Art Tote To Go Tutorial

Are you in need of a gift for a little artist?  I love the idea of crayon/marker rolls and aprons but wanted to try something a little different and maybe more functional. I came up with the idea of an art tote with slots on the front and back of a bag to hold up to 14 markers total.  The inside of the bag is large enough to hold a sketch pad, coloring book, some stickers, etc.

I made my bag using BasicGrey's newest fabric line, PB&J.  The free tutorial for this tote is on the BasicGrey blog today. Just click here.

Sale at Marmalade Fabrics

The sales continue!  Here's one from Marmalade Fabrics.  Happy shopping!

Hand Held Seam Rippers

The last collection of hand turned, hand held seam rippers to be made before Christmas are now listed in my Etsy shop.  My husband did a beautiful job on all of these!  There's a range of colors available from bold red and back swirl to soft pinks and aquas.

You can pull the seam ripper bit out of the acrylic handle, turn it and reinsert it into the handle for storage.  Each seam ripper is a one of a kind made from a uniquely patterned acrylic blank, and turned by hand on a lathe.

Thank you very much to those who purchased the necklace version of the seam rippers that were posted last week.  There are just a couple left!

More Sales!

In addition to Sew Me A Song's continuing sale (see last post), here are a few more!

Sew Fresh Fabrics is offering:

FLAT RATE SHIPPING SPECIAL THROUGH SUNDAY!! 

NO MINIMUM --- $2.50 US --- $6.50 Canada --- $8.50 everywhere else

Refunds will be made to your payment account upon shipment. Shipping will resume on Monday, Nov. 26. 

The Fat Quarter Shop is offering:

Sew Me A Song Flat Rate Shipping Sale

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  If you want to celebrate with a little fabric sale, Becca asked me to let you know that she's having a flat rate shipping sale.  Here are the details:

Orders placed Thursday (11-21) through Sunday (11-24) will receive flat rate shipping of $2.50 US/$6.50 Canada/ $8.50 everywhere else. No minimum required. Refunds will be processed upon shipment. Please put coupon code "THANKYOU12" in Notes to Seller upon Checkout.

Here are some of my new favorites (if you need some inspiration!):

Tea Tiles in Brown from Short and Stout by J. Wecker Frisch

Alphabet from Books and Letters by Whistler Studios for Windham Fabrics

Nighttime Shaded Cotton by Riley Blake

Tilly by Charlotte Lyons for Blend Fabrics

Happy shopping.

Reindeer

I have to say that I am really delighted with the way this reindeer block turned out!  It exceeded my hopes which is always a really nice surprise.  

I used BasicGrey's Blitzen print for the background because it is woodlands-y and even has a deer in it! It's still available at the Fat Quarter Shop. The reindeer itself is supposed to be a silhouette. At first I was considering a grey textured solid but I am so happy that I changed my mind. I love the Onyx grunge from Marmalade Fabrics. I chose to place the lighter sections of the grunge at the tip of the nose and neck. It adds a nice dimension and softness.  

My Reindeer paper pieced pattern now joins my Christmas Stocking pattern in both my Etsy Shop and Craftsy Shop.  They both measure 8" x 12" so they make a nice set.

The reindeer is slightly harder to piece than the stocking but still appropriate for a beginner to intermediate paper piecer.  There aren't any super tiny pieces or curved seams.  There is a little fussy seam matching by the ear and the slightest of Y seams through the center of the block.  Don't let that scare you though.  It's such a breeze that it can be done before you remove the papers even.  I will walk you right through it.

In other paper piecing news, Kerry and Penny debuted their set of Christmas patterns today. Have you seen them yet? 

Beam N Read Winner!

It was just plain silly of me to think that I would be able to choose the most touching entry in the Beam N Read giveaway!  There were so many deserving recipients!  I narrowed it down to the top 10 entries, wrote their names on slips of paper, and had my cute little assistant draw the winner.  

