Sew Sweetness

City Sampler Sew Along: Blocks 7, 8, 9

2013-06-10T18:27:00.003-07:00

This post is part of the City Sampler Sew Along.

For more information or to see blocks completed so far, click here!

I'm so sorry for the delay on getting this blog post up today, folks. This was totally my issue and not any fault on the guest posters. This is not my habit, and I hope you'll accept my apology! But on to some blocks!

Emily - Aren't you having a fun time with these blocks? They are so addicting! I have to force myself not to keep on going. I'm still waiting for my Acacia fabric (It sould show up this week) but because I don't have it yet I don't want to get too ahead of myself on blocks. Want to make sure there's lots and lots of Acacia in my finished quilt. I know we're only 9% in, but still.

Block 7

So this weeks blocks were fun to do. I'm sure I'm not the only one that adjusted the measurements to facilitate strip piecing. I like to cut my pieces just a tiny bit longer so I can trim the ends. For block #7 I cut a 1 1/2" x 16" piece for both fabrics B and C. I sewed the strips together and then cut 1 1/2" segments. I pieced those segments into 4-patches and then I was ready to finish the block. I find that when I'm trying to sew tiny pieces my blocks come out a little wonky so this helps keep thinsg square.

Block 8

I did the same with block #8. I cut a 1 1/2" x 10" piece for both fabrics B and C for strip piecing. Don't forget to still cut (4) 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" squares from fabric B for the corners.

I sewed the strips together and cut 1 1/2" segments. I made (2) 4-patches and had the other two pieces for the block.

Block 9

Block 9 didn't require any strip piecing, but it did require having someone pay attention to the instructions- which I did not. Actually what happened with my block is that I'm trying to use little scraps of fabrics I have lying around since I can't seem to throw them away. Since I thought I had all the pieces I needed cut correctly but since my fabric placement is opposite of Tula's diagram I got a little messed up. I made my block work- but I'm not sure if I will keep it. I might just have to make another. At this point I don't think it's too bad. Next time I will pay attention. :oi)

-Emily

Crazy Old Ladies

Julie -
Hey everyone!! I’m excited to share blocks 8 & 9 of the #tula100 quilt a long with you.

I have been pulling fabrics and placing them in my book with the block I think they will work best for. I have yet to find the perfect fabrics for block 7 so I haven’t made it yet. In general I plan to make the blocks chapter by chapter, but I’m going to allow myself to skip blocks when I don’t have the perfect fabric. Hopefully down the road I’ll find the right fabric and come back to those blocks.

These are the fabrics I pulled for block #8. They are The Birds & The Bees, Parisville, & Acacia.

Block 8 has a large number of small squares. Instead of cutting the squares I cut strips of fabric from two of the prints and pieced them together into a strip set. I then sub-cut the strip set and used those pieces to make my blocks.

My Block 8 & Tula’s Block 8. I used the same color family, without using the exact fabrics she used.

These are the fabrics I pulled for block #9. They are Full Moon Forest & Acacia. It was fun mixing Tula’s oldest collection with her newest!

My Block 2 & Tula’s Block 2. I went a little more towards purple with my choices.

Block 8

Block 9

-Julie
www.jaybirdquilts.com

So, if you are sewing along at home, be sure to link up ONLY blocks 7, 8, and 9 in this post (you will have time to link up your other blocks in future posts). Please link up separately for each block. As a reminder, you can link to your blog post, Flickr, or wherever else you are hosting your pictures. You must link up here on this post in order to be eligible for the monthy prize, to be awarded on June 30th!

City Sampler Sew Along: Prizes for June

2013-06-10T04:57:00.000-07:00

This post is part of the City Sampler Sew Along.

For more information or to see blocks completed so far, click here!

Announcing the prizes for the month of June for the City Sampler Sew Along, which will be drawn on June 30, 2013! As a reminder, the winner for June will be a random drawing out of all of the blocks that have been completed up until June 30th (according to schedule, that is the first 15 blocks). If you are just joining in, every Monday there will be a blog post right here for three blocks, and at the bottom of the blog post will be a linky button which will allow you to enter your blocks into the group. Please make separate entries for each block, and only that week's blocks please! If you need help or further direction, feel free to e-mail me (sara(at)sewsweetness(dot)com).

In June's prize pack is a set of Tula Pink thread from Aurifil! These are lovely variagated threads that were created to coordinate with any of Tula's fabric collections! And the perfect compliment to this is a batting to use for your finished City Sampler quilt...this month's selection from Pellon is the Legacy Natural Cotton Batting in queen size.

Westwood Acres on Etsy has also generously offered a $25 gift certificate; Westwood Acres is the home of the curated bundle. There are bundles of fabric lines and also beautiful bundles put together from various lines to give you some beautiful, hand-picked results!

And June's winner will also receive the pdf quilt pattern of their choice from the Tula Pink pattern shop! There's tons to choose from, including the 'Modern Alphabet' pattern!

I hope you are having fun with the sew along so far! It's been amazing seeing all of the blocks coming in. You still have a few weeks to get your blocks together for a chance at the June prize! :)

The Fabric Enabler

2013-06-07T20:43:00.002-07:00

Oh gosh!! This post was meant to go up this morning...apparently I have forgotten that today is Friday. :) So here's my quick drive-by...

Pink Castle Fabrics - Has actually just opened a brick-and-mortar shop! If you're in Michigan, make sure you stop by! Brand new mark-downs in the Sale Section. Also, spend $50 and get an additional 10% off by using coupon code FIFTY10

Southern Fabric - Father's Day Sale going on until June 16th. 20%-40% Off Yardage and Precuts. Sale fabrics include Vintage Modern, Salt Air, and Ticklish. Take an additional 10% Off Store Wide, Coupon Code: fathers10 . New in the shop is Baby Jane and Happy Go Lucky.

Stash Modern Fabric - Save 10% on all bundles now through Monday! A couple new original bundles just added. As always, use code SHIPFREE50 on orders over $50 to receive free shipping on orders shipping to the US.

Fat Quarter Shop - 20% off ALL Sewline products! Stock up on fabric marking tools and erasers! 20% off Riley Blake Chevron until June 30, 2013. Henry Glass Blowout, huge savings on 100+ fabrics!

City Sampler Sew Along: Blocks 4, 5, 6

2013-06-03T04:50:00.003-07:00

This post is part of the City Sampler Sew Along.

For more information or to see blocks completed so far, click here!

Kim - Hey y'all!!!! So excited to be part of the Tula Pink City Sampler QAL! I feel in love with Tula's quilt when I saw it at Quiltcon and was such a goof, I did not realize it was going to be a book! So when Sara was telling me about it I begged and pleaded for her to let me play to. Okay...maybe no begging but she did say YES!

This week we are doing blocks 4, 5 and 6. I have been seeing lots of people getting caught up into these beauties and are on block TWELVE ( Katherine)! They are very easy to complete and so that instant gratification is definitely there!

For my blocks, I have chosen a new line made by Pat Sloan called Bobbins and Bits. The colors are fantastic and there is a challenge for me in this collection. The "B" word and I am not talking budget ( I hate that word, especially when it has fabric in front of it). The word is batik. I have never used batiks. I never see people in my sewing groups using batiks and I am not sure that I had ever even seen a batik fabric up close...until now. I asked Pat if I could use her collection and she asked " All of them?" I said "YES!" So here I am with batiks...in a modern quilt... and I am excited!!!!!

I have a very short list of what I will wash before sewing. I will wash ALL flannel and anything RED! I am now adding batiks to that list. They have a different dying process and the fabric itself has a different feel to it. Not bad just different, kinda grown up man's freshly heavy starched shirt feel. I am also ironing all of my fabrics for this project with starch. With all the smaller pieces I find it helps to keep everything where it should be...like a good foundation garment ;o)

I am using Aurifil 50wt thread. I have the same cone that has been on my machine for months and has traveled to see Laurie Tigner to quilt two quilts and it still has more thread than I think I can ever use,LOL! The 50wt is so thin it helps everything stay nice and flat! Gotta love that!

I selected from my fabrics a collection of colors for those three blocks, for every group of three there will be the same color scheme. I figure that will give me a nice variety to play with when I have completed all 100!!!!

When I was cutting, I did not want to lose small pieces so I clipped them to the page when cutting the next group. This girl needs all the help she can get!

I also found that when sewing the smaller pieces together there were some slight differences in the sizes, so I pinned the ends and let the bulkier side or the side with the most fabric be on the underside.

When I sew, I make sure this side is facing down and the feed dogs help straighten the "issues" all out...GOOD DOGS!

Block 4

Block 5

Block 6

Hope you are all enjoying this as much as I am!!!!

and a BIG SHOUT OUT to my cousin Karen...she is making her FIRST EVER pieced quilt and I am SUPER HAPPY for her!!!!! GOOOOOOOOOOO KAREN!!!!!

-Kim
My Go-Go Life

Gina - Hey there! Block #4 was a lot of fun to sew together even though it may have taken me twice as long as the rest so far. I am kind of obsessed with this light violet purple color and I couldn't help but use the same fussy cut Parisville ship that Tula uses in the book. I actually cheated a little bit and used 4 prints instead of 5 by fussy cutting the same loopy print up in 2 different spots to get the color I wanted. Tula mentions at the beginning of her book that she intentionally named the blocks with numbers only so that we could infuse our own meaning into them. I named this one my Stormy Seablock, but mostly my blocks' main meaning has been "favorites". Even though we are only 4 blocks in I will declare this my current favorite and would love to stop everything and make a quilt using these colors only right now, but Block #5-100 await.

Block 4

Block 5

Block #5 is my Bee Block. It is actually a Prince Charming hex box and The Birds & the Bees, but they go so perfectly together! I just got stung by a wasp on my hand moving some patio furniture around this
week so it is only fitting I sew a badge of honor for running like the wind within seconds and only crying 1 tear. The fabrics I chose were definitely darker than the book, but I know once I am laying all of my
blocks out it will either be perfect or I can move it to another spot. The Echino linen solid I used with it may be the darkest yellow I use in the quilt. I am not completely opposed to repeating fabric within
the quilt, but I have been trying to find the perfect fabric for the perfect shade which means for the most part each fabric will only be used once in the quilt.

Block 6

Block #6; I don't know whether the woodgrain or the gingham came first, but they had to be used together and it was immediately named the Picnic Block. Ladybugs are totally welcome at my picnics any time! It
was nice how quickly this 12 piece block came together compared to the 21 piece block earlier. It seems like only choosing 3 fabrics that match is a lot quicker than 5 too. I spent the extra time I had this week picking out fabric for future blocks. I still haven't found a suitable bin for keeping my finished blocks in so I would love for you to share photos in the Flickr group of how you are staying organized. Thanks to everyone who has been posting pictures of their finished blocks. It is amazing to see the variety!

