lots of pink here!

I'm still here, I promise!

2012-02-01T09:31:00.000-05:00

I'm sorry that I've been absent for so long. There has been absolutely NO sewing going on here because the girls and I all had strep throat. UGH! Now, I think it has moved on to Doug. :(

On a fun note, we (and by we, I totally mean Doug!) have been redoing our living room! I will have some pics as soon as we have some furniture in there. Right now it is almost totally empty as we got rid of all of our nasty old stuff to make way for something fresh and new.

The week before the sickness hit, I did get a fun ipad case sewn up for the shop. The cocoon laptop cover pattern is another one by Florence of Flossie Teacakes and I loved it! It's, obviously, for a laptop but she gives directions on how to size it for any device. I love the pocket on the front, it makes it so nice to have a place to put your phone or a little notepad and pen.

It came together really easily. I used cotton batting for the padding and natural colored linen and two Amy Butler prints for the fabrics.

Hopefully this week will be a little more productive! Now I need to get back my sewing mojo so, please, tell me what all of you have been working on so that I can get inspired!!!!

the Pippa cuff tutorial

2012-01-20T16:16:00.000-05:00

My daughter, Penelope (or Pippa), is 4 and loves to wear my costume jewelry. I don't mind letting her wear it around the house but it's just too big for her to wear out or to school, as she would like to do! :) So, I made her these little reversible fabric cuff bracelets. I made some for Adelaide too but she can't be bothered to wear them. :)

I took some pics and noted the measurements because I thought you guys like to make some as well! They are super fast and easy and a great way to use up scraps. They would make great goodie bag items for a birthday party or a quick gift.

As you can see form the photo, I made myself one as well. The measurements for the adult cuff are at the end of the tutorial.

***Penelope's wrist measures 4 1/2". She is 4 years old and is fairly average in size but, if possible, measure your child's wrist to make sure that the cuff will fit. I used the same size for my 3 year old who is a peanut!!***

Materials Needed:

coordinating fabric scraps (2) that are at least 6 1/2" long and 1 3/4" wide (8" long and 2 1/2" wide for the adult cuff)
cotton batting (same measurements as above)
thread
pearl snaps (I got mine at Joann) and a setting tool (or a thread spool and a hammer, this is what I use)
iron
sewing machine
pins
chopstick or turning tool
water soluble marker or fabric chalk

Cut both pieces of your fabric and batting to 6 1/2" x 1 3/4". I made a patchwork piece and then cut it down. You will then have this:

Now you need to stack up your pieces as follows: batting, then one fabric piece with the right side up, and finally the other fabric piece with the wrong side up. So, your batting will be on the bottom and then the two fabric pieces on top of the batting with the right sides together.

Pin all around the sides.

Now sew all around the rectangle using a 1/4" seam allowance. Make sure you stop with your needle down at the corners so that you can pivot to the next side. You need to leave an opening on one of the long sides that is about 1 1/2" - 2" so that you can turn your cuff.

Now clip your corners and trim the excess batting from the seam allowance. Make sure you don't clip it too short where your opening is.

Now turn your cuff right side out and use a chopstick or turning tool to carefully poke out your corners. Carefully turn under the edges of the opening. Press well!

Topstitch all around the edge of the cuff about 1/8" from the edge. Draw a line down the middle of the cuff to use as a guide for your quilting lines (or quilt as desired).

I added two more lines of quilting so that it was quilted pretty densely but you can quilt it any way you like. This would be a really fun way to use some of the fancy stitches on your machine or to do some beautiful hand quilting!

Get the 4 pieces of your snap ready because that is the last step! :)

Apply the snaps close to the end of your cuff according to the directions on the package. Make sure to apply them in the right direction so that the cuff goes around your kiddo's wrist. ***We all do crazy stuff like putting them on the wrong way occasionally so this is just a reminder! ;)***

Now your little one will have a fun cuff to wear out!!

Want to make one for a teenager or for yourself??? Ok! Here is what I did for mine:

I measured my wrist (mine is 6") and I added 2" for ease and seam allowance. So, I cut my pieces to measure 8" x 2 1/2". I also used 2 snaps because the cuff is so much wider and I didn't want it twisting around on my wrist. Other than those modifications, the assembly is exactly the same as above!

I hope you guys make some fun cuffs and enjoy wearing them! Please do not hesitate to email me if you have any questions. I would LOVE to see them if you do and you can always add all of your creations made from my tutes to the lots of pink here flickr group! :)

***I am thrilled for you to make as many cuffs as you would like for yourself or friends and, of course, for charity but please do not sell cuffs made using my tutorial. Thank you for understanding!!!***

Have a great weekend! xoxoxo

a few pouches

2012-01-13T17:18:00.001-05:00

I made a little gift for a friend of mine that loves to travel. She is one of those women that is always perfectly dressed, has all her make-up on and has beautiful jewelry to match each outfit. Essentially, the opposite of me! :)

I thought she might enjoy a few bags to keep all of her goodies organized on her little jaunts.

The little zippered pouch was made using the slouchy make-up bag pattern by the fantastic Florence of Flossie Teacakes. I adore everything Florence makes, she has such effortless style and I'm sure she sounds so awesome with her cute British accent! :)

I love the curved top, it's different from any other zippered bag pattern that I have (and I have lots!).

I love how it stays open on it's own! It makes it so much easier to get out your make-up.

I also made two of Jeni's lined drawstring bags. I made the two smallest sizes and they are SO cute!!!

yes, I realize you can see the lining through the bag, ugh!

The tiny one is my favorite, just because it's so itty bitty! :) Just to show you how small it is, here is a pic of it on top of a charm pack. It's perfect for rings or earrings.
I used chevron twill tape for the ties instead of making fabric ones, I think it looks really cute and it goes so well with the Ruby fabrics. I will make the fabric ties next time though just for a change. :)

What are you guys working on???

late Christmas gifts

2012-01-09T14:20:00.000-05:00

Better late than never, right? I made a couple of my best bloggy buddies some goodies! I had the hardest time deciding what to make them. Once I had made up my mind though I was really excited.

I made them both a little set, a pincushion organizer and a set of pattern weights.

I have one of these pincushions right next to my machine and it's fantastic! I keep a fabric marking pen, a pencil, a seam ripper and a small pair of scissors in the pockets. I also love that you can take the thread catcher off and sit it on your cutting table or closer to your machine if you need to.

Pattern weights are something that I really find so useful! I cut EVERYTHING with my rotary cutter and the weights make it so easy to just whip around my pattern piece with less chance of everything shifting.

I use 2 sizes of weights. Larger ones for the center of the pattern and larger pattern pieces and then I have some small ones for pattern pieces that have thinner parts (like the tabs on my bib pattern).

They are really simple to make, just 2 squares sewn right sides together. I leave a small opening and fill them full of rice and then slip stitch the opening closed. You can also use them for hand warmers in the winter if you decide that you don't like using pattern weights! :)

Here are the measurements that I used to make the pattern weights:
(use a 1/4" seam allowance)

Large pattern weights: cut your squares (2) at 3 1/2" so that you end up with finished weights that measure 3" square

Small pattern weights: cut your squares (2) at 2" so that your finished weights will be 1 1/2" square

keyka lou sale reminder

2011-12-28T15:10:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to remind everyone that there are only 3 more days to get your hands on the keyka lou patterns that are being discontinued!! They will disappear on January 1st. Don't miss out on them!!!

made with the box wallet / pyramid pouch pattern

They are a steal at only $3 each!! All of you that sell on etsy or at craft fairs should know that Michelle welcomes you to sell items made with her patterns, with proper credit of course. :)

Christmas sewing

2011-12-22T13:21:00.000-05:00

I didn't get as much Christmas sewing done as I was planning. I did get something made for the little girls though!

My girls LOVE dolls! They play with them every day, sleep with them, dress them, wrap them up, you get the idea! I had made Pippa a couple of dolls but I hadn't made one for Adelaide. She is so attached to this doll that I had kinda figured she would reject any other one that was offered. Well, about a month ago she said she really wanted a doll like Penelope's.

I thought a smaller doll would be better, more portable and less likely to drag on the ground and get filthy when being toted around. This pattern proved to be the perfect size!!! Of course, the dollies needed little quilts of their own!

Adelaide's, of course, since yellow is her favorite color.

For Adelaide's little set I used all of the mustardy yellow prints that I could find in my stash. The little frog print in the center is from a Heather Ross print that I made her 1st birthday dress out of and I was so glad that I had a little left. There are a few squares from Heather's latest line too. I backed it in this simple print from ruby that matched the pale blues in some of the squares.

Penelope's

Turns out that a charm square is the perfect size for the little doll's body! For Penelope's doll and blanket I used one of the Walk in the Woods charm packs. I used sundae in ruby for the binding as it goes really well with the colors and style of the charms. I backed it in one of my favorite Heather Bailey prints.

I have said it before, dolls are not my favorite things to sew. This pattern however, was lovely! It came together really easily and was a quick sew. It would make a great first doll!!! I have a feeling that I will be making a few more of them.

The little quilts were so easy too. I cut out 25 - 3 1/2" squares and just sewed them into 5 rows of 5 and then sewed the rows together. SO easy!! Make sure to use your 1/4" foot if you have one. I cut my binding at 2 1/4". I like a rather narrow binding and I like it to fit snuggly to the edge of my quilt.

Christmas gifts for the teachers

2011-12-20T15:50:00.000-05:00

My girls go to the most wonderful preschool!! It's small and caring and just wonderful! There are 18 kids and 4 full time teachers. There is also a teacher that comes once a week to help out and a music teacher that comes once a week. All of the teachers are fabulous! They are loving and kind and really care about each and every one of the kids and their families. They are also the kind of women that really appreciate a homemade gift. Can you tee that we love it there? :)

I never want to make them something for their homes since I don't know what styles they all lean toward or what color schemes they have there. I try to keep it pretty simple and fun. Something they can use every day in their normal lives is always what I'm going for.

This year I made each a mug rug with a matching coffee sleeve.

fabric: ruby by Bonnie and Camille

fabric: Denise Schmidt for Joann fabrics

fabric: happy mochi yum yum by Happy Zombie

fabric: scraps of MM ta dots, Ab full moon dots and sunspots and an AMH scrap

fabric: happy mochi yum yum by Happy Zombie

fabric: Denise Schmidt for Joann fabrics

For each set, I used natural colored linen paired with the quilting cottons I had chosen. I had a lot of fun making all of them and I think the teachers were happy with them.

Just a note about sewing with linen, PREWASH IT! I do not generally prewash my fabric if it is for a quilting type project as I really like the crinkly look that you get when you wash your quilt for the first time. However, linen is another thing all together! It will shrink quite a bit more than cotton. I actually wash my linen in hot water which I never do normally. Also, linen tend to shift around like crazy. Spray starch is really your friend when it comes to sewing with linen. Spray that stuff down with starch and iron like a mad woman!!!

I found the insulated cups at Bed, Bath and Beyond for $4 and Vanessa said that she found some at Joann fabrics as well.

Hope you are all getting your last minute sewing gifts finished!! :)

Keyka Lou pattern sale and news

2011-12-19T10:13:00.000-05:00

Michelle from Keyka Lou has just announced that she will be discontinuing 16 of her patterns!! I'm kinda sad! A few of them are favorites of mine.

They will disappear on January 1st!!! The good news is that until then, all of the patterns to be retired are on sale for $3!!!

Go check out the sale and snap up the patterns before they are gone!

Here is one that I am so sad to see go!!! It's such a great bag!!

charm school handbag

This one is still in my shop if you don't want to make your own! :)

SMS Giveaway Day winner!

2011-12-17T07:37:00.000-05:00

Thank you all SO very much for your sweet comments on my sewing kit and for taking the time to visit and enter! I had such a great time reading all of your comments and learning what you all do Christmas morning!

Ok, on to the winner!!!

and # 239 is.....

CONGRATS the whimsical bee!!!! I will email you to get all of your info!! :)

Oh and I think I must try this monkey bread that so many of you mentioned. :) If anyone has a recipe that they love, I'd love to have it!

