Purple and Pink V and Co Tote Bag

Hello, Friends!

So...you know me pretty well,

after reading my posts and seeing photos of my projects, right?

How many times have I used purple?

Hmmm...have I ever used purple???

{Crickets...}

Do I even OWN any purple fabric?

There's a lilac print in this divided basket...maybe that counts.

I've been stitching with this junior layer cake

of Simply Colorful II by V and Co for Moda,

in the purple colorway.

{You can find lots of other colorways, too, over at Kimberly's Fabric Stash.}

There are shades of pink on the top layer,

but a lot of the fabrics inside are purple.

They are actually very purple indeed.

When I opened it, I could feel my heart racing...
uh-oh...I think I may have a touch of purplaphobia.

I have a bundle of the Ombre Basics, also by V and Co.

When I put them together with this layer cake,

I could see that the plum and magenta ombres 

went together just perfectly.

It calmed me considerably when I saw the potential!

I cut some squares from the ombres,

and some more squares from the purple and pink prints,

and I created a wild and crazy tote bag.

I really love the way it turned out.

There's plenty of room inside, with the bag

measuring about 11" wide by 10" tall.

It's a full 6" deep.

It would make a great travel tote bag.

I love the various solid shades of ombre,

interspersed with the bright prints.

Along the bottom of the bag,

I used a strip of the darkest ombre shade.

It's very difficult to photograph,

but I made a large patchwork of prints

and solids, to add interest to the interior.

I always use a large piece of yardage for the lining

of my bags, so this was another step out of my comfort zone.

Even the handles were patched from

three different layer cake prints. I love the look!

My mother doesn't read this blog...

shhhh...this tote bag is right up her alley!

Mom looks great in purple and really loves to accessorize.

I can't wait for Mother's Day, when I give it to her!

This project has been therapeutic for me.

Maybe next time I won't go into a purple panic,

when I see 50 shades of violet!

Do you have a color phobia, too?

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Whipping Up A Pretty Pouch

Hello, Friends!

Have you tried the ever-popular free tutorial

for Noodlehead's Open Wide Pouches yet?

This is a favorite go-to pattern of mine,

because these pouches make awesome little presents.

I didn't know whether to be insulted or flattered,

when my son said, 

"Mom, can you whip up one of those pouches that you always make?"

{I decided to be flattered...apparently, I make it look easy.}

It was a Valentine's Day present, 

so I chose some pretty pinks and a gray zipper.

I used the small sized dimensions from the tutorial.

There was still plenty of room for a big Hershey bar.

Once the chocolate is gone,

she can keep some makeup in there,

or whatever else strikes her fancy.

The bottom is boxed,

which gives the pouch great structure.

I was in a big hurry to take some photos,

before the present was given away.

A funny thing happened...

I think this could be my all-time favorite photograph

of something I've made.

{It kind of took my breath away. Do you like it, too?}

Fabrics are from V and Co's Simply Colorful II.

Using a layer cake, you can easily make

a very sweet Open Wide Pouch with only 3 squares

and a bit of fusible interfacing, plus a pretty zipper.

I highly recommend this wonderful Open Wide Pouch tutorial,

and you can see a few more examples of mine here.

Come back soon,

and see what else I "whipped up" for my other son.

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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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