-Gina
Gina Pina

Sara - I am so excited to be moving along and getting some more of a variety of color in my blocks (my first set of blocks were blue and pink)!

Block 5

Block 5 was one of the easiest in the first section of the book. It's funny but while I was assembling this, I felt okay with the colors I had chosen for this orange block, but after seeing the photos, I wish that the 'background' fabric had been a different shade. It doesn't stand out as much as I'd like.

Here's a little tip...when I made the orange block, I drew a horizontal line across those long vertical strips in the middle, so I could line up the left-half of the block. In the photo above, I've moved my ruler down just a little bit, so you can see what part of the block that I am marking with my pen.

Clearly I did not take my own advice when I made Block 6, the yellow block. It looks a little wonky. But I know that, as 6" blocks, no one is going to be able to tell in my finished quilt. So I'm just going to leave this one be.

Block 6

And here are my first 6 blocks! If you have a little set of blocks assembled already, doesn't it make you super excited to start to see a formation going already?!


Blocks 1-6

-Sara
Sew Sweetness

So, if you are sewing along at home, be sure to link up ONLY blocks 4, 5, and 6 in this post (you will have time to link up your other blocks in future posts). Please link up separately for each block. As a reminder, you can link to your blog post, Flickr, or wherever else you are hosting your pictures. You must link up here on this post in order to be eligible for the monthy prize, to be awarded on June 30th!

The Fabric Enabler

2013-05-31T04:00:00.000-07:00

Hi folks! I'm back to share some sales. I failed miserably at keeping my fabric money in my pocket this week ::hangs head::. Oh well, this clearly is not a fabric diet post. ;-)

I Don't Do Dishes - There is an anniversary coupon for 15% off is good through the end of May, using code "ONEYEAR" at checkout.

Pink Castle Fabrics - In honor of the end of the month, we're holding a bundle sale. Take 25% off all our precuts and bundle this weekend by using the code BUNDLE25. As always, there's a super selection - from hand-picked blogger bundles to precuts from a bunch of lines to fun scrap packs and fat eighth bundles.

Southern Fabric - Memorial Day Sale 20% and 30% Off Yardage and Precuts. Good until 5/31. For an 10% Off all Non-Sale items use Coupon Code: memorial10. New in the shop is Salt Air by Cosmo Cricket, Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie and Camille, and Flats by Angela Yosten.

Stash Modern Fabric - Now through June 7th, 20% off all organic and imported fabric in the shop. Anna Maria Horner's 'Field Study' linens, Heather Ross, Melody Miller, and Rashida Coleman-Hale available...just to name a few! No coupon necessary! Free shipping on orders over $50 with code SHIPFREE50.

Fat Quarter Shop - 50% off Ombre Dots by Riley Blake Designs, 20% off Aurifil Thread, 10% off Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt, and 20% off Cotton Couture Solids by Michael Miller Fabrics.

Book Review and Giveaway from the Author Herself!!

2013-05-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

I made this pillow for my mom as a (late) Mother's Day present, and the project is from Aimee Ray's new book, Doodle Stitching: Embroidery and Beyond, which is already a #1 best seller on Amazon!

The original project was for framed artwork, but for some reason the idea of a pillow called me on this one. I worked on this the entire time I was in Portland for Quilt Market: on the plane, when I woke up in the morning, and at night before I went to bed. I also had to stitch a couple nights when I got home. Because the pattern also calls for a lot of overcast stitching and satin stitching, it took some extra time. It probably doesn't look like I spent too too much time on it, but I definitely did. :) And hopefully it was worth it!

I didn't find anything incredibly difficult about the pattern. I decided to substitute white buttons with handwritten names for the family tree, instead of fabric circles stitched with names, as directed in the pattern. I would give you a good reason for why, but pretty much it was just laziness. ;-) My favorite part of the pillow is the pink flower on the left-hand edge...it has satin stitching on the pink petals, the orange circle in the middle is an overcast stitch, and the yellow in the center is a couching stitch.

I just so love the variety of stitches in this project, I feel like they give the embroidered piece a ton of interest.

I used Kona white for my embroidery background, and to that I fused a piece of Pellon SF-101 Shape Flex, in order to give it some stability while I was stitching. I decided to back my pillow with a bit of Heather Bailey that I've never decided what to do with.

So you've seen my project, now I'd like to tell you a little bit more about what I thought of this book!

This book contains 22 projects, which will extend your knowledge past your basic embroidery stitches. There are 5 chapters in the book, and each teaches stitches or techniques that might be new to you, if you've only done simple embroidery in the past: Cross Stitch, Applique and Color (hand coloring your base fabrics), Redwork and Crewel, Sashiko and Shisha, and Cutwork and Stumpwork. If you are new to embroidery to start with, the book also has a section in the back with photographs and illustrations of how to make the basic embroidery stitches (backstitch, stem stitch, etc.). I liked that these stitches were still shown, because I've only made a few embroidery projects ever, and so I needed the refresher course.

All of these technique chapters were brand new to me, so I had a lot to learn, but nothing was too difficult that it wouldn't be within reach of someone new to embroidery. I did not feel overwhelmed at all when I looked at any of the projects.

Above is a photo of the Crewel Family Tree project that I made, so you can see how the author originally intended it. Before I began, I had to make a trip to the copy store to enlarge my template (as I put it on an 18" pillow, you can see that it was quite large). As far as I could tell, all of the templates needed enlarging, and it looked like a lot of them couldn't be done on the home printer (unless your printer can deal with paper larger than 8" x 10"). It only cost me 18 cents to have my template enlarged at Office Max, so I was okay with that. Each project shows a photograph of the finished item, detailed written instructions, an illustrated color template with all of the stitches shown, and the black and white template for printing.

These navy blue placemats, done in Sashiko, were another of my favorite projects from the book. To quote from the book, "Sashiko is an ancient form of embroidery from Japan. Traditionally it was used as a functional form of stitching to repair tears or worn spots on fabric. Now it is often used for decoration...usually geometric - stitched entirely in white thread on indigo fabric." These placemats were made using a running stitch.

This purple pillow was my daughter's favorite; she always flipped open to this page while I was working on my project. The Fancy Feathers Throw Pillow is made using Cutwork, which is where windows are cut into the fabric and the stitches are all along that cut out area. As you can see, the main fabric is purple and fabric underneath the cutwork is a pale green. This pattern calls for a lot of satin stitches and overcast stitches, which I think are my favorite out of all the embroidery I've tried. I definitely have this pillow on my list of must-makes.

In conclusion, this book (along with Aimee Ray's previous 2 books) are definitely must haves! I can't say enough good things about it. The photographs are beautiful, all of the projects are within reach, and they are all something fun you can do while watching tv at night (alas, whereas sewing, I have a hard time paying attention to what I am watching, lol). Go get it!! It's less than $8. A right bargain.

And guess what?!? I am giving away the ACTUAL Fancy Feathers Throw Pillow from the book. Yes, Aimee Ray made this one herself, and this was the actual project that was photographed from the book. Isn't that neat?! For the giveaway, one lucky winner will receive a copy of "Doodle Stitching: Embroidery and Beyond" in addition to the Fancy Feathers Throw Pillow.

Want a chance to win?? Click on the link below to take you to the entry page. The giveaway will be open until Friday, May 31st at 7pm CT. Good luck!!

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is #103 stitchingandbacon.

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway!

City Sampler Quilt Along: Blocks 1, 2, and 3

2013-05-27T05:37:00.001-07:00

This post is part of the City Sampler Sew Along.

For more information or to see blocks completed so far, click here!

Julie - Hey everyone!! I’m excited to share blocks 1-3 of the #tula100 quilt a long with you.

I started by getting my supplies together. Since all the blocks are 6 ½” unfinished I pulled out my 8 ½” square ruler. I find it easier to cut all the small pieces with this ruler vs. my standard 6” x 24” one. I also grabbed a pen to write notes.

I’m going to piece my blocks with Tula Pink’s Auriful thread collection.

It has 10 variegated threads along with a light grey and a medium grey. They are a perfect combination of the color spectrum for my fabric selections.

I am going to dig into my treasured Tula Pink stash for this quilt. My plan is to use some fabric from each of her 12 fabric lines.

These are the fabrics I pulled for block #1. They are Neptune, The Birds & The Bees, Prince Charming, & Neptune.

My Block 1 & Tula’s Block 1. I used the same color family, without using the exact fabrics she used.

These are the fabrics I pulled for block #2. They are Nest, The Birds & The Bees, The Birds & The Bees, The Birds & The Bees & Prince Charming.

My Block 2 & Tula’s Block 2. Again using a similar color family shown in the book.

These are the fabrics I pulled for block #3. They are Full Moon Forest, Parisville, Nightshade, Nightshade & The Birds & The Bees.

My Block 3 & Tula’s Block 3. I went with more purples here than reds because of what I had in my stash.

I cut all the fabrics for the 3 blocks and worked on them at the same time. With 6” finished blocks it is very important to cut the pieces accurately. A consistent ¼” is key too. I have a ¼” foot and did a few test pieces first to make sure everything was aligned. Some of the pieces in blocks 2 & 3 finish at just ½” wide. I chain pieced sections, pressed my seams open, and placed them back on my cutting mat so that I didn’t mess up my fabric placement.

Block 1

Block 2

Block 3

I’m not sure which layout I’ll end up doing. For now I’m just enjoying the process of making a few small blocks at a time!

-Julie
www.jaybirdquilts.com

Emily - I am so excited to have finally gotten started on my blocks. Honestly I could hardly wait! I'm still waiting on the arrival of my Acadia fabric so I decided to pull scraps from my stash to start my blocks. I planned on throwing in other fabrics anyway so the blocks will blend right in with the others. I used at least one print from some of Tula's previous collections in each block.

After cutting out the pieces for each block (like Sara suggested) I decided to check my 1/4" seam allowance before I started sewing. I don't have a fancy schmancy machine that you can just program- nor do I have a 1/4" foot. So I did a quick test using this tutorial http://sewmamasew.com/blog2/2010/04/quilting-basics-the-quarter-inch-seam-pressing-techniques/

I find it is absolutely necessary to have a perfect seam allowance when doing these blocks. With all the little pieces these blocks can get out of hand quickly.

Once my seam was set I started sewing. It took less that 15 min. to sew each block and I love the results! I don't want to get too ahead of myself before my fabric shows up but I'd be lying if i told you i hadn't already sewn blocks 4,5 and 6. :o)

For more info on how I'm planning my final quilt layout visit my blog: crazyoldladiesquilts.blogspot.com

HAPPY SEWING!

