Going Glam Digging with Manchester Metallics!

I couldn't help myself with that cheesy title. I was trying to think of a name for this tote that encapsulated what it is, with it's sparkle and it's color. I was thinking about some sort of beach tote and clam digging came to mind and with all the sparkly gold I went straight to Glam Digging! It is very tough to photograph and capture all the gorgeous sparkly beauty in this new fabric by Robert Kaufman called Manchester Metallics. Here is a better shot of it under my studio lights:

This is the Eggshell color way which has beautiful gold strands running through it. The mix of the fibers gives it a more subtle sparkly shimmer that is definitely full of sparkle but not overpowering. This fabric sews beautifully. I wasn't sure what to expect knowing it had the metallic threads running through it but it has a nice soft hand and presses well too. I could see this used for so many things. It would be perfect for quilts or garment sewing too. I love the way the sparkle elevates the quilting cotton it is sewn with. 

sewmamasew.com organized a fantastic bag challenge and this Sunset Beach Tote is my answer to that challenge. This bag is so many things I love; it is sparkly,  it is sturdy and good sized, it has little embroidered details and luscious color and is finished of with pom poms. Overall a happy tote for a happy time of year. If you want to make your own, here is a link!

                                                                                Sunset Beach Tote

you can see some of the sparkle a little better here.

This was a fun tote to make and really doesn't take too long. The center panel is a simple paper pieced pattern (it's a great beginner paper piecing project if you have been curious to try paper piecing!) It works well to arrange your color stripes symmetrically and works equally well if you want to be a little more spontaneous...

a different more spontaneous arrangement of colors and blocking.

I can hardly wait to go and see what the other people have created in this Manchester Metallics Bag Challenge. You can go check all the bags out at these sites:

Upstairs Hobby Room

That Black Chic

Designs by KT Green

Carrie Bee

AnneZPlace

Red Brolly

Vegetablog

The Driftwood Thimble

The Sara Project

No Hats in the House

Michelle Patterns

Haberdashery Fun

My Handmade Home

Thank you to sewmamasew.com and Robert Kaufman for such a fun challenge and gorgeous new fabric!

Quilts and the things they teach us.

This is what I have been calling my Candy Quilt. It looks like candy, all colorful and sweet and entirely yummy for me to look at. I started this quilt last summer. I wanted to make a quilt so I pulled out some books and patterns and started looking for something I wanted to make.  As I have mentioned before, 2015 was a year with so many challenges. So many things out of my control. So many things that felt overwhelming and scary and life changing and I couldn't fix or control any of them. It was a year of reluctant acceptance, though none of that came easily. As I was trying to decide what to sew it dawned on me I didn't want to follow anyone's directions. I just wanted to sew. I didn't want to think about anything else, I just wanted to focus on something and enjoy it and feel my way through. On my terms and in my way. So I did. It felt amazing. And it gave my brain a rest. It took it out of that space of chewing on stuff that was challenging and difficult that I couldn't really fix anyhow. It was EXACTLY what I needed and when I look at that quilt now, I feel that still. After I finished the top I thought about how I wanted to quilt it. I knew what I wanted and I kept coming back to images of a local friend's quilting. She quilts beautifully and the more I thought about it I knew she would get this quilt so I asked and she graciously accepted.  Looking at the finished quilt I am so glad she did because it is exactly what I was hoping for! Thank you for your beautiful quilting, Rachel! Here are some close up shots:

