i have to say...

sew-along supply list

I am not sure how I feel about my sew-along picture, but since I am terrible at creating this type of thing, so we are gonna have to stick with it!

The totebag sew-along will start on Monday, July 11th, and I will post  each day for 4 days until the bag is completed.  Comments can be left on the posts, but most of the discussion will take place here on Flickr.  Flickr accounts are free (as long as you have under a certain amount of photos) and easy to set up.   Each evening I will check to group to answer questions, troubleshoot sewing problems and just hang out. It should be fun!

Supplies List:

main bag front (middle):  1/2 yard fabric

side bag front:  1/2 yard fabric

interior of bag:  1/2 yard fabric

pocket:  1/3 yard fabric ( a fat quarter or scrap will work just fine)

lining: 1/2 yard warm and natural batting

straps:  100" of 1-1/4" natural-colored webbing (I bought mine at Mama She Crazy on Etsy)

That's it!

I have posted a listing in my shop for a kit here.  Please note that the price reflects fabric that costs $9.00 per yard. If you want something else you can convo me and I will set up a custom-listing for you.

I am looking forward to starting this sew-along!  It should be lots of fun.  :)

 

 

a sew-along it shall be!

Yeah!  It looks like a sew-along is in order. 

I will do my best to get a supplies list posted this afternoon, so everyone can start gathering.  Of course, I will offer kits in my shop, but you can certainly get your fabric from your stash or from another shop.  Our first lesson will be posted on July 11th.

Also, I just listed some wonderful pre-cuts in my shop including Ruby, Little Apples, Northcote Range and Cape Ann.  I am seriously consider keeping some of the Ruby for myself.  It's so "me"!

See you soon!  :)

sew-along, anyone?

In spite of the fact that this is a quick and easy bag to make, this one took  me forever to finish!  It just got mixed up in my giant pile of unfinished projects, which, to my satisfaction, is growing smaller every day!

This is my summer, all-purpose, take-anywhere bag that carries whatever I need it to.  Doesn't everyone need/want a summer bag like that?

I thought maybe a sew-along is in order, but I wanted to see if there is any interest first.  There are so many wonderul quilt/sew-alongs already in progress that the timing might not be right. 

I would like to put together a tutorial and post it progressivly over one week.  That way we can go slow and everyone has time to catch up and work at their own pace.  Questions/comments/suggestions would be posted and discussed on Flickr (a Flickr account is free and simple to set up) and that always makes it fun to get to know people.

This is a great project for a beginner or anyone wanting a new bag.  Photographs will highlight each step so even if you are just starting out, you should be able to follow along  just fine.

So, is anyone interested?  Tell me what you think.

PS--the fabrics are from the Avalon Collection by Birch Fabrics and Metro Living by Robert Kaufman.

a february quilt

Emily's quilt is finished. 

It is technically a gift for her birthday that occured in February, but Em understands that I run behind quite often.

This quilt is for her twin-sized bed.  It's extra fun because she is moving into an new house in a couple of weeks.  Moving into a new place is always better when you have something new to decorate with, don't you think?

 There are lots of Anna Maria Horner and Tula Pink prints in this quilt.  Kona Medium Grey is used for the sashing.  Anna Maria ties it all together with binding.  The backing is a wine-colored sheet.

I get to present Em with her quilt this weekend and I do hope she loves it. 

Have a lovely Monday!

shop notes: far far away 3

It's here: The adorable Far Far Away 3 Collection from Heather Ross for Kokka Fabrics. I just love it!

Have a lovely weekend!  :)

and the winner is...

...Sara @ The Killer B's!

Sara, once I have your address I will send the set of vintage sheet squares your way.  :)

Thank you to all who entered the giveaway! 

Have a lovely day!

quick little lovelies

If you hang around my blog for any length of time, you will find that my favorite projects are quick.  And if they add fun color and pattern too, I love them even more!

I had thought that my new quilt would be used for picnics, but I happened to wash it today with the quilt on our guest bed and I decided to use it there instead.  The red pillows already on the guest bed looked awful with the new addition, so new ones were made while the kids played with friends.

Isn't it funny how you actually gain free time by having a gang of extra kids in your house?

Once again I accessed Cassie's Posh Pillowcase Tutorial and picked some fun fabrics from my shop shelves.  This project takes about 15 minutes after the cutting is done (and that takes about 5 minutes). 

It all amounted to some quick color and loveliness. 

Just the way I like it!

old things made new + a little fabric-y giveaway

One. More. Finish.

Yeah! I love when I have been working on something for a while and I reach the finish line.  It makes me happy when the to-do pile gets smaller.  It means I can start something new soon.

I have been collecting old sheets and pillowcases for about a year and a half in order to make this quilt.  The mix of color and pattern and vintage-y goodness is too fun with these fabrics.  It all matches somehow.

Admittedly I had to buy some prints from Etsy towards the end because I couldn't be patient any longer.  Jeni's wonderful little shop helped to complete my pile of fabric.

This is my second quilt that is bound by machine and I highly recommend this over hand sewing.  It's so much faster and I can already see an improvement in my skill over the first quilt.  You can check out Rita's tutorial to see how it's done.

After all was said and done, I have fifty-nine 8"squares left over.  Sounds like a fun giveaway, don't you think?

If you have an interest in this little pile, just leave me a comment in this post telling me one thing you want to do this summer.

My hope is that this fabric brings someone a step closer to a fun quilt!

all it takes is a woman's touch

Well, a girl's touch.

My boys have outgrown their fort (boohoo!) and they handed ownership over to Aubry.  She was wildly excited about this and asked if it could be painted.  A couple of her friends came over to help with the fort beautification project.

Note the "before" picture above.  :)

This is a little while after this girls got started:

Note the pastel loveliness, the soft atmosphere and the smiling faces

Nothing was left untouched. Tables and chairs were painted to match as well:

When it was all said and done, the fort was decidedly "girl".  Just the way Aubry wanted it.  The boys plan to use the fort as an occasional AirSoft outpost probably won't come to fruition.  It would be embarrassing to hide in a pastel rainbow room while at the ready to pounce on a friend with b-b's.

And Seamus acted as our faithful watchdog since we have had a bear prowling the neighborhood:

 The finishing touch was a piece of lovely green carpet.

I did, however, put my foot down at the mention of a "no boys allowed" sign.

Hooray for a woman's touch!

shop notes: lots of new goodies!

The UPS man has delivered some wonderful new goodies for my shop this week!  Strawberry Fields, 1001 Peeps and a huge roll of Warm and Natural batting are all here!  Such fun!

I am off today to attend my first meeting of the Front Range Modern Quilt Guild.  I am so excited to finally participate in this group!  Will report more next week...

Happy weekending!