Spelling Bee Saturday: Typewriter Pillow

Everyone knows that I love a good typewriter project. I even designed the Typewriter Mini Quilt as a free pattern to go along with the release of Sew Organized for the Busy Girl several years back. This little block from Lori Holt's Spelling Bee book is a great way to play with the theme in a single quilt block.

It's always so fun to choose the fabrics for these blocks. The green dotty print makes a great frame for the scrappy keys -- and who wouldn't choose a polk-a-dot typewriter over a solid one any day! -- and I love pulling in a text print for the paper. The navy blue prints are a nice contrast and give this color scheme a slightly preppy look which I love. And that book print by my friend Jill Howarth from her Once Upon a Time collection for the typebar -- oh my goodness, I adore it!

I knew right away that I wanted to turn this block into a pillow, and I love seeing it on the couch in my bedroom. For the backing, I used striped gray and white linen which goes with everything and makes a sturdy case for the pillow form.

This pillow just makes me happy every time I look at it -- every . . . single . . . time.

Thanks again to the Fat Quarter Shop for setting up this fun sew along, and to Lori, of course, for writing such a fabulous book.

Happy sewing, friends!

Spelling Bee Saturday: Sewing Machine Pouch

It has a vintage school theme.

That's really all I needed to know about Lori Holt's Spelling Bee book to convince me that I needed a copy. The adorable picture blocks were just icing on the cake. When Fat Quarter Shop opened up the sign-up sheet for bloggers to choose their blocks for the sew along, I raced to get the slots for the sewing machine & typewriter blocks -- no surprise to those of you who know me. Today I'm sharing my version of the sewing machine.

I made the smaller size which finishes at 6 inches. Originally I had hoped to turn it into a pincushion, but it was just a bit too large. So instead I made a pouch, framing and backing the block in aqua gingham from Lori's Bake Sale 2 collection.

I desperately wanted to use a small floral for the machine itself, and this print from Apple Farm by my friend Elea Lutz was the perfect scale. The Handmade print from Lori's Bee Backgrounds collection made darling buttons for my machine which I hand quilted in red embroidery thread. Striped aqua accents were a great contrast, and I adore that little cross stitched heart on the spool at the top!

I lined the pouch with a pink cherry print from Bake Sale 2. It makes such a happy lining, doesn't it?

As soon as I sewed the last stitch on this pouch, I took it right downstairs and gave it to my mom for Mother's Day. I'm so happy to say that she loves it. Considering that she's a master at cross stitch, I loved being able to give her something with accents in that theme.

Several months back, my husband had a day off from work, but my girls and I still did our homeschool classes so that we could stay on schedule. I spent the morning tutoring, giving tests, soothing ruffled tempers, counseling my two older girls about struggles they were having, and so on. Finally just before lunch, I sat down next to my husband for a moment to chat.

"This is what I do all day," I said with a rueful laugh, and he smiled.

"You know," he said, looking at me thoughtfully, "it's not glamorous . . . but it's important. You're forming our daughters' character. It's the most important thing you can do."

And I remembered again why I love this man.

So happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there, as well as to all of you women who may not be moms, but are still investing your lives in loving and (sometimes) mothering the people around you. It's definitely not glamorous work and so much of it goes unsung, but we're making a difference . . . one life at a time.

Let's Bake Table Runner

Today is my stop on the Let's Bake Sew Along, hosted and created by the amazing Lori Holt. These sweet little blocks feature ingredient canisters, a hand mixer, and a quartet of cupcakes. They're from another one of Lori's beautiful applique quilt patterns, and I decided to turn them into a runner for our breakfast nook table.

I used a mix of prints from several different Riley Blake designers as well as some RBD basics to get the eclectic look I love so much. It was a surprise to me how small these pieces are -- the individual blocks finish at about 6" square -- and this makes the project go quickly, even with the hand sewing. Applique is something I very rarely attempt but always enjoy. Adding extra touches like a ric-rac "cord" and "cherry" buttons just make this piece so much fun.

I made a few changes from the original pattern. There is no ric-rac at the top of the cupcake liners because I forgot to order it in time, and I only made 4 cupcakes instead of 6 so that it would fit more neatly on the runner. I also fussy cut a few words from Lori's adorable recipe print for the canister labels instead of embroidering the words from her pattern. My daughters thought "Doughnuts" and "Cookies" were a great idea!

The runner is backed in a mixing bowl print from Lori's Bake Sale 2 collection. It's a perfect match for the front of the runner, and I love the way it looks with a frame of aqua and white striped binding.

