sisterhood of the traveling pinnie...

Months ago I joined in a finish-a-long, and while the deadline has long been in the rear-view mirror - I am still busy at work completing projects! My first llama pinnie encounter was on pinterest {I have some friends who own a llama farm, and quite frankly I just think they are among the coolest of animals!} It was love at first pin; I needed to have one of my very own. I don't know about you, but I have found myself with an abundance of pinnies over the last few years. Wonderful to look at, lots of fun to create, but rarely used in my sewing space. I'm okay with that - a painting isn't utilitarian, and people collect art, right?

Anyways - once I made my way to Tractor Supply Company to purchase a Schleich llama, I found an overwhelming number of other small animals begging to be made into pincushions. 'Pick me!' said the cow, and the deer, and the pig, and the squirrel, and the bison, and the giraffe, and the t-rex... and the tiny donkey! I couldn't just leave him there, right?

My mother in law - who is an amazing crafter - needlefelted 2 small spheres to coordinate with the little blankets I had made for them. Hot glue was my friend for this project - especially to attach that little ball trim!

So first up were pinnies that (if they were real animals) could travel, and in keeping with that theme I wanted to share this pinnie I put together for when I travel. It's made with an old metal salt/pepper shaker that had lost it's top. I spray painted a jam jar lid, and attached a vintage crocheted flower I found to the top.

The underside of the lid is fitted with a pincushion (just a circle, gathered at the edges, stuffed, and then held in place with stitches in a star pattern over the top). Lots of odds and ends fit inside: a seam ripper, mini scissors, needles, thread, and a tape measure.

Now I need to actually travel with a project! I always end up spending so much time packing clothes, that I lack the time to pick a project out to take with me.

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!

finish-a-long part 3...

Isn't he darling - a sewing machine's best friend! He is the newest addition to my steadily growing pincushion obsession. My FLiPS partner Kristen was reading my mind - he came with a box full of goodies, including another pinnie [or rather, pin sharpener as it was filled with sand]. Probably one of the best swaps I have ever been in. Though, I have been one lucky crafter as far as swaps go! It has been great playing along with Rhonda's Finish-A-Long! It's officially the third quarter and I wanted to share with you the creations I will [fingers crossed!] be finishing this time around.

1. Another quilt needs binding!! I can't wait to share more of this Kaffe Fassett pattern very soon, the next time you see it, it will have the binding and hanging sleeve attached. This will be in our forever-being-rennovated kitchen :) I have the perfect spot to hang it up!

2. The final installment in my little venture into the circus world is all cut out. The lion ringmaster needs stitched together and embellished. He will have to keep the unicorn, mouse, seal, monkey, and elephant in line :)

3. I have two funky pincushions that have been sitting on my sewing table for too long. All I can say is, be careful, pinterest inspiration can strike at any time.

4. Finally, last quarter I finished The Flock. This quarter I am hoping to whip up some of the coordinating pillows and pillowcases. Feels good to finally be using the fabric and pattern I bought so long ago for their intended purpose.

Now all that's left is to get down to the business of sewing! The weather is cooperating for a little craftiness, it has cooled off this week. Last week it was 104F outside with no air conditioning inside - the thought of sitting in my upstairs craft room made me break a sweat :)

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 :)

put a pin in it...

Just a little post to prove to everyone that I am still alive! I have been traveling through one of those almost-too-busy-to-breath periods of time. Life is good, just a little overwhelming. I wanted to share some cute wrist pin cushions I made to sell a little while ago.

Fairly simple and straight forward: They are a 2.5" strip of fabric and some batting, folded in half wst, stitched and turned. Add a circle that has been basted, stuffed, and tied shut. I used a felt circle to cover the opening after I added the thread and buttons. [also, there is a cardboard circle in the bottom of the pin cushion to prevent pinning yourself] Velcro does the job of keeping it on your wrist and offering a custom fit.

This is a tutorial that I find pretty helpful, offering basic pincushion instructions. I do have some exciting crafty news to share with you! Check back here in the next few days :)

spring has sprung...

Yep, spring sprung, and sprang out of here! I feel like my poor neglected blog missed a season. My sewing crafting space, however, was certainly active place to be. A combination inspiration and the need to save some pennies led to a few creations I sold through my etsy and my lqs. Pinnies have proven quite addictive. I found these egg cups and knew just what they were destined for.


