Announcing Inspire Us Thursdays Beginning in April!

I love a good Link Party. Perusing link parties is how I found most of the sewing-bloggers I now follow, led me to learn sewing tips and tricks I never would have discovered otherwise, and first introduced me to the world of self-published sewing patterns. My favorite parties are inevitably the ones populated by lots of sewing, or knitting, or cross-stitch, or crochet; but those links can be hard to find through all the food and decor and blogging tips these days. So rather than endlessly search the interwebs for those rare link parties full of fabric and yarn and embroidery floss, I thought I'd bring it to my little corner of the web. I'm excited to announce a new link party, Inspire Us Thursdays: Sew Needle Stitch Hook, coming to The Inspired Wren beginning in April!

Inspire Us Thursdays: Sew Needle Stitch Hook, a new Link Party beginning April 3! | The Inspired Wren
Coming to The Inspired Wren beginning April 3!

Elephant Legs? Put Me in the Zoo!

I was so excited to start blogging in part so I could officially sew a long with Project Run & Play. Season 9 is upon us and I was raring to go. And then they announced the challenges. I'm so very happy that I'm not a formal contestant because the Week 1 challenge stumped me right out of the gate. (I hate to jinx myself now by saying I had clear ideas for the remaining challenges early on, so I won't. But I did.)

An Elephant & Piggie outfit sewn as a solution to Project Run & Play Season 9, Week 1's Zoo challenge. | The Inspired Wren
Piggie, Gerald, elephant legs, an ice-cream cone, and a tribute to Robert Lopshire, too!


The Leibster Award: I'm Thrilled to Be Included!

The Liebster Award. A lovely tradition to welcome new bloggers into the blogging community. A chance to pay it forward from one blogger to another. And an opportunity to learn more about each other. Masha from The Itinerant Seamstress nominated me and I'm thrilled. Heck, I'm still tickled by the idea that someone other than my family may actually be reading this thing!

The Liebster Award: Discover New Blogs | The Inspired Wren


Here's how it works: answer some specific questions asked by the blogger who nominated you, list some random facts about yourself, then pay it forward by nominating other new bloggers. So, here's a little bit more about me...

Couch Craft: Broad-Stripe Baby Blanket (with Pattern!)

As part of a group of on-line crafters from across the country (a small segment of a much larger, amazing group of close friends), I get the fun of participating in various crafting gift exchanges. For our current "Spring Free for All" exchange, I'm crafting for a mommy-to-be. I'm sewing up a couple of things just for her, but I wanted to make a little something for the baby-to-be, too. I was feeling the urge to tackle another blanket, so I took to my couch to crochet this bold-stripe blankie, great for a boy or girl. I made it up as I went, but it's quick and simple and something I would crochet again, so I wrote it down. Then I realized I could share it here, too.

Create a Broad-Stripe Baby Blanket great for a boy or a girl with this easy, unisex crochet pattern at The Inspired Wren.

Ottobre Tunic: Third Time's the Charm!

Usually, around the third time in a row that I sew-up a pattern I start to feel burnt out. Not so with this tunic. This charcoal-gray Ponte-knit with subtle sparkle was the fabric I had in mind for this tunic from the get-go. I wasn't burnt out sewing this one, I was excited! My favorite part by far is the pop of pink in the trim and top-stitching. We generally shy away from pink around these parts, but I'm a sucker for a bright-colored trim on a neutral solid.

Sewing the Princess Castle Tunic and Raglan Tee from Ottobre Design 4/2013 | The Inspired Wren
 Finally warm enough to get some pics outside, now I'm looking forward to a green background instead of brown.

TUTORIAL: Vinyl Lunch Bag

Tutorial: Vinyl Lunch Bag | Learn how to sew a simple to open, clear vinyl lunch bag. | The Inspired Wren
Mid-school-year The Peanut needed a new lunch bag, one that was easy for her to open and to fill herself. Luckily three-plus years of sewing backpacks and bags and totes have left me with a sizable collection of large scraps of canvas. I purchased remnant of clear vinyl, drew up a quick sketch enlarging the snack bag I made in January, and set to work sewing this lunch bag. You can, too!