It's been a goal of mine to make seasonal runners for the little table where my girls eat breakfast every morning, so it feels great to add another one to our growing collection. Baking is one of my very favorite things to do, and now that my daughters are starting to help out in the kitchen more often with me, I know they'll be thrilled to have this reminder of those special moments in front of them every morning when they wake up.

Happy sewing, friends!

Sweetie Pie Sew Along: Pear Block

When I signed up to be on the Sweetie Pie Sew Along tour a few months back, I decided to go with the pear block because a) it looked simple and b) my husband (who loves to work on his vegetable garden and small fruit orchard in his spare time) has been informed that our part of Texas is pear country. It just seemed like the way to go...

Lori has a such a genius for themes in her books and patterns. I love the way she took a traditional Dresden plate block and put her own spin on things: i.e. the Dresden circles are "pies" which we "fill" with the fruit applique...so clever. We were asked to use Riley Blake/Penny Rose fabrics for our block, and I had a ball picking out a rainbow of prints for mine. It was so hard to narrow it down to what you see here!

I never would have guessed that a Dresden would turn out to be one of my favorite quilt blocks. It always looked too complicated to me in the past, but I've been surprised by how forgiving it is. There's really no stress over matching up seams, and since I do all my embroidery and applique by machine, it comes together pretty quickly. Using a cream colored thread works so well on light colored fabrics because it easily blends into the print and reflects the background color, looking as though you took the time to match the color of your thread to each fabric. I stitched everything down onto a linen square -- patchwork and linen are ALWAYS a match made in heaven -- and it makes another fun pillow to add to my growing stash.

I couldn't resist adding a little apple tag to the right side of the pillow to keep the fruit theme going.

You can get the whole scoop on the Sweetie Pie Quilt at Lori's blog right here as well, along with a peek at the bazillion amazing projects she always seems to have in the works.

Happy sewing, friends!

Pretty Playtime Sew Along

Just a quick note to all of you that the Pretty Playtime Sew Along starts next week and runs through the end of August, giving you the chance to make the adorable Garden Fairy Sampler Quilt on the cover of Elea Lutz's sweet new book! Fat Quarter Shop is hosting the event, and tons of amazing bloggers are participating including me. You can get your own copy of the book right here, and the sew along schedule is below.

Happy sewing!

Week 1 - Fat Quarter Shop
Week 2 - Erin from Why Not Sew?
Week 3 - Wynn from Zakka Art
Week 4 - Anorian from Samelia's Mum
Week 5 - Amy from Diary of a Quilter
Week 6 - Renee from Sewn with Grace
Week 7 - Jemima from Tied with a Ribbon
Week 8 - Amanda from Jedi Craft Girl
Week 9 - Debbie from Happy Little Cottage
Week 10 - Tina from Emily Ann's Kloset
Week 11 - Erica from Kitchen Table Quilting
Week 12 - Kristyne from Pretty by Hand
Week 13 - Heidi from Fabric Mutt
Week 14 - Brigitte from The Family Hearth
Week 15 - Lorrie from Sew Mod Designs
Week 16 - Kristin from They Grow Up Too Fast

Graph Paper QAL: Patchwork Wristlet

This week's small project for the Graph Paper Quilt Along is by the Queen of Patchwork herself, my sweet friend Ayumi. If you're looking for a great last minute gift, her Patchwork Wristlet is a wonderful choice. I always love how clear and detailed Ayumi's tutorials are, and this is no exception. To those of you who struggle with zipper phobia as I once did, here's a great project for getting your feet wet. You'll find all the instructions for making her adorable wristlet right here.

I tried to use a lot of text and low volume prints for this project. It's always so much fun to search for exactly the right piece of fabric to fussy cut. I love the light and airy feel of this little pouch, but I think it would also look amazing done up in a range of solid fabrics. This is why I love sewing. There are always so many creative possibilities!

Remember that I'll have another blog link-up next Monday for you to share your finished wristlets as well as progress on your quilts. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed working on the small projects for this quilt along (yes, I admit, I've already finished project #3, and I absolutely adore it!). Pulling together my favorite fabrics, the rhythm of nesting the seams together and chain piecing my squares -- it's all been a quiet sort of therapy for me during what's otherwise been a pretty demanding month.

But I'll share more about that in my next post. Until then, happy sewing!

Graph Paper QAL: The Pincushion Project

Our first small project for the Graph Paper Quilt Along is an absolutely adorable pincushion by my talented friend Svetlana of S.O.T.A.K. Handmade. This little beauty uses 1 1/2" squares and a brilliant piecing method first devised by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransson! I used scraps from the original Far, Far Away collection by Heather Ross for my version, and I'm completely in love with the results. You'll find the full tutorial complete with photos and all directions here.

