Zakka Meets Martha's Vineyard

If you've visited my blog before at all,

you'll know how much fun I've been having

with the Zakka Style Sew Along.

{There is still plenty of time to join the sew along!}

I've been conspicuously absent for

more weeks than I care to count, but

I'm back in the Zakka again, having more fun than ever!

{Here's a peek at what I just made!}

Last week's project was

Patchwork Pot Holders,

contributed by the skillful and creative

Kim of retromama.

{This project was the tipping-point for me...when I saw it on the book cover,

I KNEW I had to get a copy of Zakka Style!}

As Kim noted in her blog post about the pot holders,
there were problems with the instructions in the book for 
binding the pot holders.

It's so much easier to do the bindings as seen in

Kim's update.  

I even made a couple of changes,

and it was actually a very pleasant experience,

even though I've never made circular binding before.

{My bindings are entirely machine-sewn.}

While making the two pot holders,

I learned quite a bit.

I prefer the double-fold binding for the pockets, 

as shown here.

{The 2 1/2" double-fold bound pockets on the top pot holder look better to me.}

I stitched on the outer binding, using a 3" double-fold bias.

I had perfect results when I first sewed 3/8" from the edge on the back side,

then turned it to the front for the final stitching.

{My binding pressed into place like magic!}

For all you fabriholics, I'll describe the fabrics I chose, and why...

for me, this was kind of time-consuming,

but so much FUN!!!

I had just ordered some fabrics from The Stitching Post

to complete my Winter Dresden Quilt.

{They offer flat-rate $5 shipping, so of course, I shopped for some fun fabrics to ride along in the package!}

I just about squealed when my package was delivered...

very quickly, I might add... 

and I saw "in person" the fantastic

Susan Branch prints I'd chosen, from the Tea Party line.

{Look at how adorable even the selvages are!}

I just know there will be lots of

Zakka involved in using these charming motifs

and text prints, as well as the tiny coordinates.

{Who would have thought that zakka style would look so great on Martha's Vineyard?}

I stitched together a few little happy motifs I'd fussy cut,

making strips of the right size, so they would not be cut off

in the final 8 1/2" round pot holder.

{Amanda the Patchsmith was disappointed when some of her 

favorite strips didn't make the cut.  :( }

For the other fabrics, I used some cheery cherries

from Oh Cherry Oh by Moda...

{I think this line was from about 2009.}

and little bits of lime and red, keeping a picnic feel going.

I love Darla by Tanya Whelan...

{as I might have mentioned once before.}

These pinnies inspired my color scheme for the pot holders.

The lime gingham was so absolutely perfect

for the bias binding!

Love the backs, too, with the little pockets for gripping.

My sister, Susie,

thinks these are too pretty to use.

{Uh-oh...I've listed them in my shop on Etsy, eamylove.

I hope someone doesn't feel the same way!}

Like this motif says,
"When you come right down to it, the secret
to having it all
is believing that you do."

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Bow-Accented Clutch Wristlets Are Here!

I think my favorite thing about reading blogs is

finding a great tutorial.

{It's kind of like a giveaway, where everyone wins the prize!}

Recently I stumbled upon this most fabulous tutorial,

by Whitney of elm street life,

for a Bow Clutch.

I asked Whitney for permission to sell some of the bags I'm making from her tutorial, in my shop on Etsy, eamylove.

She said, "Yes."

{Thank you, Whitney!}

I thought you might like to see what I came up with...so far.

I started with this sweet little cherry polka dot number.

For the interior, I wanted a high contrast, high interest print.

How about black and white, with red all over?

{This makes me think of Minnie Mouse every time I see it.

And then I really want to go to Disney World.}

How fun is that?

For my next bag, I wanted to continue with the picnic feel,

but make it even more charming and dainty.

I can always count on my Darla prints by Tanya Whelan...

Inside, I'm loving the yellow gingham!

I have a collection of colorful zippers for my purse-making pleasure.

{They add some..."zip"...to every purse.}

For the yellow bag, though, I really love the crisp fresh white zipper!

