Oh What Fun Fabric Tour

Greetings friends, happy Friday! I am thrilled to be today's stop on the Oh What Fun Fabric Tour - thank you so much for stopping by for a visit. I have some very fun projects to share...all created with the new Oh What Fun Fabric Collection designed by Elea Lutz for Poppie Cotton. I enjoyed being creative and playing with these detailed, cheerful, Christmas prints. This brand new collection (shipping to shops this week) has a vintage-look Santa Claus, the sweetest snowmen and reindeer, along with charming plaids, polka dots, florals and snowflakes…all done in a lovely, bright and cheerful color palette. I find this Poppie Cotton Christmas collection quite endearing - I was truly inspired by all the tiny details in these adorable prints. This month, for my projects, I didn't use any patterns - in fact, I just started playing and these were the results. 

The tiny details inspired these wooden hoop ornaments. I used small 4-inch wooden hoops - with 3/4" pink rick rack around the perimeter on the back of the hoop and the back is covered with wool blend felt from Benzie Design. I did machine appliqué for the motifs - then added hand stitching, beads, buttons, pins, and wool felt - just small embellishments that I had on hand. I used gingham ribbon for the bows and made twisted cord for the hangers. Everything is attached by machine or hand - no glue was used. These were quite fun to make - in fact, so much so, that I have three more started to add to my collection  - a little bird, a star, and a candy cane.

As always, I *had to* create a special pincushion with this collection...I decided to go with the theme of one of the prints and cut and appliqué a large snowflake. This time my fat quarters didn't have any selvage ends to create with, so I decided to sew a more detailed machine appliqué. I didn't have a pattern; I just designed and created it as I went along. This is a 6” square pincushion perfect for those winter months or for gift giving. The trim is white vintage lace....and I used star-shaped specialty pins for embellishment. I was thrilled with how well this came out - it is just as magical as I envisioned!

Finally, when Poppie Cotton reached out to me months ago to design with this collection, I told them I would like to make some holiday bunting - at that time I had no idea this collection would have a fabric panel with printed Merry Christmas bunting. When I saw an image of the panel a few weeks ago and the printed bunting, I almost decided not to share my bunting photos...but since mine is quite different, I decided it would be fun to share it as well. My bunting is a mix of banner flags and Christmas trees. My trees are triangles, with wool blend felt trunks and have star-shaped specialty pins at the top. The banner flags are made from the cutest prints...and I made a very narrow red binding to put them all together. It was not the easiest to photograph, as it is so long...but I managed to lay it out in my photography light box and get a decent photo with a white background...I also took several photos of it hanging above our fireplace. It is a very happy bunting and I look forward to displaying it this holiday season!

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 Oh What Fun fabric collection, visit the Poppie Cotton Blog. If you love this fabric collection, be sure to check out your favorite quilt shop - Oh What Fun is shipping this week.

I am already working on my project ideas for the next Poppie Cotton Fabric Tour in July - it is using the fabric collection "Delightful Department Store" (click on the link to see a preview - it has a lovely vintage vibe!!). Plus, I will have a new Therm O Web project tutorial posted in July, as well…so, be sure to stop back soon...

Carnation Cottage Mini Quilt

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. It is Houses Make a Home Week over on the ThermOWeb Blog and I created a new project that was posted yesterday - it is a full project tutorial for my "Carnation Cottage Mini Quilt." This tutorial contains a complete supply list, printable pattern with applique templates, a layout diagram, and step-by-step directions with color photos. The model uses an assortment of fabrics from Poppie Cotton, but I encourage you to use fabrics and supplies you have on hand, to make this "cottage" your own. I hope you will stop by the ThermOWeb blog and check out my project and tutorial...

This is a small appliqué project that is perfect for fat quarters or scraps. I used some trims and buttons I had on hand (including some CUTE wooden bee buttons)…and an Ackfeld Stand or split hanger for display (see the official post for a complete supply list and details). For this post, I used HeatnBond Lite EZ-Print Iron-On Adhesive, HeatnBond Fusible Fleece, HeatnBond Heavy Weight Non-Woven Fusible Interfacing and SpraynBond Basting Adhesive Fabric Spray.

Are you familiar with the SpraynBond Basting Adhesive Fabric Spray? SpraynBond Basting Adhesive is a temporary bond spray adhesive for fabric. With this versatile product, you can temporarily hold templates, stabilizers, embellishments and backing fabrics in place for sewing without using clips, pins or glue. I like using it to hold trims or rick rack in place without pins and to baste my quilt layers together for small projects. It can be repositioned, won't gum up your sewing machine needle, and is acid-free/solvent-free.

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/carnation-cottage-mini-quilt-featuring-heatnbond-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...I don't have the schedule for May yet, but I will let you know as soon as I know when my next project will be available.

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...