Merry Christmas!!!

shop update: new (early release) precuts

2011-12-15T14:22:00.000-05:00

I got some really cute precuts in today! All of these lines won't be out until spring but I got in on a few of the early releases that Moda sometimes offers. LOVING Aneela's new line! The yardage will be in stores in February and I'm so excited. I've ordered the whole line!! Woo hoo!

For now I have some charm packs!

I also have charm packs of the new Fig Tree line, California Girl

and Cosmo Cricket's Salt Air.

I also have one FQ bundle of Salt Air!

The colors are so great on all of these lines!

Make sure you have entered the giveaway, it ends tomorrow night! :)

Sew mama sew giveaway day!!! {now closed}

2011-12-12T06:00:00.004-05:00

***please note that this giveaway is now closed***

Welcome!!! If this is your first time visiting, I'm so glad to have you and of course, welcome back to all of my regular readers! I love giveaway day, it's always so fun to go around and see all of the goodies that everyone has to give!

I have two goodies for this round of Sew, Mama, Sew giveaway day!!!

The first is one of my travel sewing kits! This one, by far, got the biggest response from my awesome readers and so I have saved it just for this occasion!

***please note that all of the notions will not be included in the giveaway, they are for display only***

In addition to the sewing kit, the winner will also get 3 FQ's of Chemistry by Cosmo Cricket and a FQ of the coordinating Bella solid! I just got these in my shop and they are so fun! Perfect for making cute goodies for Valentine's day or for someone who loves pink.

So, if you would like a chance to win, please leave me a comment on this post telling me what you and your family do on Christmas morning! Do you have a fun tradition? Even if you don't celebrate Christmas, what do you do (everything is closed so I'm sure you have some fun tradition!)?

For a second entry, let me know that you are a follower! :)

Make sure that I have a way to contact you if you are the winner!!! If your email is not connected to your blogger profile, please include it in your comment!!!!!

I will be happy to ship internationally I will close the giveaway on December 16th at 8 PM EST and will announce the winner the next morning.

Good luck and please come back and visit me!! :)

If you aren't the winner but still want to make your own sewing kit, you can find my tutorial here.

***please know that I read and really enjoy every comment!! I usually reply to my comments but this event is way to crazy to be able to keep up. Just please be aware that I am so thankful to all of you that take the time to comment!***

a little tease

2011-12-06T13:35:00.000-05:00

I'm going to be a bit of a tease today! :) No, not that kind!!!

I just wanted to give all of my fantastic readers a little sneak peak of what I will be giving away for Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaway day! Mark your calendars ladies, it starts on the 12th!!! It will last for an entire week this time, thank goodness. So please stop by if you would like a chance to win something scrappy and fun (and also useful!)!!

Here is my tease!!! If you don't know what it is you will just have to wait until the 12th! {insert Dr. Evil laugh here}

another one!!

2011-11-25T17:52:00.000-05:00

In case one fun giveaway just isn't enough, I am sponsoring another one over at my adorable friend Bonnie's blog! :)

Head on over for a chance to win a beautiful half yard bundle of Ruby!!

Make sure you take a look around! Bonnie is so sweet and has so many cute things on her blog. Tutorials, a cute shop, tons of links to link parties that you can get involved in, and she has mad crochet skills!!! Tell her I said hi! :)

giveaway alert!!!

2011-11-23T10:34:00.000-05:00

I'm participating in a giveaway over at my friend Vanessa's blog!!! Go check it out and enter!! Not only can you win a $20 credit to my shop but you can also win lots of AWESOME patterns from two of my favorite bloggers!!!!

a few more gift ideas

2011-11-21T06:00:00.000-05:00

I was pretty productive last week! I finally got to try Keyka Lou's newest pattern, the zip pocket pouch pattern and I LOVE it!!! And it's still on sale until the 27th, can't beat that!

Here is the medium size:

And here is the tall version:

As you can see, both will easily hold an iphone with room to spare. I love the zipper pocket! I am always so happy with things made from Michelle's patterns.

I also had a custom order for some art folios and made a couple extra. If you haven't seen Virginia's shop, you are really missing out!! Her patterns are fantastic and the art folio is, by far, the most popular item that I have ever sold in my shop! If I made 100 of these suckers, I would still have requests for more. They really are useful and are they are always my go to gift for birthday parties.

All of these goodies are in the shop if you don't feel like making some yourself! :)

holiday sewing motivation

2011-11-15T13:23:00.000-05:00

I know I have been MIA for the last few weeks. Some long lasting illness is slowly making it's way through my family. First, the girls were sick, then Doug and now it has finally worked it's way around to me.

I wanted to share something fun with you all though! Michelle from Keyka Lou is having a pattern sale!!! Right now all of her patterns are on sale for $5!! If you haven't tried one of her patterns, now is the time! She is my favorite go to pattern designer! Her patterns are all VERY well written, most can be made with very little fabric, and they are all super cute! She has almost 40 patterns now so there is sure to be something that will be perfect for everyone on your list this year.

Some of my favorites for cute little handmade gifts are:

keychain clutch pattern

zip clutches pattern

basic wallet pattern

The basic wallet fits my iphone so it could double as a phone case! There are so many more adorable patterns that would make great holiday gifts. The new zip pocket pouch pattern is adorable and would make a great gift card holder!

So head over to Keyka Lou and snap up some patterns! The sale ends on Nov. 27th. Make sure you check out Michelle's blog too, she has so many great tips and tricks on there!!!

12 days of Christmas Blog Hop Winner and a thank you

2011-10-26T15:10:00.000-04:00

First, I would like to give all of you my heartfelt thanks!!! I was so blown away by all of your lovely and generous comments on my sewing kit! Thank you, thank you thank you!!!! I REALLY hope to see some of the kits that you guys create! I am sorry that I didn't get to reply to all your comments but there were 388, WOW! xoxoxoxoxoxo

Now on to the winner of the $25 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop!!!

Heike, I am emailing you right now to get all of your info. Congrats, how fun!!! Thanks again everyone and I hope you will come back soon to visit me! :)

I also want to thank Jennifer and all of the other fantastically creative women that were involved in this blog hop, I was so honored to be a part of it!

shop update: Ruby is here!

2011-10-20T14:44:00.001-04:00

The fabulous line Ruby by Bonnie and Camille is here and in the shop!! It is so stunning, I can't wait to sew with it! I also have some patterns coming tomorrow so make sure you check them out! Some that have been around for a little while and some new ones.

12 Gifts of Christmas Blog Hop! - patchwork sewing kit tutorial {now closed}

2011-10-16T06:00:00.004-04:00

Welcome!!! I was so thrilled when Jennifer asked me to be a part of the 12 Gifts of Christmas Blog Hop! What a fun way to get in the Christmas spirit and make some really great gifts! Jennifer started out with her adorable double sided placemat tutorial. And make sure you check out Ayumi's organizer basket tutorial, SO cute! Make sure to leave them a comment to so that you are entered in both giveaways!!!

For my tutorial, I am giving you alternate options for my really fun travel sewing kit tutorial. Click on the link for the full tutorial or you can always find it under the tutorial tab at the top of the page. I LOVE these kits! They are perfect for hand sewers and those of us that like embroidery but they are also a great gift for quilters (all those hand sewn bindings) or even someone headed off to college (everyone needs a mending kit at some point). As always, if you have any questions or if something isn't clear PLEASE let me know!!!

By far, the most popular of all of the kits I have made has been the patchwork one! If you want to make one with patchwork squares you will need to alter the measurements slightly. You can, of course, use any type of patchwork that you want but the squares just don't work with my original measurements.

So, here is what you will need to cut instead!:

40 2"x2" squares
for the interior panels: cut two (2) at 5 1/2" wide x 6 1/2" high and cut one (1) at 5 5/8"wide x 6 1/2" high
for the pockets: cut one (1) at 5 1/2" wide and 4" high and one (1) at 3 1/2" wide x 6 1/2" high

All of the other measurements will be the same as in my original tutorial!

After you have your 40 squares all cut out, you need to arrange them in the order that you want them sewn. The layout will be 4 rows of 10 squares each. You will have something that looks like this:

We are going to sew the squares together with a 1/4" seam allowance. If you have a 1/4" foot for your machine, this is the time to get it out!! I always mark my rows with a small # in the top corner of the first square of each row so that I don't have to worry about mixing up the rows.

Once they are all pinned, I lay them out and check the layout one more time to make sure I don't want to move any around.

Then sew your squares into the 4 rows of 10 and press all of your seams. I press mine open but if you prefer to press them to the side go for it. :)

Then pin your row one to row two, with right sides together, making sure to line up all of those seams as perfectly as possible.

Sew them together using a 1/4" seam. Repeat this step until all 4 rows are sewn together. Press all of your seams.

Yea!!! Patchwork complete!! Now just continue on with the tutorial, just remember that you will need to use the adjusted measurements for the inside panels and pocket pieces that I listed above.

I have one more variation for you! :) Instead of turning under the top edge of the scissor case and stitching it, you can bind the top like this:

After you print out the scissor case pattern, you will need to cut off 3/8" from the top of the pattern. Use this adjusted pattern piece to cut out your scissor case. Then bind the top using the same method that I use in the tutorial to bind the pocket pieces. So simple but it gives it a different look. You will then have a really fun sewing kit to give to a lucky friend!!!

Giveaway!

Enter to win a $25 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop!! Woo hoo!! Go visit their shop and leave me a comment telling me what you would get with your $25 if you are the lucky winner! We will choose one winner via Random.org on Oct. 26. {please note that this giveaway is now closed!!!}

Also, please visit Ellison Lane Quilts and leave one comment on her tutorial to be entered to win the GRAND PRIZE of a $250 gift certificate to Fabricworm!

And just for stopping by, you can take advantage of a generous 15% off discount at Fabricworm with the coupon code fw12days through the end of the blog hop.

Make sure you visit Faith tomorrow over at Fresh Lemons Quilts!! She will surely have something awesome to show you! :)

Friday, October 14- Jennifer @ Ellison Lane Quilts
Saturday, October 15- Ayumi/Pink Penguin
Sunday, October 16- Amy/ Lots of Pink Here
Monday, October 17- Faith/Fresh Lemons Quilts
Tuesday, October 18- Penny/Sew Take a Hike
Wednesday, October 19- Kati/From the Blue Chair
Thursday, October 20- Lee/Freshly Pieced
Friday, October 21- Elizabeth/Don't Call Me Betsy
Saturday, October 22- Melanie/Texas Freckles
Sunday, October 23- Lindsay/Craft Buds
Monday, October 24- Amanda/A Crafty Fox
Tuesday, October 25-Vanessa/Little Big Girl Studio

Let's get ready for Christmas!!!

2011-10-12T14:48:00.000-04:00

I was so super excited when Jennifer asked me to be part of her 12 Gifts of Christmas Blog Hop! I know it's hard to imagine that it's already that time of year but yep, it's here!! It's time to get organized and get those machines running and churning out awesome holiday gifts! This is the perfect way to get motivated!

For 12 days, starting this Friday, you will find a tutorial for a great handmade gift on the blogs below:

Friday, October 14- Jennifer @ Ellison Lane Quilts
Saturday, October 15- Ayumi/Pink Penguin
Sunday, October 16- Amy/ Lots of Pink Here
Monday, October 17- Faith/Fresh Lemons Quilts
Tuesday, October 18- Penny/Sew Take a Hike
Wednesday, October 19- Kati/From the Blue Chair
Thursday, October 20- Lee/Freshly Pieced
Friday, October 21- Elizabeth/Don’t Call Me Betsy
Saturday, October 22- Melanie/Texas Freckles
Sunday, October 23- Lindsay/Craft Buds
Monday, October 24- Amanda/A Crafty Fox
Tuesday, October 25-Vanessa/Little Big Girl Studio

In addition to a free tutorial to make some awesome gifts, each blog will also have a giveaway from a great sponsor. Jennifer of Ellison Lane Quilts will have a grand prize on her blog’s tutorial of a $250 gift certificate to Fabricworm! WHAT?? Yes, you read that right. Can you imagine the fabric yumminess that you could buy with $250!?

