Happy Wednesday! Today I have a recent mini quilt finish to share!


For the last several Mother's Days I've made my Mom a new mini quilt for her craft room. This year was no exception, and I decided to use this cheater print from Honey by Alexia Abegg* as a starting point for the mini quilt. I pulled a few blenders to match from my stash and a long hoarded low-volume print for the background.


I decided on making a bear paw mini quilt using my Bear Paw Pillows Pattern. The only difference is I ended up leaving off the final borders. I didn't want the mini quilt to end up too big!


The nice thing about using the cheater print is that there were so many colors I could pull in to match! I dug deep in my stash for this dusty pink binding fabric.


I think the final mini quilt turned out pretty cute! I don't make a lot of mini quilts these days, so this was fun. Makes me want to make more. It's nice to be able to play with a design and a color palette without committing to a huge quilt!


For the quilting I did straight lines shadowing some of the piecing. Nothing fancy!


Another deep stash dive for this backing print! It's not an exact match for the front of the mini, but I think it still works with the binding. It's an old print by Erin McMorris.


Pick up a copy of the pattern here: Bear Paw Pillow Pattern


Happy Sewing!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

Winter Bear Paw Pillows

Happy Tuesday! Today I want to share a set of pillows I made for our home back in December!


I still love the sample pillows that I made for my Bear Paw Pillows Pattern a few years ago. The colors work for our home most of the year, but as Christmas approached this year, I realized I could get some use out of a different color scheme. On that note though, I didn't want them to only be Christmas pillows. So! I dug into my stash for ideas and came up with a combination that I think will work all winter long. They can work well for Christmas and also lean a little Valentine's Day. Honestly, in our house pink always works, no matter the season!


I had a lot of leftovers of this star print from Daisy Chain by Annabel Wrigley*. I used it as the backing for my Christmas Two by Four Quilt, and I had a lot of long skinny pieces leftover from that. Once I settled on that print, I chose some solids to match from my stash.


Then it was full steam ahead. I was able to pull together the background pieces and the backs of both pillows using only my backing leftovers, which felt really good! I often struggle to use those types of pieces, so I was happy these were used up for something so fun. The pillows came together in a day or two, so it wasn't long before I had them on display!



I didn't have a ton of the solids that matched, so I played with the color placement so that I could squeeze out enough pieces for both pillows. I like how they ended up like sisters instead of twins. The quilting is pretty minimal. I wanted the piecework to be the star of the show. Just some straight lines with an off-white thread.


I used a simple envelope closure for the pillow backings. I typically prefer to do a zippered closure, but I didn't have any zippers that matched or were the right size and I didn't want to order any. Plus the envelope style is so much quicker, it's hard to resist at times! Since I was making these in the midst of holiday sewing and the lined drawstring bag sew along, I was happy to save some time.


I happened to have enough yardage of another print from the same collection, so I used that as the binding. Ideally I would have used more of the solids, but I didn't have enough. So I made do! I think they're still cute.



Here are the finished pillows on our chairs in front of the fireplace around Christmas time! As I write this post today (in February), they're still out and look great. That reminds me, I should probably put up my Valentine's garland! Very pleased with how this project turned out. I love to make projects for our home, it's probably my favorite thing to make. I like having different options to switch between and making them myself gives me lots of home decor to choose from without breaking the bank!


Pattern: Bear Paw Pillows Pattern
Fabric: Daisy Chain by Annabel Wrigley* + solids from stash
Finished Size: 20"x20"

Happy Quilting!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

2020 in Review

I thought we better look back at 2020 before we get too far into 2021. To be honest I have been tempted to skip this post altogether. But I know I'll regret it if I don't mark the year changing at all.


I met almost none of my crafty goals for the year. Never could I have imagined the things that would happen in 2020, and my sewing goals definitely took a back seat. I spent a lot more time in 2020 just trying to stay afloat. Taking care of our household, trying to stay connected to friends and family, and focusing my sewing on more practical projects like masks and things for the house. I also spent much more time this year in the garden; any excuse to be outside and not in the house for a bit.


