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 

What Have I done????

Some time after I lost my pup, Flanders, I started thinking about having another dog. I missed the companionship and the joy a dog brings to the house. My daughters wanted a dog as well and scoured the shelters looking for the right dog.

Then we found him...OY! His name is Finley or Fin or, sometimes, What-the-heck-dog! 

He was so calm in the shelter....while all of the other dogs went bizerk as a visitor passed, he sat quietly....with those big brown eyes. 

It was all a ruse...he knew when he saw me coming down the hall, there is an easy target. It was just a matter of reeling me in and life would be golden!

Finley is a 2 year old Treeing Walker Coonhound. And full of energy! I would say a less than perfect match for a mid-fifties gal who likes to sit and stare at fabric and sew.

The good news is, I am walking at least an hour a day with him and my daughter is running with him everyday. He is charming. Really...he is so stinking cute at times. And he sleeps like a champ and no accidents in the house. It is just the boundless amount of energy he has. I am hoping a lot of this has to do with his age. So if any of you have experience with TWC or hounds in general I would love to hear positive suggestions. The vet already put the fear of God into me, which didn't make me very happy. I need positive suggestions...not scare tactics. He is a rescue...had a bad life before and is now having to learn rules. We are in this for the duration! LOL!

Also, that is why the blog has been so quiet...it takes tons of work to get this boy to act like a domesticated animal...hehe...and after that I am pooped. So please forgive me for being absent.

I have managed to get a few things sewn....

A cute basket block for Carla - she had May in our Mid Century Modern Bee.

         

I have done a few baskets before and I love Gwen Marstons technique for making Improv Baskets! Full of whimsy!

May brought Spring Quilt Market! Quilt Market is a trade show and my sister and I attend to choose fabulous fabrics for Sunny Day Supply.

This year, I tried to be a bit more bold and meet a few folks behind the names I recognize.

I was thrilled....totally thrilled to meet Carolyn Forster! 

       

A while ago, I did a book review for Carolyn! I admire her work and I can tell she must be a wonderful teacher. Best of all, she is just super nice! A warm delightful person! I knew she would be after all the terrific things I heard about her from Nicky at Mrs. Sew and Sow.

  

Quilt Market was good and we will have some great new fabrics arriving this summer.

I also began working on a Jen Kingwell quilt from her new book Quilt Lovely. It is the Spring Fever quilt. I saw it in her booth at market. Loved it, of course! But then, I loved everything about her booth!

I purchased a bundle, the last bundle, of Tiger Lily at the Sample Spree (we have this collection coming to our shop). I thought so many of these prints are perfect for the butterflies and background sections of Spring Fever! And I love how beautifully it coordinates with the Lighthearted fabric from Ayumi! And, yes, we did get a restock of the Lighthearted fabric in the shop! Yay!

 For the top right block, I used nani Iro double gauze for the background.

     

I love that I can do a little machine piecing for this block and then finish up with some hand applique. It works well with my current schedule.

I have also been playing around with some hexies for a fun little swap! 

Thanks for hanging in there with me through transitions...whew! I know it will get better...the only way to go is up from here! LOL!

Have a great weekend!

mary

Home Bound....

In my little corner of the world, it feels like we have been transported to the Ice Age...

we have had sub-zero temperatures and inches upon inches of snow...

So between shoveling and shivering, I have been sewing...

Any make from Ayumi Takahashi's book, Patchwork Please! is bound to brighten up a winter morning! 

I spent a couple of hours yesterday, putting together this precious apron...

 

I used lots of fun Yuwa fabrics and skirt part of the apron is kona snow.

A quick and happy make!

Now I think I will go bake some cookies!

mary

A Patchwork Cozy....

Last year I was asked to contribute a couple of projects to the new Mollie Makes Patchwork book...

I was thrilled to be asked to contribute and, once I jumped into the project, I thoroughly loved the process of creating and writing!

 

 

One of my projects is a Dresden Tea Cozy. 

