Starflower Scissor Station

Greetings friends - it is time to share my latest ThermOWeb Blog project tutorial with you! By now you know I am a Fabric Education Designer for ThermOWeb (they are the makers of all those wonderful HeatnBond products - adhesives, interfacings - all sorts of "must have" products for fabric crafts, paper crafts, and sewing). I create projects and tutorials for their very popular blog and give you my tips and tricks for using their products. For the month of May, I created a new project that was posted yesterday - it is a full project tutorial for my "Starflower Scissor Station." This tutorial contains a complete supply list, printable pattern with templates, a layout diagram, and step-by-step directions with color photos. The model uses fabric from the House and Home collection by Michal Marko for Poppie Cotton, but I encourage you to use fabrics and supplies you have on hand, to make this deluxe pincushion your own. I hope you will stop by the ThermOWeb blog and check out my project and tutorial...

This is a small, useful sewing project that is perfect for fat quarters or fat eighths or scraps. I used some rick rack (½” Hand-Dyed Rick Rack in color Barn Door from Lady Dot Creates), wool felt (Benzie Design), and a button I had on hand. For this post, I used SpraynBond Pattern & Stencil Spray, SpraynBond Fabric Stiffener Spray, Heatnbond Fabric Fuse Liquid Adhesive, HeatnBond Fusible Fleece, HeatnBond Light Weight Non-Woven Fusible Interfacing and Pressing Paper Fabric and Craft Sheets.

Are you familiar with the SpraynBond Pattern & Stencil Spray? SpraynBond Pattern & Stencil Spray is a temporary, light-tack adhesive for fabric - it will hold patterns down, keep stencils in place, and can be used on rulers to keep the cutting guide straight. Pattern & Stencil Adhesive is repositionable, re-usable and does not leave residue on fabrics. It is perfect for holding a paper pattern in place on wool or fabric for cutting shapes without using pins or having the pattern shift while cutting. This product is a staple in my sewing studio that gets used often!

If you have questions on any ThermOWeb HeatnBond products or would like to see a specific type of product in one of my projects, drop me a comment or email.

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

Here is a direct link to the project tutorial: 

https://blog.thermoweb.com/starflower-scissor-station-featuring-spraynbond-products/

I hope this project gets you excited to create something special and unique...

I am creating monthly projects for the ThermOWeb blog and will be sure to post here, when I do...my project for June is scheduled to be posted on June 13th...and it is a FUN one!

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...

Finishing, a Festival, and Flowers

Greetings Friends - happy Monday night! I am finally adjusting to the new night schedule and it is about 11:00 PM, as I write this post. This update is going to be a combination of creativity and personal...I have some recent needlework finishes to share...some photos from Bacon Fest 2023 (yes, we made our annual trip to Iowa for the 15th Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival)…and some photos I took today of my flower beds and new outdoor lighting. I have a pile of sewing I have to complete tonight and some design work to do, so I am going to combine all three of these subjects into one post...

Starting it off...some needlework finishing. Several projects are from other needlework designers for a client...and one is finishing of one of my own designs. I will caption the images with details, if I have them...

Bells of Christmas by With Thy Needle & Thread

2023 Collector's Heart (kit) from Heart in Hand Needleart

Perched on a Pincushion from Blue Ribbon Designs (that's me!)
This is design number four in my Rick Rack Rounds Series.

Next up, a few FUN photos from the 15th Annual Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival. A little over a week ago, we took a road trip up to Iowa to see the BEST of friends and attend the 2023 Bacon Fest. Over the the last 15 years, we have made it to almost every Bacon Festival...and even though we made the move to Kansas City, we still make the annual trip back "home" for this event each year. This year Bacon Fest was moved from February to May (from snow to sunshine)…and from indoors to outdoors at the Iowa State Fairgrounds....and it was a TWO DAY event. We had VIP tickets to both days of the festivities...and on day one, we were first in the gate! The event photographer captured the photo of us below, all holding up one finger for being first in line. We made so many memories over the course of two days....there was bull riding, axe throwing, a sledgehammer, a golf simulator, a photo op with the bacon belt, a silent disco, lots of live music, all sorts of bacon food dishes, tasty beverages, heat and rain, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, a bacon eating contest, and the best people watching around...and did I mention, all the bacon you can eat! It was the BEST two days with my Iowa family...including ending day two by cramming ten adults into one suburban (yes, we have photo evidence). I couldn't have asked for a better road trip and I am already looking forward to next year! Here are just a few favorite photos...