Moving on to my latest bow-clutch purse,

I craved a bit of classic sophistication, so I chose a

black-and-white houndstooth print in a light home dec cotton.

What should I put in the interior this time???

{Obviously it's time to call in some Sis Boom here...}

I love this hot pink print by Jennifer Paganelli,

from her Flower Power line.

Weddings, picnics, a trip to the city,
vacation, or a night out...

these little clutches will go anywhere
and look great with any outfit!

Perfect for summer,

all of these bags have been listed in my shop on Etsy,

eamylove.

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Mug Rug Swap - Part 2 - From Amy to Amanda

If you're a regular reader, 

you will have already seen my first post about

the little mug rug swap

I've had with Amanda of The Patchsmith!

{Here's the mug rug Amanda created, just for me!}

Now I'd like to share what I sent to Amanda, 

along with a description of the design process.

Once Amanda and I had agreed to swap mug rugs,

I had a brief moment of panic,

as I realized I didn't have any idea what her

personal tastes are.

Amanda was kind enough to take a quiz for me...

20 questions to discover her preferences for colors,

patterns, and themes.

1.      Bold and Bright, or Soft and Sweet?

2.      Black, White, or Black and White?

3.      Whimsical or Practical?

4.      Classic or Modern?

And so on...

So now I had somewhere to begin!

From the quiz, 

it was clear that Amanda has a love for nature and gardens,

flowers and animals.

I pulled out my Botanika fabric 

by Paula Prass for Michael Miller,

and the fussy cutting began.

I used some bright greens...like this one

from Bijoux by Heather Bailey...

and various Black and White prints, to tie it all together.

Here's the final mug rug...called "Unlock Your Dreams".

And the back...more Bijoux by Heather Bailey,

with a little bee from the Botanika print.

{Hello, little Bee.}

I like to use Pellon 987F fusible fleece 

instead of batting,

to get a flat ready-to-quilt mug rug.

For this one I used parallel lines in many directions.

OK...I loved it...but would Amanda?

{Insecurity entered the scene...}

Maybe it was a bit too bright and wild.  

And there wasn't a single FLOWER on the whole mug rug!

Hmmm...on the quiz, there was a question,

"Wild or tame?"

and she answered, "Ooooooooh...BOTH!"

That gave me an idea...make a Tame one, too!

I knew Amanda loves fresh country prints and blue is her favorite color.

This time I started with some pretty blue prints from

Delilah, Darla, and Sugar Hill,

all by Tanya Whelan for Free Spirit.

{Here's a look at Sugar Hill.}

Between those three lines, I used lots of 

florals, polka dots, stripes, and gingham.

And now for the design decisions...

If you check out my blog header, you will see that I've used

one of my mug rugs for the photo.

I love the simple style of this mug rug...a strip of Tumblers,

and lots of modern straight-line quilting in the background areas.

Simple and sweet.

I knew I would have fun re-creating this design for Amanda's mug rug.

This one came together very quickly!

Lots more straight-line quilting again...

And here's the back...

{Or Side #2, if you prefer...}

I'm especially pleased with my machine binding on these two mug rugs!

I've combined what I've seen in several tutorials,

and these projects gave me a chance to practice my own method.

{Would anybody out there like me to post about how I do my machine binding???}

It was time to package up the mug rugs for the mail...
a long trip from Pennsylvania all the way to Southern England!

There was a bit of room in the little box,

so I said goodbye to a little charm pack

of Gypsy Rose by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda.

{I thought these little prints 

would look very sweet in some of Amanda's future projects.}

Now I happen to know that Amanda has a sewing sister,

just as I do!

I thought if one mug rug seemed more suited 
to her sister than to herself,

she could always give it away.

{Well...let's just say Amanda's sister will need to visit her, 

if she ever wants to use one of these mug rugs. :) }

One last thing:

Little did I know that Amanda would receive her package on the day of the Queen's Jubilee!

{How appropriate this little Crown print turned out to be!}

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