This project is perfect for fussy cutting your tiniest pieces of treasured fabric.The only square that I quilted on mine is the one with the little princess shoes which I framed in gold Aurifil thread. I also added a piece of ruler twill tape for the loop on the side and backed it in more of this velvety soft cotton gauze.

Every time I look at this pincushion, I want to hug it. That's normal, right? Be sure to check out Svetlana's tutorials page for more great patchwork projects. She has a bright, colorful style that I just adore!

If you're working on a quilt for our event, it's time to start cutting out your squares! For those of you who are new to quilting or who just want a refresher course, I highly recommend taking a peek at this post by Jacquie Gering  for Sew, Mama, Sew! on prepping and cutting your fabric. It's a good reminder to me to change out that rotary cutter blade every so often. I'm terrible about that...

Next Monday I'll have a blog link up here so that you can share your versions of the pincushion as well as progress on your quilts. If you're on Instagram, you can also tag your pictures with #graphpaperqal. I can't wait to see what you're making!

The Graph Paper Quilt Along

I've always loved graph paper...something about all those little squares of possibility lying there in front of me. It was one of my favorite things to draw on as a child, perfect for creating intricate mazes when I was a teenager (any of you remember those?), and now works as my trusty sketchpad for new sewing ideas. So when I was choosing a name for my next event here at Fabric Mutt -- yes, a square centered event -- I just couldn't resist calling it the Graph Paper Quilt Along.

1. Botanics Desk Mat, 2. Scrappy Square Pillow, 3. Color Study Baby Quilt, 4. Crossword Quilt, 5. Doll's Sleeping Bag, 6. Bear's Floor Pillow, 7. Patchwork Case for Scribble & Write, 8. Mosaic Bags, 9. Another Perspective

Believe me, I love a challenging new quilt pattern; I can appreciate the joys of paper piecing and improv quilting, and I like a good sampler every now and then. Over and over, though, I find myself returning to the simplest method of quilt piecing: the humble patchwork square. I love working with squares, as you can see from the mosaic above, for several reasons. They're so versatile for one thing. The squares can just be squares, or they can be part of a bigger picture like a checkerboard, modern crosses, or a pixelated design of your own. I also love that fabric really takes center stage in a quilt full of squares, and they're absolutely perfect for fussy cutting -- something I love to do. There is a simplicity here that speaks to my soul when I'm feeling worn down or in need of fresh inspiration.

I loved getting feedback from all of you through my Giveaway Day question about your favorite kind of sew along. Quilts definitely led the pack, but not far behind were small projects which were championed by those of you who, like me, don't always have enough time in your schedule to devote to a large project. We're going to try something crazy here and see if we can have the best of both worlds. I'm offering you three options to choose from in this quilt along:

Option #1: Make a quilt. The only rule is that your quilt has to be made of squares. That's it. The size of the project (king size? lap size? mini size?) as well as the squares (1"? charm squares? layer cakes?) is up to you and so is the design made by your squares. I'll have some ideas for you to use as a starting point in my next QAL post, but start dreaming now. The freedom is unlimited here!

Option #2: Make small projects. Every other Monday I'm going to post a link to a free online tutorial that features patchwork squares, and I'll have my own version of the project to show you. If you don't feel like you can commit to a quilt, no worries! Feel free to sew along with us by sewing up a small patchwork project each week instead.

Option #3: Make a quilt AND small projects. Overachievers unite! We can do it all! If you've got the time and energy, spend a few days each week on your quilt and then a few days on the small project. You'll be overflowing with patchwork goodness by the end of this event!

I debated long and hard about having sponsors and offering prizes for this quilt along, and though it's the norm to do so, I decided against it this time. Though I love a nice prize package as much as the next person (and believe me, I do!), I don't want there to be the slightest smidgen of pressure on anybody during this event. Every once in a while it's nice to participate in a sew along with no judging, no comparing yourself to others, and no killing yourself to finish something by a deadline for the chance of winning free stuff. It's just you and your fabric having fun together as you sew something that you love...and all of us cheering you on while you do it. I'll be having link-ups here at Fabric Mutt every two weeks during the quilt along where you can share your small projects and quilt progress, and you can also post your photos in the Graph Paper Quilt Along Flickr group here. If you'd like to have an official quilt along button for your blog, just grab the code from my sidebar on the left.

