Some pink!!!

I know it may not be a big deal to everyone, but I am new to collecting and have been dreaming of a pink piece for MONTHS :)! Well, Thursday was my day! I went to my favorite thrift store (which has only had dark patterns the past few weeks- stinker- I love the brighter colors) and saw nothing. Then my lovely mother noticed an employee stocking things in the bakeware area. We ske-daddled on over, and there it was--- a pink gooseberry 442 bowl!! I squeeled- so much for hiding my excitement! ;) I was more than thrilled to see this pattern in real life and to be at the right spot at the right time to snag it. It was $4, but to get a pink piece, I gladly paid it :). It's nice and clean, ready to be lovingly used, here at home now! Woo-Hoo!

A good one...

Well, sunshine may be handmade here, but waking up (on April 30th, for Pete's sake :) )to this can be sort of a shocker :) hehe! Hopin' for some REAL sunshine soon...

My Handmade Sunshine

I have been thinking a lot about my blog and what I want it to be... a place to share, to learn, to stretch myself, and a happy place. Goodness knows, happiness can make the world go round and miracles happen! So as I thought of how I pictured it looking, I wanted the handmade part to really shine, but the sunshine part (that we all are given a chance to create everyday- no matter the weather) was the basis of my blog. So I toyed around with quite a few ideas, and the buntings kept coming back to me. More ideas and then, the sunshine becoming PART of the bunting, hit me like a rock! I knew that's what it had to be. And I wanted BIG, so I went with a 20 inch square pillow form :)
So the work began...I sketched, sketched, and re-sketched what I wanted it to be, then finally had my perfect look. However, it was on a 3x5 card :) My pillow is 20" square! hehe- so the enlarging began :) I cut, taped, and drew til I had all the proportions just so, and then the crazy part. Figuring out the fabric came next- this was especially tricky since I do not have much of a "stash" just yet- I am still new to sewing and quilting in particular, so I had to really dig to get the colors I dreamed of. It would up being the exact colors I pictured though. I cut and laid the pieces on the paper and then transferred it a bit at a time to the pillow top.
Once everything was fused on, I appliqued everything into place. Some pieces I just "outlined" some I tightly zig zag-ed. It was fun being random! I hand embroidered the bunting hanging line and the sunshine's beams. I wanted a really crisp look, so I decided not to quilt the top- just leaving the applique and hand stitching. I added a bright, happy, sunny yellow back, with an envelope opening. Then on to the edging. I wanted the pillow to look similar to a mini quilt, so I made binding and actually binded the pillow :)

I love how it turned out- it gives me the calm feeling inside to know that is what I want this place to be, and it's an amazing reminder to me to always "make sunshine" wherever I am! I hope I remember that every moment!!

I am entering this pillow over at the Pillow Party at Rachel's blog- go check out all the pillow beauties :) FUN! http://www.stitchedincolor.com/p/bloggers-pillow-party.html

EEEEKKKKKKKK!! I'm GOING!! :)

Oh, my goodness mercy! I just got my Mother's Day gift, my anniversary gift, my birthday gift, and maybe Christmas too, all rolled into one!! I get to go to the SEWING SUMMIT!!! It is in October in Salt Lake City, and I get to meet all the amazing people that I know over blogland! I am so giddy I can hardly stop shaking! How amazing it will be to just watch and learn from these amazing ladies :) Oh, be still my heart <3!! WOW- I am just still in shock and am trying to let it soak in- here I come, Sewing Summit 2011!

Look at the yumminess :)

Been cutting like a fiend :) And now I get to iron and sew myself silly today- WOOT WOOT!! So excited- had to take a photo of the teensy tinsy scraps of all the colors before I threw them away- they are so purtty, I could look at them all day ;) Enjoy the sunshine, if it's where you are today...

Lovely Lundi

Spring Lovelies for a Spring Day

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jbarnholtz/4572746317/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffnstasia/2335077511/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/nicholemoseley/3533351277/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/10829428@N02/5080359298/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/annamariahorner/5412495634/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/sewfantastic/4861475282/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/twinfibers/4426638387/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/57370220@N07/5626814814/in/pool-birdiestitches http://www.flickr.com/photos/silort/5629430177/in/pool-stitchedincolor http://www.flickr.com/photos/tweedledeedesigns/4879309730/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ibeepix/5044381604/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ibeepix/5067815422/in/photostream/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/ibeepix/5550609266/in/photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/29632648@N06/5585054840/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/molliejohanson/4482330003/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/borsabella/2881152710/in/set-72157607442700087

Pity Party

Today, I am linked up to the darling Pity Party over at http://thirtyhandmadedays.com/! I am sharing my Tutorial on the Mini Bunny I make- perfect in time for Easter, I thought too :) Head on over to see this and all the other cute things that are entered!

Progress on Rainbows

I heart rainbows- they make me happy and remind that even when it's raining, there is something to smile about! I was FINALLY able to get going on the Bottled Rainbows quilt today!!! EPPPP!

