Joyful Journaling

Happy Tuesday friends! If you follow my social media, then you may have heard my extremely happy news - I finally got my fancy sewing machine back from repair in mid-March and I have been sewing up a storm daily. I was worried when it took months for repair, but the backordered parts finally arrived and my machine is sewing perfectly again. I have been making and listing a lot of items in my Etsy Shop and working on a few client orders...plus I have been working on projects for Poppie Cotton and ThermOWeb...and making a few gifts and personal projects. I have even been making time for new cross stitch designs and ideas. With the crazy new night schedule, I find spending time in my studio is keeping me sane and happy. I was also able to take four days off and help my local quilt shop (The Quilted Sunflower) for the Ad Astra shop hop, which is always inspiring and fun. It has been refreshing to take a step away from needlework finishing and some of the more cumbersome client projects and work on things that truly bring me joy. Here are just a few of the photos I can share...

Another project I worked on was this special framed piece for my mother-in-law - a gift for her birthday. Half of the heart is a map of where we live and half of the heart is a map of where she lives. I was quite happy with how it turned out...

Finally, you may remember this pillow I designed in December, playing around in my studio for the Poppie Cotton Christmas Countdown Challenge. I decided to enter it in the Nancy Zieman Productions 2023 Pillow Sewing Challenge. You could enter one photo of one pillow that was made in the last year and write one or two sentences about it.

This was my entry:
My Pink House Pillow is an original design, has an envelope back and uses a 12” x 12” pillow form. My pillow features fusible appliqué with blanket stitching, rick rack around the perimeter and a ¼” button for the doorknob.

The winners were announced in a blog post on March 26th, and I was on the list! I am receiving a June Tailor prize package, including: Quilt As You Go Morning Blend Table Runner package; Quilt As You Go Venice Placemat (set of 6) package; Quilt As You Go Venice Table Runner package and Magic Seam Wand. I haven't received my prize package yet, but I am looking forward to it!

Thank you for visiting with me today! I will be back on Thursday to share my latest ThermOWeb project tutorial with you. A little hint...my project is for Houses Make a Home Week...and you can see it on the ThermOWeb Blog on Wednesday. Until then, I wish you a happy and creative week...

Beaches and Birds

Hello friends! I am still busy playing catch-up and getting used to the new schedule in our household...however, I promised I would do my best to make time to visit with you more often, so here I am, doing my best to find a balance. I know this particular post is long overdue, but I just had to share some of my favorite photos from our trip to Florida. We traveled down to see my parents at the end of February for a little family time, along with some rest and relaxation. While the extremely heavy traffic and the large crowds really took away from the relaxation, we did enjoy our time and visit some of our very favorite places...plus, I really cherished the time with my momma and second dad. We visited the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the National Seashore, Disney Springs, Daytona Beach, Clearwater Beach and the Circle B Bar Reserve, to name a few. Here are an assortment of my favorite photos...

For me, any time at the ocean helps me find my center and refreshes my spirit. Today, I will leave you with a video I took at Daytona Beach...I hope it will give you a few moments of calm and serenity...sound on...

Posy Pocket Pillow

Greetings friends - thank you for visiting with me today! I know it has been a while since my last post - however, I do have (what I feel is) a good reason. After we returned from our Florida getaway, my husband's work schedule changed and he is now working nights (7:00 PM until 5:00 AM)…this has been a big adjustment in our household and I'm still trying to find a balance with the new schedule. Going forward, I hope to get back on track with more frequent posts...thank you for your patience...

If you are a regular reader or social media follower, then 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 Spring Flowers Week over on the ThermOWeb Blog and I created a new project that was posted yesterday - it is a complete tutorial for my "Posy Pocket Pillow" 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 the lovely Betsy's Sewing Kit fabric collection from Poppie Cotton and fits a a 20” x 12” Pillow Form! I hope you will stop by the ThermOWeb blog and check out my project and tutorial...

This is a small appliqué and fabric yo-yo project that is perfect for fat quarters or scraps. I used a Clover Round Extra Large Yo-Yo Maker to make quick work of the yo-yos, but the instructions show you how to make a yo-yo without one. For this post, I used HeatnBond Lite EZ-Print Iron-On Adhesive, HeatnBond Fusible Fleece and SpraynBond Fabric Stiffener Spray.

Are you familiar with the SpraynBond Fabric Stiffener Spray? With this unique product, you can shape or stiffen fabrics, ribbon or trim (in this case, I stiffened the yo-yos so they would stand upright and keep their shape above the top of the pocket. This quick-dry, non-aerosol formula dries clear and can be left in or washed out depending on your needs. Unlike other fabric stiffeners on the market, there is no need to soak the fabric, just spray until damp. Let fabric air-dry or iron it for immediate use.

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/posy-pocket-pillow-with-heatnbond/

I hope this project gets you excited to create something...

I will be doing monthly projects for the ThermOWeb blog and will be sure to post here, when I do...my next project is scheduled for April 12th, so I will see you soon... 

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...