So what do you say? Want to join me? If so, here's the schedule:

May 29th: Quilt Along Prep Post -- Ideas for Fabric & Themes
June 2nd: Small Project #1 & Cutting Your Quilt Fabric
June 9th: Progress Link-up #1 & Patchwork Piecing Tips
June 16th: Small Project #2 & Ideas for Your Quilt Backing
June 23rd: Progress Link-up #2 & Ideas for Quilting Designs
June 30th: Small Project #3 & Tips for Finishing Your Quilt
July 7th: The Final Link-up -- Show us the patchwork!

I'd love it if you would share the word about this event on your blogs and social media -- use the hashtag #graphpaperqal and you can tag me @fabricmutt too if you like. This quilt along is perfect for beginners or those new to any sort of sew along, so all rookies are welcome here! If you have any questions, feel free to email me at hjstaples@gmail.com.

Okay then...pull out your graph paper and a stack of colored pencils...ready...set...go!

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.

Triple-Zip Pouch

This has been a week for catching up on things I've been wanting to do for months. Today I finally made one of my friend Debbie's triple-zip pouches -- a genius pattern if there ever was one. Debbie is hosting a Triple-Zip Along too, which is a great excuse (if you really needed one) for trying out this amazing tutorial.

When I first saw Eric & Julie Comstock's new collection 2wenty Thr3e online, it was love at first sight, even though it's really not my normal choice of colors. Now that I've seen these prints in person, I'm officially smitten -- and so very glad that I pre-ordered a fat eighth bundle earlier this month. This charm pack arrived the other day, and I thought the triple-zip pouch was a great way to start using it along with some Sewing Guide in black from Mama Said Sew by Sweetwater and an orange and white stripe from Lizzy House's Hello Pilgrim collection for the lining.

I never realized how small this pouch was until I sat down with the tutorial -- just under eight inches long -- yet it's incredible how much you can fit inside it. I'm so excited to swap out the larger pouch I've been keeping in my purse for this efficient little beauty. Can you believe that all this stuff can fit inside with room to spare?

Make yourself a triple-zip pouch. You'll be glad you did.

Out to Sea

Last August when Sarah Jane released her latest line, Out to Sea, I immediately snapped up a bundle of fabric to make a little quilt for my girls' classroom reading spot. It's taken me longer than I had planned, but I finally got around to it this weekend -- just in time, too, since this was my January project for the Lovely Year of Finishes sew along.

Now that my girls are all in regular beds, we had no need for the toddler beds that my two older daughters used to sleep in at night. I gave one to my sister for her girls to grow into and kept the other to use as a special reading nook in our classroom. The funny thing about toddler beds is that, in order for the quilt to fit the top of the bed without wrinkling up badly along the guardrails, it needs to be fairly narrow. Fortunately, I joined the x and + along this month, and when I saw the directions posted for a 24" block, everything fell into place. Two of these blocks together with a small border made a perfect fit for the top of our toddler bed. I bound the quilt in Skinny Vines in charcoal from Valentina -- another gorgeous collection which I hope to be sewing with soon.

I love the map print that Sarah Jane created for this collection -- perfect for so many different projects. I used a small piece of it for the pillow you see above in the top photo, and a lot more of it for the backing of the quilt along with pieces of several others.

I toyed with several different quilting ideas, but in the end I decided to keep it minimal for this design since there's so much going on with the prints. My girls are just crazy about these fun little mermaids.

The accent pillow I made to go with the quilt is as simple as can be. After using a full picture of the map for the front, I pieced together a few large scraps for the back, stuffed it and sewed it closed. It took me fifteen minutes at the most -- I love an easy finish!

Here they are in use. I had no idea when I picked these fabrics that they would perfectly match the wooden kitchen that we gave the girls for Christmas two years ago. I love having the world map above with their artwork hung in front of it on pieces of heavy twine. It's so much easier than trying to cram everything onto the refrigerator.

There were enough pieces left to also make a pillow cover for the daughter of one of my husband's coworkers.  I added a pocket to the front which will be fun for storing a book or doll, and it made a great place to put the birthday card. I love the Sea Flowers print on the sides of the pocket. There's a part of me that really wants to cover the chair in Mouse's room in that fabric...

If you haven't bought any of this collection yet, I highly recommend it. I thoroughly enjoyed playing with these fabrics over the weekend, and I'm looking forward to using my leftovers in some more scrappy projects in the weeks to come.

Linking up to Fabric Tuesday, Made By Me, and A Lovely Year of Finishes.

