Coney Island Pillow

Hello, Friends!

If you're like me, you don't have a lot of free time

for sewing, especially in the summertime.

Pillows are a great project,

because they're both practical and pretty...

a smart way to use precious time!

I made this particular pillow with a mini charm pack

of Coney Island, by Fig Tree Quilts for Moda.

The colors and prints capture summer's

carefree moments perfectly.

When it came time to choose the backing,

this apple green solid caught my eye.

I followed my own free tutorial

for making a covered zipper pillow backing.

This little pillow measures about 14" x 14".

It's not too big...just nice for cushioning a wicker chair.

I love the way this pudgy pillow fills out the form.

It's pleasingly plump!!!

Don't you love mini charms?

I love searching for matching prints

in various colorways, when I use a charm pack

or a mini charm pack.

If you have a favorite way to spend your

summer sewing hours,

feel free to comment!

Linking to:

Freemotion By The River

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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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Free Tutorial - Summer Placemats and Flatware Pouches

At my house, we're all decked out for summertime!

Wouldn't it be fun to jazz up your own table

with fresh new place settings?
Today I'm sharing a free tutorial,
for placemats and matching flatware pouches!

For these samples, I used a few summery coordinates

from Terry's Fabrics.

I got things started with a favorite print:

Beach Huts in Blue,

with red and blue cabanas on a creamy background.

Next I chose a solid fabric,

Panama Curtain Fabric in Linen.

The taupe tones reminded me of rich sandy beaches.

And now for a little zing...

I selected a fun stripe called Chips, in Ocean.

To make a set of 6 placemats and 6 flatware pouches,

I used about one yard each of the Beach Huts and Linen,

plus 1/2 yard of the striped fabric.

You can cut pieces for 3 placemats,
cutting across the 54" width of home dec or curtain weight fabrics.

Let's get started making the reversible placemats.

I created pieced sections for the front sides.

For each placemat:

cut a section of the beach huts fabric,

measuring 6" high x 17 1/2" wide,

to be used as the center strip.

Add the bottom strip in linen,

cut to 3 1/2" high x 17 1/2" wide.

Add the top strip, also in linen,

cut to 5 1/2" high x 17 1/2" wide.

Here's the placemat front, all stitched and pressed.

Trim the finished front to 13 1/2" high x 17 1/2" wide.

{Keep in mind, you can use a single piece of fabric

or make a patchwork in any pattern. Design opportunities are endless.}

For each placemat cut a backing piece,

measuring 13 1/2" x 17 1/2" wide.

Pin the front and back pieces with right sides together.

Starting on the upper edge, about 2" from a corner,

stitch around all 4 sides with a generous 1/4" seam,

leaving about 2 -3 " open for turning.

Here's a tip I always use

whenever I leave an opening for turning.

I backstitch a tiny (1/4") seam

that goes from the opening to the edge of the fabric, 

as shown in the photo below.

This strengthens the opening

and also makes it easy to turn under the edge

during the pressing step.

Turn the placemat right sides out through the opening.

Use a turning tool to smooth out the side seams

and gently push out the corners.

Give it a good press,

then topstitch near all the edges.
Repeat to create a set of four...or six...
or however many you need.

Admire your gorgeous finished placemats!

And they're reversible!

Now let's make those fun flatware pouches.

For each pouch:

cut (1) outer fabric 6" x 15"

and (1) lining fabric 6" x 15".

Pin outer fabric and lining right sides together,

and stitch with a generous 1/4" seam,

just as you did for the placemats,

leaving a 2" opening on one long edge for turning.

Turn the pouch right sides out through the opening.

Use a turning tool to smooth the seams

and gently push out the corners.

Press well.

Place the pouch with the lining side up,

and fold the bottom edge up to make a 5" pocket.

Press well.

Begin stitching at the bottom fold,

and topstitch along one long edge,

across the top,

and along the other long edge.

Reinforce the stitching along the top edges

of the pocket,

since these are stress points.