Fabricworm is also offering a generous 15% off discount during the 12 days of the blog hop with the coupon code fw12days.

There is a Flickr group set up to join and share what you make. I hope lots of you will join us!! Come back on Sunday for my post. :) Also, feel free to grab a button over there on the left and help to spread the word.

shop updates

2011-10-06T10:35:00.000-04:00

oops a daisy floral, AB full moon dots and meadowsweet

I've added 4 travel sewing kits to my shop. They will make great gifts for the holidays and I love making them! :) Here are the other ones that are in there now.

joel dewberry heirloom

anna maria horner loulouthi

lizzy house 1001 peeps

I also have some really great chevron twill tape in the fabric shop! I haven't had a chance to use any yet myself but it has been really popular. I can't wait to see how it will be used by everyone, so many possibilities!

convertible clutch pattern winner!!! yay!

2011-10-03T09:25:00.000-04:00

Thanks so much to all of you that entered!! The winner is.....

who happens to be...

YAY Audrey!!! Go get some of that Loulouthi!!! :) I am emailing you now.

convertible clutch/2 in 1 bag pattern giveaway!!!

2011-09-28T11:09:00.001-04:00

this giveaway is now closed, sorry! :(

I was so excited when Vanessa sent me her convertible clutch pattern to test out!! I had seen sneak peaks of it while she was working on it and kept bugging her to finish it so that I could make one for myself! :)

It does not disappoint!!! The shape is fantastic!! It's modern in a way that's both fashion forward and classic at the same time.

I made mine out of two prints from Anna Maria Horner's Loulouthi line. The exterior print is very large scale but I really love how it worked on this bag.

Each side looks so different and I love both. You can then fold the bag down and you have a clutch!!! The handle opening is large enough that you can slip it over your wrist too if you need both hands.

Genius!! The size is great, large enough to hold all of the necessities but not so big that it will be heavy or hard to hold. The pattern includes a patch pocket to keep a few items separate. It was really easy to follow and well written. She includes so many photos which always helps too!

I LOVE the handle!!! It's a great way to add a second print onto your bag and is totally different from any other handle that I've ever put on. If you make the bag, I would totally recommend that you follow Vanessa's suggestion and add the extra rows of topstitching. It really makes the bag look so much more professional.

SO... Vanessa has graciously offered to give away a copy of her convertible clutch pattern to one of my lucky readers!!! Woo hoo!!!

In order to enter, please leave a comment on this post letting me know what fabric you would make your convertible clutch / 2 in 1 bag out of if you win!!! PLEASE make sure that I can get in touch with you if you win!!!! I will choose a winner randomly on Monday morning. Good luck!!!!

fussy cut zipper pouch tutorial

2011-09-20T17:11:00.000-04:00

I LOVE a good zipper pouch!! I know there a ton of zipper pouch tutorials out there but I was asked by a very special person to do one, so here it is! :)

Here is your list of needed materials. Some of them do not specify measurements because everyones measurements will be different depending on the image you choose to fussy cut. Don't worry!! I will show you exactly how to figure out what to cut!

materials needed:

small piece of fabric to fussy cut (nothing too large scale)
scraps at least 1" wide to use as sashing for the fussy cut image (the length will depend on the size of your fussy cut piece)
scraps of osnaburg, linen, or other background fabric for exterior of pouch and zipper ends (a fat quarter would be plenty)
lining fabric (a fat quarter would be plenty)
9" zipper
2 pieces of fusible interfacing (I prefer Pellon SF101) measuring 5 1/2" x 8 1/2" each
thread
iron
zipper foot
rotary cutter and quilter's ruler. One that measures 6" wide is super useful here!!!

Let's cut our other pieces and then we can make the fussy cut exterior piece! Here are the measurements that you will need to cut:

out of the osnaburg or linen you will cut one piece that measures 6" x 9" for the back of the pouch. You also need to cut 2 zipper end pieces that measure 1 1/2" x 2 1/2" each.
cut your 2 lining pieces to 6" x 9"
I gave the measurement for the interfacing above (2 pieces that each measure 5 1/2" x 8 1/2")

*** all seam allowances are 1/4"***

Now let's make your fussy cut exterior piece!!!

Take your cute image and lay it on your cutting mat. Make sure it is pressed very well, you will always get a nicer cut if there are no wrinkles! Using your gridded quilting ruler line up the image so that the edge of the image you want to fussy cut is 1/2" away from the edge of your ruler. You could do each side separately but I always do 2 sides at a time. I feel like I am sure to get a good square edge that way.

See how in the above photo the top of the hanger and the left hand corner of the dress (I know you can't really see because it's under the 3 but trust me) are both 1/2" away from your cutting edge. That's what you want! Now cut carefully along those two sides and then do the same with the other two edges so that you end up with something like this.

Now we need to start adding some sashing around the image. You can use a different fabric for each side for a scrappy look or use the same fabric all the way around like I did here. Since I was using one print for my sashing, I cut one strip that measured 1" x WOF. You just want your strips to be 1" wide so that you end up with 1/2" sashing all the way around your image.

I always start at the bottom but you can start on whatever side you like. Line up the raw edges of your fussy cut piece and your sashing strip, right sides together.

Sew these together and then trim the sashing even with your fussy cut image.

Now press your seam. I always press my seams open but if you prefer to press them to one side go for it! :)

Now continue the same process working around your fussy cut piece in a counter clockwise direction until there is sashing on all 4 sides. You should then have something that looks like this.

Now we need to add the osnaburg or linen. Decide where you want your fussy cut piece on the front of your pouch and go from there. I always place mine left of center for some reason. I need to branch out a little! :)

You want your final piece to measure 6" tall and 9" wide. I generally place a strip on the top and bottom and then on the left and the right so that I end up with something like this. I am aways generous with the osnaburg too so that I can tweak the placement a little if I want.

In general, I try to leave at least 1" of osnaburg on each side (1 1/2" if possible). Now you want to cut this piece down so that it measures 6" x 9".

Now with all of your pieces cut, you will have this!

If you want to add any hand stitching, this would be the time!!

Fuse the interfacing to the wrong sides of your two exterior pieces. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of that step.

To make your zipper ends, take your two pieces and iron them in half along the width (short side). Open it up and fold each end in up toward the crease and press.

Fold it all back up and press again. You will end up with two zipper ends that look like this.

Take your zipper and get the end with the zipper pull on it. It will have 2 small metal stops. Trim that end of the zipper just a tad so that when you sandwich the zipper end over the zipper those tiny metal parts just peek out. You just want to make sure you don't hit them with your needle when you sew on the zipper end. Pin on the zipper end to hold it in place.

You are going to now trim the other side of the zipper. You want the zipper, with the ends attached, to measure exactly 8 1/2" from one zipper end to the other. Trim the zipper and pin on your other zipper end.

Stitch the zipper ends very close to the edge and then trim them to the same width as the zipper.

Now we are ready to assemble our pouch!!!

Take your fussy cut exterior piece and place it right side up on your work surface. Center your zipper, wrong side up, on your exterior piece with the zipper pull on the left. I always open mine but you don't have to, just one of my quirky things. :) Align the raw edge of the exterior piece with the long edge of the zipper.

Now take one of your lining pieces and place it wrong side up on top of your zipper lining up the raw edges. Pin in place.

Put the zipper foot on your machine. You will, obviously, not be able to see the zipper but you will be able to feel it through the lining. You want to sew as close to the zipper teeth as possible without hitting them. You will need to stop, with your needle down, and lift your presser foot so that you can wiggle the zipper pull out of the way when you get to it. Then continue sewing, making sure that you backstitch at the beginning and end.

Flip the lining over so that now the wrongs sides of the exterior and lining are touching and the other side of the zipper is exposed.

We are now going to repeat the same process with the other exterior and lining pieces. Lay the other exterior piece face up on your work surface then your zipper wrong side up, this time with the zipper pull on the right, and then your lining piece wrong side up. See the photo below for a visual! Pin well. You will now have something that looks like this.

Sew along the zipper just as you did before making sure you stop with the needle down to move the zipper pull out of the way.

Flip the pieces so that the wrong sides are together and press well.

I like to leave my zipper foot on to topstitch on either side of the zipper. I use the edge of my zipper foot as a guide but you could also put your all purpose foot back on at this point if you like.

Topstitch on either side of the zipper stopping with the needle down and lifting up your presser foot to move your zipper pull out of the way.

Almost finished! We are going to sew the pouch together now. First, OPEN UP YOUR ZIPPER!!!! It is such a pain if you forget! :) If you didn't change back to your all purpose foot in the last step, do so now. Flip the layers so that the two exterior pieces are right sides together and the two lining pieces are right sides together. I always start pinning at the zipper ends and then match all of the sides and corners. When you pin by the zipper ends push the zipper end toward the lining. Pin around the whole pouch well.

Make sure you mark about 3" at the bottom of the lining to leave open so that you can turn your pouch right side out.

Sew all around the pouch starting and stopping at the marks you made above.

To make your zipper ends look as nice as possible, you want to sew as close to them as possible WITHOUT actually catching them. In the picture below you can see what I mean. You want your needle to go right next to that folded zipper end but not catch it.

Clip your corners and turn your pouch right side out through the opening in your lining. Gently push out your corners and then stitch the opening in the lining closed.

Add a cute ribbon to your zipper tab and you are all finished!! :)

As always, please let me know if anything is unclear or you notice an error!! And PLEASE add your pouches to the flickr group!!!

***Please note that this tutorial is for personal use only! I am always happy for you to make as many as you want for gifts or charity but please do not use this tutorial to make pouches to sell, thank you!***

ironing board facelift

2011-09-15T10:09:00.000-04:00

I know I've been missing for a few days, sorry! Penelope started back to preschool this week and we have been running around like crazy!

So, I am a total impulse pattern buyer, fabric too sometimes though that is usually a little more thought out! :) I bought this ironing board cover pattern because I loved the patchwork sections. There are lots of free tutorials on how to make a new ironing board cover but I have to admit that it was really nice to have full size pattern pieces and all of the measurements worked out. Crazy, I know, I warned you that it was an impulse buy!

I LOVE my new cover!!

It's fun and colorful and makes ironing a little more enjoyable! There are 3 layout options in the pattern and I chose the flying geese.

They look a little wonky in this picture but it's just because I didn't straighten out the cover properly. Oops! It came together really easily, the only thing I changed was that I made the ribbons (you tie the ribbons underneath to cinch up the cover) a little longer so that they didn't get lost in the casing. The hardest part was getting the sucker on my ironing board.

I also made another little fussy cut pencil pouch. These are so fun to make!

Yes, more hand stitches! They are totally addictive and I think the little extra effort really makes it special.

The fabulous Jeannie has requested a tutorial for these pouches. I know there are tons of zipper pouch tutes out there but a request from Jeannie just can't be ignored! :) I will try and have it up sometime next week.

more sewing kits and some fun resources

2011-09-06T09:00:00.001-04:00

When I get an idea or a project in my head, it often times becomes somewhat of an obsession. I know I am not the only one this happens to since I read similar stories on lots of sewing blogs. This has been one of those projects!!

I have had so much fun making these sewing kits and I still have a few more to make before I can really move on.

I was so excited when the happy mochi yum yum fabric showed up on my doorstep!! It is so fun! The colors are vibrant and the designs are so great! I swear, Monica can't make anything ugly!! Everything she designs or sews is dreamy! I knew a sewing kit from her fabric would be yummy! Har de har har, I know. :)

I used fabrics from this bundle for this kit but there are lots of other colors to choose from too! The orange colorway is amazing! A patchwork of all of the prints would be fun too.

Speaking of patchwork, that is what I did with the last one I made.

I used Annie's farm stand fabrics that I got from Kerri. I made the exterior by patchworking all of the prints together. I wanted to continue the patchy look on the inside, so I used different fabrics for each pocket.

