a pinnie for your thoughts {round 2}...

 Something new on my blog - I know, it's a shock! Life has a way of getting busy, complicated, and overwhelming. There has been alot going on in my little corner of the world, life has been full and there has even been some crafty adventures happening {including my first craft fair booth!} If you're reading this, thanks for sticking with me.

My latest project has been round 2 of the Fab Little Pincushion Swap. Last round I made this owl and received this amazing little dog. I've said it before; I have a love/hate relationship with swaps. I love thinking up ideas, I love getting something from a new crafty friend, I love getting to know other crafters. I hate deciding if what I am sending will be loved by my partner. So after several drawings and drafts, this is the pinnie I decided on.

A real combination of my partners likes and my current bunting obsession. This was the first time I have tried my hand at wonky/free form log cabin triangles. Lots of fun picking out what piece of fabric would be highlighted in the center. The pictures make it hard to see, but there is a quilted cloud outline in the background. I made a couple of bird pin toppers {seemed fitting for the clouds}

Hope to have another post soon!

whoooooo doesn't love a pinnie?

There are probably a million punny titles for a blog post about a pincushion owl :) I have been in love with owls for quite a while now and it seems everyone else is too! I just finished up this round of FLiPS - Fab Little Pincushion Swap. You need to run over to the flickr group and check out some of the beauties that are now circling the globe on their way to new homes. Mailing deadline was Wednesday, so of course I mailed mine on Wednesday. Call it part procrastination, part failed first attempts - whatever it is I am always down to the wire sending things. I had more than a couple of ideas and one seriously botched, then abandoned pinnie before inspiration really hit. This little owl is what I came up with.

Her body is made of wool felt, but most of the rest of her is 100% hand-dyed wool. I find the wool felt is just a little stiffer and great for structure. I added two washers in the bottom so that she stands up straight - wish human posture correction was that easy!

Yep, I fell victim to the decorative pin trend. Her little rose on her neck and the leaves around it are also pins. These are not that complicated, but they were fun to make and I think add a little whimsy. Plus I'm not sure how many times I have pinned something in place, it looked perfect, then once it was sewn in place it had moved position or didn't look right. Decorations that are re-positionable pins are a great alternative!

I hope my partner loves her - as I have mentioned before, there is always that stress that what I make isn't really their taste or style. Fingers crossed! If I have enough interested commenters, I might be persuaded to put together a tutorial.

Hope your spring is going swimmingly and your garden has less weeds than mine :)

ruffled feathers [tote tutorial]...

**note: there is still time to enter in the giveaway for new Seaside Home book! Comment on this post! I will announce a winner on the 15th :)

I was thinking the other day that sometimes it is loads of fun to ruffle someone else's feathers, but very rarely fun to have your own feathers ruffled. [I think alot of kids have figured this out] I am a fan of ruffles - and apparently I am not the only one - they are showing up everywhere! Not wanting to disappoint a trend, I made up this little tote.

Sweet and simple, I put together a little tutorial - here is a link to the pdf.
Hope your day is going well - here the sky is blue, my windows are open, and I can hear birds singing! Goodbye grey skies! [at least for the moment!]

around the house [in way less than 80 days]...

This post goes out to those home dec/improvement projects that [sadly] do not warrant a whole blog post all to themselves. Above is the last of my outdoor-furniture-recovering-extravaganza. Again using my crazy low priced JoAnn's fabric.

My New York Beauty is finally quilted, bound, and hanging in its rightful place in our dining room. I still love the 'I-Spy' of it all - seems like a treasure hunt every time I walk by it! I have the pattern and the fabric stack for a pickle dish quilt, but it has to get in line behind my pile of UFOs. Also not quite ready for another intensive paper piecing project. [You can read all about my adventures with NYB blocks here]

New curtains for the bathroom! The former curtains were faded and on their last leg, so it was definitely time for a change.

This is the first time I have made a shade that operated like this one - fairly simple, but looks and works well. I used the same book that I did to make my roman shades in this post.

Currently have some top secret Christmas projects in the works. Hoping to share an update on my quilt swap blocks this week.

up next on the quilting block...

As I shared earlier - I do indeed have another quilt neatly folded and ready for the quilting to begin. [alas, I still wish I had the patience or the machine or the skill to quilt a full size...] The Bloggers' Block-A-Palooza quilt is finished!

This is attempt numero 2 at on-point piecing. The basic on-point construction in my Diving for Diamonds quilt was simple enough. Upping the skill level for this quilt I attempted to add sashing. Which didn't quite turn out as I had planned [i.e. don't look too close at some of the point/intersections]. For the life of me I couldn't figure out what had to be sewn to what and in which order for those to work out - so if anyone has suggestions or a tutorial they can direct me to, I would love the help!

The leftover blocks I made are destined for pillows. This was a great qal - always something new to look forward to on Mondays and Thursdays! I was a little hesitant to make the cut into my Lotus stash, but I think it definitely paid off :) Well, a little dog is lovingly staring up at me asking for a food bowl refill - Have a great Wednesday!

stop, block, and roll...

