Desert Bloom Hot Pads

When I saw the first pictures of Desert Bloom by Rae Ritchie for Dear Stella, I thought it was lovely. So lovely that I emailed them and said that I'd be happy to join in if they were planning a blog hop to celebrate the collection. Even though they had no official events on the schedule, they were sweet enough to send me a bundle to play with this week.

I had originally planned to make a pillow with this fabric, but when I opened the package, I was floored by those gorgeous watercolor designs. All I could think of were vintage tea towels and linens, and I knew that these prints would look gorgeous in my kitchen. I spent the next two days sewing nothing but potholders and trivets. The mix of botanical prints (those succulents!) and simple basics is just right. That Scallop Dot print in black, white, and blush is a fantastic blender, and it worked perfectly for the binding and loops on these projects. I am so glad I ditched the original plan and went with my impulse on this one. I absolutely love the way these turned out.

But why stop there? I'm thinking cloth napkins, tablecloths, place mats, table runners. This could be the start of a whole new obsession...

Mochi Pot Holders

I had piles of dishes and laundry to finish on Wednesday, definitely two things at the top of my "no, thank you" list. For some reason, even the prospect of a fresh, clean house just wasn't motivating me this time, so I decided to set up a little rewards system for myself: clean for twenty minutes, play with new Cotton + Steel fabric for ten minutes. Wow, did I get motivated pretty quickly after that...

I've been meaning to make some more pot holders, and Rashida Coleman-Hale's adorable new Mochi line has just the right colors for brightening up my kitchen. I kept things as minimal as possible -- no piecing and very simple quilting. Pink and white twill tape made perfect loops for hanging, and I bound them in a grey canvas print from the collection. These finish at about 7" square. Now everybody's happy: my kitchen, my pot holders, and definitely me.

It's been a ridiculously long time since I've linked up with Finish It Up Friday at Crazy Mom Quilts, so I'm joining in on the fun today. Time to head over and see what everyone else is making...

Bell Pepper Hot Pads

How sweet it is to be back on the Zakka Along again. Last year's trip through Zakka Style by Rashida Coleman-Hale was a life changing experience for me. I think I tripled my skill set by the end of that sew along, and I wasn't even able to do every project in the book. I, along with the rest of blogland, have been eagerly awaiting this next round and the chance to work through the projects in Ayumi's incredible book Patchwork, Please!

I followed Penny's advice and turned my bell pepper coasters into hot pads. Mine are a little smaller because our aging home office copier only goes up to an enlargement setting of 141%, and I just didn't have time to go make copies somewhere else. These still work quite nicely, and I'm sorely tempted to make more. Choosing the fabrics was, as usual, my favorite part. I love working in those text prints wherever I can.

Fresh cherry tomatoes from the garden and bell pepper hot pads: a match made in heaven.

Linking up to the Zakka Along 2.0 and the Let's Get Acquainted Monday Link-up.

Rainy Day

The quiet of a rainy day is so soothing to my spirit, and yesterday was no exception. Even with three little active girls in the house, it was a remarkably peaceful time. Michael Buble's Christmas album crooned cheerfully in the morning, Bunny and I enjoyed watching White Christmas in the afternoon while Bear and Mouse napped, and I got the chance to do a little sewing. Over the next few months, I plan to both replace all our old potholders with new ones and cover all the family room pillows. Rather than do it all at once, I'm trying to just fit in a project whenever time or inspiration give me the opportunity. It's far less stressful, and I figure that this way there will be a lot more variety in my designs over the long run.

I used Amy's tutorial for Japanese x & + scrappy quilt blocks which I've been wanting to try for a while. It's a great little block, and so perfect for scrap busting.

I backed it in a Suburbia print that I've been saving for kitchen projects. It has a cute retro vibe going on that I love.

My other finish yesterday was my project for the Happy Little Pouch Hop which I'll be posting about on Monday. I enjoyed it immensely and can't wait to share it with you. Look for two posts on Monday since it also marks the official start of Sew Mama Sew's bi-annual Giveaway Day. I'll be going through my stash this weekend to put together a little stack of goodies for one of you to win. This event is huge -- definitely check it out if this is your first time!

The rain is falling outside my windows again, and I have a stack of hexagons calling my name. See you back here tomorrow for Fresh Sewing Day...

Linking up to Finish It Up Friday.

Scrappy Christmas Potholder

My grandmother asked for a decorative potholder to go along with her Christmas quilt -- she loves to hang them up on display in her kitchen even though she really doesn't cook anymore. I used leftover scraps from her Vintage Holiday lap quilt and sewed it up quickly this morning before my parents left to go visit with her.

Nothing fancy going on here. Just scraps sewn together in rows and quilted on either side.

I used one of the Merry Christmas prints for the back. The retro style of this collection is just too cute.

Between the potholder and the quilt, I think Grandma is more ready for Christmas than I am at the moment!

Linking up to TGIFF and Finish It Up Friday.

Zakka Potholders

When I asked my mother-in-law what I could make for her as a "thank-you-for-letting-us-crash-in-your-beautiful-home-for-a-week" gift, she replied, "potholders." Lo and behold, potholders were this week's Zakka project. Some things are just destined to be...

My mother-in-law asked for earth tones in the fabric colors, so I pulled out my little stash of Echo by Lotta Jansdotter which I've been saving for something special. I also threw in an orange stripe from Lizzy House's recent Hello Pilgrim line, a wood grain fabric from Joel Dewberry's Aviary 2 collection, and a scrap of moon print by Heather Ross. The potholders are backed in Bloom from Melody Miller's Ruby Star Rising collection and bound in a natural colored linen blend.

I love how large these potholders are. There's nothing worse than trying to get a grip on something in the oven and worrying that your fingers are going to overreach the cloth. In fact, they're so large that they can just as easily be used to hold hot plates on the table. My husband recommended that I ditch the pockets on the back this time, since they might be a bit cumbersome for his parents to use. I also added a loop at the top of the binding on the back so that these can be hung up on a hook, which is how we store all of our potholders here at home.

Speaking of our potholders, they've gotten pretty ragged over the last few years. I've been planning to replace them for a while, but now that I've gotten the chance to try this new version, I can definitely say that the old ones' days are numbered...

Linking up to the Zakka Along, Tuesdays at the (Summer) Table, and Fabric Tuesday.

A Finish and a Start

When my grandmother was a little girl, she had a quilt featuring the iconic Sunbonnet Sue character. This week she called me up and asked if I could make her a decorative potholder with Sue in the center to remind her of that quilt. Her requirements were that it be 7 inches square with a cream background, blue fabrics, and a navy blue border. I added in a few shades of red and brown to break it up a little.

The result looks fairly vintage, but that's definitely the look she was going for. It will fit in well with all the antiques in her little kitchen.

Yesterday morning I had an idea come to me for a mini quilt. I grabbed the new pack of California Girl charm squares that came in the mail last week and got to work at the kitchen table while my kids played in the family room. The picture above doesn't do these lovely fabrics justice, but when I tried to take a photo outside, my project nearly blew away in the wind. I still have some hand sewing to do on the quilt top before I start quilting it, but I'm happy with how it's turning out. I've been needing something pretty to hang next to my desk, and this will be perfect. Hopefully I'll have pictures ready to post tomorrow!