Hubby on the Mechanical Bull

Me with Mark and the Bacon Belt

Bacon Pickle Mac

Best of Friends

Finally, now that spring is in full effect, I have been busy in the yard. I have planted my yearly pots - my seedlings are up and my tomatoes are taking off (I need to take a good photo)...old mulch removed and new mulch put down...I even added solar lights this year. I have been enjoying evenings on the front porch with my Siberian Iris in full bloom. Plus, thanks to mother nature sending some rain our way last week, the lawn looks great! We also recently put a French drain in our backyard and it has REALLY helped with water drainage and keeping our lawn happy - in fact, we wish we would have done it several years ago. I am loving our yard this year (even with the farm field on the other side of our backyard being developed - yep, for those who follow my journey, the cows are gone and houses are going in - we knew it was inevitable, but so sad to see the pasture being developed).
…and in exciting "for me" news, we are adding a new hot tub to our back patio. It will be delivered/installed in just over two weeks and we are really looking forward to it. Yesterday we put up another side shade on our back patio for privacy and we have found the perfect outdoor cabinet for towels, chemicals, etc....but I am still trying to find an affordable outdoor rug (keyword affordable)...it is all coming together.

I took this photo at dusk of the new lights I installed...
I put them on our front trees and side bed, as well...

Geranium Elke

Siberian Iris

Amsonia

One last thing today...one of my projects (and a quote from my blog post) for ThermOWeb is being used in one of their upcoming ads...I thought I would share a photo with you. Seriously, how cool is that?!

That is all the news that is fit for blogging today. Thank you stopping by for a visit! I am off to my sewing studio...I have a pile of project bags to finish for my Etsy Shop and a new project tutorial I am working on for the ThermOWeb blog in June. Be sure to stop back on Thursday - I will be sharing my May project tutorial that is up on the ThermOWeb blog tomorrow (Wednesday the 24th)...it is for my Starflower Scissor Station, a project you won't want to miss...

A Huge Milestone and a New Quilt Pattern

Greetings friends - thank you for stopping by for a visit today...and it is a BIG day!! I can't believe I am typing this...today is my 1000th blog post...yes, you read correctly, my 1000th post. I'm really not sure how that is possible...it doesn't seem like I started yesterday, but it doesn't seem like I started fourteen years ago, either. My first post was May 18, 2009 - so yep, fourteen years ago this month...that just doesn't seem feasible. Many of you have been here since the beginning and I am thankful you have continued to visit with me over the years. It has been a joy to share snippets of my life with you - this creative space has treated me well, been a diary of so many life events and creative endeavors, and a place of friendship and kindness...it has also been my voice, when needed. As I look back at my very first post (and posts throughout the years), I can see so much growth in who I am as an artist, photographer and writer. Thank you for joining me on this journey - my heart is full.

On to today's news...a BRAND NEW quilt pattern.  Introducing my “Mini-Medi Tote Bag" - a medium-sized tote bag made from mini charm squares. This versatile tote has two rounded pockets on the outside (one on each side) and two large pockets inside. It measures 12.5" W x 12 H x 3" D and has a handle drop of 5.5"....the perfect size for a couple cross stitch projects, or as a daily tote, or a trip to the farmer's market. The pattern contains comprehensive/detailed instructions with all sorts of diagrams and a template for the rounded pocket. This 11-page pattern is designed to use your favorite fabric collection, is precut friendly, and is good for all skill levels. You can find this new design in my Etsy Shop, in both paper and digital format...

The cover model was created with the Kitty Loves Candy fabric collection from Poppie Cotton and 1-yard Country Confetti Licorice Black from Poppie Cotton (for linings and handles), plus HeatnBond Fusible Fleece. I also did a test bag using the Renew fabric collection by Sweetwater for Moda (see below).