I sew and blog as a hobby... you know something that you do voluntarily, something with limited outside pressure or force... So sometimes, I get behind on my blogging and I have to force myself to be okay with that. No one will die, my income will not be affected - in short, no major tragedies are happening because I disappear off of the interweb for a time. And though I have not been posting, I have been lurking around some inspirational blogs and continuing to craft.
Keeping up with the Nittany Block Party has been going well. In March, Dena asked us to make mod mosaics using the Oh, Fransson tutorial. I really love this finished product and enjoyed the process to boot. Yes, there is a tinge of surprise in that statement. I was hesitant to dive in, but now want to start a quilt of my own using this technique. Oh the options - scrappy, coordinated, color wheel style, all of one line... I think they all have their particular appeal.

In February we made improv style rectangular and square blocks for Rachel.

I also wanted to share with you the final installment of blocks for the Blogger's Block-A-Palooza quilt along. Are you impressed that I had all of my blocks completed in a timely manner? [even before finishing instructions were posted!] In fact - these blocks are now in a completed quilt top that I finished two Sundays ago! [if you want to see these blocks a litle closer, click on the image to head on over to my flickr]I also have another top completed using an Odyssea charm pack and am putting the binding on a baby quilt made with a Lovely charm pack. So, no sewing slacker here [just a posting slacker :]

Last week was spring break around here... spring break with snow accumulation doesn't seem very springy to me. [this unfortunate weather is, by the way, why my pictures on this post are so muddy :[ Here's to hoping for sunshine [SOON]!

diving for diamonds...

Many moons ago, in a place not so far away was a land of dolphins, and seals, and penguins, and killer whales. Amongst the plethora of now-defunct businesses in Ohio lies Sea World Aurora. One of my fondest childhood memories is an elementary field trip to Sea World that my mom and grandma came along to chaperon. From that trip I have 1) memories and 2) a Shamu made from really stinky plastic. One of the attractions I remember was pearl diving - divers are in a giant clear tank and you watch them swim to the bottom and emerge with a pearl. And that, my friends, was the catalyst in the naming process for my latest quilt finish: diving for diamonds.

This is my first 'on-point' quilt. It was really not all that complicated, I just needed to do some math and figuring before I started out - and thank goodness for a design wall to help me lay it all out before sewing! On-point just helps a quilt to shine, next time you are over on flickr take a look at how many quilts are posed in close-up pictures to look as though they are on point. Point envy, perhaps :)

A confession: I accidentally bought backing fabric twice, so the quilt got a border and a considerable boost in size. I am CONSIDERING quilting this myself [eek, I'm scared!] A few more practices with my darning foot, and I think I might be ready! My quilting templates are already drawn up for the borders :)

Want to know a little more about what happened to Sea World Ohio? There are details here and here.

hemisphere pillows...

Though quilting hasn't even started, these pillows are ready to match the hemispheres quilt that I finished a few months ago. The plan is to use this quilt to freshen up the living room, and the pillows will be the finishing touch. It is always a struggle to figure out what to do with all of the leftover bits and bobs from a project - scraps, extra blocks, additional yardage. There is always a part of me that wants to keep all of these together, I'm not sure why, suppose it is 'just in case' I need to make something else to match. This is why I especially like to use as many of those extras up, and these pillows did just that.

My first crack at string blocks was last year in the Block Swap 2. The technique is super simple using a paper pieced method. I enjoyed playing around with machine quilting on these blocks. It's so neat how you get unintended patterns when you quilt - in my head I only saw the quarter square corners and not the overall cross pattern that appears.

Leftover circles made this pillow a snap to put together. This is my first attempt with a darning foot - I am not sure that it is perfection, but it really wasn't as scary as I thought! Practice will make perfect I'm sure. I actually made two of these, the other one is up in my etsy shop if you love it too ;)

The backing finishes off the remaining stash of my fave fabric from the hemisphere quilt. Sad to see it go, but glad I was able to use it in a larger piece. The piping [and other half of the backing] is a cotton linen that I had and happened to coordinate PERFECTLY! I have enough of this fabric to bind my quilt with - yay for using what I have!

I'm excited to see a little bit of blue appearing in the sky, though something about this weather and time change has given me the worst headache :( Perhaps some crafting and netflix will be the cure!

cotton candy pinwheels...

I think now might be a good time to share baby Liv's quilt with all of you. I took the pictures while there was still green grass to be seen. At the moment we have brownish/green lawns, but the weatherman has promised to take that away from us and cover them up with 4"-8" of snow! This is a particularly depressing time to have another snowmaggedon... it was 60 degrees this month! 6-0, you know spring time, grab your sandals and leave your jacket at home weather. So in the meantime, let's look at little Liv's quilt [and the green grass]!

This is a fun little quilt that was inspired by Windham's Simply Baby fabric that I bought at my lqs. I love prints with writing and text! I made some simple color blocked pinwheels and sashed them in white to show them off.