It is always fun to dig through the scrap box and dig out the perfect little piece of leftover fabric and the button that adds a little extra.

Another find was this 9 compartment egg tray, it is still under construction :)

The spring line up doesn't stop there - I was looking through some vintage homemaker magazines and found this little applique pattern. Hubby doesn't quite get pink birds, but I enjoyed mixing up the colors.


I hope your spring was a memorable one - I have lots to show and tell!

pin pals...

Another VERY exciting round of the Scrappy Pincushion Swap is coming to a close. All of the wonderful swaps over on flickr make me a little nervous - the standards are pretty high, and of course, you don't want to disappoint your partner. From the looks of my partners mosaic, (s)he is into color wheels, modern designers, linen, stars... which leaves loads of possibilities! I chose to run with a sort-of homage to a Dresden plate. Some lovely 100% wool bits are top stitched onto a natural colored cotton linen. [many of the wools are hand dyed, which I love!]

Originally I had planned to put the cushion inside of a zinc lid, but it just didn't look right. Instead I hand sewed a wool circle on the bottom to cover the stuffing opening and to give it a nice flat bottom. It was difficult to package it up and send it off, I really like how it turned out and wouldn't mind having it sit next to my sewing machine :) All there is to do now is hope that my partner likes it as much as I do!

Enough about the pincushion I made, on to the AMAZING one I received! A current obsession is anything and everything aquatic, and my partner did not disappoint. This little octopus is practically perfect in every way. [a bit o' Mary Poppins there]

Adrienne really outdid herself on this one, she used wool felt and stuffed him with cleaned and carded wool from local sheep. The tutorial for him is over at futuregirl.com I don't know that I can stand to stab him with pins, but he will make a lovely addition to my crafty space!

I continue to work on my QAL blocks, though life has certainly picked up the pace and slowed down my progress. Here is to hoping that there will be more sewing and crafting time in the near future!

new year, new swaps, new blocks...

Blame it on the crazy number of snow days so far this year, or missing my online family, or the need to experiment and try out new blocks... Whatever the reason I am ready to get back into the quilt along and swap scene over on flickr and around the blogosphere. The block swap group I was in last year came to an end in December, so I was quick to find a new swap for 2011. The Nittany Block Party [and Heidi] welcomed me with open arms. Heidi took on January and sent us some beautiful Bliss fabric and Modify Tradition Magic Cross tutorial. I enjoyed this tutorial - fairly simple and great step by step instructions.

I am also excited that the Scrappy Pincushion Swap is entering round 3! I put together this mosaic to give my partner some inspiration. Can you sense that while my feet are in snowy Ohio my head is definitely at the beach?? Summer can't come soon enough!

Moving on to my current quilt along... I jumped on board with Quilt Dad's Bloggers' Block-A-Palooza - a 17 stop tour of some very talented bloggers. Each of the block tutorials will be completed using Sweetwater's new line Sunkissed. I, on the other hand, NEED to do some stashbusting [really, I prefer to collect and drool over fabric than actually use my beauties]. Nonetheless, I did it, I cut into my Amy Butler Lotus stash. So far I am not regretting it. The last stop on the tour is the actual quilt layout - I am thinking that I might want to set this one on point though. I think it would be fab to alternate the finished blocks with solid blocks of the tree peony fabric.

John put his creativity to work coming up with block #1. He calls it Flying Over Fields. I chose to put my flying geese together a little differently so you get a star-like design.

Then over to the amazing Oh, Fransson blog for Elizabeth's amazing block Word Play. True to form, she had us cutting [& re-cutting] lots of little squares for this patchwork. It definitely has an interesting look.

How 'bout you? Any exciting new swaps you are joining in this year?

swap-o-rama...

Yes, this is another post about swapping :) I'm not sure if you know Ayumi, if not then you definitely need to meet her! Maybe you just don't realize you know her, she has several projects that have been featured in the beloved Stitch magazine [which is going quarterly next year! yay!] She not only makes lovely things, she has a kind heart. I have been oohing and aahing over some Mister Donut fabric that keeps taunting me around blogland.

