Bluebird in My Heart - Pattern Available

Greeting friends! Thank you so much for your enthusiastic response to my "Bluebird in My Heart" sewing machine cover design - to those who commented and contacted me with such kind and positive words, you made my heart happy. I have written a pattern and it is now available in my Etsy Shop in both paper and digital format...

“Bluebird in My Heart - A Sewing Machine Dust Cover & Sewing Machine Mat" has two paper foundation blocks (birds), traditional piecing and assembly, with a hint of machine appliqué (heart). Pattern contains basic paper foundation instructions and foundation blocks, the heart template, and comprehensive/detailed instructions with all sorts of color diagrams. This 15-page pattern is designed to use your favorite fabric collection and fits machines up to 18” in width (and the size can be easily be adjusted, if needed). 

The model was created with a fat quarter stack of Treasured Threads from Poppie Cotton and 1-1/2 yards Country Confetti (Waffle Cone) from Poppie Cotton, plus HeatnBond Fusible Fleece, HeatnBond Lite Iron-On Adhesive and 3/8" red and white gingham ribbon.

Paper pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1407404069/bluebird-in-my-heart-a-sewing-machine

Digital Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1393176766/bluebird-in-my-heart-a-sewing-machine

I can't tell you how much joy this sewing machine cover/mat brings me every time I walk into my sewing studio...it is so cheerful and makes me smile immediately. When I was creating it, I had no idea others would be interested in a pattern - that is just icing on the cake! I hope you will make a happy sewing machine cover for your machine...and be sure to share a photo when you do!

Bluebird in My Heart - Treasured Threads Fabric Tour

Happy Tuesday - welcome to the Poppie Cotton Treasured Threads Fabric Tour! I am thrilled to be today's stop on the tour - thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. I have a very special sewing machine dust cover to share (and a little pincushion too!), created with the new Treasured Threads Fabric Collection designed by Amber Johnson of Gigi’s Thimble for Poppie Cotton. I was thrilled to put on my quilt designer hat and work with these cheerful prints. This brand new collection (shipping this month) has lovely bird motifs, gorgeous florals, and fabulous blender fabrics...all done in a happy color palette.

There is a little irony to my project - I decided back in June 2022 that I would be designing a sewing machine cover and thread catcher, with no idea that both of my sewing machines would be down for repair at the time of creation - I had to search online for the dimensions of my machines, to make sure I could get my project done on time. At the time of writing of this post, my fancy Husqvarna Viking sewing machine is still the the shop for repair, waiting on parts...and my new back-up machine arrived yesterday (its predecessor would have cost more to fix than replace)…luckily a dear friend loaned me a machine to use to get this sample created on time. The cover fits my new back-up machine perfectly, as you can see in the photos...and I have a great feeling it will fit my fancy machine, as well.

 Let's take a close-up look at my project...

"Bluebird in My Heart"
 A Sewing Machine Dust Cover & Sewing Machine Mat

 I used a Treasured Threads Fat Quarter Bundle and one yard of Country Confetti in Waffle Cone (lining/backing/binding) to create my cover/mat. The bird blocks are foundation paper-pieced, the heart is machine appliqué, and everything else is traditional piecing. Together, the bird blocks create one large pocket on the front of the cover - perfect for the machine pedal, power cord, quilt patterns, and/or the machine manual. The smaller pockets on the reverse side are made for sewing/stitching tools - such as a seam ripper, scissors, rulers, marking utensils, tweezers - you know, all those tools you need close at hand. I wanted to make the cover useable at all times, so when it is not acting as a dust cover, it can be placed under the sewing machine as a mat/pad and the pockets hang down with all my tools handy. I used HeatnBond Fusible Fleece to give my cover good padding and stability...along with HeatnBond Lite Iron-On Adhesive for my heart appliqué. For the side ties, I used cute, red and white gingham ribbon. I can't believe how much joy this new dust cover/mat brings to my sewing studio...it makes me happy the second I walk in the room!

After finishing up my sewing machine cover, I was compelled to work with some of my leftover fabric pieces and made the sweetest little pincushion, embellished with the flower selvage from the fabric (with such a fabulous selvage, I couldn't resist). I decided to cut out wool flowers and attached it all with a glass head pin. My original plan from June was to make a thread catcher to match my machine cover, but I noticed someone else on the tour made one...so I quickly changed course and made a pincushion. Perhaps I will make a coordinating thread catcher in the future.

I hope you have enjoyed this stop on the fabric tour and are feeling inspired - thank you for visiting with me today. For more creative projects using the Treasured Threads fabric collection, visit the Poppie Cotton Blog. If you love this fabric collection, be sure to check out your favorite quilt shop - Treasured Threads is shipping now. This design was just me playing around in my studio without a pattern, making it up as I went along - if there is enough interest, I will write a pattern for my Etsy Shop (let me know in the comments or shoot me an email).

