Samples!!

Wow! What a good time we had sewing these samples! I am so ridiculously lucky to be blessed with a fantastic group of friends who are not only amazing people, but really fantastic sewists. All I had to do was give a holler out to my Yams and we spent a couple of days sewing these up.

I got the fabric just a week before it had to be shipped back so it was a quick turnaround. Even better than all these gorgeous samples was the fun days I got to spend sewing with them. We had a ball! I love that pillow up there- I kept thinking it looked like the window that Darth Vader stands in front of in Star Wars. (at least I think that is what it reminds me of. My 12 year old son is shaking my head in shame at my obvious lack of recollection where all the many little details of Star Wars that he keeps in his brain quite intact are concerned- all I know is there is something really cool and Star Wars about it!) Monica kept joking that copyright laws being what they are we would have to call it something like "Flaming Orb Conflict Pillow"! Heather designed this beauty!

I love these! Elizabeth set to work working her magic and I just love these. I love the selvages!
She is amazing- I asked if she would mind making some pillows and she just went to town doing her thing. Fun to watch her work.

Proof that Mechanical Genius is not just for boys! The blues in this print are just gorgeous. The photo really doesn't do it justice. The dress pattern is one of my favorites done by our own Violet Craft and you can get your copy here! There is a short sleeve version too and I swear this dress looks great in any combination of fabrics!

Monica's bag! She whipped this out and you can whip one out too- her pattern is here. I love this bag. Perfect size and I love how she put the prints together! She kept us in stitches literally and figuratively that day!!

Here is the Easy Linen Shirt from the amazing book "Sewing for Boys". The Jammies below are also from the book and Shelly herself whipped those up . Both of these patterns are fantastic. The easy linen shirt is such a great all purpose cute style for boys and it sews up so nice and easy. I can see this being one of those staple shirts where you make a few.The jammies are so handsome and dapper while being so adorable. I hadn't cuffed them yet when I took the photo but they look cute cuffed or not. Seriously good patterns for boys in that book!

My lovely friend Traci sewed this up. It was the third one she had made in the last month or so and I am so thankful she didn't laugh at me when I asked if she would make one more! I love how it turned out and her sewing is impeccable! I want to make one of these for my husband!

There are a few other things I didn't get photos of and there is still a quilt to show that I will have photos of soon. It will be the free pattern on the Timeless Treasures website so I will keep you posted when that is up. I can't wait to see what everyone sews up with this line! The hand is so nice on it and the colors are clean and saturated and gorgeous. I am thrilled with how it turned out and I hope you are too!

I picked a winner finally for the Project Linus Quilt Kit giveaway! Comment #19 Grandma June! Pop me an email and I will get that fabric in the mail for you!

Make this!

Hop on over to Sew Mama Sew today and check out my tutorial for this Lego Tote! All of the directions are there and with the Holidays coming it is a great gift to make for the Lego lovers in your life! And who doesn't love Legos?!

My nephew gets this one- if you ask him what his favorite color is he says "Golden" so the bright yellow orange hexes are right up his alley!

I made the blue one first for my 12 year old son. I waited to give it to him until after they were all made so I could photograph them together and he kept asking when he could have it. He hasn't pestered me for something I have sewn in awhile! As soon as I gave it to him he disapeared with it to fill it up and he is using it and loving it! It made me happy because that was the whole idea of the fabric line- fabric that an older boy would enjoy. His sister wanted one too and couldn't wait to pick out the fabrics she wanted for it out of the line. I like a good practical gift!

I have been off making samples to get out the door for Market so not only does my house look like a fabric explosion went off , I have neglected my blog. I will be back on monday with the winner of the Project Linus Quilt Kit and photos of the samples. Have a great weekend!!

100 Quilts for Kids

Read to the end for a great story and for a giveaway !