I cut batting- only needed to piece one section- woohoo! Then got all my white (insides) cut and ironed all purrty. Now on to the C-O-L-O-R-S!!! Cutting and pieceing them around the white will be so so fun! I am so excited to have all the preliminary stuff done so I can start going through all the lovely scraps to figure out what I want on each block! This is so great! LOVE it!

Off to keep cut into my oh so yummy colors! :) (squeel)!!

To err is human, but really frustrating on a quilt!

Nothing went wrong that wasn't fixable, but oh the time and back pain :) lol!

I happily got the back of the birdie quilt cut, sewed, and laid out to sandwich (making sure I laid it on the correct side). On went the batting, then the quilt top... Then I sprayed with my sticky spray and then 122 pins. I was so excited to be done, before all the kiddos were up and running around! Then I began folding it up so I could have it ready to machine quilt, and lo and behold, the backing was WRONG SIDE OUT!! For real?!!?? Are you kidding me?? Oh, am I EVER human today :) HA! So unpinning I went- so much for the kiddos not being up at that point! Pinning is back killing, for anyone who has not pinned before- you try not to lean or sit on the quilt, as to not rumple it, so the leaning over is rough :). Got everything un pinned, un sandwiched, flipped over, re-sandwiched, repinned, and voila! Whew!! Now it's ready to be quilted- with about an hour detour in there! I can promise that will never happen again (but alas, I don't know if it would suprise me if it does :))!

Hope everyone has a wonderful middle of the week- and make sure you put the quilt backing on the floor with the right side up :)

Gonna be a bright, sunshiney day...

Even though it's overcast and rainy :)

My dear mother found this thrifting and I was so tickled!! I think it's a fridgie, but there was no lid. That's fine because it's in such wonderful shape and I think it's too cute!! So another fun piece to add to my collection. It makes me smile and think of sunshine- what could be better!

Teachers give you wings :)

I can vividly remember my favorite teachers growing up- Mrs.Gaddy and Mr.Williams. They still hold a special place in my heart, and I would love to give them both big hugs again for all they instilled in me and my classmates! Neither are teaching any more. They had a gift to teach more than just what the words said- pushing us to learn and grow and become better people. Encouring us to try new things and live life to its fullest, making sure we knew we were important and brilliant! Teachers make such a lasting impression on our children, I love finding ways to thank them back!

I am working on this quilt for a very special teacher I know. It's a surprise- and if she's reading this, don't peak!! Some teachers have a magical way of making regular education something that illuminates the "lightbulbs" in our minds- this one does for sure! So I had to make something for her to have to hold to remember that- a quilt it is... She loves turquoise, and red, black, and white. Perfect! Since she gives children wings to learn, the birdie became a nice symbol.

I wanted a very simple design- 9" blocks with it being 8 blocks square- that I could add something to, to make it magical! The moment I saw the little birdie fabric, I knew I had my "magical"! Isn't this just the cutest??!! So an applique birdie was just the thing to give it wings :)

The bird is 18" across to give you an idea of perspective- I love him!! I also pieced a square for each row to give it a little more zing- two of the rows have a heavily pieced square and the other 6 rows just have a two pieced square :). It gives is some fun variety, I think...

I have the top done, so now to make my sandwich and figure out how in the world I want to quilt it. I want to do a fancier something- any ideas?? Hoping to have it sprayed and pinned by tonight :)

All fabric is not created equal!

Can you believe that I didn't know this when I started sewing?!!? I wondered why the "designer" fabrics cost so much, when you could get cute things at Joann's for much less? Don't get me wrong- I love Joanns, and spend plenty of my budget there, and have actually gotten some really cute fabrics there too. But the designer fabrics- oh, you can just touch them and feel the difference. The thickness and tightness of the weave, the depth of color, and the prints themselves! I have gone head over heels for Kona cotton lately- solids- something I never thought I would want in my stash. And now, there are 17 colors, nicely stacked, in rainbow order, ready to be cut into (well 16 will be cut into, 1 is extra :) ) beside my sewing table. I love the cost of the non-designer fabric, but I oh so love the designer everything else :)!

I got in trouble in my local quilt shop today! Well, not too bad, and it's for an excellent cause. I just can't stay too long, or I get too much- hehe! I love being the first person there- you can get 30% off one cut, and for a quilt back, that's a pretty good deal on "designer"! Today I got aqua, red, white, and blacks- oh such eye candy!! I am so excited to pin down a pattern and get busy for a special someone my family knows :)

Hoppy Day :) -Mini Bunny Tutorial

With Easter around the corner, I thought I would love to share my Mini Bunny tutorial so those of you that sew can make some bunnies for your sweet ones for the holiday. The pattern is easy, very easy- perfect for a half hour project or new beginner! The finished bunny is about 5" tall, not including his floppy ears :). Have fun and I'd love to see your finished pictures on Flickr!

Print out the pattern pieces. **Still working on getting my pdf file of the pattern pieces on my blog- feel free to email me if you need them sooner and I will email the file to you!** Cut them out and pin them onto your fabric choices. I use felt for the ears to make them quicker and more stiff than cotton. Cut out your pieces and remove the pattern pieces.

Take the ears, one by one, and fold them over themselves in the middle, to make a "Z". Pin in place.