And the winner is...Kylie!  Kylie wrote:

I would give this to my darling Gran who recently moved into a nursing home. She is a lifelong crafter, always sewing, crocheting and knitting and also an avid reader. She had the most beautiful garden at her home that she misses desperately and I doubt I would be so in love with crafting, reading and gardening without her influence. She has a problem with her spine that affects her feet and legs putting her at high risk for falls. She needs to wait for someone to be with her before she can get out of bed or her chair so she spends a lot of time in them. For someone who has been so active and independant this is very heartbreaking and frustrating for her. And of course, at 95 the eyesight is failing. She lamented to me recently how hard she finds it to thread a needle these days. Anything to help her carry on creating and reading as long as possible would make her very happy :)

Seam Ripper Necklaces

If you are new to my blog, you might not know that my husband makes these beautiful hand turned seam rippers from colorful acrylic (yes, you can turn acrylic too, not just wood!).  He turns them on an old Craftsman lathe in our barn in the evenings.  Today we have a batch of necklace-style seam rippers for sale in my Etsy shop.  Unfortunately, there will be no custom orders between now and Christmas.  What you see is all we have available in the necklace style.  

You will notice that the blanks are turned in different designs.  Some have chrome hardware and others have satin chrome. They are each truly unique and would make a beautiful gift.  I think that they would be just the thing to bring to a retreat or QuiltCon!

We will have hand held seam rippers available in a limited number in about a week.

For more information on the necklace seam rippers including pictures of how they disconnect from the chain, please consult this post.

If you'd like to shop, click here!

Christmas Stocking Paper Pieced Pattern

I have this tendency to introduce garden, crab and flip flop patterns in the winter and skiers in the summer.  In an attempt to rectify that, I am introducing an appropriately seasonal pattern today!  

I fondly recall the treasures that my childhood Christmas stocking held.  That's why I designed this block.

I used Laurie Wisbrun's Brrr! Snowflakes in Red for the body of my stocking with Kona White cuff, toe and heel.  The background is Teal Shaded Cotton by Riley Blake--a great coordinate for Brrr!  It's available at Sew Me A Song.

If you'd like a copy of this pattern, it's available in my Craftsy shop and my Etsy shop.  This is a good pattern for someone fairly new to paper piecing.  It only has 4 seams that need to be matched, no curved piecing and no Y seams.

On Angels' Wings Ornament Tutorial

I love making Christmas ornaments! I think I might have just mentioned that a couple of days ago.  But I really do. Today I am sharing a tutorial on the Sizzix blog using the new Tim Holtz Layered Angel Wing Die to make these sweet, homespun angel ornaments.

To learn more about how I made these, click over to the Sizzix blog today!

Happy crafting.

Beam N Read Holiday Giveaway

I am happy to support Beam N Read's Holiday Giveaway because it is a little bit different and it will help us all get in the spirit of giving this holiday season.  Do you remember when I posted about Beam N Read before?  The Beam N Read is a hands free light that you wear around your neck.  The neck strap is adjustable so you can position it just right for your needs.  

I use mine while I work on hand sewing projects and watch movies with my husband.

Recently, the Beam N Read has been improved.  The 6 LED light has a switch that provides a choice of using 6 LEDs for extra bright and wide light or 3 LED for longer battery life.  They have changed the orange filter to shift the light from cool daylight-type light to warm incandescent-type light by reducing the amount of blue light.  For those who find daylight-type light stressful on the eyes, this will help.  The neck strap has also been upgraded to an elastic double-buckle strap for more comfort.

I have one Beam N Read to give away, courtesy of the folks at ASF Lightware Solutions.

Here's the catch.  To win, you must tell me who you want to win the Beam 'N Read for--who you would give it to?  There is no need to name names, just say "my aunt who..."  Do you know someone in an area that frequently loses power?  Do you know someone who is a caregiver and could use this light when they are up in the middle of the night?  Do you know someone with failing eyesight who could craft or read more easily if she had better, well directed light?

I will pick the most touching entry to win.  I will announce the winner on Monday 11/19.  I'll go grab my box of tissues now and be prepared to be moved.

Here are the other scheduled giveaways for Beam N Read.  As you can see, there are a few others still going on!

• Nov   2 to   9:  SewCalGal (Blog) - http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/
• Nov   3 to 17:  A Life Full of Laughter (Blog) - http://alifefulloflaughter.com/
• Nov   6 to 13:  Stray Stitches (Blog)  - http://straystitches1.blogspot.com/
• Nov   7 to 21:  Caregiver Partnership (Blog/Store) - http://blog.caregiverpartnership.com/
• Nov   8 to 23:  Pacific Rim Quilt Co (Newsletter/Store) - http://prqc.com/
• Nov 11 to 16:  Bejeweled Quilts by Barb (Blog)  - http://bejeweledquilts.blogspot.com/
• Nov 12 to 16:  Cotton and Chocolate (Blog/Store)  - http://www.cottonandchocolate.com/
• Nov  12 to 18: I Have A Notion (Blog/Store)  - http://ihaveanotion.blogspot.com/
• Nov 12 to 19:  During Quiet Time (Blog)  - http://duringquiettime.blogspot.com/
• Nov 17 to 24:  Quilting Gallery (Blog)  - http://quiltinggallery.com/

LillyBelle Winner!