That space to the right of the needle book had been bothering me. Not that space is a bad thing but I kept thinking that it would be fun to put something purely decorative there. Some hand sewing for a hand sewing kit seemed appropriate!

I found this adorable collection of strawberry embroidery patterns on etsy. I used the pattern to make appliques for the strawberry part and then stitched the flower. I attached the little patch with steam a seam lite before adding the aqua running stitch around the edge.

I've always loved hand embroidery, there is something so slow and homey about it. I am so glad that it is getting more popular again.

I have found some really great etsy shops lately that have the most adorable hand embroidery patterns. I thought some of you might enjoy them too.

wild olive has adorable patterns that are packaged in themes like back to school, happy birthday, and cute and girly. She even has a zombie one, I am sure this one had to have been made just for you Monica!!! :) Her tiny pattens would be perfect for that space on the sewing kit that I mentioned above. Mollie also has an adorable blog that has tons of free patterns!
big B is where I got the strawberry pattern. She has lots of flowers and a really adorable gingerbread house pattern!
Possibly my favorite embroidery patterns come from Tasha. Her shop is filled with the sweetest things like little red riding hood, hedgehogs (like the one tucked in the pocket in my photos), and a little bird on a mushroom.
I am loving this adorable pattern of three little girls! :)

I know there are so many more!! If you have any that you love or want to share please link to them in your comment!!!

I don't want you to think that these sewing kits are just for those of us that like hand embroidery though! If you like to sew bags you often have to hand stitch an opening closed. If you quilt, you have to stitch on those bindings! I think it would also make a great gift for a youngster that wants to try sewing or as a repair sewing kit for someone off to college or getting their first apartment.

I hope this has helped and that it inspires some of you to stitch a little! :)

travel sewing kit tutorial

2011-09-05T15:54:00.002-04:00

I have really loved making these!! They are so fun and a really useful little kit to have in your purse or car so that you can always work on a project no matter where you are. :)

I just want to be clear that I cannot claim this idea as my own! All of the credit goes to the fabulous Tamiko of Patchwork Notes! She is fantastic and so talented and graciously gave me the go ahead to make up this little tutorial. I was so inspired when I saw her hexagon sewing kit and really wanted one of my own. So, thank you Tamiko!! :)

***update: if you want to make the patchwork version, here is the tutorial for that version***

I will warn you that this tutorial is VERY long!!! Please do not be discouraged by it's length!! This kit is not difficult to make but has lots of parts and steps and I wanted to be as thorough as possible so that you could all create one too! :)

Ok! So as for materials, the majority of the kit can be made with scraps but you will need three strips that are WOF (width of fabric) for the binding and the closure strap and thread strap.

materials needed:

fabric scraps for the exterior, interior panels, and pockets (2 fat quarters would be plenty and you would have lots left over)
cotton batting measuring 16" x 7"
4 to 4 1/2" x WOF for the binding (I will explain below why the measurement can vary)
1 1/2" x WOF for the closure strap and thread strap
small scrap of velcro measuring 1/2" x 3/8"
small piece of wool or wool blend felt for needle book
scissor case pattern (this pattern was made to hold my gingher embroidery scissors that measure 4 1/2" long and 2" wide at the widest part of the handle, please measure your scissors to make sure they will fit)
thread
rotary cutter and mat
iron
pins

*** a note about binding*** Since this is a long tutorial already, I am not giving instructions on binding but here is a great tutorial on how to bind if you have never done it or need a refresher! :)

I prefer a narrow binding on small items and I also prefer it to be tight up against the edge of the piece, that is why I have cut my binding at 2". Having said that, if you are a new sewer or have not attempted anything with a bound edge or if you plan on machine sewing your binding on I would highly recommend that you cut your binding at 2 1/4", it will be a lot easier to sew down on the inside. I hope this makes sense! :)

cut your pieces as follows:

exterior - 15" x 6"
cotton batting - cut to 16" x 7"
inside panel pieces - cut two (2) at 5 1/4" x 6" and one (1) at 5 1/2" x 6"
pockets - cut one (1) at 4" x 5 1/4" and one (1) at 3 1/2" x 6"
scissor case - cut your fabric piece for the scissor case using the pattern that you downloaded above. The inside lines are your folding lines, don't worry about those now.
binding - cut two (2) strips measuring 2" x WOF *please see above note on binding*
closure strap and thread strap - cut one (1) strip measuring 1 1/2" x WOF
needle book - cut your wool felt piece to 4 1/2" x 2 3/4"

you should now have these pieces

Now you are going to need to quilt your exterior piece. I quilted all of mine with somewhat random straight lines running the height of the piece. I varied the lines between 1/4" and 1/2" apart. I did this so that later on when you join your exterior and interior pieces those stitches will be somewhat hidden along with your quilting lines. But feel free to quilt yours however you like!

I marked my exterior with a disappearing pen about every 1 1/2" just to keep my quilting lines somewhat straight.

Then quilt away!

If you haven't already, join your two binding strips and press them in half along the length wrong sides together. Now take your two pocket pieces and we are going to bind the top edges. On the left hand pocket you are going to want to bind one of the edges that measures 5 1/4". On the right pocket we are going to bind the edge that measures 6".

Sew on the binding with the raw edges aligned and right sides together, use a 1/4" seam allowance. You will then have this.

Fold the binding up and press so that you have a nice edge and can see clearly where the pocket and binding are joined.

Fold the binding toward the back of the pocket, make sure that you fold the edge past the stitching line that you made when you sewed on the binding. Pin well from the front placing your pins right in the seam line.

Now sew right up against the seam trying not to catch the binding on the front but making sure you do catch it on the back. Repeat this process with the second pocket.

Place your bound pockets on the two side panel pieces lining up the bottom edges. Make sure that you have the two panels that measure 5 1/4" x 6" (the middle panel is slightly larger, make sure you don't sew a pocket on to this panel). Pin and baste the pockets onto the panels.

Now we will join the three panels together. Sew them right sides together using a 1/4" seam allowance and then press your seams open. You will now have this!

Now we will divide the right pocket into two sections by marking a line down the middle and sewing right along that line from just below the binding to the raw edge.

To make the scissor case, take the piece that you cut using my pattern piece and iron the wide edge over 1/4".

Then do the same to each side and then the bottom. Finally, fold the top edge over 1/4" again.

Topstitch the top edge, I stitched two lines at about 1/8" and 1/4".

Then fold your piece of wool felt in half to create the needle book. Give it a quick press with your iron to make a nice crease so that you have a stitch line. I would NOT recommend that you use your water soluble marker, I find it takes forever for it to come out of felt.

Now you are going to pin both the needle book and the scissor case onto the center panel. the scissor case needs to be 1/2" from the top and 1/8" from the left seam. Place the folded edge of the needle book 1/4" from the left seam and 1/2" from the bottom edge. See the below picture !

Sew down the fold line of the needle book and very close to the edge of the three sides of the scissor case to attach both.

Take your strap piece and iron it in half along the length with the wrong sides together. Open it back up and press each edge in to meet the center crease.

Press each end in 1/4" and then refold the whole strip back up. It should now measure approx. 43" x 3/8". Do NOT sew it yet. You need to cut 6 1/4" off this strip to make the thread strap. Only one short end needs to be folded in on the short strap but you will need to fold in both short edges of the long piece so that all of the edges will be encased. Now sew down each of the long sides and the ends to close up the straps.

Pull apart your tiny piece of velcro and place one side on the finished end of the short strap and pin in place. Sew on the velcro.

Take the other half of the velcro and place it along the left seam of the interior piece. You want it to be 3/8" from the bottom edge. Pin in place and sew!

Put the two pieces of velcro together to hold the strap in place and pin the other side in place. The raw edge of the strap is going to hang over the edge. You will need to make the strap somewhat slack so that there is enough room for your thread spools to slide on and still be secured with the velcro. It may help to put two spools on so that you can judge how slack to make the strap. Then sew down the strap very close to the top edge and cut off the excess.

Now we want to attach the exterior and the interior along the seam lines on the interior. Place your exterior face down on your table making sure that it is oriented the way you want it and then place your interior piece face up aligning the edges so that your corners and edges are all matched. Pin enough to keep it all aligned.

Sew down the two seam lines in the ditch to attach the exterior and interior. You will have to move the strap out of the way on the left seam.

Almost done!!! Now you need to bind your sewing kit with the rest of the 2" binding that you made in the beginning. Sew your binding on the outside of the piece and then hand stitch the binding onto the inside. Don't forget that I linked to a great binding tutorial at the top of this post too!!

You now have something that hopefully looks like this! :)

All we have left is to sew on the tie! Take your tie piece and mark 12" from one end. Then take your sewing kit and place it face up on your table. You are going to need to find the stitch line on the exterior of the piece that corresponds to the left side seam line on the inside. I know this sounds confusing! Simply, you are going to stitch your tie to the exterior but you want the stitches to be disguised by the seam on the inside.

Find that seam on the exterior and mark the middle. It will be 3" from the top and bottom and approx. 5" from the right edge when the piece is laying exterior side up on your mat. Match the two marks, the one on your tie and the one on your strap. Pin in place and sew on your strap from the inside so that you can make sure your stitches are masked by the seam.

You are all done!!! Woo hoo!! Now fill it up with goodies!!!

I hope you all will love making these fun sewing kits!! I would LOVE to see yours and please make sure you add it to the lots of pink here tutorials flickr page!!!

If something is unclear, PLEASE let me know. You can email me at amyedunn@gmail.com or leave me a comment on this post. If you leave a comment make sure that I have an email address for you so that I can respond!!

Don't forget to stop by Tamiko's blog too and say hi!!! Thanks again Tamiko for the inspiration!!!

Stop by tomorrow and I will share some other sewing kits that I made and I will have lots of links to some great embroidery resources that I have found.

***Please note that this tutorial is for personal use only!!! Please do not make items to sell using this tutorial! I am happy for you to make as many as you like for gifts or for charity!***

a new fall bag

2011-09-02T11:00:00.001-04:00

I was so excited that Anna released a new bag pattern!! I was feeling the pull to make a new bag for fall and was leaning towards using the same pattern that I used last time. Then Anna revealed her new pattern and my plan totally changed!!

This pattern is awesome!! It is a great size, has tons of pockets (a large one on one side, 3 on the other side and a patch pocket on the inside), and is designed to be able to showcase several fabrics. It is well written, as all of Anna's patterns are, easy to follow, and you end up with a very sturdy, professional looking bag. I have no complaints at all! :)

Yes, I realize that I am a grown woman, but this snow white print from Heather Ross is so fun that I couldn't help myself! The yellow floral is fabulous too and a great color for fall.

I attached two of the selvedges to the handles using this tutorial. I love them!! The apples are so cute and I love the fuzzies. :)

The tutorial has you use multiple selvedges to sort of patchwork your handle and I will definitely be doing that on a bag in the future but on this bag I hated to cover up all of the yellow floral so I just added a couple.

In other news, I finished taking all of the pics for the sewing kit tutorial so it will be up on monday morning! :) Have a great weekend my lovelies!!!

a sewing kit for mom

2011-08-30T09:42:00.000-04:00

I have a fabulous mom!! She is the kind of person that makes friends everywhere she goes. She has never left a party or gotten off a plane without at least a few business cards or phone numbers of people that want to get to know her. She just sparkles and makes any place a better place to be!

We live far apart now and I miss her so much every day. We talk on the phone at least twice a day but it just isn't the same as being able to hug her or laugh together in person. She will always be my best friend!

I love to make things for her! Yes, she can sew, but it's still fun to surprise her with a little something every once in a while! :)

Mom enjoys doing sashiko embroidery. She always has a little project going and I thought this would be a great little set for her.

I modeled the sewing kit after an unbelievable one that Tamiko made for hexagons. I loved it the minute I saw it and I have to admit that I was a little bummed when she said she wouldn't be doing a tutorial for it. So, I made my own version that was more tailored for general sewing or embroidery.