The Unexpected Weekend

Last Friday I was so excited about the long weekend we had ahead of us. My husband was looking forward to three days of fun with me and the girls, and I had all my pieces ready to sew together for my Weekender in plenty of time to write my post. Everything changed, of course, when Bear came down with a violent case of stomach flu on Saturday morning. With seven of us in the house, we've learned to expect that if one person gets sick, everyone is going to get sick. As Mouse, my dad, and my husband all came down with symptoms during the next few days, I tried to work on my bag as quickly as possible during any free minutes I could spare so that I wouldn't miss my deadline, but unfortunately I just ran out of time before the flu hit me hard on Monday night. The bag as you see it here is almost finished -- it's just missing a lining. In my haste, I'm afraid I wasn't quite as neat and tidy as I normally like to be -- you'll notice plenty of imperfections here and there. The photos you see in this post were taken by my dear husband who stopped me before I tried to hobble outside to take them myself. As I look at them now I can see all the loose threads and wrinkles that I forgot to deal with before the quick photo shoot, and the perfectionist in me is mortified. Sometimes you just have to do the best you can and let it go...

When people say that this bag is a challenge, they aren't kidding. The cutting and prep work are endless, and you're fairly worn out before you even get started. Once you start sewing, though, it's not so bad. Things didn't really become daunting for me until I hit the dreaded step on the directions where you sew all of the exterior panels together. Yikes. I had to rip out seams more than once. A denim needle is well worth your money -- mine never broke even though I was sure it would a few times. You'll do well to go slowly and take your time, both as you sew and as you read through the directions. I read each step through at least twice before plunging ahead.

It's a nice sturdy bag, which I like. I followed several people's advice and made my handles longer than the pattern suggested, sewing them in a little more firmly down the sides as well. Since so many people were going the quilted route in our blog hop, and since I had recently made a quilted bag when I put together my Retro Library Case, I decided to try the standard Peltex version for mine. I used a lime green linen for most of the bag, accented with linen Nursery Versery prints by Heather Ross and some colorful scraps thrown in for good measure. I really love the way the paper pieced section turned out, and I hope to be making a pillow soon using this same pattern. My piping was store bought, and I have no regrets about that. It was easy to use and one less thing to have to make ahead. If you do use premade piping, be sure to cut carefully. It takes two packets to do the job, and each one has just enough for the one large pocket and the distance around the main panel. I almost had to go buy another pack because I wasn't as careful as I should have been at first.

Once I'm feeling a bit better, I'll be finishing the lining and passing this on to my sister who will be using it as her new diaper bag. I'm so glad that I had the chance to finally try this pattern -- it's been on my to-do list all year long!

Drop by Taryn's blog tomorrow for our last stop in the series before you can link up your finished bags at Lori's website. We can't wait to see what's in your Weekender!

Memory

It's almost impossible for me to believe that I sewed my first quilt just a year ago this month. God bless my mother for buying a new sewing machine when her old one wasn't working right. After nearly two years spent flitting from one hobby to the next, trying desperately to find my niche, sewing turned out to be the one I was waiting for. I really do believe that it saved my sanity as a stay-at-home mom. Though I've spent the last year finding both my footing and my balance, I'm so grateful to have this opportunity to create beauty every day with my own two hands.

When I started working on my quilt for the Scrappy Stash Sew Along that Jennifer was hosting at Ellison Lane Quilts, I had no idea that it would be such a moving experience for me. I've been piling up scraps for a year now, trying to decide how best to use them, and these scrappy log cabin blocks could not have been a better fit.

Putting these blocks together was a joy. It was like reliving an entire year of happy sewing memories in one quilt, and because of that, I decided to call this project "Memory."

Most of you know how much I love text fabrics. It was so fun to use all my favorite text prints as a background for the quartets of colored blocks. I decided to also use my current favorite quilting method: intermittent wavy stitching in vertical lines down the quilt top.

I backed the quilt in a selection of prints from my stash, matching the color order on the back with that of the blocks on the front. I love the back almost as much as I do the quilt top...

The quilt is bound in a grey Posie print from Flea Market Fancy by Denyse Schmidt, one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite designers.

As a bonus, I used some of the selvages I've been saving all year to make a quick pillow cover to go along with the quilt on our bed. The border is a botanical text print -- from Timeless Treasures, I believe -- which I absolutely love, and the cover is backed in the dark blue print with red and white flowers (third from the bottom row of selvages). I used the same wavy quilting as I did on the bed quilt, but this time I went horizontally.

As you can see, the pillow matches the decor in our bedroom. Believe it or not, the pictures on the wall are actually prints we ordered from Costco's photo department. My husband stained some inexpensive frames to go along with them, and I love the way they look above the antique dresser and chair we have in our room, both passed down from my side of the family.

I've had many projects this year that have been among my favorites, but this quilt is definitely at the top of the list. I'm going to treasure this one always.

Linking up to Fabric Tuesday, the Scrappy Stash Sew Along, and Finish It Up Friday.