The lucky winner of this beautiful stack of LillyBelle by BariJ for Art Gallery Fabrics is....

Sharon November 10, 2012 7:15 PM My favorites at art gallery are the oval elements

Congratulations Sharon!

Loose Ends

I'm tying up some loose ends today.  I thought I was done with the Cocorico Bee but fortunately, Melinda reminded us that we could choose to make blocks for Kerry who had to drop out of the bee.  Kerry wanted very simple houses with soft colored borders.  I made this block for her today.

I also wanted to remind you that if you would like to win the set of 8 fat quarters used to make this quilt, I'll be drawing a name on Monday.  Comment on this post to win (NOT HERE!). The LillyBelle fabrics by BariJ for Art Gallery Fabrics are gorgeous so I encourage you to enter!

And finally, a big thank you to everyone who took the time to vote for my quilt in the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  It was chosen as the Favorite Home Machine Quilted quilt. It means so much to me.  Thank you.

Here's a sneak peek at my photoshoot for fun.

There was an old woman...

Oh, I had so much fun with this block!!  This is my last paper pieced block for the Cocorico Bee this year.  It's made for Erin who is expecting a baby. She asked for nursery rhyme themed blocks. My block is "There was an old woman who lived in a shoe."  

I know that Erin's favorite color is aqua so I made the boot and roof aqua.  The boot as well as the red shutters and trim are made from Riley Blake shaded cottons. The colors are actually called teal and fire engine red. Sew Me A Song is now stocking these textured cottons and I can see myself using them a lot. You can find them here.  Just like shot cottons and Moda Grunge and cross hatch prints, they are solids with a little extra interest and I like that. 

The background print is from The Simple Life, as well as the fussy cut girl in the window.  They are so perfectly sweet and just right for this block!  I got them from Fresh Squeezed Fabrics.  I chose the blonde headed girl with ponytails because she reminds me of myself as a child, and of my youngest daughter as she is right now!

I've put this pattern in my Etsy shop and in my Craftsy pattern shop.

Metallic Snowflake Rosette Ornaments

The ornament making bug has struck.  I love making Christmas ornaments so there will  be more to come.  When I saw the new Tim Holtz Sizzlit Snowflake Rosette, I really wanted to try it.  Sizzlits are dies made by Sizzix to cut a single layer of lightweight paper to cardstock.  However, I really, really wanted to make the snowflakes out of ribbon.  I tried a few different ribbons before I found one that worked.  Even at that, I had to remove each of the little ovals from the edges of the snowflake by hand.  Clearly, I was pushing the die to do something it wasn't made to do.  But...I loved the result so I forged on.

The ribbon I used is a wide, wire edged semi sheer metallic ribbon of the type sold for Christmas wreath bows.  It fit over the Sizzlit die with the wire on the outside (so it didn't interfere with the cut).  I then folded the strip accordion style and ran a piece of thread through the ends with my needle and knotted it to hold the snowflake shape together.

Then I cut two of the flat center snowflakes so that I could glue one to each side to make the ornament look finished on both sides.  I tried felt which really pushed the Sizzlit too far. It required some snipping with scissors after cutting.  So for the other two, I used a script paper and a glittery card stock which both cut easily (clearly the intended use!).

I embellished the centers with brads and sequins and hung the ornaments with metallic gold thread.  These really catch the light nicely and are light as a feather which is great for practical reasons.

Fast, Fun, Fabulous Felt

I love a good felt project.  I've seen cute little felt trees for Christmas in recent years and have wanted to make some for myself.  I made this set using the Sizzix Bigz Pro Cone die. This is a Pro die which means that you need a Big Shot Pro. It also means that these trees stand over 8" tall! It's great to be able to cut larger die cut shapes.

