Dancing with a Curvy Clutch

This is another one of Michelle Webster's patterns, the Curvy Clutch. It is sewn up in Little Black Dress by BasicGrey for their quilt market booth. I hadn't used this pattern before and I liked it very much (though it definitely looks better stuffed full of essentials or tissue paper than it does when empty!). I sewed the flap on backwards and had to use my seam ripper but that was completely my error, not due to the pattern!  I was watching for the school bus at the time and was distracted.
 

The clutch has a pocket inside and an optional wristlet strap on the side. I had to include it because I like wristlets and I thought it might be cute if they wanted to hang it in the booth. You can find Michelle's patterns here.

I also created this "Dance" piece for Basic Grey using their monogram chipboard letters. The chipboard is plain white so I started out by covering the fronts with fabric from the Little Black Dress line using spray adhesive. Then I carefully folded the fabric around to the back and secured using tacky glue. This involved a bit of clipping when it came to the insides of the letters. 

I filled in the center of each letter with different contrasting fabrics. Some of the inner letters are pieced and I had fun in a couple of them using a loopy stitch I just discovered on my machine.  You can see it best in the "N."  I backed all the inner letter with fusible interfacing so that they were sturdy and then I glued them to the back of the chipboard with tacky glue.

I embellished the outer boards using lace, embroidery floss, buttons and flowers. To create the stitches, I punctured the chipboard with an awl.

The flowers were made with my Sizzix die called Flowers Layer #9. It was my first time using it and I love it! I think some more hair accessories may be in order.  Or perhaps embellished bags?  Oh the possibilities...

Incredible Mail Day

A couple of days ago, I had the most wonderful mail day ever! I received these beautiful, springtimey fabric napkins with crochet edges from Caroline of Trillium Design. She was my partner in the Table Top Swap. This set of napkins, however, she used as bubble wrap for a chocolate bar. Can you believe it? It's because they were a back up set in case she couldn't finish her other plan in time.

These were the plan! She used one of my favorite linens and edged them with English Paper Pieced octagons on front and back. Insane right??? I couldn't believe that she sent me both sets. You will have to go read the story behind them here. Both sets are so pretty that I will have a very hard time using them.

I also received this wonderful tote bag from Ayumi. A little while ago, I sent her this mini quilt in a personal swap. Of course, I love everything about this bag! I particularly like the block designs and the fabric choices. Ayumi always makes wonderful fabric choices. There is so much thought behind each little piece and it shows.

She appliqued a number 3 on the back for my three children. Sweet huh?

Ayumi has recently taken to carving eraser stamps and made me this adorable "A" stamp in its own cute little bag. She also sent along oodles of fun goodies--lunch boxes for the kids, candy, fabric, stickers.

I am so fortunate to have met so many lovely people, who go and spend insane amounts of time and thought making things for me even though we have never met. Thank you Caroline and Ayumi!

Victorian Greenhouse

Here is my newest design, the fifth in a series of 10" paper pieced blocks with a garden theme.  One of the five is a free download (see my sidebar--it is called "Pick Violets").  The others are available in my Etsy shop.

This design is called "Victorian Greenhouse."  I was inspired by my dream, a Victorian style greenhouse with ironwork along the roofline, chock full of flowers.  I imagine that there are flowers in pots on shelves and hanging from the rafters in baskets.  It is overflowing.

I used BasicGrey Hello Luscious for the grass, BasicGrey grunge from the Blitzen line for the white stone at the bottom of the foundation, and grunge from Little Black Dress for the cement and window supports.  The floral print is also Hello Luscious.  The sky is Ruby by Bonnie and Camille. 

This pattern has one very subtle Y seam but don't let it scare you off.  I was able to sew it with the papers still in with no problem, first shot.  I think that the trickiest part is lining the lace up properly in the roofline seam but I have a trick for that which makes it easier.

More blocks will be coming. My goal is to create a lap sized quilt on this theme.

