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

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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.

Spinning Stars

So, before joining a quilt along, hosted by Katy I thought I'd make a test block to see how I liked it. Some blocks, which shall remain nameless, are just so time consuming in planning fabric placement. I need something I can come back to when I am able without getting stressed out each time. I'm also not super good at getting everything lined up when there's lots of pieces to put together. This block fits the criteria for me! The 2 issues I had was stretching along the bias & my seam allowances are too small on the finished block after trimming. I can adjust accordingly for future blocks. I pressed the joining seams open and the pie pieces in opposite directions so they'd nestle nicely. This way the block should lay flatter for quilting.You can find the free, downloadable pattern on Anna's blog.  Now to decide which fabrics to choose . . . :)

Green!

I can remember the summer between 4th and 5th grade when I took my first sewing class. We were supposed to pick out a 'simple' pattern to make an article of clothing. I picked a one piece romper with a zipper, of all things! My favorite color at that time was green. I found a green calico at the local fabric store, Rags to Stitches, and was so excited to sew it up. Needless to say it was way over my head and I can never remember wearing it! It kind of soured me to sewing and I had no desire to sew again until I got married. The moral of that story is give someone a super super basic pattern to sew as a beginner so they feel like they could actually see themselves sewing again! The good thing about that class is that I met a friend that I still keep in touch with to this day, so she is my 'oldest' friend. She is the one who first told me about etsy and encouraged me to open up my shop 4 years ago. So that's the good that came out of that class! :) My favorite color has changed over the years, unlike some people who keep the same favorite their whole life. In high school, purple became a favorite until around the year 2000 & then I was into red. About 3 years ago, thanks to Jennifer Paganelli, aqua has been the forerunner! So swinging back to the blanket I made above from various fabric designers, it is an ode to my childhood sewing class I took so long ago! It is now available in my shop. :)

What I've Been Doing Lately

Fashion Formula Skirt pattern by Kay Whitt

Jennifer Paganelli twin quilt set

I've had lots of different projects I've been working on. I took some time off to have some surgery (hysterectomy) & realized that I needed to wear either drawstring, loose skirts or dresses. I sewed up some skirts using Kay Whitt's pattern from her Fashion Formula Skirts booklet which I LOVE! The strip skirts only require 8-9" strips, so you can easily use up some half or quarter yards you have laying around. I used Anna Maria Horner's Field Study in the aqua/yellow combo as well as a mini check from Michael Miller. The second skirt is all from Queen Street (Jennifer Paganelli). There are lots of other variations to try & I'm really looking forward to it. There are lots of drawings, so there was never a confusing part as I was sewing. I didn't do a good job distributing the gathers with the first skirt, but learned for the second one. I also bought some of her dress patterns- the Diane Kimono & the Bebe dress which Kay modeled so beautifully at Quilt Market. I also have the Monique dress, but haven't tried it yet. You can find all of her patterns here

Next up is a twin size quilt I finished along with matching pillowcases (not pictured) & pillow shams in Jane from Super Fly. As always, I love mixing Jennifer's fabrics & I used Crazy Love & Super Fly with some blue and green additions from Honey Child & Queen Street. It feels so good to be back sewing again and to immerse myself in this creative world again!

Field Study

I am swooning over Anna Maria Horner's Field Study fabrics. I love the intricate designs, the unusual color combinations. They play well with her other fabric lines and it's always fun for me to pull from other designers for that perfect match. This group is on my floor and still needs tweaking, but I'm having fun with it!

I have put together other combos on my flickr and have put a few in the shop as quilt possibilities. What lines are you looking forward to??

Introducing Holly Marie Cases

I am so proud to show you my daughter, Holly's new shop on etsy called hollymariecases. A while back when I got my iphone I wanted to purchase a clear case so that I could put fabric it~ I know, that is a surprise! I chose the Loopy Vintage Floral in fuchsia & loved it! Holly has an iphone and she inserted floral fabrics for her phone and got lots of compliments on it. Studding clothing has been really popular and she and some friends got together and ripped and studded some shorts together. Next, iphone case studs! Her friends all wanted one, so she decided to open an etsy shop. It is a perfect partnership since I have a boatload of fabrics! Another great use of my beloved scraps! Pictured above are an assortment of Jennifer Paganelli fabrics as well as a Tanya Whelan. She has had so much fun creating each one and matching stud colors as well as figuring out new combinations. If you or someone you know is in the market for a cute iphone case, please check out her shop! :)