Happy Wednesday! Today I wanted to share the news that I am starting a newsletter! I have been thinking about doing this for a long time. I prematurely put up a sign up form last Summer, but I never sent anything. My apologies if you signed up! I put up the sign up without doing any concrete work towards actually putting something together. I felt so embarrassed when I finally took it down, realizing that I had been completely unprepared to take on the project.

Now I'm ready to dive in and really do it! I hope you'll join me! I think it's an interesting avenue to explore, and I'm excited to communicate with you in this way.


So what to expect from my newsletter? You'll hear from me up to twice a month, once at the beginning of each month and a second letter mid-month if there is anything else exciting to share. I'll be sharing a little bit of everything including projects from the archives, my favorite things from around the web, reader projects, and a tip/tutorial/free pattern each month! I also want to dedicate space to talk about what it takes to be a happy creative person (I'm still learning!), and how I am working to stay inspired and avoid burnout.

In addition, there will be a featured product each month with an exclusive discount code available only to subscribers. Sweet!


Phew, let's see what I can really pack into a single month! This is completely uncharted territory for me, and I'm excited to try something new. It will certainly be a learning experience, and I look forward to taking you along for the ride. I'm sure I'll make some mistakes along the way, but part of trying something new is figuring out what works and what doesn't. The only way to find out is to try!


Photo by Holly DeGroot.

I'll be sending my first newsletter in September. To kick it off, I'll be including a free quilt pattern! It's a PDF pattern for a simple throw quilt featuring Brush Strokes by Holly DeGroot. I'll be sharing more details about the quilt in a post next week.


Anyways, if you'd like to sign up, click on the button above or click here! There is also a permanent spot in my sidebar to sign up if you'd rather do it later.

As I'm embarking on my newsletter adventure, I'd love to know what your favorite email newsletters are, and what you like about them!

Thank you for your support!

Nani Iro Canvas Stowe Bag

Happy Monday! Today I want to share a recent non-quilt finish. I normally keep my projects pretty varied, but lately I seem to mostly be working on quilts. I did squeeze in a bit of bag sewing earlier this month.


My latest bag make is a new knitting bag using the Stowe Bag Pattern by Grainline Studio. I've had this Nani Iro Pierre Pocho canvas in my stash for a while and it seemed like the perfect project to showcase it. The lining is a quilting cotton from Volume II by Sweetwater. For the binding I pulled a Rowan Shot Cotton (in Spruce).


I didn't completely follow the instructions for my bag. I used the main pattern piece to cut both an exterior and a lining. I gave the bag a boxed bottom by using the same technique that I use in the lined drawstring bag tutorial. I did all of this because I wanted a lined bag. I also chose to leave off the pockets. I rarely use the pockets on knitting bags that have them, so I decided to skip them.


I struggled a bit with the binding, it didn't turn out super neat. The curves are pretty steep, and I ended up with a bit of wrinkling as I attached it on the outside. I'm trying not to let it bother me too much. The shot cotton probably wasn't my best choice for the binding, but live and learn! I would definitely use quilting cotton for the binding if I make another bag.


The bag is pretty darn cute. It's a great shape and will be perfect for holding small/medium sized projects. I made the small size bag.


Happy Sewing!

Kawaii Magic Stars Quilt

Happy Thursday! I'm excited to start sharing the quilts I've been finishing lately! I've been on a mission this year to work from my stash, but also to make things just for fun. Part of this means using fabrics that I've been hoarding. Another part of that is making things I've always wanted to make. It's been reinvigorating on the creative side, and now I can really enjoy those precious fabrics in finished projects.

Today I'm sharing my Kawaii Magic Stars Quilt!


In January 2013, I participated in a Kokka Layer Cake Swap. We each bought yardage of a single print, cut it up into 10" squares, and swapped to end up with a layer cake of 26 different Kokka prints. At that time I was just starting to splurge on Japanese prints, and didn't have much of a stash of kawaii (ie: super cute) fabrics. There were so many good prints in the resulting layer cake, and it was immediately deemed too precious.


Fast forward to this Spring, when I decided to add to the layer cake using prints from my collection of kawaii prints that I've collected over the years. I chose the Magic Stars Quilt Pattern by Aneela Hoey to show off these prints. I loved working on this pattern when I made my Mom's quilt: Emmy Grace Magic Stars Quilt. It's a really fun pattern, and I'd make it again!


I did one thing wrong this time that resulted in a much scrappier look. I didn't pay as close attention to the directions this time around and forgot to pair like blocks together in the last step. This was 100% my error, and was definitely a result of "I've already made this, I know what I'm doing". It happens to us all! I think there is so much going on with the prints that it's okay.


Just like the first time I made this quilt, I added an extra row of blocks to make it a little bigger. I like the little bit of extra length and it completes the final row of stars.


I pieced together a backing of more Japanese prints, including a big chunk from a friend. It felt good to use up some yardage as well as a few smaller pieces. This quilt was quilted by local Madison quilter, Gael Boyd of Stitchlilly. Thanks for a beautiful job Gael! It's bound in Sprout Cirrus Solid from Cloud 9.


Happy Quilting!

July 2016 Report

Happy Tuesday! I'm finally back in this space today to share my July report. I didn't mean to take a break, but things do seem to slow down a bit in the summer. I know I've been moving at a slower pace! I've been sewing a lot, but need to buckle down and take photographs of all my makes and just get back into the swing of things.


July was pretty hot for us, so there were quite a few days that I couldn't work in my sewing room because of the heat. Some days I worked on the computer and for a few days I brought my machine to the kitchen to sew near the A/C unit. I still managed to get a lot done, which felt good.


I picked up my Drachenfels shawl again. I'm now into the second section which has stripes, and I really love it. I know that it will be much more enjoyable from here on out. I'm really pleased with the colors I chose.


Brushstrokes fabric by Holly DeGroot for Cloud 9 Fabrics.

As I've mentioned, to keep myself accountable I'm tracking my yardage for both yarn and fabric. Here is how I did in July:

July Fabric
Used up: 34.75 yards
Brought in: 22.5 yards
Net: -12.25 yards
Year to date: -33.875 yards

July Yarn
Used up: 0 yards
Brought in: 0 yards
Net: 0 yards
Year to date: +1087 yards


Looking at my goals, I did okay this month. I didn't end up working on my double wedding ring wedges. My goal was 15 per month which would have them finished in October. I've been making 16 per month, so I decided to let myself skip July and means I need to make 18 per month these next three months. I completed one quilt start to finish, and completed three others. Two of the four I quilted myself, which I hadn't done in a long while! Just straight lines, but still! I also made a few quilt blocks and a scissor cozy. I worked on my Archer Popover, have plenty of details to finish up.


I have two deadlines to work towards this month, and I'm also really hoping to release my two new patterns. Those are going to be my primary focus. I'm starting to get excited about Fall, the weather makes it much more comfortable to sew!


George bunny says "Hi!". I took this video of him in his giant bag of hay, he was enjoying a feast! It's a little dark but still enjoyable!

Happy Sewing!