I was roaming my favorite blogs one day when I came across this post. I think it is a brilliant idea and it was just the nudge I needed to get a Project Linus quilt made. It is something that has been on my list for sometime and I am so happy to have finally made one to give to them. When my sweet girl was a baby, she was diagnosed with a heart defect that she had fixed with open heart surgery at 22 months. It was such a scary time for us but I will say that it gave me a perspective of gratitude that I find so valuable to this day. I think often of how scared we were that morning we had to report for surgery. Thanks goodness she was so little- she had no idea what was going on. The time we spent there we met other parents whose children had things going on that made us feel like the lucky ones. And we were- they fixed her and we brought her home. But in the midst of that scary morning, a nurse brought Maya a quilt and gave it to her. It was her quilt that someone- a total stranger-made for a child just like her. I can't tell you the comfort it gave to us as her parents that in some way, someone had thought about this and done something so heartfelt for a child they didn't even know. It is an eye spy quilt- made beautifully, obviously by hands who knew what they were doing. She still has and loves her quilt. There was a tag on the quilt with the maker's name and I sent a thank you note to her via Project Linus as I didn't have her address. Somehow that got me on their mailing list and shortly after, I received a newsletter and in it was a list of the top donators for our Portland cahpter. I looked at the list and at the very top was the name of the woman who made Maya's quilt. And next to her name the number 768. As in she has made and donated 768 quilts. I can't tell you how that blew my mind!!

And the universe being what it is, I went into a local fabric store yesterday and started chatting to the lady cutting my fabric for me. I found a really sweet print and was buying some to make another PL quilt. She asked me what I was going to do with it and I said it was for a Project Linus quilt. She said, "Oh that's so nice- the kids really appreciate it". I then told her that my daughter had received one once and it made such an impact on us as parents too and then I told her about the woman who made the quilt and how I had read that she had made over 700 quilts. She looked at me with a big smile on her face and said, "Oh you must mean Miss Margaret!" And that is her name! Then she tells me that at this point she has made over 4000 quilts. FOUR THOUSAND!!! I couldn't get my mind around how anyone could make over 700 and here, 7 years later, she is at 4000. And then think about it- 4000 quilts is going to cost some money! The woman at the fabric store said that she comes in pretty often and that the employees bring fabric in for her. I asked if I could put some fabric together for her and she said of course so this whole thing sort of comes full circle now as I am taking in a nice big bundle of fabric for her. And a photo of Maya with her quilt that she made 7 years ago. The whole story just gets me happy and so in awe of this woman who has done so much for so many.

So I hope that puts a smile on your face today and makes you think if she can make 4000, I bet we can all make 1 (or a few!) quilts for a kid who needs it too.

So you might remember the quilt below- I made it for a sample for my first line, Party Dress. It is a cheater print so it sews up nice and quick. You just quilt around the hexagons. Leave a comment and I will draw a name in the next few days for a kit of the fabric to make this quilt. I am going to make one for Project Linus (because once you start it gets sort of addictive!) and so I will cut out another kit for someone else who wants to make it and give it locally to a place who accepts quilts for kids.

Fall Fat Quarterly project!

Recently I was asked by the lovely people over at Fat Quarterly if I wanted to do a project for their Fall issue. Of course I said yes because that is a beautiful publication and the people behind it are fantastic!

I got a chance to preview the issue the other day and it is great! There were three projects right away that I saw that went straight on my holiday gift making list! They really did a beautiful job putting the issue together and there is something for everyone. Hop on over here and get yourself a copy! The release date for the issue is October 7 so just a few more days until it is available for viewing. It really is so good!

This project is something I have had in mind for awhile and it was well suited for fall. Once I finally sat down to make these I just couldn't stop! I love the way they look grouped together and they are so quick and easy and really work for so many different occasions/themes.
I think they are the perfect hostess gift idea for the upcoming holiday party season.

All of the directions and tutorial are in the issue. They have set up a flickr group so if you do make these, please share your work on there so I can see what you have come up with!