This weekend I couldn't wait to work with some of the new fabrics that arrived...so I decided to switch up the tea cozy a bit and make it a Hexie Tea Cozy!

Fussy cutting Ayumi's new line of fabric for Kokka was so much fun!

Oh, how I LOVE this fabric! It's called Lighthearted and it makes me lightheaded when I work with it...in a good way, of course! hehe! Can you tell I am kind of smitten with it?

I chose a Yuwa Honeycomb dot for the background....the fabrics work so nicely together...

Following the same instructions for the Dresden Cozy....I quicky stitched up a Hexie Cozy!  How perfect would this be for a house warming gift or a bridal shower gift?  Or maybe for a bloggy friend?

Speaking of bloggy friends...

I received a lovely red and aqua felted heart swag from someone very near and dear to me....

 

Thank you so much, Susan!  I 'heart' you!!!  I can't imagine being able to felt those shapes so perfectly!  Crazy talented that girl!  

  Hope you had a very special Valentine's Day!

xo mary

Hello, Is It Me You're Looking For?

Do you ever get so busy or distracted with other things in life that your sewing machine collects a thin layer of dust?  I mean that figuratively, of course. You all have a cute homemade cover for your machine!  

  

Well, I have had a rather stitch-less couple of weeks.

I did manage a little hand stitching!  My MCMB block for Elizabeth.  Now to get it in the mail!  

I have really enjoyed using the Lighthearted collection of fabrics designed by Ayumi!  These will be available at Sunny Day Supply later this month/beginning of February. I do hope Ayumi will be designing more fabric.  I just can't get enough of these bright happy prints.

I enlarged templates from 318 Patchwork to make this block. Not only does this book have fablulous paper piecing patterns, but many precious applique patterns.

    

   

And....

While I have been enjoying another season of Downton Abbey...I have been quilting this bow tie quilt.

It's a great block for hand quilting.  Bold stitching with black and red/orange Valdani perle cotton, makes the bow ties just pop!

And, I have to say, wool batting is so much fun to hand quilt!

Hope your machine is getting a work-out these days....my machine will be so jealous!

happy sunday!

mary

Around the World Blog Hop...

Hi!  It's my turn to share a bit about myself on the Around the World Blog Hop!  I was asked to share my story by Jacqueline from Bind Quilts....you can find Jacqueline here....http://bindquilts.blogspot.com.au/

I met Jacqueline through Instagram, and like a few of my other friends she comes from the land down under!

The blog hop is fairly simple....answer a few questions about yourself and nominate a friend or two from near or far to do the same!

So, here we go!

1. What are you working on?

Well, I just finished a quilt for a new baby boy in our family, Miles.  Miles is my youngest niece's first child.  And if she has read the last two posts, then she is already well aware that this quilt will be arriving at her house this week...oops.  

Adapted from Denyse Schmidt's Proverbial Quilt Pattern

There is more information about this quilt a couple of posts back...I will make you work for it...hehe!

I, also, just finished a fun little doll quilt which I will share later.  This is a surprise for someone special, so I don't want to spoil it.

Luckily, these projects are out of the way because I will be doing a little sewing for Quilt Market in October!  Sorry...I can't tell you about that either!  Wow!  I am just full of information!

2.  How does my work differ from others?

Well, I am not sure how it differs, but I think I can best answer that by telling you what I like and where I feel comfortable. Let's begin with the design and the fabric.  I feel very comfortable with traditional designs done with a modern flair.  I know when I look at designs that I am often drawn to curves or circular designs....I like symmetry.  But at the same time I like my quilts to have a "thrown together" look.  I always imagine myself out on the prairie preparing for the winter ahead and using every little scrap of fabric I can find to make a quilt for my children!

Bullseye...traditional block

        

             Cathedral Window....traditional block

   Lark Baubles....me ;)

Not every design I choose involves curves...I have completed quite a few triangle or pyramid quilts...

Like Lark...which was one of the rare occasions I used a single designer's line exclusively....of course, it was the amazing Amy Butler!