On special occasions my mom and I would go to Mister Donut before school. I always loved the twisted creamstick/glazed donut things covered in chocolate. They are special memories, the Mister Donut was replaced by a Donut Connection, and then finally a pizza shop. Many have forgotten the smell of fresh baked donuts [we don't even have a Dunkin Donuts in our area]. Anywho, I gushed over Ayumi's stash and she agreed to a swap. What did she want? A crabby pinnie of course :) So meet Miss Crabby, all decked out in pink!

If you want to make one for yourself, my humble attempt at a tutorial can be found here. I am pleased with how she turned out and glad that she has found a happy home!

For the Block Swap 2, miss rabidchipmunks asked us for a disappearing nine patch using some funky Halloween prints. A lot of fun, even if I did cut one of the blocks wrong :)

I am enjoying seeing all kinds of beautiful color outside my window - I love fall. Hoping to fit in a few more warm days though!

pinnie & pillow love...

Before the great flickr incident of 2010 [where I accidentally deleted all my flickr photos], I had plans to show you the phenom pillow that I got in the Pillow Talk Swap! So without further ado, here it is:

This pillow was made by the wonderful Louise [she has a primo blog: lululollylegs], she also included some of her own patterns - I am so excited to give them a whirl! The colors are so bright and clear and really stand out on the black and white background. I just l-o-v-e it!

Another round of the Scrappy Pincushion swap has also come to a close, and check out the goods! I am super impressed with Michelle's crochet abilities and the blues and greens are just perfect! Swaps are so fun - I think what I enjoy most is getting in touch with people from across the country and the world! Makes our online community seem a little closer when you get a package in the mail.

Well, back to it - Mondays are super busy days around here, plus I am keeping an extra watchful eye on our little pooch who stole a box of raisins from the trash last night...

pinnie swapping [round 2]...

Well, my pincushion for the scrappy pincushion swap is officially on its way! As with every swap I participate in, I was overwhelmed with all the options and want to make just the right thing for my partner. I got the book Pretty Little Pincushions from the library - and it was too wonderful, ack! even more options! Recently I have been drawn to the simple 'tomato' style pincushion. They are great for showcasing pretty pins and gorgeous fabric. I focused in on making a little sewing kit!

Fro those who sew alot on the go, this little tube is perfect! The pincushion is attached to the underside of the cap.

Contents: tiny fold-up metal scissors, thimble, white/black thread for repairs, a variety of safety pins, some needles in a scrap of pinked wool, a needle threader in its own little case, a tape measure, and a sampling of white buttons. I made one for myself and it is wonderful for perle cotton or a skein of embroidery floss!

crabby pinnie {the tutorial}...

[note: I have had a couple of people have trouble accessing the tutorial on google docs. I am happy to 'share' the file with your google docs account, just choose that option after logging into your account. I have also uploaded the tutorial as a photo onto flickr.]

Scrappy. Pincushion. Swap. My new favorite swap! I really enjoyed round 1 so I have signed up for round 2 - I think the hardest part is deciding what to make. Last round I made 3 or 4 different pinnies before ending up with crabby {who I think turned out quite nicely}. He is happily living in his new home across the pond. Perhaps you would like a crabby to call your own? Here is a link to his tutorial {I put the pdf up on google docs - PLEASE let me know if you have any trouble accessing it!}.

I would love to see a picture if you make one :D
enjoy.

crabby pinnie...

I have been dreaming of a tropical vaca and it's showing up in my crafty life! I joined the Scrappy Pincushion Swap over on swap [Thanks Corey for 'forcing' me into another swap!] - it has been so fun to watch the AMAZING ideas people come up with. Today officially ended this round for me - I have both received AND sent my pinnie!

This is crabby - I am really pleased with how he turned out. Swaps are always so much pressure for me. 'Will this be good enough?!?' I am so intimidated by the beautiful things that everyone else creates. My partner seemed to like animal/item shaped pinnies [check] and modern & bright colors [check]. Fingers crossed s/he likes it!! By the way - tutorial for crabby pinnie coming later this week :]

This is the fantastic pinnie I received from Christy. Can you believe all of those gorgeous Heather Ross fabrics?? She also included a seam guide ruler and a couple of great buttons. I really lucked out having her for a swap partner!