Rope Baskets :: Unraveling the Mystery

Last year I was sewing with my sweet friend Irene and she showed me the sweetest bowl she had made. I remember looking at the bowl and sort of marveling over how amazing it looked, not recognizing initially that it was made from rope. Fairly ordinary lackluster rope at that. She said she would show me how to make one and in the span of just a few minutes I was off making one of my own. It was love at first make! This project hits the sweet spot for me- easy, practical, adorable and inexpensive to make. Before I knew it I had made several and had no plans to stop making them. Before I knew it I had people asking me how to do it and it is such a fun thing to show someone how to make because there is this moment when they realize how actually simple they are to make and they are off and running too- or should I say off and sewing! There are some good tutorials out there to help get you started and I thought I would share my thoughts and experiences as well in the hopes of encouraging you to give it a try.  There is something so relaxing about making these baskets. the way they grow with the steady thumping of the machine, watching the thread and picking colors and fabrics to wind around the rope. The whole process is relaxing and meditative to me. My other favorite thing is that they are just about foolproof. You can be successful on your very first try. The stitches are forgiving and there are no rules other than to make sure your stitch catches both pieces of rope (I will get to that part soon...). I hope my tips and tricks inspire you to try one of your own. Now without further ado, here is what I have learned in making all these baskets!

Supplies:

 Rope. I use 3/16" cotton clothesline for my baskets. I haven't experimented with other ropes because I found one I like and have stuck with it. I encourage you to try other ropes though because part of what is fun about making these is experimenting. I get my rope on Amazon. It is helpful to buy it there because you can read the reviews and in them you will occasionally find comments from people who have made rope baskets so it is helpful to know their experience. If you intend to dye your basket, know the fiber content of your rope so you can choose the appropriate dye. I dyed a basket made with 100% cotton clothesline and used Dylon dye and it turned out beautifully.

 Thread. You will use a substantial amount of thread! I use All Purpose thread, wait for it to go on sale and stock up when it does.  I wind three or four bobbins depending on the size of basket I am going to make before I begin so I don't have to keep making new bobbins throughout the process. The fun thing about thread is that because you are zigzagging and covering a fair amount of area with your stitches, the thread you choose will cast a color over your bowl. I tend to like paler thread colors so it feels like a nice wash of color, or white thread as that actually brightens the overall look of the basket.

Needle. I use a Universal needle- a nice new sharp needle makes the job a little smoother.

Getting Started!

All you are doing to make this basket is using a wide zig zag stitch to join rope in a circular fashion. As you wind the rope around itself, the stitch goes through each side of the rope, joining the coil together. That is it- just a big zig zagged circle. On my machine I use a regular zig zag stitch set at a stitch width of 6.0 and a stitch length of 1.5.

Step one. Make a nickel sized coil of rope with the tail of the rope to the right side of the coil.

You always want the rope to your right because as you build your basket and you are forming the sides, the rope will need to be on the right.  Place your coil under your presser foot and stitch all the way across the center and then reverse and stitch back to where you started. When you are stitching, keep your needle in the needle down position.

It looks messy, that first pass but it blends in nicely when you have a few rows of stitches in. You can put a pin through the center to hold your coil together or just hold it in place with your fingers. Once your center is secure, just start stitching around the circle. Looking at the presser foot above, you can see that I try to keep one side of the rope on one side of the split in the middle of the foot, and one side of the rope on the other side of the split. If you focus on that split and keeping it in the center of the two sections of rope you are joining together, you will get a good solid joining zig zag. You can see a little better what I mean in the photo below.

You will continue sewing in a circle, keeping your circle flat on your sewing machine as shown below, until you have a base that is the size you want for your bowl.

When your base is the size you want, it is time to start building the sides. All you do here is lift the base and keep your hand under it so that it is as perpendicular to the base of your machine as possible, continuing to sew while holding the base circle at that angle.

You can see that the machine is somewhat in the way but just hold it up as far as you can. This is the part I love, just sewing in a circle and watching the sides build up while listening to the very relaxing rhythmic sounds my sewing machine makes. Here you can see what it looks like when it has grown quite a bit. (Note- this is a different basket which started with a base much larger than the one pictured above).

Sometimes you have to navigate around your machine a little but I find that the baskets are a bit flexible and if you have sewn a little wonky you can reshape when it is all finished and off your machine.  The shape of the base will determine the shape of your basket. If you want a nice round basket, start with a circle. Here is the start of a longer oblong basket. I find this shape so useful, I made a good sized one that holds our mail.

Here it is filled with flowers.

When your basket is the size you want it, there are lots of ways to finish it off and here is a good place to be creative and try something different. Generally I will finish with a loop or by covering it with fabric. 

