Sweetwater Mug Rugs

Hello, Friends!

I'm almost ready for Christmas...how about you?

Earlier this week, the scene was set with some

beautiful snow.

I love to sit near the window with a cup of cocoa

and a little treat.

Hershey's Kisses are my favorite chocolate snack!

Not long ago...

Sweetwater fabrics blogged about a box of fabric

that I couldn't resist.

I ordered one almost before I finished reading the post!

The box of Christmas goodness arrived quickly, 
and I was not disappointed!

I kind of hoard collect Sweetwater fabrics,

and I took great joy in creating a few mug rugs

to give as presents this year.

I mostly used the fabrics that came in my box,

but I had some of this fabulous Feed Company plaid

that was just right for the bindings.

I had purchased this plaid mug from Pottery Barn

and I love the way it looks with each of these

black and red mug rugs.

Other mugs look pretty, too, though...

here's a classic pedestal mug, called Heritage,
 that I've had for many years, made by Pfaltzgraff.

I've got a sweet little Dept. 56 Scotties mug

that looks inviting, too.

This is how it looks with one of my favorite

designs by The Patchsmith!

Pattern: Scotties and Westies, available here.

Here's the same mug,

featured with the Sweetwater snowflake.

The designs by Sweetwater are so cute...

this snowman will bring cheer all winter long.

The snowflake design is so pretty and simple.

It sets off fabrics exquisitely.

I love the black and red theme,

but I also made up a couple of mug rugs

in aqua and red.

I hope this mug rug brings JOY to its recipient.

A little star will shine in the snow

all winter long.

I love the dash of aqua in that plaid binding.

These mug rugs will be given as gifts

to some special folks.

Stop by again soon,
for some more winter mug rugs,
made for more special people!

Spooky Delight Table Topper

Hello, Friends!

Halloween is coming up soon.

I'm all set, now that I've finished making my

Spooky Delight table topper!

In my last post, I shared the matching pillow.

{See the pillow back there on the couch?}

I got a lot of mileage out of just that one Spooky Delight charm pack!

There are even a few squares left...

I decided not to use the purple and green ones.

For the pillow,

 I had used some of the low volume squares

from the charm pack for the "background," 

supplemented with "Porcelain" Bella Solid fabric.

I went a different direction for the table topper,

choosing "Steel" gray Bella Solid

for the background.

For the backing, I used the same gray solid.

I added a strip of extra HST's for interest.

True Confession:

There is a little PUCKER on the back. 

There was a big FROWN on my face when I saw it.

I just left it there.

{The PUCKER - not the frown. I'm over it.}

I just adore the vintage vibe from this fabric line,

by Bunny Hill for Moda.

I wanted a bright skinny orange border 

for the table topper.

I turned to another wonderful fabric line...

Good Neighbors by Crazy Mom Quilts

for Connecting Threads.

I know now why it's named Good Neighbors...

these fabrics mix very well with other lines.

I used some of the gray stripe from Good Neighbors for the binding.

I think it's just right...on both sides.

I'm all set for trick-or-treaters now.

We'll keep the lights low to make the house more spooky.

Come back soon to see some more decorations

for fall and Thanksgiving at my house!

Here's a sneak peek...

Happy Halloween!

Linking up with:

Quilt Story

Midweek Makers #43

WIP Wednesday #258 @ TN&TN

Silly Mama Quilts

Fabric Frenzy Friday at Fort Worth Fabric Studio

Spooky Delights Halloween Pillow

Hello, Friends!

October is here, and while I was decorating my home,

I decided to whip up a new Halloween pillow.

I used my charm pack of Spooky Delights

by Bunny Hill for Moda.

There are so many sweet prints...

I think I love this Raven Damask the most.

Can you see the tiny black birds?

The text print was another deal-breaker for me.

Mix in a few black cats, pumpkins and mischievous mice,

and you've got a fun focal print.

Of course, there are lots of pretty polka dots

to coordinate...making this line a hit with me.

I've been practing my half-square triangle (HST)

technique, so in nearly no time,

I had whipped up the 16 HST's I needed for the pillow top.

I love that HST's can be arranged in countless ways,

to create stunning designs.

This is the layout I chose, with a diamond pattern

of low volumes around a dark center.

My finished top was about 16 1/2" square...

my pillow form was 16" on the top, but it's rather deep.

I decided to use a Bella Solid

shade called Melon (9900 295)

to add a narrow coordinating border.

Often I use a covered zipper backing, but this time
I took a practical shortcut in the zipper installation.

I placed the zipper in the bottom seam of the pillow.

It doesn't show, and it will be so easy to swap out

the pillow cover for other seasons.

I chose the text print in Vanilla for the pillow backing.

The quilting on this pillow was nice and easy...

I used a grid of straight diagonal lines.

For areas that weren't "in the ditch",

I marked my lines with a Frixion pen.

You would never know, even on the white triangles...
a hot iron removed the lines after stitching.

I'm so pleased with my Halloween pillow...

and there are enough charm squares left for another

Halloween project or two!

Are you getting ready for Halloween, too?

Linking up with Quilt Story Fabric Tuesday
and
Freemotion By the River Linky Tuesday
and
Fabric Frenzy Friday
and 
Finish It Up Friday - Oct. 7, 2016.

Saltwater Mini Quilt

Hello, Friends!

I've been back at the sewing machine,

and I've got lots of new things to show you.

 Today I'm sharing my Saltwater Mini Quilt,

made from the pattern by Thimbleblossoms.

I was craving a mini quilt, 

and this design looked like such fun to make.

I was not disappointed when I made it

from a few fat quarters of Hello Darling

by Bonnie and Camille.

I made this block first, and I was hooked.

The apple green looks so sweet with the

pink strawberry print.

Hmmm...I wasn't sure I liked the "busy" blocks...

but they've grown on me.

They're just little blocks, so they have to grab attention.

This one is actually my favorite, with the dots.

I put them all into place, with some bright white sashing.

For the quilting, I used some wavy lines.

This type of quilting is my new method of choice.

I think I like the lines going horizontal on this project.

This mini quilt would make a cute topper for a small table.
It would fit in with modern Christmas decor,
but it's just right for any season.

Have you made any mini quilts lately?

I can't wait to make some more!

Linking up with Fabric Tuesday #279 at Quilt Story

and 

Crazy Mom Quilts "Finish It Up Friday 9/30/16