Bees and Blooms Oliso Carry Bag

Greetings friends - happy Thursday! I have something extra artistic to share with you today, something I had so much fun creating. If you have been following me for a while, then you know I am obsessed with Oliso Smart Irons - my husband bought me my first one in early 2006 (yes, I had to look this up) and I have never looked back...that original white and blue iron lasted eight years with daily usage...it was a workhorse! Since then, I have had multiple Oliso Smart Irons and a couple Oliso Mini Project Irons. Even more exciting, the day before I left on vacation (last Sunday), the doorbell rang at 9:00 AM and it was FedEx delivering a new Mimi G Auto-Lift Smart Iron (SWOON!), with Mimi G’s iconic leopard skin pattern and signature colors....yes, FedEx delivered it on a Sunday! If you can't tell, I am a HUGE fan. My irons are a very important part of my studio, as good pressing is a must...

So, I was beyond excited when my collaboration with ThermOWeb, led me to a project with Oliso. In mid-January, Oliso reached out to ThermOWeb and asked if any of the Fabric Education Designers wanted to embellish one of their new Carry Bags for display at QuiltCon...YES, please! They sent me a Carry Bag for the Oliso Mini Project Iron, and then it was time to get creative...

I used HeatnBond Lite and HeatnBond Fabric Fuse to attach wool felt flowers, stems and leaves (I used happy colors of Benzie Design Wool Blend Felt)…then I did a bunch of hand stitching and attached some adorable, happy bee buttons and 1/4" round buttons. I didn't really plan it out too much, I just started playing and this was my end result...

I embellished the entire case, on all sides....and put a flower shaped label inside the zippered flap with all my details. I can't wait until I teach my next class and get to carry my iron in this HAPPY carry case. My decorated Oliso Carry Bag is on display in the Oliso Booth at QuiltCon 2023 - if you are lucky enough to be in attendance, stop by a take a look. I am looking forward to seeing other designer embellished Carry Bags on social media - if you would like to see more, search the hashtags:
#getcarriedawaywitholiso
#createwitholiso
#olisoconnects
…and visit @olisohome on Instagram

Thank you for stopping by for a visit today - I hope this post inspires you to play with wool, fabric and threads!

Zigzags and Zippers

It is another late night post for me...my days have been filled trying to keep caught up with customer orders (which is a great thing!).  I have been making all sorts of project bags in a variety of sizes and fabrics and I still have large quantities on order...plus I have been working on tons of needlework finishing for some of my favorite clients...and oh my goodness, there are some fabulous photos coming in the next few days! I have some very talented clientele and I am honored that they trust me to finish their handwork. I've been cutting fabrics most of the day for the next batch of custom bags and started some sorting and planning for my next needlework fishing order (which is so large, it is almost overwhelming!)...the day flew by and now, it is almost midnight here...

Here are just a few of my latest project bag finishes...I have created so many custom bags in the last couple months that I had to spend an evening organizing what was left of my zipper supply and place an order for 200 more of my most used colors....

Zipper organizing...

My zipper order...

I did get to take a couple hours off on Wednesday afternoon to spend time with a very dear friend...we enjoyed a leisurely lunch, then walked over to the local quilt shop. I wanted to pick up a special tin to house my Pinmoor Pin Anchors (a good excuse for a quilt shop visit!)...I found the perfect size (it was part of three tin nesting set from Moda Fabrics) and several fat quarters (and a 1/2 yard) of fabric that may have ended up in my purchase... 

I just finished packaging today's orders for tomorrow's post...it's been a long day! Tomorrow will be spent at the sewing machine (after watching the Michigan game, of course)...I have bunches of bags to sew. I'll be back in the next few days to share some of the needlework finishing I have completed...lots of fun Christmas ornaments. See you then...

Pretty Little Pincushion

It is no surprise that I am always on the lookout for fun and unique pins and pincushions, so when this adorable spool arrived in my mailbox just before the holidays, I did a little squeal! - isn't it fabulous?! - it was the absolute perfect surprise! I am such a fan of Just Another Button Company and their whimsical designs and products...and this gift made me smile immediately! I have tons of their buttons and pins in my stash...and even a few kits - so when this special spool arrived, I decided to go through my stash and pull out a JABCO project to complete this year (hopefully soon, but I am not going to pressure myself with my current workload)...I decided upon the "Sew Charming" pincushion kit - I just adore this bluebird sitting on a tuffet...and there is even a little heart pocket to hold scissors or a thimble. The kit contains all the materials to make the pincushion...including the tape measure trim, the buttons, and the pins...all you need is a needle and thread and the needlework treasure you want to place in the heart pocket...I think I can handle that! I plan to put this at the top of my "snow day" pile and hope to make a little time to work on it soon...

I have also added a new book to my wishlist...yep, Just Another Button Company has a new book titled "Pincushion Appeal" - I am sure this title will *need* to be added to my studio library...because, as we all know, I have an addiction...

...and if you aren't familiar with the Just Another Button Company blog and are looking for some pincushion inspiration, you should definitely check it out...it is full of eye candy that just may give you and idea or two (or three):
http://justanotherbuttoncompany.com/blog/

A Touch of Autumn

Here are a couple photos of my latest batch of pincushions. The top and bottom of each tuffet is patchwork with rick rack and a button, making these pincushions reversible...the patchwork fabric is Posh Pumpkins by Sandy Gervais for Moda...and the pincushion sides are Jolly Jungle Foliage by The Henry Studio for Makower UK. I dressed up these four-patch tuffets with coordinating rick rack and buttons...and embellished each one with three decorative pins. These are now listed in my Etsy shop...along with several others I posted about in the last few weeks. I have more quilting/sewing projects in the works and hope to have additional goodies to show you soon!

