Happy Tuesday! Today I want to share a project that I worked on back in 2014, that works out to be quite relevant now. I flew home to Cleveland in early 2014 to film two episodes for It's Sew Easy, which airs on PBS. I adapted two of my older tutorials for the episodes, which is fun.


The first episode is 706 and features my Vintage Sheet HST Pillow Tutorial. For the episode, I remade the pillow in Color Me Retro! I wanted to share this because this episode is available to watch on Youtube (here), so if you are still unsure about trying half-square triangles, you can watch me make them on video!


It's a cute little pillow, and doesn't take too long to put together. I also brought along a number of other half-square triangle projects for the shoot. My Dreamin' Vintage Half-Square Triangle Sampler quilt, my Warm Cool HST Quilt, my Nordika HST Pillow, and my Quilted Grocery Bag Holder.


The second episode I taped is 707, featuring my Logcabin Quilted Coasters. For this episode, I remade the coasters in Nordika. These turn out really cute and make a great gift.


These are a fun way to try out different quilting techniques, I used a different pattern for each coaster. Love making these!


I made another sample for the episode, this log cabin mini quilt, also using Nordika. I cut 2.5" strips to make four small log cabin blocks. I really need to plan a full size log cabin quilt, these blocks are really satisfying to make. This mini lives under my sewing machine folded in half, to help muffle the noise from my machine.


I quilted all of these projects with 50wt Aurifil threads from my thread box. I especially enjoyed using the teal thread in my mini quilt!

Part of the reason why I put off sharing this experience and projects is that it wore me out. Even though I was doing smaller projects, the amount of prep work involved in taping these videos was huge. I have at least 7 versions of the pillow (plus enough HSTs to make more) in various stages as step outs for the episode and back-ups in case a part with sewing needs to be shot again. That and I was SO nervous. It was really far outside of my comfort zone to do something like this. I did it, but it showed me that it is not something I enjoy doing. But that's okay! I tried it, and it wasn't a disaster, so all is well.

You can check your local listings for these episodes (if you want!), here.

Happy Sewing!

This Month

Happy Wednesday! I'm back, at least for today. This month has been pretty draining. I am working towards finishing up some deadlines, doing regular work, trying to keep the apartment in order, and planning our wedding from afar. Plus, it was Michael's birthday and our anniversary this month.

I haven't had much to talk about or show in this space, and honestly I think I needed a little break. I've been pretty quiet on Instagram too, I guess I've pulled back from most social media this month, and it's been good. I can't do everything, so something has to give. Hopefully next month things can get back to normal.

I did find time recently to refresh the quilt ladder. I love having quilts on display! It was made using this tutorial.


I've joined a quilt bee for the first time in years and I'm pretty excited about it. It's a traveling bee, so we had to send out our quilt "start" last month. I choose some orphaned blocks that all happened to coordinate in color. I can't wait to find time to work on this project.


I started my first knitting project of 2015, a Schwimmen hat (pattern by Shannon Cook). It's another gray hat, because I love gray hats. This is the fourth gray hat I have made, whoops! Oh well, I know what I like! More on my Ravelry.


We are finally to the point where we are simply running out of space in our apartment. Since we aren't planning on moving until we leave Madison, this means some purging is necessary. Thankfully, I love ridding through things, so it's not all bad. This past weekend I tackled my sewing room. I took almost everything out of the wall of closets, and got rid of a decent amount of stuff. Not enough, but there is nothing being stored on the floor anymore, so definitely an improvement! I also ordered this FJÄLKINGE shelving unit from Ikea to take better advantage of the space between my sewing table and the window. It's definitely one of the better quality pieces I've seen from there, and it fits perfectly.


Last month when it wasn't quite so cold (it's 2 degrees right now), we got brave and went out onto Lake Mendota for some photos of the ice. It was really cool. Don't worry, this is as far as we got from the shore.


George bunny has been good. He is so sweet, I like to pick him up for a squeeze everyday. He has been waking us up every morning at about 6:30am to go out in his play area. Stinker!


One more George photo just for good measure, cause he is so cute!

Have a great day!

2014 in Review

Happy New Year! Before we get too far into 2015, I wanted to at least do a quick reflection on last year. 2014 was full of opportunities, lots of hard work, and some fun. That's not to say it didn't have it's ups and downs.

First and foremost, we survived the polar vortex that hit in January and February. It even inspired a quilt tutorial!


I also released seven patterns this year! Working on patterns was my big focus this year, and I am glad that I was able to get so many in-progress patterns finished and out into the world.


I released two fabric collections this year, Dreamin' Vintage and Geometric Bliss! Every time a collection is released it becomes my new favorite. Keep your eyes peeled for a super duper giveaway coming soon!


I had a hard time choosing my favorite project from 2014, but I think I have to choose this Sew Together Bag made in Nordika. I use it all the time, and it was fun to make!


Lebron James came back to the Cleveland Cavaliers, which was pretty darn awesome for this Cavs fan! We were even able to attend some games!


I kept up my knitting this year, not as much as I would have liked, but that's okay. I tried to challenge myself, and I am ready to start my first sweater this year.


George also sat on this giant ball of yarn. So ridiculous of him!


I had the opportunity to travel quite a bit this year, including just an hour away to New Glarus for another summer sewing retreat!


George was a bee for Halloween! The cutest bumble bun ever.


The end of 2014 was quite busy! We traveled home to Ohio to spend Christmas with my family. After the holiday we met some of Michael's family in the Caribbean for a week-long cruise. It was such a nice break for us.



Last but most certainly not least, Michael took me to the Cleveland Zoo before Christmas and proposed! Of course I said yes! It's a thrill to call him my fiancé and wear my great-grandmother's ring :)

Here's to a wonderful and exciting 2015!