-Emily

http://crazyoldladiesquilts.blogspot.com/

Gina -

Hey sewists! I hope you are ready to start sewing your blocks together or are busy cutting away! I have been sneaking in most of my sewing these days late at night. For me it is best to cut fabric in the day when I have plenty of light, but at night it is easy to put your pieces together here and there as you have time. I also have been chain piecing my blocks together when possible, to save time. Tula does a great job of laying out in her illustration the easiest order to put your blocks together. If you look closely you can notice the illustration kind of 'breaks apart' at certain points. These are her construction suggestions. I found I like having the book out and open right in front of me to make sure I am getting the layout right. It may be a good idea to lay out the entire block before sewing it to make sure it is right, especially if you have fussy cut pieces. I myself have been trying not to handle the little pieces too much so that the edges don't fray.

This is an example of how I like to "chain cut" my block pieces. I spray starch and iron pieces bigger than the piece I need to cut. Then I clean the edges to the precise measurement, flip and clean the edge again and then cut the exact measurement again using a grid ruler. Some people do not like to starch, I say try it and see for yourself. After the initial starching I never starch it again. I want to stress always iron your fabric before you cut it, not after.

Here are my first three blocks! So far they have been quick blocks to put together. I like to have an ironing board right next to me while I am at the machine to make assembly even quicker. A squirt bottle with
water is great for steaming without having to fill up the iron a lot. I press after each seam, but I typically do not press my seams open. Every now and then if there is a bulky seam I will press it open, but for the most part that is not for me. I am not going to worry about cleaning up the sides of my blocks until I get closer to sewing them all together. I have a 6.5" grid ruler that I can use to true them up.

I actually did not end up completely in love with my Block #3. I decided I should make one that I love a lot. I could have saved myself some time by laying it all out before sewing it together and double checking how I felt, but sometimes it is better to just jump in and try something and decide later when you are done how you feel. I am so glad I made a second block because the new version i LOVE! This Lazy Stripe from the Birds & Bees collection is one of my favorite prints and I love to highlight how it radiates out from the center. I added a dark orange shot cotton, Persimmon instead of the wine Kona that was there before. The dark orange wasn't nearly as dark and so the contrast isn't as high, but still passable.

This is an example of how I like to look at fabrics. I always step back and give fabrics "the 10 foot rule" that is, "how does this look from 10 feet away? Do I still see the shape and or the color I am going for?" I like to take my glasses off and look at fabric. You may not have the benefit of needing glasses, but taking a picture and looking at the small version gives the same reducing effect. I also love to use iphones and cameras to take black & white photographs of fabric to show the value and contrast to each other. Tula does a lot of this work for you naturally in her book and I am so glad to have the color illustrations to follow along with. I already have my little pile of next week's blocks ready to sew and I can't wait to see the new blocks everyone is coming up with!

Gina
http://www.ginapina.com

So, if you are sewing along at home, be sure to link up ONLY blocks 1, 2, and 3 in this post (you will have time to link up your other blocks in future posts). Please link up separately for each block. As a reminder, you can link to your blog post, Flickr, or wherever else you are hosting your pictures. You must link up here on this post in order to be eligible for the monthy prize! The linky will be left open for 1 year (although the monthly prize for these blocks will be drawn on June 30, 2013).

The Fabric Enabler

2013-05-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Howdy! Here are some fabric sales for that money burning a hole in your pocket! It's been a little while since I've done a 'Fabric Enabler' post, but I'm back. I won't be buying any new fabric for awhile (or so I tell myself), so I need to live vicariously through you all.

Fat Quarter Shop - 50% off Marmalade Cottage by Robin Betterley for Wilmington Prints w/code MARMALADE at checkout. Ends Sunday.

20% off all Aurifil thread. Ends 5/31/2013!

20% off all Cotton Couture by Michael Miller Fabrics! Ends 5/31/2013!

I Don't Do Dishes - There is an anniversary coupon for 15% off is good through the end of May, using code "ONEYEAR" at checkout. Also, Simple Marks Summer is on sale for $7.50/yd, and there are new things in the clearance section! The coupon is good on top of sale prices!!

LiMa Sews - The Memorial Day sale is Friday 5/24 through Tuesday 5/28. Everything is 20% off with the coupon code MDAY2013.

Pink Castle Fabrics - There is a 'Skinny Bolt' sale this weekend (along with all the other markdowns that are already in the Sale Section). Anything in the shop under 5 yards is 30% off with the coupon code SKINNY30. The link will update, so as bolts from the shop hit under 5 yards, more things will be added. Also new this week (and not part of the sale) is Bijoux, Just Color, Bonjour Mon Ami, Bake Sale, Village Green.

Southern Fabric - Memorial Day Sale 20% and 30% Off Yardage and Precuts. For an additional 10% Off all Non-Sale items Use Coupon Code: memorial10. New in the shop is Happy Go Lucky Yardage by Bonnie and Camille.

Stash Modern Fabric - Now through Memorial Day, save 20% on all Moda fabric in the shop including Bella Solids and brand new collections like Comma, PB&J and yes, Happy Go Lucky. Make sure to check out the clearance section too! Many prints are only $5/yard! Also, free US shipping over $50 with code "SHIPFREE50"

Westwood Acres - The semi-annual sale will be going on, Friday through Monday. So many bundles on sale, including Glimma, Shelburne Falls, Mixteca, Color Me Retro, rainbow basics, black and white, and more! You can find all the sale items in the sale section of the shop, already marked down!

Happy shopping!

A New Development

2013-05-23T20:06:00.000-07:00

Going to Quilt Market last week was a blast. I don't mean that in a snarky way at all, for those of you that weren't there. But any time I go to Market, crazy things usually happen. This time was no different.

I stole my friend's Instagram picture. Sorry.

I went and got my Schoolhouse for Pellon out of the way the first day. The remaining two days I walked around by myself, taking pictures and visiting with certain folks. Which sounds kind of sad, haha. Most of my friends were there to work. Which made me feel kind of guilty yet smug. "Oh, I think I'll just wake up and sit in bed watching SVU and working on this embroidery until I feel like getting dressed." That kind of thing.

My friend Kim always tells me that I am very unassuming and oblivious. She says that is what is charming about me. I'm not sure if that is a nice way to tell me that I'm a bit of an idiot. When I started up my pattern shop on January 31st of this year, I felt like I had a lot of ideas but I didn't know what to expect. I thought that if I sold maybe 10-20 patterns a month, that would be really awesome. I'm not exactly selling 10 patterns a month, so this is where the idiot part comes in.

When I went to Portland for Market, I had a lot of people that I didn't know ask me where my booth was. Or where they could buy my stuff to stock in their shop. Because I only sell make-believe things (pdf sewing patterns), I had nothing to offer them. I felt kind of weird and embarrassed but that's okay.

Then someone who definitely knows what she's doing took me to her print shop's booth and pointed me in the right direction. I never thought I would sell a printed pattern. My patterns have too many pages. And I don't have any money for that kind of thing. I was really surprised because the whole weekend, person after person told me that I could do it. And that I should do it.

So I got home from Portland and opened up one of my patterns. And you know what? When you reduce the font size, take out some of the photos (okay, so the step photo showing how to topstitch a strap technically isn't necessary; I'm sure you can read my instructions and figure that one out), my patterns actually enter the realm of printed possibility.

And well, I'm actually going to do it. I'm waiting for some price quotes to come back from the printers. And I'm actually thinking about having a booth at Market next spring. Crazy, I know. The pdf's aren't going away, ever! But hopefully having printed patterns out there in the world will help more people make some fun bags. :)

I have to say that the people that work in this sewing and quilting industry are some of the most kindhearted and generous people that you could ever meet. No one is shy about giving me a kick in the pants or offering me advice based on their past experience. I seriously appreciate anyone who's talked to me about this and made me feel like I can do it.

And I'm super happy that you all have liked my bag patterns enough to make me feel like I've done a good job and done the right thing by making them. So I just wanted to share this long-winded post with you because I feel like everyone who reads this blog has played a part in helping me along this awesome path. :)

2 Book Reviews on Printing Fabric

2013-05-23T17:28:00.000-07:00

I recently was asked to review two books; both of them were completely different, although both tackled the art of printing and dying fabric. I have only dyed fabric with procion dye (and you can read about my most recent adventure here), so I'm not terribly experienced in the subject. But, my friend Emily went to school for this stuff, so I knew she would be able to produce some good book reviews on the subject! Either of these would be great books if you are interested in becoming a fabric designer!

First up is Printing on Fabric by Jen Swearington, and then we will visit Embellish Me by Laurie Wisbrun. Take it away Emily!

Get your supplies prepared cause you are gonna want to print right away!

I LOVE this book! Printing on Fabric: Techniques with Screens, Stencils, Inks and Dyes goes into a lot of depth and gets specific about supplies and methods for printing on fabric. The images in the book are a mixture of photographs and drawn illustrations which just add to the charm. But don’t think this book is all about just pretty pictures. Jen Swearington knows her stuff and makes sure that she gives you ALL the information you need to be confident in trying out these techniques.

Cute doggie on her handprinted prize winning pet bed. :)

Swearington starts the book off with color theory, fabric types, ink and dye specs and even has a section on setting up your studio (believe me you wanna know about that!). From low tech stencil printing to more detailed prints and even repeats it is all covered here in a very approachable way. Her sense of humor really comes across in the intros to each chapter and even in some of the projects at the end of the book, I mean who doesn’t wanna make an pet bed with prize winning ribbons on it?

Thorough Setting up your studio instructions, what more could a girl want!

I would highly recommend that you get this book if you are interested in screen printing on fabric, even though I have screen printed before I will keep it on MY shelf as a great reference and refresher before I start a project.

Get ready for lots of techniques!

Embellish me: how to print, dye, and decorate your fabric is a book with a lot of techniques on how to make your fabric projects a little more special. Laurie Wisbrun’s book has four parts: 1. The Basics, 2. Techniques, 3. Going Pro, and 4. Resources. She sets about showing you the basics of embellishment starting with lists of tools and fabric know how followed by a very well written chapter on creating patterns. Some of the techniques that she covers include: screen printing, block printing, cyanotype, dyeing, bleaching, batik, and how to work with beads, fringe, lace and even embroidery.

Great explanation of making a repeating pattern. :)

Throughout the book Wisbrun interviews designers asking them about process, inspiration and advice they would give someone about starting a handmade business. I found the interviews to be interesting and I loved to hear what designers had to say while looking at beautiful images of their work. The book has a lot of inspiration images that really get you wanting to try some new techniques, but I found that not all techniques in the galleries were covered in the chapters. I found some of the technique directions to be a bit too brief and have too few pictures, only three embroidery stitches are covered and the galleries show many more stitches...not so empowering. If you are just starting out in the world of embellishment this book with expose you to a bunch of techniques so you can decide where to start embellishing your projects.

Inspiration page for embroidery...look at all that stitching!