I think the biggest reason that I did not meet many of my crafty goals in 2020 (other than the pandemic) is that they were really project specific. It didn't allow me much room to be flexible. With that in mind I'm making more broad goals for 2021. I'm trying not to be too hard on myself, but I will admit I'm dissapointed. I know it's an ebb and flow though. Some years are more productive than others, and this is an incredibly trying peroid of time that we've been living through.


So, in order to feel a little better about what I was able to accomplish last year, I'm going to mix up the yearly review a bit. You can see past yearly reviews here.


First up, my proudest crafty accomplishment of 2020. For the fifth year in a row, I tracked my fabric and yarn yardage. (See how I do that in this post.) As in other years, my goal was simply to use up more fabric than I bring in. I'm happy to report that I acheived this for both fabric and yarn! I also wanted to bring in less fabric than last year (which was 48 yards), so I met that extra bit too!

2020 Fabric Stash:
Brought in: 40.25 yards
Sewed up/destashed: 65.5 yards
Net: -25.25 yards

2020 Yarn Stash:
Brought in: 0 yards
Knit up/destashed: 334 yards
Net: -334 yards

My favorite quilt finish:

Photo used with permission from Quilts & More magazine. ©2020 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved.
Keep On Turning Quilt

My favorite lined drawstring bag finish:

Tiny Drawstring Bag Advent Calendar

My favorite tote bag finish:

Scrappy Canvas Workshop Tote Bag

My favorite (and only) knitting finish:


Sweet Nectar Mitts


I actually managed to share 13 tutorial or informational posts this year, which is cool! I wrote a number of them for the lined drawstring bag sew along, plus a few based around sewing space organization. I hope to add to that series this Spring. See all the tutorials/informational posts I shared in 2020 below:

Long Scrappy Pincushion Tutorial
Scrappy Nine-Patch Pincushion Tutorial
DIY Quilt Ladder
DIY Fabric Grow Bags
Tips for Keeping Your Sewing Table Organized and Clutter Free
Tips for Storing Projects in Progress (WIPs)
Tips for Organizing and Storing Fabric Scraps
Vote Mini Quilt Tutorial
How to Add Pom Pom Trim to a Pillow
Tips for Choosing Fabrics for Drawstring Bags
Lined Drawstring Bag Video Tutorial
Wine Bottle Drawstring Gift Bag Tutorial
How to Add an Exterior Pocket to a Drawstring Bag


I released one new pattern in 2020, the Bear Paw Pillows Pattern. It's currently available as a PDF only, but the Paper version and a little shop refresh are both coming in February.

Find the pattern here: Bear Paw Pillows Pattern


One of the biggest changes I made to my shop in 2020 was I started selling Cotton Twill Tape and Cotton Webbing. I'm excited to add more new products like these this year, first up wooden beads! Hopefully also in February.

Find those products here: Cotton Twill Tape and Cotton Webbing

I want to wrap up this review by sharing a few of my favorite snapshots from my 2020 garden. There wasn't as much to look forward to in 2020 as plans kept needing to be canceled and we hunkered down here in CT. Being able to grow food and flowers really helped me get through it. Every morning during the Summer I'd start the day by going out and walking through the garden to see the progress. Oftentimes I'd do the same again a few times during the day, whenever I needed some fresh air or a pick me up. Usually the growing season seems so slow, but I really was able to savor and appreciate it last year.











I'll be back to share my 2021 Crafty Goals soon!

September Monthly Report

Happy October! It's time for September's monthly report. See past reports here.

Dahlias I picked from my garden last weekend. Varieties are Linda's Baby and Jowey Winnie.