It has a pocket to hold your project and a strap that can keep two spools of thread attached and handy.

The center panel has a needle book and a pocket that holds a small pair of embroidery scissors.

Then there are two additional pockets to hold floss or other necessities.

I also made her a little project bag using Ayumi's awesome tutorial! I love these little patchwork bags, they are so fun to make and a really great size!

As for the travel sewing kit, I have chatted with Tamiko and she has given me the go ahead to write up a tutorial so that all of you can make one of your very own! Woo hoo!!! I will be working on it this week and hope to have the tutorial posted sometime next week!!!

They would make great Christmas gifts!! Yep, it's time to think about those things!! :)

star pincushion tutorial

2011-08-23T09:20:00.000-04:00

These pincushions are so fun to make! You can make them simple, with one or two fabrics, or scrappy! Embellish them with hand embroidery or machine quilt them! They would make a great gift or swap item and are a great way to use up scraps. Ok, let's get started! :)

materials needed:

scraps of colored fabric for the star (pieces at least 2" square)
scraps of neutral fabric for sashing and rest of star (again at least 1 1/2"" wide and 5 1/2" long) I used white, but linen, osnaburg or any solid would be great choices
5 x 5" square for pincushion back
6 x 6" piece of cotton batting
polyfil
thread
pins
iron
rotary cutter and mat
embroidery floss and hand sewing needle

The first thing we are going to do is cut all of our pieces to make the star. You will need:

one (1) 2 x 2" square for the center of your star
four (4) 2 x 1 3/8" rectangles of white or neutral fabric
eight (8) 1 3/8 x 1 3/8" squares of patterned fabric for the points of the star
four (4) 1 3/8 x 1 3/8" squares of white or neutral fabric for the corners surrounding the star
four (4) strips of white or neutral fabric that measure 1 1/2" wide and at least 5 1/2" long for the sashing around the star

We will be using a 1/4" seam allowance throughout!! A 1/4" foot is VERY useful here!

You should have a pile that looks like this! The sashing is not pictured because I cut mine to length as I go.

Next, we will start making the points of the star.

On the WRONG side of each of your 8 pattered, 1 3/8" x 1 3/8" squares, draw a line from one point to the opposite point. This will dissect your square in two.

only 4 are shown but do this to all 8

Organize your patterned squares into 4 sets of 2. As you will be using 2 squares per rectangle you will want to arrange them in a pattern that you like.

Take your white rectangles and four of your patterned squares. Place one square in the corner of each rectangle with right sides together.

Sew on the line that you drew above. Then trim off the point 1/4" from the line you just sewed. See below before you cut!!!

Now press your seams open or to the side, whatever you prefer.

Repeat with the other 4 rectangle and square sets until you have this!

Take your other 4 patterned squares and pin them to the opposite sides of the rectangles. Make sure that your pencil lines are facing the right way so that you will end up with flying geese (see pic below). :)

Again sew on the pencil line, trim off the corner (1/4" from your sewn line) and press your seams. You should now have 4 flying geese!!

you should have 4 of these

Now you are going to want to arrange these 4 geese around your center square in whatever order you like.

note that my block on the left is facing the wrong way. DON"T do that!! :)

Take your remaining white corner squares and sew one on each end of the top and bottom geese blocks so that you end up with this:

Now, sew the left and right geese on either side of the center square.

We are now going to sew the star together. This is where you are really going to want to pay attention to matching up your seams and pinning very well! When I am trying to match seams, I always pin on either side of the seam. It may seem like overkill but it really does make a big difference!!

Repeat this step with the bottom piece as well. Your star is finished!!!

Now we need to add sashing. Start on any side you like and sew on your first piece of sashing. Trim off the edge of the sashing flush with your star block. Press your seam.

Continue on around your block in a counterclockwise direction. Carefully trim off your sashing flush with each edge before ironing your seams.

Woo hoo!!! Your piecing is finished! I ended up trimming the sashing to 1" past the seam but feel free to trim it to whatever you like. It is time to add a little quilting. Layer your batting square under your block and quilt as desired. I hand quilted mine with simple embroidery floss. Get creative with your quilting! :)

Trim the batting to the same size as your pincushion top.

Get your backing piece and trim it to the same size as the top, if necessary.

Place the top and bottom pieces of the pincushion right sides together. Pin all around the pieces. I pin so that I can sew with the top facing up, just so that I am sure that the top will be the most accurate. Make sure that you mark a section (about 2") to leave open so that you can turn your pincushion right side out.

Now sew around the entire piece (except the 2" that you marked to leave open!) with a 1/4" seam allowance. Make sure that you backstitch at the beginning and end.

Clip your corners.

Now turn your pincushion right side out and gently push out the corners with a chop stick or turning tool.

Stuff your pincushion and slip stitch (great slip stitching tutorial by keyka lou) the opening closed. Yea, you are all finished!!!!

I hope you have enjoyed this little tutorial and I would LOVE for you to add photos of your pincushions to the lots of pink here tutorials flickr group!!!

Please let me know if anything is unclear or you see a correction that needs to be made, thanks so much!

*** I am happy for you to sell pincushions that you have made in your shops! Just please add the line "made using a tutorial by amy dunn from lotsofpinkhere.blogspot.com"! A link to this post would be lovely too! :) Let me know if you list some in your shop so that I can check them out too!***

star pincushions

2011-08-22T15:17:00.000-04:00

I made a couple of new pincushions. I had so much fun making the first one (the little apples fabric again!) that I made a second! While making the pink one, I took pics of the process! Anyone up for a tutorial?

I will have the tutorial up on wednesday morning! :)

more swoon blocks

2011-08-17T10:32:00.000-04:00

Here are my next two swoon blocks! I really love this pattern so much, yes, I know I have said that before but it really is just so fun!! :)

Because I only had a fat quarter of each print, which is what the pattern calls for, the stripes are not all facing the same direction. When I was cutting and initially piecing my squares it was driving me nuts!! I even ordered a little more of this print because I just new it was going to bother me. Since I already had everything cut, I just went ahead and made my pieces and laid them out. The more I looked at it, I kinda liked that they were a little crazy. Now I think it makes the block a little more interesting and adds a little movement to it! Am I crazy? :)

Now I will just use this stripe for the binding as well! I LOVE stripes and polka dots for bindings! :)

more pouches

2011-08-16T11:53:00.000-04:00

I made a few more zipper pouches! I am having so much fun with them! :) I used some scraps from my swoon blocks for this one. The hexies are tiny at 1/2". I added more hand stitches on the sides of the panel.

I made two more with little apples. This is my favorite!

I love all of the characters in Aneela's prints. She tells all of the sweet stories of the main characters on her blog but I wonder what the stories of the little critters are. :) These two, in my mind, are in love! A snail and a turtle, an unlikely couple. :)

I cut 2 1/2" squares and made patchwork for the lining of the last one. A nice little surprise when the pouch is opened.

These will be going up in the shop today.

pencil pouches

2011-08-11T10:20:00.000-04:00

I made a couple of little pencil pouches yesterday! I LOVE a good zipper pouch! :) They are so fun and easy to make!

I have neglected my poor little shop since I opened the fabric shop. I thought it would be fun to make these for back to school! I always loved school supplies! I remember how fun it was to go to the store and pick out all of the pens and pencils, deciding which notebooks you wanted to use that year, coordinating all the goodies to put in your new backpack! :)

I hope some little munchkins will get to use these little pouches and be just as excited to put their pencils in them as I would have been.

I had gotten a couple of charm packs of Aneela's little apples and so I used the super cute images from one of the squares for these pouches! I love this hoola hooping girl! I added some hand stitches around the little block. I have been really loving that hand embroidery is coming back and have been drooling over all of the fantastic examples on flickr lately.

The other pouch features a little apple tree. It's so fallish! I can't wait to go apple picking this year!

I made the pouches out of natural colored linen but osnaburg would be adorable as well and is a lot easier to work with. I lined the tree one in seersucker and the hoola hoop girl in urban grid in turquoise.

If you want to make a zipper pouch but have never attempted one, or just need a refresher, here are my favorite tutorials! They both make it super easy to learn how to put a zipper in a pouch.

Anna's gathered clutch tutorial

Vanessa's patchwork pencil pouch

I get my zippers here!! I really love this shop, the customer service is fantastic, the shipping is fast and the selection and quality can't be beat!!

i'm swooning!

2011-08-08T11:01:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago I had to put my 1001 peeps quilt on hold because of the heat. I, however, can't be without a project to work on! I told you all that I have really been feeling the quilts lately, so I started another one! :)

I LOVED Camille's swoon pattern the minute I saw it on her blog. I knew I would eventually try it but after seeing so many beautiful ones on flickr and in blogland, it moved to the top of my "quilts to make" list! The blocks are huge, 24", and are really stunning in person!

I had gotten a gotten a FQ bundle of Tanya Whelan's Delilah from the fat quarter shop at 50% off, can't beat that!! So, that is what I'm using! I was planning to put this one at the end of our bed but it's looking awfully girly so it may end up in the general circulation of quilts. I may have to make another one in AMH's loulouthi, I think it would be a great match!

I have a couple more blocks made but the weather has been cloudy and I have not gotten pics taken yet, I will get on top of it this week and show you some more! They are really fun to make and not as difficult as they look.

Hope you all had a great weekend!

our garden

2011-07-29T12:10:00.002-04:00

***please be warned that this post is very picture heavy! :)***

Besides being an unbelievably talented carpenter, awesome husband and amazing dad, my husband, Doug, also has a phenomenal green thumb! He is one of those people who can stick a plant in the ground and it thrives!! Me, I kill every plant I have ever bought in record time!!

One of the reasons that we moved out of Boston is because Doug really wanted enough land to be able to grow all of our own produce in the summer. He would love a greenhouse so that we could grow in the winter too, a few goats, a cow and a couple of pigs too but I had to draw the line somewhere. I knew I had to say no when he suggested that if we got some goats, I could milk them twice a day so that we could make cheese!! HA!!!! Yeah, that's gonna happen!!! :)

Anyway, he does plant and maintain our veggie garden every summer!! It's awesome!!!

beets (we have 4 types)

green beans

peppers (this one is just starting to turn purple)

brocoli

zuchinni

yellow cherry tomatoes (we have 7 types of tomatoes)

lettuce

eggplant

potatoes

our haul from one night, yum!!! yes we have blue eggs too!

He also grows me beautiful flowers! The sunflowers will be blooming soon! :)

He's going to kill me for this but I love this photo! He let's the girls put his shaving creme on his face. :) Check out how hard Penelope is concentrating!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!

1001 peeps quilt

2011-07-28T08:57:00.000-04:00

Yea!!! I actually finished the top about 2 weeks ago. It was so unbelievably hot here for over a week, we are talking 100 degrees and no ac, that there was no way I could bring myself to quilt it! Just the thought of sitting at my machine with a quilt on my lap was enough to drive me insane. So, I put it aside for a little while.

On Monday it was finally not sweltering so I got this baby out. I basted and quilted it all in one afternoon!!! Crazy!!!! Once I start on something it drives me nuts until it's finished, so having this sucker sit there untouched for 2 weeks was grating on me! :) The girls were playing so nicely so I just kept going. I sewed the binding on yesterday.

The characters are so fun!! Adelaide calls it the "princess blanklet"! I don't have the heart to correct the blanket part, I just love all of the words they say just a little off when they are little! :)

I quilted two lines in the inside of the little frame that surrounds the fussy cut center and then stippled the rest of the quilt. It's so nice and crinkly. I didn't want to obstruct the fussy cut characters so I left those unquilted.

I have already started another quilt, I had to do something while I put this one aside. :) I have no idea why the quilts are appealing to me so much lately but I know we will be super snuggly here this winter!!!