Paper Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1478728707/mini-medi-tote-bag-quilt-pattern-paper

Digital Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1478737849/mini-medi-tote-bag-quilt-pattern-digital

Thank you so much for visiting with me today and checking out my new quilt pattern. I will be back really soon to share some needlework finishing and a new ThermOWeb project tutorial. For now, I am back to the studio, where my project bins are full. My husband and I are taking a road trip to Iowa this weekend to see the best of friends and attend the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival, so I am trying to make a good dent in my workload beforehand. Until we visit again, happy creating!

Kitty Loves Candy Fabric Tour

Greetings friends, happy Wednesday! I am thrilled to be today's stop on the Kitty Loves Candy Fabric Tour - thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. I have some fun projects to share...all created with the new Kitty Loves Candy Fabric Collection designed by Lori Woods for Poppie Cotton. I enjoyed being creative and playing with these unique, cheerful Halloween prints. This brand new collection (shipping to shops this month) has charming fall pumpkins and florals, the sweetest witch and farm scene, along with that charming hat-wearing kitty cat…all done in a surprisingly modern and bright color palette. This is Poppie Cotton's first Halloween collection and I find it very endearing - the more I worked with it, the more I was inspired by it. This month, for my projects, I used my very own patterns - in fact, I created a brand new medium tote bag pattern using this fabric collection for the model. I also had a chance to play around in my studio without a pattern for my monthly pincushion...

Working through my projects, I started with my "Pretty Posies Pouch" pattern and created a super cute mini charm zippered pouch with a boxed bottom and a wrist strap. With all the wonderful little details in each print, it was fun to use mini charm squares to focus on the special motifs in each fabric...

Paper Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1232483326/pretty-posies-pouch-quilt-pattern-paper
Digital Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/943706179/pretty-posies-pouch-quilt-pattern

Next is my "Mini-Medi Tote Bag". This is a brand new pattern I just listed in my Etsy Shop today! This medium-sized tote bag was also created with mini charm squares - hence the name. It features two pockets on the outside with round bottoms and two large pockets inside. It can be made with one charm pack and one yard of any fabric you choose, but I thought it was wonderful in these special Halloween fabrics. The directions and diagrams in this new pattern are quite thorough, so this is great project for all skill levels. I used Poppie Cotton Country Confetti Licorice Black for the bag/pocket linings and handles.

Paper Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1478728707/mini-medi-tote-bag-quilt-pattern-paper
Digital Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1478737849/mini-medi-tote-bag-quilt-pattern-digital

Finally, I created my "Forty-Five Tote Bag"...a big oversized tote, perfect for a retreat or outing. This large tote bag can also be created with one charm pack and one yard of any fabric of your choosing. It features two pockets on the outside, each large enough to hold today's largest cell phones...and two large pockets on the inside. 

Paper Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/1246433121/forty-five-tote-bag-quilt-pattern-paper
Digital Pattern: https://www.etsy.com/listing/941372669/forty-five-tote-bag-quilt-pattern

As always, I *had to* create a special pincushion with this collection...I present to you, "Happy Cat Pincushion." This time my fat quarters didn't have any selvage ends to create with, so I decided to go all out on the machine appliqué. I didn't have a pattern; I just designed the applique in EQ8 and worked on it as I went along – this 6” square pincushion is an original design and is all machine appliqué. The whiskers and mouth were machine stitched – the flowers on the hat were fussy cut from Pretty Pumpkins Black and machine stitched in place with raw edge appliqué. The Rick Rack is ¾” from Riley Blake Designs in the color Hot Pink....and I used a star-shaped specialty pin in the top of the hat. I was tickled with how well this came out - it is just as I envisioned!

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 Kitty Loves Candy fabric collection, visit the Poppie Cotton Blog. If you love this fabric collection, be sure to check out your favorite quilt shop - Kitty Loves Candy is shipping soon.

I am already working on project ideas for the next Poppie Cotton Fabric Tour in June - it is using the fabric collection "Oh What Fun" (click on the link to see a preview - it is a Christmas collection!!). Plus, I will have a new ThermOWeb project tutorial posted later this month…so, be sure to stop back soon...