I am already working on my project for the next Poppie Cotton fabric tour in February - it is using the fabric collection Poppie's Patchwork Club (click on the link to see a preview - this fabric is adorable!). Plus, I have a new ThermOWeb project tutorial (for February, as well) currently on my cutting table. Be sure to stop back over the next few weeks to see these fun projects...

Perched on a Pincushion - New Cross Stitch

Greetings friends - I'm so happy you stopped by for a visit today!

First of all, thank you so much for the super sweet comments and messages regarding my ThermOWeb design tutorial - I am so thrilled you like my Growing Hearts Valentine Pocket! I look forward to sharing more pattern tutorials with you in the coming months...

I have been crazy busy working on all sorts of creative projects...and today, I am here to tell you all about one of those projects....yes, it's a new cross stitch design alert! I just released a brand new stitchy/quilty cross stitch design called "Perched on a Pincushion" and it is available in both paper pattern and digital format in my Etsy shop. Here are a few more details...

Perched on a Pincushion (BRD-131)

Introducing the fourth set of Rick Rack Rounds!

Just like it's predecessors Sweet Slice of Liberty, Hitchin' A Ride, and Sunflower Delivery, these have a stitch count of 48" x 48" and are stitched on 32-count fabric, measuring 3 1/4" round. I stitched "Perched on a Pincushion" (named for the bluebird perched on the tomato pincushion) on 32-count Bisque by Lakeside Linens with Sulky 12 Wt. Cotton Petites (DMC equivalents are also provided). You can use almost any neutral fabric color for these stitching beauties and pick your favorite cheerful floss colors. The pattern includes complete finishing instructions for my Rick Rack Rounds - and you can insert pins as I did...or they look great with just the rick rack (or trim of your choice) - I used hand-dyed rick rack from Lady Dot Creates. These make great bowl fillers or could be finished as seasonal ornaments. The pattern comes with a plethora of creative ideas! I filmed a comprehensive FlossTube video showing how to do the finishing on these, you can find it here: https://youtu.be/YkBe77naAZI. These sewing-themed rounds are quick to stitch and easy to finish...and more seasonal/holiday Rick Rack Rounds are on the way!

Paper pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1372943436/perched-on-a-pincushion-brd-131-counted

Digital pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1386931977/perched-on-a-pincushion-brd-131-counted

I really hope you like this new stitching/sewing/quilting inspired design - I truly enjoyed creating it!

I have another new cross stitch design that will be available REALLY soon and a sewing pattern, as well...so stay tuned for those...

...and, I have needlework finishing and custom work to complete for clients...piles of sewing to complete for my Etsy shop...and another project tutorial for the ThermOWeb blog that will be available in February, so I will be back to visit with you again before you know it! Send some good vibes that my fancy sewing machine will be repaired really soon...my heart will be much happier when it is home...and it will make my job so much easier. 

Thanks for stopping by today and for always being so supportive of my creativity...💗

Growing Hearts Valentine Pocket

Hello friends - thank you for visiting with me today! Did you hear my very happy news?? I am a new Fabric Education Designer for ThermOWeb  (you know, the makers of all those wonderful HeatNBond products - adhesives, interfacings - all sorts of "must have" products for fabric crafts, paper crafts, and sewing). I will be creating projects and tutorials for their very popular blog and giving you my tips and tricks for using their products in your own projects. My very first post went live yesterday...and it is a complete tutorial for my "Growing Hearts Valentine Pocket." This tutorial contains a complete supply list, printable pattern, and step-by-step directions with color photos. I hope you will stop by the ThermOWeb blog and check out my project and tutorial...and if you like it, leave a comment and let ThermOWeb know.😊

This is a small appliqué project that is perfect for snippets and scraps. I used a combination of wool felt and cotton fabric, but you can use what you have on hand. I also used some rick rack and twill tape - but you could use ribbon...and I used a handful of buttons. It really is easy to make this project your own - you can make it as simple or as challenging as you would like! This hanging pocket is useful for stationary, mail, or notes...add a Valentine and some sweet treats and it makes a perfect gift! It has a finished size of 10.5" W x 8" H (plus hanger) and the fusible fleece and interfacing make it nice and sturdy. Growing Hearts is a great afternoon project that will definitely brighten up your Valentine's Day (and could be on display year-round!).

You will have to visit the ThermOWeb blog for my tutorial, but I am posting a few photos here...

https://blog.thermoweb.com/growing-hearts-valentine-pocket-with-heatnbond/

I hope this project gets you excited to create something!

I will be doing more projects for the ThermOWeb blog and will be sure to post here, when I do. My next post is scheduled for February 15th.

Thank you for stopping by for a visit today - I always enjoy sharing with you. Enjoy the rest of your week and make time to work on something creative...