Happy Thursday! I've let Random.org choose winners for our two recent giveaways! First up, the winner of the Olfa giveaway is #142, Lynne!


The winner of the Fun-Size Quilts e-book giveaway is #82, Ellyn!

Thanks to all who entered! Have a great day!

Scrappy Star Quilt

Happy Wednesday! It's time to finally share this finished quilt with you. I started this quilt back in April last year. You can find the tutorial for this quilt here: Scrappy Star Quilt Tutorial.

I whipped up the quilt top and then it sat. This Spring I decided enough was enough and sent away a few quilt tops to be quilted. It was nice to have zero un-quilted tops for a short time!


This quilt features my first fabric collection, Color Me Retro. I used my favorite Pure Element solid, Lemonade. It's just the best green! I designed this quilt to be a sibling to my Giant Vintage Star Quilt. It's just as easy and simple, but is completely constructed with large half-square triangles. It's a healthy 68" square, and it's made a great couch quilt the last month or so.


I actually pieced a backing this time! Since it takes quite a bit to back it, I didn't want to use up so much of a single print. I have to say, I had forgotten how much longer it takes to piece a backing! I think it turned out fun though, it's nice since the front is rather simple!


I had this quilt quilted by Melissa of Sew Shabby Quilting! I asked her use the Loopy Star design for this one. I have always wanted to have something quilted with stars and this quilt seemed very appropriate for it!


I think it adds the perfect amount of whimsy to the quilt. I love that there are loops in there with the stars, so much fun!


For binding, I choose one of the Kitchenette prints from Color Me Retro. I think it makes a great binding! So happy to get this one finished and photographed! Now to tackle my quickly growing pile of quilt tops! :)

You can find the tutorial for this quilt here: Scrappy Star Quilt Tutorial.

Happy Quilting!

Dreamin' Vintage Sewing

Happy Monday! Today I wanted to share a few smaller projects I've been working on with Dreamin' Vintage! Between the inevitable slow down that summer brings and putting out new patterns, I haven't been doing a ton of sewing lately. Having a few smaller projects to finish helps keep me motivated to sew! Plus, who doesn't love projects that you can finish in an afternoon!


First up is a boxy pouch from my Triplizip Zipper Pouch Pattern.  I made this pouch for Deedee's very sweet daughter Elsa. It was her 10th birthday last month! A fun zipper pouch for treasures and treats seemed appropriate!


I knew she liked blue and turquoise so I choose one of my favorite Dreamin' Vintage prints for the exterior.  I used the purple print for the interior and handle.


I absolutely love pincushions, as you probably know! I picked up this tarnished baking tin a few months ago and I finally made it into a little pincushion! I like how it looks like a tiny loaf of bread.


Another long overdue project I tackled was some more lavender sachets. I used 5" squares with linen for the back. I've stuck them in my closets with quilts, my yarn tubs, and in the bottom of my fabric bins. Here's to hoping they keep the moths away! I buy from lavender from here.

Happy Sewing!

Favorites

1. "Midsummer", 2. For my Grandma on her 88th, 3. 7/2014 Little Folks Voile Quilt, 4. Lickety Split - Front, 5. Spun, 6. all done inspired by redpepperquilts, 7. Arkansas traveler nine patch mini! Completed., 8. Postcard from Sweden quilt, 9. Minty goodness from Sunday Morning Quilts

Every week I go through my favorite photos on Flickr, and choose nine sewing/quilting related projects to showcase here. These photos and projects are not my own, you can find the original images and creators by clicking the coordinating links! If for any reason you do not want your project featured here, please email me and I'll remove it!

Happy Weekend!

Fun-Size Quilts Book + Giveaway

Happy Thursday! About this time last year I was wrapping up work on a mini project. It was literally a mini quilt! I'm happy to share that I have a quilt in the new book Fun-Size Quilts out this month from Martingale! I love making mini quilts, so contributing to this book was a no-brainer!

Imagine my surprise when I saw the cover for the first time, and my quilt on it? My Fox in a Box quilt is on the right!


What started as a tulip design quickly morphed into a fox! This was the first time I've ever used an embellishment on a quilt, but I think the whimsy the button eyes give the foxes is worth it!