I did quite a bit of sewing this month, which felt good! One of my late September projects was this little spooky wall-hanging I made to go above our mantle. Eventually I want to hang a big frame above our mantle, but I still haven't gotten around to getting one. It feels so empty up there, so for Halloween I decided to make a wall hanging. I'll probably do something similar for Christmas too.

I used Dana Bolyard's Ghost Town Quilt Pattern to make these houses. It was really fun to pull fabrics and fussy cut the doors. I did a scrappy sashing and bound it completely in binding scraps which felt good! I made most of it in a weekend, so a nice quick project.


I seem to make a new drawstring bag every few weeks and I stitched this one up right at the beginning of the month. This print from the Heather Ross 20th Anniversary Collection* felt Fall-ish, and was begging to be a bag. This is an Everything size made with a mini accent, which is an option in the expansion pattern.

Lined Drawstring Bag Pattern
Lined Drawstring Bag Expansion Pattern
Cotton Twill Tape


The other drawstring bag I made this month was a personal challenge. I've had this beautiful moth fabric by Jessica Swift* in my stash since 2014. I challenged myself one Friday to make something (anything!) from it. So, a bag it became. Now that I've cut into this fabric, I think it will get used more. Funny how that works! This is also an Everything size.

Lined Drawstring Bag Tutorial


Made more masks of course! Still using Dana Willard's tutorial.


Last but not least, my biggest make of the month were my bear paw pillows and pattern! I've been wanting to remake these pillows and write the pattern for a long time so I feel very happy that I accomplished that last month. Already thinking I may make a Christmas pair. We'll see!

Bear Paw Pillows Pattern


To keep myself accountable for my stash goals, I track my yardage for fabric and yarn each month. Read more about how I track here. Here is how I did in September:

September Fabric
Used up: 8 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: -8 yards
Year to date: -18 yards

September Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: 0 yards

Considering I didn't finish any huge projects like a quilt or anything, I'm quite pleased with the amount of yardage I used this month! Lots of small-ish projects added up!


In non-sewing related making I made myself a plant stand! I wanted something that would hold a bit more than the bench I had under this window before and this fit the bill. I've had it pinned for years! I used this tutorial to make it.


It's a little early for snowflakes, but I finally bought a set of cookie stamps and tested them out this month! My Mom discovered this gingerbread cookie recipe. They're really tasty, and I've getting the hang of using the stamps! These are the ones I bought: Nordic Ware Frozen 2 Cookie Stamps*


George bunny! Still shedding a little, but almost done thankfully! He's looking fluffier these days now that it's a little cooler in the house.

Have a great month!

*Note: Any links marked with an asterisk in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click through and buy something, I make a small commission, at no extra cost to you.

New Pattern: Bear Paw Pillows

Happy Friday! Today is the release of my new pattern, the Bear Paw Pillows Pattern!

As I mentioned in my "Work in Progress: Bear Paw Pillows" post, this design was originally published in an issue of Quilts & More magazine. Since then I've been wanting to turn it into a standalone pattern.


I have released the pattern in both PDF and Paper formats. You can find them both in my online shop here: Bear Paw Pillows PDF Pattern & Bear Paw Pillows Paper Pattern

The pattern features two views, 1 & 2. They're made the same way, the only difference is the fabric placement. I love how a few changes can totally mix up the look! The pillows finish at 20" square.



View 1


View 2


There are two pillow backing options included: envelope style and a zippered style. The zippered option is my very favorite way to finish pillows, I've been using this method for years. I'm excited to finally be including it in a pattern! It was time.


There are also three finishing options: pom pom trim, binding, and neither. I am partial to pom poms, but I wanted to give you plenty of choices!

Included on the last page of the pattern are blank diagrams and a guide to laying out your own color scheme.


I've included fabric requirements for each view individually and requirements for making both views if you want to make a pair like I did!


You can find the pattern here: Bear Paw Pillows PDF Pattern & Bear Paw Pillows Paper Pattern

Happy Quilting!