Summer Fun - Red White and Blue Zippered Pouch

Hello, Friends!

Who's ready for summertime?

I am!!!

Whenever I need a nice gift, I like to make a new version of

the Open Wide Zippered Pouch,

from this free tutorial by Noodlehead.

I've made so many of these...

and I've never been disappointed with the results.

This time I chose some red, white and blue fabrics

that I bought from Connecting Threads a few years ago.

The line was called Smooth Sailing.

{I love the anchors, all lined up!}

The addition of gray to the 

traditional patriotic palette looks so smart! 

That's why I chose a gray zipper to bring it out.

The lining fabric is a gray dot,

with a little red star popping up every so often.

The red and gray stripe provides a nice contrast 

for the bottom of the pouch.

I use Pellon ShapeFlex SF101 interfacing on my pouches,

for all of the exterior pieces, as well as the lining.

It adds soft shaping, and the pouch

is stable enough to stand, even while it's empty.

Once I've finished making one of these pouches,

I often add a ribbon for the zip pull.

I found this red gingham and could.not.resist.

I hope you'll have time for some summertime sewing, too!

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Hands and Pot Holders

Hello, friends!

How's your summer?

Mine has been rather too eventful for my taste.

We've had some scary health issues in my family,

and yesterday I joined in the drama by breaking my left hand.

{Sad face}

Still, I'm counting my blessings:

1. There was no blood involved.

2. It isn't my dominant hand.

3. We had just returned from a fun vacation...

which is how I tripped over the suitcase and broke my hand,

while carrying a large basket of...

4. CLEAN laundry.

{Happy face}

l 

Now let's get back to some sewing news...

prior to the Laundry Accident I'd been busy making pot holders!

I really love the Pretty Little Potholder tutorial,

expertly written by Amy at nana Company blog.

I pulled some lime green and cheery red prints from my stash
and whipped up this set in no time.

Cherries make such a sweet kitchen theme, don't they?
I had a piece of fabric called Oh-Cherry-Oh from 
Me and My Sister for Moda.
Delicious!!!

The red and white binding fabric was from the same line.
I used it for the adorable ruffle, too.

The green plaid is from Sugar Hill by Tanya Whelan.
I often use a Frixion pen to mark my quilting lines,
but this diagonal plaid made it really easy to create a grid design.

Tags are fun to create,
especially if you have some fun Japanese ribbon for detail.

Here's the other tag.

The finished pot holders make a great gift
that is functional and fresh.

I love the way every set made from this tutorial looks so different.

Here's another pair I made for a new bride

with a country kitchen.

The fabrics are from Dandelion Girl, by Fig Tree Quilts.
I'm still enjoying the fat quarter bundle I bought to make this quilt.

I made the pair of pot holders similar, but different.
One features gingham, and the other has a pretty tonal leaf print.

The colors are soft and understated,
so I left out the tag detail.

The squishy quilting will make baking even more fun.

That ruffle detail adds romance and style.

Soon I'll be sharing more pot holders and other projects...
I can blog with one hand tied behind my back!

Be careful out there, everyone!

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Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

What a great day for a cuppa

and a little sweet treat!

For today's Be My Valentine Heart Mug Rug,

I used pink and gray prints

from Simply Colorful - the original line.

The wavy quilting was really easy and fun

to do, using my walking foot!

I was inspired by the gray ric rac...

so I chose a gray gingham backing,

using April Showers by Bonnie and Camille.

No matter where in the world you are,

 I hope you'll take time to celebrate

and tell your favorite person how much you love them.

And don't forget...

every day is a great day to say "I Love You!"

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More Farm Girl Vintage Blocks...Canning Season, Chicken Foot and Churn Dash

I've been busy trying to catch up with the

Farm Girl Vintage sew along...

and I'm starting to accumulate

lots of pretty blocks.

I had really been looking forward to capturing

some sweet strawberries

in the Canning Season block.

I picked my berry fabrics and cut my pieces out ahead of time.

Later, when there was a bit of time for sewing,

the block went together quickly.

I took a glamour shot with my Pyrex bowls

and my mini design board.

{I LOVE my gingham lids.}

Next up was the Chicken Foot block.

I think I've seen this block around,

but I never gave it much credit...

what a charming design,

especially when some favorite fabrics are used!

The "positive/negative" effect was fun, and

I was really pleased with my sharp HST's.

With the stitching method used in this block

there was no need to oversize and trim!

Then it was time for a Churn Dash block...

always one of my most favorite quilt blocks!

I chose a fresh navy, yellow and blue palette for mine.

I think this block is one of the best designs ever...

so simple and pretty...great for a beginner to make.

Soon this pretty block was born.

I love the bright 30's style prints I'm using...

mostly Fresh Air by American Jane,

with some Bake Sale by Lori Holt,

assorted polka dots,

and a dash of 30's Playtime Favorites 

by Chloe's Closet.

{I REALLY LOVE that one in the upper right corner...Betty's Green.}

Stop by again soon, for more Farm Girl Vintage fun!

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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! 

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Let It Snow - A Winter Pillow

I hope all of you have enjoyed

a very merry Christmas!

I've just spent some time catching up

with my good friend,

and I gave her a little gift

that can be used all winter long...

a Let It Snow winter pillow!

For this project,

I used some "ink swatches"

I had purchased from Sweetwater on Etsy.

{They don't seem to be available any longer, but they carry some similar items.}

I used the pattern that was included with the ink swatch,

to create the pillow front.

For the pillow backing,

I followed my own free tutorial

for making Covered Zipper Pillow Backings.

This particular pillow finished at 12" x 16",

so I just started with a backing piece that was about 13" x 17".

I decided to attach the zipper cover

about 1/3 of the way across the pillow,

vertically, for extra interest.

I am sew in love with this project!

The lipstick red ink swatch looks great against

some white-on-black polka dots.

{The polka dots look kind of like snowflakes, right?}

On the back,

I've chosen a large red gingham print.

It contrasts well with the polka dots, don't you agree?

I added my little eamylove label,

so my friend knows that I made this pillow just for her!

My little snowman models are cheering for snow.

So far, there's been no snow to shovel here in my neighborhood.

I have a feeling that we'll be seeing some flakes soon, though!

Have a Happy New Year, Friends!

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