Mail Bag Work in Progress

Erin, a REALLY fun person I met through my etsy shop , previously purchased a diaper bag from me and now wanted to try the mail bag (found here: http://www.pinkchalkfabrics.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=39_75_78&products_id=3~ but in patchwork~ so here it is so far. I sent her some links which started with the Anna Griffin medallion at the top from her new line & from there Erin found great coordinates from http://hawthornethreads.com. They have this great feature in their shop where you can choose coordinates based on a color in the fabric~ it's really fun. You can also shop by color, which is great when you are looking for a tomato red like Erin! I am excited to see how it comes out. I cut each square 5" (actually did strips, then cut) & used a 1/2" seam instead of 1/4" because Erin is hard on bags! :0 The finished squares were 4.5" , then used the pattern to cut out the shape from the patchwork. Will post pics when done! What are you working on today??

Dream Dining Room & Blog Linking

I have recently been reading a blog I love called http://notesofsincerity.blogspot.com/ . She has an awesome blog that she writes and the other thing I love are the links to other blogs~ I could link away the day on her blog! Somehow I linked today, and linked again and saw this picture on this blog: http://sointovintage.blogspot.com/ which linked me to http://themeadowbrookblog.blogspot.com/ Do you ever do that? You keep linking and you can't remember where the link orginally came from, but all of the sudden you found this amazing blog! Anyway, I fell in love with this dining room. We (stupidly) went to an open house this weekend and found a house I COMPLETELY FELL IN LOVE WITH~ but too expensive! :( The dining room layout looked just like the one above with big windows & a door out to the patio. The same wall would house my china hutch, it just all matched. This is the fabric from Jennifer Paganelli I would pick for the drapes: http://quilthome.com/product_info.php/cPath/38_788_789/products_id/6994. I've given up in moving pics on my blog, so a link to the fabric is all I'll do for now. So all I can do is dream about where I would put the furniture and how I would decorate this perfect house for me & my family. It's fun to dream! Have fun blog linking!!!

Beautiful Nursery!

I had the priviledge of making the patchwork blanket (seen in bottom photo) for this beautiful nursery featuring fabrics from Amy Butler's Love fabrics. I 'met' Robin a few months ago~ she is a fellow etsian who has a shop with graphic designs http://robinreeddesign.etsy.com/ (temporarily closed to have her baby!). She and I hit it off immediately, we decided we were twins separated at birth as we had so much in common! Anyway, I made a diaper bag for her featuring Sandlewood in tangerine ( on side bar). Her mother in law 'secretly' emailed me and asked if I could make the blanket & burp cloths to match, so I really enjoyed doing that for Robin! Robin then had her creative family, mother Teresa & sister Holly sew the rest of the items in the room. Love the baskets under the bed, the curtains, gorgeous chandelier and of course the bumper & cribskirt on the crib. She is naming her daughter Paisley, so the Cypress Paisley from the Love fabrics was a must! The room came out so beautiful, I just had to share with you for inspiration in your own nursery sewing you may be doing!

Little Liberty Designs, Australia

I am thrilled to pieces to show you the pics of the Amy Butler bedding & pillows I did for designer Nicole out of Australia. I took the pictures from her blog, but to see more, here is a link to her blog: http://www.littleliberty1.blogspot.com/

She sent pics as promised~ it is fun to see how things look in the room they were meant to be in. She is a really creative designer of children's rooms and makes many of the things in the rooms. She also sells really cute russian dolls on her site as well. Check it out!

Custom Order Bedrooms Finished!

I am so thrilled to finish this order! I really felt like I accomplished alot. I am grateful for the opportunity! Things have been so busy lately that I have to force myself not to sew the next 2 days & get my house cleaned up & geared up for the next custom order for 2 sisters as well! FUN!

Quilt #2 Done

I am working through that pile of fabrics I showed you in a few previous posts. This random patch one is done. I am making a bedskirt with the Full Moon Dots in tangerine & curtains with the pink Sparrow fabric from Joel Dewberry. Shams will be Fresh Poppies & Wallflower from Amy Butler. The back of this quilt is on my flickr site. I should be able to ship this order on Wednesday. It has been a labor of love! :)

Twin Size Quilt

Really thrilled to have finished this quilt today!! I used 7" squares from Jennifer Paganelli, Tanya Whelan & Michael Miller. The back is Ava Rose in the light pink. Binding is Loopy Vintage turquoise from Jennifer. I did diagonal quilting which ends up looking like large diamonds~ really pretty. I'm off to finish the last panel for the poster bed & dust ruffle.