Thanks so much for the great book reviews, Emily! :)

Quilt Market: Tula Pink

2013-05-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

I'm sure you've already seen a ton of things on the internet regarding last week's Quilt Market in Portland, but I just wanted to share a few photos that I took, so I thought I'd start with Tula Pink's booth. I got the most photos of her booth than anyone else's, so it seemed like a good place to start.

I got in a bit late on Thursday afternoon, but I did make it in time to catch Tula's schoolhouse for Aurifil. She talked about her new threads and showed off some projects, all made with Aurifil. I've been holding off showing these bags since the end of March, but I can finally share with you...I made 2 bags for Tula's booth, from my Petrillo Bag sewing pattern and my Aeroplane Bag sewing pattern.

Here are a couple of shots I took before I sent them off:

She had a lot of other great things in her booth besides the bags, including these great pillows made with a free tutorial that she wrote called Pineapple Slices.

That super great quilt with the darker green background is an English paper piecing kit that will be available from Free Spirit Fabrics very soon. It includes all of the pre-cut fabrics and paper pieces needed to make the quilt. Amazing!!

I know they seem really simple, but I totally loved these flowers...they were amazing. And Tula sold about 300 signed copies of her new book that weekend...do you have one? Make sure you join in on the sew along!

Here's a rack full of wonderful...you can see the box on the 2nd to top shelf, that's the EPP kit I just mentioned. And look at all the wonderful ribbons, thread, and pillows!

Tula also has some new Renaissance Ribbons coming out next month, called the 'Classics' series. It includes ribbons from past lines including the owls (but of course), squirrels, and ladybugs. Look how beautiful!!

This new fabric line is called 'Acacia' and will be out in quilt shops this September.

Below is a shot of some of Tula's stuff in the Free Spirit booth. The quilt on the right is called 'Science Fair' by Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts. Julie has a whole plethora of beautiful patterns, and you definitely need one in your hands!! I also recognize that dress from Alexia's Liberty Love book, which I have and it is amazing!

This is one of my favorite photos from Market...probably my top 3. Me and Tula. Holy moly. :)

And that's Tula, her mom, and Angela Walters, who long arms all of Tula's quilts. Tula's mom, Kathy, seriously has a rocking wardrobe...she had these awesome spiky sneakers and a leather jacket. I was like...wow, I wish I was that cool.

And here is the magnificent butterfly quilt...this will be a quilt pattern available very soon! I saw it far away at first, but when you get close up, it's really an awesome sampler quilt in and of itself. I cannot even imagine the thought process that went into coming up with a pattern like this.

So, that's my look back at Tula Pink's booth. I don't know if you can tell or not by the writing on this blog post; usually I have my thoughts a little bit more together, but looking at these photos again makes me sort of hyperventilate. So sorry. :)

City Sampler Sew Along: Choosing Your Fabric

2013-05-20T04:59:00.000-07:00

This post is part of the City Sampler Sew Along.

For more information or to see blocks completed so far, click here!

Welcome to the pre-sewing post of the sew along for Tula Pink's new book, City Sampler: 100 Modern Quilt Blocks. It's already a top pick on Amazon, so hope you've picked up your copy (and if not, there's still plenty of time!).

Me with other sew along hosts Emily Herrick and Julie Herman, at Quilt Market. Kim and Gina were working!

Besides me, there are 5 other hosts for the event. I felt like we would be able to collectively offer more inspiration and help to everyone sewing along at home, especially those new to quilting, if we came together as a group. Today, we'll all be sharing our fabric choices with you!

Sara - I decided to use solids for my City Sampler quilt (I saw these textured solids at Quilt Market and they are pretty freaking amazing, if you're looking to do yours in solids). I talked to Tula when I first got my copy of the book, and she suggested choosing groupings of fabrics that have a lot of contrast in them. For example, if you decided to make some of your blocks in various blue prints, don't choose all of your blues to be similar shades. Make sure you have a good range of lights, medium tones, and darks. That way, when you start assembling your blocks, the features of each one will stand out.

It's not stated in the book, but Tula also suggested that, if you are assembling fabrics to make your quilt, that approximately 5 yards will make all 100 blocks. So, for instance, if you're looking to make your quilt out of all Tula fabrics, then you might take a look at i Heart Tula Pink, where you can find all the current lines and also a lot of hard-to-find fabrics as well! There's a City Sampler Starter Kit for your convenience!

Going along with choosing fabrics, I'd also like to recommend figuring out a good way to organize your cutting and finished blocks while you work. We'll be sewing these for the rest of the year, so you don't want to misplace anything! Some folks in the Flickr Group suggested sticking the finished blocks in your book where the appropriate block's template is. I've been cutting the fabric for my blocks out about 10 at a time (because it seems time consuming to cut out 1 block and then sew it, etc.). I have them in zip-lock bags with numbers on them, so when I'm ready to sew I can just whip through them. After the blocks have been finished, I put a piece of masking tap on the back with the block number. That way there's no forgetting which is which, in case I get a little bit ahead.

Julie from Jaybird Quilts is dipping into her stash of Tula Pink fabrics. She is using fabrics from every line that Tula has ever put out, and from the looks of it, she's got them all!

Emily from Crazy Old Ladies is borrowing Julie's photo; she's using Tula Pink's line that will be out later this year, called Acacia. That color palette is seriously stunning!! I have to sidebar that Emily's new line, Technicolor is out in June, which is just about now, and it's pretty amazeballs. In case you want to use that on your City Sampler quilt.

Kim from My Go-Go Life is using Bobbins and Bits, Pat Sloan's new fabric line for Moda. This line looks great, and the grays are particularly amazing!

Gina from Gina Pina : Hey there. Gina Pina here. I am so excited about making my own City Sampler! I have been in love with this quilt ever since I saw it at QuiltCon. I kinda have a thing for rainbows.. and Tula Pink fabric. I have decided I want to do the cover quilt rainbow version Gridlock. It really is too yummy to pass up and I can't wait until I have my own to snuggle with. At first I was thinking it would look really cool to dig into my Echino stash and pair it with other Japanese fabrics, but as I was sewing the blocks the little voice inside of me was screaming "for the love of Tula, woman! Use your Tula stash!" So I pulled ALL of my Tula Pink fabric out of the shelves and threw it all on my cutting table; new stuff, old stuff, hoarded Neptune fat quarters, OOP jelly roll strips from the Quilt Shoppe, everything. I painstakingly sorted through all of it and put it in color order and shoved it back onto the shelves. Having it all in color order will definitely help with pulling fabrics for blocks later. Now if only I could do that to the rest of my stash! If your stash and scraps are already organized you will have a fun and easy time pulling fabric for your blocks.

Instead of spending more time sorting fabric I have been buying up cute rainbow bundles in solids, shot cottons and tonal prints to supplement my Tula stash. I feel pretty set, but I know there will be a few secondary colors that I will be lacking in (looking at you, Orange). I think a Fat Eight (9"x22") piece of fabric is plenty for most of the blocks and is the perfect size for bundles since you can sample a lot of fabrics for less. Another way to get a good Fat Eight bundle is to split a Fat Quarter bundle with a friend! I always like to starch and iron my fabrics before I cut my pieces. I am not a fabric pre-washer, but I do feel a good steam and starch will help set the fabric and always makes it easier to sew and less likely to fray while handling. I will talk more about my fabric preparations and cutting when we get to sewing blocks.

After all of my pieces for 1 block have been cut I have been sticking them into little snack size baggies with a Block # label. This way I can cut a lot of blocks at one time during prime cutting time and then have all the blocks ready to sew as I can get to them. Thanks to Jenny WC in KC for that one. I made a few copies of the Gridlock layout so that I could scribble and mark them up without ruining the pictures in the book. I also numbered one to show where the block falls on the finished quilt. This has helped me a lot when I am choosing fabric. I am making each block the same color as Tula uses in the book, but I still like to refer to the finished quilt picture a lot to know exactly which shade I should be making. Another copy I have been using to mark the blocks as I finish them. I have been keeping my book and blocks for now in a giant laminate pouch from Form and Fabric. I am on the lookout for a little box or bin to keep my finished blocks safe. I am really excited to see this quilt come together. As much as I love the speed of chain piecing, this quilt has so many opportunities for playing with fabric color and contrast and highlighting favorites. I can't wait to see all of the different versions that everyone will come up with!

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Hopefully this has helped get your creative juices flowing, if you haven't already chosen your fabrics! If you are new to quilting, you don't need any specialty rulers to sew along. Tula told me that she created this book so that it would be accessible to all quilting levels, even for newbies. So don't be shy if you've never made a quilt before. I would just recommend a cutting mat (I use a 12" x 18", which my friends laugh at me for because it's small, but it does the trick), rotary cutter, and a ruler.

Just a reminder, if you're posting any block photos to instagram, don't forget to tag them #tula100

We'll see you here next Monday for the start of blocks 1, 2, and 3!

Handmade Clothing Explosion

2013-05-15T06:32:00.000-07:00

Hi guys! I feel like I've been half awake this past week; my kids have been sick (then I got sick), and in a rush I was also trying to finish up some outfits to wear to Quilt Market this weekend. I've been busy sewing things for a couple of booths for Market, so I asked myself 'do I really feel like making new clothes' and I told myself 'screw that, just wear what you have.' That was indeed the plan, but I dreamt of a couple of my new outfits in my sleep, and when that happens, I know better than to question it and just sew.

So, here are the outfits that I made, all in one post.

On Friday, I made this bright yellow large-text print top, from fabric that I got from Pink Castle Fabrics last year. I originally bought 6 yards of it to make a Vogue dress, but the Vogue dress was a bit fancy and I probably would have worn it once (and felt vastly overdressed wearing it). So I decided to make a peplum top instead. The bodice is from my all-time favorite sewing pattern, the Serendipity Studio Monique Dress. When I told Kay, Serendipity genius, that I was possibly making another Monique, she asked didn't I have a closet of them already? And yes, yes I do. However, I changed it up a little bit this time by adding a circle skirt, and a short circle skirt at that. I made this to wear over jeans. I'm terribly happy with how it came out. And I love the fact that I will be able to wear pants to Market (seriously tired of freezing my bum off).

Second up is a top that I made, also from a Serendipity Studio pattern. This is the Paige Dress. The bodice piece is actually drafted from your own measurements, with help from the pattern instructions, so this really is a perfect fit. I made another top, but that was because the amount of fabric that I had restrained me to making a top instead of a dress. I had eight half-yards of Tula Pink voile from 'The Birds and the Bees' line that I originally bought to make infinity scarves with. I cut strips from the fabric, to use for my top, and I set aside enough so that I will still be able to make those scarves when I get back. Because the voile is very thin, I French-seamed the strips together instead of serging them. I really like how this one came out. It's very comfortable to wear because of the elastic under the bust, and I love the side tie.