Again the fabric used in this quilt is 1001 peeps by Lizzy House.
I used kona ash and PFD for the sashing.
The pattern is fussy fairytales by Kate Conklin.

a bed for baby

2011-07-20T09:39:00.000-04:00

As I was going through my reader yesterday morning, I came across an adorable new pattern! It is by the oh, so fabulous Florence from Flossie Teacakes. If you haven't visited Florence's blog, you MUST!!! It is so beautiful and her sewing skills are astonishing!

Anyway, I immediately bought the pattern and got started! Adelaide has been begging me to make her something with the "yellow Snow White favric." I still plan on making her some article of clothing with it as well but this little project was calling for some special fabric too!

You see that scary, kind of pitiful baby doll in the sleeping bag? That's "baby!" Baby is VERY important in our family!!! She was hand sewn, with love, by my grandmother, Nana, almost 70 years ago. She was made for my mother. My mom found her right after Adelaide was born and brought her to us. Addie was just an infant but just clung on to baby, so, baby became Adelaide's. She goes everywhere!!! I mean, EVERYWHERE with Addie! So it only seemed fitting that baby should have a very special bed! :)

The three bears' sleeping bag pattern, as it is called, comes in three sizes. I made the mummy bear size. It has a little pillow so that baby can be comfy when she is napping.

The top of the sleeping bag is quilted. I couldn't bear to quilt though that beautiful snow white and so I carefully quilted around the outline of the images of the characters and the trees. It really is a great print, so much detail!!

The little men are working on the back! :) I used the floral from the line for the bias binding and the clothesline for the pillow. I hope baby, and Adelaide, will really enjoy sleeping in her sleeping bag!! :)

booster seat

2011-07-18T14:57:00.000-04:00

Over the weekend I made this little seat cushion for my sewing chair. When Doug built my desk, I wanted usable drawers for each machine. It is really nice to be able to store the accessories for each machine right in a special drawer. But, since my machine can't be sunk into the desktop I needed my chair to be a little taller so that my shoulders don't cramp up.

This pattern was just what I needed!! It uses foam wrapped in batting and therefore isn't as squishy as a pillow. It holds it's shape and effectively raises the height of my chair.

the other side :)

on my chair

It came together really quickly and easily! I sewed the whole thing on Saturday with the girls running around, that shows you how easy it was! :) Honestly, the hardest and most time consuming part was tufting the cushion with the covered buttons. I only stabbed myself once though with the 5"needle, so that wasn't bad.

It would be a great thing to take to a game or soccer practices too. The handle would be super convenient if you planned on using it on outings!

I know it isn't my usual color palette but I have been really drawn to the shabby florals lately (I used fig tree's strawberry fields for my cushion). I think it's mostly due to the fabulousness of this blog!!! It works in my old country farm house too! :) I haven't let go of my love for bright colors though, don't worry!

baby gift

2011-07-15T09:54:00.000-04:00

A really great friend from college is expecting her first baby, a little girl. So, naturally, she needed a bubbie (what my girls call their lovie, blakie, whatever you want to call it)! She had told me that they were painting the room a soft grey and decorating with bright pops of color.

I've been loving all of the chevron that has been popping up everywhere lately! I thought this would be a great project for some chevron of my own! :)

Mind you, this is not a quilt, it's tiny!! Something for her to carry around for comfort. :) The entire thing measures approximately 11" x 9". I backed it in pale pink chenille so that it would be super soft and snuggly.

I made 42 HST (half square triangles) that measured 1 1/2" finished. I used kona ash for the grey and various scraps for the colored zig zags. I was so glad to be able to fit that little girl's face in there from sherbet pips, I just love her! I quilted it about 1/16" away from each seam in off white thread. I figured she can use it as a mini quilt to hang on the wall until the baby is big enough or if she isn't a blankie kid. My friend got it yesterday and loved it! I'm so glad!! :)

I wanted to mention to anyone that may want to make something similar, or really anything that is a little thicker but still needs to be bound, is that it really makes it easier if you serge or zig zag the edges before you sew on the binding. I also do this with potholders since they require a layer of batting as well as a layer of insulbrite. It really makes it easier to hand sew the binding onto the back as it reduces the bulk at the edge.

I also cut my binding at 2 1/4" instead of 2 1/2" for small items (anything smaller than a baby/lap quilt), so the added step of zig zagging the edge is extra helpful since besides the added bulk of the chenille, I am also using smaller binding.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!

the fabulousness of the precut

2011-07-11T12:40:00.000-04:00

Ruby and Little Apples charm packs and a Ruby layer cake

I have a lovely friend, Lisa, who I met a while ago when I ordered my first pre cuts from her shop. We were emailing back and forth one night about the different types and advantages of precuts. I had just done this post about using some charm square scraps to make my new potholders. The next morning I got another email from my adorable friend Heidi (who makes the cutest cards ever!!) asking me what precuts were.

I know that quite a few of my followers are new sewers. Maybe some of you just aren't that familiar with all of the awesome options there are out there! Here is a brief explanation of my 3 favorite pre cuts.

charm squares: 42 - 5"x5" squares
layer cake: 42 - 10"x10" squares
jelly roll: 42 - 2 1/2"xWOF (width of fabric being 44" or 45")

There are others but these are my favorites and what most patterns that call for precuts use.

What can you do with a simple charm pack? I'm so glad you asked!!! :) I made all of these projects with ONE charm pack and I still have several squares left over!

two linen tea towels for a flickr swap

my little table topper

the bottom two snack mats

A charm pack is perfect for small patchwork!! You get all the prints in a line for $9, or under, you can't beat that!!

I made this quilt with a jelly roll. I get most of my precuts from Lisa's shop. She has, by far, the best prices! She ships quickly and she is a sweetheart!! I always find it so much nicer to buy from a shop where the people are kind, makes me happier to give them my money! :) She still has some of the new Ruby and Little Apples precuts that are in my first photo.

My favorite quilt patterns use precuts as well, Camille makes a fabulous quilt! I have made one of her patterns using yardage as well, it was a little more work but I really love it. :)

***Disclaimer - I have not been paid in any way by any of the shops that I linked to in this post!!! I simply think they have great products at great prices and just wanted to share them with you!! ***

flea market find

2011-07-07T11:04:00.000-04:00

We have a pretty cool, very large, flea market a couple of towns over every Sunday in the summer. Trust me, there are not many bargains but it is always fun to go and walk around. You have to go early, like super early!

We took the girls this past week and I found this vintage sewing chest! I think it's pretty cool!!

This side, as you can see, has all of these pockets with elastic around the top to keep in all of the notions. There is also a little shelf up at the top that you can flip down when the cabinet is open and then flips up when you want to close it away.

This is what really sold me on the little chest though, all of the spool holders! I am thinking that I will place it on top of my desk behind my machines instead of the plain thread holder I have there now. It is in pretty good shape and was filled with a bunch of vintage notions (none of them great but still cool).

I took these pictures right after we got home. I had to put it out on the porch to air out as it smelled a little musty, as most old things do. :) I sprayed it with some febreze and now its not musty any more. It needs a good cleaning but that's about it!

snow white, 7 little men, lots of laundry and other goodies

2011-07-06T15:14:00.001-04:00

Some fabulous things arrived today via the UPS man!!! Heather Ross is finally here and man, is she sweet!! This installment of her far far away series includes Snow White and her companions, all of their laundry hung on the line, some fabulous wildflowers and a few little girls playing with horses.

I have to say that I really love all of her lines, they always have just the right amount of whimsy! All of the prints are printed on a linen cotton blend (85% cotton and 15% linen) that is perfect for bags and other accessories but still light enough for clothing. They are not as heavy as the last line, they are more like a traditional quilting cotton weight. The girls playing with horses are the same heavier weight as her last line.

Here are some things I made with her last collection.

The cotton/linen blend is the perfect weight for this skirt pattern! It has just enough body to allow the skirt to stand away from the body slightly. It spins wonderfully too! :)

I also used it for the adorable bento lunch boxes that the girls got for easter baskets. Ayumi's pattern calls for interfacing but with this fabric it wasn't necessary. It's so nice when you can omit a whole step! Since some of the prints are lighter, it will depend on which one you choose as to whether you need interfacing or not.

So, there are a few reasons why I LOVE this line! I would love to hear what you would like to see made with it or what print is your favorite!

1001 peeps WIP

2011-07-01T13:24:00.000-04:00

There has not been as much sewing going on here over the last few weeks. We have been potty training both Penelope and Adelaide! Besides an accident here and there it is going pretty well!! I haven't left the house much since the thought of someone peeing on the floor in Target just makes me cringe.

I have gotten started on a new quilt though and I am really loving it so far! The fabric is 1001 peeps by Lizzy House. The characters are so much fun! It's full of magic lanterns and castles, genies and snake charmers, camels and horses. The girls love all of them and seem to find something or someone new each time they look at it.

The pattern is Kate Conklin's fussy cut fairy tales. It's such a great pattern and is coming together way faster than I thought it would. The way she has you cut the blogs is fantastic and produces almost zero waste! You gotta love that!!

For the sashing, I'm using kona ash and it is about as close as it gets to the greyish color in the prints. It really looks nice and is helping to tie all the blocks together.

For the small sashing that frames each if the fussy cut pieces, I used kona PFD. PFD stands for "prepared for dying" and I find myself using it a lot!! It's somewhere in between kona's white and bone. I find that the "white" in a lot of prints really isn't white or off white, this is where PFD really comes in handy.

All of the large blocks are pieced. Now I have to work on the sashing and all of the cute small blocks that make up the border!!

I hope all of you here in the US have a fantastic 4th of July and get to enjoy the long weekend with your family and friends!!

twirly skirt and a few guests

2011-06-28T09:46:00.000-04:00

I made Adelaide this little twirly skirt a couple of weeks ago. I never got pictures of it when it was first made because as soon as it came off of the machine she insisted on wearing it! That's always a good sign!! :)

only photo where you can see her cute face or she wasn't twirling :)

I think it is a favorite both because it twirls really well and because it has lots of yellow. Anything yellow is awesome, because her hair is yellow, of course!

I wasn't super crazy about all of the little apron skirt patterns out there until I saw this one! I mean, how could anyone not LOVE that skirt!!! So, I bought the pattern immediately after seeing that one and I have to admit that it's pretty cute. Here is another pattern that looks cute, I like that the apron is not only reversible but removable as well.

We also had a few visitors last week! The girls watched them for hours, it was fabulous entertainment for all of us. :)

swappy potholders

2011-06-21T06:00:00.003-04:00

I made these little potholders for my partner in the PP8 swap. That's the potholder pass 8 swap for those of you who don't speak flickr! :)
Up until a few months ago I didn't know that there was this whole world of swaps going on!! It is pretty neat! You don't know who is sewing for you, so it's a complete surprise when you get your fun little package in the mail!

I had gotten this cute little bird embroidery pattern from Tasha a couple of weeks before I was given my partner's name and color preferences. It was the perfect match for the style of potholder that I then planned.
I used some Michael Miller ta dots in candy and ocean, some lecien flower sugar prints and some MM tea blooms and picnic for all of the piecing. The binding is Heather Bailey hop dot in cherry. I'm still not sure that I am in love with the binding but the rest of the potholders were so busy that I felt like the binding needed to be a little calm. I think they look way better in person than in the photos (the light has been terrible here for the last few weeks, so much dreariness).

in the process :)

I really hope she loves them! I can see why there are so many people that love the red, aqua and pink combo, it is really fun and so cheery!!
***If any blogger genius people out there can tell my why my horizontal photos get cut off on the right side when I enlarge them, I would really love to know how to fix it!!! It is driving me nuts!!! :)***

a little table topper

2011-06-17T09:30:00.000-04:00

I made a little table topper out of some left over bliss charm squares. Just a little something to brighten up our old coffee table. It came together really quickly and was fun to make!

Sorry, the photos aren't the greatest!! We had about 7 days of rain and gloom but I wanted to get some pictures before something got spilled on it! :)

I used some red ric rac that I think looks really cute! The main part is quilted with straight lines, 1/4" on either side of each seam. The white border, I free motion quilted with a fun loopy design.