Finishing with a loop: When the bowl is as large as I want, I will cut a tail about 8 inches long. Just continue to sew and towards the end and  loop the rope back on itself. Sew in place backtacking a few times to make sure you have caught the rope securely in your stitches. (You can see in this photo the nice cast of color the thread gives the basket.)

Fabric square finish:

Cut a square of fabric about 1.5" by 1.5". Press the edges down on all sides so you don't have any raw edges and then fold the fabric square over the end of the rope and stitch in place. You can also do this with a square of leather or felt (but don't press any edges down on those).

Another nice fabric finish is to cut a strip of fabric 3/4 inch by 6 inches and then wrap it tightly around the end, concealing the raw edge of the rope and then stitch in place. I like the nice clean look of this finish.

And that is basically it! There are lots of ways to improvise and give your baskets a little personality. My favorite thing to do is to wrap the rope in fabric strips which is something I learned about from Tia over at Tia Curtis Quilts. She makes the most beautiful baskets! Her tutorial is great and I find her so inspiring.

Another thing I think looks really sweet is using a tiny hexagon in the center to cover up the beginning of your basket. I make 1/2 inch hexagons and stitch them in place. You can either stitch across, going back and forth to make a star shape of stitching or stitch around the perimeter of the hexagon, either way it is adorable.

I hope this inspires you to give this a try! If you have specific questions just leave them in the comments and I will answer them there. I think you will enjoy making these as much as I do!

Happy Making!

First finish of 2016

This seemed an appropriate first finish for 2016! I started this back in the fall and managed to get it all quilted and ready to go over the weekend. Some friends and I brought all of our wool together with the idea of sharing what we have and each coming away with a wool quilt. I ended up buying  the blue Pendleton to finish things off as it was just the thing this quilt needed.  And then what it really needed was grey wool tassels at every corner! Oh my gosh I love the tassels. Actually I love this whole quilt! I backed it with the yummiest Robert Kaufman Mammoth Flannel, which is my favorite flannel. I used wool batting just to carry the theme all the way through. There is such a nice heft to this quilt, I have been dragging it all over the house with me to snuggle under.  Honestly January and February are my least favorite months because I am very cold adverse and the short dark days really start to get under my skin. I feel like I have to hold my breath for these two months and then once the start of March comes I can slowly start to exhale. This year I am trying to embrace these quiet dark months in a different way and this warm quilt seems a nice companion to that effort.

Some of the wool squares were lighter weight so I backed those with shape flex just to give them a bit more body. I stitched the squares together with half inch seam allowances to accommodate for the thicker wools. I pressed all my seams to one side and topstitched to help things lay flat. I quilted in the ditch and in the center of every block. In addition to coming together easily and quickly,  it is really a lovely quilt and super cozy too! 

Thoughts on 2015

There is so much to think about when I think of all that was packed in to 2015. Last year challenged me pretty good in many ways. For awhile it felt a bit like I was the mole in the Whack a Mole game, getting whacked back down when I managed to pop out. It was a whirlwind of a year, with a good amount of heartache, losing both of my beloved Grandparents 6 months apart and facing some other challenges I did not expect. However, looking back there is so much to be thankful for. My kids are happy and healthy, we did some fun things as a family this year and I think with all of the challenges I managed to grow a bit in positive ways. This year also gave some clarity to what I want more of, and less of, in my life. I got to sew a bunch and often with very nice people which was wonderful. I love how much peace and comfort sewing gives me. Here are some of my favorite things I made this year...

This Honu (Hawaiian for turtle) was for a sweet friend's new baby. I used the pattern from BoTwal found here.  I modified the shell pattern to make it patchwork and used wool stuffing which worked really nicely.

I finally finished my Weekender!! My sweet friend Irene and I started these last spring and finally finished them in October! What I learned form this project is you can really make things more difficult by getting stuck in your own head. Everything I have read about this pattern is how difficult it is so I took that to heart and made it so much harder than it had to be. Honestly, it is not as much difficult as it is a project you have to slow down and work your way through with patience. You cannot rush this if you want nice results. And for goodness sake get a piping foot. So much easier. I love this bag. It makes me happy every time I use it!