Stitch both ears so the "Z" stays in place- this is the ear crease.

Zip zag stitch your ears onto the front of the bunny body. I sew mine on at the "11:00" and "1:00" positions :).

Put the body pieces right side together and pin all the way around.

Sew around the body, leaving an opening at the bottom about 1.5" inches.

Turn the bunny right side out. Iron it nice and pretty. Then you are ready to stuff :)

Stuff the bunny. Super complicated, but he/she's starting to look really cute about now :)

Hand stitch the bottom opening closed.

Draw the face details with a pencil and embroider the face on. I like to pull my floss through the back and catch it with the front material when I begin with a color so the end thread is not sticking out.

Almost done! Add any little embellishements to give it personality- I added a bow :) to this cute girl bunny!

Sew or hot glue a pom pom to make the bunny's cotton-ball tail.Then, ta-da!, your cute creation is ready to get some hugs!

Mini bunny is copyright 2011 by me :) Thanks!

Lovely Lundi

(Lundi is Monday in french :) )

Some yummy Etsy goodness:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/alittlesweetness

http://www.etsy.com/shop/AnnMargaretsSpecialT

http://www.etsy.com/shop/HoneyBunnyStudio

http://www.etsy.com/shop/comfortstitching

http://www.etsy.com/shop/Quiltville

http://www.etsy.com/shop/hobilium

http://www.etsy.com/shop/LemonTreeStudio

http://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetjane

http://www.etsy.com/shop/mixedmediamama

http://www.etsy.com/shop/auntyanndesigns

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ChoochMagooz

http://www.etsy.com/shop/merriweathercouncil

http://www.etsy.com/shop/merriweathercouncil

http://www.etsy.com/shop/prettydreamer

http://www.etsy.com/shop/thelittlereddoor

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BettysFantasy

Have a lovely Lundi!!

So many projects, so little time ;)

My list of projects seems to grow daily :). Isn't that just how life is??? I think of something else, and on my list it goes. I'm a list person. I make lists for EVERYTHING! It helps me feel like I am progressing toward the goal, although that's completely in my mind ;). I have a running grocery list that I would go crazy if I lost! I have my project list and a list of ideas going all the time.

Today was a beautiful day here- perfect for a bike ride, so that's what we did! I love being outside, and before it gets too hot is just wonderful! I also got a start on some Spring cleaning, and while I was doing things, I was, of course, thinking of projects! hehe- One jumped into my brain pretty hard. Not sure if it's going to be a doll, pillow, wall hanging, hmmm... but I do know what she'll look like :) Here's a glimpse of her cuteness!!

Hope you are all having a sunny, happy weekend, full of things you love to do and with those that are dear to you!

My most favorite mug and a shnazzy mug rug!

Ok, the phenomemom of mug rugs is sort of making me giggle! ;) Isn't a mug rug just a fancy word for "coaster"? That's what I thought a first. Then I stumbled upon the subtle difference. Hmmm.... well, I guess technically it is different, because not only is there room for a MUG, there is also room for a TREAT or cookie, and chocolate is ALWAYS a good thing at my house :)!! I can never pass up a scrumptious cup of Hot Chocolate!!

So being that I have the most wonderful mug that I could ever want-- I got this beauty at Joanns- it HAD to have a "rug". I had seen it for $15 and drooled over it, but was in no way, shape, or form going to ever fork out $15 for a MUG! Then, several months later, I was parusing Joanns and, out of the corner of my eye, saw my lovely mug- on the Clearance table!! It had actually been a pin cushion on a lid, but the lid was all broken. However, the lid was not connected to the mug, just sitting on top, smashed. The tag read $1.50. For REAL??!! I didn't even want it as a pin cushion, goodness, you couldn't have put more than 10 pins on the tiny thing anyway ;). I checked to make sure it said "dishwasher safe" and off I went, thrilled at my find! I love it for the print, the colors, and a quirky little thing- the thumb notch in the handle. The notch is my favorite part- no slipping and oh, so comfy.

My mug started feeling left out, as I have been seeing all these purtty mug rugs popping up all over Cyberspace. I had also been eyeing the gorgeous Value Quilts I have seen too. So I decided to try the technique on, what other than, a mug rug! I got to work cutting teeny squares, drawing diagonal lines, sewing, ironing, snipping, etc.

Then the fun part, laying out the design! I would love an entire quilt like this, but I would definitely have to go bigger squares- millions of these would make me go nuts ;). I went for an off-center look and love it! I know my lines are not matched up perfectly- still working on that, and when I have bigger pieces, it doesn't seem to be an issue- must have just been the teeniness that got to me -HA!

I quilted it in loops. I wanted to try something new, but I love loops, so I knew I would be sad to look at it and not see loops. So loops it was! I will try another pattern next time. Then I got the binding cut, sewn together, ironed in folds, and got busy binding. My mug was still waiting patiently for me :).

Voila! Fini! Isn't it just darling, and room to spare for the treat, cookie, whatever our hungry tummy desires :) Such fun. Now I can see why these are all over! They are quick, fun, and ca-ute! Maybe I need a family of mug rugs- teehee! Better get busy...