Paperie Tour: The Stationery Kit

Today's project hits all my happy buttons. Not only do I get to kick off the Paperie Blog Tour, but I get to share a project with you that involves so many of my favorite things:

1. adorable fabric that is inspired by both vintage style and classic literature
2. simple patchwork
3. a small but useful item
4. stationery and office supplies

Is it any wonder I'm smiling today?

I was so thrilled when Amy asked me to be part of the tour to celebrate the release of her Paperie collection for Art Gallery Fabrics. As you know from the EPP kit I shared with you last month, I had already purchased a fat quarter bundle of Paperie before she sent me more for this project. These prints are just the sweetest. I love the light colors, the vintage yet modern vibe, the quotes from some of my all-time favorite stories. Is there anyone out there who can resist Jane Eyre and Pride & Prejudice? Not this girl...

I had originally planned to make a Constance Organizer, but lately it's been so fun to shrink some of my old tutorials down to smaller, cuter versions of themselves. This little Stationery Kit absolutely stole my heart when it was finished, and now I want to make a whole lot more of these...so yes, a tutorial is probably coming soon. My favorite part is probably that little envelope on the inside -- just the perfect size for stamps, paper clips, or even little love notes.

Photo courtesy of Amy Sinibaldi

Amy is generously offering to send a charm pack of this darling fabric to one lucky winner, so check out my account on Instagram @fabricmutt to enter. If for some reason you're not on Instagram and would still like to enter the giveaway, just leave a comment below telling me so, and I'll make sure your hat is in the ring.

**UPDATE: Giveaway now closed. Congrats Kristin Esser!

Have a lovely day, my friends!

Fleet & Flourish Projects

I was so happy to make a few Quilt Market samples for my friend Maureen this month, using her new Fleet & Flourish collection for Art Gallery Fabrics. You can see pictures of her stunningly beautiful booth in this wonderful post she wrote about her experience at Market last weekend. Maureen is one of the most talented people I know, and I'm so thrilled to see her thriving in this new career as a fabric designer!

My assignment was to make bags and clutches for her booth. Maureen sent me a mailing envelope stuffed full of Fleet & Flourish strike-off pieces as well as a good number of AGF basic prints and solids. It was really fun to just be creative and make things up as I went along.

Since she was going for a romantic, bohemian vibe, I added lace and leather details wherever possible. I haven't really sewn with lace accents before, but it was a fun challenge. Leather always pairs well with patchwork. I use leather straps as zipper pulls on all my pouches now, and I actually cut one longer purse strap into two pieces for the handles on this mini tote bag. 

My favorite project is probably the laptop bag I made using her canvas Roadside Guides print. I definitely need to make another one of these some time. This was my first time working with AGF canvas, and I was really impressed. This is the some of the softest canvas I've ever seen. 

This tablet case was inspired by a clutch I had seen on Pinterest. I liked the mosaic effect of sewing pieces together with thin sashing and then tilting it all a bit to one side. 

And yes, I couldn't resist adding a Deluxe Pincushion to the stack of projects. I just love fussy cutting the tiniest scraps for these pincushions. It's such fun!

You can check out the entire line of Fleet & Flourish at the AGF website here. I have no doubt that you'll enjoy sewing with it as much as I did!

Busy Girl Sews: Fat Quarter Shop (and a Fabric Giveaway)

It occurs to me that you might like to know a little bit more about the projects themselves as well as the wonderful people who are presenting them each week during Busy Girl Sews, so I've given you a few more details below on the Envelope Clutch. Daniar will be sharing her version of the project over at the Fat Quarter Shop's Jolly Jabber blog tomorrow, a shop which really needs no introduction at all. Suffice it to say that if you want to buy great fabric from nice people, the Fat Quarter Shop is a good place to start. Not only do they have a staggering inventory of prints, but I love that they have always been so happy to supply prizes for sew alongs and blog hops over the years, no matter how small the bloggers are who host them. That kind of generosity does a lot to build good will in the community, and it shows. I was also thrilled to have Kimberly share some thoughts for a little interview in my book, so be sure to check that out if you have your own copy!

When I designed my projects for Sew Organized for the Busy Girl, I spent a lot of time doing research in different places, including the fashion industry. Envelope clutches have been fairly popular in recent years and for good reason: the simple shape is both modern and classic.

I provide two versions of the clutch in my book, a small one for manicure items and a large one for an artist's toolkit. When you look at the project, you can see that it's really a very simple sew, but I love how useful it is.

So as I type this post, I'm standing at 2,999 followers on Bloglovin' which is almost inconceivable to me. The fact that all of you care enough to drop by each week and see what I'm up to -- well, I just love you guys. Your kindness is such a blessing to me in this transition period full of empty walls, stacked boxes, little sleep, and what feels like an endless supply of chaos as we prepare to move in June. I looked at my ravaged sewing room last week and could only laugh since I feel like a prime candidate for my own book right now. I can hardly wait to be "sew organized" again once we get settled in Texas!

But meanwhile, friends, I want to share the love with all of you through some fabric care packages. Please leave a comment below telling me a few of your favorite designers, colors, and collections. I'll pick two names on Friday morning. International entries are welcome to join in. Feel free to dream big in your comments, and I'll see what I can do!

Rosette Clutch

Have you seen these fabrics? Anna Maria Horner has obviously passed both her beauty and talent down to her daughter Juliana, who has made an absolutely stunning debut with this line called Rosette at Joann Fabrics. I fell in love immediately with the soft vintage look of these designs. The florals are sweet, and the wicker print is genius. They look even more gorgeous in person.

Last night my amazingly wonderful dad handed me some money and insisted that my husband and I go to a steakhouse for dinner on them while he and my mom watched the kids. And after walking on a grateful cloud for most of today looking forward to tonight's special event, I decided at the last minute that a date night clutch was in order. It took me all of thirty minutes to sew together this little bag which I've now decided is my favorite clutch of all time.

Sometimes life is very, very good.