Productive Day

I took today off as a mental health day and I am so glad I did! It was a great, productive day. I dropped my daughter off at school, went grocery shopping,  got a chai latte, got gas, and went to the post office. I made it home a little after 9am. I headed straight for my sewing room. Then in the mail came my package from my swap partner from the 4S (Simple and Sweet Scrappy Swap) on Flickr! Mumziepooh, also known as Debbie, sent me some amazing goodies. Check out this chicken pin cushion. I named her Chicken Little. I have a thing for chickens and the colors of this one are perfect for my sewing room!

She included 10 fat quarters including some Scrumptious ones by Bonnie and Camille, a Chantilly charm pack, and an April Showers mini charm pack!!!! WOO HOO!!!

My picture is not great, but she has the cutest little tag with owls on it and says "Mumziepooh Makes."  Isn't the bag amazing? The pennant banner is so dainty!

There were also pins, embroidery scissors and needles, washi tape, a precious zipper, and Reese's eggs. Wow did she ever spoil me!!!! A day off from work and a package like this certainly made my day!!!!

 I whipped up this book cover for one of my 5th graders and made a tutorial explaining how to make them. http://tanyaquiltsinco.blogspot.com/2014/03/book-cover-tutorial.html

I only have 17 more to make by May!!!

 

 I made these two houses for the quilt along I am doing with Kim over at http://kimsbigquiltingadventure.blogspot.com/

They have all been made from my stash.

 I also worked on my blocks for the quilt along over at Joined at the Hip. I am behind, but should get caught up with some more work tonight. These blocks are only 6 inches, so the pieces are small, but very stash friendly!

http://joinedatthehipgirls.blogspot.com/

 I finished up this Easter bag for my nephew last night...

I need to get some more hand work together and I will be all set for more productivity this week! Remember quilting is my therapy and this was just how I needed to rejuvenate! We start testing tomorrow and I will need to quilt at night for sure with a mommy beverage.

Book Cover Tutorial

I am an avid reader and a member of a book club for many years. About five years ago, my book club was reading a book I was rather embarrassed to walk around with...It had a curse word in the title and at that time I spent a lot of my time at the rec center pool reading in public, I could not be seen with this book! I improvised and made a book cover. Next, I made book covers for all of my book club friends and then for my students as end of the year presents. Here are a couple I made... These book covers are designed to fit the larger paperbacks known as trade paperbacks (the over sized paperbacks that Target sells).

 

You will need:

1/4 yard of fabric

12" piece of gross grain ribbon

9" x 12.5" piece of fusible interfacing

Matching thread

Optional- button, front cover decoration

 

 

Cut:

Two 9" x 12.5" pieces of fabric for the outside and lining of the book cover

Two 8" x 9" pieces of fabric for the sleeves of the book cover

One 9" x 12.5: piece of fusible interfacing

 1. Fuse fusible interfacing to wrong side of 9" x 12.5" of book cover fabric. (This provides stability for the book cover and applique.)

2. Fold and press both 8" x 9" sleeve pieces of fabrics wrong sides together. They will measure 4" x 9".  Set aside.

 

3. Fold the cover (the piece that has the fusible interfacing attached) with wrong sides together. Optional- center your applique cover decoration on the front cover.

 4. Optional- applique your cover design. 

 I just used a button hole stitch with matching thread.
 

 

 5. With right sides together, place the sleeves along each side of the outside book cover. The fold should be going toward the middle and the raw edges should be aligned with the outside of the book cover. You can see the "V" below the sleeve.

 

 6. Place the ribbon (bookmark) on the top, left side of the outer book cover, near the folded edge of the left side sleeve. Pin it at the top.

7.  Pin the excess ribbon towards the middle of the outer book cover, so it does not get mistakenly sewn into the bottom.

 8. Sandwich the book cover lining piece with right sides together on top of the sleeves and right side of the outside book cover. Carefully pin everything in place and stitch around using a 1/4 inch seam., leaving an opening on the lower edge between the folded sleeves (this is how you will turn it right side out). Back stitch at the beginning and the ending.

 

 Here is how it looks on the interfacing side after it has been stitched.

9. Trim carefully at all four corners to make turning easier and the corners not as bulky.

 

 10. Turn and press. Pin along the opening, slipping the raw edges back inside, and slip stitch it by hand with matching thread.

 

 

 

 11. Stitch a button along the bottom of the ribbon. Now, you have a lovely book cover!

 

Sunny Slow Stitching Sunday

I made one of these simple drawstring bags for a swap. It went together so quickly, I decided to make Easter  bags using the pattern for my niece and nephew. Here is a link to the tutorial for the bag http://www.incolororder.com/2011/10/lined-drawstring-bag-tutorial.html

 

The embroidery design came as part of Happy Scrappy Spring BOM from this site http://thepaintedquilt.blogspot.com/. It is part of the last month's pattern.

