Hurry, Valentine!

Hello, Friends!

Here we are, just a few days away from Valentine's Day. 

Are you ready?

If you need an idea for a quick gift or two...

think about using my

Be My Valentine mug rug PDF pattern.

It's available for instant download at just $3.00,

so you can get started stitching immediately.
Find it on Etsy, in my shop called eamylove.

If your sewing time is limited, just take a shortcut!

Leave out the quilting,
and just let the pretty fabrics steal your heart away.

My mug rug uses some Scandi II fabrics by Makower.
This Nordic print is a wee bit Christmas-y, but it works
for me, to brighten up any winter day.

I can always flip it over to show the snow-covered trees.

{All of the mug rugs made from my
 Be My Valentine mug rug PDF pattern are reversible.}

I'll be back soon to share a few more versions of my mug rug.

You can search my blog for more pretty samples,

with the "valentine" tag, if you just can't wait.

This pattern is so versatile...

I'll never run out of ideas for new valentine mug rugs.
Why not see what YOU can make?

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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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Doxie Love - A New Mug Rug

Hello, Friends!

Are there any dog lovers out there?

Do you especially love dachshunds???
I've got something sweet to share with you!

    

I happen to know of a special long haired doxie named Oscar,

whose mommy had a birthday.

I thought I'd stitch up this little mug rug, just for her, 

using my Be My Valentine Heart Mug Rug pattern!

I've had this fabric in my stash for a few years.

It came from JoAnn and I found it irresistible.

We had a miniature dachshund in my family,

when I was growing up.

I put the novelty fabric together with a few squares of brown polka dots.

If Oscar got a big haircut and dressed himself up

 in a striped sweater,

he would look just like this!

I love that this mug rug is reversible.

I'm so crazy about polka dots and ric rac.

This mug rug will be ready for a cup of coffee any time.

Add a little treat, and it's a happy day.

WAIT a minute!!!

Those are not the treats I meant!!!

{Ginger must have been "helping" me to photograph today.}

Here we go...this is much better.

You can find the PDF pattern in my Craftsy store.

It's perfect for Valentine's Day

or any other day of the year.

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Hugs and Kisses - A Pillow Set

Here's comes Valentine's Day!

Are you going to be ready?

This year, I'll have lots of fresh and lovely

handmade items,

including this new Hugs and Kisses pillow set.

I used a layer cake of First Crush fabric by Sweetwater,

to create a whole bunch of 4-patch quilt blocks.

Before long, I had designed an X block...

and an O block, using a nice basic black blender for the background.

I like the charcoal gray undertones with the black.

My blocks finished at about 16 1/2",

which is just the right size to make a pair of pillows.

Here are the blocks made into pillow covers,

with zippered backings, to make cleaning easy.

I referred to my very own

free tutorial on making backings with covered zippers.

I love the way the red Moda Swirl fabric

jazzes them up.

I finished them off with my "eamylove" label.

{Unfortunately, I think my supplier has stopped making labels.}

These pillows look so cozy and inviting on my couch.

I couldn't resist taking some glamour shots

in the morning sunlight.

These pillows are plump and full...just the way I like 'em.

Has anyone else been sewing with First Crush fabrics?
I'd love to see what you're making.

In fact...I'm going to do a little experiment to see

how much stuff I can make from this one lovely

layer cake, plus some coordinating yardage.

{Maybe I'll make some more of these pillows!}

Linking up to Quilt Story - Fabric Tuesday

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A New Sponsor! Kimberly's Fabric Stash

Hello, Friends!

I hope everyone made it through the

Blizzard of 2016.

So many of us in the USA were affected!

Here at my house we had about 8" of new snow.

I kept busy throughout the storm by sewing,

as I'm sure many others did.

I made (yet) another Be My Valentine Heart Mug Rug

using my new pattern.

{For now, I'll give you just a glimpse...more photos in another post to follow.}

I also made this little snowman.

He's cute already, but he needs to be made up

into a finished project.

Some buttons and eyes would do wonders for him.

{Tutorial: by @beelori1 on Instagram #mrSNOWMANtutorial}

Check out the fabrics I've been using!

They are from a layer cake of First Crush,

Sweetwater's new line for Moda.

As I mention often, my maiden name was Love.

That makes me automatically a fan of all things

with hearts, love, romance, hugs and kisses.

That's one reason I love First Crush.

I also love the limited color palette

of red, black, and gray.

I got my First Crush and a couple of coordinating blenders

from my new blog sponsor,

Kimberly's Fabric Stash.

You'll always find her button on my blog,

over on the left-hand sidebar.

Just click the button to go there 

and see what Kimberly's got in her stash today!

You'll want to join Kimberly's Fabric Club,

where you'll get all kinds of perks,

including 20% off of your first order!

I've got more First Crush projects to share very soon...

be patient...it won't be long.

I'll leave you with a sneak peek for now.

{If you can't wait, follow me on Instagram as @eamylove.}

Be safe and warm, everyone!!!

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Fresh Valentines from Birch Farm Fabric

Hello, Friends!

Are you getting ready for Valentine's Day?

My maiden name was "Love"...

so naturally I really adore all kinds of hearts.

I've been stitching up lots of hearts lately,

using my new "Be My Valentine Heart Mug Rug" pattern.

For this particular set of hearts,

 I chose fabrics in the teal, taupe and black range,

from Birch Farm by Joel Dewberry.

I started with 5" squares,which are always in abundance, right?

Think "Charm Packs"...

I cut them into 2 1/2" squares to create patchwork pieces

for a set of 3 similar, but distinct hearts.

For the quilting step, I had fun trying out a few different designs.

I also used different colors of ric rac to make each one special.

For the first heart, I chose a dark taupe ric rac as the edging.

For the quilting, I did some stippling...

a little piece like this is a great opportunity

to practice free motion quilting!

I think the colors make these Hershey kisses

into an irresistible little pick-me-up snack.

For the next mug rug, I selected teal ric rac edging.

I quilted a casual, loopy design.

This was my first attempt, and I'll be practicing

this method more in the future.

Take my word for it...it's totally fun!!!

Want to see this one on the other side?

I used Elementary fabrics, by Sweetwater for Moda.

Yes, it's reversible!

For the last mug rug, I used some black ric rac.

I chose to cut out the heart shape, positioned to set the squares "on point".
I stitched about 1/8" from each side of the seams.

This one looks so smart and sophisticated.

Must be that little barn owl...

So, let's have a few glamour shots, shall we?

The little stack of ric rac is always impressive.

These little quilts are just too much fun to make!
They don't require a lot of time or materials,
and the finished mug rug is always adorable.

Spoiler alert...
there will be many more heart mug rugs in upcoming posts!

Do you have some charm squares or scraps,

just begging to be made into a sweet heart?

Stop by my Craftsy pattern store and pick up the how-to

for only $2.99.

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