Bucket Bag

BasicGrey asked me to use fabrics from their new line, Little Black Dress, to sew a Michelle Patterns (formerly Keyka Lou) design called the Bucket Bag.  I was able to select the fabrics from the line.  Because it's a fairly casual looking bag, I went with the prints that I thought were the most casual in feel--a large floral for the focus fabric and a fun polka dot for the lining and the accent band at the pocket.

I have used Michelle's patterns many times before but this was the first time I have made this particular bag.  It went together well and the directions were great as I have come to expect from her.  I appreciate the fact that her directions are straightforward and clear without a lot of unnecessary information or rambling. It makes them easy to follow and they always sew up nicely.
This is a big bag (well, for me at least!) it measures 14" high, 12" wide and 5" deep.  I think it could be a pretty handy size and it fits comfortably on my shoulder.

This bag is heading off to quilt market but should come back to me someday;  perhaps it will be my new bag for this time next year!

If you would like to check out Michelle's patterns, they can be found here. I should have one more of her patterns sewn up in Little Black Dress to show you soon!

Little Black Dress in Bow Ties

Over the weekend, I completed this table runner featuring Little Black Dress, a new fabric line designed by BasicGrey. I knew right away that I wanted to use the bow tie block. I divided my fabrics into lights and darks; using the darks for the bow ties and the lights for the snowball shapes in the centers. Each bow tie block measures 4" so the runner is about 16" x 36."

I love the way all the different neutral prints worked together. I could easily make a whole quilt like this.

I got hung up on the quilting for awhile. I thought I wanted to do something with curves. I ended up waffling too much and going with straight line quilting on the diagonal and am happy that I did. It adds just enough but not too much. I used King Tut thread by Superior Thread for the quilting. The thread is a nice slightly variegated neutral in the grey/beige family so it worked in perfectly.

I am sorry that it took me this long to figure out how to make my pictures bigger in Blogger after Blogger made changes a few weeks ago! From now on, I promise, we are back to bigger pictures so you don't have to squint!

Sewing Edge Needlebook-Free Tutorial

I hope you will join me today as I have my first tutorial on the Sizzix blog! I used the Sewing Edge die to create a great sillouhette style applique on a needlebook.

You are wondering what that pattern fabric is right? I love it so much! It's newly stocked at Sew Fresh Fabrics and it is called McCalls Easy Sewing Guide from Windham Fabrics. I think it gives this needlebook a nice vintage feel, along with that tape measure trim send to me by my friend Linda.

While writing the tutorial, I made a more high contrast modern version too. You'll have to go to the Sizzix blog to see! Thanks for joining me there.

Seam Rippers in the Shop

For the sake of my new readers, I will explain that my husband makes hand turned seam rippers on occasion for my shop. This is just a hobby for him (he has an actual day job) so they come in little batches every now and then when he can find the time. They are generally made from acrylic but this batch includes one in an exotic hardwood, as well.

They are really little objects of beauty. He prides himself in a perfectly shiny smooth surface and the blanks have gorgeous variations in colors and swirl patterns. Besides all that, the larger size fits nicely in your hand and the points are very sharp. They really do the job great, as well as looking pretty!

This time we included some colors that are a bit more masculine or could appeal to men as well as women because I know that there are some male quilters out there who have expressed interest, tailors, and a cowboy who likes to use a seam ripper to rip the seams of his jeans to fit over his boots. Who knew?

The seam rippers tend to sell out quickly. He will be ordering new supplies soon for another batch, including a new design. You can find them listed in my shop.

A Sampling of Little Black Dress

I've made another Basic Grey Sampler.  This time, it showcases their new fabric line called Little Black Dress.  It's a line comprised of neutral prints in creams, tans, greys and black. I believe it is due in stores in August.  I can see this being a very versatile collection, easy to mix and match and a chance to add to my paltry stash of blacks and tans.