For now, I am off to the Blue Ribbon Designs "warehouse" to bag charts and prepare the new Halloween designs for shipment...I can't believe they start shipping next week...

My Creative World...

There is a lot going on in my creative world right now. I just released two new Blue Ribbon Designs for August...I am bagging and preparing two new Halloween Designs for September...and I have two new autumn designs ready for October. Plus, I am stitching models for two holiday designs - hopefully for a November release. I have an area all set-up downstairs where I have been bagging thousands of charts...and now I am waiting for more bags to arrive, so I can continue. I have also been scheduling some sewing time into my days, preparing and designing new items for my Etsy shop. I started working on some new patchwork pincushions...and this time they are square...and I am working on a prototype for a rectangular one that will also hold a pair of scissors. In my spare time, I am drafting a pattern for a special needle case that will hold packages of needles...and a clear-front zipper pouch that allows you to see the contents inside...I even have a few sketches of some small appliqué pieces I want to try. In the next few days, I hope to start listing some new items...

This is a peek at some of the pincushions I finished over the last couple days...the patchwork "four patches" are made from the Whimsy Collection by Joanna Figueroa, Fig Tree & Co. for Moda...and the white/floral sides are the Lovely Collection by Sandy Gervais for Moda. I used fun jumbo rick rack and buttons to embellish each one...and they are reversible, with both the top and the bottom of each pincushion being patchwork. I am working on these using several other fabric collections...and I have pulled both Halloween and autumn fabrics. Each one measures 4.5" x 4.5" x 1.5". Look for these to be listed in my Etsy shop later this week...

For now, I am off to walk Simba and then Schatzi...afterwards, I hope to do some sewing...and finally some late night model stitching...

Friendship Friday

This week has been full of deadlines and goals for me...and truth be told, I have been pretty much overwhelmed by my ever-growing Blue Ribbon Designs to-do list, household chores and yard work, and our two dogs. It seems my schedule is always full and I can't find the balance I so desperately need. Today, however, I took a break from the craziness and enjoyed "Friendship Friday"...a Friday where I meet two of my very dear girlfriends (Mary and Lorrie) for lunch and just relax for a couple hours...and today was made even more special, as we were celebrating Lorrie's birthday!  We met at one of our favorite restaurants "On The Border" for a little Mexican fiesta...we had fabulous food and spent some much needed time catching up  - conversing about our lives and families and everything in-between...and afterwards, Lorrie opened her birthday gifts.

I always have fun working on birthday gifts for my close friends...and although I usually sew and quilt many of my presents, this time I changed things up a bit. I decided to make Lorrie a little friendship photo album, with pictures from our recent road trips and outings. I used chipboard tags and covered them with pretty scrapbook papers and added the photos...using one of my favorite gadgets - a 5" Xyron Creative Station (OMG - I love this fancy little machine that makes pretty much anything adhesive)!  I also used a 1.5" Xyron Create-A-Sticker to adhere chipboard buttons, laces, trims, and rick rack. Yes, I adore these Xyron products...and wish I had more of their fabulous crafting supplies - do you hear me Xyron?? - I heart you (no affiliation, their stellar products just make my crafting life better)! It was so much fun printing out the photos and then working with my stash to decorate this fun friendship book...digging through ribbons, laces, trims, and buttons always brings me joy!

I also decided to stitch Lorrie a pendant. This from Milady's Needle, titled Quaker Pendants II - it is stitched over-one on 36-count fabric...and then I backed it with a piece of retired Blackbird Designs sampler fabric stabilized with fusible interfacing. This is the second one of these pendants I have made for a gift...I think I need to get an additional pendant, so I can finally make one for myself!

I also have to share this book with you - I purchased this book for Lorrie months ago, after we had a discussion on using vintage handkerchiefs in sewing projects. This lovely book has fabulous ideas for using those special antique hankies, laces, doilies, and ribbon you may be holding on to...

It was a lovely luncheon and we all commented on how we need to do it more often...in fact, I think every Friday should be "Friendship Friday"....

Tonight, after an evening walk, I am hoping to finish up the last set of needlework smalls for my upcoming new releases. I am getting ready to send out a large printing order and I am crossing my fingers I can get all the files and photography completed this weekend (or early next week). There are new designs on the way and I can't wait to share them with you!

Finally - I am truly touched by the AMAZING response I have received for "Red Rosies and Pink Posies" - the support, encouragement, and beautiful e-mails I have received are heartwarming. Your generosity is beyond compare - and I sincerely thank each and every beautiful soul who has made a donation and/or spread the word about this special design and my fundraising page for the Susan G. Komen 3-Day! I still have until November to meet and surpass my goal...and (for those of you who have asked) my special exclusive design for donors will be available until that time. Please continue to help me spread the word...and I will continue to train and work hard to make sure all my supporters proud!