Patchwork Crib Bumper

I am super excited to make this patchwork crib bumper for Alyssa! She liked the blanket I made for Alexis, so we adopted that color palette omitting obvious florals for this gender neutral set. We added the paisley per her husbands request for some bandana fabric. I found the Moda paisley fabric that had the perfect melon/ steel blue combo to go with the others. We also added Sandi Henderson's Henna Garden in melon to up the orange factor. I laid out my measuring tape & kept adding patches until I reached 164" for a total finished size of 160". So far, so good! :)

Poodle by Jennifer Paganelli

Jennifer has done it again with another fabulous line! I just put my order in at http://www.etsy.com/shop/sewlovefabrics . I know that fabritopia is also carrying the line, but not sure if Jona has it in yet. For sure, Ruth is the first one on etsy. She is such a sweetheart & has great customer service. Can't wait to cut into these beauties~ or can I???

Metro Cafe

I had a past customer ask for a custom order using Robert Kaufman's Metro Cafe in the Garden colorway. I purchase the teapots, teacups & cutlery fabrics from that line at http://www.hawthornethreads.com/fabric/designer/robert_kaufman_house_designer/metro_cafe
It was easy to find coordinates with so many wonderful colors. I used fabrics from Jennifer Paganelli, Sandi Henderson, Lizzy Dish & Michael Miller. So pretty in my MIL's garden. Next up, crib bedding! :)

Cartwheels

My daughter has recently decided to perfect her cartwheels after having a gymnastics unit in PE. She never took gymnastics, so really didn't know how to do them. She will let me know she is cartwheeling in the front and will practice for quite a while. I kind of got thinking how fun it was doing cartwheels when I was a kid and the free feeling of your legs above your head. With my family egging me on, I decided to try one. Let me tell you that cartwheels don't feel the same when you are 40-something!! My wrists & arms ached for a while afterwards and the feeling when my legs were up in the air was terrifying, not exhilirating! I can now be satisfied with just watching her do them and not longing for that non-existant feeling. :)

Liverpool Tunic Pattern Review

I decided I wanted to make the Liverpool tunic to wear for mother's day this year. I am not a seasoned clothing sewer, but love the challenge & the sewing lesson I get. I chose the Darla fabric line from Tanya Whelan because I knew I wanted to wear it mostly with jeans.It is the shirt length & with elbow sleeve option. The placket is made in a contrasting fabric as well as the cuff & collar. The cuff actually wasn't supposed to contrast, but just look finished, so I just hemmed the cuff. I saw someone elses version & they added the piping to the placket in a contrasting fabric, so I did that, too. There is no piping "tube" inside, I just cut a 1" strip & ironed it in half & inserted it under the placket before attaching. I really like that detail. The collar was probably the trickiest, and I have no tips, but to go s-l-o-w. I tried to sew this a little each day this week so I wouldn't get frustrated. The mistake made was when I didn't do a large enough french seam in the back & the raw edge was sticking out! Overall, it was a fun pattern to make and I love the way it fits & how everything is finished so nicely~ professional looking from an amateur! :)

Mermaid Quilt

I get so many fun opportunities doing custom work! I have worked with Amy several times before and she asked if I could cut up her daughter's mermaid duvet and make it into a quilt. She said finding coordinates wouldn't be a problem~ and she was right! I had so much fun pulling out my stash (as well as adding to it!) to make this twin size quilt. Practically every designer is featured here~ Jennifer Paganelli, Patty Young, Tanya Whelan, Amy Butler, Michael Miller, Robert Kaufman & Heather Ross. The back is Ta Dot in lime and the binding is from Lots of Dots & Stripes from Robert Kaufman. I chose to quilt 1/4" in for each square and then on each mermaid block, I chose a different part to quilt & highlight. Sometimes I outlined the whole mermaid & sometimes it was her hair or flower or a starfish. I loved that the Heather Ross Seahorses matched the theme & colors!

New Quilt with So St Croix

Just finished this quilt for my shop & really enjoyed being able to sew this. I have had this idea in my head ever since winning the fq's from Jennifer Paganelli. I, of course, stocked up with my own purchases after viewing the beauties. I have always had a soft spot for toiles, & knew I would use one for this quilt. I added fabric from some of her other lines~ flower power, pretty please for the border & the back is kayla from dance with me. The binding is from the sis boom basics eliza stripe~ a perfect finish. I scroll quilted around the scenes & the border. The finished quilt is just so happy, summery, dreamy!