I used the Laurel Sampler and made fabric yo yos for each of the nine large circles. I then made covered buttons and secured one in the center or each yo yo. I thought it was a fairly sleek and classy look suiting the fabric line that evokes "marble staircases" and "classic white pearls, satin gloves, lace trimmings." I used fusible webbing to attach fabric circles to the smaller circles on the canvas and embellished with new buttons that will accompany this line.

I then added a little running stitch around the edges of the circles just because. This sampler will be on display in the BasicGrey booth at quilt market along with a few other things I have yet to finish sewing. I have permission to show them to you as I complete them though so I will be back soon!

Benefits of Sizzix Clear Dies

I wanted to mention another big plus of the Sizzix die cutting system today, their clear dies. I was using one today, the half square triangle, to prepare more blocks for my bee month in the Stash Trad Bee. As you can see in this shot, the die is clear which allows you to monitor your fabric placement.  I put down one cutting pad, then my fabric right side up, then the die cutting side down.  I then moved it around a bit so that I could line up the rows of elephants.  I then placed my other cutting pad on top and flipped the unit over and ran it through the machine. 

I did it again here to get the rows of pez lined up nicely.  The clear dies are helpful if you like to see the grain of the fabric when you cut, if you want to keep patterns lined up evenly, or for fussy cutting.  Fussy cutting isn't too common with HST units but the square, circle, rectangle and many other dies are made clear as well. I know I love to fussy cut squares and circles in particular. 

As with most die cutters, I find that you get the best results when you stack a number of pieces of fabric.  The cut seems to be more complete that way.  So with just one pass through the machine, I got this nice little stack of HST.

As you can see, they have dog eared corners so you can match up two triangles and sew your 1/4" seam for a perfect, square HST unit with no trimming. I often get asked if there is a lot of waste using the die cutter.  Sometimes I have to admit that there is more than using a rotary cutter. I don't think that there is in this case.  When I create traditional HST units, I always make them larger and trim down.  That creates waste and also takes a lot of time.  This method creates a little bit of waste as well but saves a ton of time.

While I had the Big Shot out, I cut some more felt with my daughter to make a set of headbands.  She has another birthday party to attend. I can tell that this will be my go to gift for years.



They are just so fun to make and there are so many ways to embellish!  This time I used glitter laden headbands from Target.  We cut felt in matching/coordinating colors.  The green headband uses Basic Grey glazed buttons. We used clusters of glass beads in the center of many of the flowers, as I did last time. This time, we added sequins into the mix as well! These were made with the Tattered Florals die. You can see my last headband making post here.

At the beginning of next week, I will have my first tutorial up on the Sizzix blog! I am looking forward to sharing it with you.

Bella Tote Bag

I was so lucky to receive some advance charms of Bella, the new designs by Lotta Jansdotter for Windham Fabrics. They arrived two days ago and I started cutting and sewing immediately! I paired the prints with two Robert Kaufman Essex Linens in Steel and Grey from Marmalade Fabrics. I just love the combination of Bella and these linens. I had just enough to make this tote bag (front and back are the same).

I hand stitched about a 1/4" in along the edge of the linen triangles using some Cosmo Floss that was sent to me by the sponsors of the Zakka Style Sew Along. Are you familiar with Cosmo Floss? I was not until I received these samples. I said that I was interested in their variegated collection and they generously sent me every color under the sun so you will be seeing lots of it. The thread is gorgeous. It is six stranded and separates like a dream with no tangling and has a nice sheen. Here I used an ash grey to nearly black variegated thread which works so nicely with the two linens.

I recently read a blog entry by Lotta Jansdotter. She described the process of designing this new line with Windham. I thought it was very interesting. You should click over and read it!

