Elementary Needle Book

If I could make whatever I wanted,
on any given day,

I would probably choose to create one of three things:

a pillow, a pincushion, or a needle book.

{My blog is mostly made up of those projects, if you notice.}

Here is my latest indulgence...the Elementary Needle Book,

made for my sweet niece who loves math and linguistics.

I started with this little mound of scraps and trims.

It was fun to organize them into something

so dainty and practical.

Once again, I turned to the fabulous free tutorial

from nana company, found here.

I've made quite a few of these needle books,

and more are in my future, I'm sure.

From the first needle book I made,

I wondered why all of those patchwork squares

should be hidden away.

I featured mine on the front this time.

I love the bit of quilting detail.

Inside I decorated some of the pages with ricrac...

ribbon...

lace...

and even a tiny butterfly label.

The finished project was a cheery surprise

when it arrived in my niece's mailbox.

Handmade gifts are such a joy,

for all of us who make and receive them.

Have a great week, and enjoy something handmade!

Little Grandbaby Granny Star Pincushion Has Arrived

I can only imagine how exciting it is,

waiting for new grandbabies to arrive!

Just this afternoon,

my guest tutorial went up for the

baby Granny Square Block project...

part 3 of my guest posts at Bear Creek Quilting Company.

Allow me to introduce the

Granny Star Pincushion.

Now, if this pinnie were a baby,

it would definitely weigh in at over 10 lbs.

The finished size is 6 1/2" x 6 1/2" x 1 1/2" or so.

I love bigger pincushions, myself.

They don't get lost as easily amid my sewing stuff.

There are lots of pieces to the granny star block,

and those star points are pretty tiny.

You'll have to pop on over to the free tutorial,

where you will find a method to create

near-perfect star points...so easily!

I hope you'll be inspired to try out one or more

of my Granny Star methods...

Granny-sized, Mama-sized, or Grandbaby-sized!

New Open Wide Pouches from Noodlehead

Having a husband and two teenage sons,

I don't get a lot of chances to sew girly stuff.

This month, though,

I decided to make a few Open Wide Pouches

using the tried-and-true free tutorial

from Noodlehead.

I decided to make some cosmetic bags

for three lovely young ladies who visit us often.

{Well...they really come over to see the guys.}

First off, I wanted to make a glamorous version,

so I chose black-and-white fabrics

with a hot pink zipper and interior.

Oops...I gave it away before I could get great photos,

but you can get the idea here.

The damask was so pretty, paired with the polka dots on the bottom.

The pop of pink reminds me of Paris.

If you use the measurements for the medium-sized pouch,

fat quarters work perfectly, even with a directional print.

Click here to see the post with various measurement options.

I finally untied a treasured f/q bundle

of The Cottage Garden,

by the Quilted Fish, for Riley Blake.

Spring is nearly here, so I picked these fresh colors,

accented with a grass-green zipper.

The Cottage Garden features a text print that is

filled with inspiration quotes...

just right for girls who are competing and achieving.

DREAM BIG...shows up every time she opens this pouch.

Here's the finished pouch,

with the zipper closed. I love the shape of this pouch.

A little flower fit perfectly for the zipper tab.

This tutorial's impeccable instructions allow for success every time.

I made another pouch,

this time using the teal and steel tones

of The Cottage Garden bundle.

Oh, I wanted to keep this one.

I calmed myself..

 there are lots of prints in this palette

plus some nice-sized scraps left of these fabrics!

These modern and floral prints play so well together...

it's a lovely fabric line!

The finished pouch is nice and stable,

even before it's filled.

I always line the outer pieces and the lining

with Pellon ShapeFlex SF101 interfacing.

More inspirational reading inside...

I hope YOU will be inspired to sew something sweet for spring, too!

Guest Posting - Part 2 - A New Granny Star Pillow

Lucky me, to be invited again

to present another guest post over at

Bear Creek Quilting Company blog!

For Part 2 of my Granny Star series,

I've downsized the block a bit,

finishing it into another, smaller pillow.

Presenting...

the new tutorial for a Granny Star Pillow!

I changed the color palette,

choosing the mustard yellow and gray prints

from the fabulous Color Theory bundle.

This time the block-building process is a bit different.

I assembled the block using only squares

this time, and no triangles.

{It produced a bit of waste, but nothing to be alarmed about.}

I think you'll find it very easy to make

a pillow of your own from this new tutorial.

The finished size is about 15" square...

just right for an accent pillow.

Part 1 was the big old Great-Granny Star,

and Part 2 is the regular Granny size.

Stick with me, friends...

the little grandbaby project is coming soon!

Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop - It's My Turn!

It's really true how time flies when you're having fun!

It's my turn already to present

the pillow I've made for the 

Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop!

Here's my pillow's front side.

Or is THIS the front???

Head over to Susie's Sunroom now,

to read all about it.

Should we have a giveaway, too???

Yes, let's!

Leave me a comment by midnight,

Friday, March 13, 2015,

telling me what fabrics you would choose

to make yourself a Simply Striped Pillow.

This giveaway has now ended.

I'll choose a random winner,

who will receive her choice of one of my patterns

for sale at Craftsy.

Good luck,

and thanks for visiting! 

Simply Striped Pillow Blog Hop

Hello, Friends!

Now that March has arrived,

it's time for a brand-new blog hop,

featuring a new pillow pattern from

Susie's Sunroom!

You know I love making pillows.

Turns out that a lot of my bloggy friends

like making them, too...

especially from this sweet and easy pattern!

I hope you'll pop in to see all of the versions

of the Simply Striped Pillow

that will be featured.

Here's the schedule:

March 2   Elaine    Summercrafter        http://summercrafter.com/

March 3   Susie  Susie's Sunroom      http://susiessunroom.blogspot.com/

March 4   Geta      Geta's Quilting Studio     http://cadouri-din-inima.blogspot.ro/

March 5   Sheri   Sunshine in the Attic         http://www.sunshineintheattic.blogspot.com/

March 6   Lara    BuzzinBumble          http://www.buzzinbumble.com/

March 7   Amanda    The Patchsmith    http://thepatchsmith.blogspot.co.uk/

March 8   Amy  Amy Made That!     http://eamylove.blogspot.com/

{That's me, of course!}

By the time it's my turn,

you'll be convinced you need this pattern.

Just wait until you see what I made with it!

Oh, can I really WAIT until March 8th to share it???

{HINT: It's an adorable baby gift, for an adorable baby!}