These are super quick to make,
and you'll have your set finished in no time.
Look how sweet the flatware pouches look,

filled with silverware and a napkin.

They really dress up those pretty placemats,

don't you think?

These would make wonderful gifts

for Mother's Day, birthdays, wedding showers...

I made some more, to match my Cherry Kitchen decor!
They're just as much fun to use indoors.

{Also, I have a fabulous red gingham picnic tablecloth for my outdoor table.}

I feel more of these coming on...
perhaps with some ric rac trim,
or button-down flaps.

For now, I'm going to have fun using this set all summer long!

This set looks really sharp with the Beach Huts pillows
I had created last summer!

If you create your own placemats or flatware pouches,

I hope you'll let us know how yours turn out!
Feel free to leave a link in the comments,
or add them to my Flickr group here.

Enjoy!

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Spring and Summer - Reversible Mug Rug

Do you remember when I showed you

my reversible mug rug,

with one side decorated for Autumn...

and the other side ready for Winter?

Ummm...I bet you also remember that I only

showed one side at a time,

rather than both sides in the same post.

This time I'm going to have mercy...

I'll show both sides today!

Let's get going with Springtime tulips,

featuring yet another block

from the Quilty Fun book by Lori Holt.

I used two of the tulips

without any sashing between them.

I chose some of my favorite Bake Sale prints,

also designed by Lori Holt.

I really love the solid green fabric

for the leaves...very lifelike!

A little bit of quilting around the edges finished

the flowers off sweetly and neatly.

For the Summer side,

I turned to my other go-to designer...

The Patchsmith!

This time I used the Ice Cream Sundae Mug Rug pattern.

Nothing says summertime

like a cold and creamy ice cream sundae, right?

Some fresh fruit tops it all off,

and I really {heart} those red cherries!

My mug rug came out kind of large,

so I added a straw to the sundae...

and now it's more of a SODA!

I live in western Pennsylvania, where a soda has ice cream

and pop, mixed together. 

{Over in eastern PA, where my sister Susie lives,

you don't get any ice cream with your "soda".  It's just plain POP!}

;)

My Cath Kidston mugs look so adorable with both sides,

don't you agree?

I think I'll be making more mug rugs from these designs,

one at a time, some other day...

while I dream of sunny seasons.

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Nautical Pillows for the Deck

As summer draws to a close,

time spent on our back deck becomes more cherished.

That's why I jumped at the opportunity

to stitch up some fabulous nautical pillows,

using these awesome prints from Terry's Fabrics!

Terry's Fabrics

has a vast selection of fabrics,
so it wasn't easy to choose between them.

 I had THE BEACH on my mind, so

my search for a focus fabric ended as soon as I discovered

this awesome nautical beach hut print.

I mixed in some fun coordinates:

an ocean blue geometric floral,

some sandy gingham, and fun beach-ball dots.

When I saw the fabrics in person,

I was delighted with the way my choices coordinated!

The prints were actually much larger than I had pictured them...

especially the dots...but that was a GREAT thing!

The quality is superior, and the fabrics were

highly cooperative, with no stiffness or tendency to fray.

All of my prints were home dec weight, except the gingham,

which was a lighter weight, more like quilter's cotton,

but woven...not printed.

I chose to use the gingham for my pillow backings,

and it worked perfectly, since I like to add a layer of

Pellon ShapeFlex SF 101 fusible interfacing anyway.

{I used my own tutorial for the backings, found here.}

I kept the pillow top designs simple,

letting the fabrics play together in similar, 

but different strip sets, for the two pillows.

I stuffed my pillow forms inside,

and they were all set for picnics on the deck.

{I love the way the covers take up almost no space at all for winter storage,

and I can use the pillow forms for other covers.}

Beach huts, umbrellas, and bunting...

checks, stripes and dots...

just about all of my favorites are represented!

Terry's Fabrics is my favorite new find of the summer,

helping me to decorate my outdoor space.

Hmm...wouldn't the scraps make

the cutest beach tote???

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