 

It is gorgeous outside today, bright and sunny in the mid-50's. My hubby is doing garden preparations and my teenager is sprawled on a quilt on the lawn doing homework. I will finish this Easter bag and prep some wool felt handwork for a project I have in the works and try to get outside with my Kindle Paperwhite to enjoy some sunshine and a good book.

Friday Night with Friends & Saturday Sewing

 

I was really motivated to get into the sewing room last night and finish up so goodies for my swap partner. I had already made my partner the drawstring bag and needle book and I thought a pin cushion of some sort would be good. I found a tutorial from Riley Blake and made this.

 

 I should have used a busy background instead of the light blue with white dots. It shows all the pulling where the pillow top pin cushion is...

Needless to say it it NOT swap worthy and will remain for my use only!!! What a flop!!!

Today with a fresh prospective, I made a small coordinating pin cushion.

Here is what I am sending off to my partner. In the needle book, there are embroidery needles and small embroidery scissors.

We were supposed to send sweets, but my partner specifically requested none! This was kind of a bummer as we have a chocolate factory in my town, so sweets are fun and easy to find around here. Much, much, much easier in fact than fabric and notions! I hope this puts her in a cheery, springtime mood even if the only sweet thing is some tea.

 

The drawstring bag was easy to make, so now I am going to start a couple of drawstring bags for my niece and nephew for Easter and will make a trip to the chocolate factory! The bags would be faster if I don't embroider them, but I just love embroidering and then I can work on them for Slow Sunday Stitching tomorrow.

 

Swaps!

I have recently discovered the big world of swapping on Flickr. It is highly addicting! I received this amazing Triple-Zip pouch with the accompanying goodies from Terry at http://withacupandasword.com/ I love how she added embroidery detail to pretty gray floral fabric!

 

Look how perfectly the pouch goes with my new sewing basket. I joined two other swaps and I am frantically trying to make the goodies for them.

 

My partner for the Friendship bag swap is getting this bag

 along with this needle book I made and goodies.

 Here is the inside

I am also participating in another swap where we were to make a drawstring bag to fill with fabric scraps and sweets. I am loving these flower embroideries! Here is the link to the tutorial we are using http://www.incolororder.com/2011/10/lined-drawstring-bag-tutorial.html The instructions were great and easy to follow. These bags can be made quite quickly if you don't make an embroidered panel! I think I will make some for Easter for my niece and nephew and fill with goodies. A trip to our local chocolate factory will be required!

I used Bonnie and Camille's Scrumptious fabric except for the lining.

I also whipped up a needle book to go in this bag. I looked at a couple of tutorials and did my own versions.

 I put pockets in them and used elastic hairbands with buttons for closures.

I think I am going to whip up a pin cushion out of some of my scraps for this bag.

 

Have you all seen this quilt? It is called Journey of a Quilter and I have been obsessing about it for a few months as I have watched Kathy of http://www.kathysquilts.blogspot.ca/ working on it as part of her Slow Sunday Stitching. I contacted the Australian designer and could not find the pattern for sale here in the U.S. Then guess what is going to be a BOM for http://www.thematerialgirlsquilts.blogspot.com/2014/03/new-classes-and-fun-new-things-at-shop.html It is fairly expensive and I really should not join, but I am planning on signing up tomorrow! I did already inquire and they will just sell me the pattern, but these cute modern fabrics are very appealing to me!

 

Anyone else interested in joining me?

 

Sunday Sewing

Well Friday night I finished up this cute Friendship Bag for a swap I am participating in on Flickr. I decided to alter the embroidery design from American Patchwork & Quilting April 2014 Kristine Czepuryk of Pretty By Hand http://prettybyhand.com/ and use it in my Friendship Bag. I am so pleased with how it came out that I am going to make a couple of needle books and incorporate the embroidery into a thread catcher and a  lined drawstring bag.

I am pairing up the embroideries with Scrumptious Fabric from Moda- Bonnie and Camille. I plan on doing some more flower embroidery and working on my Love Blooms Here blocks as part of Slow Sunday Stitching.

 

I also now have a tutorial tab at the top of my blog and my first tutorial posted for making Kitchen Towel Tote Bags. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

March 2014 Goal Setting

March has begun, so it is time for some more reasonable goal setting.

Goal #1 make the next three blocks for this Love Blooms Here wool felt quilt I am making

Goal #2 finish the base of my perpetual calendar.

Goal #3 make two more house blocks by March 15th.

Goal #4 make 5 more Goodnight Irene blocks.

Goal #5 finish up the sewing of the things I am making for the two swaps I am participating in.

 

Goal #6 quilt at least one UFO on my mom's long arm.

 

None of these seem too big and I am planning on taking off at least one day from work this month just to sew. What are your March goals?