My Christmas quilt! I could not love this quilt more. It is the Tree farm Quilt which can be found on the Moda website. I used a white background fabric that has little pearlized dots of varying sizes and they look like sparkly snow. The colors are all the colors that speak Christmas to me and I had a blast making it. I pieced the top at Sewtopia in November which was an amazing experience. I met the nicest people, I felt totally pampered and laughed the whole weekend. It was so refreshing being with a crowd of people all brought together by a shared love and all there to have a great time.  When I look at this quilt I think of all the great feelings I felt that weekend and the wonderful people who made it such a magical experience.

I started painting again. I have a degree in Fine Arts and spent many years painting. This year I bought some nice paints and made it a point to just paint for painting's sake. Just to enjoy the process. Sometimes I liked the results, sometimes I didn't but i always enjoyed the process. Mixing colors, moving the paint around, experimenting, just being in the moment. I have realized that there is so much emphasis on product and not process and I think I was feeling really shortchanged by myself in focusing so much on the end result.

In thinking about the importance of process and being in the moment, I started an improv quilt, my first but it won't be my last. The only rule was that there were no rules. I grabbed fabric and sewed and sliced and tried to feel my way through, making choices that made me feel good.  One little bit at a time, not thinking about where it would all end up. In the end the product made me as happy as the process and it is one of my very favorite quilts ever. A very talented quilter is quilting it right now and is doing some amazing things to it. I can't wait to see what she does- so far it feels like a perfect compliment to my intention for this quilt.

Sewing with wool.  I couldn't quite get enough of wool sewing this year. It feels good, the colors are beautiful, it is soft and has a meatiness to it that I don't get with quilting fabric. Loving the wool right now!

The magical rope bowl. My friend Irene showed me how to make these. And then I found people online doing some beautiful things with them like Tia at tiacurtisquilts.blogspot.com who wrapped her rope with fabric and got me going in that direction. You can turn some rather unimpressive not at all attractive rope into something beautiful and useful!  Making these is addicting because it is so relaxing. listening to the machine thump along while you sew rope in a circle clears my head in the best of ways. I will be putting together a post of tips and tricks and what I have learned because so many have asked and I would be happy to share what I have learned. 

So here is what I learned this year:

Slow down. Enjoy the moment, enjoy the process.

Make time to do things that you love that feed your soul. If you can, find wonderful people who want to do those things too and share time with them.

There are things you can control and things you can't . Find a way to work those things you can't control into your life in a way that won't break you. I think about when I would body surf in Hawaii and sometimes you would just get pounded by a wave and if you fought it, it was even worse. if I could go all boneless and let the water take me where it was going to anyway, and be patient, I would end up where I needed to go, not too much worse for wear.

One day at a time. Sometimes one part of a day at a time. 

Put love out there. Don't let people take your sparkle and worse yet, don't squelch it yourself!

Here is to 2016- I hope I can remember what I have felt and learned this year and build on it in meaningful ways. Cheers!

Sweet Surprises

2015 has been a heck of a year so far.  Lots of bombs dropped and challenges popping up. Honestly lots of things just plain out of my control, which has felt so overwhelming. In an attempt to find some sense of order and take back some sense of control, I decided to create clean calm spaces in and around my home. I bought that book- the one about tidying up. I bought it but didn't read it but just the thought of it was enough I guess because I have been purging and cleaning like crazy! One of the things I tackled was the garage. So many years of, "just put it in the garage" had become crazymaking. It took days and I had a calm sense of detachment and was able to give away SO MUCH STUFF. In my crazed purging I came across a few old rolls of film and thought ,just for a second of just throwing them out. Instead I set them aside and my husband took them to a photo developer right by his work. Two of the rolls were empty but one held these magical photos from about 8 years ago. David came home from work, smiled and said, "you are going to be happy" and then handed me the photos. My whole heart melted. He was right- the photos really did make me happy. Reminding me of sweet fun times that happened to follow another pretty difficult time, in the year before the photos were taken. I think this shot in particular is just magic. It is so perfectly composed but was just a capture of a moment in time. I am so thankful I did not throw those rolls of film away. And that I found them after all those years.