And last but not least, I made a second peplum top. This one is from fabric that I got from Fabric Shack a couple weeks ago. It's from Benartex, which I don't think I've ever owned fabric from before, and the designer is Greta Lynn. I sort of stumbled upon this fabric, and I'm super happy that I did. It was just one of those gems that you didn't know that you needed so desperately. There's only a little bit of red in the fabric, but I thought they'd somehow be perfect with red pants. I dunno.

I'm also bringing this dress along that I made last year. It's my favorite fabric of all time (and it's getting reprinted this summer!!). I'm doing a Schoolhouse talk for Pellon this year at Quilt Market. I'm a tiny bit nervous, as I always am when I have to talk in front of people, so I thought the dress would give me a little bit of confidence. :) I'm talking about bag interfacing, and I get to show some of the bags that will be in my book (out in November) and mention the interfacing that I use in each (because they're always different).

I also wanted to tell you about these clothing reference cards from Gwyn Hug. These are laminated cards (or eBooks for your smart phone, etc.) that help you decide how much fabric to buy when you don't have a specific clothing project in mind, but really want to buy the fabric. The cards are available for women's clothing, plus sizes, men's clothing, babies, and childrens. The cards show different articles of clothing (skirt, dress, etc.) and give you the recommendation based on an average of thousands of commercial sewing patterns. I thought this was a cool thing to carry around in my purse! Pop on over here for more information!

Well that's it! I fly out tomorrow morning, so I'll be sure to take lots of pictures for those of you at home! Anything special you are looking forward to seeing from the booths?

Greenbacks Wallet Trio

2013-05-08T04:00:00.000-07:00

I have been really looking forward to introducing you to this wallet pattern! Meet the Greenbacks Wallet Trio! This pattern is available right now via instant download in my pattern shop! There are 3 separate wallet instructions within the same pattern. At 3 different skill levels, you will get to build on different techniques, or choose your favorite wallet and start with that!

I made these wallets using 'Acacia', a fabric line by Tula Pink that is coming out later this year. As with any Tula Pink fabric, the colors are so rich and saturated, and of course features Tula's signature artwork (yes, I know it's fabric, but I consider each piece a work of art!). The raccoon print was just perfect for fussy-cutting on the small area of the wallets!

Wallet #1 - Confident beginner

Wallet #1 features 4 credit card slots on the front, and a back zippered enclosure, which is great for holding your cash and credit cards. Grab and go convenience!

Finished Size: 4” x 5”

Supplies

fat quarter of exterior fabric (or make it scrappy with 8 pieces, each at least 6” x 6”)

6” x 8” piece of lining fabric

1/4 yard of Pellon® SF-101 Shape Flex® fusible woven interfacing (or lightweight fusible interfacing)

1/4 yard of Pellon #987F Fusible Fleece

6” zipper

Wallet #2 - Intermediate

Wallet #2 is a great carry-all wallet with a wrist strap and front closure. If you flip the wallet over to the back, there is a handy pocket secured in place with a snap that will fit many cell phone sizes. Open the wallet up, and inside is a divider space with room for credit cards on one half, and cash and receipts on the other half.

Finished Size: 5” x 7”

Supplies

1/4 yard of exterior fabric

1/4 yard of lining fabric

1 yard of Pellon® SF-101 Shape Flex® fusible woven interfacing (or lightweight fusible interfacing)

17” x 12” piece of By Annie’s Soft and Stable™, available at local quilt shops or on-line

(Soft and Stable is a 1/8” thick, foam sew-in interfacing; one of my testers also recommends automotive headliner fabric in place of the Soft and Stable; you can also substitute a needled fleece fusible interfacing for the Soft and Stable, such as Pellon #TP971F Thermolam Plus fusible interfacing)

1/2” metal d-ring

1-1/2” long metal swivel clip

Two 3/4” squares of hook and loop closure (Velcro) OR two sets of snap fastener

Optional: Pellon Peltex #70 extra-heavy sew-in interfacing, 11” x 8” piece; I like my wallets to be extra-sturdy. If you’d like a softer wallet, feel free to omit the Peltex.

Wallet #3 - Advanced

Wallet #3 has a zip closure, and bias binding on the outer edges of the wallet. The showcase of this wallet is the accordion divider on the inside, which has a zippered pouch divider, and credit card and cash slots on each end. The wallet does not open flat, which will safely keep all your valuables contained inside. Hand sewing is involved to attach the binding to the edge of the wallet (I sewed my entire binding, front and back, by hand, although some areas are possible to sew on your machine). Very functional, and just as pretty on the inside as it is on the outside!

Finished Size: 8” x 4-1/2”

Supplies

fat quarter of exterior fabric

fat quarter of lining fabric

fat quarter of fabric for the accordion divider

fat quarter of fabric for the divider pockets

6 scraps of coordinating fabric, each at least 6” x 10”

1 yard of Pellon® SF-101 Shape Flex® fusible woven interfacing (or lightweight fusible interfacing)

18” x 10” piece of By Annie’s Soft and Stable™, available at local quilt shops or on-line

Optional: 1/4 yard of Pellon #70 Peltex sew-in extra heavy interfacing for added wallet stiffness

7” zipper

18” zipper

1 yard of double fold bias tape

I really hope you like these wallets as much as I do! I can't decide which one to use first!

Thank you once again to my testers! They put up with me in a big way this time, and I appreciate all their hard work! They have some pretty pretty wallets to show you!

Maria of Mia Creates made this beautiful polka dot version of Wallet #2. Maria said she used batting on the exterior of the wallet and fusible interfacing on the lining pieces. It's fantastic, and Maria already has requests from her friends to make more wallets. Woohoo! Read more about her wallet on her blog!

Anna from Charmed Liebling actually made both Wallet #2 and Wallet #3. Anna has a shop where she sells her handmade bags and accessories, and her work is super-professional! Anna used Decovil in her wallets, and while it is not readily available in the US, she says it is very lovely in a wallet! You can ready more about her tips on Decovil here. But back to her finished wallets, she used some gorgeous combinations and turned in professional work as always! That's her cat, Oscar, eyeing the birds on her wallet, lol.

Jenn made this sparkly Wallet #2 and it looks fabulous with all the greens and reds! Jenn said that she has an iPhone4S and it fits great in that back pocket (as you can see!). Awesome job Jenn!!

Samantha from At Home with Mrs. H made Wallet #3 with Cath Kidston fabric. So soft and pretty! Samantha is a super-talented bag sewing pattern writer as well..you can check out the patterns in her shop! Read the full review of her experience making the wallet here.

Leah of L3Designs made Wallet #1, and decided to make her wallet scrappy. Great work Leah, and love the red zip!

Jenny of Sincerely Jen wins the award for being the most fabulous tester this time around...she made ALL THREE wallets! And they all look as gorgeous and polished as they could possibly be! I bow down to you Jenny!!!

Liana made this gorgeous green and purple floral version of Wallet #2. I think it's freaking fantastic, and she said that her iPhone fit inside the back pocket perfect! Lovely work Liana!

Maire made Wallet #2 in a brilliant green and brown print! Besides the wallet being utterly fantastic, she appropriately staged her photoshoot so that her background matched her wallet! Love this!

Mhairi made Wallet #3! She made hers in a purple fairy print. I'm especially ecstatic with the fairy wallet because I know how hard Mhairi worked on that one! Super gorgeous!!

Michelle made Wallet #3 in a beautiful red and navy plaid. I love that the inside of the wallet looks so coordinated with all of the different fabrics!

DeeAnn made this pretty pink Wallet #2. She got creative and put a pen holder in the middle of her wallet lining, as you can see here! Love it and DeeAnn always has such wonderfully finished bags/wallets! :)

Susan of SB Stitching made Wallet #3. She used great cat novelty fabrics for her exterior and lining, and I love the hint of green polka dot on the divider pocket and the sides of the accordion divider as well! Susan used 1/2" bias tape on the edges of her wallet and reported that that worked out great!

Lisa of Six Munchkin Stitching made Wallet #3 in Anna Maria Horner fabrics. I love that she chose such bright lining fabrics, they compliment perfectly with the bright colors on the butterfly's wings! Wonderful job Lisa!!

Mhairi made Wallet #1 (more photos of the second wallet that she completed on the way!). Love the scrappy look of her wallet, and the bright purple zip on the back!

Donna made both Wallet #2 and Wallet #3! What a trooper! I like both of the fabrics she has chosen for the main fabrics, they are totally unique! Way to go Donna!

Mona made Wallet #2 in gorgeous Joel Dewberry fabrics. Her wallet looked so polished, and I especially loved the look of the inside, the dividers looked so exact! Wonderful work Mona!

Ellie made Wallet #1, and she use a brightly colored fabric paired with a coordinating zip. I love the fussy cutting on the credit card dividers!

Cindy of Raspberry Sunshine made Wallet #2, and she used some awesome Heather Bailey fabric. Cindy used automotive headliner fabric for her wallet, and quilted it to her fabric. The quilting makes it look so lovely! Beautiful work Cindy!

Cyndi from The Nosy Pepper made Wallet #3 in some eye-catching brights! She did a fantastic job and look how gorgeous her accordion divider looks on the inside! Woohoo!!

Annette made Wallet #2 with this brightly colored fabric. Great colors and an eye-catching wallet! Beautiful job Annette!!

Bernie made Wallet #2, and she reported that her iPhone fit perfectly (as you can see!). Great placement on the pocket, and she used a magnetic snap which I think looks terrific! Beautiful wallet Bernie!!

Thank you again so much to the pattern testers!! Hooray! If you liked what you saw, please visit my shop and pick up the Greenbacks Wallet Trio today!

My Projects in Stitch Magazine

2013-05-07T16:13:00.002-07:00

I was really excited when I came home from the post office yesterday and saw a box waiting by the front door. My initial reaction is always, "I don't remember ordering anything...did I?" It was my copy of Stitch magazine, their 'Stitch with Style' special issue!

You can find this magazine at your favorite fabric shop, or Pink Chalk Fabrics also carries it online. It's packed full with 43 projects, and a majority of them are for clothing and bags! Anna from Noodlehead also has a clutch in this issue...it's the grommet clutch with the red and gray fabrics, pictured below! The dress pattern on the cover of the magazine was designed by Gretchen of Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing, so I am in good company!

I submitted 3 bag sketches to Stitch, back in November I believe. I figured...well, better my chances at them choosing one. I submitted a sketch before, a long time ago, but they didn't pick it up, so I submitted them but didn't have high hopes about it. Imagine my surprise when I got an e-mail, not too long after I turned in my finished book, saying that all 3 projects had been picked up! I couldn't believe it!! It made quite an interesting Christmas and New Year's, since I think the deadline was January 4th and I had about 2-3 weeks to finish all 3 patterns, haha.