Canopy Bed Panels

These are part of a custom order bedding set~ 3 of 4 panels that are 2 sided & will tie to a canopy/4 poster bed. The top & bottom are from Jennifer Paganelli's Flower Power fabric lines~ one of my all time favorites~in Elizabeth Rose ice & Loopy Vintage turquoise. The middle panel is Dandy Damask from Michael Miller. The bedskirt will be Elizabeth Rose ice. I have the quilt all pieced & layered and I will be quilting it today with light pink satiny thread to coordinate, will post pics when I'm done. I have always wanted fabric panels when I had a 4 poster bed, but never made them. I wish I still had that bed to try it out! :)

Custom Order Bedroom

I have had so many amazing opportunities on etsy! People ask me all the time, "Can you sew this or that" I love a challenge and trying new things, so I most always say yes. :) The fabric grouping above will be for a tween's room. I am making a duvet with the peace fabric (home dec weight) on one side. The reverse will be a 40X45 rectangle of the peace fabric with the others in different size rectangles & squares. The bedskirt & bolster will be the pink Cathedral (upper left) and pillow shams with peace, cathedral & paisley. So much fun!

Living Room Fabric Audition

I just got new drapes a few months ago for my living room and dining room which face each other. The old drapes I made myself and the were red toile from Waverly with cream boullion fringe. They just got a tad faded. I kept saying I needed to make new ones, but just haven't had the time. A friend of mine just bought these Pottery Barn (lined!) silk drapes and didn't want them, so she asked if I wanted them- easy to say yes! Now, I am tweaking the Living Room to incorporate the cocoa drapes. Sandi Henderson's Henna Garden from the new Meadowsweet line looked like a match. What do you think? My ottoman was made by my MIL with my requirements- the lid lifts off and I have my scrapbooks inside. I asked if I could cut up the family sheets that were ripped and used the top, pretty edge with the hand embroidered 'J' for Johnson. It fit perfectly around the edge. (Click the photo to see it better) I think it was a full size sheet. I stapled the linen to the inside of the ottoman. I have really enjoyed the look and the family tie. The top was covered with the red floral fabric that the pillow on the couch has, but its time for a change. There were matching pillowcases with the 'J' and I turned those into pillow toppers, and I will blog about that another time. I am waiting for Jennifer Paganelli's new line to come out, So St. Croix, as I think the reddish brown would look good in the room as well. Here's a photo of the fabrics: well, I guess its at the top. Some one PLEASE tell me how to move photos!!!!! Anyway, anxiously awaiting that fabric to audition!! She also has toile that I am excited about as well. Check out her blog, SisBoom Daydreams- I have a link under blogs I follow!

Amy Butler Set

A quick break from the set I started because the backing came in so I could finish this quilt and set. I am in love with how it turned out, it will be hard to mail to Australia, but hope they LOVE it!! I made a quilt, pillow sham and 2 16" pillow covers. More photos on my flickr site. I used prints from Amy Butler's Belle, Lotus, Midwest Modern & Daisy Chain. The back is Floating Buds in ivory.

Fabrics Cut

This is what I accomplished yesterday: all patchwork cut out for the random patch quilt. I cut squares & rectangles that will be a finished size of 4X4, 4X6, 4X8, 4X12, 6X6, 6X8, 8X8. I should really count how many I need of each, but I am really a 'fly by the seat of your pants' kind of person. I just put all the extra pieces in baggies label with the above dimensions and use them in another project when needed. Sometimes I cut extra 8X8 as that is my most popular patchwork size. I have ziplocs labeled 'pink' 'green' etc that are all 8X8 size. I figure while I'm cutting, I can cut a few extra and have a quicker piecing session in the future. Up next, placing the patches artistically.

New Year, New Projects!

I am really excited to start off 2010 with a new, big project! Those 2 fabric stacks represent the fabrics that will be used in 2 sisters rooms. Stack 1 will be a twin size quilt(random patchwork), pillow sham, dust ruffle and curtains. Stack 2 will be a twin size quilt (8" squares), dust ruffle, pillow sham & panels for a canopy bed (I know, how fun!!). Will post occasionally about the progress. I am so thrilled to see how it will all come together. I will be praying for a clear mind to be able to deal with all the details!!