Favorite tutorials

My sweet daughter just turned 13! (And yes, she is still sweet even at 13. Well, most of the time!) The first time I made this hanging vase was on her 8th birthday. It was originally a tutorial on Sew mama Sew -you can find it here: http://www.sewmamasew.com/2010/02/hanging-vase-tutorial/

I love these hanging vases because they are quick to make and so beautiful filled with flowers and hung about. They would be perfect hung on someone's door as a sweet surprise and make beautiful decorations for weddings and outdoor parties.  And, of course, to help celebrate special birthdays!

P.S. the winner of the mobile kit is Ellen. I have emailed you- just let me know your address and I will get your kit in the mail!

Welcome!

Welcome to readers of Sew Mama Sew! I hope you enjoy the Hanging Gardens Mobile Tutorial! These mobiles look wonderful in so many different combinations of fabrics. They are lovely and sweet and elegant all at the same time. I have a kit complete with everything you need to complete your own mobile, just in time for summer. Just leave me a comment on what your favorite thing about summer is and I will pull a name from all the comments Sunday, June 7.

it's Giveaway Day!!

Edited: The winners are Taryn and Jenna! I have emailed you both so get me your addresses and I will be sending you each a kit!  Thank you to everyone for playing along!

Welcome!! I always enjoy Giveaway Day- the giving and discovering of new blogs and creative people out there. For this Giveaway Day I am going to give two embroidery kits from my shop to two winners. In the comments below please tell me which kit you would love to win from the photos below. winners will be announced on Friday evening! Link here back to sewmamasew.com!

Holiday swap!

I am feeling rather in the holiday spirit already! We have a snow day today here in Portland and all the schools are closed. Here is a photo of my back yard right now:

You have my permission to mock us now. Here in Portland we believe in the potential of bad weather!  At any rate, I am getting off topic.

I want to have a Christmas potholder swap! I have so many cute fabrics and I thought making a potholder for a swap would be fun and not too much of a time suck.  I am going to leave the sign ups open for just 50 slots and we will need to ship our potholders by December 10. It's a quick and dirty turn around so we can have time to enjoy our festive pot holders during the season. I think it would be nice to throw in some sweet festive treats with your potholder, like a favorite sewing notion, some good chocolate or a tree ornament. I want this to be a fun ,low stress get you in the holiday mood sort of swap. Who's in?!

I will send out partners by Tuesday next week. This is a secret swap so don't let your partner know once you have their info!

Edited: The sign ups are now closed! I have the partners all figured out and will email first thing Wednesday morning!

Beautiful stars!

2 quilts finished this weekend in my Hothouse Flowers line. One for each color way. I love how this line looks all together but I thought it might be fun to have one for each.  This gorgeous, fast and fun pattern is the work of the talented Kira over at La Bella Colori.  I recently participated in the mini quilt swap put on by Schnitzel and Boo which was so much fun and the quilts people made were so fantastic. I saw Kira's on our Flickr group and fell in love! I emailed her to gush over her beautiful quilt and ask if she had the pattern in a bigger size. She did not but was so dear to put it all together so we can all have these quilts! This pattern is addictive and I love that the larger pieces allow the prints to shine. I am collecting Christmas fabrics for my next one. She is so kind and wonderful that she is sharing the pattern and you can find it right here: Bel Fiore Star Quilt.  You can also see her original gorgeous quilt that started all of this!

Winner winner turkey dinner!

With the help of my kids we have a winner of the fat quarters! Hey kid, pick a number between 1 and 37-the number she chose was...2! So congrats Laurel! Send me your address and I will get them in the mail for you.

