Garden Party - free PDF pattern

Jennifer over on Sewhooked is hosting a paper-pieced pattern a day all month long to celebrate her birthday. How awesome is that? She has the birthday and we get the presents! I am honored to be included in the group of talented sewists who are creating patterns and today is my day to share a pattern with you.

This block was designed for maximum versatility. There are three distinct sections to the block: tall birdhouse on the left, small birdhouse and butterfly on the right. Each section is pieced separately and then joined together. In addition, each half is the same width so you can join the blocks vertically if you like to make one long block or a small wall hanging.

The birdhouses are probably the easiest parts to piece. Just one of these would make a cute snack mat - or you could add extra background material to make a set of placemats!

You could even make several birdhouses of varying heights to make a perfect Spring table runner.

The butterfly is the most complex portion of the block, but I would encourage you to give it a try even if you're relatively new to paper-piecing. And if you'd rather skip it, you can always replace the butterfly portion with additional background fabric.

I hope you enjoy this pattern as much as I enjoyed creating it!

Garden Party PDF

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out the many other blocks featured this month.

***And thank you to those of you who alerted me to a problem accessing the PDF. It seems to be fixed from my end of things with the file being made public so that anyone with the link can access it. If you are still having any trouble, let me know. Thank you for your patience! If you haven't already figured it out - this is my first time trying to post a PDF link on my blog!***

Petite Piecing

This year, the Portland Modern Quilt Guild decided that it would be fun if we each made our own name tags. Last night I realized I better get going on mine if I wanted to wear it to our meeting tonight!

So here's my super-teeny-tiny paper pieced sewing machine name tag! The entire thing measures 3" x 4" so it's pretty small.

Sewing machine details are embroidered on and I stamped my name with Versacraft ink, which is then heat set to become permanent. Tape measure print is a lovely scrap from Ayumi (thank you!) and the binding is heath by Alexander Henry.

All in all a very fun and satisfying project that took relatively little time. Can't wait to see everyone else's name tags at the meeting!

UPDATE: Free paper-piecing pattern for the sewing machine HERE.

Gratitude

I am in constant amazement. Really.

Every. Single. Day.

Here's one of the current reasons:

A dry field trip to the farm and pumpkin patch with Miss B's preschool class. Good times! Huge difference from last year (when we did NOT wear our boots) and the fields were nothing but a big ole mud slick.

Another reason I'm feeling the love:

I recently grabbed up some sweet fabric from Ashley's destash and asked about any FMF scrap packs she might have. I'm trying to put together a small and simple quilt using some of the coveted fabric as a fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation. She was so gracious and kind and she sent me these gorgeous pieces. I never cease to be amazed at the kindness within the sewing/quilting/crafting community.

And the crazy amazing cherry on top of everything?

I am now the grateful and awestruck owner of this amazing book.

After posting about my search for Patchwork Patterns 318, I was sent a few leads on getting a copy. None of them panned out. The book was either already sold or waaaaay out of my price range. I kept looking but must admit that my search became somewhat half-hearted.

About two months later, I got an email from Stephanie, who read my blog post and was about to list her copy on etsy. I was headed out to Camp JAM and asked if she could wait to list it until I got back from camp because if I could afford, I would take it!

Well, imagine my surprise when I returned from camp to find an email from Stephanie, telling me about her grandmother's lifelong love of sewing and how she'd had to stop when her arthritis became too painful. Stephanie wanted to give me this book. And I promptly burst into tears.

I mean, really? We hear all the time from so many places what a messed up world we live in. I'm telling you - this world is great! People are amazing! There is goodness all around.

So I sit here. Filled with gratitude for family and friends and strangers who have become special people in my life. Life is wonder-full.

And yes, I know I used the word "amazing" a lot in this post. What can I say? It is what it is.

Guild Love

The Portland Modern Quilt Guild and the Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild are doing a little swap!

Recently, the uber-talented Susan Beal visited KCMQG to do a presentation on modern log cabins. The notion of a swap was brought up and next thing we all knew - the two guilds each had stacks of cards with people's names/blogs/flickr names - all the proper tools for stalking a secret partner to make them a potholder!

I can't tell you who I made this little potholder for because my partner hasn't received it yet. But I hope she likes it! It was really fun to use the "Kansas Girl" flour sack fabric as the center of this log cabin block.

