Coming Soon to My Shop!

Color Brigade random patchwork blanket is in the shop, ready for pre order. Fabrics are due to arrive in May! http://www.sewfunbymonique.com/listing/269665090/preorder-jennifer-paganelli-color

I am trying out the new Etsy Pattern shop model & purchased my own domain, sewfunbymonique.com. Check it out and let me know what you think! It's fun & exciting to have a new format. I like that both Etsy Etsy shop & Etsy Pattern give me more sections. I think Pattern is organized better for shopping. What do you think? I'd love to know your thoughts!

These colors glow in the shadows. Jennifer is a color genius! I have different sizes available within the listing. Baby size is 32x32, Toddler 32x48, Throw is 40x56 & large Throw is 56x64.

Love the olive green with pink. Here's a combo that will be in my shop once the fabrics arrive.

Top left print is one of my favorites! The butterfly adds a pretty touch.  Look for this in my shop next month!

Caravelle Arcade

Jennifer sent me her newest fabric line, Caravelle Arcade, due out in May to play with. I made my usual random patchwork and was overjoyed at the fabulous color ranges in this line!

I took the finished blanket to the local Santa Monica mountains to get some pictures with the vivid green that covers our area this time of year. Unfortunately, it was super windy and light was fading fast, but I had Holly help me get some pictures!

Next, I decided to try the mini dresden using my tiny scraps and used the tutorial from Amanda at Westwood Acres.

I also made a selvage flap purse with some more scraps. Even though there isn't any navy in Caravelle Arcade, I love the contrast with the other colors. Jennifer's fabrics always play well together!

Below is a fabric grouping I put together combining Caravelle Arcade with her past collections as well as the newest Jenny Eliza due in Joann stores any day now if not already! If you love this collection as much as I do, you can preorder a blanket in my shop here

12 Days of Jennifer Paganelli Inspiration

I am excited to be Day 10 of 12 days of inspiration by Jennifer Paganelli! Seriously, we could go on forever on how Jennifer and her fabrics inspire us! Pictured above is my JP stash & I could come up with so many combinations using her fabrics. It's so distracting! I met Jennifer online through Flickr, I think. She had commented on something I made that had bits of her fabrics in it and I was blown away at her kindness. I soon discovered that her style was my style and we were fast friends. I love how she loves to mix color and pattern and everything she does is happy & colorful.

I designed my sewing room around her fabrics. Wait, that picture doesn't look lived in! See below for a true, working sewing room!

Anyway, you can see how much Jennifer inspires me. She is kind and generous to everyone and so supportive to the handmade community, I am truly amazed! For my inspiration piece, I decided I wanted to feature something I've been making lately. Mug rugs are not new items, but I really love finding colorful & artistic mugs and designing mugs rugs to match. They make great gifts as I don't think they have to match a person's home. They are a stand alone gift!  Here are some mugs I purchased from Anthropologie

and one from Cost Plus

And here are the mug rugs I made to match them

I used a West Indies print called Matilda and bordered it with Claudia and then Jane and made a binding out of Sally. All I need to do is pop some Starbucks Via packets or some tea bags and I have a cute gift set.

For this one I used Claudia in the center and then did a log cabin style around it in Dana, Maggie, Danielle, Matt's Tux, Nikki, Matilda and Velentina. The binding is Luca. I love how most of the fabric names are people's names! I still have 2 more mugs to match up, and I'm looking forward to it since there is only 7 days until Christmas! Yikes! The mug rugs take about a half hour if you're using scraps. The center square is approximately 3" & then I add 1 1/2 to 2 1/2" strips until I think it's done, around 8-9" finished size. Here is the list of bloggers and the days that they posted or will post:

December 09 Sew Pretty Dresses
December 10 Sweeter Than Cupcakes
December 11 Sweet Baby Jamie
December 12 Hickity Pickity  Handmade Dress Haven
December 13 Tabbo Designs 100 Billion Stars
December 14 Heavenlelgh Blessings Boutique
December 15 Scientific Seamstress
December 16 Sweet Baby Jamie
December 17 Hold It Right There
December 18 Sew Fun By Monique
December 19 Small Town Girls Clothier Marie Madeline Studio
December 20 Granny B's Clothesline Lilac Lane by Melissa Stramel

Lucky Girl!!!

