A Few Other Fun Makes!

Over the holidays I had the opportunity to stitch up a few other fun things....

There was a baby shower, so I used an older Oliver and S pattern to make an adorable and super cozy kimono outfit!

   

This fabric is Fruity Pocho brushed cotton...and I must tell you it feels amazing! And gets more amazing with each wash! I want a nightgown out of this fabric.  

I gifted a whole cloth Nani Iro baby quilt...

I used En Garden for the front and Jewel Song on the reverse side. The binding is Liberty Glenjade in teal. And between the layers I used a wool batting. Talk about scrumptious!

Again, I want one my size! The En Garden Nani Iro sold out of the shop, but the good news is, we expect a brand new bolt this week!

Lots of baby gifts at the end of the year in 2015 and I think there will be a few more in 2016!!!

xx mary 

    

Hello....is it me you're looking for???

The holiday season has come and gone with nary a word from me....

 but I did manage a quilt finish just before the clock struck midnight and we all said goodbye to 2015...

A scrappy Red and White quilt with stars and a pieced border...

I used a set of templates purchased from Amazon. The Simpli EZ Five Point Star set. Instead of squaring off the star, I chose to applique the the star 'circle' onto my background square.

Then I added sashing and corner blocks. And finished the piecing off with a pieced border.

This one is machine quilted, as well as, hand quilted with some Christmas Red Valdani Perle cotton!

It's not huge, but a good lap size for our chilly Ohio winters (if Mother Nature decides to grant us some chilly Ohio weather)

It's good to have a 2015 finish...and a new blog post for 2016!

Wishing you all a wonderfully productive New Year!

xo mary

Let the Christmas Making Begin!

Are you gearing up for some holiday sewing? Or maybe you have already been a busy little elf, sewing away before all the hustle and bustle begins.

 

Well, I have been doing a little holiday and 'special' day sewing

I would love to share with you. Because if you are like me, you can always use some good ideas for holiday gifting!

 

 

I made another lunch bag from Ayumi's great tutorial! This one is, obviously, a robot bag for a robot lovin' little guy! The robot was not a simple make...I used a paper foundation template from the Electric Quilt Program. Tiiiiiny pieces!

I thought this would be cute to carry his lego's, crayons or matchbox cars. But then I thought how special this bag would be filled with cookies or a candle and yummy lotions to give as a hostess gift or for a friend! If you have a sewing friend you could trade the robot panel for something sewing related and fill it with great notions! So there you go, its all sorted out! 

You can find the tutorial on Ayumi's Pink Penguin blog.

 

Next, I would like to share with you a quick, but sweet project. I made a little EPP pouch for a sewing friend. 

 

    

Simply cover a wallet style pouch with yo-yo's! What could be more sweet! And add a couple of pockets to hold hexie papers, wonder clips, a glue pen and some scissors! Perfect for small on-the-go projects!

 

    

 

I love this retro Yuwa fabric we have in the shop! It's great for fussy cutting too!

 

And last, but not least, you may want to pop over to the Sunny Day Supply blog and follow along as we make the Sunny Day Stocking! I am pretty smitten with this stocking...and so happy to be able to share it with everyone!

 

   

 

 Just head over to www.sunnydayfabric.com and click on the 'blog' tab! And if you haven't visited the shop yet, you might like to look around at all the fabulous fabrics and notions we have! So many great things for your stitchy friends!

 

happy Tuesday!

mary 

Lunch, Anyone?

After seeing a few adorable lunch bags floating around IG...I decided to it was time to try it out!

This super cute lunch bag is a free tutorial available on Ayumi's blog, Pink Penguin. 

 

 

It was so easy to make and just perfect for the fun Japanese fabrics from the shop. 

 

The bag has a drawstring interior...

 

 

I just love it! I plan to make a few more to give as Christmas gifts with cookies or treats tucked inside!

 

happy Tuesday!

mary  



A Winner and a Winning Sewing Machine Cover

Gill Watson! You are a winner! You won the e-version of Sweet Tweets! Congratulations :) I sent you an email.

 

 

A few weeks ago, I decided to tackle a sewing machine cover for my Janome 6600. I was still using the vinyl cover that came with the machine. But when a terrific load of Yuwa fabric was dropped on our shop...I just knew it was time!

 

 

This fabric, in particular, was the one that got my wheels spinning!

 

So without a pattern...just a good foundation of bag and box making...I set forth to create....

the EPIC SEWING MACHINE COVER!!!!

 

 

  I truly cobbled this together! Honestly, it was whack and hack!

 

I added a long pocket (divided) made of Hexies! Some of my favorite pieces fussy cut and some of the sweet hexies Susi sent to me!

 

 

I added a smaller hexie pocket on the reverse side...and some pieced letters...as well as bits of some of my favorite fabrics ;)

 

 

On both ends, I added tall pockets for rulers and tall things! Notice the fussy cutting! Hahahaha!

 

It was fun putting it together and really not difficult. I do find that if I am attempting something from scratch...oversize the pieces when possible. It's like your hair, you can always cut more off...it's difficult to put it back together. 

 

happy Monday!

mary 

 



Sweet Tweets!

When Erin Cox of Why Not Sew? asked me to participate in her book blog hop....of course, I said YES!

 

I have known Erin for years and have long admired her adorable projects! Writing a book and sharing her ideas seemed like a natural next step. And, boy, I am so glad she took that step!

 

   

Sweet Tweets guides you through using raw edge applique and a technique called sketch applique to create sweet projects.

 

Erin includes tips on preparing the applique, which foot to use for sketching, and oodles of projects to make!

 

  

 

But you aren't limited to just the projects in the book. This book is a great jumping off point for using the templates and techniques to create your own sketch applique project!

And that is exactly what I did!

 

 

 

I used Erin's delightful birds and heart template and did a little sketching....

 

to make a pretty 'tweet' pencil pouch for a special little girl!

 

  

I added a fun yarn fringe pull!  I can't wait to give it to her!

Erin is having a big giveaway on the last day of the blog hop so be sure to head over here 

on Saturday September 26th!

 

If you would like to win your own e version of Sweet Tweets...leave a comment here! I will choose a winner on Saturday September 27th at 10 pm EDT. Good luck!

 

Have a 'tweet' day!

mary   

 

 

  

Spring Fever!

Some time ago, I purchased Jen Kingwell's book, Quilt Lovely.

What a fitting title!

Everything in the book is LOVELY! I couldn't decide what to start first...until I saw Spring Fever at Minneapolis Quilt Market.

 

I saw Spring Fever in person and fell in love with the butterflies and flowers...and that scalloped border!

 

 

In between a gazillion other projects and family obligations - did I mention we have a newly engaged daughter - I have been plugging away at the blocks...

 

I enjoy working on it because it is a combination of machine piecing and hand applique. That works so well for me right now. I can piece with the machine and take the hand stitching with me as I go! Perfect!

 

 

I decided the new Heather Ross line Tiger Lily would be perfect for this quilt pattern. We received our selection of Tiger Lily in the shop - and if you are itching to pick some up...we have it at a great price! Personally, I would love to stash tons of this line, but as of now, it is not being reprinted...and there are only a couple of prints available from the manufacturer.... **insert sad face**

 

     

 

 

 But since I can't just work on one project at a time....I picked up the Farmer's Wife 1930's Sampler Quilt....oh my! What a lovely book!

More on that next time! 

xo mary