Rainbow I Spy Block Drive at Threaded Mess

Natalie writes Threaded Mess and she is hosting a block drive for quilts that she will donate to her local NICU.  She is asking that people send in 12.5" blocks made up in a single color (novelty prints, tone on tone prints and solids).  The blocks need to be made using a Square in Square pattern. 

Anna Maria Horner did a one-page .pdf with instructions on how to make the 12.5" Joseph's Square in Square block and you can download it here.

She is hosting her block drive in 3 rounds.  I missed round one which closed on 8/30 but I'm going to try to participate in rounds 2 (closes 9/30) and 3 (closes 10/30). 

Here are my first batch of blocks for Round 2. 

I spy pink roses ...

And I spy pink ships...

I so wish that I had remembered to cut the ships on point... but that ship has sailed.  (GET IT - SHIP!  Ok, I know, lame.)

I'm going to put these in the mail to Natalie within the next couple of days and hopefully I'll be able to send her a couple more before the month is out.  This is an open block drive so you can skip over to Threaded Mess and join the fun! 

Buttercup Bags Made with Parisville Prints

I made two bags using the free Buttercup Bag pattern from Made By Rae.  I had some fat quarters from the Parisville line by Tula Pink and I have been saving them to use on a project for myself.  I finally cut into them to make these bags.  I love the Parisville line and Tula Pink is great.  I love her too.  I love illustrations that draw you in with inviting or exciting, happy colors and then once you get close you realize that there is something off about the details, something unexpected that makes the whole thing come to life.  Tula Pink does that so well.

Ok, so here are my bags...

Here you can see the lining and the interior pocket.  I used a designer solid from Free Spirit for the lining.  This was my first time applying a magnetic snap - they were easy peasy.

I left off the strap because I'm not going to use these as hand bags.  I'm actually going to use then to store my most frequently used sewing notions - scissors, rotory cutters, seam gauge, fabric marking pens etc. 

Overall, I'd definetly recommend the Buttercup Bag pattern to anyone who is looking for a quick, fun project for those fat quarters in your stash that you are itching to use.  However, if you are going to make this as a handbag I would fully interface the lining instead of just a 1.5" area under the snap.  I would also consider using something heavier than quilt weight for the outer.  I think home dec weight would work well and give the bag a little more structure.  My bags are a little floppy. 

Anyone else making something for themselves right now or has it been all Back to School sewing at your house?

Basic Grey Origins: Throw Pillows

I have had one of the prints from the Basic Grey Origins line in my stash for quite a while.  I had a yard and a half of it which makes me think that when I bought it I was planning a dress or something for my daughter.  Anyway, this past weekend I paired it up with some Kona solids and made new throw pillow covers for my living room. 

The old ones needed to go.  They used to be made from a nice green silk that I bought before I had kids.  Now they were gross - so stained and one even was starting to rip (one too many pillow fights or play fort construction disasters I guess).
 
I did super quick rectangle piecing for the fronts and quilted in random groups of 1/4" channels.  Then I did a nice pocket opening in the back and I was done.  3 quilted pillows in one weekend!  Hurray for Basic Grey!  I still have about a yard of the print left so it may still end up in Aurelia's wardrobe after all. 

Oliver + S Mother Daughter Tote

I had just enough of the Shangrila print and brown cord left over from Aurelia's Music Class separates to make her a little matching tote.  I made this using free instructions from Oliver + S that you can download from their website.  I think it would be a little too matchy-matchy to let her wear all three pieces together but the shirt with the tote and jeans would look cute together, no? 

Music Class Blouse and Skirt

For the past week or so I've been sewing for my daughter.  I started out without much of a plan.  I just dug through my fabric and patterns looking for a combination that was cute enough to inspire me to get to work.  I came up with the Music Class blouse and skirt pattern from O + S.
 

I've had this pattern for a while and I've made the blouse once before.  I decided to pair up chocolate brown pinwhale cord and a very sweet rose print cotton - both from my stash.  The cotton print is by Three Sisters for Moda, from the Sangrila line. The cord I purchased on sale months ago at fabric.com and it has a tiny bit of stretch to it. 

The music class skirt comes together in a flash.  It is so fun to make.  I love how there is a single piece of fabric that you fold to form the pocket and the skirt side panel.  I don't like to hem - it is one of my least favorite things about garment construction.  And this hem was extra hateful because of the pleats.  I trimmed the seam allowance to almost nothing and pressed like crazy and the pleated panels behaved pretty well. 

The music class blouse is a great pattern for anyone who has never sewn a placket and wants to learn a new sewing skill.  The instructions for the front placket and the button cuff for the long sleeve version are excellent.  This is the second music class blouse I made for Aurelia and I have another short sleeve version planned already.  I don't really like how quilting weight cotton takes a pin tuck so I decided to do simple gathers across the yoke and sleeve cap instead of the tiny pin tucks.  The only un-fun thing about sewing this shirt is the button holes.  They are right up there with hemming pleats on my list of hateful sewing tasks.  My machine makes terrible button holes.  My hand stitched ones aren't much better.  I used buttons that I reclaimed from one of my husbands old dress shirts as he was throwing it out. 

Obviously I made the skirt and shirt to match but I think that the shirt could easily go over jeans or a denim skirt.  It could also look cute under overalls or a jumper.  The outfit will work in the warm weather with sandals or later in the fall with tights and a cardigan.  Very versatile - as long as she doesn't outgrow it too quickly!  Look at this sweetness!

Anna Maria Horner Free Embroidery Pattern

I just love the posts over at Anna Maria Horner's blog - especially the last couple she has posted about her new Needleworks products.  She has released 2 free embroidery patterns to go with her threads (get them here and here).  I stitched up the table scarf project that she posted most recently.  I used a turquoise cross-weave fabric from my local quilt shop and I backed the scarf with one of the larger scale prints from the AMH LouLouthi line. 
I used DMC embroidery floss in colors very close to the Anchor thread colors that are recommended in the embroidery pattern.  The pattern called for a large cross stitched border but I decided to try something different.  I did two stripes made of running stitches in 2 different colors with tiny little cross stitches every half inch to couch the large stitches down and to hide the place where the running stitches meet. 
Now I just need a lovely vase of flowers to sit on top!

Modern BOM: August

The Block of the Month for August has been posted over on the blog at SewMamaSew.
This one is an improvisational block and when I saw it I thought it had a pixelated look to it.  I chose to modify the actual August BOM a little bit.  I took left out the sashing strips at the sides of the block.  I used 4 shades of blue and just had at it - cutting strips about 9 inches long and between 2-3" wide.  I let the block be as big as it wanted to be and just squared it off at the end - it is 13 1/2" square.  The finished block reminds me of an extreme close up of a pixelated photo.  Also, the color blocking effect has a kind of 60's feel to it.  I really like the way it turned out...

While I was waiting for the August BOM post I made some of the modern log cabin blocks that are in the first chapter of Block Party. 

These log cabin blocks were really fun to make - no measuring just slash and sew!  I liked the effect of the blue block alot - much better than the green and pink block with contrasting colors.  I liked it so much I used all the same blue shades for the August block. 

I've been working hard on some garment sewing also.  I just finished a skirt for my daughter using the Music Class pattern from Oliver + S.  I have a matching blouse all cut out and with the scraps left over I'm going to make her a Mother Daughter Tote using the free tutorial from Oliver + S.  With any luck I'll be able to post about those finished pieces in the next few days.