I may have to make another one for my kitchen table! :)

business cards

2011-06-10T16:10:00.000-04:00

I have been meaning to do this post for a few months now. It's amazing how the time is flying by!

This winter I designed a business card in Photoshop and sent it off to one of those big (cheap) online printers. I was really excited about them and really looking forward to the package coming with my cute new cards in it. Well, about three weeks later my cards arrived. When I opened the package I was so disappointed!!! The color and quality of the card was terrible!! Besides that, the design on the back was off square and half of the image was cut off!!! Way to go proof reader person!

I called the company and they gave me a refund, which I was thankful for (and necessary but hey, you never know)!

Of course, I still needed a business card and so I got to work! There's nothing like a little adrenaline to get the creative juices flowing!

My card is 3"x3" square. I made a simple template in word and can print out 6 cards on a sheet of 8 1/2" x 11" cardstock. My favorite white cover weight is Neenah Classic Cover Linen in solar white. It is really great quality and has a very faint and classy texture to it (it looks like linen, hence the name). I print out my sheet of cards and then sew strips of fabric above the text with my sewing machine. I use all of my small scraps for the fabric strips. I cut them to 1" wide with my fabric pinking rotary cutter. After the strips are sewn on, I cut out the cards using my rotary cutter and straight edge.

I have a separate rotary handle equipped with a pinking blade that is just for paper. I am sure you all know this but you should NEVER use your fabric scissors or rotary blade for anything but fabric!!! :) I save my dull machine needles and use them for sewing cards too as the paper is not super kind to your needles either.

I also include a little note with all of the fabric orders that I send out. I LOVE the flat note cards from Paper Source! They are the perfect size and come in so many awesome colors. I simply trim off the top so that it is pinked.

Yes, this takes a little more time and effort but it is also original and I hope it lets my customers know how thankful I am for all of them and how much I truly love what I do!! :)

teacher gifts

2011-06-02T10:32:00.000-04:00

Penelope has her last day of preschool today! She goes to the most awesome school ever and has 4 amazing teachers! They really are some of the most caring women and really enjoy being with the kids, it is so nice to know that she is loved when she is at school!

I asked her what she wanted me to make them and she said "bags to put all their make up in!" I thought it was so cute! I wanted to make something fun and patchworky and immediately thought of Vanessa's patchwork pencil pouch tutorial. It's fun and easy and a great way to use up scraps! I love the way she does her zippers!

I printed out little labels using one of my favorite printables ever!!! You can fill in whatever text you want on each label individually and play around with the fonts and colors. It is so fun and they can be used for so many things!! I have used them for business cards, price tags, signs at a craft fair, etc. I punched holes in them and then attached them to the bags with a few wraps of divine twine which is also one of my favorite things! :)

new potholders

2011-05-31T08:28:00.000-04:00

I have joined the PP8 (potholder pass 8) swap on flickr and this is why! :)

These are my potholders. They are the same ones I have had since my first apartment in college. Yuk!! I'm not sure why I haven't just bought a new pair. I mean, I end up at Target at least once a week!! Anyway, since I joined the swap I figured I should probably make a practice pair.

I used some scraps that I had left over from this project. I LOVE this line!! I had cut into a charm pack and couldn't just toss the little strips that were left over, they ended up being perfect for this project.

I get most of my precuts from my adorable friend Lisa over at Lisa's Stitching Post. She has a great assortment of precuts at the lowest prices that I have found. She is usually cheaper than etsy and often has lines that you can't find on etsy anymore. She still has plenty of the Dream On that I used for these and I know that the layer cakes and jelly rolls are getting hard to find.

I used Oh Fransson's potholder tutorial and really loved it! I love the pocket on the back so that you can slip your hand in. I have burned my hand several times using the regular flat potholders so this feature really appealed to me.

I used osnaburg for the neutral and lined it with ta dot in candy. The binding is ta dot in tangerine. When I bind small things like this (really anything other than a quilt), I always cut my binding at 2 1/4" instead of 2 1/2". I just like the look a little more and find that that small change makes a big difference on something of a small size.

Hope everyone had a great long weekend!

chopped veggies

2011-05-26T16:49:00.000-04:00

I grew up in Florida and my parents are both native Floridians but this month they bought a new house, in Hawaii!! Cool, huh!!?? So I felt the need to make my mom something new for her new house!

I have looked at the pattern for the chopped vegetable pillows several times but never really had an excuse to make them. I'm not making anything nice for my living room until all of my girls are potty trained and I am not so afraid of them destroying everything in their path. :)

This was the perfect excuse to get Elizabeth's pattern!

I used 3 Amy Butler prints and one of the Amy Butler solids (I think it was called olive). The neutral is kona in bone. The pattern has instructions for an invisible and regular zipper closure but I went with an envelope closure instead. I have really been enjoying the stipple process and so that is what I did on these too. It is so fast and I love how it looks with all of the piecing.

My mom got them in the mail the other day and was really pleased with them. She thought the floral print even looks a little Hawaiian! :)

a winner and a thank you! :)

2011-05-26T07:00:00.001-04:00

So, first, I have to say how floored I am by the awesome comments that all of you left!!! I am so flattered and loved reading every single one of them, all 745!!! I'm sorry I couldn't reply to each and every one, which I usually do. THANK YOU so much!!! I am so looking forward to getting to know all of my new followers too, fun!!
Ok, drum roll, the winner is!!!

which just happens to be...

Congrats Kylee!!! I am emailing you right now! :)

sew mama sew giveaway day!!! (now closed)

2011-05-22T18:52:00.003-04:00

Yea! It's sew mama sew giveaway day again! This time I will be giving away both an item made by me and some fabric! Woo hoo!! We all love free fabric, don't we?! For all of you that are visiting me for the first time, welcome, I'm so glad you are here!!!

Here is the little keychain clutch that I will be giving away. :) The pattern is by Keyka Lou and I made the pouch with Amy Butler fabric.

I will also be sending the winner these 7 fat quarters from my shop!!

So, here is what you have to do!

1.) leave me a comment on this post, that's it!! Please leave your email in your comment so that I can contact you if you win!!

2.) for a second chance to win - (because I think my regular readers and those of you that love it here so much that you can't wait to come back, deserve a little something extra! :) Become a follower (or if you are already a follower just let me know) and then leave a second comment on this post letting me know that you are a follower of my blog. Again, please leave your email in your comment.

I will let the random number genie pick a number on May 25th before I go to bed and post the winner the next morning.

I will be happy to ship internationally so that all of you have a chance!!

***the giveaway is now closed! :( I will post a winner in the morning!! Thank you all so very much!!***

for Alabama

2011-05-16T13:58:00.000-04:00

Here are all my little bags lined up to be sent to Vanessa! This was such an easy project and so fun! I really hope that it will bring a smile to the kid's faces. They deserve some fun and joy and to just be kids!!

I didn't want to put my label on these but I thought it may be fun to have a little tag of some type. I took some pink twill tape that I had and some scraps that were in my trash (they were to skinny to keep), I fused steam a seam to the scraps before cutting them and then fused the scrap to the twill.

This is what I ended up with and I really like it! Fun, huh!?

And, just for fun, here are a couple of pictures of the ornamental cherry tree that is in my front yard! I wait all year for it to bloom!! Oh, how I love this tree! :) It just makes me happy to see all of those beautiful white flowers. It only looks like this for a little over a week and I just stare at it as much as I can while it is in bloom!

help for Alabama kids

2011-05-11T07:50:00.000-04:00

My dear friend Vanessa lives in Alabama. Part of her state and many other states suffered severe damage during the tornados and storms that passed through last month. Vanessa is trying to bring a little joy to the children of the area that lost everything!!! I think we should help her!! :)

She is asking for those of us that sew, to make simple drawstring bags and fill them with goodies. Crayons, markers, stickers, coloring books, you get the idea! :) Items are needed for both boys and girls and to span several age groups. These kids just need something fun in their lives right now and I know that we are the ladies that can help!!! If you don't sew but would still like to help I am sure she would love for you to just send art supplies.

photo courtesy of LBG studio

I am headed to get a few supplies today so I will be back with some easy ideas that I have in my noggin. Vanessa also has a lot of great ideas to get you started so hop over to Vanessa's blog to see her full plan.

sherbet pips quilt

2011-05-06T08:16:00.000-04:00

I finally finished my pips quilt this week! I love it! The colors in this line are so fantastic. It is perfectly crinkly after washing and so soft.

The pattern is by Camille Roskelley for her thimble blossoms line and is called jelly filled.

I used kona ash for the inner border and hop dot in cherry for the outer borders. I had binding in the ash all cut out but just wasn't feeling it so I switched to bliss dots in red. I am really glad that I did because they look great with the pips and the hop dot!

I have made 3 of Camille's patterns and really love them!! They are modern but timeless and lend well to so many styles of fabric. They are well written and easy to follow even for an inexperienced quilter like me.

I stippled this quilt, it was only the second time that I have ventured into free motion quilting. This time was so much better than the first. There are still a lot of little flaws but they weren't so bad that I felt like I had to pick stitches out and start over! :) The girls are really loving snuggling under the "puppy blanklet!!"

new gadget

2011-05-03T08:36:00.000-04:00

My adorable husband got me an iPad 2 for my birthday and, of course, I had to make a cover for it! Jeannie sent me the link to this tutorial. I love the patchwork and knew I wanted to use some of the dream on charm pack that I bought forever ago! I love that line and the vintage sheet feel of it! So happy! The rest is osnaburg, can't get enough of this stuff!! :)

The only alteration I made to the pattern was to use a velcro tab closure instead of a zipper. I made a 5"x5" square (just right sides together with a layer of fusible fleece) and then just scooted it down into the position I wanted it. I probably trimmed about 2" off of it when all was said and done. I added the velcro after the entire thing was finished to ensure that the placement was correct.

The cover does not fit as snugly as I would like but it does the job of keeping my new toy protected when I put it in my bag!! :)

awesome friends!!

2011-04-28T15:52:00.000-04:00

So, as you can tell by the title, I have some awesome friends!!! This little blogging community has really been a joy for me! I was, at first, somewhat of a reluctant blogger. I figured, who the heck would want to read about what I was sewing or doing??!! But I was lonely! Not in the sense that I needed a friend because I have wonderful friends but I was lonely in a crafty way. I didn't know or communicate with anyone that sewed or crafted! I had no one to bounce ideas off of or to ask questions. I figured even if no one was reading, that blogging would give me a way to hash out my ideas. I am still amazed that anyone reads my little rants! :) Anyway, I started blogging despite my reservations and I am so very glad that I did!!

I have "met" some of the greatest women ever! I love every one of my followers and readers and get so very excited when you guys leave me comments or send me an email!! It really means so much!

I got so many sweet comments and messages for my birthday, thank you all!!

Two of my best bloggy friends sent me the most amazing gifts!

I got this lovely package from Vanessa! Just look at all of those goodies! The beautiful pin cushion is filled with pins and on my cutting table! She also made me a fantastic patchwork pouch that is in my bag with all of may daily beauty necessities. :) There was also some beautiful stationary and the coolest stickers that I have ever seen!! She packed it so beautifully that I almost hated to unwrap it all, almost! :) The super cute card was decorated with artwork by her daughter!

My friend Amy, who I am lucky enough to really know in person, brought me this fabulous piece of her amazing fabric! She screen prints it with her own designs! She is so talented and is an artist in every meaning of the word!

Pretty cool, huh?!

So, I would like to get to know all my readers a little better! If you blog, why? If not, then just tell me something about yourself!! And... if you want to know something about me then ask and I will answer! :)

Easter bags

2011-04-25T10:02:00.000-04:00

I have been wanting to make my little girls some sort of bag to take on outings and in the car. Something they can hold and carry around with toys and activities inside to keep them busy. I had planned on just a simple drawstring bag (or maybe a great patchwork one) but the more I thought about it, that type of bag would be harder for them to carry into a restaurant or office or wherever we may go. Then I remembered this bag!!!

