would need to buy more fabric to finish it, but then I remembered the leftover denim from my pants project. It’s the perfect color & since it’s light weight, it will fill in nicely.

I bought this fabric a while back from Fabric Mart. It came with the pattern for just $12! I finally cut it out & it’s ready to sew up.

Upcoming

Since my experiment with dying rope, I’ve decided to try out some other fabric dying ideas I have. I found the boxed dyes on clearance at Joann’s & used a 50% off coupon for the liquid dye. Stay tuned to see what I do with these!

During Craftsy’s black Friday maker sale, I snagged two Boundless layer cakes – Flower Shoppe II & Solids Spring Fling. These are for testing out my layer cake baby quilt pattern. Hopefully I’ll get these done this month & have the pattern ready for testers soon!

I have a commission due in October for a baby blanket with lavender, yellow, and grey. It took me forever to find a place with fabrics that fit the bill! The top fabrics are from CCs Fabric Closet on Etsy & the 108″ wide backing is from Joann’s. I got a 60% scratch off & it was the only thing I needed that wasn’t on sale!

I caught a sale over at Vogue patterns & picked up these 3 patterns:

Loving them all, especially the pockets!

New Purchases

This has been THE month for fabric deals! Really, all sorts of crafty deals because everyone’s clearing out for fall.

1. I scored almost 30 yards of fabric at a local thrift store clear out sale!
2. My fat quarter bundle of Front Yard by Sarah Watts for Cotton & Steel finally arrived. I may have squealed in delight!
3. I scored these light weight sweatshirt knits at a recent Girl Charlee sale.
4. , 5., & 6. ~ Recent goodies from a cotton sale over at Fabric Mart.

Find out more about 1, 2, & 6 in my first Fabric Obsessed podcast. There will be more details on 3, 4, & 5 in my next Fabric Obsessed podcast.

When I washed my thrifted fabric, I was very glad I threw in a couple color grabbers!! The red fabric that did this is still very bright.

These buttons were part of my thrifted finds too!

Here’s my newest {and last} set of mini charm packs from the Mini Charm Pack Club. I’ve decided I have enough mini charms & want to try something different.

Wish List

Well, there’s always some pretty new fabric or pattern catching my eye, but I really wish I had time to make everything I want to! : D

Crochet News

My crochet mojo is still in full swing & I continue to find some great deals on yarn! You can check out the podcast below for more information on the items in this section:

• Yarny Goodness Episode #1

Finishes

I needed a place for all my new hooks, so I made this Ammonite hook roll from Dedri at Look at What I Made.

That’s my only finish this month, but I have lots more to show y’all!

WIPS

Here is the beginnings of a second crochet hook roll using 24/7 cotton from Lion Brand. This pattern is from Sweetheart Crochet.

Making progress on my Crocodile Stitch Triangle Poncho from Bonita Patterns & Yarns using Lion Brand Mandala in Spirit.

I have about 10 million things I want to start, but I’m trying really, really hard to wait until I finish up a current WIP first. We’ll see how long that lasts! ; D

Upcoming

I’ve been collection this sillk sport weight yarn in Popsicle from Darn Good Yarn. My intent is to make a shawl for September because it’s thyroid cancer awareness month & these are the colors of the ribbon. Guess I need to get busy on that!

New Purchases

These are my recent boxes from current yarn clubs plus one new one!

1. Mary Maxim crochet club ~ $9.99+ shipping 1st month, then $12.99+ shipping after {could not believe I got enough for a whole blanket!}
2. Darn Good Yarn Club ~ $10+ shipping {dyeable yarn & dye this month!}
3. Jimmy Beans Wool Crochet Club ~ $15 per month, includes US shipping {see my review of this club & #2 here}

So, I may have scored some more awesome yarn deals & brought more yarn into my house – whoops! : D

1. I finally found some great yarn clearance at my local Walmart!
2. This was really a “I saw it & wanted it” kind of thing! Woolspun 3 pack in Mesa Print & Homespun cake in Fool’s Gold, both Lion Brand. {Psst! Check out the $1 bin under clearance!!}
3. Caught a $1.99 flash sale on Red Heart with Love!
4. Also caught this Bernat Softee Chunky for $1.49 a skein during Craftsy’s Maker Black Friday sale.
5. Purchases from a new yarny place I found called Herschner’s, find out more about this & #1 in my next Yarny Goodness podcast!

Again, I’m just wishing for more time to make ALL the THINGS!

DIY News

Here’s the full haul of stuff I score during my thrifty adventure. Check out my DIY & Thrifty Fun podcast for all the details!

In case you missed it ~>

• https://www.teadoddles.com/diy-painted-wooden-spindle-ornaments/
• https://www.teadoddles.com/turn-a-yarn-box-into-a-gift-box/

Whew! These things never get shorter even with the podcasts! Be sure to watch this Saturday for my monthly roundup podcast, where you can hear me talk more about all this madness! : D