I was so excited when Jennifer sent me Lucky Girl, her upcoming fabric line that is due out in September. It has a very vintage feel with some gorgeous contrast with navy blue to set of the pinks, light blues and teal greens.

I tried to use a different pattern, but in the end I still love the random patchwork where the fabric can be the star. I did longer pieces this time, cut at 6.5x12.5 in order to get the full visual of some of the prints. I loved making the inital pillow. I did 'P' for Paganelli since I was sending it to Jennifer, but I need to make one for myself now!

Update on my health: I ended up having a double mastectomy to just be rid of everything once and for all and so now I don't feel like I'm wondering what will show up next on my mammogram. I had found a pre cancerous growth in the 'other' side, so now I have a peace of mind about it all. I hope to be 100% back by the end of the year. I still keep my shop open taking custom orders as I see I can fit. It's great therapy! The Lord has blessed me with such wonderful customers! I just celebrated 5 years on Etsy earlier this month. Hope to blog more, if not, follow me on instagram under sewfunbymonique.

Circa is Coming!

It seems like I've been waiting forever for Circa by Jennifer Paganelli to come out! She had sent me some fabric to make her a quilt in January & I just fell in love with it! I love how it is a softer palette than Crazy Love or Happy Land, but the colors are still vibrant and true to Jennifer's style. I made myself a spring purse with some of the scraps so I can enjoy it until the yardage comes in, some time in May. I am also working on a simple patchwork quilt, pictures to come soon, for my bed!
I am taking preorders in my shop for a 40x56 blanket, as pictured in the first photo. If you want a different size, the prices are listed within the listing. Hawthorne Threads is taking preorders if you want the yardage as soon as it comes out!
A quick update on my chemo: I am halfway done! Yay! My side effects are manageable, I have no complaints! Prayer works. :)

Flower Boxes Quilt

Even before Happy Land was in my hands I was planning on what to do with it. I surprisingly won 6 yards of it from commenting on the freespirit blog and was excited to see what the colors truly looked like. I don't know how Jennifer does it, but all these colors play off each other so amazingly. I really do get my inspiration from a single fabric and run with it. After all, these fabric designers are the experts at color- especially Jennifer! I started cutting up the fabric and wanted to do a different design for this line and the Flower Boxes pattern took shape. I only had a few blocks done and had to wait for a gap in receiving the rest of my order, so they sat Washi taped to my wall for a few weeks. Once I received the rest of the yardage, the fun began. I tried to mix up each block, not matching the fussy cut flowers in the center too exactly if possible. If you can let go, you can find some amazing color combinations just playing around. I quilted it with an Aurifil thread that is a fuchsia variegated #4660. Every fabric from Happy Land was used in this quilt! I truly get too distracted on a daily basis finding new fabric combinations as a happy accident from a sudden inspiration! :) I have put this quilt in my shop~ a rarity to have a ready made quilt in the shop, but this one is here in case it speaks to you! :) Its a 45x63 which would work as a throw, or toddler bed or baby quilt. I am so honored that Jennifer featured this quilt on her blog today!!! She is such an amazing, supportive person and I love the beauty that she brings to the quilting world with every new collection! I had never sewn clothes until recently because I found I had to wear these amazing fabrics, too! :)

Happy Land, Part 2

I got more Happy Land in, and as usual, I had to play with the colors. I am most intrigued by the last combo. There is something about that green background with the pinks, reds and touch of aqua that just feels amazing in person! The middle one with the warm browns seemed decidedly sophisticated & the first one is classic Jennifer Paganelli at her best in fuchsias & aquas. You can see my other combos on my flickr page. I still have more I want to order, but this will get me started! I'm planning some clothing for me and some quilts for the shop. The combos will be listed in the shop later today!

Happy Land preview

Midnight colorway includes navy, aqua, fuchsia, golden yellow & green

Hand quilted using Aurifil thread #2588

back

Ta Da!

I was super excited to win some of Jennifer Paganelli's soon to be released Happy Land fabric! It got shipped to me yesterday & I decided by the end of the day the first thing I would make is a purse for myself! It is my own pattern & I used fusible batting so I could hand quilt some details & machine quilt the rest. I have found that Aurifil #2588 is usually an awesome match for the fuchsia in Jennifer's fabrics. I used that so the quilting would stand out more. When ever I get her new fabric, I am itching to make something asap! :) It is supposed to be released Oct 1, but sometimes they are early. I know that Hawthorne Threads is planning to carry it. Next up is (of course) a baby blanket using Happy Land midnight and other previous JP lines.