Ode to a Kitchen Aid Available at Sew-Ichigo

Kerry and Penny's first set of patterns is now available in their new Sew-Ichigo shop! It's a lovely set of four kitchen themed designs. I was able to test this one for them. It's called "Ode to a Kitchen Aid." I debated long and hard over various floral prints for a fun and funky Kitchen-Aid mixer but decided that it just wasn't "me." Instead, I went with a clean looking block with a white Kitchen Aid with a metal bowl...just like the one sitting on my counter. I am hoping to use Penny's Kitchen Aid cover tutorial to turn it into a cover for my mixer when time permits. This is a great little block. And it is little-just 6". Did you think it was bigger? When I see the image, I think so too but when you think about the size of selvage dots you realize that it can't be all that big! Here is my hint for you when looking for the perfect selvage for this project--check your novelty prints. They tend to have more colorful circles on the selvage! I'm already looking forward to seeing their next set of patterns.

Today is the day that I promised to giveaway a set of my three gardening paper pieced patterns(available here)! The lucky winner is: t.anne who said I love the little label, and especially the wood grain handle! I've had my eye on your gardening blocks, they're on my wish list... so I'd love the chance to win the set!

I sent your patterns just moments ago Tiffany!

Queen Anne House; Cocorico Bee

It is the talented Charise's turn this month in the Cocorico bee, and she has requested houses. She said that any house would be ok but that her favorites were Victorian and Edwardian.

I found my inspiration in a book called The Queen Anne House: America's Victorian Vernacular. The book has a photograph of a house on Prospect Street in Madison, NJ. Honestly, I chose this house because it looked doable! A lot of the Victorian house are highly ornate and I didn't want to bite off more than I could chew. But in addition to that, this house had a few interesting features that I that appealed to me. I liked the roof line. I thought it was unique. I also loved the fact that the house was shingled in what resulted in a scalloped effect (a perfect use for Grey Sundae from Ruby by Bonnie and Camille). I also love porches. So, this house seemed to be a good fit!

I copied the purple door as seen in the real house using Quilter's Linen in Lavender but then added a touch more color for the shutters just for fun. They are Jewels in Pink from Outfoxed by Lizzy House. I used BasicGrey Origins for the window panes. I used a Sweet Broderie print by Rosalie Quinlan for the sky and an older 1930s repro print by Nancy Mahoney for P&B Textiles for the flower strewn front lawn. The front walk is Hometown News because I thought that the words were perfect for the theme of her quilt.

I enjoyed making this block for you Charise, except when I realized at the very end that I had used the wrong fabric for one section and had to tear it all apart. After that, we needed some time apart so it went in the mail pronto.

Today I drew five names to win the Aurifil thread packages! The winners are:

HillyFilly who said ooh... I'm behind already... still got the bag to do... and this pouch is to die for... Been wanting to try out some more Aurifil threads.. I had some 'basic' piecing thread a couple of years ago.. & can now see how the thicker threads add so much to a project... .. I'm off to sew...

Cindy who said Awesome, Amy! I dearly love the pouch! I think I might do that with the petticoat linen I bought. :o) I haven't cut into it yet as I'm waiting to find the perfect project for it. This just might be it! And thank you so much for the chance at an awesome giveaway!

Jeannie who said Oh my gosh you know I love this house!! Since I have some of the roof fabric I might just have to copy.haha.ha.ha.a.h.a..but in blue. I've used up my pink :(

Sandra :) who said Oh I love the fabrics and buttons you chose for your pouch - adorable! The green zipper adds a great kick - I shop from Jennie as well! I'm starting my house pouch today - I'm going to use the same fabrics/colours I made the week 1 bag with :)

alidiza who said Your house is adorable!!! The petticoats is perfect for the roof and the green zipper just makes it!

Congratulations everyone! I have already sent you email messages and as soon as I receive your addresses, I will put your thread in the mail. You will love it!

Breakfast in Bed Placemat Tutorial

Yesterday my free tutorial for this placemat, "Breakfast in Bed," went up on the Basic Grey blog. It features the Hello Luscious line, perfect for spring. Maybe you will make one for your mom for Mother's Day? Pop over to download the pattern.