 Here is my new favorite recipe. It takes so little time and it is reasonably cheap and the kids go nuts for these. Here is how you make what I am calling Turkey Sliders:
1.Go to Trader Joes and buy the following:
Pull apart rolls
turkey gravy
cornbread and sausage stuffing
cranberry sauce (aka really thick and delicious jam. It is basically jam!)
turkey lunch meat

2. Slice the top off the rolls to make a top and a bottom.
3.Heat the stuffing and then spread it over the bottom half of the rolls. That's right people- put a layer of hot yummy stuffing bread on the other bread.
4.drizzle gravy over the stuffing.
5. Add a layer of turkey slices that you have heated a bit in the microwave
6. Drizzle a bit more gravy.
7. Put the whole thing in a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes.
8. Take out of oven and cut into the squares using the rolls as a guide.
Add cranberry if you are so inclined.
They also heat up really nice for breakfast- not that you will have any leftovers! You are welcome.

Welcome + a giveaway!

If you are popping over from Sew Mama Sews Handmade Holiday then Welcome! Handmade Holidays is one of my favorite online holiday traditions and I am so happy to be a part of it this year.
I hope you like the list of tutorials I put together. I got a start on some of my sewing and made this adorable Tea Time Trivet from Rashida Coleman Hale- it's on the list I put together for today. I also have a Daschund Pencil Case from Jessica Abbott  in the works and it is the cutest pattern!

 I love the idea of these gifts being a jumping off point- the tea time trivet is perfect packaged with some of my favorite tea and some cute teacups and I have some amazing Japanese pens to go in the pencil case. On my sidebar over there on the right there is a list of printables just for you including a few different designs of tags, cards and the recipe cards I showed on Saturday. And in the spirit of all this holiday fun, I am giving away a set of fat quarters of my new line, Hothouse Flowers. Just leave me a comment telling me something you can't wait to make for Christmas or the best gift someone has made for you. I will draw a name next week.

Tis the Season!

I love Christmas! Really though what I love is the Christmas Season. I love the lights on the houses and happy holiday music and getting to gather with friends and families in such a festive way. The actual day is nice but I am not a big fan of the consumerism that goes along with that. I think, as sewists and crafters and makers, it is a wonderful time to get to use those skills for those we care about. (But of course you already know that!) One of the things I love to do is put treats together for all of our neighborhood friends. Usually cookies or baked goods though this year I am going to try some of those soup in a jar starters. I made these free printable recipe cards for all of you to use in your gift and treat giving too.

 When I give plates of cookies I like to use pretty thrifted plates I find and use bakers twine to attach the recipe card.  I think since the jars of dry soup fixins are pretty self explanatory I can print out the cheesey biscuit recipe to make with it. (oh my gosh or just eat plates and plates of cheesey biscuits. Tooooo yummy.) 
The recipe cards come in two sizes: 4 x 6 and 3 x 5. You can download them here:

                                                                    3 x 5 download here
                                                                
                                                                    4 x 6 download here

A note about printing: make sure you are printing it as "actual size" so they print out how you expect them to. The 3 x 5 print four to a page and the 4 x 6 print two to a page. I printed mine on cardstock with a subtle glittery finish. (if you look carefully you can see it in the photos above) It dulls the colors a little but looks nice. They would work equally well printed on nice bright white cardstock. I hope you enjoy them! They are for your own personal use and are not to be sold. (I feel like I have to say that because I have run into that recently with a free giveaway so sorry to sound naggy!)  If you have a minute (and have read this far!) let me know in the comments what your favorite holiday treat is- I am always looking for new yummy recipes to try!


           
                            

Introducing Hothouse Flowers!

 

 

I am so thrilled to introduce Hothouse Flowers to all of you! This is my new collection with Andover and it should be in stores by November.  Hothouse is a collection that has been a long time coming and now that it is here, I could not be happier with how it turned out- I hope you feel the same way!

Hothouse Flowers is all about the growing season where the world starts to pop with color and fragrance and life after a long winters rest. I was inspired by gorgeous blooms, dewey spider webs and the scattering of seeds that bloom where they are planted. This collection reminds me of the warm evenings and bright mornings of my favorite time of year.

 

 There are two colorways that work beautifully together. (my camera is on it's last leg so I wish the photos were a bit better but they will do!) I love bright beautiful colors and it is always a little nerve wracking to see if the factory can hit the hues I love. I can say that they hit these colors perfectly! The dark purple on that floral with the orange in the top row is so beautiful in real life. And the oranges are so rich and lovely. Truly the colors can't really be captured in photos.