 Lark 

If I were asked who I most admire, I would have to say Denyse Schmidt and Gwen Marston. I love their style...it feels so right to me.  Not fussy...just warm, relaxed, perfect in every way.  And Denyse Schmidt not only writes quilt books that make me go back for more, but she is definitely my go-to girl as a fabric designer.

  Courthouse Steps...pattern by Denyse Schmidt

Point Me by Denyse Schmidt

     

I rarely, do a quilt from a single line...I like to mix things up...not too matchy matchy.  Personally, I would throw color theory out the window!  Go with what your heart tells you looks good and works together.  

There is one thing I know for certain about myself, I like happy fabrics!  I like fabrics that are bright and saturated in color.  I love print next to print and color next to color!

Clamshells....me:)
  

That doesn't mean I don't like less flamboyant fabrics...I do. Text prints for instance...brilliant!  The one thing I do grow weary of are fabrics and trends that are formulaic.  Those things that have been done, done, stick a fork in it...done!  I will not cry if I never see another chevron.  There are more than a few trendy prints that have been done way too much...and I never really understood bringing back the 80's.

The last thing I will say about what makes me feel comfortable...  hand quilting.  As many of you know, I love to pick stitch or quilt with perle cotton. There are so many reasons I love to hand quilt.  It is relaxing and makes my mind slow down.  It's not perfect!  I don't care for perfect...I can buy a perfect quilt at Macy's.  Quilts are a reflection of the quilter.  It's a process, from the quilters mind and dreams, to the choosing and editing, stitching the pieces together and making adjustments, to finally the quilting.  The quilting is your signature on the quilt....

   Stashbuster... pattern by Sarah Fielke    
          

Whirligig...pattern by Sarah Fielke

Flowering Vine...pattern by Denyse Schmidt
  

3. Why do I create?

I have to.  Being creative and creating is like breathing.  I just have to do it.  Chances are everyone reading this feels the same way.  Our minds are not still, even at night, because we are dreaming of the next quilt, the next idea to try.  My father was a trained artist...attending art school....worked as an artist for Ohio Art Works and then as a graphic artist for a major aviation company.  I began my college career in Fine Arts and then switched to Elementary Education.  So it has always been a part of my life.     

Log cabin and variations...me:) 
  

4.  How does my creative process work?

 That depends on whether I am following a pattern or playing out my thoughts.  If I am following a pattern, my focus is on the fabrics I choose, the layout, and the quilting.  I enjoy following patterns.  Recently, I have had the opportunity to work on a few projects writing instructions and I found that process very enjoyable.  So following a pattern is just fun!

Made to Measure...pattern by Sarah Fielke

spider web quilt pattern from Material Obsession 2 pattern by Kathy Doughty

Swedish Bloom pattern from Patchwork Please...pattern by Ayumi 
  

Sometimes my creations are a combination of a traditional block and my own interpretation...

my version of Courthouse Steps

Apple Core Block

Flying Geese Block

more Bullseye blocks :)

   

Then, sometimes, its just me and my brain....

 

One thing is for certain...I stood on a lot of chairs!

I have asked a couple of very good friends to join along in this blog hop...you will be able to see their posts next Monday the 29th.

First is a dear bloggy friend from Oz....Susan from PatchworknPlay 

The wonderful thing about blogging and quilting is that you have the opportunity to meet wonderful people in far away places.  I met Susan when I reached out to her for assistance with a pattern.  I knew she had made the same quilt and I needed just a little help to get some instructions squared away.  We became friends.  I can't wait for the day when we meet in real life!

And my second victim friend...hehe...is Rachel from Family Ever After.  Rachel is a friend but not a far away friend.  In fact, Rachel lives just around the corner from me....different neighborhood, but I drive right by her house to go to the grocery!  So I drive right by her house about every other day! hehe! I adore Rachel...she is exactly as she seems on her blog.  She is bright and cheery, a good friend, a wonderful mother....she is like Mary Poppins!

I know you will enjoy learning more about them!  Thanks for visiting!

Cheers!

mary