The backing is a delightful teal flannel [really cozy and a great color]. I used a light weight poly batting and hand quilted it with long stitches and perle cotton in yellow, green, and pink. It is VERY simply quilted, but I like the minimalism + I am not a quilter, so this was manageable for me.

I made a few coordinating pillows, they are in my esty shop :)

summer dreamin' with tula...

I can tell it's February... the longer winter lasts, the colder it gets, the more snow and ice that pile up, the more I dream about the sun, the ocean, the beach... With that in mind I want to share my latest fabric purchase. A lucky find of some Tula Pink Full Moon Forest!!

I can't get enough of those jumping fishies and the gorgeous bright [sunny] colors! I am just dreaming and doodling what they could become.

Do you need a little sunshine too? I put some fat quarters in my etsy shop :)

pièce de résistance...

How very international of me to have a blog post title in French :D I am so excited to FINALLY be able to share my finished wonky log cabin! All quilted up by the wonderful ladies in the quilting group at UCC. I love the finished look - clean, modern, fun, bright.


The quilting is simple and clean - a diagonal grid. The grid on the center is slightly larger than the one used on the border. A quick job of marking with a quilting ruler!

And no bed is complete without a mountain of pillows! These were some of the first pillows I made [and clearly I liked them as I haven't been able to stop making pillows since!]

Best of all, the warm and white batting is so cozy; and that's important as the nights get colder! Sophie definitely approves :D I have to add that, even though this photo looks posed - there is no other photo I could have taken. I tried to take a pic without her in it, but she is a persistent little bug and kept jumping on the bed!

another one bites the dust...

It's official - I completed another unfinished object [ufo]! Last year I set off on a mission, a brave mission to root through my box of half-finished projects and work on those before starting any new projects.

Happily this lasted for a while until I remembered why I had thrown these projects to the side originally - no longer my taste, ran out of fabric, too tedious, or just plain bored... Perhaps, [and these are the words of a fabric/craft addict for sure] it isn't my fault - it is the blogs, magazines, fabric designers, etc. who flood my world with way too many exciting and inticing projects that I just CAN'T pass up! I press on, though, using the box of neglected and rejected craftiness as my 'go to projects' whenever I need to grab a quick take along craft. But today, today is a good day - this post is about a finish after all :D

Judging by my fabric choices, I put the checkerboards and appliques together about 4 years ago. I pulled them from the ufo abyss, added borders, quilting, backing, and piping... et voila, lovely little pillows [I actually made 2 of them, so yes pillowS].

They turned out well, and I am surprised to see so many elements that are me now as a crafter: little checkerboard, somewhat bright colors, modern tree design. My house is beginning to overflow with pillows, so this little number is in my etsy. [I think my new motto is: a chicken in every pot and a pillow on every chair. Thanks HH :D]

pillow basics: three...

If you've just tuned in, I have been laying out a few ground rules for making fab pillows and cushions in the Pillow Basics Series. Today will be the final installment [Hurrah!]. I typically finish my pillows with either piping or a traditional quilt binding.

If you are binding your pillow...
Take your 2.5" strips and press it in half so that you have a long 1.25" strip. Layer your pillow with wrong sides together and the binding on top of the front. Sew the strip around the edge of the pillow using a 1/4" seam allowance. [Here is a great tutorial for mitered corners] flip the folded edge of the binding over to the back of the pillow and handstitch in place - yes, handstitching does take a while, but you have a very pro looking end result!

If you want to use piping...
First we are going to make our own piping using the 1.5" strips you cut. I generally use 3/8" cording from JoAnns, but you can choose the thickness you like best. Lay the cording in the center of your fabric strip.

Fold the strip in half around the cording, pin.

I have an ab-fab foot that is made for sewing piping - it has a groove in the center that holds the cording in place. You can make piping this way with a zipper foot as well. I like to set the needle position to as far right as it will go and the stitch length as long as it will go. Begin stitching 1" from the 'start end' [rember when we talked about the selvage in lesson two?]; stitch.


Pin the cording in place along the edge of the top of the pillow. Ease the corners by snipping into the piping. Tuck the end under the 'start end'

Using a wide zig-zag stitch [with the regular sewing foot], sew along the edge of the piping to secure it into place.

Layer the pillow back over the pillow front with right sides together, pin. With the zipper or cording foot attached, move the needle position all the way to the right and then move it back to the left one click. [This will ensure that none of those basting stitches show on your finished pillow] Stitch tightly along the edge of the piping. If you are using a thick fabric for your piping, you may want to switch to a denim needle in this step.

Trim the corners, rounding them to match the piping. Turn. VOILA! You're pillow is finished and ready to spice up your sofa!

This wonky star pillow is up for a new home in my shop!
THERE'S STILL TIME! Don't forget to sign up for the pillow giveaway!! Comment on this post...
ps: If you are enjoying these tutorials, feel free to add my button to your blog :]