Saturday, August 27, 2011

Winner!

The randomly selected winner of the sea glass bundle from Marmalade Fabrics is 2hippos.  Congrats!  I'm sending you an email, so check your inbox.
The tutorial  for this wall hanging is free to everyone, and Tammy has bundles for sale, if you're interested.
Thanks for all  the kind comments.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Sea Glass Wall Hanging

This wall hanging design has been on my mind for a few months, and earlier this week I finally dug around in my solids to find the right colors.  They remind me of the green and blue pieces of smooth sea glass I collected on the beach as a kid. 
I'm excited to offer you a free tutorial for this wall hanging (21" x 31").

As always, I'd love to see your work if you end up giving the tutorial a whirl!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

New Fabrics

A few new fabrics have found their way into my stash.  The new DS Quilts line at Joann's, Sugar Creek, coordinates perfectly with the previous line Fairgrounds.  I couldn't pass up these small scale prints in my favorite color combination.
Children at Play has been on my wishlist ever since I saw the paper hat print.  How cute is it?  I also think the hopscotch one is sweet.  There are so many cute prints in this line that I did not buy (ahem, in case my husband is reading).
And I've had my eye on these Tip Top Elephants from Diawabo for a long time too.  Fabricworm now sells them as a fat quarter set which is hard to resist!  So much great fabric out now!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Ticker Tape Rainbow

I think this is ticker tape doll quilt #5 for me.  Each time, I use a different color scheme, and this time I chose a rainbow in an effort to revisit the joy of this quilt.  I also tried two new techniques, which I will definitely use on #6 and following, if I feel the urge to ticker tape again.

First up, spray basting.  It just makes sense, and it's so easy to do on small quilts.  No pins means easy placement of all those little scraps.  Why didn't I try this sooner?


And speaking of those little scraps, my second tip is to use a glue stick to place them where you want them temporarily.  It washes right out, and again, no pins!
The back is Kona grass, and the binding is Kona lagoon. It finishes at 18 x 23.

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Kidlet

The kidlet by Jennifer Casa has been on my to do list for a while now, and I had a few days between larger projects to fit in some sewing time.  Besides being quick to make, these are perfect for storing all the little toys and treasures that seem to collect in my boys' rooms.  The handle and small size make it easy for kids to carry themselves.  It's just right for toting all those little toys around the house.
I'm thinking these will be another go to gift idea for kids.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Sewing for Stuffed Animals

 
The tiny patchwork I made last week has found its home in this little sleeping bag for my son's stuffed animal.  The pattern,written by flossie teacakes, is excellent.  It comes in three sizes.  I made the largest size.  The only change I made was to quilt the mattress, as well as the cover.  I love how it has a little, built-in pillow too.

And of course, I made two, one for each son.  My older child requested no patchwork, so his was a bit quicker to make.  How fun would these be to make as birthday or holiday gifts for the kids on your list?

I learned  a new trick from this pattern too: single fold bias binding.  It is perfect for small projects like this with curved edges, and it looks so slick.  I was even able to do it entirely by machine.  I'll definitely use this technique again.