Quilt It!

I love the opportunity to free motion quilt some swirls. I use a Juki TL-2000 Qi. I love how it quilts~ it's a workhorse! For this eclectic mix of fabrics I chose a variegated pink Aurifil thread. The backing fabric is Natasha in red & the binding is Cecilia in brown. I think that sometimes one of the hardest decisions is choosing the thread color for the quilting. Often, the backing fabric has a greater influence on the choice for me. I like it to somewhat blend when I am doing the swirls as I sometimes feel like I am scribbling all over the fabric designer's artwork! I love the crinkly goodness that results after washing when it's quilted all over. I hope Kristin enjoys her quilt!
Additional info: it is available as a made to order quilt in my shop. :)

Super Fly is in the House!!

Super excited about Super Fly! Bold colors, graphic prints! Jane is a beautiful large scale print that coordinates well with so many of Jennifer Paganelli's other collections! There is also a large scale zebra print called Lauralee. I love how all her fabrics have women's names! It took me about a day to decide what I wanted to make. First I had to group her new with the old(er) fabrics. The world stops when I get to do this~ my fav!

Mixed with Crazy Love, Queen Street, Girls World Vibe

Mixed with Girls World Vibe, West Indies, Pretty Please, Crazy Love, Honey Child

Mixed with Bell Bottoms, Flower Powers, Sis Boom Basics & Crazy Love

I decided I wasn't ready to cut it up, so I kept it whole and sewed strips of 8" squares to either side and put aqua minky dimple dot on the back. The perfect throw in summer colors, so it will be called The Summer Throw in my shop! :) I purchased my Super Fly at Hawthorne Threads

Millie's Market Tote

I am guest blogging on Sara Lawson's blog as part of the exciting Purse Palooza this month! Lots of prizes as well, go check it out! Here is the rest of the tour schedule:
June 18 - Monique @ Sew Fun by Monique (Millie's Market Tote from Happy Home by Jennifer Paganelli)
               Katie @ Swim, Bike, Quilt! (Green Bee Scoop Tote)
June 19 - Jennie @ Clover and Violet (Lunch Bag from Pink Penguin)
               Joanna @ Shape Moth (Emmaline Bag)
June 20 - Jen @ Bettycrockerass (While Baby Naps Metal Clutch)
               Krista @ The Spotted Stone (The Sometimes Crafter Amanda's Knitting Bag)
June 21 - Katy @ The Littlest Thistle (Noodlehead 2-4-1 Tote)
               Terri @ Sew-Fantastic (In Color Order Lined Drawstring Bag)
June 22 - Elizabeth @ Don't Call Me Betsy (Amy Butler Weekender Bag)
               Sarah @ Fairy Face Designs (bag from the Bag Making Bible)
June 25 - Amy @ Sukie Don't You Know Who I Am? (Amy Butler Sophia Bag)
                Heather @ {House} of a la Mode (Retro Mama Granny Bag)
June 26 - Julianna @ Jednoiglec (Charlie's Aunt Kitchen Garden Bag)
               Jeni @ In Color Order (Bari J. State Street Tote)
June 27 - Kerry @ Very Kerry Berry (bag from Suzuko Koseki)
               Michelle @ I Like Orange Too (Left Bank Granny Bag)
               Laurie @ On the QT - Quilting Tangents (Betz White Hexie Hipster)
June 28 - Kay Whitt @ Sew Serendipity Studio (tutorial: adjustable strap with metal slider)
               Amy Barickman @ Indygo Junction (tutorial: installing grommets/magnetic snaps)
June 29 - Melissa @ Bittersweet Designs (Bella Nonna Boutique Shoulder Bag)
                Kelly @ Kelby Sews (Pat Bravo Paris Bag)
                Bianca @ Sweet Diesel Designs (Lisa Lam For Pleat's Sake)

Prettiest Apron from Happy Home

I was so excited when Jennifer Paganelli announced that her next book following the amazing Girl's World was going to be called Happy Home. I am more of a home dec sewer than clothing sewer, although the Sis Boom clothing patterns have started to sway me more towards clothing!  :) I am a HUGE fan of everything she does, and this book just continues the beauty and inspiration she gives us every day, with every collection, pattern, project or book.