I also have two giveaways still going on...how about some Aurifil thread or a chance to win my three garden paper pieced patterns? See below! I will draw a winner for the thread tomorrow and for the patterns on Saturday.

Pick Violets Free Pattern and a Giveaway!

I'm happy to be participating in the Garden Party Blog Hop today! I designed this 10" block with a gardening trowel and a terracotta pot. I like to label my flowers so I added a label in the pot with the fussy cut words "Pick Violets"....hence the name. This block inspired me to begin a garden themed quilt. I've been working on block designs and have three others available in my shop.

For my block, I used an Hope Valley print by Denyse Schmidt for the background fabric. The label is Kumiko Fujita Text Print in Yellow from Ayumi's shop on Etsy. While searching for the perfect terracotta, I asked Kristina if she had anything and she came up with this perfect Basic Grey Grunge! The trowel handle is Woodgrain in Vintage Yellow from Aviary 2 by Joel Dewberry for Free Spirit and the rest of the trowel is Kona Pepper.

There are a couple of possible ways you could handle the label in this block.  You could stamp the name of your favorite flower, herb, or vegetable.  Or you can fussy cut.  In addition to the text print I used, Annies Farm Stand by Lakehouse has a great text print for fussy cutting garden words.  There are also many fabrics that include the names of herbs. 
The pattern is an easy to print pdf file. However, you do need to print it in two sections. The directions are printed in letter format and the pattern pieces should be printed in landscape format.

Click here to download pdf

I'd like to offer up a prize too! The winner will receive my three gardening patterns--the Watering Can, the Gardening Gloves and Garden Boot. To enter, just leave a comment here. I will draw a winner on Saturday the 14th.

Thanks for visiting!

Sizzix Quilting Staples

Scroll down one post for the Zaaka Style Sewalong and Aurifil Thread Giveaway!

A week or so ago, I mentioned that I decided that my Sizzix quilting staples would be the 2" finished square, the 2 1/2" half square triangle unit, and the 2 1/2" strip cutter. Today, I am going to tell you why I think that these three dies are so versatile.

I finished up this charity quilt, to be donated to Project Linus, with the aid of the 2 1/2" strip cutter die. I started this project with the nine spectrum stacked coins blocks, pieced by members of the Sew Fresh sew in a few weeks ago.

First I used the die cutter to cut white sashing strips to border the nine blocks. Very often, patterns call for 2" finished sashing. This die is long enough so that you can cut through the full width of your fabric, sending it through the machine folded in half just one time, as you do when you cut with your rotary cutter. I found that it was best to send the fabric through with the fold first to prevent bunching or shifting.  You do need to purchase extra long cutting pads to accompany this die.  (My son is turning the handle here since I can't do that and take a picture at the same time!)

I then used the die for strip piecing. I cut strips of each color of the spectrum and sewed them together with a 1/4" seam allowance and pressed. I then cut 2 1/2" strips perpendicular to my piecing seams to get perfect rows of 2" finished squares. I used those for the top and bottom border, followed by another row of sashing.  You could use this technique to create an Around the World or Postage Stamp quilt top (both on my someday list, by the way).

Then I used the strip cutting die to prepare my binding.  Quilters tend to cut their binding strips to either 2 1/4" or 2 1/2."  After cutting the strips, they are sewn together with a 45 degree angle seam.  Then they are folded in half and ironed.

In this simple project, the die was used for three purposes:  sashing, strip piecing and binding.

I also chose the square and half square triangle unit dies because of the vast number of traditional blocks composed of just those two elements.

This quick mosaic shows just a sampling of blocks made with those components. I happen to enjoy sewing traditional blocks using modern fabrics or a new interpretation of the color scheme so I anticipate getting a lot of use out of these dies. I don't believe that their use is limited to traditional blocks though, by any means.  I'll show you some blocks using the dies and actual fabric real soon!

