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Little Pops of Color

March 26, 2013 by 12 Comments

Wondering what happened to that little stack of color over the weekend? Here’s a small peek.SB colorColorful, aren’t they?SB stripI never tire of scraps. Or small projects. Which is a good thing as my scrap stash seems to grow bigger every day.

Within a couple days, a new box of fabric with Spring Market sewing assignments will arrive on my doorstep. More lively color and fun projects lie ahead. Of course, you know what that means….time to stock up on sharp needles, new rotary cutter blades and lots and lots of coffee.

Filed Under: color, embellishments, fabric, scraps, sis boom

Bright Ideas

March 23, 2013 by 5 Comments

Looking forward to the weekend? The first weekend of Spring? (Or Fall, as the case may be.) I’ve been toying with some ideas for small projects.Sis boom ideas smallThis is the starting point–a few happy Sis Boom scraps, some white and a handful of embellishment ideas.sis boom scraps hst smallProgress is ongoing and so is the fun.

What projects are on your mind this weekend?

Filed Under: color, embellishments, embroidery, fabric, sis boom

Just A Little PKLove

March 5, 2013 by 6 Comments

After a fabulous weekend of beautiful weather, we’re back to some gray skies and cooler temps. Nothing to complain about really–folks in other parts of the country are having very wintry weather indeed. But for us weather wimps in Southern California, this is a turn for the worse. We really like those 80 degree days with 12% humidity and steady breezes.  In order to cheer myself up, I pulled out the PamKittyLove fabric that I’ve had waiting on the sidelines. PKLOVE pincushionI love this little pincushion. Gingham, black, pretty floral pattern, embellishments–so much to love here. And as if that’s not enough, flip it over.PKLOVE pincushion backI couldn’t resist a little heart applique on the backside. Now if I can just remember to put this in the mail for Pam. I’m afraid I might “forget” all about it and it will become a permanent fixture around here.

Filed Under: blog buddies, embellishments, fabric, sewing

Fruit Smoothie — A Free Pattern & Another Giveaway

February 8, 2013 by 52 Comments

Time for the February freebie and giveaway! Are you ready? It’s a jolt of color that will brighten any winter day and refresh all of you in the Southern Hemisphere.Fruit Smoothie quiltThis small quilt is Fruit Smoothie and uses two types of pre cuts. The center patchwork section is a mix of mini charm stacks and 5 inch charms. My Kaffe stash had just the perfect prints for the border, but at 2 1/2″ they’re the same size as designer roll strips.Fruit Smoothie KaffeIt’s a great project for beginners because the mixture of all those prints blends small mistakes and mismatched seams. Letting the fabric do the heavy lifting makes it look more complex than it really is. All other levels of experience will find it a fun and easy way to put some of their Kaffe stash out on display.Fruit Smoothie closeupI used several colors of Anchor pearl cotton thread to hand quilt this piece. You can see a photo of the quilted backside in the last post. And I’ve written a free pattern for you which you can access by clicking here. Or by visiting the Freebies section at any time.

Kaffe minisWestminster Fibers has given me a couple of these Kaffe and Friends mini stacks to share. Excited?! Me too. Each of these stacks comes with 250 of the 2 1/2″ squares. That’s right…250!!! Here are the details for this sweepstakes:

  1. Leave a comment on this post before the deadline to enter. Tell me anything you’d like, but I’d love to know your favorite Kaffe print.
  2. One comment per reader. Duplicate entries will be deleted.
  3. You have until 12:00 midnight Pacific Standard Time on Wednesday, February 13 to enter. 
  4. International entrants are welcome.
  5. Two winners will be selected by Random Number Generator. One winner for the US and one international winner.
  6. Winners will be announced sometime before Monday, February 18th.
  7. Winners will be notified by email and will have one week to respond. If winners do not respond, a new winner will be selected by Random Number Generator and notified by email.

Good luck!

Filed Under: Coats & Clark, color, embellishments, embroidery, fabric, freebie, giveaway, Kaffe Fassett, pattern, quilting, quilts, Rowan, sewing, tutorials

The Shortest Day of The Year

December 21, 2012 by 4 Comments

Pretty As You Please Clutch in PKLoveThe winter solstice is here, the shortest day of the year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere. Christmas celebrations are on the calendar for this weekend. Oddly, I feel like I’m just going through the motions, trying to catch up. Sometimes, you just have to indulge in a diversion or two to get back on track. So that’s what I did, entertained a bit of diversion.PKLove in Pretty as Please ClutchI found some time to play with that PKLove from the last post and I’m quite pleased with the cute factor of this one. Eye catching red lines the inside. It has a bit of a festive feel, despite the black. It would be easy to get lost in this diversion; however, there’s a pumpkin pie in the oven and I don’t want to burn it.