 I had a small window to knock out a few samples and thank goodness for my amazing friends who come at a moments notice to help! I love this mini quilt- Violet made most of it and then Gibby stepped in and I finished it. Such a sweet collaboration over a day of sewing, giggling and eating.

 This is my quilt in process. It is the free pattern that goes with the line and can be found here.  The solid base is Andover's new chambray and it is a lovely fabric to work with. I sent this off for quilting by the lovely Krista and she blew my mind with what she did- can't wait to have photos to share!

 This pillow felt like the rays of the sun to me. I can't get over how much I love these colors!

 My first try at applique- I am so happy with this little purse- though I am thankful you can't see it up close- I need some practice! The base of this is a gorgeous wool. I am having a wool love affair right now- must be fall!

                                         Some more samples by the lovely Irene and Gibby.

Here is the whole stack. I truly hope this collection makes you happy and I can't wait to see what you sew with it! If you are going to Market please come by the Andover booth and take a look!

Seahorse Embroidery Pattern

 

Embroidery is one of those things that I love to do anywhere anytime. In fact, that is one of the reasons I love it so much- you can do it anywhere and anytime. My hands like to be busy. If we are in the car I love to have something to do with my hands- it used to be knitting but I found that a dropped stitch here or there because I was only half paying attention sometimes was really annoying. Embroidery is perfect because you always know just where you are.  I handed out these patterns at Spring Market and would love to share this with you now. The pattern to download is

right here.

 

 

Here it is all sewn up into a pillow.

 

 

Embroidery was something I have enjoyed since I was a child. It is one of the first bits of sewing I taught my own kids to do. The colors you can get of embroidery floss make me so happy and the feel of the stitches on the fabric is so satisfying. I am working on a line of embroidery patterns that I hope to have out this fall. For now, I hope you get started on your own stitchy seahorse!

Sources

 I have been meaning to do a post linking to all the stuff people asked about in my booth at Market in May. I continue to get emails asking about these things so here is a post of links and sources. That green chair above was purchased at World Market. People loved that chair! The wall color is Reclining Green from Sherwin Williams paint. I had more comments on that paint! It is the color of our living room and dining room at home. I love it a whole lot. The pictures don't do it justice- it is almost Tiffany Blue but better.

 If you want to make this hanging vase there is a tutorial for it that I did for the Sew Mama Sew blog which you can find by clicking here.  They take hardly any time to make and are just my favorite to have hanging around. Super quick easy gift idea.

Here it is hanging off the bench that I borrowed from my living room. The little covered ottoman on the right was purchased at Target.com and I covered it with fabric. Look in their ottoman clearance- good deals and easy to personalize.

The dresses- The one on the left is the Emmaline pattern by Violette Fields. You could make this dress out of burlap and it would still be as sweet. The pattern is the perfect mix of girl sweetness and ruffles without beating you over the head with them. The patterns are well written and their style is so lovely. The dress on the mannequin on the right I sewed up without a pattern a few days before Market so I can't link to anything there. It gave me a chance to use some of my stash of vintage trims which I was happy about.

 The basket on the lower shelf of the table that held my embroidery patterns was from the wonderful tutorial over at Pink Penguin. It is the perfect pattern for so many things. My lovely friends Irene and Liz each made me one to use for the booth. They are so sweet and practical.

This quilt here was the bell of the ball and was made by my sweet friend Elizabeth. I love that I had some of her magic in my booth with me all weekend. Now it is at home in my living room and I still can't get over how much I love it! The leaves are raw edge applique using the template from her first book, The Practical Guide to Patchwork. If you don't have that book you should have it- it is a fantastic resource.
So that should do it! Hopefully I included the information you have been curious about! I have been getting a lot of emails so if I didn't cover something let me know. Oh- the only other thing is the candy I was handing out at my booth was a big hit and you can find it here. I had people come by just for candy and more than one called them "crack mints". EW. written out it looks like the wrong kind of crack- so let's just say they were addicting!