Zakka Style Sew Along Week 2-with a Giveaway!

Welcome to week two of the Zakka Style Sew Along! The sew along is being led by Lindsey and Amy. They have invited 24 bloggers to sew the projects found in Rashida Coleman-Hale's book, Zakka Style. Today, I will show you my version of the House Pouch project.  (read all the way to the end for a great giveaway!)

This is a fun and quick project with so much room for creativity, personalization and embellishment. Like the project designer, I used linen for the house itself. It's Robert Kaufman's natural Essex Linen, one of my absolute favorites along with the medium aqua, the greys and the yarn dyed black...I guess I love them all when it comes right down to it.  I paired it with my own screenprinted material called "Petticoats" for the roof because I thought that the little scallops look shingle/roof tile like. I didn't have any ruffled lace on hand but I much prefer the flat cotton crochet-like lace anyway. I did not use the suggested fleece for the circular windows. Instead I chose to use quilting cotton. When applying appliques to a project like this, it is helpful to use a fusible web, such as Steam a Seam, to adhere the appliqued shapes to the base material before stitching. That's what I did with the door and window pieces. Then you can focus on your stitching and not holding your appliques in place.

I was concerned that I was getting a little too pink (if such a thing is possible) so I used a contrasting green zipper from Zipit. It coordinates with the lining print which is that pretty floral called Somerset in Pink by Freespirit that you see beside the pouch.

One of my favorite parts of this project was selecting the button flowers. I welcome any opportunity to pour over my button collection. I used a mixture of new and old. On the far left is a vintage button. Beside it is actually a scrapbooking embellishment with an adhesive backing. Since this pouch isn't going to be washed, I decided to use it but put a few stitches through the center button into the linen to secure it assuming that the adhesive wouldn't hold up over time. The wooden buttons are from the Basic Grey Kissing Booth Collection. The others were just random finds in my button bag!

I hope you will sew along with me and make your own house pouch!  When you are done, share your pictures in the Flickr group.

Just to remind you, the full schedule for the Sew Along is right here:

April 2nd Zig Zag Tote with Sew Fantastic
April 9th The House Pouch with During Quiet Time
April 16th Zakka Pincushion with Pink Penguin
April 23rd Sewing Kit with Monkey Do
April 30th Patchwork Pencil Case with VeryKerryBerry
May 7th Itty Bitty Quilt Block Magnets with Little Bluebell
May 14th Raincloud Mug Rug with Quilt Dad
May 21st Zakka Block Quilt with I like Orange
May 28th Stem Messenger Bag with Sew Sweetness
June 4th Zip Organizer with Spotted Stone
June 11th Orchard Path Tweed Pouch with Don’t Call Me Betsy
June 18th Happy Couple Handwarmers with A Cuppa and a Catchup
June 25th Patchwork Potholder with Sew Take a Hike
July 2nd Water Bottle Holder with One Shabby Chick
July 9th Elephant Bookmark with Cut to Pieces
July 16th Patchwork Ribbon with {House} of A la Mode
July 23rd Delightful Linen Bag with Sukie
July 30th Bread Basket with Patchwork Notes
August 6th Sweet Sugar Cookie Sack with BettyCrockerAss
August 13th :: Little Pocket Pillowcase with Freshly Pieced
August 2oth :: Sweet Memories Photo Frame with Noodlehead
August 27th :: Pleated Coin Purse with Shape Moth
September 3rd :: Happy Garland Message Board with Maureen Cracknell
Handmade
September 10th :: Nesting Boxes with From the Blue Chair

Thank you to all of our wonderful sponsors: 

And last but not least, courtesy of Aurifil Threads, I am able to give away five packages of thread to five lucky winners!  Just leave me a comment to be entered.  I will draw names randomly on Friday the 13th.

There is another giveaway from Zipit on Lindsey's blog so head there next and then to your sewing room to get started!