I hope your holidays are moving along smoothly. Enjoy every minute and take a fabric diversion if you need one!

Filed Under: blog buddies, crafts, embellishments, fabric, sewing

Pretty As You Please Clutch

December 1, 2012 by 4 Comments

Pretty As You Please ClutchI couldn’t resist making another clutch. This time denim adds stability instead of burlap and a pleated strip of Amy Butler’s Dancing Paisleys from her Soul Blossoms collection adds the punch of color.  Pretty As You Please Clutch interiorI added a nostalgic touch to the clutch lining with some green gingham. It’s a happy little surprise on the inside.Pretty As You Please Clutch closeupThe addition of a fancy brooch takes this little clutch to another level of fun. It’s the juxtaposition of fancy and functional that really makes it work.

And guess what? Now you can make your own clutch! I finished writing the pattern and put it up in the Etsy shop. Click here for the listing. My patterns are all pdf files and I try to get them emailed to you within 24 hours. Sometimes, you’ll get lucky and have it in five minutes if I’m sitting at the computer when you place your order. 

This is such an easy project to make. You could have a small stack of these whipped up in a weekend, if you were so inclined. (They’d make great gifts if you can part with one.) As with all of my patterns, I keep it simple so you can put your stamp on it through fabric choices, embellishments, etc. Possibilities are endless!

Filed Under: Amy Butler, bag, color, embellishments, fabric, pattern, shop

Lovely Laminates

November 20, 2012 by 7 Comments

garment bag laminateWondering what to do with all the gorgeous laminates that keep coming out? Stumped for something besides a diaper bag or tablecloth? Wishing there was something both fun and practical to make that doesn’t require as much patience as a raincoat? I’ve got something for you. You probably guessed that already, smart readers that you are.

This incredibly easy garment bag is just the thing. I’ve left off topstitching and edgestitching but you could certainly add those if you chose. (Just remember that the more times the fabric gets punctured by needles, or pins, it loses some of the water resistance. Because liquids can seep through those little holes quite easily.) You could also add trim such as crocheted lace or rick rack around the horizontal seam lines. Or even add trim along the sides of the zipper.

You can carry this garment bag folded as well because there’s an elastic loop at the bottom to put over the hanger. Handy, isn’t it?garment bag laminate foldedI hope you’ll be inspired to make some of these. I think they’d make a great gift for the holidays. Or a great way to take clothes with you as you head out for Thanksgiving travels.  Click here for the free pattern. Or visit the Freebies section.

Filed Under: clothing, color, embellishments, fabric, freebie, laminate, pattern, sis boom, tutorials

Playing in Happy Land

November 12, 2012 by 13 Comments

Clutch in burlap and Happy LandNow that the small renovation of the living room has been completed, I’m managing to spend a little time at the sewing machine. And boy, does it feel good! I had some of Jennifer’s Happy Land waiting for me to get back into the groove. I’ve also had some poly burlap that I wanted to use in a bag or two. So I did the obvious thing….I combined them.burlap clutch interiorI love the way this rosy burlap works with the greens of Happy Land. The perfect partner.burlap clutch with pleated trimAnd look at that…just the right ribbon in my stash to add some interest to the flap. 

I have a lot of other Happy Land projects in various stages of completion. Get ready for some eye popping fun in the coming weeks.

Filed Under: blog buddies, embellishments, fabric, sewing, sis boom

Slow and Steady

August 25, 2012 by 4 Comments

Hexie progressHexie progressBig Stitch QuiltingBig stitch quilting a lap size quiltMod Podge projectA new Mod Podge Project underway

What’s keeping you busy this weekend? 

Filed Under: color, creativity, embellishments, fabrics, mod podge, quilting, sewing, sis boom

Friday Greetings and a Tip About Buttons

August 3, 2012 by 3 Comments

AB Cameo quilted pillow coverRemember my stack of Amy’s Cameo collection? For this project, I used three of the prints in an easy block pattern to create a light and airy pillow cover. A little fussy cutting for the center, some white for contrast and blue flowery dots for movement–so simple. Because the “button quilting” turned out so nicely on the last Sis Boom pillow cover, I decided to stick with it for this one.

I happened to have all these buttons readily available in my button stash.  I buy bulk buttons at Michael’s or JoAnn’s whenever I see an assortment containing the right colors. I save a lot of money this way. I paid the same price for the tub of buttons as I would have paid for the handful of buttons on this pillow.  And that’s your tip for the day–buy buttons in bulk! You’re much more likely to use them for embellishment if you have them on hand. (Plus I like the way buttons look as they sit on the shelf. But that’s another post.)

Have a Happy Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Filed Under: Amy Butler, embellishments, fabric, house and home, sewing
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