Mail call

There must be something in the air - no pun intended. Just last week I had this idea to make a little zip pouch that looks like an airmail letter. So I hunted around the internet to find some red and blue striped fabric to get that ‘airmail’ look to my pouch and let me tell you it was not easy to find. I think I got the only striped piece on Etsy. Last night I finished the pouch and I’m loving the way it looks. Then low and behold this morning I open a newsletter from Hawthorne threads and there staring me in the face is a red and blue striped fabric from Suzy Ultman (Handle with Care) and no less it’s mail themed! What are the odds? This must be a new trend that I didn’t even know was happening. Either that or Suzy and I are on the same mental wavelength. Anyway, so go forth and purchase supplies from Hawthorne threads or wherever you can buy Suzy's new fabric because apparently its now easy to find the striped fabric. I must confess I bought more myself, because you never know when you’ll need to make another airmail looking pouch right?

He he Ok so back to the topic at hand. This pouch is large sized ~ 12” x 9”. It’s a prototype and I like to make them knitting project sized because I always need bags for new projects.

 After I found the striped fabric, came the hunt for stamps and postage meter marks. Luckily I found some cute ribbons on etsy that fit this bill. Cut up some Japanese fabric for the other stamps and a stamp fabric purchased off Spoonflower (thank-you designer keweenawchris) and voila.  
I also used a little Curio fabric for the writing.

A little zipper action on the back...

An airmail letter zip pouch.

 It’s a little cute, it’s a little quirky, it might not be for everyone, but I love it! Happy Sewing!

Quilting for a cause

When Diane from blank pages announced she was seeking submissions for quilt blocks to turn into quilts for Quilting for a cause  I was thrilled.  I have had 2 quilt tops lying around for awhile that I didn't plan to turn into quilts, so this was the perfect opportunity to donate them and put them to good use.  Diane has since been overwhelmed with donations and has solicited help in quilting and binding these blocks.  Meanwhile Sarah TX offered to do the FMQ and a collaboration was born.  Diane organized this Flickr group as an outlet for quilters to turn those unused blocks and tops into something useful that could be donated to charity.  Since she started the group, over 100 participants from around the globe have joined in. Great stuff.

Here is the top I sent to Sarah.

My drunkard's path experiment.

 I have one more that I might just quilt up myself and then another one that's already sandwiched that I'll send off to a longarm quilter who has offered her services.

And a short while later, here is the result of Sarah’s quilting handiwork!    

Turned out great huh? She did an awesome job and now the quilt can be donated to Ronald McDonald House.
    
What a great way to help out those in need and join in a collaborative effort. Thanks to Diane for making it all happen and to Sarah for realizing the dream.

Want to join in? Go check it out!
Happy Sewing!

Patchy Baskets

Remember these fabrics I dyed?
Well I finally cut into some of them to whip up this basket (pattern by Ayumi, Pink Penguin)

 for the third round of the Table Top swap on Flickr. I am going to have a hard time letting go of this basket. I am quite smitten by it.

Now I have to figure out what other home sewn little goody I should throw in there.  Any ideas? I'm a little at a loss at the moment.

Happy Sewing!

Clutch time!

The Pretty Little Pouch Swap, v 5 is underway. It's time to ship out the fruits of our labor.

Here is the clutch/pouch I made for my partner.


This one is about 12" by 8" which makes it a decent enough size to be used as a clutch purse if my partner so desires.

I added lots of pockets both inside and out and a little detachable wristlet strap.  This pouch is just big enough that it could also work as a project bag for a small knitting or embroidery project.  Pretty versatile size I think.

I added some curvy pockets to give it some visual interest.

This whole project was done in a low-volume patchwork style which seems to be the latest trend in the quilt world but seeing as I love color, I had to throw in a dash of red to spice things up a bit.  I hope you like it partner.

Here is another version I made for myself as a test run. 
I added some texture to one of the pocket panels using Texture magic.   I personally thought that this version had a little bit too much going on, so I edited it in the final pouch. 
 This design will be available as a for-purchase pattern in the next couple of months.

 Happy Sewing!

Surfs up!

 
Let's go the beach!

We'll need:
Surf board - check
wet suit - check
Rad car - check, check and check

What is cooler than a fun old fashioned woody?  I love these old cars

Surf board strapped to the top - Oh yeah.

This is an 8x10" mug rug I made for my partner in the Scrappy Mug Rug swap which had a summer theme.

Want to make your own woody?

Here's a link to the pattern pieces.

And a link to the assembly schematic and instructions.


It's another foundation pieced block and could easily be made into a 10" square if you wanted to turn it into a quilt block.

Would look equally good with print or solid fabrics.  

Here's an earlier version that I accidentally made with wooden windows- yeah that's not to brilliant is it?  Oh well, it's on my desk at work - so far no one has noticed.

If you make it yourself, I would recommend glass in the windows - or at least glass colored fabric.

Please post it in the Trilliumdesign flickr group if you do end up making it - I would love to see it!

Happy Sewing!