I actually found out later that Stitch has a color swatch for every call for submissions, and your fabric choices are supposed to closely follow that color swatch theme. I didn't know this at the time, but all 3 of my fabric choices somehow coincidentally followed the color scheme. I felt like a right idiot because when the editor, Amber Eden, called to discuss my projects, she asked me about my fabric choices and their color swatches, and I had no idea what the heck she was talking about. Oopsy.

So here are my projects! The first is the Strawberry Ann Grommet Bag. The grommets are on the flap, as well as the front and back of the bag, so the straps can thread through the entire bag, front to back. I used Melody Miller fabric for mine, and I chose my grommets to match the metallic text print overlay.

My next project was the Mod Convertible Bag. This bag is a tote, and as you can see from the photos below, the bag folds down into a small satchel. Really cute in these Thomas Knauer 'Asbury' fabrics! The handle is 1/2" cotton cording covered in fabric and knotted at both ends.

The last project is a bag that I made to use at Quilt Market last year. I used my most favorite Echino fabrics, and the Dresden templates were by Lynne of Lily's Quilts, from a sew along she ran forever ago. I got as far as cutting out about 60 Dresden plates and then I shelved it for some reason. I used some of those Dresdens to make my bag. It's a large bag and perfect for carrying around a lot!

The cost of the magazine at regular retail is $14.99, but I feel this is well worth it...if you're interested in at least 2 of the projects, I consider that a good investment. There are pattern pieces on an insert in the middle of the magazine for most of the projects, and the remaining pattern pieces you can download online (such as the cover dress). There's a Wiksten-style kimono dress in there, pajamas, childrens' clothing, hair accessories...and oh yeah, tons of bags. Did I mention the bags? :)

Thanks for letting me share this with you! I feel like such a kid about this stuff...did I really do that? Hmm...must be, it kinda looks like my name. But it's surreal.

Lilium Laptop Bag

2013-05-07T04:54:00.001-07:00

I haven't released a new sewing pattern in over a month. Yes, I checked, because it felt more like 6. Clearly I should not sew anything else, lol. Anyway, I am very very excited to introduce you to the Lilium Laptop Bag PDF sewing pattern, now available in my pattern shop!

This pattern will allow you to make a laptop bag in two popular sizes. The small bag is perfect for a 13” MacBook Pro or similar sized notebook computer and the larger bag is great for most wide-screen laptops. The bag is padded with 1/2” foam on the front, back, and bottom, for maximum protection of your electronic device. There is also an exterior and interior zippered pocket. The interior is also separated with a divider, so you have room for both your laptop and charger. What a great way to carry your laptop around in style!

Of course, if you have no need of a laptop bag and just want to use this as a cute purse, it's simple to omit the 1/2" foam and make a regular bag!

The pdf pattern includes 18 pages of sewing instructions, complete with 38 step-by-step color photos.

Finished Size: Small 13-1/2” x 10”

Large 17-1/2” x 11-1/2”

Supplies (the supplies needed in this list will make 1 bag, either the small or large bag)

1 yard of exterior fabric (allow extra for the large size bag for directional fabric)

1/4 yard or fat quarter for accents

1 yard of lining fabric

1 yard of fabric for divider pocket/lining pocket

1/2 yard of cheap fabric (will not be seen when bag is sewn together)

3 yards of Pellon® SF-101 Shape Flex® fusible woven interfacing (or lightweight fusible interfacing)

1/2 yard of By Annie’s Soft and Stable™, available at local quilt shops or on-line

1-1/2” metal rectangle and metal slider

3/4 yard of 1/2” foam (mine was 24” wide)

1/2” magnetic snap

Two 14” zippers (for small only)

Two 18” zippers (for large only)

Here's a view of the inside of the small bag...there's the 1/2" foam on the sides (and bottom). I don't have a small laptop, but you can see I staged the small laptop with the white box. There is the zippered divider pocket in the center of the lining, which is actually sewn into the lining fabric. I have my laptop charger on the other side of the divider, and that is followed by the handy pockets, which can hold smaller items like a cell phone, wallet, etc.

For the small version of the bag, I used 'microMod' fabric by Rob Bancroft/Green Bee Design for Cloud 9 Fabrics. The large version of the bag is Moda 'Bella' solid for the exterior. As always, I used Aurifil 40 wt thread to put the bags together.

I originally designed this bag for my friend Lisa, who wanted a laptop bag. In case you didn't know, Lisa longarmed the Best in Show and also the Viewer's Choice winning quilts at this year's QuiltCon. I sent Lisa one yard of solid fabric, and she longarmed it to a piece of Soft and Stable. Lisa is one of the most genius people that I know. Everyone on Instagram was crying when they found out I was going to cut her masterpiece up.

Lisa and me. Lisa taught some longarming classes at the Quilt Expo in Chicago in April 2013.

Lisa chose her lining fabrics...these are 'Asbury' by Thomas Knauer. There's the lovely zippered pocket on the back of the bag, shown below. My friend Kim calls this the 'Tiffany Bag'. lol.

As you can see, quite comfortable to carry, and there is an optional padded strap, because I know that laptops can be heavy.

I'm so happy to introduce you to the pattern testers' bags! They did such a fantastic job, and I'm excited about what they've accomplished here!

Laura from Quokka Quilts made this insanely good laptop bag from the Ghastlies fabrics. I just had to show you both the front and the back of her bag because she pieced those evil-looking ladies, and even accentuated it with a matching zip!

Tracy from I've Got A Notion made this awesome bag in really cool vintage-inspired sewing pattern fabric! She used Vilene H630 and a fusible heavyweight in place of the Soft and Stable, and omitted the foam to make a regular bag, not a laptop bag. You can read more about her experience with the pattern on her blog.

Peta made this beautiful golden version of the bag! Peta has a real flair for choosing fabrics and accessories to accent her bags, and this time is no different! Super polished look on this one Peta!!

Norma of Norma's Clay made this chocolate and turquoise bag, without the foam to make a regular bag as well. Norma also makes really beautiful clay accessories, you should check them out!

Kelie from Craft Nurse Quilt made this crazy amazing version in Tula Pink 'Salt Water' patchwork. And isn't her model adorable!! Seriously in love with this bag! You can read more about it on her blog here!

Mary made this beautiful large version of the bag using wool fabric, and she accented it with a black button. She said that her goal was to make a bag that was suitable for either gender. Fantastic looking bag, Mary!

Maria from Beautiful Blooms made this awesome bag in Patty Young fabrics. I think the dark flap really sets of the fabric print nicely! Maria says that the padding is more than adequate for keeping a laptop safe, and that she is using her bag to tote her iPad.

Emily from Half Square Triangle made this caramel-colored bag. She made this bag as a masculine gift, and I think it really fits the bill!

Athena of Mama of 4 Divas Designs made this fantastic bag with red accents and vertical stripes. Sometimes stripes can be tough to match up, but Athena pulled this one off with much success!!

Aylin of Aylin-Nilya made this crazy good texty fabric with a monochromatic print for her accents. I think it's a gorgeous bag and she pulled it off with such style! You can read more about her experience making this bag on her blog.

Robin of Crafty Musings made this beautiful dark teal bag with the cute cat fabric! Robin was super-detail oriented when testing the pattern, which I really appreciated! And what a beautiful bag!!

Cindy made this darling chicken bag...my gosh, I squealed just looking at it! She did a fantastic job with this clucker! :)

Nancy made this bright bag, and I feel kind of mesmerized by this fabric. I actually love the accent fabric, I think it cuts into the main print just enough but not too much! Fabulous bag again, Nancy and great job as always being a tester!!

Brenda made this darling jungle-themed bag. I think it's just perfect, and that animal print on the accents is just genius! Fabulous job Brenda!!

Natasha of Houseful of Nicholes made her bag out of this great modern graphic fabric. I really like that she added her label on the front of the bag, it looks extremely professional!

Maria made her bag out of 'Tsuru' by Rashida Coleman-Hale. It's so awesome, and I love the accent fabric that she chose...it really 'shoots out' from the corners of the bag! So awesome, this bag just rocks!

Teresa made this pretty pink floral bag, the small version of the pattern. She used automotive headliner fabric in place of the Soft and Stable and she said that she liked the firmness that it gave the bag. And it's a winner with the polka dot accents too!

Corrina of Another Thing Off the List is pretty much an all-star tester...she's made just about every bag I've come out with. Here she is with another winner, her bag done up in Rashida Coleman-Hale's 'Washi' fabric! It looks awesome, and love the printed accents too!

Thank you testers, thank you so much!! Thank you for catching my mistakes and producing such lovely things!! ::standing ovation:: Check out this pattern right now in my pattern shop!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

2013-05-06T06:46:00.002-07:00

This giveaway is now closed. The winners are #425 Liz - Moments, #324 Pippablue, #401 SpartanBabe, #156 Norma's Clay, and #238 The New Mrs.

Today, as part of Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day, I'm giving away a complete set of my PDF sewing patterns. I have 9 patterns up in my shop right now, and 2 more will be debuting this week...here's a little sneaky peak of the new ones. :) Check back right here tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday for the official pattern releases!

Greenbacks Wallet Trio - 3 different wallet patterns in one!

Lilium Laptop bag pattern, 2 different sizes!

Want to win a set of 11 patterns? I will choose 5 winners on May 10, 2013. Click the link below to take you to the entry page!

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway!

'Thesaurus' Aeroplane Bags

2013-05-02T19:28:00.000-07:00

I just finished up two Aeroplane Bags today. I had the huge pleasure of making these bags for Thomas Knauer using his new 'Thesaurus' line for Andover Fabrics. Andover has a lot of fresh, modern prints coming out this spring, including 'Full Moon Lagoon' by Mo Bedell and 'Field Day' by Alison Glass. I really like the direction that they are moving in.

Fat Quarter Shop will be carrying the whole Thesaurus line, due May 2013.

I originally had different plans for these fabrics, but once I had them in hand and saw that some of the prints were quite large in scale (Thomas said his favorite prints were the daisies and the alphabet, so I wanted to feature those for sure), they really needed to be made into Aeroplane Bags. If you're not familiar with the pattern, these are large travel bags in two different sizes (the long size can fit many sewing machines).

The colors of the fabrics were very saturated and bright, and they work really well together. When I pulled the fabric for the different parts of the bags (straps, bottom, etc.), I wasn't sure if I had made the right choices, but once I saw them in the completed bags, the fabrics are really stunning in these combinations. I'm going to be teaching some classes this year for this bag pattern, and it makes me happy to see the prints all pulled together here.

I can definitely see these fabrics made up into some cute childrens' clothing. I think a lot of Thomas's fabrics are great that way. They are bright and fun; the colorways make them great to be cut up into pieces for quilts, but I can just imagine a girl's dress in the pink daisies or a boy's vest in the alphabets.