Summer embroidery for you

Hello and welcome if you are popping over from Pink Chalk!  Summer is just rolling along with all of it's charms. I have been in an embroidery mood for some time so I thought I would share this embroidery pattern with you. (You can find the pillow pattern in the delightful Pillow Pop book by Heather Bostic that came out last spring.) The embroidery on it is from one of my Full Moon Lagoon prints. You could reduce it and put it on a kitchen towel or keep it the same size and sew it on a skirt. That's what I love about embroidery- you can do it anywhere!
Here is the link to the embroidery pattern- urchin embroidery pattern. I did it all in simple split stitch.
Enjoy and happy summer!

Summer Breeze Quilt- tutorial link at bottom of post!

 Not only is this quilt absolutely gorgeous, it has a nice story. Several months ago I received an email from a woman named Julianna with kind words about the line and an image of a quilt she made that she thought Full Moon Lagoon would be perfect for. She and I hit it off and I ended up sending her some fabric and she ended up making this stunning quilt and through it all I found a new friend. She lives in Poland and my Grandma was born there so it was a nice connection. Julianna is a tremendously talented sewer and a lovely person and  I feel so lucky that our paths crossed!  After she created the top she sent it on to Krista in Seattle. Krista is a Genius Longarm Magician who does breathtaking work. I want to make quilts just so Krista can quilt them so I can see what she will come up with! This spot on the quilt is one of my favorites. Julianna appliqued this jellyfish on with amazing precision and Krista filled in around it with the most delightful bubbles. I must have pointed this particular spot out on this quilt to half of the people who came into my booth!

 Here it is so you can see the whole thing. The lighting was so weird in the convention center that it made picture taking a bit challenging but I think you get the point. Gorgeous! All of those appliques came from the panel print except the starfish which she cut out of one of the prints.

                                         

Here is the good news- Julianna was kind enough to create a tutorial for this quilt so you can make your own! Follow this link here: Summer Breeze Quilt . And while you are over there check out her other work and prepare to have your mind blown a little.

Quilt Market- part one!

As soon as I heard that Market would be in my neck of the woods I knew I wanted to jump in and do my first booth- thankfully my wonderful husband thought that seemed like a good idea too!  He ended up getting some new power tools out of it so that made him happy.  These booth walls he built sure looked HUGE in our garage!

 Originally I had intended to have a new line of sewing patterns to debut at Market but the Universe had other plans and I ended up with a nasty bout of double pneumonia for over a month that put the pattern development on hold. They will be out in the next couple of months and I am glad I didn't rush them out as rushed patterns are probably not very good ones! Because of the pneumonia I left the building of the walls to my husband and my kids while I laid on the couch. He spent a nice long afternoon teaching our daughter how to use a drill and build. It was really sweet and she was so happy to get to help. This whole thing really felt like a family affair with everyone chipping in and supporting the efforts. That was such a nice thing to experience with my family.

Set up day came and we loaded up the UHaul! Dusty did not like all of the activity and moving of things and tried to go to the convention center with us. He kept jumping up into the truck and was sort of stressed out by the whole thing. Doesn't he look cute with his summer shave? I love that dog. The best was when we got to the convention center and I hopped out of the truck at the loading dock and there was Rashida! So fun to see her right of the bat- got me in a fun Quilt Market mood!

 Wow set up was hard work! Hauling those beautiful though drastically overbuilt giant heavy walls the very long walk through completely obstructed aisleways in the convention center was wild. At one point we found a cart and, ignoring the laws of physics loaded the three wheeled cart with some of these walls and they ended up falling on me. Pretty good learning curve for these rookies!

  

Finally!! Hours later we finally had the walls in and the carpet down. That was pretty much day one! Thankfully we had another day to set up. Hanging quilts took way longer than I thought but we managed to get everything just how I wanted it by dinner time.

 

 Here is how we left it the end of day two. I was excited and tired at this point and a little nervous for the show to actually start. I had no idea how much fun I was going to have!
Tomorrow part two: the quilts!