I decided to go with curved corners and bias binding for a couple of reasons. One, I really like the look. And two, I wanted more practice using bias binding since I usually finish my quilts with the binding cut on the straight grain.

I really like this print that I used on the back. For some reason, I've been really drawn to reproduction fabrics lately. They seem so fun and lively and the colors are great. The hanging loop is some printed ribbon I had on hand.

The quilting on potholders almost always seems really poofy to me. I think it's the fact that I use two layers of warm and natural plus a layer of insulbrite. There's nothing worse than a cute potholder that burns your hands.

Can't wait til this little gift lands with it's recipient. And thanks KCMQG for swapping with us!

Angel swap revealed

Remember way back when ... I was an angel in the Spicing Up the Kitchen Swap over on flickr.

Well, my partner received her package so I can finally reveal the full contents!

I made a table runner, hotpad, and potholder.

I was able to use one of my favorite Suzuko Koseki prints and the wonderful seed catalog print from Annie's Farm Stand by Lakehouse.

The potholder was really fun to quilt with all those diagonals making little diamonds.

And the hotpad was made of tiny patchwork of some beloved scraps. I've really enjoyed making hotpads like this to use on our dining table. I make them a bit larger than a potholder and don't include a hanging loop so it lies perfectly flat on the table.

So, some simple and fun projects. I'm happy to say that my partner likes them!

There are a lot more projects in the to-do pile but I'm lacking the time to tackle them at the moment. Hopefully, an upcoming all-day sew with the Portland Modern Quilt Guild will give me the chance to get a few things completed.

Problem solved

Well, I am nothing if not crafty and I love finding solutions to the strange little problems that creep into everyday life.

Case in point:

Both kids have become enamored of these "lap boards" - basically dry-erase boards for them to practice their writing. The problem is that they needed a way to erase but didn't want to keep track of a little cloth or anything like that.

So I grabbed a scrap of fabric (about 3 inches square), a cotton ball, and a rubber band.

Wrapped the cotton ball in the fabric scrap.

Fit the cotton ball/fabric thingy around the end of the pen cap.

And secured with a rubber band.

Voila! A dry-erase marker with an ERASER!

So far, so good. Though I have to admit that when I made one for Owen I decided to make things a little more rugged by replacing the rubber band with duct tape. Both versions are working like a charm!

First day of school!

We are happy to announce that there is a kindergartener in the family!

I did not cry. I'm not one of those mommy's who is lamenting sending my children to school. In fact, I'm eagerly awaiting next week when the preschooler will be heading off as well.

I LOVE my kids. And I feel amazingly grateful every day to be able to stay home with them. It's not a choice that is right or even possible for everyone. But I feel truly fortunate to have had this incredible amount of time with my kids. And now I feel grateful to be able to send them to school where they will make friends and continue to learn and be inspired. Another step on the journey!

Of course, I won't lie, getting a little bit of non-kid time is also greatly anticipated.

In preparation for school there was a little sewing going on here.

First was a little pencil case - adorned with robots.

The other side:

And a couple of lunch bags.

I didn't follow a pattern for these bags - kind of a combo of other projects I've made and a healthy dose of winging it.They are bento style lunch bags with drawstring covers, which are great if the bag gets knocked or tipped over. Stuff doesn't go flying out.

I'm pretty happy with how they turned out and so are the kids. Any interest in a quick tutorial?

Little Wallets

I picked up one of Valori Wells' sweet little sewing cards the other day and I could not be more in love. The pattern is for the Little Wallet and it comes on folded cardstock about the size of a greeting card. A full size pattern and all instructions are included. Genius!

The pattern is really simple and I love the result. These three little wallets were whipped up in record time. I think the only modification I made was to use a pearl snap instead of sewing in a regular snap.

I had a lot of fun with the inside pockets, making each one from a different fabric. I'll probably make more to give as gifts, especially since they're the perfect size to hold a gift card.

Today I'm going to start tackling a much larger and more complicated project. I'll keep you posted!

Paper Piecing is a Puzzle

As you already know, I am a huuuuuge fan of the mad piecing skills of the ladies over in the Ringo Pie group on flickr. I stalk the group and am completely amazed at everything they do.

Recently, I was invited to participate in cocorico, another paper piecing bee and I am both excited and nervous!

You see, while I am a huge fan of this type of patchwork, I haven't really done any of it myself. The only paper piecing I've done is the circle of geese block and it was really hard to wrap my brain around the whole concept.