I used a selection of high quality wool felts from National Non Wovens.  After cutting the cone shapes in shades of green felt, I decorated them while they were still flat.  I used the Sizzix Sizzlits Decorative Strip Die Loops and Rick Rack to cut the red and white trims you see above.  The lime green pom pom trim was purchased as is.  These trims were all attached with a row of machine stitching.  Then I cut a bunch of 1" circles using the Sizzix Bigz Die Circles 1".  I've decided to use this die to cut all felt scraps that I might have otherwise thrown out.  It makes a scrap into a useful shape for so many things. I will just store them away until I find use for them.  I strung some as a garland in the background even!  I attached each circle with embroidery floss.  Some of the circles are further embellished with BasicGrey buttons or embroidered brads.

I then stitched up the side seams of each cone by hand and stuffed with fiberfill.  Then I attached a 4 1/2" circle to the bottom of the cone with hand stitches   When it was almost closed, I poured in some dry beans to give the base of the tree more weight.  Then I closed it up.

I hope you enjoy this fast, festive felt project!

Would you Vote?

I am so honored to have this quilt nominated in the Favorite Home Machine Quilted Category.  I tried so hard with my quilting on this quilt--and as you know from reading my recent blog posts, improving my quilting has been my major goal as of late.  I am pretty excited to have been nominated!  Thank you to everyone who took the time and care to nominate me.  Thank you!

If you would like to vote for my quilt, click here and then scroll down to the Favorite Home Machine Quilted Category.  I'd appreciate it!

There are so many wonderful quilts in this show.  It was fun casting my vote in each category.  I was also pleased to see so many familiar quilts there!

AGF Fat Quarter Gang Tutorial and a Giveaway!

I can't believe that it is already time for my second tutorial for Art Gallery Fabrics!  This time I chose to make a baby quilt using 8 fat quarters from the LillyBelle collection by Bari J in the Warm Sunset Colorway, along with two Pure Elements Solids (white linen and spiceberry).

This quilt uses a traditional block called the Indian Hatchet Album block, in recent years referred to as a Siggie Block.  In the absence of signatures and some careful planning of the fabric layout, the blocks appear to be bows.  So I am calling this layout Baby Bows.  I heavily quilted the negative space so let the bows pop.

You can download the pdf pattern for this quilt from the AGF blog today.  There are templates included as well as foundation piecing patterns so you can choose your method of construction.  I normally opt for paper piecing but I made this quilt with templates to make sure it was doable-and it was!

If you'd like to win the 8 fat quarters used in this quilt, please leave me a comment.  Maybe you could tell me which fabric collection debuted by AGF at quilt market is your favorite!  I will draw a winner on November 12th.

Don't be Crabby Giveaway

Today is the last day to enter my giveaway for this bundle of Laurie Wisbrun's Don't Be Crabby and

a copy of my paper pieced Crabby block.

For all the details and to enter (don't comment here to enter!) click to my previous post.  Winners will be drawn tomorrow and I will name the winners as an update to the original post.

Sew Glad We Are Friends Card

Sizzix is hosting a Karen Burniston Event to showcase the many ways you can use her Pop 'N Cuts base die.    I thought twice about participating since I normally create fabric projects but I thought it would be a fun challenge and would also show you what you can do if you don't own all the papermaking supplies like stamps, ink pads, glitter, embossing powder, etc.  You can use the supplies you have to create something very "you."  Here's my attempt!  I used BasicGrey's Plumeria paper collection for this card.

I created a simple cover with hexagons cut using this die.  I used a tiny bit of double sided tape to hold them in place while I stitched around them with contrasting orange thread.  I found that using my edge stitching presser foot worked nicely.  I like the bold paper quilt look of the cover, partly because it is clean and simple but also because it doesn't make you think that there is going to be a fancy inside to the card.  And then...

Ta Da!  It's a pop up!  I used the Tim Holtz Sewing Edge Die to cut the scissor and button silhouette at the top edge. And I used his On the Edge Mini Scallop and Pinking die along the bottom edge.  The row of hexies are stickers from the Plumeria collection.

On the pop up circle I secured a spool wrapped with embroidery floss and a paper button.  Both were cut with the Sewing Room die.

The sentiment is machine stitched on fabric and then secured to the card with hand stitches in embroidery floss.  I added a button for embellishment.  It too was edged using the pinking edge die.

Check out the Sizzix Blog today for lots more samples of what you can do with your Pop 'N Cut die!