Holiday Gift Making Ideas

Happy Monday! Can you believe it's already December 1st? I put up our Christmas decorations after dinner on Thanksgiving day, and I am ready to dive into all things holiday related! That includes some (semi-last minute) gift making! I thought I'd share a few of my go-to projects and patterns that you can make in a jiffy. A mix of my own and favorites from others!

My advent calender is all ready to go! It's the Countdown-to-Christmas Advent Calender by Kaye Prince, in the book Pretty in Patchwork: Holidays.

Bags & Pouches

The project I make the most around the holidays is Lined Drawstring Bags. The pattern version has eight sizes, plus custom sizing, and they all make great gifts on their own, or as eco-friendly reusable wrapping for other gifts. I like making the largest size to gift quilts! I gifted several along with Amanda's Knitting Needle Wallet, for the knitters in my life. Zipper pouches always go over well, try the Triplizip Pouches for something simple, or Anna's awesome Open-Wide Pouches. The Sewcial Tote Pattern has three straightforward tote bags, perfect for gift giving. Really short on time? How about a handmade Key FOB?

Accessories

I always end up making a few accessories every year, namely scarves! Use my Quick Scarf Tutorial to make a simple scarf (pom-poms optional but awesome!), or try your hand at Shannon's Infinity Scarf! Coffee Cozies are always a hit and can be made assembly line style. Make warm mittens from a thrifted sweater! A Jolly Apron might come in handy this season too!

Home Decor

Handmade pillows and decor items are a great route to go for gift making. Everyone loves pretty things is display in their home! A pair of Modern Plus Pillows would make a lovely gift! Or maybe a Mystery Quilted Pillow! Attractive grocery bag holders can be hard to find, and are super useful! Spruce up a few ready-made tea towels with my tutorial for a quick hostess gift, given alone or with some nice wooden spoons. This Eight times the Fun table runner would also make a great gift! These Log Cabin Coasters whip up in no time!

Quilts

I love giving quilts as gifts, and it's not too late to make one for someone this year! My favorite super quick, big impact quilt for gifting is my Giant Vintage Star Quilt Tutorial. It whips up in no time, I made the tutorial version in 24 hours! Simple patchwork quilts like the Lazy Daisy Throw or the Stellar Throw are great gift quilts too! The big braid from the Side Braid Pattern and Arithmetic made with 8" squares also come together quickly and have a little more interest!

Edible Gifts

Finally, I want to share my favorite holiday treats to gift! I make these salted caramels every year, they're awesome! I now make them in one of these silicone pans, it makes packaging them so much easier (I wrap them in wax paper). This salted caramel sauce is delicious too! My favorite holiday cookie is chocolate pretzel cookies. I also usually make white chocolate chex mix, which looks extra festive with red and green M&Ms.

Happy Making!

Weekly Snapshot

Happy Thursday! It's time for another round of Weekly Snapshot. Which, I suppose I should rename "Bi-Weekly Snapshot". Or "Every Once in a While Snapshot", but that's just too complicated!

This fun little stack of fat quarters from all of my collections is hanging out in my sewing room. It's cool to see them all together!


I have a quilt in the new Scraps, Inc book from Lucky Spool, out this month. I'll be sharing the full quilt and more details soon! It's one of my favorites!


I am a big Adventure Time fan, and I recently started reading the Adventure Time comic. It's really good, and so much like the show! This is vol 3, but I'm on vol 5 right now!


This probably comes as no surprise, but I am always on the lookout for black rabbit things. I have had very little luck over the years, but last week I hit the jackpot! A STUFFED ANIMAL! I love stuffed animals, so needless to say, I was really excited! We named him Theodore, Theo for short. He is made by Jellycat and is so soft.


I am a huge Orla Kiely fan, and was excited to find her new cosmetic bags for Target. I was well behaved and only brought things pink one home. And I am actually going to use it for cosmetics when I travel, fancy!


The Cavs started their season last week, and we are a little excited about it over here! It's going to be fun following along this year!


I had to give you one more George Halloween shot! He really does make a cute bee :)

Have a great day!

Aurifil Thread Collection Projects

Happy Thursday! Today I have a few projects to show you that I made this past Spring to feature my Aurifil Favorite Things Thread Collection. I found the photos hiding on my desktop, and realized I had never posted about these projects!


First up is a mini quilt! I love to make mini quilts, and was in the mood to play with really simple log cabins. This came together in an afternoon! I used Nordika for this mini, and I love the play between all the different prints.


For the quilting I used a triple zig-zag stitch (with the stitch length and width turned up), and the teal thread from the collection. It's super quick using this stitch for quilting.  The thread looks so shiny with the rich colors of Nordika!


To finish this mini quilt up, I used a teal Squared Element. They're perfect for bindings!


Next up, a simple patchwork pillow! I never tire of plain old patchwork, and it really suits Dreamin' Vintage. Adding quilting to a pillow gives it so much comfort in my opinion!


I quilted this pillow using the light blue thread from the collection with a simple loopy meander.


The pillow is finished off with a zippered back, which is my preferred way to finish a pillow!


Finally, I wanted to come up with a project that not only used all 12 threads from the thread collection, but also used fabrics from all four of my fabric collections. Enter this funky zipper pouch!


I knew I wanted to use strips of my prints, but I added the solid portion so that you could better see the different thread colors. I was surprised by how well the prints from my different collections play together! Maybe a quilt with all of them is in order!


I quilted the back of this pouch with a serpentine stitch using the dark purple thread in the collection.

You can find both the small and large thread boxes in my shop!