I've been really disappointed in the way that Thomas has been treated by certain facets of the quilting world in recent months. If you follow his blog, I'm sure you've read some blog postings in which you can see he's felt frustrated and a lot more. Some of the backlash has come when people don't agree with what Thomas says. He has a lot of things to say about the action of 'making things'. I can't imagine a person that needs to stay put in the quilting community more. He is so willing to share his vast artistic knowledge, love for quilts, and kindness with others. I remembered missing his class on design at Sewing Summit and being so disappointed! But even if you've never met Thomas, I bet if you saw him on the street and stopped to ask him a question, he would be more than happy to share his ideas about quilting and design. I recall he visited his daughter's class once to show some of his quilts, and the instructors being horrified that the kids were playing on them. But quilts are supposed to be laid on! And bundled up in! And enjoyed! He sent my friend, Teresa, a boatload of his fabric to be used to make clothing for some needy orphans in Tam Ky. He really and legitimately cares about where sewing and quilting is headed.

When I first met Thomas, he was sitting on the floor hand-tying one of his quilts. He always has some sort of fabric on him, even if he is wearing a skirt made out of his fabric. Maybe I'm biased because he is always telling me how awesome I am (in my head I'm like, "Thomas, chill out; it's just a stupid bag"). I kid, but it's like somehow he could tell that I spent days choosing *just* the right fabric for that bag.

He just gets it.

His and Hers Micro-Mod Sew Along and GIVEAWAY!

2013-04-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm super-excited to be participating in the microMod Sew Along! The sew along features the microMod fabric designed by Rob Bancroft of Green Bee, for Cloud9 fabrics. For my project, I used the Tick Tock print in white, which was my absolute favorite one. It is very graphic and just my style, and I think the colors chosen for the print are very unique together...mustard yellow, berry purple, turquoise, navy blue, and grays. It's really gorgeous fabric! You can find it at Stash Modern Fabric!

Before I get into more detail with my project, here is some more info on the sew along!

The His and Hers Sew-Along is a sew along that anyone can participate in, and there are a TON of great projects to see! Join the Flickr Group to participate! I know I'm one of the last stops on the blogging train, but if you have some Micro-Mod handy, you still have a few days left! Follow along and at the end of April you can enter to win an amazing grand prize: A fat quarter stack of microMod by Rob Bancroft from Cloud9 fabrics, the entire Green Bee Patterns collection, a microMod sewing bag, and a Singer Heavy Duty Sewing Machine! (Open to contiguous US residents only.) Check out the full list of great blogs participating:

April 2 – Alexia & Rob Green Bee

April 3 – Kelly at Kelbysews

April 5 – Amanda at the Craft Junky

April 6 – Rachael at Imagine Gnats

April 8 – Heather at alamode

April 10 – Holly at Bijou lovely

April 13 – Alexia, Michelle & Rob Green Bee

April 17 – Faith at Fresh Lemons

April 18 – Katie at Swim Bike Quilt

April 19 – Deborah at Whipstitch

April 20 – Jacey at Jaceycraft

April 24 – Jenny at the Southern Institute

April 25 – Amy from sukie don’t ya know

April 26 – Jen from Betty Crocker Ass

April 27 – Sara from Sew Sweetness

April 28 – Krista at Krista Withers Quilting

April 29 – Katy from I’m a Ginger Monkey

April 30 – Amber from One Shabby Chick

May 1 – Alexia, Michelle & Rob Green Bee GRAND PRIZE

I designed this bag pattern for my friend Lisa, who was looking for a bag for her laptop. I just need to brag a little bit, but Lisa is super crazy talented, and she quilted the best in show and the viewer's choice winners at this year's QuiltCon. The bag that I made with the microMod fabric is the small version of the pattern, but Lisa's bag will be made (hopefully next week) in the large version of the laptop bag. She quilted me the fabric for her bag, and it's amazeballs (my new favorite word). In a perfect world, I would be releasing the laptop pattern today as I show you these bag photos, but I got a little side-tracked, as sometimes happens, so this pattern is still with my pattern testers; it will be out in my pattern shop on May 7th.

The microMod fabrics really make this bag shine, in my opinion. The accent fabric is from Architextures, and I dyed it myself. I love microMod because there aren't a huge amount of fabrics out there that are masculine in design and color, and I think a bundle of microMod would be perfect to make into a quilt for a man.

Here's a view of the inside of the laptop bag. Because it was designed specifically for a laptop, the sides and bottom of the bag (besides the usual interfacing that I would use for a bag like this) have 1/2" foam, which will help protect your laptop if you drop your bag. Seriously, it's thick and lovely. On the right side of my photo is a divider pocket, which you can use for smaller devices, memory cards, etc. And see that yellow zipper in the middle? Yep, that is a zip divider pocket which is embedded in the lining side panel. Yes, it's sewn into the bag. The purpose of the zip divider is to keep the laptop (which is styled with this hp box, from what electronic device, I have no idea...I don't have a small laptop with which to put into the small laptop bag) separate from the laptop charger. See? My laptop charger is inside. Everything fits most comfortably.

There is also a zippered pocket on the exterior of the bag, in the back, which I have apparently neglected to take a photo of. The whole thing secures with a magnetic snap, and the bag also has an adjustable strap.

Hope you liked my microMod project! The good folks at Cloud9 and Green Bee generously have a fat quarter bundle of microMod to give away to one lucky winner, in addition to the Green Bee 'Lots of Dots' quilt pattern, which I have chosen to compliment the bundle!

So how do you enter to win these fabulous prizes?!? Just click on the link below to take you to the entry page. The giveaway will remain open until May 1st at 7pm CT! Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is #32 Lynne Tilley.

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway!

Deer and Doe Belladone Dress and GIVEAWAY

2013-04-25T11:39:00.003-07:00

Last night, I made a dress. I had some bags to make, but I thought that I would just crank this one out and get back to the bags. Last week I received some 'Field Study' linens by Anna Maria Horner, from Westwood Acres on Etsy. Amanda is selling the bundles, as well as yardage of this fabric (check out her other bundles...she is a fabulous curator!). The linens have a canvas-weight feel (if you're familiar with Echino or majority of Melody Miller's fabrics, that's pretty much the same).

At the beginning of the month, I purchased the Belladone Dress sewing pattern from a French pattern designer, Deer and Doe. The instructions are both in French and in English. The pattern booklet comes with illustrations and clear instructions, and I didn't have any difficulty understanding the instructions. The Belladone is a cute dress with a back cut out, front pleats, and pockets. I'd recommend this pattern for an intermediate seamstress; even though the instructions are well-written, they aren't elaborated on, so if you were new to garment sewing, you might need a little more explanation (for example, the armholes and neckline are finished with bias tape, and the instructions just note when to apply and to which part, which again, is adequate if you've made clothing before).

I really liked the back cut-out of the dress immensely. I originally wanted to swap out the pleated skirt for a circle skirt, because that really is my favorite, but I forgot that this 'Ghost Wing' fabric was directional, so I'd have to get 4 yards instead of the 2 yards the pattern calls for, to work in the circle skirt on a directional fabric, so I figured I'd just stick with the original pattern in its entirety.

I think I did a pretty good job lining up the center of the bodice with that center pleated panel of the skirt. I used a white with black polka dot fabric for the pockets because I was hoping they would stand out a little bit. Overall, the dress fit me well as is, except if I made the dress again, I would probably cut the bodice a bit differently, as I had a bit of gaping at the neckline (I took the shoulder seams in instead, to help with that). I'm just too lazy to make a muslin all the time, lol. I also swapped in an invisible zipper for the regular one called for in the pattern, except I made mine an exposed zipper...I just sort of felt like it would be cool to see that white line in the back, since I had done a decent job fussy-cuting, because the zipper line goes directly down the middle of all the butterflies.

Pockets!

I decided to share my Anna Maria Horner linens with one lucky winner! You will get 2 yards of Coral Cat, the remainder of the Ghost Wing fabric left over from making my dress (around a fat quarter size - both fabrics have been washed), and my Deer and Doe Belladone pattern!

Click below on the link to enter the giveaway. You have until Sunday, April 28th at 7pm CT to enter. Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is #22 Brooke.

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway!

Tula Pink 'City Sampler' Sew Along

2013-04-17T20:14:00.000-07:00

I'm incredibly excited to announce the Tula Pink City Sampler Sew Along! I have been eagerly awaiting the release of this book since last October; at that time, I was desperately searching for the right sampler quilt project for me. The Farmer's Wife quilt along somehow passed me by, and although I have had a Dear Jane quilt on my to-do list for quite some time, I think I had to face facts and admit that I did not have it in me to commit to a project of that scope.

Enter the City Sampler.

I'm really in awe of this book because the blocks are quick to put together but they pack a punch. Many of the blocks can be cut and sewn in as little as 15-30 minutes each! I think Tula did a great job designing and putting them together as a group. The sum of seeing many blocks all together is so much greater than the impact of just one or two, and I also think it's great because the skill level of the blocks are in everyone's reach. If you are a beginning quilter, you will be able to make these blocks. If you are more experienced, you will have fun playing with color or fussy cutting your fabrics.

In addition to seeing the templates for all of the blocks, every page is filled with beautiful illustrations from Tula Pink.

Here are just some of the layout options for the City Sampler blocks, and these images are also in the back of the book, with instructions on how to piece these particular quilts:

Are you all pumped up to join in?? If you haven't already ordered your City Sampler book, here is where you can find them; they are shipping NOW!

Martha Pullen Store
I Heart Tula Pink (get your signed copy here!)
Amazon
Barnes and Noble

Every Monday beginning May 20th, you can pull up a chair right here and see the blocks made, in order, by some of your favorite bloggers. Joining me in this event are Emily of Crazy Old Ladies Quilts, Julie of Jaybird Quilts, Gina of ginapina, and Kim of My Go-Go Life. We'll show you our blocks, give you some tips, and every Monday there will be a link-up so you can play along and post photos of your finished blocks right here!!

Feel free to bookmark this page, as I will be updating it with links to the blocks as we move along!

Getting Ready ~ Choosing Your Fabric
Week 1 ~ Blocks 1, 2, and 3
Week 2 ~ Blocks 4, 5, and 6
Week 2 ~ Blocks 7, 8, and 9

At the end of every month (June through November), a randomly chosen participant will be the lucky recipient of a prize pack from Aurifil, Pellon, Pink Castle Fabrics, and more! Full line of prizes will be announced each month!

Prizes for June

The event will wrap up at the beginning of January, with gigantic prizes awarded to the winners of the contest as judged by Tula Pink herself! Can you imagine...having Tula pick your quilt as her favorite?!