But I accepted the invitation because I am so completely inspired by the other members and don't want to miss this chance to learn more and push myself to develop this skill.

July and August are practice months so I decided to jump right in and draft my very first piecing pattern all by myself - a dragonfly!

Let me tell you, when I finished this block I felt like a total rock star! Something really clicked while working on the pattern and sewing it up wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. There are some little oops places but nothing too bad for a first try. The hardest part for me was definitely figuring out the pattern. I think looking at it and figuring out the puzzle of how to piece it really helped my brain understand this technique in a new way.

There is still an amazing amount to learn but I'm excited to see how this bee develops over the next year.

Do you do paper piecing? Any tips or tricks?

Summer Sewing

If you remember, my sewing space is also our guest bedroom. My husband's sister is visiting us for a bit so I've finally devoted some time to hand sewing my Hope Valley hexies!

I especially enjoy having a project like this when the weather is good enough to be outside because that means I can work on it while the kids are running around the yard like the insane energy freaks that they really are.

Originally, I was planning on making a little drawstring pouch/bag/purse with these but I really like them all laid out flat so I may switch things up and make a table runner instead.

It's been a lot of fun watching all the little hexies play so nicely together. And stitching them up is going much faster than I thought it would.

And I'm such a dork that I even love the messy backs.

What are you sewing up this summer?

Teacher Gifts

Yesterday was preschool graduation for Owen. It was adorable and all the kiddos were so cute.

We feel really lucky to be part of a cooperative preschool and over the past two years we've really gotten to know each of the kids and their families really well. And both Owen and Bailey ADORE Teacher Amy. Don't even get me started about how over the moon excited Bailey is to start preschool in the fall!

Owen wanted to do something special for Teacher Amy to say thanks for all the fun of the past two years so I made a little something.

A couple of potholders (in a little fabric basket with some herbs and spices from Penzy's).

These were fun to make and I love the color combinations.

This apple print is one of my favorites.

The colors are so bright and cheery.

And who doesn't love a polka dot binding?

I just have to say that being part of a cooperative preschool has been such a wonderful experience. The class size is small and parents have the privilege of regularly helping out in the classroom. Teacher Amy has reserves of patience that I can only dream about and she is genuinely devoted to the kiddos and her work. We feel so so lucky to be a part of our preschool family! And I'm thrilled we have another two years to look forward to with Miss Bailey!

Pillow Finish

I've been working on a bed quilt for Miss Bailey. After the blocks were pieced there were some scraps.

So I decided to make a pillow using a pattern in Modern Log Cabin Quilting. It was really easy and fun and I love how the top turned out.

I especially enjoyed stitching the "B" in the center block. Orange, of course. Her favorite color.

And now the pillow is all ready for her bed!

Now I just need to finish the quilting on the actual quilt!

Fun!

I'm participating in the Pretty Little Pouch swap over on flickr and this is what my partner will be getting in the mail.

The pouch is small - only four inches across! Let me tell you, getting everything turned right side out was no easy task! But I do enjoy a challenge and I love making small projects. Plus, I got to use a bunch of my bright polka dots (which my partner really likes!). And those owls...

The back has more owls, including the largest one who seems a little stern. Maybe he's protecting the contents of the little bag? The inside is fully lined with a nice bright lime green cotton.

Check out all the fun bags being made by the group. I can't wait to see what my partner makes for me!

Happy Mail

You know it's a good day when something like this shows up in your mailbox:

Kerry is a new blog friend and we've been chatting a bit back and forth. She has a wonderful blog full of inspiring and creative projects so be sure to check it out and say hi. A little while ago I posted a picture of some homemade cinnamon rolls and that prompted a little personal swap.

I sent some really strong cinnamon along with a potholder and some little fabric bits that I thought Kerry would like along with the recipe for the cinnamon rolls. And this is what she sent to me:

Am I lucky or what?! I should mention that there were also two fabulous chocolate bars that obviously didn't last long enough to make it into a photo and some tasty tea.

Really beautiful fabric - all new to me!

And here's the back of the potholder, complete with one of Kerry's handmade tags, which I adore.

And a better look at the front of the potholder. I have it hanging in my kitchen with strict instructions to my husband to not use it! I just want to enjoy looking at it!

Here's the potholder I sent:

And the back has a pocket for your hand:

Thanks for such a fun swap, Kerry!