Flutter and Flower - New Pattern Available

Greeting friends! Thank you so much for your enthusiastic response to my "Flutter and Flower" 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 available in my Etsy Shop in both paper and digital format...

“Flutter and Flower - A Sewing Machine Dust Cover & Sewing Machine Mat" has two paper foundation blocks (moths) with traditional piecing and assembly. Pattern contains basic paper foundation instructions, the moth foundation blocks, and comprehensive/detailed instructions with all sorts of color diagrams. This 17-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 Moonbeam Dreams from Poppie Cotton and 1-1/2 yards Country Confetti (Heavy Cream Cream) from Poppie Cotton, plus HeatnBond Fusible Fleece, and 1/4" hand-dyed twill tape (Old Tutu) from Lady Dot Creates.

Digital pattern: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com/listing/1607789751

Paper pattern: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com/listing/1607784455

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 calming and it makes me smile immediately. I hope you will make a beautiful sewing machine cover for your machine...and be sure to share a photo when you do!

Moonbeam Dreams Fabric Tour

Happy Tuesday - welcome to the Poppie Cotton Moonbeam Dreams 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 Moonbeam Dreams Fabric Collection designed by Amada Grace Design for Poppie Cotton. I was thrilled to put on my quilt designer hat and work with these magical prints. This brand new collection (shipping this month) has lovely moth, firefly, star, moon and floral prints...all done in a calming color palette.

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

"Flutter and Flower"
A Sewing Machine Dust Cover & Sewing Machine Mat

I used a Moonbeam Dreams Fat Quarter Bundle and 1 1/2 yards of Country Confetti in Heavy Cream Cream (lining/backing/binding) to create my cover/mat. The moth blocks are foundation paper-pieced and everything else is traditional piecing. Together, the moth 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. For the side ties, I used hand-dyed twill tape (1/4") in color Old Tutu from Lady Dot Creates. 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!

I have written a pattern and you can find it in my Etsy Shop in both paper and digital format.
Digital pattern: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com/listing/1607789751
Paper pattern: https://blueribbondesigns.etsy.com/listing/1607784455

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 with a fussy cut center. I found some lovely decorative pins in my collection to add. 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 Moonbeam Dreams fabric collection, visit the Poppie Cotton Blog. If you love this fabric collection, be sure to check out your favorite quilt shop - Moonbeam Dreams is shipping this month. 

I hope you will stop back and visit with me soon. I have a new ThermOWeb project tutorial to share with you next week...and it is a FUN holiday project...plus I have some fun creative finishes to share very soon! Be sure to stop back over the next couple weeks to see these fun projects...

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...

Designing, Creating, Organizing

I have an abundance of creative things to share with you this week...be prepared to be inspired! I have been working on a plethora of deadlines - both needlework and quilting...and I am so EXCITED I can  finally share some of my recent projects with you!

In December, I was designing and creating sample models for AccuQuilt...I was asked to design a couple projects to aid in organizing your sewing room...I had a BUNCH of ideas, but the two they decided to use were for fabric baskets and a sewing machine organizing mat. I had so much fun designing and creating the samples, as these types of projects are right up my alley!

I made several prototypes of my Strippy Catch-All Basket Pattern before settling on the construction and fusibles. AccuQuilt wanted them to be a bit sturdier to hold cutting dies, and while that wasn't the original plan, these will hold the AccuQuilt dies, as seen in the photo below. These are simple strip piecing, light quilting, and basic sewing...and can be made in a variety of sizes! They are great for organizing just about anything: rick racks/trims, sewing notions,rulers, threads, and cuts of fabric...and you can make them match your sewing space by choosing fabrics that work well with your decor. If you would like to make some of these fabric cubes for your sewing room, you are in LUCK, as the GO! Strippy Catch-All Basket Pattern is FREE (yes, I said FREE) for a limited time on the AccuQuilt website: http://www.accuquilt.com/go-strippy-catch-all-basket-pattern.html

The sewing machine organizing mat is also the perfect pattern to utilize when organizing your creative space! The blocks and sashing strips are pockets that are the perfect size to hold all your tools...and your sewing machine sits atop the mat to hold it firmly in place. The sashing strip pockets (gray fabric) are 1 1/2" wide, which may seem narrow, but they are perfect for pencils and marking pens, a stiletto, a seam ripper, a quarter inch ruler, and my favorite - small scissors with a fob attached, which I am always misplacing (point of scissors goes in the pocket, the handles sit atop)...those are just a few ideas. I designed a standard size mat, but you could (fairly easily) adjust the size depending on your machine type and the space you have available. Also, as the AccuQuilt photo shows below, you can use it for your fabric cutter - the GO! Big fits perfectly (I love this idea)! I can't wait to make a few of these for my sewing room - or at least one - you know, in my spare time. If you would like to make one for your creative work-space, I am THRILLED to tell you that the GO! Sewing Machine Organizing Mat Pattern is also available for FREE for a limited time (how awesome is that?!): http://www.accuquilt.com/go-sewing-machine-organizing-mat-pattern.html

The AccuQuilt Blog also has a feature on getting organized - so stop by for a visit and read their tips for storing your cutting dies: http://www.accuquilt.com/blog/

I am off to my sewing machine for a few hours, then to my stitching nest - I have more deadlines quickly approaching...but I will be back soon with another update...I have so many interesting ideas and projects to share this week...