If you plan on participating, please join the Flickr Group so we can bond over completing the blocks! :) Also, if you post photos of your blocks on instagram, don't forget to tag them #tula100

And don't forget to grab a button! I hope to see you around these parts often for the rest of the year, as we work on our blocks together! :)

<div align="center"><a href="http://www.sewsweetness.com" title="Sew Sweetness"><img src="http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab257/bluemerleboutique/CitySampler_QAL_Animation1.gif" alt="Sew Sweetness" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Soda Pop Bag

2013-03-28T07:04:00.002-07:00

I'm really excited to introduce you to the Soda Pop Bag, a PDF sewing pattern which is now available in my pattern shop. I designed this bag because I wanted to use large grommets in the design; most grommets I have seen in bags are at the top, and handles are sometimes threaded through them, but I wanted to use the grommets at the bottom.

This is an intermediate-level sewing pattern, mostly due to sewing on the curved bottom of the bag. The pattern comes complete with all the templates needed, as well as 10 pages of sewing instructions, accompanied by 18 full-color step-by-step photos.

I used Jay McCarroll fabric to make this bag, from his 'Center City' line for Free Spirit Fabrics. As always, I used Aurifil 40wt thread to sew the bag together, and the grommets were found in the curtain/decorating section at Joann Fabrics. The fabric showing through the grommets is a Yuwa text fabric.

Finished Size: 13” x 15”

Supplies Needed to Make This Bag

1 yard of exterior fabric

1 yard of lining fabric

1/2 yard of grommet fabric (which will show through the grommets)

2 yards of Pellon® SF-101 Shape Flex® fusible woven interfacing (or lightweight fusible interfacing)

1/2 yard of By Annie’s Soft and Stable™, available at local quilt shops or on-line
(Soft and Stable is a 1/8” thick, foam sew-in interfacing; one of my testers also recommends automotive headliner fabric in place of the Soft and Stable; you can also substitute a needled fleece fusible interfacing for the Soft and Stable, such as Pellon #TP971F Thermolam Plus fusible interfacing)

1/6 yard of Pellon #70 Peltex sew-in interfacing (or an extra-heavy sew-in interfacing)

1/2” magnetic snap

1-1/2” grommets – package of 8 (I used Dritz brand plastic grommets, mine were 1-9/16”)
I found my large grommets in the curtain-making section of my local fabric store

Optional: 4 metal purse feet

I'm really excited to show you the bags that my pattern testers made. They continue to surprise and please me with their wonderful work!

DeeAnn made this really awesome version of the bag, and she found red grommets too!! How awesome! I'm totally in love with this one, and I think it will really go with just about any outfit too!

Maria made this super lovely version of the bag in Joel Dewberry fabric. Maria lives overseas, and she didn't think she would be able to get the grommets in time to test the bag, but I said I would love to see a version without grommets, and I think she did a really great job on this one!!

Carrie made this awesome bag in black and white fabric, with a colorful print showing through her grommets. I'm not sure if you can see by the picture, but she's adding bling to her bag (see the lime green trail of dots running down the center of the bag?). Cool idea Carrie!!

Carmal made her bag in Tula Pink 'Nightshade' fabrics. She used Vilene H640 in place of the Soft and Stable for the exterior of the bag. Great job Carmal!!

Lisa from Six Munchkin Stitching made her bag in a textured solid, with bright Kate Spain prints peeping out from the grommets and as the lining. Lisa used Pellon Thermolam for her bag, beautiful work Lisa!

Margaret made her bag in a great sparkly print, with dark grommets. I love the shape of her bag, it is very structured, and the top curve on hers looks awesome!

Emily of Half Square Triangle made her bag with automotive headliner fabric instead of the Soft and Stable, and she recommends trimming the automotive headline smaller on the seam allowance to reduce bulk. I think this bag looks super cute, and love the pastel stripes on the inside too!

Nicki made this gorgeous version in red grommets to match her colorful fabrics! I love that the grommet fabrics appear to be a coordinating print, and you can see those little purse feet peeping out from the bottom! Nicki also used Pellon Thermolam fusible interfacing, and she loved the look that it gave the bag. Great job Nicki!

Thank you so much to the wonderful testers for working through this pattern! You've done a wonderful job sewing these up!!

If you liked what you saw, this sewing pattern is now available in my pattern shop for immediate download.

Pillow Pop Review & Giveaway

2013-03-28T05:17:00.000-07:00

Today, I'm reviewing 'Pillow Pop' by Heather Bostic. Let me start this post off by saying that before I even got this book into my sweaty-with-anticipation hands, I already knew which pillow I would be making from it. I've had this pillow on my bucket list for, oh, two years (I could be wrong because my concept of time is really wacked out). I'm talking about Ryan Walsh's contribution to the book.

This pillow is made with applique circles, which are overlapped and trimmed. I had a really hard time choosing fabrics for my pillow. Of course my first instinct was to buy something new (because isn't that what the point of a new project is? Why would we use something we already own in our stash?? haha), but I reminded myself that I've been recently complaining that I have all these quilt cuts stashed when I mostly make bags (which obviously take bigger cuts). So I pulled out some Good Folks. I had a charm pack that I cut for myself last year (for what reason, I don't even know), so I used my Accuquilt Go! Baby circle die to cut the circles out. I used the two smallest (adjacent) circles on the die, so the charms worked nicely since I could get one circle of each size from each piece of fabric. I pre-trimmed the circles in what I felt was a good overlapping circle. I used a text fabric for my background.

The pattern in the book calls for the circles to be topstitched on, which would give a great raw edge effect. I just have a personal preference regarding raw edges (or maybe it's because I have children who throw the pillows around and use them to practice boxing training), so I assembled my circles using a blanket stitch using my trusty Aurifil 40wt thread. I admit this takes a lot longer, but I was pleased with how it turned out. All-in-all, the pillow took me 4 hours to make. I made it for my husband, and he picked out another Anna Maria Horner fabric for the backing of the pillow, this one from her 'Field Study' line.

I love this pattern because there is so much room for error. I wasn't terribly worried about my fabric placement, I just added the circles one at a time (oh, and also the fact that I was using a glue stick to temporarily adhere each circle before I appliqued it - my own idea, because I'm lazy). The overlapping trims also don't need to be perfect either. Because this is such a busy design, your eye will travel all over the pillow and catch all of the beautiful fabrics.

Now that I've excitedly shown you my completed project, I would like to talk some more about this lovely book! There are 25 projects inside, all from different designers, who you may already know from reading their blogs. Each project comes with concise instructions, and in the back of the book are also directions for assembling your pillow after the top of it has been pieced; there are several different techniques (envelope, zipper, etc.). Some of the projects also require templates (such as the pillow that I worked on), and those are in the back of the book, no enlargement necessary, which is always a plus.

There are several pillows that would be able to be sewn by a complete quilting newbie (pieced rectangles, etc.), and there are others that require a bit more skill, but I think the book showcases a nice range of projects using many different sewing and quilting techniques.

Image courtesy of Fat Quarter Shop, where you can also buy this book!

Some of the pillows are based off of traditional quilting (such as the Dresden Plate and Cathedral Window), but there were also other designs that were contemporary. Another of my favorites from the book was Brioni's pillow, pictured above. I loved the outward-reaching design, and I think it was seriously perfect with the fussy cutting to accentuate the flower shapes, not to mention the wonderful quilting on this!

Another great pillow from the book is this one by Little Miss Shabby. The pillow is called 'Garden District', and it combines patchwork with a curved edge. I think the hand stitching on this version also makes it super-lovely.

All of the pillows feature modern fabrics, which I liked very much. I could see myself making any of these pillows really, and I think this is a wonderful book for ideas for making presents or Flickr swap gifts for other people. Pillow Pop would be a useful thing to have right before the holidays, especially when you need a last-minute gift to whip up in an evening. The great thing about making pillows as opposed to quilts is that they have a low level of commitment...chances are, if you start making a pillow, that you'll finish it (instead of having to add it to the UFO pile...guys, I know you know what I'm talking about).

So, would you like to win a copy of the book?? One lucky winner will receive 'Pillow Pop' by Heather Bostic, courtesy of C&T (international winner will be an eBook). Please click the link below to take you to the entry page, and you have until April 1st at 11pm CT to enter! Good luck!

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is #25 Deborah.

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway!

Bag and Pattern Giveaways!

2013-03-27T06:47:00.003-07:00

This giveaway is now closed. The winner is #77 Nicole.

Want to win a bag and some patterns??

First off, visit Flying Blind on a Rocket Cycle to win a full set of my PDF sewing patterns. She is holding a giveaway on her blog, and you can enter right there!

Also, I just have to interject that Pink Castle Fabrics is having an awesome 20% off sale going on right now, use code SPRING20 for 20% off your total order (get some new Liberty!!)

And secondly, the beautiful Samantha (I call her Fiona) of At Home with Mrs. H is giving away this paper-pieced clutch that she made from one of my sewing patterns. Isn't she generous?!

But wait, it doesn't stop there...Samantha is also a talented bag designer! And in addition to the clutch, she is giving away a copy of all of her bag patterns...aren't they awesome?? You can find these sewing patterns in her Etsy shop; she also sells the purse hardware that she uses to make the bags.

So, you want to win the clutch and a set of sewing patterns from At Home with Mrs. H? Please click the link below to take you to the entry page. One lucky winner will be chosen on Friday, March 29th at 11pm CT.

Click Here to Enter the Giveaway!

Talkin Tuesday...be there TOMORROW!

2013-03-25T14:45:00.002-07:00

I just wanted to share with you that I'm sponsoring Talkin Tuesday tomorrow on Twitter. It's a live Twitter chat, and there are fun topics every week (my favorite was 2 weeks ago when we talked all about sewing/quilting books). The discussions are usually lively, and centered on questions asked by the host, Cara, and then everyone answers and conversions sometimes veer off in other (always interesting!) directions.

If you are not on Twitter, it's free to sign up. I know, I know. Last summer I wasn't even on Twitter, and I thought, 'How ridiculous, I'm not doing this...it's just the next online fad, like Facebook." Well, I caved. I said the same thing about Instagram, and guess what, I got on there 2 weeks ago too. Ha!

Anyway, the host on Twitter is Cara Quilts, and you will want to follow her (there's a button that says 'Follow' at the top of her page), as she is the one who asks all the questions. You can also find more detailed Talkin Tuesday User Instructions right here.

So I'm the sponsor tomorrow (notice that there are two different chat times, one in the afternoon and one in the evening), which means I'll be giving away tons of bag PDF sewing patterns from my shop. Also, I may or may not be bringing along a secret sponsor (cough, cough Pellon). This is my Twitter handle, friend me and I will friend you back so I can see all the great answers you are giving in the chat. ;-)

So will I see you at the chat tomorrow?! I hope so!!!