Pretty girls and their aprons in Happy Home

I wanted to make the Prettiest Apron in the book and was pleased with the results! There were no pattern pieces, just cutting instructions which was great! You make quite a bit of bias edging for the sides/tie top and the gather under the bust that ties in the back as well as the top of the pocket. If you want to purchase premade bias tape, you would need (2) 3 yard packages of 7/8" wide tape. I prefer the look of coordinating, but in a pinch or if you are planning on making a few as gifts, that is another option. The pattern sewed up easily & I like the fit on me. The gathered area under the bust is adjustable, not sewn in a particular position, so you (or the recipient if it's a gift) can adjust the fit.

 You can see me pictured in my own happy kitchen with my Casey Scroll dishtowel & my cute apron on my Devon Peasant top I'm wearing. A girl has to look good in her kitchen, just like the girls pictured! Bottom line, I'd make this again and again & would like to make them for Christmas gifts this year.

There are so many wonderful patterns in this beautiful book to create your own Happy Home making quilts, duvets, pillow shams, throw pillows, bed skirts and more. You can design your home to your tastes using the patterns in this book. Part of the 'happy' in this book is Jennifer's amazing color in her fabrics. My entire sewing room is done in her fabrics and everyone who comes in here calls this my happy room! I couldn't think of a better title for her book!

Fabric details: Priscilla in brown, Amanda Fleur pocket and Maritza dots for accents. Here's the rest of the blog tour, you can still join if you want to make something from Happy Home!

une 11 Jenny Fish  www.sewprettydresses.blogspot.com

June 12 Cathy Caprio Peckiconis http://sewingstoryproject.blogspot.com/

June 13 Judy Buchanan  www.hickity-pickity.blogspot.com/ 

 June 14 Guest on Sew Pretty Dresses: Shannon Branscom Winters www.sewprettydresses.blogspot.com

June 15 Leah Kinghorn  http://makinglifewonderful.blogspot.com

June 16 Monique Reynolds  sewfunbymonique.blogspot.com/

June 17 Melissa Peda  100billionstars.com/

June 18 Jamie Harned http://theinsecurequilter.blogspot.com/

June 19 Stephanie Messer Danko www.tabbodesign.blogspot.com/

June 20 Kristi Pernell Elston  burlapbutton.blogspot.com

June 21 Kathy Hennessey  http://handmadedresshaven.blogspot.com/

June 22 Courtney Watford Davis www.sweeterthancupcakes.blogspot.com/

June 23  Guest on Sew Pretty Dresses: Jade Nocella Jenny Fish  www.sewprettydresses.blogspot.com

June 24 Sally Keller http://sallysangelworks.typepad.com
  
June 25 Tour Wrap Up www.sewprettydresses.blogspot.com   

Happy Home Book Tour

And the Happy Home book tour starts today with Jenny Fish making the above banner. Here is the complete schedule. If you want to be added, just contact her!

June 11 Jenny Fish  www.sewprettydresses.blogspot.com

June 12 Cathy Caprio Peckiconis http://sewingstoryproject.blogspot.com/

June 13 Judy Buchanan  www.hickity-pickity.blogspot.com/ 

 June 14 Guest on Sew Pretty Dresses: Shannon Branscom Winters www.sewprettydresses.blogspot.com

June 15 Leah Kinghorn  http://makinglifewonderful.blogspot.com

June 16 Monique Reynolds  sewfunbymonique.blogspot.com/

June 17 Melissa Peda  100billionstars.com/

June 18 Jamie Harned http://theinsecurequilter.blogspot.com/

June 19 Stephanie Messer Danko www.tabbodesign.blogspot.com/

June 20 Kristi Pernell Elston  burlapbutton.blogspot.com

June 21 Kathy Hennessey  http://handmadedresshaven.blogspot.com/

June 22 Courtney Watford Davis www.sweeterthancupcakes.blogspot.com/

June 23  Guest on Sew Pretty Dresses: Jade Nocella Jenny Fish  www.sewprettydresses.blogspot.com

June 24 Tour Wrap Up www.sewprettydresses.blogspot.com