I used Indian Summer by Sarah Watson and various Elements from Art Gallery Fabrics for this mini quilt! I kept the quilting minimal to let the design shine!

A few of my favorite mini quilts from the book:

Elongated Triangles by Missy Shepler.


White Stars by Julie Herman.


Perhaps by Thomas Knauer.

Martingale is offering one lucky reader a digital copy of Fun-Size Quilts! To enter, leave a comment letting me know your favorite mini from the book (you can see them all here). Giveaway will run until Wednesday, July 30th at 5pm CST. Stop by the Martingale blog for more chances to win!

Indelible Datura Blouse

Happy Tuesday! Today I want to share my most recent garment project with you. Fellow Art Gallery Designer Katarina Roccella just debuted her first collection, Indelible. I knew right away I'd want to make something with one of the voiles in particular! The stars aligned when she asked me to be a part of her blog hop!

I chose to make the Datura Blouse Pattern by Deer & Doe. I made two for my Geometric Bliss booth, and was anxious to make another!


In contrast to the other two that I have made, I used a single print for this one. In addition, I left off any color detail since the print is pretty busy. It is my very favorite print from the collection, so awesome! The voile is so buttery, it stitched up great and is so comfortable to wear.


For the back detail, I simply sewed the buttons in place through both layers rather than make them functional with buttonholes. This saved me some time and effort and still gives the same look! This top comes together so nicely, from the sweet details to the fully lined blouse. I love that the only bit that needs bias binding is the hem!


The dark gray thread from my Aurifil Favorite Things Collection was a great match for this print! I know I will get a lot of wear out of this top. I am actually wearing it today! It is perfect for this spike in hot and humid weather we are having.


There are so many beautiful projects being made with this collection! For more of the Indelible blog hop, see here.

Happy Sewing!

Free Pattern: Paper Pieced Rotary Cutter Quilt Block

Happy Monday! Where would quilting be today without the invention of the rotary cutter? Thankfully, we never have to know! Olfa is celebrating 35 years of rotary cutting this year. So, let's party! I have a little review and a free block pattern at the end of this post.


Olfa kindly sent over a package with a few products in it for me to try! Part of their celebration includes a commemorative quilt, so I put these tools through their paces making a block for it!


The guidelines for the block were pretty minimal, it had to be 6.5" and have yellow in it. I decided to take inspiration from the design of the rotary cutter, which surprisingly isn't much different from the very first rotary cutter! You can see a photo of it here. I drafted up my design in Illustrator and went with paper piecing for the construction.

The rotating cutting mat is too cool! It conveniently is the perfect size to fit between my sewing machine and iron, which is where I like to work when paper piecing. With all the trimming down, having the rotating mat is pretty handy. I know it will be useful for trimming down half-square triangles as well!


I don't generally work with 6.5" blocks, so having the tiny 28mm Rotary Cutter was great for cutting such small pieces and trimming the seam allowances while piecing. I tested it on the curved double wedding ring templates as well, and it handled the curves great! It will definitely come in handy for that project, which I'll share more about soon!


The final product to try out was a 6.5" Frosted Advantage Ruler. Now I'm not going to lie, I was pretty excited about this one! This is my favorite size of ruler, and I use them a TON. This may be my... fourth ruler of this size! The first two have had their corners worn down from use, so having another to add in to the mix is good! The frosted bit sticks nicely to the fabric, but is still easy to see through. I also really like the lines through every 1/2"!


The verdict? Olfa makes great products. I have been using their 45mm Quick Change Cutter (seen above), exclusively for a few years now and I love it. It is literally my perfect cutter. I do a lot of cutting, and unlike other cutters, it has never given me a single blister or sore. The handle is bigger than others which makes it easy for me to grip and squeeze, even with my arthritis. I will definitely use the 28mm for the odd project here and there, but the 45mm will remain my go-to!


Without further ado, here is my final block! Want to make one too? It would be really fun as is, done scrappy or done with four different fabrics. You can find the free pattern download here!

Need a paper piecing refresher? See my tutorial here.

Happy Sewing!