I love Ayumi's blog! She has tons of adorable tutorials and a really great sense of style. I had seen the tutorial for the bento style lunch bag when she first posted it and loved it but just didn't need anything like it at the time. Then Anna made one and I remembered how much I had loved it! I filed the idea away again until this past Friday. I figured that not only would it be a perfect solution for my car/outing bag needs but it would also make an adorable Easter basket!!

It is the perfect size for them! The handles aren't too long and it holds a surprising amount of trinkets!!!

Adelaide is obsessed with the color yellow (because her hair is yellow), so this one is hers.

This one is Penelope's! :)

It has this awesome drawstring closure which will really come in handy to keep the contents where they belong, even if the bag gets dropped or tipped.

The fabric is from Heather Ross' Far Far Away 2 collection. I adore it!!! I bought it when it came out over a year ago and had not been able to bring myself to cut into it. I have to admit, even thought I think this was the perfect use for this beautiful fabric, that I was actually a little sick cutting into it!!

Ayumi recommends using interfacing if you are going to use a quilting weight cotton. I did not interface because this fabric is a heavier weight cotton and linen blend. I used osnaburg for the drawstring part and the lining and it matches perfectly with the base cloth for the prints.

I hope all of you had a fantastic holiday with your families and that the Easter bunny brought you lots of sweets! :)

giveaway winner

2011-04-23T06:02:00.000-04:00

Good morning! Thanks so much for all of the lovely birthday wishes! I'm happy to say that the winner of the ruffled clutch is #12, ladybug!!! Congrats, I hope you love it, I am emailing you to get all of your info!

I will be back next week with some of the projects that I have been working on! Happy Easter!! :)

1/4" foot

2011-04-19T10:00:00.000-04:00

I am in the process of making quite a few of Keyka Lou's easy reusable grocery bags for myself. I have the ugly ones from the grocery store and they work but pretty ones would be so much nicer!! :)

The handles are a great shape and have 6 rows of topstitching. The topstitching serves two purposes on a bag like this, to reinforce the strength of the handle (when both carrying the bag and washing it) and to be attractive. Herein lies the problem! :) Unless you are a super precise sewer and pretty experienced in topstitching, this can look sloppy and uneven. So cheat!!!

If you are not a quilter, which I am not, you may not know about this awesome sewing machine foot!! The 1/4" foot is mostly used in quilting to ensure accurate piecing. I use mine, not only for piecing, but often times to ensure accurate topstitching as well!

Here is a solid colored handle that I am going to use on one of my bags. It is much easier to see the stitching lines on this handle.

I use my 1/4" foot to sew the line of topstitching closest to the edge of the handle as you normally would. Then, I use the guide on the foot to keep the next line of stitches evenly spaced from the first. Just line up the guide with the first row of stitches!!

I use this technique any time I need really accurate, evenly spaces rows of stitches. You can move the needle over on your sewing machine to adjust the spacing between the rows of stitches as well. :) Pretty neat, huh??? Here is another example of how I use this method.

This is the exterior piece on a crayon art folio. I sew a line of stitches on either side of the seam that joins the 3 pieces that make up the exterior. I just simply run the guide along the seam line. Here is a picture of the finished art folio so that you can see what I mean.

I hope you all enjoy this little tip!!

giveaway time! :)

2011-04-18T16:12:00.002-04:00

My ADORABLE friend Karen has had a blog makeover and to celebrate is hosting a giveaway on her blog!!! Besides being one of the sweetest people ever (she made 13 dresses for the dress a girl around the world event!!!!!), she is also very talented! Here are some of the adorable things that she has made.

she will be offering a tutorial for this one!!!

adorable art folio!!!

mug rug

Not only is she offering a credit for $25 to her shop but there is fabric involved in giveaway too!!! you have to head over to her blog for the details!!! Be sure to tell her I said "hi"! :)

Even though this is her giveaway, I feel like sweetening the pot a little!!! You see, It's my birthday today, so I feel like giving a little something away too! :)

If you would like a chance to win this fun ruffled clutch please follow the directions below! :) If you would like to make your own, I used this cute pattern.

I'm going to make you work for it a little! You have 2 chances to win.

1. you must be a follower of my blog and leave me a comment on this post (please make sure I have a way to contact you if you win!!!)

2. for a second chance to win, go to Karen's blog and become one of her followers and then come back here and leave a second comment on this post

I will leave the giveaway open until I wake up on Saturday morning!! :) Good luck!!!

***update*** this giveaway is closed!***

a pinafore

2011-04-14T07:58:00.000-04:00

This is Adelaide's "I know you want me to smile so you can take my picture" look. :) A little crooked smile that always makes me laugh. And, of course, she had to wear her kitty cat boots!!!

I made her a pinafore yesterday! It was super quick and easy! I made a size 3 and so it's a little big. It looks so cute and comfy and she absolutely loves it! I let her choose the fabric and she went right for the cute teapots and cupcakes!

The pattern is Heidi and Finn's sweet pocket pinafore. I LOVE that it is reversible!! This kid is messy, so even if she gets something on it, I can just flip it over and have a clean, new dress!! The other side is Michael Miller tea blooms.

Here is the back, I love how it lays but also allows for a lot of movement in play. It is also easy to get on and off.

I think she may need some ruffled bottom bloomers to go under it for the summer! As for now it will be super cute with leggings and a long sleeve t-shirt!

turning 4

2011-04-07T11:04:00.000-04:00

My Penelope is turning 4 on Sunday! I can't believe it! It feels like it was just yesterday that she was this little peanut. :)

I have never carried a baby to term, my body just doesn't seem able to. I have been so lucky to have had 3 healthy girls! This one scared us the most. She had trouble breathing when she was born because her lungs weren't quite ready so they had to sedate her for a whole week. I didn't get to see her until the day after she was born because they had to rush her to children's hospital in Boston. I pitched a little fit and they let me out for a few hours to go see her the next day. She finally woke up and they took out most of the tubes that were in her little body and moved her back to the hospital where I was. I went home for one night, that night she stopped breathing for a minute. I stayed at the hospital after that!! She has been healthy ever since!!!

man I look tired!! :)

Ok, enough background!! :) I had to make my birthday girl some fun presents!! I got this print in the shop a while ago and knew exactly what I wanted to make with it!! I had seen this neat tutorial when it first came out and had been waiting until I felt the need to make one! :) My little girls also love dolls so I knew I had to make her a dolly. The head keeps falling off of her old one and I am getting a little tired of sewing it back on!

The tutorial calls for upholstery weight fabric but since I had a quilting cotton print that I wanted to use, I placed a layer of white kona in between the printed cotton and the flannel. Then when I cut into the flannel, I made sure not to cut the kona as well. I figured that would give the stitches a little more stability, which is why I think upholstery weight was recommended in the tutorial.

I bought one of these nifty chenille cutters and it made the process of cutting the layers of flannel a lot easier than if I had used scissors. It was still really physical, I ended up with 2 bruises on my hand from pushing the cutter through the channels. The binding was also a lot harder to sew onto the back because of having to get through all 3 layers of flannel. Does that mean that sewing counts as exercise!!?? ;)

This is after washing it! It is so soft and fluffy!

lots of sewing means a more relaxed me! :)

2011-04-04T15:25:00.001-04:00

YEA!!! I've finally been getting to sew a little more! I didn't realize how much getting to sew relaxes me until I didn't get too! I guess sewing is my psychologist! :)
I have been making lots of things for my girls and I am participating in my first swap. I also joined in a really fun sew a long event for mug rugs.

I found this adorable shop on etsy!! I LOVE her style and her fabric choices! They are so soft and relaxing. One of the cute items she has is a snack mat. The perfect meddling of a mug rug and a placemat, just ideal for little people! I shamelessly copied her snack mats for my girls! Anna Joy also has a beautiful blog!

I also mentioned mug rugs! For those of you that are not familiar with what a mug rug is, it's a large coaster / small placemat. Just the right size for a beverage and a snack. I have to warn you that they are quite addictive to make!! They are also a great way to use scraps!

I want them all over my house!!! There is even a mug rug flickr group! Be sure to check it out, there are so many amazing little quilts (mug rugs) there!
I also made another easy reusable grocery bag for my partner in the Potholder Pass 7 swap. This is the first swap I've joined and am so excited to see all of the bags that everyone makes! I will be so thrilled to get a bag in the mail! Here is the one that I will be mailing out tomorrow, I hope she likes it!!! :)

I added some hand stitched details and put pockets on both sides so that it is reversible.

reusable grocery bags

2011-03-31T08:52:00.001-04:00

I am participating in my first swap! I joined in the latest round of the potholder pass that Amy organizes. This time you can choose to make a potholder, a reusable grocery bag or both. I chose to make a bag. So, of course, I had to make a practice one for us! :) Here is what I came up with!

It is Keyka Lou's easy reusable grocery bag pattern. It is so simple and fun to construct. She uses a method that I had never tried to box the corners and I liked it. It is a little less structured but I think it really works for this style. I used my flower applique pattern for the front. I wanted to use osnaburg (unbleached cotton) for the outside of the bag but it is too plain for my taste and the flower added just the right amount of embellishment, I think. :)

If you haven't used osnaburg before, it's great!!! It gives a similar look that linen gives but is so much easier to sew! It isn't slinky so you don't get all the shifting that you get with linen. Besides that, it is a lot cheaper! It is a little less refined but I think that makes me like it more!

I am off to make more grocery bags!

new bag

2011-03-24T13:14:00.000-04:00

I really needed a new bag! I have been carrying a slouchy hobo bag that was my prototype for when I switched up the pattern a little. I liked it but it was, as I said, the prototype which meant that I had gotten all the kinks out on that bag so it wasn't my best work! :) It was also dirty and I just needed a change! Something bright and fun, of course, and something that can take me through spring and hopefully summer too. So... I made this!

I LOVE it!!! I have been hoarding this Amy Butler print for at least a year. It's one of those large scale prints that you have to have a larger project for. I lined it with full moon dots in lime. It is a large bag but that works for me since I still have to carry diapers and toys and whatnot around with me. The patten is the practical bag by Tanya and Linda Whelan.

I interfaced it with some duck cloth to make it a little more sturdy and give it a little more body. I like to do that with the hobo bags and other large bags sometimes as it just makes them a little more substantial. I just baste it onto the exterior inside the seam allowance and then construct the bag as per the directions.

Of course, now that I made my new springy bag it's snowing here today! :)

Here is a picture of the inside.

art folio sewing kits!

2011-03-21T12:31:00.001-04:00

I am so excited about this! Virginia and I have teamed up to offer sewing kits for her fantastic crayon art folio pattern! I just listed the first one in the shop! The kit includes everything you need, except thread, to make your own art folio! It also includes not only Virginia's art folio pattern but a supplement written by me on how to make the version seen in the photos below!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

getting organized

2011-03-12T16:47:00.000-05:00

I have to admit that getting everything together for taxes this year was a bit frustrating. Last year was my first year in business and I thought I was pretty together. However, I quickly realized that I was ok for last year because my little shop didn't do a ton of business but that there was no way that my system was going to cut it for the fabric shop. The volume of business is way different and I do not want to scramble to get organized with the kind of numbers that I am already dealing with!

Vanessa and I were chatting and she had been thinking about organization too. She mentioned getting a notebook and, of course, I thought about sewing! :) I had gotten this cute pattern from Virginia almost a year ago and hadn't done anything with it! Yes ladies, I realize that this statement comes out of my mouth A LOT!!! :) I have a huge pattern buying problem but I have a feeling that I am not alone! wink, wink

Anyway, the fire was lit and I was ready to get organized!! I went to staples and bought this binder. I wanted a smaller size so that I could easily put it in my bag or the car or even on my cutting table! I also got tabs and paper and a few more goodies to fit inside.

The pattern can be adjusted to fit any size binder or notebook and was easy! Seriously, I made it with kids in my sewing room, easy ladies! I think it looks way cuter than an ugly plastic binder and I love that I can close it!!

Here are some pics of the inside and of the back.

i made 2 full size pockets on the front and back