Favorites

1. Malka finished top, 2. Miichael Miller challenge quilt, 3. Triangler ruler quilt, 4. Quilty photo shoot on Main Street, 5. #farmerswifequilt #fwqal blocks are set! Ready for borders galore #julyfinish #cmykquilt #cmyk, 6. Wonky Cross NICU quilt, 7. Scrappy Firedrill Quilt, 8. Just goofing off for a minute., 9. gracecirclemayquilt2

Every week I go through my favorite photos on Flickr, and choose nine sewing/quilting related projects to showcase here. These photos and projects are not my own, you can find the original images and creators by clicking the coordinating links! If for any reason you do not want your project featured here, please email me and I'll remove it!

Happy Weekend!

Vintage Summer Project Book

Happy Thursday! I have a really fun project to share with you all today! As you may know, I write a monthly column for the UK magazine, Love Patchwork & Quilting! I have had the pleasure of working with them from their very first seasonal issue! With the release of Dreamin' Vintage on the horizon this past Spring, they approached me about doing a project book to feature the collection! I couldn't say yes fast enough! I am so pleased to show you the finished product, which is a part of Issue 10!

The booklet is so well done, there are beautiful styled photos throughout, a bit on my inspiration for the collection, and helpful diagrams to help walk you through the projects! I hope you'll check it out!


The project book includes three projects, a quilt, tote bag, and berry softies.  There is also a free pillow pattern that coordinates which can be found on their website!


First up, the focal project for this book is the Block Flower Throw Quilt! I had such fun putting this one together! The design was inspired by a graphic I found on a vintage cassette box of all things! I love looking for inspiration on my thrifting and antiquing adventures! This quilt comes together quickly, and I love the bold design! I want to stitch this pattern up in Geometric Bliss too!


I knew I wanted special quilting for this project, so I quilted the entire quilt with tight swirls.  It took a lot of time (and bobbins!), but it was so worth it. I love the texture that the quilting gives it.


Next up, the Trad Patch Pillow Pattern, which can be found on Love Patchwork & Quilting's website here.  I wanted to use a simple checkerboard patchwork design for this pillow, because it reminds me of a picnic! It fits with the prints and feel of the collection!


I quilted this pillow with 6 different thread colors, all from my Aurifil Favorite Things Thread Collection! I couldn't choose just one!


I love a sturdy, straightforward tote bag as much as the next person! This tote is a great project to show off a focal or favorite print. I love using this print for bags, it's one of my favorites!


This tote features sturdy handles, a slip pocket, and gussets to give it shape and plenty of room!


Finally, the Merry Berry Softies! These strawberries can be made in three different sizes and are super fun to whip up! The Jolly Dots print was just begging to be a berry!

My column for Issue 10 is all about mini quilts, which are one of my favorite things to make! I haven't been good about documenting publications lately, will be sure to catch up on that soon!

If you're in the UK you can find Issue 10 on newsstands now! If you're in the US, it should be arriving in the next few weeks to JoAnn Fabrics and Barnes & Noble!

Weekly Snapshot

Happy Monday! I thought it was high time for a snapshot post. Mostly because it has been too long since the last George photo! He is one photogenic rabbit!


It is wild black raspberry season! I have been eating them as soon as I pick them. I did break down and make a couple batches of freezer jam.  I had made it before but was so-so about it. This time I took the time to strain out the seeds and it's 1000x better! I am looking forward to enjoying it all year!


I started a new knitting project! It's for the third quarter challenge over at Eat Sleep Knit. I'm knitting the Pogona Shawl by Stephen West. More info over on Ravelry.


I put up some simple skinny shelves last week for some of my mini collections. Some of my favorite Hello Kitty trinkets took over! I might shorten the loops and add another row, there are quite a few more HK tins!


I have been putting some new knitting goodies to use lately! These are from my sweet friend Holly! You can find the knitting gauge and thread organizer in her shop, here!


I love having matching things, so I didn't hesitate to add these things to my purse! (Both are from Target, purse is from Amazon)


Michael and I managed to get out the big camera on the 4th! We're making an effort to take more photos!


Ever hear of the Prince and the Pea? :)